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Romans 1:16, 17
UNASHAMED!

The Third Sermon
Romans 1:16, 17
UNASHAMED!

What do you think about the Gospel?  Do you believe it for yourself - but you're a little afraid to talk about it to others? And - we have to ask it - are you perhaps even at least a little  ashamed of the Gospel itself?  Does the Bible sometimes seem to you  so preposterous that you're ashamed to let anybody know that you believe it?   That's a very, very important question. 

How about Paul?  How did he relate to it?  Was he ashamed?

As we look at this part of his letter, we need to remember that Paul was a Roman citizen – a very important fact and one that saved him a great deal of pain when he was arrested by the Roman commander at Jerusalem.  When he was arrested, he was taken to the Roman barracks, and, as was usual for foreigners, he was about to be "examined by scourging."  But he said to his captors, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?"

Luke tells us that, "When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, 'Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.' Then the commander came and said to Paul, 'Tell me, are you a Roman?'  He said, 'Yes.'  The commander answered, 'With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.'  And Paul said, 'But I was born a citizen.'  Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him."

You see, a citizen of the leading nation on earth had certain rights, and if those rights were violated, then that violation was punishable just as if it were a violation against the emperor himself.  So Paul could say, "I am a Roman!"

Nevertheless, it was against that backdrop of Roman citizenship that he says here in verse 16, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ . . ." He's saying that, even though he was a citizen of the greatest nation on earth, even though he might have a right to be proud of such citizenship, yet he wasn't afraid to degrade himself in the eyes of others – he wasn't ashamed to be a minister of the Gospel – a gospel about an obscure Jewish Rabbi.  In this letter to the Roman Christians Paul says he's not at all ashamed of that gospel!

Why?  Why should such an obscure religion and such an obscure rabbi occupy so much of his attention?  He answers by telling the Roman Christians to whom he's writing that, though the Jewish people may be insignificant, yet their Savior is NOT insignificant. The good news - the gospel - about that Savior "is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'the just shall live by faith.'"

So - it may be a Jewish religion, and it may have originated in an obscure, insignificant city of the world, but for the whole earth there's still only one God, and that God has sent but one Savior, and that Savior is Jesus Christ the Lord!

And Paul wasn't ashamed of that!  And neither should we be.  Let's look at some of Paul's reasons for being unashamed, and while we're looking, let's try to see that there are also reasons why we too might be bold, forthright, and unashamed when we speak to others about it.

Paul's first reason for being bold and unashamed is the Gospel's importance to needy people.  The Gospel, the good news about Jesus Christ and His salvation, fills a need that NOTHING else can adequately fill.  It's the means, the powerful means that God uses to effect the rescue of condemned sinners! 

Before we can even deal with that, though, we have to ask why there even are condemned sinners.  In fact, we need to be fully convinced that the answer to that question is the most important thing to be learned in an entire lifetime.  The result of learning or not learning it is an eternal result!  Not only so, but that learning has to take place in this lifetime - or not at all.

Consider the word "salvation."  Obviously, that word assumes the need for relief from a problem.  David the king well expressed what that problem was when he said, "God is a just Judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day." (Ps. 7:11)  If it weren't for the justice of God there would be no problem.  But then of course we need to remember that if it weren't for the justice of God, the universe wouldn't be a fit place for life, and there could be only despair and eternal frustration! 

But let's not use terminology without explanation.  What is meant, for instance, when the Bible, mentions "the wicked"?  There are many in our day who would feel strongly that to label anyone as "wicked" would be to act in a very politically incorrect way.  But stop, look, and listen!!  As God's inspired Word, the Bible doesn't have to be politically correct!  The only politically incorrect behavior in God's sight is that which disagrees with man's Maker and Owner!  As the apostle said in the ninth chapter of this letter, "But indeed O man, who are you to reply against God?"

Whoever has declared independence from God, whoever has made it clear that he doesn't want God ruling over him, whoever has therefore rebelled against Him - and hasn't yet surrendered - with that person God can be in nothing but a state of hostilities.  God is an infinitely good God and an infinitely holy God, and rebellion against Him is therefore infinitely evil. 

And that's what that word "wicked" means.  It is only right, holy, and just for God to be "angry" with such rebels every day until their repentance.

But how can God be "angry?"  I hope it's obvious that it means something quite different for Him than it does for us.  He isn't ever frustrated.  And He isn't driven by emotions.  So His kind of anger isn't at all like ours.  It isn't "hot and bothered."  Instead it's cool, efficient, and eternally effective.  And it's also perfectly just, and entirely final.  It removes and perfectly corrects wickedness in His universe. God's "anger" simply awaits the right day and moment to fall upon the wicked.  It is always like a raised sword, awaiting God's wisely chosen time.

That's the problem for which Gospel salvation is the only solution.  And it really is a powerful solution, a solution, in fact, that announces an offended God's grace and mercy!  Through preaching of the Gospel the Holy Spirit of God calls men, women, and children to end their rebellion and be saved from the just wrath to come - to enter the blessed kingdom of God, and, finally, it calls them to stand forever perfected before Him! Paul is writing about such a salvation here!  No wonder it's called "the power of God to salvation!"

We need to understand that the Gospel does all these things only  through faith.  To understand what that faith is, we first have to discard a prevalent modern definition of it.  In that definition, faith is merely believing in something, whether it's true or not.  According to that view, it's the "faith" itself that has positive influence and produces positive results.  Much like the "positive thinking" cult of a few years ago, it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you do actually believe.

