"Not Ashamed of the Gospel" Season Five/Episode Five (Romans 1:16-17)

Episode Synopsis:Paul is eager to come to Rome to preach the gospel.  These words have long been familiar to Christians, and we understand Paul’s sentiment.  Yet, in Paul’s day, preaching the gospel was an absolutely scandalous message.  The gospel is centered on the cross of Jesus Christ.  For us, a cross is a well-known Christian symbol.  But for those in Paul’s day, the cross was a sign of shame and denigration.  It was something people abhorred and would not speak about.  The noted Roman statesman and orator Cicero spoke of the cross as so horrible that Roman citizens should never be subject to such a thing, and should never even entertain the thought of such a horrible manner of death, much less speak of it.  So why would Paul be eager to preach such a message if it was likely to repulse and offend people, rather than draw or attract them?Paul knows that this gospel—centered in the cross of Jesus Christ—is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.  God uses this scandalous message to call his people unto himself, create faith, and grant them eternal life.  As Paul tells the Romans, the gospel was first preached to Jews in the types and shadows of the Old Testament, and then through recounting the events associated with the messianic mission of Jesus Christ, which culminated in his suffering and death upon a Roman cross.  When the crucified Jesus was raised from the dead three days after his crucifixion, God demonstrated his power—which is of a different kind and far greater than all the military might of Rome.  Jesus is truly Lord—not Caesar nor any of the Roman gods.  So, when Paul says he desires to come to Rome to preach this message, he is trusting the power of God to do what is impossible for sinful humans: to be given new life, the forgiveness of sins, and to be counted as righteous before God.Paul is also eager to preach the gospel because in it the righteousness of God is revealed.  Sinful men and women can be reckoned or credited as righteous by trusting in the crucified and risen Savior proclaimed by Paul.  No amount of sorrow or tears, no enlightened teacher or guru, and no amount of good works can grant this righteous status to sinful people.  The only proper response to Paul’s gospel is the empty hands of faith—the reception of this free gift of a perfect and faultless righteousness that is found in the gospel.  This is why Paul is eager to come to Rome and preach this scandalous message.For show notes and other recommended materials located at the Riddleblog as mentioned during the Blessed Hope Podcast, click here:  https://www.kimriddlebarger.com/