For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ
The reason why he was so ready and willing to preach it, even
where he ran the greatest risk of his character and life, was,
because it was "the Gospel of Christ" he preached, and he was not
ashamed of it. This supposes that some were, though the apostle
was not, ashamed of the Gospel; as all such are who hide and
conceal it, who have abilities to preach it, and do not: or who
preach, but not the Gospel; or who preach the Gospel only in
part, who own that in private, they will not preach in public,
and use ambiguous words, of doubtful signification, to cover
themselves; who blend the Gospel with their own inventions, seek
to please men, and live upon popular applause, regard their own
interest, and not Christ's, and cannot bear the reproach of his
Gospel. It expresses, that the apostle was not ashamed of it;
that is, to preach it, which he did fully and faithfully, plainly
and consistently, openly and publicly, and boldly, in the face of
all opposition: and it designs more than is expressed, as that he
had the utmost value for it, and esteemed it his highest honour
that he was employed in preaching it: his reasons for this were,
because it was "the Gospel of Christ"; which Christ himself
preached, which he had learnt by revelation from him, and of
which he was the sum and substance: and because
it is the power of God;
not essentially, but declaratively; as the power of God is seen
in making men ministers of it, in the doctrines held forth in it,
in the manner in which it was spread in the world, in the
opposition it met with, in the continuance and increase of it
notwithstanding the power and cunning of men, and in the
shortness of time, in which so much good was done by it in the
several parts of the world: it is the power of God organically or
instrumentally; as it is a means made use of by God in quickening
dead sinners, enlightening blind eyes, unstopping deaf ears,
softening hard hearts, and making of enemies friends; to which
add, the manner in which all this is done, suddenly, secretly,
effectually, and by love, and not force: the extent of this power
is,
unto salvation;
the Gospel is a declaration and revelation of salvation by
Christ, and is a means of directing and encouraging souls to lay
hold upon it. The persons to whom it is so, are in general,
everyone that believeth:
this does not suppose that faith gives the Gospel its virtue and
efficacy; but is only descriptive of the persons to whom the
Gospel, attended with the power and grace of God, is eventually
efficacious: and particularly it was so,
to the Jew first;
who as they had formerly the advantage of the Gentiles, much
every way, through the peculiar privileges which were conferred
on them; so the Gospel was first preached to them by Christ and
his disciples; and even when it was ordered to be carried into
the Gentile world, it was to begin with them, and became
effectual for the salvation of many of them:
and also to the Greek;
to the Gentile; for after the Jews had rejected it, as many being
called by it as Jehovah thought fit, at that time, it was
preached to the Gentiles with great success; which was the
mystery hid from ages and generations past, but now made
manifest.