Romans 15:1-3
1We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbour for his good, leading to edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”
After having explained the importance of considering the feelings of those weak in their faith, Paul then goes on to add, that we need to also bear with the weaknesses of those who are weak in the faith, and not seek to please ourselves alone. A strong person is not supposed to look down on those who are weak, but to rather help them wherever possible – that’s real love.
We need to make a resolve in our hearts that we will please our neighbour for his good, and thereby give rise to him being edified or strengthened in his faith. If every one of us resolved to help everyone else, what a wonderful Church we’d have globally. It’s only because we each seek our own good, and don’t always consider the weaknesses of others, that selfishness has taken centre stage, and edification of the global church is not taking place as it should.
Paul goes on to say that Jesus is our model, whose lifestyle we should seek to emulate. He then quotes a verse from Psalm 69:9, where David prophesied about Jesus taking upon Himself the reproaches that were directed to God. While on the earth, Jesus did not seek to please Himself, but instead, He chose to take upon Himself the reproaches or insults that people hurled at God. Jesus chose to take those insults upon Himself, so as to give the entire world an opportunity to be saved from the penalty of sin forever. So Paul seems to be reminding us that if our Lord and Master Jesus, was willing to bear insults, so as to save us, we too need to be willing to bear with one another’s weaknesses, and not be impatient with them or judgmental of them.
Romans 15:4-6
4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
After quoting an Old Testament scripture, Paul goes on to say that those scriptures were written earlier, so that we could learn lessons of life from them. By reading these scriptures, we develop patience as we go through difficult times, we get comforted and encouraged as we strive on, and more so, we develop the hope and assurance that all will be well eventually.
Paul then prays that the believers will be blessed with patience and comfort, not just from the Scriptures, but by God Himself, and that this would result in them being considerate of one another, or like-minded towards one another, just as Jesus desired for them to live. Furthermore, he prays that they would be so united in mind that together, by the way they live, they would bring glory to God the Father and to the Lord Jesus Christ. Only God can work out such unity, provided we want it ourselves. Merely desiring unity without the help of God is futile, but having God in our lives, and not working toward it won’t help us achieve it either.
Romans 15:7-9
7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. 8 Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, 9 and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: “For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, and sing to Your name.”
We need to learn (or relearn) to welcome, accept, receive and be understanding of one another, and take Jesus as our role model, because He accepted and welcomed us into His family, and thereby brought glory to God.
Jesus came to serve the circumcision (the Jews), as He proclaimed the truth about God to them, and thereby fulfilled the promises made to the patriarchs (fathers of the Jewish faith). Jesus also came to do something else – to open wide the door for the Gentiles too to be saved, and therefore glorify God for His mercy on them as well.
Paul then begins to quote various Old Testament Scriptures that actually announced that the Gentiles would be saved, which means this was not an after-thought of God, but a plan He had a long time ago. He begins by quoting from 2 Samuel 22:50, which is repeated verbatim in Psalm 18:49. “For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, and sing to Your name.” In this verse he quotes David as looking forward to the mercy that would be shown to the Gentiles, and for that reason he would, in anticipation, proclaim God to the Gentiles, and sing praises to God’s name.
Romans 15:10-13
10 And again he says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!” 11 And again: “Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!” 12 And again, Isaiah says: “There shall be a root of Jesse; and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.” 13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul then quotes from Deuteronomy 32:43, where Moses writes about the Gentiles rejoicing along with the people of God – the Jews – again that’s an indicator that the Gentiles too would be saved. He further quotes Ps.117:1, where the Psalmist writes in this 2-verse Psalm, telling the Gentiles to praise and glorify God. David too was prophesying about the Gentiles being saved. He then quotes from Isaiah 11:1 & 10 where the prophet Isaiah prophesied about Jesus, described as the root of Jesse (the father of David), and says that He will reign over the Gentiles, and they will put their hope (assurance) and confidence in Him. So Paul is explaining in great detail the fact that the saving of the Gentiles was not at all an after-thought of God, but was part of His plan to save the whole world.
He then blesses the believers in Rome, and prays that the God who gives this hope (assurance) to the Gentiles, would also fill them with both joy and peace, as they believe in Jesus, and that they might be filled with hope that comes by the power of the Holy Spirit. Notice how Paul mentions the power of the Holy Spirit – we need to remember that we don’t have the power we need to serve the Lord, except through His Holy Spirit. This is something we have, to a large extent neglected in some denominations, and misunderstood in certain others. We need to have a good Biblical understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as believers.
Through the above 13 verses, Paul seems to be reminding the believers who are strong in their faith, to bear with the reservations of new believers, especially those from Gentile backgrounds, as their faith could be weak, and to do all we can to help them, and not do anything that might hinder their growth in their new-found faith in Jesus.
