ROMANS: RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH FROM START TO FINISH

XI. Paul’s Edifying Concluding Remarks, Romans 15:14-16:27

B. Paul’s Informative Explanation Of His Apostolic Assignment

(Romans 15:15-33)

I. Introduction

A. After having shown how God’s righteousness is applied by faith from start to finish (cf. Romans 1:16-17) in Romans 1:18-15:13, the Apostle Paul gave his longest concluding remarks in any of his epistles in Scripture in Romans 15:14-16:27, remarks that apply God’s righteousness in the godly believer in various practical ways.

B. One very significant result of God’s righteousness applied to a believer is how it affected the Apostle Paul’s ministry to us Gentile Christians when God’s righteousness was applied to him, and we Gentile believers have been greatly blessed as a result. We view that application in Romans 15:15-33 for our insight and edification:

II. Paul’s Informative Explanation Of His Apostolic Assignment, Romans 15:15-33.

A. In Romans 15:15a, Paul noted that he had written boldly on some points as if he were reminding them again of truths he realized they already knew even though he had never been to their Church. (cf. Romans 15:23)

B. However, Paul did not apologize for his boldness even to believers he had not met, for God had graciously given him the assignment of being a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, that the Gentiles might become a spiritual offering acceptable to God and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, Romans 15:15b-16 ESV. Thus, Paul’s epistles (Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon) in the canon of Scripture are especially authoritative words from the Lord Jesus Christ to us Gentile believers!

C. The Apostle Paul added that in Christ Jesus he then had reason to exalt his ministry, for Christ had validated Paul’s calling to disciple us Gentile believers through numerous miraculous signs of God’s power, both in word and deed through the Holy Spirit, Romans 15:17-19a. The great moving of the Holy Spirit in Paul’s preaching and miraculous works are recorded for us predominantly in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, assuring us that Paul’s claim to be an Apostle particularly to us Gentiles was certified by God Himself!

D. Consequently, Paul had evangelized from Jerusalem all the way around the nations to Illyricum, present-day Yugoslavia on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea east of Italy, Romans 15:19b (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Romans 15:19; Map 14: “The Spread of Christianity”). Paul had sought to minister in fulfillment of Isaiah 52:15 by discipling Gentile people groups where Christ had not been named, that he not build on another man’s foundation, Romans 15:20-21.

E. Because of his high calling to the Gentiles, Paul had been hindered from visiting the Church at Rome, but now that he had completed his evangelistic thrust to the east of Rome, he intended to come to them as he traveled westward to Rome and beyond toward Spain to the far west of Rome, Romans 15:22-24.

F. Meanwhile, Paul was preoccupied with duties affecting believers he knew from his past ministries in taking an offering to Jerusalem saints from believers in Macedonia and Achaia, Romans 15:25-29.

G. Paul then asked his Christian readers in Rome for the cause of Christ and for the love of the Holy Spirit to strive together with him in their prayer to God for him that he might be delivered from unbelieving foes he would face in Judaea, and that his service of delivering the offering to needy believers in Jerusalem would be acceptable to them, Romans 15:30-31. Paul asked that such intercessory prayer be given in his behalf that he might safely come to his readers by God’s will and be mutually edified with them, Romans 15:32.

H. Accordingly, Paul expressed his hope that the God of peace might be with all of his readers, Romans 15:33.

Lesson: Paul’s boldness in addressing issues to his Roman readers even though he had never met them was based on his calling by the Lord Jesus Christ to disciple particularly Gentiles like those in Rome. Thus, his thirteen epistles in the New Testament are of particular importance to us Gentile Christians, and those epistles and Paul’s calling have been authenticated as being of God by the evident power of God displayed in Paul’s ministry of his spoken word and miracles and signs performed by him as recorded in the book of Acts. Paul had thus demonstrated his awareness of his calling by having extensively evangelized the northeastern half of the Roman Empire and was set on going to the northwestern half as far as Spain, the farthest west land of the Roman empire.

Application: May we realize that Paul’s many New Testament epistles were directed by the Lord Jesus Himself especially to us Gentile believers as validated by the record of Paul’s words and miraculous works along with his great motivation to evangelize many Gentiles, that we then OBEY those epistles!