WHY DID PAUL SAY "FOR I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST,..."

Believers, what do Paul’s words “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,…” in Romans 1:16 mean to you? What really is the gospel of Christ and why could it have made Paul or anyone else for that matter feel ashamed? Let's see why!

Paul was a chief persecutor of Christians before his first encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ. He was a Pharisee of Pharisees, living by the Law of Moses which is summed up in the words “do good, get good; do bad, get bad.” Under the law, when you disobey, you get the punishment that you deserve. God will only bless you when you keep His commandments. To receive from God, you have to “play your part.” You have to love God with all your heart and love your neighbour as yourself, or else judgment will follow.

Under the Law, if there is sin in your life, you can’t come into His presence. Those who measure their righteousness by their efforts at keeping the Ten Commandments and good deeds are subject to all the curses of Deuteronomy 28 because no one can meet its righteous requirements. If there’s poverty, sickness, joblessness or anything bad in your life, it would be as a result of some sin you or your forefathers committed. You have to 100% do good works and avoid sin/unclean things all by yourself in order to be righteous and receive from Him. There cannot be a speck of sin on you. In essence, nothing goes for nothing. If you want to be set free or receive from God, you have keep the Law 100% and do its works, or else. And no one on earth can do this on their own.

But this is not what Paul preached after his encounter with Jesus. Paul preached that we do not get the punishment that we deserve (Grace!) because Another, our Lord Jesus, took our place. Paul preached that we are made righteous because of Jesus’ sacrifice - 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Paul preached that in Christ, the law is fulfilled in us but not by us. See Acts 13:39.

Paul preached that our Heavenly Father gives us all things FREELY with Christ – “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32. No questions about which sin we committed last and no grovelling on some mountain before our heavenly Father blesses us!

Paul preached that New Covenant believers have been delivered from all curses (generational or otherwise) because "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:13-14

Paul preached that God’s grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts (Titus 2:12) and that Jesus “gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.” Titus 2:14. Jesus came to make us live right! Grace is our Teacher, not you or I.

The religious leaders of Paul’s day could not bear him speaking this Truth! Nobody would need them anymore if Paul’s message stuck! No wonder he was whipped, stoned and left for dead, imprisoned and killed for the message that he preached! No wonder Paul proclaimed that he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Paul preached GRACE!

The Law and Grace are two entirely different covenants. The bible tells us “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” - John 1:17.

Under the LAW, we see God “…by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation” but under GRACE He says “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12.

Believers, we are not under Law but under Grace. These two cannot mix. You cannot have one leg on Mount Sinai and the other on Mount Zion. You cannot be trying to get right with God by keeping the Law and expect to be saved by Grace. Remember Revelation 3:15-16, Our Lord Jesus Christ says: "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. 16 I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

Don't let anyone misinterpret these verses for you, deceiving you into thinking that being "hot" is keeping the Law and being made right with God by doing its works. Romans 3:20 says no one can and Galatians 5:4 says this is how to get cut off from Christ. This would also mean that being "cold" is living a hedonistic life without regard for anything or anyone. Why would Christ wish for any to be this way? Our Lord said "I wish you were either one or the other!"

CHRIST WOULD RATHER WE WERE HOT OR COLD, totally under grace where we get to enjoy His gift of righteousness, live right and reign in life or totally under the Law in its pristine condition where we have to cut off limbs that cause us to sin and where breaking one law is equal to breaking all according to James 2:10. This way, people will realise the futility of trying to attain righteousness by keeping the law and be driven to His grace and thus, overcome the world!

But this "neither hot nor cold" is being preached in many churches today! Non-Levite "high priests" are feeding the sheep a watered-down version of the Law (the "neither cold") as the standard of righteousness before God, all with no shedding of blood for the remission of sins, while simultaneously calling on Jesus without seeing Him as Saviour to the uttermost (the "neither hot,") an effort in futility since such that are trying to keep the Law in order to get right with God have been cut off from Christ.

These are the ones that say "Yes you are saved by grace through faith but you still have to keep the Ten Commandments and do such and such in order to be really saved or "maintain your salvation.""

Believers, "the Law is not of faith" and "without faith it is impossible to please God." You can never please God with your efforts at keeping the Law, including Ten Commandments. All you need to do to be saved (including saved from the power, pleasure and penalty of sin) is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and even this is by grace. Without Christ, we can do nothing

Believers, as the righteousness of God in Christ, forsaking our own filthy rags righteousnesses from works of the Law and accepting that for which Christ died for us to have, God is no longer dealing with us based on sin! How could He when He remembers our sins no more? Our sins have been punished in the body of our Lord Jesus. 

But some leaders will tell you who are in Christ that you are not healed or you lost your job because of some sin you are committing or something your great-grandfather did! How can our Saviour who came to save us from our sins use those very sins as an excuse for not saving us? Jesus never asked the people He healed when He walked the earth as a Man what sin put them in their condition. The people that He healed back then were not even born-again – He hadn’t died on the cross when He healed them! If you can stop sinning, even after you became born-again, you don't need Jesus.

Under the LAW Deuteronomy 28:1 tells us, “If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the world” but no one can fully obey (Romans 3:20.) Those who try come under the curse.

Under GRACE “…much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17. We reign (over sin, sickness, lack, enemies' molestations, etc) in life not by obeying the Law but by receiving God's gift of righteousness, no terms and conditions attached. With this gift of righteousness comes no condemnation. It is Christ's "Neither do I condemn you" that makes us "Go and sin no more."

Believers, the Letter kills but the Spirit gives life. Apostle Paul was not a preacher of the Law. In fact, he said that when you try to keep the Law to get right with God, Christ becomes of no effect unto you - Galatians 5:4 “For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.”

Believers, people falsely accused Paul of preaching that it is okay to sin because of God’s grace and many were/are ashamed to proclaim this gospel. But His grace is not a license to sin. It is the power of God to salvation –salvation from hell, sin, addiction and everything that we need saving from. It is our ticket to living a righteous life, reigning in life and eternal life! Our Saviour “gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.” Titus 2:14. If we could do it on our own, we won’t need Him.

Right living is a fruit of right believing. Believe Right and you will Live Right!