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Romans 15:1-13
The last exhortation in Pauls letter to the Roman assemblies, found in chapters 14-15, is a call for unity,
within the Body of Christ there. As we have seen, this is not regarding differences concerning doctrine, or
issues of sin, but simply of divisiveness over the liberty by which Christ has made us free what the
believer is free to do.
In any given assembly of believers, there are those who have greater understanding of their freedom in
Christ and those who have less understanding of it. In the case of Rome, and generally in Pauls day, this
issue of freedom fell down Jewish-Gentile lines, with some Jewish believers unable as of yet to recognize
their liberty from the ceremonial Law, that had bound them all of their lives.
Paul has been encouraging the brethren who are stronger in the faith mostly, Gentile brethren not to be
condescending or contemptuous of their weaker Jewish brother. Nor is the Jewish brother to judge the
Gentile brethren condemning their freedom as sin.
All believers have one Master Jesus who can show each one what His will is. He is their Lord, and they
are responsible to Him, alone. He will judge all that they do; which means that believers are not to judge
one another. They live to please the Lord.
And Pauls encouragement went further, for those who saw themselves as strong in the faith. Those who
are truly strong in the faith not only understand what they are free to do; they recognize that they are free
not to do that thing, if it would grieve their weak brother, or cause him to stumble.
If a weak brother would perceive what a strong brother is doing as sin, the strong brother should limit his
freedom for Loves sake. Otherwise, the very thing that he is ordinarily free to do will become sin for
him, by causing a weak brother to fall.
Everything that Paul is calling for will require just one thing, on the part of believers and that, of course,
is love. Agape is the love that gives to others, to meet their needs; so it doesnt judge them, or despise
them, which would injure their well-being, in the Lord; and it is willing to restrain its own liberty, to give
them the space to grow in the Lord, as they are able.
Only the Lord knows how to love, in this way; and only He knows what each believer needs. How to
lovingly encourage, without judging. When we are free, to exercise our liberty; and when we are free, not
to. The Spirit leads us into the Lords truth, so that moment by moment, step by step, we can walk in love,
with our brethren in unity.
This unity of the Body of Christ, which Paul is calling for, is no less than what Jesus prayed for all who
would believe in Him. It was part of what is called His High Priestly prayer, which He prayed for them to
the Father, when His hour had come the hour in which He would be glorified, through death.
Turn to John chapter 17. I want to direct your attention to what Jesus prayed to the Father, specifically
concerning the unity of those who believe in Him; but dont miss out on taking the time later to re-read
these verses within the context of His whole prayer.
[ John 17:11, 20-23]
v. 11 So His hour having come, Jesus recognized that He was about to make His exodus out of this world
through death, and to return to His Father in heaven. Meanwhile, His disciples would be left in the world.

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While He was in the world, Jesus kept His disciples; He kept their thinking, through His Word to them (Jn
15:3). Now Jesus, very tenderly, asks for His Father to keep those who are His which the Father will do,
in sending the Holy Spirit, who will guide them into all truth (Jn 16:13).
And for what purpose, are they being kept; being kept from the world, being set apart together, to God?
Jesus says, that they may be one, as We are. Not one, as in the same; the Father and the Son are not the
same. This is one, as in unity. Sharing the same mind on things; united together, in a common purpose;
bound together, in love. Like the Father and the Son.
And Jesus was not just praying this, for His immediate disciples. Look down in verse 20.
v. 20 Now, who would that be? Who will believe in Jesus, through the word that His disciples speak;
through the gospel? The whole Body of Christ, down through the ages. Jesus is praying this for everyone
who will believe in Him, throughout the entire church age.
v. 21 Again, the prayer is for unity; first, that they all may be one speaking of the unity of the Body of
Christ one, like the Father and the Son are one; perfect unity. But also that they may be one, in Us
in addition to being joined to one another, in thinking, in purpose, through love Jesus prays they will
abide as one, in the Father and the Son; abide, together, in fellowship with them.
And then Jesus states a purpose for this what is it? That the world may believe that You sent Me. The
unity of the Body of Christ; their fellowship, together, in the Father and the Son that is their witness,
before an unbelieving world that the Father sent Jesus to save men to save them, not just from sin and
from death but from themselves.
