15th Chapter of Romans
(All
verses are from the New International Version)
Romans
15:1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the
weak and not to please ourselves.
LOVE
IS MORE THAN PLEASING OURSELVES
This
verse really should be part of the previous chapter since it is a continuing
thought carrying over from chapter 14 verse 23. Remember these divisions were
added long after these letters were penned. Some of them utterly make no sense
at all in my opinion, like this one here.
Notice
how again Paul identifies the strong with those who have not restricted
themselves with extra-covenant convictions such as not being able to eat
certain things or having to celebrate certain days. Letting your faith depend
on extraneous objects, customs or times is not considered something mature, as
we saw in the previous chapter. Paul says these are the failings (asthenēma:
infirmity; error arising
from weakness of mind) of the weak! Nevertheless, if you consider
yourself strong and free in Jesus you have an obligation to bear (bastazo: lift,
carry up, sustain) with those you consider to be of weak faith; the goal
being not to please yourself.
To
bear with your brothers means to put up with their weaknesses by saying only
what can encourage them and build them up in Jesus:
Ephesians 4:29 NIV Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of
your mouths, but only what
is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those
who listen.
No
criticisms (constructive or otherwise), no suggestions on what they should do
about their prospective restriction, no thumbing your noses at them or allowing
yourself to cop an attitude or get frustrated. I am not saying to say things
that may enable their particular crutch like: “oh that’s so spiritual”, or
“that’s such dedication”, or anything like that. Just keep it real and say you
have a very different opinion if asked and keep it to the Scriptures.
Thus
the strong have a definite responsibility for the week and the obligation to
see that they make it. He must, in a sense, carry them in a manner like that of
a strong man carrying a little child. In no instance must his personal liberty
as a Christian be allowed to interfere with duty toward the weak. The claim
which the weak brother has upon the aid and encouragement of the strong is
based upon his redemption in Christ and may not be rejected by the strong,
regardless of what personal inclinations and Christian liberties of his own
should be sacrificed to the fulfillment of that duty. – Coffman
You’ll
get in trouble if you want to flaunt your freedom or if you want to defend your
freedom when someone has been grieved by your practice of it, as we saw in the
last chapter. If you do that you are not really strong in the faith since you
are just being selfish.
1 Corinthians 10:31-33 NIV So whether you eat or drink or whatever you
do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not
cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God-- 33 even as I try to please everybody in every
way. For I am not seeking
my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
Romans
15:2 Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to
build him up.
Our
goal of building one another up is a goal attained by the mature of faith,
according to the Holy Spirit. These four stages of maturing love are reflected
in the work of Bernard of Clairveux’s, The Four Degrees of Love. Bernard
was a French monk born in 1090 AD who reflected on how our motives for
practicing love change as we mature:
1-
Love me for my
benefit
– the most basic (carnal) love; the first one we learn to be able to survive – “That is the flesh, which can appreciate
nothing beyond itself.”
2-
Love you for my
benefit
– is a love practiced because we know we cannot survive on our own. We need
others to help us make it. We graduate to this motive for loving and love
through it for most of our teen and early adulthood years. I dare say most of us come into the body of
Christ knowing this kind of love in ourselves. “To love others as something necessary to his own welfare, not for
other’s sake, but selfishly”
3-
Love you for
your benefit
– this is the stage of love that most of us attain in our walk with Christ. It
is a very mature form of loving; loving people for their benefit, for their own
good – seeking their good and not our own, as Paul mentions in this verse. It
is this form of love that is sharpened and put into practice in the church. Of
this degree Bernard says: “Surely he must
remain long in this state; and I know not whether it would be possible to make
further progress in this life to that fourth degree and perfect condition
wherein man loves himself solely for God's sake.”
4-
Love me for your
benefit
– the highest degree of love has to do with loving ourselves for the benefit of
others. In this degree we freely practice the Golden Rule and the Greatest
Command: Love God with all your heart, soul mind and strength and love your
neighbor as yourself. I believe this is the love that marriage and parenting
teaches. If you don’t learn it while being married without kids you will surely
learn it when you have kids. Those who go through marriage and parenting
without reaching this stage are those who probably end up being frazzled,
frustrated, parents who suffer the empty
nest syndrome for making their kids be the center of attention for most of
their married life. Concerning this degree Bernard will say: “Doubtless it will be reached when the good
and faithful servant shall have entered into the joy of his Lord (Matt. 25:21),
and been satisfied with the plenteousness of God's house (Ps. 36:8). For then
in wondrous wise he will forget himself and as if delivered from self, he will
grow wholly God's. Joined unto the Lord, he will then be one spirit with Him (I
Cor. 6:17).” Although he hints at this degree only being obtained in
heaven, it may be that some saints get to it while they live here.
