THE STRONG SHOULD HELP THE WEAK, AND UNITY MUST BE FOREMOST (15:1-15:6). Paul now brings out the underlying lesson, that among believers those who are strong should have consideration for weaker brothers and sisters. They should be pleasing to their brothers and sisters in order that they might ‘at... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now we who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the frail (powerless), and not to please ourselves.' Paul commences with the general statement, to be read in the light of the previous chapter, that ‘we who are strong' ought to have consideration for the ‘powerless', by ‘bearing their infirmi... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Let each one of us please his neighbour unto the good, resulting in edifying.' And the aim behind this is the pleasing of our neighbour in order to achieve ‘the good'. That does not mean putting the pleasing of our neighbour before our pleasing God. Indeed, the point is that by achieving ‘the good... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For Christ also did not please himself, but, as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” ' And in so pleasing others for the good of all, we will be following the example of Christ Who also did not please Himself in order that He might achieve the good of others. The... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For whatever things were written in former times were written for our learning, that through patient endurance and comfort of the scriptures we might have hope.' And we should take heed to this because what was written in former time was written in order to teach us how to respond to situations, e... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.' The source of this patient endurance and encouragement obtained through the Scriptur... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For which reason receive you one another, even as Christ also received you, to the glory of God.' The thought is the same as in Romans 14:3, that Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians might receive each other because God, or in this case God's Messiah, has received them. And this to the glory o... [ Continue Reading ]
CHRIST HAS BEEN MADE A MINISTER OF CIRCUMCISION IN ORDER TO CONFIRM THE PROMISES TO THE FATHERS TO THE JEWS AND IN ORDER TO REACH OUT WITH MERCY TO THE GENTILES AS THE ROOT OF JESSE (15:7-13). God's people as a mixture of Jew and Gentile are to receive one another as the Messiah ‘has received them'... [ Continue Reading ]
3). THE MINISTRY OF THE MESSIAH IS TO BOTH JEWS AND GENTILES (15:7-33). Paul now demonstrates that the Messiah has come in order to minister to both Jews and Gentiles, and that this has been in part achieved because he himself has ministered to the Gentiles as a minister of Messiah Jesus, his minist... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For I say that Christ has been made a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, that he might confirm the promises given to the fathers,' Thus, in the first place, the Messiah has been made a minister of the circumcision (the Jews) in order to establish among them the truth of God, so tha... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy, as it is written, “Therefore will I give praise to you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” ' And He has also come in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, something which Paul now demonstrates by citing a number of Sc... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And again he says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.” ' ‘And again he says.' Here the Scriptures are seen as supplying the voice of God (‘He says'). This citation is taken from Deuteronomy 32:43. While there is no Messianic connection there it advances the previous theme of the Gentiles glo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him.' This citation is taken from Psalms 117:1. The advance in thought here is concerning the universal nature of the praise. All the Gentiles and ‘all the peoples' are to praise Him indicating the widespread nature of t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And again, Isaiah says, “There will be the root of Jesse, and he who arises to rule over the Gentiles, on him will the Gentiles hope.” ' Once more, in a citation from Isaiah 11:10 LXX, emphasis is laid on the Messiah, the root of Jesse, and the fact that the Gentiles will look to Him. So Paul open... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.' Having described the hope that the Gentiles will have in the Messiah (Romans 15:12), and the confirmation of the promises to ‘the circumcised' (the Jews - Romans 15:8), P... [ Continue Reading ]
THE EXTENT AND FOCAL POINT OF PAUL'S OWN MINISTRY TO THE GENTILES (15:14-21). Paul sees his own ministry as an extension of the ministry of Christ, the Messiah (Romans 15:16). He has gone out in the Name of the Messiah to minister the Gospel of God to the Gentiles, offering up to God the Gentiles w... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.' As in Romans 1:11 Paul, as he approaches the end of his long letter, approaches the Roman church tactfully as he is about to spea... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But I write the more boldly to you in some measure, as putting you again in remembrance, because of the grace that was given me of God, that I should be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, being sa... [ Continue Reading ]
‘I have therefore my glorifying in Christ Jesus in things pertaining to God.' That is why he has something to glory of in the Messiah Jesus (Romans 9:1) in things pertaining to God, because his ‘offering up' of Gentile believers won through his ministry has been successful and widespread, as the Me... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For I will not dare to speak of any things except those which Christ wrought through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Holy Spirit, so that from Jerusalem, and round about even unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the go... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Yes, making it my aim so to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build upon another man's foundation,' Paul declares that his missionary purpose was always to preach the Gospel in places where the Name of Christ had never reached, so that he would not be building... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But, as it is written, “They will see, to whom no tidings of him came, And they who have not heard will understand.” ' And this missionary purpose was in accordance with Scripture as found in Isaiah 52:15 b LXX. Here Paul makes clear his identification of the Messiah with the Servant of YHWH Who w... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For which reason also I was hindered these many times from coming to you,' It was because of his ministry in places unreached by the Gospel that he had been hindered ‘many times' from visiting Rome. His responsibility to the churches that he had founded had been too great for him to leave them.... [ Continue Reading ]
HIS AIM TO VISIT ROME AFTER HE HAS MINISTERED TO JEWISH BELIEVERS IN TAKING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE GENTILE CHURCHES TO THE CHURCH IN JERUSALEM (15:22-33). Paul now confirms the unity of Jewish and Gentile Christians by describing his coming ministry to the church in Jerusalem in providing them wi... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But now, having no more any place in these regions, and having these many years a longing to come to you,' But now things were different. He no longer had any place in these regions. This may have been because of the antagonism that his presence now aroused everywhere, especially because he was so... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Whenever I go to Spain (for I hope to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way there by you, if first in some measure I shall have been satisfied with your company) ' In a typically unfinished Pauline sentence, for he regularly changes his direction when writing on a topic, Paul explains... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But now, I say, I go to Jerusalem, ministering unto the saints.' But first he has a ministry to fulfil in Jerusalem, ministering in material things to ‘the saints' (compare Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2 and often) there. That he had determined personally to go there indicates his deep concern for t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For it has been the good pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are at Jerusalem. Yes, it has been their good pleasure; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, they owe it to them... [ Continue Reading ]
‘When therefore I have accomplished this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will go on by you to Spain.' He assures them that once he has accomplished this ministry, and has made fully clear to the Jerusalem church both the source of the contribution, and the love that lay behind it, (‘sealed t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And I know that, when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.' Paul feels that once he has delivered the contribution of the Gentiles to the Jerusalem church and has emphasised the love that the Gentile Christians have for the Jews, hoping thereby to have it reciproca... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now I plead with you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judaea, and that my ministration which I have for Jerusalem may be acceptabl... [ Continue Reading ]
‘That I may come to you in joy through the will of God, and together with you find rest.' And part of the reason for his prayer is that once those hurdles have been overcome he may be able to come to the Roman Christians with joy through the will of God (which will be determined by whether God answ... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.' He comes to the end of the main part of the letter with a prayer that ‘the God of peace' will be with them. We can almost see him relaxing into this idea having asked them to pray for his deliverance from the antagonism of the Jews, and for the acceptab... [ Continue Reading ]