Unashamed of the Gospel

This morning we begin a new study in the book of Romans. For the majority of this new year, we will work our way, verse by verse, thru what many consider to be the most theologically rich book in all of the Bible. Today, we begin by considering Paul’s introduction to this famous letter from Rom. 1:1-17.

Sometime between 50 and 54 AD, the apostle Paul sat down somewhere in his third missionary journey through Asia Minor to write a letter to a church that he had never visited before - the church at Rome. Paul had experienced great successes in his three journeys, establishing churches in every major city in Asia Minor. But, there still existed another frontier: the western half of the Roman Empire. You see, for Paul and the other Apostles, the cultures of the eastern half of the empire were familiar to them. The western half was altogether different. It was made up of Germanic and Celtic kingdoms with strikingly different languages and cultures. Yet, Paul longed to launch a missionary journey into this area for the sake of the kingdom of God. If he was going to do so, he would need help. For one, he would need people from the western half of the empire (a place like Rome) who could help him make the connections needed along the way. He would also need their financial support as a launching point for his western mission. So, Paul writes to the church in Rome to let them know that he planned to visit. 

The church of Rome was fascinating to Paul because of how stable and well-thought-of it is. Notice, in verse 8, Paul says that their faith is proclaimed in all the world. Yet, no one really knows how the Roman church came to be. There is no evidence that this church was planted by any apostle or pastor. The best evidence points to some unknown traveler from Rome who was in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples and 3000 people were saved. Perhaps one (or even 100) of those 3000 was a visitor from Rome who took the Gospel back with him and established a church there.

Now, if you consider that Paul doesn’t know these believers and they don’t know him, add to that the previous life of Paul as a persecutor of the church, and you start to get an idea that Paul has a real challenge before him in enlisting the help of this church. If he is going to gain their support, he needs to cut to the heart of what they have in common. What could he possibly say that would open their hearts to receive him as an apostle and support him in his mission. The one thing that he can say, which he will spend sixteen chapters fleshing out in this momentous letter, is that the Roman church and he have the same hope: the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

That brings us to the theme of the entire book, which is succinctly given in verses 16-17. Paul cuts to the very heart of the bond between he and the Roman church by defining the significance of the Gospel. Paul defines the Gospel in three statements that I want to consider in reverse. First, in verse 17, Paul says that the Gospel reveals the righteousness of God. The Greek word that is used here for “righteousness” is “dikaiosyne,” and it matters a great deal to Paul in the book of Romans. When we think of righteousness, we tend to think of moral purity, and that is certainly part of it. But, righteousness means much more than personal obedience. Righteousness, as far as Paul is concerned, means to set the world right. It is closely aligned with our concept of equity. This form of righteousness was of great concern to OT Israel. Psalm 94:4-6 captures this very concern for equity: “Oh Lord, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage. They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless.” From the Fall of Adam to Israel’s enslavement in Egypt, the wicked brought great suffering on the weak and innocent. Even after Israel’s miraculous liberation from Egypt, they were still persecuted by the nations they met along the way to the promised land. Yet, at every turn, God met this wickedness with his vengeance. He sent plagues on Egypt. He gave the Israelites great victories in Canaan. And, while he protected his people, he also gave them laws that directed them in how they were to live in equity and righteousness. They were not to be like the nations that persecuted them. Instead of capturing people to enslave them, Israel was to execute the enslaver. Instead of taking advantage of servants and foreigners, Israel was to provide weekly rest for everyone, regardless of social standing.

But, Israel failed to live up to the righteousness that God required. They accepted the practices of the pagan nations that surrounded them. They forsook the Sabbath and failed to pursue justice for the oppressed. Even their best kings enslaved, committed adultery, and murdered. It seemed that the world would not be set right by this nation that was to be a light to the world. Yet hope dawned in Israel when it was least expected. After 400 years under foreign rule, a little baby boy is brought into the temple in Jerusalem. An old man named Simeon sees this baby and begins to sing in Luke 2:30-32: “My eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” Jesus was born to set things right in this world. In 1 Cor. 1:30, Paul says that Jesus is the wisdom and righteousness of God. He reveals the true way to live. Time and again, he confronted the religious leaders for their selfish misuse of the Law. It was not enough to technically avoid adultery while fantasizing about a woman. It was not enough to avoid murder while hating someone. Jesus revealed that true righteousness begins with the heart, not the outward actions, and this revelation proves that everyone is ultimately unrighteous at heart.

But there is another way that Jesus has set things right. You see, it wouldn’t be good news just to point out the flaw of every human heart. Jesus did far more. Jesus lived in heart-felt righteousness when we could not. He saw the marginalized and abused. He cared for the children. He loved his enemies all the way to the cross. And on that cross, Jesus died at the hands of wicked men so the wrath of God against our unrighteousness might be satisfied. His righteous heart was pierced so that our inequity and lust and hate might be forgiven. However, if the story were to just end there, Jesus would be yet another victim of the inequity of this wicked world. But the story doesn’t end there. Jesus rose again from the dead, and in that resurrection, he brought a new life with him. 

That resurrection life brings me to the second statement that Paul makes about the Gospel. In verse 16, Paul says that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, everyone who trusts in Christ has a different kind of life – a life that is full of His Spirit. Where we once pursued our own selfish desires, we now long for the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Where we once hated our enemies, we now have the power to forgive them. Jesus gives the power of his righteousness to all who believe. As Paul puts it at the end of v. 17: “the righteous will live by faith.” We receive this gift of Godly righteousness when we trust in Christ. This is so different from the way the world thinks of righteousness. The world thinks that righteousness is gained by having complete control over one’s life. If you just master your body, master your finances, master your lusts; then you can be righteous. But if the problem starts with our hearts, then we can as easily master our lives as we can tame a lion. The way to the righteousness that God requires begins with letting go. It begins with confessing that you aren’t your own master, and confessing that Jesus is. That is faith. It is trusting that Jesus is the Lord of the World who has died so that you might have his righteousness.

And notice too, this salvation is available to everyone who believes. Paul says that it is available to “Jew and Greek.” These were two racial divisions which basically meant Jews, and everyone who isn’t a Jew. So, Jesus didn’t just set Israel right. He came to set the world right. This power of God, this righteousness that only Jesus has, this salvation that is found in him alone, it is available to everyone, regardless of background or race.

The final statement that Paul makes about the Gospel is at the beginning of verse 16: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel.” Here is the measure of true, saving faith. In our day, faith is made easy. Many think, “well, if I just believe in my heart, then that is enough. There is no need to go down front and confess Jesus. There is no need to go through the humiliation of baptism.” Friend, that is not true faith! Saving faith is not ashamed of Jesus. In Mark 8:38, Jesus says, “For whoever is ashamed of me and my words… of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father.” Paul proved that he was not ashamed of the Gospel by boldly proclaiming Jesus at risk of his own life. He was beaten, driven out of town, and nearly killed numerous times for the sake of his faith in Christ. Saving faith is unashamed for people to know. Won’t you show your faith in Jesus today by making it known to this congregation?

Brothers and sisters, because of what Jesus has done, we have been set right with God. In turn, Jesus has given us the power, through His Spirit, to live in such a way that we set things right, too. In fact, that is what we have been saved to. If you have trusted in Christ, then there is no excuse for why you cannot forgive, because you have been forgiven and set right with God. If you are in Christ, then there is no excuse why you cannot care for the least, because you have the power of God’s salvation. May we live in the righteousness of the Gospel as we leave this place today.