Romans: A 21-Day Musical DevotionalExemplo

I am Not Ashamed of the Gospel

In these two important verses, which serve as Paul’s thesis – or central idea – for the rest of the letter, the apostle states that he is not ashamed of the gospel. This declaration was perhaps a response to critics in Paul’s day who were saying that the reason he had not proclaimed the gospel in Rome was because he was embarrassed to do so. “Sure, his gospel can hold water in smaller towns like Philippi,” the argument may have gone, “but not in a big city such as Rome.”

But Paul, as he makes clear, was not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God to save everyone who places faith in Jesus Christ, including both Jews and Gentiles (“Gentiles” are non-Jews, sometimes referred to as “Greeks” in this letter). This is the heart of the gospel, and Paul will spend the next 11 chapters unpacking these two verses.

As the musical interlude indicates, his starting point for teaching the gospel is the tension between the righteousness of God and the unrighteousness of man. Tomorrow’s devotion will focus on this topic.