20251009 [새벽묵상] 우리가 다시 기억해야 할 것들 | Things We Must Remember Again (롬/Rom 15:14~21)

15:14 내 형제들아 너희가 스스로 선함이 가득하고 모든 지식이 차서 능히 서로 권하는 자임을 나도 확신하노라

15:15 그러나 내가 너희로 다시 생각나게 하려고 하나님께서 내게 주신 은혜로 말미암아 더욱 담대히 대략 너희에게 썼노니

15:16 이 은혜는 곧 나로 이방인을 위하여 그리스도 예수의 일꾼이 되어 하나님의 복음의 제사장 직분을 하게 하사 이방인을 제물로 드리는 것이 성령 안에서 거룩하게 되어 받으실 만하게 하려 하심이라

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

14 I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. 15 Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

15:17 그러므로 내가 그리스도 예수 안에서 하나님의 일에 대하여 자랑하는 것이 있거니와

15:18 그리스도께서 이방인들을 순종하게 하기 위하여 나를 통하여 역사하신 것 외에는 내가 감히 말하지 아니하노라 그 일은 말과 행위로

15:19 표적과 기사의 능력으로 성령의 능력으로 이루어졌으며 그리하여 내가 예루살렘으로부터 두루 행하여 일루리곤까지 그리스도의 복음을 편만하게 전하였노라

15:20 또 내가 그리스도의 이름을 부르는 곳에는 복음을 전하지 않기를 힘썼노니 이는 남의 터 위에 건축하지 아니하려 함이라

15:21 기록된 바 주의 소식을 받지 못한 자들이 볼 것이요 듣지 못한 자들이 깨달으리라 함과 같으니라

17 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. 18 I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— 19 by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. 21 Rather, as it is written:

“Those who were not told about him will see,

    and those who have not heard will understand.”

                  제가 새벽설교를 준비하다보면 가끔씩 그런 생각이 들 때가 있습니다. 이 새벽 예배에 오시는 성도분들은 이미 오랜 시간 교회를 출석하셨고 그 신앙의 깊이가 매우 깊으신데 이런 예문이나 설명은 이미 귀에 박히도록 듣지 않으셨을까? 혹시 의미없는 반복을 하고 있는 것은 아닐까? 하는 생각이지요. 아마도 오늘 본문의 사도 바울도 비슷한 생각을 했던 것이 아닌가 생각을 합니다. 로마서의 수신인인 로마 교회는 사역자도 없이 평신도들끼리 모여서 자연적으로 생긴 교회였지요. 분명히 크고 작은 문제들이 있었을 테지만 오늘 말씀 14절을 보니 그들이 스스로 선함이 가득하고 모든 지식이 차서 능히 서로 권하는 자임을 사도 바울도 확신한다고 말하고 있습니다. 이는 사도인 바울이 사역자도 없이 세워진 로마 교회를 온전한 교회로 인정한다는 말이기도 하지요. 그렇다면 이미 선함이 가득하고 지식도 충분하여 서로 권면할 수 있을만큼 성숙한 교회에 사도 바울은 왜 로마서를 썼던 것일까요? 사도바울은 15절 상반절 말씀에 그 이유를 이렇게 설명합니다. “그러나 내가 너희로 다시 생각나게 하려고” 무슨 말입니까? 그들은 이미 성숙하지만 그들로 다시금 기억하게 하기 위해서, 그들을 상기시키기 위해서 담대하게 몇가지만 대략 적었다는 것입니다. 이 말씀으로 저도 담대한 용기를 얻습니다. 그래서 오늘은 “우리가 다시 기억해야 할 것들” 이라는 제목으로 여러분에게 다시 리마인더를 드리기 원합니다.

As I prepare for my early morning devotionals, I sometimes have a recurring thought: the faithful who attend this service have been coming to church for many years, and their faith runs deep. Haven't they heard these examples and explanations countless times already? Am I merely repeating things that have already been drilled into their ears?

I believe the Apostle Paul might have had similar thoughts when writing this section of Romans. The church in Rome was established naturally by laypeople gathering together, without an Apostle or appointed minister. While there were certainly problems, Paul confirms in verse 14 that he is confident the Roman believers are "full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and competent to instruct one another." This means that Paul, an Apostle, fully recognized the lay-led Roman church as a legitimate and mature body.

If they were already mature—full of goodness and knowledge, and able to instruct one another—then why did Paul write them such a long, bold letter?

Paul explains his reason in the first half of verse 15: "Yet I have written to you quite boldly on some points, by way of reminder." What does this mean? It means they were already mature, but he wrote boldly merely to refresh their memory—to remind them of what they already knew. This gives me the boldness I need this morning. So, today, I want to give you a reminder under the title, "Things We Must Remember Again."

