For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. – Rom. 1:16
For the Apostle Paul, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others was much more than a passionate endeavor; it was a divine calling and an urgent mission entrusted to him by God, driven by the transformative power of Christ’s love and the necessity of sharing salvation with all nations. To grasp the urgency with which Paul proclaimed this message, we must first revisit the miraculous moment of his conversion, the pivotal event that reshaped his life and mission.
Luke provides a vivid account of this transformation in Acts 9: “Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1-2). This was no casual opposition. Saul, later known as Paul, was consumed by a zealous hatred for the followers of Jesus. His mission was not to debate or persuade, but to completely eradicate this fledgling movement. His fervor was so intense that he pursued Christians with unrelenting determination, seeking to drag them to prison or worse.
There’s no hint in Luke’s narrative of a man pausing and reflecting on his actions, thinking that perhaps a softer approach would be better. Saul wasn’t mulling over the possibility that these followers of “The Way” might be misguided but nonetheless redeemable fellow Jews. No, his hatred burned so fiercely that his life’s purpose was to crush this movement, even if it meant chasing its followers to the ends of the earth. Yet, it was precisely in the midst of this relentless pursuit that the risen and ascended Christ intervened. As Luke recounts, a blinding light from heaven stopped Saul in his tracks, and the voice of Jesus confronted him: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (9:4). In that moment, everything changed. Saul went from lost to found, from God’s enemy to God’s friend, from persecutor of Christ to preacher of the Gospel of Christ.
This radical transformation fuels the urgency and conviction behind Paul’s words in Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
Paul’s unashamed declaration isn’t mere bravado; it is the outworking of a life totally reoriented by the Gospel’s power. The same man who once sought to destroy the message of Christ now stakes his life on its truth, knowing full well the cost of such a commitment.
Paul’s urgency stemmed from his acute awareness of the opposition he would face. The hatred he once harbored toward Christians would now be directed at him by his former allies – religious leaders steeped in the traditions of Judaism, just as he had been. Paul knew that proclaiming the Gospel would invite persecution, rejection, and even death. He had been the one wielding the whip, overseeing the imprisonment and suffering of Christians. Now, he would stand on the receiving end, enduring beatings, stonings, shipwrecks, and imprisonment (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). Yet, Paul’s resolve never wavered. Why? Because he understood that the consequences of rejecting the Gospel were infinitely greater than any earthly suffering.
For Paul, the Gospel was not just a message of hope; it was the power of God for salvation. He had experienced this power firsthand on the road to Damascus, where Christ’s grace shattered his self-righteousness and opened his eyes to the truth. He knew that without this Gospel, humanity stood condemned, facing eternal separation from God. The stakes could not be higher. To die as an unsaved sinner meant facing a judgment far more severe, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). This reality drove Paul to preach with unrelenting urgency, regardless of the personal cost.
Moreover, Paul’s unashamed proclamation in Romans 1:16 reflects his confidence in the Gospel’s universal scope. It is for “everyone who believes,” Jew and Gentile alike. Having been a zealous Pharisee, Paul once believed salvation was reserved only for those who meticulously followed the Law. But his encounter with Christ revealed that salvation comes through faith alone, a truth he now boldly declares to all nations. The Gospel’s power transcends cultural, ethnic, and religious barriers, offering hope to a world lost in sin.
Paul’s words challenge us today. Are we ashamed of the Gospel in a world that often mocks or dismisses it? Do we share Paul’s urgency, recognizing the enteral consequences for those who have not heard or believed? Like Paul, we are called to proclaim the Gospel boldly, trusting in its power to transform lives. His life reminds us that the message of Christ is worth every sacrifice, for it alone holds the power to save.
In Romans 1:16, Paul stands as a witness to the transformative power of the Gospel – a power that turned a persecutor into a preacher, a hater into a herald, and a sinner into a saint. May we, too, embrace this Gospel with unashamed confidence, sharing it with the same urgency that drove Paul to give his life for its proclamation.
Former Blackout Artist 