Not Ashamed of the Gospel

In today's scripture reading, Paul proclaims, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16a).

Since becoming a Christian, Paul had dealt with a lot, and I mean a lot. In 2 Corinthians 11, he recounts, "Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea... I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked." All of that just because he became a Christian.

What It Means to Live Not Ashamed of the Gospel

The powerful point is that Paul remained not ashamed of the gospel because he knew, firsthand, the transformative power it held in people's lives. He had seen what the gospel could do, so no amount of suffering could talk him out of it.

Society tells us it's shameful to be a Christian, and even Christians are finding it shameful, hence the slippery assimilation to the world's standards. When we start to grow ashamed of the gospel, James warns us, "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God" (4:4).

Have we experienced as much as Paul did? Likely not. We haven't come close to the pressure he faced. So when the world offers you its friendship in exchange for your silence, stand firm with Paul, because you have nothing to be ashamed of.

Always improve the present moment.

Corbin Riley