Text -- Romans 15:1-20 (NET)

Exhortation for the Strong to Help the Weak

15:1 But we who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not just please ourselves. 15:2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up. 15:3 For even Christ did not please himself, but just as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 15:4 For everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope. 15:5 Now may the God of endurance and comfort give you unity with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, 15:6 so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Exhortation to Mutual Acceptance

15:7 Receive one another, then, just as Christ also received you, to God’s glory. 15:8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth to confirm the promises made to the fathers, 15:9 and thus the Gentiles glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Because of this I will confess you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praises to your name.” 15:10 And again it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 15:11 And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him.” 15:12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, and the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope.” 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul’s Motivation for Writing the Letter

15:14 But I myself am fully convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 15:15 But I have written more boldly to you on some points so as to remind you, because of the grace given to me by God 15:16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. I serve the gospel of God like a priest, so that the Gentiles may become an acceptable offering, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 15:17 So I boast in Christ Jesus about the things that pertain to God. 15:18 For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in order to bring about the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed, 15:19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem even as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 15:20 And in this way I desire to preach where Christ has not been named, so as not to build on another person’s foundation,

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Robertson: Rom 15:1

We the strong ( hēmeis hoi dunatoi ).

Paul identifies himself with this wing in the controversy. He means the morally strong as in 2Co 12:10; 2Co 13:9, not the mighty as in 1Co 1:26.

Robertson: Rom 15:1

The infirmities ( ta asthenēmata ).

"The weaknesses"(cf. asthenōn in Rom 14:1, Rom 14:2), the scruples "of the not strong"(tōn adunatōn ). See note on Act 14:8 where it is used of the man weak in his feet (impotent).

Robertson: Rom 15:1

To bear ( bastazein ).

As in Gal 6:2, common in the figurative sense.

Robertson: Rom 15:1

Not to please ourselves ( mē heautois areskein ).

Precisely Paul’ s picture of his own conduct in 1Co 10:33.

Robertson: Rom 15:2

For that which is good ( eis to agathon ).

"For the good."As in Rom 14:16, Rom 14:19. Not to please men just for popular favours, but for their benefit.

Robertson: Rom 15:3

Pleased not himself ( ouch heautōi ēresen ).

Aorist active indicative of areskō with the usual dative. The supreme example for Christians. See Rom 14:15. He quotes Psa 69:9 (Messianic Psalm) and represents the Messiah as bearing the reproaches of others.

Robertson: Rom 15:4

Were written aforetime ( proegraphē ).

Second aorist passive indicative of prographō , old verb, in N.T. only here, Gal 3:1 (which see); Eph 3:3; Jud 1:4.

Robertson: Rom 15:4

For our learning ( eis tēn hēmeteran didaskalian ).

"For the instruction of us."Objective sense of possessive pronoun hēmeteros . See Mat 15:9 and note on 2Ti 3:16 for didaskalian (from didaskō , to teach).

Robertson: Rom 15:4

We might have hope ( tēn elpida echōmen ).

Present active subjunctive of echō with hina in final clause, "that we might keep on having hope."One of the blessed uses of the Scriptures.

Robertson: Rom 15:5

The God of patience and comfort ( ho theos tēs hupomonēs kai tēs paraklēseōs ).

Genitive case of the two words in Rom 15:4 used to describe God who uses the Scriptures to reveal himself to us. See note on 2Co 1:3 for this idea; Rom 15:13 for "the God of hope"; Rom 15:33 for "the God of peace."

Robertson: Rom 15:5

Grant you ( dōiē humin ).

Second aorist active optative ( Koiné[28928]š form for older doiē ) as in 2Th 3:16; Eph 1:17; 2Ti 1:16, 2Ti 1:18; 2Ti 2:25, though MSS. vary in Eph 1:17; 2Ti 2:25 for dōēi (subjunctive). The optative here is for a wish for the future (regular idiom).

Robertson: Rom 15:5

According to Christ Jesus ( kata Christon Iēsoun ).

"According to the character or example of Christ Jesus"(2Co 11:17; Col 2:8; Eph 5:24).

Robertson: Rom 15:6

With one accord ( homothumadon ).

Here alone in Paul, but eleven times in Acts (Act 1:14, etc.).

Robertson: Rom 15:6

With one mouth ( en heni stomati ).

Vivid outward expression of the unity of feeling.

Robertson: Rom 15:6

May glorify ( doxazēte ).

Present active subjunctive of doxazō , final clause with hina "that ye may keep on glorifying."For "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"see note on 2Co 1:3 for discussion; 2Co 11:31. It occurs also in Eph 1:3; 1Pe 1:3.

Robertson: Rom 15:7

Receive ye ( proslambanesthe as in Rom 14:1)

, received (proselabeto , here of Christ as in Rom 14:3 of God). The repetition here is addressed to both the strong and the weak and the "us"(hēmās ) includes all.

Robertson: Rom 15:8

A minister of the circumcision ( diakonon peritomēs ).

Objective genitive, "a minister to the circumcision."Diakonon is predicate accusative with gegenēsthai (perfect passive infinitive of ginomai in indirect assertion after legō , I say) and in apposition with Christon , accusative of general reference with the infinitive. See Gal 4:4.

Robertson: Rom 15:8

That he might confirm ( eis to bebaiōsai ).

Purpose clause with eis to and the infinitive bebaiōsai (first aorist active of bebaioō , to make stand).

Robertson: Rom 15:8

The promises given unto the fathers ( tas epaggelias tōn paterōn ).

No "given"in the Greek, just the objective genitive, "the promises to the fathers."See note on Rom 9:4, Rom 9:5.

Robertson: Rom 15:9

And that the Gentiles might praise ( ta de ethnē doxasai ).

Coordinate with bebaiōsai and eis to , to be repeated with ta ethnē , the accusative of general reference and ton theon the object of doxasai . Thus the Gentiles were called through the promise to the Jews in the covenant with Abraham (Rom 4:11., Rom 4:16.). Salvation is of the Jews. Paul proves his position by a chain of quotations from the O.T., the one in Rom 15:9 from Psa 18:50. For exomologeō , see note on Rom 14:11.

Robertson: Rom 15:9

I will sing ( psalō ).

Future active of psallō , for which verb see note on 1Co 14:15.

Robertson: Rom 15:10

Rejoice, ye Gentiles ( euphranthēte ).

First aorist passive imperative of euphrainō , old word from eu , well and phrēn , mind. See note on Luk 15:32. Quotation from Deuteronomy 32:43 (lxx).

Robertson: Rom 15:11

All the Gentiles ( panta ta ethnē ).

From Psa 117:1 with slight variations from the lxx text.

Robertson: Rom 15:12

The root ( hē riza ).

Rather here, as in Rev 5:5; Rev 22:16, the sprout from the root. From Isa 11:10.

Robertson: Rom 15:12

On him shall the Gentiles hope ( ep' autōi ethnē elpiousin ).

Attic future of elpizō for the usual elpisousin .

Robertson: Rom 15:13

The God of hope ( ho theos tēs elpidos ).

Taking up the idea in Rom 15:12 as in Rom 15:5 from Rom 15:4.

Robertson: Rom 15:13

Fill you ( plērōsai humas ).

Optative (first aorist active of plēroō ) of wish for the future. Cf. dōiē in Rom 15:5.

Robertson: Rom 15:13

In believing ( en tōi pisteuein ).

"In the believing"(en with locative of the articular infinitive, the idiom so common in Luke’ s Gospel).

Robertson: Rom 15:13

That ye may abound ( eis to perisseuein humas ).

Purpose clause with eis to , as in Rom 15:8, with perisseuein (present active infinitive of perisseuō , with accusative of general reference, humas ). This verse gathers up the points in the preceding quotations.

Robertson: Rom 15:14

I myself also ( kai autos egō ).

See note on Rom 7:25 for a like emphasis on himself, here in contrast with "ye yourselves"(kai autoi ). The argument of the Epistle has been completed both in the main line (chapters 1-8) and the further applications (9:1-15:13). Here begins the Epilogue, the personal matters of importance.

Robertson: Rom 15:14

Full of goodness ( mestoi agathosunēs ).

See note on 2Th 1:11; Gal 5:22 for this lxx and Pauline word (in ecclesiastical writers also) made from the adjective agathos , good, by adding -sunē (common ending for words like dikaiosunē ). See Rom 1:29 for mestos with genitive and peplērōmenoi (perfect passive participle of plēroō as here), but there with instrumental case after it instead of the genitive. Paul gives the Roman Christians (chiefly Gentiles) high praise. The "all knowledge"is not to be pressed too literally, "our Christian knowledge in its entirety"(Sanday and Headlam).

Robertson: Rom 15:14

To admonish ( nouthetein ).

To put in mind (from nouthetēs and this from nous and tithēmi ). See note on 1Th 5:12, 1Th 5:14. "Is it laying too much stress on the language of compliment to suggest that these words give a hint of St. Paul’ s aim in this Epistle?"(Sanday and Headlam). The strategic position of the church in Rome made it a great centre for radiating and echoing the gospel over the world as Thessalonica did for Macedonia (1Th 1:8).

Robertson: Rom 15:15

I write ( egrapsa ).

Epistolary aorist.

Robertson: Rom 15:15

The more boldly ( tolmēroterōs ).

Old comparative adverb from tolmērōs . Most MSS. read tolmēroteron . Only here in N.T.

Robertson: Rom 15:15

In some measure ( apo merous ).

Perhaps referring to some portions of the Epistle where he has spoken plainly (Rom 6:12, Rom 6:19; Rom 8:9; Rom 11:17; Rom 14:3, Rom 14:4, Rom 14:10, etc.).

Robertson: Rom 15:15

As putting you again in remembrance ( hos epanamimnēskōn humas ).

Delicately put with hōs and epi in the verb, "as if calling back to mind again"(epi ). This rare verb is here alone in the N.T.

Robertson: Rom 15:16

That I should be ( eis to einai me ).

The eis to idiom with the infinitive again (Rom 15:8, Rom 15:13).

Robertson: Rom 15:16

Minister ( leitourgon ).

Predicate accusative in apposition with me and see note on Rom 13:6 for the word. "The word here derives from the context the priestly associations which often attach to it in the lxx"(Denney). But this purely metaphorical use does not show that Paul attached a "sacerdotal"character to the ministry.

Robertson: Rom 15:16

Ministering ( hierourgounta ).

Present active participle of hierourgeō , late verb from hierourgos (hieros , ergō ), in lxx, Philo, and Josephus, only here in N.T. It means to work in sacred things, to minister as a priest. Paul had as high a conception of his work as a preacher of the gospel as any priest did.

Robertson: Rom 15:16

The offering up of the Gentiles ( hē prosphora tōn ethnōn ).

Genitive of apposition, the Gentiles being the offering. They are Paul’ s offering. See note on Act 21:26.

Robertson: Rom 15:16

Acceptable ( euprosdektos ).

See note on 2Co 6:2; 2Co 8:12. Because "sanctified in the Holy Spirit"(hēgiasmenē en pneumati hagiōi , perfect passive participle of hagiazō ).

Robertson: Rom 15:17

In things pertaining to God ( ta pros ton theon ).

Accusative of general reference of the article used with the prepositional phrase, "as to the things relating to (pros , facing) God."

Robertson: Rom 15:18

Any things save those which Christ wrought through me ( ti hōn ou kateirgasato Christos di' emou ).

Rather, "any one of those things which Christ did not work through me."The antecedent of hōn is the unexpressed toutōn and the accusative relative ha (object of kateirgasato ) is attracted into the genitive case of toutōn after a common idiom.

Robertson: Rom 15:18

By word and deed ( logōi kai ergōi ).

Instrumental case with both words. By preaching and life (Luk 24:19; Act 1:1; Act 7:22; 2Co 10:11).

Robertson: Rom 15:19

In power of signs and wonders ( en dunamei sēmeiōn kai teratōn ).

Note all three words as in Heb 2:4, only here dunamis is connected with sēmeia and terata . See all three words used of Paul’ s own work in 2Co 12:12 and in 2Th 2:9 of the Man of Sin. See note on 1Th 1:5; 1Co 2:4 for the "power"of the Holy Spirit in Paul’ s preaching. Note repetition of en dunamei here with pneumatos hagiou .

Robertson: Rom 15:19

So that ( hōste ).

Result expressed by the perfect active infinitive peplērōkenai (from plēroō ) with the accusative me (general reference).

Robertson: Rom 15:19

Round about even unto Illyricum ( kuklōi mechri tou Illurikou ).

"In a ring"(kuklōi , locative case of kuklos ). Probably a journey during the time when Paul left Macedonia and waited for II Corinthians to have its effect before coming to Corinth. If so, see notes on 2Co 13:1-14 and notes on Act 20:1-3. When he did come, the trouble with the Judaizers was over. Illyricum seems to be the name for the region west of Macedonia (Dalmatia). Strabo says that the Egnatian Way passed through it. Arabia and Illyricum would thus be the extreme limits of Paul’ s mission journeys so far.

Robertson: Rom 15:20

Yea ( houtōs de ).

"And so,"introducing a limitation to the preceding statement.

Robertson: Rom 15:20

Making it my aim ( philotimoumenon ).

Present middle participle (accusative case agreeing with me ) of philotimeomai , old verb, to be fond of honour (philos , timē ). In N.T. only here and 1Th 4:11; 2Co 5:9. A noble word in itself, quite different in aim from the Latin word for ambition ( ambio , to go on both sides to carry one’ s point).

Robertson: Rom 15:20

Not where ( ouch hopou ).

Paul was a pioneer preacher pushing on to new fields after the manner of Daniel Boone in Kentucky.

Robertson: Rom 15:20

That I might now build upon another man’ s foundation ( hina mē ep' allotrion themelion oikodomō ).

For allotrios (not allos ) see note on Rom 14:4. For themelion , see notes on Luk 6:48. and note on 1Co 3:11. This noble ambition of Paul’ s is not within the range of some ministers who can only build on another’ s foundation as Apollos did in Corinth. But the pioneer preacher and missionary has a dignity and glory all his own.

Vincent: Rom 15:1

Infirmities ( ἀσθενήματα )

Only here in the New Testament.

Vincent: Rom 15:8

Of the circumcision

Of those circumcised. See on the election , Rom 11:7.

Vincent: Rom 15:9

It is written

The citations are from Psa 18:50, compare 2Sa 22:50; Deu 32:43; Psa 117:1; Isa 11:10.

Vincent: Rom 15:9

Confess

Rev., give praise . See on Rom 14:11.

Vincent: Rom 15:9

Sing ( ψαλῶ )

See on Jam 5:13.

Vincent: Rom 15:10

Rejoice ( εὐφράνθητε )

Frequently in the New Testament of merry-making . Luk 12:19; Luk 15:23, Luk 15:24. See on fared sumptuously , Luk 16:19.

Vincent: Rom 15:12

Root

See on Nazarene , Mat 2:23. Root is a sprout from the root.

Vincent: Rom 15:12

He that shall rise to reign

Rev., that ariseth to reign . Literally from the Septuagint. Ariseth to reign is a paraphrase of the Hebrew stands as banner . Bengel says: " There is a pleasant contrast: the root is in the lowest place, the banner rises highest, so as to be seen even by the remotest nations."

Vincent: Rom 15:12

Shall - hope

So Septuagint, which is a free rendering of the Hebrew seek or resort to .

Vincent: Rom 15:14

Here the Epilogue of the Epistle begins. Bengel says: " As one street often leads men, leaving a large city, through several gates, so the conclusion of this Epistle is manifold."

Goodness ( ἀγαθωσύνης )

See on Rom 3:12.

Vincent: Rom 15:14

To admonish ( νουθετεῖν )

See on Act 20:31.

Vincent: Rom 15:15

I have written ( ἔγραψα )

Rev., I write . The epistolary aorist. See on 1Jo 2:13.

Vincent: Rom 15:15

The more boldly ( τολμηρότερον )

Not too boldly , but the more boldly because you are full of goodness.

Vincent: Rom 15:15

In some sort ( ἀπὸ μέρους )

See on Rom 11:25. Rev., in some measure , qualifying I write , and referring to some passage in which he had spoken with especial plainness; as Rom 6:12, Rom 6:19; Rom 8:9; Rom 11:17; Rom 14:3, Rom 14:4, Rom 14:10, Rom 14:13, Rom 14:15, Rom 14:20, etc.

Vincent: Rom 15:16

Minister ( λειτουργὸν )

See on Rom 13:6.

Vincent: Rom 15:16

Ministering ( ἱερουργοῦντα )

Only here in the New Testament. Lit., ministering as a priest .

Vincent: Rom 15:16

Offering up ( προσφορὰ )

Lit., the bringing to , i.e., to the altar. Compare doeth service , Joh 16:2.

Vincent: Rom 15:17

Whereof I may glory ( τὴν καύχησιν )

Rather, as Rev., my glorying , denoting the act . The ground of glorying would be καύχημα as in Rom 4:2; Gal 6:4, etc.

Vincent: Rom 15:17

Those things which pertain to God ( τὰ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν )

A technical phrase in Jewish liturgical language to denote the functions of worship (Heb 2:17; Heb 5:1). According with the sacerdotal ideas of the previous verse.

Vincent: Rom 15:19

Signs - wonders

See on Mat 11:20.

Vincent: Rom 15:19

Round about ( κύκλῳ )

Not, in a circuitous track to Illyricum, but Jerusalem and the regions round it. For the phrase, see Mar 3:34; Mar 6:6, Mar 6:36; Luk 9:12; Rev 4:6. For the facts , Acts 13, 19.

Vincent: Rom 15:19

Illyricum

Lying between Italy, Germany, Macedonia, and Thrace, bounded by the Adriatic and the Danube. The usual Greek name was Illyris. The name Illyria occurs in both Greek and Latin. Though the shore was full of fine harbors and the coast-land fertile, Greek civilization never spread on the coast. Dyrrachium or Epidamnus was almost the only Greek colony, and its history for centuries was a continuous conflict with the barbarous nations. In the time of the Roman Empire the name spread over all the surrounding districts. In the division between the Eastern and Western Empire it was divided into Illyris Barbara, annexed to the Western Empires and Illyris Graeca, to the Eastern, including, Greece, Epirus, and Macedonia. The name gradually disappeared, and the country was divided between the states of Bosnia, Croatia, Servia, Rascia, and Dalmatia. No mention of a visit of Paul occurs in the Acts. It may have taken place in the journey mentioned Act 20:1-3.

Vincent: Rom 15:19

Fully preached ( πεπληρωκέναι )

Lit., fulfilled Some explain, have given the Gospel its fall development so that it has reached every quarter.

Vincent: Rom 15:20

Have I strived ( φιλοτιμούμενον )

The verb means originally to be fond of honor , and hence, from a love of honor, to strive , be ambitious . Compare 2Co 5:9; 1Th 4:11. The correct sense is to prosecute as a point of honor .

Vincent: Rom 15:20

Foundation ( θεμέλιον )

See on settle , 1Pe 5:10.

Wesley: Rom 15:1

Of a clearer judgment, and free from these scruples.

Wesley: Rom 15:1

Without any regard to others.

Wesley: Rom 15:2

This is a general word: edification is one species of good.

Wesley: Rom 15:3

But bore not only the infirmities, but reproaches, of his brethren; and so fulfilled that scripture. Psa 69:9

Wesley: Rom 15:4

In the Old Testament.

Wesley: Rom 15:4

That through the consolation which God gives us by these, we may have patience and a joyful hope.

Wesley: Rom 15:5

According to the power of Christ Jesus.

Wesley: Rom 15:6

Both Jews and gentiles, believing with one mind, and confessing with one mouth.

Wesley: Rom 15:7

Weak and strong, with mutual love.

Wesley: Rom 15:8

The apostle here shows how Christ received us.

Wesley: Rom 15:8

Jesus is the name, Christ the surname. The latter was first known to the Jews; the former, to the gentiles. Therefore he is styled Jesus Christ, when the words stand in the common, natural order. When the order is inverted, as here, the office of Christ is more solemnly considered.

Wesley: Rom 15:8

Of his Father.

Wesley: Rom 15:8

For the salvation of the circumcised, the Jews.

Wesley: Rom 15:8

To manifest the truth and fidelity of God.

Wesley: Rom 15:9

In the eighteenth psalm, here the gentiles and Jews are spoken of as joining in the worship of the God of Israel. Psa 18:49

Wesley: Rom 15:10

Deu 32:43.

Wesley: Rom 15:11

Psa 117:1.

Wesley: Rom 15:12

That kings and the Messiah should spring from his house, was promised to Jesse before it was to David.

Wesley: Rom 15:12

Who before had been "without hope," Eph 2:12. Isa 11:10

Wesley: Rom 15:13

A glorious title of God, but till now unknown to the heathens; for their goddess Hope, like their other idols, was nothing; whose temple at Rome was burned by lightning. It was, indeed, built again not long after, but was again burned to the ground.

Wesley: Rom 15:14

There are several conclusions of this Epistle.

The first begins at this verse;

the second, Rom 16:1;

the third, Rom 16:17;

the fourth, Rom 16:21;

and the fifth, Rom 16:25;

Wesley: Rom 15:14

By being created anew.

Wesley: Rom 15:14

By long experience of the things of God.

Wesley: Rom 15:14

To instruct and confirm.

Wesley: Rom 15:15

That is, because I am an apostle of the gentiles.

Wesley: Rom 15:16

As living sacrifices.

Wesley: Rom 15:17

All my glorying is in and through him.

Wesley: Rom 15:18

By the power of the Spirit.

Wesley: Rom 15:18

Namely, through "mighty signs and wonders."

Wesley: Rom 15:20

These places he generally declined, though not altogether, having an holy ambition (so the Greek word means) to make the first proclamation of the gospel in places where it was quite unheard of, in spite of all the difficulty and dangers that attended it.

Wesley: Rom 15:20

The providence of God seemed in a special manner, generally, to prevent this, though not entirely, lest the enemies of the apostle, who sought every occasion to set light by him, should have had room to say that he was behind other apostles, not being sufficient for planting of churches himself, but only for preaching where others had been already; or that he declined the more difficult part of the ministry

JFB: Rom 15:1

On such points as have been discussed, the abolition of the Jewish distinction of meats and days under the Gospel. See on Rom 14:14; Rom 14:20.

JFB: Rom 15:1

Ought to think less of what we may lawfully do than of how our conduct will affect others.

JFB: Rom 15:2-3

Lay himself out to

JFB: Rom 15:2-3

Not indeed for his mere gratification, but

JFB: Rom 15:2-3

With a view

to his edification.

JFB: Rom 15:3

Lived not to please

JFB: Rom 15:3

(Psa 69:9).

JFB: Rom 15:3

See Mar 10:42-45.

JFB: Rom 15:4

"instruction"

JFB: Rom 15:4

"through the comfort and the patience of the Scriptures"

JFB: Rom 15:4

That is, "Think not that because such portions of Scripture relate immediately to Christ, they are inapplicable to you; for though Christ's sufferings, as a Saviour, were exclusively His own, the motives that prompted them, the spirit in which they were endured, and the general principle involved in His whole work--self-sacrifice for the good of others--furnish our most perfect and beautiful model; and so all Scripture relating to these is for our instruction; and since the duty of forbearance, the strong with the weak, requires 'patience,' and this again needs 'comfort,' all those Scriptures which tell of patience and consolation, particularly of the patience of Christ, and of the consolation which sustained Him under it, are our appointed and appropriate nutriment, ministering to us 'hope' of that blessed day when these shall no more be needed." See on Rom 4:7, Note 7. (For the same connection between "patience and hope" see on Rom 12:12, and 1Th 1:3).

JFB: Rom 15:5-6

Such beautiful names of God are taken from the graces which He inspires: as "the God of hope" (Rom 15:13), "the God of peace" (Rom 15:33).

JFB: Rom 15:5-6

"of the same mind"

JFB: Rom 15:5-6

It is not mere unanimity which the apostle seeks for them; for unanimity in evil is to be deprecated. But it is "according to Christ Jesus"--after the sublimest model of Him whose all-absorbing desire was to do, "not His own will, but the will of Him that sent Him" (Joh 6:38).

JFB: Rom 15:6

Rather, "that with one accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"; the mind and the mouth of all giving harmonious glory to His name. What a prayer! And shall this never be realized on earth?

JFB: Rom 15:7

Returning to the point

JFB: Rom 15:7

If Christ received us, and bears with all our weaknesses, well may we receive and compassionate one with another, and by so doing God will be glorified.

JFB: Rom 15:8-12

"For" is the true reading: the apostle is merely assigning an additional motive to Christian forbearance.

JFB: Rom 15:8-12

"hath become"

JFB: Rom 15:8-12

A remarkable expression, meaning "the Father's Servant for the salvation of the circumcision (or, of Israel)."

JFB: Rom 15:8-12

To make good the veracity of God towards His ancient people.

JFB: Rom 15:8-12

Messianic

JFB: Rom 15:8-12

To cheer the Jewish believers, whom he might seem to have been disparaging, and to keep down Gentile pride, the apostle holds up Israel's salvation as the primary end of Christ's mission. But next after this, Christ was sent.

JFB: Rom 15:9

A number of quotations from the Old Testament here follow, to show that God's plan of mercy embraced, from the first, the Gentiles along with the Jews.

JFB: Rom 15:9

(Psa 18:49).

JFB: Rom 15:9

That is, glorify

thee among the Gentiles.

JFB: Rom 15:10

(Deu 32:43, though there is some difficulty in the Hebrew).

JFB: Rom 15:10

Along

JFB: Rom 15:10

Israel.

JFB: Rom 15:11

(Psa 117:1).

JFB: Rom 15:11

"peoples"--the various nations outside the pale of Judaism.

JFB: Rom 15:12

(Isa 11:10).

JFB: Rom 15:12

"the"

JFB: Rom 15:12

Meaning, not "He from whom Jesse sprang," but "He that is sprung from Jesse" (that is, Jesse's son David)--see Rev 22:16.

JFB: Rom 15:12

So the Septuagint in substantial, though not verbal, agreement with the original.

JFB: Rom 15:13

This seems a concluding prayer, suggested by the whole preceding subject matter of the epistle.

JFB: Rom 15:13

(See on Rom 15:5).

JFB: Rom 15:13

The native truth of that faith which is the great theme of this epistle (compare Gal 5:22).

JFB: Rom 15:13

"of the glory of God." (See on Rom 5:1).

JFB: Rom 15:13

To whom, in the economy of redemption, it belongs to inspire believers with all gracious affections.

On the foregoing portion, Note, (1) No Christian is at liberty to regard himself as an isolated disciple of the Lord Jesus, having to decide questions of duty and liberty solely with reference to himself. As Christians are one body in Christ, so the great law of love binds them to act in all things with tenderness and consideration for their brethren in "the common salvation" (Rom 15:1-2). (2) Of this unselfishness CHRIST is the perfect model of all Christians (Rom 15:3). (3) Holy Scripture is the divine storehouse of all furniture for the Christian life, even in its most trying and delicate features (Rom 15:4). (4) The harmonious glorification of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ by the whole body of the redeemed, as it is the most exalted fruit of the scheme of redemption, so it is the last end of God in it (Rom 15:5-7).

JFB: Rom 15:14-15

Rather, "Now I am persuaded, my brethren, even I myself, concerning you"

JFB: Rom 15:14-15

Of inclination to all I have been enjoining on you

JFB: Rom 15:14-15

Of the truth expounded

JFB: Rom 15:14-15

Without my intervention.

to admonish one another.

JFB: Rom 15:15

"measure"

JFB: Rom 15:15

As an apostle of Jesus Christ.

JFB: Rom 15:16

Rather, "a"

JFB: Rom 15:16

The word here used is commonly employed to express the office of the priesthood, from which accordingly the figurative language of the rest of the verse is taken.

JFB: Rom 15:16

"Christ Jesus," according to the true reading.

JFB: Rom 15:16

A further proof that the Epistle was addressed to a Gentile church. (See on Rom 1:13).

JFB: Rom 15:16

As the word here is a still more priestly one, it should be rendered, "ministering as a priest in the Gospel of God."

JFB: Rom 15:16

As an oblation to God, in their converted character.

JFB: Rom 15:16

The end to which the ancient offerings typically looked.

JFB: Rom 15:17

Or (adding the article, as the reading seems to be), "I have my glorying."

JFB: Rom 15:17

"in"

JFB: Rom 15:17

The things of the ministry committed to me of God.

JFB: Rom 15:18-22

"to speak aught"

JFB: Rom 15:18-22

A modest, though somewhat obscure form of expression, meaning, "I will not dare to go beyond what Christ hath wrought by me"--in which form accordingly the rest of the passage is expressed. Observe here how Paul ascribes all the success of his labors to the activity of the living Redeemer, working in and by him.

JFB: Rom 15:18-22

By preaching and working; which latter he explains in the next clause.

JFB: Rom 15:19

Literally, "in the power of"

JFB: Rom 15:19

That is, glorious miracles.

JFB: Rom 15:19

"the Holy Ghost," as the true reading seems to be. This seems intended to explain the efficacy of the word preached, as well as the working of the miracles which attested it.

JFB: Rom 15:19

"as far as"

JFB: Rom 15:19

To the extreme northwestern boundary of Greece. It corresponds to the modern Croatia and Dalmatia (2Ti 4:10). See Act 20:1-2.

I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

JFB: Rom 15:20-21

Rather, "Yet making it my study (compare 2Co 5:9; 1Th 4:11, Greek) so to preach the Gospel, not where Christ was [already] named, that I might not build upon another man's foundation: but (might act) as it is written, To whom no tidings of Him came, they shall see," &c.

Clarke: Rom 15:1

We then that are strong - The sense of this verse is supposed to be the following: We, Gentile Christians, who perfectly understand the nature of our Gospel liberty, not only lawfully may, but are bound in duty to bear any inconveniences that may arise from the scruples of the weaker brethren, and to ease their consciences by prudently abstaining from such indifferent things as may offend and trouble them; and not take advantage from our superior knowledge to make them submit to our judgment.

Clarke: Rom 15:2

Let every one of us please his neighbor - For it should be a maxim with each of us to do all in our power to please our brethren; and especially in those things in which their spiritual edification is concerned. Though we should not indulge men in mere whims and caprices, yet we should bear with their ignorance and their weakness, knowing that others had much to bear with from us before we came to our present advanced state of religious knowledge.

Clarke: Rom 15:3

For even Christ pleased not himself - Christ never acted as one who sought his own ease or profit; he not only bore with the weakness, but with the insults, of his creatures; as it is written in Psa 69:9 : The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me - I not only bore their insults, but bore the punishment due to them for their vicious and abominable conduct. That this Psalm refers to the Messiah and his sufferings for mankind is evident, not only from the quotation here, but also from Joh 19:28, Joh 19:29, when our Lord’ s receiving the vinegar during his expiatory suffering is said to be a fulfilling of the scripture, viz. of Psa 69:21 of this very Psalm; and his cleansing the temple, Joh 2:15-17, is said to be a fulfillment of Psa 69:9 : For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up, the former part of which verse the apostle quotes here.

Clarke: Rom 15:4

For whatsoever things were written aforetime - This refers not only to the quotation from the 69th Psalm, but to all the Old Testament scriptures; for it can be to no other scriptures that the apostle alludes. And, from what he says here of them, we learn that God had not intended them merely for those generations in which they were first delivered, but for the instruction of all the succeeding generations of mankind. That we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures - that we, through those remarkable examples of patience exhibited by the saints and followers of God, whose history is given in those scriptures, and the comfort which they derived from God in their patient endurance of sufferings brought upon them through their faithful attachment to truth and righteousness, might have hope that we shall be upheld and blessed as they were, and our sufferings become the means of our greater advances in faith and holiness, and consequently our hope of eternal glory be the more confirmed. Some think that the word παρακλησις, which we translate comfort, should be rendered exhortation; but there is certainly no need here to leave the usual acceptation of the term, as the word comfort makes a regular and consistent sense with the rest of the verse.

Clarke: Rom 15:5

Now the God of patience and consolation - May that God who endued them with patience, and gave them the consolation that supported them in all their trials and afflictions, grant you to be like-minded - give you the same mode of thinking, and the same power of acting towards each other, according to the example of Christ.

Clarke: Rom 15:6

That ye - Jews and Gentiles - may with one mind - Thinking the same things, and bearing with each other, after the example of Christ; and one mouth, in all your religious assemblies, without jarring or contentions, glorify God for calling you into such a state of salvation, and showing himself to be your loving compassionate Father, as he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

It is very likely that the apostle refers here to religious acts in public worship, which might have been greatly interrupted by the dissensions between the converted Jews and the converted Gentiles; these differences he labors to compose; and, after having done all that was necessary in the way of instruction and exhortation, he now pours out his soul to God, who alone could rule and manage the heart, that he would enable them to think the same things, to be of the same judgment, and that all, feeling their obligation to him, might join in the sweetest harmony in every act of religious worship.

Clarke: Rom 15:7

Wherefore receive ye one another - Προσλαμβανεσθε Have the most affectionate regard for each other, and acknowledge each other as the servants and children of God Almighty

Clarke: Rom 15:7

As Christ also received us - Καθως και ὁ Χριστος προσελαβετο ἡμας· In the same manner, and with the same cordial affection, as Christ has received us into communion with himself, and has made us partakers of such inestimable blessings, condescending to be present in all our assemblies. And as Christ has received us thus to the glory of God, so should we, Jews and Gentiles, cordially receive each other, that God’ s glory may be promoted by our harmony and brotherly love.

Clarke: Rom 15:8

Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision - To show the Gentiles the propriety of bearing with the scrupulous Jews, he shows them here that they were under the greatest obligations to this people; to whom, in the days of his flesh, Jesus Christ confined his ministry; giving the world to see that he allowed the claim of the Jews as having the first right to the blessings of the Gospel. And he confined his ministry thus to the Jews, to confirm the truth of God, contained in the promises made unto the patriarchs; for God had declared that thus it should be; and Jesus Christ, by coming according to the promise, has fulfilled this truth, by making good the promises: therefore, salvation is of the Jews, as a kind of right conveyed to them through the promises made to their fathers. But this salvation was not exclusively designed for the Jewish people; as God by his prophets had repeatedly declared.

Clarke: Rom 15:9

And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy - As the Jews were to glorify God for his truth, so the Gentiles were to glorify God for his mercy. The Jews received the blessings of the Gospel by right of promise, which promise God had most punctually and circumstantially fulfilled. The Gentiles had received the same Gospel as an effect of God’ s mere mercy, having no right in consequence of any promise or engagement made with any of their ancestors, though they were originally included in the covenant made with Abraham; and the prophets had repeatedly declared that they should be made equal partakers of those blessings with the Jews themselves; as the apostle proceeds to prove

Clarke: Rom 15:9

I will confess to thee among the Gentiles - This quotation is taken from Psa 18:49, and shows that the Gentiles had a right to glorify God for his mercy to them; and we shall see the strength of this saying farther, when we consider a maxim of the Jews delivered in Megillah, fol. 14: "From the time that the children of Israel entered into the promised land, no Gentile had any right to sing a hymn of praise to God. But after that the Israelites were led into captivity, then the Gentiles began to have a right to glorify God."Thus the Jews themselves confess that the Gentiles have a right to glorify God; and this on account of being made partakers of his grace and mercy. And if, says Schoettgen, we have a right to glorify God, then it follows that our worship must be pleasing to him; and if it be pleasing to him, then it follows that this worship must be good, otherwise God could not be pleased with it

Dr. Taylor gives a good paraphrase of this and the three following verses: As you Jews glorify God for his truth, so the Gentiles have a right to join with you in glorifying God for his mercy. And you have Scripture authority for admitting them to such fellowship; for instance, David says, Psa 18:49, Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing praises unto thy name. And again, Moses himself says, Deu 32:43, Rejoice, O ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, it is evident, from Psa 117:1, Psa 117:2, that praise to God is not to be confined to the Jews only, but that all people, as they all share in his goodness, should also join in thanks to their common benefactor: O praise the Lord, all ye nations, (Gentiles), praise him all ye people; for his merciful kindness is great towards us; and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Again the Prophet Isaiah expressly and clearly declares, Isa 11:10, There shall be a root of Jesse, (that is, the Messiah), and he shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, and in him shall the Gentiles hope: ελπιουσιν· And thus the apostle proves, both to the Jews and to the Gentiles, who were probably unwilling to join with each other in religious fellowship, that they had both an equal right to glorify God, being equally interested in his mercy, goodness, and truth; and that, from the evidence of the above scriptures, the Gentiles had as much right to hope in Christ, for the full enjoyment of his kingdom, as the Jews had: and, taking occasion from the last word hope, ελπιουσιν, which we improperly translate trust, he pours out his heart in the following affectionate prayer.

Clarke: Rom 15:13

Now the God of hope, etc. - Ὁ δε Θεος της ελπιδος, May the God of this hope - that God who caused both Jews and Gentiles to hope that the gracious promises which he made to them should be fulfilled; and who, accordingly, has fulfilled them in the most punctual and circumstantial manner

Clarke: Rom 15:13

Fill you with all joy - Give you true spiritual happiness; peace in your own hearts, and unity among yourselves; in believing not only the promises which he has given you, but believing in Christ Jesus, in whom all the promises are yea and amen

Clarke: Rom 15:13

That ye may abound in hope - That ye may be excited to take more enlarged views of the salvation which God has provided for you, and have all your expectations fulfilled by the power of the Holy Ghost, enabling you to hope and believe; and then sealing the fulfillment of the promises upon your hearts.

Clarke: Rom 15:14

And I - am persuaded of you - This is supposed to be an address to the Gentiles; and it is managed with great delicacy: he seems to apologize for the freedom he had used in writing to them; which he gives them to understand proceeded from the authority he had received by his apostolical office, the exercise of which office respected them particularly. So they could not be offended when they found themselves so particularly distinguished

Clarke: Rom 15:14

Ye - are full of goodness - Instead of αγαθωσυνης, goodness, some MSS. of good repute have αγαπης, love. In this connection both words seem to mean nearly the same thing. They were so full of goodness and love that they were disposed, of themselves, to follow any plan that might be devised, in order to bring about the most perfect understanding between them and their Jewish brethren

Clarke: Rom 15:14

Filled with all knowledge - So completely instructed in the mind and design of God, relative to their calling, and the fruit which they were to bring forth to the glory of God, that they were well qualified to give one another suitable exhortations on every important point

Instead of αλληλους, one another, several MSS. have αλλους, others, which gives a clearer sense: for, if they were all filled with knowledge, there was little occasion for them to admonish one another; but by this they were well qualified to admonish others - to impart the wisdom they had to those who were less instructed.

Clarke: Rom 15:15

Nevertheless - I have written - Not withstanding I have this conviction of your extensive knowledge in the things of God, I have made bold to write to you in some sort, απο μερους, to a party among you, as some learned men translate the words, who stand more in need of such instructions than the others; and I do this, because of the grace, δια την χαριν - because of the office which I have received from God, namely, to be the apostle of the Gentiles. This authority gave him full right to say, advise, or enjoin any thing which he judged to be of importance to their spiritual interests. This subject he pursues farther in the following verse.

Clarke: Rom 15:16

Ministering the Gospel of God - Ἱερουργουντα, Acting as a priest. Here is a plain allusion, says Dr. Whitby, to the Jewish sacrifices offered by the priest, and sanctified or made acceptable by the libamen offered with them; for he compares himself, in preaching the Gospel, to the priest performing his sacred functions - preparing his sacrifice to be offered. The Gentiles, converted by him and dedicated to the service of God, are his sacrifices and oblation. The Holy Spirit is the libamen poured upon this sacrifice, by which it was sanctified and rendered acceptable to God. The words of Isaiah, Isa 66:20, And they shall bring all your brethren for an Offering unto the Lord, out of all Nations, might have suggested the above idea to the mind of the apostle.

Clarke: Rom 15:17

I here therefore whereof I may glory - Being sent of God on this most honorable and important errand, I have matter of great exultation, not only in the honor which he has conferred upon me, but in the great success with which he has crowned my ministry.

Clarke: Rom 15:18

For I will not dare to speak - If the thing were not as I have stated it, I would not dare to arrogate to myself honors which did not belong to me. But God has made me the apostle of the Gentiles; and the conversion of the Gentiles is the fruit of my ministry, Christ having wrought by me for this purpose

Clarke: Rom 15:18

By word and deed - Αογῳ και εργῳ· These words may refer to the doctrines which he taught and to the miracles which he wrought among them. So they became obedient to the doctrines, on the evidence of the miracles with which they were accompanied.

Clarke: Rom 15:19

Through mighty signs and wonders - This more fully explains the preceding clause: through the power of the Holy Ghost he was enabled to work among the Gentiles mighty signs and wonders; so that they were fully convinced that both his doctrine and mission were Divine; and therefore they cheerfully received the Gospel of the Lord Jesus

Clarke: Rom 15:19

Round about unto Illyricum - Among ancient writers this place has gone by a great variety of names, Illyria, Illyrica, Illyricum, Illyris, and Illyrium. It is a country of Europe, extending from the Adriatic gulf to Pannonia: according to Pliny, it extended from the river Arsia to the river Drinius, thus including Liburnia on the west, and Dalmatia on the east. Its precise limits have not been determined by either ancient or modern geographers. It seems, according to an inscription in Gruter, to have been divided by Augustus into two provinces, the upper and lower. It now forms part of Croatia, Bosnia, Istria, and Slavonia. When the apostle says that he preached the Gospel from Jerusalem round about to Illyricum, he intends his land journeys chiefly; and, by looking at the map annexed to the Acts of the Apostles, the reader will see that from Jerusalem the apostle went round the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and that he passed through Syria, Phoenicia, Arabia, Cilicia, Pamphylia, Pisidia, Lycaonia, Galatia, Pontus, Paphlagonia, Phrygia, Troas, Asia, Caria, Lycia, Ionia, Lydia, Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly, and Achaia; besides the isles of Cyprus and Crete. And no doubt he visited many other places which are not mentioned in the New Testament

Clarke: Rom 15:19

I have fully preached the Gospel - Πεπληρωκεναι το ευαγγελιον, I have successfully preached - I have not only proclaimed the word, but made converts and founded Churches. See the note on Mat 5:17, where this sense of the word πληρουν is noticed; for it signifies not only fully or perfectly, but also to teach with prosperity and success.

Clarke: Rom 15:20

So have I strived to preach the Gospel - Οὑτω δε φιλοτιμουμενον· For I have considered it my honor to preach the Gospel where that Gospel was before unknown. This is the proper import of the word φιλοτιμεισθαι ; from φιλος, a friend, and τιμη, honor. As I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, so I esteem it an honor to preach it, and especially to proclaim it among the heathen; not building on another man’ s foundation - not watering what another apostle had planted; but cheerfully exposing myself to all kinds of dangers and hardships, in order to found new Churches.

Calvin: Rom 15:1

1.We then who are strong, etc Lest they who had made more advances than others in the knowledge of God should think it unreasonable, that more burden was to be laid on them than on others, he shows for what purpose this strength, by which they excelled others, was bestowed on them, even that they might so sustain the weak as to prevent them to fall. For as God has destined those to whom he has granted superior knowledge to convey instruction to the ignorant, so to those whom he makes strong he commits the duty of supporting the weak by their strength; thus ought all gifts to be communicated among all the members of Christ. The stronger then any one is in Christ, the more bound he is to bear with the weak. ⁴³⁷

By saying that a Christian ought not to please himself, he intimates, that he ought not to be bent on satisfying himself, as they are wont to be, who are content with their own judgment, and heedlessly neglect others: and this is indeed an admonition most suitable on the present subject; for nothing impedes and checks acts of kindness more than when any one is too much swallowed up with himself, so that he has no care for others, and follows only his own counsels and feelings.

Calvin: Rom 15:2

2.Let indeed ⁴³⁸ every one of us, etc. He teaches us here, that we are under obligations to others, and that it is therefore our duty to please and to serve them, and that there is no exception in which we ought not to accommodate ourselves to our brethren when we can do so, according to God’s word, to their edification.

There are here two things laid down, — that we are not to be content with our own judgment, nor acquiesce in our own desires, but ought to strive and labor at all times to please our brethren, — and then, that in endeavoring to accommodate ourselves to our brethren, we ought to have regard to God, so that our object may be their edification; for the greater part cannot be pleased except you indulge their humor; so that if you wish to be in favor with most men, their salvation must not be so much regarded, but their folly must be flattered; nor must you look to what is expedient, but to what they seek to their own ruin. You must not then strive to please those to whom nothing is pleasing but evil.

Calvin: Rom 15:3

3.For even Christ pleased not himself, etc Since it is not right that a servant should refuse what his lord has himself undertaken, it would be very strange in us to wish an exemption from the duty of bearing the infirmities of others, to which Christ, in whom we glory as our Lord and King, submitted himself; for he having no regard for himself, gave up himself wholly to this service. For in him was really verified what the Prophet declares in Psa 69:9 : and among other things he mentions this, that “zeal for God’s house had eaten him up,” and that “the reproaches of those who reproached God fell on him.” By these words it is intimated, that he burned with so much fervor for God’s glory that he was possessed by such a desire to promote his kingdom, that he forgot himself, and was, as it were, absorbed with this one thought, and that he so devoted himself to the Lord that he was grieved in his soul whenever he perceived his holy name exposed to the slandering of the ungodly. ⁴³⁹

The second part, “the reproaches of God,” may indeed be understood in two ways, — either that he was not less affected by the contumelies which were heaped on God, than if he himself had endured them, — or, that he grieved not otherwise to see the wrong done to God, than if he himself had been the cause. But if Christ reigns in us, as he must necessarily reign in his people, this feeling is also vigorous in our hearts, so that whatever derogates from the glory of God does not otherwise grieve us than if it was done to ourselves. Away then with those whose highest wish is to gain honors from them who treat God’s name with all kinds of reproaches, tread Christ under foot, contumeliously rend, and with the sword and the flame persecute his gospel. It is not indeed safe to be so much honored by those by whom Christ is not only despised but also reproachfully treated.

Calvin: Rom 15:4

4.For whatsoever things, etc This is an application of the example, lest any one should think, that to exhort us to imitate Christ was foreign to his purpose; “Nay,” he says, “there is nothing in Scripture which is not useful for your instruction, and for the direction of your life.” ⁴⁴⁰

This is an interesting passage, by which we understand that there is nothing vain and unprofitable contained in the oracles of God; and we are at the same time taught that it is by the reading of the Scripture that we make progress in piety and holiness of life. Whatever then is delivered in Scripture we ought to strive to learn; for it were a reproach offered to the Holy Spirit to think, that he has taught anything which it does not concern us to know; let us also know, that whatever is taught us conduces to the advancement of religion. And though he speaks of the Old Testament, the same thing is also true of the writings of the Apostles; for since the Spirit of Christ is everywhere like itself, there is no doubt but that he has adapted his teaching by the Apostles, as formerly by the Prophets, to the edification of his people. Moreover, we find here a most striking condemnation of those fanatics who vaunt that the Old Testament is abolished, and that it belongs not in any degree to Christians; for with what front can they turn away Christians from those things which, as Paul testifies, have been appointed by God for their salvation?

But when he adds, that through the patience and the consolation of the Scriptures we might have hope, ⁴⁴¹ he does not include the whole of that benefit which is to be derived from God’s word; but he briefly points out the main end; for the Scriptures are especially serviceable for this purpose — to raise up those who are prepared by patience, and strengthened by consolations, to the hope of eternal life, and to keep them in the contemplation of it. ⁴⁴² The word consolation some render exhortation; and of this I do not disapprove, only that consolation is more suitable to patience, for this arises from it; because then only we are prepared to bear adversities with patience, when God blends them with consolation. The patience of the faithful is not indeed that hardihood which philosophers recommend, but that meekness, by which we willingly submit to God, while a taste of his goodness and paternal love renders all things sweet to us: this nourishes and sustains hope in us, so that it fails not.

Calvin: Rom 15:5

5.And the God of patience, etc God is so called from what he produces; the same thing has been before very fitly ascribed to the Scriptures, but in a different sense: God alone is doubtless the author of patience and of consolation; for he conveys both to our hearts by his Spirit: yet he employs his word as the instrument; for he first teaches us what is true consolation, and what is true patience; and then he instills and plants this doctrine in our hearts.

But after having admonished and exhorted the Romans as to what they were to do, he turns to pray for them: for he fully understood, that to speak of duty was to no purpose, except God inwardly effected by his Spirit what he spoke by the mouth of man. The sum of his prayer is, — that he would bring their minds to real unanimity, and make them united among themselves: he also shows at the same time what is the bond of unity, for he wished them to agree together according to Christ Jesus Miserable indeed is the union which is unconnected with God, and that is unconnected with him, which alienates us from his truth. ⁴⁴³

And that he might recommend to us an agreement in Christ, he teaches us how necessary it is: for God is not truly glorified by us, unless the hearts of all agree in giving him praise, and their tongues also join in harmony. There is then no reason for any to boast that he will give glory to God after his own manner; for the unity of his servants is so much esteemed by God, that he will not have his glory sounded forth amidst discords and contentions. This one thought ought to be sufficient to check the wanton rage for contention and quarreling, which at this day too much possesses the minds of many.

Calvin: Rom 15:7

7.Receive ye then, etc He returns to exhortation; and to strengthen this he still retains the example of Christ. For he, having received, not one or two of us, but all together, has thus connected us, so that we ought to cherish one another, if we would indeed continue in his bosom. Only thus then shall we confirm our calling, that is, if we separate not ourselves from those whom the Lord has bound together.

The words, to the glory of God, may be applied to us only, or to Christ, or to him and us together: of the last I mostly approve, and according to this import, — “As Christ has made known the glory of the Father in receiving us into favor, when we stood in need of mercy; so it behooves us, in order to make known also the glory of the same God, to establish and confirm this union which we have in Christ.” ⁴⁴⁴

Calvin: Rom 15:8

8.Now I say, that Jesus Christ, etc He now shows that Christ has embraced us all, so that he leaves no difference between the Jews and the Gentiles, except that in the first place he was promised to the Jewish nation, and was in a manner peculiarly destined for them, before he was revealed to the Gentiles. But he shows, that with respect to that which was the seed of all contentions, there was no difference between them; for he had gathered them both from a miserable dispersion, and brought them, when gathered, into the Father’s kingdom, that they might be one flock, in one sheepfold, under one shepherd. It is hence right, he declares, that they should continue united together, and not despise one another; for Christ despised neither of them. ⁴⁴⁵

He then speaks first of the Jews, and says, that Christ was sent to them, in order to accomplish the truth of God by performing the promises given to the Fathers: and it was no common honor, that Christ, the Lord of heaven and earth, put on flesh, that he might procure salvation for them; for the more he humbled himself for their sake, the greater was the honor he conferred on them. But this point he evidently assumes as a thing indubitable. The more strange it is, that there is such effrontery in some fanatical heads, that they hesitate not to regard the promises of the Old Testament as temporal, and to confine them to the present world. And lest the Gentiles should claim any excellency above the Jews, Paul expressly declares, that the salvation which Christ has brought belonged by covenant to the Jews; for by his coming he fulfilled what the Father had formerly promised to Abraham, and thus he became the minister of that people. It hence follows that the old covenant was in reality spiritual, though it was annexed to earthly types; for the fulfillment, of which Paul now speaks, must necessarily relate to eternal salvation. And further, lest any one should cavil, and say, that so great a salvation was promised to posterity, when the covenant was deposited in the hand of Abraham, he expressly declares that the promises were made to the Fathers. Either then the benefits of Christ must be confined to temporal things, or the covenant made with Abraham must be extended beyond the things of this world.

Calvin: Rom 15:9

9.The Gentiles also, ⁴⁴⁶ etc. This is the second point, on proving which he dwells longer, because it was not so evident. The first testimony he quotes is taken from Psa 18:0; which psalm is recorded also in 2Sa 22:0, where no doubt a prophecy is mentioned concerning the kingdom of Christ; and from it Paul proves the calling of the Gentiles, because it is there promised, that a confession to the glory of God should be made among the Gentiles; for we cannot really make God known, except among those who hear his praises while they are sung by us. Hence that God’s name may be known among the Gentiles, they must be favored with the knowledge of him, and come into communion with his people: for you may observe this everywhere in Scripture, that God’s praises cannot be declared, except in the assembly of the faithful, who have ears capable of hearing his praise.

Calvin: Rom 15:10

10.Exult, ye Gentiles, with his people This verse is commonly considered as if it was taken from the song of Moses; but with this I cannot agree; for Moses’ design there was to terrify the adversaries of Israel by setting forth his greatness, rather than to invite them to a common joy. I hence think that this is quoted from Psa 47:5, where it is written, “Exult and rejoice let the Gentiles, because thou judgest the nations in equity, and the Gentiles on the earth thou guidest.” And Paul adds, with his people, and he did this by way of explanation; for the Prophet in that psalm no doubt connects the Gentiles with Israel, and invites both alike to rejoice; and there is no joy without the knowledge of God. ⁴⁴⁷

Calvin: Rom 15:11

11.Praise God, all ye Gentiles, etc This passage is not inaptly applied; for how can they, who know not God’s greatness, praise him? They could no more do this than to call on his name, when unknown. It is then a prophecy most suitable to prove the calling of the Gentiles; and this appears still more evident from the reason which is there added; for he bids them to give thanks for God’s truth and mercy. (Psa 117:1.)

Calvin: Rom 15:12

12.And again, Isaiah, etc., This prophecy is the most illustrious of them all: for in that passage, the Prophet, when things were almost past hope, comforted the small remnant of the faithful, even by this, — that there would arise a shoot from the dry and the dying trunk of David’s family, and that a branch would flourish from his despised root, which would restore to God’s people their pristine glory. It is clear from the account there given, that this shoot was Christ, the Redeemer of the world. And then, he added, that he would be raised for a sign to the Gentiles, that might be to them for salvation. The words do indeed differ a little from the Hebrew text; for we read here, arise, while in Hebrew it is stand for a sign, which is the same; for he was to appear conspicuous like a sign. What is here hope, is in Hebrew seek; but according to the most common usage of Scripture, to seek God is nothing else but to hope in him. ⁴⁴⁸

But twice in this prophecy is the calling of the Gentiles confirmed, — by the expression, that Christ was to be raised up as a sign, and he reigns among the faithful alone, — and by the declaration, that they shall hope in Christ, which cannot take place without the preaching of the word and illumination of the Spirit. With these things corresponds the song of Simeon. It may be further added, that hope in Christ is an evidence of his divinity.

Calvin: Rom 15:13

13.And may the God, etc He now concludes the passage, as before, with prayer; in which he desires the Lord to give them whatever he had commanded. It hence appears, that the Lord does in no degree measure his precepts according to our strength or the power of free-will; and that he does not command what we ought to do, that we, relying on our own power, may gird up ourselves to render obedience; but that he commands those things which require the aid of his grace, that he may stimulate us in our attention to prayer.

In saying the God of hope, he had in view the last verse; as though he said, — “May then the God in whom we all hope fill you with joy, that is, with cheerfulness of heart, and also with unity and concord, and this by believing:” ⁴⁴⁹ for in order that our peace may be approved by God, we must be bound together by real and genuine faith. If any one prefers taking in believing, for, in order to believe, ⁴⁵⁰ the sense will be, — that they were to cultivate peace for the purpose of believing; for then only are we rightly prepared to believe, when we, being peaceable and unanimous, do willingly embrace what is taught us. It is however preferable, that faith should be connected with peace and joy; for it is the bond of holy and legitimate concord, and the support of godly joy. And though the peace which one has within with God may also be understood, yet the context leads us rather to the former explanation. ⁴⁵¹

He further adds, that ye may abound in hope; for in this way also is hope confirmed and increased in us. The words, through the power of the Holy Spirit, intimate that all things are the gifts of the divine bounty: and the word power is intended emphatically to set forth that wonderful energy, by which the Spirit works in us faith, hope, joy, and peace.

Calvin: Rom 15:14

14.But even I myself am persuaded, etc This was said to anticipate an objection, or it may be deemed a kind of concession, made with the view of pacifying the Romans; in case they thought themselves reproved by so many and so urgent admonitions, and thus unjustly treated. He then makes an excuse for having ventured to assume towards them the character of a teacher and of an exhorter; and he says, that he had done so, not because he had any doubt as to their wisdom, or kindness, or perseverance; but because he was constrained by his office. Thus he removed every suspicion of presumption, which especially shows itself when any one thrusts himself into an office which does not belong to him, or speaks of those things which are unsuitable to him. We see in this instance the singular modesty of this holy man, to whom nothing was more acceptable than to be thought of no account, provided the doctrine he preached retained its authority.

There was much pride in the Romans; the name even of their city made the lowest of the people proud; so that they could hardly bear a teacher of another nation, much less a barbarian and a Jew. With this haughtiness Paul would not contend in his own private name: he however subdued it, as it were, by soothing means; for he testified that he undertook to address them on account of his Apostolic office.

Ye are full of goodness, being filled with knowledge, etc Two qualifications are especially necessary for him who gives admonitions: the first is kindness, which disposes his mind to aid his brethren by his advice, and also tempers his countenance and his words with courtesy, — and the second is skill in advice or prudence, which secures authority to him, inasmuch as he is able to benefit the hearers whom he addresses. There is indeed nothing more opposed to brotherly admonitions than malignity and arrogance, which make us disdainfully to despise the erring, and to treat them with ridicule, rather than to set them right. Asperity also, whether it appears in words or in the countenance, deprives our admonitions of their fruit. But however you may excel in the feeling of kindness, as well as in courtesy, you are not yet fit to advise, except you possess wisdom and experience. Hence he ascribes both these qualifications to the Romans, bearing them a testimony, — that they were themselves sufficiently competent, without the help of another, to administer mutual exhortations: for he admits, that they abounded both in kindness and wisdom. It hence follows, that they were able to exhort.

Calvin: Rom 15:15

15.The more boldly, however, have I written to you, etc The excuse follows, and in adducing this, that he might more fully show his modesty, he says, by way of concession, that he acted boldly in interposing in a matter which they themselves were able to do; but he adds that he was led to be thus bold on account of his office, because he was the minister of the gospel to the Gentiles, and could not therefore pass by them who were also Gentiles. He however thus humbles himself, that he might exalt the excellency of his office; for by mentioning the favor of God, by which he was elevated to that high honor, he shows that he could not suffer what he did according to his apostolic office to be despised. Besides, he denies that he had assumed the part of a teacher, but that of an admonisher, ⁴⁵²

Calvin: Rom 15:16

16.Consecrating the gospel, etc This rendering I prefer to that which [Erasmus] in the first place adopts, that is, “Administering;” for nothing is more certain than that Paul here alludes to the holy mysteries which were performed by the priest. He then makes himself a chief priest or a priest in the ministration of the gospel, to offer up as a sacrifice the people whom he gained for God, and in this manner he labored in the holy mysteries of the gospel. And doubtless this is the priesthood of the Christian pastor, that is, to sacrifice men, as it were, to God, by bringing them to obey the gospel, and not, as the Papists have hitherto haughtily vaunted, by offering up Christ to reconcile men to God. He does not, however, give here the name of priests to the pastors of the Church simply as a perpetual title, but intending to commend the honor and power of the ministry, Paul availed himself of the opportunity of using this metaphor. Let then the preachers of the gospel have this end in view while discharging their office, even to offer up to God souls purified by faith.

What [Erasmus] afterwards puts down as being more correct, “sacrificing the gospel,” is not only improper but obscures also the meaning; for the gospel is, on the contrary, like a sword, by which the minister sacrifices men as victims to God. ⁴⁵³

He adds that such sacrifices are acceptable to God; which is not only a commendation of the ministry, but also a singular consolation to those who surrender themselves to be thus consecrated. Now as the ancient victims were dedicated to God, having been externally sanctified and washed, so these victims are consecrated to the Lord by the Spirit of holiness, through whose power, inwardly working in them, they are separated from this world. For though the purity of the soul proceeds from faith in the word, yet as the voice of man is in itself inefficacious and lifeless, the work of cleansing really and properly belongs to the Spirit.

Calvin: Rom 15:17

17.I have then, etc After having in general commended his own calling, that the Romans might know that he was a true and undoubted apostle of Christ, he now adds testimonies, by which he proved that he had not only taken upon him the apostolic office conferred on him by God’s appointment, but that he had also eminently adorned it. He at the same time records the fidelity which he had exhibited in discharging his office. It is indeed to little purpose that we are appointed, except we act agreeably to our calling and fulfill our office. He did not make this declaration from a desire to attain glow, but because nothing was to be omitted which might procure favor and authority to his doctrine among the Romans. In God then, not in himself, did he glory; for he had nothing else in view but that the whole praise should redound to God.

And that he speaks only negatively, it is indeed an evidence of his modesty, but it availed also to gain credit to what he was proceeding to announce, as though he said, “The truth itself affords me such cause for glowing, that I have no need to seek false praises, or those of another, I am content with such as are true.” It may be also that he intended to obviate the unfavorable reports which he knew were everywhere scattered by the malevolent, he therefore mentioned beforehand that he would not speak but of things well known.

Calvin: Rom 15:18

18.In order to make the Gentiles obedient, etc These words prove what his object was, even to render his ministry approved by the Romans, that his doctrine might not be without fruit. He proves then by evidences that God by the presence of his power had given a testimony to his preaching, and in a manner sealed his apostleship, so that no one ought to have doubted, but, that he was appointed and sent by the Lord. The evidences were word, work, and miracles. It hence appears that the term work includes more than miracles. He at last concludes with this expression, through the power of the Spirit; by which he intimates that these things could not have been done without the Spirit being the author. In short, he declares that with regard to his teaching as well as his doing, he had such strength and energy in preaching Christ, that it was evidently the wonderful power of God, and that miracles were also added, which were seals to render the evidence more certain.

He mentions word and work in the first place, and then he states one kind of work, even the power of performing miracles. The same order is observed by Luke, when he says that Christ was mighty in word and work, (Luk 24:19;) and John says that Christ referred the Jews to his own works for a testimony of his divinity. (Joh 5:36.) Nor does he simply mention miracles, but gives them two designations. But instead of what he says here, the power of signs and of wonders, Peter has “miracles and signs and wonders.” (Act 2:22.) And doubtless they were testimonies of divine power to awaken men, that being struck with God’s power, they might admire and at the same time adore him; nor are they without an especial meaning, but intended to stimulate us, that we may understand what God is.

This is a striking passage respecting the benefit of miracles: they are designed to prepare men to reverence and to obey God. So you read in Mark, that the Lord confirmed the truth by the signs which followed. (Mar 16:20.) Luke declares in the Acts, that the Lord by miracles gave testimony to the word of his grace. (Act 14:3.) It is then evident that those miracles which bring glory to creatures and not to God, which secure credit to lies and not to God’s word, are from the devil. The power of the Spirit, which he mentions in the third place, I apply to both the preceding clauses. ⁴⁵⁴

Calvin: Rom 15:19

19.So that from Jerusalem, etc He joins also a testimony from the effect; for the success which followed his preaching exceeded all the thoughts of men. For who could have gathered so many churches for Christ, without being aided by the power of God? “From Jerusalem,” he says, “I have propagated the gospel as far as Illyricum, and not by hastening to the end of my course by a straight way, but by going all around, and through the intervening countries.” But the verb πεπληρωκέναι , which after others I have rendered filled up or completed, means both to perfect and to supply what is wanting. Hence πλήρωμα in Greek means perfection as well as a supplement. I am disposed to explain it thus, — that he diffused, as it were by filling up, the preaching of the gospel; for others had before begun, but he spread it wider. ⁴⁵⁵

Calvin: Rom 15:20

20.Thus striving to preach the gospel, etc As it was necessary for Paul not only to prove himself to be the servant of Christ and a pastor of the Christian Church, but also to show his title to the character and office of an Apostle, that he might gain the attention of the Romans, he mentions here the proper and peculiar distinction of the apostleship; for the work of an Apostle is to propagate the gospel where it had not been preached, according to that command,

“Go ye, preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mar 16:15.)

And this is what we ought carefully to notice, lest we make a general rule of what specially belongs to the Apostolic order: nor ought we to consider it a fault, that a successor was substituted who built up the Church. The Apostles then were the founders as it were of the Church; the pastors who succeeded them, had to strengthen and amplify the building raised up by them. ⁴⁵⁶ He calls that another’s foundation, which had been laid by the hand of another: otherwise Christ is the only stone on which the Church is founded. See 1Co 3:11; and Eph 2:20

Defender: Rom 15:1

This is a strong verb, meaning "have an obligation.""

Defender: Rom 15:3

This phrase is from Psa 69:9, the same verse which the disciples applied to Christ when He purged the temple of the money-changers (Joh 2:17). He suffered reproach on our behalf; we should be willing to be reproached for His sake (1Pe 4:14)."

Defender: Rom 15:4

The Old Testament Scriptures were all written for our benefit today, as well as for the pre-Christian Israelites. Paul very frequently quotes from the Old Testament as authoritative (as in the preceding verse, for example), and clearly believed all of it to be divinely inspired and in every way profitable for Christians (2Ti 3:15-17). By no means should Christians limit their Bible study to the New Testament."

Defender: Rom 15:5

Note the beautiful titles applied to God in this chapter: (1) "the God of patience and consolation" (Rom 15:5); (2) "the God of hope" (Rom 15:13); and (3) "the God of peace" (Rom 15:33)."

Defender: Rom 15:9

Again observe how often Paul quotes from the Old Testament, even from what often seem to be obscure verses. This quote is from Psa 18:49."

