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Romans Chapter
Fifteen
I.
Content of the Chapter
Conditions that Believers Should Have Among
Them
A. We should bear with the weakness of one
another (v.1-4).
B. We should be like-minded toward one another (v.5-6).
C. We should receive one another (v.7-13).
The Fellowship in the End
A. Paul described his ministry:
1. Be a minister
ministering
the gospel of God to the Gentiles
(v.14-19);
2. Be unwilling to build on another man's foundation (v.20-21).
B. Paul foreshowed his journey:
1. He desired to go to
2. He now went to
3. He requested for prayers for his whereabouts
(v.30-33).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Rom.
15:1 “We then who are strong ought to bear
with the scruples of the weak
and not to please ourselves.”
YLT: “And we ought -- we who are strong --
to bear the infirmities of the weak
and not to please ourselves;”
Meaning of Words:
“strong”: powerful; “bear”: carry
take up
lift;
Literal Meaning: “we who are strong”
it refers those who think “they may eat all things” in the previous chapter (
“Ought to bear with the scruples of the weak”
“bear”
it means
“bearing” the burdens of others (Gal. 6:2) ---- it is not only patience and
longsuffering
but support and service in love furthermore (Gal. 5:13). “The
weak”
it refers to those who are weak in faith ---- they eat vegetables only (
“Not to please ourselves”
one is not self-centered and does not live
for his own favor or profit.
Paul uses three “for”s to explain why we do not please ourselves in
verse two to four
but the first “for” in verse two and the last one in verse
four are missed in Chinese Union Version :
1)
“For” let each of us
please his neighbor for his good
leading to
edification (v.2).
2)
“For
even Christ did not please Himself; but as what
is written in the Scriptures (v.3).
3)
“For
whatever things were written before were written for our learning
that we
through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope (v.4).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If one has not stooped down himself first
he can not bear with the scruples of others. If he who
is strong in faith is always too proud to be unwilling to humble himself
he
cannot bear with the weakness of others.
2) If one desires to bear with others
he must
put down the burden of himself in him (to give up his own ideas) and does not
seek others to do anything for him
but only seeks to lower his shoulder.
Rom.
15:2 “Let each of us please his neighbor
for his good
leading to edification.”
YLT: “for let each one of us please the
neighbor for good
unto edification
”
Literal Meaning: “let each of us
please his neighbor for his good”
“neighbor” refers to those who are near.
Here
it is brothers and sisters in the church.
“Leading to edification”
when believers get along with each other in
the church
everyone should not cause others to fall
but seek to edify others.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The life of Christians is a life of
sacrificing oneself but benefiting others. The goal of Christian’s life is not
exalting oneself
but perfecting the whole body.
2) The building of the church is in love
not
in knowledge
and by life
not by methods (Eph. 4:15-16).
Rom.
15:3 “For even Christ did not please
Himself; but as it is written
"The reproaches of those who reproached You
fell on Me." ”
YLT: “for even the Christ did not please
himself
but
according as it hath been written
`The reproaches of those
reproaching Thee fell upon me;'”
Literal Meaning: “for even Christ did
not please Himself”
Christ fell on the earth and was completely misunderstood
mocked and despised by man
but He still took the good will of God as His
satisfaction (Matt. 11:26). He said
“The Son of man did not come to be served
but to serve” (Matt. 20:28). Before going to the cross
He still prayed
“nevertheless not as I will
but as You will (Matt. 26:39). He did not please
Himself at all.
“As it is written”
the following
Scriptures are quoted from the Book of Psalm (69:9).
“The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me”
“You” refers to
God; “Me” relates to the righteous in affliction
here is Christ. Paul quotes
this Old scripture to explain that how willing the Lord Jesus is to endure the
enmity of men towards God. This is the proof of His not pleasing Himself.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The nature of the flesh is always seeking to
please oneself ---- to walk according to one’s own ideas and habits and lust
for one’s own gain. The nature of Christ is “not pleasing Himself” ---- give up
his own ideas
and not insist on his own interest and disregard his own gain
and etc.
