As Much As Is In Me

Romans 1:15

Verse fifteen is where the introduction to Romans concludes. This verse finished up the greeting and the pleasantries before Paul dives deep into the book. This is not to say that the introduction is not necessary; it is. We know God wanted it in the Bible for a reason, and I hope you would agree that we have already seen deep, thought-provoking truths. But verse fifteen is the last verse that Paul writes before getting into the core purpose of this letter.

Verse fifteen says, “So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.” We saw the various people groups in verse fourteen that Paul had seen get saved. From the wise to the unwise, everyone is capable of grasping the truth of the gospel if their eyes are enlightened. This bore Paul fruit, namely, the fruit of addition.

Paul tells the Romans that he intends to bear more fruit. He intends to preach and teach with the hope of seeing more saved. His hope is that more will come to know Christ showing us again just how seriously he takes his purpose. There are no breaks for Paul. He is always purposed and purposeful to be a witness.

Think of the pastors in your church. We don’t understand the level of scrutiny that they are under purely because of what they are called to do. They are called to fulfill their purpose every day. They need to be a light, a witness, an example, a shoulder to cry on. They can’t take a day off. Even when they are home with their family they have to uphold the highest standard of what a good father and husband are. Pastors are watched by all types of people. What they do and say is constantly under a microscope. They have to be a consistent example. That is hard, but that is what they are called to do. It is their God given purpose.

Going back to the beginning of the verse, Paul makes an interesting statement. He says “as much as is in me” he will preach the gospel. This shows us that Paul was fully aware that he was limited in what he could do. By limited I mean he couldn’t do anything apart from God. Based on the specific verses we have been reading we know that Paul is specifically speaking of salvation. Paul was aware that he could not save anyone. God had to save them, and that will forever remain true until Christ comes back. Man is incapable of saving anyone just as he is incapable of saving Himself. Paul writes about this more in 1 Corinthians 3. In verse six of that chapter he says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” We can plant the seeds, or we can spark growth if the seed has already been planted, but only God can save. Only he can make the end goal possible.

This is an important reminder for us as well. We are blessed to have the opportunity to plant seeds or talk to someone who is already thinking about the Creator, but we must never fall into the trap of believing that we can save. The wisest and most eloquent of men cannot make a man understand, nor can the greatest salesman convince a man to be saved. It is God alone who saves.

I want to conclude this article by encouraging you to think about and pray for your pastor. As I mentioned, we don’t understand the pressure they are under. The world wants pastors to fail. The devil knows that if he can get a pastor to fail then he can convince others to never want to know God. Of course, we must hold them to a high standard, and if they sin, we must not turn a blind eye to it. But we ought to pray for them and think about the difficulties they must face.

Pray also for the pastor’s wives. They are under the microscope as well. They are sometimes the only ones who can bear the burdens of their husband with him. They are unsung heroes. The pastor’s children need prayers too. There is a lot of pressure to be perfect when you are the pastor’s son. There is a reason why a lot of pastor’s kids rebel and fall away. The pastor, his wife, and his family need your prayers, not your judgment.

We also must not aim to save people ourselves. We must remember that we are only capable of being used by God. Instead of trying to convince people with clever tactics or facts that they need Christ or promise them an easy life in hopes of selling them Jesus we must humble ourselves. He alone can save.

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