Time to re-evaluate?

Romans 15:14-21

¹⁴ I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them. ¹⁵ Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace, ¹⁶ I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁷ So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God. ¹⁸ Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them. ¹⁹ They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.

²⁰ My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. ²¹ I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says,

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

Paul is concluding what is undoubtedly one of the most important and influential books in the Bible. He has explained how Jesus saved us, the purpose of the law, how faith works and the life in the Spirit for which God has set us free more clearly and comprehensively than any other book in the Bible: A book that inspired Luther to begin the Reformation; John Wesley to begin what became a huge revival; and probably millions to put their faith in Christ. If I were Paul, I would be feeling rather pleased with what I had written.

Yet he’s almost apologetic to be writing these things to them: you already know these things so well you could teach them and just need a reminder. (I suspect they didn’t.) I’m astounded at Paul’s humility.

But of course he’s absolutely right. Paul only wrote the letter because God made him its messenger. If this letter has opened their minds to the deepest truths about God, it’s only because God revealed those truths. If these truths have set them free from slavery to sin or from the law, it’s only because Jesus bought that freedom with his life. If they are convinced, it’s because of God’s wonders and the power of the Spirit.

Pauls’ ambition is to follow God’s plan, preaching good news where it has not been heard. He boasts of what Christ has done through him. His enthusiasm is to be standing with the believers before God.

Ok, so maybe it’s time for me to re-evaluate my ambitions; to redirect the credit (such as there is) to God.

Written by David Cornell