2) Those who live according to the principle of
pleasing themselves
they will naturally judge and stumble one another. Those
who do not live for pleasing themselves
they will naturally “edify one
another” (v.2) and be “like-minded toward one
another” (v.5)
and “receive one another” (v.7).
Therefore
whether the condition of a church is normal is decided by whether
the whole members are willing to live in the principle of Christ.
Rom.
15:4 “For whatever things were written
before were written for our learning
that we through the patience and comfort
of the Scriptures might have hope.”
YLT: “for
as many things as were written
before
for our instruction were written before
that through the endurance
and the exhortation of the Writings
we might have the hope.”
Meaning of Words:
“comfort”: encouragement;
Literal Meaning: “for whatever things
were written before were for our learning”
it explains that why Paul quotes
words in the Old Testament to prove Christ does not please Himself
because
what were written in the Scriptures were examples for us in the last days
(1Cor. 10:6
11). The value of the Scriptures is to reveal we Christians what
life we should lead.
“That we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have
hope”
it suggests that we shall learn to imitate the example of Christ’s
patience and suffering from the teachings in the Scriptures so that we shall
obtain comfort and have hope for Christ and future.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) All Scripture is given by inspiration of
God
and is profitable for doctrine
for reproof
for correction
for
instruction in righteousness
that the man of God may be complete
thoroughly
equipped for every good work (2Tim. 3:16-17).
2) Tribulations works patience and comfort
and
patience and comfort finally bring about hope (see
3) The one who lives for others and denies
himself more seems to be afflicted
but he really rejoices
for he will obtain
hope before God finally. On the contrary
he who profits himself more but lets
others suffer loss seems to be glad
but is really troubled
for he loses hope.
Rom.
15:5 “Now may the God of patience and
comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another
according to Christ
Jesus
”
YLT: “And may the God of the endurance
and of the exhortation
give to you to have the same mind toward one another
according to Christ Jesus;”
Meaning of Words:
“comfort”: encouragement;
Literal Meaning: “may the God of
patience and comfort”
our patience and comfort produced from the Scriptures
are of God.
“Grant you to be like-minded toward one another”
it shows that the
oneness of believers is of God (John 17:11
21-23; Eph. 4:3).
“According to Christ Jesus”
it is not according to reasons or
knowledge
but taking Christ Jesus as the example of the church life and
minding what is also in Christ Jesus.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If we believers want to be
like-minded toward one another
we should overcome the difficulty resulted
from the dissimilarities. It needs patience and comfort
and patience and
comfort are of God.
2) “Be like-minded toward one another”
it is
not say believers should not have different ideas about knowledge and things
but should consider others in love instead of insisting on their views ----
this is according to Christ Jesus.
Rom.
15:6 “that you may with one mind and one
mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
YLT: “that with one accord -- with one
mouth -- ye may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ;”
Literal Meaning: “you
may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God”
“one mind”: have the same mind inside; “one mouth”:
speak the same word in mouth. If we want to have one mouth
we should firstly
have one mind. If we want to have one mind
we should firstly mind what Christ
Jesus minds (see v.5; Phil. 2:5).
“And Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ”
“Father” particularly emphasizes that God
is the origin of life. Through the Lord Jesus
we can obtain His life and
disposition.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The best testimony of the church in the
world is “one mind and one mouth”
for it is exactly opposite to the condition
of
2) What believers can glorify God most is “one
mind and one mouth” ---- it is because they are according to Christ Jesus (see
v.5) so that Christ Jesus shall be manifested on us (see John 17:23).
3) Only when we let Christ Jesus reign in our
mind and mouth ---- think what he desires us to think and say what he desires
us to say ---- can we be “one mind and one mouth”.
Rom.
15:7 “Therefore receive one another
just
as Christ also received us
to the glory of God.”
YLT: “wherefore receive ye one another
according as also the Christ did receive us
to the glory of God.”