Building
each other up implies sacrificial work. Work not for our sake or our interest
but for the interest of the brethren you are building up. The process of
building each other up is similar to building anything – Paul himself compares
it to building a building:
Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV Consequently, you are no longer foreigners
and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's
household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus
himself as the chief cornerstone.
21
In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy
temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together
to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:8-15 NIV 8 The man who plants and the man who waters
have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are
God's field, God's building. 10 By the grace God has given me, I
laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But
each one should be careful how he builds.
11
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which
is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man
builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or
straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is,
because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the
fire will test the quality of each man's work.
14
If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he
himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
Paul’s
words are echoes of what Jesus Himself said:
Luke 6:46-49 NIV "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and
do not do what I say? 47 I will show
you what he is like who comes
to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the
foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but
could not shake it, because it was well built.
49
But the one who
hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a
house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck
that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
So
to build each other up we need:
1-
A blueprint – the Word of
God – Rom
10:17 – the words of
Christ – speak only the word of Jesus to your brothers to always point
back to the cornerstone of their faith!
2-
A cornerstone – Jesus Christ
– the chief cornerstone
3-
A foundation – the apostles
and prophets – the very words of God
4-
An architect – the Holy
Spirit – Eph
3:16 – The Spirit
strengthens us from within – remember the Holy Spirit is not finished
with anyone of us yet; help build with wholesome words and actions
5-
A scaffolding – superficial
and temporary structure – Heb 13:7, 17 – the encouragement, guidance and counsel of your leaders who watch over
you – any counsel you can provide should only be intermediary; the
brothers need to stand on their own faith eventually, resting on the faith of
Jesus Christ
6-
Structural beams – the actual
weight bearing structures that allow you to build up and out – these are the trials and tribulations that
strengthen your faith – James 1:1-4; 1Pe 1:6-7
7-
Finish – Genuine faith that is worth more than gold
– the result of glory and honor to Jesus Christ when He is revealed! – 1Pe 1:7
Remember our goal is not to cater to our
brethren’s whims and wishes, but to please him for the purpose of building him
up, for his ultimate salvation:
1 Corinthians 10:32-33 NIV 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews,
Greeks or the church of God-- 33 even as I
try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so
that they may be saved.
Romans
15:3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is
written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me."
Jesus
shows us the road of sacrificial work unto the salvation of others:
Philippians 2:5-8 NIV Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ
Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with
God something to be grasped, 7 but made
himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human
likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he
humbled himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross!
Paul
quotes Psalm
69:9 here, showing how personal Jesus takes the insults and
mockery directed at His Father. If Jesus was out to please Himself He would
have tried to please people’s scorn and mockery of God. Instead, Jesus did not
please Himself but the Father; and in doing so, became the source of salvation
for all those who obey Him (Heb 5:8-10).
John 15:12-13 NIV My command is this: Love each other as I have
loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he
lay down his life for his friends.
In
the same way, mature brethren ought to look after pleasing their Father in
Heaven that by their actions they please God and stimulate growth amongst the
weak of faith.
Romans
15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us,
so that through endurance
and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
The scriptures are the road map to hope
Here
again is a reference to the blueprint we ought to use for building each other
up – the very work of love we need to get involved with to build the house of
God. In doing so not only are we pleasing each other spiritually, but most
importantly pleasing the Father as we grow up into Jesus Christ:
Ephesians 4:11-16 NIV It was he who gave some to be apostles, some
to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and
teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of
Christ may be built up 13 until we
all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God
and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of
Christ. 14 Then we
will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here
and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in
their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in
love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held
together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does
its work.
Only
when we follow the roadmap of scripture will we be building the house of God
and building something that will last forever! Any other recipe has no hope!
All that was recorded in the past shows us time and time again how hopeless it
is to deviate from God's word and to hope in the world. From the scriptures we
find Jesus, our true hope in whom we are justified by faith.
1 Corinthians 10:11 NIV 11 These things happened to them as examples and
were written down as
warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
Galatians 3:24-25 NIV So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that
we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that
faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
Romans
15:5-6 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.
Notice
how Paul desires for them, the Roman Christians, to depend on God only. Only
God gives:
1-
Endurance – the strength
to continue onward without failing
2-
Encouragement – the
motivation, inspiration and courage to continue the good fight – rejecting evil
and embracing the goodness of the Lord
3-
Spirit of unity – the maturity
to not judge one another when it comes to matters of opinion and conscience and
to judge yourself first in the Lord
You
have to be actively following Jesus (John 8:31-32); plugged into
His word which gives you real faith (Rom 10:17) and hope (Rom 15:4), and His Spirit
that promotes peace (Rom 8:6; Rom 14:17) and unity (Eph 4:3).
The
Spirit defines unity as being
able to glorify God with one heart and one mouth.
