Romans Part Three

Walking in the way of God’s Spirit, nothing can separate us from the love of God in and our temporal suffering is nothing to be compared to our future glory!

Romans 8 v 1-17 ~ (We are led by God’s spirit when we belong to Christ)

1So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

5Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. ...

14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s spirit when he adopted you as his own children. 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm we are God’s children. 17...In fact together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Paul here declares that the only power that can enable us to please God is the power of God’s Spirit in us. When it is just down to God’s commandments and our consciences, we fail and fall into condemnation. But by the power of God’s Spirit in us through faith in God’s initiative, we can live a life that pleases God! Christ as it were fulfilled all the just requirements of the law, so if we are joined to Christ, then we are not judged under the law, instead we must look to and be controlled by God’s Spirit; and God’s Spirit then ensures the purpose of God’s law is fulfilled in us. If we turn our backs on God’s Spirit, we trample on God’s initiative and we fall back into condemnation under God’s laws. So, Paul says, let your minds be controlled by God’s Spirit and you will live a life in good relationship with God (Rom ch.8 v.6). “All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God (Rom.8 v14 NLT).”

Paul further declares that those who live by God’s Spirit have Christ living in them (God is One) and that same power of God’s Spirit which raised Jesus from death to eternal life, also gives eternal life now to all those whom God lives in (Rom.8 v10,11).

But Paul declares, this life comes at a cost; ‘those who share Christ’s glory, must also share his suffering (Rom ch.8v17)!’

Food for thought: God gives us eternal life now, i.e. even while we still live in our very mortal bodies; and when we die physically God will transfer this life to a different type of body in the New Creation that God promises us through the Old and New Testament writers.

Challenge: Are we prepared to share in Christ’s sufferings by following in the way of God’s Spirit?

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Romans 8 v 18-30 ~ (Our suffering versus our future glory!)

18Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.

20 Against its will all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.

26And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us...27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying...28And we know God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

The life of faith in Christ may well lead to suffering in this life, but this is nothing compared to the glory God will reveal to us eternally (ch.8 v18). Paul declares, ‘All creation has been waiting for this! (ch.8 v19)’ This is a colourful way of saying that the whole purpose of the universe is that creatures such as us will come one day to so walk with God in this short lifetime, that they will be transformed to walk with God in eternity! We know from other NT Scripture (e.g. 2Pet.3 v.11-13) that this physical universe will eventually cease to be, and so it is likely that Paul does not intend us to read into his language here that somehow this creation (other than by the spiritual products of it) will continue into the New Creation.

Paul’s rabbinic upbringing was laced with ‘blessing’ and ‘cursing’ theology from which he had no reason to break out of. Hence his poetic use of the Genesis metaphor, viz., that the earth though cursed to decay (Gen ch.3 v17-19) is nevertheless hoping for its eternal un-perishable state (ch.8 v.20 & 21). We might choose not to use such language today, by employing the more positive ‘half-full’ in lieu of ‘half-empty’ analogy. Since God in love has destined us together with all creation for the non-perishable glory of eternal life, we could view this perishable cosmos as being blessed with the opportunity of non-perishable life with God rather than cursed (as in the Genesis language). We and creation are on a journey from mortality to immortality in response to God’s initiative and eternal plan.

The way of God’s Spirit is to lead us to the eternal God-Christ, to enable us to be in relationship with God and he thus helps us in our mortal weakness (ch.8 v26). Since God’s children are the purpose of the cosmos, it follows that all things work together for good to those who love God (ch.8 v28)! Evil can’t succeed in preventing this, because ultimate reality (Truth & Love) will always win through (Rom.8 v31-39).

Verses 29 & 30 may (or may not) have been phrases of an early Christian song; they are set in ‘sorites’ style, but are not an argument; they are a poetic statement:- viz. :-

 Those God knows are those God purposes to become like Christ;

 Those God purposes to be like Christ are those God calls;

 Those God calls, God makes righteous through faith;

 Those God makes righteous are those God glorifies; and (one may add to finish the sorites),

 Those God glorifies are those God knows.

