Romans 1:16 (DRB)

Passage

For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth: to the Jew first and to the Greek.

Nearby Context

Romans 1:14 To the Greeks and to the barbarians, to the wise and to the unwise, I am a debtor.

Romans 1:15 So (as much as is in me) I am ready to preach the gospel to you also that are at Rome.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth: to the Jew first and to the Greek.

Romans 1:17 For the justice of God is revealed therein, from faith unto faith, as it is written: The just man liveth by faith.

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and injustice of those men that detain the truth of God in injustice:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "believeth", "ashamed", "gospel", "power", "salvation", "first", and "greek". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "believeth" and "ashamed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "So as much as is in me..." into verse 17's "For the justice of God is revealed...", so "believeth" and "ashamed" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "believeth" and "ashamed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.