The bond of love love for others which unites the members of the Body of Christ is other-worldly. It is
Light, shining in the darkness, to draw men to God.
Jesus continues.
v. 22-23 What is this glory, that the Father gave to Jesus, which He has given to those who believe in
Him? As the Father has Life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have Life in Himself (Jn 5:26). The
glory is Life everlasting, in a glorified body.
Those who have believed into Jesus have been given that Life, by which they will be made complete, in
their glorified bodies for what purpose? That they may be one, just as the Father and Son are one. That
they, together, may experience the oneness, in glory, that the Father and the Son possess; all together, joined
to their Lord perfect, complete, in their unity.
[Return to Romans 15]
This is the unity, to which Paul is exhorting the believers in Rome the unity that Jesus prayed for all who
would believe into Him. It is no less than the culmination of the purpose that God has, for His born sons;
and it is the power of their witness, while here on earth. It is the underlying reason, why Paul sent this
letter to the Roman assemblies; and it is a key subject to be found in his other letters to the churches.
That would mean that unity is of vital importance, to the Body of Christ. Which means that the love that
sustains that unity is also crucial. Which means that our submission to Christ, who is the source of that
love, who shows us how to love, is essential. Which means it all comes down to your choice whether you
will serve the Lord, or yourself.

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This is how Paul concludes his exhortation to the assemblies in Rome. It is a call to living a life of
devotion to meeting the needs of others.
[Read Romans 15:1-13]
So Paul is concluding his statement from the previous chapter concerning those who are strong in the faith
(v. 1-2), encouraging them to follow the example of Christ (v. 3). He cites the value of the Scriptures to
instruct the believer (v. 4), and then uses them to remind the Roman assemblies as to Gods inclusion of
both the Jews and the Gentiles in the people of God, to Gods praise and glory (v. 8-12).
Twice in the passage, Paul prays to the Father for the assemblies in Rome a prayer for all believers, for
their unity (v. 5-6, 13). And in the midst of it all we find the key to that unity the necessary response, the
choice, of believers to receive one another, in love (v. 7).
v. 1-2 Paul is concluding his statement to those who are strong in the faith, from the previous chapter. Paul
had made it clear that those who are truly strong in the faith are willing to limit their freedom, for the sake
of their brethren, so as not to grieve them, or cause them to stumble.
Now Paul lays this out in a positive light; those who are strong bear with the scruples of the weak. The
word scruples here is simply the Greek word for weaknesses, and although it is redundant, it would be
a better translation of the word.
Those who are strong in the faith should bear with the weaknesses of those who are weak in the faith.
What does that mean? To bear with would literally mean to pick up and carry a weight. When the strong
brother patiently endures the weak faith of a brother in Christ, it gives the weak brother the opportunity to
get stronger in the faith; it encourages him.
When the strong brother doesnt contend with the weak brother, bludgeoning him with the truth;
When he doesnt exclude the weak brother, from his circle of friends;
When he doesnt ridicule or criticize the weak brother to his face, or behind his back;
When he doesnt flaunt his freedom in the presence of the weak brother;
It is as if the strong brother has picked up and carried the weight of weaknesses that burdens that weak
brother. It actively encourages his faith and gives the weak brother the freedom to grow into his liberty in
Christ, to his edification he is built up, in the faith.
But wait a minute that would mean that then, we couldnt do whatever we please. After all, were free, in
Christ; shouldnt we be able to exercise our freedom, as the Lord has shown it to us?
Paul would say, yes; but not at the expense of a brothers well-being. To exercise our freedom in that case
would be to please ourselves; that would be selfish. Paul is saying, were not to be selfish; we are to live to
please others.
Now, Paul is not saying, we are to be people-pleasers. Paul makes it very clear elsewhere that the believer
is to live to please God, and not man (Gal 1:10).

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Look carefully at how Paul words this. He says that each of us is to please his neighbor for his good,
leading to edification. In this case, the neighbor would mean believers, in our lives; specifically here, those
who are weak in the faith.
Why does Paul use the term neighbor for them? To make it evident he is speaking of those weak
believers who are in our lives; and to remind us of the command to love to love our neighbor, as
ourselves.
We are to make it our desire to do what will benefit our weak brother, for his well-being, so that he is built
up in the faith. And Paul says that we ought to do this (v. 1); that is to say, it is owed. Who do we owe it
to? To our weak brother; remember, we owe him we owe every man a debt of love (Rm 13:8).
