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.
—Romans 1:16
Yesterday we discussed in verses 14 and 15, Paul’s first two “I am” statements. We come now to Paul’s third great affirmation: “I am not ashamed.” He was never embarrassed about Jesus, always emboldened. Where did that courage come from, the courage that would carry him all the way to martyrdom in Rome? The answer is simple and magnificent: he met Jesus. And when you have met Jesus, how could you be ashamed of Him? He is not ashamed of you! He’s not ashamed to call you brother or sister, despite your failures and sins.
But notice the reason Paul gives for his confidence. The gospel “is the power of God for salvation.” It is not a self-improvement program. It is not a code of religious duties. It is power, the very power of God to take a dead soul and make it alive.
The art of making pottery has remained nearly unchanged for thousands of years. A potter takes a lifeless, ugly lump of clay, kneads it and squeezes it until it’s soft and pliable, then throws it on the spinning wheel. As the wheel turns, his hands press and push and shape that shapeless lump until something beautiful rises where there was nothing but a clod of earth.
What a picture of what God does with us. We come to Him as lifeless clay, and the power of the gospel, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, takes hold of us and shapes us into the likeness of His Son. No philosophy on earth can do that. No religion, no resolution, no amount of self-effort can turn the clay. Only the Potter.
And see how wide the offer runs: “to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” The gospel is not for one kind of person, one culture, one class. It is for everyone. The power of God is available to anyone who will believe.
So let me ask you the three questions Paul’s life puts to us. Are you living as a debtor to grace? Are you eager to share the love of God? And are you unashamed of the One who was not ashamed of you?
It might be a tough process to be shaped on the wheel; the Potter’s hands press and it might hurt. But trust Him. His hands are skilled, and He knows exactly the vessel He is making.
THE GOSPEL ISN’T A PLAN TO IMPROVE YOU, IT’S THE POWER OF GOD TO SAVE YOU. SURRENDER TO THE POTTER’S HANDS.
