INTRODUCTION TO ROMANS 15 The apostle in this chapter pursues his exhortation to mutual affection and forbearance, notwithstanding their different sentiments about the use of meats, and observation of days; excuses his writing so freely to them, which they might bear with, in consideration of his b... [ Continue Reading ]
WE THEN THAT ARE STRONG,.... Meaning not only ministers of the Gospel, who are men of strong parts, great abilities, mighty in the Scriptures, valiant for the truth on earth, and pillars in God's house; for though the apostle includes himself, yet not merely as such, but as expressing it to be his d... [ Continue Reading ]
LET EVERYONE OF US PLEASE HIS NEIGHBOUR,.... Every man, particularly his Christian friend and brother, whom he should seek to please in all things, and by all means lawful; he should carry it affably and courteously, should make himself agreeable to him; should condescend and accommodate himself to... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR EVEN CHRIST PLEASED NOT HIMSELF,.... He sought not his own ease, pleasure, profit, honour, and glory, but to do his Father's will and work, John 4:34; and he always did the things which pleased him, in his obedience, sufferings, and death; and sought not his own, but his glory: moreover, what he... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR WHATSOEVER THINGS WERE WRITTEN AFORETIME,.... In the books of the Old Testament; the apostle says this, to vindicate the pertinency of the above citation, and to prevent any objection that might be made against it; since whatsoever was written in that psalm did not belong personally to David, bu... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THE GOD OF PATIENCE AND CONSOLATION,.... These titles and characters of God are manifestly used on account of what is before said concerning the Scriptures, and to show, that the efficacy and usefulness of them, in producing and promoting patience and comfort, entirely depend upon God the author... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT YE MAY WITH ONE MIND AND ONE MOUTH;.... This is the end for which the above request is made, and shows, that a cordial and sincere affection for one another is necessary to the worshipping of God with one consent, to a joining together in acts of religious service, both in praying to God, and i... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE RECEIVE YE ONE ANOTHER,.... Into your hearts and affections; embrace one another cordially, the Jew the Gentile, the Gentile the Jew, the strong brother the weak, the weak the strong: AS CHRIST ALSO RECEIVED US. The Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, read "y... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW I SAY,.... Or affirm that Christ has received both Jews and Gentiles: that he has received the Jews, and therefore they are not to be despised, though they are weak, appears from hence, THAT JESUS CHRIST WAS A MINISTER OF THE CIRCUMCISION; he is rightly called a minister, for this was the end o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THAT THE GENTILES MIGHT GLORIFY GOD FOR HIS MERCY,.... In choosing them in Christ as vessels of mercy, and in redeeming them by Christ as well as the Jews, and in regenerating and calling them by his abundant grace; and which as they clearly show that Christ has received them, and therefore are... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AGAIN HE SAITH,.... God or Christ, in Deuteronomy 32:43; REJOICE YE GENTILES WITH HIS PEOPLE; which from the Hebrew text are by some rendered, "rejoice his people O ye Gentiles"; to which agree the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, who render it, "praise O ye nations his people"; or as some copi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AGAIN,.... It is written in Psalms 117:1, PRAISE THE LORD ALL YE GENTILES, AND LAUD HIM ALL YE PEOPLE; that is, praise him both Jews and Gentiles, for his merciful kindness and truth, as in Romans 15:2; the Gentiles for his mercy in choosing, redeeming, and calling them, as before; and the Jews... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AGAIN ESAIAS SAITH,.... In Isaiah 11:10; THERE SHALL BE A ROOT OF JESSE. This prophecy is applied to the Messiah by the Jews y, who say, "that when the King Messiah is revealed, there shall be gathered to him all the nations of the world, so that that Scripture shall be fulfilled which is writ... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THE GOD OF HOPE,.... This character is taken from the latter part of Romans 15:12, and is occasioned by it, "in him shall the Gentiles trust", or "hope"; and is proper to God as he is the author and giver of this grace; for naturally men are without it; that which is a good hope is the gift of G... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I MYSELF ALSO AM PERSUADED OF YOU,.... This is said by way of prevention to an objection that might he made to the apostle's prayers and exhortations by the Romans. What does the apostle mean by all this? what does he think of us, or take us to be? men that live in malice to one another, devoid... [ Continue Reading ]
NEVERTHELESS, BRETHREN, I HAVE WRITTEN THE MORE BOLDLY UNTO YOU,.... Or freely, in taking notice of their party contentions and ill usage of each other, and in reproving, advising, and exhorting them; and which he excuses by observing, that it was, IN SOME SORT, or "in part" only; meaning either th... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT I SHOULD BE THE MINISTER OF JESUS CHRIST,.... The office of apostleship is here amplified and enlarged on, and the ends shown for which that grace was given to him, that he should be a minister; not in holy things about the temple, as the priests and Levites were; or a teacher of the law, some... [ Continue Reading ]
