Why We're Not Ashamed (Romans 1:16-17)
Big Idea: Never be ashamed of the gospel because it’s powerful, it’s for everyone, and it’s very good news.
Picture the city of Rome around 57 AD. Rome stood as the undisputed center of the known world. It wasn’t just a city; it was the heart of an empire that stretched from Britain to North Africa, from Spain to the Middle East. With over a million residents, it was the largest city of its time, serving as a center of political power, military strength, and cultural impact.
Imagine exploring the city. You would see the million people crowding the streets: merchants, soldiers, and travelers from all over the world. You would hear the sounds of hammers on stone, the creak of wagon wheels, and the chatter of countless languages.
Nothing could compare to what you witnessed: marble temples shining in the sun, the Circus Maximus, where chariot races thrilled roaring crowds. You’d see aqueducts carrying fresh water into the city, a feat of engineering that seemed almost miraculous. You would be amazed by the well-constructed roads that showed Rome's desire to connect and control the world.
Everywhere you turned, you would get a sense of permanence and power. The city of Rome was the pinnacle of human achievement at the time. Rome wasn’t just a city, it was a statement. It announced to the world that this was the peak of human achievement, where wealth, culture, and power came together. It was designed to awe, to inspire, and to remind everyone that Rome was the center of the world, and that it would last forever.
And Paul couldn’t wait to preach there. In fact, he said in Romans 1:15, “I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”
Think about that. Paul aimed to enter the most sophisticated and powerful city on Earth with a message that opposed everything Rome represented. His message? The Roman gods were nothing. There is one true God. God revealed himself not through power or victory, but through a crucified Jewish peasant—a man betrayed by his people and executed by Pontius Pilate, a disgraced former governor of a small Roman province. Pilate himself had faded into obscurity, rumored to have taken his own life. And this man, Jesus, had been crucified—the most shameful death imaginable. Cicero, the renowned Roman orator, argued that crucifixion was so humiliating that it should never be mentioned by a Roman citizen.
Yet Paul proclaimed that this crucified man had risen in victory. His divine love wasn’t displayed in dominance, the very thing Romans admired, but in weakness and sacrifice. To follow this crucified Savior was to embrace a message that seemed absurd and offensive to Roman society. Being a Christian in that culture meant facing social shame, but Paul confidently proclaimed that the gospel is God's power for salvation.
But to Paul, it was the power of God for salvation. What the world saw as foolishness, Paul knew as the wisdom of God. And he was ready to proclaim it boldly in the very heart of the empire. And in the passage before us, Paul explains what his message is and why he’s eager to preach it.
Why These Verses Matter
It’s important that we understand these verses for three reasons.
First, these two verses—Romans 1:16-17—are foundational to the entire book. To truly grasp the message of Romans, you must understand these verses, as they encapsulate the essence of the epistle. They serve as the thesis statement, summarizing the central theme and purpose of the entire letter. Everything Paul unpacks throughout Romans flows from the truths contained here.
Second, these two verses changed history. Martin Luther, a monk troubled by his failure to attain righteousness through good deeds, found freedom when he understood their true meaning. He realized that righteousness is not something we earn but something God gives through faith in Christ. This discovery sparked a movement that brought the gospel back to the center of the church, highlighting salvation by grace through faith. Luther later wrote, "When I understood this text, the gates of paradise swung open, and I walked through."
These two verses are the foundation of Romans and have undeniably shaped history. But their significance doesn’t stop there; they have the power to transform your life. They remind us that the gospel isn’t just good advice or a set of moral principles, it’s the very power of God to save and transform. This power has shattered addictions, restored broken relationships, and brought hope to the hopeless. These verses provide hope to both the most desperate sinner and the most respectable person. These verses offer hope and redemption, regardless of someone's past mistakes or struggles.
James Montgomery Boice is right. These sentences “are the most important in the letter and perhaps in all literature. They are the theme of this epistle and the essence of Christianity. They are the heart of biblical religion. The reason this is so is that they tell how a man or woman may become right with God.”
Romans 1:16-17 describes God’s unstoppable power to save and renew. It’s not just a historical truth. It’s a living reality that continues to shape the world, one transformed life at a time. These verses changed history because they change hearts, and through those changed hearts, they continue to change the world.
Why Paul Wasn’t Ashamed
Here’s Paul’s main statement: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel.”
Paul had plenty of reasons why he might be tempted to be ashamed. Rome was the epicenter of power, intellect, and culture; a city that celebrated strength, dominance, and human achievement. The gospel presented a crucified Savior, a message that appeared foolish and weak to the Romans.
