Romans 15:14
I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
Paul demonstrates his compassion, humility and sensitivity by acknowledging that the readers of this letter are good people and already know all that he has expressed previously, and are quite capable of passing on what they know. He never tried to act superior, but by calling the readers “brothers and sisters” he treated them as equals.
While he says his purpose in writing is merely to remind them of what they already know, this letter to the Romans is really Paul’s statement of faith. Remember that Paul had never visited the Roman church, had nothing to do with its founding. He knew comparatively few people in the area. It’s as though Paul is saying, “I know you already know this, but let me set down my ideas on paper so that we can be sure we’re all on the same page.” Further, the letter could be used as a tool for spiritual feeding, as well as to bring people back together when they got sidetracked. And we do get sidetracked, don’t we?
It is a sad commentary on our spirituality that faith can often so easily slip through our fingers like mercury. Jesus gave as an example, the parable of the sower who sowed seed on the path, which was eaten by birds, sowed some on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. The plants sprang up quickly but withered because there was no root. Some were sown among the thorns, which choked the plants as they grew together; while some were sown on good ground and produced much fruit.
Jesus explained the parable by saying that some to whom faith was offered didn’t understand what was being given so never got it, some heard the word and received it with joy at first, but like seed on rocky ground their faith had no root. Consequently when trouble came and things didn’t happen the way the people expected, they fell away and lost their faith. The example of the thorns represented those who at first grasped the idea of faith, but became so busy with their secular lives that they didn’t have time to focus on building that faith, and it got squeezed out–choked out by the “stuff of everyday life.” (Matt. 13, Mark 4, Luke 5)
James 2:17 said, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” In Matthew 7:26-27 Jesus pointed out the same thing saying that if you “Hear these words of mine (i.e. receive faith) and do not put them into practice (i.e. follow up with action) is like a foolish person who builds their house on sand. When trouble comes (rain, flood and wind) the faith (house) will crash.”
Faith can come as small as a mustard seed–that’s all it takes to receive salvation–but like the mustard seed, it has to be fed and nurtured if it is to grow. We nurture and feed our faith when we remind ourselves of it and when we reflect on it. In chapter (1:11) Paul told the Romans, “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong–that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” Paul eventually made it to Rome, but this trip was a long time coming. Had he not been so long delayed he might never have written this letter. The great theologian, William Barclay, calls Romans “…Paul’s theological last will and testament, as if into Romans he was distilling the very essence of his faith and belief.”
Romans 15:15-19a
I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Hole Spirit. Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done–by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit.
Paul claims that God called him and gave him grace to minister to Gentiles–to give them the “good news”–to inspire them to accept faith, so that thereby they may be made holy and acceptable to God by the power of the Holy Spirit.
He declares that he intends to speak only what he believes Christ has given him to speak. He will not speak on his own. As a minister of God he sees himself as a tool for God’s use. He acknowledges that it is not he who is doing the converting. He brings the “good news” to the people, but it is Christ through the Holy Spirit who changes people’s hearts.
Paul speaks of “The power of signs and miracles through the power of the Spirit.” How many of us relegate the concept of signs and miracles to things that happened in Bible times, or to things that may happen to very holy people, but certainly not to ordinary folk such as you and me? Truth is, miracles happen every day–even to such as you and me–if we but look for them. We tend to relegate them to the realm of “coincidence.” What you and I call coincidence, God may call a miracle. When we were children it was all too easy for us to believe in things miraculous, but as we matured we put “childish things” behind us. Yet Jesus told us, “…Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the realm of heaven.” (Matt. 18:3) What we need is the faith of children, the humility of children, the willingness to trust that God is capable and willing to create miracles in our lives–to create miracles of our lives.
Romans 15:19b-29
So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. Rather, as it is written: “Those who were not told about Him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.” (Is. 52:15)
This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you. But now that there is no more place of me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the saints there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this fruit, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.
It was Paul’s passion to bring the news of Jesus Christ where it had never before been heard. This was the great adventure for him: “To boldly go where no one had gone before.” He obviously delighted in being the one to open the door to salvation to those who not only had not had it made available to them, but who most likely had never even heard of the name Jesus.
Now he has completed his work there, he is looking forward to going, not only to Rome, but also to Spain, (There is no record that he ever made it to Spain, though he did make it to Rome. In fact, he was imprisoned there.) But before he can head for Rome he first had to go to Jerusalem. A couple of the Gentile churches where he had been working had taken up offerings for the poor people who were part of the church in Jerusalem and Paul was to take the contributions to them. Note how strongly Paul felt about people and churches helping one another when they were in need. Indeed, Paul points out that the Gentile churches were really paying a debt. Salvation came to the Gentiles via the Jews; it would only be right that the Gentiles share their material gifts with their Jewish brothers and sisters.
If we look at the natural world, we see that God loves symbiotic relationships. In biology, a symbiotic relationship is the intimate living together of two dissimilar organisms in a mutually beneficial relationship. In this case, the dissimilar organisms, Jews and Gentiles were on opposite poles, as far as their religious upbringing was concerned. They were united by their mutual acceptance and willingness to follow Jesus. Paul is saying, the Jews gave the Gentiles Jesus, it is only fitting that the Gentiles share their material harvest with the Jews who were in need.
Romans 15:30-33
I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed. The God of peace be with you all. Amen.
There had to be a certain amount of concern in Paul that he was going to Jerusalem. It was the people of Jerusalem who crucified Christ. He was certain he would meet with opposition. Yet he knew he had to go, and go he would. All he would take with him for protection were the prayers of the people. In Jerusalem he was arrested and turned over to the Roman guards who imprisoned him. The story of Paul’s experiences in Jerusalem is to be found in the book of Acts, beginning in chapter 21.
LIFE APPLICATION