14. Indebted and Devoted | Part 1
Sunday Morning Sermon
January 24, 2021
“Indebted and Devoted” (Part I)
Romans 1:13-15
Pastor Marc Brashear
Our sermon title this morning, “Indebted and Devoted,” Romans chapter 1, verses 13 through 15. If you’re just joining us this morning, and some of you are. If you’ve been with us here for a little while and you know that we are working, currently working verse-by-verse through the prologue of Paul’s epistle to the church at Rome. So, we began in the prologue with the greeting, verse 1 through 7. We’re now considering the general introduction to the letter that we find in verses 8 through 13. And in the prologue, we’ll conclude with a statement of Paul’s theme, the theme of this letter in verses 16 and 17.
Now. we’ve been taking our time working our way through this introduction, because virtually every thought, virtually every word, every clause, every phrase is loaded, packed with theological significance. But what’s also really helpful – and I’m sure you’ve noticed that as we’ve worked through the letter already – what’s also really helpful, exceedingly instructive, very corrective, convicting, encouraging, compelling is the heart and mind worldview perspective of the Apostle Paul expressed in those words, and clauses, and phrases. Paul’s heart, the example of Paul as he lives and serves in accord with the realities that are expressed by the truth of that theology. The life of Paul is consistent with the content of his faith. We can all see that on the pages of Scripture. Our lives must be consistent with what we know the Bible to teach. Our lives should be consistent with the content of our faith. And we see a deep and abiding love for and devotion to the object of his faith who is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters, we must strive to live consistently with what we say we believe. We must strive to live consistently with the faith that we confess. ‘Growing up in all things into Him who is our Head— Jesus Christ.’ And I think its good for us in this letter to this church at Rome to take instruction from the Apostle Paul, to follow Paul’s example who calls us to imitate him as he imitates Christ.
So, as much as the really good theology in the letter to this church at Rome, it’s the heart and mind of Paul – the worldview, the perspective of Paul – that’s also displayed, on display in these opening verses of the introduction. Certainly, in these last two sermons we’ve seen that as we considered Paul’s priority of prayer, and certainly this morning we’ll see that as we briefly consider Paul’s understanding of his own responsibilities in ministry.
Paul is a man who has been radically transformed by the grace of God – radically transformed. That transformation applied by the Spirit of God through the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And heart, mind, will, and strength now, Paul is a new creation in Christ. He thinks like a new creation. He believes like a new creation. Enabled by the Spirit, Paul lives and acts, breathes if you will, serves and loves like a new creation in Christ. If you could, imagine with me for a moment, and work backward, if you will, through the ink that is on the page, up through the quill, so to speak, into the hand of Paul, up his arm into the heart and up into the mind –well, you’d find yourself in the mind of Tertius for starters, the amanuensis who wrote this letter (I’m sure he’s a faithful brother) but if you could jump from Tertius to Paul, you would find a man given heart, soul, mind, and strength, given up to that which matters most in life. A man compelled, constrained to that which is most important: the will of God in the cause of Jesus Christ.
Serving the Lord wasn’t an addendum to the life of Paul, it was his life. Do you see? Everything else – Paul would agree with Solomon – everything else is vanity. Everything else is grasping for the wind.
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king of Jerusalem.
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?
One generation passes away, and another generation comes; –
What lasting good is there? “Vanity,” Solomon would say, “Grasping for the wind.” “You know, we’ve raised some good kids.” Well, what eternal good did you do them if you did not point them constantly to the Lord Jesus Christ for their eternal soul’s sake. What good? Vanity!
“He was a hard worker. He made it all the way up to Vice President of the company.” What eternal good did it do him if he perished in his sin?! We’re dealing with eternal truths.
Your family is planning your funeral and they can’t decide if you’d rather have “Roll Tide” or “Make America Great Again” on your headstone. That’s a problem! It’s all vanity!! Vanity! Grasping for the wind! Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to work hard. It’s good to raise your kids. But what ultimate good it is if you do not glorify God by working heartily as to the Lord and not to men. What good is it? What good is it? You serve the Lord Christ. It’s good to raise obedient and respectful children, but what ultimate good is it if you do not raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? Brothers and sisters, we are debtors. We are under obligation, and it is a good obligation.
There are two ways to live. One of them amounts to nothing. One of them amounts to vanity. One of them amounts to grasping for the wind. The other amounts to living for the Lord Jesus Christ. ‘There is no more remembrance,’ Solomon says, ‘of the wise man and of the fool forever.’ The same event happens to them both. Do you see that? That’s the lesson of Ecclesiastes. Rich, poor, wise, unwise, educated, uneducated, cultured, uncultured, this ethnicity, that ethnicity – come on! – the same event happens to them all. That’s the lesson of Solomon, right? Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.