Defender: Rom 15:10

This quote is from the song of Moses, as he prepared to die (Deu 32:43). He had led Israel to its promised land and now, in the final verse of his great song, he exhorted all the nations to rejoice with God's chosen nation, for in Abraham's seed would all nations be blessed. Note also that Paul quotes this exhortation as coming directly from God, even though it was Moses' song, thus confirming the divine inspiration of Moses' writings near the very end of the Pentateuch."

Defender: Rom 15:11

In four straight verses Paul quotes four Scriptures from David, Moses, an unknown psalmist, and Isaiah, respectively. This particular quote is from Psa 117:1. The 117th psalm is the shortest chapter in the Bible, yet one of its two verses is cited by Paul in his letter to Rome."

Defender: Rom 15:12

This reference is taken from the great Messianic promise of Isa 11:10, when Christ ("the root of Jesse," the father of Israel's greatest king, David - hence both "[the] root and the offspring of David," as in His claim in Rev 22:16) will reign over all nations, both Israel and the Gentiles."

TSK: Rom 15:1

strong : Rom 4:20; 1Co 4:10; 2Co 12:10; Eph 6:10; 2Ti 2:1; 1Jo 2:14

ought : Rom 14:1; 1Co 9:22, 1Co 12:22-24; Gal 6:1, Gal 6:2; 1Th 5:14

please : Rom 15:3

TSK: Rom 15:2

Rom 14:19; 1Co 9:19-22, 1Co 10:24, 1Co 10:33, 1Co 11:1, 1Co 13:5; Phi 2:4, Phi 2:5; Tit 2:9, Tit 2:10

TSK: Rom 15:3

Christ : Psa 40:6-8; Mat 26:39, Mat 26:42; Joh 4:34, Joh 5:30, Joh 6:38, Joh 8:29, Joh 12:27, Joh 12:28, Joh 14:30; Joh 14:31, Joh 15:10; Phi 2:8

The : Psa 69:9, Psa 69:20, Psa 89:50,Psa 89:51; Mat 10:25; Joh 15:24

TSK: Rom 15:4

whatsoever : Rom 4:23, Rom 4:24; 1Co 9:9, 1Co 9:10, 1Co 10:11; 2Ti 3:16, 2Ti 3:17; 2Pe 1:20,2Pe 1:21

for our learning : Rather, ""for our instruction."

that : Rom 5:3-5, Rom 8:24, Rom 8:25, Rom 12:12; Psa 119:81-83; Heb 6:10-19, Heb 10:35, Heb 10:36; Jam 5:7-11; 1Pe 1:13

TSK: Rom 15:5

the God : Rom 15:13; Exo 34:6; Psa 86:5; 1Pe 3:20; 2Pe 3:9, 2Pe 3:15

consolation : 2Co 1:3, 2Co 1:4, 2Co 7:6

grant : Rom 12:16; 2Ch 30:12; Jer 32:39; Eze 11:19; Act 4:32; 1Co 1:10; 2Co 13:11; Phi 1:27, Phi 2:2, Phi 3:16, Phi 4:2; 1Pe 3:8

according to : or, after the example of, Rom 15:3; Eph 5:2; Phi 2:4, Phi 2:5

TSK: Rom 15:6

with : Rom 15:9-11; Zep 3:9; Zec 13:9; Act 4:24, Act 4:32

the : Joh 10:29, Joh 10:30, Joh 20:17; 2Co 1:3, 2Co 11:31; Eph 1:3; 1Pe 1:3

TSK: Rom 15:7

receive : Rom 14:1-3; Mat 10:40; Mar 9:37; Luk 9:48

as : Rom 5:2; Mat 11:28-30; Luk 15:2; Joh 6:37, Joh 13:34

to : Rom 15:9; Eph 1:6-8, Eph 1:12, Eph 1:18; 2Th 1:10-12

TSK: Rom 15:8

I say : Rom 3:26; 1Co 1:12, 1Co 10:19, 1Co 10:29, 1Co 15:50

Jesus : Rom 9:4, Rom 9:5; Mat 15:24, Mat 20:28; Joh 1:11; Act 3:25, Act 3:26, Act 13:46; Gal 4:4, Gal 4:5

for the : Rom 3:3; Psa 98:2, Psa 98:3; Mic 7:20; Luk 1:54-56, Luk 1:70-73; 2Co 1:20

truth : Rom 15:16, Rom 9:23, Rom 9:24, Rom 11:22, Rom 11:30; Isa 24:15, Isa 24:16; Joh 10:16; Eph 2:12-22, Eph 3:1-8; 1Pe 2:9, 1Pe 2:10

TSK: Rom 15:9

For : 2Sa 22:50; Psa 18:49

TSK: Rom 15:10

Deu 32:43; Psa 66:1-4, Psa 67:3, Psa 67:4, Psa 68:32, Psa 97:1, Psa 98:3, Psa 98:4, Psa 138:4, Psa 138:5; Isa 24:14-16, Isa 42:10-12

TSK: Rom 15:11

Psa 117:1

TSK: Rom 15:12

There : Isa 11:1, Isa 11:10; Rev 5:5, Rev 22:16

and he : Gen 49:10; Psa 2:4-12, Psa 22:27, Psa 22:28, Psa 72:8-10,Psa 72:17; Isa 42:1-4, Isa 49:6; Dan 2:44; Dan 7:14; Mic 4:1-3, Mic 5:4

in him : Jer 16:19, Jer 17:5-7; Mat 12:21; 1Co 15:19; Eph 1:12, Eph 1:13; 2Ti 1:12 *marg. 1Pe 1:21

TSK: Rom 15:13

the God : Rom 15:5; Jer 14:8; Joe 3:16; 1Ti 1:1

fill : Rom 14:17; Isa 55:12; Joh 14:1, Joh 14:27; Gal 5:22; Eph 1:2, Eph 5:18, Eph 5:19; 2Th 2:16, 2Th 2:17; 1Pe 1:8

abound : Rom 5:4, Rom 5:5, Rom 12:12; 2Co 9:8; Heb 6:11

TSK: Rom 15:14

I : Phi 1:7; 2Ti 1:5; Phm 1:21; Heb 6:9; 2Pe 1:12; 1Jo 2:21

full : Phi 1:11; Col 1:8-10; 2Pe 1:5-8

filled : 1Co 8:1, 1Co 8:7, 1Co 8:10

able : Col 3:16; 1Th 5:11, 1Th 5:14; Tit 2:3, Tit 2:4; Heb 5:12, Heb 10:24, Heb 10:25; Jud 1:20-23

TSK: Rom 15:15

I have : Heb 13:22; 1Pe 5:12; 1Jo 2:12-14, 1Jo 5:13; Jud 1:3-5

as : 1Ti 4:6; 2Ti 1:6, 2Ti 2:14; Tit 3:1; 2Pe 1:12-15, 2Pe 3:1, 2Pe 3:2

because : Rom 1:5, Rom 12:3, Rom 12:6; 1Co 3:10, 1Co 15:10; Gal 1:15, Gal 1:16, Gal 2:9; Eph 3:7, Eph 3:8; 1Ti 1:11-14; 1Pe 4:10,1Pe 4:11; 2Pe 3:15

TSK: Rom 15:16

I should : Rom 15:18, Rom 11:13; Act 9:15, Act 13:2, Act 22:21, Act 26:17, Act 26:18; 1Co 3:5, 1Co 4:1; 2Co 5:20; 2Co 11:23; Gal 2:7, Gal 2:8; Eph 3:1; Phi 2:17; 1Ti 2:7; 2Ti 1:11

ministering : Rom 15:29, Rom 1:1; Act 20:24; Gal 3:5; 1Th 2:2, 1Th 2:9; 1Ti 1:11; 1Pe 1:12

offering up : or, sacrificing, Rom 12:1, Rom 12:2; Isa 66:19, Isa 66:20; 2Co 8:5; Phi 2:17, Phi 4:18; Heb 13:16; 1Pe 2:5

being : Rom 5:5, Rom 8:26, Rom 8:27; Act 20:32; 1Co 6:19; Eph 2:18, Eph 2:22; 1Th 5:23

TSK: Rom 15:17

whereof : Rom 4:2; 2Co 2:14-16, 2Co 3:4-6, 2Co 7:4, 2Co 11:16-30, 2Co 12:1, 2Co 12:11-21

in : Heb 5:1

TSK: Rom 15:18

I will : Pro 25:14; 2Co 10:13-18, 2Co 11:31, 2Co 12:6; Jud 1:9

which : Mar 16:20; Act 14:27, Act 15:4, Act 15:12, Act 21:19; Gal 2:8; 1Co 3:6-9; 2Co 3:1-3, 2Co 6:1

to make : Rom 1:5, Rom 6:17, Rom 16:26; Mat 28:18-20; Act 26:20; 2Co 10:4, 2Co 10:5; Heb 5:9, Heb 11:8

by word : Col 3:17; 2Th 2:17; Jam 1:22; 1Jo 3:18

TSK: Rom 15:19

mighty : Act 14:10, Act 15:12, Act 16:18, Act 19:11, Act 19:12; 2Co 12:12; Gal 3:5; Heb 2:4

by the : Mat 12:28; Act 1:8; 1Co 12:4-11; 1Pe 1:12

so that : Rom 15:24; Act 9:28, Act 9:29, Act 13:4, Act 13:5, Act 13:14, Act 13:51, Act 14:6, Act 14:20,Act 14:25, Act 16:6-12, Act 17:10,Act 17:15; Act 18:1, Act 18:19, Act 19:1, Act 20:2, Act 20:6

Illyricum : Illyricum, or Illyria, was a country of Europe, lying n and nw of Macedonia, on the eastern coast of the Adriatic gulf, opposite Italy. It was distinguished into two parts; Liburnia north, now Croatia; and Dalmatia south, still retaining the same name. The account of Paul’ s second visit to the peninsula of Greece, Act 20:1, Act 20:2, says Dr. Paley, leads us to suppose that, in going over Macedonia, he had passed so far to the west, as to come into those parts of the country which were contiguous to Illyricum, if he did not enter Illyricum itself. The history and the Epistle therefore so far agree; and the agreement is much strengthened by a coincidence of time; for much before the time when this epistle was written, he could not have said so, as his route, in his former journey, confined him to the eastern side of the peninsula, a considerable distance from Illyricum.

fully : Rom 1:14-16; Act 20:20; Col 1:25; 2Ti 4:17

TSK: Rom 15:20

so : 2Co 10:14-16

build : 1Co 3:9-15; 2Co 10:13-16; Eph 2:20-22

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Rom 15:1

We then that are strong - The apostle resumes the subject of the preceding chapter; and continues the exhortation to brotherly love and mutual kindness and forbearance. By the "strong"here he means the strong "in faith"in respect to the matters under discussion; those whose minds were free from doubts and perplexities. His own mind was free from doubt, and there were many others, particularly of the Gentile converts, that had the same views. But many also, particularly of the "Jewish"converts, had many doubts and scruples.

Ought to bear - This word bear properly means to "lift up,"to "bear away,"to "remove."But here it is used in a larger sense; "to bear with, to be indulgent to, to endure patiently, not to contend with;"Gal 6:2; Rev 2:2, "Thou canst not bear them that are evil."

And not to please ourselves - Not to make it our main object to gratify our own wills. We should be willing to deny ourselves, if by it we may promote the happiness of others. This refers particularly to "opinions"about meats and drinks; but it may be applied to Christian conduct generally, as denoting that we are not to make our own happiness or gratification the standard of our conduct, but are to seek the welfare of others; see the example of Paul, 1Co 9:19, 1Co 9:22; see also Phi 2:4; 1Co 13:5, "Love seeketh not her own;"1Co 10:24, "Let no man seek his own, but every man another’ s wealth; also Mat 16:24.

Barnes: Rom 15:2

Please his neighbour - That is, all other persons, but especially the friends of the Redeemer. The word "neighbor"here has special reference to the members of the church. It is often used, however, in a much larger sense; see Luk 10:36.

For his good - Not seek to secure for him indulgence in those things which Would be injurious to him, but in all those things whereby his welfare would be promoted.

To edification - See the note at Rom 14:19.

Barnes: Rom 15:3

For even Christ - The apostle proceeds, in his usual manner, to illustrate what he had said by the example of the Saviour. To a Christian, the example of the Lord Jesus will furnish the most ready, certain, and happy illustration of the nature and extent of his duty.

Pleased not himself - This is not to be understood as if the Lord Jesus did not voluntarily and cheerfully engage in his great work. He was not "compelled"to come and suffer. Nor is it to be understood as if he did not "approve"the work, or see its propriety and fitness. If he had not, he would never have engaged in its sacrifices and self-denials. But the meaning may be expressed in the following particulars:

(1) He came to do the will or desire of God in "undertaking"the work of salvation. It was the will of God; it was agreeable to the divine purposes, and the Mediator did not consult his own happiness and honor in heaven, but cheerfully came to "do the will"of God; Psa 40:7-8; compare Heb 10:4-10; Phi 2:6; Joh 17:5.

(2) Christ when on earth, made it his great object to do the will of God, to finish the work which God had given him to do, and not to seek his own comfort and enjoyment. This he expressly affirms; Joh 6:38; Joh 5:30.

\caps1 (3) h\caps0 e was willing for this to endure whatever trials and pains the will of God might demand, not seeking to avoid them or to shrink from them. See particularly his prayer in the garden; Luk 22:42.

\caps1 (4) i\caps0 n his life, he did not seek personal comfort, wealth, or friends, or honors. He denied himself to promote the welfare of others; he was poor that they might be rich; he was in lonely places that he might seek out the needy and provide for them. Nay, he did not seek to preserve his own life when the appointed time came to die, but gave himself up for all.

\caps1 (5) t\caps0 here may be another idea which the apostle had here. He bore with patience the ignorance, blindness, erroneous views, and ambitious projects of his disciples. He evinced kindness to them when in error; and was not harsh, censorious, or unkind, when they were filled with vain projects of ambition, or perverted his words, or were dull of apprehension. So says the apostle, "we"ought to do in relation to our brethren.

But as it is written - Psa 69:9. This psalm, and the former part of this verse, is referred to the Messiah; compare Rom 15:21, with Mat 27:34, Mat 27:48.

The reproaches - The calumnies, censures, harsh, opprobrious speeches.

Of them that reproached thee - Of the wicked, who vilified and abused the law and government of God.

Fell on me - In other words, Christ was willing to suffer reproach and contempt in order to do good to others. tie endured calumny and contempt all his life, from those who by their lips and lives calumniated God, or reproached their Maker. We may learn here,

(1) That the contempt of Jesus Christ is contempt of him who appointed him.

\caps1 (2) w\caps0 e may see the kindness of the Lord Jesus in being willing thus to "throw himself"between the sinner and God; to "intercept,"as it were, our sins, and to bear the effects of them in his own person. He stood between "us"and God; and both the reproaches and the divine displeasure due to them, "met"on his sacred person, and produced the sorrows of the atonement - his bitter agony in the garden and on the cross. Jesus thus showed his love of God in being willing to bear the reproaches aimed at him; and his love to "men"in being willing to endure the sufferings necessary to atone for these very sins.

\caps1 (3) i\caps0 f Jesus thus bore reproaches, "we"should be willing also to endure them. We suffer in the cause where be has gone before us, and where he has set us the example; and as "he"was abused and vilified, we should be willing to be so also.

Barnes: Rom 15:4

For whatsoever things ... - This is a "general"observation which struck the mind of the apostle, from the particular case which he had just specified. He had just made use of a striking passage in the Psalms to his purpose. The thought seems suddenly to have occurred to him that "all"the Old Testament was admirably adapted to express Christian duties and doctrine, and he therefore turned aside from his direct argument to express this sentiment. It should be read as a parenthesis.

Were written aforetime - That is, in ancient times; in the Old Testament.

For our learning - For our "teaching"or instruction. Not that this was the "only"purpose of the writings of the Old Testament, to instruct Christians; but that all the Old Testament might be useful "now"in illustrating and enforcing the doctrines and duties of piety toward God and man.

Through patience - This does not mean, as our translation might seem to suppose, patience "of the Scriptures,"but it means that by patiently enduring sufferings, in connection with the consolation which the Scriptures furnish, we might have hope. The "tendency"of patience, the apostle tells us Rom 5:4, is to produce "hope;"see the notes at this place.

And comfort of the Scriptures - By means of the consolation which the writings of the Old Testament furnish. The word rendered "comfort"means also "exhortation"or "admonition."If this is its meaning here, it refers to the admonitions which the Scriptures suggest, instructions which they impart, and the exhortations to patience in trials. If it means "comfort,"then the reference is to the examples of the saints in affliction; to their recorded expressions of confidence in God in their trials, as of Job, Daniel, David, etc. Which is the precise meaning of the word here, it is not easy to determine.

Might have hope - Note, Rom 5:4. We may learn here,

(1)    That afflictions may prove to be a great blessing.

(2)\caps1     t\caps0 hat their proper tendency is to produce "hope."

(3)\caps1     t\caps0 hat the way to find support in afflictions is to go to the Bible.

By the example of the ancient saints, by the expression of their confidence in God, by their patience, "we"may learn to suffer, and may not only be "instructed,"but may find "comfort"in all our trials; see the example of Paul himself in 2Co 1:2-11.

Barnes: Rom 15:5

Now the God of patience - The God who is "himself"long-suffering, who bears patiently with the errors and faults of his children, and who can "give"patience, may he give you of his Spirit, that you may bear patiently the infirmities and errors of each other. The example of God here, who bears long with his children, and is not angry soon at their offences, is a strong argument why Christians should bear with each other. If God bears long and patiently with "our"infirmities, "we"ought to bear with each other.

And consolation - Who gives or imparts consolation.

To be like-minded ... - Greek To think the same thing; that is, to be united, to keep from divisions and strifes.

According to Christ Jesus - According to the example and spirit of Christ; his was a spirit of peace. Or, according to what his religion requires. The name of Christ is sometimes thus put for his religion; 2Co 11:4; Eph 4:20. If all Christians would imitate the example of Christ, and follow his instructions, there would be no contentions among them. He earnestly sought in his parting prayer their unity and peace; Joh 17:21-23.

Barnes: Rom 15:6

That ye may with one mind - The word used here is translated "with one accord;"Act 1:14; Act 2:1; Act 4:24. It means unitedly, with one purpose, without contentions, and strifes, and jars.

And one mouth - This refers, doubtless, to their prayers and praises. That they might join without contention and unkind feeling, in the worship of God. Divisions, strife, and contention in the church prevent union in worship. Though the "body"may be there, and the church "professedly"engaged in public worship, yet it is a "divided"service; and the prayers of strife and contention are not heard; Isa 58:4.

Glorify God - Praise or honor God. This would be done by their union, peace, and harmony; thus showing the tendency of the gospel to overcome the sources of strife and contention among people, and to bring them to peace.

Even the Father ... - This is an addition designed to produce love.

\caps1 (1) h\caps0 e is "a Father;"we then, his children, should regard him as pleased with the union and peace of his family.

\caps1 (2) h\caps0 e is the Father of our Lord; our "common"Lord; our Lord who has commanded us to be united, and to love one another. By the desire of honoring "such"a Father, we should lay aside contentions, and be united in the bands of love.

Barnes: Rom 15:7

Wherefore - In view of all the considerations tending to produce unity and love, which have been presented. He refers to the various arguments in this and the preceding chapter.

Receive ye one another - Acknowledge one another as Christians, and treat one another as such, though you may differ in opinion about many smaller matters; see Rom 14:3.

As Christ also received us - That is, received us as his friends and followers; see Rom 14:3.

To the glory of God - In order to promote his glory. He has redeemed us, and renewed us, in order to promote the honor of God; compare Eph 1:6. As Christ has received us in order to promote the glory of God, so ought we to treat each other in a similar manner for a similar purpose. The exhortation in tiffs verse is to those who had been divided on various points pertaining to rites and ceremonies; to those who had been converted from among "Gentiles"and "Jews;"and the apostle here says that Christ had received "both."In order to enforce this, and especially to show the "Jewish"converts that they ought to receive and acknowledge their "Gentile"brethren, he proceeds to show, in the following verses, that Christ had reference to "both"in his work. He shows this in reference to the "Jews"Rom 15:8, and to the "Gentiles"Rom 15:9-12. Thus, he draws all his arguments from the work of Christ.

Barnes: Rom 15:8

Now I say - I affirm, or maintain. I, a "Jew,"admit that his work had reference to the Jews; I affirm also that it had reference to the Gentiles.

That Jesus Christ - That "the Messiah."The force of the apostle’ s reasoning would often be more striking if he would retain the word "Messiah,"and not regard the word "Christ"as a mere surname. It is the name of his "office;"and to "a Jew"the name "Messiah"would convey much more than the idea of a mere proper name.

Was a minister of the circumcision - Exercized his office - the office of the Messiah - among the Jews, or with respect to the Jews, for the purposes which he immediately specifies. He was born a Jew; was circumcised; came "to"that nation; and died in their midst, without having gone himself to any other people.

For the truth of God - To confirm or establish the truth of the promises of God. He remained among them in the exercise of his ministry, to show that God was "true,"who had said that the Messiah should come to them.

To confirm the promises ... - To "establish,"or to show that the promises were true; see the note at Act 3:25-26. The "promises"referred to here, are those particularly which related to the coming of the Messiah. By thus admitting that the Messiah was the minister of the circumcision, the apostle conceded all that the Jew could ask, that he was to be peculiarly "their"Messiah; see the note at Luk 24:47.

Barnes: Rom 15:9

And that the Gentiles ... - The benefits of the gospel were not to be confined to "the Jews;"and as God "designed"that those benefits should be extended to the "Gentiles,"so the Jewish converts ought to be willing to admit them and treat them as brethren. That God "did"design this, the apostle proceeds to show.

Might glorify God - Might "praise,"or give thanks to God. This implies that the favor shown to them was a "great"favor.

For his mercy - Greek, On account of the mercy shown to them.

As it is written - Psa 18:49. The expression there is one of David’ s. He says that he will praise God for his mercies "among"the pagan, or when surrounded "by"the pagan; or that he would confess and acknowledge the mercies of God to him, as we should say, "to all the world."The apostle, however, uses it in this sense, that the "Gentiles"would "participate"with the Jew in offering praise to God, or that they would be united. This does not appear to have been the original design of David in the psalm, but the "words"express the idea of the apostle.

And sing ... - Celebrate thy praise. This supposes that "benefits"would be conferred on them, for which they would celebrate his goodness.

Barnes: Rom 15:10

And again ... - ; Deu 32:43. In this place the "nations"or Gentiles are called on to rejoice with the Jews, for the interposition of God in their behalf. The design of the quotation is to show that the Old Testament speaks of the Gentiles as called on to celebrate the praises of God; of course, the apostle infers that they are to be introduced to the same privileges as his people.

Barnes: Rom 15:11

And again - Psa 117:1. The object in this quotation is the same as before. The apostle accumulates quotations to show that it was the common language of the Old Testament, and that he was not depending on a single expression for the truth of his doctrine.

All ye Gentiles - In the psalm, "all ye nations;"but the original is the same.

And laud him - "Praise"him. The psalm is directly in point. It is a call on "all"nations to praise God; the very point in the discussion of the apostle.

Barnes: Rom 15:12

Esaias saith - Isa 11:1, Isa 11:10.

There shall be a root - A descendant, or one that should proceed from him when he was dead. When a tree dies, and falls, there may remain a "root"which shall retain life, and which shall send up a sprout of a similar kind. So Job says Job 14:7, "For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease."So in relation to Jesse. Though he should fall, like an aged tree, yet his name and family should not be extinct. There should be a descendant who should rise, and reign over the Gentiles. The Lord Jesus is thus called also the "root and the offspring of David;"Rev 22:16; Rev 5:5.

Of Jesse - The father of David; 1Sa 17:58. The Messiah was thus descended from Jesse.

He that shall rise - That is, as a sprout springs up from a decayed or fallen tree. Jesus thus "rose"from the family of David, that had fallen into poverty and humble life in the time of Mary.

To reign over the Gentiles - This is quoted from the Septuagint of Isa 11:10. The Hebrew is, "Which shall stand up for an ensign of the people;"that is, a standard to which they shall flock. Either the Septuagint or the Hebrew would express the idea of the apostle. The "substantial"sense is retained, though it is not literally quoted. The idea of his "reigning"over the Gentiles is one that is fully expressed in the second psalm.

In him ... - Hebrew, "To it shall the Gentiles seek."The sense, however, is the same. The design of this quotation is the same as the preceding, to show that it was predicted in the Old Testament that the Gentiles should be made partakers of the privileges of the gospel. The argument of the apostle is, that if this was designed, then converts to Christianity from among the "Jews"should lay aside their prejudices, and "receive"them as their brethren, entitled to the same privileges of the gospel as themselves. The "fact"that the Gentiles would be admitted to these privileges, the apostle had more fully discussed in Rom. 10\endash 11.

Barnes: Rom 15:13

Now the God of hope - The God who "inspires,"or "produces"the Christian hope.

All joy and peace - Rom 14:17. If they were filled with this, there would be no strife and contention.

In believing - The effect of believing is to produce this joy and peace.

That ye may abound ... - That your hope may be steadfast and strong.

Through the power ... - By means of the powerful operation of the Holy Spirit. It is by his power alone that the Christian has the hope of eternal life; see Eph 1:13-14; Rom 8:24.

Barnes: Rom 15:14

And I myself also - The apostle here proceeds to show them why he had written this Epistle, and to state his confidence in them. He had exhorted them to peace; he had opposed some of their strongest prejudices; and in order to secure their obedience to his injunctions, he now shows them the deep interest which he had in their welfare, though he had never seen them.

Am persuaded - He had never seen them Rom 1:10-13, but he had full confidence in them. This confidence he had expressed more fully in the first chapter.

Of you - Concerning you. I have full confidence in you.

My brethren - An address of affection; showing that he was not disposed to assume undue authority, or to lord it over their faith.

Are full of goodness - Filled with "kindness"or "benevolence."That is, they were "disposed"to obey any just commands; and that consequently any errors in their opinions and conduct had not been the effect of obstinacy or perverseness. There was indeed danger in the city of Rome of pride and haughtiness; and among the Gentile converts there might have been some reluctance to receive instruction from a foreign Jew. But the apostle was persuaded that all this was overcome by the mild and humbling spirit of religion, and that they were disposed to obey any just commands. He made this observation, therefore, to conciliate respect to his authority as an apostle.

Filled with all knowledge - That is, instructed in the doctrines and duties of the Christian religion. This was true; but there might be still some comparatively unimportant and nonessential points, on which they might not be entirely clear. On these, the apostle had written; and written, not professedly to communicate "new"ideas, but to "remind"them of the great principles on which they were before instructed, Rom 15:15.

Able also ... - That is, you are so fully instructed in Christian principles, as to be able to give advice and counsel, if it is needed. From this verse we may learn,

(1)    That when it is our duty to give instruction, admonition, or advice, it should be in a kind, conciliating manner; not with harshness, or with the severity of authority. Even "an apostle"did not assume harshness or severity in his instructions.

(2)\caps1     t\caps0 here is no impropriety in speaking of the good qualities of Christians in their presence; or even of "commending"and "praising"them when they deserve it.

The apostle Paul was as far as possible from always dwelling on the faults of Christians. When it was necessary to reprove them, he did it, but did it with tenderness and tears. When he "could"commend, he preferred it; and never hesitated to give them credit to the utmost extent to which it could be rendered. He did not "flatter,"but he told the truth; he did not commend to excite pride and vanity, but to encourage, and to prompt to still more active efforts. The minister who always censures and condemns, whose ministry is made up of complaints and lamentations, who never speaks of Christians but in a strain of fault-finding, is unlike the example of the Saviour and of Paul, and may expect little success in his work; compare Rom 1:8; Rom 16:19; 1Co 1:5; 2Co 8:7; 2Co 9:2; Phi 1:3-7; Heb 6:9; 2Pe 1:12.

Barnes: Rom 15:15

Nevertheless - Notwithstanding my full persuasion of your knowledge and your purpose to do right. Perhaps he refers also to the fact that he was a stranger to them.

The more boldly - More boldly than might have been expected from a stranger. The reason why he showed this boldness in declaring his sentiments, he immediately states - that he had been especially called to the function of instructing the Gentiles.

In some sort - ἀπὸ μέρος apo meros . In part. Some have supposed that he referred to a "party"at Rome - the Gentile party (Whitby). Some refer it to different "parts"of his epistle - on some subjects (Stuart). Probably the expression is designed to qualify the phrase "more boldly."The phrase, says Grotius, "diminishes"that of which it is spoken, as 1Co 13:9, 1Co 13:12; 2Co 1:14; 2Co 2:5; and means the same as "somewhat more freely;"that is, I have been induced to write the more freely, "partly"because I am appointed to this very office. I write somewhat more freely to a church among the Gentiles than I even should to one among the Jews, "because"I am appointed to this very office.

As putting you in mind - Greek, Calling to your "remembrance,"or "reminding"you; compare 2Pe 1:12-13. This was a delicate way of communicating instruction. The apostles presumed that all Christians were acquainted with the great doctrines of religion; but they did not command, enjoin, or assume a spirit; of dictation. How happy would it be if all teachers would imitate the example of the "apostles"in this, and be as modest and humble "as they were."

Because of the grace ... - Because God has conferred the favor on me of appointing me to this function; see the note at Rom 1:5.

Barnes: Rom 15:16

The minister - λειτουργὸν leitourgon . This is not the word which is commonly translated "minister" διάκονος diakonos . This word is properly appropriated to those who minister in public offices or the affairs of the state. In the New Testament it is applied mainly to the Levitical priesthood, who ministered and served at the altar; Heb 11:11. It is however applied to the ministers of the New Testament, as discharging "substantially"the same offices toward the church which were discharged by the Levitical priesthood; that is, as engaged in promoting the welfare of the church, occupied in holy things, etc.; Act 13:2, "as they "ministered"to the Lord and fasted,"etc. It is still used in a larger sense in Rom 15:27; 2Co 9:12.

To the Gentiles - Compare Rom 1:5; Act 9:15.

Ministering - ἱερουργοῦντα hierourgounta . Performing the function of a priest in respect to the gospel of God. The office of a "priest"was to offer sacrifice. Paul here retains the "language,"though without affirming or implying that the ministers of the New Testament were literally "priests"to offer sacrifice. The word used here occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. Its meaning here is to be determined from the connection. The question is, What is the "sacrifice"of which he speaks? It is the "offering up"- the sacrifice of the Gentiles. The Jewish sacrifices were abolished. The Messiah had fulfilled the design of their appointment, and they were to be done away. (See the Epistle to the Hebrews.) There was to be no further "literal"sacrifice. But now the "offerings"of the Gentiles were to be as acceptable as had been the offerings of the Jews. God made no distinction; and in speaking of these offerings, Paul used "figurative"language drawn from the Jewish rites. But assuredly he did not mean that the offerings of the Gentiles were "literal"sacrifices to expiate sins; nor did he mean that there was to be an order of men who were to be called "priests"under the New Testament. If this passage "did"prove that, it would prove that it should be confined to the "apostles,"for it is of them only that he uses it. The meaning is this: "Acting in the Christian church substantially as the priests did among the Jews; that is, endeavoring to secure the acceptableness of the offerings which the Gentiles make to God."

That the offering up - The word here rendered "offering up" προσφορά prosphora commonly means "a sacrifice"or an "expiatory"offering, and is applied to Jewish sacrifices; Act 21:26; Act 24:17. It is also applied to the sacrifice which was made by our Lord Jesus Christ when he offered himself on the cross for the sins of people; Eph 5:2; Heb 10:10. It does not always mean "bloody"sacrifices, but is used to denote "any"offering to God; Heb 10:5, Heb 10:8,Heb 10:14, Heb 10:18. Hence, it is used in this large sense to denote the "offering"which the Gentiles who were converted to Christianity made of themselves; their "devoting"or dedicating themselves to God. The "language"is derived from the customs of the Jews; and the apostle represents himself "figuratively"as a priest presenting this offering to God.

Might be acceptable - Or, approved by God. This was in accordance with the prediction in Isa 66:20, "They shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations,"etc. This does not mean that it was by any merit of the apostle that this offering was to be rendered "acceptable"; but that he was appointed to prepare the way, so that "their"offering, as well as that of the "Jews,"might come up before God.

Being sanctified - That is, "the offering"being sanctified, or made holy. The sacrifice was "prepared"or made fit "to be"an offering, among the Jews, by salt, oil, or frankincense, according to the nature of the sacrifice; Lev 6:14, etc. In allusion to this, the apostle says that the offering of the Gentiles was rendered "holy,"or fit to be offered, by the converting and purifying influences of the Holy Spirit. They were prepared, not by salt and frankincense, but by the cleansing influences of God’ s Spirit. The same idea, substantially, is expressed by the apostle Peter in Act 10:46; Act 11:17.

Barnes: Rom 15:17

I have therefore ... - I have cause of glorying. I have cause of rejoicing that God has made me a minister to the Gentiles, and that he has given me such success among them. The ground of this he states in Rom 15:18-22.

Glory - Of "boasting" καύχησιν kauchēsin , the word usually rendered "boasting"); Jam 4:16; Rom 3:27; 2Co 7:14; 2Co 8:24; 2Co 9:3-4; 2Co 10:15; 2Co 11:10, 2Co 11:17. It means also "praise, thanksgiving,"and "joy;"1Co 15:31; 2Co 1:12; 2Co 7:4; 2Co 8:24; 1Th 2:19. This is its meaning here, that the apostle had great cause of "rejoicing"or "praise"that he had been so highly honored in the appointment to this office, and in his success in it.

Through Jesus Christ - By the assistance of Jesus Christ; ascribing his success among the Gentiles to the aid which Jesus Christ had rendered him.

In those things which pertain to God - Compare Heb 5:1. The things of religion; the things which God has commanded, and which pertain to his honor and glory. They were not things which pertained to "Paul,"but to "God:"not worked by Paul, but by Jesus Christ; yet he might rejoice that he had been the means of diffusing so far those blessings. The success of a minister is not for "his own"praises, but for the honor of God; not by his skill or power, but by the aid of Jesus Christ; yet he may rejoice that "through"him such blessings are conferred upon people.

Barnes: Rom 15:18

For I will not dare to speak - I should be restrained; I should be afraid to speak, if the thing were not as I have stated. I should be afraid to set up a claim beyond what is strictly in accordance with the truth.

Which Christ hath not wrought by me - I confine myself "strictly"to what I have done. I do not arrogate to myself what Christ has done by others. I do not exaggerate my own success, or claim what others have accomplished.

To make the Gentiles obedient - To bring them to obey God in the gospel.

By word and deed - By preaching, and by all other means; by miracle, by example, etc. The "deeds,"that is, the "lives"of Christian ministers are often as efficacious in bringing people to Christ as their public ministry.

Barnes: Rom 15:19

Through mighty signs and wonders - By stupendous and striking miracles; see the note at Act 2:43. Paul here refers, doubtless, to the miracles which he had himself performed; see Act 19:11-12, "And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul,"etc.

By the power of the Spirit of God - This may either be connected with signs and wonders, and then it will mean that those miracles were performed by the power of the Holy Spirit; or it may constitute a new subject, and refer to the gift of prophecy, the power of speaking other languages. Which is its true meaning cannot, perhaps, be ascertained. The interpretations "agree"in this, that he traced his success in "all"things to the aid of the Holy Spirit.

So that from Jerusalem - Jerusalem, as a "center"of his work; the center of all religious operations and preaching under the gospel. This was not the place where "Paul"began to preach Gal 1:17-18, but it was the place where the "gospel"was first preached, and the apostles began to reckon their success from that as a point; compare the note at Luk 24:49.

And round about - καί κύκλῳ kai kuklō . In a circle. That is, taking Jerusalem as a center, he had fully preached round that center until you come to Illyricum.

Unto Illyricum - Illyricum was a province lying to the northwest of Macedonia, bounded north by a part of Italy and Germany, east by Macedonia, south by the Adriatic, west by Istria. It comprehended the modern Croatia and Dalmatia. So that taking Jerusalem as a center, Paul preached not only in Damascus and Arabia, but in Syria, in Asia Minor, in all Greece, in the Grecian Islands, and in Thessaly and Macedonia. This comprehended no small part of the then known world; "all"of which had heard the gospel by the labors of one indefatigable man There is no where in the Acts express mention of Paul’ s going "into"Illyricum; nor does the expression imply that he preached the gospel "within"it, but only "unto"its borders. It may have been, however, that when in Macedonia, he crossed over into that country; and this is rendered somewhat probable from the fact that "Titus"is mentioned as having gone into "Dalmatia"2Ti 4:10, which was a part of Illyricum.

I have fully preached - The word used here means properly "to fill up" πεπληρωκέναι peplērōkenai , "to complete,"and here is used in the sense of "diffusing abroad,"or of "filling up"all that region with the gospel; compare 2Ti 4:17. It means that he had faithfully diffused the knowledge of the gospel in all that immense country.

Barnes: Rom 15:20

Yea, so have I strived - The word used here φιλοτιμούμενον philotimoumenon means properly "to be ambitious, to be studious of honor;"and then to "desire"earnestly. In that sense it is used here. He earnestly desired; he made it a point for which he struggled, to penetrate into regions which had not heard the gospel.

Not where Christ was named - Where the gospel had not been before preached.

Lest I should build ... - That is, he desired to found churches himself; he regarded himself as particularly called to this. Others might be called to edify the church, but he regarded it as his function to make known the name of the Saviour where it was not before known. This work was particularly adapted to the ardor, zeal, energy, and bravery of such a man as Paul. Every man has his proper gift; and there are some particularly suited to "found"and establish churches; others to edify and comfort them; compare 2Co 10:13-16. The apostle chose the higher honor, involving most danger and responsibility; but still any office in building up the church is honorable.

Poole: Rom 15:1

Rom 15:1-3 We ought, in condescension to the weak, to give up

our own will for our neighbour’ s good, after the

example of Christ.

Rom 15:4 The intent of the Scriptures.

Rom 15:5,6 Paul prayeth for unanimity among Christians.

Rom 15:6-12 Exhorteth to receive one the other, as Christ did

all, both Jews and Gentiles,

Rom 15:13 and wisheth them all joy, peace, and hope.

Rom 15:14-16 He apologizeth for his freedom in admonishing them,

as he was the apostle of the Gentiles,

Rom 15:17-21 and showeth the success and extensiveness of his labours.

Rom 15:23-29 He excuseth his not coming to them before, and

promiseth them, a visit on his return from Jerusalem.

Rom 15:30-33 He requesteth their prayers.

We then that are strong: the particle then showeth, that what followeth is inferred from what went before. By the strong, he means those who have attained to a good measure of knowledge and understanding, that are instructed in the Christian faith, and particularly in the doctrine of Christian liberty. He putteth himself in the number, not out of ambition, but that he may propose himself an example of the following duty.

Ought i.e. we are obliged and bound both by the law of God and nature.

To bear the infirmities of the weak: by the weak, he means those who are weak in faith and knowledge, Rom 14:1 . By their infirmities, he means their ignorance, frowardness, consoriousness, &c. He doth not speak of heresies and manifest enormities; but of such errors in doctrine and life, which proceed from ignorance or common infirmity. When he says, we must bear their infirmities, his meaning is, that we must bear with them, as we do with children or sick persons in their waywardness: though it a great burden to us, yet we must bear it; we must not impatiently contradict them, but prudently instruct them: see Exo 23:5 1Co 9:22 Gal 6:2 .

And not to please ourselves: q.d. We ought not to do what we please in indifferent thing’ s, and to act according to our own sentiments without any regard to others; we should not please ourselves in a proud reflecting upon our own knowledge, and in contemning of others because of their ignorance; we should not stand upon the terms of our liberty and contentment, but rather, for the sake of others, depart a little from our own right.

Poole: Rom 15:2

Having said we must not please ourselves, he immediately subjoins, we must please others, viz. every one his neighbour: he means, that we should condescend and accommodate ourselves to others, and give them satisfaction in all things; at least so far as may tend to their good and edification. You had a like passage, Rom 14:19 . The apostle exhorts the Corinthians to a practice some what like this, 1Co 10:24 ; and he leads them the way by is own example, 1Co 9:19 1Co 10:33 . There is a pleasing of men which is sinful, and there is a pleasing of men which is lawful; and that is, when it is limited, as in this text.

Poole: Rom 15:3

For even Christ pleased not himself: he backs his exhortation in Rom 14:1 , with an argument taken from the practice of our Lord himself, who is our perfect pattern, and hath left us an example, that we should follow his steps: see Joh 13:15,34 1Pe 2:21 1Jo 2:6 4:17 . By Christ’ s not pleasing himself, is meant his not indulging or sparing himself; he did not seek his own ease, nor to satisfy inclination of the human nature, which abhorreth pain, and the destruction of itself. He took such a course all along as sufficiently demonstrated that he respected our benefit, and not his own.

But; here is an ellipsis, something must he supplied to fill up the sense: either the meaning is, he pleased not himself, but others; or, he pleased not himself, but bore our infirmities and reproaches: or else, he pleased not himself, but it happened to him; or he so carried himself that it might be truly applied to him, which is written, &c.

As it is written; viz. in Psa 69:9 . That David uttered these words in the person of Christ, or as a type of him, may appear from Joh 2:17 . Interpreters are divided about accommodating this testimony to the occasion for which it is brought. Either the meaning is, that Christ did willingly expose himself to all the reproaches and contumelies of men, in obedience to his Father’ s will; or else, that he and the same concernments with God the Father, so that what befell God did also befall him; he was as tender of the Father’ s honour as of his own: or else, that the sins of men, which are things that cast reproach upon God, were taken by Christ upon himself, and he bore them in his body upon a tree. Seeing then that Christ hath done so much for our sakes, and hath not sought his own ease and benefit, we ought also to seek the good of others, and to deny ourselves: see Phi 2:6-8 .

Poole: Rom 15:4

Lest any should think, that the testimony before alleged concerneth only David or Christ, he showeth that it belongeth also unto us; that we may learn by their example to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Yea, he takes occasion from hence to inform us of the general use of the Scriptures, that whatsoever is written, in this or any other place, is written for our learning and instruction; we are concerned not only by all the precepts, but in all the promises, Heb 13:5 , menaces, Act 13:40,41 , rewards, Rom 4:24 , and punishments, 1Co 10:11 , therein mentioned and declared: and though this passage is more especially to be understood of the Scriptures of the Old Testament, yet it is true also of the Scriptures of the New Testament; they, being written by the same Spirit, are profitable for the same ends: see 2Ti 3:16 .

That we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope he proceeds to show more particularly the use and benefit of the Holy Scripture, which is, to confirm our hope and assurance of eternal life; see 1Jo 5:13 . He saith,

the patience and comfort of the Scriptures because they are both wrought in us by means thereof: see Rev 3:10 . We are armed with patience, and finished with consolations, from the examples and promises contained therein. It may be, the hope he here speaks of is to be understood not only of eternal life, but of salvalion and deliverance in this life: q.d. One principal use of the Scriptures is this, that by the examples we find there of the patience of holy men, and of God’ s relieving and comforting them in their distresses, we might be confident that God will relieve and comfort us also in due time.

Poole: Rom 15:5

Now the God of patience and consolation: he is called, the God of all grace, 1Pe 5:10 , the God of hope, Rom 15:13 , the God of peace, Rom 15:33 , the God of love and peace, 2Co 13:11 , and here, the God of patience and consolation: the meaning is, he is the author and worker thereof. You read in the former verse of the patience and comfort of the Scriptures; and here he showeth that the Scriptures do not work these of themselves, but God doth it in and by them.

Grant you to be like-minded one towards another this is that to which he had exhorted them, Rom 12:16 . See the like, 1Co 1:10 2Co 13:11 Eph 4:3 Phi 2:2 . God is the author, as of patience and consolation, so of peace and concord: the grace of unity and charity is his gift; he maketh men of one mind and of one heart, and for this he should be inquired of by his saints and people to do it for them.

According to Christ Jesus i.e. according to his doctrine, command, or example.

Poole: Rom 15:6

That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God: q.d. I further pray, that you may not only be like-minded one towards another, but

that ye may with one mouth glorify God that whether you be Gentiles or Jews, strong or weak in the faith, you may agree and be unanimous in his worship and service; that not only with one mind, but with one mouth, or as if you had all but one mouth. you may pray unto God and praise him: that is one way of glorifying God, Psa 50:23 , and it seems to be chiefly intended in this place. See Act 4:32 , what accord and unanimity there was among the primitive Christians.

Even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ a usual periphrasis of God in the New Testament: see 2Co 1:3 11:31 Eph 1:3 Col 1:3 1Pe 1:3 . God is the Father of Christ, first, as he is the Son of God; so he begat him by an eternal and ineffable generation, Joh 3:16 1Jo 4:9 . Secondly, as he is man: so he created him, Luk 1:35 . Thirdly, as he is Mediator; so he appointed him to and qualified him for that office, Psa 40:8 Joh 20:17 . This compellation of God includes all our comfort and happiness, for he is our Father because he is the Father of Jesus Christ. It is added here by way of limitation, to distinguish the true God from the false gods of the earth; and by way of explanation, to show how God will be glorified and worshipped under the gospel, viz. as the God and Father of onr Lord Jesus Christ.

Poole: Rom 15:7

Wherefore receive ye one another: see Rom 14:1,3 . He ends this discourse with the same terms in which he began it. Before, the strong only were charged to receive the weak, but here both are charged alike; the strong must receive the weak, and the weak the strong; they must all have communion one with another, continuing in brotherly love, accounting one another for brethren, exercising mutual forbearance and long-suffering.

As Christ also received us i.e. after the example of Christ, who beareth with the infirmities of his followers, putting no difference betwixt Jews and Gentiles. The particle as noteth quality, not equality; there is no proportion betwixt the infinite love of Christ and the scanty charity of man. See the like, Mat 5:48 Eph 5:2 .

To the glory of God some join this with the former clause, that we should receive one another to the glory of God: God is glorified by that brotherly love and concord that is amongst his people. Others join it with the latter clause, that Christ hath

received us to the glory of God i.e. to make us partakers of the glory of God, or to declare and manifest the glory of God’ s truth to the Jews, and mercy to the Gentiles, as he showeth in the following verses.

Poole: Rom 15:8

He explains himself, and declares more at large, how Christ received both Jews and Gentiles, thereby to admonish them to receive one another. As for the Jews, whom he calls here the circumcision, see Rom 3:30 4:9,12 , he saith, Christ became a minister unto them; see Mat 20:28 . He exercised his ministry in the days of his flesh amongst them only, Mat 15:24 . He went indeed now and then into the coasts of Samaria to make way for the calling of the Gentiles, but his chief abode was in Jewry.

For the truth of God or, because of the truth of God, that his truth or faithfulness might not fail.

To confirm the promises made to the fathers i.e. the promises of the Messiah, made first to Adam, then to Abraham and to David, that the Messiah should come of their loins, that in their seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed.

Poole: Rom 15:9

Here he proves the second part, that Christ hath also received the Gentiles. There is a plain ellipsis in the words; this is understood, that there were promises made of or to the Gentiles, and Christ came to confirm them also. The sum of these promises was this,

that the Gentiles should glorify God for his mercy Some have observed how the truth of God is spoken of in the foregoing verse with respect to the Jews, and the mercy of God with respect to the Gentiles; not that the one was without the other; for the salvation of the Jews, as it was of truth, so of mercy also, Mic 7:20 ; and the vocation of the Gentiles, as it was of mercy, so also of truth; for there were many promises of God concerning that matter, but mercy is predicated of the Gentiles, because that attribute of God appeared more eminently in their conversion and calling. You had the like distribution and difference in Rom 4:25 10:10 .

As it is written: because the Jews were hardly persuaded of the mercy of God to the Gentiles, therefore he proves it by divers Scripture testimonies. This first is taken out of Psa 18:49 : See Poole on "Psa 18:49" . David speaks this in the person of Christ. In the Psalm it is: I will give thanks to thee; but here, according to the LXX., I will confess to thee, or celebrate thee among the Gentiles. They then are received to mercy, forasmuch as it was foretold they should celebrate or praise God for his mercy.

Poole: Rom 15:10

This is taken out of Deu 32:43 . Here it is evidently implied, that the Gentiles should become the people of God, and join with the Jews in his worship and service, and rejoice in the sense of his goodness and mercy to them. The partition wall is now taken away, and they both became one sheepfold under one Shepherd.

Poole: Rom 15:11

This is found in Psa 117:1 . There the Gentiles are willed to praise God, which they could not do unless they knew him aright, and had obtained mercy from him.

Poole: Rom 15:12

And again, Esaias saith viz. in Isa 11:10 : see the notes there. This is a plain prophecy of the conversion of the Gentiles; their being received to mercy is implied in the former testimonies, but here it is expressed. The Son of David (the Savionr) shall rise and spring out of Jesse’ s root, and reign over the Gentiles by his word and Spirit. He shall gather them by the preaching of his cross, as by an ensign, and they, as it is in the prophet, shall seek to him; or, as it is here, shall trust or hope in him. The apostle, as he is wont, doth follow the LXX., which makes some little variation from the Hebrew text; but it is rather in sound than in sense. You have other prophecies and promises of the Gentiles’ mercy, as Isa 42:1,6 Isa 49:22 60:3,5 ; but the apostle thought, that these he had mentioned were sufficient for his purpose.

Poole: Rom 15:13

He finisheth here his long discourse about brotherly love and concord with a short and pithy prayer. Having said before, that the Gentiles should hope in God, he takes occasion from hence to style him,

The God of hope He is so, both objective, as being the only object of our hope, see Psa 146:5 Jer 17:7 1Ti 6:17 ; and effective, as being the only author of it, 1Pe 1:3 .

With all joy and peace in believing i.e. with much inward joy and peace, which riseth in the heart through a lively faith in Christ; or else, with all comfort and concord in the Christian faith. In this he prays they may abound; instead of those contentions that had been amongst them, he desires they may be filled with those things, wherein he told them, Rom 14:17 , the kingdom of God consisted.

That ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost he doth not say, that you may have hope, but that you may abound therein, that you may arrive to a plerophory or full assurance of hope, as it is in Heb 6:11 . Such hope as may be like an anchor to the soul, to keep it safe and steady in the midst of storms and tempests. This hope is wrought in us by no less power and virtue than that of the Holy Ghost. See before.

Poole: Rom 15:14

Here begins the epilogue or conclusion of this excellent Epistle, wherein the apostle makes an apology, first for his manner of writing to them, and then for his not coming to them himself. His first apology is ushered in with a singular commendation of the Christians at Rome; he began with their commendation, Rom 1:8 , and he ends with the same. There are three things which he commends them for. The first is their goodness; thus it is numbered among the fruits of the Spirit, Gal 5:22 . It may be taken more largely, and so it comprehends all grace and virtue; or else more strictly, and so it is put for kindness, gentleness, and charity, in forbearing and forgiving others. The second is all knowledge; i.e. in things necessary, or in matters relating to Christian liberly; or, by all knowledge, he means a large measure and proportion of it. The third is ability to admonish one another, to inform others in things about which they were ignorant, or it reprehend others for things about which they were negligent. Though there were many weak and ignorant persons among them, yet there were others of whom he was persuaded and fully assured they were thus qualified: see 1Co 1:5 .

Poole: Rom 15:15

q.d. Though I am thus persuaded of you, or of many of you, yet I thought good to write to you

in some sort or in part, or a little the more boldly and freely, that I may stir you up to the practise of that which you know already: see 2Pe 1:12,13 3:1 . This he speaks to allay the sharpness of his former reprehensions, and that what he had written might be the better digested; for all men more easily endure to be noted of negligence, than of malice or ignorance. And further he tells them, he could do no less,

because of the grace that was given him of God i.e. because of his apostolical office and authority: see Rom 1:5 12:3 .

Poole: Rom 15:16

He proceeds to speak more particularly of his office and calling, which he had mentioned more generally in the foregoing words.

The minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles: see the notes on Rom 11:13 . See also Gal 2:7,8 2Ti 1:11 .

Ministering the gospel of God i.e. preaching of it. Some read it consecrating, or working, in the holy service of the gospel of God. It is an allusion to the work or office of the priests under the law. The Jews and Gentiles, they both boasted of their priesthood and sacrifices: the apostle therefore showeth, that its ministry was far more excellent, being not occupied in sacrificing of beasts, but in offering up living men to be a holy sacrifice to God.

That the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable: some understand it actively, that the Gentiles might, offer up themselves, as it is in Rom 12:1 ; or that they might offer up acceptable sacrifices to God, according to Mal 1:11 . But it is better understood passively, that the apostle, converting them by his ministry, might present or offer them to God, as an acceptable oblation: see Isa 66:20 .

Being sanctified by the Holy Ghost not by any priest on earth, but even by the Holy Ghost himself; as the oblations of old had their external and legal purifyings, so this oblation is purified or

sanctified by the Holy Ghost

Poole: Rom 15:17

q.d. Having received this grace of apostleship, anti having had great success in my labours, multitudes being converted by my ministry: I have whereof to glory, or, I have matter of glorying and rejoicing. But then he adds, that this glorying of his was not in himself, but in and

through Jesus Christ by whose grace he did what he did: see 1Co 15:10 . And also, that it was not in any thing that concerned himself, but in things pertaining to God, which concerned his worship and service, and wherein his ministry consisted. In the foregoing verse he described his apostleship in terms that were borrowed from the Levitical priesthood: and here, contriving the same metaphor, he calleth the execution of his function, a performing of things pertaining to God. which is that for which the priests of old were ordained, Heb 5:1 .

Poole: Rom 15:18

q.d. I dare not speak of more than is true, or of any thing that was not really done by me: or else the meaning is, I dare not speak of any thing that I have done of myself, I acknowledge that, whatever good hath come to the Gentiles by my means, it was wrought by Christ, whose instrument I have only been: see 1Co 3:5 .

By word and deed: some join these words to the obedience of the Gentiles; by the preaching of the gospel they were made obedient in word and deed. But they are better joined with the former words; Christ wrought in and by the apostle Paul, believed word and deed. By word is understood his public preaching, and private instruction; and by deed, the example of his good works, or godly life: or else, by deed ye may understand the miracles that he wrought, and the labour and travail that he underwent; of which in the following verse.

Poole: Rom 15:19

Through mighty signs and wonders or, by the power of signs and wonders, which served to confirm my commission from God, and the truth of what I preached, and so helped forward the obedience and conversion of the Gentiles: see 2Co 12:12 . If there be any difference betwixt

signs and wonders it is only gradual. I find them often conjoined in Scripture, Mat 24:24 Joh 4:48 Act 2:43 5:12 Act 7:36 14:3 .

By the power of the Spirit of God which blessed the words, deeds, and miracles of the apostle, and wrought effectually by them in the Gentiles. The word dunamiv , power, or virtue, is twice used in this verse; it is first applied to signs and wonders, to show their efficacy; and then to the Spirit of God, to show that he was the efficient cause of that efficacy.

So that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum: this showeth the pains and travail of the apostle, to bring the Gentiles to the obedience of faith. Illyricum is said to be in the utmost parts of Greece, bordering upon the sea, which is thereupon called Illyricum Mare. It is thought to be the country now called Sclavonia, and that is distant from Jerusalem about three hundred and fifty German miles, which make above a thousand English miles; yet it seems he did not travel in a direct and straight line, but round about, or in a circle, as the word imports, fetching a circuit. Some writers have given us out of the Acts a particular history of his peregrination from Damascus, where he began his ministry: he went into Arabia, and after three years returned to Damascus, and from thence to Jerusalem; from Jerusalem he went to Caesarea, and so to Tarsus; from Tarsus Barnabas brought him to Antioch, and from thence to Jerusalem, to carry relief to the Jews. From Jerusalem they returned to Antioch; from Antioch he and Barnabas went to Seleucia, then to Cyprus, and to some cities of Pamphylia, and so to another Antioch in Pisidia; from thence to Lycaonia, and then returned to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended by the church. From Antioch they were sent to Jerusalem about the question of the circumcision, and returned to Antioch with the apostles’ decree. From thence he went through Syria and Cilicia, visiting the churches. Then he went through Phrygia, Galatia, and Mysia; then to Troas, where by a vision he was called unto Macedonia, and so came into the parts of Europe; first to Philippi in Macedonia, then to Thessalonica; from thence to Athens, and then to Corinth; from thence to Ephesus; and going to visit the churches of Galatia and Phrygia, returned to Ephesus. From Ephesus he went again to Macedonia; from thence to Troas and Miletus; and thence, by Tyrus and Caesarea, and other cities, he came to Jerusalem, where he was taken and put in bonds. Thus you have an account of the apostle’ s travels, which he abridgeth here, when he says, that it was from Jerusalem round about unto Illyricum.

I have fully preached the gospel of Christ i.e. I have filled all these countries with the gospel of Christ. The word signifieth to fulfil; see Col 4:17 . This he calleth the finishing his ministry, Act 20:24 .

Poole: Rom 15:20-21

Ver. 20,21. He gives a reason why he chose to preach the gospel in these places, because Christ had not been named or preached there before; this, he saith, was his ambition, and a thing that he greatly coveted; he was unwilling to

build upon another man’ s foundation to put his sickle into another’ s harvest, to derive the glory to himself which would be due to others, 2Co 10:15,16 . Again, another reason why he preached the gospel where Christ had not been named, was this, that so by him, as an apostle of Christ, and in his ministry, that scriptnre might be fulfilled, which you have in Isa 52:15 , To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see, & c. See Poole on "Isa 52:15" .

PBC: Rom 15:3

See PB: Mt 3:17

Haydock: Rom 15:1

We that are stronger, &c. The apostle goes on with his exhortation not to scandalize, or offend such as are weak, and not well instructed in faith. He brings the example of Christ, who pleased not himself, who submitted himself to the law of circumcision, when he was above the law, who bore with the weakness and sins of others, their reproaches, their blasphemies, which he could not but hate, but this to gain their souls. (Witham)

Haydock: Rom 15:7

Receive one another, in the spirit of charity, peace, patience, as Christ also hath received you, and bore with your infirmities. (Witham) ---

Mutually support each other for the glory of God: learn to practise a grand lesson of Christian morality, to bear and to forbear. (Haydock)

Haydock: Rom 15:8

Christ Jesus was minister of the circumcision, who came both for the salvation of the Jews, and of the Gentiles, who preached and would have his gospel first preached to the Jews, for the truth of God to confirm the promises made to the fathers, that he, the Messias, should be sent for their salvation; but at the same time also for the salvation and conversion of the Gentiles, which he confirms by divers evident testimonies of the holy Scriptures. (Witham) ---

He calls our Saviour the minister of circumcision, that is, of the Jews, because he appeared amongst them, dwelt amongst them, and himself preached amongst them. This was a privilege which the Gentiles did no enjoy, having never seen, nor heard Jesus Christ, since he confined his preaching to the strayed sheep of the house of Israel; and this, to accomplish the promises made to their fathers. (Calmet)

Haydock: Rom 15:15

I have written to you, brethren, more boldly, &c. St. John Chrysostom admires with what mildness he addresses himself to them, yet puts them in mind, that he is the minister, and the apostle of the Gentiles, in which he may have reason to glory, or boast. ---

Sanctifying the gospel of God, preaching it in a holy manner, that the Gentiles may be sanctified by it. (Witham) ---

To be the minister of Jesus Christ among the nations, exercising in their regard the rite of sacrifice, as we read in the Greek, ierourgounta. ---

For I dare not, I shall forbear to speak of any thing but my labours: I need not mention the power of miracles and wonders, which the Holy Ghost hath done by me in many places, from Jerusalem to Illyricum, in places where Christ had not been preached by others. And now having no more place, nor occasion to preach in these countries, when I begin my journey to Spain, &c. by which, it appears, he designed at least to go into Spain. (Witham)

Haydock: Rom 15:20

St. Paul does not mean to say, that he never preached where the gospel had before been announced; this would not have been true, for he preached at Damascus, where there were already Christians, whom he formerly wished to take in chains to Jerusalem; and again in this epistle he announces the truths of the gospel to the Romans already converted by the preaching of St. Peter. But he means to say, that on these occasions he acts not as an apostle, whose office it is to preach to infidels; but as one that waters, confirms, comforts, as he says in the beginning of this epistle: and this he did as occasion offered, as the subsequent verses shew, where he tells us his design in calling on the Romans, in his journey to Spain. (Estius)

Gill: Rom 15:1

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 duty in common with other Christians; and the rather he does this, to engage them to the practice of it: but the stronger and more knowing part of private Christians are here intended; the Apostle John's young men, who are strong, in distinction from little children, or new born babes, that are at present weaklings; and from fathers who are on the decline of life, and just going off the stage; see 1Jo 2:12; when these young men are in the bloom and flower of a profession, in the prime of their judgment, and exercise of grace; who are strong in Christ, and not in themselves, in the grace that is in him, out of which they continually receive; who are strong in the grace of faith, and are established and settled in the doctrine of it; and have a large and extensive knowledge of the several truths of the Gospel; and, among the rest, of that of Christian liberty:

ought to bear the infirmities of the weak; of them that are weak in faith and knowledge, particularly in the knowledge of their freedom from Mosaical observances: their "infirmities" are partly their ignorance, mistakes, and errors, about things indifferent; which they consider and insist on, and would impose upon others, as necessary and obliging; and partly the peevishness and moroseness which they show, the hard words they give, and the rash judgment and rigid censures they pass on their brethren, that differ from them: such persons and their infirmities are to be borne with; they are not to be despised for their weakness; and if in the church, are not to be excluded for their mistakes; and if not members, are not to be refused on account of them; since they arise from weakness, and are not subversive of the fundamental doctrines of the Gospel: they are not to be treated as wicked men, but as weak brethren; and their peevish tempers, morose dispositions and conduct, their hard speeches and censorious expressions, are patiently to be endured; they should be considered as from whence they arise, not from malice and ill will, from a malignant spirit, but from weakness and misguided zeal, for what they take to be in force, when it is abolished: moreover, they are to be complied with in cases not sinful, as the apostle did in circumcising Timothy, Act 16:3, and purifying himself according to the law, Act 21:26; and so to the weak he became weak, to gain some, 1Co 9:22, and therefore could urge this exhortation by his own example with greater force; and which he represents, not only as what would be honourable, and a point of good nature, and as doing a kind action, but as what "ought" to be; what the law of love obliges to, and what the grace of love, which "bears all things", 1Co 13:7, constrains unto; and which indeed if not done, they that are strong do not answer one end of their having that spiritual strength they have; and it is but complying with the golden rule of Christ, to do as we would be done by, Mat 7:12,

and not please ourselves: either entertain pleasing thoughts of, and make pleasing reflections on their stronger faith, greater degree of knowledge, superior light and understanding; which being indulged, are apt to excite and encourage spiritual pride and vanity, and generally issue in the contempt of weaker brethren; nor do those things, which are pleasing and grateful to themselves, to the offence and detriment of others; for instance, and which is what the apostle has reference to, to gratify their appetite, by eating such meat as is forbidden by the law of Moses, to the grieving of the weak brethren, wounding their consciences, and destroying their peace; these things should not be done; stronger Christians should deny themselves the use of their Christian liberty in things indifferent, when they cannot make use of it without offence.

Gill: Rom 15:2

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 his weakness, and bear his infirmities, and deny himself rather than displease him. The Vulgate Latin version and some copies read, "let everyone of you"; but the other reading is preferable, and best agrees with the context, Rom 15:1.

For his good; or as the Syriac renders it, בטבתא, "in good things"; for he is not to be pleased, gratified, and indulged, in any thing that is evil: we are not to please any man in anything that is contrary to the Gospel of Christ, for then we should not be faithful servants of his; nor in anything repugnant to the commands of God, and ordinances of Christ, who are to be obeyed and pleased, rather than men; nor in anything that is of an immoral nature, we are not to comply with, though it may be to the displeasure of the dearest relation and friend; but in everything that is naturally, civilly, morally, or evangelically good, we should study to please them; and in whatsoever may be for their good, temporal, spiritual, or eternal: and

to edification: of our neighbour, brother, and Christian friend, for the establishment of his peace, the increase of his spiritual light, and the building of him up in his most holy faith; and also of the whole community, or church, to which each belong, whose peace and edification should be consulted, and everything done, which may promote and secure it; and among which this is one, every man to please his neighbour, in things lawful and laudable.

