The Ohio Independent Baptist, August 1966

roe amation 0 • reparation By Rev. Donald J. Sewell (Re . D ona ld ewe ll , mmanuel Bapti t Church, Toledo, Ohio was the Baccalaureate peaker a t Cedarl-ill e Colle~e' gra dua tion er, ice thi pas t J une. H i me age was a hie ing and a cha llenge to many. The following i\ a dige t of that me age.) One of the mo t educated intellect– t1al of the early church wa al o one of the world. foremost soul winner . It \\ a thi s burning pa sion of a ht1rdened heart that directed Paul's de ire toward the city of Rome. A we tudy the hook of Romans with it<; dominant theme - salvation, we ~ee an Epi tle unique and unlike all of the other Epistles penned by Patil. He wa writing to a church he hacl not founded~ one that he had never "isited. Value of Souls In Paul' c; introduction of thi .. Epi\tle, \.ve find his proclamation of preparation. Paul was embarking up– o n a new endeavor, and many of yot1 1 ·oung people as you graduate fr?n1 edarvi lle Coll ege will be embarking upon new endeavors and will be ap– p)yi ng the education you have re– ceived into the practical avenues of your life. I wou ld like for you to see first of all Paul's VALUE OF <;OULS fot1 nd 1n verse 14, " I an1 dehtor. · This word debtor i<; u <;ed hy Patil in a n1etaphorical s~nsc. to show one who is under obl1gat1on. Paul f e1t keenly his respons;bilit} 1 to rJod and humanity in taking the ,ospel to the Jost. This sense of re– po,1sibilit)' was a real burden upon hi heart. In the opening ver\e of this char)tcr \.\'C fin,1 that Patil had a per onal calling; he was a servant of J est1 hrist. Sal at ion changes one's 11111a ter. He was don1inated l)y the l ...ord Jesus hri t. Ii i calling was that of a,1 AjJO tll: , a cnl one. A~d, 1 b~– lie,,e 1}1e ]JoJy Spirit till directs 1n speci fie area <Jf ervice ,1 0 111a t tcr what tlJat area of Jif e 111ight l)e. J>atJI J1ii11 t;I had l> e11 a lot inr1er a11c1 11 " J1e had e J)t;J ie11cecl tl1e grace lt J d i11 }1i life, arid ht; knt;\\' J tl 111 1 t , hi Jler 11"I Saviour. ur1J1 .. r 111 i11 tl1i J Jli tie fintJ 1J1at J i, i, 11 111e tl1e 1rutl1 c 11- . t 11 tJ n i,,\; r d I d pra,, i t} o f ~1:,:t~~1 l th univ r I uffi I ncy of ti~ , 1>el. I J1i incr d tli altJI 11 "4 J>lac d tJJl 11 tl1e t1J f • f111d in Lll Cl I)' a 11 e,1 , e tJ lc:1rm I l tliat lcrJild I al u o , l t d tr } th 11 I. u1 n c11c111i- OHIO IND P t DEt BAPTIST ca1 and 1 1echan i tic age ha n1ade n1an nothing ht1 t hand. in indt1, try and cogs in a great econon1ic or military machi ne, ht1t every individt1- al ~ot1l i preciou in the sight of Goel. Paul knew the value of a soul. Thu . he considered him .. elf a dehtor. Vigor in Service Secondly in P au l's proclamation of preparation, we sec hi. V IGOR I SERVI E. In verse 15 he says, " 1 am read y." T he word 'ready, here in– dicate an eagerne on Paul' part to proclain1 the Gospel to those in Rome. T hi eagerne s was the rest1lt of a wi lli ng mind. In verse 14, we aw hi s sense of responsihilit)', but here we ee in ver e 15 his availahil– it}1 a with great eagerne he de ires to go to Rome. God is more inter– ested, young people in our avai l– ability. May we with the Apo tle Paul, a we leave the halls of Cedar– vil le College. be eager and vigorot1. in our ervice for the Saviour. Thi . eagerne wa not jt1st a <;firring of hi s emotion ~ but as we