Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.”
I am not ashamed. Paul is matter-of-fact in making the statement. This passage is familiar. You can feel the emphasis on the words. Each one is deliberate; each is resolute. It’s loud, clear and emphatic. He doesn’t use a lower-key phrase such as, “I am unashamed.” He says “I am NOT ashamed.” Paul said lots of things about what he did and who he was, but here he tells us boldly one thing he is not—ashamed.
There was a man who used these words three times. “I am not!” Peter steadfastly denied the Lord. On the other hand Paul yells loud and clear “I am not ashamed.” Every child of God ought to have and should have this. Because of who we are, it ought to be our very nature. Verse 16 shows us that believer and ashamed don’t go together. We believed on him with our heart and soul as our personal Savior. How can we be ashamed? In Romans 10:11 Paul said “whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” This is the most common sin of the believer. The statement is not “we.” It is “I.” Can you say it? Really say it? Have you been? Have I been? Can we say from the bottom of our heart that we’re not? It is God’s power, the seed in our heart. It’s the word of faith we preach. We all need to let our light shine. We need not be ashamed.
In this day and time people are not ashamed of their morals, or lack of them. They stand up for their beliefs. They give their opinions on social and civic issues. Even the religious world speaks out. It’s almost as if it’s rammed down our throats without even a blush. Yet when you and I are put on the spot we get red faced like we don’t know. The devil’s greatest effort is to keep us silenced. What is there to be ashamed of? Do we know anything that ought to make us blush? Are we like Clark Kent? Do we have a secret identity? We get on the phone and talk about anything else, but when it comes to Jesus we “uh, uh” around the matter.
Paul was in prison writing to the Christians in Rome. Right under the Caesar’s nose, Paul declares “I am not ashamed.” He speaks with boldness and courage. He doesn’t put himself before the Lord. Are we so bold? Are we unselfish? Paul wanted to talk about Jesus. The world doesn’t need our “churchiness.” That won’t save. The gospel saves and it alone. We need to set ourselves aside and stop being so conscious about our looks, our jobs, and how much money we make. How self conscious are we as Christians? When challenged, do we hide who we are? Jesus Christ has never given us anything to be ashamed of. Our old Adam nature wants to be ashamed. We have victory. We believe it and testify of it in here. What about out there? Satan knows the value of our silence. When it comes to speaking for the Lord, he wants us to keep quiet. If we do, chances are those around us won’t be saved. If they find out we go to church, we may have no influence because we’ve never spoken of it. We’ve been ashamed.
Paul didn’t dance around it. Can we accomplish this? God gave us the voice. It, along with our mannerisms and our very way of life, should speak of who we are. Think about it. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. Jesus was not ashamed to come to earth and endure the shame of the cross. He was not ashamed to be our Savior. God help us not to be ashamed. It took all that power for our souls to be delivered from sin. Jesus gave 100% in what he did. He was 100% God and 100% man. I don’t know how that works, but he did it. God became human, and he was not ashamed to call us “brethren.”
What do we have—Jesus Christ, this old Bible, this altar. If anything, I ought to be ashamed of myself. My prayer should be “Lord, forgive me for being ashamed and help me in every way, every circumstance and with my whole being not to be ashamed.” Will I need help? Yes. Bob Surber has a lot to be ashamed of. I’ll ask for help. This should be in response to what he’s done for me. I’m bold in other areas. I need to turn that boldness around and use it for the Lord.
The only thing we have to be ashamed of is ourselves. I don’t want the devil to silence me. When we speak, the Lord will give us words to say. We have the gospel. We have Him. As saved people we are the gospel. Let’s face the world with determination. Let’s all say “I am NOT ashamed.”
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 