The Romans prized honor and victory, but Paul's message focused on a Jewish man who was executed through crucifixion, the most humiliating form of punishment for the lowest criminals.
The gospel's focus on grace, humility, and sacrifice contrasted sharply with Roman values of self-reliance, conquest, and glory.
Paul was undaunted. Why? Not because Paul was fearless. Not because he was stubborn. Paul gives three compelling reasons in Romans 1:16-17 for why he is not ashamed of the gospel. Let’s look at them.
Because it’s powerful
When Paul wrote these words, the Roman Empire was at the height of its power, dominating the known world. Its military was unmatched in discipline, strategy, and technology. Rome’s roads symbolized its dominance, enabling the swift movement of troops and goods. The Emperor held absolute authority. Rome seemed unshakable, a juggernaut of military, political, and cultural influence.
Yet, as Paul wrote to the church in Rome, he declared that true power didn’t belong to Rome—it belonged to the gospel. No empire, no authority, could rival the gospel’s power. Only the gospel can save, rescuing us from our greatest problem: sin. Salvation saves us from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and one day will save us from the presence of sin. Through the simple yet profound message of Jesus’ death and resurrection, God brings spiritually dead sinners to life.
Why wasn’t Paul ashamed? Because the gospel is powerful. When we believe the gospel’s power, we won’t be afraid of anyone.
Here’s the second reason why Paul wasn’t ashamed.
Because it’s for everyone
It’s universal in scope. There are no prior qualifications. It’s for Jews who understood the Old Testament prophecies. But it’s also for idol-worshiping Gentiles. There are no limits. Anyone, regardless of ethnicity, social class, intellectual ability, financial status, geographical location. There’s hope for the most desperate sinner and the most respectable person. It’s for everyone, which is why Paul wanted to take it to everyone.
Paul wasn’t ashamed because the gospel’s powerful, and because it’s for everyone. Here’s the third reason why Paul wasn’t ashamed.
Because it’s such good news
Verse 17 is so important. Martin Luther hated it until he understood it, and then it changed his life.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Here’s why Martin Luther hated this verse at first. At first he took “the righteousness of God” to mean God’s strict, punitive justice that demands perfect obedience, Romans 1:17 sounded like a verdict against him, not a promise, so it fueled his terror and resentment. He felt exhausted and discouraged. Despite his confessions, penance, and attempts to obey, he was plagued by accusations. The verse deepened his despair before a holy Judge he could not please.
But one day he understood what this verse means. “The righteousness of God” doesn’t refer to an unrealistic standard that God demands from us. It refers to a gift that God gives us, a righteousness that is not earned by human effort but is given by faith. This righteousness is God’s way of making sinners right with him, a gift that begins and ends with faith (“from faith for faith”). It’s a fulfillment of the Old Testament promise, as Paul quotes from Habakkuk 2:4: “The righteous shall live by faith.” God has always operated this way. Salvation comes solely from God's grace, not through works, and it is available to everyone who trusts in him.
When Luther finally understood this, everything changed. What once condemned became pure good news. He described feeling “born anew,” as if “the gates of paradise” opened. Romans 1:17 became the key that helped him understand the gospel.
Luther hated this verse when he thought it named the justice that punishes; he loved it once he saw it names the gift that justifies.
God has revealed his righteousness. His righteousness is his saving action whereby he brings people into a right relationship with himself. This righteousness comes from God. It’s the perfect righteousness of Jesus given to us the minute we believe in Jesus. It makes us acceptable before God’s sight. It covers all our sins. It’s the only way we can be saved.
The gospel shows us how we get this gift of righteousness from God: from faith and for faith. That’s another way of saying that it’s from faith from start to finish. We don’t do anything to earn it; we simply receive it.
Why wasn't Paul ashamed to bring the gospel to the most powerful city in the world? Because the gospel’s powerful, because it’s for everyone, and because it’s such good news.
Why should we not feel ashamed of the gospel at U of T, in our workplaces, at our children's schools, and among our secular, progressive neighbors? Because the gospel is the power of God for salvation. It’s not just another idea; it’s how God saves and changes lives.
We shouldn’t be ashamed because the gospel is the only message that can truly transform hearts and lives. It can change your life today as you receive it by faith. It will provide you with the same unshakeable confidence in the gospel that Paul had, even when facing ridicule or opposition. Though the world may see it as foolish, the gospel is God’s unstoppable power to save and renew. No earthly authority can bring ultimate shame to those who live by faith in Jesus. If God has removed our shame, no one—not even the most powerful person—has the authority to put it back. We have no reason to be ashamed.
Never be ashamed of the gospel because it’s powerful, it’s for everyone, and it’s very good news.
