Day 12: To Be Unashamed

I remember seeing the hurt on my mom’s face. It is a pain that still upsets me to recall.

When I was growing up, the word punk referred to a generally younger person with more attitude and mouth than brains or common sense. And when I was fourteen, I was a punk.

A small group of my friends and I got together on a somewhat regular basis at two of the guys’ homes. I’m not sure why we started gathering at those two homes to the exclusion of others, but that’s what generally happened.

One day, my mom suggested that I invite all my friends to our house. It only seemed right to her that she should share the load of providing a place with snacks. I replied in no uncertain terms that I did not want my friends at our house. Naturally, my mom asked the obvious question: “Why not?”

“Because you embarrass me,” I said. That’s when I saw the look of pain on her face. That’s when I saw the single tear in the corner of her eye. That’s when I knew I was a punk.

Mom never mentioned it again. She never held it against me either. And she never again asked me to invite my friends to our house.

I had the best of intentions to apologize to my mother, especially after I reached adulthood. But I never did. Then came the dreaded phone call from my brother.

“Mom died.”

It was sudden and unexpected. I had been with her for most of the day that she died. But no one knew it would be her last.

I never told her I was sorry.

I never told her how wrong I was to be ashamed of her.

TO BE ASHAMED OF JESUS

Jesus had tough and unfiltered words about being ashamed of him: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels” (Luke 9:26). The verse needs little commentary. If you are ashamed of Jesus, he will be ashamed of you.

For Day 12, let’s focus on one passage of Scripture. Let’s understand it well. More importantly, let’s live it well. Our passage is Romans 1:16-17: “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. 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 sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life.’”

It’s a powerful passage. And it is unambiguous in its declaration and meaning. As in the earlier passage where Jesus said we must not be ashamed of him, this passage is the apostle Paul’s response. He declares powerfully and simply, “I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ.

Take this twelfth day of the thirty-day challenge to focus on these two verses. First, make certain you are clear on its meaning. Second, begin thinking of its application in your life. What does it mean to not be ashamed of Christ and his Good News?

When you are unashamed of Christ, you want to get to know him better. You desire to study the Word of God more deeply. You want to converse with him more frequently in prayer. You want to talk about him to fellow believers who are also excited about Christ. You want to embrace Christ totally for your life.

When you are unashamed of Christ, you are eager to tell unbelievers about him. We call it evangelism. Unfortunately, stereotypes of evangelism abound. It is the person on a street corner declaring that everyone is going to hell. It is that person who shows up at your home uninvited and unwelcomed. It is that person who wants to corner you every day with his or her own superiority and smugness.

Real evangelism, however, is as natural and enthusiastic as grandparents telling people about their grandchildren. If you are a grandparent, you are not likely ashamed of your grandchildren. To the contrary, you likely overflow with joy thinking about them and talking about them.

UNASHAMED OF THE NARROW WAY OF CHRIST

Jesus was clear that the way of salvation is a narrow way. When he preached the Sermon on the Mount, he said, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

In Romans 1:16-17, our focus text for today, the Good News of Christ is described as “the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes.” Paul affirmed that the way of Christ is the only way, and it provides salvation to everyone who believes, indicating that belief in Christ is the narrow gate or way.

Paul further says in the passage that belief in Christ is the only way “God makes us right in his sight.” We are condemned sinners until we place our faith in Christ and receive both his forgiveness and his righteousness.

I get it. Many people in our culture today resist any declaration that there is only one God and one way. From their perspective, it seems narrow-minded and exclusionary. But here is the reality of the Good News of Christ: It is a narrow way, but it is not narrow-minded. It is exclusive, but it is not exclusionary. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). But “everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved” (Romans 10:13, italics added).

We are unashamed of Jesus. And we are unashamed to declare that he is the only way of salvation.

FROM START TO FINISH

In Christ, we are made right with God. Jesus went to the cross as our substitute so that we could be freely given that righteousness. But read Romans 1:17 closely, where Paul says, “This [righteousness] is accomplished from start to finish by faith.”

Did you get that? Jesus is not only our salvation at a point in time, but his righteousness also stays with us our entire lives as we enter eternity. He is with us and never leaves us. He is not ashamed of us. We must not be ashamed of him.

Your assignment on Day 12 is basic but profound. Focus on Romans 1:16-17. Read it several times. Perhaps ask God in prayer to give you clarity about the verses for your life. And then ask yourself, “Am I ashamed of Christ?”

You can best answer the question by looking in the mirror. Do you talk about Christ with unbridled enthusiasm? Are you willing to defend him when his name is mocked or held in scorn? Are you living the life he has asked you to live without reservation?

And, finally, are you willing, even eager, to share the Good News of Christ with those who are not believers in him? If not, are you willing to begin praying for God to give you the courage, the words, and the love to share his Good News with others?