I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 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 to faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” - Romans 1:14-17

We love the bold pronouncements of our heroes. There are the martyrs who declared their allegiance to Jesus as they headed to agonizing deaths. There is Martin Luther with his famous statement, “Here I stand” at the Diet of Worms. In our country’s history, lines such as “Give me liberty or give me death!” are part and parcel of our national heritage. Such lines show forth the courage of the speakers.

In Romans 1:16, we have such a declaration from the Apostle Paul. In the preceding verse, he has noted that he is eager to preach in Rome. Now, someone might say, “Paul, do you think that is such a good idea? I mean, it’s one thing to preach on the outskirts of the empire but right in the heart of it? Maybe you ought to reconsider, especially since you know the gospel is offensive to some.” Verse 16 is his reply.  He is not ashamed of or offended by the gospel.

This begs the question:  How is the gospel offensive?  Tim Keller suggests four ways.
 

1.  The gospel, by telling us that our salvation is free and undeserved, is really insulting! It tells us that we are such spiritual failures that the only way to gain salvation is for it to be a complete gift. This offends moral and religious people who think their decency gives them an advantage over less moral people.
2. The gospel is also really insulting by telling us that Jesus died for us. It tells us that we are so wicked that only the death of the Son of God could save us. This offends the modern cult of self-expression and the popular belief in the innate goodness of humanity.
3. The gospel, by telling us that trying to be good and spiritual isn’t enough, thereby insists that no “good” person will be saved, but only those who come to God through Jesus. This offends the modern notion that any nice person anywhere can find God “in his own way.” We don’t like losing our autonomy.
4. The gospel tells us that our salvation was accomplished by Jesus’ suffering and serving (not conquering and destroying), and that following him means to suffer and serve with him. This offends people who want salvation to be an easy life; it also offends people who want their lives to be safe and comfortable. (Romans 1-7 For You, pp.18-19)

Saints, let us take time to evaluate our hearts and minds to see if there are any ways in which we are offended by the gospel. And if we find such offense, let us respond with repentance of such offense and with renewed trust in the gospel and the Savior it declares.