                  앞에 서론에서 바울이 로마서를 쓴 이유를 적었지만 제가 설명하지 않은 부분이 있습니다. 바울이 그렇게 로마서를 쓸 수 있었던 것의 원동력은 15절 하반절, 바로 “하나님께서 내게 주신 은혜로 말미암아 더욱 담대히 대략 너희에게 썼노니” 하나님께서 바울에게 주신 은혜, 그 은혜가 로마서를 쓰기 시작한 근본적인 이유라는 것이지요. 그렇다면 이 은혜란 무엇인가? 16절 함께 읽겠습니다. “이 은혜는 곧 나로 이방인을 위하여 그리스도 예수의 일꾼이 되어 하나님의 복음의 제사장 직분을 하게 하사 이방인을 제물로 드리는 것이 성령 안에서 거룩하게 되어 받으실 만하게 하려 하심이라” 첫번째, “이방인을 위하여 그리스도 예수의 일꾼이 되었다.” 여기서 일꾼이란 우리가 흔히 생각하는 종이 아닙니다. 공무원과 같이 사람들을 위해 일하는 사람을 말하지요. 예수님께서 맡기신 공무를 행하는 사람이라는 뜻입니다. 그 공무란 무엇입니까? “하나님의 복음의 제사장 직분을 하게하사” 이 말씀은 가만히 생각하면 이상합니다. 왜냐하면 사도 바울은 베냐민지파 사람이라서 제사장이 될 수 없기 때문입니다. 오직 아론의 자손만이 제사장의 직무를 맡을 수 있지요. 그렇다면 이게 무슨 말인가? 자 여러분 유대인들에게는 제사장이 있지요. 그래서 그들은 하나님께 제사를 통해서 나아갈 수 있었습니다. 하지만 이방인들은 율법상 제사에 참여할 수 없지요. 그래서 새로운 제사가 필요합니다. 본문 말씀도 “하나님의 복음의 제사장 직분”이라고 설명을 하고 있지 않습니까? 이방인을 위한 새로운 제사, 복음의 제사, 그 제사의 제사장 직분을 맡기셨다는 것입니다. 그렇다면 이 제사는 어떤 제사를 말하는 것이겠습니까? 그렇습니다. 12:1 “너희 몸을 하나님이 기뻐하시는 거룩한 산 제물로 드리라 이는 너희가 드릴 영적 예배니라” 그래서 16절 하반절에 “이방인을 제물로 드리는 것이 성령 안에서 거룩하게 되어 받으실 만하게 하려 하심이라” 라고 말씀하고 계신 것입니다. 사도 바울의 복음의 제사장 직분이란 이방인들에게  복음을 전하여 그들로 하나님이 받으실 만한 거룩한 산 제물이 되게하는 것입니다. 그렇다면 우리는 어떻습니까? 베드로전서 2:5, “너희도… 하나님이 기쁘게 받으실 신령한 제사를 드릴 거룩한 제사장이 될지니라.” 우리도 매일의 삶가운데서 하나님이 받으실 만한 제사를 드리는 제사장입니다. 우리가 다시 기억해야 할 것중 하나는 바로 우리 또한 우리의 삶으로 하나님이 기쁘게 받으실 신령한 제사를 드리는 거룩한 제사장이 되어야 한다는 것입니다.

1. Our Ministry: Offering Our Lives as a Holy Sacrifice

While I shared Paul’s reason for writing in the introduction, I left out the essential driving force. Paul’s courage to write the letter came from the latter half of verse 15: "because of the grace God gave me." The grace God gave Paul is the fundamental reason he started writing Romans.

What is this grace? Let’s read verse 16 together:

“to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:16)

First, Paul says he became a "minister" (or servant) of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. The Greek word used here, leitourgos, is not the common word for a slave (doulos). It refers to a public servant or one who performs an official duty on behalf of the people. Paul is a public servant commissioned by Jesus.

What is his official duty? "The priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God." This phrase is curious, as Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin and therefore could not be a Levitical priest—only the descendants of Aaron could perform that duty. So, what does this mean?

To the Jews, the Temple and the priesthood provided the legal way to approach God through animal sacrifice. But Gentiles were often excluded from this system. A new sacrifice was needed—the "priestly duty of the Gospel."

What kind of sacrifice is this? It is the same sacrifice mentioned back in Romans 12:1: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."

This is why verse 16 concludes: "so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit." Paul’s priestly duty of the Gospel was to preach to the Gentiles so they would become a living sacrifice, acceptable to God.

What about us? 1 Peter 2:5 says, "you also... are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." We, too, are priests who offer sacrifices acceptable to God in our daily lives. One of the things we must remember again is that we are a holy priesthood, called to offer a spiritual sacrifice that is pleasing to God through the way we live.

