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

1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.

2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

— 1 Corinthians 2:1-2

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.

— 1 Peter 2:24

And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live…

— Ezekiel 37:14a

He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

— Titus 3:5

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

When Paul announced he was not ashamed of the gospel, his eagerness and excitement about God’s good news came to life. He was boldly and apologetically proclaiming a path from shame to salvation. Why might Paul have thought that something so gloriously good could be considered shameful? The good news of Jesus Christ may have seemed disgraceful, foolish, or even confusing to some. After all, Jesus died a humiliating death on a Roman cross.

Paul remained steadfast and fully convinced of the gospel’s saving and transforming power is the greatest news of all. The gospel is the very power by which God accomplishes salvation in everyone who believes. Many do not understand but mock the gospel’s divine work. Nevertheless, wherever the gospel is preached, God’s Spirit breathes salvation into rebellious hearts. Through the good news of Jesus’s life, atoning death, and resurrection, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, God transforms people who believe in Him.