Creator, Father, King #262

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.

YOU SHOULD FEEL A proper sense of shame if you ever do any of the following things in life:

• taking the Lord’s name in vain
• yelling at your parents
• walking past an elderly person in need without lifting a finger to help
• stealing
• lying
• using obscene language
• failing a test because you didn’t study

But you should never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Today, we begin a thirteen-day study of the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, which contains Scripture’s most comprehensive treatment of the gospel. He wrote this letter to Christians living in Rome circa AD 57.

Romans 1:16-17, which acts as Paul’s thesis statement for the entire letter, provides the basis for today’s devotion:

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. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Let’s discuss this wonderful passage of Scripture!

What’s It Mean?

In Paul’s day, the Roman Empire encompassed most of the known ancient world. Christians, though, were often marginalized—or worse—depending on the emperor in power.

Today, despite our religious freedom, there will always be people who look down on you because of your faith. But don’t be ashamed!

Some will mock. Some will taunt. Some will say there is no God (Psalm 14:1). Some will say Christians are fools to believe in a resurrected Christ who is returning again (2 Peter 3:4). This has always been the case.

But remember: there is great power in the gospel. It’s not earthly power. You can’t see it in a bank account, social media followers, or any other human metrics. It’s so much better!

It’s God’s power to save hell-bound souls and bring them into the light of his glorious grace. It’s God’s power to radically transform broken, rebellious hearts into hearts that want to love him and serve others.

May we never be ashamed of what God has done for us through the great sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ!

Now What?

Memorize Romans 1:16-17.

Did You Know?

“To the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV) means that God’s salvation plan extends to all people, regardless of nationality. Praise the Lord!