The Lutheran Reformation – Pr. Anderson sermon
Romans 1:16-17 “For I Am not Ashamed of the Gospel”
October 25, 2026 | Christ Lutheran Church
In Nomine Iesu
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The Exordium
Five hundred years ago, the very service we are having here today, was celebrated in churches. What a gift and treasure to be given to the people. Before Luther’s German Mass, the mass was conducted only in Latin. The only people who knew Latin were those who studied. With this shift, people were now able to learn the mass, to hear the hope that was theirs in its words. In the divine service, the people could now hear and see they had indeed gathered in the presence of God and they did not deserve to be there. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23a). But because of God’s mercy, they heard the Word of their Savior, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith (Romans 3:23b-24).
What is witnessed at the beginning of the service by the people, is God’s approval. Not an approval for what the people have done. An approval of His gift. An approval of what the Savior has done which is in His very name, He saves His people from their sins. We can climb and climb and some may look closer than others, but no one can live a holy life. God hears our cries, He sees our pains, and He knows what is needed for our redemption. He does it Himself. The Son comes down from heaven, takes on our flesh and blood. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins (Romans 3:25). He knew all would sin. He knew He would save. And in the language of the people, we get to hear, see, and worship Him in this service every time we meet. Please rise as we sing stanza 7 of Hymn # 257. When in the Hour of Utmost Need.
That so with all our hearts we may
To Thee our glad thanksgiving pay,
Then walk obedient to Thy Word,
And now and ever praise Thee, Lord.
The sermon text for today is taken from the 1st chapter of St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. We read the verses once more, in Jesus’ name:
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. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
We Pray: Lord God, who after long ages of darkness delivered the Church from the bondage of error, we thank You for those faithful witnesses through whom You restored the Gospel of Christ to me, and we praise You that this blessed light has been preserved for us to this present age. We thank You for making known among us the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, our only Mediator. Defend Your Church against all her foes. Seek and save the lost and all who have gone astray. Preserve among us the pure Word and the holy Sacraments; turn our hearts from false and pernicious doctrine. Direct and strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit that we may abide in the confessions of Your Word all the days of our lives and in the end, by Your grace obtain everlasting life. This we pray in the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen (Lutheran Book of Prayer).
Isn’t this fun? Isn’t this exciting? This should easily make us not want to be ashamed of who we are and our great heritage as we dwell in history. For us to be here and celebrating this heritage and history, we are making a statement to anyone who sees it that this very message is the Gospel of God. And the Gospel isn’t just words on a page. The Gospel, this Word on the page carries God’s power to create, strengthen, and preserve faith. And this faith has been carried throughout history since the beginning of the world. And here we are, knowing this is certain and has existed. This certainty is because we are hearing the Word and when we gather for this service, we are always hearing it as it is embedded within the mass as St. Paul writes, So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).
Hearing the Word of God has always been a part of our history. For we know that in history, for a couple thousand years, where the Word wasn’t even written down. The promise of God was passed down year by year, generation to generation through the Jews. For the Jews were chosen, not because of anything special they had done. It wasn’t because they were mighty, in fact the Lord says they were the smallest and fewest. He chose them because of the promise given to their forefathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And though they would in the end reject the promise fulfilled, there was still a reason to see them and preach to them the Good News first. They had the Old Testament promise of the Savior. And hearing how this promise was fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, there were Jews who would become believers and form a nucleus of a congregation that could then reach out to others. This did not go unchallenged as the main religion, the imperial cult, used the same language in regard to the emperor. That he embodied divinity, gave good fortune, and there was salvation in himself.
For some, this makes sense. The emperor is a person you can physically see. He is a leader. He can pass laws or just command that things be given to the people. He can rouse the army to protect the people from harm. We continue to see this with rulers even today. We will continue to see man in the place of God. And because you can see these people in the flesh, it is easy to take the Word that we hear today and disregard it as foolishness. The Gospel continues to appear foolish to the world. We believe in a God that many believe we can’t see, many believe we can’t hear, and many believe He can’t do anything. Because of this faith, it causes people to ridicule and persecute Christians. As hard as it is, we are told we can stand tall. We are proud of what Christ has done, for the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). This is not simply words on a page; the Gospel is not simply words. The Gospel works, its living, its active, it is Christ.
And while you can agree with me about the joy the Gospel brings, it is with heavy hearts knowing to make this confession you know you will stand apart from even those who you are close to as Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even His own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27). Can we make this confession with those we love? Can we make this confession in the midst of trial? We know we can search our hearts and find the shame of the times we haven’t. And Jesus continues with one more point of how much we must give up. “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). Knowing our failings in giving up all, it is easy to be swayed like Luther was taught, that we will see the wrath of God in His work. Who wants to love a God who only wants to judge and condemn people? Maybe we are like those closest to Jesus as they questioned, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18:26b-27).
The possibility of God is to bring His people back to His embrace. He reveals a Word from long ago, “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). This prophecy sets up the theme of the Apostle Paul’s work. As many tried to make claims on knowing the path to the side of God, Paul writes, Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith” (Galatians 3:11). This was true for all of the patriarchs of Israel. Men who did not have the law written down. Men who had a spoken promise. A promise that could only see the possibility of it happening through the work of God. Paul would witness the possibility of the working Word himself. Through the preaching of the Word, Paul was sent to the Greeks and barbarians, to the wise and foolish. With a new structure of a service, Paul would lead them, pointing them to the righteousness of God who sees their failings and removes their shame. That this is the basis for life and salvation. Through mission trips, Paul would point to Jesus, the man who was not limited in His work. He redeemed the whole world, even barbarians and fools like us.
Fools who at times have been embarrassed about our faith or have hidden our Christian identity. We have yielded to the world’s pressures and may have been ashamed of our Savior. The impossible that is made possible is seeing our God who has every right to condemn us as we confess, and instead we see Him not ashamed of us. He perfectly chose to bear our sin, guilt, and shame on the cross and gives us His life and forgiveness. Instead of the wrath that Luther saw and searched for a way to hide from it, a wrath for those who don’t believe, a gift is given and it is the gift of our faith. This faith is empowered by the Spirit, and it is only because of the Spirit’s work we see actively happening here in this service that we can confidently say, we are no longer ashamed of the Gospel. We know it is God’s power and with His power that is not our own but working on our behalf, we confess, 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. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
This righteousness is something that is now put on you. It is your reminder every day and every time you gather here that what has been put on you is your acquittal. With this acquittal, Luther understands this as the righteousness that God gives, not a righteousness that God demands. For with every attempt to gain His favor, we fail every time. The cross reveals One Man who had gained the Lord’s favor. He was able to do everything the Father asked of Him. With the clothing message of the cross, this discovery of a righteousness freely given, brought Luther peace. This is your peace. Righteousness is received by faith and righteousness is for faith. In the language, this is written in a way that you cannot do it. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life (Romans 5:9-10).
And this life saving faith, which saw Luther’s life be saved and which sees your life be saved, is found in the only Gospel message. Now I would remind you, brothers, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you–unless you believed in vain (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). When doubts arise, you can find your strength in the worship service of your language. For in this service which calls on the name of God, has confession and absolution, has the Word preached in its truth and purity, and has the Sacraments laid out before you for the forgiveness of your sins, this is the Good News you will always hear. And faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Receiving His gifts by faith, and empowered by the Spirit, you are no longer ashamed of the Gospel. You know it is God’s power. This power isn’t silent and trying to hide. It has no shame. In your own language you hear the Good News of your sins going to the cross. You continue to hear it preached in your worship service. And because you truly aren’t ashamed, How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns” (Isaiah 52:7). Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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