Answer
Jesus anticipated that His followers would sometimes be tempted to feel ashamed of the gospel. That is why He warned, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels” (Luke 9:26, NLT; see also Mark 8:38). Paul, through his ministry as an apostle of Jesus Christ, had apprehended a vital truth that produced in him radical hope and confidence in the message of the gospel: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, KJV).
The good news that Jesus came to sacrifice His life to save us from our sins is the gospel. This message is, in fact, the mighty power of God because it is the only message that brings forgiveness and eternal salvation to everyone who believes it. When Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel,” he expressed the highest degree of confidence in it. He had come to believe that the gospel could be fully trusted.
Anyone who wholeheartedly believes and embraces the gospel message ultimately will not be disappointed, and therefore, those who proclaim it ought never to feel disgraced or embarrassed because of it. Paul urged his pastoral protégé, Timothy, “So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News” (2 Timothy 1:8, NLT).
The original Greek word translated as “power” in Romans 1:16 is dynamis. It is frequently used in the New Testament to speak of Christ’s miraculous works (see Matthew 7:22; 11:20; Mark 6:2). Paul applied the term to God’s ability to deliver people from sin, death, future judgment, and eternal separation from God. He told the Corinthians, “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18, NLT; see also 1 Corinthians 1:24).
The gospel is the power of God because it transforms lives (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:4; Hebrews 4:12). It saves people from the penalty and power of sin and gives them a new life filled with joy, peace, and the hope of eternal life with God (Romans 8:1–2). This saving work is initiated by God and carried out by His power (Romans 5:15–17; 8:10–11; 2 Corinthians 3:18).
Paul also explains that the gospel is the power of God because “in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Romans 1:17). The gospel reveals how God makes believers right in His sight and restores them to eternal fellowship with Himself: “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:22, NLT). Jesus saves us “not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5–6, NLT). Salvation is God’s work, and it is accomplished by His power and not our own.
When Christ died on the cross, God revealed His righteousness by punishing sin (Romans 3:23–26). Believers are “made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ” who “certainly save[s] us from God’s condemnation” (Romans 5:9, NLT). When Christ was resurrected to life, God revealed His righteousness by making salvation available to every sinner who places his or her faith in Jesus (Romans 4:22–24; 10:4; Galatians 3:24; Philippians 3:9; Genesis 15:6).
Through the gospel, God’s saving power is made available to everyone who believes (John 3:16; Romans 3:22–23; 4:4–5; Galatians 3:6–9). The power of the gospel proceeds from its core—the person of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:24).
The world is hostile to the gospel (Colossians 1:21; James 4:4). The nature of the gospel is unimpressive to those who are worldly wise (1 Corinthians 1:18–25) and offensive to the carnal-minded (Romans 8:7). But those who believe it, live it, and proclaim it, know that the gospel is the supreme power of God Himself directed toward the salvation of humanity.
Within the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power to create light and give life to the world (see Genesis 1:3; cf. John 1:1–4; 8:12). For this reason, believers can unashamedly say like Paul, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, . . . we continue to preach because we . . . know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself” (2 Corinthians 4:7–14, NLT; see also 2 Timothy 2:8–9).
