Romans 15:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation,

NIV: It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.

NASB: And in this way I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already known by name, so that I would not build on another person’s foundation;

CSB: My aim is to preach the gospel where Christ has not been named, so that I will not build on someone else's foundation,

NLT: My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.

KJV: Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:

NKJV: And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation,

There's nothing wrong with preaching the gospel of Christ in an area where it has already been preached. In fact, that preaching must continue. It's not feasible to put that message in front of every living person in a region all at once. People are born and move into and out of those areas all the time. Others need to hear the message more than once to fully understand it. Paul, though, grasped that staying to re-preach the good news was not his mission. God had given him a more specific work to do.

Ambition is a good thing when it is bent toward a good purpose. Paul's ambition was to preach the gospel only to what we call today "unreached peoples." His work was not to build on the work done by other preachers before him. His work was to break new ground, to bring the truth of God's grace to new ears.

This fits with what he wrote in the previous verse that he has fulfilled his ministry in a large number of places, introducing the gospel for the first time in many cities and regions. What an honor Paul was given: to introduce to so many people the news of the amazing opportunity to be made right with God through faith in Christ.

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.