Romans 15

Romans 15:1

They that know the nature and extent of Christian liberty, ought to help and relieve those that do not understand it, to be watchful to keep them from falling into sin, and not please themselves too much in reflection on their own strength and knowledge, and neglect or despise others that have not so much. 2, 3. Let us rather do what good we can to the edification of other men, after Christ’s example, who did not consider the pleasing of himself, but had the same common concernments with the Father, that whatsoever befell God fell on him, was as tender of God’s honour as if it were done to himself: psalm lxix. 9; see John ii. 17.

Romans 15:4

And if ye think or pretend that those words

Romans 15:5

And that God, for whom we ought to suffer, and who will give you that relief, give you also the grace of unity and charity, such as Christ commanded and expects from you:

Romans 15:6

That ye may join unanimously, Jews and Gentiles, into one, and assembling together worship and serve the Lord, who is both the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (Ephes. i. 3. 17,) in all unity of affections and form of words.

Romans 15:7

Wherefore, in all humility of condescension and kindness, embrace and succour one another, help them up when they are fallen, instead of despising and driving them from your communion, after the example of Christ’s usage toward men, who came from heaven, and laid down his life to relieve us; and there is nothing by which God is more glorified than this.

Romans 15:8

And that ye may not think fit to despise the Jewish believers, let me tell you, that Christ came to them, was by God constituted a means or instrument of good to the Jews in preaching to them the truth of God, calling them to repentance, and so exhibiting and making good to them the promises made of old to that people beyond all others.

Romans 15:9

And on the other side, that the Jew may not condemn and reject the Gentile Christian, or him that makes use of his lawful liberty, let him know, that God hath been most wonderfully merciful to the Gentiles, and made Christ also an instrument of this mercy to them, after that the Jews had rejected him, and so hath given them occasion to magnify his name, according to that of psalm xviii. 49, I will praise thee, and sing unto thee among the Gentiles, signifying thereby, that the Gentiles have cause to give thanks and praise him.

Romans 15:10

And so, Deut xxxii. 43, the Gentiles are bid to join with the Jews in rejoicing and praising God.

Romans 15:11

And so, psalm cxvii. 1, all the nations and all the people of the world are called upon to praise God.

Romans 15:12

And Isaiah prophesying of Christ, ch. xi. 10, that should come from David’s family, (under the type of Hezekiah, a king of Judah lineally descending from David,) saith, that he shall be for a standard to the Gentiles, to whom they may and shall come, and trust and rely on him.

[a] reign over the Gentiles] That which is out of the Hebrew rightly rendered, for an ensign, is by the Greek translators rendered ἄρχειν, to bear rule or dominion; because it being the office of the king to defend, and by arms to protect the people, and the power of war being, as the power of the sword, a branch of imperial authority, and that no way compatible to any, but either to the supreme ἐξουσία or

o 2

Romans 15:13

Now that God, in whom all our trust is reposed, and from whom all good things are to be received, bestow on you that cheerful quiet, (instead of the contentions that have been among you,) and that union and concord in the Christian faith, (or without any receding from it,) that thereby ye may have that hope (which the gospel bestows on you on condition of charity, &c.) increased unto you into all abundance, through the working of the Holy Ghost in you.

Romans 15:14

And though I doubt not but ye that are full of virtue and charity, and perfectly know what your Christian duty is, are also without my help able to advise one another to do what I now say, that is, to abstain from contemning and condemning one another;

Romans 15:15

Yet I have thought good to write freely to you, to stir you up to the practice of that which you know already, this being a branch of my office and authority apostolical, as well as that of making known the gospel;

Romans 15:16

That office, I say, to which I was sent by Christ, Acts ix. 15, to preach the gospel to the Gentiles as well as the Jews, that the Gentiles might be presented and offered up unto God as a sacrifice most acceptable unto him, sanctified, not as other sacrifices by any priest on earth, but even by the Holy Ghost, that is, that they might be brought to obey the gospel.

Romans 15:17

And for my success herein I have ground or matter of great rejoicing, not in myself, but in order to God the author of this success.

Romans 15:18

And herein I shall not need to be so vain as to mention any thing that can be questionable, wherein, as an instrument in Christ’s hands, I have wrought

Romans 15:19

Proving and manifesting my commission, and the truth of what I should say by greater evidences

than any prophet of old, by doing all kinds of miracles, as also by speaking of strange languages, 1 Cor.

xiv. 18, and receiving and making known revelations from heaven, 2 Cor. xii. 3. And after this manner, beginning at Jerusalem, and taking a circuit through Phenice and Syria and Arabia, Acts xix. 20, &c., I have discharged this my office, and preached the gospel to the Macedonians which join upon Illyricum.

Romans 15:20

By which course it appears that I have not only been careful not to preach where some other had been before me, upon which it might be said that I did only superstruct where others had laid the foundation, but I had a kind of ambition in it to make known the gospel to them that had never heard of Christ.

Romans 15:21

To fulfil that glorious prophecy, Isa. lii. 15, that they should be brought home to God that were never preached to before, as the events of Jeremiah’s prophecies should be made good to them to whom the prophecies had not come.

