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Romans
15:7
Therefore,
accept
one
another,
just as
Christ
also
accepted us to the
glory of
God. |
Greek: Dio
proslambanesthe (2PPMM)
allelous,
kathos kai o Christos
proselabeto (3SAMI)
humas eis
doxan tou
theou
Amplified:
Welcome and receive [to your hearts] one another, then, even as
Christ has welcomed and received you, for the glory of God.
NLT: So accept each other just as Christ has accepted
you; then God will be glorified.
Phillips:
So open your hearts to one another as Christ
has opened his heart to you, and God will be glorified.
Wuest: Wherefore, be receiving one another even as also the
Christ received us, with a view to the glory of God.
Young's Literal: wherefore receive ye one another, according as
also the Christ did receive us, to the glory of God. |
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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" |
WHEREFORE:
dio:Wherefore
(term of
conclusion) - This term includes
the entire section from (Ro 14:1-15:6), and here sums up the major emphasis of
this section. In immediate context because the purpose of being of one accord is
to bring glory to God the Father, we are therefore to accept one another that
this glorious effect might be realized.
Stedman asks the question...
"Do you remember the prayer of the
little girl who once prayed, "Lord, make the bad people good and the
good people nice"? This is really the subject of Ro 14-15 -- making good
people nice! One of the problems of the Christian church is that we may
be quite correct in our doctrine and practice, but very irritating about
it. How do you live with people like that? That is the problem of these
chapters, and it is a problem that abounds everywhere -- how to live
with other Christians who persist in looking at things differently than
you do."
ACCEPT ONE ANOTHER: Dio proslambanesthe (2PPMM)
allelous: (Mt 10:40
Mk9:37 Lk 9:48)
Spurgeon...
If the Lord Jesus has indeed received
us, and bears with our weaknesses and follies, well may we have patience
with one another, and show pity to each other's infirmities.
Christ did not receive us because we were perfect, because he could see
no fault in us, or because he hoped to gain somewhat at our hands. Ah,
no! but, in loving condescension covering our faults, and seeking our
good, he welcomed us to his heart; so, in the same way, and with the
same purpose, let us receive one another.
Middletown Bible - The Law of Love
(Romans 14:1-15:3) -
For further help in
understanding how to live so as to not cause a brother to stumble, see
paper entitled, "Guidance:
67 Biblical Tests to Use in Deciding Upon a Course of Action."
Accept (proslambano)
(4355)
Paul commands us to make this our habit,
our lifestyle. (Study
the "one anothers" - most positive, some negative)
Proslambano is always in the
middle voice
in the NT which
conveys the idea that the subject not only
initiates the action but also participates in the results of that action. Paul
is calling for a "reflexive" (you yourselves demonstrate) a whole hearted
attitude and action. So
Paul says continually draw one another to yourself (that's the idea of the middle voice).
Give them a warm welcome.
Grant them access to your heart.
Take them to yourself.
Treat them as the
closest of friends with the most caring kindness.
Believers are to receive one
another in the closest of bonds. Let your love be without hypocrisy (Ro 12:9-note) and
demonstrate a genuine heartfelt acceptance. Take them into friendship. And
remember that in the final analysis to accept one another is actually to accept
Christ Himself (Mt 10:40)
JUST AS CHRIST ALSO ACCEPTED US TO THE GLORY OF GOD: kathos
kai o Christos proselabeto (3SAMI) humas eis
doxan tou theou:
It should not be too difficult to extend the hand of friendship
to one who is loved by the One we honor and worship and Who first loved us.
The idea should be "Any friend of His
is a friend of mine."
Accepted - The same verb proslambano
in (Ro14:3-note) describes God accepting the strong brother.
What were we like
before Christ accepted us? Romans 5 gives us a "thumbnail sketch" where
Paul describes unbelievers as "helpless... ungodly... sinners... enemies".
(Ro 5:6, 7-note,
Ro 5:8, 5:9-note,
Ro 5:10-note)
So what excuse do we have not to
accept another, no matter what the differences we might have with them in the
arena of non-essentials. Jesus accepts sinners impartially (Ro 2:11-note).
Jesus accepts sinners to the glory of God. God established His eternal plan of
redemption to glorify Himself. Everything He does is to His glory, and
everything His children do should be to His glory.
Leenhardt writes
Nothing glorifies God as much as the
unity of His children, which alone is in harmony with His essential will of
love.