In un-poetic English we could say, ‘God purposes in Christ time that there will be those who share Christ’s glory of perfect God relationship as they respond in cosmic time to God’s call to faith in God’s Christ initiative and are thus changed from spiritual mortality to an eternal Christ-likeness that is intimate with God.’

Food for thought: In my opinion there is no intention in the Biblical text to create any dogma that God fore-ordains some people for glory and some for destruction (Calvin). The whole tenet of the Christian Gospel is that God desires that all are saved for eternity! However it may be said that the whole tenet of temporal creation and evolution on earth is that there are those whom God makes Christ-like through their earthly sufferings, and there is the potential that some may forever refuse the necessity of God’s grace.

Challenge: Are we being made righteous through our faith in God’s Christ initiative? And can it be said of us that we share in Christ Jesus’ suffering?

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Romans 8 v 31-39 ~ (Nothing can separate us from God’s love!)

38And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ...39 that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

‘Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord! (v.39)’ Paul declares. Our experience may at times bring us to feel temporally separated from God’s love just as a cloud can hide some of the visible sunlight, however Paul is stating the fact that the big picture is that God’s love never ceases to radiate to us and there is no power human or otherwise that can dent that unceasing love for us. The proof Paul says is that God has given us a right standing with himself through Christ Jesus, so when suffering comes it is not because God loves us any the less. There may be those who are against us, or falsely accuse us, but from God’s view point nothing changes (their opposition is as nothing) because we are his and he loves us (v.31-37)!

Food for thought: Paul’s words not only apply to individual Christians, they equally apply to the ‘bride of Christ,’ i.e. the ‘Christian church’ or the ‘Kingdom of God.’ ‘God loves his wife’ (Dr. James Collins sermon, May 2011) and we should remember that ‘where ever two or three are met together in Christ’s name,’ God is there, loving that group!

Challenge: Do we believe that God really, really loves us?

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6. The universality of Christ’s Salvation

Paul upset that his own nation has largely turned its back on their own Messiah, focuses his attention on how God is overturning this rejection to the benefit of all humanity.

Romans 9 v 1 to 10 v 4 (God’s selection of Israel)

Ch.9 2My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed – cut off from Christ – if that would save them.

Ch10 2I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right wit himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.

Paul now returns to the secondary theme in Romans of what he saw as a general lack of response amongst Jewish nation to the Gospel. To Paul his heart is breaking over the matter. Christ has come as foretold in the Hebrew scripture, but rather than embrace God’s amazing initiative of grace, the Jews generally wanted to stick with their legalistic way of trying to be right in God’s sight by performing their religious duties.

Ch.9 15For God said to Moses, ‘I will show mercy to anyone I choose...’ 16So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.

19..’Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?’ 20No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God?

Paul has obviously struggled with this lack of response from the Jewish nation; does it mean God has chosen some (e.g. Gentile believers) and rejected others (e.g. the self-righteous Jews)? We might think that un-fair, Paul says (ch.9 v 14), but God is God and not to be argued with (ch.9 v 20), if God were to make some for destruction and others for salvation what is that to us? Paul is speculating here rather than making an authoritative statement about God’s purposes. Because God uses everything and foresees people’s rejection of his love, it can seem that God has hardened the hearts of some so as to accomplish his purposes.

Paul a converted Pharisee makes several Pharisaic (or Rabbinic) arguments from the Scriptures to support his main theme, i.e. that despite many Jews declining to accept the Gospel of Christ, God has now done what the Hebrew prophets had always foretold, viz. that God out of his wonderful grace and mercy would embrace the Gentiles as his people because of their faith, and that only a remnant of Israelites would be saved because of their lack of faith (ch.9 v 27-33)!

Food for thought: We must be careful in reading this chapter not to make more out of the passage than is really there!

For example in verses ch.9 v.21-24 Paul appears to indicate that he believes that God deliberately made some people for destruction and that his purpose for their lives (the reason he is patience towards them, v.22) is solely in order to show off the riches of his glory towards those he has chosen: in other words the ungodly exist to enable God’s grace to have full effect in the godly! But Paul is arguing about the Jewish nation, not individuals.

