Romans 1.16

16. 我不以福音為恥；這福音本是上帝的大能，要救一切相信的，先是猶太人，後是希利尼人。

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

Paul emphasizes in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel,” because many people at that time found the gospel difficult to accept and even embarrassing. The message of the gospel is that God saves the world through His Son, Jesus Christ, and whoever believes in Him will be saved. To the Gentiles, this sounded strange and unbelievable because they did not know the God of Israel. To the Jews, it was also difficult to accept because they could not understand how the Messiah could be crucified and executed.

Because of this, people naturally tend to soften or modify the gospel to make it more acceptable. Many Christians also feel uncomfortable or ashamed when sharing the gospel because they worry that others will think it sounds foolish or unbelievable. Paul clearly understood this human tendency, yet he boldly declared that he was not ashamed of the gospel.

The reason is that the gospel is not merely “good news”; it is “the power of God.” The gospel itself carries God’s power to change hearts and save people. It does not need human embellishment, clever presentation, or adjustment. What Christians are called to do is simply and faithfully proclaim the gospel. The response of the listener ultimately belongs to God.

This gospel has the power to save everyone who believes, whether Jew or Gentile. The gospel is God’s way of saving humanity and the revelation of His divine power.

保羅在《羅馬書》1:16 強調「我不以福音為恥」，因為當時很多人其實對福音感到難以接受，甚至覺得丟臉。福音的內容是：上帝藉著祂的兒子耶穌基督來拯救世人，只要相信祂就能得救。這對外邦人而言很陌生、很不可思議；對猶太人而言也難接受，因為他們無法理解彌賽亞竟然會被釘十字架而死。

因此，人面對福音時，很自然會想要「軟化」或修改福音，使它比較容易被接受。許多基督徒在向別人傳福音時，也會因擔心別人不相信、覺得荒謬，而感到不好意思或羞恥。保羅深知這種人性，但他仍然公開宣告自己不以福音為恥。

原因是福音不只是「好消息」，更是「上帝的大能」。福音本身帶有上帝改變人心、拯救人的能力，不需要人用技巧去包裝或修飾。基督徒真正需要做的，只是忠實地把福音傳講出去；至於人是否接受，結果在於上帝。

這福音的能力，是要拯救一切相信的人，不分猶太人或外邦人。因為福音是上帝拯救世界的方法，也是上帝能力的彰顯。[註]