I HAVE THEREFORE WHEREOF I MAY GLORY,.... Not in himself, for he that taught others not to glory in men, would not glory in himself; not in his carnal descent and fleshly privileges; nor in his knowledge of, and compliance with, the ceremonies of the law; nor in his legal, moral, and civil righteous... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR I WILL NOT DARE TO SPEAK OF ANY OF THOSE THINGS,.... He suggests that the false teachers did speak of things which were not done by them at all, and much less were what Christ had done by them; and signifies that he was a conscientious man, and could speak nothing but what was truth; his conscie... [ Continue Reading ]
THROUGH MIGHTY SIGNS AND WONDERS,.... Or "in", or "through the power of signs and wonders", as the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions render the words. These carrying along with them evidence and conviction of the truth of what was delivered, wrought wonderfully and powerfully on the minds o... [ Continue Reading ]
YEA, SO HAVE I STRIVED TO PREACH THE GOSPEL,.... The sense is, not barely that he strove to preach the Gospel and not the law, the pure Gospel, and, not a mixed one; nor only that he endeavoured to preach it fully, and leave out nothing; but that he had an holy ambition to preach it, NOT WHERE CHRI... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT AS IT IS WRITTEN,.... In Isaiah 52:15; TO WHOM HE WAS NOT SPOKEN OF, THEY SHALL SEE, AND THEY THAT HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL UNDERSTAND; for the Messiah was not spoken of to the Gentiles; they were strangers to the covenants of promise; the oracles of God were committed to the Jews; God gave his wor... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR WHICH CAUSE ALSO,.... By reason of being employed for so many years, in preaching the Gospel from Jerusalem, round about to Illyricum; taking so large a compass to minister in, and striving to introduce, propagate, and spread the Gospel, where Christ was never named before: I HAVE BEEN MUCH HIN... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT NOW HAVING NO MORE PLACE IN THESE PARTS,.... Not because persecution was too hot for him, and therefore could not stay any longer, for this was what he expected everywhere; nor did it discourage him in his work, for he took pleasure in enduring it for the sake of Christ and his Gospel; but becau... [ Continue Reading ]
WHENSOEVER I TAKE MY JOURNEY INTO SPAIN,.... Which he had now meditated and resolved upon, being a place, as before observed, where it is very likely the Gospel as yet had not been preached, which made him desirous of going thither; but whether he ever went thither, or not, is not certain; some thin... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT NOW I GO UNTO JERUSALEM,.... Whither he was bound in spirit, not knowing what should befall him there, from which he could not be dissuaded by his friends, and thither he did go: TO MINISTER UNTO THE SAINTS; not to preach the Gospel, though doubtless he did that when he was there; but to distri... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR IT HATH PLEASED THEM OF MACEDONIA AND ACHAIA,.... That is, the churches of Macedonia, particularly Philippi and Thessalonica; and the churches of Achaia, especially the church at Corinth, which was the metropolis of Achaia: TO MAKE A CERTAIN CONTRIBUTION FOR THE POOR SAINTS WHICH ARE AT JERUSAL... [ Continue Reading ]
IT HATH PLEASED THEM [VERILY],.... This is repeated from the former verse, and is designed to point out the spring of this contribution, and the manner in which it was performed: it arose from themselves; it was the pure effect of their good will and pleasure; the first motion was from among themsel... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN THEREFORE I HAVE PERFORMED THIS,.... Meaning when he had dispatched that business, and finished that affair which the Macedonian and Achaian churches had entreated him to engage in, and which he had undertook; namely, to take their collection, and carry it to Jerusalem, and distribute it among... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I AM SURE WHEN I COME TO YOU,.... He intended to go to Spain; he was not sure he should reach thither; but he was positive in it he should come to Rome. It had been much and long upon his mind; and under an impress of the Spirit of God upon him, he had signified some time before this, that after... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW I BESEECH YOU, BRETHREN,.... Having declared his intention of coming to them, and his confidence of it, he entreats an interest in their prayers; and which he urges from the consideration of their mutual relation as "brethren"; and therefore should love one another, and show it, among other thin... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT I MAY BE DELIVERED FROM THEM THAT DO NOT BELIEVE IN JUDEA,.... By whom some think are meant such, who, though they believed in Jesus as the Messiah, yet were violently set against the apostle for preaching down the ceremonial law; and from whom he foresaw he should be in much danger when he cam... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT I MAY COME UNTO YOU WITH JOY,.... The end the apostle had, in desiring them to request the above things at the throne of grace for him, was, that he might come to them, which unless he was delivered from the unbelieving Jews, could not be; and therefore since they had an interest in this matter... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THE GOD OF PEACE BE WITH YOU ALL, AMEN. As God is in this chapter before styled the God of patience, Romans 15:5, and the God of hope, Romans 15:13, because of his concern in these graces; so he is here styled "the God of peace", because of his concern in that peace which is made between him and... [ Continue Reading ]