Unashamed of the Gospel
Romans 1:14-16
Turn in your Bibles to Romans 1. This morning is an introduction to our sermon series Unashamed of the Gospel, a study in the book of Romans. I considered a number of themes in Romans that we will look at during the course of this series, as the book will address themes such as leadership; God’s wrath against mankind and divine judgement; that all men are sinners, and that sin came to all of us through Adam; themes of our salvation, that our salvation is secure, our sanctification as believers, God’s sovereign election in salvation; also, God’s plan for Israel; the spiritual gifts given to us as believers; and our responsibility to government authorities. But some teach that the overarching theme of Romans is the righteousness that comes from God. In other words, that through faith condemned sinners are justified by grace as we receive from Christ His righteousness.
And I too would agree that this is one of the major themes in Romans. But I would suggest that this theme of justification as well as all the others we have mentioned can all be wrapped up in the whole package of the gospel, for everything I have mentioned are all related to the gospel. And so, I would suggest that the big theme of the book of Romans comes from the very first chapter (vs 16) when Paul says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16a). And I wish to primarily centre on that those eight words this morning, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel,” as we will start next Sunday with our journey through this book beginning in Romans 1:1, giving some background of the church and the people to whom Paul is writing. But I wanted first to grab this one verse as it seems that this is Paul’s heart for writing the letter, and the very quality of character needed by his readers, us, to fully understand all that Paul will teach us. And I was thinking that if we had a goal in going though a series such as this, what would be the hope at the end? Well, we might want to say that we would learn more about the gospel, that we understand better our condition before salvation and after salvation, so, that we could also explain it better to someone else. And I would also say that we hope to learn through this series how we are to have a greater influence on others within the church and within the world, and how we are even to relate to our government leaders.
But I believe that when we read Paul’s opening statement here about not being ashamed of the gospel, this to me would indicate a greater depth than knowledge of the gospel only or instruction of the gospel only or becoming a better teacher of the gospel only. The word “ashamed” is the Greek word epaischynomai, and is defined as being sheepish, shamefaced—you know when you say something and you turn red real fast. And what Paul is saying here is that he is not that, he is not ashamed. I suppose we could say that if there is something that Paul wishes to align with boldly, it is the gospel. Paul used the same word when he said to Timothy, “I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed.” Christ told His disciples to not be ashamed of Him or His Words. I was thinking that as we walk out of church this morning, and if we were asked, “What would you desire spiritually for yourself?” I believe that one of the greatest desires we would have as a slave of Christ, is that we would not be ashamed of the gospel.
Picture yourself planning some kind of holiday. Something that you have been looking forward to for months, maybe something so big, you have been planning for years. And your family is excited as they too are so anxious to make the trip. And think of all the planning you’ve done. And the destination? I don’t know, Chicago, Illinois, the Windy City! Or you can write in your dream destination in your mind this morning, maybe a trip to Strathroy, or winter camping up north. Who would ever want to do something like that? Or hunting somewhere, or surf city here we come! And the week finally arrives and you are ready to go, and someone comes up to you and says, “Anything exciting going on in your life this week?” Well, do you sort of mumble, well, no, not really. No, of course not! You are like, we have planned this great trip, and you can hardly express yourself with more enthusiasm. Well, it is hard to read Paul’s statement and not get the same overwhelming enthusiasm. Folks, I am not ashamed of the gospel.
Now we could get the wrong idea of this. That Paul’s unashamed approach must mean some kind of over-the-top yelling and screaming. Made me think of that old chorus, Pass It On. “I’ll shout it from the mountaintops; I want my world to know.” And I think that there is part of that in Paul’s statement, but there is so much more in those words that just an upfront raw-raw approach. And so, what I wish to do this morning is let you know where we are going. Haddon Robinson, known as the preacher’s preacher, as he had been instrumental in teaching thousands how to preach. He wrote the book used by many Bible Schools, Biblical Preaching. But he also was a very good preacher himself, most often to preachers. In fact, over the years if you asked me the two greatest sermons I have ever heard, one, by John Piper on John 3:16 (part #2) as it was a two-part series); and the second, by Haddon Robinson on Ecclesiastes on, “It is not the way it should be, but it is the way that it is.” And Robinson’s challenge was always to choose a main idea when you teach that you want to preach on and try not to go all over the place with related passages. And make sure everything you say relates directly with your main point, something which I try to do every Sunday.
And his other challenge when preaching was always first, “Tell them what you are going to tell them; [then] tell them what you are telling them; [and finally] tell them what you have told them.” So, as we consider this statement this morning, I will tell you where we are going. I first want to ask the question: What does it mean to be ashamed of the gospel? And then ask the question: What does it mean to be unashamed of the gospel? Then I want to ask the question, why? And conclude with one, wow! So, firstly:
What does it mean to be ashamed of the gospel?
