Thomas Aquinas, on Rom 15:18

“For I dare not to speak of any of those things which Christ worketh not by me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed,”

“Then he assigns the reason for what he had said, saying: for I dare not speak of any of those things which Christ does not work by me. As if to say: I will not speak about the fruit produced through me, because it was not produced by me. Otherwise, I would have no glory with God, even if with men. What I do relate are things not as accomplished chiefly through me, but as done by Christ though me: O Lord, you have wrought for us all our works (Isa 27:12). Second, he mentions the fruit itself, saying: for the obedience of the gentiles. As if to say: my glory is this, that I have made the gentiles obey the faith: for the obedience to the faith in all nations (Rom 1:5); as soon as they heard of me they obeyed me (Ps 18:44). Third, he shows how he had brought the gentiles to this obedience. But because he had said above: faith comes by hearing, and that which is heard, through the word of Christ (Rom 10:17), he now says: by word, i.e., by the word of preaching the faith. But the arguments favoring the faith preached are the good life of the preachers; in regard to this he says: and by deed, as though I brought you to the faith through right deeds: that they may see your good works (Matt 5:16); and miraculous works, by which God bears witness to the doctrine preached, as it says in Mark: the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it (Mark 16:20).”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.