His boldness in
writing to the Romans is grounded in the grace that God has given him (Rom.
15:14-5), which he then further explains in verse 16 as ‘to be a servant [leitourgos]
of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest [hierourgeō] of the
gospel of God, so that the offering of the gospel of God, so that the offering
of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit’ (AT). Though rendered
‘minister’ in most English translations the noun leitourgos in this
context refers to someone who serves as a priest (Although this noun can be
used in a general sense to refer to an assistant or servant [see BDAG s.v. leitourgos],
it can also have the specific sense of one who serves as a priest [see .g.,
Heb. 8:2, where it refers to Christ as our high priest]. This noun and its
cognates are used frequently in the LXX with reference to priestly service ‘because
it was public, fixed, and regulated by law, and the welfare of the people of God
depended on it”). The priestly nature of this service is confirmed by Paul’s
use of the verb hierourgeō (serving as a priest), which always refers to
acting ‘in some cultic or sacred capacity’ (BDAG s.v. hierourgeō). As a
priestly servant, Paul ministers the gospel to the Gentiles. The purpose of
this priestly ministry can be understood in two different ways. Paul may be
saying that he offers the Gentiles to the Lord as a sacrifice that is pleading
because they are set apart by the Holy Spirit. Alternatively, Paul could be
saying that through his priestly service the Gentiles offer themselves to the Lord
as those set apart by the Holy Spirit. What tips the scales in favour of the
first view is the likelihood that Paul has Isaiah 66:18-20 in view here. That
text envisions those who have been redeemed by Yahweh going out to the nations
to proclaim the glory of the Lord, and those who respond to this message
described as an offering to Yahweh. (Matthew S. Harmon, The Servant of the
Lord and His Servant People: Tracing a biblical theme through the canon [New
Studies in Biblical Theology; London: Apollos, 2020], 185-86)
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
Matthew S. Harmon on λειτουργός ("Minister") in Romans 15:16
