Ashamed of the Gospel? No Way! Paul began his lengthy treatise on justification by faith with this bold affirmation - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it 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 (Rom. 1:16,17). When there is only one way to be forgiven and thus justified before God, it would be quite foolish to downplay its importance. Each Christian must be committed to upholding and defending this great message from God (i.e., the gospel, cf. Jude 3). This commitment will bring the righteous in conflict with the ungodly of the world. This can tempt some to compromise their convictions. Whether the pressure to yield comes from persecution (as it did with first century Christians) or simply the desire to fit in with the world (cf. Rom. 12:1,2), followers of Christ need to recall the words of the Master. Jesus warned His disciples - For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Fathers, and of the holy angels (Luke 9:26). Some early Christians apparently were tempted to avoid controversy as touching the gospel. Paul told Timothy - Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God (II Tim 1:8).
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 16:34:17 +0000