Paul began his lengthy treatise on justification by faith with this bold affirmation:
“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. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith:
as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:16,17). When there
is only one way to be forgiven, and thus justified before God, it would be quite
foolish to downplay its importance. Each Christian must be committed to upholding
and defending this great message from God (Jude 3).
This commitment will bring the righteous in conflict with the ungodly of the
world. This can tempt some to compromise their convictions. Whether the pressure
to yield comes from persecution (as it did with first century Christians) or
simply the desire to fit in with the world (Rom. 12:1,2), followers of Christ
need to recall the words of the Master. Jesus warned His disciples, “For
whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man
be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s,
and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).
Some early Christians apparently were tempted to avoid controversy as touching
the Gospel. Paul told Timothy, “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony
of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel according to the power of God” (II Tim. 1:8).
What are some ways people show they are ashamed of the Gospel? Perhaps the most
obvious is silence about religious matters. In some circumstances, silence may
indeed be golden but when it comes to God’s Word, silence probably shows
one is yellow. That is, he is a chicken, afraid of engaging in a discussion
about the Gospel. Recall that Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess
me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father
which is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32,33). Occasionally, however, silence is
the wisest course of action. Jesus showed this during His sham “trial”
(Mark 14:57-61; 15:3-5).
Why might some members of the church not wish to talk about what ought to be
the heart and center of their lives? Perhaps they think by not bringing it up
they can still be faithful and avoid upsetting non-Christians. Taking this thinking
to the extreme means one would never attempt to teach even one soul, contrary
to the command Jesus gave (Matt. 28:18-20). Would this be counted as being faithful
to the Lord and His will? Obviously not. The devil knows very well how to shut
the mouths of weak members.
Another way people show they are ashamed of the Gospel is in failing to stand
for the truth (Gal. 2:5). Apparently some do not believe in the uniqueness of
the Lord’s church, do not have strong convictions about it or are unwilling
to defend it (Phil. 1:7). The Gospel is a very narrow way which obviously excludes
many (Matt. 7:13,14; Acts 4:12).
Some disciples feel so uncomfortable with this message that they may compromise
the message. However, by so doing, they have denied their Lord and His church.
Others show their discomfort with being identified as Christians in not praying
at public places (e.g., restaurants). Still others fail to openly carry a Bible
lest they are taunted. In an increasingly anti-Christian society, such wishy-washy
followers will probably soon fall away (Luke 8:13).
Paul wasn’t ashamed of the Gospel because he knew it was the only way
for man to be saved. How about you? Are you ashamed of the Gospel? Hopefully,
you will be able to say with confidence, “No way!” Only then will
Jesus claim you as one of His (Heb. 2:11; 11:16).
By Douglas Hoff
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