ROMANS 15:14-33

The conclusion of letter begins here.

Romans 15:14-16

14. Kasemann: “goodness” = “not just kindness, but the uprightness which in contrast to malice expresses itself in mutual open-mindedness.” John Murray: “That virtue opposed to all that is mean and evil and includes uprightness, kindness, and beneficence of heart and life.”

“Knowledge” = not saving knowledge or practical knowledge, but the spiritual gift of knowledge.

Despite the weighty matters he has instructed them about, there are no rebukes in this letter as in letters to Galatians or Corinthians, for example. He really does consider them capable. It is interesting that the Corinthians were commended for their knowledge, but not their goodness.

“Teach” has the connotation of admonishment as well as instruction.

15. “On some points very boldly, or quite boldly” is literally “ boldly, in some measure.”

“Remind” is an unusual verb (only here in the NT) probably meaning “putting you in mind of, in a quiet way or with gentle courtesy.” Paul is being careful not to come on too strongly since he doesn't know the Romans personally and will be relying on their help for his future ministry.

“Given me” is in the aorist tense: “a one time event when ministry was given him.”

16. Three terms related to the temple are used: (1) priestly service, (2) minister (or priest) and (3) offering as a way of stressing that his ministry of the word is a sacred act. Although Paul never actually calls himself a priest (the term is reserved for Jesus himself in the NT), the picture is that of a Jewish priest offering to God a sacrifice (the believing Gentiles) which would be unclean if it were not for the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. Romans 12:1 is a parallel passage.

The purpose of the sacrifice was to bring sinful beings back into fellowship with God, and that is what the Gentiles had done by their belief and repentance. This is the reversal of the picture in Isaiah 66:20 where the exiled Jews will be offered to God as a sacrifice by the Gentiles.

Notice the involvement of the whole Trinity in the ministry.

This is parallel to the last part of v. 31.

Romans 15:17-21

17. Paul is confident in his own work, just as he expressed confidence in the Roman Christians in v. 14.

His glory (boasting) is in what God has done, not in himself. Bultmann: “a paradox that Man can truly boast only when he looks away from himself to God's acts.” That is the only true basis of our boasting.

18. C. K Barrett explains: “(1) I would not dare to speak of this if it were not Christ's work (rather than mine) and (2) I would not dare to speak of this if it were not Christ's work through me (rather than any one else).”

“Word and deed” This important combination occurs in Acts several times. Both are necessary for evangelism. “Deeds” are further explained in the next verse.

19. There are two words for miracles: “signs = they point to God, wonders = they get attention from outsiders. They are not really two different types of acts and could be treated as a Jewish figure of speech called a hendiadys (like “good and ready”) meaning “wonderful signs.”

Paul only uses these terms in reference to himself in one other place: 2 Corinthians 12:12, where they are used to authenticate his ministry as that of an apostle.

“From Jerusalem” Why Jerusalem?

(A) See Acts 22:17, 21 for Paul's call to minister to the Gentiles after his conversion.

(B) Jerusalem was where the church began.

(C) It also fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 2:2-3.

(D) Acts 26:19-20 says that Paul preached at Damascus and Jerusalem first.

E) It is also the southeastern limit of Paul's activity whereas Illyricum is the northwest limit.

“To Illyricum” See a map; it includes the NW coast of the Adriatic extending even into Macedonia (although Acts does not mention his travels to these regions). This includes modern- day Yugoslavia and Albania and covers about 1,400 miles.

“Fully preached” does not mean that he personally preached in every small village, but that he evangelized the larger cities so that the word could spread out from there.

20. Literally “thus considering it an honor to preach.”

“Ambition” Paul does not use the word in the sense that we do. In the two other instances in the NT, he says it is his ambition not to be ambitious (I Thessalonians 4:11) and his ambition is to be pleasing to the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:9). In this case, Paul's ambition defines his general principle and the limitation to his ministry. Paul's policy is also stated in 2 Corinthians 10:14-16. Of course, that doesn't mean that everyone should follow this example; it was Paul's particular calling.

“Not named,” i.e. as savior.

“Build on another's foundation” See I Corinthians 3:10-11. However, even this letter is proof that he could on occasion build on another man's foundation.

21. Paul justifies his evangelistic strategy with a quote from Isaiah 52:15 (“of him” was added to Hebrew text). It has been said that the NT writers felt free to change the OT writings when they quoted them in order to prove a point. In fact, this quote, and many others in the NT, is from the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the time).

This is the last of 64 OT quotations in Romans.

Romans 15:22-25

23. “Longed for” is a very strong word which appears in the NT only here.

Paul was not exaggerating. See Acts 19:21, which occurred two years earlier.

24. This is carefully worded to show that (1) he would really enjoy his visit, but that (2) it would be a brief one. He implies that he expects them to support his visit to Spain with traveling companions who know the way, provisions, and prayers. Rome was a logical base of operations for his mission into Spain, much closer than Antioch or Ephesus. We will discuss at the end whether Paul ever made it to Spain.

25. It is informative that even though Paul is taking out valuable time which could have been spent in further evangelism, he felt it vital to consolidate what had been gained and take actions to keep the church united. LESSON TO THE CHURCH TODAY?

Romans 15:26-27

In I Corinthians 16 Paul asks the congregation there to be ready for collection of funds for the Jerusalem church and says he may accompany the gift. 2 Corinthians 8-9 has further details. Now, Paul writes from Corinth to the Romans stating that he will accompany the gift to Jerusalem and asks for their prayers.

26. See Galatians 2:9-10. This is part of Paul's commission.

Look at a map for Achaia (southern Greece including Corinth) and Macedonia.

Contribution (koinonia = communion, fellowship). It goes beyond partnership to include sharing and participating.

