Friday 3 May 2024
I have written to you rather boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (vs 15-16)
Background
This is an interesting passage for giving us insights into Paul’s sense of his ministry as an apostle and evangelist. At this stage in his life, Paul does not seem to have visited Rome, so he is not writing to a church that he has founded, but to a church that he hopes to visit as part of his ongoing missionary journeys. We find him in this passage (and some others) trying to balance a respectful relationship with the Roman Christians with a desire to correct what he thinks may be going wrong in their faith journey and to set out what he truly believes to be right. He talks here about writing forcefully to the Roman church. This can only be because he sees himself as an apostle (someone sent by God) called to exercise a priestly ministry towards the Gentiles.
There’s a tantalisingly brief account of Paul’s missionary journeys so far, which suggest they may have been even more extensive than the Book of Acts tells us. He comes across as a wandering evangelist, forever on the move as he tries to share the Christian message in as many situations as he can. Once again we have a quotation from the prophet Isaiah to round off this section (Isaiah 52:15).
To Ponder:`
- Paul had an overwhelming sense of vocation to share the message about Jesus Christ. What do you believe God has called you to do with your life? What might that vocation mean for you?
- Think of how you heard the message of Jesus Christ. Who made this real for you?
Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Richard Clutterbuck
Richard is a supernumerary presbyter, living in Gloucestershire after a ministry that has taken him to Tonga, London, Gloucester and Belfast. He was formerly principal of the West of England Ministerial Training Course and of Edgehill Theological College.