Chapter 15
15:1-2- As Paul continues his flow of thought from the previous chapter, he makes clear that the “strong” ought to bear the “weakness” (or some translations say “scruples”) of those who lack the strength. Paul is not talking about mere toleration here, but the phrase he uses indicates self-denial in deference to those who aren’t as “strong” in the faith. The Christian life isn’t about indulging in self pleasure, even in regards to things we have ‘freedom’ in. It’s about yielding a harvest of righteousness. It’s about growing in the fruit of the Spirit. It’s about sacrificial love for fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. And this is why in verse 2 Paul says that we ought to please our neighbors for their good; to build them up. Instead of causing them to stumble or be offended at our use of liberty, we should be helping them keep their convictions before the Lord, not to, as Grant Osborne puts it, “force them to adopt the ‘superior’ stance.” While addressed primarily to the “strong,” the principle of verse 2 equally applies to the “weak.”
15:3- Paul points to our ultimate example in this verse. Whether here, 2 Cor. 8:9, or Phil. 2:5-8, Paul consistently points to Christ as the highest expression of humbleness and self sacrifice that ought to be imitated. As mentioned in chapter 14, Christ states in Mark 10:45 that He did not come to be served, but to serve and even sacrifice His life for His bride! Time and time again, we see Jesus putting The Father’s will above His own desires while incarnate; whether that was being tempted in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11) or hours before His crucifixion (Matt. 26:39, 42). In John 8:29, Jesus said, “for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” This should be our attitude as well. Albert Barnes sees another idea that Paul may have had in mind here. He notes that Christ “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.”
In this verse though, Paul quotes from Psalm 69:9 applying the words of David to Jesus. David was a “righteous sufferer” in that Psalm, a ‘type’ that finds its ultimate fulfillment in the righteous “Suffering Servant” of the Messiah. Christ came knowing His mission; having a zeal for His Father’s house (John 2:13-17) and knowing people would blaspheme and hurl insults at him (Matt. 27:29-31, 39). The Son of God was willing to take upon Himself the abuse of sinners for their very good. Shouldn’t we, as humble servants of Christ, be willing to sacrifice at the very least a bit of food for those whom Christ went to such extremes for?
15:4- Having just referenced Scripture, Paul states an important principle for us as Christians. What was written in Scripture in the past is still relevant for our instruction in the present. This is something that Paul is insistent upon and consistently taught (1 Cor. 10:1-11, 2 Tim. 3:16-17). Learning from what God has revealed in the Old Testament is crucial to our growth in the Christian walk and keeping our mind renewed. Like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, we ought to always test what we hear by Scripture which means we ought to always be students of Scripture. As the inspired word of God, all Scripture is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” -2 Tim. 3:16-17 (NKJV). Paul is referring to the Old Testament here, but the same is true for the New Testament as well. It is God speaking as the Holy Spirit through the mouthpiece of the apostles (John 14:25-26, John 16:13, Eph. 3:4-11, 1 Thess. 2:13, 2 Peter 1:16-21). Matthew Poole sums up the latter half of verse 4 nicely by stating, “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.”
15:5-6- Paul emphasizes unity and oneness among the body of believers yet again. The purpose of all this is to “with one voice glorify God” which should be our ultimate goal in unity. Obviously, Paul doesn’t mean they are to come to the same conclusion about everything being addressed in the previous chapter, but despite differences in their matters of conscience, they ought to be united in brotherly love, a desire to become more like Christ, and worship unto God.
15:7-8- In light of all this, we are to accept one another since Christ has accepted us as sinners! Being accepted by Christ through the grace of God brings Him glory. Accepting our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ also does the same. Robert Mounce writes, “This is what it means to follow Christ. He accepted us; we are to accept one another. It should not be too difficult to extend the hand of friendship to one who is loved by the one we honor and worship.” Paul’s main concern is the glory of God in all these matters.
He says in verse 8 that Christ came to the Jews to fulfill the promises made to the fathers/patriarchs (Luke 1:68-79, Matt. 15:24). Thus, Jews who accept their Messiah give glory to God for fulfilling His promises. God being faithful to His covenant and fulfilling His promises was the major theme of chapters 9-11 (see 9:6, 14; 11:1, 11).