Literal Meaning: “therefore
receive
one another”
“therefore”
it indicates that this verse is a conclusion drawn
from previous verses. “Receive one another”
it is difficult to receive one
another by our nature
for we have great differences in thinking and things
that we please. However
the example of Christ Jesus makes us not seek our own
pleasure and receive one another without caring for ourselves.
“Receive one another”
it
points that he who is strong in faith receive he who is weak (Rom. 14:1) and he
who is weak in faith shall receive he who is strong.
“Just as Christ also received us”
we are
truly unworthy of being received by Christ according to our nature
but he has
received the reproaches that should be fallen upon us (see
v.3) and even has risen from the dead for us (Rom. 14:9). He has received us
unconditionally. We should also receive one another as Christ received us.
The acceptance of Christ is the acceptance
of God (
“To the glory of God”
there are two
meanings: 1) Believers shall receive one another so that they can glorify God.
2) Believers’ receiving one another should be like the receiving of Christ so
that they can glorify God.
Rom.
15:8 “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
”
YLT: “And I say Jesus Christ to have
become a ministrant of circumcision for the truth of God
to confirm the
promises to the fathers
”
Meaning of Words:
“truth”: reality
verity;
Literal Meaning: “I say that Jesus
Christ… for the truth of God”
all that is fulfilled by Christ who came into
the world is to declare God (John 1:18) and to perfectly manifest the truth and
faithfulness of God.
“Has become
a servant to the circumcision”
“the
circumcision” refers to the Jews; “servant” is the
servant who serves them. When the Lord Jesus was on the earth
He regarded
serving the Jews as the chief mission (see Matt. 15:24).
“To confirm
the promises made to the fathers”
“promises
made to the fathers” refer to the promises of God to Abraham
Isaac and Jacob. That Christ has become the servant of the Jews has confirmed
the promises of God to their fathers
thus manifesting the truth and
faithfulness of God.
Rom.
15:9 “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." ”
YLT: “and the nations for kindness to
glorify God
according as it hath been written
`Because of this I will confess
to Thee among nations
and to Thy name I will sing praise
'”
Literal Meaning: “and
that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy”
Christ was not only the servant of the Jews as well
as that of the gentiles (who are truly of the circumcision
see
Note that “glorify God” is
mentioned the third time in the short four verses.
“As it is
written”
the following words are quoted from the second
Book of Samuel (22:50) and the Book of Psalm (18:49).
“For this
reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles
And sing to Your name.” ---- “I” refers to
David and his seed
namely the anointed one (2Sam. 22:51; Ps. 18:50)
which
refers to the Jews in a broad sense and Christ in a narrow sense. “You” refers
to God. It means that the gentiles and the Jews are gathered together and
praise God and sing to God and glorify God.
Rom.
15:10 “And again he says: "Rejoice
O
Gentiles
with His people!" ”
YLT: “and again it saith
`Rejoice ye
nations
with His people;'”
Literal Meaning: “and again
he says”
the following words are quoted from the Book of
Deuteronomy (32:43).
“Rejoice
O Gentiles
with His people!” ---- “His
people” refers to the Jews.
Rom.
15:11 “And again: "Praise the LORD
all you Gentiles! Laud Him
all you peoples!" ”
YLT: “and again
`Praise the Lord
all ye
nations; and laud Him
all ye peoples;'”
Literal Meaning: “and again”
the following
words are quoted from the Book of Psalm (117:1).
“Praise
the LORD
all you Gentiles! Laud Him
all you peoples!” ---- “All you
peoples” refer to all the nations
namely
the Gentiles.
Rom.
15:12 “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." ”
YLT: “and again
Isaiah saith
`There
shall be the root of Jesse
and he who is rising to rule nations -- upon him
shall nations hope;'”
Literal Meaning: “again
Isaiah says”
the following words are quoted from the Book of
Isaiah (11:10).
“There shall be a root of Jesse”
“Jesse”
the
father of king David (Matt. 1:6)
here represents the Jews. On one hand
Christ
is the seed of David and is begotten by Jesse. On the other hand
He is “a root
of Jesse”
and He is the hope for the Jews ---- a big tree that is cut off ----
if they want to sprout and bear fruit again (see Is. 10:32-11:1).
