Romans 15

Romans 15:1

15:1 The first thirteen verses of chapter 15 continue the subject of the previous chapter, dealing with matters of moral indifference. Tensions had arisen between the converts from Judaism and those from paganism, so Paul here pleads for harmonious relations between these Jewish and Gentile Christians. Those who are strong (that is, with full liberty regarding things that are morally indifferent) are not to please themselves by selfishly asserting their rights. Rather, they should treat their weak brothers with kindness and consideration, making full allowance for their excessive scruples. 15:2 Here the principle is this: don’t live to please self. Live to please your neighbor, to do him good, to build him up. This is the Christian approach. 15:3 Christ has given us the example. He lived to please His Father, not Himself. He said, The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me (Psa_69:9). This means that He was so completely taken up with God’s honor that when men insulted God He took it as a personal insult to Himself. 15:4 This quotation from the Psalms reminds us that the OT Scriptures were written for our learning. While they were not written directly to us, they contain invaluable lessons for us. As we encounter problems, conflicts, tribulations, and troubles, the Scriptures teach us to be steadfast, and they impart comfort. Thus, instead of sinking under the waves, we are sustained by the hope that the Lord will see us through. 15:5 This consideration leads Paul to express the wish that the God who gives steadfastness and comfort will enable the strong and the weak, Gentile and Jewish Christians, to live harmoniously according to the teaching and example of Christ Jesus. 15:6 The result will be that the saints will be united in the worship of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. What a picture! Saved Jews and saved Gentiles worshiping the Lord with one mouth! There are four mentions of the mouth in Romans, forming a biographical outline of a well-saved soul. At the beginning, his mouth was full of cursing and bitterness (Rom_3:14). Then his mouth was stopped, and he was brought in guilty before the Judge (Rom_3:19). Next he confesses with his mouth Jesus as Lord (Rom_10:9). And finally his mouth is actively praising and worshiping the Lord (15:6). 15:7 One more principle emerges from all this. In spite of any differences that might exist concerning secondary matters, we should receive one another, just as Christ also received us. Here is the true basis for reception in the local assembly. We do not receive on the basis of denominational affiliation, spiritual maturity, or social status. We should receive those whom Christ has received, in order to promote the glory of God. 15:8 In the next six verses the apostle reminds his readers that the ministry of Jesus Christ includes Jews and Gentiles, and the implication is that our hearts should also be big enough to include both. Certainly Christ came to serve the circumcisionthat is, the Jewish people. God had repeatedly promised that He would send the Messiah to Israel, and Christ’s coming confirmed the truth of those promises. 15:9 But Christ brings blessings to the Gentiles also. God purposed that the nations should hear the gospel, and that those people who believe should glorify God for His great mercy. This should not come as a surprise to Jewish believers, because it is frequently foretold in their Scriptures. In Psa_18:49, for example, David anticipates the day when the Messiah will sing praise to God in the midst of a host of Gentile believers. 15:10 In Deu_32:43 the Gentiles are pictured as rejoicing in the blessings of salvation with His people Israel. 15:11 In Psa_117:1 we hear Israel calling on the Gentiles to praise the Lord in the Millennial Reign of the Messiah. 15:12 Finally Isaiah adds his testimony to the inclusion of the Gentiles in the dominion of the Messiah (Isa_11:1, Isa_11:10). The particular point here is that the Gentiles would share in the privileges of the Messiah and His gospel. The Lord Jesus is a root of Jesse in the sense that He is Jesse’s Creator, not that He sprang from Jesse (though that also is true). In Rev_22:16 Jesus speaks of Himself as the Root and Offspring of David. As to His deity, He is David’s Creator; as to His humanity, He is David’s descendant. 15:13 So Paul closes this section with a gracious benediction, praying that the God who gives good hope through grace will fill the saints with all joy and peace as they believe on Him. Perhaps he is thinking especially of Gentile believers here, but the prayer is suitable for all. And it is true that those who abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit have no time to quarrel over nonessentials. Our common hope is a powerful unifying force in the Christian life.