Believers are to receive one another even as Christ has received us. No person
is too prejudicial or critical, too weak or base for us to receive. The point is
that Christ received and ministered to the most prejudicial and judgmental (the
Jews), sinful and base (the Gentiles) people in the world; therefore, believers
can receive one another (Gal 3:28, Ep 2:11-22-note). No one is too far gone to be rejected and cast away.
Ray Stedman has
some practical insights writing:
"Now, that is the end and aim of human
life, to "glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Every Christian
heart wants that. Is there any Christian who, deep down in his heart, does not
want the glory of God in his life? Well, then, the way to produce it is to live
in harmony with one another. That is the procedure. It says that even though
Christians: Hold different points of view (they do not come to some universal agreement on doctrine -- that isn't what is necessary), despite this, they can
be so interested in one another and so concerned about one another that they can
live in harmony, and the result is that they glorify God. What is the key to it?
It is tucked away in one little phrase which, if you miss it, you will want to
live in harmony with others but you will find yourself quite incapable of doing
it. The key is this little phrase, "in accord with Christ Jesus." (Ro 15:5b) You
see, when Paul mentions that Christ did not please Himself, he is not holding
Him up as an example to follow, he is lifting Him up as a life to appropriate!
That is the big difference! We are not just to try our best to live the same
way, because we CAN'T. Our own natural inclinations of self-pleasing rise up and
refuse to permit us to do that. But we must never forget that these exhortations
that we read in these last five chapters of Romans rest solidly and squarely on
the teachings of Ro 5, 6, 7, 8. It is back there that we learn that God has done
something about this old Adamic life which naturally moves to evil -- has cut it
off, and has given us, in place of it, the indwelling life of the Son of God
Himself, and it is His purpose and desire to live that life again through us! In
the doing of it, we find it quite possible to do all that He does because He
does it through us. This is what it is speaking of here when it says, "in accord
with Christ Jesus," that is, in fellowship with him. Biting your lip, and trying
to keep your temper is not the SECRET of living with difficult people; that is
never it. The SECRET is a thankful heart which continually looks up to the Lord
Jesus. It says, "Thank You, Lord, for the quietness and the calmness, the purity
and the love which is available to me through You continually. Thank You." A
thankful heart and an obedient will that seeks to please another for his own
good is the SECRET of living with difficult people. You try that and see if it
doesn't work." (Power
to Please)
John MacArthur adds that
Paul does not mention specific types of believers in this verse. He is speaking
to the strong and to the weak, to Gentiles and to Jews. All believers are called
to accept one another. He is not simply speaking of accepting new believers into
our church fellowship, although that would certainly be included in this
admonition. He is calling on all Christians to accept one another in the fullest
and deepest sense, to treat each other with love and understanding, just as
Christ also accepted us. If the perfect, sinless Son of God has accepted us into
God’s divine family, how much more should we be willing to accept each other,
despite the fact that we all still carry sinful trappings from our old,
unredeemed flesh.
(MacArthur,
J: Romans 9-16. Chicago: Moody Press
or
Logos)
><>><>><>
Include The Unaccepted
(Romans 15:4-13) - Christ's followers are called to live an "inclusive"
lifestyle. By this I mean that we are instructed in God's Word to reach out to
those who might not be accepted by others. But we get so comfortable with our
church friends that we may feel it's too much to ask.
In The Covenant Home Altar, Erika Carney wrote, "When I was growing up, my mom
was deeply involved with the various activities I participated in. She would
often tell me, 'Make sure Heather feels included,' or 'Ask Julie to be your
partner,' or 'Invite Kristen to sit with you and your friends.' I sometimes
dreaded hearing those words. What if I just wanted to be with my friends? Why
should I have to make sure that other people were having fun?"
Erika's mother was teaching her daughter to obey the principle taught in Romans
15:7. We are to welcome and accept Christians who may not feel comfortable in
our particular group.
Some people are excluded because they are withdrawn, angry, or defensive, or
because they seem strange or demanding. But these things shouldn't matter. We
are to receive fellow believers "just as Christ also received us, to the glory
of God" (Ro 15:7). — David C. Egner
Some people can be
difficult to love
And so we do not even try to care,
But God says, "Love them just as I've loved you--
You'll bring Me glory as My love you share." --Cetas
We care for others because God cares for us.
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Romans
15:8
For I
say that
Christ has
become a
servant to the
circumcision on
behalf of the
truth of
God to
confirm the
promises given to the
fathers |
|
Greek:
lego (1SPAI) gar
Christon
diakonon
gegenesthai (RPN)
peritomes
huper aletheias theou eis to
bebaiosai (AAN) tas
epaggelias ton
pateron
Amplified: For I tell you that Christ (the Messiah) became a
servant and a minister to the circumcised (the Jews) in order to show
God’s truthfulness and honesty by confirming (verifying) the promises
[given] to our fathers,
NLT: Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews
to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors.
