Romans 15:1-6: "Do As Christ Did"
Paul has been addressing the unity of believer's and the heart required for the stronger and weaker brother. He has been charging each to do their part for the unity of the body of Christ. Romans 15 continues in this instruction as Paul now will encourage believer's to encourage, please, and bear the weaknesses of our fellow brothers and sisters, just as Christ did. Paul begins, "Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength". Again, calling out the stronger brethren, Paul is calling for unity through the bearing of burdens. MacArthur writes, "Bastazoi (to bear) refers to picking up and carrying a burden. It is used literally of "carrying a pitcher of water" (Mark 14:13) and of carrying a man (Acts 21:35), and figuratively of bearing a yoke of obligation (Acts 15:10)". This is not a passive command of simple toleration of others weaknesses, but the active command of carrying them through the weakness that they may one day be strong in that area. MacArthur writes, "The idea is that of showing genuine, loving, and practical consideration for other believers. We are not to argue about minor issues or be critical of those who may still be sensitive about a former religious practice or taboo". If all "stronger" believers had this mind-set towards the weaker brothers, there would be constant love, care, understanding, and correction taking place between believers that would ultimately be sanctifying everyone the way God has purposed.
Paul continues his discussion on putting off ourselves and focusing on others. "And not just please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to his edification". The emphasis is always put on the stronger believer as they are more mature in Christ, and more is expected from them. The strong and weak brother has been separated by their understanding of their freedom in Christ. All Christians have been given the same liberties, however, the weaker brother has not been able to fully understand or exercise these freedoms due to various past behaviors. The stronger brother understands and recognizes these freedoms as he lives out his Christian walk. However, the stronger brother is to never be too assertive in his Christian freedoms. He should always put the good of others ahead of his desires to exercise his Christian liberty. If his freedoms may cause others to stumble or be offended, he is to waive those rights for the good of the weaker brother, as Paul has told us all throughout chapter 14. This is what Paul has in mind when he is commanding the stronger brother to "not just please ourselves". Instead, Paul exhorts the stronger brother to "please his neighbor for his good, to his edification". MacArthur writes, "the objective of pleasing our neighbor is to promote his good and his edification, even if it requires the sacrifice of some of our own welfare and pleasure, which it often does. It is essentially the same appeal Paul had made earlier in this letter, again not exempting himself: 'Let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another' (Rom. 14:19)". The deferring of the stronger brother to the weaker, will not only please his neighbor, but will bring about edification, and will ultimately be for the good of the weaker believer, and ultimately for the good of the body of Christ.
Paul will now call on the example of Christ to continue to exhort and substantiate his claims to the stronger brother. "For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, 'The reproaches of those who reproached Thee fell upon Me'". In Philippians, Paul gives us another example of Christ's humility and His deferring of His own pleasure, "Although He existed in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil. 2:6-8). Despite being God and having the ability to do as He pleased as well as the right to do so, Christ "did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped". Although He had the ability and the right to do so, He desired nothing except what was for the good of mankind. Christ became a bond-servant to the will of God the Father. What an amazing testimony for those who would wish to exercise their liberties over the unity of the body or the good of others. If each of us had this mind-set, how different would the body of Christ look like. We must all look to the example of Christ to lead and guide our thoughts. Our focus and desire should be on pleasing God and relinquishing our will to His. Just as Christ put aside His glory to become a man and carry out the will of His Father, we ought to do the same.
When we are looking to please others, and lift their needs above ours, we will need to be in submission to Scriptures. This is the instruction manual on how to carry out the will of God. Paul writes, "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope". The Scriptures play an essential part in the believer's life. Scriptures contain the way to be saved, the way to be sanctified, and the way to live our lives as believers. II Tim. 3:16-17, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work". This verse shows that without the Scriptures, man will be unequipped, and unprepared for the battle at hand. MacArthur writes, "As we have seen, beginning with Romans 14:1, Paul emphasizes that the ceremonial requirements of the Old Covenant are no longer binding on believers, Jews or Gentiles. But even though we are not bound to obey all of the commands of that covenant, every part of God's revelation written in earlier times is still valuable for our instruction. Knowledge of all Scripture had spiritual benefit for Christians in Paul's day and still has benefit for Christians for all time". Scripture not only gives us the way to Christ and the things necessary for salvation, they also help believer's through trials and temptation. The Scriptures give hope to those facing persecution or trials, as Paul says, "through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope". Especially in Paul's time, it was a difficult thing for someone to become a Christian. Persecution and trials faced those who came to know Christ, and it was the Word of God that would help comfort them, through the promises of God to those who believe. The Bible is a book of hope for those who know Christ. The Psalmist wrote, "I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope" (Ps. 130:5). Therefore, Paul encourages us to be submissive to the word of God which instructs us in the way to live, cultivating sanctification, selflessness, and unity among the body of Christ.
Just as God's Word gives encouragement and hope to the believer, we must look to the divine power of God to provide us with what is necessary to carry out his will. Paul writes, "Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus". MacArthur reminds us, "even the things that God demands of us He gives to us by His sovereign grace. Paradoxically, it is God who gives the perseverance He requires as well as the encouragement. Just as verse 4 is essentially a call to rely on God's power through His Word, verse 5 is essentially a call to rely on His power through prayer". Again, Paul emphasizes the importance of unity with one another. Those of us who are Christians should have the same mind, all focused on serving Christ, which in turn, will help us to be unified as the body of Christ. When everyone is looking to serve Christ and one another, this unity will also help us persevere, and cultivate encouragement with one another.
