Romans 15 Part 2
Notes
Transcript
14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God
16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.
18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed,
19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;
20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation,
21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”
And now we go into the typical closing of a letter of this time. In many cases with Paul, he covers important business before the formal closing. Paul has not shown much restraint in chastisement of what was going on in the church of Rome, however now is the time he covers his satisfaction with the church members. Paul assures the believers in Rome that he does not assume that they need all his exhortations; he is simply reminding them of values that he trusts they already know and share. He wants them to know he is not just giving them down the road because he is disappointed, but instead offering them special grace given to him by God.
Paul had demonstrated in this letter and elsewhere his ability to be straightforward, even almost blunt, and forceful. Yet he also had a deep concern for the feelings of others and an ability to use effective principles of interpersonal relations.
14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
Although Paul had never visited or ministered to the Christian congregation in Rome, he was confident that they were a healthy church. (What he knew about the Roman believers was only what he had heard about them.) Morally, they were “full of goodness,” intellectually they were “filled in knowledge,” and functionally they were “able to instruct one another.” The believers in Rome were expected to help one another toward spiritual maturity. They were to advise and instruct one another. None were so wise that they had nothing more to learn, and none were so inept that they had nothing of value to share.
The Greek word Paul uses when he tells us to instruct one another means “to admonish” or “to counsel.” Every mature believer has a responsibility to be a counselor to his brother and sister. To do this, we need two things. First, we must be full of goodness. If you aren’t seeking to please the Lord, don’t try leading other folks to please him. You can only lead someone where you’re traveling yourself. Second, we must be filled with all knowledge. This refers to the knowledge of God, the knowledge of the Scriptures. Biblical counseling comes from the overflow of the Word of God in you—not from your own thoughts and opinions.
15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God
16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Glance at the overall outline of Romans, and you quickly see how Paul has covered the great truths of the Christian faith.
Paul reflected that in parts of his epistle he had written rather boldly. It was his way of refreshing their memory regarding certain basic beliefs of the Christian faith they had previously learned. Paul did not pretend to be bringing them theological insights they never had heard. His tone was courteous. His letter to the church in Rome was in keeping with his role as the Apostle to the Gentiles.
Paul talks about something here that a lot of Christians have never experienced: a personal passion and call. God’s purpose, for him is that the Gentiles may be an acceptable offering, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Paul had found what made his bones burn within him. And even though he endured incredible hardships, that passion in his heart kept him moving. Passion is the motivation that compels you to take action.
17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.
18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed,
19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;
Paul wrote that he had reason to be proud, not of any personal achievement but of what Christ had accomplished through him. By faithfully carrying out his priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel to the Gentiles, Paul had served as Christ’s instrument in leading the Gentiles to obedience to God.
One reason many Christians lack passion to fulfill God’s call is that they are seeking that calling from the perspective of time rather than the perspective of eternity. It’s no wonder when they quickly run out of steam because their goal in life is not what pertains to God. If we boast in anything other than Jesus Christ, then there is a large neon sign over our lives that flashes this message: “Temporary.” But if we boast in Christ Jesus, not only will our calling last; we will find that Jesus himself does the work through us. As Paul says, I would not dare say anything except what Christ has accomplished through me by word and deed. Paul had done miraculous signs and wonders, not because he knew special techniques, but because he relied deeply on God’s Spirit and trusted him to guide him. He was able to do miraculous things precisely because he was aware that he couldn’t do miraculous things on his own.
Paul could attest that all the way from Jerusalem to Illyricum he had fulfilled his task of preaching the gospel of Christ.
20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation,
21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”
Paul’s ambition had always been to preach the gospel in places where Christ was not known. He would rather not build on foundations laid by others.
At a moment’s notice, Paul was able to offer up his mission statement in a single line. Paul’s aim was to preach the gospel where Christ has not been named . I wonder how many of us have the same confidence about God’s call on our lives. It may be that we have not, as James would say, because we ask not (see Jas 4:2). Have you asked God to show you your role in his mission? Have you prayed, “God, it’s all yours. I won’t tell you ‘never.’ I’m here to do whatever you ask”? Ask God to ignite his fire in you and to direct you to his mission. I promise you: it’s worth it.
Evans, Tony. The Tony Evans Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2019. Print.
Mounce, Robert H. Romans. Vol. 27. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995. Print. The New American Commentary.