ROMANS ROAD
to
RIGHTEOUSNESS |
Romans
1:18-3:20
|
Romans
3:21-5:21 |
Romans
6:1-8:39 |
Romans
9:1-11:36 |
Romans
12:1-16:27 |
|
SIN
|
SALVATION
|
SANCTIFICATION |
SOVEREIGNTY |
SERVICE |
NEED
FOR
SALVATION |
WAY
OF
SALVATION |
LIFE
OF
SALVATION |
SCOPE
OF
SALVATION |
SERVICE
OF
SALVATION |
God's Holiness
In
Condemning
Sin |
God's Grace
In
Justifying
Sinners |
God's Power
In
Sanctifying
Believers |
God's Sovereignty
In
Saving
Jew and Gentile |
Gods Glory
The
Object of
Service |
Deadliness
of Sin |
Design
of Grace |
Demonstration
of Salvation |
|
Power Given
|
Promises
Fulfilled |
Paths Pursued |
Righteousness
Needed |
Righteousness
Credited |
Righteousness
Demonstrated |
Righteousness
Restored to Israel |
Righteousness
Applied |
God's
Righteousness
IN LAW |
God's
Righteousness
IMPUTED |
God's
Righteousness
OBEYED |
God's
Righteousness
IN ELECTION |
God's
Righteousness
DISPLAYED |
|
Slaves to Sin |
Slaves to God |
Slaves Serving
God |
|
Doctrine |
Duty |
|
Life by Faith |
Service by
Faith |
|
Modified from Irving L.
Jensen's excellent work "Jensen's
Survey of the NT" |
YES, THEY WERE PLEASED TO DO SO AND THEY ARE INDEBTED TO THEM: eudokesan
(3PAAI) gar kai opheiletai eisin (3PPAI)
auton: (Ro
11:17;
1 Corinthians 9:11;
Galatians 6:6;
Philemon 1:19)
"They" refers to the
saints at Macedonia and Achaia (see discussion
at Romans 15:26)
Pleased (2106)
(eudokeo from eú = well, good + dokéo = think) means
literally to think well of and thus to approve of or take pleasure in.
From its usual sense “to take pleasure or delight in,” a further sense
evolved meaning “to decide for,” “to select,” “to prefer,” and from this
evolved the sense “to want,” “to will,” “to be willing or ready.” This
latter meaning is the emphasis in this passage. In reference to the
charitable giving, Paul makes it clear that the Gentile's gift was a
freewill offering.
The Gentile believers were pleased
to give such a gift to the suffering Jewish believers in Judea. They did
it voluntarily. They did it willingly, not out of complusion. They gave
according to the spirit with which Paul encouraged the Corinthians to
give...
Let each one do just as he has purposed
in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful
giver. (2Cor 9:7) (Comment: In fact the charitable giving which
Paul is describing here in Romans 15 is the collection that we read about
in 1 Corinthians 16:1 and 2 Corinthians 8 and 9)
Indebted (3781)
(opheiletes
from opheilo = owe) (Click
word study on
opheiletes)
("our debtors" - see notes
Matthew 6:12)
describing one who owes anything to another person, especially money but
also used metaphorically as here of those bound by some obligation or duty.
The idea is to consider something as good and therefore worthy of choice.
Paul makes it clear that the Gentiles
had a moral obligation and debt to pay for they had received the gospel
from Jewish believers.
J Vernon McGee puts it this
way...
Macedonia and Achaia were obligated to
Jerusalem. Now some of the saints in Jerusalem were having financial
difficulties, evidently because of persecution. Macedonia and Achaia could
now pay a spiritual debt in the coin of the realm. This is foreign
missions in reverse! It is the missionary church helping the home church.
