Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ

In one of Paul’s most famous statements, he declared to the Romans, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).  These were not idle words for Paul who had suffered stoning and persecution and rejection and all manner of suffering for the gospel’s sake, and yet he continued to preach the Lord Jesus Christ wherever he went.  In fact, when he was told because of impending persecution that he shouldn’t continue on to Jerusalem and then to Rome where he longed to preach, Paul cried out, “What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13).  And that he was indeed ready to do, and he ultimately did die for the gospel (probably in Rome)—he was a martyr for the name of Christ because he was not ashamed to declare his testimony of the Savior everywhere the Lord called him.    

                I was impressed by this story of Lucy Mack Smith that Scot and Maurine Proctor told of Lucy Mack Smith’s determination and willingness to stand up for the gospel.  As many Saints were traveling from New York to Kirtland, they got stuck in Buffalo Harbor because of the ice. Lucy was in one company and there was a separate company of Latter-day Saints from the Colesville branch, all of them waiting there to try to make it through.  She recounted, “I inquired of the Colesville brethren if they had told the people that they were Mormons. They seemed surprised at the question and replied, ‘No, by no means-and don’t you do it for the world, for if you do, you will not get a boat nor a house, and here you must stay or go back.’  I told them I would let the people know exactly who I was and what I professed. ‘If you,’ said I, ‘are ashamed of Christ, you will not be prospered as much as I shall, and we will get to Kirtland before you.’ While we were yet talking with the Colesville brethren, another boat came up which had on board about thirty Mormon brethren, and Brother Thomas Marsh was one of the company. He came to me and, perceiving the drift of our conversation, said, ‘Now, Mother Smith, if you do sing and have prayers and acknowledge that you are Mormons here in this place, as you have done all along, you will be mobbed before morning.’ ‘Well, mob it is, then,’ said I, ‘for we shall sing and attend to prayers before sunset, mob or no mob.’”  When someone then called to her from the short and asked if the Book of Mormon were true, she replied without shame, “That book was brought forth by the power of God and translated by the same power, and if I could make my voice sound as loud as the trumpet of Michael, the archangel, I would declare the truth from land to land and from sea to sea, and echo it from isle to isle, until everyone of the whole family of man was left without excuse-for all should hear the truth of the gospel of the Son of God. I would sound in every ear that he has again revealed himself to man in these last days, and set his hand to gather his people together upon a goodly land.”  What a testimony!   She indeed was not ashamed, and because of her boldness and faith the ice broke just enough for them to miraculously get through, while the Colesville company remained.  She showed her faith unashamedly without worrying that others would criticize or reject it or persecute her for her testimony. 

                So we today as Latter-day Saints have the opportunity to similarly stand up for the gospel of Jesus Christ, with all that this implies, despite the fact that the world will mock and ridicule and scorn us for so doing.  To the world the things of God, His commandments and covenants and promises, will always seem like foolishness as Paul taught: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him” (1 Corinthians 2:14).  Of course one of the declarations of our faith that seems most foolish and offensive to the world is the Proclamation on the Family in which the prophets of our day have declared God’s plan to exalt families and bless all the nations of the earth.  It also sets forth clearly the doctrine of chastity and marriage between a man and a woman that, once so readily accepted by most, now offends so many.  I find it no coincidence that in this same epistle to the Romans that he declared he was not ashamed of the gospel—indeed the same chapter in our Bibles—he also boldly spoke out against sins against the law of chastity that is taught in the proclamation, speaking against “vile affections: even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another… Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness” (Romans 1:26-29).  With Paul we declare that we aren’t ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, including its declaration of chastity and the doctrine that “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”