We are part of a great offering of nations being sanctified by the Holy Spirit to be presented to God. Paul wrote Romans as part of that gospel work, and the first part of this paragraph lifts us up to the glory in that work. The second half of the paragraph, verses 17-21, belongs with the first part, but is more historical. As I said last week, starting in 15:14 Paul finishes off his letter with more personal than theological issues, and here he’s moving toward why he’s been trying to come and visit the Romans.

He’s got bold ambitions. The first part of the bold ambition is that he’s aiming for the nations to be made an acceptable offering to God through the gospel. This has to do with their believing and then obeying the gospel. “Jesus is Lord” is the right confession, and it changes all our conduct and culture. This ambition had been Paul’s aim as an apostle, and his letter to the Romans had included some bold reminders because, though he saw signs of God’s grace among them, he wanted more for them.

The second part of his bold ambition is that Paul aimed himself at places that had never heard the the name of Christ. He was what we might call a frontier missionary or pioneer missionary. Lots of jobs in lots of places belong with the preparing of an offering by the gospel, but Paul’s job was especially to take the gospel to places that had no knowledge of it. He’d been choosing his itinerary accordingly.

In verses 17-21 he shares his excitement about God’s work through him and shares his ambition to cover even more new ground. (One of my Greek texts — UBS4 has verses 17-21 as one sentence, and the ESV only has two sentences, 17 and 18-21. Another Greek text — THGNT has separate sentences for 17-19, 20-21. My point in mentioning that is to say there’s reasonable disagreement as to where the divisions happen.)

Work Boast (verse 17)

There’s a “therefore” or a then , connecting this boast to his bold project.

In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. (Romans 15:17 ESV)

Reason to be proud is the usual word for a boast, a thing that he can “glory” (KJV) in. There’s only so much that Christians are allowed to humble-brag about. Paul is able to make a big deal about “the (things he’s done) for God,” and even still, those were only done in Christ Jesus .

He’s about to explain what things/work he’s referring to, and it’s already been quite ambitious.

Work Area (verses 18a, 19b)

If you’re reading an ESV you can see the dashes, separating off a sort of parenthesis. Before and after those dashes we get a statement of his accomplishments.

For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience…so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; (Romans 15:18a, 19b ESV)

I venture is related to the world “boldly” in verse 15 (τολμηρότερον and τολμήσω); he was daring in some of his reminders to them but he would not dare in his boasting before them. His reminders were bold, but he’s not so bold as to talk about anything except what Christ has accomplished through me . What is that? It’s been the evangelization of parts of Syria and Turkey and Greece.

“Resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles” (NASB). Again, the Gentiles are the ethne, and here is their obedience of faith. “The obedience of faith” bookends the entire epistle (1:5, 16:25), and is only used in those two verses. Romans is the place to go for justification by faith alone. There is no earning salvation by works. And also, the gospel includes a command to believe, and living faith obeys the commands of Christ. This who know the Great Commission hear the connection, we are baptized into Christ and then taught to obey all that Christ commanded. Paul is doing that work among the peoples.

Specifically he’s worked from Jerusalem…to Illyricum . Illyricum is the area on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea that covers what we now recognize as Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia. That he worked from one and to the other probably he means all the area in between; the names are the edges.

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And to have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel he doesn’t mean that all of them are ready to be presented as the offering to God, but that now those places heard the name of Christ.

Work Means (verses 18b-19a)

This insert isn’t an afterthought, but it is a short clarification. It’s not necessary for the sentence, but it does give explanation as to the means of the accomplishment.

—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God— (Romans 15:18–19 ESV)

Paul did more than Francis of Assisi (who supposedly said “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words”), Paul lived and spoke (and wrote). The deed s are probably explained by the phrase by power of signs and wonders , and the last two words probably “refer to the same events viewed from different aspects” (Murray); a miracle amazes and it points. While preaching and debating, Paul had healed a man born lame in Lystra, he’d expelled a demon from a slave prophetess in Philipp, and he’d raised Eutychus back to life even though he fell asleep during a sermon. These all were brought about by the power of the Holy Spirit .

Work Ambition (verse 20)

Here’s his particular ambition , his aim; he “aspired” (NASB).

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, (Romans 15:20 ESV)

A place where Christ has been named is not a place where everyone has become a Christian, but a place where anyone could become a Christian. It’s hard for us to go back and consider what life was like before Jesus.

I’ve mentioned before The Book That Made Your World, and what a privilege to have our own copies of the Bible, but even to live in this generation that stands on the shoulders of Book People. Going through Omnibus, the modern period is dark, but not because the Light hasn’t come. The light is on a stand in the middle of the room, but we’ve put a basket over the light. That was not always the case. Paul was taking the Light into places that had never seen it.

By God’s grace so many peoples have heard the name of Jesus, and the apostle John saw in times to come “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9 ESV).

And yet according to the Joshua Project website today there are 17,281 People Groups (ethne), with 7,246 still Unreached, some 3.4 billion people. The offering is not ready.

Going is NOT the calling/program/ambition of all, but it is the work of some. We wouldn’t say that there are modern apostles, but there are still evangelists and church planters. Others build on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, continuing the sanctification of the offering.

Work Fulfillment (verse 21)

Those of us who have complete copies of God’s Word recognize this as Isaiah 52:15.

but as it is written,

“Those who have never been told of him will see,
and those who have never heard will understand.”
(Romans 15:21 ESV)

In Romans 15:17-21, Christ is named explicitly in every verse except 21, which is a prophecy of Isaiah referring to “Him,” the Servant of the Lord, the Messiah.

The salvation of Gentiles was prophesied. In that context are “the world-wide effects of the Messiah’s sacrifice” (Murray). For those who know the context in Isaiah 52:13-15, God’s servant will shut the mouths of kings, He will be their king, and we know Him as “our Lord Jesus Christ” (so named in Romans 15:6, 30).

Conclusion

Paul pushed for MORE, unto sanctification and into Spain! If it’s not broke, let’s get further west, and beyond. In one way we are the ends of the earth, 6,742 miles from Jerusalem to Marysville. And also, the offering isn’t ready just yet; the fulness of the Gentiles has not yet come in (Romans 11:25).

Let us not take gospel obedience for granted. Children, do you believe it? You know the name of Christ, do you believe and love and obey Him? The gospel is God’s power for salvation both far and near.

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Charge

Beloved, you are probably not boasting enough in what Christ has accomplished through you. And, beloved, you are probably not being ambitious enough in pursuit of Christ accomplishing even more through you. Let your boasts in Christ, and ambitions for Christ, be BOLD.

Benediction:

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. (Romans 16:25–27 ESV)