Unless we understand the distinctive ministry of Paul, we will not fully appreciate the message of God’s grace. Paul explained the characteristics of his ministry.
It was received by grace (vv. 14–15). When he was Saul of Tarsus, the crusading rabbi, Paul knew little of the grace of God. He persecuted the church and sought to destroy it. When Paul met Jesus Christ on the Damascus road (Acts 9), he experienced the grace of God. It was God’s grace that saved him, and it was God’s grace that called him and made him an apostle (1 Cor. 15:8–11). “We have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name” (Rom. 1:5). In Ephesians 3, Paul explained his ministry to the Gentiles in greater detail.
It was centered in the gospel (v. 16). As mentioned before, Paul used two different words for minister in this verse, but the emphasis is on priestly service. Paul looked on himself as a priest at the altar, offering up to God the Gentiles he had won to Christ. They were a “spiritual sacrifice” to the glory of God (see 1 Peter 2:5). Even his preaching of the gospel was a “priestly duty” (niv). This insight into ministry certainly adds dignity and responsibility to our service. It was important that the priests offer to God only that which was the best (see Mal. 1:6–14).
Note the involvement of the Trinity in the ministry of the Word. Paul was the minister of Jesus Christ; he preached “the gospel of God”; and he served in the power of the Holy Spirit of God who sanctified his ministry. What a privilege, and yet what a responsibility, to be the servant of the Triune God, winning the lost to Jesus Christ! We must remember that soul-winning is a priestly ministry, a sacred obligation. And we must serve the Lord with dedication and devotion just as the priest in the temple.
It was done for God’s glory (v. 17). “Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God” (niv). The word translated “glory” carries the idea of “boast, take pride in.” Paul used it before in Romans 2:17, 23; 5:2–3, 11 (“joy”); 3:27; and 4:2. Paul was not bragging about his ministry. He was boasting in what the Lord had done. The apostle did not serve and suffer as he did just to make a name for himself, for he had a much higher purpose in mind. He wanted to bring glory to Jesus Christ. “That in all things he might have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18).
It was done by God’s power (vv. 18–19). The Holy Spirit empowered Paul to minister, and enabled him to perform mighty signs and wonders. The miracles God gave Paul to do were “signs” in that they came from God and revealed Him to others. And they were “wonders” in that they aroused the wonder of the people. But their purpose was always to open the way for the preaching of the gospel. Miracles were given to authenticate the messenger and the message (Heb. 2:1–4). Miracles by themselves can never save the lost. When Paul healed the crippled man at Lystra (Acts 14), the immediate response was pagan: the people called Paul and Barnabas gods and tried to worship them! When Paul shared the gospel with them, they did not respond so enthusiastically. Finally, the people stoned Paul and left him for dead outside the city walls.
The Spirit of God empowered Paul to share the Word, and the purpose was to “make the Gentiles obedient” (Rom. 15:18). It was “by word and deed” that the apostle shared the good news.
We may not be able to perform miracles today, since this was a special apostolic gift. But “by word and deed” we can share the love of God with the lost around us. Changes in conduct and character are just as much miracles as the healing of the sick.
It was according to God’s plan (vv. 20–24). God had a special plan for Paul to follow: he was not to preach where any other apostle had ministered. (This is one evidence that Peter had not founded the churches at Rome, or had been to Rome, for this would have prevented Paul from going there.) “From Jerusalem and round about unto Illyricum” (Rom. 15:19) covers about fourteen thousand miles! When you consider the slowness of travel and the dangers involved (2 Cor. 11:26–27), you can appreciate the tremendous achievement of Paul’s missionary ministry. While it is not wrong to enter into another man’s labors (John 4:38), it is also good to have a pioneer ministry and take the gospel to new territory. Paul cited Isaiah 52: as the divine approval for this kind of ministry.
The vast area of opportunity in other parts of the empire kept Paul from visiting Rome sooner. He was not hindered from going to Rome by satanic opposition or physical obstacles, but by the challenge of completing his work right where he was. He was so faithful in his evangelistic outreach that he was able to say that he had no more places to minister in those parts. This did not mean that Paul personally witnessed to every person in that area, but that he took the gospel and left behind witnessing churches and Christians who would carry on the work. Paul finished one job before he started another one, a good example for our evangelistic ministry today.
Paul’s desire for many years had been to visit Rome and then move on to Spain, but there is no record that he ever did. Tradition says that he did go to Spain, and possibly to Britain, after he was released, but church tradition is not always to be trusted.