Romans

15:1-13

Exhortations, 12:1-15:13

viii] Live in harmony with one another

In 14:1-15:13, Paul broaches the touchy issue of how Jewish and Gentile believers are to relate within the Christian fellowship. In 15:1-13 Paul concludes his counsel to "the weak" and "the strong"; each should consider their neighbor's good by emulating the selflessness of Christ. "We who are strong ought ...... not to please ourselves."

As noted in previous studies, "the weak" are most likely law-bound believers, most with a Jewish background. These believers were of great concern to Paul because their stress on the doing of righteousness, on the doing of piety, for the appropriation of divine favor, tended to undermine the ground of their salvation, a salvation which rests on Christ's faithfulness, not our own. For Paul, holiness, and thus the appropriation of the promised Abrahamic blessings, rests on faith in the "faith of Christ" (the faithfulness of Christ, his atoning sacrifice) and not on "works of the law".

As for "the strong" (note, Paul includes himself in this group - "we who are strong"), they were made up of believers who had found freedom in Christ (most tended to be of Gentile stock). They knew that the totality of God's promised blessings was theirs in Christ, now and for eternity, and was in no way affected by the imperfection of their Christian walk.

None-the-less, the freedom a believer possesses in Christ does not give them the freedom to ride roughshod over the sensibilities of others, and to this end Paul pens his instructions in 14:1-15:13.

hJmeiV "we" - With the first person plural Paul now includes himself among the "strong"

oi dunatoi adj. "strong" - strong, capable. "Strong in the faith", TEV. They are the ones who know that their standing in the sight of God is not gained, maintained or progressed by obedience to the law, but by grace through faith.

bastazein (bastazw) inf. "to bear" - carry. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "ought". "Bear", in the sense of "put up with", misses the point, "help", TEV, is closer, but the NEB is spot on "accept as our own burden the tender scruples of weaker men." "Carry" as Christ carried our weakness. The "strong" have no need to, nor should they refocus on the law, but they can be gentle with a brother who is law-bound and so not offend their sensibilities.

asqenhmata (a atoV) "failings" - weaknesses. Possibly "burdens", TEV, here the burden of their religious sensibilities.

adunatwn adj. "the weak" - not strong. Up to this point, Paul has used the particular Greek word for "weak" to identify this group. As noted above, the "weak" are most likely Jewish believers, still very much law-bound. It is likely that they have yet to understand the full extent of justification and will never understand it if the "strong" constantly offend their religious sensibilities on matters such as those identified at the Jerusalem conference, ie. eating meat offered to idols, strangled, unbled and marrying within prohibited relationships, Act.15:20

aresketw (areskw) imp. "should please" - let him please. Cause him to be happy, blessed.

plhsion adv. "neighbor" - A brother in the Lord is obviously intended.

to agaqon adj. "good" - In the sense of a "benefit", spiritual profit

proV oikodomhn "to build him up" - toward building up, strengthening. Noun phrase. Toward, in the sense of, with a view to building up. Possibly building up the Christian community (cf. NEB. Weak + strong), but more likely the "weak". Build up what? Possibly their faith, in the sense of their dependence on Christ rather than on the law.

hresen (areskw) aor. "[for Christ did not] please [himself]" - Constantive aorist, ie. denoting the point of occurrence of the action of the verb. Christ didn't live for his own benefit, for his own happiness, his own good pleasure.

Psalm 69:9. "People insulted you, but what they said has really insulted me", ATH.

oJsa ... proegrafh "everything that was written in the past" - whatever things were written before. Obviously referring to the Old Testament scriptures, so "everything written in the scriptures."

didaskalian (a) "teaching" - The prime function of the law, namely, to make sin more sinful, has found its fulfilment in Christ and is therefore, no longer applicable to a believer, yet the Old Testament still speaks of Christ and is therefore, a source of sound teaching.

iJna + subj. "so that" - Most likely a final (purpose) clause indicating the intended purpose of the teaching, "in order that ....we may maintain our hope", NEB.

dia + gen. "through" - through, by means of. That by the instrument of teaching scriptural truth, hope might be established in a believer's life. "By steadfastness...." NRSV.

uJpomonhV (h) "endurance" - perseverance.

paraklhsewV (iV ewV) "encouragement" - comfort, consolation. Possibly "exhortation", but "consolation" is better, Cranfield, etc.

twn grafwn (h) "scriptures" - writings. Genitive of source, probably applying to both "endurance" and "encouragement".

ecwmen (ecw) pres. subj. "we might have [hope]" - we may have. Present tense indicating ongoing hope, even growing hope: "hold fast their hope", Cranfield, "go on hoping", Moo.

dw/h (didwmi) aor. opt. "give" - Used here to express a desire. "I pray that God ...."

