I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." -Romans 1:16, 17
Think about a time when you had the experience of being ashamed. It could have been of yourself, another person, a situation, or something you said or did. In the end you had that feeling of shame. We think to ourselves, “I should not have done that,” or “I should not have said that, and I am ashamed of myself.” I would say that we all know that feeling. Shame comes when we say or do that which goes against what we know to be right, and it then comes back to us in a negative way. We are embarrassed over what we did, we feel remorse, and with that remorse comes that shame. That is such a powerful emotion that we might think that people alter their behavior, but we know that doesn’t always happen, does it? In fact, even the most ungodly behavior, that which would bring great shame upon us, can be done so much that people no longer feel any shame about it whatsoever. A hardening of the heart and the conscience takes place, and the only power that can break such a condition is the power of Jesus Christ. When Christ removes our sin He also removes the after affects of sin, shame, and grief.
When we think about all that for which we are ashamed, we know that according to the Word of God the one area of our lives we ought never to be ashamed is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yes, I am ashamed of some foolish and reckless things I did in my youth, but with Paul the Apostle I can say that I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And we share those reasons that he gave as to why he was not ashamed. The Gospel makes real is us the power of God that brings salvation, and we should not be ashamed of something so positive and real.
The world is filled with people are looking for the truth and in the process they are wandering aimlessly. The power of God that brings salvation can anchor a person in life and give power for victorious living. You don’t have too look far to find folks whose lives are falling apart. Jesus Christ brings hope, stability, and spiritual power unlike anything the world has to offer.
