📜WEB · Romans 1:16
What does Romans 1:16 mean?
"For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes; for the Jew first, and also for the Greek."
— Romans 1:16 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Now I don’t desire to have you unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you, and was hindered so far, that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.
I am debtor both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to the wise and to the foolish.
So, as much as is in me, I am eager to preach the Good News to you also who are in Rome.
For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes; for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.
For in it is revealed God’s righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, “But the righteous shall live by faith.”
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them.
Explanation
Romans 1:16 captures Paul's bold declaration about the gospel message he preaches. In plain language, he is saying: I am not embarrassed or hesitant about this message concerning Christ, because it carries real divine power that brings salvation to anyone who places their trust in it—whether that person is Jewish or Gentile (here represented by "Greek," a common shorthand for non-Jews in the ancient world).
To understand the context, remember that Paul wrote this letter to the Christian community in Rome, a church he had not personally founded or visited yet. He was writing partly to introduce himself and his message before a planned visit, and partly to lay out a comprehensive explanation of the gospel for a congregation that included both Jewish and Gentile believers. This mixed audience matters: tensions existed between Jewish and Gentile Christians about how the law, faith, and salvation related to one another. Paul's statement that the gospel is for "the Jew first, and also for the Greek" addresses this directly, affirming that salvation history begins with God's covenant people Israel but extends fully to all nations without distinction. There may also be a cultural backdrop here—preaching about a crucified man as Lord and Savior could easily provoke shame or mockery in the Greco-Roman world, which prized rhetorical sophistication and worldly power. Paul confronts that potential embarrassment head-on.
Theologically, this verse makes several important claims. First, the gospel is not merely good advice or philosophy—it is described as "the power of God," meaning it actively accomplishes something
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