One heart…
Loving
the Lord our God with all our heart means giving over all our emotions to the
pursuit of the glorification of God our Father. All our desires, aspirations
and goals for living this life must be aimed at exalting the Lord Jesus through
the work He has given us in His kingdom. Not only is this the only satisfying
and fulfilling thing for all humans, but we will quickly advance to the highest
degree of love when our hearts don’t condemn us for having weak faith.
One mouth…
Out of the
overflow of the heart the mouth speaks… (Mat 12:34; Mat 15:18; Luke 6:45) if you are
full of the goodness of God, un-dependent and un-enabled by the worldly things
and your own evil desires, you will speak good things and build up one another.
All you will say will result in the glory of God and in the edification of your
brother. Your words are a good measure of where your faith (soul), loyalty
(heart) and maturity (mind) is.
1 Corinthians 1:10 NIV I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions
among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
1.
Divisions
undermine the message of the Gospel.
2.
Divisions
promote man-made doctrine.
3.
Divisions
come as a result of extra-biblical judgments applied to the brethren
4.
Divisions
do not glorify God
5.
Divisions
are not the way of Jesus
6.
Unity
is what Jesus prayed for – John 17:20-23
7.
Unity
shows the world we are on the side of truth, on the side of Jesus
Those
who are truly plugged into the Spirit will not judge one another on matters of
conscience and will sacrifice themselves to please their brothers for their own
good – to build them up. This is how the body grows up together, with each part
doing its work, agreeing with one another (doctrinally) and conceding to each
other’s wishes (when it comes to matters of opinion) to promote harmony and
unity. The result? We will glorify our head, Jesus Christ, which will in turn
result in glory to the God and Father of our husband.
Romans
15:7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you,
in order to bring praise to God.
Having
the spirit of Jesus guiding us and being depended on the endurance and
encouragement God provides for us through the word, the Spirit and each other
in the church we will pursue acceptance of one another in the same way Jesus
has accepted us – just as we are. This is the message we will be preaching: one
of inclusion in Jesus.
If
we are children of God and members of the body of Christ we look to be
inclusive, not exclusive. The world’s MO is exclusivity which results in
attitudes of entitlement, elitism and socio-economic stratification. Jesus
sought to end all that division by making us all one in His body:
Ephesians 2:11-18 NIV Therefore, remember that formerly you who are
Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call
themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)-- 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded
from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise,
without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far
away have been brought
near through the blood of Christ.
14
For he himself is our
peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing
wall of hostility, 15 by
abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His
purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making
peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of
them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were
far away and peace to those who were near.
18
For through him
we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Ephesians 3:6 NIV This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together
with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise
in Christ Jesus.
Praise
to God is given by how accepting we are of each other, leaving all judgments to
God on matters of conscience. Mature Christians seek to accept one another in
the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 NIV 14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle,
encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for
wrong, but always try to
be kind to each other and to everyone else.
Romans
15:8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to
the patriarchs
JESUS
UNITES JEWS AND GENTILES
Jesus
gave himself up as the unifying force and factor of God's plan. We have been
called to play a role in the unification of all things, not the dispersion of things,
except perhaps for evil:
Ephesians 5:11 NIV Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds
of darkness, but rather expose them.
Jesus
served and gave himself up for a people that rejected Him initially. As some
realized God's plan they gratefully accepted the plan of God because they
understood Jesus confirmed the promises of God to the patriarchs.
Jesus
accepted us for fellowship with Him even though our faith and morals were not
as strong as His. Thus we have no reason not to accept other Christians who may
not agree with us (14:1). Jesus did not take advantage of His strength but
accepted the role of service (Greek diakon)
to fulfill God’s mission set forth in Scripture.
– Disciple’s Study Bible
Romans
15:9 so that the Gentiles may glorify God for
his mercy, as it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I
will sing hymns to your name."
Gentiles
also benefited from Jesus sacrifice – a people that did not seek or know God
gloried in their salvation brought by Jesus. Through Jesus God’s mercy to all
peoples was shown – his acceptance of all peoples, whether Jew or Gentile – all
brought under one head: Jesus Christ.
Paul
is quoting 2Sa
22:50 and Psalm 18:49 as proof texts that the
inclusion of the Gentiles was long known about in the prophecies.
Romans
15:10-12 Again, it says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people."
And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples."
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."
Three
quotations from Deut 32:43, Psalm 117:1, and Isaiah 11:10,
continue to prove God's desire to be all-inclusive in His plan of redemption.
Jesus,
the Messiah, was not only the hope of the Jews but also of the Gentiles
unbeknownst.
Romans
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.
