The apostle first gave information concerning his past labors (15:14-21). Then he explained his present program (15:22-29). Finally he shared his future plans (15:30-33).
Paul had been somewhat critical of the strong and the weak in the Roman church (14:1-15:13). He now balanced those comments by pointing out other strengths in the church beside the faith of his Roman brethren (1:8).
15:14 Paul's knowledge of the church in Rome had come to him through sources other than personal observation (vv. 22-24).
"Goodness"is moral excellence that comes through the working of God's Spirit (Gal. 5:22; cf. Rom. 5:13). Goodness is necessary to apply the truth to life as is knowledge. This was a self-taught church (6:17), and the believers were able to instruct one another. "Admonish"or "instruct"means to inculcate (cf. Col. 3:16; 1 Thess. 5:14).
"Morally, they were full of goodness,' intellectually they were complete in knowledge,' and functionally they were competent to instruct one another.'"400
15:15 The apostle gave his readers credit for some knowledge of what he had written in the foregoing chapters. Nevertheless they needed reminding as do all God's people.
15:16 Paul had a special obligation to this primarily Gentile congregation (1:13) since God had sent him to minister to Gentiles primarily. As a priest, it was his duty to bring people to God with the gospel. He regarded the Gentiles who were coming to faith and growing through his ministry as his offering to God. These Gentiles would be acceptable to God as the Holy Spirit set them apart to God as His possession (cf. 1 Cor. 6:11). Positional sanctification is in view rather than progressive sanctification.
15:17-18 Paul had grounds to boast because Gentiles had come to Jesus Christ through his ministry. Notwithstanding he gave all the credit for what had happened to Jesus Christ. He had worked through His servant to bring the Gentiles to obey God in word and deed.
15:19 Signs and wonders, standard biblical phraseology for miracles, accredited the messenger of God and validated the message that he proclaimed (Acts 2:22; 5:12).401The Holy Spirit enabled people to see the connection between the miracle and the message and therefore to believe the gospel and experience salvation.
Paul's arena of ministry when he wrote this epistle stretched about 1,400 miles from Jerusalem to the Roman province of Illyricum. Illyricum lay on the east side of the Adriatic Sea opposite Italy. This is modern northern Albania, much of Yugoslavia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. There is no record in Acts of Paul having gone there though he may have done so on the second missionary journey (Acts 17:1-9) or during the third journey (Acts 21:1-2). Paul's claim to have "fully"preached the gospel means that he had faithfully proclaimed it in that area, not that he had personally delivered it to every individual.
15:20 This verse along with verses 18-19 explains why Paul had not yet been able to visit Rome. His desire to do pioneer missionary work grew out of his zeal to reach as many unsaved people as possible (cf. 1:14). Notice that he went to unreached people with the gospel (Matt. 28:19-20). He did not wait for them to come and enquire about it.
15:21 Paul seems to have found encouragement to pursue this goal in this prophecy from Isaiah, which describes the mission of the Servant of the Lord (Isa. 52:15).
15:22 This verse captures the point of what Paul explained in the preceding pericope.
15:23-24 The apostle felt that the Christians in the areas he had evangelized were in a good position to carry on the propagation of the gospel in their territories. Consequently he believed that he could look to comparatively unreached fields farther to the west in Europe (cf. 1:11-12).
"Parts of Spain (which in the ancient world included all the Iberian peninsula) had been occupied by Rome since about 200 B.C.; but it was only in Paul's lifetime that the Romans had fully organized the entire area."402
15:25-26 The purpose of Paul's collection of money from the Macedonian and Achaian churches was to relieve the poverty that existed among the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. A secondary purpose was to cement relations between Gentile and Jewish believers (cf. 1 Cor. 16:1-4; 2 Cor. 8-9).
15:27 The money that Paul was collecting was both a love-gift and an obligation. He could say that the givers owed it because the gospel had come from Jerusalem and Judea to the Gentiles. Believers in Asia Minor also contributed to this fund (1 Cor. 16:1; Acts 20:4).
15:28 Paul evidently anticipated the completion of this project eagerly. The money given was "fruit"in that it was the product of gospel seed-sowing. Paul as "apostle to the Gentiles"evidently wanted to seal it to the Jerusalem Christians by affirming its integrity and insuring that they understood it properly.403
15:29 The blessing of Jesus Christ in view was God's blessing on Paul by allowing him to reach Rome. The apostle probably also had in mind the blessing that would come to the Romans through his ministry among them. He did not know at this time that he would arrive in chains (Acts 28:15).
15:30 Paul drew attention to the great need he felt for his readers' prayers by using the same term he did when appealing for them to dedicate themselves to God (12:1). He exhorted them on the basis of their relationship with Jesus Christ and the love that the Holy Spirit inspires. He realized that in view of the spiritual forces antagonistic to his ministry energetic praying was necessary (cf. Eph. 6:18-20; 2 Cor. 1:10-11).
". . . our praying must not be a casual experience that has no heart or earnestness. We should put as much fervor into our praying as a wrestler does into his wrestling!"404
15:31 He identified two immediate prayer requests. One was safety from the opposition of hostile unbelieving Jews (cf. Acts 9:29-30) and the distrust of Jewish Christians. The other was that the Jewish Christians would receive the monetary gift of their Gentile brethren. If they did not, the unity of the body would be in jeopardy.
15:32 The granting of these two requests would hopefully contribute to the realization of a third goal. This goal was Paul's joyful arrival in Rome in God's will (1:10) and his refreshment in the fellowship of the Roman saints.
15:33 Even though Paul's life was full of turmoil because of his ministry he wished the peace that comes from God as a special portion for the Roman church.