“And He who
shall rise to reign over the Gentiles”
it is “being set as
the great banner for the Gentiles” in the original of the Old Testament. That
is to say
being raised is a sign of showing kindness to the Gentiles. Paul
here implies that Christ shall rise to be the Savior of the whole world and the
Gentiles shall bend theirs knees before Him.
“In Him the
Gentiles shall hope”
it is “the
Gentiles shall seek Him” in the original of the Old
Testament. “Hope Him” is “seeking Him” ---- take Him as the hope in hopelessness
and help of helplessness.
Enlightenment in the Word: Christ has become the servant to join the
Jews and the Gentiles (see v.8-11). He is the Lord of all (Acts. 10:36) and the
Savior of all (1Tim. 4:10). If we really magnify Him
we should receive all
believers that are different from us.
Rom.
15:13 “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.”
YLT: “and the God of the hope shall fill
you with all joy and peace in the believing
for your abounding in the hope in
power of the Holy Spirit.”
Meaning of Words:
“all”: any
every
the whole;
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Many believers lack joy and peace
for they
do not know the God they believe ---- who is not only a God who redeems us
but
also a God who gives us hope. God is not only concerned about our future
but
also our life today.
2) God is a God
of hope. Therefore
He creates the morning in a day
Sunday in a week
the first day of a month
and the first day of a year so that
we have new beginning and new hope.
Rom.
15:14 “Now I myself am confident concerning
you
my brethren
that you also are full of goodness
filled with all
knowledge
able also to admonish one another.”
YLT: “And I am persuaded
my brethren -- I
myself also -- concerning you
that ye yourselves also are full of goodness
having been filled with all knowledge
able also one another to admonish;”
Literal Meaning: “I myself am
confident concerning you
my brethren
that you also are full of goodness”
“be
full of goodness”
it means that one has obtained the good and divine nature in
the new life because of believing the Lord.
“Filled with all knowledge”
it refers to
the spiritual knowledge obtained through learning to live a normal church life.
“Admonish one another”
it relates to the
behaviors in love that all believers of the Lord must have (see Heb. 10:24).
Rom.
15:15 “Nevertheless
brethren
I have
written more boldly to you on some points
as reminding you
because of the
grace given to me by God
”
YLT: “and the more boldly I did write to
you
brethren
in part
as putting you in mind
because of the grace that is
given to me by God
”
Literal Meaning: “I
have written more boldly to you on some points”
“you” refers to
saints in
“As
reminding you”
Paul had never been
to
“Because of
the grace given to me by God”
it indicates that the apostleship of Paul
is of God’s grace (Gal. 2:9; Eph. 3:8).
Enlightenment in
the Word:
1) Our service should be fulfilled through the
grace of God. The work of God can only be done by the provision of God.
2) The strength of our service is not decided
by our strength or weakness
but by whether we have drawn the divine grace
sufficiently (2Cor. 12:9-10).
YLT: “for my being a servant of Jesus
Christ to the nations
acting as priest in the good news of God
that the
offering up of the nations may become acceptable
sanctified by the Holy
Spirit.”
Meaning of Words:
“minister”: minister who
serves in the sanctuary (Heb. 8:2); “priest”: a man who offers sacrifices;
“offer”: the actions of sacrifices; (the above-mentioned three words are in
connection with offering).
Literal Meaning: “that
I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles”
Christ Jesus directly revealed to Paul and
entrusted the mission of preaching to the Gentiles to Paul (Acts 9:15; 22:21;
26:18).
“Ministering
the gospel of God
that the offering of the Gentiles”
Paul
the bondman
of Christ Jesus
chiefly preached the gospel to the Gentiles.
Such service of him was “ministering the gospel of
God” ---- to offer the Gentiles he had gained in his preachment of the gospel
as the offering to God.
