Romans 15:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God — so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;

NIV: by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.

NASB: in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and all around as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

CSB: by the power of miraculous signs and wonders, and by the power of God’s Spirit. As a result, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum.

NLT: They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.

KJV: Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

NKJV: in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

In the previous verse, Paul wrote about what Christ had accomplished through him to bring non-Jewish peoples to obedience to God. Christ had done this by word and deed. Now Paul adds to that explanation. Christ did this work by the power of signs and wonders and by the power of the Spirit of God.

Paul is continuing to show that he cannot take the credit for the transformation that has begun among the Gentile people through faith in Christ. God used supernatural miracles to convince Paul's listeners that his words and deeds were genuinely of heaven. These miracles included evidence of the Holy Spirit's power, especially when groups of people believed in Christ and received the Spirit.

Paul understood that none of the results of his ministry were his doing, but also that he was the one who showed up with the message of God's grace for the Gentiles. That is still the case with ministry today. Believers obey God by showing up to serve in whatever way He has made available, and then He provides the power to do the work. He sends. We go. He accomplishes His purpose through us.

Paul describes his ministry to this point in time in geographical terms. His travels reached from Jerusalem, where he began, to Illyricum, also known as Dalmatia, a region north and west of Macedonia, including part of modern-day Croatia.

In saying that he has fulfilled his ministry of delivering the gospel of Christ to all these places, Paul does not mean that no work remains to be done there. More likely, he means that he did in each place exactly what Christ gave Him to do.

Romans 15:14–21 begins with Paul's assurance to the Roman Christians that, though he has been bold in instructing them, he knows that they are full of goodness and knowledge. His mission from God is to preach the gospel to the Gentiles who have never heard it before. He is proud of the work that Christ has accomplished through him in bringing Gentiles to faith in Christ. He knows Christ has done this through the power of miraculous signs and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15 begins with Paul's encouragement to those strong in faith: to please other Christians before themselves so the church can be unified. Christ came to fulfill God's promises to Israel and about the Gentiles. Paul is satisfied with the faith and practice of the Roman Christians. His work of taking the gospel to unreached regions of Gentiles in his part of the world is completed, and he longs to come see them. First, he must deliver financial aid to Jerusalem, a trip about which he asks them to pray along with him.

Romans 15 concludes Paul's teaching that those strong in faith ought to sacrifice their own desires to live in harmony with other believers. Paul shows that God always planned to welcome the Gentile nations, and his mission is to introduce Gentiles to the message of salvation by faith in Christ. He longs to visit the Christians in Rome and plans to do so as soon as he delivers financial aid to poor Christian Jews in Jerusalem. He begins Romans 16 by greeting many friends and acquaintances in Rome by name, as part of a drawn-out ending to this letter.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.