Phillips:
Christ was made a servant of the Jews to prove God's trustworthiness,
since he personally implemented the promises made long ago to the
fathers,
Wuest: For I am saying, Christ has become a servant to the
circumcision on behalf of God’s truth, resulting in the confirmation
of the promises to the fathers
Young's Literal: And I say Jesus Christ to have become a
ministrant of circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the
promises to the fathers, |
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FOR I SAY THAT CHRIST HAS BECOME A SERVANT
TO THE
CIRCUMCISION ON BEHALF OF THE TRUTH OF GOD: lego (1SPAI)
gar Christon diakonon gegenesthai (RPN)
peritomes huper aletheias theou:
(Mk 10:43, Mt 20:26, Mt 23:11)
Paul has explained that believers are to accept
one another just as Christ accepted each one of us and now he elaborates on what
Christ's acceptance of us entails -- in a nutshell, as menial (diakonos)
(see in depth discussion of related word
diakonia) servant, of both Jews
and Gentiles.
Spurgeon...
It was to Abraham and his descendants
that the promise was made that, in him, and in his seed, all the nations
of the earth should be blessed. So our Lord came, as a Jew, to be "a
minister of the circumcision." Let us never forget that he came to those
whom we are apt to forget; and, peradventure, even to despise, "to
confirm the promises made unto the fathers.'"
Jesus, our Lord, became the servant
of the Jews, and preached among them in fulfilment of prophecy; shall we
not become the servants of others for their good? Nor did his ministry
end with Israel; but we, who are Gentiles, share the blessing;
therefore, like our Lord, we should seek the good of all mankind and
live to bless them.
Become (ginomai) - Paul
used
perfect tense
for become
indicating a permanent state -- Christ continues in his capacity as "a
servant of circumcision". His function as Jewish Messiah is permanent.
Paul is explaining the breadth
of Christ's acceptance of us. Christ received the Jews and ministered to
them and He did so for the truth of God -- to confirm and fulfill the
promises God made to the patriarchs. Did He accept them because they
accepted Him? In fact they did not receive Him! (Jn 1:11) and yet Christ
came to them and received and ministered to them. Why? For the sake of
the truth of God—to fulfill the OT promises made in the Word of God for
"not one word has failed of all His good promise" (1Ki 8:56 cp Josh
23:14 Nu 23:19)
Circumcision (4061)
(peritome
[word study]
from perí = around
+ témno = cut off) refers literally to cutting and removal of the
foreskin. As discussed below both the Old and New Testament also use the
concept of circumcision in a figurative or metaphorical sense. (See also
exposition of
Scriptures on Circumcision)
Although
circumcision was required by the Mosaic law, the rite was neglected
during the days when the people of Israel wandered in the wilderness.
Perhaps this was a sign that the nation had broken their covenant with
God through their disobedience. The rite was resumed when they entered
the land of Canaan, with Joshua performing the ritual on the generation
born in the wilderness (Joshua
5). The Hebrew people came to take great pride in
circumcision; in fact, it became a badge of their spiritual and national
superiority. This practice fostered an exclusivist mentality instead of
a missionary zeal to reach the Gentiles which was God's original intent
for His "chosen" people.
A daily prayer of
a strict Jewish male was to thank God that he was neither a woman, a
Samaritan, nor a Gentile. Gentiles came to be regarded by the Jews as
the uncircumcision, a term of disrespect implying that non-Jewish
peoples were outside the circle of God’s love. As discussed below, God
applied the very same term ("uncircumcised") to describe His "chosen"
people. The terms circumcised and uncircumcised became
emotionally charged symbols to Israel and their Gentile neighbors. This
issue later brought discord into the fellowship of the New Testament
church and especially caused confusion about how one obtained genuine
salvation.
The Jews should
have known the true meaning of circumcision for Moses and the prophets
used the term circumcised as a symbol for purity of heart and
readiness to hear and obey. For example, through Moses the Lord
challenged the Israelites to submit to
Circumcise then your heart,
and stiffen your neck no more. (Dt 10:16).
An uncircumcised
heart reflected a will that was hardened toward God’s commands.
Circumcision
as first prescribed in (Ge 17:10, 11, 12, 13, 14) meant to cut away the
fleshly part of the male sexual organ, that part which might hold
disease in its folds and so potentially might pass the disease on to the
wives. Thus physical circumcision had an important role in the
preservation of God’s people physically.
The Jews took great pride in circumcision which became a badge of
their spiritual and national superiority thus fostering a spirit of exclusivism
instead of a missionary zeal to reach out to the Gentile nations as God had
intended. A daily prayer of strict Jewish males was to thank God that he was
neither a woman, a Samaritan, nor a Gentile. Gentiles came to be regarded by the
Jews as the “uncircumcision,” a term of disrespect implying that non-Jewish
peoples were outside the circle of God’s love. Paul had already dealt with
genuine (internal, heart) circumcision and contrasted this with the external
ritual (Ro 2:28, 29-note).
TO CONFIRM (make firm, strengthen, guarantee) THE PROMISES GIVEN TO
THE FATHERS: eis to bebaiosai (AAN)
tas epaggelias ton pateron: (Ro9:4,5)
How did Messiah confirm the
promises to the patriarchs?
Clearly by being the ultimate fulfillment of those OT promises (To
Abraham Ge 12:3, 17:7, 18:19, 22:18, Acts 3:25) (To Isaac Gen 26:3, 4)
(To Jacob Ge 28:13, 14, 15, 46:2, 3, 4).
Paul made it clear both
that the
covenant
promises of God are permanent and that they find their
fulfillment in Christ.
Paul's point is that herein lies our motivation to accept one another, to
bear one another's weaknesses and not to please our self but build up one
another (Ro 15:1, 2-note).
The believer has
the greatest pattern imaginable:
Christ Himself.
Christ received us that God may be
glorified. Therefore, believers must receive each other so that God may
be glorified through their lives and His church. |
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Romans
15:9
and for the
Gentiles to
glorify
God for His
mercy; as it is
written,
"THEREFORE
* I WILL
GIVE
PRAISE TO YOU
AMONG THE
GENTILES, AND I WILL
SING TO YOUR
NAME." |
|
Greek: ta de
ethne huper
eleous
doxasai (AAN) ton
theon, kathos
gegraptai (3SRPI) dia touto
exomologesomai (1SFMI) soi en
ethnesin kai
to
onomati sou
psalo (1SFAI)
Amplified: And [also in order] that the Gentiles (nations)
might glorify God for His mercy [not covenanted] to them. As it is
written, Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles and sing
praises to Your name. [Ps 18:49]
NLT: And he came so the Gentiles might also give glory
to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when
he wrote: "I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises
to your name."
Phillips:
and also that the Gentiles might bring glory to God for his mercy to
them. It is written: 'For this reason I will confess to you among the
Gentiles, and sing to your name'.
Wuest: and [resulting] in the Gentiles, on behalf of His mercy,
glorifying God; even as it stands written, Because of this I will
openly confess to you among the Gentiles and in your Name sing.
Young's Literal: and the nations for kindness to glorify
God, according as it hath been written, 'Because of this I will
confess to Thee among nations, and to Thy name I will sing praise,' |
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AND FOR THE
GENTILES TO GLORIFY GOD FOR HIS MERCY: ta de ethne huper eleous doxasai (AAN)
ton theon: (John 10:16)
Spurgeon...
And that the Gentiles might glorify
God .for his mercy; as it is written: For this cause I will confess to
thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again he saith,
Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all
ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. And again, Esaias saith, There
shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the
Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.
There were plain indications, in the Old Testament, that the blessing
was meant for the Gentiles as well as for the Jews; but, still, it was
made known to the Jews first, and we must never forget that.
The saved Jew primarily praises God for His truth
and the saved Gentile
primarily praises God for His mercy. Christ received the Gentiles and ministered
to them. He came to bring them the mercy of God, that they might praise God for
His mercy. And don't forget the context -- Jesus received and ministered to the
Gentiles when they were living the most licentious and indulgent life-style
imaginable (Ro 1:18-32-note).
God had made covenants only with Israel (Ro 9:4-note),
not with the Gentiles (Ep 2:12-note),
so God had no covenantal promises to confirm with the Gentiles. Any
spiritual blessings that come to the Gentiles spring solely from the
mercy of God. Nevertheless God eternally purposed to bless the Gentiles
spiritually through the Lord Jesus as their Messiah and through His
covenants with Israel (Ge 12:3 cf. Jn 4:22).
It is no accident that Paul's quotations in (Ro 15:8, 9, 10, 11, 12) are taken from the three
divisions of the OT, the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Lk 24:44) and from three
great Jewish heroes: Moses, David, and Isaiah.
A progression of thought can be traced through the four quotations. In the
first, David praised God among the Gentiles
(Ro 15:9); in the second, Moses
exhorted the Gentiles, Rejoice . . . with His people (Ro15:10); in the
third the psalmist commanded the Gentiles to praise the Lord (Ro 15:11-note;
cf. Ro 15:7) and in the fourth, Isaiah predicted that the Gentiles will
live under the rule of the Root of Jesse (the Messiah) and they will
hope in Him (Ro 15:12-note).
AS IT IS WRITTEN THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO THEE AMONG THE GENTILES:
kathos gegraptai (3SRPI) dia touto
exomologesomai (1SFMI) soi en ethnesin:
Written
(1125)
(grapho
[word study])
from root graph- = primarily means
to scratch on or engrave as on an ornament, reports, letters, etc;
English = graph, graphic, etc) means to engrave or inscribe with a pen
or stylus characters or letters on a surface which can be wood, wax, metal,
leather, stone, parchment, dirt (John ), paper, etc. (Click
to review all 191 uses of grapho in the NAS)
It is written occurs 76
times in the (Click
for these uses). When we were children and our parents told us to do
something and we questioned "Why?", the answer was usually "Because I
said so!". Why are we commanded to be holy? Because God said so! A
popular saying is
God said it, I believe
it, that settles it.
This sounds good but isn't
accurate because God's Word is true, irregardless of whether we believe
it or not. A more accurate "saying" would be
God said it, that settles it!
It is written should put
a stop to every complaint or excuse. Paul is saying don't judge but
remember you will appear before Me to give an account (as the next verse
clarifies). This sobering thought should motivate us to obey this
injunction.
Grapho
is in the
perfect tense
meaning that this "has been written
and stands written".
To
illustrate that it has always been God’s plan to bring Gentile into His kingdom,
Paul appeals not to his great learning but to the unchanging Word of God in the Old
Testament, possibly to soften the prejudice of Christian Jews against
Christian Gentiles as their own Scriptures demonstrate that the inclusion of
Gentiles was neither a divine nor a human afterthought.
This first OT quotation is from the
Greek Septuagint of (2Sa
22:50, Ps 18:49-note)
where David is praising God for giving him victory over his enemies and
for making the nations subject to him. David goes on to say will sing
hymns of praise to the Lord among the Gentile nations, so that the
Gentiles may know the true God and join in the praise.
Paul sees in this Psalm as a clear
indication of God’s plan to include the Gentiles in the Messiah’s
people. Israel was to have been the instrument through which God's
redemptive work would extend to the Gentiles.
AND I WILL SING TO THY NAME: kai to onomati sou psalo (1SFAI):
Sing
(5567) (psallo) is derived from psáo which means to touch
lightly, twang or snap.
Psallo means first to play a stringed
instrument or to sing a hymn. Musicians who play upon an instrument were said to
pluck the strings (psálloun chordás) or simply pluck (psálloun). This word came
to signify the making of music in any fashion. Because stringed instruments were
commonly used both by believers and heathen in singing praises to their
respective gods, it meant to sing, sing praises or psalms to God whether with or
without instruments |
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Romans
15:10
Again he
says,
"REJOICE, O
GENTILES, WITH HIS
PEOPLE." |
|
Greek: kai palin
legei (3SPAI)
euphranthete (2PAPM)
ethne, meta tou
laou autou.
Amplified: Again it is said, Rejoice (exult), O Gentiles,
along with His [own] people; [Deut. 32:43.]
NLT: And in another place it is written, "Rejoice, O
you Gentiles, along with his people, the Jews."
Phillips: And again: 'Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people!'
Wuest: And again he says, Rejoice, Gentiles, with His people.
Young's Literal: and again it saith, 'Rejoice ye nations,
with His people;' |
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AND AGAIN HE SAYS REJOICE O GENTILES WITH HIS PEOPLE:
kai palin legei (3SPAI) euphranthete (2PAPM)
ethne, meta tou laou autou:
Paul quotes the from
Septuagint the
song of Moses, given as Moses prepared to die (Dt 32:43).
He had led Israel to its promised land and now, in the final verse of his
great song, he exhorted all the nations to rejoice with God's chosen nation,
for in Abraham's seed would all nations be blessed. Note also that Paul
quotes this exhortation as coming directly from God, even though it was
Moses' song, thus confirming the divine inspiration of Moses' writings near
the very end of the Pentateuch. |
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