“Might be
acceptable
sanctified by the Holy Spirit”
the Gentiles were filthy and unclean (see
Acts 11:8-9
18). However
they are sanctified and have become the offering
acceptable to God due to the work of the Holy Spirit.
This verse has mentioned seven great
elements of the service of Christian:
1) The reason for service is grace
“given to me”
by God (see v.15).
2) The content of service is the gospel of God.
3) The status of service is to be the
minister of Jesus Christ and the priest of God.
4) The object of service is the Gentiles
(unbelievers).
5) The work of service is to gain the Gentiles
and make them sanctified and offer them as the offering of God.
6) The power of service is the Holy Spirit.
7) The goal of service is to be acceptable by
God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Today we are bondmen of Christ Jesus (
2) Priests are those who stand between God and
men ---- they bring God to men
and also bring men to God. Therefore
we shall
preach the gospel and bear witness to men for God and make men turn to God.
3) The ministry of priests in the New Testament
is wider than the Old Testament
including the preachment of the gospel. Paul
says he is not only “an apostle separated to God's glad tidings” (
4) Many Christians pay attention to the matter
of offering
but they seldom observe whether the sacrifice they offered is
acceptable to God (see Lev. 10:1-3).
Rom.
15:17 “Therefore I have reason to glory in
Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God.”
YLT: “I have
then
a boasting in Christ
Jesus
in the things pertaining to God
”
Literal Meaning: “I
have reason to glory in Christ Jesus”
from this verse to verse seventeen
Paul
mentioned the accomplishments among the Gentiles when he preached the gospel.
But he did not boast of himself
but that how Christ and the Holy Spirit
enabled him to fulfill the ministry.
Rom.
15:18 “For I will not dare to speak of any
of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me
in word and deed
to make the Gentiles obedient--”
YLT: “for I will not dare to speak
anything of the things that Christ did not work through me
to obedience of
nations
by word and deed
”
Literal Meaning: “to
make the Gentiles obedient”
Paul chiefly worked for
the obedience of faith among all the
nations (
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Though Paul had full wisdom and strength and
was profound and extensive in learning
he even did not dare to boast about
anything which Christ had
not accomplished through him
let alone us who fall
further short of Paul in every aspect. Therefore
we should not boast of any
cleverness or intelligence of ourselves. He that boasts
let him boast in Lord
(see 1Cor. 1:31).
2) Christians are vessels of God in His hand
not agents of God. If we have some fulfillments in our service
we should give
glory to God.
3) If we want to work for the Lord
we shall
wait for the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8).
4) “If one lets the Holy Spirit work without
any reservation
he will be fully used by the Lord.” Muddy was deeply moved by
these words and finally became an evangelist that was greatly used by God.
Rom.
15:19 “in mighty signs and wonders
by the
power of the Spirit of God
so that from
YLT: “in power of signs and wonders
in
power of the Spirit of God; so that I
from
Literal Meaning: “and
round about to Illyricum”
“Illyricum” was
located in the northwestern part of
“I have
fully preached the gospel of Christ”
“have fully
preached”
have preached the gospel of Christ everywhere.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We possibly need not go to a place as far as
“
2) And besides
the gospel of Christ should not
be restricted in the environment that we live around
but be spread over the
whole world.
Rom.
15:20 “And so I have made it my aim to
preach the gospel
not where Christ was named
lest I should build on another
man's foundation
”
YLT: “and so counting it honour to
proclaim good news
not where Christ was named -- that upon another's foundation
I might not build --”
Literal Meaning: “to
preach the gospel
not where Christ was named”
this was a principle of Paul’s ministry
but he did
not insist on this principle. For example
there had been already church in
1) He was entrusted by the Lord to preach the
gospel to the Gentiles mainly.
2) At that time
the area that had not been
covered by the gospel was rather large.
3) He was unwilling to reach the measure of the
rule which God had distributed to him (2Cor. 10:13).
4) “Lest he
should build on another man's foundation”.