15:9-12-He then addresses the inclusion of the Gentiles in verse 9 (another major theme of the entire letter) by saying that Christ came so that Gentiles would give glory to God because of His mercy on them. After all, the Gentiles had originally not been a part of the covenant promises, were by nature children of wrath, excluded from God, and without hope (Eph. 2:1-13)! Thankfully, because of God’s great mercy, Gentiles have been grafted in (11:17)! Since both Jew and Gentile are recipients of God’s salvation, the two groups ought to be of one heart and mind as they make up the church. He then goes on in the following verses to quote four Old Testament passages to prove his point. Paul wants to show definitively from Scripture that this has always been part of God’s redemptive plan. He Starts with Ps. 18:49 in the second half of verse 9 (a Psalm that is also quoted in 2 Sam. 22:50). As David gives praise to God “among the Gentiles” the Jewish Christians should follow his lead and “praise God along with the Gentile Christians” (so Osborne in agreement with others).
Verse 10 has Paul using Deut. 32:43 in which Moses calls on the nations (Gentiles) to rejoice with Israel in God’s righteous justice. What’s interesting is that the full verse is: “Rejoice, you nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will take vengeance on his enemies and make atonement for his land and people.” -Deut. 32:43 (NIV). Eugene Merrill remarks, “The most sublime expression of this would be the atonement he made for his people, an atonement, as a full biblical revelation shows, that finds its foundation and fullness in Jesus Christ (cf. Ezek. 16:60-63; Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17).” This salvation that was spoken by Moses in the context of Deut. 32 finds its complete fulfillment in Christ. A salvation in which the Gentiles rejoice!
In Verse 11 Paul cites Ps. 117:1, a Psalm that consists of only two verses and is addressed directly to Gentiles. Because of the love of God and His faithfulness, the nations were exhorted to praise Him. As we will see in the next verse, the Gentiles more specifically will praise God due to the Hope found in Christ.
Verse 12 contains Isa. 11:10. This chapter in Isaiah is a heavily Messianic passage that culminates for Paul’s purposes in “the Root of Jesse” ruling over the Gentiles and the very source of hope for them. This is a perfect conclusion to the examples used by Paul and as Ben Witherington III states, “It reminds Paul’s Gentile audience that they have salvation only through the root of Jesse, through the Jew Jesus, and, in fact, he rules over the Gentile nations, and they will place their hope in him.” Not only do these citations stem from each major section of the Old Testament. That is, ‘the law’ (Deut. 32:43), ‘the writings’ (Ps. 18:49; Ps. 117:1) and ‘the prophets’ (Isa. 11:10), but there is a progression in these verses that starts with Israel declaring praise among the Gentiles, to Gentiles participating in the praise, to the Gentiles finding their hope specifically in the Messiah. All of this points to a common thread that runs throughout the Old Testament. That is, Christ will unite Jew and Gentile into one people group under His reign of salvation (Gal. 3:7-9).
15:13- Coming off the very end of verse 12 where the hope of the Gentiles is in the Messiah, Paul now prays that the “God of hope” fills his recipients with joy and peace in their believing. God is objectively the only source of hope, but to appropriate that hope and to have the joy and peace that flows from His indwelling Spirit, we must believe and trust in Him alone (John 6:29). What Paul likely has in mind here is specifically peace and joy in relation to harmony and unity within the church (the broader context of the last few chapters). He wants their shared faith in Christ and the indwelling of the Spirit to bring about peace and joy into their community in the midst of differences.
15:14-16- Paul now turns his attention to closing out his letter. He starts by offering some encouragement by way of compliments to the Christians there. He believes they are genuine and earnest in their faith (indeed, he even knows some of them personally as ch. 16 reveals). He states in verse 15 that he had to boldly remind them of certain theological truths, not necessarily as a stern reprimand, but simply for clarity's sake. There are certain tenants of the Christian faith that need to be asserted with clarity and boldness lest genuine Christians be led astray.
