Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God to salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first… I. THE NATURE OF THIS AVOWAL. "Not ashamed." 1. Of what is this spoken? Of the gospel's — (1) Doctrines. (2) Precepts. (3) Threatenings. (4) Promises. (5) Privileges. 2. By whom? Paul — (1) The gifted. (2) The disinterested. (3) The self-sacrificing. 3. To whom? Rome — (1) The great. (2) The intellectual. (3) The cruel. 4. What is implied in it? (1) That he gloried in the gospel. (2) That he held everything else in comparative contempt. II. ITS GROUND. 1. The Divine energy of the gospel. 2. The powerful combination against which it has to contend. 3. Its saving efficacy. 4. Its impartiality.Learn — 1. The evil of religious cowardice. 2. The necessity of consistency in religion. 3. Your obligation to make it known. 4. Your duty to expect that your efforts will be successful. (R. Newton, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. |
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