“In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God” (Romans 15:17, ESV).
Paul’s apostolic ministry has enabled him, “then” or “therefore” [οὖν], to emphatically1 speak of his “boasting” [τὴν καύχησιν], which some might take as prideful self-promotion when rendered, “I have reason to be proud of my work …” (ESV), contra 3:27; 4:2. However, the object of this “boasting” (implied in vv. 15-16 and what follows) is beyond himself and is motivated by selfless duty to a far greater cause.2 It is grounded “in [ἐν] Christ Jesus” and is “for God,” i.e., directed toward “the things pertaining to God” [τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεόν].3
“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, 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” (Romans 15:18-19).
Paul’s reluctance to “venture” is actually a refusal to “be bold” or to “dare” [τολμάω], cognate with “boldly” [τολμηρότερον] (v. 15), “to speak [λαλεῖν] of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me.” What Christ has accomplished through Paul’s far-reaching ministry is the bringing of “Gentiles to obedience” (cf. 1:5; 6:16-18; 16:19, 26), involving both “word and deed” (cf. vv. 5-6; 10:8-10). “This combination—Christ working in Paul, to make the Gentiles obedient to the Gospel—is the vindication of Paul’s action in writing to Rome. It is not on his own impulse, but in Christ that he does it; and the Romans as Gentiles lie within the sphere in which Christ works through him.”4
Paul’s authority and work as an apostle have been authenticated “by” or “in” [ἐν] “[the] power [δύναμις] of signs and wonders,” “by” or “in” [ἐν] “[the] power [δύναμις] of [the] Spirit of God.”5 The second clause reiterates with more specificity the first, highlighting the divine impetus of Paul’s apostolic role (cf. vv. 15-16; also 1:1-5; 1 Cor. 2:1-4; 2 Cor. 12:12).6 Reference to “signs” [σημεῖα] and “wonders” [τέρατα] is descriptive of different aspects of the same activity. The expression “signs” points to the divine derivation of miraculous works and accompanying teachings, while the parallel “wonders” signals extraordinary phenomena inexplicable other than by supernatural means.7
The apostle’s service in God’s mission has been widespread. His connection with “Jerusalem” began in his youth (Acts 22:3), while his Christian ministry there (albeit comparatively minimal) started about three years after his conversion to Christ8 and continued intermittently over the next couple of decades.9 At the time of writing, Paul had “fulfilled [the ministry]” [πεπληρωκέναι] (cp. 8:4; 13:8) of “the gospel of Christ” (cf. vv. 16, 25; 1:9, 16; 2:16) in strategic areas throughout the eastern realm of the Roman Empire, in the provinces of Judea, Syria, Arabia, Cilicia, Cyprus, Galatia, Asia, Macedonia, Achaia, and Illyricum.
There is no record outside the current text of Paul’s work in Illyricum. The most plausible timeframe would be during the summer and autumn of 56, after he left his three-year mission in Ephesus and spent time in Macedonia before heading south to Corinth to spend the winter months of 56-57, when Romans was written (see Acts 20:1-3; 1 Cor. 4:19; 16:3-8; 2 Cor. 9:2-4).10
Illyricum was a province of Rome from 27 BC under Augustus to its dissolution during the reign of Vespasian (AD 79-89), roughly corresponding to geographical regions in modern-day Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia. Along the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea was the territory of Dalmatia (today’s Croatia), where Titus would go via the port city of Nicopolis to perhaps follow up on the work Paul had initiated there (Tit. 3:12; 2 Tim. 4:10). Seeing that Latin was the native language of both Illyricum and Spain, Paul’s mission to the former would have helped prepare for the latter.11
“… 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, but as it is written, ‘Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand’” (Romans 15:20-21).
