Romans 1:16

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — Paul, writing to a Roman congregation he has not yet met, grounds his eagerness to preach (v. 15) in a personal declaration of unashamed confidence in the gospel.

The words — ἐπαισχύνω (epaischunomai), "I am ashamed of," is a deponent verb marking personal, social embarrassment; its negation (οὐ) makes the verse a public refusal to hide. δύναμις (dunamis) is not mere ability but operative, effective power — the gospel is what God does, not what Paul performs.

The thread — The anti-shame motif recurs in Mark 8:38 (ashamed of Christ's words), 2 Timothy 1:8 (do not be ashamed of the testimony), and 1 Peter 4:16 (do not be ashamed of suffering as a Christian). In each case, concealment is treated as a failure of witness.

Why it lands — The verse asks the reader to stop treating the gospel as a private comfort and to own it publicly, while also recognizing that its power belongs to God, not to the messenger's eloquence or the audience's readiness.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Mark 8:38 If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
2 Timothy 1:8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.
1 Peter 4:16 But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you bear that name.
2 Timothy 1:12 For this reason, even though I suffer as I do, I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.
Psalms 40:9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; behold, I do not seal my lips, as You, O LORD, do know.
Luke 9:26 If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with great conviction—just as you know we lived among you for your sake.
Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.