study the earlier verses of thi s chapter, we find that Paul wa a man of praye r a nd thi s had a definite part in hi eagernes . Then too, we con ider 1 he place where Pau l wanted to go - Rome. Rome, the might y capital of the empire where wealth, pride and education abounded: where the force. of in held high carnival: where skep– tic1sn1 wa ran1pant : where trt1e holi– ne';~ of life Vva laughed ot1t of court. o wonder thi ervant of (,od \' a, cager to preach the go pel a11d cl1 - pla)'ed vigor 1n his <;erv1ce for hri l Yot1 t ,1lk abottl a chtt1 lengc 1 Whal could l)e 111ore ch,1l lcng1ng tht1n tt1 leave these hall \ of learning to take tl1c ,os1,cl to ,l worl,i that 1, 111 c, 1 er)' • \Va~, cqt1,1l to ancicr1t l{o111c 111 1t, "111 a11cl tlel)at1c}1er}'· Va lo r for the Sa v iour I 11 • tl1irtl tl1i11g in t> at1l' J)rocla- 111aticl11 of lll'cJ)aratit)rl is Iii \ 1 1\l I{ I" 0 I~ ..11 J ., S IO I{ . I 11 \ 'crsc 1 6 J1 sa) , ' "Or I a1•1 t1l)t asl1an1 1.', '"Jl1i "'a 1101 tl1 1))11 111llio11al tut Jllt,;lll c,f , l)rdgg,11 t. J1 c 11- jur, ti 11 '"f >r'' is 111 k . It li11k l1i c t1111at <>J tl1 g I' I v.jt }1 l1i k 111 f ;>It r J) 11 i l) i Ji t • II r ar I t • i 11 I t,\ c tc:11 1l1 11ts f , 1 al r. I it 1, 4 I a11 I." I ·s not , l1 a111 I f tl1 ,o J ' ' • ,1atcn1cn1 \.\ra~ rron1pt ed h}' the r,o · ,i tic)n t1l the Ron1an in the W()rlcl. I hi~ city. a we have alreacly n1en- 1i onetl, wa. the n1i tre. s of the worllJ. Their emperors were wor hipped a pre ~ent deitie , bt1t Paul proclaimed he wa not a hamed of the sin1ple Go pel of the Lord Je us Christ. We t1re not a. hamed of the Go pel in the ja i L , nor the lL1m. , where perhap\ \Oci~1l I y they might be below u ; bt1t how about the univer itie ? Many Chri tian intellectual uffer mental persecuti n of other not Christ • when in i nte1 lectual and coff the pre. ence who know at Hi Word. Rev . Donald J . Sewell and n1any becon1e a hamed, becatt e they Ji. ten to the world'. e. tin1ate of the Go. pel rather than \.\ hat God's word . ay. abot1t it. Bt1t \Ve .. ee hi . econd taten1ent of valor, ·· rt i. tht: power of od t1nt o , al\i ation.'' Patil realized th at in pite of all the uperl ative th at \\ ere e\ 1dent in Ron1e it \.\ a the o pel of Jest1, hri .. t that changed live . Yot1ng people. ,, hate,'er ) ottr \ <.)– cat1 n, \eek to \vin n1cn t() hr,~t. \\ e arc gt1ilt\ tl1tln\ of profe,\1011al1z– ing \\ h'1l Jc\tts per onaltzell. I f \<.1lt g() into n1elitc1ne. the lit) tl)r c,1n certai 111 \ 111eet ,11,111 ·, ph\ ,1c c1 I nt:cd, . (.)f i ( \ (.)ll g<.) JtllO Clf ttcattl)[1 th~ C<.lll– Ca(()( c.1n n1eet n1an'. i11tell~ctt1·1l 11L"t:d , L)I jJ \l)lf gl) ill{() ()Ltal \\l)t'k ..... the \t)cial \\ 01 "l!r "c'-\k" lt) 111~~t 111a11'-... l .. llll)lt()llal ll~t!tl. r\l l <.)l thl!,e ell .. g,),)ll ~, ntl neLC\\a1 \ ''<-' ' ltl<.)11~, ht1t l \\'l)ttllf r :. 111i11ct \ lltt 1l1at it takt"s tht" 1l>s1) .. I of Jt' st t\ ( J1ri st t Jllt'l t 111a11, 1 rc:.11~~1 Jltelf. 111"11 of sal, dlt,.'tl. tlr task as l),l111-agai11 l1risti, tls lt)(i is Jl t ll) n1ak~ tile ,, )l'I I a l)"ttc:r J)l, ,. ( Ji,t, l>t1i t })J' J ,r 111a11 f >r l1t:a, e11. 1 '= - 111 n1l, r, )ti arc a l1risti ·,11 tir:st! I l11s ir1, l I, , n l ligati 11 I l tt1 rs. 1\ncl 1 111c111l) r 1 , 1f ll ,, ttlcl 11 \\ I t: I) ,1 l l l \ i 1111 I . • 1I th" t ,,1nn ~1t1 111 i ,,i ." AUGUST 1966 PAG 9