The
issue of trusting (believing) God, as opposed to just believing in God, is
really the core of the problems the Roman church was experiencing. If Paul is
aiming to do anything in this letter, it is to help the brethren trust God and
rely on Him as opposed to their own judgments and suppositions. The Jews
presupposed to know God and the Gentiles relied on their gut instincts so Paul
is showing them both that trusting God is the only way to go. Only through
God's truth in the scriptures can we have joy and peace – trusting God with
uncertainty and the things we cannot see. Our God is the God of hope, because
He keeps His word – we can trust His judgments (in the Bible):
Jeremiah 29:10-11 NIV This is what the LORD says: "When
seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to
bring you back to this place. 11 For I know
the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not
to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
When
we trust God with all our heart, as Jesus said in (John 14:1-4): we will be
filled with
1-
Joy – the joy of
the Lord strengthens us and is unchanging as opposed to the joy of the world
which is fleeting and dependent on changing things.
2-
Peace – the peace
Jesus gives us is not like the world gives. The peace of Jesus is everlasting
and gives rest to our souls whereas the peace the world gives is dependent upon
people’s self serving desires.
3-
Hope – God's hope is
out of this world, literally! It is a hope that will carry us beyond the grave
and outdoes everything and anything you could ever want or need. “Hope that is
seen is no hope at all”, as the scripture says, “Who hopes for what he already
has?” (Romans
8:24). True hope cannot be fabricated by man’s effort. Hope
comes from what we can understand of scripture, not from man’s opinions.
Particularly
the Spirit’s work in us along with our trusting in His work will not just fill
us with hope, but we will be overflowing (abounding) with hope – meaning this
hope we carry will go beyond our hearts as we share it with others. Only those
who receive the Spirit of sonship when they are incorporated in Christ
(baptized for the forgiveness of their sins) can bear these fruit of the Spirit
(Acts 2:38;
Gal 5:22). As I have previously quoted, hope is one of the big three that remains with us today and will
carry us onward to Heaven:
1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and
love. But the greatest of these is love.
And
only in Christ are all these blessings given:
Ephesians 1:3 NIV Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
This
joy can come only through believing, and I pray you, brothers and sisters,
never be drifted away from the child-like faith in what God hath said. It is
very easy to obtain a temporary joy and peace through your present easy
experience, but how will you do when all things take a troublous turn? Those who
live by feelings change with the weather. If you ever put aside your faith in
the finished work to drink from the cup of your own inward sensations, you will
find yourself bitterly disappointed. Your honey will turn to gall, your
sunshine into blackness; for all things which come to man are fickle and
deceptive. The God of hope fill you with joy and peace; but it will only be
through believing. You will have to stand as a poor sinner at the foot of the
cross, trusting to complete atonement. You will never have peace and joy unless
you do. If you once begin to say, I am a saint; there is something good in me,
and so on, you will find joy evaporate and peace depart. – Wilbur M. Smith
People
who do not know Christ are without God and therefore without hope (Eph 2:12).
Romans
15:14 I myself am convinced, my brothers, that
you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to
instruct one another.
Paul: Minister to the Gentiles
Although
Paul has a lot of encouragement, correction and advice for the Romans he also
confides in the faith of Jesus that has saved them, giving them the strength to
overcome any struggles as they believe in the goodness of God living in them
through the Holy Spirit. Paul knows that greater is He who is in them than the
one who is in the world:
1 John 4:4 NIV You, dear children, are from God and have
overcome them, because the
one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Romans 14:4 NIV Who are you to judge someone else's servant?
To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Philippians 1:6 NIV … he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus.
We
as Christians reflect our trust in God by not only believing we ourselves have
overcome but by also confiding that others who may appear to be weak of faith
have also overcome because they are dependent on God's strength and Jesus power
in them, not on themselves! When we judge our brother’s extra-biblical
convictions we are declaring they need to depend on themselves to be
overcomers. Let us not demean their faith in Jesus!
By
the same token we ought to never lose hope and view each other with the
goodness and love of the Father’s eyes, not engaging in suspicions or
haughtiness. We need to recognize that in Christ we are:
1-
Full
of goodness – the goodness of the Lord through the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22; Mat
12:35)
2-
Full
of all (complete in) knowledge in Christ (Col 1:10; Eph 4:13; 2 Pe 1:8). This doesn’t
mean you know all things and don’t need to be instructed, but that the
instruction you receive from the word is thorough (2 Tim 3:16-17).
3-
Able
to teach (instruct) one another, since you are receiving the instruction of the
Lord and ought to teach one another in the making of disciples (Mat 28:19-20)
In
doing so Paul sought to encourage the Romans that by no means he thought they
were incompetent or that they needed his encouragement to be complete. Paul is
merely presenting himself, along with his credentials as we will see in the
coming verse, as a servant of Jesus and qualified to give such encouragement as
an apostle. He didn’t see himself as someone who could complete something in them
because that would mean their faith in Jesus was not enough!