And by the grace of God and entirely by the grace of God, you can see the example of the Apostle Paul, he was a man that understood these things. He was a single-minded man. Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, separated, consecrated, devoted to the Gospel of God. Verse 14: I am a debtor (a debtor now) both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. Ready, eager, determined, resolved to preach the Gospel to those who are in Rome also.
You wouldn’t have to think for a second about what was most important to the Apostle Paul. Little doubt what Paul would want on his headstone. He saw the whole of his life indebted to Jesus Christ and devoted to His cause. Indebted and devoted. That’s the only way to approach this life – the only way to approach this life! That’s where true and lasting peace, and love, and joy, and hope, commitment, security, eternal blessedness – that’s where that comes from. –all (else) is vanity, and grasping for the wind.
I want to show you that from Paul’s example in our text, Romans chapter 1, verses 13 through 15. I’ve planned to do that. I’ve planned to talk about this under five headings. Paul considers himself a debtor, a man under obligation, so we’ll consider five headings. 1) Paul’s Sense of Obligation, 2) The Scope of Paul’s Obligation, 3) The Substance of His Obligation, 4) The Spirit of His Obligation, and 5) Paul’s Submission Under Obligation. You guys were talking about my alliteration earlier this week, I did not want to let you down. (laughing) So, there you have it. The Sense, Scope, Substance, Spirit, Submission in relation to Paul’s obligation.
You see these various concepts woven throughout the text. And all of these concepts overlap. We’ll see that also as we work through these verses.
1) The Sense of Paul’s Obligation
Now let’s begin together with Paul’s sense of obligation. Paul’s sense of obligation. And we see that by looking first at verse 14. We’ll come back to verse 13 as we understand this truth. Verse 14: I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. Paul says, “I am a debtor.” Paul has a sense of obligation. Now, we’re used to thinking of that word “debtor” as a financial term. Being a debtor or being in debt to someone typically means that you owe them money. However, thought of more fully, or in a more full semantic range of the word, this word also includes someone who is under a sense of obligation. It includes someone who is under obligation. The person is bound, obligated to the payment of some price and so they are expected to pay it, they are obligate to some course of action, and so they are duty bound to perform it. Paul says, “I am a debtor.” He is under obligation.
Now, there are essentially two ways in which you might be indebted to someone. 1) I borrow something from you, and because I’ve borrowed it from you now, I’m expected to give it back to you. I have become obligated to you. I am a debtor to you. What I’ve borrow from you, I’m to give it back to you. And there’s another sense in which someone might be indebted to someone else and that’s this: 2) Someone else gives me something that I am then expected to give to you. Do you see? If I accept that charge then I am indebted to you to give you what I have committed to give to you. I owe you something.
Incidentally, what would it be if I withheld that which I was to give to you? It would be stealing. Someone gave me a five-dollar bill to give to you, and I took the five-dollar bill and slipped it in my pocket, I’d be stealing from you, wouldn’t I? Okay.
Paul’s sense of obligation involves this second form of indebtedness. Paul’s been given a charge. The Lord Jesus Christ has entrusted Paul with a stewardship. There’s a word that’s used from Paul to Timothy, it’s called a “deposit.” He’s been entrusted with a deposit and Paul is duty-bound, he is obligated to give it. Paul would say that: necessity is laid upon me. He’s under obligation – necessity is laid upon me. Paul is a debtor.
Now, this form of indebtedness carries with it, really a two-fold sense of responsibility. One, we’ll call “legal,” the other we’ll call “moral.” These two senses of responsibility associated with this indebtedness overlap. We’ll see this as we work through this. The obligation that Paul has is far more than moral and far more than legal. But, we’ll see these two senses of Paul’s obligation as we work though some examples. Let me give you an example of each of those.
First, let’s consider an example of Paul’s indebtedness and how that indebtedness involves a legal responsibility. Turn with me to Genesis chapter 24. There is a sense in which Paul is legally indebted to give what Paul is obligated by the Lord to give. There is a legal responsibility associated with that. We’ll see an example of this in Genesis chapter 24, just to give us food for thought here. Genesis chapter 24, beginning in verse 1.
Now, in Genesis chapter 24, Abraham has just buried his wife Sarah. Now he turns his attention to finding a wife for his son Isaac. One generation passes away and another comes. Do you see? One generation passes away and another generation comes, however, in Abraham’s pursuit here, there’s no vanity, no grasping for the wind here. Abraham is about the cause of God in finding a bride now for his son Isaac. That’s the concern of Abraham. No empty endeavor. This is not going to be some worthless, self-serving vanity. Abraham is seeking to honor the Lord and Isaac is the son of promise. And this will not only preserve Abraham’s seed, but will also preserve the covenant. Abraham, in this work, is working for the Lord. Do you see?
Verse 1: Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, (that would have been Eliezer is the servant’s name) “Please, put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
So Abraham then – think with me now – Abraham places an obligation upon his servant, likely Eliezer of Damascus who was head over Abraham’s household. And his hand under Abraham’s thigh in one sense is a sign of submission, a submission to authority; in another sense – and you can think about this on your own – Abraham is essentially asking him to swear an oath by Abraham’s descendants (and we can talk about that another time, if you have questions about that you can come see me) – Eliezer then is now a man legally indebted to Abraham. Do you see that? He has sworn an oath. He is legally indebted to Abraham.