Paul’s authority as the apostle to the Gentiles is what compelled him to do so (verse 16). The grace given to him by Christ was so that he could be a servant to the Gentiles in spreading the gospel. Though it seems that the church in Rome was not officially established by any apostles (much less the apostle Peter), Paul felt heavily responsible for their understanding of the gospel and their growth as Christians. Witherington III astutely points out that since the church in Rome seemed to have birthed without direct apostolic visits, Paul would have been eager to ensure proper doctrine so “he has written this letter in part to ensure that the Roman church has the right theological and ethical foundation.” Osborne also acknowledges that Paul’s strong desire to write an apostolic letter and even visit them was due to the commission he had received from Christ… “Both purposes flow out of his sense that God has called him as apostle to the Gentiles.” But Paul goes even further than simply being an apostle and states that he is “ministering as a priest… so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” The Greek word translated “ministering as a priest” is hierourgeō and is used in the Septuagint (Greek translation of the OT-LXX) of the priests and Levites who performed temple duties and offerings. Paul didn’t just see himself as someone proclaiming the gospel, but as a priest presenting an offering to God. That is, an offering of Gentile converts! This was his act of serving the God he worshiped; the Lord of his life.
15:17-19- Paul never boasts of his own merit, but constantly boasts in Christ. As we all are, Paul is merely a tool or vessel through which God works. He is a chisel being used in the hands of God to carve a brilliant statute. No one gives credit to the chisel for sculpting a masterpiece, it is the sculptor that deserves the credit. This is the summation of what Paul is saying here. To continue the metaphor, the “masterpiece” of which Paul is referencing here is “The obedience of the Gentiles.” (verse 18). This doesn’t just refer to the conversion of the Gentiles, but “also to a lifetime of following Christ, the ‘obedience that comes from faith’ that was the basic purpose of his mission also in 1:5” as Osborne articulates.
Paul wants those that come to Christ to surrender their lives fully to Him, to make Christ their Lord (see 10:9-10). This has come about through Paul’s “word and deed” no doubt referring to Paul’s preaching (10:14-15), lifestyle (1 Cor. 11:1), and “signs and wonders” (Acts 19:11-12, 2 Cor. 12:12, Heb. 2:4). The latter of which he mentions in verse 19, all being the working of the Holy Spirit, not his own power. These miracles served to validate the message he brought. We see this in the ministry of Jesus (John 5:36) as well as the apostles in general within the book of Acts (Acts 2:43, 5:12). In the case of Christ, signs and wonders were not only a fulfillment of prophecy regarding the Messiah (Matt. 11:4-6) but also served to display His deity (Mark 4:39-41). In the case of the apostles, as mentioned, signs and wonders served to validate their apostolic message as commissioned by Christ (2 Cor. 12:12, Heb. 2:1-4). Paul ends verse 19 by mentioning the broad span of geography he has covered in his travels and ministry up to this point and is satisfied that he has completed the task of laying the foundation of the church in the areas he was called to. It is for this reason that he sets his sights further westward (particularly Spain) as we will see in the following verses.
15:20-21- Paul’s goal was to spread the gospel. To go into an area that was already evangelized would be to squander his time and hinder his mission to reach those who had not heard (1 Cor. 3:6-10). Paul’s quotation of Isa. 52:15 in verse 21 is especially applicable as those who have not heard about “Him” (that is, the Suffering Servant; Christ) are the Gentiles and Paul felt it his mission to be the instrument by which this passage would have its effect! Mark A. Seifrid comments, “His interest here obviously rests on the message of Isaiah: the nations that did not hear will enter into the salvation that the Servant brings. It is this announcement, in its depth and breadth, that drives his apostolic mission.”
15:22-24- It is for this reason that Paul has never taken the time to visit Rome even though he desired to do so (1:11-13). Simply put, God had use of him elsewhere. Paul says in verse 23 that due to his mission of establishing churches in the eastern part of the empire coming to an end, the time has come for him to travel westward and as Rome is on the way, he will finally get the opportunity to visit the church there after years of longing to do so.
His plan (verse 24) is to stop in Rome on his way to Spain. He doesn’t merely want to make this a “pit stop” to garner material and financial support for his journey (though he does hope for and need that), but he wants to enjoy their company for a while, thus fulfilling his desires in 1:11-13. That being said, it’s clear that Paul’s intention here is not to make Rome his permanent residence. We know by Luke’s account in Acts 21-28 that Paul ends up in Rome under far different circumstances than he intended (house arrest for 2 years). Whether or not he got a chance to go to Spain after his release is debated. It is not recorded for us in Scripture and while non-biblical historical sources provide some evidence of additional missionary work before his death, they are inconclusive.