Romans 15:22

If thou hast a clear understanding of thy Christian liberty, it is well for thee, and thou mayest use it betwixt God and thyself, but not always before men, as when it may be in danger to hurt them, and when it is not necessary to reveal thy practice in such matters. He is a happy man, that when he knows a thing lawful doth so manage the practice of it, the use of his liberty, that he hath therein no reason to accuse or condemn himself: see note [f] ch. ii.

By this means of preaching to some new people or other, I have been hindered unexpectedly from coming to you, when I have several times designed it.

Romans 15:23

And indeed for the scrupulous Judaizer there is little reason he should be so ill used for his not daring to eat, when he thinks himself otherwise obliged; for it were a damning sin, for which his own conscience already condemns him, should he eat or do any indifferent thing as long as he thinks in conscience that it is not so, because it is contrary to persuasion or assurance of the lawfulness of his action: and whosoever doth any thing without that persuasion, (called faith here, and knowledge, 1 Cor. viii. 7,) so far at least as to judge that which he doth lawful for him, he certainly sins in so doing. # CHAP. XV. WE then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

But now having no more occasion to detain me in these parts, that I yet foresee, and having for many years had an earnest desire to visit you,

[e] is sin] In this place it is certain the ancient copies generally added that benediction which we now find, ch. xvi. 25. Τῇ δὲ δυναμίνῳ ὑμᾶς στηρίξαι κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν μου, &c. Now to him that is able to stablish you according to my gospel, and so on to the end. Thus we find it in St. Chrysostom and Theophylact, &c. And from thence the posthumous notes under Grotius’s name infer that “the apostle first designed to end his Epistle there.” But there is no ground for such conjectural inference. It is certain doxologies may be seasonable in other places, and not only by way of conclusion; and so we find in the like style, Τῇ δὲ δυναμίνῳ, Now to him that is able, &c., Eph. iii. 20, 21, in the middle of the Epistle; and so incidently, ᾧ ἡ δόξα, to whom be glory, Gal. i. 5, and more solemnly, Τῇ δὲ βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων ἀφθάρτῳ, Now to the incorruptible King of ages, &c., I Tim. i. 17, almost in the beginning. And it is St. Chrysostom’s note, Ἔθος ἀεὶ τῇ Παύλῳ εἰς εὐχὰς καὶ δοξολογίας κατακλείειν τὴν παραίνεσιν, “It is customary with St. Paul to conclude an exhortation with prayers and praises.” And Theophylact, Μετὰ τὴν παραίνεσιν εἴωθεν ἀεὶ εὔχεσθαι, “After an exhortation he always useth to pray.” The petitory part of this Doxology is contained in the δυναμίνῳ ὑμᾶς στηρίξαι, which is a praying that God who alone is able, will stablish them; and this so proper to the whole business of the precedent chapter, that it cannot without great injustice be taken from it: and therefore, without examining the reason of its removal, (for which we have only probable conjecture,) it is all reason that it should be fetched back from ch. xvi. 25, and placed here, as it ought to be.

Romans 15:24

In my journey to Spain I am resolved to do it, taking you in my passage, and expecting that you will accompany me some part of my way thither, after I have stayed a while, and satisfied myself with the pleasure of being among you.

Romans 15:25

But now I am a going to Judea, to distribute to the poor Christians there the collection that hath been made for them

Romans 15:26

By the Christians of Macedonia and Achaia.

Romans 15:27

This they have done, and it was but due from them; for considering that these Gentile provinces have been beholden in a higher respect to the Jews, have received the gospel from them, as indeed from Judæa it was that it was first preached to Macedonia and Achaia, it is but reasonable they should make them those poor returns, contribution to their wants.

Romans 15:28

When therefore this business is dispatched, and I have delivered to them safely this fruit of the Gentiles’ liberality, I intend then to begin my journey to Spain, and take you in my way thither.

Romans 15:29

And I am confident when I come, I shall give you such evidences of the great mercy and glorious dispensations of God, and the good successes which I have had, that you will be much confirmed in the Christian faith by my coming and telling you what I have been able to do, and consequently that I shall bring as much blessedness to you, and be cause of as much Christian joy, as is possible.

Romans 15:30

And now I beseech you, for our Lord Christ Jesus’ sake, and upon that obligation of Christian love which he requires, and his Spirit works in your hearts, that you will with great earnestness and intention join your prayers with mine to beseech God,

Romans 15:31

That I may be delivered from that danger which I foresee in Judæa from some refractory men, that though they have received the faith, are violently bent against me as an opposer of the Mosaical law, and that the relief which I bring to the poor Christians at Hierusalem and Judæa may be taken by them in good part, though it come from those Gentile provinces.

Romans 15:32

This would be a means to make me come cheerfully to you, if it please God to grant it to our prayers, and to have a cheerful being with you.

Romans 15:33

And the God of all unity and concord bless you, and preserve unity among you all. Amen.

¹⁰ poor of the saints, πτωχούς τῶν ἁγίων. ¹¹ Or, blessing of Christ: for the King’s MS.

reads, αὐλογίας Χριστοῦ, and so Origen and Ambrose and the Latin.