Gill: Rom 15:3

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, Joh 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 did and suffered were not for himself, but for us; he became incarnate for us; he obeyed, suffered, and died for us; he came not to be ministered to, to be attended upon as an earthly prince, enjoying his own ease and pleasure, things grateful to nature, but to minister to others, Mat 20:28; hence he appeared in the form of a servant, did the work of one in life, and at last became obedient to death, even the death of the cross, Phi 2:7, not but that he was well pleased in doing and suffering all this; it was his delight to do the will of God: it was his meat and drink to finish his work; yea, that part of it which was most disagreeable to flesh and blood, was most earnestly desired by him, even the baptism of his sufferings; and in the view of the salvation of his people, and of enjoying their company with him to all eternity, he endured the cross patiently, and despised the shame with pleasure, Heb 12:2, but then he met with many things which were far from being grateful to human nature; such as the hardness and unbelief of the Jews, with which he was grieved, their scoffs and insults, reproaches and jeers; the ignorance, frowardness, and moroseness of his own disciples, whose infirmities he bore; and at last the sufferings of death, that bitter cup, which he as man desired might pass from him; but, however, he submitted to his Father's will, Mat 26:39; all which prove what the apostle here affirms. This instance of Christ, the man of God's right hand, the son of man, whom he has made strong for himself, the head of the church, the leader and commander of the people, bearing the infirmities of the weak, and not pleasing himself, is very pertinently produced, to enforce the above exhortations; who is an example to his people in the exercise of every grace, and the discharge of every duty; as in beneficence, forgiving of injuries, mutual love, meekness and humility, suffering of afflictions, and patience. The proof of it follows,

but as it is written, in Psa 69:9;

the reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me; which are the words of Christ unto his Father, as the whole psalm is to be understood not of David, but of the Messiah, as is clear from the citations out of it, and references to it in the New Testament; see Joh 2:17, compared with Psa 69:9, and the meaning of them is, either that the reproaches which were cast on the house, worship, and ordinances of God, affected Christ as much as if they had been cast upon himself; which stirred up his zeal to take the method he did, to show his resentment at such indignities; see Joh 2:15, or that the same persons by whom the name of God was blasphemed, his sanctuary polluted, and his ordinances reproached, also reproached him; and he bore in his bosom the reproach of all the mighty people, which were in great plenty poured upon him; they reproached him with being a glutton, a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners, Mat 11:19; they said he was a Samaritan, and had a devil, Joh 8:48, charged him with blasphemy and sedition, Mat 26:65; and when on the cross, mocked, reviled, and wagged their heads at him, Mat 27:39; all which he bore patiently, and reviled not again: moreover, by "reproaches" may be meant the sins of his people, by which the name of God was blasphemed, his law trampled upon with contempt, and the perfections of his nature, as his justice and holiness, dishonoured; and which fell upon Christ, not by chance, but by the appointment of God, and according to his own voluntary agreement; and which he bore in his own body, and made satisfaction for; which though he did willingly, in order to obtain some valuable ends, the salvation of his people, and the glorifying of the divine perfections, the honouring of the law, and satisfying of justice, yet the bearing of them, in itself, could not be grateful to him as such; neither the charge of sin, nor the weight of punishment; and in this respect he pleased not himself, or did that which was grateful to his pure and holy nature.

Gill: Rom 15:4

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, but to Christ; and what is written concerning him, is designed for the use and instruction of his people; yea, whatever is written anywhere in the sacred Scriptures,

were written for our learning; to instruct in the knowledge of Christ, of his person, offices, grace, righteousness, obedience, sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension; and of the great salvation and redemption he came to obtain, and has obtained; and to teach us the doctrines of grace, of pardon through the blood of Christ, atonement by his sacrifice, justification by his righteousness, acceptance in his person, and eternal life through him; as also to inform us of our duty, and how we ought to behave both towards God and men:

that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope; the Scriptures are not only written for our present instruction, but for the ingenerating, encouraging, and establishing, an hope of eternal Life in another world; which they are the means of, under the influence of divine grace; since they give us a clear account of eternal life; of the promise of it in Christ; of its being procured by him, and secured in him; of the means of enjoying it, through his blood and righteousness; of the declarations of God's free grace and mercy to sinners, and of the various instances of persons who have been made partakers of it; all which encourage to hope in the Lord, and to rejoice in hope of the glory of God; believing we also may have and enjoy the thing hoped for, "through patience and comfort of the Scriptures"; both which are encouraged thereby: the "patience of the Scriptures" is not a stoical apathy, a stupid indolence; and is of a different kind from that patience the writings of the Heathen philosophers define and recommend: the Scripture gives an account of the true nature of patience, in bearing all sorts of evils for Christ's sake; of the excellency and usefulness of it; and do strongly exhort unto it upon the best principles, and with the best motives; and are full of promises to the exercise of it, and furnish out the best examples of suffering affliction, and patience: "the comfort of the Scriptures" is such as is not to be met with elsewhere. These writings abound with exceeding great and precious promises, and excellent doctrines, big with consolation to the saints; and both serve much to cherish, support, and maintain an hope of eternal happiness; all which prove the divine authority, excellency, and usefulness of the sacred writings, and recommend the reading of them by us, and the hearing of them explained by others.

Gill: Rom 15:5

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 of them: from exhorting, the apostle proceeds to petitioning; well knowing that all his exhortations would be of no avail without the power of divine grace accompanying them. The words are a prayer. The object addressed is described as "the God of patience", because he is the author and giver of that grace: it is a fruit of his Spirit, produced by the means of his word, called the word of his patience. The Heathens themselves were so sensible that this is a divine blessing, that they call patience θεων ευρημα, "the invention of the gods" ^w. God is the great pattern and exemplar of patience; he is patient himself, and bears much and long with the children of men; with wicked men, whose patient forbearance and longsuffering being despised by them, will be an aggravation of their damnation; but his longsuffering towards his elect issues in their salvation: he waits to be gracious to them before conversion, and after it bears with their infirmities, heals their backslidings, forgives their iniquities, patiently hears their cues, requests, and complaints, relieves and supports them, and carries them even to hoary hairs; and is in all a pattern to be imitated by his people. He is also the object of this grace; he it is on whom and for whom saints should and do patiently wait, until he is pleased to manifest himself, and communicate to them for the supply of their wants of every sort; and upon whose account and for whose sake they patiently suffer reproach and persecution; the exercise of patience is what he requires, and calls for, and is very grateful and well pleasing to him; to all which add, that he it is who strengthens to the exercise of it, and increases it; and which he does sometimes by tribulation; faith and other graces, being thereby tried, produce patience; and which at length, through divine grace, has its perfect work. Moreover, the object of prayer is described, as "the God of consolation"; all true, real, solid comfort springs from him, which he communicates by his son, the consolation of Israel; by his Spirit, the comforter; by his word, the doctrines and promises of which afford strong consolation to the heirs of promise, sensible sinners and afflicted souls; by the ordinances of the Gospel, which are breasts of consolation; and by the faithful ministers of Christ, who are "Barnabases", sons of consolation, Act 4:36. The petition follows,

grant you to be like minded one towards another; which does not respect sameness of judgment in the doctrines of faith; though this is very necessary to an honourable and comfortable walking together in church fellowship; much less an agreement in things indifferent: the apostle's meaning is not, that they should all abstain from meats forbidden by the law of Moses, or that they should all eat every sort of food without distinction; nor that they should all observe any Jewish day, or that they should all observe none; rather, that everyone should enjoy his own sentiment, and practise as he believed: but this request regards a likeness of affection, the sameness of mutual love, that they be of one heart, and one soul; that notwithstanding their different sentiments about things of a ceremonious kind, yet that they should love one another, and cease either to despise or judge each other; but think as well and as highly of them that differ from them, as of themselves, and of those of their own sentiments, without preferring in affection one to another; but studying and devising to promote and maintain, as the Syriac here reads it, שויותא, "an equality" among them; showing the same equal affection and respect to one as to the other, and to one another; the Jew to the Gentile, and the Gentile to the Jew; the strong to the weak, and the weak to the strong. This is what is greatly desirable. It is grateful to God; it is earnestly wished for by the ministers of the Gospel: and is pleasant and delightful to all good men; but it is God alone that can give and continue such a Spirit: this the apostle knew, and therefore prays that he would "grant" it: and for which request there is a foundation for faith and hope concerning it; since God has promised he will give his people one heart, and one way, as to fear him, so to love one another. The rule or pattern, according to which this is desired, is next expressed,

according to Christ Jesus; according to the doctrine of Christ, which teaches, directs, and engages, as to sameness of judgment and practice, so to mutual love and affection; and according to the new commandment of Christ, which obliges to love one another; and according to the example of Christ, who is the great pattern of patience and forbearance, of meekness and humility, of condescension and goodness, and of equal love and affection to all his members.

Gill: Rom 15:6

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 in praising of him, which latter seems here chiefly designed; for how should there be an agreement of heart and voice, of mind and mouth, in praising God, unless there is a singleness of heart, and oneness of affection? This is necessary in order to

glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Syriac and Arabic versions read, God "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"; leaving out, the copulative, which we translate "even", but may as well be rendered "and"; and be read, as by some, "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ". God is the God of Christ, as Christ is man; who prepared the human nature for him, anointed it with the Holy Spirit, supported it in life, in sufferings and death, and glorified it at his own right hand; and in which nature Christ exercised every grace on him, as faith, hope, and love; discharged every duty to him, worshipped him, prayed unto him, and was in all things obedient to his will: and God is the Father of Christ, as Christ is God; for as man he had no father. Now he is "glorified" when the perfections of his nature are ascribed unto him; when notice is taken of the works of his hands, and the glory of his majesty, which appears in them; when praise is offered up, and thanks given for all mercies, temporal and spiritual, he bestows on his people; when they join together in the solemn worship of him, presenting their bodies, and giving up their hearts unto him; when they unite in praying to him, and singing his praise; and when their lives and conversations are agreeable to their profession of him.

Gill: Rom 15:7

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 "you". Both Jews and Gentiles, as appears from the following verses. Christ received all the chosen ones into his heart's love and affection from eternity; he received them in the council of peace, and when the covenant of grace was made at his Father's hands, in the most tender manner, in order to take the care of them, preserve and save them; he assumed their nature, took upon him their sins, and sustained their persons in time, when he became incarnate, and suffered and died for them; and he receives them in the effectual calling on their coming to him, which he encourages by assuring them, that he will in no wise cast them out; so far is he from it, that he embraces them with open arms, and in the most affectionate manner receives them, though sinners, and eats with them; and notwithstanding all their unworthiness, sins, and transgressions:

to the glory of God: that is, either in order to bring them to the enjoyment of eternal life and happiness; which is sometimes so called, because of the glory that shall be beheld by the saints, be revealed in them, and put upon them, both in soul and body; and which is all of God's preparing and bestowing, and will lie in the vision and enjoyment of him: for this they were chosen in Christ, given to him, and received by him before the world began; and that they might enjoy it, Christ came into this world, took on him their persons, and died in their stead; and to this they are called by his grace with an holy calling; and when he has guided them with his counsel through this world, he will receive them to this glory: or else by "the glory of God" is meant the glorifying of God, the perfections of God, as his wisdom, power, faithfulness, truth, justice, holiness, love, grace, and mercy, and the like; which is done by Christ's becoming the surety, and Mediator of the new covenant, Heb 7:22, by his assumption of human nature, by his obedience, sufferings, and death, and by obtaining redemption for his people: and the force of the apostle's exhortation and argument is, that as Christ has received his people both in eternity and time, in so tender a manner, though unworthy, whereby he has glorified God, which was the principal end in view, and next to that the glorifying of them; so it becomes them to be like minded to one another, Rom 15:5, and affectionately receive and embrace each other, that so they may join together in glorifying the God and Father of Christ also, Rom 15:6.

Gill: Rom 15:8

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 of his coming into the world, and the whole of his work in it was not to be ministered unto, but to minister to others, Mat 20:28, both in life and at death. This character agrees with him in all his offices; as King he ministers judgment to the people; and as priest he is the minister of the true tabernacle of the human nature, Heb 8:2, in which he offered himself a sacrifice for the sins of his people, and now in it makes intercession for them; but here it is expressive of his prophetic office, in which he is such a minister as never was before, or since, or ever will be; if we consider the dignity of his person, being the Son of God; the greatness of his qualifications, having the Spirit without measure; the nature of his doctrines, which were amazing words of grace and truth; and the manner of his delivery, which was with authority; and that all other ministers receive their mission, qualifications, doctrine and success from him: he is styled a minister of "the circumcision", not literally considered, as if he administered circumcision to any, which he did not; he was indeed subject to it as a son of Abraham, as a Jew by birth, as under the law, and in order to fulfil all righteousness, Mat 3:15, and to show that he was truly man, and that he had regard to the people and ordinances of the Old Testament, as he showed by baptism he had to those of the New, and to signify our cleansing and atonement by his blood; but circumcision is either to be understood in a spiritual sense of circumcision in the Spirit, and not in the flesh, with which the true circumcision, or believers in Christ, are circumcised in him, through his circumcision; or rather the word here is to be taken metonymically, for the uncircumcised Jews, as it often is in this epistle; see Rom 2:26. So that the meaning is, that Christ was their minister and preacher, just as Peter is said to have the apostleship of the circumcision, Gal 2:8, or to be the apostle of the Jews; as Paul was of the Gentiles, Rom 11:13, and to have the Gospel of the circumcision committed to him, it being his province to preach it to them, Gal 2:7, Christ as a minister or preacher in the personal discharge of his prophetic office, was sent only to the Jews; among them he lived, and to them he only preached; nor did he allow his apostles to preach to any other till after his resurrection; and which is a manifest proof that he received the Jews, and took them under his care, and showed a particular regard unto them: the ends of his being a minister to them were,

for the truth of God; to preach the Gospel of salvation, the word of truth unto them, for which he was promised and sent; and in doing of which he declared the righteousness, faithfulness, loving kindness, and truth of God unto them:

and to confirm the promises made unto the fathers; the fathers of the world, Adam, Noah, &c. or rather the Jewish fathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and others; concerning the Messiah's being the seed of the woman, and of Abraham, and of David; concerning the coming of Shiloh, the raising up of the great prophet among the Jews, &c. all which promises are yea and amen in Christ, ratified and fulfilled in him.

Gill: Rom 15:9

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 not to be censured and judged as irreligious persons, because of the use of their Christian liberty; so these things lay them under obligations to glorify God, to show forth his praise both by lip and life, since what they enjoy is not by promise, as the Jews, but of mere mercy; not but that promises arise from grace and mercy, though the accomplishment of them is owing to truth and faithfulness; but the Gentiles had no promises made to them, and yet obtained mercy, though there were many promises made concerning them, and many oracles and predictions in favour of them stood on divine record; some of which the apostle here produces to prove what he had asserted, that Christ had received them, and they were bound to glorify God on that account:

as it is written, in Psa 18:49;

for this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name; which words are not spoken unto God by David, literally, considered, but as representing the Messiah; for David when he penned this Psalm, was in the decline of life; the next account after this is of his last dying words, 2Sa 23:1; nor could he hope to praise God among the Gentiles, nor did he in person, but in his Son the Messiah. These words are the words of Christ unto his Father, who in the title of the psalm is called "the servant of God", he being the Mediator eminently; he is represented as encompassed with the sorrows and snares of death and the grave, which agree with Jesus when in the garden, and on the cross. God is all along in it spoken as his helper and deliverer, as he was to Christ in his human nature, having promised to be so, and on which he depended; and the person, the subject of the psalm, is a victorious person, one that has got the conquest over all enemies, which is in the fullest sense true of the Messiah, who has overcome the world, made an end of sin, destroyed Satan, spoiled principalities and powers, and abolished death; and particularly is said to be the head of the Heathen, and they to be voluntary subjects to him, Psa 18:43, which is expressed in much the same language as the like things are in Isa 55:4; which is so manifest a prophecy of the Messiah; add to all which, that the Lord's anointed, the King Messiah, and who is called David, is expressly mentioned in the words following these that are cited, and which are applied by the Jews ^x themselves to the Messiah; as is Psa 18:32 paraphrased of him, by the Targumist upon it: what is here said by the Messiah to God, is that he would "confess to him among the Gentiles"; which is to be understood not of confession of sin, or of a confession of faith in him; but of praise and thanksgiving, a celebration of his perfections, particularly his, race, mercy, and goodness; ascribing honour and glory to him, either for the conversion of the Gentiles, as he did in the believing Jews, Act 11:18, or by the mouth of the Gentiles, for what God had done in bringing the Gospel to them, Act 13:48, or among them, by his apostles and ministers of the Gospel being made very successful among them, and made to triumph in Christ, whilst they diffused the savour of his knowledge in every place. The word "Lord" is omitted in this citation, though it appears in the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions, and in the Complutensian edition, and two of Stephens's copies: "and sing unto thy name"; psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to the glory of his grace, as in all the churches of the Gentiles, to which they are directed by the Spirit of Christ, Eph 5:19.

Gill: Rom 15:10

And again he saith,.... God or Christ, in Deu 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 copies of the former, "the judgment of his people"; and the latter adds, the house of Israel. The note of R. Sol. Jarchi on the text is,

"at that time the nations shall praise Israel; see what is the praise of this people that cleave unto the Lord, &c.''

But the design of this song is to praise God, and not the people of Israel; who in it are severely reproved for their many iniquities, and especially their very great ingratitude to God, and are threatened with the heaviest judgments. This is seen by other Jewish writers, who interpret the words accordingly, as R. Aben Ezra does, whose note is

"then shall they praise him, when God shall avenge their blood;''

and to this sense is the Jerusalem Targum,

"praise before him O ye people, praise him O his people of the house of Israel;''

but the words may be better translated either thus, "rejoice O ye nations, his people"; that is, ye Gentiles who are his people, whom God has taken into his covenant, and whom he will declare as such in his own time, which time was now come, and therefore had reason to rejoice; see 1Pe 2:9; or thus, "rejoice ye Gentiles, and his people"; let both Jews and Gentiles rejoice; let them rejoice together when they come to be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of the same promises and privileges; when they shall be together in one fold, under one shepherd; and especially when the fulness of each of them is brought in, and God has avenged himself of his and their enemies; and which agrees with the apostle's sense, and whose version is supported by the Septuagint interpreters; and his supplement is to be justified, there only wanting a copulative in the Hebrew text, which is often the case in that language, and which may easily be supplied by "and" or "with"; as it is with the latter by the apostle, in perfect agreement with the sense of the words.

Gill: Rom 15:11

And again,.... It is written in Psa 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 Rom 15:2; the Gentiles for his mercy in choosing, redeeming, and calling them, as before; and the Jews for his truth and faithfulness in the fulfilment of his praises. R. David Kimchi on this psalm observes, that

"it consists of two verses only, and that it belongs לימות המשיח, "to the days of the Messiah"; and intimates, by the composition of it in two verses only, that all people shall be divided into two parts, or be on two sides, Israel shall be in their law, and all the nations in seven precepts,''

i.e. of Noah.

Gill: Rom 15:12

And again Esaias saith,.... In Isa 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 written, "there shall be a root of Jesse", &c.''

This character, "the root of Jesse", may be understood of Christ with respect to his divine nature, who, as God, was before Jesse, and the author of his being, as of all creatures; just in such sense as he is called "the root and offspring of David", Rev 5:5; the root of David, as he is God, and the offspring of David, as he is man; unless both are to be interpreted of his human nature, as the phrase here also may be, and denote his descent from Jesse as man; and so the Jewish writers interpret it as well as some Christian ones. This is R. David Kimchi's comment;

""and there shall be a root of Jesse"; the meaning is, היוצא משרש ישי, "which goes out from the root of Jesse", according to Isa 11:1, for "Jesse" is the root. And so the Targum of Jonathan, בר בריה דישי, "the son's son of Jesse";''

that is, David's son, the King Messiah, who sprung from Jesse's family, when that family was very low and mean, like to a tree cut down to, its roots, and to a root in a dry ground; out of which sprung the man the branch, David's son and Lord. This character may be applied to Christ as Mediator, who as a root is unseen and unknown to carnal men, and mean, abject, and of no account in the eyes of the world; the root that not only bears Jesse, David, and other good men, but all the branches of God's elect, from whom they have their beings, both in a natural and spiritual sense; which communicates life and nourishment to them; in whom their life is hid, and is safe when scarcely to be discerned in them; and from whom they have all their fruitfulness, and to whom is owing their perseverance in faith and holiness.

And he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; or, as the Syriac version, "and he that shall rise shall be a prince unto the Gentiles"; or, as the Arabic, "and he that shall rise out of it", the root, "shall rule over the Gentiles". In the Hebrew text in Isaiah, this is said of the root, and to be read thus, "which shall stand for an ensign of the people", Isa 11:10; because mention is made of a root, the apostle expresses the standing of it by rising out of it, which signifies both the incarnation and exaltation of Christ; and because an ensign is a token of power and government, therefore he has rendered it to "reign", agreeably enough to the sense; since upon Christ's exaltation, and setting up his ensign or standard, the Gospel, in the Gentile world, multitudes became voluntary subjects to him, and still do; over whom he rules by his grace and Spirit, and will more largely and manifestly in the latter day, when the kingdoms of this world shall be his. In like manner R. Aben. Ezra explains the words of the Messiah.

"Says he, this may be understood, for all the whole world shall be תחת רשותו, "under his power", or government.''

And so the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases them, "and kingdoms shall obey him"; so that the Jew can have no reason to complain of the apostle's version.

In him shall the Gentiles trust, or "hope"; this in the Hebrew text is, "to him shall the Gentiles seek"; which cannot be truly done without faith and hope; see Heb 11:6; for the hope and faith of enjoying what is sought for, put persons upon seeking: so that the apostle here gives us the true sense of the words, and most fully describes the affection of the Gentiles to Christ; who having some knowledge of him, seek unto him for life and salvation, prostrate themselves at his feet, venture upon him, commit themselves to him, and hope and trust in him. This part of the prophecy is by the Jews understood of the Messiah.

"All the Gentiles (says R. David Kimchi on the text) shall seek אל המשיח, "to the Messiah", and shall go after him to do what he commands; all of them shall obey him.''

But why no mention made of the Israelites seeking to the Messiah? hear what they say, and which still confirms the sense of these words ^z.

"The Israelites will have no need of the doctrine of the King Messiah in future time, as it is said, "to him shall the Gentiles seek", and not the Israelites.''

True enough! The apostle dwells on the proof of this point, it not being so easy of belief with the Jews, but makes it clear from the law, psalms, and prophets, which is the threefold division of the writings of the Old Testament; see Luk 24:44.

Gill: Rom 15:13

Now the God of hope,.... This character is taken from the latter part of Rom 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 God, and through his grace, and is wrought in the heart in regeneration; for to this are the children of God begotten again. Moreover, God is the object of it; not wealth and riches, nor works of righteousness, but Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit, particularly Christ, is called the believer's hope; that is, the object of it, in whom the Gentiles hope and trust. Likewise, it is God that encourages to the exercise of it by the proclamations of his grace, and mercy, and plenteous redemption; by the discoveries of his love, and views of interest in him; and by bringing to mind the past experiences of his goodness: he preserves and maintains this grace useful and lively, firm and steadfast, at least in being, which sometimes seems almost perished and gone; he increases it, and causes his people to abound in the exercise of it, and continues it even unto death. The Ethiopic version reads, "the God of our promises", which are what hope has respect unto, and builds upon:

fill you with all joy and peace in believing. This is a petition to the God of hope. The apostle has recourse again to prayer, knowing that all his exhortations would be useless, without the grace of God accompanying them: and it is observable, that he prays for the same things mentioned in the above prophecies and promises, as joy, peace, and hope; for though God has promised ever so great things concerning his people, he will be inquired of by them to do them for them. One part of this petition is, that God would "fill them with all joy"; not with every kind of joy; not with worldly joy, or with the joy of hypocrites, who rejoice in sin, or in their own boastings, which is evil; but with spiritual joy, joy in God as a covenant God and Father; in Christ, in his person, righteousness, and salvation; and in the Holy Ghost, the author of it, whose fruit it is; and in the Gospel, doctrines, blessings, and promises of it; and in the view and hope of the heavenly glory, amidst various afflictions and tribulations: and it designs an abundance of it, even a fulness thereof; though the petition implies, that as yet it is not full; it is frequently interrupted and broke in upon by the corruption of nature, and falls into sin, by the temptations of Satan, through divine desertions, and various trials and exercises; yet it supposes it may be increased, as by the renewed discoveries of the love of God, of interest in Christ, and through the gracious influences of the Spirit; and even made full and complete, though not in this, yet in the other world: another branch of the petition is, that God would fill with "peace", with a sense of their peace with him, made by the blood of Christ; with a conscience peace in their own breasts, arising from a view of their justification by the righteousness of Christ, and from the sprinklings of his blood upon them; and also with peace one among another, which was much wanting, and the apostle was very desirous of: and all this he asks, that it might come to them "in believing"; in the way of faith, and the exercise of that grace; for joy comes this way; faith and joy go together; where one is, the other is also; and as the one increases, so does the other; a believing view of interest in Christ is attended with joy unspeakable, and full of glory: and so peace comes in at the door of faith: there is no true peace till a soul is brought to believe in Christ; and that is promoted and increased by repeated acts of faith on Christ, or by a constant living by faith on him; see Isa 26:3. The end for which this petition is made is,

that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. By hope is meant that grace which God is the author, object, and promoter of; and the Syriac version reads it, בסברה, "in his hope", or "the hope of him"; of enjoying him, of meeting with him, and having communion with him in his house and ordinances; of having fresh supplies of grace from him, and of being favoured with all the blessings of grace laid up in an everlasting covenant, and at last with eternal life and glory: to "abound" herein, is to be in the free and frequent exercise of this grace, being encouraged by the grace of God, and an enlarged experience of it, and supported by faith, the substance of things hoped for: and this "through the power of the Holy Ghost"; not by might or power of man, but by that same divine power which first began the good work, and must fulfil it; which at first implanted the grace of hope, and must perform the work of that, as of faith. The same power is requisite to cause grace to abound, or saints to abound in the exercise of it, as was to the first production of it. The Vulgate Latin reads, "that ye may abound in hope, and in the power of the Holy Ghost"; but there is no copulative in the Greek text.

Gill: Rom 15:14

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 of all humanity, and mutual respect? a parcel of fools and ignorant men, that know nothing of divine things? and though there may be some that are much to be blamed for their conduct and carriage to their fellow Christians, what, are there none among us fit to give advice and admonition? To which the apostle replies, that he was far from entertaining such thoughts of them; that though he had not seen them in person, yet he had had such an account of their faith and practice, which were famous throughout the world, that he was thoroughly persuaded of better things of them, though he thus spake; and therefore, to mollify them, and abate their resentment, he adds,

my brethren; testifying his affection to them, owning the spiritual relation they stood in to him, and declaring the great esteem he had for them, and the high opinion he had of them: saying,

that ye also are full of goodness; not naturally, for there is no good thing in men by nature, but what they had was from the Spirit of God, whose fruit is "goodness": and by which may be meant, either the good gifts of the Spirit of God, or rather his graces, even the good work of grace in general, and which is goodness itself: it comes from a good cause, the good Spirit of God; is good in its own nature, not having the least mixture or tincture of evil in it; and good in its effects, since it makes and denominates a man a good man; now these saints might be said to be full of this, to denote the abundance, the superabundance of grace in this work: or particularly beneficence, humanity, and sympathy to fellow Christians, may be intended. The Vulgate Latin version reads, "full of love": but the copies and eastern versions read as we do.

Filled with all knowledge; not with every sort of knowledge, with the knowledge of all languages, or of all the arts and sciences, of all things, natural and political; but with all spiritual knowledge relating to God, his nature and perfections, his mind and will; to Christ and the work of redemption by him; to the Spirit, and the operations of his grace; to the Gospel, and the doctrines of it; to their duty to God, fellow creatures, and fellow Christians; in short, with all knowledge necessary to salvation, though as yet not perfect, and which will not be in this world, but in another:

able also to admonish one another; as they must be, since they were both good and knowing; goodness and knowledge are necessary to admonition, and qualify persons for it: if a man is not a good man himself, he is not fit to admonish another; and if he has not knowledge, he will not be able to do it as it should be; and without humanity and tenderness, he will not perform it aright, and with success; but all this being in these persons, they were able and fit for it. Some copies read it, "able also to admonish others"; so the Syriac version renders; which makes the expression still stronger, and enlarges their praise and commendation.

Gill: Rom 15:15

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 that it was only in some part of the epistle he had took such a liberty, which is the sense of the Arabic version, which renders it, "in some parts of the oration"; or else that he had regard not to all of them, but to some only, to a part of the church who were most culpable; and did not design a charge against them all, and that what he said should be applied to the whole body; or rather that the boldness and freedom he had taken was bat in some sort, it was but in part: this he says to mitigate it, and that it might not be thought to be so large as it might appear at first; it was but "a little more boldly", that he wrote unto them, as the Syriac renders it; for this clause is not to be read in connection with the word "written", as if the apostle had only wrote of the doctrines of grace in some sort, or in part, for he declared the whole counsel of God, and never kept back anything profitable to the churches: he adds,

as putting you in mind; which is also said to excuse his writing, and the manner of it; he did not take upon him to be their teacher and instructor, to inform them of things they knew nothing of; only to be their monitor, to put them in mind of and refresh their memories with what they had been well instructed and established in before; see 2Pe 1:12;

because of the grace that is given to me of God; meaning not the doctrine of "grace, concerning" which, as the Ethiopic version renders it, he was putting them in mind; nor the internal grace of the Spirit, by which he was inclined and assisted to write unto them; but the grace of apostleship, or that high office, which, by the grace of God, and not because of any merits of his, he was called unto: this he mentions also to excuse the freedom of his writing; since what he did was in consequence of, pursuant and agreeably to, his office as an apostle; and therefore could not have answered it to God, or them, if he had not done it; wherefore he hoped it would be took well by them.

Gill: Rom 15:16

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 were fond of; but a minister of Christ, one that was made so by him, was qualified and sent forth to minister in his name to men; and who was a preacher of him; Jesus Christ, and him crucified, was the grand subject of his ministrations; he adds,

to the Gentiles; for to them, though not to the exclusion of the Jews, was he appointed a minister by Christ, and sent by him to them; among them he chiefly ministered, and was particularly and eminently useful to them; and this is another reason why the Romans ought to bear with a little boldness and freedom in writing to them, since he was the apostle of the Gentiles:

ministering the Gospel of God; not the service of the temple, nor the traditions of the elders, nor the law of Moses, nor the morality of the Heathens; but the Gospel, of which God is the author, whose grace is the subject, and whose glory is the end; and is good news from him to the chief of sinners; to the preaching of which the apostle was separated by him:

that the offering up of the Gentiles; not the offering the Gentiles offered up, their prayers, praises, or good works, though these are acceptable to God through Christ; but the Gentiles themselves, by the offering up of whom is meant their conversion; which was the end of the apostle's ministering the Gospel among them, and in which he was the happy instrument. The allusion is to the priests slaying and offering up sacrifices under the law. The apostle was a priest in a figurative and improper sense; the sacrifices he offered up were not slain beasts, but men, the Gentiles, cut to the heart by the sword of the Spirit, the ministry of the Gospel; whose inside being laid open to them, and they brought to a sense of their lost condition, and need of Christ, were, through the power of divine grace attending the word, made willing to offer, or give up themselves to the Lord, to be saved by him, and him only: this the apostle, as an instrument, was concerned in; and all his view was, that it

might be acceptable; that is, to God, as nothing is more so to him than a broken and a contrite heart, or souls brought to a sense of themselves; and to believe in Christ, and submit to his righteousness; and then both ministers and converts are unto God, a sweet savour of Christ:

being sanctified by the Holy Ghost; this is said in allusion to the washing of the sacrifices under the law; and intimates, that the Gentiles, though unclean by nature and practice, yet being sanctified by the Spirit of God, whose proper work it is to sanctify, become an acceptable, being an holy sacrifice to an holy God.

Gill: Rom 15:17

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 righteousness before God; nor in his gifts and attainments, as merited and procured by himself; nor in his labours in the ministry, and the success of it, as of himself: but

through Jesus Christ; or "in Jesus Christ", as read the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions; in what Christ was unto him, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption: he could boast of what he had from him, and through him, even of all spiritual blessings in him; and of a large measure of grace he had received from him; and of great and eminent gifts Christ had bestowed on him; he gloried in his cross, and boasted of a crucified Jesus, whom others despised; and whom he made the subject of his ministry, and took delight in preaching: and freely owned that all he did was through Christ strengthening him; and that all his success in his work was owing to him, and of this he had to glory: and which was

in those things which pertain to God; not "with God", as the Syriac reads it; for though in some cases it may be lawful to glory before men, yet not before God, or in his presence: nor is it anything a man may glory in, not in his own things, but in the things of God; in things relating to the Gospel of God, to the pure preaching of it, to the furtherance and spread of it, and the recommending of it to others; to the worship and ordinances of God, and a spiritual attendance on them; to the grace of God, and the magnifying of that in the business of salvation; and to the glory of God, which ought to be the chief end of all actions, natural, moral, and religious, and whether private or public. The apostle has chiefly reference to his ministerial function, and the things of God relating to that, in which he was employed; see Heb 5:1.

Gill: Rom 15:18

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 conscience would not suffer him, nor could he allow himself to make mention of anything, that was not done by him, as if it was; nor of anything that was done by himself, nor of anything that was done, as if it was done by himself, but as it was wrought by Christ; nor had he any need to speak of any other things which he had wrought himself, as he could not of what he had not wrought at all; or, as he says,

which Christ hath not wrought by me: signifying that what he had wrought, and which he could with good conscience speak of to the honour of Christ, and the glory of his grace, were not wrought by himself, but what Christ wrought by him; he was only the instrument, Christ was the efficient cause: as a Christian, it was not he that lived, but Christ lived in him; as a minister, it was not he that spoke, but Christ spoke in him; nor was it he that laboured, but the grace of Christ that was with him; much less was it he that converted souls, but Christ did it by him:

to make the Gentiles obedient; the nations of the world, who had been brought up in blindness and ignorance of God, in rebellion and disobedience to him. The Gospel was sent among them, and was blessed unto them, to make them, of disobedient, obedient ones; not to men, but to God; not to magistrates and ministers, though they were taught to be so to both, but to Christ; to him as a priest, by being made willing to be saved by him, and him only, renouncing their own works, and disclaiming all other ways of salvation; and to submit to his righteousness for their justification before God, and acceptance with him; and to deal with his precious blood for pardon and cleansing; to rely on his sacrifice for the atonement of their sins, and to make use of him as the new and living way to the Father, as their one and only mediator, advocate, and intercessor; and to him as a prophet, to the faith of the Gospel, and the doctrines of it; not barely by hearing it, and notionally assenting to it, but by embracing it heartily, and professing it publicly and sincerely; and to him as a King, by owning him as such, and as theirs; and by subjecting to his ordinances, and obeying his commands in faith and fear, and from love to him: the means whereby these persons were brought to the obedience of Christ, and of faith, are

by word and deed; or "deeds", as the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions read: by the former is meant, the word of the Gospel and the preaching of it, being sent unto them, and coming with power, and not as the word of man, but as the word of God; and by the latter, either the labour of the apostle, the pains he took, the hardships he endured, in ministering: the Gospel to them; or his agreeable life and conversation, which were a means of recommending the word, and of engaging an attention to it; or rather the miraculous works and mighty deeds which were wrought by the apostle, in confirmation of the doctrine he preached, as it seems to be explained in Rom 15:19.

Gill: Rom 15:19

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 of the Gentiles to embrace the Gospel, and submit to the ordinances of it; though all would have been insufficient, had it not been for what follows,

by the power of the Spirit of God: the Alexandrian copy and one of Stephens's read, "by the power of the Holy Spirit", and so does the Vulgate Latin version; meaning, either that the mighty signs and wonders in healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead, &c. were performed not by the efficacy and working of Satan, as the signs and lying wonders of antichristian men, but by the Spirit of God, by whom Christ and all his apostles wrought the miracles they did; or that the ministration of the word in which the apostle laboured, was by the power of the Spirit of God; it was he that imparted all spiritual gifts to him, qualifying him for this service; it was he that assisted him in it, and enabled him to go through it; it was in demonstration of the Spirit and of power that he performed it; and that not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth: or else that the obedience of the Gentiles to the faith of Christ, through the preaching of the Gospel, and the wonderful works that attended it as means, were purely owing to the power of the Spirit of God, as the efficient cause; it was not by might, or power of the preacher; nor merely by the power of signs and wonders; but by the powerful and efficacious grace of the Spirit of God, who took away the stony, stubborn, and disobedient heart, and gave them an heart of flesh, a tender, flexible, and obedient one; and caused them to walk in and observe the commandments and ordinances of the Lord:

so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ; that which Christ, as God, is the author of; as man, was a preacher and minister of; and, as Mediator, is the subject matter of: this the apostle "preached fully" and completely, every part and branch of it, kept back nothing of it, but faithfully declared the whole; and so fulfilled it, as the word may be rendered, and his ministry; or he filled the Gospel, the net of the Gospel, which he spread in every place; or rather he diffused the knowledge of it everywhere; he filled all places with it wherever he came, even "from Jerusalem" round about unto Illyricum: not that he began to preach at Jerusalem, but at Damascus; from whence he went to Arabia, and after that to Jerusalem; but inasmuch as he was of Jerusalem, and had preached there, from whence the Gospel originally came, and this was the boundary of his ministry one way, he makes mention of it; as Illyricum was the boundary of it another way, which was on the extreme part of Macedonia: it is now called Sclavonia, and is an European nation; part of it is Dalmatia, mentioned 2Ti 4:10. Apollonia was in it, according to Mela ^z, where the apostle is said to pass through, Act 17:1, it has on the south the gulf of Venice, on the north the Danube, on the west Germany, and on the east Thracia and Macedonia: according to Ptolomy ^a, Illyris, or Illyricum, was bounded on the north with upper and lower Pannonia, now called Hungary and Austria; on the east with upper Mysia, now Servia; and on the south with part of Macedonia; it lies over against Italy, the Adriatic sea being between them; its length, from the river Drinus to Arsa, is reckoned about 480 miles, and its breadth, from the mountains of Croatia to the sea, is computed to be about 120: it is by some divided into Slavonia, Dalmatia, and Albania; Slavonia is the western part, Albania the eastern, and Dalmatia between them; according to others, it includes Slavonia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Dalmatia; and had its name of Illyricum, from Illyrius, the son of Cadmus; or as others, from Illyrius, the son of Celta: here the Gospel was preached by the Apostle Paul, and no doubt with success; and churches were planted here, and which remained for several ages: in the "second" century there was a church in Illyricum, and Eleutherius was bishop, who is said to be a famous teacher; he was born at Rome, and his mother Anthia is reported to be converted by the Apostle Paul; in the same age lived one Quirinus, first a tribune, and then a bishop of Illyricum, who became a martyr under Trajan: in the "third" century there were churches in Illyricum, though devastations were made in it by the Goths; in the "fourth" century, frequent mention is made of the churches in Illyricum; and the bishops convened at Rome under Damascus in the times of Constantius wrote with great respect to the brethren in Illyricum; in Siscia, a city in this country, Quirinus a bishop suffered martyrdom; here a synod met against the Arians, and yet many in this country were infected with that heresy, by Valens and Ursatius; in this age Hilary, of Poictiers in France, spread the Gospel in this country; and he and Eusebius of Vercelli, in Piedmont, visited the churches, and corrected what was amiss: in the "fifth" century there was a church in Illyricum, and in Salo, a city of Dalmatia, Glycerius was bishop: in the "sixth" century there were also churches here, as appears from the letter of Symmachus to the bishops of them, and to their people; and in this age also Gregory wrote to all the bishops in Illyricum, to receive such bishops as were banished: in the "eighth" century, the bishops of Illyricum were in the Nycene synod, and Boniface gathered a church in Slavonia ^b; thus far Christianity may be traced in this country: hither the apostle went, not in a direct line, but round about, and took many countries, cities, and towns in his way, as the history of his journeys and travels in the Acts of the Apostles shows, and as he here suggests.

Gill: Rom 15:20

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 Christ was named; as in Judea, where he had been for many ages spoken of and expected, and where he had lately appeared, lived, suffered, and died, and where his Gospel had been preached by all the apostles; as also in such parts of the Gentile world, where others of the apostles had been, and had made mention of his name, and published the glad tidings of salvation by him; but he chose rather to go to such Heathen nations, as were wholly without any knowledge of him; who had only the dim light of nature to guide them; had had no promises nor prophecies of the Messiah, nor so much as any hints, at least very distant ones, concerning him; and where as yet the sound of the Gospel bad not reached:

lest I should build on another man's foundation; meaning not the law of Moses, nor the doctrines of the false teachers, but the foundation of the true apostles, and which was no other than the foundation Christ, he himself laid; but he chose not to go where they had laid the foundation by preaching Christ and his Gospel, that he might not take another man's crown, or boast in another man's line, or of other men's labours; but rather to go where others had never been, that he might first lay the foundation himself, by preaching Christ, and him crucified, and so the more act up to his character as an apostle, and as the apostle to the Gentiles.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Rom 15:1

¹ tn Grk “and not please ourselves.” NT Greek negatives used in contrast like this are often not absolute, but relative: “not so much one as the other.”

NET Notes: Rom 15:3

¹ sn A quotation from Ps 69:9.

NET Notes: Rom 15:5

¹ tn Grk “grant you to think the same among one another.”

NET Notes: Rom 15:8

¹ tn Grk “of the circumcision”; that is, the Jews.

² tn Or “to the patriarchs.”

NET Notes: Rom 15:9

¹ tn There are two major syntactical alternatives which are both awkward: (1) One could make “glorify” dependent on “Christ has become a minister” and coordinate with “to confirm” and the result would be rendered “Christ has become a minister of circumcision to confirm the promises…and so that the Gentiles might glorify God.” (2) One could make “glorify” dependent on “I tell you” and coordinate with “Christ has become a minister” and the result would be rendered “I tell you that Christ has become a minister of circumcision…and that the Gentiles glorify God.” The second rendering is preferred.

² sn A quotation from Ps 18:49.

NET Notes: Rom 15:10

¹ sn A quotation from Deut 32:43.

NET Notes: Rom 15:11

¹ sn A quotation from Ps 117:1.

NET Notes: Rom 15:12

¹ sn A quotation from Isa 11:10.

NET Notes: Rom 15:13

¹ tn Grk “in the believing” or “as [you] believe,” with the object “him” supplied from the context. The referent could be God (15:13a) or Christ (15:12).

NET Notes: Rom 15:14

¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

NET Notes: Rom 15:16

¹ tn Grk “serving.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but in keeping with contemporary English style, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

² tn The genitive in the phrase τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ (to euangelion tou qeou, “the gospel of God”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or an objective genitive (“the gospel about God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself.

³ tn Grk “so that the offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable.” This could be understood to refer to an offering belonging to the Gentiles (a possessive genitive) or made by the Gentiles (subjective genitive), but more likely the phrase should be understood as an appositive genitive, with the Gentiles themselves consisting of the offering (so J. D. G. Dunn, Romans [WBC 38], 2:860). The latter view is reflected in the translation “so that the Gentiles may become an acceptable offering.”

NET Notes: Rom 15:17

¹ tc ‡ After οὖν (oun), several important Alexandrian and Western mss (B C D F G 81 365 pc) have τήν (thn). The article is lacking in א A Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï however. Ì⁴⁶ supplies a relative pronoun and has a different reading entirely (“which I have [as a] boast”). Articles were frequently introduced to clarify the meaning of the text. In this instance, since the word modified (καύχησιν, kauchsin) is third declension, a visual oversight (resulting in omission) is less likely. Hence, the shorter reading is probably original. The difference in translation between these first two options is negligible (“I have the boast” or “I have a boast”). NA²⁷ puts the article in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

tn Grk “Therefore I have a boast.”

NET Notes: Rom 15:18

¹ tn Grk “unto obedience.”

Geneva Bible: Rom 15:1

We ^{( 1 )} then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to ^{( a )} please ourselves.

^{( 1 )} Now the apostle reasons generally of tolerating or bearing with the weak by all means, in so far that it may be for their profit.

^{( a )} And despise others.

Geneva Bible: Rom 15:2

Let every one of us please [his] neighbour for [his] ^{( b )} good to edification.

^{( b )} For his profit and edification.

Geneva Bible: Rom 15:3

^{( 2 )} For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

^{( 2 )} A confirmation taken from the example of Christ, who suffered all things, to bring not only the weak, but also his most cruel enemies, overcoming them with patience, to his Father.

Geneva Bible: Rom 15:4

^{( 3 )} For whatsoever things were written ^{( c )} aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the ^{( d )} scriptures might have hope.

^{( 3 )} The preventing of an objection: such things as are cited out of the examples of the ancients, are propounded unto us to this end and purpose, that according to the example of our fathers we should in patience and hope bear one with another.

^{( c )} By Moses and the prophets.

^{( d )} The scriptures are said to teach and comfort, because God uses them to teach and comfort his people with them.

Geneva Bible: Rom 15:5

^{( 4 )} Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:

^{( 4 )} We must take an example of patience from God: that both the weak and the strong, serving God with a mutual consent, may bring one another to God, as Christ also received us to himself, although we were ever so unworthy.

Geneva Bible: Rom 15:7

Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also ^{( e )} received us to the glory of God.

^{( e )} He did not shun us, but received us of his own accord, to make us partakers of God's glory.

Geneva Bible: Rom 15:8

^{( 5 )} Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the ^{( f )} circumcision for the ^{( g )} truth of God, to confirm the promises [made] unto the fathers:

^{( 5 )} An applying of the example of Christ to the Jews, whom he granted this honour for the promises which he made to their fathers, although they were ever so unworthy, in that he executed the office of a minister among them with marvellous patience: therefore much less ought the Gentiles despise them for certain faults, whom the Son of God esteemed so much.

^{( f )} Of the circumcised Jews, for as long as he lived, he never went out of their midst.

^{( g )} That God might be seen to be true.

Geneva Bible: Rom 15:9

^{( 6 )} And that the Gentiles might glorify God for [his] mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will ^{( h )} confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.

^{( 6 )} An applying of the same to the Gentiles, whom also the Lord by his incomprehensible goodness had regard for, so that they are not to be condemned by the Jews as strangers.

^{( h )} I will openly confess and set forth your name.

Geneva Bible: Rom 15:13

^{( 7 )} Now the God of ^{( i )} hope fill you with ^{( k )} all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

^{( 7 )} He seals up as it were all the former treatise with prayers, wishing all that to be given them by the Lord, that he had commanded them.

^{( i )} In whom we hope.

^{( k )} Abundantly and plentifully.

Geneva Bible: Rom 15:14

^{( 8 )} And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ^{( l )} ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

^{( 8 )} The conclusion of the epistle, in which he first excuses himself, that he has written somewhat at length to them, rather to warn them than to teach them, and that of necessity, by reason of his calling, which binds him in a special way to the Gentiles.

^{( l )} Of your own accord, and by yourselves.

Geneva Bible: Rom 15:16

That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the ^{( m )} offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

^{( m )} By the offering up of the Gentiles, he means the Gentiles themselves, whom he offered to God as a sacrifice.

Geneva Bible: Rom 15:17

^{( 9 )} I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God.

^{( 9 )} He commends his apostleship highly by the effects, but yet in such a way that even though he speaks all things truly, he gives all the glory to God as the only author: and he does not do this for his own sake, but this rather, that men might doubt less of the truth of the doctrine which he propounds to them.

Geneva Bible: Rom 15:18

For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which ^{( n )} Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,

^{( n )} Christ was so with me in all things, and by all means, that even if I had wanted to, yet I cannot say what he has done by me to bring the Gentiles to obey the gospel.

Geneva Bible: Rom 15:19

Through ^{( o )} mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

^{( o )} In the first place this word "mighty" signifies the force and working of the wonders in piercing men's minds: and in the latter, it signifies God's mighty power which was the worker of those wonders.

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Rom 15:1-33

1 The strong must bear with the weak.

2 We must not please ourselves;

3 for Christ did not so;

7 but receive one another, as Christ did us all;

8 both Jews and Gentiles;

15 Paul excuses his writing;

28 and promises to see them;

30 and requests their prayers.

Maclaren: Rom 15:4

Two Fountains, One Stream

That we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope. 13. The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope.'--Romans 15:4, 13.

THERE is a river in Switzerland fed by two uniting streams, bearing the same name, one of them called the white,' one of them the grey,' or dark. One comes down from the glaciers, and bears half-melted snow in its white ripple; the other flows through a lovely valley, and is discoloured by its earth. They unite in one common current. So in these two verses we have two streams, a white and a black, and they both blend together and flow out into a common hope. In the former of them we have the dark stream--through patience and comfort,' which implies affliction and effort. The issue and outcome of all difficulty, trial, sorrow, ought to be hope. And in the other verse we have the other valley, down which the light stream comes: The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope.'

So both halves of the possible human experience are meant to end in the same blessed result; and whether you go round on the one side of the sphere of human life, or whether you take the other hemisphere, you come to the same point, if you have travelled with God's hand in yours, and with Him for your Guide.

Let us look, then, at these two contrasted origins of the same blessed gift, the Christian hope.

I. We Have, First Of All, The Hope That Is The Child Of The Night, And Born In The Dark.

Whatsoever things,' says the Apostle, were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we, through patience,'--or rather the brave perseverance' and consolation '--or rather perhaps encouragement' of the Scriptures might have hope.' The written word is conceived as the source of patient endurance which acts as well as suffers. This grace Scripture works in us through the encouragement which it ministers in manifold ways, and the result of both is hope.

So, you see, our sorrows and difficulties are not connected with, nor do they issue in, bright hopefulness, except by reason of this connecting link. There is nothing in a man's troubles to make him hopeful. Sometimes, rather, they drive him into despair; but at all events, they seldom drive him to hopefulness, except where this link comes in. We cannot pass from the black frowning cliffs on one side of the gorge to the sunny tablelands on the other without a bridge --and the bridge for a poor soul from the blackness of sorrow, and the sharp grim rocks of despair, to the smiling pastures of hope, with all their half-open blossoms, is builded in that Book, which tells us the meaning and purpose of them all; and is full of the histories of those who have fought and overcome, have hoped and not been ashamed.

Scripture is given for this among other reasons, that it may encourage us, and so may produce in us this great grace of active patience, if we may call it so.

The first thing to notice is, how Scripture gives encouragement--for such rather than consolation is the meaning of the word. It is much to dry tears, but it is more to stir the heart as with a trumpet call. Consolation is precious, but we need more for wellbeing than only to be comforted. And, surely, the whole tone of Scripture in its dealing with the great mystery of pain and sorrow, has a loftier scope than even to minister assuagement to grief, and to stay our weeping. It seeks to make us strong and brave to face and to master our sorrows, and to infuse into us a high-hearted courage, which shall not merely be able to accept the biting blasts, but shall feel that they bring a glow to the cheek and oxygen to the blood, while wrestling with them builds up our strength, and trains us for higher service. It would be a poor aim to comfort only; but to encourage--to make strong in heart, resolved in will, and incapable of being overborne or crushed in spirit by any sorrows--that is a purpose worthy of the Book, and of the God who speaks through it.

This purpose, we may say, is effected by Scripture in two ways. It encourages us by its records, and by its revelation of principles.

Who can tell how many struggling souls have taken heart again, as they pondered over the sweet stories of sorrow subdued which stud its pages, like stars in its firmament? The tears shed long ago which God has put in His bottle,' and recorded in His book,' have truly been turned into pearls. That long gallery of portraits of sufferers, who have all trodden the same rough road, and been sustained by the same hand, and reached the same home, speaks cheer to all who follow them. Hearts wrung by cruel partings from those dearer to them than their own souls, turn to the pages which tell how Abraham, with calm sorrow, laid his Sarah in the cave at Macpelah; or how, when Jacob's eyes were dim that he could not see, his memory still turned to the hour of agony when Rachael died by him, and he sees clear in its light her lonely grave, where so much of himself was laid; or to the still more sacred page which records the struggle of grief and faith in the hearts of the sisters of Bethany. All who are anyways afflicted in mind, body, or estate find in the Psalms men speaking their deepest experiences before them; and the grand majesty of sorrow that marks the patience of Job,' and the flood of sunshine that bathes him, revealing the end of the Lord,' have strengthened countless sufferers to bear and to hold fast, and to hope. We are all enough of children to be more affected by living examples than by dissertations, however true, and so Scripture is mainly history, revealing God by the record of His acts, and disclosing the secret of human life by telling us the experiences of living men.

But Scripture has another method of ministering encouragement to our often fainting and faithless hearts. It cuts down through all the complications of human affairs, and lays bare the innermost motive power. It not only shows us in ,its narratives the working of sorrow, and the power of faith, but it distinctly lays down the source and the purpose, the whence and the whither of all suffering. No man need quail or faint before the most torturing pains or most disastrous strokes of evil, who holds firmly the plain teaching of Scripture on these two points. They all come from my Father, and they all come for my good. It is a short and simple creed, easily apprehended. It pretends to no recondite wisdom. It is a homely philosophy which common intellects can grasp, which children can understand, and hearts half paralysed by sorrow can take in. So much the better. Grief and pain are so common that their cure had need to be easily obtained. Ignorant and stupid people have to writhe in agony as well as wise and clever ones, and until grief is the portion only of the cultivated classes, its healing must come from something more universal than philosophy; or else the nettle would be more plentiful than the dock; and many a poor heart would be stung to death. Blessed be God! the Christian view of sorrow, while it leaves much unexplained, focuses a steady light on these two points; its origin and its end. He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness,' is enough to calm all agitation, and to make the faintest heart take fresh courage. With that double certitude clear before us, we can face anything. The slings and arrows which strike are no more flung blindly by an outrageous fortune,' but each bears an inscription, like the fabled bolts, which tells what hand drew the bow, and they come with His love.

Then, further, the courage thus born of the Scriptures produces another grand thing--patience, or rather perseverance. By that word is meant more than simply the passive endurance which is the main element in patience, properly so called. Such passive endurance is a large part of our duty in regard to difficulties and sorrows, but is never the whole of it. It is something to endure and even while the heart is breaking, to submit unmurmuring, but, transcendent as that is, it is but half of the lesson which we have to learn and to put in practice. For if all our sorrows have a disciplinary and educational purpose, we shall not have received them aright, unless we have tried to make that purpose effectual, by appropriating whatsoever moral and spiritual teaching they each have for us. Nor does our duty stop there. For while one high purpose of sorrow is to deaden our hearts to earthly objects, and to lift us above earthly affections, no sorrow can ever relax the bonds which oblige us to duty. The solemn pressure of' I ought,' is as heavy on the sorrowful as on the happy heart. We have still to toil, to press forward, in the sweat of our brow, to gain our bread, whether it be food for our bodies, or sustenance for our hearts and minds. Our responsibilities to others do not cease because our lives are darkened. Therefore, heavy or light of heart, we have still to stick to our work, and though we may never more be able to do it with the old buoyancy, still to do it with our might.

It is that dogged persistence in plain duty, that tenacious continuance in our course, which is here set forth as the result of the encouragement which Scripture gives. Many of us have all our strength exhausted in mere endurance, and have let obvious duties slip from our hands, as if we had done all that we could do when we had forced ourselves to submit. Submission would come easier if you took up some of those neglected duties, and you would be stronger for patience, if you used more of your strength for service. You do well if you do not sink under your burden, but you would do better if, with it on your shoulders, you would plod steadily along the road; and if you did, you would feel the weight less. It seems heaviest when you stand still doing nothing. Do not cease to toil because you suffer. You will feel your pain more if you do. Take the encouragement which Scripture gives, that it may animate you to bate no jot of heart or hope, but still bear up and steer right onward.

And let the Scripture directly minister to you perseverance as well as indirectly supply it through the encouragement which it gives. It abounds with exhortations, patterns, and motives of such patient continuance in well-doing. It teaches us a solemn scorn of ills. It, angel-like, bears us up on soft, strong hands, lest we bruise ourselves on, or stumble over, the rough places on our roads. It summons us to diligence by the visions of the prize, and glimpses of the dread fate of the slothful, by all that is blessed in hope, and terrible in foreboding, by appeals to an enlightened self-regard, and by authoritative commands to conscience, by the pattern of the Master, and by the tender motives of love to Him to which He, Himself, has given voice. All these call on us to be followers of them who, through faith and perseverance, inherit the promises.

But we have yet another step to take. These two, the encouragement and perseverance produced by the right use of Scripture, will lead to hope.

It depends on how sorrow and trial are borne, whether they produce a dreary hopelessness which sometimes darkens into despair, or a brighter, firmer hope than more joyous days knew. We cannot say that sorrow produces hope. It does not, unless we have this connecting link--the experience in sorrow of a God-given courage which falters not in the onward course, nor shrinks from any duty. But if, in the very press and agony, I am able, by God's grace, to endure nor cease to toil, I have, in myself, a living proof of His power, which entitles me to look forward with the sure confidence that, through all the uproar of the storm, He will bring me to my harbour of rest where there is peace. The lion once slain houses a swarm of bees who lay up honey in its carcase. The trial borne with brave persistence yields a store of sweet hopes. If we can look back and say, Thou hast been with me in six troubles,' it is good logic to look forward and say, and in seven Thou wilt not forsake me.' When the first wave breaks over the ship, as she clears the heads and heels over before the full power of the open sea, inexperienced landsmen think they are all going to the bottom, but they soon learn that there is a long way between rolling and foundering, and get to watch the highest waves towering above the bows in full confidence that these also will slip quietly beneath the keel as the others have done, and be left harmless astern.

The Apostle, in this very same letter, has another word parallel to this, in which he describes the issues of rightly-borne suffering when he says, Tribulation worketh perseverance '--the same word that is used here--and perseverance worketh' the proof in our experience of a sustaining God; and the proof in our experience of a sustaining God works hope. We know that of ourselves we could not have met tribulation, and therefore the fact that we have been able to meet and overcome it is demonstration of a mightier power than our own, working in us, which we know to be from God, and therefore inexhaustible and ever ready to help. That is foundation firm enough to build solid fabrics of hope upon, whose bases go down to the centre of all things, the purpose of God, and whose summits, like the upward shooting spire of some cathedral, aspire to, and seem almost to touch, the heavens.

So hope is born of sorrow, when these other things come between. The darkness gives birth to the light, and every grief blazes up a witness to a future glory. Each drop that hangs on the wet leaves twinkles into rainbow light that proclaims the sun. The garish splendours of the prosperous day hide the stars, and through the night of our sorrow there shine, thickly sown and steadfast, the constellations of eternal hopes. The darker the midnight, the surer, and perhaps the nearer, the coming of the day. Sorrow has not had its perfect work unless it has led us by the way of courage and perseverance to a stable hope. Hope has not pierced to the rock, and builds only things that can be shaken,' unless it rests on sorrows borne by God's help.

II. So Much Then For The Genealogy Of One Form Of The Christian Hope.

But we have also a hope that is born of the day, the child of sunshine and gladness; and that is set before us in the second of the two verses which we are considering, The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope.'

So then, the darkness and the light are both alike' to our hope, in so far as each may become the occasion for its exercise. It is not only to be the sweet juice expressed from our hearts by the winepress of calamities, but that which flows of itself from hearts ripened and mellowed under the sunshine of God-given blessedness.

We have seen that the bridge by which sorrow led to hope, is perseverance and courage; in this second analysis of the origin of hope, joy and peace are the bridge by which Faith passes over into it. Observe the difference: there is no direct connection between affliction and hope, but there is between joy and hope. We have no right to say, Because I suffer, I shall possess good in the future'; but we have a right to say, Because I rejoice '--of course with a joy in God--I shall never cease to rejoice in Him.' Such joy is the prophet of its own immortality and completion. And, on the other hand, the joy and peace which are naturally the direct progenitors of Christian hope, are the children of faith. So that we have here two generations, as it were, of hope's ancestors;--Faith produces joy and peace, and these again produce hope.

Faith leads to joy and peace. Paul has found, and if we only put it to the proof, we shall also find, that the simple exercise of simple faith fills the soul with all joy and peace.' Gladness in all its variety and in full measure, calm repose in every kind and abundant in its still depth, will pour into my heart as water does into a vessel, on condition of my taking away the barrier and opening my heart through faith. Trust and thou shalt be glad. Trust, and thou shalt be calm. In the measure of thy trust shall be the measure of thy joy and peace.

Notice, further, how indissolubly connected the present exercise of faith is with the present experience of joy and peace. The exuberant language of this text seems a world too wide for anything that many professing Christians ever know even in the moments of highest elevation, and certainly far beyond the ordinary tenor of their lives. But it is no wonder that these should have so little joy, when they have so little faith. It is only while we are looking to Jesus that we can expect to have joy and peace. There is no flashing light on the surface of the mirror, but when it is turned full to the sun. Any interruption in the electric current is registered accurately by an interruption in the continuous line perforated on the telegraph ribbon; and so every diversion of heart and faith from Jesus Christ is recorded by the fading of the sunshine out of the heart, and the silencing of all the song-birds. Yesterday's faith will not bring joy to-day; you cannot live upon past experience, nor feed your souls with the memory of former exercises of Christian faith. It must be like the manna, gathered fresh every day, else it will rot and smell foul. A present faith, and a present faith only, produces a present joy and peace. Is there, then, any wonder that so much of the ordinary experience of ordinary Christians should present a sadly broken line--a bright point here and there, separated by long stretches of darkness? The gaps in the continuity of their joy are the tell-tale indicators of the interruptions in their faith. If the latter were continuous, the former would be unbroken. Always believe, and you will always be glad and calm.

It is easy to see that this is the natural result of faith. The very act of confident reliance on another for all my safety and well-being has a charm to make me restful, so long as my reliance is not put to shame. There is no more blessed emotion than the tranquil happiness which, in the measure of its trust, fills every trustful soul. Even when its objects are poor, fallible, weak, ignorant dying men and women, trust brings a breath of more than earthly peace into the heart. But when it grasps the omnipotent, all-wise, immortal Christ, there are no bounds but its own capacity to the blessedness which it brings into the soul, because there is none to the all-sufficient grace of which it lays hold.

Observe again how accurately the Apostle defines for us the conditions on which Christian experience will be joyful and tranquil. It is in believing,' not in certain other exercises of mind, that these blessings are to be realised. And the forgetfulness of that plain fact leads to many good people's religion being very much more gloomy and disturbed than God meant it to be. For a large part of it consists in sadly testing their spiritual state, and gazing at their failures and imperfections. There is nothing cheerful or tranquillising in grubbing among the evils of your own heart, and it is quite possible to do that too much and too exclusively. If your favourite subject of contemplation in your religious thinking is yourself, no wonder that you do not get much joy and peace out of that. If you do, it will be of a false kind. If you are thinking more about your own imperfections than about Christ's pardon, more about the defects of your own love to Him than about the perfection of His love to you, if instead of practising faith you are absorbed in self-examination, and instead of saying to yourself, I know how foul and unworthy I am, but I look away from myself to my Saviour,' you are bewailing your sins and doubting whether you are a Christian, you need not expect God's angels of joy and peace to nestle in your heart. It is in believing,' and not in other forms of religious contemplation, however needful these may in their places be, that these fair twin sisters come to us and make their abode with us.

Then, the second step in this tracing of the origin of the hope which has the brighter source is the consideration that the joy and peace which spring from faith, in their turn produce that confident anticipation of future and progressive good, Herein lies the distinguishing blessedness of the Christian joy and peace, in that they carry in themselves the pledge of their own eternity. Here, and here only, the mad boast which is doomed to be so miserably falsified when applied to earthly gladness is simple truth. Here to-morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant.' Such joy has nothing in itself which betokens exhaustion, as all the less pure joys of earth have. It is manifestly not born for death, as are they. It is not fated, like all earthly emotions or passions, to expire in the moment of its completeness, or even by sudden revulsion to be succeeded by its opposite. Its sweetness has no after pang of bitterness. It is not true of this gladness, that Hereof cometh in the end despondency and madness,' but its destiny is to remain' as long as the soul in which it unfolds shall exist, and' to be full' as long as the source from which it flows does not run dry.

So that the more we experience the present blessedness, which faith in Christ brings us, the more shall we be sure that nothing in the future, either in or beyond time, can put an end to it; and hence a hope that looks with confident eyes across the gorge of death, to the shining tablelands' on the other side, and is as calm as certitude, shall be ours. To the Christian soul, rejoicing in the conscious exercise of faith and the conscious possession of its blessed results, the termination of a communion with Christ, so real and spiritual, by such a trivial accident as death, seems wildly absurd and therefore utterly impossible. Just as Christ's Resurrection seems inevitable as soon as we grasp the truth of His divine nature, and it becomes manifestly impossible that He, being such as He is, should be holden of death,' being such as it is, so for His children, when once they come to know the realities of fellowship with their Lord, they feel the entire dissimilarity of these to anything in the realm which is subjected to the power of death, and to know it to be as impossible that these purely spiritual experiences should be reduced to inactivity, or meddled with by it, as that a thought should be bound with a cord or a feeling fastened with fetters. They, and death, belong to two different regions. It can work its will on this wide world, and all its fading sweets '--but is powerless in the still place where the soul and Jesus hold converse, and all His joy passes into His servant's heart. I saw, not long since, in a wood a mass of blue wild hyacinths, that looked like a little bit of heaven dropped down upon earth. You and I may have such a tiny bit of heaven itself lying amidst all the tangle of our daily lives, if only we put our trust in Christ, and so get into our hearts some little portion of that joy that is unspeakable, and that peace that passeth understanding.

Thus, then, the sorrows of the earthly experience and the joys of the Christian life will blend together to produce the one blessed result of a hope that is full of certainty, and is the assurance of immortality. There is no rainbow in the slay unless there be both a black cloud and bright sunshine. So, on the blackest, thickest thunder-mass of our sorrows, if smitten into moist light by the sunshine of joy and peace drawn from Jesus Christ by faith, there may be painted the rainbow of hope, the many-coloured, steadfast token of the faithful covenant of the faithful God.

Maclaren: Rom 15:13

Joy And Peace In Believing

The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.'--Romans 15:13.

WITH this comprehensive and lofty petition the Apostle closes his exhortation to the factions in the Roman Church to be at unity. The form of the prayer is moulded by the last words of a quotation which he has just made, which says that in the coming Messiah shall the Gentiles hope.' But the prayer itself is not an instance of being led away by a word--in form, indeed, it is shaped by verbal resemblance; in substance it points to the true remedy for religious controversy. Fill the contending parties with a fuller spiritual life, and the ground of their differences will begin to dwindle, and look very contemptible. When the tide rises, the little pools on the rocks are all merged into one.