But that isn't Biblical faith.  Biblical faith requires a real object, namely, Jesus Christ the Lord.  It requires a solid conviction that He is the Son of God, sent into the world with a mandate to save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21).  Biblical faith requires us to believe that Jesus Christ is alive and willing to receive all who come to Him for salvation.  In other words, Biblical faith is not trusting in faith itself, but it's trusting in the Person and work of Jesus Christ the Lord.

Why?  As Paul puts it: "For in it (the Gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith." That's just to say that the Gospel way of salvation is not opposed to God's righteousness, but that it wonderfully upholds it.  By Biblical faith, sinners are not unjustly excused of their sins, because Jesus Christ, as their Sponsor, has Himself assumed their guilt and has received divine wrath on their behalf.  Sin wasn't excused.  Righteousness wasn't compromised.  Yet sinners are saved.

But let's go back to the beginning.  When Paul says he wasn't ashamed of the Gospel, he wasn't talking about an insignificant Gospel about an insignificant Rabbi, a Rabbi Who was from an insignificant town in an insignificant nation – He was talking about a Rabbi Who WAS the Gospel.  He was talking about the only One by Whose work God can be just and the Justifier of those who believe.  It wasn't insignificant because it's God's powerful means to save you and me!  Should we be ashamed of THAT?

No!  We shouldn't be ashamed to proclaim it, we shouldn't be ashamed to support its preaching, and we shouldn't be ashamed to thank Him and praise Him for it.  Though Christianity is still despised, considered foolish, obscure, etc., yet to the Christian it should be the most important thing in life, uppermost in all thinking, the main motivation for all actions.  It's "the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes!" That salvation ought to move us to love and serve Him.  Are you moved?  Have you experienced its powerful effect?

Brother Al, I thank you for your good exposition.
I agree with you regarding today's church too, the spirit of the Toronto Vineyard church seems to have taken over so many fellowships, and so many people are just seeking "experiences." It doesn't SEEM TO MATTER IF PEOPLE ROLL ON THE FLOOR LAUGHING OR BARK LIKE DOGS, IT'S ALL OF GOD!
They laugh right through the preaching ( if there is any!) as preaching is rare now in some fellowships, it is just experiences only.
Paul would  think he had preached and taught in vain if he could see it all, so unlike the new Testament Epistles that we know and love. " God is not a God of disorder."
There seems to be no discerning of spirits anymore.
1 John ch 4.
Shallow teaching breeds shallow christians.
No conviction of sin= no repentance from sin=no surrender to Christ as Lord.
I guess I better stop now....
God bless you bro.

I love you because you love our Lord and His Word!

QuotePaul would  think he had preached and taught in vain if he could see it all, so unlike the new Testament Epistles that we know and love. " God is not a God of disorder."
There seems to be no discerning of spirits anymore.
1 John ch 4.
Shallow teaching breeds shallow christians.
No conviction of sin= no repentance from sin=no surrender to Christ as Lord.
I guess I better stop now

The only thing I would possibly disagree with is your statement that "shallow teaching breeds shallow christians."  I might tend, in many, many cases, to change it to "shallow teaching breeds false christians."  The rampant thing you have described is most assuredly not Christianity.  Oh may our God deliver us from an equal but different error - may He deliver us from believed but not practised godliness.

"shallow teaching breeds false christians." 

That's what I meant to say!! lol.
Thanks.

This is terrible.
http://www.blessedquietness.com/journal/housechu/laugh2.htm


"I am twenty-six years old, have been saved since I was fourteen and am a fourth generation Pentecostal. I must say that I am very saddened by the general lack of discernment that I see in the Christian church today.  I have seen this movement creep into many previous sound churches and cause nothing but confusion. I must also say that I am surprised at how many believers (many of whom are friends of mine), who were brought up in the truth, have been seemingly locked into the Vineyard teaching. I have tried to witness to them but they just seem so unreachable, even more unreachable than those who have never known the truth."

Ellen, --------
This woman is so right Al, they seem to be immunised against the truth of God's Word, it is seemingly impossible to get through to them that the spirit within them is a counterfeit spirit.
They seem to be trapped, and it will take a great conviction and grace from God to free them.

It always takes the grace of God to deliver any of us from error and sin.  Let me ask you a question that may tend to reveal my great lack of awareness of the times: is this movement and its errors associated particularly with the Vineyard churches?  If so, then I'm doubly concerned, becuase my oldest son is part of a Vineyard fellowship near Sacramento.

What can I advise you bro, except to talk with him, ask if the excesses are going on there also,
God bless you,
Chris.

I'm not with the Vinyard church, have never visited a Vineyard church and don't know much about them.

This I do know.  Some of the most beautiful love songs to Jesus, songs filled with earnest longing for being broken, used, and to fall more in love with Jesus are coming from the Vineyard worship teams.
I've wondered about this.    Have you read the lyrics of songs coming from Vineyard?   

Even John Wimber, when alive, was concerned with what had happened at Toronto.  I cannot say.  I wasn't there.....never sat in a service. 

Al, I came to see where you were in Romans now.  I've been reading in Romans each night.  Now, Brother Paul was a man who was  truly A New Creation!  Meeting the Lord changed him completly.  Being born anew by the Holy Spirit set him in God's Kingdom.....more there than a part of this world.  Paul's only desire was to bring others into the Kingdom, pleasing  the Master in all he did.   Not all have a "road to Damascus" experience, but not one can come......unless God woos us first.

We are so blessed to be called by His name.......living in Him, and He in us.       Nita