“Lest I
should build on another man's foundation”
in the negative
aspect
it was in order to avoid unnecessary conflicts with other workers. In
positive aspect
by the grace of God given to him
he focused on laying the
foundation as an architect (see 1Cor. 3:10) instead of building upon the
foundation. In other words
he paid more attention to planting than watering
(see 1Cor. 3:6). However
it did not mean that Paul lacked the grace of
building the church and watering believers.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Paul on one hand had great ambition before
the Lord and on the other he did not dare to boast of himself before men. This
is a great example of balance of the Lord’s workers.
2) The workers of God shall be beside
themselves to God
and be sober to men (see 2Cor. 5:13).
Rom.
15:21 “but as it is written: "To whom
He was not announced
they shall see; And those who have not heard shall
understand." ”
YLT: “but according as it hath been
written
`To whom it was not told concerning him
they shall see; and they who
have not heard
shall understand.'”
Literal Meaning: “but
as it is written”
the verse behind is quoted from the Book
of Isaiah (52:15).
“To whom He
was not announced
they shall see; And those who have not heard shall
understand”. ---- Paul quoted
this verse to show that his aim of preach the
gospel not where Christ was named was just according
to God’s will of preaching the gospel.
Rom.
15:22 “For this reason I also have been
much hindered from coming to you.”
YLT: “Wherefore
also
I was hindered many
times from coming unto you
”
Literal Meaning: please see the first
chapter of this book
verse thirteen.
Rom.
15:23 “But now no longer having a place in
these parts
and having a great desire these many years to come to you
”
YLT: “and now
no longer having place in
these parts
and having a longing to come unto you for many years
”
Literal Meaning: “but
now no longer having a place in these parts”
“now”: when Paul
wrote this book. “These parts” referred to both the east and north sides of the
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Fully
preached” (v.19) and “no longer
having a place in these parts” present the faithful attitude of Paul’s
service ---- he was on the run everywhere and preached the gospel diligently.
2) This verse reveals us two spiritual
principles of serving the Lord: 1) he who serves the Lord should not more to
other places until he has fully fulfilled what God has entrusted to him at that
time and in that place. 2) If he who serves the Lord has fulfilled his
ministration in one place
he shall receive further burden and guidance and
preach Christ to further places. One should not mechanically linger in one
place and hold closely what he has done.
Rom.
15:24 “whenever I journey to
YLT: “when I may go on to Spain I will
come unto you
for I hope in going through
to see you
and by you to be set
forward thither
if of you first
in part
I shall be filled.”
Literal Meaning: “
“To be
helped on my way there by you”
this is an implicative way of speaking.
He hoped that the church in
Rom.
15:25 “But now I am going to
YLT: “And
now
I go on to
Meaning of Words:
“minister”: serve;
Rom.
15:26 “For it pleased those from
YLT: “for it pleased
Meaning of Words:
“make”: do
fulfill; “contribution”: fellowship;
Literal Meaning: “
“It pleased …to
make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Paul had fellowship with the Gentiles in the
spiritual fullness that would be given to the Jews
and then the riches of
gentile believers were distributed to the Jews. What good fellowship! Since it
is out of love in life
it can be regarded as fellowship of love.
2) The devotion of substance is a kind of
fellowship in Christ. Since it is fellowship
there must be giving and gaining.
Possibly
one gives now for the lack of others
and later others give for the
lack of oneself (2Cor. 8:14). Another condition is that one gives material
things and receives spiritual blessings (Phil. 4:16-17).
Rom.
15:27 “It pleased them indeed
and they are
their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual
things
their duty is also to minister to them in material things. ”
YLT: “for it pleased well
and their
debtors they are
for if in their spiritual things the nations did participate
they ought also
in the fleshly things
to minister to them.”
Meaning of Words:
“partaker”: fellowship; “minister”: to serve as a
minister;
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) There are several debts that Christian must
repay: a) the debt of forgiving others (Matt. 18:32-35); b) the debt of
preaching the gospel (Rom. 1:14-15); c) the debt of sharing spiritual things
which can be paid by sharing material things.