But we may pass beyond the immediate application of these words, an<l see in them the wish, which is also a promise, and like the exhibition of every ideal is a command. This is Paul's conception of the Christian life as it might and should be, in one aspect. You notice that there is not a word in it about conduct. It goes far deeper than action. It deals with the springs of action in the individual life. It is the depths of spiritual experience here set forth which will result in actions that become a Christian. And in these days, when all around us we see a shallow conception of Christianity, as if it were concerned principally with conduct and men's relations with one another, it is well to go down into the depths, and to remember that whilst' Do, do, do!' is very important, Be, be, be!' is the primary commandment. Conduct is a making visible of personality, and the Scripture teaching which says first faith and then works is profoundly philosophical as well as Christian. So we turn away here from externals altogether, and regard the effect of Christianity on the inward life.

I. I Wish To Notice Man's Faith And God's Filling As Connected, And As The Foundation Of Everything.

The God of hope fill you inlet us leave out the intervening words for a moment, in believing.' Now, you notice that Paul does not stay to tell us what or whom we are to believe in, or on. He takes that for granted, and his thought is fastened, for the moment, not on the object but on the act of faith. And he wishes to drive home to us this, that the attitude of trust is the necessary prerequisite condition of God's being able to fill a man's soul, and that God's being able to fin a man's soul is the necessary consequence of a man's trust. Ah, brethren, we cannot altogether shut God out from our spirits. There are loving and gracious gifts that, as our Lord tells us, He makes to fall on the unthankful and the evil.' His rain is not like the summer showers that we sometimes see, that fall in one spot and leave another dry; nor like the destructive thunderstorms, that come down bringing ruin upon one cane-brake and leave the plants in the next standing upright. But the best, the highest, the truly divine gifts which He is yearning to give to us all, cannot be given except there be consent, trust, and desire for them. You can shut your hearts or you can open them. And just as the wind will sigh round some hermetically closed chamber in vain search for a cranny, and the man within may be asphyxiated though the atmosphere is surging up its waves all round his closed domicile, so by lack of our faith, which is at once trust, consent, and desire, we shut out the gift with which God would fain fill our spirits. You can take a porous pottery vessel, wrap it up in waxcloth, pitch it all over, and then drop it into mid-Atlantic, and not a drop will find its way in. And that is what we can do with ourselves, so that although in Him we live and move and have our being,' and are like the earthen vessel in the ocean, no drop of the blessed moisture will ever find its way into the heart. There must be man's faith before there can be God's filling.

Further, this relation of the two things suggests to us that a consequence of a Christian man's faith is the direct action of God upon him. Notice how the Apostle puts that truth in a double form here, in order that he may emphasise it, using one form of expression, involving the divine, direct activity, at the beginning of his prayer, and another at the end, and so enclosing, as it were, within a great casket of the divine action, all the blessings, the flashing jewels, which he desires his Roman friends to possess. The God of hope fill you through the power of the Holy Ghost.' I wish I could find words by which I could bear in upon the ordinary type of the Evangelical Christianity of this generation anything like the depth and earnestness of my own conviction that, for lack of a proportionate development of that great truth, of the direct action Of the giving God on the believing heart, it is weakened and harmed in many ways. Surely He that made my spirit can touch my spirit; surely He who filleth all things according to their capacity can Himself enter into and fill the spirit which is opened for Him by simple faith. We do not need wires for the telegraphy between heaven and the believing soul, but He comes directly to, and speaks in, and moves upon, and moulds and blesses, the waiting heart. And until you know, by your own experience rightly interpreted, that there is such a direct communion between the giving God and the recipient believing spirit, you have yet to learn the deepest depth, and the most blessed blessedness, of Christian faith and experience. For lack of it a hundred evils beset modern Christianity. For lack of it men fix their faith so exclusively as that the faith is itself harmed thereby, on the past act of Christ's death on the Cross. You will not suspect me of minimising that, but I beseech you remember one climax of the Apostle's which, though not bearing the same message as my text, is in harmony with it, Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.' And remember that Christ Himself bestows the gift of His Divine Spirit as the result of the humiliation and the agony of His

Cross.Faith brings the direct action of the giving God.

And one more word about this first part of my text: the result of that direct action is complete--the God of hope fill you' with no shrunken stream, no painful trickle out of a narrow rift in the rock, but a great exuberance which will pass into a man's nature in the measure of his capacity, which is the measure of his trust and desire. There are two limits to God's gifts to men: the one is the limitless limit of God's infinitude, the other is the working limit--our capacity--and that capacity is precisely measured, as the capacity of some built-in vessel might be measured by a little gauge on the outside, by our faith. The God of hope' fills you in believing,' and according to thy faith shall it be unto thee.'

II. Notice The Joy And Peace Which Come From The Direct Action Of The God Of Hope On The Believer's Soul.

Now, it is not only towards God that we exercise trust, but wherever it is exercised, to some extent, and in the measure in which the object on which it rests is discovered by experience to be worthy, it produces precisely these results. Whoever trusts is at peace, just as much as he trusts. His confidence may be mistaken, and there will come a tremendous awakening if it is, and the peace will be shattered like some crystal vessel dashed upon an iron pavement, but so long as a man's mind and heart are in the attitude of dependence upon another, conceived to be dependable, one knows that there are few phases of tranquillity and blessedness which are sweeter and deeper than that. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her'--that is one illustration, and a hundred more might be given. And if you will take that attitude of trust which, even when it twines round some earthly prop, is upheld for a time, and bears bright flowers--if you take it and twine it round the steadfast foundations of the Throne of God, what can shake that sure repose? Joy and peace' will come when the Christian heart closes with its trust, which is God in Christ.

He that believes has found the short, sure road to joy and peace, because his relations are set right with God. For these relations are the disturbing elements in all earthly tranquillity, and like the skeleton at the feast in all earthly joy, and a man can never, down to the roots of his being, be at rest until he is quite sure that there is nothing wrong between him and God. And so believing, we come to that root of all real gladness which is anything better than a crackling of thorns under a pot, and to that beginning of all true tranquillity. Joy in the Lord and peace with God are the parents of all joy and peace that are worthy of the name.

And that same faith will again bring these two bright-winged angels into the most saddened and troubled lives, because that faith brings right relations with ourselves. For our inward strifes stuff thorns into the pillow of our repose, and mingle bitterness with the sweetest, foaming draughts of our earthly joys. If a man's conscience and inclinations pull him two different ways, he is torn asunder as by wild horses. If a man has a hungry heart, for ever yearning after unattained and impossible blessings, then there is no rest there. If a man's little kingdom within him is all anarchical, and each passion and appetite setting up for itself, then there is no tranquillity. But if by faith we let the God of hope come in, then hungry hearts are satisfied, and warring dispositions are harmonised, and the conscience becomes quieted, and fair imaginations fill the chamber of the spirit, and the man is at rest, because he himself is unified by the faith and fear of God.

And the same faith brings joy and peace because it sets right our relations with other people, and with all externals. If I am living in an atmosphere of trust, then sorrow will never be absolute, nor have exclusive monopoly and possession of my spirit. But there will be the paradox, and the blessedness, of Christian experience, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing.' For the joy of the Christian life has its source far away beyond the swamps from which the sour drops of morrow may trickle, and it is possible that, like the fabled fire that burned under water, the joy of the Lord may be bright in my heart, even when it is drenched in floods of calamity and distress.

And so, brethren, the joy and peace that come from faith will fill the heart which trusts. Only remember how emphatically the Apostle here puts these two things together, joy and peace in believing.' As long as, and not a moment longer than, you are exercising the Christian act of trust, will you be experiencing the Christian blessedness of joy and peace.' Unscrew the pipe, and in an instant the water ceases to flow. Touch the button and switch off, and out goes the light. Some Christian people fancy they can live upon past faith. You will get no present joy and peace out of past faith. The rain of this day twelve months will not moisten the parched ground of to-day. Yesterday's religion was all used up yesterday. And if you would have a continuous flow of joy and peace through your lives, keep up a uniform habit and attitude of trust in God. You will get it then; you will get it in no other way.

III. Lastly, Note The Hope Which Springs From This Experience Of Joy And Peace.

The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope.' Here, again, the Apostle does not trouble himself to define the object of the hope. In this, as in the former clause, his attention is fixed up(m the emotion, not upon that towards which it goes out. And just as there was no need to say in whom it was that the Christian man was to believe, so there is no room to define what it is that the Christian man has a right to hope for. For his hope is intended to cover all the future, the next moment, or to-morrow, or the dimmest distance where time has ceased to be, and eternity stands unmoved. The attitude of the Christian mind ought to be a cheery optimism, an unconquerable hope. The best has yet to be' is the true Christian thought in contemplating the future for myself, for my dear ones, for God's Church, and for God's universe.

And the truest basis on which that hope can rest is the experience granted to us, on condition of our faith, of a present, abundant possession of the joy and peace which God gives. The gladder you are to-day, if the gladness comes from the right source, the surer you may be that that gladness will never end. That is not what befalls men who live by earthly joys. For the more poignant, precious, and, as we faithlessly think, indispensable some of these are to us, the more into their sweetest sweetness creeps the dread thought: This is too good to last; this must pass.' We never need to think that about the peace and joy that come to us through believing. For they, in their sweetness, prophesy perpetuity. I need not dwell upon the thought that the firmest, most personally precious convictions of an eternity of future blessedness, rise and fall in a Christian consciousness with the purity and the depth of its own experience of the peace and joy of the Gospel. The more you have of Jesus Christ in your lives and hearts to-day, the surer you will be that whatever death may do, it cannot touch that, and the more ludicrously impossible it will seem that anything that befalls this poor body can touch the bond that knits us to Jesus Christ. Death can separate us from a great deal Its sharp scythe cuts through all other bonds, but its edge is turned when it is tried against the golden chain that binds the believing soul to the Christ in whom he has believed.

So, brethren, there is the ladder--begin at the bottom step, with faith in Jesus Christ. That will bring God's direct action into your spirit, through His Holy Spirit, and that one gift will break up into an endless multiplicity of blessings, just as a beam of light spilt upon the surface of the ocean breaks into diamonds in every wave, and that joy and peace' will kindle in your hearts a hope fed by the great words of the Lord: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you,' My joy shall remain in you, and your joy shall be full," He that liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.'

MHCC: Rom 15:1-7

Christian liberty was allowed, not for our pleasure, but for the glory of God, and the good of others. We must please our neighbour, for the good of his soul; not by serving his wicked will, and humouring him in a sinful way; if we thus seek to please men, we are not the servants of Christ. Christ's whole life was a self-denying, self-displeasing life. And he is the most advanced Christian, who is the most conformed to Christ. Considering his spotless purity and holiness, nothing could be more contrary to him, than to be made sin and a curse for us, and to have the reproaches of God fall upon him; the just for the unjust. He bore the guilt of sin, and the curse for it; we are only called to bear a little of the trouble of it. He bore the presumptuous sins of the wicked; we are called only to bear the failings of the weak. And should not we be humble, self-denying, and ready to consider one another, who are members one of another? The Scriptures are written for our use and benefit, as much as for those to whom they were first given. Those are most learned who are most mighty in the Scriptures. That comfort which springs from the word of God, is the surest and sweetest, and the greatest stay to hope. The Spirit as a Comforter, is the earnest of our inheritance. This like-mindedness must be according to the precept of Christ, according to his pattern and example. It is the gift of God; and a precious gift it is, for which we must earnestly seek unto him. Our Divine Master invites his disciples, and encourages them by showing himself as meek and lowly in spirit. The same disposition ought to mark the conduct of his servants, especially of the strong towards the weak. The great end in all our actions must be, that God may be glorified; nothing more forwards this, than the mutual love and kindness of those who profess religion. Those that agree in Christ may well agree among themselves.

MHCC: Rom 15:8-13

Christ fulfilled the prophecies and promises relating to the Jews, and the Gentile converts could have no excuse for despising them. The Gentiles, being brought into the church, are companions in patience and tribulation. They should praise God. Calling upon all the nations to praise the Lord, shows that they shall have knowledge of him. We shall never seek to Christ till we trust in him. And the whole plan of redemption is suited to reconcile us to one another, as well as to our gracious God, so that an abiding hope of eternal life, through the sanctifying and comforting power of the Holy Spirit, may be attained. Our own power will never reach this; therefore where this hope is, and is abounding, the blessed Spirit must have all the glory. " All joy and peace;" all sorts of true joy and peace, so as to suppress doubts and fears, through the powerful working of the Holy Spirit.

MHCC: Rom 15:14-21

The apostle was persuaded that the Roman Christians were filled with a kind and affectionate spirit, as well as with knowledge. He had written to remind them of their duties and their dangers, because God had appointed him the minister of Christ to the Gentiles. Paul preached to them; but what made them sacrifices to God, was, their sanctification; not his work, but the work of the Holy Ghost: unholy things can never be pleasing to the holy God. The conversion of souls pertains unto God; therefore it is the matter of Paul's glorying, not the things of the flesh. But though a great preacher, he could not make one soul obedient, further than the Spirit of God accompanied his labours. He principally sought the good of those that sat in darkness. Whatever good we do, it is Christ who does it by us.

Matthew Henry: Rom 15:1-4

The apostle here lays down two precepts, with reasons to enforce them, showing the duty of the strong Christian to consider and condescend to the weakest.

I. We must bear the infirmities of the weak, Rom 15:1. We all have our infirmities; but the weak are more subject to them than others - the weak in knowledge or grace, the bruised reed and the smoking flax. We must consider these; not trample upon them, but encourage them, and bear with their infirmities. If through weakness they judge and censure us, and speak evil of us, we must bear with them, pity them, and not have our affections alienated from them. Alas! it is their weakness, they cannot help it. Thus Christ bore with his weak disciples, and apologised for them. But there is more in it; we must also bear their infirmities by sympathizing with them, concerning ourselves for them, ministering strength to them, as there is occasion. This is bearing one another's burdens.

II. We must not please ourselves, but our neighbour, Rom 15:1, Rom 15:2. We must deny our own humour, in consideration of our brethren's weakness and infirmity.

1. Christians must not please themselves. We must not make it our business to gratify all the little appetites and desires of our own heart; it is good for us to cross ourselves sometimes, and then we shall the better bear others crossing of us. We shall be spoiled (as Adonijah was) if we be always humoured. The first lesson we have to learn is to deny ourselves, Mat 16:24.

2. Christians must please their brethren. The design of Christianity is to soften and meeken the spirit, to teach us the art of obliging and true complaisance; not to be servants to the lust of any, but to the necessities and infirmities of our brethren - to comply with all that we have to do with as fare as we can with a good conscience. Christians should study to be pleasing. As we must not please ourselves in the use of our Christian liberty (which was allowed us, not for our own pleasure, but for the glory of God and the profit and edification of others), so we must please our neighbour. How amiable and comfortable a society would the church of Christ be if Christians would study to please one another, as now we see them commonly industrious to cross, and thwart, and contradict one another! - Please his neighbour, not in every thing, it is not an unlimited rule; but for his good, especially for the good of his soul: not please him by serving his wicked wills, and humouring him in a sinful way, or consenting to his enticements, or suffering sin upon him; this is a base way of pleasing our neighbour to the ruin of his soul: if we thus please men, we are not the servants of Christ; but please him for his good; not for our own secular good, or to make a prey of him, but for his spiritual good. - To edification, that is, not only for his profit, but for the profit of others, to edify the body of Christ, by studying to oblige one another. The closer the stones lie, and the better they are squared to fit one another, the stronger is the building. Now observe the reason why Christians must please one another: For even Christ pleased not himself. The self-denial of our Lord Jesus is the best argument against the selfishness of Christians. Observe,

(1.) That Christ pleased not himself. He did not consult his own worldly credit, ease, safety, nor pleasure; he had not where to lay his head, lived upon alms, would not be made a king, detested no proposal with greater abhorrence than that, Master, spare thyself, did not seek his own will (Joh 5:30), washed his disciples' feet, endured the contradiction of sinners against himself, troubled himself (Joh 11:33), did not consult his own honour, and, in a word, emptied himself, and made himself of no reputation: and all this for our sakes, to bring in a righteousness for us, and to set us an example. His whole life was a self-denying self-displeasing life. He bore the infirmities of the weak, Heb 4:15.

(2.) That herein the scripture was fulfilled: As it is written, The reproaches of those that reproached thee fell on me. This is quoted out of Psa 69:9, the former part of which verse is applied to Christ (Joh 2:17), The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the latter part here; for David was a type of Christ, and his sufferings of Christ's sufferings. It is quoted to show that Christ was so far from pleasing himself that he did in the highest degree displease himself. Not as if his undertaking, considered on the whole, were a task and grievance to him, for he was very willing to it and very cheerful in it; but in his humiliation the content and satisfaction of natural inclination were altogether crossed and denied. He preferred our benefit before his own ease and pleasure. This the apostle chooses to express in scripture language; for how can the things of the Spirit of God be better spoken of than in the Spirit's own words? And this scripture he alleges, The reproaches of those that reproached thee fell on me. [1.] The shame of those reproaches, which Christ underwent. Whatever dishonour was done to God was a trouble to the Lord Jesus. He was grieved for the hardness of people's hearts, beheld a sinful place with sorrow and tears. When the saints were persecuted, Christ so far displeased himself as to take what was done to them as done against himself: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Christ also did himself endure the greatest indignities; there was much of reproach in his sufferings. [2.] The sin of those reproaches, for which Christ undertook to satisfy; so many understand it. Every sin is a kind of reproach to God, especially presumptuous sins; now the guilt of these fell upon Christ, when he was made sin, that is, a sacrifice, a sin-offering for us. When the Lord laid upon him the iniquities of us all, and he bore our sins in his own body upon the tree, they fell upon him as upon our surety. Upon me be the curse. This was the greatest piece of self-displacency that could be: considering his infinite spotless purity and holiness, the infinite love of the Father to him, and his eternal concern for his Father's glory, nothing could be more contrary to him, nor more against him, than to be made sin and a curse for us, and to have the reproaches of God fall upon him, especially considering for whom he thus displeased himself, for strangers, enemies, and traitors, the just for the unjust, 1Pe 3:18. This seems to come in as a reason why we should bear the infirmities of the weak. We must not please ourselves, for Christ pleased not himself; we must bear the infirmities of the weak, for Christ bore the reproaches of those that reproached God. He bore the guilt of sin and the curse for it; we are only called to bear a little of the trouble of it. he bore the presumptuous sins of the wicked; we are called only to bear the infirmities of the weak. - Even Christ; kai gar ho Christos . Even he who was infinitely happy in the enjoyment of himself, who needed not us nor our services, - even he who thought it no robbery to be equal with God, who had reason enough to pleas himself, and no reason to be concerned, much less to be crossed, for us, - even he pleased not himself, even he bore our sins. And should not we be humble, and self-denying, and ready to consider one another, who are members one of another?

(3.) That therefore we must go and do likewise: For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning. [1.] That which is written of Christ, concerning his self-denial and sufferings, is written for our learning; he hath left us an example. If Christ denied himself, surely we should deny ourselves, from a principle of ingenuousness and of gratitude, and especially of conformity to his image. The example of Christ, in what he did and said, is recorded for our imitation. [2.] That which is written in the scriptures of the Old Testament in the general is written for our learning. What David had said in his own person Paul had just now applied to Christ. Now lest this should look like a straining of the scripture, he gives us this excellent rule in general, that all the scriptures of the Old Testament (much more those of the New) were written for our learning, and are not to be looked upon as of private interpretation. What happened to the Old Testament saint happened to them for ensample; and the scriptures of the Old Testament have many fulfillings. The scriptures are left for a standing rule to us: they are written, that they might remain for our use and benefit. First, For our learning. There are many things to be learned out of the scriptures; and that is the best learning which is drawn from these fountains. Those are the most learned that are most mighty in the scriptures. We must therefore labour, not only to understand the literal meaning of the scripture, but to learn out of it that which will do us good; and we have need of help therefore not only to roll away the stone, but to draw out the water, for in many places the well is deep. Practical observations are more necessary than critical expositions. Secondly, That we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. That hope which hath eternal life for its object is here proposed as the end of scripture-learning. The scripture was written that we might know what to hope for from God, and upon what grounds, and in what way. This should recommend the scripture to us that it is a special friend to Christian hope. Now the way of attaining this hope is through patience and comfort of the scripture. Patience and comfort suppose trouble and sorrow; such is the lot of the saints in this world; and, were it not so, we should have no occasion for patience and comfort. But both these befriend that hope which is the life of our souls. Patience works experience, and experience hope, which maketh not ashamed, Rom 5:3-5. The more patience we exercise under troubles the more hopefully we may look through our troubles; nothing more destructive to hope than impatience. And the comfort of the scriptures, that comfort which springs from the word of God (that is the surest and sweetest comfort) is likewise a great stay to hope, as it is an earnest in hand of the good hoped for. The Spirit, as a comforter, is the earnest of our inheritance.

Matthew Henry: Rom 15:5-6

The apostle, having delivered two exhortations, before he proceeds to more, intermixes here a prayer for the success of what he had said. Faithful ministers water their preaching with their prayers, because, whoever sows the seed, it is God that gives the increase. We can but speak to the ear; it is God's prerogative to speak to the heart. Observe,

I. The title he gives to God: The God of patience and consolation, who is both the author and the foundation of all the patience and consolation of the saints, from whom it springs and on whom it is built. He gives the grace of patience; he confirms and keeps it up as the God of consolation; for the comforts of the Holy Ghost help to support believers, and to bear them up with courage and cheerfulness under all their afflictions. When he comes to beg the pouring out of the spirit of love and unity he addresses himself to God as the God of patience and consolation; that is, 1. As a God that bears with us and comforts us, is not extreme to mark what we do amiss, but is ready to comfort those that are cast down - to teach us so to testify our love to our brethren, and by these means to preserve and maintain unity, by being patient one with another and comfortable one to another. Or, 2. As a God that gives us patience and comfort. He had spoken (Rom 15:4) of patience and comfort of the scriptures; but here he looks up to God as the God of patience and consolation: it comes through the scripture as the conduit-pipe, but from God as the fountain-head. The more patience and comfort we receive from God, the better disposed we are to love one another. Nothing breaks the peace more than an impatient, and peevish, and fretful melancholy temper.

II. The mercy he begs of God: Grant you to be like-minded one towards another, according to Christ Jesus. 1. The foundation of Christian love and peace is laid in like-mindedness, a consent in judgment as far as you have attained, or at least a concord and agreement in affection. To auto phronein - to mind the same thing, all occasions of difference removed, and all quarrels laid aside. 2. This like-mindedness must be according to Christ Jesus, according to the precept of Christ, the royal law of love, according to the pattern and example of Christ, which he had propounded to them for their imitation, Rom 15:3. Or, "Let Christ Jesus be the centre of your unity. Agree in the truth, not in any error."It was a cursed concord and harmony of those who were of one mind to give their power and strength to the beast (Rev 17:13); this was not a like-mindedness according to Christ, but against Christ; like the Babel-builders, who were one in their rebellion, Gen 11:6. The method of our prayer must be first for truth, and then for peace; for such is the method of the wisdom that is from above: it is first pure, then peaceable. This is to be like-minded according to Christ Jesus. 3. Like-mindedness among Christians, according to Christ Jesus, is the gift of God; and a precious gift it is, for which we must earnestly seek unto him. He is the Father of spirits, and fashions the hearts of men alike (Psa 33:15), opens the understanding, softens the heart, sweetens the affections, and gives the grace of love, and the Spirit as a Spirit of love, to those that ask him. We are taught to pray that the will of God may be done on earth as it is done in heaven - now there it is done unanimously, among the angels, who are one in their praises and services; and our desire must be that the saints on earth may be so too.

III. The end of his desire: that God may be glorified, Rom 15:6. This is his plea with God in prayer, and is likewise an argument with them to seek it. We should have the glory of God in our eye in every prayer; therefore our first petition, as the foundation of all the rest, must be, Hallowed be thy name. Like-mindedness among Christians is in order to our glorifying God, 1. With one mind and one mouth. It is desirable that Christians should agree in every thing, that so they may agree in this, to praise God together. It tends very much to the glory of God, who is one, and his name one, when it is so. It will not suffice that there be one mouth, but there must be one mind, for God looks at the heart; nay, there will hardly be one mouth where there is not one mind, and God will scarcely be glorified where there is not a sweet conjunction of both. One mouth in confessing the truths of God, in praising the name of God - one mouth in common converse, not jarring, biting, and devouring one another - one mouth in the solemn assembly, one speaking, but all joining. 2. As the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is his New Testament style. God must be glorified as he has now revealed himself in the face of Jesus Christ, according to the rules of the gospel, and with an eye to Christ, in whom he is our Father. The unity of Christians glorifies God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, because it is a kind of counter-part or representation of the oneness that is between the Father and the Son. We are warranted so to speak of it, and, with that in our eye, to desire it, and pray for it, from Joh 17:21, That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee: a high expression of the honour and sweetness of the saints' unity. And it follows, The the world may believe that thou hast sent me; and so God may be glorified as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew Henry: Rom 15:7-12

The apostle here returns to his exhortation to Christians. What he says here (Rom 15:7) is to the same purport with the former; but the repetition shows how much the apostle's heart was upon it. "Receive one another into your affection, into your communion, and into your common conversation, as there is occasion."He had exhorted the strong to receive the weak (Rom 14:1), here, Receive one another; for sometimes the prejudices of the weak Christian make him shy of the strong, as much as the pride of the strong Christian makes him shy of the weak, neither of which ought to be. Let there be a mutual embracing among Christians. Those that have received Christ by faith must receive all Christians by brotherly love; though poor in the world, though persecuted and despised, though it may be matter of reproach and danger to you to receive them, though in the less weighty matters of the law they are of different apprehensions, though there may have been occasion for private piques, yet, laying aside these and the like considerations, receive you one another. Now the reason why Christians must receive one another is taken, as before, from the condescending love of Christ to us: As Christ also received us, to the glory of God. Can there be a more cogent argument? Has Christ been so kind to us, and shall we be so unkind to those that are his? Was he so forward to entertain us, and shall we be backward to entertain our brethren? Christ has received us into the nearest and dearest relations to himself: has received us into his fold, into his family, into the adoption of sons, into a covenant of friendship, yea, into a marriage-covenant with himself; he has received us (though we were strangers and enemies, and had played the prodigal) into fellowship and communion with himself. Those words, to the glory of God, may refer both to Christ's receiving us, which is our pattern, and to our receiving one another, which is our practice according to that pattern.

I. Christ hath received us to the glory of God. The end of our reception by Christ is that we might glorify God in this world, and be glorified with him in that to come. It was the glory of God, and our glory in the enjoyment of God, that Christ had in his eye when he condescended to receive us. We are called to an eternal glory by Christ Jesus, Joh 17:24. See to what he received us - to a happiness transcending all comprehension; see for what he received us - for his Father's glory; he had this in his eye in all the instances of his favour to us.

II. We must receive one another to the glory of God. This must be our great end in all our actions, that God may be glorified; and nothing more conduces to this than the mutual love and kindness of those that profess religion; compare Rom 15:6, That you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God. That which was a bone of contention among them was a different apprehension about meats and drinks, which took rise in distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Now, to prevent and make up this different, he shows how Jesus Christ has received both Jews and Gentiles; in him they are both one, one new man, Eph 2:14-16. Now it is a rule, Quae conveniunt in aliquo tertio, inter se conveniunt - Things which agree with a third thing agree with each other. Those that agree in Christ, who is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, and the great centre of unity, may well afford to agree among themselves. This coalescence of the Jews and Gentiles in Christ and Christianity was a thing that filled and affected Paul so much that he could not mention it without some enlargement and illustration.

1. He received the Jews, Rom 15:8. Let not any think hardly or scornfully therefore of those that were originally Jews, and still, through weakness, retain some savour of their old Judaism; for, (1.) Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision. That he was a minister, diakonos - a servant, bespeaks his great and exemplary condescension, and puts an honour upon the ministry: but that he was a minister of the circumcision, was himself circumcised and made under the law, and did in his own person preach the gospel to the Jews, who were of the circumcision - this makes the nation of the Jews more considerable than otherwise they appear to be. Christ conversed with the Jews, blessed them, looked upon himself as primarily sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, laid hold of the seed of Abraham (Heb 2:16, margin ), and by them, as it were, caught at the whole body of mankind. Christ's personal ministry was appropriated to them, though the apostles had their commission enlarged. (2.) He was so for the truth of God. That which he preached to them was the truth; for he came into the world to bear witness to the truth, Joh 18:37. And he is himself the truth, Joh 14:6. Or, for the truth of God, that is, to make good the promises given to the patriarchs concerning the special mercy God had in store for their seed. It was not for the merit of the Jews, but for the truth of God, that they were thus distinguished - that God might approve himself true to this word which he had spoken. - To confirm the promises made unto the fathers. The best confirmation of promises is the performance of them. It was promised that in the seed of Abraham all the nations of the earth should be blessed, that Shiloh should come from between the feet of Judah, that out of Israel should he proceed that should have the dominion, that out of Zion should go forth the law, and many the like. There were many intermediate providences which seemed to weaken those promises, providences which threatened the fatal decay of that people; but when Messiah the Prince appeared in the fulness of time, as a minister of the circumcision, all these promises were confirmed, and the truth of them was made to appear; for in Christ all the promises of God, both those of the Old Testament and those of the New, are Yea, and in him Amen. Understanding by the promises made to the fathers the whole covenant of grace, darkly administered under the Old Testament, and brought to a clearer light now under the gospel, it was Christ's great errand to confirm that covenant, Dan 9:27. He confirmed it by shedding the blood of the covenant.

2. He received the Gentiles likewise. This he shows, Rom 15:9-12.

(1.) Observe Christ's favour to the Gentiles, in taking them in to praise God - the work of the church on earth and the wages of that in heaven. One design of Christ was that the Gentiles likewise might be converted that they might be one with the Jews in Christ's mystical body. A good reason why they should not think the worse of any Christian for his having been formerly a Gentile; for Christ has received him. He invites the Gentiles, and welcomes them. Now observe how their conversion is here expressed: That the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. A periphrasis of conversion. [1.] They shall have matter for praise, even the mercy of God. Considering the miserable and deplorable condition that the Gentile world was in, the receiving of them appears more as an act of mercy than the receiving of the Jews. Those that were Lo-ammi - not a people, were Lo-ruhama - not obtaining mercy, Hos 1:6, Hos 1:9; Hos 2:23. The greatest mercy of God to any people is the receiving of them into covenant with himself: and it is good to take notice of God's mercy in receiving us. [2.] They shall have a heart for praise. They shall glorify God for his mercy. Unconverted sinners do nothing to glorify God; but converting grace works in the soul a disposition to speak and do all to the glory of God; God intended to reap a harvest of glory from the Gentiles, who had been so long turning his glory into shame.

(2.) The fulfilling of the scriptures in this. The favour of God to the Gentiles was not only mercy, but truth. Though there were not promises directly given to them, as to the fathers of the Jews, yet there were many prophesies concerning them, which related to the calling of them, and the embodying of them in the church, some of which he mentions because it was a thing that the Jews were hardly persuaded to believe. Thus, by referring them to the Old Testament, he labours to qualify their dislike of the Gentiles, and so to reconcile the parties at variance. [1.] It was foretold that the Gentiles should have the gospel preached to them: " I will confess to thee among the Gentiles (Rom 15:9), that is, thy name shall be known and owned in the Gentile world, there shall gospel grace and love be celebrated."This is quoted from Psa 18:49, I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen. A thankful explication and commemoration of the name of God are an excellent means of drawing others to know and praise God. Christ, in and by his apostles and ministers, whom he sent to disciple all nations, did confess to God among the Gentiles. The exaltation of Christ, as well as the conversion of sinners, is set forth by the praising of God. Christ's declaring God's name to his brethren is called his praising God in the midst of the congregation, Psa 22:22. Taking these words as spoken by David, they were spoken when he was old and dying, and he was not likely to confess to God among the Gentiles; but when David's psalms are read and sung among the Gentiles, to the praise and glory of God, it may be said that David is confessing to God among the Gentiles, and singing to his name. He that was the sweet psalmist of the Gentiles. Converting grace makes people greatly in love with David's psalms. Taking them as spoken by Christ, the Son of David, it may be understood of his spiritual indwelling by faith in the hearts of all the praising saints. If any confess to God among the Gentiles, and sing to his name, it is not they, but Christ and his grace in them. I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; so, I praise, yet not I, but Christ in me. [2.] That the Gentiles should rejoice with his people, Rom 15:10. This is quoted from that song of Moses, Deu 32:43. Observe, Those who were incorporated among his people are said to rejoice with his people. No greater joy can come to any people than the coming of the gospel among them in power. Those Jews that retain a prejudice against the Gentiles will by no means admit them to any of their joyful festivities; for (say they) a stranger intermeddleth not with the joy, Pro 14:10. But, the partition-wall being taken down, the Gentiles are welcome to rejoice with his people. Being brought into the church, they share in its sufferings, are companions in patience and tribulation, to recompense which they share in the joy. [3.] That they should praise God (Rom 15:11): Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles. This is quoted out of that short psalm, Psa 117:1. Converting grace sets people a praising God, furnishes with the richest matter for praise, and gives a heart to it. The Gentiles had been, for many ages, praising their idols of wood and stone, but now they are brought to praise the Lord; and this David in spirit speaks of. In calling upon all the nations to praise the Lord, it is intimated that they shall have the knowledge of him. [4.] That they should believe in Christ (v. 12), quoted from Isa 11:10, where observe, First, The revelation of Christ, as the Gentiles' king. He is here called the root of Jesse, that is, such a branch from the family of David as is the very life and strength of the family: compare Isa 11:1. Christ was David's Lord, and yet withal he was the Son of David (Mat 22:45), for he was the root and offspring of David, Rev 22:16. Christ, as God, was David's root; Christ, as man, was David's offspring. - And he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles. This explains the figurative expression of the prophet, he shall stand for an ensign of the people. When Christ rose from the dead, when he ascended on high, it was to reign over the Gentiles. Secondly, The recourse of the Gentiles to him: In him shall the Gentiles trust. Faith is the soul's confidence in Christ and dependence on him. The prophet has it, to him shall the Gentiles seek. The method of faith is first to seek unto Christ, as to one proposed to us for a Saviour; and, finding him able and willing to save, then to trust in him. Those that know him will trust in him. Or, this seeking to him is the effect of a trust in him; seeking him by prayer, and pursuant endeavours. We shall never seek to Christ till we trust in him. Trust is the mother; diligence in the use of means the daughter. Jews and Gentiles being thus united in Christ's love, why should they not be united in one another's love?

Matthew Henry: Rom 15:13

Here is another prayer directed to God, as the God of hope; and it is, as the former (Rom 15:5, Rom 15:6), for spiritual blessings: these are the blest blessings, and to be first and chiefly prayed for.

I. Observe how he addresses himself to God, as the God of hope. It is good in prayer to fasten upon those names, titles, and attributes of God, which are most suitable to the errand we come upon, and will best serve to encourage our faith concerning it. Every word in the prayer should be a plea. Thus should the cause be skilfully ordered, and the mouth filled with arguments. God is the God of hope. He is the foundation on which our hope is built, and he is the builder that doth himself raise it: he is both the object of our hope, and the author of it. That hope is but fancy, and will deceive us, which is not fastened upon God (as the goodness hoped for, and the truth hoped in), and which is not of his working in us. We have both together, Psa 119:49. Thy word - there is God the object; on which thou hast caused me to hope - there is God the author of our hope, 1Pe 1:3.

II. What he asks of God, not for himself, but for them.

1. That they might be filled with all joy and peace in believing. Joy and peace are two of those things in which the kingdom of God consists, Rom 14:17. Joy in God, peace of conscience, both arising from a sense of our justification; see Rom 5:1, Rom 5:2. Joy and peace in our own bosoms would promote a cheerful unity and unanimity with our brethren. Observe, (1.) How desirable this joy and peace are: they are filling. Carnal joy puffs up the soul, but cannot fill it; therefore in laughter the heart is sad. True, heavenly, spiritual joy is filling to the soul; it has a satisfaction in it, answerable to the soul's vast and just desires. Thus does God satiate and replenish the weary soul. Nothing more than this joy, only more of it, even the perfection of it in glory, is the desire of the soul that hath it, Psa 4:6, Psa 4:7; Psa 36:8; Psa 63:5; Psa 65:4. (2.) How it is attainable. [1.] By prayer. We must go to God for it; he will for this be enquired of. Prayer fetches in spiritual joy and peace. [2.] By believing; that is the means to be used. It is vain, and flashy, and transient joy, that is the product of fancy; true substantial joy is the fruit of faith. Believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable, 1Pe 1:8. It is owing to the weakness of our faith that we are so much wanting in joy and peace. Only believe; believe the goodness of Christ, the love of Christ, the promises of the covenant, and the joys and glories of heaven; let faith be the substance and evidence of these things, and the result must needs be joy and peace. Observe, It is all joy and peace - all sorts of true joy and peace. When we come to God by prayer we must enlarge our desires; we are not straitened in him, why should we be straitened in ourselves? Ask for all joy; open thy mouth wide, and he will fill it.

2. That they might abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. The joy and peace of believers arise chiefly from their hopes. What is laid out upon them is but little, compared with what is laid up for them; therefore the more hope they have the more joy and peace they have. We do then abound in hope when we hope for great things from God, and are greatly established and confirmed in these hopes. Christians should desire and labour after an abundance of hope, such hope as will not make ashamed. This is through the power of the Holy Ghost. The same almighty power that works grace begets and strengthens this hope. Our own power will never reach it; and therefore where this hope is, and is abounding, the blessed Spirit must have all the glory.

Matthew Henry: Rom 15:14-16

Here, I. He commends these Christians with the highest characters that could be. He began his epistle with their praises (Rom 1:8), Your faith is spoken of throughout the world, thereby to make way for his discourse: and, because sometimes he had reproved them sharply, he now concludes with the like commendation, to qualify them, and to part friends. This he does like an orator. It was not a piece of idle flattery and compliment, but a due acknowledgment of their worth, and of the grace of God in them. We must be forward to observe and commend in others that which is excellent and praise-worthy; it is part of the present recompence of virtue and usefulness, and will be of use to quicken others to a holy emulation. It was a great credit to the Romans to be commended by Paul, a man of such great judgment and integrity, too skilful to be deceived and too honest to flatter. Paul had no personal acquaintance with these Christians, and yet he says he was persuaded of their excellencies, though he knew them only be hearsay. As we must not, on the one hand, be so simple as to believe every word; so, on the other hand, we must not be so skeptical as to believe nothing; but especially we must be forward to believe good concerning others: in this case charity hopeth all things, and believeth all things, and (if the probabilities be any way strong, as here they were) is persuaded. It is safer to err on this side. Now observe what it was that he commended them for. 1. That they were full of goodness; therefore the more likely to take in good part what he had written, and to account it a kindness; and not only so, but to comply with it, and to put it in practice, especially that which relates to their union and to the healing of their differences. A good understanding of one another, and a good will to one another, would soon put an end to strife. 2. Filled with all knowledge. Goodness and knowledge together! A very rare and an excellent conjunction; the head and the heart of the new man. All knowledge, all necessary knowledge, all the knowledge of those things which belong to their everlasting peace. 3. Able to admonish one another. To this there is a further gift requisite, even the gift of utterance. Those that have goodness and knowledge should communicate what they have for the use and benefit of others. "You that excel so much in good gifts may think you have no need of any instructions of mine."It is a comfort to faithful ministers to see their work superseded by the gifts and graces of their people. How gladly would ministers leave off their admonishing work, if people were able and willing to admonish one another! Would to God that all the Lord's people were prophets. But that which is every body's work is nobody's work; and therefore,

II. He clears himself from the suspicion of intermeddling needlessly with that which did not belong to him, Rom 15:15. Observe how affectionately he speaks to them: My brethren (Rom 15:14), and again, brethren, Rom 15:15. He had himself, and taught others, the art of obliging. He calls them all his brethren, to teach them brotherly love one to another. Probably he wrote the more courteously to them because, being Roman citizens living near the court, they were more genteel, and made a better figure; and therefore Paul, who became all things to all men, was willing, by the respectfulness of his style, to please them for their good. He acknowledges he had written boldly in some sort - tolmēroteron apo merous , in a manner that looked like boldness and presumption, and for which some might perhaps charge him with taking too much upon him. But then consider,

1. He did it only as their remembrancer: As putting you in mind. such humble thoughts had Paul of himself, though he excelled in knowledge, that he would not pretend to tell them that which they did not know before, but only to remind them of that in which they had formerly been by others instructed. So Peter, 2Pe 1:12; 2Pe 3:1. People commonly excuse themselves from hearing the word with this, that the minister can tell them nothing but what they knew before. If it be so, yet have they not need to know it better, and to be put in mind of it?

2. He did it as the apostle of the Gentiles. It was in pursuance of his office: Because of the grace (that is, the apostleship, Rom 1:5) given to me of God, to be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, Rom 15:16. Paul reckoned it a great favour, and an honour that God had put upon him, in putting him into that office, Rom 1:13. Now, because of this grace given to him, he thus laid out himself among the Gentiles, that he might not receive that grace of God in vain. Christ received that he might give; so did Paul; so have we talents which must not be buried. Places and offices must be filled up with duty. It is good for ministers to be often remembering the grace that is given unto them of God. Minister verbi es, hoc age - You are a minister of the word; give yourself wholly to it, was Mr. Perkins's motto. Paul was a minister. Observe here, (1.) Whose minister he was: the minister of Jesus Christ, 1Co 4:1. He is our Master; his we are, and him we serve. (2.) To whom: to the Gentiles. So God had appointed him, Act 22:21. So Peter and he had agreed, Gal 2:7-9. These Romans were Gentiles: "Now,"says he, "I do not thrust myself upon you, nor seek any lordship over you; I am appointed to it: if you think I am rude and bold, my commission is my warrant, and must bear me out."(3.) What he ministered: the gospel of God; hierourgounta to euangelion - ministering as about holy things (so the word signifies), executing the office of a Christian priest, more spiritual, and therefore more excellent, than the Levitical priesthood. (4.) For what end: that the offering up (or sacrificing) of the Gentiles might be acceptable - that god might have the glory which would redound to his name by the conversion of the Gentiles. Paul laid out himself thus to bring about something that might be acceptable to God. Observe how the conversion of the Gentiles is expressed: it is the offering up of the Gentiles; it is prosphora tōn ethnōn - the oblation of the Gentiles, in which the Gentiles are looked upon either, [1.] As the priests, offering the oblation of prayer and praise and other acts of religion. Long had the Jews been the holy nation, the kingdom of priests, but now the Gentiles are made priests unto God (Rev 5:10), by their conversion to the Christian faith consecrated to the service of God, that the scripture may be fulfilled, In ever place incense shall be offered, and a pure offering, Mal 1:11. The converted Gentiles are said to be made nigh (Eph 2:13) - the periphrasis of priests. Or, [2.] The Gentiles are themselves the sacrifice offered up to God by Paul, in the name of Christ, a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, Rom 12:1. A sanctified soul is offered up to God in the flames of love, upon Christ the altar. Paul gathered in souls by his preaching, not to keep them to himself, but to offer them up to God: Behold, I, and the children that God hath given me. And it is an acceptable offering, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. Paul preached to them, and dealt with them; but that which made them sacrifices to God was their sanctification; and this was not his work, but the work of the Holy Ghost. None are acceptably offered to God but those that are sanctified: unholy things can never be pleasing to the holy God.

Matthew Henry: Rom 15:17-21

The apostle here gives some account of himself and of his own affairs. Having mentioned his ministry and apostleship, he goes on further to magnify his office in the efficacy of it, and to mention to the glory of God the great success of his ministry and the wonderful things that God had done by him, for encouragement to the Christian church at Rome, that they were not alone in the profession of Christianity, but though, compared with the multitude of their idolatrous neighbours, they were but a little flock, yet, up and down the country, there were many that were their companions in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. It was likewise a great confirmation of the truth of the Christian doctrine that it had such strange success, and was so far propagated by such weak and unlikely means, such multitudes captivated to the obedience of Christ by the foolishness of preaching. Therefore Paul gives them this account, which he makes the matter of his glorying; not vain glory, but holy gracious glorying, which appears by the limitations; it is through Jesus Christ. Thus does he centre all his glorying in Christ; he teaches us so to do, 1Co 1:31. Not unto us, Psa 115:1. And it is in those things which pertain to God. The conversion of souls is one of those things that pertain to God, and therefore is the matter of Paul's glorying; not the things of the flesh. Whereof I may glory, echō oun kauchēsin en Christō lēsou ta pros Theon . I would rather read it thus: Therefore I have a rejoicing in Christ Jesus (it is the same word that is used, 2Co 1:12, and Phi 3:3, where it is the character of the circumcision that they rejoice - kauchōmenoi , in Christ Jesus) concerning the things of God; or those things that are offered to God - the living sacrifices of the Gentiles, Rom 15:16. Paul would have them to rejoice with him in the extent and efficacy of his ministry, of which he speaks not only with the greatest deference possible to the power of Christ, and the effectual working of the Spirit as all in all; but with a protestation of the truth of what he said (Rom 15:18): I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me. He would not boast of things without his line, nor take the praise of another man's work, as he might have done when he was writing to distant strangers, who perhaps could not contradict him; but (says he) I dare not do it: a faithful man dares not lie, however he be tempted, dares be true, however he be terrified. now, in this account of himself, we may observe,

I. His unwearied diligence and industry in his work. He was one that laboured more abundantly than they all.

1. He preached in many places: From Jerusalem, whence the law went forth as a lamp that shineth, and round about unto Illyricum, many hundred miles distant from Jerusalem. We have in the book of the Acts an account of Paul's travels. There we find him, after he was sent forth to preach to the Gentiles (Acts 13), labouring in that blessed work in Seleucia, Cyprus, Pamphylia, Pisidia, and Lycaonia (Acts 13 and 14), afterwards travelling through Syria and Cilicia, Phrygia, Galatia, Mysia, Troas, and thence called over to Macedonia, and so into Europe, Acts 15 and 16. Then we find him very busy at Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, and the parts adjacent. Those that know the extent and distance of these countries will conclude Paul an active man, rejoicing as a strong man to run a race. Illyricum is the country now called Sclavonia, bordering upon Hungary. Some take it for the same with Bulgaria; others for the lower Pannonia: however, it was a great way from Jerusalem. Now it might be suspected that if Paul undertook so much work, surely he did it by the halves. "No,"says he, " I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ - have given them a full account of the truth and terms of the gospel, have not shunned to declare the whole counsel of God (Act 20:27), have kept back nothing that was necessary for them to know." Filled the gospel, so the word is; peplērōkenai to euangelion , filled it as the net is filled with fishes in a large draught; or filled the gospel, that is, filled them with the gospel. Such a change does the gospel make that, when it comes in power to any place, it fills the place. Other knowledge is airy, and leaves souls empty, but he knowledge of the gospel is filling.

2. He preached in places that had not heard the gospel before, Rom 15:20, Rom 15:21. He broke up the fallow ground, laid the first stone in many places, and introduced Christianity where nothing had reigned for many ages but idolatry and witchcraft, and all sorts of diabolism. Paul broke the ice, and therefore must needs meet with the more difficulties and discouragements in his work. Those who preached in Judea had upon this account a much easier task than Paul, who was the apostle of the Gentiles; for they entered into the labours of others, Joh 4:38. Paul, being a hardy man, was called out to the hardest work; there were many instructors, but Paul was the great father - many that watered, but Paul was the great planter. Well, he was a bold man that made the first attack upon the palace of the strong man armed in the Gentile world, that first assaulted Satan's interest there, and Paul was that man who ventured the first onset in many places, and suffered greatly for it. He mentions this as a proof of his apostleship; for the office of the apostles was especially to bring in those that were without, and to lay the foundations of the new Jerusalem; see Rev 21:14. Not but that Paul preached in many places where others had been at work before him; but he principally and mainly laid himself out for the good of those that sat in darkness. He was in care not to build upon another man's foundation, lest he should thereby disprove his apostleship, and give occasion to those who sought occasion to reflect upon him. He quotes a scripture for this out of Isa 52:15, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see. That which had not been told them, shall they see; so the prophet has it, much to the same purport. This made the success of Paul's preaching the more remarkable. The transition from darkness to light is more sensible than the after-growth and increase of that light. And commonly the greatest success of the gospel is at its first coming to a place; afterwards people become sermon-proof.

II. The great and wonderful success that he had in his work: It was effectual to make the Gentiles obedient. The design of the gospel is to bring people to be obedient; it is not only a truth to be believed, but a law to be obeyed. This Paul aimed at in all his travels; not his own wealth and honour (if he had, he had sadly missed his aim), but the conversion and salvation of souls: this his heart was upon, and for this he travailed in birth again. Now how was this great work wrought? 1. Christ was the principal agent. He does not say, "which I worked,"but "which Christ wrought by me,"Rom 15:18. Whatever good we do, it is not we, but Christ by us, that does it; the work is his, the strength his; he is all in all, he works all our works, Phi 2:13; Isa 26:12. Paul takes all occasions to own this, that the whole praise might be transmitted to Christ. 2. Paul was a very active instrument: By word and deed, that is, by his preaching, and by the miracles he wrought to confirm his doctrine; or his preaching and his living. Those ministers are likely to win souls that preach both by word and deed, by their conversation showing forth the power of the truths they preach. This is according to Christ's example, who began both to do and teach, Act 1:1. - Through mighty signs and wonders: en dunamei sēmeiōn - by the power, or in the strength, of signs and wonders. These made the preaching of the word so effectual, being the appointed means of conviction, and the divine seal affixed to the gospel-charter, Mar 16:17, Mar 16:18. 3. The power of the Spirit of God made this effectual, and crowned all with the desired success, Rom 15:19. (1.) The power of the Spirit in Paul, as in the other apostles, for the working of those miracles. Miracles were wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost (Act 1:8), therefore reproaching the miracles is called the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. Or, (2.) The power of the Spirit in the hearts of those to whom the word was preached, and who saw the miracles, making these means effectual to some and not to others. It is the Spirit's operation that makes the difference. Paul himself, as great a preacher as he was, with all his might signs and wonders, could not make one soul obedient further than the power of the Spirit of God accompanied his labours. It was the Spirit of the Lord of hosts that made those great mountains plain before this Zerubbabel. This is an encouragement to faithful ministers, who labour under the sense of great weakness and infirmity, that it is all one to the blessed Spirit to work by many, or by those that have on power. The same almighty Spirit that wrought with Paul often perfects strength in weakness, and ordains praise out of the mouths of babes and sucklings. This success which he had in preaching is that which he here rejoices in; for the converted nations were his joy and crown of rejoicing: and he tells them of it, not only that they might rejoice with him, but that they might be the more ready to receive the truths which he had written to them, and to own him whom Christ had thus signally owned.

Barclay: Rom 15:1-6

Paul is still dealing with the duties of those within the Christian fellowship to one another, and especially with the duty of the stronger to the weaker brother. This passage gives us a wonderful summary of the marks which should characterize that fellowship.

(i) The Christian fellowship should be marked by the consideration of its members for each other. Always their thoughts should be, not for themselves, but for each other. But this consideration must not degenerate into an easy-going, sentimental laxity. It must always be designed for the other person's good and for his upbuilding in the faith. It is not the toleration which tolerates because it is too lazy to do anything else. It is the toleration which knows that a man may be won much more easily to a fuller faith by surrounding him with an atmosphere of love than by attacking him with a battery of criticism.

(ii) The Christian fellowship should be marked by the study of scripture; and from that study of scripture the Christian draws encouragement. Scripture, from this point of view, provides us with two things. (a) It gives us the record of God's dealing with a nation, a record which is the demonstration that it is always better to be right with God and to suffer, than to be wrong with men and to avoid trouble. The history of Israel is the demonstration in the events of history that ultimately it is well with good and evil with the wicked. Scripture demonstrates, not that God's way is ever an easy way, but in the end it is the only way to everything that makes life worth while in time and in eternity. (b) It gives us the great and precious promises of God. It is said that Alexander Whyte sometimes had a habit of uttering one text when he left some home during his pastoral visitation; and, as he uttered it, he would say: "Put that under your tongue and suck it like a sweetie." These promises are the promises of a God who never breaks his word. In these ways scripture gives to the man who studies it comfort in his sorrow and encouragement in his struggle.

(iii) The Christian fellowship should be marked by fortitude. Fortitude is an attitude of the heart to life. Again we meet this great word hupomone (5281). It is far more than patience; it is the triumphant adequacy which can cope with life; it is the strength which does not only accept things, but which, in accepting them, transmutes them into glory.

(iv) The Christian fellowship should be marked by hope. The Christian is always a realist, but never a pessimist. The Christian hope is not a cheap hope. It is not the immature hope which is optimistic because it does not see the difficulties and has not encountered the experiences of life. It might be thought that hope is the prerogative of the young; but the great artists did not think that. When Watts drew "Hope" he drew her as a battered and bowed figure with one string left upon her lyre. The Christian hope has seen everything and endured everything, and still has not despaired, because it believes in God. It is not hope in the human spirit, in human goodness, in human achievement; it is hope in the power of God.

(v) The Christian fellowship should be marked by harmony. However ornate a church may be, however perfect its worship and its music, however liberal its giving, it has lost the very first essential of a Christian fellowship if it has lost harmony. That is not to say that there will not be differences of opinion; it is not to say that there will be no argument and debate; but it means that those who are within the Christian fellowship will have solved the problem of living together. They will be quite sure that the Christ who unites them is greater by far than the differences which may divide them.

(vi) The Christian fellowship should be marked by praise. It is no bad test of a man to ask whether the main accent of his voice is that of grumbling discontent or cheerful thanksgiving. "What can I do, who am a little old lame man," said Epictetus, "except give praise to God?" The Christian should enjoy life because he enjoys God. He will carry his secret within him, for he will be sure that God is working all things together for good.

(vii) And the essence of the matter is that the Christian fellowship takes its example, its inspiration and its dynamic from Jesus Christ. He did not please himself. The quotation which Paul uses is from Psa 69:9. It is significant that when Paul speaks of bearing the weaknesses of others he uses the same word as is used of Christ bearing his Cross (bastazein, 941). When the Lord of Glory chose to serve others instead of to please himself, he set the pattern which every one who seeks to be his follower must accept.

Barclay: Rom 15:7-13

Paul makes one last appeal that all people within the Church should be bound into one, that those who are weak in the faith and those who are strong in the faith should be one united body, that Jew and Gentile should find a common fellowship. There may be many differences but there is only one Christ, and the bond of unity is a common loyalty to him. Christ's work was for Jew and Gentile alike. He was born a Jew and was subject to the Jewish law. This was in order that all the great promises given to the fathers of the Jewish race might come true and that salvation might come first to the Jew. But he came, not only for the Jew, but for the Gentile also.

To prove that this is not his own novel and heretical idea Paul cites four passages from the Old Testament; he quotes them from the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, which is why they vary from the translation of the Old Testament as we know it. The passages are Psa 18:50; Deu 32:43; Psa 117:1; Isa 11:10. In all of them Paul finds ancient forecasts of the reception of the Gentiles into the faith. He is convinced that, just as Jesus Christ came into this world to save all men, so the Church must welcome all men, no matter what their differences may be. Christ was an inclusive Saviour, and therefore his Church must be an inclusive Church.

Then Paul once again goes on to sound the notes of the Christian faith. The great words of the Christian faith flash out one after another.

(i) There is hope. It is easy in the light of experience to despair of oneself. It is easy in the light of events to despair of the world. Someone tells of a meeting in a certain church at a time of emergency. The meeting was constituted with prayer by the chairman. He addressed God as "Almighty and eternal God, whose grace is sufficient for all things." When the prayer was finished, the business part of the meeting began; and the chairman introduced the business by saying: "Gentlemen, the situation in this church is completely hopeless, and nothing can be done." Either his prayer was composed of empty and meaningless words, or his statement was untrue.

It has long ago been said that there are no hopeless situations; there are only men who have grown hopeless about them. It is told that there was a cabinet meeting in the darkest days of the last war, just after France had capitulated. Mr. Churchill outlined the situation in its starkest colours. Britain stood alone. There was a silence when he had finished speaking, and on some faces was written despair, and some would have given up the struggle. Mr. Churchill looked round that dispirited company. "Gentlemen," he said, "I find it rather inspiring."

There is something in Christian hope that not all the shadows can quench--and that something is the conviction that God is alive. No man is hopeless so long as there is the grace of Jesus Christ; and no situation is hopeless so long as there is the power of God.

(ii) There is joy. There is all the difference in this world between pleasure and joy. The Cynic philosophers declared that pleasure was unmitigated evil. Anthisthenes made the strange statement that he would "rather be mad than pleased." Their argument was that "pleasure is only the pause between two pains." You have longing for something, that is the pain; you get it, the longing is satisfied and there is a pause in the pain; you enjoy it and the moment is gone; and the pain comes back. In truth, that is the way pleasure works. But Christian joy is not dependent on things outside a man; its source is in our consciousness of the presence of the living Lord, the certainty that nothing can separate us from the love of God in him.

(iii) There is peace. The ancient philosophers sought for what they called ataraxia, the untroubled life. They wanted all that serenity which is proof alike against the shattering blows and the petty pinpricks of this life. One would almost say that today serenity is a lost possession. There are two things which make it impossible.

(a) There is inner tension. Men live a distracted life, for the word distract literally means to pull apart. So long as a man is a walking civil war and a split personality, there can obviously be for him no such thing as serenity. There is only one way out of this, and that is for self to abdicate to Christ. When Christ controls, the tension is gone.

(b) There is worry about external things. Many are haunted by the chances and the changes of life. H. G. Wells tells how in New York harbour he was once on a liner. It was foggy, and suddenly out of the fog loomed another liner, and the two ships slid past each other with only yards to spare. He was suddenly face to face with what he called the general large dangerousness of life. It is hard not to worry, for man is characteristically a creature who looks forward to guess and fear. The only end to that worry is the utter conviction that, whatever happens, God's hand will never cause his child a needless tear. Things will happen that we cannot understand, but if we are sure enough of God's love, we can accept with serenity even those things which wound the heart and baffle the mind.

(iv) There is power. Here is the supreme need of men. It is not that we do not know the right thing; the trouble is the doing it. The trouble is to cope with and to conquer things, to make what Wells called "the secret splendour of our intentions" into actual facts. That we can never do alone. Only when the surge of Christ's power fills our weakness can we master life as we ought. By ourselves we can do nothing; but with God all things are possible.

Barclay: Rom 15:14-21

Few passages reveal Paul's character better than this. He is coming to the end of his letter and is wishing to prepare the ground for the visit that he hopes soon to pay to Rome. Here we see something at least of his secret in winning men.

(i) Paul reveals himself as a man of tact. There is no rebuke here. He does not nag the brethren at Rome nor speak to them like some angry schoolmaster. He tells them that he is only reminding them of what they well know, and assures them that he is certain that they have it in them to render outstanding service to each other and to their Lord. Paul was much more interested in what a man could be than in what he was. He saw faults with utter clarity, and dealt with them with utter fidelity; but all the time he was thinking, not of the wretched creature that a man was, but of the splendid creature that he might be.

It is told that once when Michelangelo began to carve a huge and shapeless block of marble, he said that his aim was to release the angel imprisoned in the stone. Paul was like that. He did not want to knock a man down and out; he did not criticize to cause pain; he spoke with honesty and with severity but always because he wished to enable a man to be what he could be and never yet attained to being.

(ii) The only glory that Paul claimed was that he was the servant of Christ. The word he uses (leitourgos, 3011) is a great one. In ancient Greece there were certain state duties called liturgies (leitourgiai, 3011) which were sometimes laid upon and sometimes voluntarily shouldered by men who loved their country. There were five of these voluntary services which patriotic citizens used to undertake.

(a) There was choregia (5524), which was the duty of supplying a chorus. When Aeschylus and Sophocles and Euripides were producing their immortal dramas, in each of them a verse-speaking chorus was necessary. There were great festivals like the City Dionysia when as many as eighteen new dramatic works were performed. Men who loved their city would volunteer to collect, maintain, instruct and equip such a chorus at their own expense.

(b) There was gumnasiarchia. The Athenians were divided into ten tribes; and they were great athletes. At certain of the great festivals there were the famous torch-races in which teams from the various tribes raced against each other. We still speak of handing on the torch. To win the torch-race was a great honour, and there were public-spirited men who at their own cost would select and support and train a team to represent their tribe.

© There was hestiasis. There were occasions when the tribes met together to share in a common meal and a common rejoicing; and there were generous men who undertook the task of meeting the expense of such a gathering.

(d) There was archetheoria. Sometimes the city of Athens sent an embassy to another city or to consult the oracle at Delphi or Dodona. On such an occasion everything had to be done in such a way that the honour of the city was maintained; and there were patriotic men who voluntarily defrayed the expenses of such an embassy.

(e) There was trierarchia. The Athenians were the great naval power of the ancient world. And one of the most patriotic things that a man could do was voluntarily to undertake the expenses of maintaining a trireme or warship for a whole year.

That is the background of this word leitourgos (3009). In later days, as patriotism died, such liturgies became compulsory and not voluntary. Later the word came to be used of any kind of service; and later still it came to be used especially of worship and service rendered in the temple of the gods. But the word always had this background of generous service. Just as a man in the ancient days laid his fortune on the altar of the service of his beloved Athens, and counted it his only glory, so Paul laid his everything on the altar of the service of Christ, and was proud to be the servant of his Master.

(iii) Paul saw himself, in the scheme of things, as an instrument in the hands of Christ. He did not talk of what he had done; but of what Christ had done with him. He never said of anything: "I did it." He always said: "Christ used me to do it." It is told that the change in the life of D. L. Moody came when he went to a meeting and heard a preacher say: "If only one man would give himself entirely and without reserve to the Holy Spirit, what that Spirit might do with him!" Moody said to himself: "Why should I not be that man?" And all the world knows what the Spirit of God did with D. L. Moody. It is when a man ceases to think of what he can do and begins to think of what God can do with him, that things begin to happen.

(iv) Paul's ambition was to be a pioneer. It is told that when Livingstone volunteered as a missionary with the London Missionary Society they asked him where he would like to go. "Anywhere," he said, "so long as it is forward." And when he reached Africa he was haunted by the smoke of a thousand villages which he saw in the distance. It was Paul's one ambition to carry the good news of God to men who had never heard it. He takes a text from Isa 52:15to tell his aim.

"Ye armies of the living God,

His sacramental host,

Where hallowed footstep never trod,

Take your appointed post."

Constable: Rom 12:1--15:14

VI. THE PRACTICE OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS 12:1--15:13

In contrasting chapters 1-11 with chapters 12-16 of Romans, perhaps the most important distinction is that the first part deals primarily with God's actions for humanity, and the last part deals with people's actions in response to God's. This is an oversimplification of the book, but the distinction is a valid one. God's provision contrasts with man's responsibility to behave in a manner consistent with what God has done, is doing, and will do for him (cf. Phil. 2:12-13). The first part is more information for belief whereas the last part is more exhortation for action. The first part stresses right relations with God and the last part right relations with other people.

"Doctrine must always precede exhortation since in doctrine the saint is shown his exalted position which makes the exhortation to a holy life, a reasonable one, and in doctrine, the saint is informed as to the resources of grace he possesses with which to obey the exhortations."³⁴⁸

Essentially this exhortation, which is both positive and negative, deals with behavior within the spheres of life where the believer lives. These areas are his or her relationship to God, to other members of the body of Christ, and to the civil state. There is a general correspondence here with the instruction that God gave the Israelites through Moses for life in Israel. Paul dealt with the same areas of life: moral, religious and civil life. The differences with the Mosaic Code are as striking as the similarities. Romans does not contain all the Law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). Each of the other New Testament books makes its unique contribution to our understanding of God's will for Christians.

"One of the most striking features of Rom. 12:1-15:13 is the way in which its various themes resemble teaching that Paul gives elsewhere [cf. 12:1-2 and Eph. 4:17-24; 12:3-8 and 1 Cor. 12 and Eph. 4:11-17; 12:9-21 and 1 Thess. 4:9-12 and 1 Cor. 13; 13:8-10 and Gal. 5:13-15; 13:11-14 and 1 Thess. 5:1-11; 14:1-15:13 and 1 Cor. 8-10]."³⁴⁹

In 14:1-15:13, Paul gave special attention to the problem of knowing how to live in Christian freedom. This section of Romans deals with Christian conduct when God does not specify exactly what we should do in every situation (cf. 1 Cor. 8). In such cases some Christians will do one thing and others another, both within God's will. How to handle these situations is the focus of this section. Chapters 12-13 give directions for Christian conduct generally, and 14:1-15:13 deals with a specific problem that the Roman Christians faced.

Constable: Rom 14:1--15:14

D. Conduct within Christian liberty 14:1-15:13

Paul moved on to discuss a problem that arises as the dedicated Christian seeks to live within God's will in the body of Christ (12:3-21) and in the body politic (ch. 13). As Christians the 613 specific commands of the Mosaic Law no longer govern our conduct (7:6; 10:4), but the principles that Jesus Christ and His apostles revealed do (cf. chs. 12-13). How then should we deal with conflicting applications of these principles? How should we conduct ourselves when our interpretation of God's will conflicts with that of another believer? Paul explained how believers can disagree on nonessentials and still maintain unity in the church.

