Romans 16

Study Guide 128: Romans 12-16 A RIGHTEOUS, LOVING CHURCH Overview Paul had described God’ s gift of righteousness to humankind. He had shown that God’ s righteousness is both legal (providing a basis on which sinners can be acquitted before the divine court) and dynamic (providing an inner power which leads to the transformation of the believer from within). Now Paul went on to make yet another vital point. Those individuals who have received the gift of God are to band together in community. In the community of those who believe, fresh aspects of God’ s goodness and His beauty will be expressed. However, not every local church has experienced the joy of community. Why not? In these vital chapters of Romans, Paul described the attitudes and the actions which bond believers together in love, and which create a relational climate in which maximum personal spiritual growth can take place. How wonderful these chapters of Romans are! And how we need to take them to heart, making them our guidelines as we learn how to live together as God’ s holy, loving family of faith. ACCEPT. This key term appears in Romans 14:1-23 and is used to describe our attitude toward all who are fellow-believers, even though they may differ from us in significant ways. The Greek word, proslambano, means literally “ welcome,” to actively draw another into one’ s society or circle of friends.

Commentary I don’ t know why we picture righteous people as dull. But we do. And we picture them as rather grim. As standing to one side, with a disapproving look on their faces while others frolic. Somehow the righteous person shows up dressed in black, while everyone else wears bright and colorful clothes. In the old movies we watch on TV, the scoundrel is the warm, engaging person who quickly makes friends. How tragic when we let the world force our thinking into Satan’ s mold. Righteousness isn’ t like that at all! The righteousness that God gives us, and the righteousness that His Spirit is at work to shape in us, is a warm personal kind of thing. Rather than isolate us from others, for the first time we find it is possible to draw truly near. We find that the first fruit of the Spirit, love, warms and deepens our relationships with others who have become our brothers and sisters, one with us in the forever family of God. The second product, joy, makes the fellowship we share bright and colorful (see Galatians 5:22-23). So let’ s exchange our old, mistaken picture of righteousness for the reality. Let’ s take off our imaginary suits of black. Let’ s put on our brightest party clothes. Let’ s reach out to others . . . stretch out our hands . . . touch . . . smile! Let’ s call for the music to play, the celebration to begin! Let’ s move out into the sunlight, feel its warmth, shout together, share our joy! The righteousness of God finds its fullest expression in Christ’ s new, loving, and joyful community. Homothumadon. In our study of Acts we introduced this Greek term which means, “ with one accord.” It was a word that God chose to describe the fellowship that existed within the earliest church. That word portrays the unique harmony and love that so impressed early observers. “ See how they love one another,” was the remark. These early Christians, so varied in background (there were both rich and poor, Judean and foreign Jew), found a unity and love that observers could hardly believe. Jesus had spoken of this dimension of Christian community before His crucifixion. He told His followers, “ Love one another as I have loved you. All men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35). God’ s plan for believers includes the demonstration of His righteousness in and through a loving community. Christ’ s church is to demonstrate to all the world that righteousness, correctly understood, means love and joy! The church is also to be the context in which growth and transformation take place in believers. We are to be nourished in our growth toward Christ’ s likeness by one another. In the acceptance and love of our brothers and sisters, we’ re to sense God’ s own acceptance and love, and to grow in that freedom from Law which Paul explained so carefully. “ Grow up into . . . Christ,” Paul called it in Ephesians 4:15. Growing up, together, into Christ. It is tragic that just as the Law has some times been distorted and misused by Christians, the church has too. Sometimes, rather than the joyful community of God’ s plan, the church has become a joyless assembly. Rather than loving and accepting one another as brothers on a common pilgrimage, some churches have become legalist assemblies where conformity and pretense are the price of admission. The vital dimension of growth in Christ as a way of life has been set aside, and agreement on our doctrines, or our convictions and customs has been imposed. No longer are imperfect people welcomed, loved, and accepted as they are, in the calm assurance that growth in Christ is all they need. Instead, the believer in such a church is forced to try to hide his imperfections, and struggle to live up to a new legalism, imposed not by God but by men. No wonder then that Paul, all too familiar with this same tendency in his own day, turned in the closing chapters of Romans to outline for us the way to the righteous, loving community that God seeks to shape. Paul here gave us clear, simple guidance for shared experience of God’ s joy. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Ask your group members to rank on a scale of 1 to 10 the importance of the following:

1. People accept me as I am.
2. I feel loved and wanted.
3. I can share with those close to me.
4. When I make mistakes, others don’ t condemn or reject me.
5. I don’ t have to be just like everyone else to be welcome.
6. I am valued and make a real contribution to others.
7. I don’ t have to compete but can cooperate with others. Discuss the rankings, encouraging your group members to share why the high importance items are significant to them. Then move into the text, explaining that each item describes what the church of Christ is to be like — and these passages show us how to build just this kind of vital Christian fellowship.

