15:1 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak,
and not to please ourselves.
15:2 Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good,
to be building him up.
15:3 For even Christ didn't please himself. But, as it is written,
"The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me."
(Ps 69:9)
15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning,
that through patience and through encouragement of the Scriptures we
might have hope.
15:5 Now the God of patience and of encouragement grant you
to be of the same mind one with another according
to Christ Jesus,
15:6 that with one accord you may with one mouth glorify the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15:7 Therefore receive one another, even as Christ also received
you, to the glory of God.
{TR reads "us" instead of "you"}
15:8 Now I say that Christ has been made a minister of the circumcision
for the truth of God,
that he might confirm the promises given to the fathers,
15:9 and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is
written,
"Therefore will I give praise to you among the Gentiles, And sing to your name." (Ps 18:49)
15:10 Again he says,
"Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people." (Deut 32:43)
15:11 Again,
"Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Let all the peoples praise
him." (Ps 117:11)
15:12 Again, Isaiah says,
"There will be the root of Jesse, He who arises to rule over
the Gentiles; On him will the Gentiles hope." (Isaiah 11:10)
15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul's Example of Ministering as Christ Did
1. Preaching
15:14 I myself am also persuaded about you, my brothers,
that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge,
able also to admonish others.
15:15 But I write the more boldly to you in part, as reminding you,
because of the grace that was given to me by God,
15:16 that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles,
ministering as a priest the gospel of God,
that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, sanctified
by the Holy Spirit.
15:17 I have therefore my boasting in Christ Jesus in things pertaining
to God.
15:18 For I will not dare to speak of any things except those which
Christ worked through me,
for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed,
15:19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of God's Spirit;
so that from Jerusalem, and around as far as to Illyricum
, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ;
15:20 yes, making it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build on another's
foundation.
15:21 But, as it is written,
"They will see, to whom no news of him came. They who haven't heard will understand." (Isaiah 52:15)
15:22 Therefore also I was hindered these many times from coming to you,
2. Providing for Practical Needs
15:23 but now, no longer having any place in these regions,
and having these many years a longing to come to you,
15:24 whenever I journey to Spain, I will come to you.
For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there
by you,
if first I may enjoy your company for a while.
15:25 But now, I say, I am going to Jerusalem, serving the saints.
15:26 For it has been the good pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia
to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are
at Jerusalem.
15:27 Yes, it has been their good pleasure, and they are their debtors.
For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual
things,
they owe it to them also to serve them in fleshly things.
15:28 When therefore I have accomplished this, and have sealed to them
this fruit,
I will go on by way of you to Spain.
15:29 I know that, when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of
the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
3. Praying
15:30 Now I beg you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love
of the Spirit,
that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me,
15:31 that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea,
and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be acceptable to
the saints;
15:32 that I may come to you in joy through the will of God, and together
with you, find rest.
15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Discussion Questions
vs 1 What are examples of weaknesses of others that we should bear?
vsv 7 Have you had trouble accepting or being accepted by other
Christians?
vs 4 Have you found encouragement from the Bible?
What do we learn about Christ in this chapter?
How is evangelism linked to worshipping God in this chapter?
vs 17-33 What was Paul's objective in sharing all this personal
information?
What is the difference between this and prideful boasting about oneself?
What kinds of applications did he hope the Romans would derive from
it?
vs 18,19 When was the last time you preached the gospel?
vs 23 Can you say as Paul did that you have accomplished your
ministry in this region and it's time to move on? Do you have a vision
as to what your ministry is, and how you would measure whether it's been
accomplished?
vs 31 What can you do to help insure that your Christian service
will be acceptable to the other Christians?
vs 32 What kinds of people do you feel "refreshed" around?
Comments
In the first half of this chapter, Paul is bringing to a conclusion the
issues of the previous chapter concerning disputable matters. Therefore
the "weak" brother is with reference to disputable things as observing
certain days as holy or not. The main application is to not divide over
disputable matters. The history of denominationalism seems to show that
popular Christianity has often not represented Biblical Christianity, as
described in this chapter.
vs 7-12 If Christ can reconciliation Jews and Gentiles together
considering their differences, surely we can all tolerate one another with
respect to disputable matters. And doing so would make Christians stand
out in the world, which so often divides over trivial matters such as the
color one's skin, or one's ethnic background, or financial status.
vs 14 It's always helpful when teaching others to clarify what
you actually think of them. Though he writes of basic doctrine, he's writing
to rather mature Christians. This may seem a bit condescending. But in
my own experience, I find that the more mature one becomes in Christ, the
more they will focus back on the essentials of the faith and the application
of those essentials.
vs 17-33 Sharing personal examples of the application of the
Bible is often a more powerful form of teaching than indoctrination. As
the saying goes: "Your actions speak louder than your words." Sharing how
you yourself live the Christian life can be an encouragement or a rebuke
to other Christians. One is reminded of the verse:
1Pe 3:1"Wives,
in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them
do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior
of their wive" (niv)
vs 18,19 Notice Paul's awareness of the presence of Christ in his
life. And just as with Jesus, the miracles affirmed that he really was
God's apostle. The preaching of the gospel of Christ he had emphasized
all the way from chapter 1. Preaching of the gospel should be a part of
every Christian's life?
vs 21 Paul applies Isaiah 52:15 to himself, but notice the context
of Isaiah 52:13-15. It applies to the Messiah. Paul personalizes
what the Bible says about Jesus. So also should all Christians. In this
way, we follow Christ, not only obeying his commands, but also inferring
applications from what is written of Him. Personalize Jesus. Become His
ambassador. Adapt His lifestyle.
"I am crucified with Christ: neverthless
I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live
in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave
himself for me." Gal 2:20
vs 23 Imagine Paul being in your area and saying that there was
"no
more place for me to work in these regions." Of course what he meant
was that he had adaquately preached the gospel in those regions. Each of
us should have a sense of what our ministry is.
vs 25-28 One often has to go out of one's way to provide for
the practical needs of the poor. Paul had to travel all over the place
to transfer the money. Today where are the poor? Primarily in the third
world. Yes there are poor in America, but certainly not to the degree as
that in the third world. The problem is - out of sight, out of mind. As
Paul, we must go to great lengths to look beyond our borders and provide
for those who are in the greatest need. Of course it's much easier to do
so now than in Paul's time, so we have no excuse.
vs 31 Paul experienced a great deal of hostility against his
ministry both by unbelievers and "believers". Members of the church at
Jerusalem had been particularly hostile to him as he notes in Galatians
chapter 2. How much more refreshing he must feel when he's around people
of a like heart and mind.