This very thing may take place in our nation, by the way, in the not too
far distant future! (McGee,
J V: Thru the Bible Commentary: Nashville: Thomas Nelson)
In a similar way, Paul felt a moral obligation
or debt
to preach the gospel writing
"I am under obligation (opheiletes) both to Greeks and to barbarians,
both to the wise and to the foolish." (see notes
Romans 1:14)
Likewise believers are under a moral
obligation
to
mortify or put to death the deeds of the flesh
(kill them or they will kill you) by the Spirit as Paul says in chapter 8 of
Romans writing:
"So
then,
brethren, we are
under
obligation
(opheiletes), not to the
flesh, to
live
according to the
flesh -- 13 for
if you are
living
according to the
flesh, you
must
die; but
if by the
Spirit you are
putting to
death the
deeds of the
body, you will
live." (see notes
Romans 8:12,
8:13)
FOR IF THE GENTILES HAVE SHARED IN THEIR SPIRITUAL THINGS
THEY ARE INDEBTED TO MINISTER TO THEM ALSO IN MATERIAL THINGS: ei gar
tois pneumatikois auton ekoinonesan (3PAAI) ta ethne, opheilousin (3PPAI)
kai en tois sarkikois leitourgesai (AAN) autois:
If (1487)
(ei) introduces a first class conditional statement which implies that the
condition had been fulfilled. Thus one could render it "Since the Gentiles have shared".
Gentiles (1484)
(ethnos) is used principally for peoples not Jewish and thus depending on
the context can describe Gentile, heathen, nation, people. From a Jewish
perspective the phrase the nations (tá éthne), indicates
Gentile nations or the Gentiles in general.
Shared (2841)
(koinoneo from
koinos = that which is in common,
belonging to several or of which several are partakers - the verb
koinoneo is related to the noun
koinonia
translated "contribution" in
Romans 15:26 - note) means to to share
one's possessions,
with the implication of some kind of joint participation and mutual
interest. This Greek word is used in a marriage contract where the husband
and wife agree to a joint-participation in the necessaries of life. The key
idea in the word is that of a partnership, a possessing things in common, a
belonging in common to.
Spiritual (4152)
(pneumatikos from pneuma = spirit) relates to the human
spirit, as the part of man which is akin to God and serves as his instrument
or organ.
It refers to the nonmaterial rather than the material part of man. It is
used predominately of what belongs to the supernatural world as compared to
that which belongs to the natural world. Note that the suffix "-ikos" on the end
of an adjective means signifies “-like”. Thus pneumatikos
means “belonging to the spirit" or "of the nature of the spirit" and so "pertaining to that which is spiritual".
The spiritual things of which the Gentiles partake are the spiritual
blessings of salvation, specifically the gospel truths first preached to the
Gentile believers by the Jewish apostles, prophets, teachers, and
evangelists. Thus the Gentiles are debtors to the Jews for as
our Lord taught “Salvation is of the Jews” (Jn
4:22).
Indebted (3784)
(opheilo) means to be indebted to someone in a financial sense and
thus to owe something to someone. Figuratively as used in this verse it
means to be under a moral obligation to meet certain expectations. It can
also mean to be to be constrained by circumstance. Gentiles are debtors to the Jews.
Middletown Bible Church writes
that...
Gentiles are debtors to Jews. We owe them
so much because "salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22). We owe them so much
because the Bible is from the Jews. Indeed, even the authors of the New
Testament were Jewish, with the only exception being Luke. We are debtors to
the Jews because their God has become our God. Their Messiah has become our
Saviour! Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things! It is
only fitting that Gentiles should minister to them in carnal (material)
things. Great spiritual blessings have come from them to us. It is
appropriate then that great carnal or material blessings should come to them
from us. We should help our Jewish brethren in every way we can. In a way we
are also debtors to unbelieving Jews because of their godly heritage, even
though they are not presently representing that heritage. The believer in
Christ should be the best friend the Jew has in this world! (Romans 15)
Minister (3008) (leitourgeo
leitourgeo
from
leitourgos
= public servant from léïtos = of the people
[NIDNTT says it from "laos" = people] + érgon = work) means to be a
worker of the people or a
public servant. In classical
Greek the root word leitourgos referred especially to persons
performing public duties, or works of public use and so to perform religious or charitable functions
(worship, obey, relieve). It meant to render special formal service, and
thus leitourgeo can literally describe a priest who officiates or
ministers.
As used in this verse leitourgeo
describes the performance of religious duties in the sense of a Christian
performing services to God through such activities as prayer, teaching, etc.