In Paul’s theology, ‘all things work together for good towards those who love God and are called to be saved (Rom ch.8 v.28)’ and consequently, the persecution of the godly by the ungodly does achieve God’s purpose of bringing about grace in the lives of believers: however it would be wrong to conclude from this that Paul means that God’s only purpose for the ungodly was to persecute (for example) the godly and then suffer their destruction!

Such a view directly contradicts other New Testament writers, e.g., John’s Gospel (ch.3 v16), ‘God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son (Christ Jesus), so that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.(NLT)’ And in v.17, John goes on to emphasise that God’s intention includes everyone born into this world (and not just those pre-destined for salvation): ‘God sent his son not to judge the world (of humanity), but to save the world (of humanity) through him (Christ).’

Nor does Paul mean such a narrow view to be taken from his writings, otherwise why was he yearning so much for his people the Jews to be saved? He clearly believed that it always was God’s intention they be saved by faith in Christ, but that they forfeited that possibility for as long as they stubbornly refused to believe (they stumble over the ‘rock’ of Christ v.33). He continues this theme in chapters 10 & 11.

Challenge: Do we at times refuse to believe God’s grace, preferring our own trusted way of living and behaving?

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Romans 10 v 5-13 (The Process of Salvation by Faith)

4For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God. 5For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.

6But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say..who will go up to heaven?, (or) who will go to the place of the dead?” 8In fact it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.’ And that message is the very message about faith that we preach.

10For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.

Paul states first that Christ has perfectly fulfilled all the law’s requirements and then that God intends that we benefit from Christ’s achievement by mean of our faith. As a Pharisee Paul reaches to the Hebrew Scriptures to back his case and he quotes from Moses’ speech in Deuteronomy 30. Moses is saying ‘It is not difficult to understand (Deuteronomy 30 v.11) what God wants (viz. that you love God with all your mind & heart, and God promises to change the hearts of those who repent, ibid. Ch.30 v 6); and Moses continues (ibid. Ch v.13-14), ‘You don’t have to go to the ends of the earth to find this message, you are already familiar with it, all you need to do is to respond to God’!

This quotation from Deuteronomy is not a direct reference to salvation by faith, but Paul is implying that ‘salvation by faith’ is similar to Moses’ call, i.e., you don’t need to go to the ends of the earth to pursue salvation (e.g. by rigorously obeying rituals and rules never knowing if you are doing enough to achieve salvation implied)! No, all you need to do is receive the good news by believing in your heart and openly confessing that God saves you because you believe that Jesus is God’s Christ who died for you and that God showed this by raising him from the dead!

Paul next analyses the steps by which ‘salvation by faith in Christ’ is reached. It needs someone to go to people and proclaim the message from God (ch.10 v14b), viz. that Jesus is God’s initiative for salvation (from sin & its consequences implied) and that God has raised Jesus (ch.10 v9 &17) from death (to prove this is the case implied).

Before anyone can respond, they first need to hear the message (v.14b); those who hear the message need to receive it with faith in God’s initiative (v.14a); faith will be demonstrated by believers (whether they be Jews or non-Jews v.12a) calling out to God in prayer (v.12b) and openly confessing that Jesus is the Christ (implied) & that Christ is their Lord (v.10).

Food for thought: Paul is clear that salvation by faith in Christ is universal in that it will be offered to all, but Paul is not a ‘Universalist’ in that he teaches that those who refuse Christ will not share in God’s eternal purpose for creation.

Challenge: Do we make the Gospel of Christ complicated or do we keep it simple enough for any child to grasp it?

Do we expect the Gospel always to be carried by beautiful feet other than our own feet (Rom. Ch.10 v15b)?

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Romans 10 v.14 to 21 (Questions about Israel’s faithfulness or not)

14bHow can they hear about him unless someone tells them? ...15bThat is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

18But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message?