Christ’ s Impact: Romans 12:1-21Rom_12:1-21 begins with familiar and famous words. “ I urge you . . . in view of God’ s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — which is your spiritual worship.” We can never have a truly Christian relationship with others until we are fully committed to God. Only when we are surrendered to Him will the world be powerless to squeeze us into its mold, and will we be transformed and able to live out God’ s good will. This is important here, launching a section on interpersonal relationships. We can never substitute quality relationships with other Christians for quality relationship with the Lord. The real source of quality relationships with others is full commitment to the Lord. With this principle established, however, Paul does call us to look closely at the relationship we have with the brothers and sisters whom God has given us. Mutual ministry (Romans 12:3-8). The world’ s way is all too often to measure people against each other. How well we compete, and how much better we are than others, are ways we are measured. This competitive dimension of society shows up in everything. School grades are a way of measuring people against others. Sports are designed to select winners, and to separate them from losers. Our economy and businesses are again expressions of a competitive approach to life. The way we view others and our opinion of them are all directly related to how they compare, in terms of skills, education, looks, talents, character, etc. In tremendously significant ways, measured against others, each individual stands or falls alone. But when we come to the church, this perspective changes. God views us as members of a body. In the body relationship we do not compete; we cooperate. “ In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:5). Each of us has a different function, but our differences do not make anyone better or worse than another. The reason is that, whatever our gift (function), each of us contributes. Each of us is necessary! How then are we to evaluate ourselves? We are each to focus on using our own gift to serve others. We find fulfillment not in comparing ourselves with others, but in being ourselves and using whatever talent God has given in ministry!How exciting this is. No longer am I any more important than my brother, or he more important than I. We are each important, in and of ourselves. It is impossible to overestimate the impact of this perspective on ourselves and on interpersonal relationships. When I develop the divine viewpoint: I am released from jealousy. I can find fulfillment in being who I am, rather than wanting to be like someone else. My friendships are not distorted by status — I am awed by none, and look down on none. I appreciate others for themselves, without feeling they must be different or must be like me. Learning to take God’ s view of others as members with me in a body where cooperation, not competition, has value initiates a whole new way of relating to others that is unlike anything the world knows. This is the first key to building a righteous, loving community. To see ourselves and others as God does, as valuable contributing persons in a family of faith. Love’ s priority (Romans 12:9-21). The key to life in the Christian community is love. Paul makes this very clear. “ Love must be sincere. . . . Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. . . . Live in harmony with one another. . . . Overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:9-10, Romans 12:16, Romans 12:21). The kind of love that Paul described is not a passive thing. Instead it involves an aggressive reaching out to care for others. “ Share with God’ s people who are in need” (Romans 12:13) is one practical expression of love. “ Practice hospitality” (Romans 12:13) is another. “ Be willing to associate with people of low position [in society]” (Romans 12:16) is yet another. A climate of love is absolutely basic to the church of Jesus Christ. Without such caring, and reaching out to touch one another’ s lives, the church will fall tragically short of God’ s intended experience of His “ good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2). LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Let your group members engage in direct Bible study. Divide into teams of “ church doctors” to study Romans 12:4-21 and prescribe for people who want the kind of church experience highlighted in the opening quiz (above). How does this passage suggest we build the faith community?