Leitourgeo is used
2 other times in the NT (Acts
13:2 =
"And while they were ministering to the Lord
and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for
the work to which I have called them."
and
Heb 10:11 = "And every
priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same
sacrifices, which can never take away sins") and
86 times in the
Septuagint (LXX)
(Ex 28:35, 43; 29:30; 30:20; 35:19; 39:1, 26, 32; 40:30; Num 1:50; 3:6, 31;
4:3, 9, 12, 14, 23f, 26, 30, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43; 8:22, 26; 16:9; 18:2, 6f,
21, 23; Deut 10:8; 17:12; 18:5, 7; 1 Sam 2:11, 18; 3:1; 2 Sam 19:18; 1 Ki
1:4, 15; 8:11; 19:21; 2 Ki 25:14; 1 Chr 6:32; 15:2; 16:4, 37; 23:13, 28, 32;
26:12; 27:1; 2 Chr 5:14; 8:14; 11:14; 13:10; 15:16; 17:19; 22:8; 23:6;
29:11; 31:2; 35:3; Neh 10:36; Ps 101:6; Jer 52:18; Ezek 40:46; 42:14; 43:19;
44:11f, 15ff, 19, 27; 45:4f; 46:24; Dan 7:10; Joel 1:9, 13; 2:17)
Thayer writes that leitourgeo
means
"in Attic, especially the orators, "to
serve the state at one's own cost; to assume an office which must be
administered at one's own expense; to discharge a public office at one's own
cost; to render public service to the state.... universally, to do service,
to perform a work; Vulgate ministro (A. V. to minister); of the
priests and Levites who were busied with the sacred rites in the tabernacle
or the temple (as in the
Septuagint)
Paul's use of this specific word (leitourgeo) helps understand the thought
he is conveying here (e.g., this word gives us our English word "liturgy"),
that is, that the Gentiles are performing a "priestly service" Thus Paul elevates the ministry of almsgiving on the
footing of a sacrificial service, in every sense an act of worship to God.
In sum service to God's people is service to God. Let us all keep alert to
the opportunities we have to minister in this way and do so with hilarity.
As an aside, it is notable that his was
not the first time a collection was taken to the church in Jerusalem.
About ten years earlier, Paul and Barnabas brought a collection from the
church in Antioch of Syria to help the Jerusalem church during a time of
famine (Acts
11:30;
12:25).
If somebody blesses you spiritually, and the only way you can thank him is
with material things, then do it, That is God's program, to give back in
material things for the spiritual blessings you have received. Jesus
declared that
"It
is more blessed to give than to receive."
(
Acts 20:35)
John MacArthur notes that...
It was not that the Gentiles’ being
spiritually and materially indebted to the Jews made their generosity any
less meaningful or loving. Duty does not exclude willing and joyful
compliance. Even the most demanding duty or indebtedness can be fulfilled
out of love." (MacArthur,
J: Romans 9-16. Chicago: Moody Press)
"Material things" is literally
"fleshly things".
Material (4559)
(sarkikos from sarx = flesh + ikos = as noted above
this suffix means "-like" =
“belonging to the sarx" or "of the nature of the sarx") means that which belongs to the
nature of the flesh and so that which is from the
earthly sphere of existence and which is thus material or physical,
the meaning intended in this passage. In other contexts sarkikos, of
the nature of the flesh,
conveys an entirely different meaning, referring to the behavior which is
characteristic of the fallen flesh (sarx
- specifically the evil
disposition), but that is clearly not the meaning in this verse.
In a similar manner Paul writes to the
saints in Galatia exhorting them to...
let the one who is taught the word share
all good things with him who teaches. (Gal 6:6) (Comment: "share"
commonly refers to sharing of material goods. Paul is saying that the
responsibility of Christians to provide financial support for those who
devote full time to preaching and teaching the Word of God)
William Newell writes that in this
verse...
Here is announced also the principle
which Paul states concerning himself to the Corinthians: "If we sowed unto
you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we shall reap your carnal
things?" ...And although he "did not use this right, " he declares that "the
Lord ordained, that they that proclaim the gospel should live of the gospel"
(1Cor 9:11,12 = "If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if
we should reap material things from you? If others share the right over you,
do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all
things, that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ."). To
the Levites only, among the tribes, was given no inheritance, Jehovah
saying, "I am their inheritance." But others were to minister unto them of
their substance, so that, when the Israelites were faithful, the Levites had
plenty; and when Israel forgot Jehovah, they forgot the Levites. (Romans 15)