Verse 5: And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?” But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there. The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.”
You see how Abraham is laboring to keep faithfulness to the covenant. He knows what God has promised, and Abraham is going to be faithful in his part to keep this charge of God. He believes the promise of God. Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. So he believes God. He’s got his faith where it belongs. Verse 9: So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.
You can see in this, can’t you? – an example of the second form of indebtedness. Abraham indebts Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac his son. And both Abraham and Eliezer are indebted to God. Okay? Eliezer now has a legal responsibility. He’s taken an oath.
I love this story. And I love this story for many reasons. It’s a beautiful story in the Old Testament, a beautiful account. But, I love this story primary for the picture that this paints of the Gospel. You know Abraham and Isaac. Abraham has pictured God the Father, hasn’t he? – in taking Isaac, his only son up the mountain. He’s about to sacrifice his only son to God, and God stays his hand graciously. He finds a ram caught in a thicket. Abraham pictured God the Father when He took His own Son up the mountain to offer up Isaac in sacrifice to the Lord. Isaac there, we know, is a picture of Jesus Christ. He pictures the only begotten Son of God when God would not stay His hand, but would crush His own Son for the sins of His people; to redeem His people. This is a picture of the grace and mercy of God in the Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself a ransom for sinners. And we see this as a picture of the Promise.
Eliezer now is tasked – think with me – of going back into Gentile lands, going back to the Gentiles, so to speak, to find a bride for the Son of Promise. He’s going to find a bride for the Seed – for the Seed of Abraham, for the Son of Promise. And Eliezer prays then that he may find favor in his mission for the sake of his master. It’s beautiful! It’s a beautiful picture of the Gospel.
You and I, brothers and sisters, when we go out, we can go out in faith. We’re sent out to gather, as it were, through the Gospel the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ. And you and I can pray to God also and pray that we find favor with our Master in those we speak to.
Now first, the one who is a debtor then, we see an example of Abraham and Eliezer. The one who is a debtor has a legal responsibility. He is bound to fulfill it. But second, the one who is a debtor also has a moral responsibility. Let me give you an example of that. Turn with me to 2 Kings chapter 7, and look there beginning in verse 1. The one who is a debtor, the one who is under obligation certainly has a legal obligation to perform it. We see that in the oath of Eliezer. We see that in the apostleship of the Apostle Paul. He’s been called to that ministry. He’s been charged. He’s been entrusted with the Gospel. But, the one who is a debtor, the one under obligation also has a moral responsibility. These overlap, but consider with me this one aspect of this moral responsibility. 2 Kings chapter 7, verse 1. In 2 Kings 7, Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria has gathered together his army and is now laying siege to Samaria. Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom. When the two kingdoms of Israel split, they set up Samaria in the north as the capital. Ben-Hadad, King of Syria is now laying siege to the capital, Samaria.
Due to the siege, a famine ensues, and a severe famine. They are selling donkey heads for silver. They’re selling dove dung for food. Women are literally boiling and eating their children. You see that in the text. And in the midst of this tragedy, in the midst of this devastation Elisha prophesies the Lord’s deliverance of His people. Look at verse 1:
Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.’” (They were selling the dove dung for more than that. Do you see? And by this time tomorrow, this miracle is going to take place.) So (verse 2) an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, “Look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven (In other words, if the Lord would rain down food like manna), could this thing be?” And he (Elisha) said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”
Now, when the Lord fulfills His promise here – and the Lord always fulfills His promises – this man is trampled in the city gates. It shows you how God feels about faithlessness or unbelief. The sin of unbelief is a serious sin. This man is judged by God for his unbelief. It is a sin that is despised by God. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. Alright?
Verse 3: Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate (outcasts); and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.” Which is what we were going to do anyway.
Verse 5. So, with this thought in their heads: they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!” That madness, planted. The Lord was doing a work here. The Lord can do that.
Verse 7: Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives. And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it. It’s a great treasure. Do you see? A great treasure. They found a great treasure that has spared their lives.
So, when you read this account – consider this account – what do these men, do you think have a moral responsibility to do? What do they have a moral responsibility to do? Their countrymen are in Samaria starving to death, eating their children. What do they have a moral responsibility to do? They have a moral responsibility to go back and tell them. Do you see? Due their circumstances, they are debtors. They’re under obligation. A child falls in the pool. What do you have an obligation to do? Jump in and save the child.
Someone’s in danger! What do you have a moral obligation to do? You have a moral obligation to warn them. Do you see? This is all in keeping with the 6th Commandment to preserve life. The positive precepts associated with the 6th Commandment. You‘re not to murder, but it means a great deal more than simply physical murder. The Lord says that to us in the Sermon on the Mount. We are to preserve life. They have a moral responsibility now.
