I Am Not Ashamed

This past week I've been studying Romans in preparation for a class I'm leading, and I was struck once again by Paul's statement:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)

This phrase has become the stuff of coffee mug script and church wallpaper. Because of that its lost the sting (the same has happened to the "as for me and my house" verse) that it was intended to have. 

We often forget, as the picture above (known as the 'Palatine Graffito') shows, that the gospel in first century Rome, was actually a scorned and hilarious thing. 

In the above image the inscription reads, "Alexamenos worships his god." This is graffiti from somewhere in Rome during the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd century; and we can learn from it how many viewed Christians in their day. The god Alexamenos (an awesome name, by the way) is worshipping is a jackass hanging on a cross. This is how some apparently viewed Jesus. Even more, Roman society already had a lord (kyrios) and savior (soter) that they could actually see, touch, and feel. He was known as Caesar, and he offered the salvation of the day. 

So when a ragtag group of Christians begin saying "Jesus is Lord," (so a Caesar is not) and proclaiming a gospel that salvation comes for all who believe through the faithfulness of a Jewish carpenter who died and allegedly rose again, you better believe there would be ridicule, and jeers, and an occasion for embarrassment and shame. 

So Paul writes to these Christians and says, "I am not ashamed" and incidentally, neither should you.

Incidentally, neither should we.

In our day the gospel is not widely ridiculed by society at-large. It is viewed by many as either "for me" or "not really my thing." I think this shows that we have widely missed the power that accompanies the gospel. When the message "Jesus is Lord" is heard, and believed, it alters the WAY we go about life. The way we work, the way play, the way we study, the way we spend and earn money. 

The gospel changes everything!

When it is heard and believed, society at-large will most certainly be offended at it. Not that we speak it to cause offense, but it IS offensive because it is counter-cultural in its implication; and so society will be offended. But we won't be ashamed, because it is in living the gospel that one realizes its power. And it is this power that draws others into the embrace of the gospel.