The Road to Salvation – We study Paul's letter to the Romans
Romans 14 Review
In Romans 14, Paul addresses the various problems that were present in the church in Rome. We must remember that many of the aspects addressed in his epistles are in response to questions that have already come his way. Romans 14 deals mainly with the obsolete traditions that both the Jews and the Gentiles brought with them into the new faith. Aspects such as what you eat or don't eat, and which feast days you keep or don't keep, should never be the reason for division in the congregation. Everything we do must be edifying.
On to chapter 15
Chapter 15 takes this thought further. First of all, you should not think that if you are mentally stronger than another person, you can boast about it. On the contrary, you rather have a responsibility to bear the weaker one (verse 1). Paul refers to Jesus' own actions and quotes Psalm 69:10 to confirm this.
10For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. – Psalm 69:10
He then goes on to mention that everything that was written before – all the Jewish scriptures – was written for our learning and benefit and we should learn from it. God's goal is unity in the congregation, not division caused by food, feast days, and other rituals. Unity means that we will act as one body and speak with one mouth. We must accept (accept) one another as Christ accepted us. This is his will for us (verse 5). Just think how much division there is in today's church. What can you and I do today to erase that division?
Jesus became a servant of the Law (circumcision) so that God's promises could be confirmed for Israel, and also for the Gentiles. Therefore, all nations can glorify God now. Paul quotes from the Old Testament by quoting Samuel:
50That is why I want to praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and to the honour of your name I want to sing psalms; – 2 Samuel 22:50
This is again taken from Psalm 18:49. Deuteronomy follows:
43Rejoice, O nations, over his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and he will exercise vengeance on his adversaries and make reconciliation for his land and his people. – Deuteronomy 32:43
Psalm 117:1 is further quoted:
1Praise the LORD, all nations! Praise Him, all peoples! – Psalm 117:1
and then Isaiah 11:10. He summarises this passage by reminding them that we have a hope of eternal life that binds us as believers.
From verse 14, Paul shifts his focus from the congregation's situation to his own and shares with us the practical aspects of his ministry. He is a servant of Jesus Christ and a servant of the gospel so that the heathen can benefit from it. Everything he does is revealed to him by Christ. Note that he wants to cultivate new ground. He does not want to preach where the gospel has already been preached, but where no one has yet heard of Him. He quotes Isaiah 52:15.
In verse 24 he explains that he would like to visit Rome but there was always a problem. He had never been to Rome before. However, he plans to visit Spain and will then make a stop in Rome on his journey there. Take a look at the map of time to see how he would possibly travel. There are many routes he could have followed, by land or sea. Was he ever really in Spain? We have no indication that this was the case, and quite possibly they were plans that did not necessarily materialize exactly. We should not conclude from this that it was a mistake – as believers we plan many things, even what we do in faith, and yet not everything materializes.
Rather than go to Spain now, he goes in the other direction, back to Jerusalem. Look at how the church of the first century acted. The congregations in Macedonia and Achaia collected money for the poor in the congregation in Jerusalem. He would probably take this money with him. He explains that when this trip is over, he will go back to Rome on his way to Spain. His focus was the western part of the Roman Empire, as Christ commanded us to carry the gospel (Matthew 28:19-20). Paul asks for intercession for the problems he experiences in his ministry.
Romans 16
We conclude our study of Romans by looking at the last chapter. The names we read here were people whom Paul thanked for their part in his work. We must remember that Paul never acted in isolation. His travels were very well planned, probably with scouting ahead to ensure that where he arrived, things were already in place. It is interesting to note how many women were part of his work - Phoebe (who delivered the letter), Priscílla, Maria, Júnias (a Jewess), Triféna, Trifósa, Pérsis, the mother of Rufus, Paul's own mother , Julia, and the sister of Néreus (she is not mentioned by name) – were all women who worked for the gospel, without whose help Paul would never have been able to make the impact that we see in his letters. There are a few of the names that we were not sure if they were men or women. Paul often referred to the houses of the people and the church in Rome consisted of people in various households.
Paul also refers to men who had a very close relationship with him, Timothy, who would become his successor, and then three others, Lúcius, Jason, and Sosípater, Jews just like him. Then we find this interesting aspect of Paul's letter: he did not write it himself. He often used others to write the letters while he simply dictated them. Tértius stands out as a very important person in this letter, and he takes the opportunity to give just a little credit to himself. He also mentions Gaius, with whom he was at home when the letter was written, during his stay in Corinth.
Paul mentions that the readers of the letter will be strengthened by his gospel and the preaching of Jesus, as it had been planned long before and had never been talked about until now. This was made known to the Gentiles through the prophetic writings so that they would come to the faith in obedience. This was God's plan for us - for me and for you.
Finally, Paul gives God the glory. The glory goes to God through Jesus Christ for all time. It is indeed a fitting conclusion to an all-encompassing letter.
Conclusion
Now that we have worked through this remarkable book, and experienced it chapter by chapter with Paul, take the opportunity to stand back and see the grace of God for humanity in this. Now take the time and read the entire letter again. Be strengthened by the message of salvation, because we have sinned and we fall short of the glory of God, but we are justified by his grace without merit through the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23 rings true.
Chapters
- Romans Chapter 1
- Romans Chapter 2
- Romans Chapter 3
- Romans Chapter 4
- Romans Chapter 5
- Romans Chapter 6
- Romans Chapter 7
- Romans Chapter 8
- Romans Chapter 9
- Romans Chapter 10
- Romans Chapter 11
- Romans Chapter 12
- Romans Chapter 13
- Romans Chapter 14
- Romans Chapter 15
- Romans Chapter 16