Paul “aspired” (NASB), making it his ambition [φιλοτιμούμενον],12 “to preach the gospel” or “to evangelize” [εὐαγγελίζεσθαι] (cf. 1:15; 10:15) in the more limited capacity of targeting, primarily, the unevangelized. With the verbal “build” [οἰκοδομέω],13 he once again employs construction imagery (cf. v. 2; 14:19),14 considering himself “a master builder” or “architect” [ἀρχιτέκτων], laying the foundation [θεμέλιος] of Jesus Christ upon which the church is built,15 while he and others continued the spiritual “building” process through extensive follow-up efforts (1 Cor. 3:9b-12a). In this regard Paul was a pioneer missionary, initiating new works from scratch rather than building “on someone else’s foundation.” Providing a scriptural basis, “as it is written,”16 he quotes Isaiah 52:15 (LXX), a messianic prophecy concerning kings and nations being impacted by hearing for the first time about the Suffering Servant’s degradation and exaltation, fulfilled in the gospel message of the Christ (cf. Acts 9:15; 1 Cor. 15:1-11).
Plans for the Near Future
“This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while” (Romans 15:22-24).
At the time of writing, Paul had reached the end of what has traditionally been called his third missionary journey, from Syrian Antioch via Ephesus to Corinth, ca. 53-57 (Acts 18:23–20:3a). The extremely heavy workload, busy schedule, and severe hardships had prevented him from realizing his years-long dream of visiting the saints in Rome (cf. Acts 19:21). Having completed a series of successful evangelistic campaigns “from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum,” along with plethoric other Christians involved in God’s mission, Paul was (almost) ready to head farther west. Since the Lord’s church was already established in Rome, his proposed visit would be relatively brief as he planned to take the gospel to the provinces of the Iberian Peninsula known as Hispania or “Spain” [Σπανία],17 the far western boundary of the Roman Empire.
Paul earnestly anticipated [ἐλπίζω] the Roman brethren’s support of this missionary effort: “to be helped” or “equipped” [προπεμφθῆναι] (note 10:14-15), perhaps including Latin-speaking traveling companions.18 The verbal προπέμπω, often conveying in English the sense of “accompany” (Acts 20:38; 21:5) or “send” (Acts 15:3; 16:6, 11; Tit. 3:13; 3 John 6), involves the provision of whatever the traveler needs for his journey (see 2 Cor. 1:16). Earlier the apostle had laid out what God has set in place to ensure that full-time ministers of the gospel have their essential needs met (1 Cor. 9:7-15).19 Paul did not always exercise his God-given right to be financially subsidized by churches, especially while working in their midst (1 Cor. 9:15).20 Nevertheless, he did accept and even solicit support from others in different circumstances (cf. 1 Cor. 16:6; 2 Cor. 11:7-9; Phil. 2:25-30; 4:10-20).
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 “I have” [ἔχω] is the first word of the sentence.
2 The highest concentration in Paul’s writings of καύχησις and its cognates is in 2 Corinthians, focusing on the spiritual health of fellow-believers (1:14; 7:4, 14; 8:24) and what God has accomplished through fallible human efforts (10:7-18; 11:10, 16-33).
3 Cf. 1 Cor. 2:1-5; 2 Cor. 3:4-6; 4:7; 6:6-7; 12:9; 13:4.
4 J. Denney, “Romans” 712.
5 Manuscript evidence varies from πνεύματος (“Spirit”), πνεύματος ἁγίου (“Holy Spirit”), πνεύματος θεοῦ (“Spirit of God”), and πνεύματος θεοῦ ἁγίου (“Holy Spirit of God”). Due to the testimony of earlier witnesses but in deference to transcriptional history, the NA28/UBS5 settled on the reading, with square brackets, πνεύματος [θεοῦ]. See P. W. Comfort, Commentary on the Manuscripts and Text of the NT 311; B. M. Metzger, Textual Commentary on the Greek NT (2nd ed.) 473. However, W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam reasonably surmise that the simple πνεύματος was most likely the original reading that prompted “corrections of what seemed an unfinished expression” (Romans 407).
6 See also Acts 13:9-11; 14:3, 8-10; 15:12; 16:16-18; 19:11-12; 20:9-12; 28:3-9; 1 Thess. 1:5.
7 Matt. 24:24; Mark 13:22; John 4:48; Acts 2:22, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 7:36; 14:3; 15:12; 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:4; cp. 2 Thess. 2:9.