                  두번째로 바울은 자신이 자랑할 것은 오직 그리스도께서 역사하신 것 밖에는 없다고 말합니다. 18절을 함께 읽어보겠습니다. “그리스도께서 이방인들을 순종하게 하기 위하여 나를 통하여 역사하신 것 외에는 내가 감히 말하지 아니하노라” 우리는 사도행전을 통해서 바울이 이방인들에 복음을 전하였을 때 어떤 표적과 기사가 나타났는지 잘 알고 있습니다. 심지어 17절을 시작할 때에 “그러므로”라고 시작하지 않습니까? 복음을 전하는 내게 “그러므로” 자랑할 것이 있다. 그런데 그 자랑할 것이 오직 “그리스도 예수 안에서,” 그리고 “그리스도께서…역사하신 것 외에는 내가 감히 말하지 아니하노라”라고 말하고 있습니다. 당시의 바울의 대적들은 자신을 자랑했습니다. 그들은 자신의 영적 경험과 배경과 지식을 자랑했지요. 그러나 바울은 이방인들을 구원하기 위해 자신을 사용하신 그리스도를 자랑합니다. 그러면서 뭐라고 합니까? 18절 끝부분과 19절 상반절, “그 일은 말과 행위로 표적과 기사의 능력으로 성령의 능력으로 이루어졌으며” 바울은 말과 행위, 표적과 기사의 능력, 이 모든 것은 자신이 행한 것이 아닌 성령의 능력으로 이루어진 것임을 밝힙니다. 그래서 자신의 모든 사역은 자신의 자랑이 아닌 그리스도의 자랑임을 분명히 하고 있는 것입니다. 그가 지금의 크로아티아 지역, 즉 이탈리아 로마에 도달하기 직전까지 복음을 편만하게 전할 수 있었던 것 또한 자신의 행적이 아닌 하나님께서 행하신 일이라는 것입니다. 우리 또한 마찬가지입니다. 우리는 우리의 행적, 우리의 말과 행위를 자랑하기 쉽습니다. 그러나 우리가 다시 기억해야 할 것 중 하나는 바로 우리의 진정한 자랑은 오직 나를 통해 역사하시는 그리스도의 능력이여야 하는 것입니다.

2. Our Boast: The Power of Christ Working Through Us

Second, Paul states that his only boast is what Christ accomplished through him. Let’s read verse 18:

“I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God.” (Romans 15:18)

We know from the book of Acts the signs and wonders that accompanied Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles. Verse 17 even starts with "Therefore" ( / therefore), suggesting that based on his ministry, Paul has something to boast about. Yet, he is bold only to speak "in Christ Jesus" and only of "what Christ has accomplished through me."

Paul’s rivals at the time often boasted about their own spiritual experiences, backgrounds, and knowledge. But Paul boasts in the Christ who used him to bring salvation to the Gentiles.

And what does he say made this possible? Verses 18 (end) and 19 (start): "by the power of words and deeds, by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit." Paul makes it clear that his words, deeds, signs, and wonders were not his own efforts but were accomplished "through the power of the Spirit." His entire ministry, therefore, is not his own boast, but the boast of Christ. The fact that he was able to fully proclaim the Gospel from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum (modern-day Croatia) was not his own doing, but God’s doing.

The same is true for us. We are often tempted to boast in our own accomplishments: our track record, our words and deeds. Yet, one of the things we must remember again is that our true boast must be the power of Christ working through us.

                   말씀을 맺습니다. 오늘 우리는 로마서를 마무리하는 사도바울의 말씀을 통하여 우리가 다시 기억해야 할 것들에 대해서 말씀을 나누었습니다. 먼저 우리는 복음의 제사장입니다. 우리의 삶으로 하나님이 기쁘게 받으실 신령한 제사를 드리는 거룩한 제사장이 되어야 합니다. 또한 우리가 그렇게 할 때에 우리에게 자랑할 것이 생길 것입니다. 그 때에 우리는 그것이 나의 노력의 결과가 아니라 그리스도께서 우리를 통하여 역사하신 것임을 잊어서는 안됩니다. 우리의 진정한 자랑은 오직 우리를 통해 역사하시는 그리스도의 능력임을 기억해야 할 것입니다. 이 말씀을 기억하시어 늘 말씀을 상고하시고 하나님께서 맡기신 복음의 제사장 직분을 충실히 행하시는 여러분 되시기를 주님의 이름으로 축원합니다.

Conclusion: Serving and Boasting in Christ

Today, we looked at Paul’s final words in Romans as he concluded his mission report, focusing on things we must remember again.

First, we are priests of the Gospel. We must be a holy priesthood, offering the spiritual sacrifice of our lives that is pleasing to God.

Second, as we faithfully carry out that duty, we will have much to celebrate. But we must never forget that these are not the results of our own efforts but are what Christ has accomplished through us. We must remember that our true boast is only the power of Christ working through us.

Remember this word, continually meditate on the Scriptures, and fulfill the priestly duty of the Gospel entrusted to you by God. Amen.