This is not the first time that relief was sent to Jerusalem; the Antioch believers earlier sent money by way of Barnabas and Paul because of a prophesied famine in Israel (Acts 11:28-30). It is not known if there were any similar circumstances this time around, but it has been suggested that some of the Jewish Christians may have lost their jobs, especially those associated with the temple, when they converted.

27. This is the second time he says, “They were pleased to do so,” stressing the voluntary nature of their gift. That goes against some who have suggested that this was the equivalent of the Jewish Temple tax.

Voluntary but--- This is the same principle we see in I Timothy 5:17-18. Not that they have to be paid (see Paul as an example; some in the Corinthian church looked down on him because he wasn't a paid pastor like those in their congregation). I heard someone saying at a church business meeting that God talks to the pastors and we lay people just follow along. It goes against the whole idea of the priesthood of believers. It is sort of like the Bob Hope joke: “Some people are paid for doing good; I am good for nothing.”

In this verse, the Gentiles minister; i.e., they are of service. The Greek word (leitourgos) comes from the original meaning of rendering public service at one's own expense. Five voluntary services were recognized in ancient Greece which could be undertaken by patriotic citizens: provide expenses for the play chorus, sponsor an athletic team, provide for community meals, pay expenses of delegations sent to other countries, and maintain a warship for a year.

Romans 15:28-29.

“Having delivered to them what has been raised”: RSV. NIV translates “seal” as “make sure they receive.” The Greek literally reads: “having sealed to them this fruit.” These translations are based on the practice of sealing a sack of grain with the owner's name after it had been weighed out.

But that may not be what is implied here. Kasemann calls sealing “testifying both to the gratitude of the Gentile-Christians and to the earthly fruit of the spiritual blessings received by them.” I Corinthians 9:2 applies this phrase to confirmation of Paul's ministry to the Gentiles. The same idea probably in mind here.

Romans 15:30-33.

30. There is a twofold basis of Paul's appeal: (1) “on the basis of what Jesus Christ has done for us all” and (2) “on the basis of the love for all the saints that the Spirit engenders.” – Gordon Fee Others feel that “love of the Holy Spirit” may mean the love that the Holy Spirit has for us.

“Strive” does not mean that we are wrestling with God to get something out of Him that He doesn't want to give. But it does mean that prayer is not to be a casual thing, but something that effort goes into. It is to be persistent and earnest.

31-32. Three requests:

(1) to be rescued from unbelievers, i.e., those who are disobedient. See 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2. Paul was not looking for martyrdom.

(2) Paul hoped this offering by the Gentiles for the poor in Jerusalem might make them more open to hearing about his mission to the Gentiles. This assumes that Paul was not sure how the collection would be accepted by the Jerusalem church with its share of Judaizers who might feel that there were strings attached to the offering.

(3) to come to Rome in joy after the contribution had been delivered before heading off to Spain.

Were Paul's prayers answered? Note that he prays “by God's will.” In fact, it turned out to be not entirely according to God's will.

(1) There was a plot against Paul's life by the unbelieving Jews, but he was tipped off and managed to escape.

(2) Acts 24:17 confirms that the offering was given but not how it was received. Acts 21:17 seems to indicate that Paul was welcomed.

(3) He spent two years imprisonment in Caesarea and two years in Rome.

Did Paul ever reach Spain? Acts ends with Paul in Rome in prison so we have to look further for a possible answer to the question. William Hendricksen (Timothy and Titus, p. 27) quotes three ancient sources:

The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians (written at the end of the 1^st century AD from Rome) says that after Paul was released from prison, he “having taught righteousness to the whole world, and having gone to the limits of the West, etc.” The expression “limits of the West” probably refers to Spain and/or England.

The Muratorian fragment (felt to be a copy of a 170 AD document) mentions Paul's journey to Spain.

The Christian historian Eusebius (324 AD) mentions the tradition that Paul was released from prison after two years, continued his ministry of teaching, but finally suffered martyrdom under Nero when he returned to Rome.

This should be a reminder that even with Paul, “If you want to make God laugh, just tell him your plans.”

I would like to end with a necessary warning:

Even those who are Spirit-filled and obviously attempting to follow God's direction for their life may be mistaken in their conclusions. So how does a congregation go ahead in unity when each member sincerely feels that God is leading us in a different direction? Some of our approaches are definitely wrong-headed.

1. We could treat those who don't agree with our position as being less spiritual than we are, or purposely ignoring God's leading because of their own hidden agendas. (They are either spiritually obtuse or out-and-out evil.) If you feel this about others in the church, then it can easily lead to name-calling, verbal abuse, gossiping, whispering campaigns, and division into different parties within the church (see I Corinthians concerning a church that unfortunately paved the way in this direction).

2. On the other hand, we can't wait for God to universally convict all of us in the same direction to go before proceeding, or we would go nowhere. That is why such mundane things as church by-laws, personnel policies and even Robert's Rules of Order (which may seem rather silly or too business-like for a church) can be helpful in providing a foundation for seeing that the true will of the congregation as a whole is followed rather than that of the person who talks the loudest and most persuasively.

3. In trying to determine God's will for our church, I think we get hung up on trying to figure out the exact one way God wants us to proceed as if any other way is out-and-out spiritual disobedience. We need to realize that God has first of all revealed his moral will for each of us. If we follow this, God will bless us in whatever decision we make concerning the particular path we follow.

Go back to start of this passage: Paul expresses his confidence in the Roman church that (1) they are full of goodness and (2) they are full of all the spiritual knowledge they need to give good advice to one another. In other words, they are speaking the truth in love. Unfortunately, most of us have seen examples, even among church leaders, of what happens when one or the other of these two components is left out.

Read 15:14 and 15:33 as a benediction.