Romans 1:16-17

Romans 1:16-17 - 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.”

Wow! What a statement! “I am not ashamed of the gospel.” How many of us can say that? When Paul says gospel he is referring to “the message referring to Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation.” This is a message of power, because in it you will find the truth of how we are made righteous before God.

Let’s go back to that first statement though. Are you ashamed of the gospel? Most of us would answer, “No, of course not!” I encourage you to not just brush off this question, but be honest with yourself. Think about it in relation to other things in your life.

Think about a guy who gets a brand new car. Not just any car either, this is a sleek black Corvette. It’s the fastest most beautiful car you’ve ever seen. Is he going to park it in his garage and leave it there? No! He is going to want everyone to see it. When he goes somewhere he will park right in front, maybe even drive by a couple times while revving the motor, just in case you didn’t notice him the first time he went by. Then, when he sees you later he will tell you all about his sweet new ride. He wants to show it off and let everyone know that he owns it.

Then there’s the other guy. He just got a new car as well, but his was the $200 dollar special. It looks like garbage, but it runs. This guy would like the “new” car, but can only afford this for now. His car looks as if it will fall apart, but it gets him where he’s going. Definitely not something he will be bragging about. In fact, he doesn’t even like being seen in it.

If you look at how you present the gospel are you like the guy in the new sports car, or the $200 dollar special? And so I ask you again, “Are you ashamed of the gospel?”