Romans 1:1-17 - Unashamed

Though the world rejects it, you must live life unashamed of the power of God.

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Romans 1:1–17 (NASB95)

¹ Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ² which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³ concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, ⁴ who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵ through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, ⁶ among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

⁷ to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. ⁹ For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, ¹⁰ always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. ¹¹ For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; ¹² that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.

¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁴ I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.

¹⁵ So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Heidelberg Catechism

Q&A 21

Q. What is true faith?

A. True faith is

not only a knowledge and conviction

that everything God reveals in his Word is true;

it is also a deep-rooted assurance,

created in me by the Holy Spirit

through the gospel,

that, out of sheer grace earned for us by Christ,

not only others, but I too,

have had my sins forgiven,

have been made forever right with God,

and have been granted salvation.

Summary

I love Romans. It is very likely my favorite book of the Bible. In this letter, Paul is incredibly thorough in laying out a comprehensive presentation of the Gospel. This letter is large and thorough enough that it is often thematically broken into four parts.

This week, we are spending our time in the early part of Romans, this first section of the letter where Paul dives into the problem of our sin. Yet before he touches on the topic of sin, Paul first gives us verses 16-17 which set the tone for this letter: For I am not ashamed of the gospel...

These words have been an encouragement for generations of believers. Before sharing the problem of our sin and the redemption we have in Christ, Paul declares his stance on the gospel. No matter what others may say or do, he will not shy away from the Gospel of Christ.

The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Nothing in this world can measure up to this amazing grace of God.

  Dig Deeper  

In recent years it feels as if the Gospel is under fire, especially if you spend any amount of time in the echo chamber of social media. People attack the Word of God because it differs from their own personal worldview. Instead of turning to scripture to learn about the all-powerful creator of the universe, they are upset that our infinitly wise God does not conform Himself to the way they think things ought to be.

While it is easy to become disappointed with the secular resistance towards the Gospel, this opposition is nothing new. When Paul started preaching the Gospel, he suffered immensely for his faith.

Paul shares of his hardships in 2 Corinthians 11:24-27:

²⁴ Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶ on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; ²⁷ in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

Paul said that he was not ashamed of the gospel, but it was his actions that proved this to be true. Despite the resistance he faced, he never relented of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. And why would he? The gospel is the power of God for salvation. Why would anyone walk away from that?

Paul is an example of someone who lived unashamed. If people were to examine your actions, what would they say about your feelings towards the gospel? Do you live as one who is embarrassed by their faith or is it clear that you are unashamed of the Good News of Jesus Christ?

AAA Prayer (About)

• ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whose power is best seen in and through the Gospel;

• ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that like Paul, you too will live life unashamed of the Gospel;

• ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

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