From Chapter 10 verse 14, Paul continues the lengthy discourse he started in chapter 9 about the Jewish nation and God’s mercy on all people who believe the Gospel. First he compares the bulk of the Jewish nation (those who have rejected the Gospel) with those non-Jews who have embraced it and raises some objections to his own analysis, viz.

a) Someone may ask (ch.10 v18), ‘Have the Jews really had a chance to hear the Gospel?’ Paul responds with, ‘Yes they have heard it,’ because Isaiah prophesied that the message would go out to all the earth.

Such Pharisaic reasoning is strange to our modern ears, but Paul is implying that he believes that the message has reached the Jewish nation of his day, but without much success. He is also implying that there is a time when a people as a whole are ready and a time when a people are not ready to respond to the Gospel.

b) Someone may ask (ch.10 v19), ‘Did they understand it?’ Paul responds with, ‘Yes they have’ because they have reacted with jealousy and anger over those who convert to Christianity, and so in Paul’s reasoning they are resenting the way of faith (as opposed to the way of Law), and so they must understand what the Gospel is, and they have still rejected it. Whether such reasoning could apply to faiths other than Judaism is doubtful.

In Ch10, verses 20-21, Paul quotes Isaiah 65 v.1 as ‘I was found by people who were not looking for me (NLT)’, which is an obscure rendering of the original, as applying to converted Gentiles.

And he quotes Isaiah 65 v.2 ‘I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient (NLT)’ as applying to the bulk of the Jewish nation who did not respond to God’s new initiative given in Jesus Christ.

Food for thought: To what extent does the way people react to God and Christianity reflect their heart rejection of God and his grace?

Challenge: Are we willing to proclaim the glorious good news of God: forgiveness of sins and a new relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ: a relationship by which God lives with us to strength and guide us in God’s ways of loving all others?

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Romans 11 v 1-24 (God’s Mercy on Israel)

1I ask then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! ...

5It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace – his undeserved kindness in choosing them. 6And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is – free and undeserved. 7So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favour of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have – the ones God has chosen – but the hearts of the rest were hardened.

11Did God’s people stumble beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves.

Paul then raises another virtual objection to his analysis of the spiritual status of the Jews, viz.

c) Someone might ask (Ch11 v.1), ‘Since the Jews have largely rejected God’s (new) salvation (implied), has God now rejected the Jews as his people?’ Paul responds with, ‘Of course not!’ and proceeds for the rest of chapter 11 to expound on God’s wonderful mercy to the whole world and how God’s purpose is to save a ‘people of God’ (cross-ref. Revelation ch.7 v9) out of all nations and this will one day be accomplished.

Having stated earlier that there is no difference between Jews and non-Jews in God’s kingdom, Paul can’t quite bring himself to state that his nation, the Jews, are (in this present age) no more special in God’s eyes than the rest of the world, but he comes pretty close to it. However he still holds out an olive branch to the Jewish nation, using as an illustration that of tree grafting (ch.11 v23-24), but the illustration doesn’t quite work, since people do not generally graft wild olive branches into ‘good’ trees! The reason being they generally want good olives and not ones that can’t be eaten!

The Holy Spirit point in what Paul writes here is that no one should become complacent because they are benefitting by coming into relationship with God through Christ (ch.11 v.22). We all (Jew or non-Jew) should continue to respond to God’s Spirit in as far as God’s grace is poured out on us.

Paul sees the rejection of the Gospel by the Jews as the opportunity for the rest of the world to be brought into God’s kingdom. It is blasphemous to read into what Paul is writing that God deliberately blinds the Jews so that the Gentiles can hear the Gospel: that is not what Paul is saying! In view of God’s wonderful mercy (ref. Ch.11 v 33-36) God wants everyone to be saved, but because God is love, those who refuse to receive God’s mercy are not forced to be saved, their choice is eternally respected!

Paul hopes that the conversion of the Gentiles will provoke the Jews beyond the mere persecution of Christians; he hopes they will be provoked from what he sees as their complacency (ch.11 v.9) to open their eyes to the Gospel and turn to Christ.

