Monday, December 14, 2009

Romans 15

I'm writing a series of articles on the book of Romans, which, as you know, is one of the more difficult and controversial books of the New Testament. This is not going to be a verse-by-verse analysis by any means, but I hope to write a lengthy article about each chapter of this sixteen chapter book. I hope that you find this helpful.

Here in chapter fifteen, Paul begins to wrap up this amazing epistle. He summarizes the main point that he has been writing about all along: as Christians, we're to love and serve one another. He then makes some personal remarks to the brethren in Rome and states his intentions to visit them in the future. These are the basic points of the chapter.

In verse one, Paul continues the point made in the previous chapter: "We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves." In other words, there needs to be patience and compromise when it comes to these matters of opinion. After all, we're not here to please ourselves, but rather to SERVE! Not even Christ pleased Himself (vv. 3). Instead, He bore our burdens and suffered for us. Likewise, we ought to serve others and put their needs first! In another place, the apostle said, "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others" (Phil. 2:4).

And this ought to be our mindset because it is the very essence of the kingdom. The kingdom of Christ is about Jews and Gentiles coming together to worship God as one body (Eph. 2:13-22). This is a lesson that we can see in the Old Testament scriptures which "were written before...for our learning" (Rom. 15:4). Paul goes on in the following passage to cite many Old Testament prophecies of the united nature of Christ's kingdom. The promises were made to the Jewish fathers of old (vv. 8), but it was also prophesied that the Gentiles would praise God and have access to salvation (vv. 9-12). Again, this is a summary of what Paul has been writing about throughout the Roman letter: stop looking down on one another because you're all the people of God...therefore, love and serve each other!

In verse 13, the apostle begins to address the Roman brethren specifically. He says in verses 13-14 that, "I myself am confident concerning you...that you also are full of goodness..." Despite this confidence, he had "written more boldly" to them (vv. 15). In other words, Paul didn't want to leave the impression that the brethren in Rome were all wicked. Even though he had rebuked them on several points, they were still the people of God. They had corrections to make, and they needed to mature, but they were still brethren. This is a powerful point! Think about it. We all have struggles, and we all need to grow spiritually. But God is willing to bear with us! Likewise, we should not be hasty to condemn weak brethren. Instead of pointing fingers, we need to do all that we can to help one another!

In the remaining part of the chapter, Paul repeatedly declares his desire to visit the saints in Rome. He had been hindered from coming to them (vv. 22), but planned on coming to them when he journeyed to Spain (vv. 24). He wanted to come to them "with joy by the will of God" that they might "be refreshed together" (vv. 32). Keep in mind, they didn't have email or Facebook back in the first century. They didn't have phones or UPS to keep in touch. You can imagine how much more special and meaningful it would have been to visit with other Christians on a rare long-distance trip. This passage only highlights the importance of relationships among God's people. Let us not get so wrapped up in our individual lives that we fail to utilize one of the greatest blessings that God has given us: the church!

Many other things are said in this chapter, and I encourage you to read it and study it yourself.

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