Church and State: Romans 13:1-14In one sense this is a digression. In another it is not. The church is a body, uniquely different from the secular society of which it is also a part. How are Christians to relate, not to each other, but to the state and to its secular citizens? Human government (Romans 13:1-7). Paul taught that God had instituted human government as a restraining power, an agent of justice to bring punishment to wrongdoers. This is no blanket endorsement of every and any form of human government. It is, however, an astute observation. Any state, for its own self-interest, must be concerned with morality and moral order! If citizens lied and stole and murdered one another, the state would fall to enemies from outside or to corruption from within. Thus human government, for its own sake and not out of respect for God, serves as God’ s agent in enforcing basic morality. Christians are to recognize that the state (human government) has been ordained by God, and are to respect it as a divinely intended institution. Out of respect for God we are to pay taxes, show respect for those who govern, and in other ways be good citizens of the countries in which we live. Personal corruption (Romans 13:8-14). The citizen is to fulfill all his public obligations. Yet there is one debt which can never be paid: the debt we owe to all our fellowmen to love them (Romans 13:8). Everything the commandments speak out against harms others (Romans 13:9-10). If we truly love them, we will do nothing to bring them harm, and thus love will lead us to fulfill the divine law as well as keep us from violations of human law. We who are Christ’ s need to concentrate on love, rejecting all those sins that attract the lost. Love calls us to “ clothe [ourselves] with the Lord Jesus Christ, and . . . not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Romans 13:14). LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Church/state issues concern many these days. Should Christians be allowed to educate their children in church schools? Should tax money be available to such schools? What right does the government have to legislate in moral areas, such as pornography and abortion? Should Christians in Communist countries be “ good citizens,” or revolt against oppression? Not all of these questions are answered in Romans 13:1-7. But certain basic concepts about the nature and function of the state are defined here. Set your group members to first, list all their church/state questions on the chalkboard, and then second, to study this passage to determine which can and which can not be answered from it. Finally, let your group members try to establish from the passage the principles which enable them to answer some of the questions, and to give these answers.

Maintaining Harmony: Romans 14:1-15:13 Paul’ s primary concern in this section of Romans is not how the Christian is to conduct himself in society, but how we express our new life within the believing community. This is not because society is unimportant. It is because the Christian community as well as the individual is to witness to the reality of Jesus. On the one hand, the Christian community is the context in which individual believers can grow to their full stature as Christ’ s people. On the other, the love which marks Christian relationships is itself a powerful testimony to Christ’ s presence. For each of these purposes to be achieved, the church must truly be the righteous, loving community which Scripture describes with homothumadon. It’ s no wonder, then, that Paul described attitudes toward others which build community. Strikingly, each of the attitudes reflects Jesus’ own attitude toward us. Accepting (Romans 14:1-13). Paul dealt with an issue which often creates conflict in churches: convictions. These are not matters which Scripture identifies as “ sin.” They are, however, issues which seem “ wrong” to some believers, and “ right” to others. Actually, all of us differ from others in significant ways. We Christians have different opinions about what a believer should and shouldn’ t do. Some think women should be ordained; others violently disagree. Some, in Paul’ s day, thought it was “ Christian” to be vegetarian, while others liked a good steak. Some then felt Christians should observe special “ holy” days, and others felt all days are alike. These differences tended then as now to divide believers into subgroups of “ them” and “ us.” And all such antagonistic divisions are harmful to community! All distort the unity and ministry of Jesus’ church. How does Romans teach we are to deal with such differences? *Positively. Paul suggested several positive steps and attitudes we are to develop. First, we are to actively welcome even those with a weak faith (Romans 14:1). Second, we are to recognize Jesus as Lord (Romans 14:6-12). Christ arose (and thus is alive) so that He might be Lord for His people. Each of us is responsible to Jesus as Lord; we are not responsible to each other. Third, we are to each explore the issues over which believers have convictions and “ be fully convinced in his own mind” (Romans 14:5). *Negatively. What we are not to do in our relationships with other Christians is clearly identified. We are not to condemn others whose convictions differ from ours (Romans 14:3). We are not to look down on them for being “ less spiritual” than we (Romans 14:3). Bluntly put, we are not to judge them at all (Romans 14:1). Jesus is Lord, and they are responsible to Him. If they have sinned, Jesus will judge them. We have no business intruding into this relationship of responsibility of a fellow believer to the Lord (Romans 14:13). We should look to Christ as our model. “ Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7). God does not condemn the brother we judge, but has accepted him (Romans 14:3). As far as his future is concerned, Jesus is able to make our brother or sister stand (Romans 14:4). How important then, that like Jesus, we love and accept each other, and try to build each other up rather than tear one another down because of the ways in which we differ. Self-sacrifice (Rom. 14:13-15:13). Often the differences that do exist between us will trouble an entire fellowship. Some, who have the freedom to do what others question, may in the exercise of that freedom, cause the brother harm. Paul is very clear here. Nothing (that is not identified in Scripture as sin) is unclean or wrong in itself. But neither is it more important than our brother or sister. So we Christians walk a fine line. We affirm our freedom and responsibility to live by our own convictions. Yet we are careful not to flaunt them, so that others may follow our example despite personal doubts, or may condemn us for what we ourselves believe to be good and right. In this area, Paul gives several practical suggestions: “ Whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God” (Romans 14:22). “ Make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification” (Romans 14:19). “ We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves” (Romans 15:1). The goal toward which we are to work, giving it priority rather than convictions, is “ that with one heart and mouth you may [together] glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:6). LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT To help your group members explore this significant passage on Christian living, duplicate and give to teams of five or six members one of these two case histories. Each team is to study Romans 14:1-15:7, identify principles which might apply to its case, and then tell how they might be applied to help the people involved in the case history. Case 1: Linda’ s children are in school now, and she wants to go back to work. Her husband Jim is opposed. He feels that it’ s a man’ s place to earn the family living, and that Linda should find fulfillment in her role as a wife and mother. Each feels very strongly about this situation, and each goes to the Bible to suggest he or she is right. Case 2: Bob spoke in his class to express his doubts about drinking. Wine was drunk in Bible times. Drunkenness is wrong, but not a social drink now and then. Charlie Dobbs sees this as a vital moral issue, and drinking is absolutely wrong. He has angrily challenged Bob, and the class has begun to take sides.