2) Though spiritual grace cannot be bought or
sold
those who have been saved by grace are willing to share their possessions
with those who have helped them for the sake of the Lord. It is reasonable and
acceptable to God.
Rom.
15:28 “Therefore
when I have performed
this and have sealed to them this fruit
I shall go by way of you to
YLT: “This
then
having finished
and
having sealed to them this fruit
I will return through you
to
Meaning of Words: “seal”: seal
up
stamp;
Literal Meaning: “have sealed to them
this fruit”
“this fruit” refers to the contribution; “them” refers to
the poor among the saints in
Enlightenment in the Word: Christians should provide for things honest
before men in regards to money
lest we are spoken of
as evil (2Cor. 8:20-21).
Rom.
15:29 “But I know that when I come to you
I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.”
YLT: “and I have known that coming unto
you -- in the fulness of the blessing of the good news of Christ I shall come.”
Enlightenment in
the Word:
1) The full grace is in Christ. In Christ
there is full grace. The presence of the Lord is in the fellowship with
brothers (Matt. 18:20). Therefore
living in the fellowship with brothers is
the way of enjoying the full grace of Christ.
2) Paul had not only said about the full gospel
of Christ to the saints in
Rom.
15:30 “Now I beg you
brethren
through the
Lord Jesus Christ
and through the love of the Spirit
that you strive together
with me in prayers to God for me
”
YLT: “And I call upon you
brethren
through our Lord Jesus Christ
and through the love of the Spirit
to strive
together with me in the prayers for me unto God
”
Literal Meaning: “that
you strive together with me in prayers to God for me”
“with”: to work
together; “strive”: struggle in company
with
exert one’s full strength;
Enlightenment in
the Word:
1) The love of the Holy Spirit is the original
power of our striving to do the work of the Lord. Without the love of the Holy
Spirit
we shall not strive to work
nor have true prayers.
2) If the workers of the Lord strive to preach
the gospel and look after the saints and believers strive to pray for the
workers of the Lord
such striving will produce surpassing power and amazing
result.
3) Even the great apostle Paul does need
prayers of brothers and sisters. And we can clearly see that there is no true
service without prayers behind. All of us should pray for evangelists so that
the works of God can be fulfilled smoothly.
4) Any worker that has great gifts can not live
without the support of the members of the Lord’s body. In spiritual battle
field
no one shall fight the battles alone.
YLT: “that I may be delivered from those
not believing in Judea
and that my ministration
that for
Meaning of Words:
“service”: ministry
aid;
Literal Meaning: this verse and the
next verse reveal the three matters that Paul requests for their prayers:
1) “That I may be delivered
from those in
2) “And that my service for
3) To pray for his journey and service in the
future (v.32).
YLT: “that in joy I may come unto you
through the will of God
and may be refreshed with you
”
Enlightenment in
the Word: those who carry the
full grace of Christ (v.29)
wherever they go
can always bring “rest” to those
who are with them. The Lord Jesus has peace Himself
so He calls others to come
to Him and receive peace (see Matt. 11:25-30). Therefore
if one he has no rest
when he is getting along with other saints
he can not refresh others and even
bring heavier burden to others. All of these prove that they lack the reality
of the fullness of Christ
Rom.
15:33 “Now the God of peace be with you
all. Amen. ”
YLT: “and the God of the peace with you
all. Amen.”
Enlightenment in
the Word: God is not only a
God who gives peace
and He Himself is our eternal peace. It is an extremely
great blessing for us that we have such a “peace of God” who dwells in us and
is with us.
III. Outlines of the Spiritual
Lessons
The Virtues of
Christians
A. To please one another (v.1-2);
B. To be like-minded toward one another (v.5);
C. To receive one another (v.7);
D. To prove the words of God (v.8-13);
E. To admonish one another (v.14-19);
F. To supply one another (v.20-29);
G. To pray for one another (v.30-33);
How Do Christians
Imitate Christ?
