“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
This transitional passage bridges the introductory portion of Romans chapter one and carries us into the doctrinal discussions that unfold throughout the remainder of this chapter and beyond. Paul the Apostle will launch this brief section by embracing the gospel of Christ as the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes it.
That offer of salvation was first presented to the Jewish people and then extended to others, or to “everyone who believes…” Paul was not ashamed of that message, and as one commentator perceptively observed, “I reckon him a Christian indeed that is neither ashamed of the gospel, nor a shame to it.” (1)
While a cursory look at Paul’s life is sufficient to support the claim that he was unashamed of the gospel, it’s possible that some among his audience in Rome were pressured to adopt a different view. Then, as now, the church at Rome faced a secular environment that encouraged the kind of response to the gospel that Paul addressed in a letter to the church at Corinth…
“It seems foolish to the Jews because they want a sign from heaven as proof that what is preached is true; and it is foolish to the Gentiles because they believe only what agrees with their philosophy and seems wise to them. So when we preach about Christ dying to save them, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense” (1 Corinthians 1:22-23 NLT).
One source ties these elements together for the benefit of modern-day readers…
“We should not miss the connection between the Apostle’s eagerness to minister in Rome and his declaration that he is ‘not ashamed of the gospel’ (v. 16). The news of a crucified Messiah was not ‘seeker sensitive’ in the first century. Crucifixion was the worst way to die, and the simple message ‘believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved lacked the philosophical intricacies that occupied the most renowned secular thinkers (Acts 16:31). Many found the resurrection downright laughable (17:32).
If anything should have caused shame, it was the foolish notion that an unknown Jewish teacher in the backwater region of Palestine is the path to eternal life. But that is to look at things according to the ways of the world. Paul’s view was changed when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus (9:1–31). Having experienced the power of God in the crucified and risen Christ, he had no reason to be ashamed of the gospel message even in the city of Rome, where a vast number of residents would be ‘cultured despisers’ of that message.” (2)
(1) Henry, Matthew. “Complete Commentary on Romans 1:16”. “Henry’s Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible“. https://www.studylight.org/?commentaries/?mhm/?romans-1.html. 1706.
(2) The Power of God for Salvation Ligonier Ministries, 8 Jan. 2014, https://learn.ligonier.org/devotionals/power-god-salvation