Romans 15 - Part Two

15:17-22

“Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. 21Rather, as it is written: “Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.” 22This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.” (Romans 15:17-22 NIV)

Paul’s “service to God” that he glories in is a combination of evangelism, teaching and mentoring—all aimed at presenting his flock to God as an acceptable offering. “Leading the gentiles to obey God” (v. 18) meant first of all urging them to obey the call to believe in Jesus as the crucified and risen Savior and Lord. This is “the gospel of Christ” (v. 19), as he wrote previously to the churches in Corinth (1 Cor. 15:1-3). Paul was happy to share that gospel wherever he happened to be and to whomever he met. But it was his special desire to make it known where people had never heard it before (v. 20-21). Because these Romans had already heard and believed the gospel, visiting them was a lower priority for a lengthy period: thus “this is why I have often been hindered from coming to you” (v. 22). It was not that he did not want to visit them. But for a long time there were more urgent matters.

15:23-29

“But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you, 24 I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the saints there. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 27 They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this fruit, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.” (Romans 15:23-29 NIV)

When he writes that “there is no more place for me to work in these regions”, he doesn’t mean teaching and guiding the new believers, but evangelizing cities and towns where the gospel had not yet been preached. He would have been the first to admit that not every town in Greece, Syria and Asia Minor had heard the good news. But he and the other apostles had established communities of witnessing believers in most of the urban centers in those regions, and it was now up to those believers to spread the gospel in the surrounding areas.

“These regions” refers to the areas where Paul himself had concentrated—not other apostles who were working further east (Syria, Iraq) and south (Egypt, North Africa). The next stage in his plan would be the western Mediterranean with its center in Spain (v. 24; see my earlier blog posting). In v. 24-29 he sketches his provisional plan: first to take the benevolence offering of his churches in Greece to the Jewish believers in Judea (v. 25-27), then to sail west, stopping over in Rome to visit them before continuing westward to Spain to begin a new chapter in his missionary work (v. 28).

The “full measure of the blessing of Christ” that will accompany him when he next visits them will be a teaching ministry, elaborating on what he has already taught them in this letter. Little did he know that God would alter his plan, and that the next time he would visit Rome would be as a prisoner to stand trial before the emperor (Acts 28:14-31)! For more on this visit, see my blog on Acts 28.

15:30-33

“I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 31 Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed. 33The God of peace be with you all. Amen.” (Romans 15:30-33 NIV)

When Paul asks for their assistance, he does so on the basis of what Jesus has done for them all: “by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit”. The ministry of each believer is part of the ministry of the entire church of Jesus: we are all in this together, and it is a team-work (“ join me”). The work of the church is always a struggle, for the powers of evil have not given up their opposition, in spite of the mighty victory over them that Jesus won at the cross. Our struggles in sharing the good news with our acquaintances are the result of spiritual powers (Ephesians 6:11-18) operating on their minds, without their even being aware of it. Paul had written in 2 Corinthians 4:4

The god of this age [Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Our chief weapon in this spiritual struggle is prayer (Ephesians 6:18), and that is what Paul asks these Roman believers for (vv. 30-32). All too often you and I simply ask others “pray for me” without giving them guidance as to what specifically to ask God to do. Paul did not make that mistake: in vv. 31-32 he gives them specific things to ask God to do: safety in Judea from unbelieving opponents, acceptance of the gift by the Judean Christians, and return to Rome with joy.

Ironically, those three requests were granted by God, but in a way unexpected. Paul was beaten by a mob and arrested and tried in Judea by the Roman garrison. But his life was saved and he had opportunity to witness not only to the Roman governor, but to the Jewish king Agrippa. He was sent to Rome by ship, and the trip was harrowing, but he arrived safely and again was able to witness to Jews in Rome!  We never know how God will choose to answer our prayers, but we may be sure that he will always do so, and in ways that will be better suited to his purpose and our ultimate good than we can imagine when we pray: “[God] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).