15:25-27- Before he starts his journey westward, he first needs to go to Jerusalem to deliver the offering he has been collecting from various churches in the region (1 Cor. 16:1-4, 2 Cor. 8-9). As Osborne points out, “Poverty seemed to be an ongoing problem for the Palestinian church, possibly because of several factors such as famines, the poverty of Judea in general and persecution.” The mention of Macedonia and Achaia in verse 26 are in reference to the regions (provinces) that were home to cities like Philippi, Thessalonica and Corinth. Craig Keener notes that Paul more commonly refers to the churches by the cities in which they are located rather than by the broader provinces as “inhabitants of large urban areas identified themselves more by the cities in which they lived than by the political boundaries of Roman provinces.” A possible reason why Paul uses the more broad regions in this verse “may indicate regional cooperation among churches.” Either way, the Gentile churches are eager to help their fellow Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ in their time of need (a theme relevant to this very letter).
Paul explains in verse 27 that the churches were pleased to do so and are even indebted to them spiritually (“for salvation is from the Jews.”-John 4:22. See also comments on 11:17-18). Without the gospel coming from Jerusalem, these areas would still be as Eph. 2 describes. That is, dead in sin, without God and with no hope. The least they can do is help support them in their time of need.
15:28-29- After Paul completes his task of taking this offering to the church in Jerusalem, he will begin to make his way to Spain at which time he will stop and visit the church at Rome. Verse 29 expresses confidence that he will come with the full blessing of Christ when he visits.
15:30-33- Two things of note in verse 30. The first is that Paul uses the Greek word synagōnizomai which we translate as “strive together” (NASB, ESV, NKJV) or as the NIV translates, “join me in my struggle.” This word is used metaphorically to describe intense athletic or wrestling effort; straining and exerting effort to get the victory. Kenneth Wuest says of this word use: “Paul asks the Roman saints to contend with him in prayer against the opposition of the hosts of wickedness, contending with him as athletes would do with one another, with intensity of purpose and in perfect cooperation.” The second thing to note in verse 30 is the Trinitarian tone of the verse in which Paul speaks of praying to God through Jesus and through the love of the Spirit.
We see in verse 31 that Paul was under no illusion about what might be waiting for him in Jerusalem, which is why of the two prayer requests mentioned in these verses, one of them is to be rescued/delivered from disobedient/unbelieving in Judea (Jews who rejected the gospel). The second request was that the offering Paul was bringing would be acceptable to the saints in Jerusalem. Of the latter, Luke tells us in Acts 21:17-20 that Paul indeed had a warm reception by the saints there. What follows after in Acts 21 would also be an answer to the former request, although perhaps not in the way Paul might have hoped. God did deliver him from those who sought to kill him, but not before he was seized by an angry mob of Jews and nearly beaten to death. His deliverance came in the form of the Roman authorities who stepped in to stop the violence and place him under Roman arrest (thus protecting him from those that wished to kill him).
Paul says in verse 32 that by the will of God he would come to them in joy. The will of God for Paul was that he be under Roman custody for two years in Caesarea, entangled in farcical legal and political games (Acts 24:27), and to finally make his way to Rome in chains as a prisoner (Acts 27:1, 28:16). Although his stay in Rome was under house arrest, it certainly seems as though Paul came to them in joy and found refreshment among them. In Acts 28:15 Luke notes that fellow brothers and sisters in Christ came from miles to greet Paul when he arrived in Rome and “At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged” (NIV). And Luke also records in the very last verses of the book of Acts, “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” -Acts 28:30-31 (NIV).
Verse 33 ends the chapter and the main discourse of Paul’s letter. This benediction is that the peace of God would be with them; probably both in a personal sense as well as corporate unity in the church there. Not only is the peace of God an emphasis for Paul (2 Cor. 13:11, Phil. 4:9, 1 Thess. 5:23), but is also a major Old Testament theme (Lev. 26:6, Judg. 6:24, Ps. 29:11, Isa. 26:12).
Bibliography (Works Cited):
-Grant R. Osborne: Romans, IVPNTC, 2004
-Albert Barnes: Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible (Romans)
-Everett F. Harrison: The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 10, Romans, 1976
-Matthew Poole: Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (Romans)
-Robert H. Mounce: Romans, NAC, 1995
-Eugene H. Merrill: The New American Commentary, Volume 4 (Deuteronomy)
-Ben Witherington III: Paul’s Letters to the Romans: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary
-Mark A. Seifrid: Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Beale and Carson), Romans
-Craig Keener: The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament (Romans)
-Kenneth S. Wuest: Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, Vol. 1 (Romans)