We are drawing our survey of the Romans letter to a close with two more devotionals. At the end of Romans 15, Paul reviews some travel plans which include visiting the Christians in Rome. He had said at the opening of the letter that he wanted to visit the Christians there (1:11-13). Paul returns to that heart-felt desire here. The Christians in Rome, Paul says, are “full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to admonish one another.” They seem to be a mature group of Christians and we hope these thoughts would describe our own congregations as well as ourselves.
Paul keenly felt the grace of God in choosing him, despite his inadequate past, to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. In this text, Paul says he was a “minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles,” and using an image from the law of Moses (as he did in 12:1-2), Paul says he was “ministering as a priest” as he “offered” Gentiles to God, acceptable because they were sanctified by the Holy Spirit. That expression “ministering as a priest” is only found here but it suggests Paul is picturing himself as a priest and Gentiles were “sacrifices” which Paul offered to God (15:15-16).
Paul found boasting in Jesus Christ the sole location for such (vs 17) because only that done in, by, and for Jesus Christ, has any long-lasting significance (vs 18). That is, Paul’s ministry resulted in the obedience of the Gentiles (vs 18; see also 1:5; 5:19; 6:16; 16:19, 26), as they responded to the Gospel preached by the power of the Holy Spirit (vs 19). Paul preached in this way from Jerusalem through Illyricum and, eventually, into Spain (vs 24).
Paul did not want to preach where Christ had already been preached, lest he build on someone else’s foundation (vs 20). Rather, he sought to fulfill the sentiments of the prophet Isaiah (52:15) and share the news with those who had not heard it and had no understanding of the Way (vs 21).
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Here, again, Paul expresses his desire to visit and see the Christians in Rome (vss 22-23) as he passes through, to visit the province of Spain (vs 24). At the present, Paul will visit Jerusalem (vs 25) and share with the saints there, financial contributions given on their behalf by the Gentile Christians (vss 26-27). On his way to Spain, Paul will stop off and visit the Christians in Rome and bring with him the “fullness of the blessing of Christ” (vs 29).
The last few verses of this chapter highlight Paul’s desire for the prayers of the saints in Rome. Paul was certainly not a “Lone Ranger.” He not only worked and traveled with others, but he also constantly requested their prayers. Here, he asks for prayers to be delivered from the “disobedient” Jews and that his service to the saints in Jerusalem, on behalf of Gentile Christians, would be acceptable (vs 30-31). If those two matters prove good and wholesome, Paul says he will arrive in Rome and find “refreshing rest” among them (vs 32). Finally, he offers on them the blessings of the “God of peace.”
Next week, we’ll conclude our overview of the content of the Roman letter by examining chapter 16: “The churches of Christ salute you.”
Paul Holland
