Romans

Romans

Chapter 15 (Continued)
{Missionary Activity - Gift of Evangelism Fully Explained}
17~~Therefore, in Christ Jesus
I {Paul} keep having and holding {echo}
'esprit de corps' {kauchesis}
{means to keep functioning under the Royal Family Honor Code}
in those things {doctrine - the Word of God}
'pertaining to'/'face to face with' the God.

{Note: Kauchesis is the word usually translated 'glorying' or 'boasting' in the KJV. Here it is used in the sense of one functioning under the Royal Family Honor Code along with other believers - it means to feel a comradery of other believers - to have an 'esprit de corps'.}

{Note: RBT says when you think of 'Mission activity' think of communication - the gospel to unbelievers and doctrine to believers where a local church does not exist. Next, under strategy think of God's strategy in locating areas of positive volition and leading missionaries to that area.}

18-19~~For I {Paul} will absolutely not {ouk}
presume/dare {tolmao}
{with doctrine in his soul it would be stupid for Paul to presume here
principal - a missionary must be free of pride and arrogance}
to speak/communicate {laleo} about anything 'except what'
{hos ouk - idiom literally 'what not'}
Christ has accomplished { katergazomai } through me
{principal - a missionary should concentrate on the Work of Christ
and avoid talking about his own 'accomplishments'}
resulting in the obedience { hupakoe} of the Gentiles
{Paul's 'mission field' was 'Gentiles wherever they could
be found'},
by word {logos}
{obediently teaching the Word correctly to the Gentiles here}
and by occupation/work {ergon}
{missionary being obedient to the profession of 'missionary' -
professionalism objectively treating indigents with respect and just
giving them the facts and NOT arguing points between themselves
- hindering the natives} 19~~
by the power {dunamis} of signs
{for the Jews who are constantly looking for signs of the Messiah}
and miracles
{for the Gentiles who are impressed with miracles - their use was to
get the attention of Gentiles so they would hear the gospel},
in the power of the Spirit of God.
So that, out from Jerusalem
I {Paul} 'on a circuit as far' as Illyricum
{Paul in his first three missionary journeys}
I have fulfilled {pleroo}
the 'good news'/gospel {euaggelion} of Christ.

{Note: The meaning of tolmao depends on whether the one has courage or is stupid. If he has courage, it means to dare. If he is stupid, it means to presume.}

{Paul States Biblical Missionary Policy}
20-21~~In fact, 'in this way'/'in my standard operating procedure':
I {Paul} 'consider it a point of honor' {philotimeomai}
{all missionary effort should be under the Royal Family Honor Code
faith in Christ, freedom, privacy, rebound - I John 1:9
consistently, daily intake of doctrine, impersonal love, relaxed
mental attitude, flexibility in 'non-essentials' (natives lack of
clothes, polygamy, drinking on and on) which are side issues
and not the real issue of 'faith in Christ'}
to 'proclaim the gospel'/preach {euaggelizo}
absolutely not {ouk}
where Christ has been named/mentioned {onomazo}
{meaning Paul says missionaries are to go where Christ is not
currently taught},
in order that I might not build {oikodomeo}
on another of the same kind of person's {allotrios} foundation
{stepping on the toes of another missionary in this case
- a missionary ethic}, 21~~
'not only this {honor code application} but' {alla}
just as it was 'written in the past
with results that last forever' {Isaiah 52:15},
"They {the gentiles} shall see,
that is to those whom it was absolutely not announced/reported
concerning Him {Jesus Christ - missionary teaching Christ}
and they {the Gentiles} who have not heard
shall comprehend/understand."

{Note: Paul is quoting an example from Isaiah 52:15. Even at the end of the Tribulation, there will always be unbelievers - even after extensive missionary activity. So, in this prophetic verse from Isaiah, here are unbelievers who will see and hear Him for themselves.}

{Verses 22-24: Timing of the Ministry}
22-24~~For this reason/cause also {a self-evident inference}
I {Paul} have been hindered/detained {by the Will of God}
many times from coming face to face with you {the Roman believers}
{a missionary must be in the Geographical Will of God -
God knows where the positive volition is heavy}; 23~~
but now, no longer having a place {of ministry}in these region
and having a desire to come to you for many years 24~~
whenever I {Paul} go to/'in the direction of' Spain . . .
(for I expect to see you in passing through
and by you be assisted to that place {Spain} . . .
if first I {Paul} am satisfied with you in part
{Paul would never be entirely satisfied with ALL the people
in ALL the churches in Rome - (from the next chapter, we will
see there were at least 3 churches in Rome at this time)}
- maybe I will be, maybe I will not be -
{ean followed by the subjunctive mood = 3rd class conditional
clause - as the Apostle, Paul will determine their spiritual
progress is adequate before he moves on to Spain}).