So now, verse 9: Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, (I love the picture that this portrays of our responsibilities with the Gospel.) We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. (May it never be brothers and sisters. May it never be.) If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.” So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, “We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human sound—only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact.” And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the king’s household inside.
You can see, can’t you, the weight of that moral responsibility? In the case of Eliezer, you can see, can’t you, the weight of his legal responsibility? In Paul’s sense of obligation there is this two-fold responsibility – and more that we’ll talk about – this two-fold sense of responsibility involving a legal responsibility and a moral responsibility.
You can see he weight of that in Paul’s sense of obligation as he talks to the elders from the church of Ephesus in Acts chapter 20, verse 25. Listen to these words: Acts chapter 20, verse 25. Paul says this to the elders from the church at Ephesus: indeed (Paul says), now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more (Paul is about to leave, to depart them. They’ll never see him again. Therefore, verse 26, these are parting words.) I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. (Paul had a sense of blood guiltiness if he failed in his obligation to preach the Gospel, to preach the Word of God, the whole counsel of the Word of God to that church in Ephesus. Do you see? There was a blood guiltiness associated with this, a legal and a moral responsibility.) I am innocent of the blood of all men. (Paul says, verse 47) For (because] I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
Can you see? Paul senses a legal and a moral obligation to declare to them the whole Word of God. Where does this concept come from? – this concept of legal responsibility on the mind of Paul here as he speaks to these elders? Where did he get this concept of blood-guilt associated with his preaching to this church at Ephesus? It comes from the example of the prophet Ezekiel. In Ezekiel chapter 33, Ezekiel 3 and in 33, the Lord says to Ezekiel, listen, verse 7:
“So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. (What kind of indebtedness is that? It’s the second form of indebtedness. God charges Ezekiel to warn the House of Israel. Verse 8. What is the content of that warning?) When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you (Ezekiel, the one whom I’ve charged, the one upon whom I have laid this obligation; if you) do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. (There is a legal responsibility, a moral responsibility laid upon the prophet Ezekiel to enact his charge in preaching and warning the people of Israel.) Nevertheless (verse 9) if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
That thought, that concept of blood guiltiness, that legal responsibility is in the heart and mind of the Apostle Paul as he speaks to those elders from Ephesus and says to them, “I am innocent of the blood of all men (because) I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Do you see? This is Paul’s sense of obligation. That’s what we’re developing right now, at this point in the text. Paul says, “I am a debtor.” And when Paul says “I am a debtor” it is loaded with this kind of weight and significance. Paul has a moral responsibility. Paul has a legal responsibility. A charge has been committed to his trust and Paul is bound, duty bound to perform that for the sake of God, for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the sake of his own soul, for the good of those people. Paul is bound to do his obligation.
You see these examples. Paul’s sense of obligation not only involves a legal component, but a moral component as well. Paul is the debtor and he knows it’s the right thing to do. He knows it’s the right thing to do. Let me give you an example of these things woven together. Turn with me quickly to 1 Corinthians chapter 9. These things communicated – through the pen of Paul they’re communicating the heart and mind perspective of Paul. And it’s important for us to see this because we need to share the mind of Christ. We need to imitate Paul a he imitates Christ. We need to have this mindset.
1 Corinthians chapter 9, look at verse 16. Paul says, listen: For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, (why?) for (because) necessity is laid upon me; (I’m a man under obligation. I am a debtor. Paul can claim no particular credit for his preaching. He’s a man under obligation. Necessity is pressed upon him. Paul is compelled, constrained to preach the Gospel. He has responsibility, both legal and moral to perform this work. Failing to execute his charge is a sin against God. Failing to be obedient to the command of the Lord Jesus Christ in this work is sin against God.) yes, (Paul says, verse 16) woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!
Verse 17: For if I do this willingly, (Now, what that means there is “voluntarily.” If I do this by choice, if I do this voluntarily, if I had initiated this course, so to speak, Paul says) I have a reward; (Meaning that if Paul had merely chosen to have done this of his own volition, then he might expect to receive some payment, some reward, some wages for his efforts.) but if against my will, (and that is a euphemistic way of saying Paul acknowledges that he is a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. If I’m doing this duty bound, under obligation to the Lord Jesus Christ as a blood-bought slave of my Master – against my will, so to speak – I’m doing this as a slave of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, separated to the Gospel of God, if I’ve been compelled into this service, then I am only doing that which is my duty to do. And) I have been entrusted with (an οἰκονομία “oikonomía) a stewardship – a duty.
Paul is saying here, I have been placed under obligation. In other words, Paul can do no boasting. There is no boasting in this. He can claim no reward. Paul is only and merely doing that which Paul has been commissioned to do. He’s a man under obligation. Paul is a debtor.
Luke chapter 17, verse 10. Jesus says: So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’” And this text, that’s the mind, if you will, of the Apostle Paul.
