Written ~ 07-31-2024
Read Romans Chapter Fifteen
Romans 15
Chapter 15 is a continued thought from the previous chapter. In Romans chapter 14 Paul is cautioning believers not to be critical of each other. Some believers have very strong convictions in some matters, and some do not. The most important thing is that we focus on pleasing the Lord, and not be a “people pleaser.” Verses 14:12-13 say,
12 “Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. 13 So, let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.”
Let’s continue this thought now in chapter 15…
Romans 15:1-3…
1“We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. 2We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. 3For even Christ didn’t live to please Himself. As the Scriptures say, ‘The insults of those who insult You, Oh God, have fallen on Me.’”
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are to use Him as our example to live godly lives. We are not to compare ourselves to each other to see who is doing the better job. A lot of debate can happen if we begin to fuss over food and beverage consumption and really that’s true with any aspect of our worship of the Lord. Each believer can have differing styles of worship and even that should not be used for debate and criticism. Some worship is loud, some soft and reverent. Some preaching styles are commanding, some much more laid back. Some pray with boisterous, eloquent words, some quietly to themselves. Some acts of service look much different than the next. But, as long as the focus is entirely on worshipping the Lord, preaching the Gospel message, serving with the heart of our Savior, and doing it in love, that is all that matters. This is the point Paul is trying to get across. Let’s recall what it says in Romans 13:8-10,
8“Owe nothing to anyone – except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9For the commandments say, ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.’ These and other such commandments – are summed up in this one commandment: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.”
In verse 15:1 Paul starts right off by saying, “We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this.” It is not the “duty” of a strong, bold believer to bowl over a new believer or someone with a much more timid personality and make them worship the same way you do or have the same convictions as you. The right way, the only way, is to love. Verse 15:2 says to “…build them up in the Lord…” Romans 14:18-19 says, “If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.”
What would happen if we began to tear each other down for the differences in our worshipping styles? There would be division in the church. I’m not talking about division in the church building you attend, but us, as believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are the church. When we start nit picking the way someone else serves the Lord, is that building them up? If we are comparing ourselves with others then choose to believe we are right and the other person is wrong, is that loving your neighbor as yourself? When Jesus walked this earth, He took everything on Himself. He saw the differences in the way His followers behaved. Jesus would not condemn with such harshness, but in love He corrected actions that were not in line with Scripture. We need to do the same.
Romans 15:4-6…
4 “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.
6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The “Scriptures give us hope and encouragement.” That one statement is exactly what studying the Bible does for me. We have so much to hope for as we look forward to an eternity in Heaven. While here on earth the Lord gives us encouragement through His Word so “we can wait patiently for the promises of God to be fulfilled.” When I find hope and encouragement in something it compels me to learn more, seek more understanding and knowledge, then my automatic response is to share that hope and encouragement with others. When you look to the Scriptures for all your needs, it really does change your perspective on everything…the way you think, the way you process a decision, the way your actions are carried out. Verse Romans 15:2 says, “We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.” And then in verse 15:5 it says, “…live in complete harmony with each other…”
Why do we build each other up and live in harmony with each other? Verse 15:6 gives us that answer… “Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father or our Lord Jesus Christ.” So even if we have differing convictions or worshipping styles, the ultimate goal is for us to join together with one voice and praise the Lord.
Even if differing opinions plague the church, we must put those differences aside and accept one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Why? Because that is what Jesus did…
Romans 15:7-13…
7 Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. 8 Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises He made to their ancestors. 9 He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for His mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote:
“For this, I will praise You among the Gentiles;
I will sing praises to Your Name.” (Ps. 18:49)
10 And in another place it is written,
“Rejoice with His people,
you Gentiles.” (Deut. 32:43)
11 And yet again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles.
Praise Him, all you people of the earth.” (Ps. 117:1)
12 And in another place Isaiah said,
“The heir to David’s throne will come,
and He will rule over the Gentiles.
They will place their hope on Him.” (Isa. 11:10)
13 I 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.
Jesus came to serve the Jews, “BUT HE ALSO came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for His mercies to them.” Why is that so significant for us today?Jesus came to the Jews so they would believe He was the Son of God, and the Messiah they had been waiting for, for a very long time. But many of them turned away, many would not believe in who He was. Though God would continue to pursue His chosen people, the Jews, Jesus turned His attention to the Gentiles as well. Jesus accepted everyone into His presence and showed them who He was. Gentiles could now rejoice in the coming of the Lord and accept who He was. What is a Gentile you might ask? A Gentile is anyone who was not of Jewish decent, it would be someone who did not originally worship God, more than likely it meant they worshiped some sort of idol or pagan god. But Jesus, with His light shining brightly for all to see, reached out His hands to all of mankind, Jew and Gentile alike.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah has given everyone a way to receive the gift of eternal life and that is something to rejoice in!
Remember, Paul was writing to believers, and in verses 15:14-15 he is commending them for being full of goodness, and in his boldness he felt compelled to write them specifically to give them reminders, even if they were difficult to hear, he reminded them of things they had already learned from the Good News message.
In Romans 15:16-22 Paul’s heart as a true apostle of Jesus Christ spills over in his writing…he has taken the mission to share the Gospel to every nation to heart and you can feel his heart, his passion through his writing, it was a privilege for him to eagerly do what God had called him to do.
Romans 15:16-22…
“For by God’s grace, 16 I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit. 17 So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God. 18 Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them. 19 They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.
20 My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. 21 I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says,
“Those who have never been told about Him will see,
and those who have never heard of Him will understand.”
22 In fact, my visit to you has been delayed so long because I have been preaching in these places.”
So there lies our challenge as believers. Do we have the same eagerness, the same fervor as Paul did in getting the word of the Lord out to as many people as possible? Paul talks about his enthusiasm, his ambition. Everything he does is for the Lord and his only plan is to further the Gospel message.
As we read in the Book of Acts, Paul’s travels were extensive and after another couple of stops he would finally get to visit the believers in Rome. He asks them to pray for him as he continues his journey. Paul asks for the prayer of safety from those who reject the message he proclaims. But he is greatly anticipating his visit and we can feel the tone of his excitement as he is coming to the end of this letter…
Romans 15:32-33…
32 “Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.
33 And now may God, who gives us His peace, be with you all. Amen.”
I don’t know about you, but Paul has absolutely captured my heart. The boldness of his writing, the “tell it like it is” attitude, the fact that he never minces his words when it came to correcting the believer’s wrongdoing, it absolutely blows me away. Paul was always faithful to give the facts. No sugar coating the truth. And I appreciate him so greatly because of it. I must admit, when I get to heaven, Paul is definitely someone I want to sit down with and have long conversations with, I can hardly wait to hear all of his stories face to face!
We have one more chapter in the Book of Romans, it will be fun to see how he closes this letter to the Roman believers.
In the meantime… Keep your heads held high, be confident in the Lord and seek the power of the Holy Spirit over your entire life.
Encourage one another, seek harmony with one another, in one voice, give praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! (Romans 15:5-6)
Let’s end today’s Bible Study with what Paul said in verse 15:33…
“…may God, who gives us His peace, be with you all…”
~AMEN~