From the structure of the letter, which has already been shown several times, Paul speaks twice about his ministry:

• Rom 1:14-17 Earlier ministry as an evangelist
• Rom 15:8-21 Former service as a priest

This is what he calls this priestly service in this passage:

“That I may be the minister of Christ Jesus to the nations, working as a priest of the gospel of God.”
Rom 15:16

The gospel of God was that for which he was set apart by God, according to the first verse of the letter to the Romans (Romans 1:1). It is for this that Paul works. He “works as a priest”. It does not say here that he is a priest, as a function, but only a verb is mentioned here – “to work as a priest”, namely to perform a priestly service (Greek hierourgeo, only here). So it’s not about a function, but about what it does. The emphasis is on the activity.

At the same time, this section once again clearly points out the different target groups for whom Christ and Paul worked. When Jesus walked the earth, his focus was on the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Mt 15:24). Paul confirms this once again in the next verses. Paul, however, was not called for the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but as a representative for all nations. The time and the task had changed. As a slave of Christ Jesus (Romans 1:1), Paul does not have the same task to fulfill as Jesus in the Gospels. This cannot be emphasized and recognized enough.

The truthfulness of God

Let us now read the following passage 15:8-12 from this perspective.

“For I say thatChrist became the minister of the circumcision for the truthfulness of God, to confirm the promises of the fathers.

But the nations will glorify God for His mercy, just as it is written:

• • Therefore I will worship you among the nations and sing praises to your name (Ps 18:50).
  • Elsewhere again it says: “Rejoice, you nations, with His people! (Deut 32,43)
  • And again it says: “Praise the Lord, all nations! Let all peoples praise Him!” (Ps 117:1)

Rom 15:8-12

Israel first, but also the nations. These two groups are both mentioned by Paul. Christ on earth, as we read in the Gospels, was a servant of the circumcision. His ministry was to Israel because of the truthfulness of God, who promised many things to this people. These promises were confirmed by Christ. The confirmation also shows that God is reliable and He is true. He does what He says. God stands by His word.

In the same breath, however, Paul goes on to write that the nations are also included in the promises. He quotes three passages from the Old Testament, from which it emerges that God also wants to live among the nations. Paul links Israel and the nations here from this perspective of the promises. But we should not draw the short-circuit here that Paul “therefore” writes exactly what the prophets meant. This is not the case. The gospel, which Paul calls “his gospel” (Rom 2:16), was a mystery and not known to the prophets (Rom 16:25-26). If Paul makes a comparison here, then only as a concept, not as a fulfillment.

He spoke at length in chapters 9-11 about the fact that God does not reject His people, even though they have rejected His Messiah. God’s view goes beyond the rejection of people. We recognize this in Israel, in ourselves, and can therefore understand that it affects all people (1 Timothy 4:9-11).

Neither the people nor the nations today fully accept the grace of God. Today it’s about individual people. They are “called out” and end up in the church (Greek ekklesia or “called out ones”). It is also not about implementing it in the here and now. For the prophets, it was the future. Paul describes it in a certain context: it is already true in the church that God is praised among the nations. They experience that God is true and that His promises are fulfilled.

“But the nations will glorify God for His mercy.”
Rom 15:9

The God of confidence

Since Paul has confirmed God’s truthfulness, he can now call Him the “God of confidence”:

“May the God of confidence fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may overflow with confidence in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Rom 15:13

This is the teaching that Paul extracts from these stories and promises. He recognizes that God is confidently and truly working towards a goal. This God of confidence should now fill us with joy and peace in faith. For when this happens, we also overflow with confidence, with the power of the Holy Spirit. Confidence in His actions follows from the knowledge of God.

Confidence and task of the apostle

In the next section, Paul describes his ministry. It is exciting to see how positively he writes about the Romans.

“I myself also am convinced, as for you, my brothers, that you yourselves are also enlarged by goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Nevertheless, I have written to you (sometimes boldly) to remind you again, for the sake of the grace given to me by God, that I may be the minister of Christ Jesus to the nations, ministering as a priest of the gospel of God, that the offering of the nations may be acceptable, sanctified in the Holy Spirit.”
Rom 15:14

The seriousness and determination with which he repeatedly took a stand was aimed at only one goal: “so that the offering of the nationsmay be acceptable”. Paul sees a church before him, a goal in which faith is alive and effective. The result is an “offering of the nations”, a fruit, so to speak, that is considered an offering before God. He had already pointed this out at the beginning of the letter:

“Nor will I leave you in ignorance, my brothers, that I have often set myself to come to you (until now I have been denied), so that you may have some fruit among you as well as among the rest of the nations.”
Rom 1:13

He has now advocated this effect in his letter. That is his goal. It is not about himself, but about Christ and the cause of God:

“In my service for the cause of God, therefore, I have boasting only in Christ Jesus. For I would not dare to speak of anything that Christ has not done through me to lead the nations to obedience of faith by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit of God.”
Rom 15:17-19

Signs and wonders

The fact that Paul speaks of signs and wonders that explicitly point to the messianic kingdom in the Gospels (Mt 10:5-7; Mt 11:2-6; Heb 6:5) can only be duly appreciated if we see that Paul’s ministry also knows a development. His signs and wonders, as known from his first period of ministry, exceeded the powers done by the Twelve Apostles. However, they all disappeared in his later years (we read nothing more about them). It was a good change. His message became deeper. Christ became greater. Salvation became more comprehensive. The view became even more impressive. Grace became more alive. No more signs and wonders, but more spiritual riches.

Paul continues to report on these journeys:

“So that from Jerusalem all around as far as Illyria I have fully established the gospel of Christ. I have therefore set my honor not to preach the gospel where Christ is already named, so that I may not build on another’s foundation, but as it is written: To those who have not heard about Him, they will see; and those who have not heard will understand.” (Is 52:15)
Rom 15:19-21

Paul worked harder than all the other apostles, he himself writes (1 Corinthians 15:10). This is probably a reference to his extensive travels and his work at many different churches. Paul would never build on the work of another apostle, for example. Rome was also not founded by Peter, because Peter was never in Rome as far as the Bible reports. The church was there, but it had probably been established by travelers who had brought the gospel with them. Paul was now able to carry out his ministry here, although he did not found the church in Rome either.

Confidence for the church in Rome

The confidence that Paul has for the church is also present in the church in Rome itself.

“But I myself also, my brethren, am persuaded concerning you, that you yourselves also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able also to admonish one another.”
Rom 15:14

Faith is never something that you only have within yourself. Faith arises and flourishes in community. It is crucial that we give each other faith and confidence. When Paul speaks of His confidence and task, it does not stop there. He is writing to the church in Rome and does not forget to confirm these people in their faith.

Deepening

• When was the last time you confirmed someone else in their faith?
• Do you understand your task in this world?
• Confidence and outlook arise from the Gospel. Outline why it works.
• What goal does Paul have in mind when he writes this (Rom 15:7-21)?