But wait a minute that would require sacrifice, on our part. If we limit ourselves, thats a sacrifice. If
were doing things for others, thats a sacrifice.
And that would be right; it is a sacrifice. But did we not offer these bodies to God, a living sacrifice? We
did so, as our mindful act of worship to Him; mindful of what He did, for us. And that is what Paul lays out
as the ultimate example, that we are following in this sacrifice of our own will; the sacrifice of Christ.
v. 3 We are not to please ourselves we are to please our neighbor, for his good for even Christ did not
please Himself. God is the only One in the universe, whose will is always done. But when God the Son
committed Himself to become the Servant of Jehovah, to bring salvation to mankind, He laid aside His own
will entirely, in order to do the will of the Father.
Turn to Philippians chapter 2, to a very familiar passage, concerning the obedience of Christ, to the will of
God.
[Philippians 2:5-11]
v. 5 Believers are to have this mind on things; here is the one we follow, our pattern: Christ Jesus.
v. 6 Christ Jesus, in His being, in His essence, is God; therefore, He is equal to the Father, who is God.
v. 7 Nonetheless, Christ Jesus made Himself of no reputation. In coming to the earth, God the Son laid
aside all of His glory, which He had shared with the Father, in heaven (Jn 17:5). The Son still fully retained
His deity, for that is His very being; but all of His right and might, He laid aside, taking on Himself a body
of flesh in order to become a bondservant one who serves out of love.
Jesus did not please Himself, but always did those things that pleased the Father (Jn 8:29). Here is the
Servant of Jehovah, who relinquished His own will, in order to do the will of His Father, for the salvation
of mankind.
v. 8-11 Jesus humbled Himself, subordinating Himself to the Father, to carry out His purposes even to
the death on the cross.
But that became the beginning of the exaltation of Jesus; exalted out of death, exalted to the right hand of
the Father once again glorified with the Father, with the glory which He had with the Father before the
world was (Jn 17:5).

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And it was the Father who highly exalted Jesus; honoring the One who proclaimed through His life and
through His death, Not as I will, but as you will (Mt 26:39).
[Return to Romans 15]
Paul turns to the Scriptures to support the fact that Christ did not please Himself; that He did not do His
own will. The quote is from Psalm 69, which we looked at when we were studying Romans chapter 11;
Paul had quoted a different section of it there (Rm 11:9).
This psalm of David is clearly prophetic of Messiah, and it pertains to the reproach the dishonor or shame
that He would bear on the cross. Whereas Paul quotes one part of it to show the judgment that would
come upon Israel, for rejecting their Messiah (Rm 11:7-10), Pauls purpose here is quite different.
Looking at the specific quote here within the context of what Paul is saying, Paul is using the term
reproach with the sense of a sin, or an offense; that which dishonors God. Keeping in mind that it is
Messiah who is speaking these words prophetically in the psalm, the idea becomes, The offenses of those
who offended You meaning the Father fell on Me thats Messiah. Or The sins of those who sinned
against You, fell on Me.
Christ did not please Himself; He came to do the Fathers will. And the Fathers will was that Christ would
be the Sin-bearer, bearing the sins of the world upon Himself, upon the cross, to remove mankinds offense,
with the Father, so that the Father could extend His gracious salvation to them.
So what is Pauls point? His point is the magnitude of the sacrifice of Christ; who is God, whose will is
always done; who set aside His own will, and made the ultimate sacrifice for sake of others, out of love.
And in light of that sacrifice, what is our sacrifice of our will in any matter? Is this not an offering that
we should freely make; that we ought to make, for the sake of the One who so loved us, and gave Himself
for us (Gal 2:20)?
The one who says he abides in Christ ought himself to walk, just as He walked (1 Jn 2:6). Because He laid
down His life for us, we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (1 Jn 3:16). If God so loved us,
we also ought to love one another (1 Jn 4:11). That is Pauls point.
Having quoted the OT Scriptures in support of what he was saying, Paul now makes a statement concerning
their value.
v. 4 Looking back at what Paul has been saying, we can see that he has been correcting the believers in
Rome; and most recently in the letter, the Gentile believers. He has exhorted them to be willing to live to
please others for their well-being, rather than to please themselves. And he has used the OT Scriptures to
point to the willingness of Christ, to lay down His will for others even unto death.
