Romans 15:14-21--Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

Romans 15:14-21
English Standard Version

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles
14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, 21 but as it is written,

​“Those who have never been told of him will see,
    and those who have never heard will understand.”

---

Paul is wrapping up his letter and he begins his concluding remarks by telling the church in Rome (comprised of both Jews and Gentiles) that he is satisfied that they are the genuine article and that they are full of goodness, full of knowledge and able to instruct one another.  This is always what the teacher longs for--for their pupils to become the teachers and know the subject well enough to teach it to others, and to teach it well so that the teacher does not feel a need to be there to assist with or correct the instruction because it will be without error or holes/gaps.  Paul is convinced that this congregation has learned not only to be hearers of the Word and doers of the Word, but to be teachers of the Word to one another.  That must have been thrilling for Paul!

One may wonder if Paul is so confident in their goodness and knowledge and ability to teach rightly, then why such a long letter to them with what seems like so much correction, reproof, and instruction?  Paul says that he simply wants to remind them of the important things that they already know that are important for us to continue to teach and preach--the gospel and the common faith that we have with one another that breaks down all barriers and makes us one in Christ.  We all have a common grace whether we are Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, or split by any other "class" or "group" that the world tries to divide us by.  All of us have become part of one family by the work of Jesus and by Adoption.

Paul specifically says that his calling and ministry is so that the Gentiles may know that they too can be saved and be pleasing and acceptable to God.  Paul desires those who have been "far off" to be "brought near" by the blood of Christ.  He said he has reason to be proud of his work (a work that he calls a priestly ministry), because he has been faithful to his mission and calling and God has allowed him to see the fruits of his labors like a farmer that gets to partake in part of the crop that he has worked so hard for--a future harvest, but God allows us to see some of the results of that in the here and now.  (See 2 Timothy 2:1-7, I'm specifically citing verse 6 here).  Even though Paul says he has reason to be proud, he immediately "corrects" himself (a literary device he uses sometimes) to say that it's really Jesus who has done everything in him, to him, and through him, so it it Christ who gets all the glory, honor and praise for the work that has been done among the Gentiles.

Paul summarizes his ministry to say that it has taken him all the way from Jerusalem to Illyricum (the darker shaded region in the attached image).  It would seem that Paul is saying this is the furthest north and west that he has travelled in his missionary journeys to this point (most people put the date of the book of Romans around 56 AD) and we think Paul died somewhere around 63 AD (maybe as early as 61 AD, maybe as late as 65 AD).  So we can say this is roughly seven years before the end of Paul's life--it seems like the Spirit is starting to reveal to Paul that both his mission and his life are coming to an end soon.  However, Paul still has future plans to visit Rome and further to the west (as far west as Spain)--that's tomorrow's passage though.  Some imagine that Paul intended to go throughout the entire Roman empire (everything shaded in pink in the attached image).  We know that he for sure will make it to Rome (though in chains) but we aren't sure if he ever made it to other areas like Spain or the British Isles.  Even if he didn't make it there himself though, Paul's work as "the apostle to the Gentiles" brought new meaning to taking the gospel to "uttermost ends of the earth"--even to places where no Jews had been to and there were no synagogues (Jews would only go but so far away from Jerusalem because they were required to make pilgrimages back to Jerusalem several times a year for special holidays that required all the Jewish people to gather together).

Paul seems like he would have connected with the mission of the Starship Enterprise, "Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!"  It's that last part that has me thinking of what Paul says here when Paul says, "thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation." and Paul desires for these words of Scripture to be fulfilled,

“Those who have never been told of him will see,
    and those who have never heard will understand.” (Isaiah 52:15)

However, Paul lays aside his own ambition and always goes where God directs him.  Paul just seems to have a clearer vision now of what his mission and purpose is that God has called him to.  Praise God that He has had a plan the Gentiles all along and that God called Paul and his companions (we read somewhere around 70 different names in Acts and Paul's various epistles of people that helped him) so that the gospel could go forth to the known world.  Still, God alone gets all the glory for the work He was doing then and the work He is still doing now to draw all men unto Himself as they look to the cross of Christ.


John 12:32
English Standard Version
​"32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”