Where is Your Rome?

Romans 1:16-17
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.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Most of us Christians know this verse and most of us probably apply it to ourselves. We memorize this verse and we quote it. We buy t-shirts and put little placards on our desk upon which we declare we are not ashamed of the Gospel.

But are we really living that way?

When the Apostle Paul wrote this verse, he began with the word “for”. That begs the question then, why can he say he is not ashamed of the Gospel? Listen to the verse before this one.

Romans 1:15
So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Paul could say he is not ashamed of the Gospel, because he was eager to preach it. Not only was he eager to preach it, he was eager to preach it in Rome. Why Rome? There were probably many reasons Paul wanted so strongly to go there, but the main reason Rome was important was that it was THE place of the day. And it was a place where the Christian faith was growing. He wanted to share a spiritual gift to the church, and he knew that he, in turn, would be edified by them. He wanted to give comfort to them. Again, Paul knew that he, too, would find comfort from them as well. Paul wanted to go there and bear fruit. He knew that this was a place where he could be faithful in serving His Lord. And he simply wanted to preach the Gospel. He knew that there was a need in Rome for the Gospel. Thus, he was eager to preach there.

When we study the Bible, we must ask ourselves, why are we doing this? What is our end goal in our studies? 2 Timothy 2:15 instructs us that we are to “Be diligent to present [ourselves] approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” This is why we study scripture. There are many benefits to Bible study but at the end of the day, we are learning about who God is and who He wants us to be. As we grow closer to God through His Word, we become capable ambassadors for Christ, as Paul tells us we are in 2 Corinthians 5:20.

The working power of the Gospel isn’t about how elegantly you preach it, or about how pretty you try and package it, it is about the saving power of the Holy Spirit as expressed through the Word of God. Our job in fulfilling the Great Commission is simply about being faithful in sharing the Gospel and in how people see us living by the faith we just told them to place their eternity in. That is why Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel.

Take another look at what Paul says to us in Romans 1:16-17
“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.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.””

It is simple. Believe in the saving power of the Gospel. Live by faith in its power.

Where is YOUR Rome? It may be your in your neighborhood, the breakroom at work, or the sewing or fishing club you belong to. Be eager to preach the Gospel there. Don’t be ashamed of it. It is the power to save and to heal. The people in your Rome need that.