15:4The knowledge of the Scriptures affects our attitude toward the present and the future. The more we know about what God has done in years past, the greater the confidence we have about what he will do in the days ahead. We need to diligently read our Bibles so we may have confidence that God’s will is best for us.
Life Application Study BibleRomansChapter 15
Romans 15
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1921, 1922, 1923
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
15Romans 15
Living to Please Others
1We 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, O God, have fallen on me.”* 4Such 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. 5May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. 6Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our LORD Jesus Christ. 7Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews* to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors.
9He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory toGod 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.”*
10And in another place it is written,“Rejoice with his people,you Gentiles.”*
11And yet again,“Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles.Praise him, all you people of the earth.”*
12And 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.”*
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. 2. Persona! notes
Paul’s Reason for Writing
1414I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters,* that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them. ‘Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace, 16I 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. 17So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God. 18Yet 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. 19They 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 Hlyricum.* 20My 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. 2" 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.”* 22In fact, my visit to you has been delayed so long because I have been preaching in these places.
Paul’s Travel Plans
2323But now I have finished my work in these regions, and after all these long years of waiting, I am eager to visit you. 241 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 little while, you can provide for my journey. 25But before I come, I must go to Jerusalem to take a gift to the believers there. °6 For you see, the believers in Macedonia and Achaia* have eagerly taken up an offering for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem. 27They were glad to do this because they feel they owe a real debt to them. Since the Gentiles received the spiritual blessings of the Good News from the believers in Jerusalem, they feel the least they can do in return is to help them financially. 28As soon as I have delivered this money and completed this good deed of theirs, I will come to see you on my way to Spain. 29And I am sure that when I come, Christ will richly bless our time together. 30Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me. given to you by the Holy Spirit. 31Pray that I will be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God. Pray also that the believers there will be willing to accept the donation* I am taking to Jerusalem. 32Then, 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. 33And now may God, who gives us his peace, be with you all. Amen.*
Textual footnotes
- were the northern and southern regions of Greece.
- 15:3 Greek who insult you have fallen on me. Ps 69:9, 15:8 Greek servant of circumcision. 15:9 Ps 18:49.
- 15:10 Deut 32:43. 15:11 Ps 117:1.
- 15:12a Greek The root of Jesse. David was the son of Jesse.
- 15:12b Isa 11:10 (Greek version).
- 15:14 Greek brothers; also in 15:30.
- 15:19a Other manuscripts reac the Spirit; still others read the Holy Spirit.
- 15:19b fiyricum was a region northeast of Italy. 15:21 Isa 52:15 (Greek version). 15:26 Macedonia and Achaia
- 15:31 Greek the ministry; other manuscripts read the gift.
- 15:33 Some manuscripts omit Amen, One very early
Life Application Notes 9 notes
15:5-7The Roman church was a diverse community. It was made up of Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free people, rich and poor, strong and weak. So it was difficult for them to accept one another. Accepting means taking people into our homes as well as into our hearts, sharing meals and activities, and avoiding racial and economic discrimination. We must go out of our way to avoid favoritism. Consciously spend time greeting those you don't normally talk to, minimize differences, and seek common ground for fellowship. In this way you are accepting others as Christ has accepted you, and God is given glory.
15:19Illyricum was a Roman territory on the Adriatic Sea between present-day Italy and Greece. It covered much the same territory as present-day Yugoslavia. See the map in chapter 1, p. 1893.
15:20Paul says that he has “ambition.” Ambition can be a difficult topic for Christians because we see so many bad examples of ambitious people who claw their way to the top. But certainly that isn’t the kind of ambition one sees in Paul. Instead of looking out for himself and working hard for personal advancement, he was ambitious to serve God-—for Paul that meant to “preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard.” Are you ambitious for God? Do you want, more than anything else, to please him and to do his will? Ask God for “holy ambition.”
15:22Paul wanted to visit the church at Rome, but he had delayed his visit because he had heard many good reports about the believers there and knew they were doing well on their own. It was more important for him to preach in areas that had not yet heard the Good News.
15:23,24Paul was referring to the completion of his work in Corinth, the city from which he most likely wrote this fetter. Most of Paul’s three-month stay in Achaia (see Acts 20:3) was probably spent in Corinth. He believed that he had accomplished what God wanted him to do there, and he was looking forward to taking the Good News to new lands west of Rome. When Paul eventually went to Rome, however, it was as a prisoner (see Acts 28). Tradition says that Paul was released for a time and that he used this opportunity to go to Spain to preach the Good News. This jcurney is not mentioned in the book of Acts.
15:28Paul's future plan was to go to Spain because Spain was at the very western end of the civilized world. He wanted to bring Christianity there. Also, Spain had many great minds and influential leaders in the Roman world (Lucan, Martial, Hadrian), and perhaps Pau! thought Christianity would advance greatly in such an atmosphere.
15:30Too often we see prayer as a time for comfort, reflection, or making requests to God. But here Paul urges believers to join in his struggle by means of prayer. Prayer is a weapon that all believers should use in interceding for others. Many of us know believers who are living in difficult places in order to communicate the gospel. Sending them funds is part of joining them in their struggles. but prayer is also a crucial way of being with them. Missionaries strongly desire the prayers of those who have sent them out. Do your prayers reflect that struggle on their behalf?
15:33This phrase sounds like it should signal the end of the letter, and it does pronounce the end of Paut’s teaching. He concludes his letter, then, with personal greetings and remarks.