- Shameful Actions
Though we may at first think of someone who is ashamed of the gospel as someone who is very quiet and “afraid” to say something, but it will primarily show up in our character, in other words, in sinful actions or shameful actions. As being ashamed of the gospel is unfortunately part of our makeup, something that we fight, part of the weakness of our humanness. Paul wrote this to the Corinthians:
“[B]ut we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”
2 Corinthians 4:2 (LSB)
We notice in this verse a direct correlation between shame which Paul lists here as walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, contrasted with the manifestation of our faith before God. In other words, our sinful character—even in secret—reveals our shame of the gospel. That word “craftiness,” some of your Bibles will say deception, means walking in deception or pretending to be something we are not. It would be like telling people that you are excited about going on a big trip, but you are not really excited. Which results spiritually in a complete distortion of the Word of God, or as it says here in the Legacy Standard Bible, an adulterating of the Word of God. It would be like saying that I love my wife, I care for my wife, she means so much to me. In other words, a lot of verbal excitement, but the reality is that you do not, as you might watch other women, maybe in many different ways. So, being ashamed of the gospel may appear in the one who actually speaks of the gospel, but his true character denies that truth, not necessarily in the sight of man, but, as Paul says here (2 Cor 4:20), in the sight of God. As being ashamed of the gospel results in shameful actions. Secondly, it results in:
- Shameful Denial
I said that a person may “speak” of Christ publicly but not live for Christ inwardly. But to anyone who is close with that person, his shame is likely written all over his face. We all know of our children when they did something wrong—whether they were five years old or fifteen years old—usually, it is very easy to see. Maybe something that we asked them to do or something that we told them not to do and their obedience was not part of their mandate. Ted knows this. All I have to say to Ted, “Teddy, what did you do?” And there is shame all over her face. And we may smile about this with the five-year-old, but we know of our shameful denial of our faith as well, when our actions do not align with our standing in Christ or who we claim to be. And for those who know us well, it becomes apparent over time that one, when we are genuinely growing in Christ and passionately serving Christ; or two, when we are “going through the motions of Christianity.” Therefore, really denying our faith and are really ashamed of the gospel.
As I thought these titles, I thought that shameful denial is likely even worse than shameful actions. Don’t misunderstand me here, but shameful actions can be confessed and realized and forgiven. But sometimes shameful denial is often a further wondering away from God in that it denies not in words only, but in belief. And can sit us in the danger zone of someone having to really question their very faith and belief in the gospel. Thirdly:
- Shameful Idols
Certainly, a person who is ashamed of the gospel is not going to be living in some kind of void. For we all worship something, we all get excited about something. I have mentioned to you before in our family class, that when our children are not overly excited about church and Christianity, they are not just unenthused and dead about everything. Trust me, they will be passionate about something. And if there is something that can greatly keep us from serving Christ, it can often be distractions or idols of so many things that are going on around us. and you know that if we desire something—some new thing, and I am speaking negatively here—just keep watching it, watch programs about it, advertisements about it, and that passion and desire will not go away. And will likely keep you from the proper focus on spiritual things. And when we say “shameful idols” the overwhelming idol is often ourselves. And if we did not have this problem in the first place—and we do—our culture will make sure that “self” stays front-and-centre. And I suppose that when we say “things” or “self” we are often referencing much of the same thing, as often the “things” we desire are for me! they are for me! it’s what I want! if only I had!
Did you know that if you buy a certain kind of MasterCard, which is entitled in their advertisement, finally a card for all my personalities. How attractive is that! You can—according to the ad—go to a fancy restaurant, you can dive into a resort pool, you can buy a new set of clothes, you can get a new membership at a gym, you can get a massage, you can buy something new for your home, and you can go out on a date—all in a thirty second ad! After all, it is a card for all your personalities. You know, we have likely been good as churches to warn of sin, to consider what we watch and listen to, but the culture also allures us with “stuff’ that so steals of our time and money. Stuff that in itself is not necessarily sinful, but stuff that just seems to reek with self and me! me! me! Shameful idols. Finally, the results of being ashamed of the gospel:
- Shameful Motives
Any ministry, any church, any Christian home, can almost be determined by their direction in ministry. Often part of the effectiveness of a ministry is the “all in” energy of its people, as you can teach the same lesson, say the same words, explain the same truth, but when it is added with sincere deep-seated commitment to Christ and the gospel, it comes with a much greater spiritual punch. A Christian family may have all the same rules. It may all do the same devotions, attend the same amount of services, but often the difference is parents having a deep sincere love and desire for Jesus Christ. There was a church mentioned in the New Testament in the book of Revelation. And they were praised greatly by God for their deeds, toil, perseverance; their willingness to separate from those who were evil; their understanding to know false teaching; and that they had endured and not grown weary—it was a great commendation.
I mean what church would not want that kind of praise from God. It would likely have a testimony to many, possibly be a model-church for many ministries; but then God said, “I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” In other words, there is something greatly missing in your church. And that is a thriving love that is unashamed of the gospel—unashamed of Christ—that has taken all your energies and focus and placed them in the wrong direction. That when it is all said and done, you guys do many great things, but there is a big hole in your ministry. As even a good church can be so enthralled with itself, that its giftedness or its people become the idol and not the gospel itself. What does it mean to be ashamed of the gospel? shameful actions, shameful denial, shameful idols, and shameful motives. Question #2:
What does it mean to be unashamed of the gospel?
To see this from our passage, I wish to back up a few verses, where Paul says:
“I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. In this way, for my part, I am eager to proclaim 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.”
Romans 1:14-16 (LSB)
Notice Paul’s words here in reference to his response to the gospel, (vs 14) “I am under obligation.” What does it mean to be unashamed of the gospel?
- An Unashamed Obligation (vs 14)
We can tend to downplay our obligation to the gospel. We might say things like, this is not my gift, I am not all that outgoing, I am not that good with people. However, I suppose the problem is, is that all believers have been given a gift from God, not just a few believers, that is meant to be shared with others. True, some may seem to be able to express their faith better. Frankly, I watch some who can defend their faith and challenge people in ways on their feet, that I sure wish I could. But we would not want to check out of this responsibility simply because we feel that others may do it better than we can. This list of folks in this passage is the Greeks, the barbarians, the wise, and the foolish. The Greeks, the highly educated; the barbarians, the not so educated, maybe a little rough around the edges; the wise, the person we may even look up to in good decision making even though they are not a believer; and the foolish, the one who seems to always be making the dumb choices. And that pretty much encompasses most everyone we deal with—those that you might admire at times and those that you might want to give a kick-in-the-pants. And Paul’s words here really should put to rest our tendency to view some as “worthy of the gospel,” as our sense of obligation comes from the fact that part of our calling in Christ is that we are also sent by Christ. W. H. Griffith Thomas wrote:
“This sense of obligation lies at the root of all genuine service. The man who in heart and conscience realizes that ‘I am a debtor,’ is the one who will do the most and best work for Christ.”
- H. Griffith Thomas
And the whole ministry of sharing the gospel is not the only thing here at risk, but it is also making the tough decisions because I am a Christian. I read a story of a young university student in Romania. She was very bright and had a promising future before her as an engineer. Six months before she was to graduate, all students at her university were ordered to sign a statement affirming their commitment to atheism and pledging their support to the Communist party. One of this young lady’s professors knew she was a Christian. He went to her and admonished her [saying], “Simply sign the form. You don’t have to change your beliefs! After you graduate and get your job, you can do what you want. But if you don’t sign the form, you won’t graduate and you’ll probably end up sweeping floors for a living!” The girl responded, “If I deny my Saviour for 6 months, what is to keep me from denying Him the rest of my life? I don’t have to be an engineer. [But] I do have to be a witness [for Christ].” I read another story of a man who approached the great church father Tertullian with a problem—his business interests and Christianity conflicted. He ended by asking, ‘What can I do? I must live!’ Tertullian replied, ‘Must you?’”
See, whether it is sharing the gospel, or whether it is living the gospel, or whether it is standing for the truth of the gospel that we hold dear, it is greatly due—in part—because above all else we have an obligation to the gospel. The gospel is not for pansies. The gospel is a gift we receive from God and He has commanded us to both share it and live it. I suppose mankind has always made excuses for their actions over the course of human history, but we live in a culture that has taken that to another level. Our courts today, our schools today, our homes today want to delve into the question of “why” someone did something, as opposed to the question of “what” someone did. In other words, if I have a good reason for doing something wrong, it must have been okay. Yet the Bible is pretty clear and does not look for excuses of why we were not faithful and really is lays out for us “the what.” In other words, here it is, this is your obligation. What did you do with the gift of the gospel I gave you? An unashamed obligation. Secondly:
- An Unashamed Eagerness (vs 15)
Look what else Paul says here (vs 15) “I am eager to proclaim the gospel.” Now we could look around this morning and ask each other the question, “Are we eager to proclaim the gospel?” Though I would suggest that it does not seem all that important to Paul as far as his decision, because he says here, I am eager. I thought that is a pretty brave thing here for Paul to write in a letter to a bunch of people with that statement, folks, I am eager! Hard to know how many people would have read this letter in Paul’s day, but just think of how many have read it since. So, how eager am I to share the gospel? As I am sure most of us can be pretty eager at times to share something exciting or something that we are passionate about. When we lived in Blind River, it was 2010 and the Blackhawks were about to win the Stanley Cup for the first time forty-nine years. Our youngest son Marty was the only one still home, and of course, we watched the game and all the excitement after the game. Well, it was about 11:45pm and what do you do in Blind River to celebrate such a momentous victory? Well, I said to Mard, I will treat you to a Tim Horton’s iced cap. So, we drove to Tim Horton’s, and we both got iced caps just before they closed at midnight. And we drove around Blind River doing what any sane people would do—we drove around the whole town honking the horn. Now we never saw anyone around, we passed one car, but we likely woke up a bunch of few people.
