Thomas Aquinas Commentary Romans 15:14-21

"And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. But I write the more boldly unto you in some measure, as putting you again in remembrance, because of the grace that was given me of God, that I should be a minister of Christ Jesus unto the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. I have therefore my glorifying in Christ Jesus in things pertaining to God. For I will not dare to speak of any things save those which Christ wrought through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Holy Spirit; so that from Jerusalem, and round about even unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ; yea, making it my aim so to preach the gospel, not where Christ was [already] named, that I might not build upon another man`s foundation; but, as it is written, They shall see, to whom no tidings of him came, And they who have not heard shall understand." — Romans 15:14-21 (ASV)

1. After instructing the Romans with general admonitions, the Apostle now begins to write about certain familiar matters to them.

   1. Matters pertaining to himself.

   2. Matters pertaining to others, beginning at but I commend to you Phoebe (Romans 16:1).

   Regarding the first, he does three things:

   1. He excuses his presumption in instructing and correcting them.

   2. He excuses his delay in not visiting them, at for which cause also I was hindered (Romans 15:22).

   3. He seeks the favor of their prayers, at I beseech you therefore, brethren (Romans 15:30).

   Regarding the first of these, he does two things:

   1. He excludes a wrong interpretation of his reason for instructing and correcting them.

   2. He assigns the true cause, at but I have written to you, brethren, more boldly.

2. Regarding the first point, it should be noted that someone might believe the Apostle wrote to the Romans because he thought no one there could instruct and correct them. But he excludes this, saying: and I myself also, my brethren, am assured of you. He is convinced by things he has heard about them, that they are capable of admonishing those among them who need it.

   Two things are required for someone who admonishes properly:

   1. He must not admonish from anger or hatred but from love, as it says in a psalm: let a good man rebuke me in kindness (Psalms 141:5), and in Galatians: you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness (Galatians 6:1). Concerning this, he says: that you also are full of love. This is like the command, fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim, that is, with the fire of love (Ezekiel 10:2).

   2. Knowledge of the truth is required, because some have a zeal for God in correcting others, but it is not enlightened, as he said above (Romans 10:2). That is why he adds: replenished with all knowledge, that is, human and divine, of the old law and of the new: in every way you were enriched with all speech and all knowledge (1 Corinthians 1:5).

   From this he concludes: so that you are able, on account of your love and knowledge, to appropriately admonish one another. For because we all offend in many ways (James 3:2), it is fitting that we admonish one another, as it says in Sirach: he gave commandment to each of them concerning his neighbor .

3. Then, when he says, but I have written to you, he gives the true reason why he had admonished and corrected them.

   Regarding this, he does two things:

   1. He shows that this belongs to the authority committed to him by his apostolate.

   2. He shows how he used this power, at I have, therefore, glory.

4. He says, therefore: more boldly—that is, securely—I have written to you, by addressing your errors and shortcomings. This could, of course, be ascribed to bold presumption, since I did not fear your displeasure: he goes out boldly to meet the weapons (Job 39:21).

   But this presumption is excused for three reasons:

   1. On account of the condition of those to whom he wrote. Even though among the Romans there were some to whom such rebukes seemed bold and presumptuous, there were others who needed a sharp rebuke on account of their insolent disposition: rebuke them sharply (Titus 1:13). And this is what he means by in some sort. As if to say: My writing does not seem bold to all of you, but only to a part of you. Or it can be understood as meaning, "on some points," on which he rebukes them. But it can also mean some part of the Church, that is, the part that is with me.

   2. The boldness is excused because of the Apostle’s intention. For he was not writing to them as though he regarded them as ignorant, but in order to remind them. This is what he adds: as it were putting you in mind, as though they had forgotten things they once knew. As Philippians says: you have been occupied (Philippians 4:10). Recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings (Hebrews 10:32).

   3. He is excused because of his apostolic authority, which required this. Hence, he adds: because of the grace of the apostolate committed to me: by the grace of God I am what I am (1 Corinthians 15:10).

5. Here he explains the grace given to him.

   1. First, he describes the author of this grace when he says: which was given me by God. As if to say: It was not from men. Paul an apostle, not from men nor through men (Galatians 1:1).

   2. Second, he specifies that grace when he says: that I should be the minister of Christ Jesus among the gentiles, that is, to serve God in the conversion of the Gentiles: one should regard us as ministers of Christ (1 Corinthians 4:1); as long indeed as I am the apostle of the gentiles, I will honor my ministry (Romans 11:13).

   3. Third, he shows the function of this grace when he says: sanctifying the Gospel of God, that is, showing that it is holy by the word of truth, the work of a good life, and miracles: in the word of truth, the Gospel which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world, is bearing fruit and growing (Colossians 1:6); all the words of my mouth are righteous (Proverbs 8:8).

   4. Fourth, he presents the goal of this grace when he says: so that the oblation of the gentiles may be made, that is, the nations converted by my ministry. In this, he offered, as it were, a sacrifice and offering to God, as it says in Philippians: even if I am to be poured as a libation upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all (Philippians 2:17). This offering is made acceptable to God through a right intention: then will you delight in right sacrifices, oblations and holocausts (Psalms 51:19)—and sanctified in the Holy Spirit, that is, by love and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit: you were sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11).

6. Then, when he says, I have, therefore, glory in Christ, he shows how he used his apostolic authority.

   1. First, he mentions the fruit it produced.

   2. Second, he describes the greatness of this fruit, at so that.

   3. Third, he shows the difficulty, at and I have so preached this Gospel.

7. Regarding the first point, he does three things. First, he gives glory to God for the fruit he produced, saying: therefore, because I have received such a grace and have carefully executed the purpose for which it was given to me, I have glory. This means I have merit worthy of glory, as a faithful minister: I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting (1 Corinthians 9:15).

