Not Ashamed!

Many years ago at the Vatican. 

Scripture:

Rom. 1:16   For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” 

Observation:

These two verses make up Paul’s thesis statement of this letter. While the world may be against him, he is not ashamed that he has committed himself and his life to following Jesus. This is the first thing that he wants to make abundantly clear. 

He places an emphasis upon “the power of God” — and uses the Greek word, “dynamis” — which is in contrast to the “energeia.” The stress is upon the source of the power, and not the resultant power. The gospel alone becomes God’s power to salvation — both a living and powerful Word (Edlin & Modine, NBBC). Ultimately, “the gospel discloses a righteousness that is based on faith and addressed to faith” (Edlin & Modine, NBBC).

Wesley says that “righteousness is by faith,” and “salvation is by righteousness” (Notes). A tension is presented as Paul quotes from Habakkuk 2:4: “Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.^” There is a life of righteousness which is to be lived by faith, but it is that faith which shores up faith so that we might live righteously. We then wrestle with this concept of “through faith for faith.” Wesley said it was “from faith to faith” — and saw it as a series of gradual and clearer promises. “Therefore they maintain, with equal zeal and diligence, the doctrine of free, full, present justification, on the one hand, and of entire sanctification both of heart and life, on the other; being as tenacious of inward holiness as any Mystic, and of outward, as any Pharisee” (Wesley 1979, 7:205). Overall, whether from Habakkuk or Paul, we come away with a clear understanding that living a life of faith in God requires a wholehearted commitment. 

Application:

There is always tension when it comes to the Christian life and ministering to those who are in need. Far too often I’ve heard people say that they could never come to church because they would first need to change their lives. Somehow we get all of this turned around and we fail to see that life transformation comes through faith in the One who releases his power to transform our lives. It makes one wonder whether we have placed too much emphasis on “coming to church” — rather than introducing people to Christ! As we grow more and more uncomfortable with sharing our faith, we may believe that the solution is in inviting people to church so that the professionals can introduce others to Christ. But what if we are to be the ones who introduce people to the transformational power of Christ before they ever enter the doors of a church? What if going to church is part of the practice of the one who “lives by faith?” Attending church is about the community of believers coming together to worship God. Yes, that can be evangelistic, but not at the expense of each follower of Christ being an evangelist themselves. 

That leads us to being ashamed. The more that I study the word of God, and the lifestyle of a disciple in the first century, the more I realize how much it cost them to follow Christ. There was no blending in with society, but there was radical transformation, empowered by the Spirit, that came from a wholehearted commitment to follow Christ. Far too many of the conversations I have these days focus on how much we can still be like the world and still be a Christian. The truth is, discipleship requires radical obedience to the life of Christ. 

Yesterday I met with a gentleman who is doing some work on our home. He is a Roman Catholic and a deeply devoted follower of Jesus Christ. Mixed in with his building papers, he had his weekly scripture readings. Friday morning he will be spending an hour or two a block away from an abortion clinic, praying that God just might save a little life. I was struck by this professional’s commitment to following Christ. He doesn’t hide it — and he is not ashamed. He realizes that there could be consequences to his actions, but he feels compelled by Christ to live by faith. 

We are called to live into the practices of our faith. We are not to be ashamed of this incredible life-giving and God-powered gospel. In a world that is suffering from hopelessness and increasing suicide rates — what should we be offering to the world? We should be offering the power of the gospel — the work of Christ. We are to be introducing them to our dear Savior — Jesus! 

Prayer:

Lord, may I be an instrument that introduces someone to you today. Amen.