Exposition by Max A Forsythe
Christ Covenant Reformed (PCA)
As usual at the end of a series, I had hoped to make complete copies of the forty-six sermons in the series available to the friends and members of the congregation. Unfortunately, the weekly printed copies were stored in a notebook under a skylight and the recent weather wetted down quite a few pages and smudged the ink. Since we moved the whole church just yesterday, lock stock and barrel to storage in many different places, it will be many months before complete copies are available. You may be surprised at the apparent difficulties in an electronic age of getting this preaching series together. In fact it is time consuming and if any little thing goes wrong the whole project is delayed. I had counted on having one good printed copy to xerox yesterday afternoon. While that copy is not reproducible, the electronic storage sites are safe indeed.
Thankfully, like Paul I have an assistant, or in the calling of Paul's time, my "amanuensis". That's Greek for secretary! But, since Bob has been doing such a wonderful job the last few months we have promoted him to administrative assistant. And like Paul's secretary to the Romans, from time to time he becomes more than just part of the passing page. Look at verse twenty-two. A lot of correspondence in the last few months has passed through Bob's hands and on one occasion I received a telephone call asking me to put a call through to Pastor Stump. Well, I knew Bob was busy, so I dealt with the caller's concerns. As we look closer at the closing of this letter to the Romans, we see that verse twenty-one can be taken quite literally within the context of our congregation: "Timothy, my fellow worker," is mentioned, and Paul's relatives as well. Two others who are close to Paul's ministry in the Church at Corinth are mentioned in verse twenty-three. Sorry, Glen and David, while you are vital members of the team here, you're not mentioned like Timothy is in this epistle!
Now the point of all this, is to show that Paul's work went forward as well as it did because, like me he was fortunate enough to have godly men gathered around him by the leading of the Holy Spirit. And as we saw two weeks ago, Paul's manuscript was entrusted to Phoebe for delivery to Rome. We do not know if Tertius made duplicate copies to safeguard the message to be sent out. God certainly guarded and protected the words that he gave to Paul which Tertius wrote down for posterity.
Of course in God's enterprise, one copy is always sufficient. After all, at one time in the ancient history of Israel, the only copy of the Torah was discovered by workmen in a neglected archival room of the Temple. On its discovery a revival of sorts broke out and the people repented for a time from their following after other gods.
Napoleon in all his campaigns save one, allowed his Chief of Staff to send multiple copies of orders. Sometimes half a dozen copies were sent and commanders had to sign for each copy they received. Only when an orderly returned with a receipt did Marshal Berthier tell Napoleon that an order was received. In his last campaign, Berthier was not present and at Waterloo, Napoleon did badly because his trusted lieutenants had to act without instructions. There is an old proverb about a battle being lost because of a lost horseshoe nail, in Napoleon's case it was pieces of paper.
Thank heaven, that God's paperwork sent through human hands always gets to its proper destination. As you know, since January, our weekly messages have been filtering their way to the ends of the earth through cyberspace. As Bob and I hear back from many correspondents, I am humbled by the kindness of comments, the intelligence of questions and the heartfelt commitment to Jesus Christ that is truly world wide. Did Paul know that so many people this far away in time would read his words and discuss his polemic? Or did he simply send one copy of one letter to the Church in Rome and did they then decide to make copies and keep them so that we might be challenged by the wisdom given to Paul by our Lord and our God.
When I was in Seminary, we had one professor who lectured carefully and from time to time he would pencil in words and phrases. He would listen to our questions and make some more notes on his paper. A few people were offended, "he's using our class to write another book", they said. I thought it was going to be a great book. And when I mentioned to a correspondent that I had been a student of Dr Donald Bloesch, they asked me what I had learned first hand. I told them that I learned to be very careful in my theology always and to never say anything more or less than Scripture allowed. I think that that is a lesson well learned and perhaps I am even a little paranoid about it. I refuse to be creative in my theology, and for that I was torn apart on one Seminary paper. But, I still believe that God's word is final and that we are to believe what is carefully taught in the Scriptures and as our Confession exhorts us to go on and do what the Scripture commands us to do.
And look at the end of the matter here in Romans, the last three verses. "Now to him that is able to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ ..." Paul knows that many who might hear his words will not have a clue to what he is saying. The whole letter might just as well be in code. Most of the world wouldn't even bother to try and crack the code. That is why we all need the power of the Holy Spirit to comprehend the doctrines and lifestyle preached here in Paul's polemic.
In this day and age where correct doctrines are politically and theologically incorrect, the teaching focus of this letter is incorrect to the worldly. And Paul's goal as well as mine is that our poor words and limited understanding might be used to uplift the saints, and challenge the spiritually ignorant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul knows as well as I do that there are very many who are just plain spiritually stupid because they will not admit that the Lord God Creator of this (His universe), has spoken clearly and succinctly. May Paul's gospel polemic divide or capture, as God's providence will allow. And as the end of this matter concludes, may glory be through Jesus Christ to His Father, the only wise God.
Resources Used: The Holy Bible, New International Version
Places Preached:Hodge, Charles. Romans. Murray, John. New International Commentary: Epistle to Romans.
Christ Covenant REFORMED (Presbyterian Church in America) Post Office Box 13926 - Columbus, OH 43213-7926
Rom16c.htm 24 March 96
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