The Good News of Christ

I believe that Romans 1:16 brings up the most important topic of the entire Bible. In this verse, Paul declared, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek" (Romans 1:16, NKJV). This one verse summarizes the missionary passion of the believer, the greatness of the message concerning Christ, the ability that God has to save the lost, and the availability of that salvation for everyone.

Paul first declared that he was "not ashamed." His Godly example validates his words. Paul never backed down and never backed up from the calling of telling the world that Jesus died and rose again to save those who believe. From being beaten to being stoned, from being imprisoned to being executed, Paul proved that he was "not ashamed."

And there was nothing for Paul to be "ashamed" of when it came to the message that he preached. He told the known world about "the gospel of Christ," which is literally "the good news of Christ." The story of Jesus is the good news of what God did to save a lost humanity from the certain death that we all deserve. That "good news" involves the virgin birth, the sinless life, the substitutional sacrifice, and the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ. No other news could ever be so good!

The best part of the "good news of Christ" is who it is for. Paul said that this "good news" is "the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes!" Paul is voicing the invitation of eternity here for "whosoever" to accept God's salvation through faith. This echoes the words of Jesus in John 3:16, when He said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16, NKJV). God's power to save is wrapped up in a person's willingness to believe the "good news" about Jesus Christ. God uses the truth of His Word and the sincerity of our faith to change and save our lives. It's no wonder that Paul was "not ashamed!"

I believe that this is not only the key message of Romans, but the basis for everything Paul did. When I embraced the meaning of that verse, it rearranged my goals in life and my perspective on ministry. As a pastor, I am called to do many things for the Lord and His Church, but my main job is to proclaim the life-changing, soul-saving "good news" of Jesus Christ, without shame and without compromise. I believe that every Christian should get up each day with the message of that verse in their minds. We are here primarily to tell people about Jesus, otherwise we would already be in Heaven. If we cultivate the same passion which drove Paul to put these words to pen, we will see it impact everyone around us for the better. In fact, it is a matter of life and death!