Romans 15:14-21

(Romans 15:14-21)

 

And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.  Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.  I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God.  For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,  Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.  Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:  But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.

 

The book of Romans consists of a total of 16 chapters. Chapters 1-11 explain the contents of the gospel, and chapters 12 through the last explain how Christians who are justified by the gospel should live in the field of life. Paul affectionately calls the members of the Roman Church whom he did not establish himself, calling them my brothers.

 

Paul testifies of what the Roman church members are like: "And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. 』Here, “ye also are full of goodness” means that “a good heart in the Holy Spirit” is full, and “all knowledge is full” means that we are well aware of the word of God and have abundant knowledge in the world. The meaning of “the one who recommends” means that the weak and the strong, that is, Jews and Gentile believers, are living in a relationship that allows them to exhort each other.

 

Paul wrote a letter, convinced that the members of the Roman church are living upright Christians, and testifies to the reason for sending the letter.『Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God』Paul wrote about the Gospel in a letter not to teach a new doctrine that the members of the Roman church do not know, but to remind them of the Gospel they already know. The purpose of reminding people of what they know is because they do what they know in their lives and want them to stand up a bit more. Paul wants the members of the Roman church to stand firm, and testifies that writing letters is because of the grace God has given him.

 

Paul specifically explains the grace of God that he granted him. 『That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. 』At the command of the high priest, Paul met the risen Lord on his way to Damascus to bind Christians and take them to Jerusalem. After meeting the risen Lord, Paul lived as an apostle for the Gentiles. The apostolate that the resurrected Lord himself entrusted to Paul was not only the ministry of preaching the gospel for the Gentiles, but also of a priestly character. The priest's office includes both the act of consecration as a messenger of salvation, constant prayer for all churches, and preaching the gospel.

 

Paul treats Gentiles and sacrifices as equal. Paul describes the Gentiles who have become brothers by the Gospel as a sacrifice to God, that is, a spiritual sacrifice. Paul did not just preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, but was commissioned to sanctify their souls so that they could be an acceptable sacrifice to God by allowing them to obey the Gospel. Paul testified that it was God's work that he became a worker of Christ for the Gentiles and became a priest of the gospel of God. Paul preached the gospel in a wide area from Jerusalem to Ilulrigon. The Ilulrigon belongs to the territory of Yugoslavia today, and at that time was a Roman subordinate.

 

After Paul preached the gospel and established a church in a large city, Paul entrusted the church to local converts and allowed them to continue preaching the gospel around them. Paul preached the gospel to places where others did not go and where they did not call on the name of Christ. The principle he has set is a principle taken from the desire to preach the name of Christ to a place where the gospel has not been preached once again, without going to the double work of preaching the gospel again.

 

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