Don’t Be Ashamed of the Gospel

BY Charaia Callabrass

My high school experience was vastly different from the average adolescent. It wasn’t filled with exceptionalism or much experimentation, but it was four years of going to the same school where my father taught. I remember one day, as a senior, after almost four years of being the kid that never got into trouble, I decided it was time to rebel. I attempted to skip the last period, only to receive a call from my father who spotted me walking to my car from his classroom window. 

Students who knew of my dad or knew him as a teacher were quick to call him strict. And when they discovered that the school’s scary drill sergeant was also my father, they were surprised to hear that what they knew of him and what I knew to be true of him were vastly different. I spent a lot of time ashamed of being my father’s daughter. A shame that stood on what others believed to be true of him. 

In 2 Timothy 1, Paul sees the timidity that Timothy struggles with and the fear that he possesses regarding the call of God on his life. Paul encourages Timothy that boldness is a gift from the Lord and that when he chooses to put on courage, he will be moved to put off shame (2Timothy 1:8).

It’s easy to forget. At the time this letter was written, following a crucified Master wasn’t easy. It wasn’t something one would specifically find pride in doing. Jesus spent His time on earth teaching principles that contradicted the ways of the world and then died a brutal death. For those who did not understand the good news of the resurrection, the testimony of Christ was one steeped in shame. We, too, can find ourselves placing the good news under a cloak. Both afraid and embarrassed to share about the Jesus we’ve known to be true because we’re more concerned with how others will receive our testimony based on what they know of Jesus.  

But the truth is that when we step into the gift of courage in Christ, we shed shame. When we recall what God has proven to be true, the remnants of shame that attempt to attach themselves to the good news of the gospel we are called to share are removed (v.11). 

When we find ourselves shrinking back from proclaiming the good news of Christ, what we know to be true of Jesus can be the backbone of our courage.

Shame cannot exist in the context of true intimacy. As we pursue Him and allow the Holy Spirit to make deposits into us, we are moved from shame to honor. No longer burdened with embarrassment as we tell others of Jesus, but brought into a place of joy and delight regarding the testimony of our King.