"From speaking of those who were too lax in the indulgence of natural appetites [13:11-14], the subject passes mainly to those who are too scrupulous. The object is not to remove these scruples, but to show those who have them and those who have them not how to live in Christian peace."³⁸¹

The command to accept one another begins (14:1) and climaxes this section (15:7). Within it Paul also gave three other "one another" references (14:13, 19; 15:5).

Constable: Rom 15:1-6

3. The importance of pleasing one another 15:1-6

Paul now developed the key concept to which he referred in chapter 14, namely putting the welfare of others before that of self (cf. Gal. 6:2). This is love.

15:1 The strong ought to take the initiative in resolving the tension between the strong and the weak. They need to be willing to limit their Christian liberty if by doing so they can reduce the problems of their brethren. The weak need knowledge, and the strong need love. Paul was not saying that the strong must determine to put up with the weak. He meant, "Those of us who are strong must accept as our own burden the tender scruples of the weak."³⁹⁶

15:2 All Christians, not just the strong, need to apply this principle of love. Paul was not saying that we should be "people pleasers" and do whatever anyone wants us to do simply because it will please them (cf. Gal. 1:10, 19; Eph. 6:6; Col. 3:22; 1 Thess. 2:4). The goal of our behavior should be the other person's welfare and spiritual edification (cf. 1 Cor. 9:19-23). We should not please others rather than God, but we should please others rather than ourselves.

15:3 The apostle illustrated the commitment to doing the will of God that he advocated with the example of Jesus Christ. In Him we can see the difference between a people pleaser and a people lover. Sacrificing His own preferences for the welfare of others did not make Him acceptable to everyone, but it did make Him acceptable to His Father. David voiced the testimony that Paul quoted here regarding his zeal for God's house (Ps. 69:9). Christians need to show as strong commitment to building up God's spiritual house as David displayed in promoting His physical house.

15:4 Paul used his reference to David's experience as an occasion to comment on the usefulness of all Old Testament Scripture.³⁹⁷ It provides motivation for enduring and gives encouragement as we seek to remain faithful in our commitment to do God's will. These Scriptures give us hope because in them we see God's approval of those who persevered faithfully in spite of opposition and frustration.

15:5 Endurance and encouragement come to us through the Scriptures, but they are gifts from God. Paul wished that all his readers, the strong and the weak, would appropriate these gifts and apply them in their interpersonal relationships. The result would be unity in the church.

"The centripetal magnetism of the Lord can effectively counter the centrifugal force of individual judgment and opinion."³⁹⁸

15:6 United vocal praise of God in the assembly would be an evidence of unity among the strong and the weak. Christians who do not love God and one another have trouble praising God together in church meetings.

"This suggests to us that the local church must major in the Word of God and prayer. The first real danger to the unity of the church came because the Apostles were too busy to minister God's Word and pray (Acts 6:1-7)."³⁹⁹

Constable: Rom 15:7-13

4. The importance of accepting one another 15:7-13

This section concludes Paul's instructions concerning the importance of accepting one another as Christians that he began in 14:1. In this section the apostle charged both the strong and the weak.

15:7 "Accept" repeats Paul's opening exhortation (14:1). "One another" encompasses both groups, the strong and the weak. It is inconsistent for a Christian to reject someone whom God has accepted. We are to receive one another as Jesus Christ has received us. We are fellow members of the family of God. This results in glory for God.

15:8 Verses 8-10 expand the idea of Jesus Christ accepting us. Verse 8 deals with His acceptance of Jews. He not only accepted Jewish believers but came to serve the Jewish people, as the Old Testament predicted, fulfilling God's promise to the patriarchs (Mark 10:45; Matt. 15:24; cf. Gal. 3:16). Consequently the typically stronger Gentile believers should not despise their sometimes weaker Jewish brethren.

15:9-10 These verses deal with Jesus Christ's acceptance of Gentiles. The citations show that God always purposed to bless the Gentiles. Therefore conservative Jewish believers should not despise their more liberal Gentile brethren. I use these adjectives describing their relationship to amoral matters. Four quotations from the Old Testament ("writings," "law," and "prophets") follow that support Paul's assertions in verses 8 and 9a as a whole.

Psalm 18:49 pictures David rejoicing in God for his victories among the nations that had become subject to him. In Deuteronomy 32:43 Moses saw the Gentiles praising God with the Israelites. These passages would have encouraged Paul's Jewish readers to accept their Gentile brethren.

15:11-12 Two more quotations picture the Gentiles praising God alone apart from participation in Israel (Ps. 117:1; Isa. 11:10). Perhaps Paul cited them to help his Jewish readers remember that their Gentile brethren did not need to come to God through the Jews or Judaism.

15:13 This verse concludes the section dealing with the practice of God's righteousness (12:1-15:13). It is another pious wish (cf. v. 5).

The mention of hope points forward to the future. Throughout this epistle Paul kept referring to the fact that God had not finished His saving work in his readers' lives. They were still under construction as Christians. There was more to God's salvation than they had experienced yet. In closing his treatise on God's righteousness the apostle focused his readers' attention on the rest of their sanctification and final glorification.

The God of hope is the God who inspires hope in and provides hope for His redeemed ones. Christians can be joyful because of what God has already done for us and is doing for us. We can also be peaceful as we realize what He is doing for us now and what He will do for us in the future. It is possible for us to abound in hope because the omnipotent Holy Spirit is at work in us.

This concludes Paul's exposition of the theme of the righteousness of God that constitutes the heart of this epistle (1:18-15:13). Paul showed man's need of God's righteousness (1:18-3:20), how God imputes it to people who trust in His Son (3:21-5:21), and how He imparts it to those to whom He has imputed it (chs. 6-8). Moreover he demonstrated that God is righteous in doing all this (chs. 9-11). He ended by urging his readers to practice their righteousness in their most important relationships (12:1-15:13).

Constable: Rom 15:14--1Co 1:1

VII. CONCLUSION 15:14--16:27

The conclusion of the epistle corresponds to its introduction (1:1-17; cf. 15:14 and 1:8; 15:15b-21 and 1:3, 13; 15:22 and 1:13a; 15:27 and 1:14; 15:29 and 1:11-12; and 15:30-32 and 1:9-10). Both sections deal with matters of personal interest to Paul and frame his exposition of the righteousness of God (cf. 1 Cor. 1:1-9; 16:5-24). However in both sections what Paul wrote about himself related to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Constable: Rom 15:14-33

A. Paul's ministry 15:14-33

The apostle first gave information concerning his past labors (15:14-21). Then he explained his present program (15:22-29). Finally he shared his future plans (15:30-33).

Constable: Rom 15:14-21

1. Past labors 15:14-21

Paul had been somewhat critical of the strong and the weak in the Roman church (14:1-15:13). He now balanced those comments by pointing out other strengths in the church beside the faith of his Roman brethren (1:8).

15:14 Paul's knowledge of the church in Rome had come to him through sources other than personal observation (vv. 22-24).

"Goodness" is moral excellence that comes through the working of God's Spirit (Gal. 5:22; cf. Rom. 5:13). Goodness is necessary to apply the truth to life as is knowledge. This was a self-taught church (6:17), and the believers were able to instruct one another. "Admonish" or "instruct" means to inculcate (cf. Col. 3:16; 1 Thess. 5:14).

"Morally, they were full of goodness,' intellectually they were complete in knowledge,' and functionally they were competent to instruct one another.'"⁴⁰⁰

15:15 The apostle gave his readers credit for some knowledge of what he had written in the foregoing chapters. Nevertheless they needed reminding as do all God's people.

15:16 Paul had a special obligation to this primarily Gentile congregation (1:13) since God had sent him to minister to Gentiles primarily. As a priest, it was his duty to bring people to God with the gospel. He regarded the Gentiles who were coming to faith and growing through his ministry as his offering to God. These Gentiles would be acceptable to God as the Holy Spirit set them apart to God as His possession (cf. 1 Cor. 6:11). Positional sanctification is in view rather than progressive sanctification.

15:17-18 Paul had grounds to boast because Gentiles had come to Jesus Christ through his ministry. Notwithstanding he gave all the credit for what had happened to Jesus Christ. He had worked through His servant to bring the Gentiles to obey God in word and deed.

15:19 Signs and wonders, standard biblical phraseology for miracles, accredited the messenger of God and validated the message that he proclaimed (Acts 2:22; 5:12).⁴⁰¹ The Holy Spirit enabled people to see the connection between the miracle and the message and therefore to believe the gospel and experience salvation.

Paul's arena of ministry when he wrote this epistle stretched about 1,400 miles from Jerusalem to the Roman province of Illyricum. Illyricum lay on the east side of the Adriatic Sea opposite Italy. This is modern northern Albania, much of Yugoslavia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. There is no record in Acts of Paul having gone there though he may have done so on the second missionary journey (Acts 17:1-9) or during the third journey (Acts 21:1-2). Paul's claim to have "fully" preached the gospel means that he had faithfully proclaimed it in that area, not that he had personally delivered it to every individual.

15:20 This verse along with verses 18-19 explains why Paul had not yet been able to visit Rome. His desire to do pioneer missionary work grew out of his zeal to reach as many unsaved people as possible (cf. 1:14). Notice that he went to unreached people with the gospel (Matt. 28:19-20). He did not wait for them to come and enquire about it.

15:21 Paul seems to have found encouragement to pursue this goal in this prophecy from Isaiah, which describes the mission of the Servant of the Lord (Isa. 52:15).

College: Rom 15:1-33

C. LIVING IN UNITY AND HOPE (15:1-13)

These verses form the conclusion of the larger section on Christian liberty in matters of opinion (14:1-15:13). The language in both 15:1 and 15:7 shows that Paul still has this subject in mind. The main concern seems to be how the church's handling of such matters affects its internal unity and the integrity of its witness to the watching world. The foundation and the example for such unity, says the Apostle, have been supplied by the redeeming work of Christ.

These verses conclude not only the section on Christian liberty, but also the entire unit on the application of the theological doctrine of the gospel to practical Christian living ("Living the Sanctified Life," 12:1-15:13). It likewise brings to an end the main body of the letter as a whole, and prepares the way for Paul's concluding personal remarks (15:14-16:27).

1. Selfless Service Produces a Unified Witness (15:1-6)

Like much of this section on Christian liberty, these verses are addressed mainly to the strong, which leads Dunn to comment that the primary responsibility for maintaining harmony in the church regarding matters of opinion lies with the strong (2:841). The main hindrance to harmony is the spirit of selfishness, and the key to achieving harmony is to imitate the example of Jesus Christ. Thus Moo sums up these verses as "basically a call to the 'strong' in Rome to follow Christ's example of loving service of others as a means of bringing unity to the church" (865).

15:1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. The contrast is still between the weak and the strong, and these terms are still limited to the one issue of Christian liberty regarding opinions. The "weak" were described with a different term in 14:1-2, but the basic concept is the same. This is the first time Paul has used any specific term for the strong. (By saying "we who are strong," Paul includes himself in this group.)

The contrasting terms are dunatov" ( dynatos , "able, empowered, possible, strong") and ajduvnato" ( adynatos , "without power, unable, impossible, weak"). The "strong" are those who, because of their better understanding of the implications of Christian faith, are able to do various things (in the category of opinions) with clear consciences. The "weak" are those who are unable to do these same things without violating their consciences.

The word "ought" introduces a moral obligation on the part of the strong, a debt which the strong owe to the weak. Stated positively, the strong "ought to bear with the failings of the weak." The term translated "bear with" (bastavzw , bastazô ) can mean "to bear with, to tolerate, to put up with, to endure," as the NIV renders it here (see also the RSV; NRSV; SH, 394; Barrett, 269). Most of the time in the NT, however, it means "to bear, to carry," as the NIV translates it in Gal 6:2. Most scholars believe it has this latter connotation here, too. Also, the term translated "failings" in the NIV is simply "weaknesses"; the word "failings" has a negative connotation not evident in the Greek.

All in all the NASB translation is better here: the strong "ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength." This is a specific instance of the general principle in Gal 6:2, "Carry each other's burdens." I.e., the strong should not merely tolerate the weaknesses of the weak, but should help them carry the burden of their scruples. How may we - the strong - do this? By trying to understand the weak, and by putting ourselves in their place. We may support the weak, as MacArthur says, "by not being critical or condescending and by showing respect for sincere views or practices that we may not agree with" (2:308). As Godet says, "The strong ought to show his strength, not by humiliating the weak and triumphing in the feeling of his superiority, but by bearing the burden of his weakness with love and tenderness" (468). (See also Hendriksen, 2:469; Moo, 866.)

Why should the strong be the ones required to make this sort of concession? Because, as Lard says, the strong can do so without violating their consciences, but the weak cannot (431).

The negative aspect of the moral obligation of the strong is "not to please ourselves." Here Paul identifies the real key to unity, harmony, and peace within the body of Christ, i.e., selflessness , or the willingness to sacrifice one's personal rights and personal happiness in order to meet the needs of others. This does not mean that we must avoid pleasing ourselves altogether, and it is not a condemnation of pleasure as such. It is rather a condemnation of the hedonistic attitude that puts personal pleasure ahead of everything else, regardless of how this affects others, especially our fellow Christians. (See Hendriksen, 2:470; Cranfield, 2:731.)

The teaching of this verse is exactly the opposite of any kind of "survival of the fittest" doctrine. It is contrary to the general tendency in the fallen world for the strong (at best) to ignore the weak, and (at worst) to exploit them and take advantage of them. As Cranfield points out (2:730-731), our true obligation before God goes against "the tendency of our fallen human nature, which - so far from being to help those weaker than oneself with their burdens - is for the strong to seek to compel the weak to shoulder the burdens of the strong as well as their own."

15:2 Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. "Each of us" could refer to all Christians (Morris, 497-498), but most likely it refers still to strong Christians, the "we" in v. 1 (Moo, 866-867). Thus "each of us should please his neighbor" is simply the same obligation as v. 1b, stated positively. In this case the "neighbor" is the weak Christian.

The rest of this verse - "for his good, to build him up" - identifies and limits the kind of neighbor-pleasing to which Paul is referring. First, this description distinguishes "neighbor-pleasing" from the sinful "man-pleasing" condemned elsewhere by Paul (Gal 1:10; 1 Thess 2:4; see Eph 6:6 and Col 3:22, NASB). In the latter the contrasting choices are pleasing men and pleasing God ; in such circumstances "man-pleasing" means trying to win someone's favor for one's own personal, self-serving purposes. But here in 15:1-2 the contrasting choices are pleasing ourselves and pleasing others , where "neighbor-pleasing" means that we sacrifice our own desires for the good of the other.

Second, this description - "for his good, to build him up" - limits the extent to which we should go in pleasing our neighbor. Such neighbor-pleasing is not absolute, as if "we are always to defer to the whims and wishes of others" (Murray, 2:197-198). The context shows that Paul is talking about pleasing one's neighbor in areas of opinion where his conscience is threatened by his weak faith. Pleasing the weak "for his good" means "for his spiritual profit or spiritual advantage." It means doing what is necessary to help him maintain a clear conscience in these areas. This includes making an effort to lead the weak out of his unnecessary scruples. As Morris wisely says (498), this verse

. . . does not mean that the weak control the church - that they have only to express a scruple and all rush to conform. That would mean that the church would be permanently tied to the level of the weak and that life and growth would cease. . . . A genuine concern for the weak will mean an attempt to make them strong by leading them out of their irrational scruples so that they, too, will be strong. . . .

15:3 For even Christ did not please himself . . . . Here Jesus is cited as a model for the virtue of selflessness, one which we should imitate. This is also the main point of Phil 2:5-11, which declares that the selfless attitude of the eternal Logos is exhibited in the incarnation, in his accepting the role of a servant, and especially in his submission to the cross. In every way the Logos put the needs and the interests of the lost human race before his own. It was the Father's will that Jesus undergo an unimaginably agonizing death to save us from our sins, and Jesus surrendered his will to that of his Father. (See Heb 10:7; Matt 20:28 [Mark 10:45]; Matt 26:39 [Luke 22:42]; John 4:24; 5:30; 6:38.) When we as Christians relate to one another in this same spirit of selfless service (Phil 2:5), unity and harmony will surely follow (Phil 2:1-4).

Paul cites just one OT prophecy concerning Jesus to illustrate and confirm his spirit of unselfishness: . . . but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." This is taken directly from Ps 69:9b, where David is lamenting that God's enemies are also his enemies and are taking out their hatred of God on him. Paul in effect puts David's words in the mouth of Christ, thus making David's suffering a type of Christ's suffering on the cross. Christ thus declares that, in his submissive life and especially in his substitutionary death, the insults (reproaches, blasphemies) that sinners direct against God are being borne by him. "All the enmity of men against God was directed to Christ" (Murray, 2:199). See Ps 22:6-8; Matt 27:39-44.

The point is that Jesus willingly and unselfishly chose to walk this path of humiliation and suffering for the sake of helpless and ungodly sinners. And if Jesus himself made such a selfless choice, we should all the more be willing to do so for the sake of our weak brothers. Paul is thus making an argument from the greater to the lesser: if the incarnate Son of God went to such an extreme in not pleasing himself, then surely we can "renounce our self-gratification in so unimportant a matter as the exercising of our freedom with regard to what we eat or whether we observe special days" (Cranfield, 2:733). See also Hendriksen, 2:470; Murray, 2:199; Dunn, 2:842-843; Moo, 869.

15:4 The next verse is a parenthesis in which Paul reminds us of the validity of citing OT texts as a basis for ethical exhortation to Christians: For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, . . . "Everything that was written" refers to OT Scripture, and declares that every part of it has meaning and value for those living under the New Covenant. It was written not just to teach us theological truths, but also to be a source of practical instruction for Christians concerning how to live. Paul was thinking mainly (but not exclusively) of OT Scripture when he said, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17). See 1 Cor 9:10; 10:6,11; Rom 4:23-25.

In particular, says Paul, the OT was written so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. "Endurance" (uJpomonhv , hypomonç ) is the same as "perseverance" in 5:3; it indicates patient endurance, steadfastness, the ability to bear and to bear up under whatever comes along (see JC, 1:317). "Encouragement" (paravklhsi" , paraklçsis ) has the connotation of "exhortation" in 12:8, but here it means "comfort, consolation, encouragement." "Hope" (ejlpiv" , elpis ) for Christians is the confident and joyful expectation of the future possession of full salvation, as explained under 4:18 and 5:2 (JC, 1:301, 315).

This is a purpose clause, introduced by i{na ( hina , "so that, in order that"). I.e., God intends for us to be taught by the OT Scriptures, to the end that "we might have hope." How does the study of the OT give hope to Christians? Paul says it does so specifically "through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures."

Interpreters are divided as to whether the phrase "of the Scriptures" is meant to modify both endurance and encouragement. Some think it modifies only the latter, which would yield a translation something like this: ". . . so that, with patient endurance, we might have hope by means of the encouragement received from the Scriptures" (see Cranfield, 2:735-736; Dunn, 2:839; Morris, 500). The grammatical structure (a repetition of the preposition diav ( dia ) before "encouragement") supports this view but does not require it. In my judgment the context (Paul's explanation for citing the OT) favors the other view, that "of the Scriptures" refers to both endurance and encouragement. Moule (235) says it means "the patience and comfort taught by the Scriptures." See also Lard, 433; Lenski, 860; Murray, 2:200.

The point is that when we read the OT accounts of and testimony to God's just and faithful dealings with Israel, this reinforces our confidence in God's promises to us through the New Covenant, and thus gives us patience and encouragement in times of personal spiritual doubt and distress. The result of such endurance and encouragement is that our hope - our assurance of salvation - is in turn strengthened. This hope is fortified even further by "reading the OT and seeing its fulfillment in Christ and the church" (Moo, 870). On the relationship between endurance and hope, see 5:3-4; 1 Thess 1:3.

15:5-6 The next two verses are a prayer for God to bless the church with the spirit of unity: May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Greek text speaks literally of "the God of endurance and encouragement"; the NIV rightly takes this to mean that God is the source of these blessings in the Christian life. The idea is that God by his words and deeds gives us every reason to have patient endurance and to be encouraged even in the bleakest of circumstances, and he gives us knowledge of and access to these words and deeds through his Spirit-inspired Scriptures (see v. 4).

The heart of Paul's prayer is that God "will give you a spirit of unity among yourselves." Just what is the nature of the unity for which Paul prays? "A spirit of unity" (v. 5) and "with one heart" (v. 6) suggest something similar to "live in harmony " (12:16). "With one heart" ("with one accord," NASB) especially points to a harmony on the inward level, a harmony of spirit and attitude that binds the hearts of all Christians together in mutual love and esteem and in a solidarity of spirit and purpose. See Phil 2:2.

But Paul's language here shows that the unity for which he prays is not just a harmonious spirit, but also a unity of faith, i.e., an agreement as to the content of what is believed. "A spirit of unity" is literally "to be of the same mind." This phrase does not necessarily refer to intellectual agreement, since it occurs in the same or similar form in 12:16 and Phil 2:2, where it refers to the general unity of love and purpose. But the reference to the "mind" does leave the door open for the concept of intellectual agreement; and the expression "with one mouth" in v. 6 definitely shows that this is part of what Paul is praying for.

"With one mouth" shows that the church's unity must be on a verbal level, which certainly involves a unity in worship (SH, 396; Dunn, 2:841); but this presupposes a unity of what we believe about the one whom we worship. Lenski says it involves outward agreement wherein all confess "the one same gospel truth" (863).

This prayer for unity regarding what we believe certainly does not prescribe total agreement regarding matters of opinion, since matters of opinion by definition to not require agreement. In reference to opinions, the most Paul can be praying for is that all Christians have the same understanding of the nature of adiaphora or opinions, and of how to handle them with mature faith. But at the very least this prayer is instructing us to seek basic agreement concerning the fundamental truths about God and the gospel, over against the idea that "each man may have . . . the right to his own personal views" about the truths affirmed in God's Word (Lenski, 864).

Paul prays that the church will have such unity "as you follow Christ Jesus," or better, "according to Christ Jesus" (NASB). Some take this to mean "according to Jesus' example" (SH, 396; Murray, 2:201; Dunn, 2:840); others "according to Jesus' will" (Cranfield, 2:737). Paul may have both of these in mind (Lard, 433; Hendriksen, 2:473), but the main point is that Christ Jesus must always be the touchstone of the church's unity. That is, we must never pursue unity just for the sake of unity. God is not interested in unity at all costs, especially at the cost of truth. Those things on which the church is united must correspond to Christ's way, Christ's will, Christ's gospel, and Christ's word as we know it through inspired Scripture.

What is the purpose of seeking this inner harmony and this unity of confessed faith? So that "you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." To glorify God is to acknowledge and declare his greatness before others, and to lead them to do the same (see 1:21; JC, 1:144-145). A church with internal dissensions and conflicting beliefs brings dishonor to God and to Jesus its Head. A church united in heart and mind brings glory to both. See 1 Cor 1:10; Eph 4:11-15.

Some may raise questions about the description of God as "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." No one will have a problem with calling God "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." But since Jesus himself is divine, i.e., God the Son, how can we speak of "the God of Jesus Christ"? The KJV translates it "God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"; Lard agrees (434). But there is no problem with the language as it stands in the NIV. In his incarnate state as Jesus of Nazareth, the human nature of Jesus was in full submission to God the Father as his God . In John 20:17, speaking to Mary, Jesus refers to God the Father as "my God and your God." Eph 1:17 uses the very phrase, "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ." See also Matt 27:46 (Mark 15:34) and Heb 1:9. There is no conflict between this concept and the divinity of Christ.

2. Through Christ's Selfless Service,

Jews and Gentiles Glorify God Together (15:7-12)

Some see this paragraph as standing alone and serving as a conclusion to the doctrinal body of the letter (Dunn, 2:844). Most, however, see it as belonging to the section on Christian liberty. The main emphasis still seems to be on the unity of the body of Christ, which was being threatened by false approaches to matters of opinion.

The main point is the way the saving work of Jesus has united two groups, the Jews and the Gentiles, into one body and into one voice singing praises to God. This is significant because in the ancient world these two groups would surely have been regarded as the least likely to be reconciled. In the immediate context this serves as another argument from the greater to the lesser. If Christ's selfless service can succeed in unifying such disparate groups as the Jews and the Gentiles, surely we as Christians can do what is necessary to establish accord among strong and weak believers within the church. As Bruce sums it up, we must "follow the example of Christ, who welcomed us without discrimination, and make room for one another without discrimination" (255).

Paul's bringing together of Jews and Gentiles in this paragraph serves other purposes, too. It means that Paul has come full circle in his presentation of the gospel, which in the introduction was announced to be God's way of salvation, "first for the Jew, then for the Gentile" (1:16). It calls attention again to the fact that God's faithfulness to the Jews has always involved his intention to save the Gentiles as well (chs. 9-11). Finally, Paul's citation of OT prophecies concerning the salvation of the Gentiles serves as a transition to his personal remarks about his own mission to the Gentiles (15:14-33).

Some think the reference to Jews and Gentiles at this point supports the view that the weak and the strong in the church at Rome were divided mainly along these lines, with the weak being mainly from the Jews and the strong mainly from the Gentiles (SH, 397; Cranfield, 2:740-741). Others are rightly reluctant to draw this conclusion (Lenski, 866; Murray, 2:204). Even if we think there is a hint in this direction, this discussion of Jews and Gentiles is better explained by the points mentioned above (see Dunn, 2:852).

15:7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. It seems clear that this paragraph is meant to be the conclusion to the section on Christian liberty (Moo, 874). This verse begins with the conjunction diov ( dio , "wherefore, then"), indicating that the following exhortation is an inference from the preceding discussion (14:1-15:6). The exhortation to "accept" one another also ties this paragraph to this same discussion, since 14:1 uses the same verb to exhort the strong to "accept" the weak. Another link is the stated bases for the two exhortations: accept the weak, "for God has accepted him" (14:3); accept each other "as Christ accepted you" (15:7).

While this exhortation is parallel to 14:1, it also goes beyond it by addressing the entire church and not just the strong. In fact, it has the nature of a general principle that applies to all potential causes of division in the church. The fact that Christ has united Jews and Gentiles together serves as a paradigm for the healing of all divisions. His acceptance of both groups is the reason why we should embrace all believers in full fellowship despite differences that do not affect our common salvation. Paul's point is "that all are to accept those who differ from them" (Morris, 503).

The verse closes with a phrase of purpose: "to the glory of God" (see NASB). The NIV translation, "in order to bring praise to God," captures the general sense. One question is whether this phrase modifies "accept one another," thus in effect giving us a motive for obeying this command (Godet, 470; Cranfield, 2:739-740; Moo, 875), or whether it modifies "as Christ accepted you," indicating the glorious result of his accepting us (SH, 397; Lenski, 867; Murray, 2:204). The word order favors the latter view; but this in effect makes the former true also, since our acceptance of one another is patterned after ("just as") Christ's acceptance of us.

15:8a For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, . . . Here Paul begins to explain how Christ has "accepted you" through the redeeming work performed in his role as the Jewish Messiah. The words "I tell you" introduce "a solemn doctrinal declaration" (Cranfield, 2:740). "Servant" is diavkono" ( diakonos ), which can mean "deacon" or "minister," but is rightly translated here with its basic generic sense, "servant." "Has become" is in the perfect tense, indicating past action (perhaps the incarnation but certainly the atonement and resurrection) with a lasting result; Christ is still "a servant of the Jews" (Morris, 503). "Jews" is literally "circumcision," a term often used for the Jews as a nation (see 3:30; 4:12; Gal 2:8-9). This emphasizes the fact that the Jews were under the covenant God made with Abraham, of which circumcision was the covenant sign (Gen 17:1-14).

That the Logos entered the world in the role of a servant is clear; see v. 3 above, and see Phil 2:7-8, where he is called a "slave" (dou'lo" , doulos ). Jesus says that he "did not come to be served, but to serve" (Matt 20:28; Mark 10:45; see Luke 22:27). He was primarily a servant of the Father himself (Isa 52:13), but in that role he served the lost world by giving "his life as a ransom for many" (Matt 20:28).

Most specifically Jesus performed his redeeming work as "a servant of the Jews." This refers to his role as the Jews' Messiah (the Christ). In order to fulfill this role Christ Jesus came into the world through the Jews (John 4:22; Rom 9:4-5) and for the Jews, i.e., so that the Jews themselves might be the first to receive the gospel of salvation (Matt 15:24; Rom 1:16; 2:10; Gal 4:4-5).

Paul affirms that Jesus became a servant of the Jews "on behalf of God's truth." "Truth" (ajlhvqeia , alçtheia ) here refers to an attribute of God and may better be rendered "truthfulness" (Lard, 434), "fidelity" (Godet, 471; Fitzmyer, 706), or "faithfulness" (Cranfield, 2:740; Dunn, 2:847; Moo, 877). The specific reference is to God's faithfulness to his covenant promises. Everything Christ did as the Jewish Messiah was in fulfilment of what God has been promising to do for his people (both Jews and Gentiles) from the very beginning of his covenant with Abraham (Gen 12:1-3).

15:8b-9a The rest of this section shows how Christ's Jewish Messiahship has affected not only the Jews but the Gentiles as well. Christ was a servant of the Jews to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, . . . Interpreters disagree over the syntax of this segment. All agree that Paul is making two parallel statements, one about the Jews and the other about the Gentiles. The question is, where does the first statement begin? One view is that it begins immediately after "I tell you" in v. 8a, and the two statements are parallel objects of "I tell you." Thus Paul would be saying, "I tell you first that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs. And I also tell you that the Gentiles are glorifying God for his mercy" (see Godet, 471; Cranfield, 2:742-744). This view is attractive because it allows the two phrases "on behalf of [uJpevr , hyper ] God's truth" and "for [ hyper ] his mercy" to be regarded as parallel.

The other view is that the first of the two parallel statements begins with the words "to confirm" in v. 8b. Thus the two statements are parallel objects of the preposition eis (translated "to" but better rendered "in order to"), indicating a double purpose for Christ's Jewish Messiahship. Thus Paul is saying that Christ became a servant of the Jews first of all for the purpose of confirming the promises made to the patriarchs, and also so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy (see SH, 398; Lenski, 868; Stott, 372; Moo, 876).

The point of the second view, which I accept, is to emphasize the obvious fact that the messianic work of Jesus Christ was intended all along to have redemptive results not just for the Jews but also for the Gentiles.

The first intended result of Christ's Messiahship was "to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs" (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). This reference to the patriarchs (or "fathers"; see 9:5), along with the very phrase "servant of the Jews," shows that Paul is here referring to promises concerning the Jews themselves. See Gen 12:1-3; 13:14-17; 15:1-5; 17:1-8; 18:19; 22:15-18; 26:3-4; 28:13-15.

Paul has already affirmed that God in his faithfulness has fulfilled all his promises to the Jews as a nation (9:4-5) and as a believing remnant (see the entire discussion in chs. 9-11). Here he says that Christ's work as the Jews' servant has confirmed these promises. This means that he has proved the promises to be reliable and trustworthy, but it means more than this. Christ has confirmed the promises by fulfilling them, by establishing them, by bringing them to realization. What was in the beginning just a promise is now a reality for the Jews.

The second intended result of Christ's Messiahship, and the one Paul emphasizes, was to enable the Gentiles to "glorify God for his mercy." This purpose is seen in the fact that the covenant promises made to the patriarchs included the blessing of salvation for all peoples and nations on earth (Gen 12:3; 17:3-5; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; Rom 4:13, 16-17). Though Christ's earthly ministry was conducted almost entirely among the Jews, his "great commission" directs that the gospel be preached to all nations (Matt 28:19; Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8). By thus including the Gentiles within the scope of his salvation, Christ causes them to glorify God (see v. 6), specifically for having mercy upon them (see 11:30-32).

As Stott summarizes the Messiah's two-fold purpose, "It was in mercy to the Gentiles, as it was in faithfulness to Israel, that Christ became a servant for the benefit of both" (372).

15:9b The rest of this section is a series of four quotes from the OT showing that God all along intended to bring the Gentiles within the scope of his mercy, thus uniting Jews and Gentiles together into one harmonious chorus of praise to God.

The first quote is as follows: . . . as it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name." This is a direct quote from Ps 18:49 (LXX, Ps 17:50) and 2 Sam 22:50, except for the omission of "O LORD." In this Psalm David is praising God for giving him victory over his enemies and for making the nations subject to him. In verse 49 he announces that he will sing hymns of praise to the Lord among these nations (i.e., Gentiles), so that the Gentiles may know the true God and join in the praise.

Paul sees in this Psalm an indication of God's plan to include the Gentiles in the Messiah's people. As Cranfield notes (2:795), it is possible that the Apostle sees David's words as foreshadowing his own mission to the Gentiles, a subject he is just about to expand upon (15:14ff.).

The word for "sing hymns" is simply yavllw ( psallô ), which Morris says "referred originally to plucking the strings of a musical instrument; later it appears to have been used of singing with accompaniment and then simply of singing. There is nothing in the Greek to correspond to NIV's hymns ; the translators have assumed (not unreasonably) that it is hymns that would be sung to God" (505, n. 51).

15:10 Again, it says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." This next quotation is the first line of Deut 32:43 (LXX). Deut 32 is a song of Moses celebrating the righteousness of God that takes vengeance on his enemies and saves his people. In this line Moses invites the nations (Gentiles) to join with God's people (the Jews) in rejoicing over this. The key phrase is "with his people," which contemplates Jews and Gentiles praising God with a single voice. Paul sees this as an expression of God's plan to unite the two groups.

15:11 And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples." This is a close paraphrase of Ps 117:1 (LXX, Ps 116:1). The main point again is the reference to the Gentiles, and the fact that they are invited to sing praises to the Lord, the God of Israel. This is another indication that the work of the Messiah was intended to bring Jews and Gentiles together into one body, so that "his people" (v. 10) along with "all you peoples" (v. 11) may glorify God together for his mercy.

15:12 And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him." This is taken from Isa 11:10, and is closer to the LXX than to the Hebrew text. It is a specific messianic prophecy, "the Root of Jesse" being a title for Jesus. Jesse was David's father; thus this title is equivalent to "the Root of David" in Rev 5:5; 22:16, which refers to Christ. The word translated "root" is rJivza ( rhiza ), which can mean either the root itself or a shoot or sprout that comes forth from the root. In this case "Jesse," standing for the family and dynasty of David (see Luke 2:4), is the root itself; Jesus is the shoot or sprout that springs up from that root (Isa 11:1; 53:2).

The main point is that when "the Root of Jesse" rises up, the Gentiles will rally around him and submit to him and find their salvation in him. The Hebrew text of Isa 11:10 says that "the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples." The LXX interprets the banner or ensign as a symbol of command and authority; thus when the Gentiles rally around this banner (which is Jesus himself), they are submitting to him and he is ruling over them.

The messianic rule of which Isaiah speaks is not a military conquest of rebellious and unwilling foes, but a benevolent embrace of willing subjects for the purpose of bestowing mercy upon them. As a result, "the Gentiles will hope in him," i.e., they will find their salvation in him. The startling thing about this is that the Gentiles will be saved by submitting to the Messiah of the Jews !

Paul has already said as much in vv. 6-8, where he says Christ has become a servant of the Jews "so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy." The OT quotations are designed to reinforce this point by showing that it has always been God's purpose to include the Gentiles within the Messiah's kingdom. More specifically, now that the Jews' Messiah has come, both Jews and Gentiles together have been accepted by Christ into his own body, to the praise and glory of God and his mercy. In view of God's majestic and glorious program for uniting all believers into a single ensemble of praise, how can we refuse to obey the simple command to "accept one another" (15:7)?

3. A Prayer That All Believers May Abound in Hope (15:13)

15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. This last verse of the main body of the letter expresses Paul's desire that all Christians may experience the fullness of the spiritual benefits that come from knowing, understanding, and receiving the gospel of God's grace. As such it draws together many of the main threads that the Apostle has woven into the carefully designed pattern of his doctrinal essay about this gospel. Specifically mentioned are faith, joy, peace, hope, and power.

The first and primary benefit that comes from knowing the gospel is faith itself (10:17). All the other blessings come only "as you trust in him," or literally, "in connection with believing." At the outset Paul emphasized the key role of faith in receiving salvation (1:16-17). Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised for our justification (3:24-26; 4:25), but we cannot receive this justification without faith (3:25-28; 10:9-10). In this verse Paul is reaffirming the central and essential role of faith in the gospel plan of salvation.

Paul prays that we as believers may be filled with joy, peace, and hope, all of which come from knowing that we are justified by faith in the blood of Christ (5:1-2). Peace is first of all the objective state of being reconciled to God (5:1, 10). It is also an attitude of inward tranquility and freedom from worry about salvation (1:7; 8:6); this is the main point in view here. Finally peace is the corporate harmony that exists among brethren (14:17).

Joy is the inward delight and jubilance that keep us excited about being Christians, about being under the blood of Christ, and about living the sanctified life (5:2-3,11; 12:12,15; 14:17). Joy and peace together are "two of the great human desirables," as Dunn says (2:853), and they are available to mankind only through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The last of this trio of related blessings is hope , which is a key aspect of assurance and in many ways is equivalent to it. Assurance is first of all a peaceful confidence about our present relationship with God through Jesus Christ; second, it is a joyful expectation of the future fullness of glory to be received when Christ returns. The latter is the essence of hope.

Knowing that we are justified by faith is the key to such hope or assurance (5:1-2), which is certainly the climactic benefit of the gospel and a frequent subject in Romans (4:18; 5:2-5; 8:20,24-25; 12:12; 15:4,12). That God is here called "the God of hope," i.e., the source of everything that gives us hope, shows how important hope is in the context of the gospel.

Paul's prayer and wish are not just that believers might possess joy, peace, and hope, but that we might be filled to overflowing with these blessings. Since they are linked to faith, they will increase as our faith increases (Luke 17:5). Faith consists of assent and trust (1:16; JC, 1:107-108). Assent increases as we grow in our understanding of what we believe about Jesus and the gospel, and trust increases as we grow in our love for Jesus and in confidence in his promises.

The ultimate means of our being filled to overflowing with joy, peace, and hope is the fifth blessing mentioned in this verse, i.e., power - "the power of the Holy Spirit." Paul has made it clear in Romans that all spiritual growth comes from the power of the indwelling Spirit (2:29; 5:5; 8:3-16,26-27; 14:17; see Gal 5:22-23). Here he prays that the Spirit's power may work within our hearts to make us abound in hope. There could hardly be a more appropriate conclusion to the didactic body of the Epistle to the Romans!

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

15:14-16:27 - PART SIX

PERSONAL MESSAGES FROM PAUL

The main body of the Epistle to the Romans (the doctrinal essay, 1:18-15:13) has now been concluded. What follows is a kind of epilogue containing many of the same elements found in the conclusions of Paul's other letters, e.g., personal greetings to individuals, his travel plans, a request for prayer, a wish for peace, a reference to the holy kiss, warnings and exhortations, and a concluding benediction or doxology.

All of these elements are communicated on a very personal level, as Paul addresses the Roman Christians not just in his role as an Apostle (15:15), but also on the level of warm brotherly fellowship (15:14,30; 16:17).

I. PAUL'S MINISTRY AS THE

APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES (15:14-33)

As he begins his conclusion, Paul first of all expresses his confidence in the spiritual maturity of the Christians at Rome, and suggests that the sternness of some of his exhortations is not meant to imply weakness on their part (14-15a). All of his ministry, including the writing of this letter, is carried out in his specific role as the Apostle to the Gentiles, which he regards as a kind of priesthood in which he offers up converted Gentiles as sacrifices pleasing to God (15b-16).

Paul realizes that his work has produced significant results, but he gives God all the glory (17-19a). Up to the time of this writing, he has concentrated his efforts in the geographical area ranging from Jerusalem to Illyricum, using the strategy of starting new churches in unevangelized areas (19b-21). This has kept him so busy that he has been unable to fulfill his dream of visiting Rome (22).

But the situation is different now. He has accomplished his purpose for this eastern area and is now ready to travel west, stopping off to visit the Christians in Rome on his way to evangelize Spain - an endeavor for which he hopes to enlist the aid of the church in Rome (23-24).

But before he can begin to carry out this plan, he has one other very important task to complete. He must journey to Jerusalem, and deliver the contributions he has collected from the Gentile churches for the poor saints in the Jerusalem church (25-27; see JC, 1:35-36). Then he will head directly to Rome and on to Spain (28-29).

The side trip to Jerusalem is anything but routine, however. Paul anticipates the possibility of serious problems there, including attacks upon him personally from non-Christian Jews, and a reluctance on the part of the Jewish Christians to accept gifts from Gentile Christians. Therefore he urges the Roman brethren to join him in praying that the Jerusalem trip will go well, so that he may subsequently go on to Rome in a joyful spirit (30-32). He prays for God's peace to be with them (33).

Some see this section as the key to Paul's purpose for writing Romans in the first place, or at least the key to "the content and emphases of the letter" (Moo, 885). Some think Paul's long essay is intended to demonstrate his doctrinal orthodoxy to the Roman Christians, showing them the gospel he would preach in Spain as part of his effort to persuade them to back his mission there. Others think Paul is rehearsing the defense he will give in Jerusalem, in case his orthodoxy is challenged in connection with the delivery of the Gentile Christians' gifts to the Jerusalem church. (See JC, 1:40-42; see Dunn, 2:884.)

In my opinion, though, these factors are secondary in Paul's mind as he writes this letter. His main purpose, as explained earlier (JC, 1:44-45), stems from his eager desire "to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome" (1:15).

While the themes of this section definitely overlap the contents of the introduction to the epistle (1:1-17; see Moo, 886), there is significant new information here, as the above summary indicates. We may break it down into paragraphs dealing with Paul's past service (14-22), his future plans (23-29), and his request for prayer (30-33).

A. REFLECTIONS ON HIS PAST SERVICE (15:14-22)

This paragraph gives us important insights, first into Paul as a person, and then into his self-understanding of his apostolic ministry. The former is manifest in vv. 14-15, in the way he deals with his concern that the Christians in Rome might misunderstand the occasionally serious tone of his letter. He has uttered some rather stern rebukes and strong exhortations along the way, and now he wants to make sure that the brethren in Rome do not take these to mean that he had a low opinion of their Christian faith and life. Thus he expresses his own confidence in them and compliments them on their personal maturity as Christians (see 1:8; 16:19). At the same time he wants them not to see him as insensitive and presumptuous but to understand that it is his duty as the Apostle to the Gentiles to address them with authority. (See MacArthur, 2:326; Stott, 377.)

These two verses (14-15), says Hendriksen, thus show us what kind of person Paul was. Specifically, they show Paul to be a man of tact, modesty, prudence, humility, and concern for the feelings of others (2:484).

The other major insight we glean from this paragraph has to do with the way Paul understood the nature of his apostleship. First, as to essence, he saw it in terms of priesthood (v. 16). Second, as to strategy, he saw himself called to be a church planter . I.e., his task was to be a pioneer preacher, commissioned to carry the gospel into the centers of Gentile population, plant churches, and move on (vv. 19-21).

It was this self-understanding that had shaped his past service, and was now shaping his plans for the immediate future.

15:14 I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. We must not forget that the just-completed essay on the doctrine of salvation was not written just for the sake of the church at Rome, but was intended by the Holy Spirit to apply to the entire body of Christ in all ages. At times Paul's admonitions seem rather severe, e.g., 6:1-3,15-16; 11:17-22; 13:12-14; 14:1-4,10-16; and in the church as a whole some Christians will feel their sting more than others will.

This is why Paul wants the Christians in Rome to know that he is not necessarily implying that they are personally lacking in these areas. "I myself" translates an emphatic phrase, as does "you yourselves." "As far as I personally am concerned," Paul says, "I am persuaded that you personally are Christians of solid maturity." He knew their good reputation (1:8; 16:19), and he knew some of them on a personal basis. His praise is neither insincere flattery nor oily diplomacy, nor is he apologizing for anything he has said. Dunn rightly notes, though, that the language is "exaggerated, in the way that courteous compliments in the East tend to be" (2:866).

Paul compliments the Roman Christians in three areas. First, he says they are "full of goodness" (ajgaqosuvnh , agathosynç ). This basically refers to a morally upright character, a general goodness of the heart that loves righteousness and opposes all that is evil. "This would be first of all goodwill or the intention to do that which is good," says Spicq ( Lexicon , 1:3). It is not just obedience (16:19), but an obedient heart as well (6:17).

That the Romans were full of goodness is hyperbole, since perfection eludes all. It means, says Morris, that they had a "plentiful supply" of goodness and not just an occasional episode of it (509). The sense is this: "I am fully aware of your spiritual maturity and moral virtue, and I commend you for it" (MacArthur, 2:327). This is indeed a high compliment; at the opposite end of the spectrum would be a church like the one at Corinth as reflected in 1 Corinthians.

Paul next praises the church at Rome for being "complete in knowledge," or "filled with all knowledge" (NASB). This again is hyperbole, since omniscience belongs to God alone. Also, Paul is not saying they had knowledge of every possible topic; his comment is "limited by the subject in hand" (Lard, 439), i.e., the gospel or the Christian faith. Paul is saying that they have a solid and practical understanding of Christian teaching. (The very depth of the essay on salvation which is the heart of this letter shows Paul's confidence in the mature level of their understanding; this is no doctrinal primer!)

Paul's commendation of the Romans' goodness and knowledge together is a rebuke to those Christians who deliberately deemphasize doctrine and focus entirely on loving interpersonal relationships as the essence of Christianity. Virtue and truth are inseparable, as MacArthur says (2:327). The issue is not either-or, but both-and.

In his third compliment Paul declares that the Romans are "competent to instruct one another." Nouqetevw (noutheteô ) means literally to put something into someone's mind, i.e., "to instruct"; but it often means instruction in the sense of "admonish, warn, reprimand, rebuke," especially with reference to moral training (see Col 1:28; see Spicq, Lexicon , 2:548-551). Paul is basically saying that the Roman Christians do not need for him to admonish them, for they are fully capable of admonishing one another.

15:15 I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me . . . . In what sense is this letter somewhat bold (audacious, daring)? Paul is probably referring to those places mentioned above where his admonitions are rather severe. Some think he is being "slightly apologetic" in view of the fact that he was not the one who founded the church in Rome and did not even know most of them (Cranfield, 2:752-753; Bruce, 260; Dunn, 2:857). Such an "apology" is not necessary, however, in view of Paul's general apostolic authority, to which he appeals in v. 15b.

Some may think that Paul had to speak forcefully at times because the Roman brethren's spiritual immaturity made it necessary. But we have just seen that Paul regards them as being not immature but "spiritually strong and well-equipped" (MacArthur, 2:330). Indeed, this is the very point: he has addressed them boldly just because their maturity makes them able to handle such admonitions and to profit from them.

Paul says he is reminding them again of these things, implying the prior knowledge mentioned in v. 14. This "diplomatic exaggeration" (Moo, 888) does not necessarily mean that they already knew everything Paul writes in this letter, but probably means that they knew the fundamental facts of the gospel, the deeper implications of which he is here setting forth. In any case it teaches us this, that although Christians are not supposed to keep focusing on the basics to the neglect of deeper doctrine (Heb 5:11-6:3), there is still a need for us to be periodically reminded even of fundamental truths (2 Tim 2:8-14; Titus 3:1; 2 Pet 1:12; 3:1).

In the last part of this verse Paul declares that he has reminded them of these things somewhat boldly on account of "the grace God gave to me." This grace is the gift of apostleship, his commission to be the Apostle to the Gentiles (see 1:5; JC, 1:77-78). His apostolic authority and apostolic duty are thus the basis or justification for what he has written in this letter and for the authoritative manner in which he has written it.

15:16 Paul now explains the essence of his apostleship. God gave me this grace, he says, to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Three words in this verse show that Paul viewed his ministry as a (metaphorical) priesthood . First, he says God's grace has made him a "minister" (leitourgov" , leitourgos ; see 13:6). This word does not always have a religious connotation, but along with its cognates it sometimes refers to priestly service. (This is the word group from which we get the term "liturgy.") The present context, especially the other two words discussed below, shows that Paul has this priestly connotation in mind here. He thus identifies himself as a priestly minister serving Jesus Christ "to the Gentiles," or for the sake of the Gentiles. OT priests interceded with God on behalf of the Jews, but under the New Covenant that service is now performed on behalf of the Gentiles as well.

The second religious or cultic word used here is the verb iJerourgevw (hierourgeô ), translated "priestly duty" in the NIV. (See the words iJerov" [ hieros , "holy"] and iJerovn [ hieron , "sanctuary, temple"].) Most agree that it means "to serve or act as a priest" (AG, 374; Murray, 2:210; Dunn, 2:860; Moo, 890).

Thus Paul says that his specific work as a minister of Christ is to perform the work of a priest, and to do so with reference to "the gospel of God." The latter phrase can mean "by proclaiming the gospel," i.e., by using the gospel as an instrument. Or it can mean "for the cause of the gospel," i.e., to bring about the ultimate purpose sought by the gospel: the salvation of sinners (or in Paul's case, Gentile sinners).

The third word identifying Paul's ministry as a priesthood is "offering," or prosforav ( prosphora ), which in this case means the thing offered or sacrificed to God (see Acts 21:26; Eph 5:2; Heb 10:5, 8). The main work of a priest is to offer sacrifices to God on behalf of sinners, in order to restore them to a proper relationship with God. This is why Paul was called to his priestly ministry, i.e., for the purpose of presenting an offering before God.

What offering does Paul the priest present to God? Literally, "the offering of the Gentiles," i.e., the offering that consists of the Gentiles. As the result of Paul's ministry, converted Gentiles are themselves offered up to God as sacrifices that are well-pleasing and acceptable in his sight (Lenski, 880; Cranfield, 2:756; Dunn, 2:860). This does not mean simply that he leads them to offer themselves as living sacrifices (12:1); in his role as priest, Paul is the one who presents them to God (Stott, 379; contra Morris, 511). Though he does not quote it, Paul may have had in mind the prophecy in Isa 66:19-21, where God says he would scatter the Jews to proclaim his glory to the nations, so that the latter might be brought back to Jerusalem "as an offering to the Lord."

Paul says that this offering is "acceptable to God" because it is "sanctified by the Holy Spirit." Just as OT temple sacrifices had to be ritually clean and acceptable to God, so must NT sacrifices be acceptable to him. In the eyes of the Jews, the Gentiles were considered to be unclean and therefore unacceptable by nature, just because they were not Jews (Acts 10:9-16,28,34-35; 11:1-18). But God makes the Gentiles acceptable to him by sanctifying them through the Holy Spirit. This was done symbolically for all time when God poured out his Spirit on Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:44-47; 11:15-17; 15:8-9); and it is done for every individual Gentile convert when he receives the gift of the indwelling Spirit in Christian baptism (Acts 2:38,39; 1 Cor 12:3). At this point he is initially sanctified or set apart unto God "by the Spirit" (1 Cor 6:11).

Thus the essence of Paul's apostolic ministry is priestly service. The same can be said also of all those who preach the gospel. Paul's priestly offerings were specialized (the Gentiles), but in a real sense "all evangelists are priests because they offer their converts to God" (Stott, 379). Actually, every Christian is a priest and has some sort of sacrifice to offer. The Protestant Reformers rightly spoke of the "priesthood of all believers." The church, says Peter, is "a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet 2:5; see 2:9; Rev 1:6; 20:6). These "spiritual sacrifices" are the "sacrifice of praise," or good words (Heb 13:15), and also the sacrifices of good works (Heb 13:16). The purpose of all such sacrifices is to impress others with the saving love of God and to lead them to surrender to him (Matt 5:16; 1 Pet 2:9-12).

15:17 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. "I glory" is literally "I have a reason for boasting." In terms of both the quantity and the quality of of his service - winning converts, starting churches, writing books of the Bible! - Paul certainly could have put together a very impressive resume. But he was not interested in bringing glory to himself. He knew that his apostleship as such was a gift of grace (v. 15b), that the gospel is the real power that saves (1:16; 10:17), and that he owed his accomplishments to God's power working through him (v. 19a).

Thus Paul's boasting is not for himself, but for the Lord. He glories only "in Christ Jesus," and only regarding "things pertaining to God" (NASB). In 1 Cor 1:31 and 2 Cor 10:17, citing Jer 9:24, Paul states his philosophy of boasting: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

15:18 I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done . . . . Christ certainly accomplished many things through Paul, resulting in obedience on the part of many Gentiles. But here Paul reiterates and explains the determination expressed in v. 17, not to call attention to himself or to speak of his accomplishments as if they were his own. He will talk about them, but only as things that Christ has done through him, using him as an instrument. "Not I, but Christ" is his theme. See Acts 15:1-2; 21:19.

Some think Paul's emphasis is on what Christ has accomplished "through me , rather than through someone else" (Moule, 239; SH, 406; Murray, 2:212). This does not seem to be the point, though. The emphasis is on "what Christ has done through me."

Verse 18 ends with the short phrase, "by word and deed" (NASB). The NIV interprets this, as do most scholars, as modifying "accomplished," i.e., as referring to Paul's words and deeds. In this case it is a brief but comprehensive reference to his total ministry. "By word" refers to his preaching and teaching; "by deed" refers to his journeys, his sufferings, his miracles, and his many labors. See 2 Cor 10:11.

It is also possible to take this phrase as modifying "the obedience of the Gentiles," in which case it would mean that Paul's priestly ministry is intended to lead the Gentiles into a life of total obedience, in word and deed. See Col 3:17; 2 Thess 2:17.

15:19a How did Christ accomplish the evangelization of the Gentiles through Paul? He did it by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. He did it first of all by "the power of signs and wonders" (NASB). All three of these words are used elsewhere to refer to miracles (Acts 2:22; 2 Cor 12:12; Heb 2:4; see 2 Thess 2:9; see GRu, 229-231). "Signs" refers to miracles in terms of their purpose, namely, to function as proof or evidence for the validity of an accompanying truth-claim (see GRu, 231-240). They can function thus because they are also "wonders." I.e., because miracles are observable events that are outside the laws of nature (GRu, 244-261), they elicit awe and wonder in those who observe or hear of them. Miracles are also called "powers," referring to their source in the mighty power of God. (Here in 15:19a the word "power" is not referring to the miracles as such, but to the divine power from which they come.)

As an Apostle, Paul had the ability to perform miracles, and used it to attest to the truth of the message he proclaimed. See Acts 14:8-10; 16:16-18; 20:9-12; 28:3-9. These miracles confirmed the authenticity of his apostleship (2 Cor 12:12).

"Through the power of the Holy Spirit" could be saying only that the signs and wonders were done through the Spirit's power, but most (rightly) take it as setting forth a more general reason for the success of Paul's work among the Gentiles. I.e., everything Christ did through Paul was accomplished through the power of the Spirit working in him. This is a comprehensive explanation, since the Spirit's power was indeed the source of the miracles, but was also the source of Paul's inspired preaching and writing, and the source of his apostolic activity in general. (See Murray, 2:213; Cranfield, 2:759; Moo, 893.)

15:19b Having reflected on the source of, essence of, and power behind his ministry as the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul now tells us (in vv. 19b-22) something of the strategy behind it, and how that strategy has affected and is still affecting his choices of where to serve. He says, So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.

Here he sums up where he has preached the gospel thus far, i.e., within the boundaries of an arc-like span around the northeastern portion of the Mediterranean Sea, reaching from Jerusalem in the southeast to Illyricum in the northwest. "All the way around" translates a single word which literally means "in a circle." Some think this refers to the area surrounding Jerusalem, i.e., "the other countries lying around that city" (Lard, 442; see Godet, 480; Moule, 240). Recent interpreters agree that it refers to the geographical arc (which looks like part of a circle) mentioned above, as the general area within which Paul had thus far traveled and evangelized.

Illyricum (also called Dalmatia, 2 Tim 4:10) was a Roman province consisting of the area lying east of Italy across the Adriatic Sea, and northwest of Macedonia and Achaia. Moo notes that it corresponds roughly to the modern areas of northern Albania, much of Yugoslavia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina (894).

Some have questioned the accuracy of this statement, since the NT does not specifically mention Paul's journeying into either Jerusalem or Illyricum on any of his preaching tours. His ministry did include some time in Jerusalem (Gal 1:17-19; 2:2; Acts 9:26-29; 26:20), although he probably was not preaching to Gentiles there. Also, Acts 20:1-2 states that he traveled throughout the general area of Macedonia, which could have included an excursion into Illyricum.

In any case it is not necessary that we interpret Paul's statement to mean that he pursued his Gentile mission inside the borders of either Jerusalem or Illyricum. He may mean only that these are in general the boundaries up to which he carried the gospel (Cranfield, 2:761-762). Also, it is important to see that he is not talking about a single, chronologically-ordered trip. I.e., he is not saying he started in Jerusalem and wound up in Illyricum. He is speaking rather of the general geographical arc within which he worked. The statement is not a "detailed itinerary, but simply a grand design" (Dunn, 2:869).

What does Paul mean when he says he "fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ" in this area? Literally he says he "fulfilled the gospel" there. This could possibly refer to the content of his preaching, indicating that he left nothing out of his message (see Acts 20:20,27); but that does not seem to be his point here (see Murray, 2:214; Cranfield, 2:762). In this context he is focusing on the places where he preached.

Is he affirming, then, that he has already preached the gospel in every city, town, and village within the Jerusalem-Illyricum arc? No, this would have been physically impossible. The reasonable consensus is a little different, namely, that he "fully proclaimed the gospel" in the entire area named, but only according to the strategy explained in vv. 20-21. I.e., he preached in all the strategic cities and population centers in these provinces, going where no one had yet carried the gospel, and planting new churches which could then take up the task of spreading the Word to the surrounding regions. Thus in terms of his special mission as a trail-blazing, pioneer preacher, he had indeed "fulfilled the gospel" within the described arc.

15:20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. This verse begins with Greek words unfortunately not translated by the NIV, ou{tw" dev (houtôs de ). Houtôs means "thus, in this way." It connects v. 20 with v. 19 by explaining how Paul was able to fully proclaim the gospel from Jerusalem to Illyricum. I.e., he was able to complete this task because it was his policy always to be covering new ground. As Dunn says, this strategy was "a calculated policy on Paul's part, judged by him to be the most effective way of carrying the message of the gospel as far as he could throughout the gentile world" (2:869).

Paul states his strategy in two ways. First, his goal has been to preach "where Christ was not known," or literally, "not named." That is, he wanted to go into virgin territory where the Gentiles had not yet heard about Jesus and had not had the opportunity to name him as their Savior and Lord (10:9-13; 2 Tim 2:19).

Second, he has made it his practice to concentrate on unevangelized areas "so that [i{na , hina ] I would not be building on someone else's foundation." This was exactly how he had worked in Corinth: "By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it" (1 Cor 3:10). Stated in a different way: "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow" (1 Cor 3:6).

The consensus is that Paul understood himself to be called "to be a trail-blazer for the gospel, a pioneer missionary, a founder of churches" (Hendriksen, 2:490). His ministry was that of "establishing strategic churches in virgin gospel territory" (Moo, 896). By following this policy, says Dunn, Paul was able "to achieve the greatest missionary expansion with the greatest economy of missionary effort" (2:869).

While this was his general strategy, it was not an absolute rule and did not prevent him from making certain exceptions under special circumstances. For example, he was planning an immediate trip to Jerusalem to deliver the Gentile Christians' offering to the poor saints there (15:25-27). Also, he had long desired to visit Rome (1:9-15; 15:23), and was planning to go there as soon as he completed his business in Jerusalem (15:24,28).

While his planned visit to Rome would clearly be an exception to his usual policy, it was at the same time subordinated to it. The main reason he had not visited there earlier, he says (vv. 22-23), is that he was concentrating on the unevangelized regions in the East. Also, his visit to Rome would be part of a larger plan to begin a pioneer gospel mission in the West, specifically, in Spain (vv. 24,28). Finally, the visit to Rome would be just that: a brief visit (vv. 24,28).

15:21 Paul now cites an OT text which he sees as validating his pioneer-preacher policy. Rather, as it is written: "Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand." (The quote is from Isa 52:15, LXX.) This text is about the Servant of Yahweh and is undoubtedly messianic; it prepares the way for the great prophecy of Christ's propitiatory death in Isa 53. Paul cites this verse because the first part of it clearly indicates that Isaiah is talking about the Gentiles: "So will he [the Suffering Servant] sprinkle many nations" (i.e., to purify them; see 15:16).

The Gentiles are the ones "who were not told" about the Messiah, and "who have not heard." The point of the prophecy, however, is that they will see, and they will understand. Paul clearly implies that his own work as the Apostle to the Gentiles is a fulfillment of this prophecy, in that he is the means by which the nations are seeing and understanding.

If Paul derived his self-understanding as the Apostle of the Gentiles from this text, it is easy to see how he made it his policy "to preach the gospel where Christ was not known" (v. 20), since Isaiah speaks of nations "who were not told" and "who have not heard."

15:22 This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you. Paul has already indicated in 1:13 that he had planned many times to visit Rome, but had been prevented from doing so until now. While other factors were also responsible (see JC, 1:97), the main reason why he had not yet been able to go to Rome was the urgent need to preach the gospel to the unevangelized in the Jerusalem-Illyricum arc. "His concern for place after place in that eastern area preoccupied him so that he could not come to Rome, no matter how often he thought of doing so" (Fitzmyer, 716).

B. HIS PLANS FOR THE FUTURE (15:23-29)

But this is all about to change, because Paul sees himself as having completed his trailblazing work in the eastern area. Having done so, he has now formulated a plan for a totally new phase in his missionary work, one that will definitely allow him to spend a short time in Rome. In this paragraph he explains it to the Roman church.

The plan Paul outlines is no small undertaking. His ultimate goal is Spain, in the far western regions of southern Europe. But instead of traveling directly there from Corinth (his location when he wrote this letter; see JC, 1:31), he felt the need to personally present the Gentiles' offering to the Jerusalem church. Only then would he go back westward to Spain, stopping at Rome on the way. Stott (384) calculates that this itinerary would require Paul to travel (mostly by boat) about 3,000 miles: c. 800 from Corinth to Jerusalem, c. 1,500 from Jerusalem to Rome, and c. 700 from Rome to Spain. Such a trip would be long, perilous, and uncomfortable.

15:23-24a But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. Here Paul names two basic factors that have shaped his upcoming travel plans. The first has to do with the completion of his missionary work in the eastern area. "Place" is tovpo" ( topos ), which can also mean "opportunity," a meaning that fits well here. "These regions" are the area described in v. 19b. Paul is simply saying that now that he has laid the foundation for the church there, he is ready to move on to a totally new area. In terms of the strategy affirmed in v. 20, there is no more opportunity for him to pursue his calling here.

The second factor shaping his itinerary is his long-standing desire to visit Rome itself, as described in 1:9-15. "Having been longing" is a rather rare noun that suggests a very strong desire.

The two parts of v. 23 are literally two participial phrases: "no longer having an opportunity" and "having a desire." The NIV properly translates them as dependent clauses. What we would expect next is a main clause in which Paul specifically asserts his intentions, e.g., "I am now planning a trip." But unfortunately (from a grammatical point of view, at least), that main clause never appears. In v. 24a Paul adds one more dependent clause (lit., "whenever I journey to Spain"), and breaks off his sentence without giving us a main clause of any kind.

Some later manuscripts added a main clause ("I will come to you," KJV), but this is not in the original text. Obviously Paul knows that we will understand his point even without a main clause, which we can indeed easily surmise in view of the context. Lard (445) suggests that at the end of v. 23 we can insert, "I purpose doing so"; this completes the thought. The NIV has done the same thing, adding a main clause at the beginning of v. 24, "I plan to do so." But this is not in the original; the next clause, "when I go to Spain," is actually how v. 24 begins. (See the NASB for a literal rendering of vv. 23-24a.)

Verse 24a and v. 28 are Paul's only references to his intention to evangelize Spain. We do not know if he was ever able to do this. The Bible says nothing more about it, but this does not rule out the possibility. Two statements from early Christian writings are sometimes interpreted as affirming that Paul did get to Spain, but these cannot be verified.

The main part of Paul's plan is to go to Spain; his visit to Rome will be but a brief stopover in his journey farther west. Spain, thought to be the location of Tarshish (Jonah 1:3; see 1 Kgs 10:22), was growing in significance as a cultural and commercial area of the Roman empire. This is no doubt why Paul saw it as a logical next step in his plan to evangelize those who had not yet heard.

15:24b In the rest of v. 24 Paul explains to the Christians at Rome the place of his intended visit there in relation to his overall plan. I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. First, he says he will just be stopping by "to visit you" as he is "passing through." Both of these terms indicate that his stay in Rome will be "not much more than a stop on his way to his ultimate destination, which is Spain" (Moo, 898). Second, he says he will be able to stay only "for a while," literally, "in part." I.e., it will only be a partial visit compared with what he would prefer.

But even though his visit in Rome will be brief, he hopes to accomplish two things. First, he will attempt to persuade the church in Rome to assist him in his mission to Spain. The word translated "assist me on my journey" is propevmpw (propempô ), which could mean just "accompany, escort" (Acts 20:38; 21:5); but it more likely means "help on one's journey with food, money, by arranging for companions, means of travel, etc." (AG, 716). It is used several times in the NT in the latter sense (Acts 15:3; 1 Cor 16:6,11; 2 Cor 1:16; Titus 3:13; 3 John 6). It suggests at least that Paul was expecting the Roman Christians to give him substantial aid for the remainder of his journey to Spain. It may be that he was even hoping they would become a "supporting church" for his mission there, perhaps by providing him with a missionary recruit to help him in his work, as Philippi had sent Epaphroditus (Phil 2:25-30).