A. To imitate Him who did not please Himself (v.1-3);
B. To learn from Him who obtained patience
comfort and hope from God in the Scriptures (v.4-5);
C. To imitate Him who served in the world for
the sake of glorifying God (v.6-9);
D. To imitate Him who brought both the Jews and
the Gentiles unto God (v.8-12);
The Ideal Condition
of Building the Church
A. He who is strong is faith shall bear with
those who are weak (v.1-3).
B. Every believer can obtain learning from the
Scriptures (v.4).
C. All believers can be like-minded toward one
another
to
the glory of God (v.5-6).
D. All believers can receive one another
without any difference (v.7-12).
E. Every believer is filled with the God of
hope (v.13).
God
A. The God of patience and comfort (v.5);
B. The God of hope
(v.13);
C. The God of peace
(v.33);
Life in Christ ----
Live in a Brighter Way (v.13)
A. For we are filled with hope for our future;
1. Christians have the hope of “a better
tomorrow” because of the guidance of God.
2. Christians can practically experience the
presence and guidance of God through honoring Him
trusting in Him and having
initiate fellowship with Him.
B. For we are filled with joy and peace;
1. Faith enables man to be filled with joy and
peace in abominable environment.
2. He who does not believe sees only the
environment
but he who believes can see the God behind the difficulty.
3. How will we have firm faith?
a. Ask God to give us faith;
b. Faith comes from the word of God;
C. For we have strength to overcome the
environment;
1. The power of the Holy Spirit gives us great
hope in us.
2. How does the Holy Spirit help us to overcome
our environment?
a. The comfort of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16);
b. The guidance of the Holy Spirit (
3. How do we let the Holy Spirit work His power
in us?
a. We shall walk by the Spirit and not quench
the Spirit (1Thess. 5:19).
b. We should not grieve the Spirit of God (Eph.
4:30).
The Growth in Christ
---- the Secret of Making Oneself Increase More (v.14)
A. One shall “be full of goodness” ---- have a good heart and bright walking;
1. “Good” is “as guileless as the doves”.
Goodness is the fruit that the Holy Spirit bears in believers.
2. Christians should have the virtue of “being
full of good”
which includes two meanings:
a. Christians shall have good hearts.
b. Christians shall have good works.
B. One shall be willing to “be filled with all knowledge” ---- be willing to lay up knowledge and
believe and obey the truth;
1. The “knowledge” here refers to the knowledge
and pursuit of the truth and obedience to the truth.
2. Christians should lay up the knowledge about
the truth (Pro. 10:14).
3. Christians should believe and obey the
knowledge about the truth.
C. One shall desire to “be able also to admonish one another” ---- desire to admonish others and be willing to
receive admonishments.
1. Christians shall have wisdom to admonish
others (Pro. 12:18; 10:13).
2. Christians shall be humble to receive the
admonishments of others (Pro. 10:15).
The Example of the
Worker of the Lord
A. He treats others graciously (v.14).
B. He is bold to remind others (v.15).
C. He is called to serve God in the gospel of
Him (v.16).
D. He has reason to glory in the things which pertain to God (v.17-19).
E.
He aims to preach the gospel
not
where Christ was named (v.20-21).
F.
He
completely fulfills his ministry everywhere he goes (v.22-23).
G. He has vast vision ---- the whole world is
his working place (v.24).
H. He has not forsaken the responsibility that
he should assume at present (v.25-27).
I. He serves in the fullness of the grace of Christ (v.28-29).
J. He values the prayers of all the saints
(v.30-32).
K. He prays for all the saints (v.33).
The Works of Service
A. The content of the works ---- things of God
(v.17);
B. The sphere of the works ---- in Christ Jesus
(v.17);
C. Men in the works ---- Christ…through me
(v.18) ---- the vessel of God;
D. The ways of the works ---- word and deed
(v.18);
E. The power of the works ---- the power of mighty signs and wonders (the power of the hands of God)
the power of the Spirit
of God (v.18);
F. The result of the works ---- make… obedient (v.18);
G. The places of the works ---- have fully preached (v.19);
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou