‘I Am Not Ashamed’
“I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 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. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” - Rom. 1:14-17
This passage presents us with the major theological theme of the book of Romans. Paul, the Apostle, makes three statements that give us insight into what drove him to pour his life out for the gospel. All three statements are similarly constructed - “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians,..”....”I am eager to preach the gospel to you…”....”I am not ashamed of the gospel…” These statements are related to one another in that Paul’s understanding of the gospel is what created his sense of obligation and eagerness to preach the good news of Christ.
The key verses of the entire book of Romans are verses 16 and 17. Let’s look at them more closely - “For I am not ashamed of the gospel…” What makes this statement so powerful is that Paul makes it in a religious and cultural environment that is hostile to the Christian message. To the Jews the gospel is offensive because it broke with the accepted messianic expectation and declared Christ to be the Messiah. But even more offensive than this is the claim that Jesus is actually God (YHWH) in flesh and he was crucified. To the Gentiles, whose worldview was shaped by Greek philosophy and thinking, the gospel was foolishness. The incarnation, particularly, was unthinkable and the idea of atonement was laughable - “For the work of the cross is folly to those who are perishing,...(1Cor.1:18).”
In spite of the general attitude of contempt for the gospel, Paul was proud of the message he preached. Why? For two reasons: “it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith (v.16)”, and “...in it the righteousness of God is revealed…” (made known and available). These two understandings form one essential truth: the Christian gospel possesses the power to save because by it the righteousness of God has been made known. The gospel makes it clear that the solution to our sinfulness is rooted in the issue of righteousness. Since we’re incapable of attaining a righteous standing before God through our own moral and religious works, God has provided it for us in Christ. So here’s the radical message of the gospel: God is righteous, God demands righteousness, and God provides righteousness! This truth is what the Jews didn’t understand (Rom.10:1-4). What they failed to understand, and we still often do, is that the righteousness God requires of us is provided for us in and through Christ (Rom.3:21-26).
Because of this unexpected and profound truth, Paul declares - “I am under obligation” and “eager to preach”. Only in Christ is the righteousness demanded of us gifted to us. It’s this understanding that prompted Paul to write in 1 Cor.9:16 - “For necessity (or moral compulsion) is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”