The other thing Paul hoped to accomplish by his visit with the Roman Christians was to "enjoy their company" in Christian fellowship. The word used here literally means "to be filled full"; it is appropriate to interpret it (as does the NIV) to mean something like "filled full with the pleasure of your company." He has already said (1:12) that he knows a visit with the brethren at Rome would be an encouragement to him (JC, 1:95-96). This is true even though he could be there only "for a while."

15:25 Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the saints there. Here Paul informs his Roman brothers that there is still one more thing he has to do before making his journey to Rome and Spain. He is just now beginning a trip to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21; 20:16), to deliver money collected from the Gentile churches during his third missionary journey, to help the poor Christians in the Jerusalem church. In this way he would be "serving the saints" (NASB).

The word for "serving" is diakonevw (diakoneô ), the verb form of diakoniva ( diakonia ). These words can have the general sense of serving or ministering to others' needs (see 16:1), or they can signify a more specific kind of service. As we have seen, diakonia in 12:7 probably refers to benevolent work in the church, just as diakoneô refers here to the collection taken for the poor in Jerusalem.

"Saints" is a word used for all Christians (see 1:7; JC, 1:85); here it refers specifically to the poor saints in Jerusalem (v. 26).

Ten or eleven years earlier, Paul (along with Barnabas) had already carried an offering to the Jerusalem church, sent by the church at Antioch (Acts 11:28-30; 12:25). The occasion then was a famine, and the motivation was simply Christian love.

What was the purpose of this present offering? First, there is no doubt that Paul encouraged this offering simply as an act of benevolence, as a way of helping the poor (Gal 2:10) in the spirit of Christian love (2 Cor 8:8,24). There is no indication that there was another widespread famine in the Jerusalem area at this time, but there did seem to be quite a number of poor saints there who needed continuing help.

Second and more significantly, Paul apparently regarded this offering as a concrete symbol of the unity and interdependence of Gentiles and Jews under the banner of the gospel of Christ. He has already written at length about this interdependence in ch. 11, and he will refer to it again in v. 29. By encouraging the Gentile Christians to contribute to this collection, Paul was hoping to get them to acknowledge their dependence on the Jews for salvation and to give them a token of their gratitude in return. In this way he "intended to establish good relations between the Jewish Christian mother-community in Jerusalem and the newly founded Gentile Christian churches" (Fitzmyer, 720).

15:26 After the initial general reference to his Jerusalem trip in v. 25, Paul now states its purpose explicitly: For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. "Macedonia and Achaia" refer, of course, to the churches in these two areas. Other areas had also participated in the collection, but these are the ones he had been working with most recently.

Macedonia lay southeast of Illyricum, across the Adriatic Sea from Italy's boot heel. It was bordered by the Aegean Sea on the east and Achaia on the south. Its main cities included Berea, Philippi, and Thessalonica (the capital). Achaia lay south of Macedonia as the end of a peninsula jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea. Athens and Corinth were its major cities. Both Macedonia and Achaia were part of pre-Roman Greece.

The Christians in these areas, says Paul, were "pleased" or delighted to participate in Paul's collection for the poor in Jerusalem. Though Paul had urged them to give (1 Cor 16:1-4; 2 Cor 8:7,24), he made it clear that it was not a matter of necessity but of free and cheerful choice (2 Cor 8:8; 9:5,7). This free and cheerful spirit in which the gifts were given is indicated in the word "pleased"; Paul thinks this point is important enough to repeat the word in v. 27a. As v. 31b indicates, he hopes the gifts will be received by the Jerusalem church in a similar spirit.

The word translated "contribute" is koinwniva (koinônia ), which literally means "fellowship, participation, sharing in." The same word is used for this collection in 2 Cor 8:4; 9:13, where it is translated "sharing." Since money earned as salary or wages is indeed "coined life," when one gives his money to help meet the needs of others, it is truly an act of fellowship, of sharing one's very life with the recipient of the gift. Thus the very nature of benevolent giving (as an act of fellowship) made Paul's collection an ideal means of drawing the early Jewish and Gentile Christians closer together.

"The poor among the saints" rightly indicates that only some of the Christians in Jerusalem were poor. This had been true from the beginning, and the other Christians in the church there had always been ready to help them (Acts 4:34-37; 6:1). What is significant here is that so many Gentile Christians were willing to do the same.

15:27 This verse indicates why the Gentile Christians were so eagerly pleased to help the poor saints in Jerusalem: They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. Here for the first time Paul indicates that the main thing at stake in this collection was the relation between Jews and Gentiles in the church. The Gentile Christians were happy to share with the Jewish Christians (at Jerusalem), because they felt they owed it to them. Literally Paul says "they are debtors," using the same word he used of himself in 1:14 (JC, 1:99-100). This is not a legal debt but a moral obligation, a debt of gratitude. The Gentiles owed this debt to the Jews because of what the latter had done for them.

Paul explains the debt in the rest of the verse. The Gentiles, he says, "have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings." The "spiritual things" of which Paul speaks are the blessings of salvation, and his point is that the Gentiles must remember that "salvation is from the Jews" (John 4:22; see Rom 11:11,17; 15:8). It was through the Jews that the Savior came into the world (9:5), and in this sense all Christians owe an unpayable debt to the Jews. Also, it was from Jerusalem, through the early Jewish Christians, that the gospel was first proclaimed and from which it spread into all the earth (Acts 1:8; see Isa 2:3-5; Micah 4:2-5). This resulted in "an obligation on the part of the gentile churches to those through whom the stream of salvation-history blessings had flowed to them" (Dunn, 2:873). As MacArthur says (2:347), "On the human level, all Gentile Christians owe their spiritual lives to the Jewish apostles, prophets, teachers, and evangelists who first proclaimed the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ."

Although the collection obviously could never begin to be equivalent to the spiritual gifts the Gentile Christians had received through and from the Jewish Christians, it was nevertheless fitting and proper for the former to give back a gift of material things as a way of expressing their gratitude. Indeed, they ought to do so; they "owe" it to them - again in terms of moral obligation.

The word translated "share" is leitourgevw (leitourgeô ) (the verb form of leitourgos in 15:16), which indicates that the collection was an act of servanthood and an act of worship. See 2 Cor 9:12, where Paul refers to this contribution as "the ministry [ diakonia ] of this service [ leitourgia ]" (NASB).

15:28 So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this fruit, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. Having explained his imminent trip to Jerusalem (vv. 25-27), Paul now returns to the main point he was making in v. 24, about his planned trip to Rome and then to Spain. He will make the latter trip only after he has finished the business about the collection, i.e., after he has delivered it to the Jerusalem church in person.

At this point Paul adds a participial phrase that most find difficult to understand. It explains what, to Paul, was involved in completing the task of delivering the collection. He describes this act as, literally, "having sealed to them this fruit." "This fruit" is the collection itself, but in what sense is it "fruit"? This may mean that it was the fruit of Paul's own labor, i.e., of the effort he expended in raising these gifts. More likely Paul means it was the fruit produced among the Gentiles as a result of the spiritual blessings sent forth to them by the Jerusalem Christians (Cranfield, 2:775; Murray, 2:219).

The difficult question is, what does Paul mean when he says that he will seal this fruit to the Jerusalem church? To place one's seal upon something means to put one's unique identifying mark upon it in order to guarantee its authenticity. The NIV interprets Paul's sealing action here in terms of safe delivery. I.e., Paul travels along with the collection in order to make sure that the Jerusalem church receives it. This is probably not the point, since Paul had many trusted helpers who could have done this. Thus the NIV translation is off the mark.

Some take the concept of the seal here in its most basic sense, i.e., as a mark of identification. Sometimes an image taken from tenant farming is cited: "When the tenant farmer delivered the harvested fruit or produce to the owner, the sacks were marked with the farmer's seal as an identification of its source." Thus "the seal was an official mark of ownership used in deliveries, and sealing was the last act before delivery" (Fitzmyer, 723). Lenski rejects such an explanation, saying that ownership of the collection is not the issue (893).

The most likely meaning is that Paul put his seal on the collection in the sense that he attested and certified to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem that this money was a gift of genuine love from their Gentile brethren. He made this long and arduous trip to Jerusalem just to make sure that the Jewish Christians understood the significance of the gift as an instrument that was meant to join them and their Gentile brothers together in a bond of Christian fellowship.

Once this has been accomplished, Paul says, "I will go on by way of you to Spain" (NASB). The NIV's "visit you on the way" is literally "through you," i.e., through Rome. This is another indication that his visit to Rome was going to be brief and was secondary to his purpose of taking the gospel to Spain (see v. 24).

15:29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ. Here Paul expresses a measure of confidence that he will finally be able to fulfill his longing to visit Rome, once the Jerusalem task is completed. "I know," he says; "I will come," he says. We know from the book of Acts that he did indeed go to Rome, though not exactly according to his original plan.

In any case, he was sure that when he came, it would be with the full blessing of Christ. That is, he knew that Christ's blessing would be upon him, and he knew that he would be able to bestow the fullness of Christ's blessing upon them (see 1:12).

C. HIS REQUEST FOR PRAYER (15:30-33)

Despite the confidence expressed in v. 29, Paul is still somewhat apprehensive about his trip to Jerusalem, especially about how he and the contribution would be received there. Thus he closes this section of the letter with a request for prayer concerning his announced itinerary.

15:30 I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. This is surely more a personal plea than an authoritative command (see 12:1). It is an urgent plea; the word for "urge" (parakalevw , parakaleô ) often has the connotation of pleading and begging. The language shows that Paul feels a serious need for the intercessory prayer of his brethren.

Paul names two bases for his appeal. First, he pleads for prayer "by [diav , dia ] our Lord Jesus Christ." This may be a reference to the authority by which he makes his request (Moo, 909), but more likely he is just appealing to the fact that he and his Roman brethren both worship the same Lord (" our Lord"): "I urge you, as one Christian to another . . . ."

The other basis for his appeal is "the love of the Spirit." This is no doubt the Holy Spirit, but it is not clear just how the Spirit and the love (ajgavph , agapç ) are related. Grammatically it could mean the Spirit's love for us: "The Spirit's love should incite to prayer" (Murray, 2:221). Also, it could mean our love for the Spirit (MacArthur, 2:350). Most likely, though, it means the love which the Holy Spirit imparts to us as part of his sanctifying work, and which is one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). It is "that love between Christians which is the effect of the Holy Spirit's indwelling" (Cranfield, 2:776; see Morris, 523; Dunn, 2:878; Moo, 909). I.e., Paul is saying, "If you really love me - and Spirit-filled Christians should love one another - you will pray for me."

Paul beseeches his brethren not just "to pray," but to strive or struggle along with him in prayer. The word for "struggle" is sunagwnivzomai (synagônizomai , cf. "agonize"). This is a combination of agônizomai , which means "to engage in a contest, to fight, to struggle, to wrestle, to strive"; plus syn , "along with" (AG, 15, 791). Paul's use of the term here does not necessarily imply struggling against someone or something, though we may be tempted to think of Jacob's wrestling with God (Gen 32:24-30) and of every Christian's struggle against evil powers (Eph 6:10-12).

To what struggle does Paul refer? Quite possibly he is thinking of the struggle he anticipates in Jerusalem, where he expects to meet with resistance from both his unbelieving Jewish enemies and the Jewish Christians (see v. 31). The NIV suggests this meaning; it pictures Paul beseeching the Christians at Rome to march alongside him in this struggle, not by their physical presence but by their prayers for him (see Dunn, 2:878).

The other possibility, which is more likely, is that the struggle to which Paul refers is the praying itself, in which case he is not talking about ordinary, casual prayer but earnest, forceful, and persistent prayer like that of Jesus in Gethsemane (see Cranfield, 2:777). Thus he "calls for prayers into which one puts his whole heart and soul as do the contestants in the arena" (Lenski, 895).

It may be incidental, but there is a Trinitarian framework in this verse. Paul pleads with the Romans to pray (1) to God the Father, (2) through the Lord Jesus Christ, and (3) through the love of the Holy Spirit (see also vv. 18-19). It should be noted that the prayer is directed to God the Father, not to the Son nor to the Spirit.

15:31 Now Paul instructs the saints at Rome to pray for two things in particular: Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, . . . The "unbelievers in Judea" are the unbelieving, unconverted Jews in Jerusalem and the whole surrounding area. Paul was well known to them as a former leader among the Jews (see JC, 1:27-28) and was considered to be a betrayer of his people and his religion, and the Apostle was well aware of their hostility toward him (Acts 13:45,50; 17:5-8,13; 18:12-17; 19:9; 20:3). They had already tried to kill him (Acts 9:29; 14:19), and would do so again (Acts 23:12-15). Thus "Paul realized fully that he was walking into a den of lions" (Lenski, 895). He was not afraid to die, but he wanted to live in order to fulfill his plans to evangelize Spain (Acts 20:24; see Phil 1:21-25).

Paul specifically requests that his brethren pray that he might "be rescued" from the unbelieving Jews. The word for "rescue" (rJuvomai , rhyomai ) can mean "to protect or preserve from harm," but often it has the connotation of delivering or rescuing someone from a peril that has already come upon him. At the time Paul wrote this letter he may already have known that he was going to be captured and bound by the Jews in Jerusalem; it was certainly made clear to him shortly after this (Acts 20:22-23; 21:10-14). Thus he may be requesting prayer that God will literally rescue him out of this certain captivity.

As a matter of fact, this is the way it happened. If Paul was praying and asking for prayer that he not be captured at all, then his prayer was not answered. If he was praying and asking for prayer that he be delivered from his Jewish enemies after they had captured him, then this prayer was definitely answered - but not necessarily in any way that Paul could have anticipated. He was in fact rescued from his Jewish captors, but only by becoming a prisoner of the Roman government.

Paul's other specific prayer request is that the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem ("the saints," vv. 25, 26) would accept the offering he was bringing to them. This is not just a prayer that all will go well in a general way (contra Cranfield, 2:778), but a prayer that the existing tension between Paul and his Gentile converts on the one hand, and the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem on the other hand, would not lead to a rejection of the offering but instead would break down that very tension and unite them all in true brotherhood. Many of the Jewish Christians still could not get used to the idea that God would accept the Gentiles (unless they first submitted to the Law of Moses; Acts 15:1-5); and they were suspicious of Paul's gospel, regarding it as negative toward Jews and the Law (see Acts 21:20-21). Therefore they might think that accepting the contribution would be an endorsement of Paul's gospel and thus a compromise of their beliefs. Paul requests prayer that none of this will happen, and that the offering will be accepted in the right spirit.

15:32 [S]o that by God's will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed. While Paul's main concerns were his safety and a congenial acceptance of the offering, he did have a secondary concern, one relating to his planned trip to Rome. If the first prayer was not answered, Paul knew that he might not get to Rome at all; and even if that one was answered but the second one was not, his heart would be heavy and his visit to Rome would be tainted with melancholy. Thus he requests fervent prayer for these two things, "so that" (i{na , hina ) he may indeed be able to come to Rome, and to come with joy.

If this does happen, says Paul, it will be "by God's will." This does not mean the decretive will of Calvinist determinism (contra Murray, 2:223), according to which God unconditionally and unilaterally decrees and determines everything that happens. It may refer only or at least partly to the permissive will of God (GRu, 313-317), by which God in his sovereignty allows historical events to unfold according to human free will choices. Or it may refer to God's purposive will (GRu, 304-310), according to which God intervenes via his special providence in order to accomplish certain purposes, particularly in answer to prayer (see GRu, 376-378).

Paul knew that his itinerary was subject to God's will in these senses (Acts 16:6-10; 18:21; Rom 1:10; 1 Cor 4:19; 16:7). So in this case, he knew God either could allow his adversaries' evil purposes to unfold as they may, or could intervene in the historical process in answer to prayer and cause positive results to occur. Either way, he knew it would be God's will - either permissive or purposive. And either way, he knew it would all work together for good (8:28).

The fact is that Paul did get to go to Rome and visit with the brethren there (Acts 28:15), but not according to his own plan. His plan was to stay there for a short time and "be refreshed" by his visit with the brethren, in a kind of "R & R" mode. He was looking forward to Rome as being "like a lovely, quiet harbor; he sees himself storm-tossed and battling during the period ahead of him and longs to reach Rome, the quiet haven, to drop anchor there for a while and - come to rest" (Lenski, 896). It did not happen this way, though. Instead, he came to the city as a prisoner of the Roman government, and was under house arrest for two years (Acts 28:16,30).

We are not specifically told what happened after these two years, but it is almost certain that he was released (see Gaertner, Acts , 429-431). Perhaps at that time he was at last able to "be refreshed" with the Roman Christians.

15:33 After his request for prayer in his own behalf by the church at Rome, Paul cannot close this section without himself uttering a prayer on their behalf. Thus he says, The God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Paul has just recently spoken of God as the God of endurance and encouragement (v. 5), and the God of hope (v. 13). Now he calls him the "God of peace" (see also 16:20; 2 Cor 13:11; Phil 4:9; 1 Thess 5:23; Heb 13:20), i.e., the God who bestows upon believing sinners a state of peace and reconciliation with himself (5:1), a feeling of peace and tranquility within (8:6; 15:13), and a relationship of peace and harmony among brethren (14:17).

In view of his own anticipated tensions in Jerusalem, Paul has just requested prayer from the Roman brethren that God would make his trip to Jerusalem a peaceful one. Thus it is appropriate that he should pray for the same "God of peace" to be with the saints in Rome also. For God to "be with" someone means that he is present to them in all his loving power in order to bless and to protect. On "Amen," see 1:25 (JC, 1:154).

McGarvey: Rom 15:1

Now ["Now" is progressive; it means, "to proceed with the matter in hand"] we [It is a characteristic of Paul's to identify himself with those on whom he lays especial burdens] that are strong ought [1Co 9:19-22 . Strength in the gospel always brings upon its owner the obligation and command to serve (Gal 6:2), and the one who would truly serve must eliminate his self-conceit and arrogance] to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves .

McGarvey: Rom 15:2

Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, unto edifyin g.

McGarvey: Rom 15:3

For Christ also pleased not himself [The strong ought to give way to the weak because strength can yield better than weakness, since in so doing it in no way violates conscience and because this forbearance tends to build up the weak and make them strong. But this rule applies, of course, only to matters that are indifferent; in things that are erroneous or wrong we have no choice or discretion, but must stand for the right as God would have us. The only objection that the strong can urge against yielding to the weak is that to do so involves them in great sacrifice. In answer to this argument Paul sets forth the example of Christ. How can he that is self-pleasing, and that shrinks from sacrifice, make claim to be the disciple and follower of the One whose life was the supreme self-sacrifice of the annals of all time? Had Christ pleased himself hell itself might well shudder at the consequences]; but, as it is written [Psa 69:9], The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell upon me . [When Christ bore the heavy burden of our reproaches and disgrace -- our sin, and its consequences -- can we not, as his disciples, cheerfully bear each other's light foibles and infirmities? We must not only be unselfishly fair; we must be self-denyingly generous, if we would be Christlike.]

McGarvey: Rom 15:4

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have hope .

McGarvey: Rom 15:5

Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus [I cite the Scripture as written for the instruction of the unborn church, for all Scripture, as it outlines what Christ would do sacrificially, also establishes what we should do as imitators of him. It also affords us, in our perusal of it, patience and hope in the doing, for God, the original source back of all Scripture, will not fail in administering aid and comfort to you in your effort toward that spirit of unity and concord which is according to Christ; i. e., according to his desire, will, commandment and example]:

McGarvey: Rom 15:6

that with one accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . [Beautiful picture! When in concord the whole church as a harmonious choir renders praise to God, the Father of our Lord, as one mouth! And how this will glorify our Saviour, Christ, showing the perfection of his work in us! Unanimity of inward feeling can not but result in harmony of outward expression, whether in doctrine, worship or praise.]

McGarvey: Rom 15:7

Wherefore receive ye one another, even as Christ also received you, to the glory of God . [Against the trifling, selfish enjoyment of personal liberty, the apostle sets the supreme end and joy of life; viz., the glorification of God (Mat 22:36-38 ; Joh 4:34). As Christ, suppressing all selfish promptings to assert his own rights and liberties, and ignoring all distinctions in his favor, however pronounced or impossible (Phi 2:5-8), received us in all loving compassion to affect that glory; so also should we mutually receive one another in full love and fellowship to that end, excluding all unworthy selfishness, and all social, national or racial antipathies. Unity glorifies God, as the amity of a household reflects honor on its head.]

McGarvey: Rom 15:8

For ["for" introduces the explanation as to how Christ's coming and ministry was for the purpose of glorifying God by receiving each party, Jew or Gentile] I say that Christ hath been made a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, that he might confirm the promises given unto the fathers ,

McGarvey: Rom 15:9

and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy [In order that he might vindicate the veracity of God in confirming and in keeping the promises of the covenant given unto the fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: (now these covenant promises contained blessings for the Gentiles -- Gen 22:18 ; these blessings thus coming to them through the circumcision people and covenant -- Joh 4:22 ; therefore Christ became the minister of the circumcision for the sake of the Gentiles also, that the Gentiles might also be received) and that they might glorify God for his mercy. If Christ, then, the Lord and Master, was a minister (Mat 20:27-28) unto each for purposes of unity and concord (Eph 2:11-22), with what lowly humility should his servants receive and serve each other to effect these results]; as it is written, Therefore will I give praise unto thee among the Gentiles, And sing unto thy name . ["Sing" (psalloo) means, literally, "strike the harp to thy name." This quotation argues that the use of that instrument, as a means of divine praise, is innocent and permissible.]

McGarvey: Rom 15:10

And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people .

McGarvey: Rom 15:11

And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; And let all the peoples praise him .

McGarvey: Rom 15:12

And again, Isaiah saith, There shall be the root of Jesse, And he that ariseth to rule over the Gentiles; On him shall the Gentiles hope . [The quotations found in verses Rom 15:9-12 are presented to confirm Paul's teaching that it was God's original, eternal purpose to include the Gentiles in Israel, the passages forming a parenthesis elucidating the idea of verse 7; viz., "even as Christ received you." The first passage is from Psa 18:49 ; and introduces David as confessing and praising as theocratic King under God not apart from, but among, the Gentiles. In the second, taken from Deu 32:43 ; Moses exhorts the Gentiles to rejoice in God together with all his people, or Israel. The third, from Psa 117:1 ; repeats the thought of the second; while the last, from Isa 11:10 ; is a definite announcement of the reign of Messiah as the root of Jesse, or head of the Davidic dynasty (and hence Jewish) over the Gentiles also, and that not as a foreign oppressor, but as a hope-fulfilling native king. The great prophetic fact forecast in all these quotations is a coming day of joint praise for Jew and Gentile. What a consolation and what an aid toward patience these Scripture quotations must have been to Paul, in his work as apostle to the Gentiles! (See v. 4.) The trend of the argument toward his apostolic ministry forms a transition leading to the epistolary conclusion which follows the benediction of the thirteenth verse.]

McGarvey: Rom 15:13

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit . [The apostle concludes the hortatory part of his letter with this solemn petition for his readers' welfare. Note what beautiful names for God are derived from the attributes which he inspires. "God of hope," "God of patience" (Rom 15:5), "God of peace" -- Rom 15:33]

McGarvey: Rom 15:14

The apostle, having finished his didactic and doctrinal instruction, turns to renew the personal tone with which his letter opened. He presents: (1) An apology for the liberty taken in so plainly admonishing them, reminding them of his office as apostle to the Gentiles which laid such a duty upon him (Rom 15:14-16 ; comp. Rom 1:14-15). (2) An explanation concerning his labors and his failure to visit them (Rom 15:17-24 ; comp. Rom 1:11-13). (3) A statement of his present and future plans, and a request for prayer (Rom 15:25-33). (4) Commendations and salutations (Rom 16:1-24 ; comp. Rom 1:7). (5) Doxology (Rom 16:25-27 ; comp. Rom 1:1-2).

And I myself also am persuaded of you [as to you], my brethren, that ye yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another . [These Roman Christians were by no means "babes in Christ," yet even men, and that the best instructed, need apostolic preaching. But Paul's confidence in their understanding is shown in the quality of this letter which he wrote to them. Compare a contrary feeling in his letter to the Corinthians (1Co 2:6 ; 1Co 3:1-3), and in milder form the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb 6:11-12). Moreover, the list of names of church leaders contained in this epistolary conclusion proves the efficiency of this Roman church, its goodness, and its ability to impart knowledge and admonition.]

McGarvey: Rom 15:15

But I write the more boldly unto you in some measure, as putting you again in remembrance [Thus suggesting that the matter of his Epistle was not wholly new to them: comp. 2Pe 1:12-13], because of the grace [i. e., apostleship: comp. Rom 1:5 ; Rom 12:3 ; Gal 2:9 ; Eph 3:7-11] that was given me of God ,

McGarvey: Rom 15:16

that I should be a minister of Christ Jesus unto the Gentiles [I have not carefully weighed my words as a stranger should, but have used some measure of boldness because it is my duty to so speak as your apostle commissioned by God's grace. "As though he said, 'I did not snatch the honor for myself, nor rush upon it first, but God laid this upon me, and that by way of grace, not a setting apart a worthy person to this office. Be not therefore offended, for it is not I that rise up against you, but God that has laid this upon me'"-Chrysostom], ministering [Greek, "ministering in sacrifice." He speaks in metaphor, assuming to himself the office of priest] the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit . [Christians are nowhere in the New Testament spoken of as literal priests, yet the idea of priestly sacrifice is forcefully used in a figurative way. (Comp. Rom 12:1 ; Phi 2:17) Paul here speaks of himself metaphorically as a priest, not of the Levitical order with its material temple and tangible altar, but as pertaining to the gospel with its spiritual cleansing in Christ. As priests offered many offerings at the great festivals, so Paul, as apostle to the Gentiles, came before God in the festal hour or time of the glad tidings or the gospel of salvation, with the multitudinous offering of the myriads of the Gentiles. As carnal offerings were first cleansed by water before being offered, so these Gentiles, as victims of grace, were first made acceptable offerings by being cleansed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, after which they offered themselves as daily sacrifices. Compare his metaphor to that used by Isaiah in describing the final gathering of Israel (Isa 66:19-20). At Rom 12:1 the apostle began by exhorting members of the Roman church to offer themselves as living sacrifices. He then proceeded to elaborate the things wherein self-sacrifice was demanded of them. Now in the verse before us he presents himself as a priest presiding officially over their sacrifice and presenting it to God, which was, figuratively speaking, his duty as apostle to the Gentiles.]

McGarvey: Rom 15:17

I have therefore my glorying in Christ Jesus in things pertaining to God . ["Therefore" refers back to verse 15. I have therefore a right to address you boldly in things pertaining to God, for I am not contemptible in such matters, being able to glory, not in myself, but in reference to Christ Jesus in that I am called by him to be his apostle. My boldness in glorying, therefore, is not in myself, but in my apostleship and its resultant spiritual duties and powers. Compare 2Co 12:1-13 ; Col 1:25-29]

McGarvey: Rom 15:18

For I will not dare to speak of any things save those which Christ wrought through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed ,

McGarvey: Rom 15:19

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 gospel of Christ [I, as I have intimated, would not dare to glory in anything that I find in myself, but I glory in the manifest powers of the Holy Spirit, both in speech and miracle which have been mine by reason of my apostolic office, and which have enabled me to convincingly preach the gospel, not in any limited field, but far and wide in that great curve of the earth which begins at Jerusalem in the east and ends at Illyricum in the west. "Chrysostom observeth," says Trapp, "that Plato came three times to Sicily to convert Dionysius the tyrant to philosophy, and could not. But Paul set a great compass, converted many souls, planted many churches: and why? Christ sat upon him as one of his white horses, and went forth conquering and to conquer (Rev 6:2)." Paul began preaching at Damascus, but took a second start at Jerusalem under special commission to the Gentiles (Act 9:19-20 ; Act 9:27-29 ; Gal 1:17-18 ; Act 22:17-21). Acts makes no direct mention of Paul's labors in Illyricum. However, the Romans incorporated Illyricum as part of Macedonia, and hence the journey thither may be included in the trip described at Act 20:1-2 . Note the calm, sane way in which Paul speaks of his miraculous powers as a trust from Christ and a seal of his apostleship, both being mere accessories to that all-important task, the preaching of the gospel];

McGarvey: Rom 15:20

yea [yes, so full was the spiritual power imparted to me that I thought it an honor and recognition due to my office and to those powers to use them only on the hard, unbroken soil of utterly unenlightened paganism], 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 [Had Paul done otherwise he would have used his supreme powers as though they were secondary, and he would have been choosing the easy tasks, leaving to others those harder undertakings for which Christ was hourly fitting and equipping him (1Co 3:10 ; Eph 2:20 ; 2Co 10:12-16). It ill becomes a ten-talent man to seek a one-talent position. The pressing needs of the field also forbade the waste of time in resowing. Had Paul's example been followed, what needless overlapping of missionary effort might have been avoided. Sectarianism has caused and committed this sin, and it has been especially reprehensible where it has been done to foster points of difference which are matters of indifference, as is the case where factions of the same sect compete in the same field];

Commentary -- Other

Evidence: Rom 15:9

No pursuit of mortal men is to be compared with that of soul-winning. CHARLES SPURGEON

Evidence: Rom 15:16

" Consider as sin any minute of life spent on something other than saving souls for eternity from this world doomed to destruction." Richard Wurmbrand

Evidence: Rom 15:17

Memorize the Ten Commandments

Memorize the Ten Commandments using these special picture figures. Then test your memory, and grade yourself. Put each picture in your mind, and it will remind you of each commandment.

1. "You shall have no other gods before Me"

(God should be Number One)

2. "You shall not make yourself any graven image"

(Don't bow down to anything but God)

3. "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain"

(Don't use your lips to dishonor God)

4. "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy"

(Don't neglect the things of God)

5. "Honor your Father and your Mother"

6. "You shall not kill"

7. "You shall not commit adultery"

(Adultery leaves a heart broken)

8. "You shall not steal"

9. "You shall not lie"

(a "lying" nine)

10. "You shall not covet"

(want what others have)

Introduction / Outline

Robertson: Romans (Book Introduction)

The Epistle to the Romans

Spring of a.d. 57

By Way of Introduction

Integrity of the Epistle

The genuineness of the Epistle is so generally admitted by scholars that it is unnecessary to prove it here, for Loman, Steck, and the Dutch scholars (Van Manen, etc.) who deny it as Pauline are no longer taken seriously. He wrote it from Corinth because he sent it to Rome by Phoebe of Cenchreae (Rom_16:2) if chapter 16 is acknowledged to be a part of the Epistle. Chapter 16 is held by some to be really a short epistle to Ephesus because of the long list of names in it, because of Paul’s long stay in Ephesus, because he had not yet been to Rome, and because, in particular, Aquila and Priscilla are named (Rom_16:3-5) who had been with Paul in Ephesus. But they had come from Rome before going to Corinth and there is no reason for thinking that they did not return to Rome. It was quite possible for Paul to have many friends in Rome whom he had met elsewhere. People naturally drifted to Rome from all over the empire. The old MSS. (Aleph A B C D) give chapter 16 as an integral part of the Epistle. Marcion rejected it and chapter 15 also for reasons of his own. Renan’s theory that Romans was a circular letter like Ephesians sent in different forms to different churches (Rome, Ephesus, Thessalonica, etc.) has appealed to some scholars as explaining the several doxologies in the Epistle, but they cause no real difficulty since Paul interjected them in his other epistles according to his moods (2Co_1:20, for instance). That theory raises more problems than it solves as, for example, Paul’s remarks about going to Rome (Rom_1:9-16) which apply to Rome. Lightfoot suggests the possibility that Paul added Rom_16:25-27 some years after the original date so as to turn it into a circular letter. But the MSS. do not support that theory and that leaves Rom_15:22-33 in the Epistle quite unsuitable to a circular letter. Modern knowledge leaves the Epistle intact with occasional variations in the MSS. on particular points as is true of all the N.T.

The Time and Place

The place is settled if we accept Rom_16:1. The time of the year is in the spring if we combine statements in the Acts and the Epistle. He says: " I am now going to Jerusalem ministering to the saints" (Rom_15:25). In Act_20:3 we read that Paul spent three months in Corinth. In II Corinthians we have a full account of the collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem. The account of the journey from Corinth to Jerusalem is given in Acts 20:3-21:17. It was in the spring between passover at Philippi (Act_20:6) and pentecost in Jerusalem (Act_20:16; Act_21:17). The precise year is not quite so certain, but we may suggest a.d. 57 or 58 with reasonable confidence.

The Purpose

Paul tells this himself. He had long cherished a desire to come to Rome (Act_19:21) and had often made his plans to do so (Rom_1:13) which were interrupted (Rom_15:22), but now he definitely plans to go from Jerusalem, after taking the contribution there (Rom_15:26), to Rome and then on to Spain (Rom_15:24, Rom_15:28). Meanwhile he sends this Epistle that the Romans may know what Paul’s gospel really is (Rom_1:15; Rom_2:16). He is full of the issues raised by the Judaizing controversy as set forth in the Epistles to Corinth and to Galatia. So in a calmer mood and more at length he presents his conception of the Righteousness demanded by God (Rom_1:17) of both Gentile (Rom_1:18-32) and Jew (Romans 2:1-3:20) and only to be obtained by faith in Christ who by his atoning death (justification) has made it possible (Romans 3:21-5:21). This new life of faith in Christ should lead to holiness of life (sanctification, chapters Romans 6-8). This is Paul’s gospel and the remaining chapters deal with corollaries growing out of the doctrine of grace as applied to practical matters. It is a cause for gratitude that Paul did write out so full a statement of his message. He had a message for the whole world and was anxious to win the Roman Empire to Christ. It was important that he go to Rome for it was the centre of the world’s life. Nowhere does Paul’s Christian statesmanship show to better advantage than in this greatest of his Epistles. It is not a book of formal theology though Paul is the greatest of theologians. Here Paul is seen in the plenitude of his powers with all the wealth of his knowledge of Christ and his rich experience in mission work. The church in Rome is plainly composed of both Jews and Greeks, though who started the work there we have no way of knowing. Paul’s ambition was to preach where no one else had been (Rom_15:20), but he has no hesitation in going on to Rome.

JFB: Romans (Book Introduction)

THE GENUINENESS of the Epistle to the Romans has never been questioned. It has the unbroken testimony of all antiquity, up to CLEMENT OF ROME, the apostle's "fellow laborer in the Gospel, whose name was in the Book of Life" (Phi 4:3), and who quotes from it in his undoubted Epistle to the Corinthians, written before the close of the first century. The most searching investigations of modern criticism have left it untouched.

WHEN and WHERE this Epistle was written we have the means of determining with great precision, from the Epistle itself compared with the Acts of the Apostles. Up to the date of it the apostle had never been at Rome (Rom 1:11, Rom 1:13, Rom 1:15). He was then on the eve of visiting Jerusalem with a pecuniary contribution for its Christian poor from the churches of Macedonia and Achaia, after which his purpose was to pay a visit to Rome on his way to Spain (Rom 15:23-28). Now this contribution we know that he carried with him from Corinth, at the close of his third visit to that city, which lasted three months (Act 20:2-3; Act 24:17). On this occasion there accompanied him from Corinth certain persons whose names are given by the historian of the Acts (Act 20:4), and four of these are expressly mentioned in our Epistle as being with the apostle when he wrote it--Timotheus, Sosipater, Gaius, and Erastus (Rom 16:21, Rom 16:23). Of these four, the third, Gaius, was an inhabitant of Corinth (1Co 1:14), and the fourth, Erastus, was "chamberlain of the city" (Rom 16:23), which can hardly be supposed to be other than Corinth. Finally, Phœbebe, the bearer, as appears, of this Epistle, was a deaconess of the Church at Cenchrea, the eastern port of Corinth (Rom 16:1). Putting these facts together, it is impossible to resist the conviction, in which all critics agree, that Corinth was the place from which the Epistle was written, and that it was despatched about the close of the visit above mentioned, probably in the early spring of the year 58.FOUNDER of this celebrated church is unknown. That it owed its origin to the apostle Peter, and that he was its first bishop, though an ancient tradition and taught in the Church of Rome as a fact not to be doubted, is refuted by the clearest evidence, and is given up even by candid Romanists. On that supposition, how are we to account for so important a circumstance being passed by in silence by the historian of the Acts, not only in the narrative of Peter's labors, but in that of Paul's approach to the metropolis, of the deputations of Roman "brethren" that came as far as Appii Forum and the Three Taverns to meet him, and of his two years' labors there (Act 28:15, Act 28:30)? And how, consistently with his declared principle--not to build on another man's foundation (Rom 15:20) --could he express his anxious desire to come to them that he might have some fruit among them also, even as among other Gentiles (Rom 1:13), if all the while he knew that they had the apostle of the circumcision for their spiritual father? And how, if so, is there no salutation to Peter among the many in this Epistle? or, if it may be thought that he was known to be elsewhere at that particular time, how does there occur in all the Epistles which our apostle afterwards wrote from Rome not one allusion to such an origin of the church at Rome? The same considerations would seem to prove that this church owed its origin to no prominent Christian laborer; and this brings us to the much-litigated question.

For WHAT CLASS of Christians was this Epistle principally designed--Jewish or Gentile? That a large number of Jews and Jewish proselytes resided at this time at Rome is known to all who are familiar with the classical and Jewish writers of that and the immediately subsequent periods; and that those of them who were at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Act 2:10), and formed probably part of the three thousand converts of that day, would on their return to Rome carry the glad tidings with them, there can be no doubt. Nor are indications wanting that some of those embraced in the salutations of this Epistle were Christians already of long standing, if not among the earliest converts to the Christian faith. Others of them who had made the apostle's acquaintance elsewhere, and who, if not indebted to him for their first knowledge of Christ, probably owed much to his ministrations, seemed to have charged themselves with the duty of cherishing and consolidating the work of the Lord in the capital. And thus it is not improbable that up to the time of the apostle's arrival the Christian community at Rome had been dependent upon subordinate agency for the increase of its numbers, aided by occasional visits of stated preachers from the provinces; and perhaps it may be gathered from the salutations of the last chapter that it was up to that time in a less organized, though far from less flourishing state, than some other churches to whom the apostle had already addressed Epistles. Certain it is, that the apostle writes to them expressly as a Gentile Church (Rom 1:13, Rom 1:15; Rom 15:15-16); and though it is plain that there were Jewish Christians among them, and the whole argument presupposes an intimate acquaintance on the part of his readers with the leading principles of the Old Testament, this will be sufficiently explained by supposing that the bulk of them, having before they knew the Lord been Gentile proselytes to the Jewish faith, had entered the pale of the Christian Church through the gate of the ancient economy.

It remains only to speak briefly of the PLAN and CHARACTER Of this Epistle. Of all the undoubted Epistles of our apostle, this is the most elaborate, and at the same time the most glowing. It has just as much in common with a theological treatise as is consistent with the freedom and warmth of a real letter. Referring to the headings which we have prefixed to its successive sections, as best exhibiting the progress of the argument and the connection of its points, we here merely note that its first great topic is what may be termed the legal relation of man to God as a violator of His holy law, whether as merely written on the heart, as in the case of the heathen, or, as in the case of the Chosen People, as further known by external revelation; that it next treats of that legal relation as wholly reversed through believing connection with the Lord Jesus Christ; and that its third and last great topic is the new life which accompanies this change of relation, embracing at once a blessedness and a consecration to God which, rudimentally complete already, will open, in the future world, into the bliss of immediate and stainless fellowship with God. The bearing of these wonderful truths upon the condition and destiny of the Chosen People, to which the apostle next comes, though it seem but the practical application of them to his kinsmen according to the flesh, is in some respects the deepest and most difficult part of the whole Epistle, carrying us directly to the eternal springs of Grace to the guilty in the sovereign love and inscrutable purposes of God; after which, however, we are brought back to the historical platform of the visible Church, in the calling of the Gentiles, the preservation of a faithful Israelitish remnant amidst the general unbelief and fall of the nation, and the ultimate recovery of all Israel to constitute, with the Gentiles in the latter day, one catholic Church of God upon earth. The remainder of the Epistle is devoted to sundry practical topics, winding up with salutations and outpourings of heart delightfully suggestive.

JFB: Romans (Outline)

• INTRODUCTION. (Rom. 1:1-17)
• THE JEW UNDER LIKE CONDEMNATION WITH THE GENTILE. (Rom. 2:1-29)
• JEWISH OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. (Rom 3:1-8)
• THAT THE JEW IS SHUT UP UNDER LIKE CONDEMNATION WITH THE GENTILE IS PROVED BY HIS OWN SCRIPTURE. (Rom 3:9-20)
• GOD'S JUSTIFYING RIGHTEOUSNESS THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, ALIKE ADAPTED TO OUR NECESSITIES AND WORTHY OF HIMSELF. (Rom 3:21-26)
• INFERENCES FROM THE FOREGOING DOCTRINES AND AN OBJECTION ANSWERED. (Rom 3:27-31)
• THE FOREGOING DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ILLUSTRATED FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT. (Rom. 4:1-25)
• THE BLESSED EFFECTS OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. (Rom 5:1-11)
• COMPARISON AND CONTRAST BETWEEN ADAM AND CHRIST IN THEIR RELATION TO THE HUMAN FAMILY. (Rom 5:12-21)
• THE BEARING OF JUSTIFICATION BY GRACE UPON A HOLY LIFE. (Rom 6:1-11)
• WHAT PRACTICAL USE BELIEVERS SHOULD MAKE OF THEIR DEATH TO SIN AND LIFE TO GOD THROUGH UNION TO THE CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR. (Rom 6:12-23)
• SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED. (Rom. 7:1-25)
• CONCLUSION OF THE WHOLE ARGUMENT--THE GLORIOUS COMPLETENESS OF THEM THAT ARE IN CHRIST JESUS. (Rom. 8:1-39)
• THE BEARING OF THE FOREGOING TRUTHS UPON THE CONDITION AND DESTINY OF THE CHOSEN PEOPLE--ELECTION--THE CALLING OF THE GENTILES. (Rom. 9:1-33)
• SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED--HOW ISRAEL CAME TO MISS SALVATION, AND THE GENTILES TO FIND IT. (Rom. 10:1-21)
• SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED AND CONCLUDED--THE ULTIMATE INBRINGING OF ALL ISRAEL, TO BE, WITH THE GENTILES, ONE KINGDOM OF GOD ON THE EARTH. (Rom. 11:1-36)
• DUTIES OF BELIEVERS, GENERAL AND PARTICULAR. (Rom. 12:1-21)
• SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED--POLITICAL AND SOCIAL RELATIONS--MOTIVES. (Rom 13:1-14)
• SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED--CHRISTIAN FORBEARANCE. (Rom. 14:1-23)
• SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED AND CONCLUDED. (Rom 15:1-13)
• CONCLUSION: IN WHICH THE APOSTLE APOLOGIZES FOR THUS WRITING TO THE ROMAN CHRISTIANS, EXPLAINS WHY HE HAD NOT YET VISITED THEM, ANNOUNCES HIS FUTURE PLANS, AND ASKS THEIR PRAYERS FOR THE COMPLETION OF THEM. (Rom. 15:14-33)
• CONCLUSION, EMBRACING SUNDRY SALUTATIONS AND DIRECTIONS, AND A CLOSING PRAYER. (Rom. 16:1-27)
• WHY THIS DIVINELY PROVIDED RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NEEDED BY ALL MEN. (Rom 1:18)
• THIS WRATH OF GOD, REVEALED AGAINST ALL INIQUITY, OVERHANGS THE WHOLE HEATHEN WORLD. (Rom 1:18-32)

TSK: Romans (Book Introduction)

The Epistle to the Romans is " a writing," says Dr. Macknight, " which, for sublimity and truth of sentiment, for brevity and strength of expression, for regularity in its structure, but above all, for the unspeakable importance of the discoveries which it contains, stands unrivalled by any mere human composition, and as far exceeds the most celebrated productions of the learned Greeks and Romans, as the shining of the sun exceeds the twinkling of the stars." " The plan of it is very extensive; and it is surprising to see what a spacious field of knowledge is comprised, and how many various designs, arguments, explications, instructions, and exhortations, are executed in so small a compass....The whole Epistle is to be taken in connection, or considered as one continued discourse; and the sense of every part must be taken from the drift of the whole. Every sentence, or verse, is not to be regarded as a distinct mathematical proposition, or theorem, or as a sentence in the book of Proverbs, whose sense is absolute, and independent of what goes before, or comes after, but we must remember, that every sentence, especially in the argumentative part, bears relation to, and is dependent upon, the whole discourse, and cannot be rightly understood unless we understand the scope and drift of the whole; and therefore, the whole Epistle, or at least the eleven first chapters of it, ought to be read over at once, without stopping. As to the use and excellency of this Epistle, I shall leave it to speak for itself, when the reader has studied and well digested its contents....This Epistle will not be difficult to understand, if our minds are unprejudiced, and at liberty to attend to the subject, and to the current scriptural sense of the words used. Great care is taken to guard and explain every part of the subject; no part of it is left unexplained or unguarded. Sometimes notes are written upon a sentence, liable to exception and wanting explanation, as Rom 2:12-16. Here Rom 2:13 and Rom 2:15 are a comment upon the former part of it. Sometimes are found comments upon a single word; as Rom 10:11-13. Rom 10:12 and Rom 10:13 are a comment upon πας [Strong’s 3956]

TSK: Romans 15 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

Rom 15:1, The strong must bear with the weak; Rom 15:2, We must not please ourselves; Rom 15:3, for Christ did not so; Rom 15:7, but receive one another, as Christ did us all; Rom 15:8, both Jews and Gentiles; Rom 15:15, Paul excuses his writing; Rom 15:28, and promises to see them; Rom 15:30, and requests their prayers.

Poole: Romans 15 (Chapter Introduction)

CHAPTER 15

MHCC: Romans (Book Introduction)

The scope or design of the apostle in writing to the Romans appears to have been, to answer the unbelieving, and to teach the believing Jew; to confirm the Christian and to convert the idolatrous Gentile; and to show the Gentile convert as equal with the Jewish, in respect of his religious condition, and his rank in the Divine favour. These several designs are brought into on view, by opposing or arguing with the infidel or unbelieving Jew, in favour of the Christian or believing Gentile. The way of a sinner's acceptance with God, or justification in his sight, merely by grace, through faith in the righteousness of Christ, without distinction of nations, is plainly stated. This doctrine is cleared from the objections raised by Judaizing Christians, who were for making terms of acceptance with God by a mixture of the law and the gospel, and for shutting out the Gentiles from any share in the blessings of salvation brought in by the Messiah. In the conclusion, holiness is further enforced by practical exhortations.

MHCC: Romans 15 (Chapter Introduction)

(Rom 15:1-7) Directions how to behave towards the weak.

(Rom 15:8-13) All to receive one another as brethren.

(Rom 15:14-21) The writing and preaching of the apostle.

(Rom 15:22-29) His purposed journeys.

(Rom 15:30-33) He requests their prayers.

Matthew Henry: Romans (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans

If we may compare scripture with scripture, and take the opinion of some devout and pious persons, in the Old Testament David's Psalms, and in the New Testament Paul's Epistles, are stars of the first magnitude, that differ from the other stars in glory. The whole scripture is indeed an epistle from heaven to earth: but in it we have upon record several particular epistles, more of Paul's than of any other, for he was the chief of the apostles, and laboured more abundantly than they all. His natural parts, I doubt not, were very pregnant; his apprehension was quick and piercing; his expressions were fluent and copious; his affections, wherever he took, very warm and zealous, and his resolutions no less bold and daring: this made him, before his conversion, a very keen and bitter persecutor; but when the strong man armed was dispossessed, and the stronger than he came to divide the spoil and to sanctify these qualifications, he became the most skilful zealous preacher; never any better fitted to win souls, nor more successful. Fourteen of his epistles we have in the canon of scripture; many more, it is probable, he wrote in the course of his ministry, which might be profitable enough for doctrine, for reproof, etc., but, not being given by inspiration of God, they were not received as canonical scripture, nor handed down to us. Six epistles, said to be Paul's, written to Seneca, and eight of Seneca's to him, are spoken of by some of the ancients [ Sixt. Senens. Biblioth. Sanct. lib. 2] and are extant; but, upon the first view, they appear spurious and counterfeit.

This epistle to the Romans is placed first, not because of the priority of its date, but because of the superlative excellency of the epistle, it being one of the longest and fullest of all, and perhaps because of the dignity of the place to which it is written. Chrysostom would have this epistle read over to him twice a week. It is gathered from some passages in the epistle that it was written Anno Christi 56, from Corinth, while Paul made a short stay there in his way to Troas, Act 20:5, Act 20:6. He commendeth to the Romans Phebe, a servant of the church at Cenchrea (ch. 16), which was a place belonging to Corinth. He calls Gaius his host, or the man with whom he lodged (Rom 16:23), and he was a Corinthian, not the same with Gaius of Derbe, mentioned Acts 20. Paul was now going up to Jerusalem, with the money that was given to the poor saints there; and of that he speaks, Rom 15:26. The great mysteries treated of in this epistle must needs produce in this, as in other writings of Paul, many things dark and hard to be understood, 2Pe 3:16. The method of this (as of several other of the epistles) is observable; the former part of it doctrinal, in the first eleven chapters; the latter part practical, in the last five: to inform the judgment and to reform the life. And the best way to understand the truths explained in the former part is to abide and abound in the practice of the duties prescribed in the latter part; for, if any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, Joh 7:17.

I. The doctrinal part of the epistles instructs us,

1. Concerning the way of salvation (1.) The foundation of it laid in justification, and that not by the Gentiles' works of nature (ch. 1), nor by the Jews' works of the law (ch. 2, 3), for both Jews and Gentiles were liable to the curse; but only by faith in Jesus Christ, Rom 3:21, etc.; ch. 4. (2.) The steps of this salvation are, [1.] Peace with God, ch. 5. [2.] Sanctification, ch. 6, 7. [3.] Glorification, ch. 8.

2. Concerning the persons saved, such as belong to the election of grace (ch. 9), Gentiles and Jews, ch. 10, 11. By this is appears that the subject he discourses of were such as were then the present truths, as the apostle speaks, 2Pe 1:12. Two things the Jews then stumbled at - justification by faith without the works of the law, and the admission of the Gentiles into the church; and therefore both these he studied to clear and vindicate.

II. The practical part follows, wherein we find, 1. Several general exhortations proper for all Christians, ch. 12. 2. Directions for our behaviour, as members of civil society, Rom 13:1-14. 3. Rules for the conduct of Christians to one another, as members of the Christian church, ch. 14 and Rom 15:1-14.

III. As he draws towards a conclusion, he makes an apology for writing to them (Rom 15:14-16), gives them an account of himself and his own affairs (Rom 15:17-21), promises them a visit (Rom 15:22-29), begs their prayers (Rom 15:30-32), sends particular salutations to many friends there (ch. 16:1-16), warns them against those who caused divisions (Rom 16:17-20), adds the salutations of his friends with him (Rom 16:21-23), and ends with a benediction to them and a doxology to God (Rom 16:24-27).

Matthew Henry: Romans 15 (Chapter Introduction)

The apostle, in this chapter, continues the discourse of the former, concerning mutual forbearance in indifferent things; and so draws towards a conclusion of the epistle. Where such differences of apprehension, and consequently distances of affection, are among Christians, there is need of precept upon precept, line upon line, to allay the heat, and to beget a better temper. The apostle, being desirous to drive the nail home, as a nail in a sure place, follows his blow, unwilling to leave the subject till he has some hopes of prevailing, to which end he orders the cause before them and fills his mouth with the most pressing arguments. We may observe, in this chapter, I. His precepts to them. II. His prayers for them. III. His apology for writing to them. IV. His account of himself and his own affairs. V. His declaration of his purpose to come and see them. VI. His desire of a share in their prayers.

Barclay: Romans (Book Introduction)

A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS OF PAUL

The Letters Of Paul

There is no more interesting body of documents in the New Testament than the letters of Paul. That is because of all forms of literature a letter is most personal. Demetrius, one of the old Greek literary critics, once wrote, "Every one reveals his own soul in his letters. In every other form of composition it is possible to discern the writercharacter, but in none so clearly as the epistolary." (Demetrius, On Style, 227.) It is just because he left us so many letters that we feel we know Paul so well. In them he opened his mind and heart to the folk he loved so much; and, in them, to this day, we can see that great mind grappling with the problems of the early church and feel that great heart throbbing with love for men, even when they were misguided and mistaken.

The Difficulty Of Letters

At the same time there is often nothing so difficult to understand as a letter. Demetrius (On Style, 223) quotes a saying of Artemon, who edited the letters of Aristotle. Artemon said that a letter ought to be written in the same manner as a dialogue, because it was one of the two sides of a dialogue. In other words, to read a letter is like listening to one side of a telephone conversation. So when we read the letters of Paul we are often in a difficulty. We do not possess the letter which he was answering; we do not fully know the circumstances with which he was dealing; it is only from the letter itself that we can deduce the situation which prompted it. Before we can hope to understand fully any letter Paul wrote, we must try to reconstruct the situation which produced it.

The Ancient Letters

It is a great pity that Paulletters were ever called epistles. They are in the most literal sense letters. One of the great lights shed on the interpretation of the New Testament has been the discovery and the publication of the papyri. In the ancient world, papyrus was the substance on which most documents were written. It was composed of strips of the pith of a certain bulrush that grew on the banks of the Nile. These strips were laid one on top of the other to form a substance very like brown paper. The sands of the Egyptian desert were ideal for preservation, for papyrus, although very brittle, will last for ever so long as moisture does not get at it. As a result, from the Egyptian rubbish heaps, archaeologists have rescued hundreds of documents, marriage contracts, legal agreements, government forms, and, most interesting of all, private letters. When we read these private letters we find that there was a pattern to which nearly all conformed; and we find that Paulletters reproduce exactly that pattern. Here is one of these ancient letters. It is from a soldier, called Apion, to his father Epimachus. He is writing from Misenum to tell his father that he has arrived safely after a stormy passage.

"Apion sends heartiest greetings to his father and lord Epimachus.

I pray above all that you are well and fit; and that things are

going well with you and my sister and her daughter and my

brother. I thank my Lord Serapis [his god] that he kept me safe

when I was in peril on the sea. As soon as I got to Misenum I got

my journey money from Caesar--three gold pieces. And things

are going fine with me. So I beg you, my dear father, send me a

line, first to let me know how you are, and then about my

brothers, and thirdly, that I may kiss your hand, because you

brought me up well, and because of that I hope, God willing, soon

to be promoted. Give Capito my heartiest greetings, and my

brothers and Serenilla and my friends. I sent you a little picture

of myself painted by Euctemon. My military name is Antonius

Maximus. I pray for your good health. Serenus sends good

wishes, Agathos Daimonboy, and Turbo, Galloniuson."

(G. Milligan, Selections from the Greek Papyri, 36.)

Little did Apion think that we would be reading his letter to his father 1800 years after he had written it. It shows how little human nature changes. The lad is hoping for promotion quickly. Who will Serenilla be but the girl he left behind him? He sends the ancient equivalent of a photograph to the folk at home. Now that letter falls into certain sections. (i) There is a greeting. (ii) There is a prayer for the health of the recipients. (iii) There is a thanksgiving to the gods. (iv) There are the special contents. (v) Finally, there are the special salutations and the personal greetings. Practically every one of Paulletters shows exactly the same sections, as we now demonstrate.

(i) The Greeting: Rom_1:1 ; 1Co_1:1 ; 2Co_1:1 ; Gal_1:1 ; Eph_1:1 ; Phi_1:1 ; Col_1:1-2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:1 .

(ii) The Prayer: in every case Paul prays for the grace of God on the people to whom he writes: Rom_1:7 ; 1Co_1:3 ; 2Co_1:2 ; Gal_1:3 ; Eph_1:2 ; Phi_1:3 ; Col_1:2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:2 .

(iii) The Thanksgiving: Rom_1:8 ; 1Co_1:4 ; 2Co_1:3 ; Eph_1:3 ; Phi_1:3 ; 1Th_1:3 ; 2Th_1:3 .

(iv) The Special Contents: the main body of the letters.

(v) Special Salutations and Personal Greetings: Rom 16 ; 1Co_16:19 ; 2Co_13:13 ; Phi_4:21-22 ; Col_4:12-15 ; 1Th_5:26 .

When Paul wrote letters, he wrote them on the pattern which everyone used. Deissmann says of them, "They differ from the messages of the homely papyrus leaves of Egypt, not as letters but only as the letters of Paul." When we read Paulletters we are not reading things which were meant to be academic exercises and theological treatises, but human documents written by a friend to his friends.

The Immediate Situation

With a very few exceptions, all Paulletters were written to meet an immediate situation and not treatises which he sat down to write in the peace and silence of his study. There was some threatening situation in Corinth, or Galatia, or Philippi, or Thessalonica, and he wrote a letter to meet it. He was not in the least thinking of us when he wrote, but solely of the people to whom he was writing. Deissmann writes, "Paul had no thought of adding a few fresh compositions to the already extant Jewish epistles; still less of enriching the sacred literature of his nation. He had no presentiment of the place his words would occupy in universal history; not so much that they would be in existence in the next generation, far less that one day people would look at them as Holy Scripture." We must always remember that a thing need not be transient because it was written to meet an immediate situation. All the great love songs of the world were written for one person, but they live on for the whole of mankind. It is just because Paulletters were written to meet a threatening danger or a clamant need that they still throb with life. And it is because human need and the human situation do not change that God speaks to us through them today.

The Spoken Word

One other thing we must note about these letters. Paul did what most people did in his day. He did not normally pen his own letters but dictated them to a secretary, and then added his own authenticating signature. (We actually know the name of one of the people who did the writing for him. In Rom_16:22 Tertius, the secretary, slips in his own greeting before the letter draws to an end.) In 1Co_16:21 Paul says, "This is my own signature, my autograph, so that you can be sure this letter comes from me" (compare Col_4:18 ; 2Th_3:17 ).

This explains a great deal. Sometimes Paul is hard to understand, because his sentences begin and never finish; his grammar breaks down and the construction becomes involved. We must not think of him sitting quietly at a desk, carefully polishing each sentence as he writes. We must think of him striding up and down some little room, pouring out a torrent of words, while his secretary races to get them down. When Paul composed his letters, he had in his mindeye a vision of the folk to whom he was writing, and he was pouring out his heart to them in words that fell over each other in his eagerness to help.

INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

The Epistle That Is Different

There is an obvious difference between PaulLetter to the Romans and any other of his letters. Anyone coming from, say, a reading of the Letters to the Corinthians, will immediately feel that difference, both of atmosphere and of method. A very great part of it is due to one basic fact--when Paul wrote to the Church at Rome he was writing to a Church with whose founding he had had nothing whatever to do and with which he had had no personal contact at all. That explains why in Romans there are so few of the details of practical problems which fill the other letters. That is why Romans, at first sight, seems so much more impersonal. As Dibelius put it, "It is of all Paulletters the least conditioned by the momentary situation."

We may put that in another way. Romans, of all Paulletters, comes nearest to being a theological treatise. In almost all his other letters he is dealing with some immediate trouble, some pressing situation, some current error, some threatening danger, which was menacing the Church to which he was writing. Romans is the nearest approach to a systematic exposition of Paulown theological position, independent of any immediate set of circumstances.

Testamentary And Prophylactic

Because of that, two great scholars have applied two very illuminating adjectives to Romans. Sanday called Romans "testamentary." It is as if Paul was writing his theological last will and testament, as if into Romans he was distilling the very essence of his faith and belief. Rome was the greatest city in the world, the capital of the greatest Empire the world had ever seen. Paul had never been there, and he did not know if he ever would be there. But, in writing to such a Church in such a city, it was fitting that he should set down the very centre and core of his belief. Burton called Romans "prophylactic." A prophylactic is something which guards against infection. Paul had seen too often what harm and trouble could be caused by wrong ideas, twisted notions, misguided conceptions of Christian faith and belief. He therefore wished to send to the Church in the city which was the centre of the world a letter which would so build up the structure of their faith that, if infections should ever come to them, they might have in the true word of Christian doctrine a powerful and effective defence. He felt that the best protection against the infection of false teaching was the antiseptic of the truth.

The Occasion Of PaulWriting To Rome

All his life Paul had been haunted by the thought of Rome. It had always been one of his dreams to preach there. When he is in Ephesus, he is planning to go through Achaea and Macedonia again, and then comes a sentence obviously dropped straight from the heart, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome" (Act_19:21 ). When he was up against things in Jerusalem, and the situation looked threatening and the end seemed near, he had one of those visions which always lifted up his heart. In that vision the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage, Paul. For as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also at Rome" (Act_23:11 ). In the very first chapter of this letter Pauldesire to see Rome breathes out. "I long to see you that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you" (Rom_1:11 ). "So, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome" (Rom_1:15 ). It might well be said that the name Rome was written on Paulheart.

When he actually wrote the Letter to the Romans, the date was sometime in the year A.D. 58, and he was in Corinth. He was just about to bring to its completion a scheme that was very dear to his heart. The Church at Jerusalem was the mother Church of them all, but it was poor, and Paul had organized a collection throughout the younger churches for it (1Co_16:1 ; 2Co_9:1 ). That collection was two things. It was an opportunity for his younger converts to put Christian charity into Christian action, and it was a most practical way of impressing on all Christians the unity of the Christian Church, of teaching them that they were not members of isolated and independent congregations, but of one great Church, each part of which had a responsibility to all the rest. When Paul wrote Romans he was just about to set out with that gift for the Jerusalem Church. "At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem with aid for the saints" (Rom_15:25 ).

The Object Of PaulWriting

Why, then, at such a moment should he write?

(a) Paul knew that the journey to Jerusalem was not without its peril. He knew that he had enemies there, and that to go to Jerusalem was to take his life and liberty in his hands. He desired the prayers of the Roman Church before he set out on this expedition. "Now I appeal to you brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judaea" (Rom_15:30-31 ). He was mobilizing the prayers of the Church before he embarked on this perilous undertaking.

(b) Paul had great schemes simmering in his mind. It has been said of him that he was "always haunted by the regions beyond." He never saw a ship at anchor but he wished to board her and to carry the good news to men across the sea. He never saw a range of mountains, blue in the distance, but he wished to cross them, and to bring the story of the Cross to men who had never heard it. At this time Paul was haunted by the thought of Spain. "I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain" (Rom_15:24 ). "When I have completed this [that is, when he had delivered the collection to the Church in Jerusalem] I shall go on by way of you to Spain" (Rom_15:28 ).

Why this great desire to go to Spain? Rome had opened up that land. Some of the great Roman roads and buildings still stand there to this day. And it so happened that, just at this time, there was a blaze of greatness in Spain. Many of the great figures who were writing their names on Roman history and literature were Spaniards. There was Martial, the master of the epigram. There was Lucan, the epic poet. There were Columella and Pomponius Mela, great figures in Roman literature. There was Quintilian, the master of Roman oratory. And, above all, there was Seneca, the greatest of the Roman Stoic philosophers, the tutor of the Emperor Nero, and the Prime Minister of the Roman Empire. It was most natural that Paulthoughts should go out to this land which was producing such a scintillating galaxy of greatness. What might happen if men like that could be touched for Christ? As far as we know Paul never got to Spain. On that visit to Jerusalem he was arrested and he was never freed again. But, when he was writing Romans, that was his dream.

Paul was a master strategist. He had an eye for the layout of territory like a great commander. He felt that by this time he could move on from Asia Minor and for the time being leave Greece behind. He saw the whole west lying in front of him, virgin territory to be won for Christ. But, if he was to launch a campaign in the west, he needed a base of operations. There was only one such base possible--and that was Rome.

That was why Paul wrote this letter to Rome. He had this great dream in his heart and this great plan in his mind. He needed Rome for a base for this new campaign. He was aware that the Church in Rome must know his name. But he was also aware, for he was a realist, that the reports which reached Rome would be mixed. His opponents were not above spreading slanders and false accusation against him. So he wrote this letter to set out for the Church at Rome an account of the very essence of his belief, in order that, when the time came for action, he might find in Rome a sympathetic Church from which the lines of communication might go out to Spain and the west. It was with such a plan and such an intention, that in A.D. 58 Paul sat down in Corinth to write his letter to the Church at Rome.

The Layout Of The Letter

Romans is at once a very complicated and a very carefully constructed letter. It will therefore help us to find our way through it, if we have in our minds an idea of its framework. It falls into four definite divisions.

(i) Rom 1-8, which deal with the problem of righteousness.

(ii) Rom 9-11, which deal with problem of the Jews, the chosen

people.

(iii) Rom 12-15, which deal with practical questions of life and

living.

(iv) Rom 16 , which is a letter of introduction for Phoebe,

and a list of final personal greetings.

(i) When Paul uses the word "righteousness," he means a right relationship with God The man who is righteous is the man who is in a right relationship with God, and whose life shows it.

Paul begins with a survey of the Gentile world. We have only to look at its decadence and corruption to know that it had not solved the problem of righteousness. He looks at the Jewish world. The Jews had sought to solve the problem of righteousness by meticulous obedience to the law. Paul had tried that way himself, and it had issued in frustration and defeat, because no man on earth can ever fully obey the law, and, therefore, every man must have the continual consciousness of being in debt to God and under his condemnation.

So Paul finds the way to righteousness in the way of utter trust and utter yieldedness. The only way to a right relationship with God is to take him at his word, and to cast oneself, just as one is, on his mercy and love. It is the way of faith. It is to know that the important thing is, not what we can do for God, but what he has done for us. For Paul the centre of the Christian faith was that we can never earn or deserve the favour of God, nor do we need to. The whole matter is one of grace, and all that we can do is to accept in wondering love and gratitude and trust what God has done for us.