"who gives" - Added for meaning. God is the source of endurance and encouragement.

to auto fronein (fronew) inf. "a spirit of unity" - the same thing to think / have in mind, set one's mind on. The infinitive serves as the direct object of "give". Paul's "prayer", his wish/desire, is either, that his readers have a single mind on matters of the Christian faith, or that they be united, in harmony with each other, "agree with one another", NEB. The second option is best. They may still disagree on issues of theology, but at least they can recognize their unity in Christ.

kata + acc. "as you follow" - according to. Follow what, the example of Christ or the will of Christ?

iJna + subj. "so that" - Final (purpose) clause expressing the object of the unity, namely, the glorification of God.

oJmoqumadon adv. "with one heart" - with one accord, in unity of mind. "All of you together", TEV. Originally, a term used of political solidarity.

en eni somati "mouth" - in one mouth. Superfluous to the meaning, although the preposition "in" is probably instrumental which reminds us that the "all of you together" serves as an instrument of the glorification of God.

doxazthe (doxazw) subj. "you may glorify" - "Declare openly your good opinion of."

kai "[God] and [Father ....]" - and. Possibly, where God is taken as an absolute, "God, even the Father..." AV.

dio "-" - therefore. Given the argument so far, the believers in Rome should .....

proslambanesqe (proslambanw) imp. "accept" - receive, welcome. "Accept each other fully", not just tolerate.

kaqwV "just as" - as. The sense is comparative, believers should accept one another in the same way as Christ has accepted us.

uJmaV "you" - Variant "us".

eiV "in order to" - to, for. The sense of this preposition here is final (purpose), "so that / in order that people will praise God." Is it the unity of believers or the union of the lost to God that brings him praise?

gegenhsqai (ginomai) perf. pas. inf. "has become" - to have become. Infinitive use to a dependent statement of stating; "I tell you that Christ has become .....", NRSV.

diakonon (oV) "servant" - Christ has come to help/do good for. Literally "the circumcision"

uJper alhqeiaV qeou "on behalf of God's truth" - for truth of God. The sense is possibly "to show God is faithful" TEV, "to show God's truthfulness" RSV. Here taking "truth" in the Old Testament sense of faithful, ie. God does what he says he will do.

eiV bebaiwsai (bebaiow) inf. "to confirm" - to confirm, make firm, establish. This phrase introduces a clause that serves to illustrate God's faithfulness, "by making good his promises to the patriarchs", NEB, namely, the creation of a people of God through whom the whole world is blessed.

de "so that" - but. The conjunction does not carry a final sense ("in order that") but rather an adversative sense. The promise to Abraham was fulfilled in Christ for Israel, although now the Gentiles are reaping the benefits. Given this fact, the Gentile believers (the "strong") should give deference to the Jewish believers (the "weak").

exomologhsomai (exomologew) fut. "I will praise" - confess. Although the word normally means "confess", in the LXX it takes the sense "praise" when followed by a dative, as here.

The quotations, Ps.18:49 (poss. 2Sam.22:50), Deut.32:43, Ps.117:1, Isa.11:10. All illustrate that God always intended the Gentiles to be included with Israel to the glory and praise of his name.

epainesatwsan (epainw) aor. imp. "sing praises" - let all peoples praise.

oJ anistamenoV (anisthmi) pres. mid. part. "one who will arise" - one rising up. A rising up in the sense of appearing. Possibly a passive sense, the one raised up, brought into being, by God.

rJiza (a) "root" - root, scion. A "scion", in the sense of "a new shoot", is a better understanding of the word. "Descendent of Jesse", "a member of the family of Jesse"

elpiousin (elpizw) fut. "will hope" - The Gentiles will look with confidence toward him.

oJ de qeoV thV elpidoV "the God of hope" - "Your hope", Moffatt; "source of hope", TEV.

plhrwsai (plhrow) aor. opt. "May [the God of hope] fill [you]" - The optative expressing a wish. The sense is "cause you to be fully happy".

en tw/ pisteuein "as you trust in him" - in believing. The object of the "believing" is supplied, namely, "in him". The preposition "in" may well take an instrumental sense, "by means of your faith in him."

perisseuein (periseuw) pres. inf. "so that you may overflow" - to abound. The infinitive here serves to introduce a final (purpose) clause.

Romans Introduction.

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