The Gospel: Something Worth Cheering About
By Dawn Tolbert
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” Romans 1:16
There are times when one wants to hide or blend in—to not be that person. “One of them.”
I went with my parents to an away football game when I was nine or ten. We arrived late and had to sit among fans of the other team. I found an empty place on the bleachers and placed my cushion logo-side down. Daddy loved to tell how, after our team got a sizable lead, I stood to cheer and flipped my cushion over, no longer hiding my team’s name. I’d been worried about being different from the crowd until my team gave me a reason to be proud.
We never need to hide our salvation in Jesus Christ. In today’s verse, Paul says he isn’t ashamed of the gospel. He’s not focused on how others might react to him. To understand his heart, we need to look closely at this gift God has offered us through His Son.
The gospel is literally the good news about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and the salvation He now offers us. Paul calls it “the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” John 3:16, probably one of the most famous verses in the Bible, says this good news is for “whoever believes.” In Christ, God has freed us from sin and death and restored our relationship with Him. All we need to do is believe, have faith in God’s promise of salvation through Jesus. In return, we receive eternal life.
That, friends, is something worth standing up and cheering about! When we understand what Christ has given us and how it completely transforms our eternity, we can say with Paul that we aren’t ashamed of the gospel or of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Dawn Tolbert is a contributor to Wholly Loved Ministries Daily Devotional, a Christ-follower who writes to honor God, thank Him for His goodness, and encourage readers by sharing her faith journey. She works in higher education public relations and is writing her first novel and her first book-length Bible study. She has earned a B.A. in Communication Studies and English (Gardner-Webb College), a M.A. in Professional Writing (Kennesaw State University), and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership (Union University). She and her husband, Larry, live in Cedartown, Georgia, and serve actively in their church. Dawn blogs at [email protected].
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