That does not free us, however, from obligations or entitle us to do as we like; it means that for ever and for ever we must try to be worthy of the love which does so much for us. But we are no longer trying to fulfil the demands of stern and austere and condemnatory law; we are no longer like criminals before a judge; we are lovers who have given all life in love to the one who first loved us.

(ii) The problem of the Jews was a torturing one. In a real sense they were Godchosen people, and yet, when his Son had come into the world, they had rejected him. What possible explanation could there be for this heart-breaking fact?

The only one Paul could find was that, in the end, it was all Goddoing. Somehow the hearts of the Jews had been hardened; but it was not all failure, for there had always been a faithful remnant. Nor was it for nothing, for the very fact that the Jews had rejected Christ opened the door so the Gentiles would bring in the Jews and all men would be saved.

Paul goes further. The Jew had always claimed that he was a member of the chosen people in virtue of the fact that he was a Jew. It was solely a matter of pure racial descent from Abraham. But Paul insists that the real Jew is not the man whose flesh and blood descent can be traced to Abraham. He is the man who has made the same decision of utter yieldedness to God in loving faith which Abraham made. Therefore, Paul argues, there are many pure-blooded Jews who are not Jews in the real sense of the term at all; and there are many people of other nations who are really Jews in the true meaning of that word. The new Israel was not a racial thing at all; it was composed of those who had the same faith as Abraham had had.

(iii) Rom 12 is so great an ethical statement that it must always be set alongside the Sermon on the Mount. In it Paul lays down the ethical character of the Christian faith. The fourteenth and fifteenth chapters deal with an ever-recurring problem. In the Church there was a narrower party who believed that they must abstain from certain foods and drinks, and who counted special days and ceremonies as of great importance. Paul thinks of them as the weaker brethren because their faith was dependent on these external things. There was a more liberal party, who had liberated themselves from these external rules and observances. He thinks of them as the brethren who are stronger in the faith. He makes it quite clear that his sympathies are with the more liberal party; but he lays down the great principle that no man must ever do anything to hurt the conscience of a weaker brother or to put a stumbling block in his way. His whole point of view is that we must never do anything which makes it harder for someone else to be a Christian; and that that may well mean the giving up of something, which is right and safe for us, for the sake of the weaker brother. Christian liberty must never be used in such a way that it injures anotherlife or conscience.

(iv) The fourth section is a recommendation on behalf of Phoebe, a member of the Church at Cenchreae, who is coming to Rome. The letter ends with a list of greetings and a final benediction.

Two Problems

Rom 16 has always presented scholars with a problem. Many have felt that it does not really form part of the Letter to the Romans at all; and that it is really a letter to some other Church which became attached to Romans when Paulletters were collected. What are their grounds? First and foremost, in this chapter Paul sends greetings to twenty-six different people, twenty-four of whom he mentions by name and all of whom he seems to know very intimately. He can, for instance, say that the mother of Rufus has also been a mother to him. Is it likely that Paul knew intimately twenty-six people in a Church which he had never visited? He, in fact, greets far more people in this chapter than he does in any other letter, and yet he had never set foot in Rome. Here is something that needs explanation.

If Rom 16 was not written to Rome, what was its original destination? It is here that Prisca and Aquila come into the argument. We know that they left Rome in A.D. 52 when Claudius issued his edict banishing the Jews (Act_18:2 ). We know that they went with Paul to Ephesus (Act_18:18 ). We know that they were in Ephesus when Paul wrote his letter to Corinth, less than two years before he wrote Romans (1Co_16:19 ). And we know that they were still in Ephesus when the Pastoral Epistles were written (2Ti_4:19 ). It is certain that if we had come across a letter sending greeting to Prisca and Aquila we should have assumed that it was sent to Ephesus, if no other address was given.

Is there any other evidence to make us think that chapter sixteen may have been sent to Ephesus in the first place? There is the perfectly general reason that Paul spent longer in Ephesus than anywhere else, and it would be very natural for him to send greetings to many people there. Paul speaks of Epaenetus, the first-fruits of Asia. Ephesus is in Asia, and such a reference, too, would be very natural in a letter to Ephesus, but not so natural in a letter to Rome. Rom_16:17 speaks about difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught, which sounds as if Paul was speaking about possible disobedience to his own teaching, and he had never taught in Rome.

It can be argued that the sixteenth chapter was originally addressed to Ephesus, but the argument is not so strong as it looks. For one thing, there is no evidence that the chapter was ever attached anywhere except to the Letter to the Romans. For another thing, the odd fact is that Paul does not send personal greetings to churches which he knew well. There are no personal greetings in Thessalonians, Corinthians, Galatians, and Philippians, all of them letters to churches he knew well; whereas there are personal greetings in Colossians, although Paul had never set foot in Colosse.

The reason is really quite simple. If Paul had sent personal greetings to churches he knew well, jealousies might well have arisen; on the other hand, when he was writing to churches he had never visited, he liked to establish as many personal links as possible. The very fact that Paul had never been in Rome makes it likely that he would try to establish as many personal connections as possible. Again, it is to be remembered that Prisca and Aquila were banished by edict from Rome. What is more likely than that, after the trouble was over, six or seven years later, they would return to Rome and pick up the threads of their business after their stay in other towns? And is it not most likely that many of the other names are names of people who shared in this banishment, who took up temporary residence in other cities, who met Paul there, and who, when the coast was clear, returned to Rome and their old homes? Paul would be delighted to have so many personal contacts in Rome and to seize hold of them.

Further, as we shall see, when we come to study chapter 16 in detail, many of the names--the households of Aristobulus and Narcissus, Amplias, Nereus and others--well suit Rome. In spite of the arguments for Ephesus, we may take it that there is no necessity to detach chapter sixteen from the Letter to the Romans.

But there is a more interesting, and a much more important, problem. The early manuscripts show some very curious things with regard to Rom 14-16. The only natural place for a doxology is at the very end. Rom_16:25-27 is a doxology, and in most good manuscripts it comes at the end. But in a number of manuscripts it comes at the end of Rom 14 ; two good manuscripts have it in both places; one ancient manuscript has it at the end of Rom 15 ; two manuscripts have it in neither place, but leave an empty space for it. One ancient Latin manuscript has a series of section summaries. The last two are as follows:

50: On the peril of him who grieves his brother by meat.

That is obviously Rom_14:15-23 .

51: On the mystery of the Lord, kept secret before his passion

but after his passion revealed.

That is equally clearly Rom_16:25-27 , the doxology. Clearly, these summaries were made from a manuscript which did not contain chapters fifteen and sixteen. Now there is one thing which sheds a flood of light on this. In one manuscript the mention of Rome in Rom_1:7 and Rom_1:15 is entirely omitted. There is no mention of any destination.

All this goes to show that Romans circulated in two forms--one form as we have it with sixteen chapters, and one with fourteen chapters; and perhaps also one with fifteen chapters. The explanation must be this. As Paul wrote it to Rome, it had sixteen chapters; but Rom 15-16 are private and personal to Rome. Now no other letter gives such a compendium of Pauldoctrine. What must have happened was that Romans began to circulate among all the churches, with the last two local chapters omitted, except for the doxology. It must have been felt that Romans was too fundamental to stop at Rome and so the purely local references were removed and it was sent out to the Church at large. From very early times the Church felt that Romans was so great an expression of the mind of Paul that it must become the possession not of one congregation, but of the whole Church. We must remember, as we study it, that men have always looked on Romans as the quintessence of Paulgospel.

FURTHER READING

Romans

C. H. Dodd, The Epistle of Paul to the Romans (MC; E)

A. M. Hunter, The Epistle to the Romans: The Law of Love (Tch; E)

W. Sanday and A.C. Headlam, Romans (Sixth edition, in two volumes, revised by C. E. B. Cranfield) (ICC; G)

Abbreviations

ICC: International Critical Commentary

MC : Moffatt Commentary

Tch: Torch Commentary

E: English Text

G: Greek Text

Barclay: Romans 15 (Chapter Introduction)

The Marks Of The Fellowship (Rom_15:1-6)

The Inclusive Church (Rom_15:7-13)

The Words Reveal The Man (Rom_15:14-21)

Plans Present And Future (Rom_15:22-29)

Open-Eyed Into Danger (Rom_15:30-33)

Constable: Romans (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Historical Background

Throughout the history of the church, from postapostolic times to the present, Christians have regarded Romans as having been one of the Apostle Paul's epistles.¹ Not only does the letter claim that he wrote it (1:1), but it develops many of the same ideas and uses the same terminology that appear in Paul's earlier writings (e.g., Gal. 2; 1 Cor. 12; 2 Cor. 8-9).

Following his conversion on the Damascus Road (34 A.D.), Paul preached in Damascus, spent some time in Arabia, and then returned to Damascus. Next he travelled to Jerusalem where he met briefly with Peter and James. He then moved on to Tarsus, which was evidently his base of operations and from which he ministered for about six years (37-43 A.D.). In response to an invitation from Barnabas he moved to Antioch of Syria where he served for about five years (43-48 A.D.). He and Barnabas then set out on their so-called first missionary journey into Asia Minor (48-49 A.D.). Returning to Antioch Paul wrote the Epistle to the Galatians to strengthen the churches that he and Barnabas had just planted in Asia Minor (49 A.D.). After the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), Paul took Silas and began his second missionary journey (50-52 A.D.) through Asia Minor and on westward into the Roman provinces of Macedonia and Achaia. From Corinth, Paul wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians (51 A.D.). He proceeded to Ephesus by ship and then on to Syrian Antioch. From there he set out on his third missionary journey (53-57 A.D.). Passing through Asia Minor he arrived in Ephesus where he labored for three years (53-56 A.D.). During this time he wrote 1 Corinthians (56 A.D.). Finally Paul left Ephesus and travelled by land to Macedonia where he wrote 2 Corinthians (56 A.D.). He continued south and spent the winter of 56-57 A.D. in Corinth. There he wrote the Epistle to the Romans and sent it by Phoebe (16:1-2) to the Roman church.

The apostle then proceeded from Corinth by land clockwise around the Aegean Sea back to Troas in Asia where he boarded a ship and eventually reached Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, the Jews arrested Paul and imprisoned him (57 A.D.). He arrived in Rome as a prisoner and ministered there for two years (60-62 A.D.). During this time he wrote the Prison Epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon). The Romans freed Paul, and he returned to the Aegean area. There he wrote 1 Timothy and Titus, experienced arrest again, suffered imprisonment in Rome a second time, wrote 2 Timothy, and died as a martyr under Nero in A.D. 68.²

We know very little about the founding of the church in Rome. According to Ambrosiaster, a church father who lived in the fourth century, an apostle did not found it (thus discrediting the Roman Catholic claim that Peter founded the church). A group of Jewish Christians did.³ It is possible that these Jews became believers in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) or at some other time quite early in the church's history. By the time Paul wrote Romans the church in Rome was famous throughout the Roman Empire for its faith (1:18).

Purpose

Paul wrote this epistle under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for several reasons.⁴ He wanted to prepare the way for his intended visit to the church (15:22-24). He evidently hoped that Rome would become a base of operations and support for his pioneer missionary work in Spain and the western portions of the empire that he had not yet evangelized. His full exposition of the gospel in this letter would have provided a solid foundation for their participation in this mission.

As Paul looked forward to returning to Jerusalem between his departure from Corinth and his arrival in Rome, he was aware of the danger he faced (15:31). He may have written the exhaustive exposition of the gospel that we have in Romans to set forth his teaching in case he did not reach Rome. From Rome his doctrine could then go out to the rest of the empire as others preached it. Paul may have viewed Romans as his legacy to the church, his last will and testament.

Another reason for writing Romans was undoubtedly Paul's desire to minister to the spiritual needs of the Christians in Rome even though they were in good spiritual condition (15:14-16). The common problems of all the early churches were dangers to the Roman church as well. These difficulties included internal conflicts, mainly between Jewish and Gentile believers, and external threats from false teachers. Paul gave both of these potential problems attention in this epistle (15:1-8; 16:17-20).

Paul also wrote Romans as he did because he was at a transition point in his ministry, as he mentioned at the end of chapter 15. His ministry in the Aegean region was solid enough that he planned to leave it and move farther west into new virgin missionary territory. Before he did that, he planned to visit Jerusalem where he realized he would be in danger. Probably therefore Paul wrote Romans as he did to leave a full exposition of the gospel in good hands if his ministry ended prematurely in Jerusalem.

"The peculiar position of the apostle at the time of writing, as he reviews the past and anticipates the future, enables us to understand the absence of controversy in this epistle, the conciliatory attitude, and the didactic and apologetic elements which are all found combined herein."⁵

The great contribution of this letter to the body of New Testament inspired revelation is its reasoned explanation of how God's righteousness can become man's possession.

The Book of Romans is distinctive among Paul's inspired writings in several respects. It was one of the few letters he wrote to churches with which he had had no personal dealings. The only other epistle of this kind was Colossians. It is also a formal treatise within a personal letter.⁶ Paul expounded on the gospel in this treatise. He probably did so in this epistle rather than in another because the church in Rome was at the heart of the Roman Empire. As such it was able to exert great influence in the dissemination of the gospel. For these two reasons Romans is more formal and less personal than most of Paul's other epistles.

The Epistle to the Romans is, by popular consent, the greatest of Paul's writings. William Tyndale, the great English reformer and translator, referred to Romans as "the principle and most excellent part of the New Testament." He went on to say the following in his prologue to Romans that he wrote in the 1534 edition of his English New Testament.

"No man verily can read it too oft or study it too well; for the more it is studied the easier it is, the more it is chewed the pleasanter it is, and the more groundly [sic] it is searched the preciouser [sic] things are found in it, so great treasures of spiritual things lieth hid therein."⁷

Martin Luther wrote the following commendation of this epistle.

"[Romans] is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. It can never be read or pondered too much, and the more it is dealt with the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes."⁸

Message⁹

Throughout the history of the church Christians have recognized this epistle as the most important book in the New Testament. The reason for this conviction is that it is an exposition of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Luther called Romans "the chief part of the New Testament and the perfect gospel." Coleridge, the English poet, declared it to be "the most profound work in existence." Frederick Godet, the French commentator, described it as "the cathedral of the Christian faith."¹⁰

To appreciate the message of this book it will be helpful first to consider Paul's presuppositions. He based these, of course, on Old Testament revelation concerning cosmology and history.

First, Paul assumed the God of the Old Testament. He assumed God's existence and full deity. He believed that God is holy and just. He also held that God is the creator, sustainer, and sovereign ruler of the universe.

Second, Paul's view of man is that he is subject to God's government of the universe. Man has received a measure of freedom from God, so he can choose to pursue sin. However, if he does so, he is still in the sovereign hand of God. God can allow the consequences of his sins to have their effects on him both now and forever. Man is also in authority over the rest of the material creation (Gen. 1:28). What man has experienced, the material creation also has experienced and reflects as a result of man's action.

Third, Paul's view of history was that of Old Testament revelation. The important historical events for Paul were those in his Scriptures.

Adam was the first man. He rebelled against God's authority. The result was threefold: the practical dethronement of God in the minds of Adam's descendents, the degradation of humanity, and the defilement of creation. This is a very different view of history from what evolutionists and humanists take. Man has lost his scepter because he rebelled against God's scepter.

Two other individuals were specially significant in history for Paul as we see in Romans: Abraham and Jesus Christ. God called Abraham to be a channel of blessing to the world. Christ is the greatest blessing. Through Him people and creation can experience restoration to God's original intention for them.

These are Paul's basic presuppositions on which all his reasoning in Romans rests. Romans is not the best book to put in the hands of an unsaved person to lead him or her to salvation. John is better for that purpose. However, Romans is the best book to put in the hands of a saved person to lead him or her to understand and appreciate our salvation.

We turn now to the major revelations in this book. These are its central teachings, the emphases that distinguish Romans from other books of the Bible.

First, Romans reveals the tragic helplessness of the human race. No other book of the Bible looks so fearlessly into the abysmal degradation that has resulted from human sin. If you read only 1:18-3:20, you will become depressed by its pessimism. If you keep reading, you will conclude from 3:21 on that we have the best, most optimistic news you have ever heard. This book is all about ruin and redemption. Its first great revelation is the absolute ruin and helplessness of the human race.

Paul divides the ruined race into two parts. The first of these is the Gentiles who have the light of nature. God has given everyone, Gentiles and Jews, the opportunity of observing and concluding two things about Himself: His wisdom and power. The average person as well as the scientist concludes that Someone wise must have put the natural world together, and He must be very powerful. Nevertheless having come to that conclusion he turns from God to vain reasonings, vile passions, unrighteous behavior, envy, murder, strife, deceit, insolence, pride, and perverted conduct. Just read today's newspaper and you will find confirmation of Paul's analysis of the human race.

The other part of the ruined race is the Jews who, in addition to the light of nature, also had the light of Scripture. Paul observed that in spite of his greater revelation and privilege the Jew behaves the same way as the Gentile. Yet he is a worse sinner. Having professed devotion to God and having claimed to be a teacher of the Gentiles because of his greater light he disobeys God and causes the Gentiles to blaspheme His name. Paul concluded, "There is none righteous, no, not one" (3:10). "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (3:23).

The second major revelation of Romans is the magnificence of the divine plan of salvation. This plan centers on Jesus Christ whom Paul introduced on the very first page of his letter (1:3-4). God declared to everyone that the Jesus of the Gospels is His Son by resurrecting Him.

Two words describe Christ's relation to the divine plan of salvation: manifestation and propitiation. The righteousness manifested in Him is available to people through His propitiation. God's righteousness is available to everyone because Jesus died as the perfect offering for sin. The righteousness we see in Jesus in the Gospel records is available to those who believe that His sacrifice satisfied God (3:21, 25).

We can also describe God's relation to the plan of salvation with two words: holiness and love. The plan of salvation that Romans expounds resulted from a holy God reaching out to sinful humanity lovingly (3:22, 24). This plan vindicates the holiness of God as it unveils God's gracious love (chs. 9-11).

Man's relation to the plan of salvation is threefold. It involves justification, the imputation of God's righteousness to the believing sinner. It also involves sanctification, the impartation of God's righteousness to the redeemed sinner. Third, it involves glorification, the perfection of God's righteousness in the sanctified sinner. In justification God lifts the sinner into a relationship with Himself that is more intimate than we would have enjoyed if we had never sinned. In sanctification God progressively transforms the sinner into the Savior's image by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. In glorification God finally restores the sinner to the place God intended for us to occupy in creation.

The creation's relation to the plan of salvation is twofold. God restores creation's king, man, to his intended position. Second, creation realizes all of its intended possibilities that sin has denied it.

Let us note next some of the lessons of this book. What did God want us to learn from it?

First, Romans calls us to measure ourselves by divine rather than human standards. We sometimes evaluate ourselves and one another by using the criteria that our age sets or that we set. However to know our true condition we must use the criteria that God sets. This standard reveals that we are all guilty before God. This is one of the great lessons that Romans teaches us.

Second, Romans calls us to live by faith rather than by sight. God did not come any closer to mankind in the incarnation of Christ than He ever had been. Yet in the incarnation the nearness of God became more obvious to people. In the resurrection the Son of God became observable as the Son of God to human beings. All the glories of salvation come to us as we believe God. Romans contrasts the folly of trying to obtain salvation by working for it with trusting God, simply believing what He has revealed as true.

Third, Romans calls us to dedicate ourselves to God rather than living self-centered lives (12:1). This is the reasonable response to having received salvation. We should give ourselves to God. God's grace puts us in His debt. Paul did not say that if we fail to dedicate ourselves to God we are unsaved. Rather he appeals to us as saved people to do for God what He has done for us, namely giving ourselves out of love. When we do this, we show that we truly appreciate what God has done for us.

On the basis of these observations I would summarize the message of Romans in these words. Since God has lovingly provided salvation for helpless sinners through His Son, we should accept that sacrifice by faith and express our gratitude to God by dedicating our lives to Him.

In conclusion let me suggest an application of the message of Romans.

In view of the greatness of the salvation that God has provided as Romans reveals, we, as Paul, have a duty to communicate this good news to the world (1:14-17; Matt. 28:19). We do this both by lip and life, by explanation and by example (8:29). Our living example will reflect death to self as well as life to God (6:13).

Constable: Romans (Outline)

Outline

I. Introduction 1:1-17

A. Salutation 1:1-7

1. The writer 1:1

2. The subject of the epistle 1:2-5

3. The original recipients 1:6-7

B. Purpose 1:8-15

C. Theme 1:16-17

II. The need for God's righteousness 1:18-3:20

A. The need of all people 1:18-32

1. The reason for human guilt 1:18

2. The ungodliness of mankind 1:19-27

3. The wickedness of mankind 1:28-32

B. The need of good people 2:1-3:8

1. God's principles of judgment 2:1-16

2. The guilt of the Jews 2:17-29

3. Answers to objections 3:1-8

C. The guilt of all humanity 3:9-20

III. The imputation of God's righteousness 3:21-5:21

A. The description of justification 3:21-26

B. The defense of justification by faith alone 3:27-31

C. The proof of justification by faith from the law ch. 4

1. Abraham's justification by faith 4:1-5

2. David's testimony to justification by faith 4:6-8

3. The priority of faith to circumcision 4:9-12

4. The priority of faith to the promise concerning headship of many nations 4:13-17

5. The exemplary value of Abraham's faith 4:18-22

6. Conclusions from Abraham's example 4:23-25

D. The benefits of justification 5:1-11

E. The universal applicability of justification 5:12-21

IV. The impartation of God's righteousness chs. 6-8

A. The believer's relationship to sin ch. 6

1. Freedom from sin 6:1-14

2. Slavery to righteousness 6:15-23

B. The believer's relationship to the law ch. 7

1. The law's authority 7:1-6

2. The law's activity 7:7-12

3. The law's inability 7:13-25

C. The believer's relationship to God ch. 8

1. Our deliverance from the flesh by the power of the Spirit 8:1-11

2. Our new relationship to God 8:12-17

3. Our present sufferings and future glory 8:18-25

4. Our place in God's sovereign plan 8:26-30

5. Our eternal security 8:31-39

V. The vindication of God's righteousness chs. 9-11

A. Israel's past election ch. 9

1. God's blessings on Israel 9:1-5

2. God's election of Israel 9:6-13

3. God's freedom to elect 9:14-18

4. God's mercy toward Israel 9:19-29

5. God's mercy toward the Gentiles 9:30-33

B. Israel's present rejection ch. 10

1. The reason God has set Israel aside 10:1-7

2. The remedy for rejection 10:8-15

3. The continuing unbelief of Israel 10:16-21

C. Israel's future salvation ch. 11

1. Israel's rejection not total 11:1-10

2. Israel's rejection not final 11:11-24

3. Israel's restoration assured 11:25-32

4. Praise for God's wise plans 11:33-36

VI. The practice of God's righteousness 12:1-15:13

A. Dedication to God 12:1-2

B. Conduct within the church 12:3-21

1. The diversity of gifts 12:3-8

2. The necessity of love 12:9-21

C. Conduct within the state ch. 13

1. Conduct towards the government 13:1-7

2. Conduct toward unbelievers 13:8-10

3. Conduct in view of our hope 13:11-14

D. Conduct within Christian liberty 14:1-15:13

1. The folly of judging one another 14:1-12

2. The evil of offending one another 14:13-23

3. The importance of pleasing one another 15:1-6

4. the importance of accepting one another 15:7-13

VII. Conclusion 15:14-16:27

A. Paul's ministry 15:14-33

1. Past labors 15:14-21

2. Present program 15:22-29

3. Future plans 15:30-33

B. Personal matters ch. 16

1. A commendation 16:1-2

2. Various greetings to Christians in Rome 16:3-16

3. A warning 16:17-20

4. Greetings from Paul's companions 16:21-24

5. A doxology 16:25-27

Constable: Romans

Romans

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: Romans (Book Introduction)

THE

EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL, THE APOSTLE,

TO THE ROMANS.

INTRODUCTION.

After the Gospels, which contain the history of Christ, and the Acts of the Apostles, which contain the history of the infant Church, we have the Epistles of the Apostles. Of these fourteen have been penned on particular occasions, and addressed to particular persons, by St. Paul; the others of St. James, St. Peter, St. John, and St. Jude, are called Catholic Epistles, because they are addressed to all Christians in general, if we except the two latter short epistles of St. John. --- The epistles of St. Paul contain admirable advice, and explain fully several tenets of Christianity: but an humble and teachable mind and heart are essentially requisite to draw good from this inexhaustible source. If we prepare our minds by prayer, and go to these sacred oracles with proper dispositions, as to Jesus Christ himself, not preferring our own weak judgment to that of the Catholic Church divinely inspired, and which he has commanded us to hear, and which he has promised to lead in all truth unto the end of the world, we shall improve both our mind and heart by a frequent and pious perusal. We shall learn there that faith is essentially necessary to please God; that this faith is but one, as God is but one; and that faith which shews itself not by good works, is dead. Hence, when St. Paul speaks of works that are incapable of justifying us, he speaks not of the works of moral righteousness, but of the ceremonial works of the Mosaic law, on which the Jews laid such great stress as necessary to salvation. --- St. Peter (in his 2nd Epistle, chap. iii.) assures us that there were some in his time, as there are found some now in our days, who misconstrue St. Paul's epistles, as if he required no good works any more after baptism than before baptism, and maintaining that faith alone would justify and save a man. Hence the other apostles wrote their epistles, as St. Augustine remarks in these words; "therefore because this opinion, that faith only was necessary to salvation, was started, the other apostolical epistles do most pointedly refute it, forcibly contending that faith without works profiteth nothing." Indeed St. Paul himself, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, (Chap. xiii. 2.) positively asserts: if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. --- This epistle, like most of the following, is divided into two parts: the first treats of points of doctrine, and extends to the eleventh chapter inclusively; the second treats of morality, and is contained in the last five chapters: but to be able to understand the former, and to practise the latter, humble prayer and a firm adherence to the Catholic Church, which St. Paul (1 Timothy chap. iii.) styles, the pillar and ground of truth, are undoubtedly necessary. Nor should we ever forget what St. Peter affirms, that in St. Paul's epistles there are some things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and the unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2 Peter chap. iii. ver. 16.) (Haydock) --- St. Paul had not been at Rome when he wrote this epistle, which was in the year fifty-seven or fifty-eight, when he was preparing to go to Jerusalem with the charitable contributions and alms, collected in Achaia and Macedonia, for the benefit and relief of the poor Christians in Judea, and at Jerusalem; and after he had preached in almost all places from Jerusalem even to Illyris, Illyrium, or Illyricum. See this Epistle, chap. xv. It was written in Greek. It is not the first in order of time, though placed first, either because of the dignity of the chief Christian Church, or of its sublime contents. --- The apostle's chief design was not only to unite all the new Christian converts, whether they had been Gentiles or Jews, in the same faith, but also to bring them to a union in charity, love, and peace; to put an end to those disputes and contentions among them, which were particularly occasioned by those zealous Jewish converts, who were for obliging all Christians to the observance of the Mosaic precepts and ceremonies. They who had been Jews, boasted that they were the elect people of God, preferred before all other nations, to whom he had given this written law, precepts, and ceremonies by Moses, to whom he had sent his prophets, and had performed so many miracles in their favour, while the Gentiles were left in their ignorance and idolatry. The Gentiles, now converted, were apt to brag of the learning of their great philosophers, and that sciences had flourished among them: they reproached the Jews with the disobedience of their forefathers to God, and the laws he had given them; that they had frequently returned to idolatry; that they had persecuted and put to death the prophets, and even their Messias, the true Son of God. St. Paul shews that neither the Jew nor the Gentile had reason to boast, but to humble themselves under the hand of God, the author of their salvation. He puts the Jews in mind, that they could not expect to be justified and saved merely by the ceremonies and works of their law, thought good in themselves; that the Gentiles, as well as they, were now called by the pure mercy of God: that they were all to be saved by believing in Christ, and complying with his doctrine; that sanctification and salvation can only be had by the Christian faith. He does not mean by faith only, as it is one particular virtue, different from charity, hope, and other Christian virtues; but he means by faith, the Christian religion, and worship, taken in opposition to the law of Moses and to the moral virtues of heathens. The design of the Epistle to the Galatians is much the same. From the 12th chapter he exhorts them to the practice of Christian virtues. (Witham)

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Gill: Romans (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO ROMANS

Though this epistle is in order placed the first of the epistles, yet it was not first written: there were several epistles written before it, as the two epistles to the Thessalonians, the two to the Corinthians, the first epistle to Timothy, and that to Titus: the reason why this epistle stands first, is either the excellency of it, of which Chrysostom had so great an esteem that he caused it to be read over to him twice a week; or else the dignity of the place, where the persons lived to whom it is written, being Rome, the imperial city: so the books of the prophets are not placed in the same order in which they were written: Hosea prophesied as early as Isaiah, if not earlier; and before Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and yet stands after them. This epistle was written from Corinth, as the subscription of it testifies; and which may be confirmed from the apostle's commendation of Phoebe, by whom he sent it, who was of Cenchrea, a place near Corinth; by his calling Erastus, the chamberlain of the city, who abode at Corinth, 2Ti 4:20, and Gaius his host, who was a Corinthian, Rom 16:23, 1Co 1:14, though at what time it was written from hence, is not so evident: some think it was written in the time of his three months' travel through Greece, Act 20:2, a little before the death of the Emperor Claudius, in the year of Christ 55; others, that it was written by him in the short stay he made at Corinth, when he came thither, as is supposed, from Philippi, in his way to Troas, where some of his company went before, and had been there five days before him: and this is placed in the second year of Nero, and in the year of Christ 56; however, it was not written by him during his long stay at Corinth, when he was first there, but afterwards, even after he had preached from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum: and when he was about to go to Jerusalem, with the contributions of the churches of Macedonia and Achaia, to the poor saints there, Rom 15:19. The persons to whom this epistle was sent were Roman saints, both Jews and Gentiles, inhabiting the city of Rome; of which city and church; See Gill on Act 28:14; Act 28:15; by whom the Gospel was first preached at Rome, and who were the means of forming the church there, is not very evident Irenaeus, an ancient writer, says ^a, that Peter and Paul preached the Gospel at Rome, and founded the church; and Gaius, an ecclesiastical man, who lived in the time of Zephyrinus, bishop of Rome, asserts the same; and Dionysius; bishop of the Corinthians, calls the Romans the plantation of Peter and Paul ^b: whether Peter was ever at Rome is not a clear point with many; and certain it is, that the Apostle Paul had not been at Rome when he wrote this epistle, at least it seems very probable he had not, by several expressions in Rom 1:10; and yet here was a church to which he writes, and had been a considerable time; for their faith was spoken of throughout the world, Rom 1:8; and when the apostle was on the road to this city, the brethren in it met him, Act 28:15. The chief design of this epistle is to set in a clear light the doctrine of justification: showing against the Gentiles, that it is not by the light of nature, and works done in obedience to that, and against the Jews, that it was not by the law of Moses, and the deeds of that; which he clearly evinces, by observing the sinful and wretched estate both of Jews and Gentiles: but that it is by the righteousness of Christ imputed through the grace of God, and received by faith; the effects of which are peace and joy in the soul, and holiness in the life and conversation: he gives an account of the justified ones, as that they are not without sin, which he illustrates by his own experience and case; and yet are possessed of various privileges, as freedom from condemnation, the blessing of adoption, and a right to the heavenly inheritance; he treats in it concerning predestination, the calling of the Gentiles, and the rejection of the Jews; and exhorts to the various duties incumbent on the saints, with respect to one another, and to the world, to duties of a moral and civil nature, and the use of things indifferent; and closes it with the salutations of divers persons.

Gill: Romans 15 (Chapter Introduction)

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 being an apostle, especially an apostle of the Gentiles, and which office he magnified and fulfilled everywhere; gives them the reasons why he had not as yet been with them though he greatly desired it, encourages them to expect, a visit from him; and concludes with earnestly entreating them that he might have a share in their prayers: and first, as an inference from what he had said in the preceding chapter, he lays it down as a duty incumbent on himself, and all that were strong in the doctrine of Christian liberty, to bear with the infirmities of weak Christians, and not please themselves, but others, Rom 15:1, which he enforces, from the usefulness of it, it being for the good and edification of others, Rom 15:2, and from the example of Christ, who pleased not himself, Rom 15:3, and which is proved from a passage of Scripture in Psa 69:9, the pertinency of which passage, and the citation and application of it to Christ and the present case, are vindicated from this consideration, that whatever was written in former times, was for the use of the saints under the Gospel dispensation, Rom 15:4, and that the exhortation might have its effect upon them, be puts up a prayer to God for them, that such a temper of mind might be in them, which would be for the glory of God, Rom 15:5, and then he repeats his exhortation, Rom 15:7, that they would affectionately receive one another; which he urges by the example of Christ, who had received them to the glory of God; and that they might glorify him, and this was one way of doing it: and that this argument might have the greater weight with both parties, he observes, that Jesus Christ had a special regard to the Jews, and was their minister, sent unto them to fulfil the promises made unto their fathers, and had received them; and therefore though they were weak, they were not to be despised, grieved, and offended, Rom 15:8, and as for the Gentiles, it was a clear case that God had had long ago a design of mercy to them, and that they were to be, and were now received by Christ, and so under obligation to glorify God for his mercy; and therefore not to be judged and condemned, though they did not conform to the ceremonial law; and this he proves in Rom 15:9, from several passages of Scripture in Psa 18:49, and closes this argument he had so long insisted on with a prayer to God for them, that they might be in the exercise of faith and hope; and, in the exercise of those graces, be filled with joy and peace, Rom 15:13, and in order to prevent an objection that might be made to these prayers and exhortations of his, that they suggested that they were wicked and ignorant men, devoid of affection, and knew not how to behave to each other, nor to exhort one another, the apostle softens such a resentment, by calling them brethren, and by expressing his persuasion of their abundant goodness, knowledge, and abilities, Rom 15:14, and excuses the freedom he took with them by observing, that he only acted the part of a monitor, Rom 15:15, and the rather this freedom might be allowed him, on account of the great gifts bestowed upon him, qualifying him to be an apostle of Christ; and especially as he was an apostle of the Gentiles and so their apostle, Rom 15:16, and on account of his office, gifts, and usefulness, he had reason to glory; though through Christ only, and in things relating to God, and not himself, Rom 15:17, when he takes an occasion to enlarge on his ministry, and magnify his office; partly from the end and success of it, bringing the Gentiles to the obedience of Christ, Rom 15:18, and partly from the means and causes of such success the preaching of the word, working miracles, and the power of the Holy Ghost; and from the extent of it, reaching from Jerusalem to Illyricum, Rom 15:19, and from the difficulty which attended it, he preaching in places where the Gospel was never preached before, and which he chose to do, Rom 15:20, and which was necessary to be done, according to a prophecy in Isa 52:15, which he cites, Rom 15:21, and observes, that it was his preaching in these many and distant parts that was the reason of his not having been with the saints at Rome, Rom 15:22, but now gives them reason to expect his coming; partly because he had finished his travels in those countries, and partly because of the vehement desire he had to see them, Rom 15:23, and besides, an opportunity seemed to be offering, he intending to take a journey to Spain, when it would lie in his way to come to Rome, and be for his advantage, Rom 15:24, in the mean while he informs them what he was engaged in, to carry the contribution of the Macedonian and Asian churches to Jerusalem, for the poor saints there, Rom 15:25, on which contributions he enlarges, showing not only who made them, and for whom, but the source and spring of them, they arose from their good will and pleasure, Rom 15:26, and yet they were debtors, and under obligation to do what they did; it was but a piece of justice and equity, since those churches had received of the spiritual things of the Jews, Rom 15:27, and as for his coming to them, he acquaints them of the time that it would be, when he had finished the above service and labour of love, and when he should come into Spain, as he had before signified, Rom 15:28, and of the manner in which he should come, of which he was fully persuaded, as that it would be with the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ, Rom 15:29, and then with great importunity desires them to pray for him, and that very earnestly, Rom 15:30, particularly that he might be delivered from his enemies in Judea, and that the saints there would accept of what he brought them from the Gentiles, Rom 15:31, and that, if it was the will of God, he might come to them and be refreshed with them, Rom 15:32, and then closes the chapter with a salutation of them, or a wish that the God of peace might be with them, Rom 15:33.

College: Romans (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION

I. ROMANS: ITS INFLUENCE AND IMPORTANCE

God's Word is a lamp to our feet and a light for our path (Ps 119:105), and no part of it shines more brilliantly than the book of Romans. The truth of God's Word sets us free (John 8:32), and Romans teaches us the most liberating of all truths. God's Word is sharp and piercing like a sword (Heb 4:12), and no blade penetrates more deeply into our hearts than Romans. Overall the book of Romans may be the most read and most influential book of the Bible, but sometimes it is the most neglected and most misunderstood book. The Restoration Movement has tended to concentrate especially on the book of Acts, which is truly foundational and indispensable. But Romans is to Acts what meat is to milk. We need to mature; we need to graduate from Acts to Romans.

In 1 Cor 15:3-4 Paul sums up the gospel as these three truths: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised up again on the third day. The reality of the historical facts of the Savior's death and resurrection is stressed over and over in the book of Acts. Romans, however, is an exposition of the meaning of these facts. In the language of 1 Cor 15:3, Romans focuses not on "Christ died," but on the next three words: " for our sins ." Acts explains what salvation consists of and how we may receive it. Romans does the same, but carries the explanation to heights and depths that thrill and satisfy the soul, providing it with an experience that is at the same time intellectual, spiritual, and esthetic.

The unparalleled ability of Romans to convict sinners and to motivate Christians is well attested. The comment of Sanday and Headlam (v) has often been noted: "If it is a historical fact that the spiritual revivals of Christendom have been usually associated with closer study of the Bible, this would be true in an eminent degree of the Epistle to the Romans." Leon Morris (1) concurs: "It is commonly agreed that the Epistle to the Romans is one of the greatest Christian writings. Its power has been demonstrated again and again at critical points in the history of the Christian church."

The role of Romans in Augustine's conversion is well known. In his Confessions he tells how a discussion of Christian commitment with two of his friends brought him under strong conviction, filling him with remorse for his sins of sexual immorality and a sense of helplessness to overcome them. Later he and his friend Alypius went into the garden, taking along a copy of Paul's writings. Augustine went off by himself to weep over his sins. While doing so, he reports, "I heard the voice as of a boy or girl, I know not which, coming from a neighbouring house, chanting, and oft repeating, 'Take up and read; take up and read.'" He took this as a sign from God to open the book of Paul's writings and read the first passage that met his eyes. He quickly returned to where Alypius was sitting and the book was lying. When he opened it, the first words he saw were these from Rom 13:13-14: "Not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." This experience and these words gave him what he needed to turn completely to Christ. He says, "No further would I read, nor did I need; for instantly, as the sentence ended, - by a light, as it were, of security infused into my heart, - all the gloom of doubt vanished away."

Godet (1) declares that "the Reformation was undoubtedly the work of the Epistle to the Romans." Morris (1) agrees: "The Reformation may be regarded as the unleashing of new spiritual life as a result of a renewed understanding of the teaching of Romans."

Insofar as the Reformation depends on the work of Martin Luther, this is surely the case. Luther confesses how in 1519 he had an ardent desire to understand the epistle to the Romans. His problem was the way he had been taught to understand the expression "the righteousness of God" in Rom 1:17. To him it meant the divine justice and wrath by which God punishes sin, which did not sound very much like gospel . "Nevertheless," he says, "I beat importunately upon Paul at that place, most ardently desiring to know what St. Paul wanted." Finally, by the mercy of God, he began to understand this expression in a totally different way, i.e., as the righteousness of Christ that God bestows upon the sinner and on the basis of which the sinner is justified. The effect on Luther was electrifying: "I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates." This new understanding of this one verse - Rom 1:17 - changed everything; it became in a real sense the doorway to the Reformation. "Thus that place in Paul was for me truly the gate to paradise," says Luther ("Latin Writings," 336-337).

Luther's regard for Romans is clearly seen in this well-known paragraph from his famous preface to this epistle:

This epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament, and is truly the purest gospel. It is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but also that he should occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. We can never read it or ponder over it too much; for the more we deal with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes ("Preface," 365).

These words, first published in 1522, were echoed almost verbatim by the English reformer William Tyndale, in his prologue to his 1534 English translation of the New Testament. He says, "This epistle is the principal and most excellent part of the New Testament, and most pure . . . gospel, and also a light and a way in unto the whole Scripture." He also recommends learning it by heart and studying it daily, because "so great treasure of spiritual things lieth hid therein."

The Swiss reformer John Calvin echoes some of Tyndale's thoughts in his own commentary on Romans (xxix): "When any one gains a knowledge of this Epistle, he has an entrance opened to him to all the most hidden treasures of Scripture."

Working indirectly through Luther's preface, the book of Romans had an effect on John Wesley similar to the way it influenced Augustine and Luther. In his journal Wesley recounts his own search for personal victory over sin and assurance of salvation based on trust in the blood of Christ alone. He tells what happened to him on May 24, 1738:

In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation: And an assurace was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine , and saved me from the law of sin and death ( Works , I:103).

Modern scholars and expositors seem unable to praise the letter to the Romans highly enough. Philip Schaff has said, "The Epistle to the Romans is the Epistle of the Epistles, as the Gospel of John is the Gospel of the Gospels" ("Preface," v). "This is in every sense the greatest of the Epistles of Paul, if not the greatest book in the New Testament," declares Thiessen ( Introduction , 219). Newell (375) says Romans is "probably the greatest book in the Bible." "If the apostle Paul had written nothing else, he would still be recognized as one of the outstanding Christian thinkers of all time on the basis of this letter alone," say Newman and Nida (1). This familiar praise comes from Godet (x):

The pious Sailer used to say, "O Christianity, had thy one work been to produce a St. Paul, that alone would have rendered thee dear to the coldest reason." May we not be permitted to add: And thou, O St. Paul, had thy one work been to compose an Epistle to the Romans, that alone would have rendered thee dear to every sound reason.

Godet adds, "The Epistle to the Romans is the cathedral of the Christian faith" (1).

Others add even higher praise. Batey (7) says, "Paul's epistle to the Romans stands among the most important pieces of literature in the intellectual history of Western man." "It is safe to say that Romans is probably the most powerful human document ever written," declares Stedman. Some might think this honor should go to the U.S. Constitution or to the Declaration of Independence. "But even they cannot hold a candle to the impact the Epistle to the Romans has had upon human history" (I:1-2). Boice avows: "Christianity has been the most powerful, transforming force in human history - and the book of Romans is the most basic, most comprehensive statement of true Christianity" (I:13).

Commentators often quote this statement from Coleridge: "I think St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans the most profound work in existence" ( Table Talk , 245). Many will certainly agree, but to Coleridge such profundity was not altogether a virtue. For him it meant that Romans "undoubtedly . . . is, and must be, very obscure to ordinary readers" (ibid., 245-246). Indeed, some think that the Apostle Peter may have been referring to Romans in 2 Pet 3:16. But at the same time, perhaps paradoxically, Newell is correct when he says (vii), "There is no more simple book in the Bible than Romans, when one comes to know the book, its contents, its message, its power."

Scholars praise Romans as the clearest statement of the gospel of salvation. As noted above, Luther called it "the purest gospel." Nygren agrees (3): "What the gospel is, what the content of the Christian faith is, one learns to know in the Epistle to the Romans as in no other place in the New Testament." Cranfield says Romans is "the most systematic and complete exposition of the gospel that the NT contains" (I:31). The Restoration scholar Moses Lard (xx) concurs: "It is the whole gospel compressed into the short space of a single letter - a generalization of Christianity up to the hight [sic] of the marvelous, and a detail down to exhaustion." In Stott's words (19), Romans is "the fullest, plainest and grandest statement of the gospel in the New Testament."

Scholars also praise Romans for its unparalleled presentation of the essence of Christian doctrine . In his preface to Romans (380) Luther says that in Romans we "find most abundantly the things that a Christian ought to know, namely, what is law, gospel, sin, punishment, grace, faith, righteousness, Christ, God, good works, love, hope, and the cross; and also how we are to conduct ourselves toward everyone." Thus it seems that Paul "wanted in this one epistle to sum up briefly the whole Christian and evangelical doctrine." Schaff declares it to be "the heart of the doctrinal portion of the New Testament. It presents in systematic order the fundamental truths of Christianity in their primitive purity, inexhaustible depth, all-conquering force, and never-failing comfort. It is the bulwark of the evangelical doctrines of sin and grace" ("Preface," v).

Modern writers agree. "The truth laid down in Romans forms the Gibraltar basis of doctrine, teaching, and confession in the true evangelical church," says Lenski (8). Moo says the Puritan writer Thomas Draxe described Romans as "the quintessence and perfection of saving doctrine." Moo agrees: "When we think of Romans, we think of doctrine" (I:1). Lard (xx) calls Romans Paul's "great doctrinal chart for the future." Newman and Nida (1) declare that "above all else, the appeal of Romans is its theology ."

Concerning its doctrinal content, MacArthur lists 49 significant questions about God and man that are answered by Romans, e.g., How can a person who has never heard the gospel be held spiritually responsible? How can a sinner be forgiven and justified by God? How are God's grace and God's law related? Why is there suffering? MacArthur points out that these key words are used repeatedly in the epistle: God (154 times), law (77), Christ (66), sin (45), Lord (44), and faith (40).

Which of these assessments is correct? Is Romans the crowning presentation of the Christian gospel ? Or is it the grandest statement of Christian doctrine ? Actually, it is both. Romans is the theology of the New Testament; it is also the definitive statement of the gospel. In this epistle doctrine and gospel merge, and the result is a spiritual feast for Christians.

Boice (I:10) advises that "it is time to rediscover Romans." Actually, it is always time to "rediscover" Romans, and down through the history of Christianity individuals have been doing just this. The results have been earth-shaking. It can and does happen over and over, in the lives of individuals, in congregations, in the Church at large. F.F. Bruce (60) has well said, "There is no telling what may happen when people begin to study the Epistle to the Romans."

II. THE AUTHOR OF ROMANS

The epistle to the Romans was written by the Apostle Paul (1:1). In the past a few critics challenged this, but without any real basis in fact. Today, as Cranfield says, "no responsible criticism disputes its Pauline origin" (I:2). Romans was quoted by the earliest Christian writers (Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin), and was attributed to Paul by name by Marcion in the mid-second century. Since the time of Irenaeus (late second century) writers have explicitly and regularly viewed it as Pauline.

Though composed and dictated by Paul, the letter was actually written down by a Christian scribe named Tertius, who inserted his own greeting in 16:22.

A. PAUL'S JEWISH BACKGROUND

It is not necessary to go into the details of Paul's life, except for a few facts that are important in view of the content of the epistle, which relates especially to the distinction between law and grace. One relevant fact is Paul's Jewish background, which he proudly avowed: "I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin," a "Hebrew of Hebrews" (11:1; Phil 3:5; 2 Cor 11:22). Though born in Tarsus, he was reared in Jerusalem (Acts 22:3), the capital of Judaism.

Paul's education included strict and thorough religious training in the contents of the Old Testament - especially the Law (Torah) - at the feet of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Gamaliel was one of the most famous and most revered of all rabbis. His knowledge of the Law was so great that he was practically identified with it, being given the title "the Beauty of the Law." A saying recorded in the Talmud declares, "Since Rabban Gamaliel died the glory of the Law has ceased." "Under Gamaliel," says Paul, "I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers" (Acts 22:3). "Thoroughly" translates kataÉ ajkrivbeian ( kata akribeian ), "according to exactness, strictness, precision."

Paul's zeal for God and commitment to his Law was total (Acts 22:3; Gal 1:14). He was a Pharisee (Acts 23:6; Phil 3:5), which he properly identified as "the strictest sect of our religion" (Acts 26:5). The glory of the Pharisees was the Law; they were devoted to akribeia in its interpretation and observance (Dunn, I:xl). Thus Paul not only knew the Law but also devoted himself to scrupulous obedience to its commandments (Acts 26:4-5; Phil 3:6).

This probably means that he was a legalist in the proper sense of that word, i.e., one who sought acceptance by God on the basis of his obedience to the Law. This is implied in the way he contrasted his pre-Christian life (Phil 3:6) and his Christian life (Phil 3:9). This is also the way Pharisees are generally pictured in the Gospels.

Paul's zeal for the Law was expressed perhaps most vehemently in his fanatical persecution of the earliest Christians, all converted Jews whom he no doubt regarded as traitors to God and his Law (Phil 3:6). See Acts 7:58; 8:3; 9:1-2; 22:4-5; 26:9-11; Gal 1:13; 1 Tim 1:13.

B. PAUL'S CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY

The second relevant fact about the Apostle Paul is his conversion. The details need not be recounted here. What is important is that the one who converted him to Christianity was no human preacher, but was Jesus himself (Gal 1:15-16). Also, the gospel he preached was not taught to him by a human teacher; he received it by direct revelation from Jesus (Gal 1:11-12). The result was that Paul's conversion, his change, his turnaround, was complete. Whereas before he was totally committed to the Mosaic Law as a way of life and salvation, once converted he was just as totally committed to the gospel of grace.

As a Christian Paul set himself in complete opposition to everything he had stood for as a Pharisee. He now understood the way of law to be futile (10:3). He saw that his former legalistic approach to salvation was, as Murray says, "the antithesis of grace and of justification by faith" (I:xiii). Thus when Paul presents the classic contrast between law and grace in Romans, he speaks as one who knew both sides of the issue from personal experience and from the best teachers available. As Murray says, he is describing "the contrast between the two periods in his own life history, periods divided by the experience of the Damascus road" (I:xiv).

It is no surprise that Paul's preaching of the gospel and his condemnation of law-righteousness turned the Jews completely against him, even to the point that they tried to kill him (Acts 9:29; 13:45; 14:2, 19; 17:5-8; 18:12; 2 Cor 11:24-26). His opponents included "false brothers" (2 Cor 11:26), the Judaizers, or Jews who accepted Jesus as the Messiah but still clung to the Law of Moses.

In spite of all of this upheaval, Paul did not turn against the Jews as such. He still regarded them as his beloved brothers according to the flesh (9:1-3; 10:1), and as blessed by God in an incomparable way (3:1-2; 9:4-5). In fact, a major aspect of the teaching in Romans is an explanation and a defense of God's purpose for his Old Covenant people, the Jews (see especially chs. 9-11).

C. PAUL'S COMMISSION AS

THE APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES

The last detail about Paul's life that is relevant here is his call and commission to be the Apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 26:17). His appointment as an apostle (1:1) invested him with the full authority of Jesus Christ and with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that his teachings are truly the Word of God (1 Cor 2:6-13; 1 Thess 2:13). When we read the book of Romans, we must understand it to be nothing less than this.

Also, Paul's appointment as the apostle to the Gentiles (1:5) completely governed his thoughts and deeds from that point on. As a Jew and a Pharisee, he had no doubt shared the typical Hebrew aversion to anything Gentile; and he had no doubt gloried in the Jews' exclusive position as God's chosen people. Thus when God revealed to him the mystery of the Gentiles - that it had been his plan all along to include Gentiles in the people of the Messiah (Eph 3:1-10), Paul was overwhelmed with awe and joy. He unhesitatingly opened his heart to the very people he had once despised. This was another complete turnaround in his life, and he devoted himself totally to his new mission.

Paul's role as apostle to the Gentiles had a direct bearing on his relationship with the Roman church and his letter to them. Paul tells us that he had often desired to visit Rome, in order to preach the gospel and have some converts there, "just as I have had among the other Gentiles" (1:13). But since there was already a church in Rome, God's Spirit directed him into other Gentile areas in Asia Minor and the Greek peninsula first (15:17-22). But now he has covered this territory with three lengthy tours of missionary service (15:19). Thus he is ready to launch out into a totally new area, namely, Spain; and his journey there will take him through Rome, as he announces in this epistle (15:23-24).

Throughout the epistle to the Romans, Paul writes with the full conciousness of his mission to the Gentiles and of the Gentiles in his audience. One point that he clarifies in the letter is the relation of the Gentiles to the Jews with respect to salvation.

III. TIME AND PLACE OF WRITING

Immediately after his baptism Paul began to preach Christ in Damascus (Acts 9:19-20), but soon went away into Arabia (Gal 1:17), which may have been the time he received his revelation from Jesus Christ (Gal 1:12). He went from there back to Damascus, then to Jerusalem (Gal 1:17-18) and elsewhere, and ultimately to Antioch (Acts 11:25-26).

From Antioch Paul launched his first missionary trip among the Gentiles (Acts 13:1-3), which was followed by two more. While in Ephesus on his third journey, "Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. 'After I have been there,' he said, 'I must visit Rome also'" (Acts 19:21). He shortly departed for Achaia (Greece) and arrived in Corinth, where he stayed for three months (Acts 20:1-3). This was approximately twenty years after his conversion, and ten years after the beginning of his first journey.

Corinth was the farthest point of his third trip, whence he retraced his steps back toward Ephesus. He stopped at Miletus instead, and traveled from there on to Jerusalem, with the goal of arriving by Pentecost (Acts 20:16-17). One main reason for the trip to Jerusalem was to deliver the money he had collected from the (mostly Gentile) churches in Galatia, Macedonia, and Greece, to help the poor (mostly Jewish) saints in Jerusalem (1 Cor 16:1-4; Rom 15:25-26). Though "compelled by the Spirit" to go to Jerusalem, he was apprehensive about what might happen to him there (Acts 20:22-23).

It was in the midst of this final journey, during the three months Paul spent at Corinth, that he most likely wrote the letter to the Romans. He was apparently staying at the house of Gaius (16:23), one of his converts at Corinth (1 Cor 1:14). The letter was carried to Rome by Phoebe, a Christian from the church in nearby Cenchrea (16:1).

The exact date of the writing of Romans is calculated in relation to the overall chronology of Paul's life and work. There is no unanimity on this chronology, though the differences of opinion are minor. Everyone agrees that the Apostle's stay in Corinth must have been in late winter and/or early spring, since he planned to set out from there and arrive in Jerusalem by Pentecost. Most agree also that this would have been in the middle or late 50s. Thus Romans was probably written early in A.D. 56, 57, or 58.

IV. RECIPIENTS OF ROMANS:

THE CHURCH IN ROME

Rome was the largest and most important city in the Roman Empire in Paul's day. Its population was probably over one million. Of this number, it is estimated that forty to fifty thousand were Jews, with as many as fifteen identifiable synagogues (Dunn, I:xlvi; Edwards, 9).

How the church in Rome originated is not known. There is no real evidence that Peter founded it, contrary to a common tradition. Some say that Rom 15:20 shows this could not have been the case. Here Paul says that he does not intend to "be building on someone else's foundation." The fact that he did plan to visit Rome and work there implies that no apostle had been there yet (MacArthur, I:xviii; Moo, I:4).

One very common speculation is that the Roman church was probably started by Jews and proselytes from Rome who were in the audience that heard Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10), and who were among the converts baptized that day. Upon returning to Rome, they would have established the church there. If so, and this seems very likely, then the first Christians in Rome were converts from Judaism.

Another likely speculation is that Christians from other churches, perhaps some of Paul's own converts from his earlier work in Tarsus and Antioch and Asia Minor, were among those who started the Roman church and helped it to grow. Perhaps some of Paul's acquaintances named in Romans 16 were among this group. Such a scenario is highly probable, given the importance of Rome and the constant travel to and from that city.

Thus the church in Rome would have begun not as the result of some formal missionary effort, but by residents converted while traveling (e.g., Acts 2:10) and by Christians moving there from other places. Their own evangelistic efforts would certainly have focused on the synagogues of Rome, following the pattern of evangelism reflected in the book of Acts. This would have resulted in converts not only from Judaism but also from among Gentile "God-fearers" who were commonly attached to the synagogues (Dunn, I:xlvii-xlviii).

The epistle to the Romans is addressed "to all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints" (1:7). The main question about these saints is the relative number of Jews and Gentiles among them. In answering this question, scholars usually begin with one solid historical fact, and then draw conclusions based on inferences and a bit of speculation. This has led to the following scenario, for which there is considerable consensus among commentators today.

The one fact is that the Roman emperor Claudius issued a decree that expelled all Jews from Rome. This is recorded in Acts 18:2, and is also mentioned by the Roman historian Suetonius. The exact date of the decree is somewhat unclear, but the best calculation is A.D. 49. The reason for the decree is stated thus by Suetonius: "Because the Jews at Rome caused continuous disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, (Emperor Claudius) expelled them from the city" (cited in Fiensy, Introduction , 224). Though we cannot be certain about this, most scholars agree that "Chrestus" is just a mistaken spelling of "Christus," and that the decree had to do with Jesus Christ.

In what way would Christ be instigating disturbances among the Jews in Rome? It is inferred that this refers to conflicts among the Jews stemming from Christian evangelism in the various synagogues. Because there was a wide diversity among the Jews and synagogues in Rome, it is concluded that some were more receptive to Christianity than others, and that this must have led to disputes among them. The resulting unrest was apparently unpleasant enough for Claudius to order all Jews to leave the city. It is also assumed that his decree did not make a distinction between unbelieving and believing Jews; thus even the Jewish Christians had to leave, e.g., Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:2). After the decree the Roman church thus would be composed almost entirely of Gentiles. (See Donfried, "Presuppositions," 104-105.)

When Claudius died around A.D. 54, the decree was no longer enforced, and Jews and Jewish Christians were free to return to Rome. Some think, however, that they were still forbidden to assemble publicly (Wiefel, "Community," 92-94). The results for the church would have been twofold. First, the problem with public assembly may have forced the Christians to set up a number of "house churches," a possibility that seems to be confirmed in Rom 16:5, 14, 15. Second, the returning Jewish Christians would find the Roman church dominated by the Gentile Christians, if not in number then certainly in power and influence (Wiefel, "Community," 94-96).

Thus the saints in Rome, to whom the letter is addressed, were almost certainly a mixture of Jewish and Gentile Christians, though there is no way to tell which group had the larger number. If the circumstances outlined in the above scenario are correct, however, it is safe to assume that there was tension if not conflict among the two groups. Wiefel refers to "quarrels about status" ("Community," 96). Bruce says, "It is implied in Romans 11:13-24 that the Gentile Christians tended to look down on their Jewish brethren as poor relations" ("Debate," 180). Dunn speaks of "at least some friction between Gentile and Jew" within the house churches, with the Jews being in a minority and feeling themselves vulnerable (I:liii).

What is obvious is that in the epistle Paul addresses both groups, with some passages being specifically directed toward the Jewish Christians and some toward the Gentile Christians (see Moo, I:10-11; Murray, I:xviii-xix). Some say the letter as a whole is directed mainly to the Jewish saints; others say it was mainly intended for the Gentiles.

Hendriksen is surely right, though, when he says that regarding the main point of Romans this whole question is really irrelevant, since it applies equally to both groups (I:23). All are sinners (3:9, 23), no one will be saved by law (3:19-20), and all are equal recipients of the grace that is in Christ Jesus (3:24; 4:11-12). Hendriksen stresses Rom 10:12-13, "For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile - the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'"

V. THE OCCASION OF THE WRITING

What were the circumstances that prompted Paul to write his epistle to the Romans? We have already noted that he wrote the letter during his three-month stay in Corinth on his final mission trip. What sorts of things were going through his mind that led him to write it at that particular time?

We are fortunate that Paul reveals his mind to us in certain statements of his desires and plans in chapters 1 and 15. These statements show us what occasioned the writing of Romans.

One main consideration was Paul's immediate travel plans, as they related to his all-determining calling as apostle to the Gentiles (15:15-24). He refers to his "priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God" (15:16). For twenty years he had been preaching in the eastern and northeastern sections of the Mediterranean area, and had covered it well. "So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum," he says, "I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ"; so now "there is no more place for me to work in these regions" (15:19, 23). Thus he decided to change his focus to the northwestern section, Spain in particular (15:24, 28). In his mind he was already planning his trip to Spain.

But first he had to go to Jerusalem (15:25-31). His purpose for doing this was to deliver the funds he had been collecting from the Gentile churches "for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem" (15:26). He wanted to do this personally, to make sure that the funds were properly received (15:28). To this end he asked the Roman Christians to offer two specific prayers for him (15:30-31).

First, he knew that he still had many enemies in Jerusalem among the Jews especially. He knew that some of these enemies had already tried to kill him. Thus he really was not sure what dangers he might be facing in Jerusalem. Nevertheless he was determined to go (Acts 20:22-23), so he requested that the Roman Christians "pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea" (15:31). He was not afraid of losing his life; he just did not want his newly-formed missionary plans to be aborted (Acts 20:24; Rom 15:32).

Second, Paul was not really sure how the offering from the Gentile churches would be received by the Jewish saints in Jerusalem. There were still a lot of suspicions and misunderstandings between the two groups, mostly about the relation between the Old and New Covenants and the role of the Mosaic Law in the life of the Christian. Thus the money he was bringing to the poor in Jerusalem was not just an act of charity, but was also a symbol of unity between the two main factions in the church. Thus Paul was anxious that it might be received in the proper spirit, so he asked the Romans to pray "that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there" (15:31).

Thus Paul was ultimately bound for Spain, after an initial trip to Jerusalem. But there was a third item in his itinerary: an intermediate stop in Rome itself (Acts 19:21; 23:11), a place he had never been. So he announced to the Christians in Rome that on his way to Spain he would stop and visit them (15:23, 24, 28). This was something he had longed to do for many years and had even made plans to do (1:11, 13; 15:23), but had "often been hindered from coming to you" (15:22; cf. 1:13).

Paul had many reasons for wanting to visit the church in Rome. For one thing, he wanted to enlist their help for his mission to Spain. "I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there," he says (15:24). But he had other reasons that predated his plans for Spain. For example, he seems simply to have desired to visit with the Christians there: to have fellowship with them, to enjoy their company, to be spiritually refreshed by them (15:24, 32), and to be encouraged by them (1:12). After all, he knew quite a few of them personally (16:3-15).

Paul's principal longstanding reason for wanting to visit Rome, though, was his desire to preach the gospel there. "I am obligated," he says, "both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome" (1:14-15). By this means or by some accompanying means he would be able to "impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong" (1:11). This would also enable him to "have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles" (1:13).

No wonder that Paul says he was praying "that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you" (1:10).

These are the immediate circumstances that prompted Paul to write the epistle to the Romans. But a simple presentation of these facts does not in itself answer the question of exactly why he wrote the letter. What was his purpose for writing? What did he hope to accomplish by writing this particular letter? This is the subject of the next section.

VI. THE PURPOSE OF ROMANS

The question of Paul's purpose for writing the epistle to the Romans is very controversial; there is much disagreement about it. Everyone agrees on the facts described above relating to the occasion for the writing. The problem is that these facts have to be assessed in view of the contents of the main body of the letter, 1:18-15:13. The question is not just why he wrote a letter to the Roman church, but why he wrote this specific letter with this particular content. Why does he write "such a lengthy and involved discussion to a largely unknown congregation"? (Dunn, I:lv).

There are two basic approaches to this question. The older and more traditional approach is that the historical circumstances as described in the previous section were not particularly relevant with regard to Paul's decision to write the letter. Neither Paul's own plans nor the state of the Roman church presented him with a pressing need or occasion that required him to write. Thus unlike his other letters, Romans is more or less non-occasional. It is regarded rather as a kind of timeless theological essay on the essence of Christianity. As Sanday and Headlam describe this view, "the main object of the Epistle is doctrinal; it is rather a theological treatise than a letter; its purpose is to instruct the Roman Church in central principles of the faith, and has but little reference to the circumstances of the moment" (xl).

The more recent approaches to the purpose of Romans take the opposite view, that it is "a situational letter rather than a doctrinal treatise" (Jewett, "Argument," 265). Paul was not simply writing an essay detached from his circumstances, but was specifically addressing a particular situation that needed his attention at that time. Thus Romans is just as much an occasional letter as 1 Corinthians or Galatians.

Those who take the latter approach usually go in one of two directions. Some emphasize that Paul wrote the letter to fulfill certain needs of his own, relating to his trip either to Jerusalem or to Spain. Others say that Paul wrote mainly to meet the needs of the Roman church at that particular time.

It is possible, of course, that Paul had more than one purpose for writing Romans, as Cranfield says: "It is surely quite clear that Paul did not have just one single purpose in mind but rather a complex of purposes and hopes" (II:815). Dunn (I:lx) and Moo (I:20) agree.

A. ROMANS IS A DOCTRINAL ESSAY

Now we shall go into a bit more detail concerning the possibilities outlined above. The first view is that Paul was not addressing a specific situation but was writing a timeless doctrinal essay. In its most extreme form this view says that Romans is a complete systematic theology, a compendium of Christian doctrine. Shedd (viii) calls it " an inspired system of theology , . . . a complete statement of religious truth." Romans is so "encyclopædic in its structure" that one "need not go outside of this Epistle, in order to know all religious truth."

More recently Bornkamm has taken a similar view, describing Romans as Paul's "last will and testament" - "a summary of his theology in light of the impending danger in Jerusalem" (Donfried, "Presuppositions," 103). Bornkamm says ("Letter," 27-28), "This great document . . . summarizes and develops the most important themes and thoughts of the Pauline message and theology and . . . elevates his theology above the moment of definite situations and conflicts into the sphere of the eternally and universally valid."

