I'm wondering what there is to be ashamed of. If you have to state that you are not ashamed, then apparently others are.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16)
Earlier Paul described this gospel that he is not ashamed of:
"which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 1:2-4)
The gospel that Paul proclaimed was concerning Jesus the Christ, but not entirely confined to Him. Elsewhere we learn that Paul proclaimed the gospel to be the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus (Acts 28:23,31). It was this gospel that he was not ashamed of.
There is true power in the gospel. I've often thought that the gospel, consisting of the two vital elements of the kingdom of God and the person of Jesus the Christ, are like two pieces of atomic matter in a nuclear device. Both pieces are relatively safe so long as they are separated, but when brought together they create critical mass which unleashed tremendous energy.
History indicates that far too many have been ashamed of the gospel in that the message about Jesus has often been proclaimed without any mention of His purpose-driven message, the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43). The "critical mass" of the gospel is not reached without both vital parts to the gospel message.
Proclaiming and embracing both vital aspects of the gospel message is not merely about intellectual understanding; it is about appropriating "the power of God for salvation". The "current" truly flows when we are plugged in to the total gospel.
The Jesus who was a messenger of the good news of the kingdom of God "was born of a "descendant of David, according to the flesh". He arrived in the world like any other human, because He indeed is human, the Son of Man. But He is validated as the Son of God through the power of God in raising Him from the dead.
The gospel is the good news about a kingdom-proclaimer who was born into the world as a mortal human being, and who is now empowered with immortality. And this truth is nothing to be ashamed of.
Can you feel the power?
Steve
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16)
Earlier Paul described this gospel that he is not ashamed of:
"which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 1:2-4)
The gospel that Paul proclaimed was concerning Jesus the Christ, but not entirely confined to Him. Elsewhere we learn that Paul proclaimed the gospel to be the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus (Acts 28:23,31). It was this gospel that he was not ashamed of.
There is true power in the gospel. I've often thought that the gospel, consisting of the two vital elements of the kingdom of God and the person of Jesus the Christ, are like two pieces of atomic matter in a nuclear device. Both pieces are relatively safe so long as they are separated, but when brought together they create critical mass which unleashed tremendous energy.
History indicates that far too many have been ashamed of the gospel in that the message about Jesus has often been proclaimed without any mention of His purpose-driven message, the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43). The "critical mass" of the gospel is not reached without both vital parts to the gospel message.
Proclaiming and embracing both vital aspects of the gospel message is not merely about intellectual understanding; it is about appropriating "the power of God for salvation". The "current" truly flows when we are plugged in to the total gospel.
The Jesus who was a messenger of the good news of the kingdom of God "was born of a "descendant of David, according to the flesh". He arrived in the world like any other human, because He indeed is human, the Son of Man. But He is validated as the Son of God through the power of God in raising Him from the dead.
The gospel is the good news about a kingdom-proclaimer who was born into the world as a mortal human being, and who is now empowered with immortality. And this truth is nothing to be ashamed of.
Can you feel the power?
Steve
posted by steve @ 7:15 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home