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Romans 15

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Romans 15:19
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Romans 15:19
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Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

Note 3 at Ro 15:19: Paul was known primarily for his preaching of the Gospel of God's grace (see note 5 at Ac 20:24), but Paul had the miraculous power of God working in him too. Indeed, this should be true of all true ministers of the Gospel (see note 4 at Ac 4:30).

Paul struck Elymas, the sorcerer, with blindness, causing the conversion of Sergius Paulus (Ac 13:6-12). In Lystra, Paul healed a man who had been crippled from birth (Ac 14:8-10). In Philippi, Paul cast a spirit of divination out of a girl (Ac 16:16-18), and he was also delivered from prison in that city by a miraculous earthquake (Ac 16:25-26).

In Ephesus, the Lord accomplished "special miracles" through Paul by healing and delivering people as they came in contact with handkerchiefs or aprons that Paul had touched (Ac 19:11-12). In Troas, Paul raised Eutychus from the dead (Ac 20:9-12), and while shipwrecked on the island of Melita, Paul miraculously survived a bite from a poisonous snake (Ac 28:3-6).

Paul was also delivered from death at the hands of the Romans and Jews many times, including one time when he may actually have been raised from the dead (see note 3 at Ac 14:20). Paul's life, as well as the lives of everyone on his ship, was spared from death at sea through God's intervention (Ac 27:21-26 and 43-44).

Paul also wrote to the Corinthians that the signs of an apostle were wrought among them by him (2Co 12:12), yet there is no record in Acts of a single miracle performed by Paul during his visits to Corinth (Ac 18:1-17 and 20:2-3). Therefore, it can be concluded that there were many miraculous things accomplished by Paul that were not recorded, just as in the case of our Lord Jesus (Joh 20:30 and 21:25).

Note 4 at Ro 15:19: Ancient Illyricum occupied the territory that is modern-day Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina, just north of Macedonia where Thessalonica and Berea were located. There is no record of Paul preaching in this area, so it can be supposed that he is referring to ministering up to the border of this province.

Note 5 at Ro 15:19: Some people have interpreted Paul's statement here to mean that he had covered all the area of Asia (see note 3 at Ac 16:6 and note 4 at Ac 19:10), Macedonia (see note 1 at Ac 16:9), and Achaia (see note 11 at Ac 18:12) with the Gospel. The following few verses would lend themselves to that interpretation.

However, the immediate context of this verse specifically mentions "mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God." This would lead us to believe that Paul "fully" preaching the Gospel referred to the confirmation of the Word through the demonstration of God's miraculous power (see note 2 at Mr 16:20).

Therefore, Paul could be making a distinction between just preaching the Gospel and fully preaching the Gospel. A minister hasn't fully preached the Gospel unless there are accompanying signs and wonders (see note 4 at Ac 4:30). This must be where the phrase "full Gospel" came from.

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