Paul finishes up this section with the end result of unity among the body of Christ, "that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ". There is nothing sweeter sounding to the Lord than hearing his people with one voice come together as a unified body to glorify Him. We should cherish the times we get to gather corporately as the body of Christ and worship together, knowing this is pleasing to the Lord. We should make sure we have done all we can to be at peace and unity with all other believers, as this is most pleasing to the Lord. May we remember this as we strive to be in harmony and peace with one another knowing we have all been brought together for the same purpose, drawing encouragement from the same Scriptures and the same God.
Paul continues his discussion on putting off ourselves and focusing on others. "And not just please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to his edification". The emphasis is always put on the stronger believer as they are more mature in Christ, and more is expected from them. The strong and weak brother has been separated by their understanding of their freedom in Christ. All Christians have been given the same liberties, however, the weaker brother has not been able to fully understand or exercise these freedoms due to various past behaviors. The stronger brother understands and recognizes these freedoms as he lives out his Christian walk. However, the stronger brother is to never be too assertive in his Christian freedoms. He should always put the good of others ahead of his desires to exercise his Christian liberty. If his freedoms may cause others to stumble or be offended, he is to waive those rights for the good of the weaker brother, as Paul has told us all throughout chapter 14. This is what Paul has in mind when he is commanding the stronger brother to "not just please ourselves". Instead, Paul exhorts the stronger brother to "please his neighbor for his good, to his edification". MacArthur writes, "the objective of pleasing our neighbor is to promote his good and his edification, even if it requires the sacrifice of some of our own welfare and pleasure, which it often does. It is essentially the same appeal Paul had made earlier in this letter, again not exempting himself: 'Let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another' (Rom. 14:19)". The deferring of the stronger brother to the weaker, will not only please his neighbor, but will bring about edification, and will ultimately be for the good of the weaker believer, and ultimately for the good of the body of Christ.
Paul will now call on the example of Christ to continue to exhort and substantiate his claims to the stronger brother. "For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, 'The reproaches of those who reproached Thee fell upon Me'". In Philippians, Paul gives us another example of Christ's humility and His deferring of His own pleasure, "Although He existed in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil. 2:6-8). Despite being God and having the ability to do as He pleased as well as the right to do so, Christ "did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped". Although He had the ability and the right to do so, He desired nothing except what was for the good of mankind. Christ became a bond-servant to the will of God the Father. What an amazing testimony for those who would wish to exercise their liberties over the unity of the body or the good of others. If each of us had this mind-set, how different would the body of Christ look like. We must all look to the example of Christ to lead and guide our thoughts. Our focus and desire should be on pleasing God and relinquishing our will to His. Just as Christ put aside His glory to become a man and carry out the will of His Father, we ought to do the same.
When we are looking to please others, and lift their needs above ours, we will need to be in submission to Scriptures. This is the instruction manual on how to carry out the will of God. Paul writes, "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope". The Scriptures play an essential part in the believer's life. Scriptures contain the way to be saved, the way to be sanctified, and the way to live our lives as believers. II Tim. 3:16-17, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work". This verse shows that without the Scriptures, man will be unequipped, and unprepared for the battle at hand. MacArthur writes, "As we have seen, beginning with Romans 14:1, Paul emphasizes that the ceremonial requirements of the Old Covenant are no longer binding on believers, Jews or Gentiles. But even though we are not bound to obey all of the commands of that covenant, every part of God's revelation written in earlier times is still valuable for our instruction. Knowledge of all Scripture had spiritual benefit for Christians in Paul's day and still has benefit for Christians for all time". Scripture not only gives us the way to Christ and the things necessary for salvation, they also help believer's through trials and temptation. The Scriptures give hope to those facing persecution or trials, as Paul says, "through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope". Especially in Paul's time, it was a difficult thing for someone to become a Christian. Persecution and trials faced those who came to know Christ, and it was the Word of God that would help comfort them, through the promises of God to those who believe. The Bible is a book of hope for those who know Christ. The Psalmist wrote, "I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope" (Ps. 130:5). Therefore, Paul encourages us to be submissive to the word of God which instructs us in the way to live, cultivating sanctification, selflessness, and unity among the body of Christ.
Just as God's Word gives encouragement and hope to the believer, we must look to the divine power of God to provide us with what is necessary to carry out his will. Paul writes, "Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus". MacArthur reminds us, "even the things that God demands of us He gives to us by His sovereign grace. Paradoxically, it is God who gives the perseverance He requires as well as the encouragement. Just as verse 4 is essentially a call to rely on God's power through His Word, verse 5 is essentially a call to rely on His power through prayer". Again, Paul emphasizes the importance of unity with one another. Those of us who are Christians should have the same mind, all focused on serving Christ, which in turn, will help us to be unified as the body of Christ. When everyone is looking to serve Christ and one another, this unity will also help us persevere, and cultivate encouragement with one another.
Paul finishes up this section with the end result of unity among the body of Christ, "that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ". There is nothing sweeter sounding to the Lord than hearing his people with one voice come together as a unified body to glorify Him. We should cherish the times we get to gather corporately as the body of Christ and worship together, knowing this is pleasing to the Lord. We should make sure we have done all we can to be at peace and unity with all other believers, as this is most pleasing to the Lord. May we remember this as we strive to be in harmony and peace with one another knowing we have all been brought together for the same purpose, drawing encouragement from the same Scriptures and the same God.
posted by amesfam | 7:32 AM
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