{SideNote: In Greek syntax, 'indefinite' is not what we would think it would be. It is very definite. But it identifies a category instead of the specific items in that category. When items are mentioned specifically, that is 'definite'. Next, 'I will come to you' is in the KJV but is not in the best manuscripts of the original.}

{Note: In 63-64 AD, Paul has been in prison waiting for a trial before Nero. He apparently is acquitted and then released by Nero. Paul wants to go to Spain, but apparently in his 4 years in prison, the Roman Church has deteriorated to the point it can not send him. So, he goes East before going West. Principal: sometimes you have to go backward to go forward. Next, in 64 AD Nero burns Rome and blames the Christians. So Rome is too 'hot' for Paul and he bypasses Rome on his 4th Missionary journey to Spain. On this journey, he is arrested by Nero and found guilty and executed by Nero. Nero is then assassinated just a few days later. The events could very well be related.}

{Verses 25-27: Beginning of Paul's Trip down into Reversionism - Paul's Planned Reversionism}
{Paul's Emotional Aberration and Rationalization for Action}
25~~But now
{nuni de - indicates a change in pace. Indicates Paul's change for
the worse. from other passages in Acts etc. we know that this is
the contrast between Paul's emotional desires and God's will for
his life}
I {Paul} am going/traveling {poreuomai} to Jerusalem
to minister {diakoneo}
to the saints/'ones set-apart to God' {hagios}.

{Note: Hagios means something special set apart from everything else. When addressing Church Age believers, it means 'those who are set-apart to God' and is usually translated 'saints' in the KJV. This was not a special high class of 'believer' - this was the term used for ALL believers in the Church Age.}

{Note: Paul will be warned twice by God the Holy Spirit that it is NOT God's will for him to go to Jerusalem (see Acts 21:4-9 and Acts 21:10-13). Yet, Paul longs to see his beloved city and goes anyway. He sees this as his opportunity to BUY his way into the good graces of the believers in Jerusalem who he had murdered their families before his conversion. So, this is what Paul wants to do, not what God wants him to do. Once in Jerusalem, Paul will be persuaded to enter the temple and make a vow to God which is contrary to doctrine AFTER the cross (see Acts 21:14 and following). So, Paul ends up in prison for 4 years. Then along the way, Paul rebounds and writes the 4 prison epistles - Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians - which are just filled with Church Age doctrine - so God turned Paul's cursing into all of our great blessing forever.}

{Paul's Additional Rationalization of His Actions}
26~~For Macedonia
{Roman province of Northern Greece including Thessalonica and
Philippi}
and Achaia
{Roman province of Southern Greece including Athens and more
importantly Corinth}
have decided with pleasure {eudokeo}
to make a special/certain offering
{Principal: the ONLY way to give is 'with pleasure' if you give
begrudgingly - don't}
for the poor/destitute ones
among the saints/'ones set-apart to God' {hagios} in Jerusalem.

{Note: The saints of Jerusalem are in a hard way probably because they are being disciplined by God for their 'legalistic' desire to stay with Jewish Age ritual. So, even the 'not destitute' saints in Jerusalem can not care for their own poor brethren. They have given to these Greek peoples the 'gift' of men of doctrine like Paul (see next verse). So here, in return, is a freely given gift of money to the poor saints in Jerusalem - though this is not a tit for tat situation - both were freely given gifts without strings attached.}

{Paul's Administrative Distraction}
27~~For/Yes, they have decided with pleasure to do this
{to take up a special collection for the destitute believers in
Jerusalem},
in fact, they are/'keep on being' indebted/obligated {opheiletes}
to them {the Jerusalem saints/'ones set-apart to God'}.
For you see,
if the Gentiles have shared
in their {Jewish believers} spiritual things {pneumatikos}
- and they have {1st class conditional if} -
they are obligated also to minister {leitourgeo}
to them in material things
{idiom: sarkikos literally the 'fleshly things' but it means material
things of this world as opposed to spiritual things that were given
to them by men like Paul}.

{Good Strategy but Bad Tactics on Paul's Part}
28~~Therefore {oun - an inference from what came before}
after I have accomplished/completed this
{mission of Christian charity from the Gentile believers
to their Jewish believing destitute brethren in Jerusalem}
and have myself 'safely delivered this bounty to them'/
'sealed/certified this production to them'
{Idiom: sphragizo . . . karpos: 'sealed for them this fruit/
production' 'sealing was the means of certifying an activity was
done correctly - so Paul is saying he will accompany the offering
to be sure it is delivered safely - problem is God wanted Paul in
Spain},
I {Paul} will go to Spain
by means of you.

