Romans 1:16 (LSB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

Romans 1:14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.

Romans 1:15 In this way, for my part, I am eager to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Romans 1:16 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.

Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous will live by faith.”

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "In this way for my part I..." into verse 17's "For in it the righteousness of God...", so "ashamed" and "gospel" 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 "ashamed" and "gospel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.