Not Ashamed

I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his eyes. This is accomplished by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Romans 1:16-17

In the 90s, I found myself participating in something called, “See You at The Pole,” an endeavor that empowers students to stand up for their faith at school and pray around the flagpole before the morning bell rings. Unfortunately, there were not many students around the pole that cold Seattle morning. As the buses unloaded our peers, the jeering began and the insult ensued. I was mildly shocked, and we remained around that pole in solidarity until classes began. I remember feeling like I had stood up for my faith in some way, despite the demeaning environment. As the book of Romans charged us, we were not ashamed of the Gospel that had given us life (Romans 1:16).

Fast-forward a good ten years and, as a Bible college student, I could not even tell the woman helping me at a shoe store what I was studying, with freedom and clarity. As an adult, I had grown afraid of being misunderstood, immediately written off, or just strange.

Sharing our faith is not without some kind of toil, whether intellectual or emotional. In each one of our days, we have opportunities to reflect our most honest self to those around us, even if there are parts of us that are trusting in a God who is not known or respected in some of our circles. The problem with growing ashamed of the Gospel, or becoming quietly fearful when we have an opportunity to share what gives us life, is that we may miss out on the work of God in our daily lives.

As adults, we grow far more tempted to cheat ourselves from experiencing the miraculous work of God, because we are afraid. We may fear our reputations, future successes, and vocational endeavors will be stunted on the basis of our declaration of faith. Perhaps we wonder if people will imagine our intellects diminished or our academic integrity faltered because we believe in a God who cannot be seen.

However, if we are certain that the words of Jesus are true when He says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life,” we then have the privilege of offering people in life’s darkest circumstances, a light that will far surpass any judgments made (John 8:12).

If we trust in a God who is in control of our everyday, today and forevermore, we have the ability to speak in freedom, knowing that the Father numbers our days and will continue to provide for us in them.

If we can trust, then we can be unashamed of the Good News of the Gospel that holds us all together, anyway.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: In what ways do I need to trust God with opportunities to share the Good News? What do I need to confess that stands in the way of my freedom to be an unashamed believer? How can I rely on God for all that I need and in all that I do?