Romans 15:1-13
Bearing Others’ Burdens
1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” 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. 5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Glorify God Together
7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. 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, 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.”
10 And again he says:
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!”
11 And again:
“Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles!
Laud Him, all you peoples!”
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.”
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.
We who are called into Christ are called to bear with fellow believers in their weak areas of faith as we all grow in our conformity to our Lord. We should not put our own interests above those of others who need encouragement and assistance in the faith as others have poured their selfless lives into us before. Our aim should be to find ways to build up or edify fellow citizens of heaven with forebearance and genuine loving concern to encourage their faith to grow in knowing Jesus Christ and the God we serve through und His word and therefore knowing Himmand glorifying Him together. This means that sometimes we have to take the brunt of reproach on ourselves as we do not force how right we may be at the expense of another’s growth as they work out (Philippians 2:12-13) their salvation with trembling reverent fear. We both can find comfort and hope in the scriptures we study together as we learn patience in our journey towards eternity. The God of patience Himself teaches and comforts us all as we work towards unity of the faith (Ephesians 4:3, 13, Philippians 2:1-4) in like-mindedness of the essentials of the faith that are clearly written and understood while agreeing to disagree agreeably on the more obscure and unclear issues not obvious in scripture. Together we should be giving the glory, honor, and praise due to our same Lord over us all in unity of faith and love as Jesus displayed and taught us in light of the truth shown and taught us. This joyful corporate expression of faith from His body the universal church should not admit false doctrine, but neither should minor issues divide and keep us from glo God in Jesus Christ, just as the Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome at the time of this letter were encouraged to avoid. God called His children from Israel’s descendants but also out of all the other nations which God promised Abraham by faith over nationality before Isaac who was Israel was even conceived. Jesus Christ out of both lineage lines has come to gather us all as one chosen people in Himself to give us all hope as He reigns as Sovereign Lord over us all. This hope is why and how we can find joy and peace in this common faith and increase in that hope by the same Holy Spirit of God who reigns in each of us as we seek unity in our thoughts and actions in light of the positional unity we have in Him. This unity among believers must be maintained and nurtured by our willingness to trust and obey in these matters of joyful faith that bears with one another until we all come to the unity of the Faith (Ephesians 4:13) as a perfected man in Christ. Let us glorify God together without compromising the truth nor fighting over minor matters that we all grow in the knowledge of Him who called us together in conformity to Him in the truth.
No comments:
Post a Comment