Paul also comes out with an idea that is not obvious to us, but which must have resonated with his readers, viz. that once a seed is planted God will bring it to fruition regardless of all appearances. Thus in chapter 11, verse16, he states, ‘since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy. (NLT)’ The implication is that what God has started he will accomplish, and Paul implies it will be accomplished in the way that can be understood! This is a good thought, except it implies perfect understanding of God’s purpose, which will always be a mystery to us since mere humans can’t see the end result.

Food for thought: The western church today generally enjoys unparalleled Bible teaching opportunities and the freedom to worship and preach the Gospel. The danger is that we can feel comfortable and be somewhat complacent (Romans ch.11 v 9) and thus fail to live sacrificially for Christ as our brethren in Muslim, Hindu & Buddhist countries for example, are forced to do.

You may recall that the book of Revelation and several of Paul’s letters were initially addressed to the first century churches of Asia Minor, and that what was then Asia Minor became the Muslim land of (what is now) Turkey since the seventh century. The Christian churches shrank radically with the advent of Islam: admittedly their lands were overrun by hostile invading Arab armies with a fiercely unifying a new creed, but one might speculate to what extent those churches had become complacent by the sixth and seventh centuries. Is Western Christendom today any more ready than the Asia Minor churches were for the on-set of severe persecution?

Challenge: Am I using God’s grace to me to the full advantage of building God’s kingdom?

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Romans 11 v 25-36 (God’s Mercy on all races)

25I want you to understand this mystery...so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of the Gentiles comes to Christ.

Paul seems to be envisaging that God is somehow holding the Jews back from believing so that the Gentiles can come to faith and then at the right time, he will bring the whole Jewish nation (at some future date) to faith in Christ. This would be an inconsistent interpretation since if God’s purpose is as Paul says to bring everyone to faith, then Paul can’t be claiming that God causes anyone to miss out in order to bless others. No, Paul is really saying that God uses everything including disobedience to further his purposes.

Paul however realising the inadequacy of his own human analysis of the Jewish response to the Gospel, concludes chapter 11 with an eloquent eulogy to God’s wisdom, ‘How impossible it is for us to understand God’s decision and his ways! (ch.11 v33 NLT)’ and then, ‘For who can know the Lord’s thoughts (ch.11 v34 NLT)!’

Food for Thought: We must be very careful never to believe that we are capable of analysing how God will achieve what we believe will finally be accomplished!

Challenge: Let us rejoice that God is greater than all our understanding!

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7. The Fruits of Salvation

Paul here moves to the theme of the fruit in the believer’s life that results from genuine faith in God’s gift of salvation in Christ.

Romans 12 v 1-21 (Our reasonable act of worship)

1And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice.. This is truly the way to worship him. 2Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Paul starts what we know as Chapter 12 with a reference back principally to his remarks about God’s mercy to the Gentiles (ch.11 v31). Paul here teaches that true worship is surrender to God, and suggests that our daily experience should be this kind of worship involving a conscious offering followed by service.

Not being moulded by the world around us and allowing God’s Spirit guide us each day (ch.12 v2) must be matched by the cultivation of a correct perspective of our own level of faith and commitment (ch.12 v3) and by humility when it comes to other parts of Christ’s body the church. Paul ends what is chapter 12 with very practical encouragement for Christian living, reminiscent of Jesus teaching to his disciples. ‘Truly love people; be pleased to associate with ordinary people and love them; use the gifts God gives you constructively to build up the church; pray blessing on those who persecute you; don’t take revenge, instead be good to your enemies; don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good (ch.12 v9-23 NLT)!’

Food for thought: In practical terms allowing God’s spirit to guide us day by day, means our faith must be such that once we have committed the day to God, we need to trust God’s Spirit will guide us through that day: we are promised that those who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s children.

Challenge: Do we daily consciously trust ourselves to God’s Spirit and then trust God will be with us in all circumstances of that day?

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Romans 13 v 1-14 (outworking: towards the state)

1Everyone must submit to governing authorities. ...3For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong....5So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.

