“For I will not presume to speak of anything except what
Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles
by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the
Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully
preached the gospel of Christ. And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not
where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man’s
foundation; but as it is written, “They
who had no news of Him shall see, And
they who have not heard shall understand.” For this reason I have often
been prevented from coming to you;” (Romans 15:18-22, NASB95)
Paul had some pretty impressive credentials prior to being
brought to salvation by Jesus Himself. But even more had been accomplished through
him in the numbers coming to salvation and the building of the church in
various regions since that time. The big difference is that Paul saw this later
work as the work of God in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. It was
God working through Him to accomplish these things, and as we read in verse 17
this was what Paul was going to boast in such that God was glorified in the
message. As we move into verse 18 Paul reaffirms that it was the overwhelming
work of Christ being accomplished through him that led to so many Gentiles
coming to Christ. He had been faithful to God in being his messenger from
Jerusalem to the area of Illyricum (which was a span of about 1,400 miles). In
the days before planes, trains, and automobiles and even engine powered boats
this was a big region, and God had used Paul to preach the good news of
salvation in Jesus Christ and even establishing churches and teaching fundamentals
of the faith thoroughly throughout these regions.
Also recognizing that it was God who was using vessels such
as him to spread this gospel message, Paul felt no compulsion to duplicate the
work where others had been. Rather, he saw the advantages of multiple persons
working in other areas in making this word to spread faster and more efficiently.
And in that he could trust God to accomplish His work through each of them so
that many, many more might be saved. In making this point he likely paraphrased
Isaiah 52:15 where it says, “Thus He will sprinkle many nations, kings will
shut their mouths on account of Him; for what had not been told them they will
see, and what they had not heard they will understand.” (Isaiah 52:15, NASB95)
It was because of the extent of this ministry that Paul had
not been to Rome as we read in verse 22. But this did not mean that it was not
his desire to do so when the time might permit which, as we will see in the
next verses, Paul thought might be coming quite soon. In the meantime and to
prepare them for his visit he wrote to them this letter of encouragement and
instruction, so that when he arrives they might in a sense be well prepared.
I’m sure Paul’s reputation preceded him, and getting a
letter from the apostle who was so instrumental in bringing the good news of Christ
(the gospel) to much of the world was an exciting thing. And knowing his heart
to visit them and join them in the good work they had been doing must have been
a real encouragement. But as Paul had
just said, the ministry which God had given to him to this point required him
to be elsewhere, just as God was doing a work in them where they were. And in
this shared spreading of the good news in various regions they could rejoice
together, and for those who were to receive the letter, they could go forward
with a firmer foundation of knowledge and confidence that they previously might
have.
There have been several people in my life who I have never
met who have taught me and encouraged me. Some of them have been the same men,
who through the inspiration of the Spirit penned our Bible, and some have been
men who have written out their sermons or prepared books over time, and others
have been those who have reached me regularly through the radio. And beyond
that, there have of course been those whose teaching I have had the extreme
privilege to sit under and those whose wisdom I have been privileged to soak up
as we worked side by side. All of these individuals being believers who God
used to accomplish His good work. And just as God worked through the church and
the individual believers in Rome who served in their homes and their community,
so does He work in us to reach those around us.
Paul’s perspective, that the only One worthy of boasting in
is God and the only things worthy of speaking about are those things God had
done through him, can serve to remind us to keep things in perspective
realizing that it is Christ who also works in and through us, while also
serving to encourage us at the same time knowing that indeed it is Christ who
works in and through us. He is the One, through the enabling of the Spirit
who makes us adequate for service.
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