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.”

In a culture that is heavy with shame and guilt over what we do or do not do, our past mistakes and failures, what we look like, and more, being unashamed is sort of an eye-opening concept. What does that even look like? Is it truly possible to be completely unashamed much less unapologetically unashamed?

It’s difficult, but I believe yes, it is possible. But not by our own wit, merit, or striving. After all, with man this is impossible but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

I think some of us read that verse and say ‘Sure, yeah I believe in the gospel and in God so of course I’m unashamed’. But there is a difference between believing and being unashamed. A big one, actually.

How many people say they believe but then hide their faith from certain areas of, people in, or times during their life? You may read your Bible, but you don’t express your faith in school because you don’t want to be known as the “Jesus freak”. You pray, but there are certain people in your life (coworkers, family, friends, neighbors) who you don’t ever mention Jesus to because you don’t want them to see you in that identity. Or you’ll be all about Jesus in the privacy of your home, but the outside world would have no clue you’re a follower of Christ. What about you won’t tell guys you date about your faith, nor live it out while dating, because you don’t want them to lose interest or think you’re “that kind of girl” (or vice versa if you’re a guy).

Listen, I am definitely NOT shaming anyone in any of this. I’m guilty of all of the above too. But I do think it’s important for us to understand that any area of our life that we hide away the gospel, is an area we are not living unapologetically unashamed with our entire lives.

So, why do we still act guarded or ashamed of the gospel in certain areas of our lives? I think I have some ideas. Let’s look at verse 16 in the context of the verses before and after it.

¹⁵ That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 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. ¹⁷ For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,  just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

From this, we learn that being unashamed has to do with the gospel, more specifically: preaching the gospel, understanding that it is the power of God that brings salvation, and revealing the righteousness of God.

And I think that:

1. We don’t know how to preach the gospel
2. We’re worried that people will reject us or hate us when we mention ‘the power of God’ or ‘salvation’
3. We feel shame in our own lives for not “living up to the righteousness of God”

Wouldn’t you agree?

Now the good news is, none of those three things I listed affect our actual ability to live unashamed. The bad news? Those three things will affect our perception of our ability to live unashamed.

It’s not that we can’t live unapologetically unashamed (after all, all things are possible with God), it’s that we don’t see that we can and therefore, don’t try to live in such a way.

Because that’s the case, I’m going to let you in on a little secret…those three things I listed? They’re all complete lies! So I’m going to pour some quick truth into you to help you combat those lies in your own mind/life. Take a moment to breathe in the truth of the Spirit and breathe out the lies of the enemy. You ready?

1. First you know how to preach the gospel; in fact you were created to preach the gospel. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Second, preaching the gospel does not have to be professional, use the perfect fancy words nor be done alone. It simply has to point to the power displayed on the Cross and be done with the Spirit living in us. Jesus gave us the great commission to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth, reminding us that He is with us always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” (1 Corinthians 1:17)
2. People will not reject you or hate you because you mention those things. If they show action that is defensiveness, rejection or hate, it’s all aimed at Jesus, not you. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” (John 15:18) “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.” I know it’s difficult to handle rejection or hate but you gotta remember that those things are not aimed at you! Christ took the wounds in his hands and his feet so that the wounds of these things could pass right over you.
3. Listen, you are the righteousness of God! And being the righteousness of God has nothing to do with your/your actions and everything to do with Christ and His. “God made him [Christ] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.“ (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Whew. Okay, I hope that gave you some powerful insight into who you are in Christ and how you are very capable to being unashamed of the gospel!

Unapologetically Unashamed is not simply a virtue to clothes ourselves in, it’s a lifestyle we create and cultivate as we journey along with Jesus. It means that in every area of our life, we live to make Christ known and glorify God.

So, you’ve realized that you haven’t been living unapologetically unashamed about the gospel and your faith, but you want to! Where to start?

1. Put God first in your life, both inwardly and outwardly. Seek Him first in every area of your life. Once you start to put God first, He becomes your whole life, not just a part of it. And when you’ve given your life to something, especially God, you can’t help but live unashamed
2. Look honestly at your life. In what areas are you living either unashamed or ashamed of the gospel? Why? If you uncover the enemy’s lies at work in your life, then you can work towards replacing those lies with God’s truth. God’s truth is what will empower you to live unapologetically unashamed.
3. Start small. You don’t have to go from 0 to 100 or immediately become unapologetically unashamed. Instead, slowly start living unashamed in those areas in which you weren’t before. And if you ever feel stuck, turn to the Spirit for guidance (prayer, Scripture, worship music, etc.). Remember, unapologetically unashamed is a lifelong lifestyle, which means you build upon it over time.
4. Let yourself be reminded of what the gospel stands for. Sometimes I think we complicate the gospel and don’t actually know what it stands for at its core. The gospel is the good news of what God has done through Christ, reconciling ourselves to Him. Take a minute to realize how much God and Christ have done for you. A heart full of gratitude and praise, will overflow unapologetic faith into your life.

It’s time we live out our lives completely and confidently unashamed for the One who completely and confidently gave up everything to save and redeem us. May you rely on the strength and the boldness Christ gives to be unapologetically unashamed about the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to you, then to those you touch in the world.

Brothers and Sisters: let’s go touch the world with the light of Christ.

What is one step you’re going to take to start living more unapologetically unashamed?

P.S. If you want to see my best friend and I unapologetically rapping about Christ in our cars in the Chick-fil-a parking lot, check out this video: 116