Many writers agree that Romans was not occasioned by some immediate need or crisis but was a kind of doctrinal essay. Nygren says (4), "The characteristic and peculiar thing about Romans, differentiating it from the rest of Paul's epistles, is just the fact that it was not, or was only in slight degree aimed at circumstances within a certain congregation." Lenski (10-12) agrees.

Most who take this non-occasional view, however, say that it is an exaggeration to call Romans a full-blown systematic theology. "If Romans is a compendium of theology," says Morris (8), "there are some curious gaps." (See also Moo, I:1; Hendriksen, I:25; W. Williams, 19-20.) It is a doctrinal essay, to be sure, but one that is more focused and limited in its scope.

Just what is the focus of this doctrinal essay? The most common view is that it has to do with the doctrines of salvation, i.e., that Romans is a summary or synopsis of Paul's gospel . Morris says that Paul probably thought his three-month, pressure-free sojourn in Corinth was a good time to bring together the timeless teachings that had crystallized in his thinking during his twenty years as a preacher. Thus he sets forth "a summary of the gospel and its consequences as he understood them" (pp. 18-19). Cranfield likewise says it is likely that Paul "was conscious of having reached a certain maturity of experience, reflection and understanding, which made the time ripe for him to attempt, with God's help, such an orderly presentation of the gospel" (II:817).

Vincent summarizes this whole approach quite well when he says that Romans "is distinguished among the epistles by its systematic character. Its object is to present a comprehensive statement of the doctrine of salvation through Christ, not a complete system of christian doctrine" ( Word Studies , III:x). As Hendriksen says (I:25), "Romans is not really 'a complete compendium of Christian Doctrine.' If it had been Paul's intention to draw up such a document, he would surely have included far more material." The specific doctrine he deals with is one needed not just in Rome but by all people in all times: " the manner in which sinners are saved ." (See Edwards, 3.)

The idea that Romans is a kind of doctrinal essay focusing on the general doctrine of salvation is correct, in my opinion. However, I do not think it is wise to separate it too sharply from the occasion or circumstances discussed in the last section. I question W. Williams' approach, for example, when he says (19), "The Epistle to the Romans is a discussion of the relation of the Gentile world to God's plan of salvation," and in the next sentence says, "This discussion was incidental to the apostle's circumstances." In my opinion this is a false choice. It is an essay on salvation, but its purpose was definitely related to the circumstances at that time, as we shall see below.

B. ROMANS WAS OCCASIONED

BY PAUL'S IMMEDIATE NEEDS

The second major approach to the purpose of Romans is that it was occasioned by the various circumstances relating to Paul's immediate plans in relation to his mission. In other words, it was designed to meet needs that Paul felt in his own life at the time. As Jervell says, "Its raison d'être does not stem from the situation of the Roman congregation, but is to be found in Paul himself at the time of writing" ("Letter," 54).

The main idea here resembles the modern practice of churches requesting that prospective ministers send a tape recording of one of their sermons. In this case Paul takes the initiative and sets forth in writing a "sermon" or a lengthy presentation of his gospel. He does this because he needs to introduce himself to people who are not familiar with him or with what he preaches. Or, he does this because his enemies are spreading false rumors about what he preaches, and are misrepresenting his gospel especially as to what he says about Jew-Gentile relations. Thus Romans is not just a presentation but also a defense of Paul's gospel.

This is how Moo explains the purpose of Romans. The various circumstances that he faced "forced Paul to write a letter in which he carefully rehearsed his understanding of the gospel, especially as it related to the salvation-historical questions of Jew and Gentile and the continuity of the plan of salvation" (I:20). Bruce agrees that it was "expedient that Paul should communicate to the Roman Christians an outline of the message which he proclaimed. Misrepresentations of his preaching and his apostolic procedure were current and must have found their way to Rome" ("Debate," 182). (See Stuhlmacher, "Purpose," 236.)

Why was it crucial for Paul at this particular time to write such a presentation and defense of his gospel? The answer is that it was necessary in order to facilitate his immediate plans. For one thing, he was on his way to Jerusalem with the offering for the poor saints, and was apprehensive about how this would turn out. Thus some contend that in this letter Paul was rehearsing what he was going to say in Jerusalem in defense of himself and in an effort to seal Jew-Gentile unity. He sent the product to the Roman church in a letter, asking them to pray for him and the upcoming Jerusalem episode (15:30-32). Thus, says Jervell, Romans is Paul's "'collection speech,' or more precisely, the defense which Paul plans to give before the church in Jerusalem." He sends it to Rome "to ask the Roman congregation for solidarity, support, and intercession on his behalf" ("Letter," 56). Dunn calls this Paul's "apologetic purpose" (I:lvi; see I:xlii-xliii).

Though this is a fairly common view today, some object to it or at least doubt that it could be the only purpose for Romans (Moo, I:18). Thus other aspects of Paul's immediate plans must have elicited the letter. One of the most obvious is Paul's plan to visit Rome itself. Though he knew some of the Roman Christians, he had never been in Rome and would not know most of the people there. It must have seemed expedient, then, for him to write a kind of "letter of introduction" to himself, especially in view of the false rumors that were probably afoot.

This is how Morris understands it (16-17). Paul used his three-month interlude in Corinth "to write to the Roman Christians to let them know of his plan to visit them and to set down in order something of what the gospel meant." He wanted to give them "a clear but profound statement of the essential message of Christianity as he proclaimed it. This will show the Romans where he stands." MacArthur's view is similar: "Paul's letter to the church at Rome was, among other things, an introduction to himself as an apostle. He clearly set forth the gospel he preached and taught, so that believers in Rome would have complete confidence in his authority" (I:xix). (See also Stott, 34.)

Those who hold this view usually take it a step further, and say that Paul laid out and defended his gospel to the Romans as a means of enlisting their support for his Spanish mission. In a real sense Rome was just a means to an end, both in Paul's itinerary and in his missionary strategy. He needed them as a kind of "base of operations" for what he hoped to accomplish in Spain (Stott, 33). Thus "if Rome was to be his base, the Romans would need to be assured of his message and theological position" (Morris, 17). This is what Dunn calls Paul's "missionary purpose" for Romans (I:lv). This is a fairly common view. (See Cranfield, II:817-818; Jewett, "Argument," 266, 277.)

C. ROMANS WAS OCCASIONED BY NEEDS AT ROME ITSELF

As we have just seen, those who believe the writing of Romans was motivated by the immediate circumstances sometimes locate those circumstances in Paul's own personal needs. Others who take the occasional approach, however, believe that the situation in Rome itself is what Paul is specifically addressing in this epistle. Though he had not been there, he still would have been acquainted with the state of the Roman church. It was, after all, a famous church (1:8). Besides, Paul's Roman friends, such as Aquila and Priscilla (16:3), would probably have kept him informed especially of any problems that existed there (Sanday and Headlam, xl-xli).

Whatever the nature of those problems or needs, Paul wrote to resolve them. Since all of Paul's other letters were "addressed to the specific situations of the churches or persons involved," says Donfried, we must begin with the assumption that Romans "was written by Paul to deal with a concrete situation in Rome" ("Presuppositions," 103). This is what Dunn calls Paul's "pastoral purpose" (I:lvi-lviii).

1. The Need for Jew-Gentile Unity

What sorts of needs existed at Rome that would call forth from Paul's pen the most magnificent gospel tract ever written? Several possibilities are suggested, but the one most commonly held begins with the assumption that there was considerable tension in the Roman church between the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians. Thus the purpose of Paul's letter was to resolve this tension.

This view usually grows out of the speculations (discussed above) concerning the development of the Roman church following Claudius' decree expelling the Jews from Rome. With Jewish Christians being forced to leave Rome, the Gentile Christians became the dominant force; and this situation prevailed even after the former returned to Rome. This led to conflict between the two factions. This scenario is supported by the various references to Jews and Gentiles (Greeks) in Romans, by the discussion of the weak (Jews?) and the strong (Gentiles?) in 14:1-15:13, and by several references to unity and division within the church (12:16; 15:5; 16:17-18). Such texts seem to be evidence of a "basic division existing between the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians at Rome" (P. Williams, "Purpose," 64).

This view has been argued by Marxsen and more recently by Wiefel, who concludes that Romans "was written to assist the Gentile Christian majority, who are the primary addressees of the letter, to live together with the Jewish Christians in one congregation, thereby putting an end to their quarrels about status" ("Community," 96). Here is Edwards' summary (15-16):

Romans is addressed to the problems which inevitably resulted when Jewish Christians began returning to Rome following the edict of Claudius. We can imagine their trials of readjusting to churches which had become increasingly Gentile in their absence. Would Gentile believers who had established their supremacy during the Jewish absence, and for whom the law was now largely irrelevant, continue to find a place within their fellowship for a Jewish Christian minority which still embraced the law? Paul cannot have been unaware of such concerns.

In Dunn's words, "Paul wrote to counter (potential) divisions within Rome among the Christian house churches, particularly the danger of gentile believers despising less liberated Jewish believers" (I:lvii). (See also Stott, 34-36.)

2. The Need for an Apostolic Foundation

Another possible need being addressed by Paul is related to the circumstances of the origin of the church in Rome. It is inferred from 15:20 that no apostle was involved in its founding, nor as yet had even visited Rome. Thus Paul was concerned that the church did not have a solid apostolic foundation (see Eph 2:20), and he writes this epistle in order to provide that foundation. This is the view of Günter Klein ("Purpose," 39, 42), but Morris (11-12) gives reasons for doubting it.

3. The Need for Paul's Gospel

Another possibility (to which I subscribe) is that Paul did indeed recognize the need of the Roman church to hear his apostolic preaching and teaching, but not necessarily in a foundational sense. This view begins with Paul's sense of duty, based upon his special calling, to preach the gospel to everyone in the Gentile world (1:14), including those in Rome: "That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome" (1:15).

But these people are already Christians. Why would Paul want to "preach the gospel" to believers ? Here is a point that is often missed: the gospel is more than just the initial evangelistic witness given to unbelievers with a view to their conversion. It also includes the deeper meaning and implications of the basic facts of salvation, which are things about which even mature believers can never hear enough. That Paul wanted to preach the gospel to the Christians in Rome means that he wanted to go deeper into the meaning of Christ's saving work "for our sins," unfolding for them the full power of the gospel in the Christian life and at the same time clearing up common misunderstandings that may arise through incomplete knowledge.

Paul's desire, of course, was to do this in person, and he had often planned to travel to Rome for this very reason. Up to this point, however, God's providence had prevented it (1:13; 15:22). Now he is once again planning to go to Rome, after his trip to Jerusalem with the offering. But based on his past experience and the uncertainty about what would happen to him in Jerusalem (Acts 20:22-24), at this point he could not be certain that he would ever reach Rome in person.

This led Paul to the conclusion that if he was ever going to preach the gospel in Rome, perhaps the only way he would be able to do so was in writing . Thus he takes the time, while staying in Corinth just before traveling to Jerusalem, to prepare a well-thought-out essay on the gospel as every Christian needs to hear it; and he sends it on to Rome in advance of his intended trip there. Thus it seems likely, says Campbell, that "the letter is the written equivalent of the oral presentation which Paul would have delivered to the congregation had he himself been present" ("Key," 258).

According to this view, then, Romans is not just a basic presentation of the gospel, written in order to provide the Roman Christians with a missing apostolic foundation. And as Nygren (7) rightly notes, "it is a misunderstanding of Romans to see in it a typical example of Paul's missionary preaching." This is contrary to those who think Paul was just introducing himself to the Roman church, hoping to win their support for his mission to Spain by rehearsing the gospel as he usually preached it. Stuhlmacher rightly notes that how Paul "preached and taught as a missionary cannot be simply inferred from the outline of Romans" ("Purpose," 242).

According to this view, then, the primary purpose for Romans is not related to some need within Paul himself (e.g., his concern for defending himself; his missionary plans); nor is it related to some negative situation in the Roman church (e.g., Jew-Gentile disunity). It is motivated rather by Paul's loving concern for his fellow-Christians at Rome, and his desire to bless their hearts and lives with this written version of the deeper aspects of the gospel of grace. This point is brought out very well by Hendriksen (I:24):

Paul, being an intensely warm and loving person, desires to go to Rome in order to be a blessing to his friends (Rom. 1:10, 11) and to be refreshed by them (15:32). Moreover, it is for this same reason that he, now that it is impossible for him to go to Rome immediately , communicates with the Roman church by means of this letter. He writes to the Romans because he loves them. They are his friends "in Christ," and by means of this letter he imparts his love to them . . . .

It is strange that this deeply personal reason . . . , a reason clearly brought out by the apostle himself, is often overlooked. At times the emphasis is placed entirely on theological motivation or on mission incentive: Paul wants to correct errors of the antinomians and/or wants to make Rome the headquarters for the evangelization of Spain. To be sure, these matters are important, but we should begin with the reason first stated by Paul himself in this very epistle.

D. CONCLUSION

We have surveyed the main reasons why Paul wrote the epistle to the Romans. It should be obvious that some of these reasons may overlap or be combined; so we need not focus narrowly upon just one of them. Jewett, for example, says the immediate reason was to resolve the Jew-Gentile tensions, but this was sought in order to gain a strong and unified backing for the mission to Spain ("Argument," 266). After summarizing the missionary, apologetic, and pastoral purposes, Dunn concludes that "all three of these main emphases and purposes hang together and indeed reinforce each other when taken as a whole" (I:lviii).

In my opinion, though, the dominant reason is the last one discussed above: Paul's desire to preach the gospel to the Romans, and his decision to do so in the form of an epistle. This is the factor that Paul stresses in the introductory section of the letter, where we would expect him to say what is closest to his heart. It seems inappropriate to give priority to ch. 15 on this matter, and to pass over what Paul himself chooses to mention first of all. Just because he tells the Romans about his plans in ch. 15 is no reason to assume that his purpose for writing to Rome is specifically or directly related to these plans.

We may conclude, then, that Romans is indeed an occasional letter, that it was occasioned by the need of the Roman Christians to hear Paul's gospel and by the circumstances that made it expedient for him to send it to them in written form at this particular time. Thus Romans is by design a clear presentation of the deeper implications of the gospel, written not for Paul's sake but for the sake of the church at Rome. The references to Paul's own plans and needs in ch. 15 are secondary.

At the same time, just because of the nature of the situation that caused Paul to write this epistle, the purpose for Romans includes the first view discussed above, namely, that it was intended to be a kind of doctrinal essay focusing on the meaning of salvation through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. As noted above, it is a systematic presentation of the gospel : not necessarily the gospel as proclaimed in an evangelistic situation, but the gospel as unfolded to mature Christians.

When this point is understood, we can see that the epistle to the Romans is intended not just for the saints in Rome in the middle of the first century A.D., but for all Christians in all ages. It is relevant for all since it deals with salvation from sin through God's grace. As Moo rightly says (I:21),

That Paul was dealing in Romans with immediate concerns in the early church we do not doubt. But, especially in Romans, these issues are ultimately the issues of the church - and the world - of all ages: the continuity of God's plan of salvation, the sin and need of human beings, God's provision for our sin problem in Christ, the means to a life of holiness, security in the face of suffering and death.

The circumstances contributing to the writing of this letter were far broader than the immediate situation in Rome and Paul's own immediate travel plans. They included Paul's own pre-Christian life as a Jew who sought acceptance with God on the basis of his own righteousness. They included Paul's twenty years of preaching to sinners of all types, Jews and Gentiles. They included his dealings with new Christians and new churches with all their weaknesses and problems. His experience and knowledge of human nature and human need were personal and comprehensive; thus the gospel of Romans is generic and timeless.

In most of the discussions of the purpose of Romans, a forgotten factor is the role of the Holy Spirit in the inspiration of Scripture. It is Paul himself who tells us that "all Scripture is God-breathed" (2 Tim 3:16). Whatever circumstances led Paul to compose his letter to the Romans, the choice to write and the message he wrote were not his alone. The Holy Spirit worked through Paul to produce this letter (see 2 Pet 1:20-21), and the Holy Spirit knows more than any man what is needed by every sinner and by every Christian seeking peace and power. In the final analysis it is the Spirit of God, and not just the Apostle Paul, who speaks to our hearts in the epistle to the Romans.

VII. THE THEME OF ROMANS

Almost everyone today rejects the idea that Romans is a compendium or summary of Christian theology as such. It is nevertheless generally recognized that the content of the epistle is doctrinal in nature. Its main body is an essay or treatise with a strong doctrinal emphasis and seems to be built around a particular theme. The question now is, exactly what is the theme of Romans? Several answers have been proposed.

A. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

The Reformation established a way of looking at Romans that still has considerable support among Protestants, namely, that the main theme of the epistle is stated in 1:16-17. It can be summed up in the familiar phrase, "justification by faith," i.e., justification or righteousness before God comes through faith alone. John Calvin (xxix) states succinctly that "the main subject of the whole Epistle" is "justification by faith."

Boers says this is the theme that "currently almost universally controls the interpretation of the letter" ( Justification , 77). This is surely an exaggeration, but the justification view is still very popular. Concerning the principal content of Romans, Nygren says (16), "From the beginning evangelical Christianity has spoken clearly on that point: justification by faith. That answer is correct." Defining "theme" as "central topic" rather than as exclusive topic, Hendriksen agrees that justification by faith, "spread out into 'justification by grace through faith'. . . , is clearly the theme of Romans" (I:29). Edwards (3) says that "the driving concern throughout is salvation - that righteousness comes as a free gift of God and is received by faith alone." Stott (35) says two themes are woven together in the epistle. "The first is the justification of guilty sinners by God's grace alone in Christ alone through faith alone, irrespective of either status or works."

Many scholars today have rejected this traditional approach. Though justification by faith is a main topic in Romans, says Boers (88), it "never becomes thematic." Too much of its subject matter simply does not relate to this subject, he says (78). Moo agrees (I:26-27). (See Stott, 24-31.)

B. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD

Those who are not satisfied with justification by faith as the theme for Romans sometimes opt for one that is very similar, namely, the righteousness of God (1:17). Beker says this is "the key term for the letter as a whole" ("Faithfulness," 331). Jewett says the thesis of Romans is that the gospel is "the 'power of God' to achieve the triumph of divine righteousness (Rom. 1:16-17)" ("Argument," 266).

Since the righteousness of God is integrally related to justification by faith, the two themes are sometimes confused. This is because one aspect of the theme of divine righteousness is that the righteousness of God is the basis for the personal justification of individual sinners. This is the sense in which Nygren says that the righteousness of God - in the sense of righteousness from God - is "the fundamental concept" and "the very foundation thought" of the epistle (9, 14-15), even though he says the "principal content" of the letter is justification by faith (16).

But most of those today who say that the righteousness of God is the theme of Romans are using the expression in a broader, more comprehensive sense. For them it includes the idea of the divine righteousness as the basis for individual justification, to be sure. For example, Stuhlmacher says the theme of Romans is "the gospel of the divine righteousness in Christ for those who believe from among the Jews and Gentiles" ("Theme," 334, 337). But in Romans, they say, the theme is more inclusive than this. It includes God's righteousness as the basis not only of his dealings with individual believers, but also of his dealings with mankind in general and especially with the Jewish nation in the context of redemptive history.

The question raised by the indiscriminate offer of justification by faith to both Jews and Gentiles is whether God is being fair with the Jews, in view of all the special treatment he has already bestowed upon them and the special promises he has given them. Does the gospel's "no partiality" principle bring God's justice or righteousness into question? "What is at stake is nothing less than the faithfulness of God," says Beker ("Faithfulness," 330); and this is what Paul is dealing with especially in Rom 9-11. Stuhlmacher explains that the "righteousness of God" refers to "the entire redemptive activity of God in Christ from creation to redemption" ("Theme," 341).

Thus according to this view the theme of Romans is not just the salvation of man but the defense of God, with perhaps the greater emphasis falling on the latter. As Fiensy says (227), "Romans is then a theodicy or defense of God in light of the Jewish-Gentile problem in the church." Gaertner says that the kinds of questions Paul raises in Romans (e.g., 3:3; 3:5; 3:29; 9:14) inquire into the nature of God's dealings with sinners, especially with his fairness and faithfulness. Thus Gaertner labels Romans "the gospel of God's fairness" ("Fairness," 1:14).

C. THE EQUALITY OF JEWS AND GENTILES

A third view is that the theme of Romans is the equality of Jews and Gentiles in God's plan of salvation. This is currently a popular view. It stems mainly from the reconstruction of the origin and development of the Roman church as described earlier in this introduction. It goes hand in hand with the idea that the letter is intended to deal with certain specific circumstances existing in Rome, especially the apparent disunity between Jewish and Gentile Christians. It recognizes that "the entire letter to the Romans is . . . permeated with Jew-Gentile issues" (Fiensy, Introduction , 230).

In its most general form this view says that the main emphasis of Romans is the universality of the gospel: there is just one way of salvation for Jews and Gentiles alike. The transcendent gospel goes beyond the Jew-Gentile distinction. God's salvation is given to both groups equally, favoring neither and offering favor to both.

Boers is an example of this view. He says the consistent theme of the main body of Romans is "salvation of Jews and gentiles, and the relationship between them" ( Justification , 80). This theme is stated in Rom 1:16, "that the gospel is the power of God for all who believe, to the Jews first, and to the Hellenes" (80). That salvation is offered to the Jews first is important, but so is the idea that "there is no difference between Jews and gentiles" (81-82).

Dunn says, "It is precisely the tension between 'Jew first but also Greek' (1:16), which . . . provides an integrating motif for the whole letter." Paul's "repeated emphasis on 'all'" underscores the theme of universality. Even the emphasis on the righteousness of God "is primarily an exposition of the same Jew/Gentile theme," i.e., it is Paul's way of arguing that Gentiles are full recipients of the saving grace of God as much as Jews are (I:lxii-lxiii).

As noted earlier, Stott says two themes are woven together in Romans, the first being justification by faith. But since this applies equally to all people, it is the "fundamental basis of Christian unity." This provides the second theme of Romans, that "'there is no difference' now between Jews and Gentiles. . . . Indeed, 'the single most important theme of Romans is the equality of Jews and Gentiles'" (35-36).

Interpreters differ as to the nature of the circumstances that led Paul to emphasize the theme of equality. Some say the Gentile Christians at Rome did not want to fully accept the Jewish Christians, so Romans is basically defending the right of the latter to full status in the Kingdom of God. This is how Boers understands the "Jews first" theme, as noted above. Jewett says, "Nowhere else in Paul's writings are the concerns of Jewish Christians taken up in so systematic and friendly a manner, thus counterbalancing the prejudices of the Gentile majority of Roman Christians" ("Argument," 276). The development of this theme in Rom 9-11 "is relevant to the situation in Rome," says Bruce. Here Paul "warns the Gentiles among his readers not to despise the Jews, . . . because God has not written them off" ("Debate," 183-184).

On the other hand, some say the problem in Rome was the status of the Gentile Christians. W. Williams says (19-20), "The Epistle to the Romans is a discussion of the relation of the Gentile world to God's plan of salvation." More specifically, Romans is Paul's "defense of the rights of the Gentiles against the Jewish assumption that excluded them from the Church, and from the chance of salvation." Thus "the sole intent of the apostle was to maintain the equality of the Gentiles against the assumption of the Jews." Stendahl agrees that Paul's concern is the salvation of the Gentiles. Even the subject of justification serves the purpose of "defending the rights of Gentile converts to be full and genuine heirs to the promises of God to Israel" ( Paul , 2-4).

Either way the subject is approached, the main point is the same: the principal theme of Romans is to demonstrate the equality of Jews and Gentiles with regard to the saving grace of God.

D. SINNERS ARE SAVED BY GRACE, NOT LAW

All of the themes discussed above are certainly present in Romans, and all are important. All of them contribute significantly to the main theme. But I believe none of them as such is the main point Paul is communicating to us in the epistle. Rather than seeing 1:16-17 as the thesis statement for Paul's treatise, I see it more or less as the starting point leading up to the thesis, which is 3:28: "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law."

In the most general sense Paul's thesis relates to the gospel , since his desire to preach the gospel in Rome (1:15) is what led him to compose the epistle as a written version of his gospel. In this sense Moo is correct: "What, then, is the theme of the letter? If we have to choose one - and perhaps it would be better not to - we would choose 'the gospel.'" Romans is simply "Paul's statement of 'his' gospel" (I:28).

But since the gospel is the good news about salvation, also in a general sense the theme of Romans is salvation . As Harrison says (7), "Salvation is the basic theme of Romans (cf. 1:16) - a salvation presented in terms of the righteousness of God, which, when received by faith, issues in life (1:17)." Or as Hendriksen says, the basic doctrine at stake (especially in 1:16-8:39) is " the manner in which sinners are saved" (I:25). And the manner in which sinners are saved, whether Jews or Gentiles, is the same: justification by faith.

But the theme of Romans is more precise than this. Yes, sinners are justified by faith, but this means they are not justified by works of law, which is the only alternative. It is just as important to include the negative statement in the theme as the positive one.

In actuality, then, the basic theme of Romans is the contrast between law and grace as ways of salvation. This contrast is seen especially in 3:28, which (literally translated) says, "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law." The contrast is stated succinctly in 6:14, "You are not under law, but under grace." This is the gospel, the good news of salvation. Certainly it is good news to know that God justifies us by faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ. But in a real sense it is also good news to know that we are not justified by law-keeping: a way of salvation which is not only futile but which sinners in their hearts know is futile, and which thus leads only to self-deception or to despair.

Commenting on Romans, Grubbs says, "The Gospel versus the Law is the one theme of which he [Paul] never loses sight in the elaboration of the details of this wonderful production" (9). Though this is a very common way of speaking - "gospel versus law" - it is not altogether accurate. The real contrast is grace versus law, and this message as a whole is the gospel.

Thus Paul's theme is indeed that we are saved by grace, not by law. Law is not a viable option as a means of salvation; the only way for sinners to be counted righteous before God is by grace. Yes, we are justified by faith, but not by works of law. Yes, the righteousness of God figures prominently in our justification, but in contrast to the righteousness of man. Yes, Romans does emphasize full equality regarding this way of salvation; Jews and Gentiles are saved the same way. Both are saved by grace and justified by faith as provided by the righteousness of God, but in contrast with every false way.

This contrast between law and grace as competing ways of salvation is not a matter of OT versus NT nor Old Covenant versus New Covenant, as if law were the way to be saved prior to Christ and grace is the way to be saved now that Christ has come. Also, the contrast between law and grace - THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT - is not simply the Law of Moses versus the grace of Jesus Christ. No sinner has ever been saved nor can be saved by the law that applies to him, whether it be the Law of Moses for Jews under the Old Covenant, or some other comparable set of God's commandments for anyone else in any other time. Every sinner who has been saved since the time of Adam has been saved by grace and not by law, and this will always be the case.

The problem that Paul addresses in the book of Romans is not one that confronts Jews only, nor Gentiles only. It is not a problem faced only by those who are under the Mosaic Law, nor only by those to whom the Mosaic Law does not apply. The problem being addressed is this: As a sinner, how can I be saved? It is a problem faced by Jews and Gentiles alike, and the solution is the same for both.

Perhaps even more significantly, the problem addressed in Romans is not one confronted only by unbelieving sinners. It is a problem that believers often wrestle with as well (e.g., the Judaizers). When we state the problem thus - "As a sinner, how can I be saved?" - we can break it down into two separate problems. First is the unbeliever's problem: "How can I become saved?" The answer is: by grace through faith, not by works of law. Second is the believer's continuing problem: "How can I stay saved?" And the answer is: by grace through faith, not by works of law.

This is why the epistle to the Romans has always been and always will be in a class by itself with regard to its impact on individuals and upon the church as a whole. Its basic theme is one that is always needed and always applicable, and one that will result in the highest praise to God the Redeemer once it is understood.

PREFACE TO VOLUME 2

The introductory issues regarding the book of Romans have been discussed in Vol. 1 of this work (pp. 21-55). Also, the outline for chs. 1-8 of Romans is included in that volume (pp. 55-58).

References to passages in the book of Romans itself are usually limited to chapter and verse data only. For my policy regarding quotations from other sources, see the note at the beginning of the bibliography.

I wish to express my thanks to my wife, Barbara, for her patience in accepting my writing schedule while this work has been in production. My thanks go also to College Press for inaugurating this project, and especially to College Press editor John Hunter for adjusting to a writer who suffers from incurable prolixity. Another special word of thanks is due to my employers at the Cincinnati Bible College and Seminary who encourage my writing in many ways, especially through their regular sabbatical policy.

Above all, thanks be to God for his saving grace, for his Holy Word, and especially for the letter to the Romans with its incomparable beauty and power.

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The following bibliography includes commentaries, books, and articles cited in the text and footnotes of this work. Citations include a minimum of information; the reader must use this list for full titles and bibliographical data.

When commentaries are cited, only the author's name and page number are given. When other sources are cited, usually just the author's name and an abbreviated title (in bold print below) are given.

I. COMMENTARIES

Barclay, William. The Letter to the Romans , 2 ed. The Daily Study Bible. Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 1957.

Barrett, C.K. A Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans . Harper's New Testament Commentaries. New York: Harper & Row, 1957; reprint, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1987.

Bartlett, C. Norman. Right in Romans: Studies in the Epistle of Paul to the Romans . Chicago: Moody Press, 1953.

Batey, Richard A. The Letter of Paul to the Romans . Austin: R.B. Sweet, 1969.

Black, Matthew. Romans , 2 ed. New Century Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989.

Boice, James Montgomery. Romans , 4 vols. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991ff.

Brokke, Harold J. Saved by His Life . Minneapolis: Bethany Fellowship, 1964.

Bruce, F.F. The Epistle of Paul to the Romans . Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1963.

Calvin, John. Commentaries on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans . Tr. by John Owen. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1947 reprint.

Cranfield, C.E.B. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans . 2 vols. The International Critical Commentary, new series. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1975 (1990 corrected printing).

DeWelt, Don. Romans Realized . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1959.

Dodd, C.H. The Epistle of Paul to the Romans . New York: Harper & Brothers, 1932.

Dunn, James D.G. Romans. 2 vols. Volume 38 in Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word Books, 1988.

Edwards, James R. Romans . New International Biblical Commentary. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1992.

Erdman, Charles R. The Epistle to the Romans: An Exposition . Philadelphia: Westminster, 1925.

Godet, Frederic L. Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans . Tr. by A. Cusin. Ed. by Talbot W. Chambers. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1956 reprint of 1883 ed.

Greathouse, William M. Romans . Vol. 6 of Beacon Bible Expositions. Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1975.

Grubbs, Isaiah Boone. An Exegetical and Analytical Commentary on Paul's Epistle to the Romans . Ed. by George A. Kingman. 6th ed. Nashville: Gospel Advocate, n.d.

Harrison, Everett F. "Romans." In The Expositor's Bible Commentary . Volume 10. Ed. by Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976. Pp. 1-171.

Hendriksen, William. Exposition of Paul's Epistle to the Romans . 2 vols. New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980-1981.

Käsemann, Ernst. Commentary on Romans . Tr. by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980.

Lard, Moses E. Commentary on Paul's Letter to Romans . Cincinnati: Standard Publishing, n.d.

Lenski, R.C.H. The Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans . Columbus, OH: Wartburg Press, 1945.

Lipscomb, David. Romans . Vol. I in A Commentary on the New Testament Epistles. 2nd ed. Ed. by J. W. Shepherd. Nashville: Gospel Advocate, 1965.

Lloyd-Jones, D.M. Romans: An Exposition of Chapters 3.20-4.25-Atonement and Justification . London: Banner of Truth Trust, 1970.

. Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 6-The New Man . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973.

. Romans: An Exposition of Chapters 7.1-8.4-The Law: Its Functions and Limits . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973.

Luther, Martin. Luther: Lectures on Romans . Ed. & tr. by Wilhelm Pauck. The Library of Christian Classics. Vol. XV. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1961.

MacArthur, John, Jr. Romans . 2 vols. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody, 1991, 1994.

McGarvey, J.W., and Philip Y. Pendleton. Thessalonians, Corinthians, Galatians, and Romans . Cincinnati: Standard Publishing, n.d.

McClain, Alva J. Romans: The Gospel of God's Grace . Ed. by Herman A. Hoyt. Chicago: Moody Press, 1973.

Mitchell, John G., with Dick Bohrer. Right with God: A Devotional Study of the Epistle to the Romans . Portland, OR: Multnomah, 1990.

Moo, Douglas. Romans . 2 vols. The Wycliffe Exegetical Commentary. Chicago: Moody, 1991.

Morris, Leon. The Epistle to the Romans . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.

Moser, K.C. The Gist of Romans , revised ed. Delight, AR: Gospel Light Publishing Company, 1958.

Moule, H.C.G. The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans . The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Cambridge: The University Press, 1918.

Mounce, Robert H. Romans . Vol. 27 in The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1995.

Murray, John. The Epistle to the Romans . 2 vols. New International Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1959, 1965.

Newell, William R. Lessons on the Epistle of Paul to the Romans . No publisher given, 1925.

Newman, Barclay M., and Eugene A. Nida. A Translator's Handbook on Paul's Letter to the Romans . London: United Bible Societies, 1973.

Nygren, Anders. Commentary on Romans . Tr. by Carl C. Rasmussen. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1949.

Reese, Gareth L. New Testament Epistles: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Paul's Epistle to the Romans . Moberly, MO: Scripture Exposition Press, 1987.

Robertson, A.T. The Epistles of Paul . Vol. IV in Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville: Broadman, 1931.

Sanday, William, and Arthur C. Headlam. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans . 2nd ed. The International Critical Commentary, old series. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, n.d.

Schlatter, Adolf. Romans: The Righteousness of God . Tr. by Siegfried Schatzmann. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1995.

Shedd, William G.T. A Critical and Doctrinal Commentary on the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1967 reprint of 1879 edition.

Shields, Bruce. Romans . Standard Bible Studies. Cincinnati: Standard Publishing, 1988.

Smith, Sherwood. Thirteen Lessons on Romans . Vol. 1 (1979); and Thirteen Lessons on Romans . Vol. 2 (1981). Joplin, MO: College Press.

Stedman, Ray C. From Guilt to Glory, Volume I: Romans 1-8 . Waco: Word Books, 1978.

Stott, John. Romans: God's Good News for the World . Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1994.

Williams, William G. An Exposition of the Epistle of Paul to the Romans . Cincinnati: Jennings and Pye, 1902.

Wuest, Kenneth S. Romans in the Greek New Testament for the English Reader . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1955.

II. MISCELLANEOUS BOOKS AND ARTICLES

Arndt, William F., and F. Wilbur Gingrich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature . 4th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957.

Augustine, The Confessions of St. Augustine . Vol. XIV in The Works of Aurelius Augustine. Ed. by Marcus Dods. Tr. by J.G. Pilkington. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1876.

Balz, Horst. "ajpokaradokiva." Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament . Ed. by Horst Balz and Gerhard Schneider. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990. I:132-133.

Bartchy, S. Scott. MALLON CHRESAI: First Century Slavery and the Interpretation of 1 Corinthians 7:21 . Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series, #11. Missoula: Scholars Press, 1973.

Beker, J.C. "The Faithfulness of God and the Priority of Israel in Paul's Letter to the Romans." RomDeb , 327-332.

Boers, Hendrikus. The Justification of the Gentiles: Paul's Letters to the Galatians and Romans . Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994.

Bornkamm, Günther. "The Letter to the Romans as Paul's Last Will and Testament." RomDeb , 16-28.

Boswell, John. Christianity , Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality . Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980.

Bruce, F.F. "The Romans Debate -Continued." RomDeb , 177-194.

Campbell, William S. "Romans III as a Key to the Structure and Thought of the Letter." RomDeb , 251-264.

Carson, D.A. Exegetical Fallacies . Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984.

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. The Table Talk and Omniana of Samuel Taylor Coleridge . London: Oxford University Press, 1917.

Cooper, John W. Body , Soul, and Life Everlasting: Biblical Anthropology and the Monism-Dualism Debate . Grand Rapids: Baker, 1989.

Corson, John. " Faith Alone Involves Obedience, Too!" Christian Standard . (10/2/77), pp. 5-6.

Cottrell, Jack. Baptism : A Biblical Study . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1989.

. "Baptism According to the Reformed Tradition ." In Baptism and the Remission of Sins . Ed. by David W. Fletcher. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1990. Pp. 39-81.

. "The Biblical Consensus : Historical Backgrounds to Reformed Theology." In Baptism and the Remission of Sins . Ed. by David W. Fletcher. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1990. Pp. 17-38.

. " Covenant and Baptism in the Theology of Huldreich Zwingli." Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Theological Seminary, 1971.

. " Faith , History, and the Resurrection Body of Jesus," The Seminary Review (Dec. 1982): 28:143-160.

. Faith's Fundamentals : Seven Essentials of Christian Belief . Cincinnati: Standard Publishing, 1995.

. Gender Roles and the Bible: Creation, the Fall, and Redemption . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1994.

. His Truth . 2nd ed. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1989.

. Thirteen Lessons on Grace . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1988.

. What the Bible Says about God the Creator . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1984.

. What the Bible Says about God the Redeemer . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1987.

. What the Bible Says about God the Ruler . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1984.

Delling, G. "lambavnw, etc." TDNT, IV:5-15.

DeYoung, James B. "The Meaning of 'Nature' in Romans 1." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society , 31 (December 1988): 429-441.

Donfried, Karl P. "False Presuppositions in the Study of Romans." RomDeb , 102-125.

, ed. The Romans Debate . Revised & expanded edition. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1991.

. "A Short Note on Romans 16." RomDeb , 44-52.

Erickson, Millard J. The Evangelical Mind and Heart . Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993.

Fiensy, David A. New Testament Introduction . The College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1994.

Foerster, Werner. "swvzw, etc." TDNT, VII:965-1024.

Friedrich, Gerhard. "eujaggelivzomai, etc." TDNT, II:707-737.

Fuller, Daniel P. The Unity of the Bible: Unfolding God's Plan for Humanity . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992.

Gaertner, Dennis. "Romans: Gospel of God's Fairness ." Christian Standard , part 1 (12/20/87), pp. 14-16; and part 2 (12/27/87), pp. 4-6.

Graber, Friedrich. "All, Many." The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology . Ed. by Colin Brown. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975. I:94-97.

Gromacki, Robert. The Virgin Birth : Doctrine of Deity . Nashville: Nelson, 1974.

Gundry, Robert H. Sôma in Biblical Theology: With Emphasis on Pauline Anthropology . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987.

Harris, M.J. " Prepositions and Theology in the Greek New Testament." Appendix. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology . Ed. by Colin Brown. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978. III:1171-1213.

Hobbs, A. I. " Conversion : What Is It, and How Produced?" In The Old Faith Restated . Ed. by J.H. Garrison. St. Louis: Christian Publishing Company, 1891. Pp. 254-274.

Hodges, Zane C. Absolutely Free . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989.

Jervell, Jacob. "The Letter to Jerusalem." RomDeb , 53-64.

Jeremias, Joachim. The Central Message of the New Testament . London: SCM Press, 1965.

Jewett, Robert. "Following the Argument of Romans." RomDeb , 265-277.

Kittel, Gerhard, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament . Tr. & ed. by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. 10 vols. Grand Rapid: Eerdmans, 1964-1976.

Klein, Günter. "Paul's Purpose in Writing the Epistle to the Romans." RomDeb , 29-43.

Lamar, J.S. "The Ground of Man's Need of Salvation." In The Old Faith Restated . Ed. by J.H. Garrison. St. Louis: Christian Publishing Company, 1891. Pp. 98-119.

Lewis, C.S. The Abolition of Man . New York: Macmillan, 1947.

Luther, Martin. "Preface to the Complete Edition of Luther's Latin Writings ." In Vol. 34: Career of the Reformer IV . Luther's Works (American Edition). Ed. by Lewis W. Spitz and Helmut T. Lehmann. Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1960. Pp. 327-338.

. " Preface to the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans." In Vol. 35: Word and Sacrament I . Luther's Works (American Edition). Ed. by E. Theodore Bachmann and Helmut T. Lehmann. Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1960. Pp. 365-380.

MacArthur, John F., Jr. The Gospel According to Jesus: What Does Jesus Mean When He Says, "Follow Me"? Revised ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.

Maurer, Christian. " ." TDNT, VIII:557-558.

. "pravssw, etc." TDNT, VI:632-644.

Milligan, Robert. Exposition and Defense of the Scheme of Redemption . St. Louis: Bethany Press, n.d.

Moreland, J.P., and David Ciocchi, eds. Christian Perspectives on Being Human: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Integration . Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993.

Morris, Leon. The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross . 3 ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965.

Murray, John. The Imputation of Adam's Sin . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1959.

Nash, Donald A. "A Critique of the New International Version of the New Testament." Cincinnati: Christian Restoration Association, n.d.

Oepke, Albrecht. "kaqivsthmi, etc." TDNT, III:444-447.

Reese, Gareth L. New Testament History: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Acts . 2nd ed. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1976.

Rengstorf, Karl Heinrich. "dou'lo", etc." TDNT, II:261-280.

Ridderbos, Herman. Paul : An Outline of His Theology . Tr. by John R. de Witt. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975.

Rueda, Enrique. The Homosexual Network : Private Lives and Public Policy . Old Greenwich, CT: Devin Adair, 1982.

Ryrie, Charles C. So Great Salvation : What It Means to Believe in Jesus Christ . Wheaton: Scripture Press/Victor Books, 1989.

Sanders, E.P. Paul and Palestinian Judaism . London: SCM, 1977.

Schaff, Philip. " Preface ." In John Peter Lange, Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Romans . Tr. by Philip Schaff. Grand Rapids: Zondervan reprint, n.d.

Schneider, Johannes. "parabaivnw, paravbasi", etc." TDNT, V:736-744.

Schrenk, Gottlob. "iJerov", etc." TDNT, III:221-283.

Spicq, Ceslas. Theological Lexicon of the New Testament . Tr. by James D. Ernest. 3 volumes. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994.

Stendahl, Krister. Paul Among Jews and Gentiles and Other Essays . Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1976.

Stuhlmacher, Peter. "The Purpose of Romans." RomDeb , 231-242.

. "The Theme of Romans." RomDeb , 333-345.

Thielman, Frank. Paul and the Law: A Contextual Approach . Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994.

Thiessen, Henry. Introduction to the New Testament . 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1944.

Trench, Richard Chenevix. Synonyms of the New Testament . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1958.

Tyndale, William. "A Prologe to the Epistle of Paule to the Romayns." In The New Testament, Translated by William Tyndale, 1534 . Ed. by N. Hardy Wallis. Cambridge: University Press, 1938. Pp. 293-318.

Unger, Merrill F. Unger's Bible Dictionary . 3rd ed. Chicago: Moody Press, 1966.

Vincent, Marvin R. The Epistles of Paul . Vol. III in Word Studies in the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973 reprint of 1887 edition.

Watson, Francis. "The Two Roman Congregations : Romans 14:1-15:13." RomDeb , 203-215.

Wesley, John. Journal from October 14, 1735, to November 29, 1745 . Vol. I in The Works of John Wesley. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, reprint of 1872 ed.

Wedderburn, A.J.M. "The Purpose and Occasion of Romans Again," RomDeb , 195-202.

Wiefel, Wolfgang. "The Jewish Community in Ancient Rome and the Origins of Roman Christianity." RomDeb , 85-101.

Wiens, Delbert. "An Exegesis of Romans 5:12-21." Journal of Church and Society (Fall 1969): 5:42-54.

Williams, Philip R. "Paul's Purpose in Writing Romans." Bibliotheca Sacra (January-March 1971): 128:62-67.

Young, Richard. Intermediate N.T. Greek : A Linguistic and Exegetical Approach . Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1994.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY TO VOLUME 2

The following bibliography includes commentaries, books, and articles cited in the text and footnotes of this work. Citations include a minimum of information; the reader must use this list for full titles and bibliographical data.

When commentaries are cited, only the author's name and page number are given. When other sources are cited, usually just the author's name and an abbreviated title (in bold print below) are given. Some sources are cited with an even more abbreviated reference (see list of abbreviations).

I. COMMENTARIES

Achtemeier, Paul J. Romans . Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1985.

Barrett, C.K. A Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans . Harper's New Testament Commentaries. New York: Harper & Row, 1957; reprint, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1987.

Black, Matthew. Romans . 2nd ed. New Century Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989.

Bruce, F.F. The Epistle of Paul to the Romans . Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1963.

Brunner, Emil. The Letter to the Romans: A Commentary . Trans. H.A. Kennedy. London: Lutterworth Press, 1959.

Calvin, John. Commentaries on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans . Trans. John Owen. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1947 reprint.

Cottrell, Jack. Romans , Vol. 1. The College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1996.

Cranfield, C.E.B. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans . 2 vols. The International Critical Commentary, n.s. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1975 (1990 corrected printing).

Denney, James. "St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans." In The Expositor's Greek Testament , ed. W. Robertson Nicoll, II:555-725. New York: George H. Doran, n.d.

DeWelt, Don. Romans Realized . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1959.

Dodd, C.H. The Epistle of Paul to the Romans . New York: Harper & Brothers, 1932.

Dunn, James D.G. Romans . 2 vols. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word Books, 1988.

Earle, Ralph. Romans . Vol. 3 of Word Meanings in the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1974.

Edwards, James R. Romans . New International Biblical Commentary. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1992.

Fitzmyer, Joseph A. Romans: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary . The Anchor Bible. New York: Doubleday, 1993.

Godet, Frederic L. Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans . Trans. A. Cusin. Ed. Talbot W. Chambers. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1956 reprint of 1883 ed.

Griffith Thomas, W.H. Romans: A Devotional Commentary . 3 vols. London: Religious Tract Society, n.d.

Haldane, Robert. An Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans . MacDill AFB: MacDonald Publishing, 1958.

Harrison, Everett F. "Romans." In The Expositor's Bible Commentary , Volume 10, pp. 1-171. Ed. Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976.

Hendriksen, William. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of Paul's Epistle to the Romans . 2 vols. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980-1981.

Hughes, R. Kent. Romans: Righteousness from Heaven . Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1991.

Käsemann, Ernst. Commentary on Romans . Trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980.

Lard, Moses E. Commentary on Paul's Letter to Romans . Cincinnati: Standard Publishing, n.d.

Lenski, R.C.H. The Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans . Columbus, OH: Wartburg Press, 1945.

Lloyd-Jones, D.M. Romans: An Exposition of Chapter 9 - God's Sovereign Purpose . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991.

Luther, Martin. Luther: Lectures on Romans . Ed. & Trans. Wilhelm Pauck. Vol. XV of The Library of Christian Classics. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1961.

MacArthur, John, Jr. Romans . 2 vols. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody, 1991, 1994.

McGarvey, J.W., and Philip Y. Pendleton. Thessalonians, Corinthians, Galatians, and Romans . Cincinnati: Standard Publishing, n.d.

McGuiggan, Jim. The Book of Romans . Lubbock, TX: Montex Publishing Company, 1982.

Moo, Douglas. The Epistle to the Romans . The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.

Morris, Leon. The Epistle to the Romans . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.

Moule, H.C.G. The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans . The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Cambridge: The University Press, 1918.

Mounce, Robert H. Romans . Vol. 27 of The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1995.

Murray, John. The Epistle to the Romans . 2 vols. New International Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1959, 1965.

Newman, Barclay M., and Eugene A. Nida. A Translator's Handbook on Paul's Letter to the Romans . London: United Bible Societies, 1973.

Nygren, Anders. Commentary on Romans . Trans. Carl C. Rasmussen. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1949.

Sanday, William, and Arthur C. Headlam. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans . 2nd ed. The International Critical Commentary, o.s. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, n.d.

Shedd, William G.T. A Critical and Doctrinal Commentary on the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1967 reprint of 1879 edition.

Smith, Sherwood. Thirteen Lessons on Romans . Vol. 1 (1979). Thirteen Lessons on Romans . Vol. 2 (1981). Joplin, MO: College Press.

Stott, John. Romans: God's Good News for the World . Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1994.

Vanderlip, George. Paul and Romans . Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1967.

Wuest, Kenneth S. Romans in the Greek New Testament for the English Reader . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1955.

II. MISCELLANEOUS BOOKS AND ARTICLES

Arndt, William F., and F. Wilbur Gingrich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature . 4th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957.

Bilezikian, Gilbert. Beyond Sex Roles . 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990.

Büchsel, Friedrich. "krivnw [etc.]." TDNT . III:921-954.

Cottrell, Jack. Baptism : A Biblical Study . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1989.

. "Baptism According to the Reformed Tradition ." In Baptism and the Remission of Sins , ed. David W. Fletcher, pp. 39-81. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1990.

. "The Biblical Consensus : Historical Backgrounds to Reformed Theology." In Baptism and the Remission of Sins , ed. David W. Fletcher, pp. 17-38. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1990.

. Faith's Fundamentals : Seven Essentials of Christian Belief . Cincinnati: Standard Publishing, 1995.

. Feminism and the Bible: An Introduction to Feminism for Christians . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1992.

. " 1 Timothy 2:12 and the Role of Women." Four parts. Christian Standard , January 10, 1993, pp. 4-6; January 17, 1993, pp. 4-6; January 24, 1993, pp. 4-6; January 31, 1993, pp. 4-6.

. " Priscilla , Phoebe, and Company." Christian Standard , December 12, 1993, pp. 4-5.

. " Response to My Critics." Three parts. Christian Standard , November 21, 1993, pp. 5-6; November 28, 1993, pp. 4-6; December 5, 1993, pp. 4-6.

. Tough Questions , Biblical Answers. Part Two. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1986.

. What the Bible Says about God the Creator . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1983.

. What the Bible Says about God the Redeemer . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1987.

. What the Bible Says about God the Ruler . Joplin, MO: College Press, 1984.

Delling, Gerhard. " , ." TDNT . VIII:523-524.

. "tavssw [etc.]." TDNT . VIII:27-32.

Donfried, Karl P., ed. The Romans Debate , revised & expanded edition. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1991.

. "A Short Note on Romans 16." RomDeb , 44-52.

Forster, Roger T., and V. Paul Marston. God's Strategy in Human History . Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1974.

Fürst, Dieter. " Confess ." In The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology , ed. Colin Brown, I:344-348. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975.

Gaertner, Dennis. Acts . The College Press NIV Commentary. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1993.

Hoekema, Anthony A. The Bible and the Future . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979.

Hübner, Hans. "a[timo"." In Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testamen t, ed. Horst Balz & Gerhard Schneider, I:177. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990.

Keil, C.F. and F. Delitzsch. The Pentateuch . Trans. by James Martin. Vol. 1 of Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1981.

Kittel, Gerhard, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament . Trans. & ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. 10 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964-1976.

Köster, Helmut. "tevmnw [etc.]." TDNT . VIII:106-112.

Lampe, Peter. "The Roman Christians of Romans 16 ." RomDeb , 216-230.

Lewis, C.S. The Four Loves . London: Geoffrey Bles, 1960.

Michaelis, W. "mavcaira." TDNT . IV:524-527.

Nash, Donald A. "A Critique of the New International Version of the New Testament." Cincinnati: Christian Restoration Association, n.d.

Oepke, Albrecht. "zevw, zestov"." TDNT . II:875-877.

Pentecost, J. Dwight. Things To Come . Findlay, OH: Dunham, 1958.

Pinnock, Clark H. "From Augustine to Arminius: A Pilgrimage in Theology." In The Grace of God, the Will of Man: A Case for Arminianism , ed. Clark H. Pinnock, pp. 15-30. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989.

Piper, John. The Justification of God: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Romans 9:1-23 . 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993.

Reicke, Bo. "proi?sthmi." TDNT . VI:700-703.

Schreiner, Thomas R. "Does Romans 9 Teach Individual Election unto Salvation?" In vol. 1 of The Grace of God, the Bondage of the Will , ed. Thomas R. Schreiner and Bruce A. Ware, pp. 89-106. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995.

Schüssler Fiorenza, Elisabeth. In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins . New York: Crossroad, 1987.

Shank, Robert. Elect in the Son: A Study of the Doctrine of Election . Springfield, MO: Westcott Publishers, 1970.

Sherlock, William. A Discourse Concerning the Divine Providence . Pittsburgh: J.L. Read, 1848.

Spencer, Aida B. Beyond the Curse : Women Called to Ministry . Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1985.

Spicq, Ceslas. Theological Lexicon of the New Testament . 3 vol. Trans. James D. Ernest. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994.

Stählin, Gustav. " [etc.]." TDNT . IX:113-171.

. "skavndalon, skandalivzw." TDNT . VII:339-358.

Stendahl, Krister. Paul Among Jews and Gentiles and Other Essays . Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1976.

Trench, Richard Chenevix. Synonyms of the New Testament . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1958.

Walters, James. "' Phoebe ' and 'Junia(s)' - Rom. 16:1-2, 7." In Vol. 1 of Essays on Women in Earliest Christianity , ed. Carroll D. Osburn, pp. 167-190. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1993.

Weiss, K. "fevrw [etc.]." TDNT . IX:56-87.

Wright, N.T. The Climax of the Covenant: Christ and the Law in Pauline Theology . Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993.

. "The Messiah and the People of God." Oxford University: D.Phil. dissertation, 1980.

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ABBREVIATIONS

AG Arndt and Gingrich, Greek lexicon

ASV American Standard Version

GC God the Creator, by Jack Cottrell

GRe God the Redeemer, by Jack Cottrell

GRu God the Ruler, by Jack Cottrell

KJV King James Version

LB Living Bible

LXX Septuagint (Greek translation of the OT)

MP McGarvey-Pendleton Romans commentary

NAB New American Bible

NASB New American Standard Bible

NEB New English Bible

NIV New International Version

NRSV New Revised Standard Version

NT New Testament

OT Old Testament

RomDeb The Romans Debate, by Karl Donfried

RSV Revised Standard Version

TDNT Theological Dictionary of the NT, ed. Kittel

TEV Today's English Version

For fuller titles and publishing information on books, see the Bibliography.

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College: Romans (Outline)

VIII. OUTLINE

PROLOGUE - 1:1-17

I. EPISTOLARY GREETING - 1:1-7

A. The Author Introduces Himself - 1:1

1. A Slave of Christ Jesus

2. Called to Be an Apostle

3. Set Apart for the Gospel of God

B. The Gospel and the Old Testament - 1:2

C. The Subject of the Gospel Is Jesus - 1:3-4

1. The Two Natures of Jesus

2. The Incarnation

3. Messiahship

4. The Two States of Jesus

5. The Resurrection of Jesus

6. The Son's Full Identity

D. Paul's Apostleship - 1:5

1. The Origin of Paul's Apostleship

2. The Character of Paul's Apostleship

3. The Focus of Paul's Apostleship

4. The Purpose of Paul's Apostleship

5. The Goal of Paul's Apostleship

E. The Recipients of Paul's Letter - 1:6-7a

F. The Blessing - 1:7b

II. PERSONAL REMARKS - 1:8-15

A. Paul's Prayers for the Romans - 1:8-10

B. Paul's Desires Regarding Rome - 1:11-13

C. Paul's Debt to the Romans - 1:14-15

III. TRANSITIONAL STATEMENT - 1:16-17

A. The Glory of the Gospel - 1:16a

B. The Power of the Gospel - 1:16b

C. The Scope of the Gospel - 1:16c

D. Faith and the Gospel - 1:16c

1. Faith Is a Condition for Salvation

2. Faith Is Not the Only Condition

E. The Heart of the Gospel - 1:17a

F. The Golden Text of the Gospel - 1:17b

PART ONE:

THE IMPOTENCE OF LAW AS A WAY OF SALVATION - 1:18-3:20

I. THE SINFULNESS OF THE GENTILES - 1:18-32

A. Universal Knowledge of God and His Law - 1:18-20

B. Universal Rejection of the True God - 1:21-25

C. The Utter Depths of Gentile Depravity - 1:26-32

II. THE SINFULNESS OF THE JEWS - 2:1-3:8

A. Jews Are Under the Wrath of God, No Less Than the Gentiles - 2:1-5

B. God Will Be Partial to No One in the Judgment - 2:6-11

C. Under Law, the Criterion of Judgment Is Obedience Alone- 2:12-16

D. Jews Who Look to the Law for Salvation Are Condemned by Their Own Disobedience - 2:17-24

E. True Jewishness Is Identified Not by Circumcision but by the Inward State of the Heart - 2:25-29

F. Such Equal Treatment of Jews and Gentiles Does Not Nullify But Rather Magnifies God's Righteousness - 3:1-8

III. UNIVERSAL SINFULNESS AND HOPELESSNESS UNDER LAW - 3:9-20

PART TWO:

THE ALL-SUFFICIENCY OF GRACE AS A WAY OF SALVATION - 3:21-5:21

I. GRACE AS JUSTIFICATION BY CHRIST'S BLOOD THROUGH FAITH - 3:21-31

A. Righteousness Through Faith Is Now Fully Revealed - 3:21-23

B. Sinners Are Justified by the Blood of Christ - 3:24-26

C. Sinners Are Justified by Faith Apart from Works of Law - 3:27-28

D. The Way of Grace Is Available to All - 3:29-30

E. Grace Lets Law Do Its Proper Work - 3:31

II. ABRAHAM: PARADIGM OF GRACE - 4:1-25

A. Abraham Was Justified by Faith Apart from Works - 4:1-5

B. David Explains and Confirms Justification by Faith Apart from Works - 4:6-8

C. Membership in Abraham's Family Is by Faith, Not by Circumcision - 4:9-12

D. The Inheritance Promised to Abraham Comes by Faith, Not by Law - 4:13-17a

E. Faith Means Giving Glory to God and Believing His Promises - 4:17b-22

F. Those Who Believe Like Abraham Are Justified Like Abraham - 4:23-25

III. GRACE AND ASSURANCE - 5:1-21

A. Assurance of Personal Salvation - 5:1-11

1. Justification by Faith Is the Key to Assurance - 5:1-2

2. Tribulations of Believers Do Not Nullify Assurance - 5:3-5

3. Christ Died for Us While We Were Still Sinners - 5:6-8

4. Our Hope Is Even More Secure Now That We Are His Friends - 5:9-11

B. The All-Sufficiency of the Death of Christ - 5:12-21

1. One Sin of One Man (Adam) Brought Sin and Death to All - 5:12-14

2. Christ and His Sacrifice Are Greater Than Adam and His Sin - 5:15-17

3. Christ's Cross Completely Cancels the Results of Adam's Sin - 5:18-19

4. Grace Triumphs over Sin and Death - 5:20-21

PART THREE:

THE ALL-SUFFICIENCY OF GRACE GIVES VICTORY OVER SIN - 6:1-8:39

I. OBJECTIONS TO GRACE BASED ON A FEAR OF ANTINOMIANISM - 6:1-7:13

A. Does Grace Make Sin Irrelevant? NO! - 6:1-14

B. Does Freedom from Law Mean We Are Free to Sin? NO!- 6:15-7:6

1. We Are Slaves to God - 6:15-23

2. We Obey God from Our Hearts - 7:1-6

C. Does Grace Mean That Law Is Bad? NO! - 7:7-13

II. GRACE GIVES VICTORY OVER SIN - 7:14-8:13

A. The Christian Continues to Struggle Against Sin - 7:14-25

1. The Nature of the Struggle - 7:14-20

2. The Source of the Struggle - 7:21-25

B. Victory over Sin Comes Through the Holy Spirit - 8:1-13

1. God Frees Us from Sin's Penalty and Power - 8:1-4

2. Sin and Death Are Defeated in Us Through the Holy Spirit - 8:5-13

III. THE ASSURANCE OF FINAL AND TOTAL VICTORY OVER THE FALLEN WORLD - 8:14-39

A. The Holy Spirit Marks Us as Sons and Heirs - 8:14-17

B. The Redeemed Cosmos Is Our Inheritance - 8:18-25

C. God Promises to Bring His Family Through Earthly Trials - 8:26-30

D. God's Gracious Love Gives Us Unshakable Assurance - 8:31-39

PART FOUR:

THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD

IN HIS DEALINGS WITH THE JEWS - 9:1-11:36

I. THE PROBLEM OF ISRAEL: THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY OF THE JEWISH NATION - 9:1-5

A. Israel's Agony: They Are Accursed - 9:1-3

B. Israel's Ecstasy: They Are Recipients of Unspeakably Glorious Privileges - 9:4-5

II. THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN ETHNIC AND SPIRITUAL ISRAEL - 9:6-29

A. Israel's Situation and God's Faithfulness - 9:6-13

1. God's Word Concerning Israel Has Not Failed - 9:6a

2. The Key to the Puzzle: the Existence of Two Israels - 9:6b

3. Ethnic Israel Exists by God's Sovereign Choice - 9:7-13

a. The Choice of Isaac - 9:7-9

b. The Choice of Jacob - 9:10-13

B. God's Right to Choose and Use People without Saving Them - 9:14-18

1. God's Righteousness Is Challenged - 9:14

2. God's Sovereignty in Election for Service - 9:15-16

3. God's Purposes Can Be Served by the Unsaved - 9:17-18

C. God Used Ethnic Israel to Produce Spiritual Israel - 9:19-29

1. The Objection - 9:19

2. Paul's Initial Rebuke of the Objector's Attitude - 9:20-21

3. Beyond Ethnic Israel to Spiritual Israel - 9:22-24

a. The Calvinist View

b. Seeing Paul Through Non-Calvinist Eyes

4. Prophetic Confirmation of God's Purpose - 9:25-29

III. ISRAEL'S CHOICE OF LAW RATHER THAN GRACE 9:30-10:21

A. Personal Righteousness Versus the Righteousness of God- 9:30-10:3

1. The Reason for the Gentiles' Acceptance - 9:30

2. The Reason for the Jews' Lostness - 9:31-33

3. The Jews' Rejection of God's Righteousness - 10:1-3

B. Christ Alone Is the Source of Saving Righteousness - 10:4-13

1. An Either-Or Choice: Works-Righteousness, or Faith in Christ - 10:4

2. The Futility of Law-Righteousness - 10:5

3. Saving Righteousness Comes through Trusting Christ's Works, Not Our Own - 10:6-10

4. God's Righteousness Is Available Equally to Jews and Gentiles - 10:11-13

C. The Jews Have Not Believed in Christ, and Their Unbelief Is Inexcusable - 10:14-21

1. The Necessary Prerequisites to Saving Faith - 10:14-15

2. Most Jews Have Not Believed the Gospel Message - 10:16

3. The Jews' Problem Is Not Ignorance but Stubbornness of Will - 10:17-21

IV. THE SALVATION OF GOD'S TRUE ISRAEL - 11:1-32

A. God's True Israel Is the Remnant Chosen by Grace - 11:1-6

1. God Has Not Rejected His People - 11:1-2a

2. God Had a Remnant of Believers in the OT - 11:2b-4

3. Those under Grace Are God's New Covenant Israel - 11:5-6

B. Unbelieving Israel Has Been Hardened - 11:7-10

C. The Hardening of Unbelieving Israel Becomes a Blessing

for Both the Gentiles and the Jews - 11:11-16

D. The Olive Tree: A Metaphor of Judgment and Hope - 11:17-24

1. Words of Warning to Gentile Christians - 11:17-22

2. Words of Hope for Hardened Jews - 11:23-24

E. God's Plan for Israel's Salvation - 11:25-32

1. The Mystery of Israel's Salvation - 11:25-27

2. God's Continuing Love for Israel - 11:28-29

3. God's Ultimate Purpose Is Mercy - 11:30-32

V. DOXOLOGY: GOD'S WAY IS RIGHT - 11:33-36

PART FIVE:

LIVING THE SANCTIFIED LIFE - 12:1-15:13

I. A CATALOGUE OF VIRTUES - 12:1-13:14

A. Grace Demands a Transformed Life - 12:1-2

B. Using the Gifts of Grace for Unselfish Service - 12:3-8

C. Miscellaneous Moral Teaching - 12:9-16

D. Personal Vengeance Is Forbidden - 12:17-21

E. The Relation between Citizens and Government - 13:1-7

F. The Relation between Love and Law - 13:8-10

G. Walking in the Light - 13:11-14

II. CHRISTIAN LIBERTY IN MATTERS OF OPINION - 14:1-15:13

A. Do Not Judge Others in Matters of Opinion - 14:1-12

1. We Should Accept All Whom God Has Accepted - 14:1-3

2. We Answer to Our Lord and Not to Each Other - 14:4-9

3. Each of Us Will Be Judged by God - 14:10-12

B. The Stewardship of Christian Liberty 14:13-23

1. We Must Sacrifice Our Liberty for the Sake of the Weak - 14:13-15

2. Do Not Allow What You Consider Good to Be Spoken of as Evil - 14:16-18

3. We Must Do Only Those Things Which Build Others Up - 14:19-21

4. Each Christian Must Be True to His Own Convictions - 14:22-23

C. Living in Unity and Hope - 15:1-13

1. Selfless Service Produces a Unified Witness - 15:1-6

2. Through Christ's Selfless Service, Jews and Gentiles Glorify God Together - 15:7-12

3. A Prayer That All Believers May Abound in Hope - 15:13

PART SIX:

PERSONAL MESSAGES FROM PAUL - 15:14-16:27

I. PAUL'S MINISTRY AS THE APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES - 15:14-33

A. Reflections on His Past Service - 15:14-22

B. His Plans for the Future - 15:23-29

C. His Request for Prayer - 15:30-33

II. PAUL AND HIS FELLOW WORKERS - 16:1-24

A. Commendation of Phoebe - 16:1-2

B. Greetings to Individual Acquaintances - 16:3-16

C. Warnings against False Teachers - 16:17-20

D. Greetings from Paul's Companions - 16:21-24

III. CONCLUDING DOXOLOGY - 16:25-27

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV