The Apostle Paul suffered for the gospel.
He was run out of cities.
He suffered at the hands of his own people, the Jews.
He was mocked, beaten, and whipped.
And yet Paul boldly declared:
“I am not ashamed of the gospel.”
He was not embarrassed by it.
He was not going to cover it up, hide it, soften it, or back down from it.
To be ashamed of something means you don’t want other people to know about it.
When you’re embarrassed, you try to keep it hidden.
You don’t speak up.
You hope no one notices.
Paul says the opposite.
“I am not ashamed of the good news of Jesus Christ. I’m not hiding my light. I’m not backing down. Every time I preach I suffer, but I’m not going to stop doing what God has called me to do.”
Paul explains why he is not ashamed:
“For it is the power of God unto salvation.”
That word power is the Greek word dunamis.
It means inherent power, power that produces, power that works.
The gospel may seem simple.
It is direct.
It is plain.
But that “foolish” message has power in it.
It has changed the world.
It has transformed millions of lives.
Here is a fact:
When the gospel is preached, people will be saved.
It may be rejected by some, but others will believe, because it is the power of God unto salvation.
Paul’s confidence was rooted in this truth.
When he preached, he knew the message itself carried God’s power.
Paul says the gospel is:
“To the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
Jesus came first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Paul would begin his ministry in the synagogues before turning to the Gentiles.
But the message was always meant for everyone.
No exclusions.
No limits.
And because of that, Paul says again:
“I am not ashamed of the gospel.”
It may create awkward moments.
It may divide relationships, even within families.
But it is still the power of God unto salvation.
Paul continues in verse 17:
“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.”
The gospel does not just tell us that God is righteous.
It reveals how sinners can be made righteous.
That is the question every human heart wrestles with:
How can I be made right with God?
The answer is not found in ourselves.
We have no righteousness of our own.
Scripture says our righteousness is like a filthy rag before God.
We cannot take ourselves from death to life.
From unclean to clean.
From unholy to holy.
We cannot change ourselves.
Church history gives us a powerful example.
Martin Luther, a German monk, traveled to Rome.
There, he climbed a set of stairs—steps that are still there today.
People believed that climbing those stairs earned righteousness.
They believed they were accumulating merit before God.
People wept and cried as they climbed.
But as Luther reached the top, one verse flashed into his mind:
“The just shall live by faith.”
Righteousness does not come through works.
Justification does not come through effort.
It comes by faith, by trusting God.
Paul says righteousness is revealed from faith to faith.
Faith at the beginning.
Faith at the end.
Faith from first to last.
If you want to be made right with God, it will not be through good works.
It will not be through moral reform.
It will only be through what Jesus Christ has done.
Here is the gospel:
We are sinners.
Spiritually dead.
Unable to save ourselves.
Changing habits does not save us.
Reordering priorities does not save us.
We have broken God’s law.
We have sinned against truth and conscience.
The wages of sin is death, judgment and separation from God.
But then comes the good news.
God loved us, when there was nothing in us to make Him love us.
He sent His Son.
Jesus took on flesh to stand in our place.
He bore the judgment we deserved.
On the cross, the penalty for our sin was placed on Him.
He cried out, “It is finished.”
The veil was torn from top to bottom—
a way was opened for reconciliation with God.
Three days later, He rose from the dead.
His sacrifice was accepted.
Justice was satisfied.
He is the giver of eternal life.
The author and finisher of our faith.
Mighty to save all who come to God through Him.
Everyone who calls on Him in faith,
turning from their own righteousness and trusting in Christ,
will be saved.
There is no catch.
This is not false advertising.
This is truly good news.
He forgives.
He changes.
He holds onto you.
If you feel powerless to change, that is exactly where He meets you.
That is why Paul says:
“I am not ashamed of the gospel.”
It is the power of God unto 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 to faith.
Amen.