So here, Paul is simply encouraging the believers especially the Gentile brethren to be willing to learn
from the OT Scriptures which were all the Scriptures the church had, at this time. The Gentile brethren
had experienced liberty, in Christ; but experience must always line up with what God says, in His Word.
The Scriptures will teach them how their liberty is defined by the light of the Holy Spirit, within them.
The word patience here means endurance. The Scriptures will teach them how to endure, in this walk
of love, and the Scriptures will encourage them in the way.

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And Paul writes, that we might have hope; for apart from Christ, the Gentiles had had no hope, and were
without God in the world (Eph 2:12). So Paul is encouraging them to let the Scriptures instruct them, so
that the eyes of their understanding will be enlightened to the truth. This will further establish them in the
faith, giving them assurance of their hope of glory.
Now Paul writes of what his prayer is, for all of the believers in Rome.
v. 5-6 This is what Paul desires for the brethren, what he prays for them. Notice that Paul speaks of the
Father as the God of patience and comfort; the same words that he used in describing the Scriptures. In this
way, Paul is connecting God with His Word, showing Him to be the author of those words. This would
promote the authority of the Scriptures, especially in the eyes of the Gentile believers.
What Paul prays for the believers in Rome is that they be like-minded toward one another; that the Jewish
brethren and the Gentile brethren would have the same thinking on things. But they have very different
thinking, dont they? So is Paul telling them to reconcile their differences? No.
Notice that Paul says they are to be likeminded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus. What has
Paul just brought out about Jesus? That He did not please Himself, but devoted His life to the well-being of
others. And thats the mind the thinking that Paul prays that they will share.
Paul wrote of this also to the assembly at Philippi; in fact, it begins the passage that we just read previously,
about the obedience of Jesus. Turn again to Philippians chapter 2.
[Philippians 2:1-4]
v. 1-2 So Paul first records many of the encouragements that God provides for the believer, all of which are
meant to foster his faith, and his love. With all that God provides, Paul is then asking the believers to make
his joy complete by being united in their thinking, in their love, in their purpose. Paul is saying, God has
done His part; but He cannot and will not do your part. That is for you to do; to live, not in the service of
self, but of others.
v. 3-4 Selfish ambition speaks of the pride that prompts people to push for their own way. Conceit
means the pursuit of personal glory. Both reflect the promotion of self, above others. Thats how men of
this world think. But Paul is saying, believers have a new way they can think according to Christ Jesus.
So let this mind be in you, that was in Christ Jesus (v. 5). Have a humble mind, which is willing to
subjugate itself to the needs of others; that puts their interests, before its own. And if all the members of the
Body of Christ would do that, what would you have? Unity.
[Return to Romans 15]
This is what Paul is referring to, in verse 6; unity. With one mind and one mouth the believers think the
same thing: How can I help my brother, Lord? And the believers say the same thing: they speak the
language of love, to one another.
Unity is what Jesus had prayed for them; unity is what the Father has purposed for them. And so Father
and Son will be glorified, in a glorious harmony of praise. Glorified, by brethren, dwelling together in unity
(Ps 133:1); for that unity reflects the oneness of the Father and the Son.

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Paul has prayed that the Father would grant this to believers; and the Father gives believers many
opportunities and circumstances to strengthen their bonds of love. But believers must make the choice to
be so strengthened.
v. 7 Therefore Paul concludes his thoughts on unity. Make the choice to accept one another, despite
differences; to welcome each other, in warm fellowship, without reservations; to encourage one another in
the faith; to treat one another with kindness, being sensitive to the Spirits direction.
Receive one another, just as Christ also received you. How did He receive you? With open arms (His
sacrifice on the cross). He accepted you, all of you, by His grace, in love. We are to do the same, with our
brethren and in this way, glorify God together as one.
Paul then goes on to show that both Jew and Gentile have been received by God on the same basis.
v. 8-9a The basis of acceptance for both the Jew and the Gentile is Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus came as
Israels Messiah; He came to His own (Jn 1:11). And Jesus has become a servant to the circumcision the
Jews confirming Gods promises to the nation, to send a Savior to deliver them. For all the Jews who
were willing to believe into Him, Jesus has done exactly that. God has faithfully fulfilled His Word, and
has taken those Jews who were willing to be His people.
