Christian Conduct in a Modern World

by Walter A. Boyd (South Africa)

Paper 16

No.5 — THE CONSECRATED SERVANT (Romans 15.14-33)

The benediction of ch.15.13 brings to an end the practical section of the epistle to the Romans. In chs.1-11, the apostle has expounded the truth of God regarding sin, salvation and the Saviour. In our papers we have looked together at ch.12 onwards, where his practical exhortations are based on the doctrine of the earlier chapters. For Paul, the gospel was not religious theory or a philosophy of life - it was a declaration of divine truth that placed significant demands upon the children of God.

Now in the final section of the letter, the apostle gives a practical demonstration of these truths and how their demands have been met in his own life, in the lives of others and in the lives of the saints at Rome. In earlier papers we looked at these demands in relation to;

The Consecrated Life (ch.12.1-21).

The Christian Citizen (ch.13.1-14).

The Considerate Life (ch.14.1-15.13).

In 15.14 - 33 we get an insight into the life of a consecrated servant of God as he writes about himself, his ministry and his plans for the future. There are sections throughout his epistles, in which he speaks of his experiences as an apostle and servant of Christ Jesus, Gal.1; Phil.3; 1 Cor.12; 2 Tim. 4. The passage before us in Rom.15 gives us a look into the heart of the apostle, as he shares with the believers in Rome his thoughts and desires in respect of his past and future service for Christ. This portion of ch.15 can be divided as follows;

1. v14-24 - Paul and his Preaching.

2. v25-29 - Paul and the Poor Saints.

3. v30-33 - Paul and Prayer.

1. Paul and his Preaching, v14-24

Whenever possible, the apostle is keen to commend those to whom he writes. He does so here and then goes on to speak of his apostleship and unique ministry to the Gentiles. In the earlier part of the chapter, v8-13, Paul explained the doctrinal basis for God’s plan in blessing the Gentiles. He now reveals his part as an apostle in the pursuance of that great plan. Paul’s part is all of God and grace. This is not bombastic trumpet blowing, but in deep humility he shows how God, grace and the gospel combined to bring salvation to the dark Gentiles to whom he had preached. How has this been achieved? He demonstrates that sacrificial service is the hallmark of every truly consecrated servant of God. In other words, everything that Paul taught in chapters twelve to fourteen relative to the demands of consecration, he has practised himself. The verses we will consider in this section are divided as follows;

(A) His Happy Persuasion (v14).

(B) His Unique Ministry (v15,16).

(C) His Personal Testimony (v17-19).

(D) His Missionary Objective (v20,21).

(E) His Future Plans (v22-24).

(A) His Happy Persuasion, (v14). Here is evidence of what Paul states in 2 Cor. 11.28; that he carried as a burden "the care of all the churches." Even though the saints in Rome were not the fruit of his labours in the gospel, he had a deep concern for their welfare. Hence his prolonged desire to visit them, 15.23. That desire was likely intensified by the good report about them that had "gone abroad to all," 16.19. The believers at Rome were not circulating stories about themselves - others had noticed their character and service, and made these known. In ch.1.8 their "faith is spoken of throughout the whole world," and in ch.16.19 their "obedience is come abroad unto all men."

Having heard the reports, Paul is persuaded concerning the saints at Rome. The word he uses for "persuaded" tells us that he had carefully evaluated and considered the evidence. That led to him being convinced as to their spiritual condition. They were spiritually healthy and nothing he had heard about them needed to be the subject of investigation or censure. He was persuaded that they were full of goodness. Goodness is a general word for spiritual virtue or beneficence, and is in the active sense. How did they arrive at such a condition? They had been filled up completely with knowledge by the Holy Spirit and were now full of goodness.

This spiritual condition led to spiritual consideration. They were "able to admonish one another." They took into consideration the spiritual needs of one another and were able to give spiritual help in such a way as to contribute to mutual progress. We have met this expression, "one another," in previous studies. It appears in each of the practical chapters in the epistle; 12.10; 13.8; 14.13; 15.7; 15.14; 16.16. These six injunctions in respect of one another need to be reiterated in our day. Selfish living, inconsiderate decision making, harsh criticism and much more, contribute to the spirit of our age and sadly, are found too frequently amongst the Lord’s people. These are not the characteristics of a consecrated servant of the Lord.

(B) His Unique Ministry, (v15,16). In spite of the good report and Paul’s firm

conviction about their spiritual state, he writes to remind them of some things that are important for them, and then of his intention to visit them. They were in a Gentile city and with his unique ministry as the apostle to the Gentiles, 1.5; 11.13; 12.3, he feels a responsibility towards them. Paul sees his apostolic ministry as being three-fold.

(i) His Ministry in Writing. This epistle was an essential and integral part of Paul’s God-given ministry and must be viewed as such in terms of content and tone. Here he is doing more than asserting apostolic authority. In a very particular sense he is establishing his responsibility towards the saints in Rome, as the apostle to the Gentiles. His epistle is dealing with only some aspects of Divine revelation, it is not a comprehensive treatment, it is "in some sort" or in part. He writes with boldness, indicating the urgency and importance of his teaching. He writes by way of reminder - they already knew these things but Paul felt the need to boldly remind them of these truths. This is a tactic used by other writers in the New Testament - they saw the value of reminding saints of things they had learned previously; Paul - Rom.15.15, 1 Cor. 15.1; John - 1Jn.2.2; Peter - 2Pet.1.12,13, 3.1; Jude - v3. Brethren who teach the saints should not undervalue teaching that repeats truths previously taught. There is a constant need for freshness in ministry, but we should not fall prey to the carnal desire to be novel. The basis of effective teaching is repetition.

(ii) His Ministry in the Gospel. Frequently when Paul mentions his service for the Lord, we see that he never compartmentalized his service into preaching to sinners and teaching to saints. He viewed his service for God in the widest possible sense as "ministering the gospel of God." Repentance, conversion and holy living were all connected together in his thinking and preaching. The man was totally absorbed in his ministry; 1.1 - "separated unto the gospel of God;" 15.16 - "ministering the gospel of Christ;" 16.25 "my gospel." Paul views his service in the gospel as priestly service - that is the word he uses for "ministering." God-ward it was priestly - it placed the demands and requirements of priestly service upon him, and as a sacrifice it was acceptable to God. Man-ward it was to the Gentiles. His priestly service found an outlet in the blessing of darkened Gentiles.

(iii) His Ministry to the Gentiles. As Paul preached to the Gentiles, all his gifts and abilities were offered to God as a spiritual sacrifice. Only a man living in the good of the consecration of 12.1 could make such a statement. Those Gentiles who responded to his preaching were an offering to God, which was acceptable, having been sanctified by the Holy Spirit. If Paul thought it necessary to remind the saints in Rome of these truths, how much more so in our day. The only preaching that will be acceptable to God is that which is carried out in the power of the Holy Spirit. Could we not learn that preaching the gospel is not a theatrical performance designed to excite the emotions of the sinner? Preaching that God blesses is not clever homiletics designed to impress the minds of the saints. Plenty of books have been written about effective preaching and soul winning, and while they are helpful in some ways, we must strive in our preaching for what is acceptable to God. We should have little interest in merely what "produces results." The gospel is not a commodity to be subjected to better distribution methods. The power of God in the gospel is not a force, the use of which can be refined or tuned by the preacher to be more effective. It is a God given message to be preached in the fear of God and with the help of His Holy Spirit.

—to be continued (D.V.)