When everything that is named is coming out of its closet, I think it’s time for the people of God to come out from underneath the rock and let it be known where they stand.
The Apostle Paul said in Romans 1:16. “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.” Are you ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Are you ashamed for people to know you’re a Christian at work or school? On the ball club? In the marketplace? In the neighborhood?
I want to give you four reasons why you ought to be incredibly proud of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and why you ought to be a bold believer.
The Sovereign Majesty of the Gospel
No. 1: Because of the Sovereign Majesty whose Gospel it is. It is the Gospel of Christ! Who is Christ? He is Christ Jesus. Who is Christ Jesus? He is Jesus, the Son of God.
There are about 8 billion people on this earth, and historians tell us that the population is growing. But of all of the people who live now, who have lived, or who will live, only a handful have made any real impact on history—a few philosophers, a few scientists, a few rulers, a handful of religious leaders. But of that handful, there is one person who towers like Mount Everest above the others, and His Name is Jesus. No person in all of history has ever attracted such a combination of attention, devotion, criticism, adoration and opposition as Jesus Christ.
He never wrote a book, and yet more books have been written about Him than any person who ever lived. He never painted a picture so far as we know. He never composed any poetry as far as we know. He never wrote any music so far as we know. But more art, more poetry, more music has been written and composed about the Lord Jesus Christ than anyone else.
He had no formal education, yet thousands of universities, seminaries, colleges and schools have been founded in the Name of Jesus Christ.
The Saving Ministry of the Gospel
The second reason you ought to be proud of the Gospel is its saving ministry. Romans 1:16 says “It is the power of God unto salvation.”
What is more important than getting saved? We are in the greatest business in the world, and that is bringing men to salvation. The social engineers of this world are mistakenly trying to save society. Never get it in your mind for one little bit that the Gospel is supposed to Christianize the world. It is not! That’s assigning to the Gospel a mission that God never gave it. The Gospel has never been intended to save civilization from wreckage, but to save men from the wreckage of civilization.
The Supernatural Miracle of the Gospel
The third reason to be proud of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the supernatural miracle of the Gospel.
Paul said, “I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God.” There has never been a greater power than the power of the Gospel. That word power is the Greek word dunamis. It’s the word we get dynamite from. If somehow I could get an atomic bomb and put it within the lapels of my coat and have it detonated, you wouldn’t find enough of me to bury. I’d be vaporized. However, that atomic bomb could not blow the sin out of my heart. But the power of God can. That’s the only power that can deal with sin.
Not only do we get our word dynamite from dunamis, we also get the word dynamo. Dynamo speaks not of an explosion, but of a continuous power. The power of God is released in our lives, and it continues to save.
We sing that song, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” Friend, it saved me as a teenage boy. And not only has it been dynamite; it’s a dynamo. Day by day by day, the life I live, I live by the power of the Son of God. How can I be ashamed of such a Gospel?
The Simple Method of the Gospel
The fourth reason you should be proud of the Gospel is its simple method. Paul said the Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to “every one that believeth.” The simple message of the Gospel is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved (Acts 16:31). That’s the only requirement. Why does God do it that way? Romans 4:16 says: “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace.”
If there were any other requirement than belief, then it wouldn’t be by grace. What if God said, “Everybody who wants to be saved, run around the block”? Well, some people can’t run. What if He said, “Everybody who wants to be saved read a chapter in the Bible”? Some people can’t read. Or, “Everybody who wants to be saved, give a hundred dollars”? Some people don’t have a hundred dollars. It’s by faith that you are saved, that it might be of grace.
And John 3:15 says, “Whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life.” You see, this plan doesn’t leave anybody out. And “by grace, through faith” is the only way it can be a “whosoever” Gospel. If it’s not by grace, then it leaves out certain people who can’t do certain things. But if it’s first by faith, that includes everybody. Isn’t that wonderful?
We cannot be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. I’m not ashamed of Him. I’m not ashamed of His miracles. I’m not ashamed of His message. I’m not ashamed of His ministry. I’m not ashamed of anything about the Lord Jesus Christ. If I had a thousand lives, I’d want to give every one of them to Him. ©1993 Love Worth Finding
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version.
The late Adrian Rogers was the pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, and founder and Bible teacher of Love Worth Finding Ministries. This article was adapted by permission from a sermon preached Feb. 21, 1993. For more on Love Worth Finding, visit lwf.org.