But Paul shows that these believing Jews were not the only people of God; believing Gentiles were
included as His people, on the same basis; belief in Christ. God extended His merciful salvation to the
Gentiles, who were not His people; who had so long ago rejected God and His Christ. Now, God calls
those Gentiles who have believed His people, too. In Christ, Jew and Gentile are just one people.
Paul continues with a series of quotations from the OT Scripture, which he strings together upon the word,
Gentiles. In this way, Paul is demonstrating that it was always Gods plan to include the Gentiles with
the Jews as His people; because it was foretold.
v. 9b This is from the Septuagint version of Psalm 18 (v. 49), a psalm that David wrote when the LORD
delivered him from his enemies. The psalm speaks prophetically of Messiah, whom God delivered from
His enemies, out of death, and His victory over all His enemies in His Second Coming.
In that day, Jesus will be the head of the nations; a people that He did not know that were not His people
will serve Him. These are called foreigners; they are the Gentile nations, over which Jesus will reign as
King. So this psalm pertains to Messiah singing praises to His Father from the midst of the Gentiles
nations, who are now His people in the Kingdom age.
But Paul is using this quotation, not because of its time frame, but because of its theme; Christ praising the
Father, for His victory of salvation, among the Gentiles, speaking of those Gentiles who were believing into
Christ in that day, and throughout the church age.
In fact, all of Pauls quotes here pertain to the Kingdom age. The church was a mystery; there are few
references to it, in the OT Scripture, and even those are obscure. But Pauls point can be established with
these references from the Kingdom age, because he is just demonstrating that God always intended to take
the Gentiles as His people.
Lets look at the next quote.

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v. 10 This is from Deuteronomy 32:43. It is the conclusion of the song of Moses, which recites the history
of the nation Israel, ending in the Kingdom age. In that day, the Gentiles will be invited to join Israel in
praise to God. Paul is applying this here to the church, the Gentiles having been extended the invitation of
the gospel, to join with the people of God.
v. 11 Paul is quoting Psalm 117 (v. 1), the shortest psalm in Scripture (two verses!) Notice Pauls
progression; now the Gentiles are included with the people of God; all the peoples (plural) are to praise
Him.
v. 12 This is from the Septuagint version of Isaiah chapter 11 (v. 10). Jesse was the father of David, the
king the progenitor of the royal line. The Greek word for root here is referring to a sprout, or shoot,
giving it the meaning of offspring; a descendant.
Who is this descendant of Jesse, who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, and give them hope? Its Jesus,
speaking of His rule and reign over them, in the Kingdom age, when He invites them into His kingdom,
and takes them as His people.
So Paul is ending on the note with which he began; that the One who came to His own people, Israel, will
include the Gentiles with them as His people, that they, too, may have the hope of salvation. Pauls point is
that this is being realized even now, during the church age.
Paul will now conclude with a final prayer for the believers in Rome, continuing on that note of hope.
v. 13 Our God is the God who gives men hope, in Jesus Christ; the assurance that He has taken them as His
people; that they have been born into His family, as sons; that they have a place in His heavenly kingdom;
that they will be with Him in glory.
Paul is praying that God, who has given them this hope, will, in the here and now, fill them with all joy and
peace. Is God willing to do that? God desires to do that.
Remember that back in chapter 14, we learned that thats what the kingdom of God consists of:
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rm 14:17). Dealing with one another, in
righteousness, so that we may have peace with one another, and our joy of the Lord may be seen, by those
on the outside. So does God desire that? Of course.
But God can only fill us with joy and peace in believing; in this case, as we yield to the ways of Love, so
that we can love one another. Its believing God for other people; for our brethren, in Christ. Love bears
all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things not for itself, but for others (1 Cor 13:7).
And if we will believe God for others trusting God for what He is doing with them, and willing to
participate with Him, in His work, as the Spirit leads us then we will all abound in hope together.
Our hope of glory, which is future, but certain, will characterize our daily life in the here and now as we
together fix our eyes, not on ourselves, not on each other, but on our Lord, who is directing our course. We
share that course, together; lets help, and not hinder each other, in the way.

Reading: Acts 19:21, 20:13-24, 21:10-36, Ch 27 + 28.