Paul, under such a legal and moral responsibility chooses then not to receive pay for his work in the Gospel, as Paul would assert earlier, that it is his right to do. And that, not receiving pay for preaching the Gospel, is then his boast. Look at verse 18: What is my reward then? (What is the reward that I get from this?) That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel. In other words, there is such a profound sense of obligation that for the sake of fulfilling it entirely unhindered, Paul’s reward is to refuse pay for his work. He considers it a reward to be free to refuse pay for his work. Obligating him to no one and freeing him to preach to all. It’s a fruit of Paul’s sense of obligation.
Verse 19. Obligating him to no one, freeing him to preach to all, he says in verse 19: For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.
Such a profound sense of obligation. Such a profound sense of obligation that Paul equates fulfilling his obligation with being a partaker of it with you – verse 23. Do you see that? This sense of obligation, brothers and sisters, must be laid upon us as well. Paul is a debtor, driven by a sense of obligation.
2) The Scope of Paul’s Obligation
Notice here also, how Paul then views the scope of his obligation. The scope of his obligation. Paul obviously sees his obligation, his indebtedness now extending to every human being. In verse 19: I am free from all men, (but) I have made myself a servant to all...I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, (as those who are) under the law...those who are without law, as without law...that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And he does that for the Gospel’s sake.
Paul communicates that same scope of obligation in Romans chapter 1, verse 14, where he says: I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. Paul carries with him this sense of obligation to all men. These two contrasting phrases in verse 14 is another way of communicating opposite ends of the spectrum, and including everyone in the middle between the two. Paul is essentially saying, “I’m a debtor to all men.”
Paul then categorizes all men into these particular pairings that we see in verse 14. In the first pairing you see Greeks and barbarians. Greeks, representing those within the cultured boundaries, if you will, of the Roman Empire. Rome had conquered the Greek empire, but it was Greek culture that prevailed in the Roman Empire. So, they were called “Greeks.” There was a sense in which Greek culture prevailed. And Greek, of course, was the predominate language in the empire. Greek was the predominate culture in the empire. And many would have considered Greek culture to be associated with the wise, or the educated, or the learned, or the blessed. We may hear someone today to refer to Western Civilization in the same way; in the West, or Western Civilization.
Barbarians. Barbarians represented everyone else. Those outside the Roman Empire. Those not privileged to be included within the boundaries of Greek culture. They were the βάρβαρος (bárbaros) or the βάρβαροι (bárbaroi). The New King James translates this word “natives,” or “foreigners” or “aliens.” In Acts chapter 28, verse 2, when Paul’s ship ran aground on Malta, the natives there, the bárbaroi showed Paul kindness when he was shipwrecked. These would be speakers of other languages. These would be uneducated, unwise in the eyes of those who were Greeks.
And then in the second pairing, closely related, Paul refers to the wise and then to the unwise. In this case, not based on geographic, or cultural, or ethnic concerns. Paul is speaking of what one commentator called attainments. The learned and the unlearned. The privileged and the under privileged. The advantaged and the disadvantaged. For example, Jesus would speak with a ruler of the Jews, thee teacher of Israel in John chapter 3, and then a poor, outcast woman of Samaria at the well in John chapter 4. Greeks and barbarians, wise and unwise, and everything in between.
Paul would preach to the intellectual elites on Mars Hill in Acts chapter 17, and then called them to turn from their ignorance to Christ, their ignorance of the living God to repentance and faith in the same chapter. Philosophers, thinkers, scientists, academic elites, just as ignorant of divine truth as the most uncultured, and unlearned, uneducated bárbaros. Do you see? And that, brothers and sisters, was you and I before Christ.
If you are here today and you’ve never turned from your sin to put faith in Jesus Christ, you are no better than the most uneducated, and you are certainly no better than the most educated philosophers, presidents, rulers, kings, uneducated, thinkers, scientists, academics, and nobodies like us; all equally in need of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. All just as ignorant of divine truth. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the (things that are) wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.
Greek and barbarian, wise and unwise, everyone in between. Solomon says the same event happens to them all. The same event happens to them all. What lasting good has all your learning accomplished if you don’t know Jesus Christ? What lasting good have all your advantages provided you if you do not spend them out in service to the Lord Jesus Christ? It’s all vanity, grasping for the wind otherwise.
This verse, verse 14 essentially says that God is no respecter of persons – no respecter of persons. All are equally needy and desperate apart from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ – wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked. So, what do these contrasting groups then have in common? They share a common need. They have a common need. They also share a common identity. The words that Paul uses here equally refer ordinarily to Gentiles. And Paul is said to be the apostle to the Gentiles.
Romans chapter 11, verse 13, Paul explains that he has been called as an apostle to the Gentiles.