29~~Now, I {Paul} know
that when I come face to face with you {Roman believers}
I will come in the "fullness/'full measure' {pleroma}
of blessing from the source of Christ".

{Note: KJV adds 'the gospel of' and that is not in the original and is misleading. Paul is not saying he is coming to evangelize them (though evangelism is always part of his service to the Lord). The 'fullness of Christ's blessing here means that Paul knows more doctrine than any other man ever born (the humanity of the Lord excepted). This was supported by Peter's dying comments in II Peter Chapter 3. The fullness means the high spiritual maturity of Paul will be passed on to the Romans when he comes. As we now know in looking back, this 'fullness' was the wonderful doctrine of the four Prison epistles.}

{Verses 30-32: Another Honor Code Application - Prayer}
{Principal of Prayer}
30~~Now {de - same subject just transition in that subject}
I {Paul} encourage/urge {parakaleo} you,
{a request NOT a command - you can not command a person to
pray for you - prayer must come from their own volition}
brethren, 'by means of' our Lord Jesus Christ
{as our High Priest forever, all prayer is addressed to the Father
and is transmitted through/'by means of' the Son}
and through the agape/love from/'generated by' the Spirit
{all prayer is delivered to the Father, through the Son, and by
means of the power of God the Holy Spirit; also all prayer needs
to be generated under the principal of agape type love -
impersonal love - based on who and what YOU are, not the
characteristics of the object of your love this is a direct appeal to
use the impersonal love of the Honor Code of the Royal Family of
God},
that you 'join me in a team effort'
{sunagonizomai - team effort word - to compete together in
athletics or the esprit de corps of fellow soldiers in battle - prayer
is a team effort in fulfilling the will of God}
in your prayer 'face to face with'/to the God
{all prayer from a Priest is face to face with God}
on behalf of me.

{Note: Para means beside and kaleo means to provide aid. So Parakaleo means to come to summon to one's side to give support - and has come to mean to give encouragement.}

{Verse 31: An incorrect Prayer by Paul Talking Himself into Going Against the Will of God for Him}
31~~{Pray} for the result that
{hina - here used for a semi-final purpose clause}
I {Paul} may be delivered
{in Acts 21 Paul was lucidly warned NOT to go to Jerusalem but he
wanted to go, rationalized his actions, and went outside the will of
God - Paul should have gone straight to Rome}
from those who are disobedient {apeitheo} in Judea
{apeitheo - here includes unbelievers and those believers who are
negative to bible teaching particularly to Church Age doctrine -
the mystery that was revealed primarily to Paul. Paul has zealous
Jews who want to kill him and is opposed by legalistic Christians
who say Paul is wrong about the principal of grace - they say you
must observe the Sabbath, not eat pork on and on}
and that my ministry {diakonia} to Jerusalem
might become acceptable {euprosdektos}
to the saints/'ones set-apart to God' {hagios}
{in the Sanhedrin Counsel Paul was a great leader of the group
who murdered Christians so great was his own religious sponsored
legalism that he was the most zealous of killing Christians - and
was the greatest sinner of all times. Paul wants to personally
deliver the great Gentile money offering to the starving Jerusalem
Christians so they will 'accept' him to 'buy' his way back into their
favor - wrong, wrong, wrong!}.

{Note: The first principal here is that when someone says 'pray for me' and then goes on to tell you what to pray on their behalf, they are most likely trying to have their will be done, irrespective of God's will for them. Prayers that go against God's will for someone are in error and out of line. Prayer is like artillery support for advancing infantry. To pray for something outside the will of God, is like sending a barrage of artillery to the wrong location. It will not help the infantry and is ineffective.}

{Verse 32: A Correct Prayer}
32~~{Pray} for the result that
{hina - here used the second time for a final purpose clause}
when I {Paul}come 'face to face with'/to you
in happiness {chara - sharing the happiness of God with others}
'by means of'/'from the source of' the will of God
{happiness and the will of God always go together};
also/'that I also myself'
might find 'rest and refreshment'
{sunanapauomai - literally 'to rest with' used for finding rest and
refreshment they are refreshed by his teaching of doctrine and
they will exercise hospitality each has something to give to the
other}
with you {the Roman believers}.

{Note: This is a correct prayer. This one makes cognizant the fact that Paul's movements MUST keep him in the geographic will of God! All prayers need to line up with the will of God or will not be answered. How do Church Age believers in the post-canon period know what the will of God is? His will is in written form. Study His Word and you will come to understand His will for you.}

{Statement Regarding the Honor Code Objective}
33~~Now {de} {may} the God
"the possessor of prosperity/'inner peace' " {eirene}
{dative of possession} . . . {be/'keep on being'}
with all of you.
Amen/'I believe it'.

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