What Does Romans 15:18 Mean?

(18) Nor in basing my claims upon this head do I go at all beyond my own proper province. I will take credit for no man’s labours but my own. They have, indeed, been quite signal enough. **I will not dare to speak.**—I have a certain just and legitimate pride, but I shall not, therefore, presume to boast of successes of which others have been the instrument. *All* successes in the mission field are due ultimately to Christ; for some he has made use of me, for others of other men. I will confine myself to those in which I have been myself directly concerned. **To make the Gentiles obedient.**—Comp. Romans 1:5, “for obedience to the faith among all nations” (*i.e.,* to bring over all the Gentiles into obedience to the faith; see Note). **By word and deed.**—This goes with the phrase “wrought by me,” and signifies “either by preaching or by miracles.” It will be seen that the structure of this verse is not, in a rhetorical sense, quite elegant. The Apostle uses a negative form of sentence where a positive form would seem to be more appropriate. Instead of saying, “I will confine myself to what Christ *has* wrought by me,” he says, “I will *not* speak of what Christ has *not* wrought by me,” though the description which follows is that of his own ministry.