I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
—Romans 1:14-15
What made the Apostle Paul the man he became? In my view he was the greatest Christian who ever lived, and just before the famous verse 16 he bares his soul and shows us what drove him. He gives us three “I am” statements, and the first two are right here: “I am under obligation,” and “I am eager.”
Start with that first one. Everyone who truly loves Jesus is overwhelmed with a sense of indebtedness for the salvation we have in Christ. Now, I’m not talking about a debt under the law, we are not saved by the law, we are saved by Christ and Christ alone. This is a debt of love. Not our love for Him, but His love for us, and it compels us.
Think of it this way. After fifty-plus years of marriage, I owe Deb Graham big time, not because some law requires it, but because I love her, and love runs up a glad debt it longs to repay. John Newton, the slave trader who became a pastor and wrote “Amazing Grace,” put it this way: “Oh to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be.” That’s the obligation Paul means.
And let me say something that may sting: it is a sin not to share the gospel. We usually think of sin as the wrong things we do. But disobedience also includes the right things we fail to do. If we are not witnessing, not sharing our faith, we are living in disobedience, because the One who loved us said, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel.” That’s the Great Commission, not the great suggestion.
Then Paul says he is eager. He couldn’t wait to get up in the morning and find someone who needed the love of God. When I played baseball, I’d stand out in the field and tell myself, “Hit it to me… hit it to me.” I was staying ready, building confidence for the moment the ball came. That’s how we ought to be with the gospel, ready, leaning in, expecting an opportunity.
And here’s the good news for the timid: the mission field is right in front of you. Your family. Your neighbors. The people you work beside every day. You don’t have to cross an ocean. It’s been said the only ability God really needs from you is your availability.
Are you living as a debtor to grace? Are you eager, staying ready for the ball to come your way? The most powerful message on earth has been placed in your hands. Don’t keep it to yourself.
WE ARE DEBTORS TO GRACE. SO STAY READY, THE MISSION FIELD IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.
