Naked for the Gospel?

Greetings and salutations all.

Here is something that I have been thinking about recently, and how horribly short I fall.

Romans 1:15-17

<> ¹⁵So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. ¹⁶For 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. ¹⁷For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

Upon further exposition, I found that we can very readily replace the the phrase "not ashamed" with the word "naked." So with some slight modifications the passage would read...

¹⁵So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. ¹⁶For I proclaim the gospel naked and unashamed, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

You could also say, I wear the gospel naked and unashamed and I'm pretty sure it would still be fairly true to the Greek. Any scholars out there please correct me if I'm wrong. Just think about what that really says there. Picture it in your mind. Think about walking around campus or work completely naked. Think of the attention that would be on you. How embarrased would you be to be publicly naked, with nothing to hide behind. Now if you are a sexy beast like Brad Pitt it may not bother so much, but for the average person it would be pretty dang awkward. This is what Paul was trying to say in this passage. He is not afraid to walk naked and proclaim the gospel in the streets. He is so devoted to our God that he was willing to face the ultimate humiliation for the sake of the Gospel. And why is he not afraid? For it(Gospel) is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Paul had a proper understanding of the power of the Gospel. He understood that he had nothing to do with any one person's salvation or damnation. He also understood his role in the process of salvation, the messenger. Paul tells us later in Romans 10:14 But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? [Or him whom they have never heard] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? God has given us the responsibily and priviledge of sharing his message of life with the world.

I think that verse 17 really tells us how Paul lived the Gospel as if he were naked. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." Paul trusted in the power of the Gospel and it revealed his faith. And by revealing his faith it allowed him to trust in things unseen and live by faith. Sounds kinda circular but its true. By stepping out in faith and living the Gospel, it reveals our faith in God. Which in turn allows us to live by faith. I have one thing to say, Crazy-go-nuts.

Ok, its time for practical application. Time to comment. Everyone whip out your keyboards and post ideas on how living the Gospel naked looks in real life.

Until we meet again

-JJ aka The Breadstick Guy