Kidding aside, there are many other ways of sharing the gospel probably a lot better than driving around honking your horn. But you get the point, as we can be pretty passionate in sharing something we are excited about. I am sure that when my four sons were born, I told some stranger at the hospital, guess what! Or something exciting happened to you, and you just couldn’t wait to tell someone. Jesus said in Matthew 12, “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” Well, the Apostle Paul’s heart must have been filled with the gospel for he was eager to share it. Finally:
- An Unashamed Boldness (vs 16)
Paul says, I am not ashamed of the gospel. We might ask the question, why does Paul use the negative here? not ashamed. In other words, why does he not say, I glory in the gospel, or I love the gospel! Well, I notice the word ashamed is so opposite of what the gospel truly is—the power of God. It is sort of like that, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, it’s such a contrast. For it reminds us that though the gospel is so great and so powerful, yet we still struggle with being ashamed of it. If Paul has merely said, I glory in the gospel, it would have caused us to stand up and say, “Yeah me too! Count me in!” But when he says, I am not ashamed of the gospel; it does bring us to the reality of our struggle, I am a bit ashamed at times. In other words, just when I am feeling rather ashamed of the gospel, Paul is then going to remind me, Mark, did you know that the gospel is the power of God! What does it mean to be unashamed of the gospel? an unashamed obligation, an unashamed eagerness, and an unashamed boldness.
So, now the “why” quick answer, because it is the power of God. Paul is proclaiming here folks that the gospel is nothing to be ashamed of. Finally, let me tell you the wow! And then I will close with a story. Here’s the wow! In Hebrews 11, there is a list of people who God called to faith, and it lists the many great things they did because of their faith given to them by God as a gift. And in the middle of the section, it mentions Abraham. And lists many of the promises that will be given to the people of God through Abraham. And one of the promises is a future glorious city which is the heavenly Jerusalem that we spoke about last week. And the writer of Hebrews says this, “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He prepared a city for them” (Heb 11:16b). That’s the wow! For how could God be ashamed of us? As we have been redeemed by His Son and we have been declared righteous through faith, therefore, God is not ashamed to be called our God. Let me close with this story by Samuel Moor Shoemaker, called “I Stand by the Door.”
I stand by the door. I neither go too far in, nor stay too far out. The door is the most important door in the world—it is the door through which men walk when they find God.
Many creep along the wall like blind men, with outstretched, groping hands. Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door, yet they never find it. So, I stand by the door.
The most tremendous thing in the world is for men to find that door—the door to God.
Men die outside that door, as starving beggars die on cold nights, in cruel cities, in the dead of winter. They live on the other side of it—because they have not found it.
Nothing else matters compared to helping them find that door, and open it, and walk in, and find Him. So, I stand by the door.
I admire the people who go way in. But I wish they would not forget how it was before they got in. Then they would be able to help the people who have not yet even found the door. You can go in too deeply and stay in too long and forget the people outside the door. As for me, I shall take my old, accustomed place. Near enough to God to hear Him and know He is there; but not so far from men as not to hear them, and remember they are there, too.
Where? Outside the door—[Hundreds of them], thousands of them, millions of them. But—more important for me—one of them, two of them, ten of them, whose hands I am intended to put on the latch. So, I shall stand by the door and wait for those who [come]. [Yes] I [would] rather be a doorkeeper. So, I stand by the door.
Let’s pray. Lord, when we consider the gift of the gospel may we understand our obligation to share it and live it and to suffer for it if necessary. May we eagerly proclaim the greatest and most exciting news we know. And may we possess—through the Spirit—an unashamed boldness for its saving truth. Why? Because it is the power of God. A God who is not ashamed of us. So, all God’s people said, amen.