Defiantly, Unashamedly, Generously — Speak Truth Unashamedly - Tuesday
TODAY’S VERSE
Romans 1:16
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. (ESV)
Do you remember Paul — the man who preached the Gospel to so many Gentiles and wrote so many of the letters we find in the New Testament — used to be called Saul? And when he was called Saul, he was so staunchly against Christ that Acts 8:3 actually describes him as “ravaging the church”?
Don’t be fooled by the name change; these are not two separate people, but one person radically changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Romans 1:16, Paul declares, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel.” This is not a man who has always declared Christ from every street corner. In fact, at one point in his life, he was ashamed of the gospel. Before meeting Jesus, Paul was so ashamed of the gospel that he pretty much wanted everyone who believed in it to either go to prison or die. That’s rather extreme. Yet, this same man became one of the most influential evangelists in the early church. When Paul declares to the church in Rome that he is not ashamed of the Gospel, his words hold weight because they reflect how radically the Gospel changed him. “For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” As a Pharisee, Saul would not have associated himself with Gentiles (that’s anyone who isn’t Jewish). To follow Jesus and carry out His distinct calling to share the Gospel with the Gentiles, Saul experienced a complete transformation of his entire life. The first order of business? Saul had to accept the Gospel as an indisputable fact, not a lifestyle choice.
Living nearly two thousand years after the New Testament was penned, we can easily grow so accustomed to the Gospel’s familiarity that we lose sight of the profound weight it carries. Did you know that just because the Gospel is familiar territory to you doesn’t mean that it’s familiar to everyone around you? Sometimes we get annoyed that others haven’t chosen the “lifestyle” of Christianity. When we do that, we lose sight of the Gospel as indisputable fact, focusing more on behavior modification than heart transformation and eternal salvation. Let’s not lose sight. Hasn’t the Gospel changed your life?
APPLICATION
Write Romans 1:16 out somewhere you’ll see every day this week. On your mirror, on a sticky note, saved as your phone lock screen — anywhere you’ll read it consistently. Use it as a daily reminder that the Gospel is a matter of life and death. Then, take a moment to pray for opportunities to share the Gospel.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for the gift of salvation. Place a desire in me to share Your Word with those around me, and remind me that the good news of the Gospel radically changed my life. It is Your power for salvation to everyone who believes. Create an urgency in me and in other believers today to eagerly reach those who do not know You. I love You, Lord. Amen.