Acts chapter 26, verse 17: Jesus Christ commissioned Paul and sends him to the Gentiles, to the nations. But notice, the scope of Paul’s obligation doesn’t end with Greeks and barbarians, wise and unwise, or lost Gentiles. Look at verse 15. Paul’s scope of obligation includes the church at Rome. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. In other words, Paul is obligated by the Lord to feed His sheep, to tend His flock. And we need to be constantly reminded of the glorious truths of our redemption, don’t we? We’ll talk in a moment about why that is important. We need to remember, to meditate on, to learn, to understand, to apprehend the great truths of our redemption. We need to be meditating on the Gospel. The preaching of the Gospel is a universal and perpetual need.
3) The Substance of Paul Obligation
So, we see Paul’s sense of obligation. We see the scope of Paul’s obligation. Well, what was then the substance of Paul’s obligation? – and I’ve given it away already. What was the substance of Paul’s obligation? What has Paul been given? What has been entrusted or committed to his trust, to his charge that Paul is now obligated to give to the nations? What is it? It’s the preaching of the Gospel – the preaching of the Gospel. Verse 15: So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
1 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 4. This lets you into the heart and mind of Paul as he considers his charge. Listen: But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, (necessity has been laid upon him, he’s a man under obligation – as much) as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but (pleasing) God who tests our hearts. For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.
Paul was entrusted with the Gospel. That was the substance of his obligation. An immeasurable treasure deposited with earthen vessels. Paul would later say that in 2 Corinthians. Salvation. We’re talking about eternal life, the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, adoption into His household. We are now sons and heirs. If heirs, joint-heirs with Christ, partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. And we have a treasure laid up for us in heaven, do we not? This is a glorious, profound, almost unimaginable riches, treasure. The reason that we believe it is because it is revealed to us in the Word of God and laid upon our heart by the Spirit of God as we consider it. It’s that which fueled and motivated Paul’s sense of obligation.
Paul did sense a legal responsibility in his preaching of the Gospel, and brothers and sisters, that’s true of us. We have a responsibility to preach the Gospel. The command has been given. Obligation has been laid upon us. We are under obligation. You and I know – you know as well as I do, we have a moral responsibility to preach the Gospel! It’s not right that we should sit inside this tent, so to speak, and enjoy the riches and the treasures, and the silver and the gold, and the garments, and all the food and drink – we certainly enjoy that here – it’s not right that we should sit within the confines of these four walls while those in Samaria die! – while those in the nations perish in their sin eternally in hell! We should sense a legal responsibility and a moral obligation to preach the Gospel. But it’s more than that. Do you see? More than that. This is a treasure!
Paul was no moralist. Paul was no legalist. Paul was no formalist. He wasn’t given to formalism. Paul loved Jesus Christ! And he loved the souls of men! And he wanted to see people saved! Besides, guilt is a lousy motivator. Guilt is a lousy motivator! Are you guilty if you sin against God? Yes. But what should motivate us? What should drive us? What should compel us? Love for the Lord Jesus Christ. What the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. The truth of that, the exalted truth of that. That’s what fueled and motivated Paul. It was a love for, a delight in, an embracing of, an unwavering faith in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ as revealed in the Gospel of God! It’s glorious!
What fueled and motivated and cultivated that sense of indebtedness and devotion was his love for Jesus Christ in the Gospel. His subject matter, the greatest of all subjects. You can’t get any better. His work, the greatest of all work. First, Paul is forgiven much, and so Paul then loves much. It arises out of an understanding of his own redemption, his own salvation, his own forgiveness.
You remember the story of the woman who is in the house of Simon the Pharisee, Luke chapter 7. Simon had failed to even properly greet Jesus Christ. He’s eating at his table now. Didn’t even greet Jesus. Didn’t wash His feet. But a woman stood behind Him, stood behind Jesus Christ weeping – weeping; washing His feet with her tears, wiping His feet with the hair of her head, anointing His feet with oil. And so, Simon thought to himself as the Lord was sitting there, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
So then Jesus, knowing his thoughts said, “Simon, I’ve got a word for you.” Simon, “Speak on.” So Jesus Christ spoke a parable: a certain creditor had two debtors. One a very large debt was owed, another small. One fifty denarii, another five hundred. Neither of them could pay their debt, and so he forgave them both. He forgave them both. Jesus asked Simon, “Which one of them would love him more? And Simon answered rightly, “The one who was forgiven more.” And Jesus says, “...to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
The parable involving a physical, temporal debt. The reality, it’s a spiritual understanding of our indebtedness to God because of our sin. The one who looks upon his forgiveness as a little thing, a light thing, a common thing, that one – listen to me – that one loves little. The one whose heart and mind are overflowing and enlarged with the truth of how much he’s been forgiven in Jesus Christ, that one loves much.
1 Timothy chapter 1, verse 12, listen to Paul. This fueled Paul’s sense of obligation: I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. That one loves much. Do you see? You see the connection between those two things?
The Lord Jesus Christ draws that connection for us.