   But I do not attribute this glory chiefly to myself; rather, I have it in Christ Jesus, that is, through Christ Jesus, by whose power I was able to produce fruit: without me you can do nothing (John 15:5). And because all things were handed over to him by the Father, as it says in Matthew 11:27, the Father abiding in him also does the works (John 14:10). Therefore, he finally refers this glory to the Father, saying: towards God, namely, the Father: not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory (Psalms 115:1).

   Then he gives the reason for what he had said: for I dare not speak of any of those things which Christ does not work by me. As if to say: I will not speak about the fruit produced through me as if it were produced by me. Otherwise, I would have no glory with God, even if I had it with men. What I do relate are things not accomplished chiefly through me, but as done by Christ through me: O Lord, you have wrought for us all our works (Isaiah 26:12).

8. Second, he mentions the fruit itself, saying: for the obedience of the gentiles. As if to say: My glory is this, that I have made the Gentiles obey the faith: for the obedience to the faith in all nations (Romans 1:5); as soon as they heard of me they obeyed me (Psalms 18:44).

9. Third, he shows how he had brought the Gentiles to this obedience. Because he had said above, faith comes by hearing, and that which is heard, through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17), he now says he did it by word, that is, by the word of preaching the faith.

   The arguments favoring the preached faith include the good life of the preachers. In regard to this, he says: and by deed, as though he brought them to the faith through right deeds: that they may see your good works (Matthew 5:16). They also include miraculous works, by which God bears witness to the doctrine preached, as it says in Mark: the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it (Mark 16:20). Hence, he adds: by the power of signs, that is, of lesser miracles, such as healing the sick, and wonders, that is, major miracles, which from their grandeur portend or manifest something great.

   But all this would be insufficient unless the Holy Spirit stirred the hearts of the hearers to believe. Hence, it says in Acts that while Peter was speaking the words of faith, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word (Acts 10:44). Therefore, he adds: by the power of the Holy Spirit. while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will (Hebrews 2:4).

10. Then, when he says, so that from Jerusalem, he shows the magnitude of the fruit by the multitude of places in which he preached. He says: so that beginning from Jerusalem, where at the start of his conversion he preached in the Jewish synagogues, as it says in Acts 9:28. Thus, he fulfilled the word in Isaiah: out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the law from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3). He preached as far as unto Illyricum, which is on the Adriatic Sea across from Italy, and says, I have replenished the Gospel of Christ, meaning, I filled all those places with the preaching of the Gospel.

    But lest anyone suppose that he followed a straight path from Jerusalem to Illyricum to preach the Gospel, he adds: from Jerusalem through the circumference of Illyricum. This is because he preached to the Gentiles in every direction around him and converted them to the faith: who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain? (Job 38:25).

11. Then, when he says, and I have so preached, he shows how difficult it was to produce this fruit, for it is difficult to convert those entirely ignorant of the faith.

    First, therefore, he mentions the difficulty, saying: and I have so preached this Gospel, not, indeed, where Christ was named, that is, not among those who had heard the name of Christ: people whom I had not known served me (Psalms 18:43); behold, you shall call nations that you know not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you (Isaiah 55:5).

12. Then he gives the reason, saying: lest I build on another man's foundation.

    Another man's foundation can be interpreted in two ways:

    1. It can refer to heretical doctrine, which is alien to the foundation of the true faith. In this sense, the word lest is taken causally. For the Apostle willed to preach to those who had not heard the name of Christ with the intention that, if his hearers had already heard the teachings of false apostles, it would have been more difficult to lead them back to the truth. Hence, it says in Matthew: the man is foolish who builds his house on sand (Matthew 7:26), to which false doctrine is compared.

    2. Alternatively, another man's foundation can mean the doctrine of the true faith preached by others. In this case, the word lest is taken in a consecutive sense. For the Apostle did not avoid preaching to those to whom others had preached; for example, he preached to the Romans, whom Peter had previously instructed. But when he preached to those who had heard nothing about Christ, the result was that he was not building on another’s foundation, but he himself laid the first foundation of the faith: as a wise architect, I laid a foundation (1 Corinthians 3:10).

13. Second, he cites an authority for what he had said: but as it is written: they to whom he was not spoken of shall see: and they who have not heard shall understand (Isaiah 52:15). In these words, the prophet seems to predict that the Gentiles will arrive at a more excellent way of knowing God than the Jews, who knew him before.

14. First, therefore, he shows its excellence with respect to the cause of this knowledge, which is twofold: words heard and things seen. For these two senses are receptive to instruction.

    The Jews, therefore, arrived at a knowledge of Christ’s mysteries by words announced to them by the prophets: the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired about this salvation; they inquired what person or time was indicated by the spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory (1 Peter 1:10–11).

    But the Gentiles see such mysteries of Christ actually fulfilled. Hence, he adds that the Gentiles to whom he was not spoken of by the prophets—that is, concerning Christ, as had been announced to the Jews—will see the things now fulfilled: many prophets and kings desired to see what you see and did not see it (Luke 10:24).

15. Second, he shows its excellence in regard to the manner of knowing. The Jews had only heard the announcements of the prophets: we have heard tidings from God and a message has been sent among the nations (Obadiah 1:1). But the Gentiles obtained understanding from seeing. Hence, it is stated: and they—namely, the Gentiles—who previously have not heard about the Christ foretold by the prophets, shall understand the truth of the faith: and now, O kings, understand (Psalms 2:10).