Now it gets dicey. Paul goes on to say, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom 1:18). Notice the "for" at the beginning. Paul hasn't changed the subject -- the gospel. The gospel saves and reveals the righteousness of God ... premised on the wrath of God. Oh, now, hang on. And what is God angry about? The "ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." That's kind of vague ... and doesn't seem ... reasonable, does it? He's angry about that? But that's what Paul says. The righteousness of God is revealed in His wrath against Man's sin. The gospel begins with God's wrath against sin. God is righteously angry. And it takes Paul almost 3 whole chapters to explain the depths of this sin. You'd think that the gospel would clear this problem up. It does, but ... not in a satisfactory manner. It claims that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23) and that we receive justification as a gift.
... being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Rom 3:24-26)Notice the components here of "the gospel." "Justified as a gift." We don't earn it. We don't become just. We are declared just. We are justified "through the redemption." That is, someone paid a price. We aren't just "forgiven." There was a price to pay. What price? "His blood." Wait. God's wrath has been "propitiated in His blood." Now, that's downright medieval. Paul says it was necessary ... that it allowed God to be "just and the justifier." That's the gospel.
Maybe you begin to see why Paul's declaration, "I am not ashamed of the gospel" is really something. The gospel is about God's righteous anger against sin and the dreadful cost of remedying that problem. No one wants to hear that. It's not a popular message. We ridicule those "fire and brimstone" types. All that "repent" and "judgment" and such. Paul ... was not ashamed. We are, aren't we? We don't like that. Sometimes we're actually ashamed of the easy good news and withhold that. But this deeper news of sin and repentance and faith and a blood sacrifice? That's a bit much. We are all, at times, ashamed ... of good news like that. I'll tell you ... I am ashamed. I'm ashamed that I'm not what I should be and I am what I shouldn't be. I'm ashamed that I don't speak up when I should. I'm ashamed that I claim to be a Christ follower and fail too often to follow Christ. But I do not want to be ashamed of the gospel of God's righteousness in His wrath against sin and in His righteous demands that had to be met to save us. It's the gospel. Are you ashamed of it?
8 comments:
I am ashamed of my shame.
It seems germane to note that Paul went to Jerusalem and met with the Apostles to make sure that the Gospel he was preaching was the same one that Jesus preached. Paul seemed very concerned that the Gospel he received from Christ and other believers was aligned with what Jesus' taught the disciples.
Yes, Craig. Paul referred to the gospel at times as "my gospel," seeming to indicate it was different somehow, but he also referred to it as "the gospel of Christ" and "the gospel of God" and blatantly declared there is no other. God's gospel, Christ's gospel, Paul's gospel ... one and the same.
We have heard much in recent days about being bold for Christ and speaking up to share the Gospel; this is especially important for those with a deeper knowledge and understanding of Scripture--i.e. true teachers and preachers of the Word, who will impart the full teaching as Paul presents it, beyond “the basics” he stated in 1 Cor. 15:3-4. There was a time when those who talked openly about the Gospel (AKA “religion”) to unbelievers were termed “Bible thumpers.” It was not meant as a compliment--yet it is. The message of the Bible--both the bad news and the good news--should be always on our tongue, ready and able to fall upon those with ears to hear. Our faithful zeal in this endeavor will make us unpopular (even ostracized), but since we personally know the power of the Gospel in our life--i.e. moving us from everlasting destruction to eternal life, replacing God’s wrath with Christ’s righteousness in us--we are not ashamed of the full message, for we know that it is the “power of God to salvation.” How can one keep that to him/herself?
And hopefully, too, it is Stan’s gospel and Craig’s gospel and Lorna’s gospel, true? May we preach no other gospel but the one true gospel of Christ, as you say. May His gospel be our gospel.
Interestingly, I have these perfectly relevant books in my home library: The Gospel According to Jesus, The Gospel According to the Apostles, The Gospel According to Paul, and Ashamed of the Gospel: When the Church Becomes Like the World--all authored by John MacArthur. (In contrast, I also have The Gospel According to Rome by James McCarthy, also a relevant and timely study.) Just like learning to recognize counterfeit money, the more one studies the true gospel presented in God’s Word, the more easily one will recognize false gospels offered up by Satan and his servants.
Just to be very clear, the books by John MacArthur I mentioned are not presenting gospels that differ from one another but rather look closely at the one true Gospel that is fleshed out in different ways in God’s Word, by Jesus, the Apostles, and Paul.
Maybe, if we get our eyes off ourselves and look at the gospel as a display of God's righteousness, we can become bolder ... less ashamed. What does it say about us if we're saying, "Yes, it's about God's righteousness ... and I'm ashamed of His righteousness"?
Indeed, and while the world and its inhabitants have always needed God’s righteousness, the need for the gospel of grace is so very apparent in the current day and age. May God grant me boldness to share it.
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