That resulted – that mindset, the heart of Paul – resulted in a great love for Jesus Christ, a great love for God, and a great love for the souls of men. A great love for God’s people. Paul would say, “I do all things for the sake of God’s elect. All things I do are for the sake of His elect.” And Paul would say, Therefore, since we have such a hope, we use great boldness of speech—
We have discussed this reality already in the opening verses of this letter, haven’t we? – the heart of the Apostle Paul. Paul doesn’t even know these people, hasn’t been there. And he’s like, “I long to come to you. I’m grateful for you. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you – without ceasing, I make mention of you in my prayers. Paul would say of his countrymen, the Jews, in Romans chapter 10, verse 1: Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. He was consumed with that thought.
Romans chapter 9, verse 1: I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, –
Paul loved much. And the reason that he loved much was because he had been forgiven much. Paul saw it. Paul loved the Lord. Paul loved people. Paul understood well that the one who dies in his sin will perish eternally in hell. Paul knew that. This love, this concern compelled Paul. It fueled his sense of obligation. It fueled his devotion to his ministry. Therefore, knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, (we plead with you) as though God were pleading through us...be reconciled to God. And Paul says here, I am a debtor –
Paul is forgiven much and so Paul loves much. Secondly, Paul was grateful. Grateful for this work of ministry. He referred to his high calling as “the grace of apostleship.” ‘God was gracious, merciful’, he says in 1 Timothy chapter 1, ‘putting me into the ministry.’ It was precisely the fact that he gloried in being a slave of Jesus Christ that Paul rejoiced to preach the Gospel. It was the highest of honors, the highest of privileges, the highest of Gospel grace that Paul could preach the Gospel himself. He would say: we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
2 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 15: For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing (the fragrance of Jesus Christ). To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ. Paul saw that ministry as glorious.
2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 5: For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants (slaves) for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Wherever Paul went, Paul saw the strength and might of the living God at work in and through his own weakness. It was no mere moralism that compelled Paul to glory, or to revel, or to boast in being a slave of Jesus Christ. It was love. It was gratitude that fueled his devotion. Do you see?
Genuine love, heartfelt gratitude will lay upon you and I a deep and abiding sense of our own indebtedness to Jesus Christ. Genuine love – I want to say it again – genuine love, heartfelt gratitude will lay upon us a deep and abiding sense of our own indebtedness to Jesus Christ. We can say with Paul, “I am a slave of Jesus Christ.” It will compel a powerful sense of obligation. Certainly, an obligation that bears a legal responsibility. Certainly, an obligation that bears a moral responsibility, but an obligation that is embraced with devotion and fueled by love, fueled by gratitude.
That’s why in the Bible we see frequently, don’t we? – that love for God expresses itself in obedience. ‘If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. If the one who says he loves Me does not My commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him.’ Love for God expresses itself in this obligation, in this obedience. Love for God manifest itself in patterns of obedience to all that God commands. You could say then, couldn’t you? – no obedience means no love, or little love. The one who loves little, obeys little. And the given mission of the church – the given mission you and I have is to: Go (therefore) into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature – Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, –
There are no exceptions for the fearful. There are no exceptions for the busy. There are no exceptions for those with family or without family. There are no exceptions for those who work a full-time job and those who do not. There are no exceptions for those who are students and those who are not students. There are no exceptions. So then, brothers and sisters, if we are to cultivate obedience in this area of evangelism, you and I must be cultivating within our minds a knowledge of Jesus Christ and what He has done. While through that growing knowledge of Him the Spirit of God then, cultivating within our heart a greater love for Him. It’s true of Jesus Christ. The more you know Him the more you love Him. We are to know Him. We know Him through His Word and we know Him by the help of His Spirit.
Peter would say: for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, (What’s more kind to your brother than preaching the Gospel to him?) and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Do you see how our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is directly connected to our love. The more that we know Him, the more that we love Him. The more that we love Him, the more that we obey Him. The more that we treasure Him, the more that we see the value in all of these things. It’s because of Him. For he who lacks these things (Peter would say) is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
You could say, in light of what Peter has just said, that ‘he who has forgotten much, loves little.’ And maybe that’s you here today. Maybe you’ve forgotten much. Maybe your memory waxes cold. He who loves little, evangelizes little. And when that love for Jesus Christ is displayed in your evangelism, the glory of God is magnified; the glory of the Gospel, the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Jesus Christ is counted more worthy, more esteemed than the comfort or convenience that comes through silence.
We sit here and we’re not doing right like those lepers in the camp of the Syrians. We’re not doing right if we hoard this treasure to ourselves. The message of the Gospel, so glorious, so necessary, so honoring to the Lord who redeemed us that God’s people would gladly – not always easily mind you, we understand that – but they would gladly set aside fear of man, fear of persecution. They would gladly set aside our comforts, our conveniences, our schedule. They would gladly set aside time, gladly set aside intention to shout this message from the housetops.