Romans 15:14

G. In Paul’s Plans (15:14-33) 15:14 In the rest of chapter 15 Paul states his reason for writing to the Romans and his great desire to visit them. Though he has never met the Roman Christians, he is confident that they will welcome his admonitions. This confidence is based on what he has heard of their goodness. In addition, he is assured of their knowledge of Christian doctrine, which qualifies them to ad monish others (NKJV mg.). 15:15 In spite of his confidence in their spiritual progress, and in spite of the fact that he was a stranger to them, Paul didn’t hesitate to remind them of some of their privileges and responsibilities. His frankness in writing as he did arose from the grace given to him by Godthat is, the grace that appointed him as an apostle. 15:16 He was appointed by God to be a sort of serving-priest of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. He looked upon his work of ministering the gospel of God as a priestly function in which he presented saved Gentiles as an acceptable offering to God because they had been set apart by the Holy Spirit to God through the new birth. G. Campbell Morgan exults: What a radiant light this sheds on all our evangelistic and pastoral effort! Every soul won by the preaching of the gospel is not only brought into a place of safety and of blessing; he is an offering to God, a gift which gives Him satisfaction, the very offering He is seeking. Every soul carefully and patiently instructed in the things of Christ, and so made conformable to His likeness, is a soul in whom the Father takes pleasure. Thus we labor, not only for the saving of men, but for the satisfying of the heart of God. This is the most powerful motive. 15:17 If Paul engages in boasting, it is not in his own person that he glories, but in Christ Jesus. And it is not in his own accomplishments but in what God has been pleased to do through him. A humble servant of Christ does not engage in unseemly boasting, but rather he is conscious of the fact that God is using him to accomplish His purposes. Any temptation to pride is tempered by the realization that he is nothing in himself, that he has nothing except what he has received, and that he can do nothing for Christ except by the power of the Holy Spirit. 15:18 Paul does not presume to speak of what Christ had done through the ministry of others. He confines himself to the way the Lord had used him to win the Gentiles to obedience, both by what he said and by what he didthat is, by the message he preached and by the miracles he performed. 15:19 The Lord confirmed the apostle’s message by miracles that taught spiritual lessons and that inspired amazement, and by various manifestations of the Spirit’s power. The result was that he had fully preached the gospel, beginning at Jerusalem and extending in a circle to Illyricum (north of Macedonia, on the Adriatic Sea). From Jerusalem … to Illyricum describes the geographical extent of his ministry and not the chronological order. 15:20 In following this route, Paul’s aim was to preach the gospel in virgin territory. His audiences were composed primarily of Gentiles who had never heard of Christ before. Thus he was not building on anyone else’s foundation. Paul’s example in pioneering in new areas does not necessarily bind other servants of the Lord to this exact activity. Some are called to move in and teach, for example, after new churches have been planted. 15:21 This foundational work among the Gentiles was a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (Isa_52:15) that the Gentiles who had never previously been evangelized would see, and that those who had never previously heard the good news would understand and respond in true faith. 15:22, 23 In his desire to plow un tilled territory, Paul had been too occupied to get to Rome in the past. But now the foundation had been laid in the region described in 15:19. Others could build on the foundation. Paul was therefore free to fulfill his long-standing desire to visit Rome. 15:24 His plan was to stop off at Rome en route to Spain. He would not be able to stay long enough to enjoy all the fellowship with them that he would like, but his desire to enjoy their company would be partially satisfied at least. Then he knew that they would give whatever help was needed to complete his trip to Spain. 15:25 But in the meantime he was going to Jerusalem to deliver the funds which had been collected among Gentile churches for the needy saints in Judea. This is the collection that we read about in 1Co_16:1 and 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. 15:26, 27 The believers in Macedonia and Achaia had gladly contributed to a fund to relieve the distress among the poor Christians. This collection was completely voluntary on the part of the donors, and also quite appropriate for them to give. After all, they had benefited spiritually by the coming of the gospel to them through Jewish believers. So it was not too much to expect that they would share with their Jewish brethren in material things. 15:28, 29 As soon as Paul had performed this mission, delivering the funds as promised, he would visit Rome on his way to Spain. He had every confidence that his visit to Rome would be accompanied by the fullness of the blessing of the gospel which Christ always pours out when God’s word is preached in the power of the Holy Spirit. 15:30 The apostle closes this section with a fervent appeal for their prayers. The basis on which he appeals is their mutual union with the Lord Jesus Christ and their love which came from the Holy Spirit. He asks them to agonize in prayers to God for him. As Lenski says, This calls for prayers into which one puts his whole heart and soul as do the contestants in the arena.15:31 Four specific prayer requests are given. First, Paul asks for prayer that he will be delivered from zealots in Judea who were fanatically opposed to the gospel, just as he himself had once been. Second, he wants the Romans to pray that the Jewish saints will accept the relief funds in good grace. Strong religious prejudices remained against Gentile believers and against those who preached to the Gentiles. Then there is always the possibility of people being offended at the idea of receiving charity. It often takes more grace to be on the receiving end than on the giving end! 15:32 The third request was that the Lord might see fit to make the visit to Rome a joyful one. The words by the will of God express Paul’s desire to be led by the Lord in all things. Last of all, he asks that his visit might be one in which he may be refreshed in the midst of a tumultuous and fatiguing ministry. 15:33 And now Paul closes the chapter with the prayer that the God who is the source of peace might be their portion. In chapter 15 the Lord has been named the God of patience and consolation (v. 5), the God of hope (v. 13), and now the God of peace. He is the source of everything good and of everything a poor sinner needs now and eternally. Amen.