We Boast In Christ, Not Us

June 17th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Romans 15:17-21 Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God. 18 For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, 19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 20 And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation; 21 but as it is written, “They who had no news of Him shall see, and they who have not heard shall understand.”

Paul recognized that God was working through him, and as he reflected on his ministry—the grace given to him (v. 15), he would only boast in what God was doing through him. He took no credit for his work but credited God (cf. 1 Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17). As the instrumental paint brush in Michelangelo’s hand could take no credit for the Sistine Chapel’s paintings, neither would Paul take credit for his work; he was merely God’s instrument for God’s work.

Second, Paul stressed that teaching obedience to the Lord was his goal. After all, this was his task as an apostle: “we have received grace and apostleship to bring the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, for His name’s sake” (Rom. 1:5). Preaching obedience to Christ was integral to his ministry, for without obedience, there is no salvation. Paul thus opened his epistle stating this and closed it as such (16:26). For faith without works is dead faith (Jas. 2:17).

Third, Paul stresses his own personal integrity as he ministered in “word and deed.” Paul was not perfect, but one does not have to be perfect to live obediently. The truth is, Paul’s life was totally constant with his message, devoid of hypocrisy or vanity. Though bold and confident with his words, each time he writes he does so under conviction and the inspiration of the Spirit.

Fourth, in v. 19 Paul’s ministry was accompanied “by the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit.” Like all the apostles, Paul had apostolic giftedness (cf. 2 Cor. 12:12), his gifts working to validate his office as an apostle. The best evidence of Paul’s giftedness, however, were the countless conversions of the Gentiles to faith in Christ through his preaching.

Note also, fifthly, that Paul had a meticulous ministry, for he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ “from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum”—a distance of about 1400 miles! Paul thus preached from the far southeast of Jerusalem to Asia Minor, Macedonia, Greece, and even to Illyricum (modern Albania). Though Acts does not record his going into Illyricum, he perhaps ventured there during his circuitous trip from Ephesus to Corinth on his third preaching journey (Acts 20:1-2). And after all such travel, he could say at the end of his life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).

In v. 20 Paul reveals that it was his goal all along to preach the gospel in places where it had never been preached. As a pioneer evangelist, he planted spiritual seeds and waited for others to water those seeds (cf. 1 Cor. 3:6). Justifying his actions, he quoted Isaiah 52:15 (in the LXX) which not only justifies his decision not to build on another’s foundation, it accords with the content of the gospel and the people to whom it will reach, namely the Gentiles.

Food For Thought
Can you imagine a Christian, or a church, who boasts only in what Christ is doing through their pastor and congregation? One who is not a hypocrite speaks only of what Christ has done through him in order to simply bring others to obedience to God. Such a one remains faithful to the end of his life fulfilling his mission without any regrets. So with all the celebrity preachers and singers out there today being exposed as frauds, we need to stand up and be the exception.