by Walter A. Boyd (South Africa)
Paper 17
(A) Paul and his Preaching (Romans 15.14-24, Continued)
In the previous paper (ch.15.14-16) we considered Paul and his preaching under the headings; (A) His Happy Persuasion and (B) His Unique Ministry. We will now look at v17-24 under three headings;
(C) His Personal Testimony.
(D) His Missionary Objective.
(E) His Future Plans.
(C) His Personal Testimony, (v17-19). In these verses we have Paul’s own testimony to the work which God had done through him in the furtherance of his unique ministry towards the Gentiles. His testimony comprises three things;
(i) His Ability to Boast, (v17). "I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God." Paul always had a deep sense of personal stewardship before God, and was ready to tell openly what God was doing through him. There is no boasting about what he had done, it is all about Christ Jesus and God. A truly consecrated servant will never boast in this realm, but with reverence and godly fear he will recount accurately what God has done.
(ii) His Achievement in Service, (v18).
"For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed." Paul would not dare to boast in another man’s labours, and any time he spoke of his own labours it was only to glorify Christ. The goal of his preaching was "to make the Gentiles obedient." Paul understood that when Gentiles heard the message of the gospel it demanded obedience, and thus he preached the message in such a way that his hearers understood this implication. This was not a message of "only believe!" When a sinner heard Paul preach, he learned that he was a rebel at heart who had disobeyed God and the only hope of eternal life was found in "the obedience of faith," 16.26. Repentance was a real issue that was preached so as to grip the heart and unsettle the conscience of the sinner, and thus demand the response of obedience. The "evangelical" world has so sweetened the message of the gospel that it is almost beyond recognition when compared to the preaching of the apostles. We need to be aware of this and be careful lest we adopt their language and ways, for if we do, we will produce their results – spurious conversions!What Christ "wrought" through Paul’s ministry was by means of both "word and deed." Paul’s life was closely modelled on his Master’s, of Whom Luke records in Acts 1.1 what "Jesus began both to do and to teach." The life of a consecrated servant of the Lord made deep impressions on both the unsaved and the saved. Paul lived what he preached!
(iii) His Accomplished Task, (v19). "Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ." Paul used three words to describe the demonstrations of Divine power that accompanied his unique ministry. He says that God worked to make sinners obedient through (or by means of) what were miraculous happenings. These are described as:
Signs – The Message they conveyed.
Wonders – The Marvel they created.
Power – The Might they carried.
These are called "the signs of an apostle" in 2Cor.12.12. These "signs and wonders by the power of the Holy Spirit" were demonstrated wherever he preached as the apostle to the Gentiles. When he says he has "fully preached the gospel," he is not giving notice of his retirement! He is showing that in his responsibility to the Gentiles, the territory has been fully covered and the message has been fully conveyed. He left nothing out in terms of the matter he preached nor did he leave anywhere out in terms of the area he covered. Notice his descriptions of the gospel; in v16 it is "the gospel of God," and in v19 it is "the gospel of Christ." He is viewing the gospel from two different standpoints as he so speaks; in v16 he speaks in the context of his priestly service, and it is to God hence the gospel of God. In v19 he speaks in the context of his bond-service to the exalted Christ, hence it is the gospel of Christ.
(D) His Missionary Objective, (v20,21). It is clear from Acts 16 that Paul was sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in the circumstances of his ministry. Although this was the case, he was not directed nor driven only by the circumstances of life. Above anything else, his ambition was to preach the gospel where Christ was unknown and where the people were unreached. His calling was that of a pioneer. In support of Paul’s missionary objective he quotes Isa.52, showing us that the Jewish prophets supported his exercise in gospel pioneering to the Gentiles. We could learn from his clear objective and fixed purpose in the service of the gospel. He always worked on the same principle; preach the gospel to those who have never heard the name of Christ. Surely there are people around us today who have never heard that blessed name – are we burdened about their spiritual need? Is their spiritual darkness the constant motivation of our service?
(E) His Future Plans, (v22–24). Paul now goes into greater detail concerning his earlier mentioned desire to visit Rome, 1.10-15. As we examine his strategy and thinking it is instructive to read alongside this passage, his journeys in the Acts of the Apostles. As we do so, one clear principle in his life will emerge; he was not under the dominative control of any man or body of men. He took his instructions as to where and when he should move, from heaven alone. One of the great blessings from the missionary movements of the past two centuries has been the widespread travel of the gospel; but a great bane of those same movements has been the man-made restrictions placed upon the servants of the gospel. There should be no authority between the servant and his Master. As Paul reveals his plans he tells them of:
(i) Past Hindrances. "I have been much hindered from coming to you," v22. In 1.13 he states that he "oftentimes purposed to come unto" them but was "let hitherto." Now in 15.22, he explains that that hindrance was the work of the gospel in which he was engaged. He was not free to visit Rome until he completed his work by preaching the gospel fully in the area from Jerusalem in a full circuit to Illyricum.
(ii) Present Desire. "Having a great desire these many years to come unto you," v23. While Paul was not responsible to man or men, he was not irresponsible or cavalier in his movements. He didn’t do just as he liked; his personal desires and ambitions were subservient to the demands of his service in the gospel. When he says that he "has no more place in these parts," he does not mean that he is no longer welcome there, but that his pioneering work in that area has been completed. In the past, duty had over-ruled desire, but now he can realize his ambitions.
(iii) Planned Objective. "Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you," v24. As he pioneered in that area east of the Mediterranean Sea, his desire to travel west and visit the saints in Rome was controlled by the pressing responsibilities in the gospel. Now that his work in that area has been completed, surely he will consider himself free to head straight for Rome? Not at all; his desire to visit Rome is controlled yet again, this time by future service in the area of Spain. En-route to Spain he intends to travel to Jerusalem, v26-28 and Rome. One thing is clear as we read his intentions – everything is subject to the plan and purpose of God in his service in the gospel and among the saints.
(iv) Proposed Fellowship. "For I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I may be somewhat filled with your company," v24. Paul was eagerly anticipating having fellowship with the saints in Rome. He hoped to visit them and enjoy their company for a while, after which he would move on towards Spain. This is the meaning of the expression "be somewhat filled with your company." Alongside the personal fellowship with the saints there was also the matter of practical fellowship in view of the journey to Spain that lay ahead. Paul never begged for help or support, either overtly or implicitly, but he reminds them gently that they have a responsibility to the work of the Lord and the furtherance of the gospel. His stay with them would afford them an opportunity to help in the spread of the gospel.
This is a challenge to us in days when travel is relatively easy. The Lord working through the hearts of His people meets the needs of His servants. When a servant of the Lord calls with an assembly, as Paul intended to do with Rome, the responsibility of having fellowship with him so as to further him on his journey lies with the assembly and those in touch with God. This is a delicate matter that needs to be addressed in our hearts in the presence of God; for when such help is given to the servants of God, a share in their work and labour is enjoyed now, and a share in the reward will be enjoyed in a day to come.
—to be continued (D.V.)