Farewells: Romans 15:14-16:27 Paul’ s farewells are also revealing. He expressed confidence in the Spirit who was within the Romans. They did not need him, for they themselves had been fully equipped by God for a life of faith (Romans 15:14-16). While Paul had long wished to visit Rome, God had not yet let him. Eagerly he looked forward to such a time, perhaps as a side visit on the way to Spain. What an adventure there: Spain! A land where the Gospel had not been heard. Romans 16:1-27 is filled with personal greetings. If ever we wondered about the apostle and his relationships with others, these greetings are revealing. Paul had never visited Rome. He must have met these people elsewhere on his journeys. Yet, he had kept such close track of them that he knew the details of many of their lives. What a warm and loving fellowship Paul must have experienced with his beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord. How real the community of which he wrote in these chapters must have been to him. Saul, the lonely Pharisee at 30, isolated from everyone in that distorted righteousness of works, had become Paul the apostle, a man of warmth and love, wrapped in the comforting cloak of Christian friends. God’ s kind of righteousness has broken through the isolation of the lonely heart and, in the fellowship of those who love one Lord, brought celebration and joy.

With PaulAt Rome MenWomen TimothyAquilaRufusPriscilla LuciusEpenetusAsyncritusMary JasonAdronicusPhlegonTryphena SosipaterAmpliatusHermesTryphosa TertiusUrbanusPatrobasPersis GaiusStachysHermasJulia ErastusHerodionNereus QuartusOlympasJunias PhoebeApellesPhilologusIn Christ, community is ours. Yet our names are known individually. What a lesson. Our individuality is not surrendered, yet in the bonds of love in Christ’ s church each one can at last, severally and together, become all we were ever meant to be. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT What was the role of women in the early church? This issue is examined in the study guides on 1 Corinthians 7:1-40 and 1 Corinthians 11:1-34. Yet in this passage that emphasizes the cooperative nature of the body, it is interesting to note that Phoebe (Romans 16:1) was called a deaconess (the same term used of men deacons in 1 Timothy 3:1-16). And that Paul mentioned so many women by name. You may want to point this out to your group, and ask whether convictions limiting women’ s roles in the modern church may not be among those issues to which Romans 14-15 relates.

Teaching Guide Prepare What is the relational climate in your own group? Pray that God will build that warm fellowship which promotes mutual ministry and Christian love.

Explore Launch this week’ s group session by asking your members to rank from 1-10 interpersonal factors which make for fellowship in the church. You’ ll find items to rank and how-to suggestions in “ link-to-life” above.

Expand

1. Divide into teams to study Romans 12:1-21 for clues as to what believers might do to build the kind of local congregation which God has in mind (“ link-to-life” above).
2. Romans 14-15 also lays down vital fellowship principles. Be sure to explore how we are to deal with differences in convictions. You can cover this material in a minilecture, or use the case-history approach explained above.

Apply Ask each person to examine his or her own attitude, and prayerfully ask God to purge him or her of judgmentalism, making room only for love.