Paul moves to consider the practical outworking of faith in the life of the Christian church and for the individual Christian. First (ch.13 v 1-7) he instructs that Christians should respect the secular authorities and pay due taxes: and he gives reasons, viz. they are ordained of God to maintain law and order and their servants need to be paid. He has in mind Roman governance (Pax Romana) which respected the rule of law, but still was not universally always perfect.

Christians are not to take the law into their own hands: however this does not address those regimes that manifestly fail to protect the innocent and do not apprehend and punish wrong-doers. This passage teaches respect for authority whether or not it is Christian, but it should also encourage us to hold to account those authorities that fail in their basic duties.

Paul then sets the Christian a higher standard, viz. that of the ‘law of love’ which is the outworking of a debt of love we owe to God for his great mercies to us: we are called to love all other people. Love for people will result in us not only keeping basic moral law (e.g., as traditionally expressed in the Mosaic ten commandments), but also demonstrating the Spirit of Christ in self control and right living (ch.13 v 8-14).

Food for thought: Jesus taught that the Christians in society should be like salt that preserves food; or, again like yeast that leavens the dough in bread making. These illustrations should encourage individuals and the church to take action to improve society and to hold authorities to account in the upholding of law, order, and justice.

Challenge: Are we concerned to take necessary political actions?

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Romans 14 v 1 to 23 (outworking: respect and tolerance)

1Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. .. 12Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. 13So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble.

Paul is adamant that true faith in God’s initiative does not mean intolerance towards others with different beliefs. He is firmly against religious prejudice and religious pride! Paul asks, ‘Who are you to question someone else’s servant?’ and where the ‘someone else’ is God himself! Paul is coming back to the Biblical theme that we are each responsible to God and that all believers should respect all other believers regardless of difference – what matters is that each and every believer receives God’s initiative in Christ with faith that works itself out in practical goodness and love for others.

Paul enjoins believers (ch.14 v1to v23) to respect others with different scruples to their own. He gives examples of dietary practice and the observance of religious holy days, but the principle relates widely to anything that does not negate the Gospel. Paul states we will all stand before God’s judgement seat and will each give an account of our faith; we should not therefore despise or be an accuser of others, leave that to Satan!

However Paul equally warns believers to be kind to those with different beliefs: don’t provoke them to distress (ch.14 v15); i.e. act with love and consideration, don’t flaunt your easy conscience in front of those who differ from you lest you hurt of damage their trust in God. Paul goes on in chapter 15 to spell out the kind of positive attitude we should have towards all believers.

Food for thought: Paul taught that we must allow God to inform our conscience as our minds are renewed by God’s Spirit and that we should also respect other people by not encouraging them to flout what they believe to be right.

Challenge: How considerate are we to fellow believers who we don’t see eye to eye with?

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Romans 15 v. 1 to 15 (outworking: show Christ to others)

‘1bWe must not just please ourselves...3for even Christ didn’t live to please himself... 5May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you to live in complete harmony with each other’.

‘7Therefore accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. 8Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises made to their ancestors. 9He also came so that all (non-Jews) might give glory to God for his mercies to them.’

13I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul goes on to remind the Christians that we should not live to please ourselves but rather adopt the same attitude as Jesus had towards his disciples and so seek to please God by loving other people (ch.15 v1-5). This will be worked out by harmonious living between all Christians at least (v.5). Paul effectively reinforces the words of Jesus (John 13 v.34 to 35) that the extent of love shown between those who own his name, will prove whether or not they are truly his disciples.

Paul concludes this section with a jewel of a prayer! Paul prays regularly for the Christian believers of the non-Jewish world and here he wraps up his exhortations to the Roman believers by stating his confidence in their commitment to Christ and the good lives they lead and by offering a prayer for them.

Food for thought: Paul earnestly asks God to so fill the believers with God’s Spirit so that they overflow with joy and peace and with confident hope.

Challenge: Are we allowing God’s Spirit to so fill us with joy and peace and do we pray this for our fellow believers?

