Romans 15:17 - Meaning and Application

The apostle now gives some account of himself and his work. After speaking of his ministry and apostleship, he goes on to show the power of that office and the great success God gave it. He does this to encourage the church at Rome. They were not alone in the Christian faith, and though they were a small flock among many idolaters, there were many others who shared their faith, hope, and patient endurance in Christ Jesus.

This also strongly confirms the truth of Christianity. It had such great success, and it spread through such weak and unlikely means, that many were brought to obey Christ through what seemed like foolish preaching. So Paul tells them this and makes it the ground of his rejoicing, though not in a proud way. It is holy, thankful rejoicing, and it is always through Jesus Christ. In this way, he centers all his praise in Christ, and teaches us to do the same (Colossians 1:31). “Not to us, O LORD” (Psalm 115:1).

He rejoices in the things that belong to God. The conversion of souls is one of those things, so it is a proper subject for Paul’s praise. It is not a matter of the flesh. The phrase can be understood this way: “I have my rejoicing in Christ Jesus concerning the things of God,” that is, in the offerings brought to God, the living sacrifices of the Gentiles (Romans 15:16). Paul wants them to rejoice with him in the wide reach and power of his ministry.

He speaks with the deepest respect for Christ’s power and the Spirit’s effective work, as if all the honor belongs to them. He also insists on the truth of what he says (Romans 15:18): “I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has done through me.” He would not boast about work that was not his. He would not take credit for another man’s labor. Though he was writing to people far away, who might not be able to challenge him, he still says, “I dare not do it.” A faithful man does not lie, even when tempted, and he does not shrink from truth, even when threatened.

In this account of himself, we can notice his steady diligence in the work. He labored more than the others. He preached in many places, from Jerusalem, where the law had gone out like a shining light, all the way to Illyricum, a country far from Jerusalem. In the book of Acts, we read of his travels. After he was sent to preach to the Gentiles (Acts 13), he worked in Seleucia, Cyprus, Pamphylia, Pisidia, and Lycaonia (Acts 13 and 14). Later he traveled through Syria, Cilicia, Phrygia, Galatia, Mysia, Troas, and then into Macedonia and Europe (Acts 15 and 16). After that, he was busy in Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, and nearby regions.

Anyone who knows how far apart these places are will see that Paul was an active man, running his race like a strong man. Illyricum is the country now called Sclavonia, near Hungary. Some take it to mean the same as Bulgaria, and others lower Pannonia, but in any case it was very far from Jerusalem. Someone might think that if Paul tried to do so much, he must have done it poorly. But no, he says he fully preached the gospel of Christ. He gave them the full truth and the full terms of the gospel. He did not hold back anything they needed to know (Acts 20:27).

The word here means “filled.” He filled the gospel, as a net is filled with fish in a large catch, or he filled people with the gospel. That is what the gospel does when it comes in power. It fills a place. Other kinds of learning are empty and airy, but the knowledge of the gospel fills the soul.

He also preached in places where the gospel had never been heard before (Romans 15:20, Romans 15:21). He broke up hard ground, laid the first stone in many places, and brought Christianity where only idolatry, witchcraft, and all kinds of devilish worship had ruled for many years. Paul broke the ice, so he faced more trouble and discouragement. Those who preached in Judea had an easier task than Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, because they came into work others had already begun (John 4:38).

Paul was the hardier man, called to the hardest work. There were many teachers, but Paul was the chief planter. Many watered, but Paul planted. He was a bold man who first attacked the strong man’s palace in the Gentile world and first struck at Satan’s kingdom there. Paul was the one who ventured that first assault, and he suffered greatly for it. He mentions this as proof of his apostleship, because the apostles were especially meant to bring in those who were outside and lay the foundation of the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:14).

It is not that Paul never preached where others had worked before. He did. But he chiefly gave himself to the good of those who sat in darkness. He was careful not to build on another man’s foundation, so that no one could rightly accuse him of overstepping his calling. He supports this with a Scripture from Isaiah 52:15, “Those who had not been told about him shall see.” In the prophet’s words, “What they had not heard they shall understand” comes to the same point.

This makes the success of Paul’s preaching even more remarkable. The change from darkness to light is much easier to notice than the later growth of that light. And often the gospel has its greatest success when it first comes to a place, before people grow used to hearing it and become hardened to sermons.

The great and wonderful success of his work was this, it made the Gentiles obedient. The gospel’s goal is to bring people into obedience. It is not only truth to believe, but a law to obey. That was Paul’s aim in all his travels. He was not seeking wealth or honor, for then he would have failed badly. He was seeking the conversion and salvation of souls. That was what filled his heart, and for that he labored again and again.

How was this great work done? Christ was the chief agent. Paul does not say, “What I worked,” but “what Christ worked through me” (Romans 15:18). Whatever good we do, it is not really we who do it, but Christ working through us. The work is his, and the strength is his. He is all in all, and he gives power for all our work (Philippians 2:13; Isaiah 26:12).

Paul uses every opportunity to give Christ the praise, so all the honor would go to him. He was also a very active servant. He preached with words, and he backed up his message with the miracles God gave him to do, or with the way he lived. Ministers are most likely to win souls when they preach with both word and life, so their conduct shows the power of what they teach. This follows Christ’s example, who began “to do and to teach” (Acts 1:1).

Paul also worked “through mighty signs and wonders,” that is, by the power shown in miracles and signs. These helped make the preaching of the Word effective, because they were God’s appointed means of convincing people, and his seal on the gospel message (Mark 16:17-18). The power of the Holy Spirit made all of this fruitful and gave it the success Paul desired (Romans 15:19).

This happened in two ways. First, the Holy Spirit worked in Paul, as he did in the other apostles, so they could do these miracles. Miracles were done by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), so to mock the miracles is to speak against the Holy Spirit. Second, the Spirit worked in the hearts of the hearers, so that the word and the miracles helped some people and not others. It is the Spirit’s work that makes the difference. Paul, great preacher that he was, could not bring one soul to obedience unless the Spirit of God went with his labor.

This is a great comfort to faithful ministers who feel weak and limited. The blessed Spirit can work through many, or through those who seem to have no strength at all. The same almighty Spirit who worked with Paul often shows his strength most clearly in weakness, and brings praise from the mouths of children and infants. Paul rejoiced in this success in his preaching. The converted nations were his joy and his crown of rejoicing. He tells them this, so they may rejoice with him and be more ready to receive the truths he wrote to them, and to honor the one Christ had so clearly honored.