Romans 15, Paul's ministry and future plans. This is the final chapter of Romans before Paul gives his individual greetings in chapter 16. Paul begins by exhorting the Christians in Rome to seek the good of others and to work to maintain unity. Afterwards, before totally leaving the subject of the Jews and Gentiles, Paul once more briefly returns to the prophecies about salvation coming to the Gentiles.
Since Paul has given some strong exhortations throughout the letter, in the last half of chapter 15, he takes on a conciliatory tone. He explains that he has had to speak, frankly, on certain matters to fulfill his ministry. He then talks about his ministry in general and about his plans to visit the brothers and sisters in Rome. He relates that first, he will be delivering alms to the Christians in Jerusalem.
The churches in Macedonia and Achaia have been collecting these alms on behalf of their Jewish brethren in Jerusalem. Romans chapter 15 verses 1 through 7, seeking the edification of others, verse 1," We then who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves." Paul's peacemaking skills are everywhere on display throughout Romans. Origen writes," In this letter, Paul, as a kind of arbiter, sits between the Jews and the Greeks. He calls and invites both groups to faith in Christ.
Yet he does it in a way so as not to offend the Jews by completely abandoning the Jewish rites, nor to cast despair upon the Gentiles by requiring the observance of the law. We then who are strong." Paul continues the same topic he was discussing in the previous chapter, that the Gentile believers should not offend their weaker Jewish brethren who were still clinging to regulations of the law. Paul skillfully admonishes the Gentiles in such a way that he also praises them.
Chrysostom writes," See how he has caught their attention by his praises. For he not only calls them strong, but he also places them right alongside himself by saying," We who are strong." Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of someone who bore the infirmities of the weak.
As Isaiah wrote," Surely He has borne our sickness and carried our suffering." Origen comments," Christ endures our infirmities, and God patiently bears our transgressions." So how can we not also tolerate the transgressions and failings of those who seem weaker to us? Accordingly, stronger Christians must patiently bear with the weaknesses and faults of weaker Christians. If we do not, we are not imitators of Christ.
Verse 2," Let each of us please His neighbor for His good to His edification." Jesus had taught," Whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them." Since all of us like to please ourselves, loving our neighbor as ourselves means that we seek to please our neighbor. Paul adds the qualifying clause for his good to his edification.
Theodoret comments," He does not say merely to please your neighbor." Rather, he says," For his good, to his edification, for it is very possible to please a neighbor, but to his injury and to your own also." Verse 3," For even Christ did not please Himself. But as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." Jesus is the supreme example of someone who did not please himself. If he had been thinking only of himself, he would never have left heaven.
Paul writes to the Philippians," Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men." Again, if Jesus had been thinking only of Himself, He would not have allowed Himself to be humiliated, tortured, and put to death on the cross.
In Gethsemane, he prayed," Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done." Chrysostom writes," Because he looked to our good, he neglected his own interests. As it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." In this prophecy, Christ is the speaker, and you refers to the Father. Christ is saying that the reproaches of the Jews against His Father fell upon Him, Christ. Theodoret comments," Christ bore the blasphemies of the Jews.
They uttered the same reproaches against Christ that they had formerly brought upon His Father through their wicked lives." The scribes and Pharisees continually reproached Jesus for eating with sinners and tax collectors. When the sinful woman anointed his feet with oil, they said scornfully," This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what kind of woman this is who touches him, that she is a sinner." In the ultimate irony, they sentenced him to death for blaspheming God.
Not satisfied with that, they continued to reproach him when he was dying on the cross, saying," If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.
He saved others, but he cannot save himself." Yet Jesus' only response was," Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Verse 4," For whatever things were written beforehand were written for our learning so that we might have hope through patience and comfort from the Scriptures." When Jesus and the apostles taught from the Scriptures, they were teaching out of the Old Testament. The New Testament had not yet been written.
Obviously then, even though Jesus fulfilled the Law, the Old Testament was by no means obsolete. The Old Testament is filled with prophecies, history, theology, and moral instruction that are of irreplaceable value to the Christian Church. When the church was founded, the only Bible it had was the Old Testament. Paul speaks of the value of the Old Testament in some of his other letters as well.
For example, when writing to the Corinthians, he explained that Christians can learn lessons from what happened to the ancient Israelites. He says," Now, these things were our examples to the intent we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Let us not commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed. And in one day, 23,000 fell.
Let us not test Christ as some of them tested and perished by the serpents. Do not grumble, as some of them also grumbled, and perished by the destroyer. Now, all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.
Similarly, Paul told Timothy," All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." When Paul speaks about all Scripture in this passage, he is primarily talking about the Old Testament. And Ambrosiaster comments," Clearly, all the things written beforehand were written for our learning. Thereby, we may move forward in hope from this encouragement.
We do not disbelieve the promises, even if they have not yet been fulfilled." The Old Testament is not only rich in instruction, but also in Messianic prophecy. Jesus had told the Pharisees," You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life.
And these are they which testify about me." Verses 5 and 6," Now the God of patience and comfort grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one accord and one voice glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Unity is so important among Christians that shortly before his arrest, Jesus prayed that they may all be one, even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.
In the beginning, the church was truly one. We read in Acts," All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication." Again, we read," When they heard it, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord." The New Testament Church was so united that in Revelation, Jesus could address the Church in Ephesus, the Church in Smyrna, and to the rest of the seven churches. He did not write to the churches in Ephesus and the other cities.
No matter how many congregations there may have been in each of those cities, they still constituted a single church. This was because of their unity. The same was true of the Church in Rome in Paul's day. This unity continued after the apostles died. In A.D. 105, Ignatius was able to address letters to the Church in Ephesus, the Church in Magnesia, the Church at Tralles, and the Church in Rome. In A.D. 195, Clement of Alexandria wrote," I believe that the true church, that which is truly ancient, is one.
According to God's purpose, those who are righteous are enrolled in it. God is one and the Lord is one." For that very reason, the church is held in the highest honor and praise because of its unity, for it mirrors the one first principle. The one church reflects the nature of the one God with whom it is joined. However, the heretics strive to cut it asunder into many sects.
In substance, belief, origin, and preeminence, the ancient and universal church is alone, for it collects its members into the unity of the one faith. In A.D. 280, Victorinus wrote," The Universal Church is one. Even though it had been nearly 250 years since the Church had been founded, it was still one." In the days of Victorinus, it was still possible to write to the church in Rome or to the church in Alexandria.
The church in each of those cities was comprised of numerous congregations, but they were still one united body. Even though there were a few small schisms in the third century, the church essentially remained one for the first 300 years of Christianity. However, today, it would be impossible to write to the church in New York or the church in Los Angeles. It would not even be possible to send a letter to the church in most small towns throughout America or other countries.
That is because today, the body of Christ is divided into tens of thousands of denominations and independent congregations that do not answer to each other. Therefore, it is little wonder that the world does not believe that Jesus sent us, verse 7," Accordingly, receive one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God." In what manner has Christ received us?
Paul writes," But God commends His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Theodoret comments," Indeed, the Lord Christ loved us, but not just when we were holy. Rather, He received us while we were sinners. And He justified us in that condition. Therefore, we ourselves ought to bear with the weaknesses of our brethren, and we should do everything to advance their salvation.