However, you and I also must deal with the fact that as our love grows cold – if your love has grown cold – when difficulties arise, it won’t be long before you get into the flesh. That’s a truth. If your love – when your love – as your love grows cold, we are prone by the corruption that remains, prone to give into the flesh. And we would not esteem Him and not esteem this treasure as the treasure that it is. And might rather choose our comfort and conveniences, might rather give into fear of man than to do that which we are obligated to do – do that which we have been given the great privilege of doing, doing that which we should be delighting in. We must delight ourselves first in the Lord. And when we’ve delighted ourselves in the Lord, when we love Him, we’ll find ourselves rejoicing in this work.
4) The Spirit of Paul’s Obligation
This is also the spirit of Paul’s obligation. We’ve seen the substance of his obligation. This is the spirit of Paul’s obligation. Love for the Lord and subsequent love for the Lord’s people. Paul says: I do all things for the sake of the elect. Why? Because Jesus Christ is worthy.
So, he is thankful for them then (Romans chapter 1, verse 8).
Making request if, by some means, now at last he may find a way in the will of God to visit them – (verse 10).
He longs to see them: (verse 11).
He makes plans to come to them (verse 13).
And says in verse 15: So, as much as is in me, (you see the emotive force of that statement. Paul is saying,) as much as in me, I am ready (that word “ready” means literally “excited fervor.” Excited fervor. Eager, zealous, ready to pop.) as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. Paul knew that he had something to say that would be a blessing to those people, that would encourage those people, build them up in their faith; that would make a difference. And so, Paul wanted to get there to preach the Gospel to them.
We’re going to address Paul’s submission under obligation next Lord’s Day, if the Lord allows. But, considering Paul’s sense of obligation, brothers and sisters, the Gospel is our debt also. You and I, under a charge given us in the Great Commission, you and I are under obligation. We are debtors. Do you sense your obligation? In looking at these examples and thinking about this subject, is the sense of that obligation laid upon your heart and mind this morning? Do you feel a sense of the urgency that Paul felt? Do you feel the weight, some of the weight that Paul felt that that obligation brings? We ought to. We ought to sense the weight. We ought to sense the urgency just as Paul did. We ought to feel the weight of it for the same reasons that Paul did. Love should compel us. Love should motivate us. There is legal responsibility. There is moral responsibility. You are sinning against God if you’re not obedient in this command.
But what should compel us and what should motivate us? Paul gives us that example. Love. Love for the Lord. Gratitude should compel us. Gratitude should motivate us. The command of God should compel us, should motivate us. The terror of the Lord, the awful consequences of sin should compel us to persuade men. We should be ready, eager, zealous, determined, resolved to preach the Gospel to those who are in Orlando also, and the uttermost ends of the earth as the Lord has graciously allowed us to do.
All Christians at all times are under obligation. You know that when the Bible says that you are witnesses, that’s present active. You are a witness. We sometimes tend to think of evangelism as going out and witnessing. “We’re going to go witness.” You are a witness. You’re a witness all the time. Present active, ongoing. You are witnesses of these things. And so, we must be witnesses all the time. It’s just not something you go and do. You are a witness all the time. You are to be witnessing – be evangelizing, preaching the Gospel – because you are a witness. We are under obligation all the times.
Nothing that anyone has, nothing that anyone else pursues, nothing that anyone else desires is greater than the Gospel. More important than their eternal soul, and you have it! I have it! It is the power of salvation to everyone who believes. In it the righteousness of God is revealed. We have that treasure given to us. We are to be faithful stewards. It we sit in this earthly tent, eat and drink the benefits for ourselves while others starve, we do not do right. We must strive as Paul did to be innocent of the blood of those placed in our path.
If you, hearing this this morning – if this sense of obligation isn’t laid upon your heart for some reason, if you don’t feel the weight of it pressing upon you as Paul did, what do you do? You go to Him. You go to the Lord who is our strength, the Lord who is our stay, and you plead. You ask the Lord to cultivate within your heart a greater love for the Lord Jesus Christ. And as the Spirit of God cultivates within your heart… that comes through means, right? – our knowledge of Him. We go to the Scriptures and we learn of Jesus Christ. We contemplate, we meditate on what He has done for us; the depth of our sin and the exalted glories of His salvation. We mediate on the greatness of God, and the transcendence of God, and the nearness of God, and the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and God sending His own begotten Son into the world. We contemplate and we mediate on all those things. And as we do, we ask the Spirit of God to enlarge within our hearts a love for Him that would be greater than all other loves that we might find in this world. And we seek to serve Him in that.
The desire, the will, that determination to obey Him in these things is not natural to us – not natural to us. It is a work of His Spirit. It is a fruit of God-gifted faith. And then when the Spirit cultivates that love within our heart, then we willingly, voluntarily, and as slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ must obey the Lord and preach the Gospel. We have been entrusted with a stewardship. Amen? We have this treasure in earthen vessels. Let us honor, magnify, exalt the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in it. Let’s pray.