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8. Paul’s Conclusion

Paul concludes his letter with various greetings to those (mainly Jewish Christians) he had known in Corinth who had recently migrated back to Rome with the change of Emperor.

Romans 15 v 16 – 33 (Paul’s plans and a prayer request)

23But now I have finished my work in these regions, and after all these long years of waiting I am eager to visit you. 24I am planning to go to Spain, and when I do, I will stop off in Rome. And after I have enjoyed your fellowship for a while, you can provide for my journey. 25But before I come I must go to Jerusalem to take a gift to the believers there.

Paul had never been to Rome or the empire west of Rome, but had prayerfully cherished a growing ambition to visit Rome on his way to Spain once he felt he had completed the work God had given him of pioneer evangelism to the east of Rome (ch15 v23). By early AD57, he believed the time had nearly come for this visit (ch.15 v23). He had preached his Gospel in pioneering work in the area bounded by Jerusalem to the South-East and Illyricum to the North-East of Rome. In Chapter 15 verses 14 to 33, Paul concludes his reason for writing to the church in Rome and shares his travel plans.

He returns to the theme of his introduction to the letter (ch.1 v1-17) where he has introduced himself and laid bare his CV, and now having explained in detail the content of the Gospel he preaches and reminded the Christians what it means to follow Christ (the bulk of the letter), Paul tells his readers his method of working, viz. implying he does not want to muscle into the outreach work God has given to the church in Rome (ch.15 v20), since he is called to be a pioneering Apostle. However he wants to visit the church in Roman for mutual encouragement (cf. ch.1 v11,12) and so they can have the privilege of supporting his pioneering work into Spain.

However he now urges the church in Rome to support him in prayer for the tidying up work that needs to be done before he can sail to Rome, viz. the delivery of an aid package put together by the churches of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) to the Church in Jerusalem (ch.15 v25-31).

Paul sensed this would not be easy since his work in founding non-Judean Christian churches incorporating converted Jews and Gentiles throughout Asia Minor and Greece was hated by non-Christian Jews (see also Acts ch.20 v22-24) and Acts tells us how it took over two years of struggle, imprisonment and life threatening dangers before he managed to reach Rome (in about AD57).

Food for thought: Paul calmly infers (ch.15 v.15) that the Roman Christians can have the privilege of supporting his full scale pioneering mission into Spain. Paul who amply demonstrates the grace of humility can state this because he knows that the Christians love him deeply and whereas earlier (e.g. in Thessalonica) he refused to let new converts support him, he is willing to allow the Roman Christians to show their love and in this way also to be part of his new venture into Spain.

Challenge: Do we avoid muscling in uninvited where others are already ministering for Christ? And do we always regard supporting mission work as a joyful privilege?

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Romans 16 (commends the postal courier and personal greetings)

1I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. 2Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honour among God’s people.

Paul seems to have concluded his letter at the end of chapter 15 with the words:

‘And now may God, who gives us peace, be with you all. Amen (ch.15 v.33).’

There may then have been a period while Paul deliberated as to who would deliver the letter from Corinth to Rome and it seems that Paul decided to entrust the letter to a deaconess called Phoebe who was probably passing through Corinth at that time on her way to Rome and so would not have been well known either in Corinth or Rome. Hence Paul decided to add chapter sixteen to commend Phoebe to the Christians he knew in Rome.

Paul names some twenty five people (Ch.16 v1-16) in Rome nearly half of whom are ladies (some married couples and some single people are named) and it is clear that several maybe house church hosts and/or leaders. According to scholar FF Bruce, the balance of probability is that most of these named persons had relocated back to Rome, from where they had been expelled earlier in AD49 by the Emperor Claudius, and during the two to three years following his death in AD54. Furthermore as Paul’s scribe, Tertius shows, there was a good rapport between these believers and the congregation in Corinth where Paul and Tertius reside.

Paul concludes chapter 16 with a fitting eulogy to the all-wise God who has revealed his eternal plans in Jesus Christ (ch.16 v25 – 27).

26All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever!

Challenge: Will we trust relatively unknown but well commended people with important tasks?

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Index to part 1

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