8 Acts 9:26-30; 22:17-18; 26:20; Gal. 1:15-20.
9 Acts 11:27-30; 12:25; 15:1-30; Gal. 2:1-10. After sending the letter to the Romans, Paul would return to Jerusalem at least once more (Rom. 15:25-31; 1 Cor. 16:3-4; Acts 20:16, 22-23; 21:4–23:31; 24:11-21; 26:20-23).
10 The Egnatian Way (Via Egnatia), constructed by the Romans in the second century BC, connected Macedonia (from Thessalonica) as far north as Illyricum (Strabo, Geography 7.7.4), although Paul could have traveled by sea from Macedonia’s west coast.
11 F. F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free 317.
12 The compound φιλοτιμέομαι (φίλος [‘friend’] + τιμή [‘honor’]) occurs only three times in the NT, here and in 2 Cor. 5:9; 1 Thess. 4:11.
13 See also Acts 20:32; 1 Cor. 8:1, 10; 10:23; 14:4, 17; Gal. 2:18; 1 Thess. 5:11; outside of Paul, cf. Matt. 7:24-26; 16:18; 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 6:48-49; 20:17; Acts 4:11; 9:31; 1 Pet. 2:5, 7.
14 On the employment of the noun οἰκοδομή (“building,” met. “edification”), see also 1 Cor. 3:9-11; 14:3, 5, 12, 26; 2 Cor. 10:8; 12:19; 13:10; Eph. 2:21; 4:12, 16, 29.
15 Cf. Matt. 16:16-18; Luke 6:46-48; Eph. 2:19–3:7; 1 Tim. 6:19; 2 Tim. 2:19. Note also Heb. 3:6.
16 On the perfect passive indicative formula, “as it is written,” alluding to sacred scripture having been recorded in the past with current and ongoing applicability, see Rom. 1:17; 2:24; 3:4, 10; 4:17; 8:36; 9:13, 33; 10:15; 11:8, 26; 12:19; 14:11; 15:3, 9, 21.
17 The Roman emperors Trajan (53-117), Hadrian (76-138), and Theodosius I (347-395) were all from this region.
18 P. Lampe, From Paul to Valentinus 80.
19 Paul and his fellow-missionaries have the right to eat and drink, i.e., be supported in the Lord’s work (1 Cor. 9:4; cf. vv. 6-14; 4:11; Matt. 10:9-10; 2 Thess. 3:7-10). They have the right to refrain from [secular] work and be supported by the church (1 Cor. 9:6; cf. 4:12). Remuneration for services rendered is a natural part of the secular world, including soldiers, farmers, and shepherds (1 Cor. 9:7). But this is not only a basic human concept; it is divinely enjoined, with scriptural confirmation (vv. 8-10; quote from Deut. 25:4). God is more concerned about people than he is about animals (cf. Matt. 6:26; Luke 12:7, 24), and this biblical principle legitimately applies to the expectation of workers to be compensated for their labors. Paul and his coworkers have just as much right and more to expect financial support from the Corinthians, yet they have denied themselves this right lest the gospel of Christ be hindered (1 Cor. 9:12). Even Levitical priests are supported by the offerings of the people (1 Cor. 9:13; cf. Lev. 6:16, 26; 7:6, 31; 22:10; Num. 18:8-10). “Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live [get their living] from the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14).
20 Paul’s customary practice was to refuse financial remuneration from the brethren with whom he labored in order to avoid burdening anyone (2 Cor. 11:9; 1 Thess. 2:9; 2 Thess. 3:8), to avert potential problems (1 Cor. 9:12, 15, 18), to afford evangelistic opportunities (cf. Acts 17:17), to provide for basic needs (Acts 20:34), perhaps to supplement outside support (Phil. 4:16), and to be a good example to young converts (Acts 20:33-35; 1 Thess. 4:11-12; 2 Thess. 3:7-12).
Related Posts: Rom 15:1-4, Rom 15:14-16 (Part 1), Rom 15:25-33 (Part 3)
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