---
title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Romans 15"
description: "CHAPTER 15   :-. SAME SUBJECT
CONTINUED AND CONCLUDED. 1. We then that are strong—on
such points as have been discussed, the abolition of the Jewish
disti"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/romans/15"
---

CHAPTER 15

. SAME SUBJECT
CONTINUED AND CONCLUDED.

**1. We then that are strong**—on
such points as have been discussed, the abolition of the Jewish
distinction of meats and days under the Gospel. See on ; [Romans 15:1](../../../kjv/romans/15/1).
**ought . . . not to please
ourselves**—ought to think less of what we may lawfully do than
of how our conduct will affect others.

**2, 3. Let every one of us**—lay
himself out to
**please his neighbour**—not
indeed for his mere gratification, but
**for his good**—with a
view
**to his edification.**

**3. For even Christ pleased not**—lived
not to please
**himself; but, as it is
written**— ([Psalms 69:9](../../../kjv/psalms/69/9)).
**The reproaches,** &c.—see
[Mark 10:42-45](../../../kjv/mark/10/42-45).

**4. For whatsoever things were
written aforetime were written for our learning**—"instruction"
**through,** c.—"through
the comfort and the patience of the Scriptures"
**might have hope**—that
is, "Think not that because such portions of Scripture relate
immediately to Christ, they are inapplicable to you for though
Christ's sufferings, as a Saviour, were exclusively His own, the
*motives* that prompted them, the *spirit* in which they
were endured, and the *general principle* involved in His whole
work—self-sacrifice for the good of others—furnish our most
perfect and beautiful model; and so all Scripture relating to these
is for our instruction; and since the duty of *forbearance,* the
strong with the weak, requires 'patience,' and this again needs
'comfort,' all those Scriptures which tell of *patience* and
*consolation,* particularly of the patience of Christ, and of
the consolation which sustained Him under it, are our appointed and
appropriate nutriment, ministering to us '*hope*' of that
blessed day when these shall no more be needed." See on , *Note* 7. (For the same connection between "patience
and hope" see on [Romans 15:1](../../../kjv/romans/15/1),
and [1 Thessalonians 1:3](../../../kjv/1-thessalonians/1/3)).

**5, 6. Now the God of patience and
consolation**—Such beautiful names of God are taken from the
graces which He inspires: as "the God of hope" (), "the God of peace" ().
**grant you to be
likeminded**—"of the same mind"
**according to Christ Jesus**—It
is not mere unanimity which the apostle seeks for them; for unanimity
in evil is to be deprecated. But it is "*according to Christ
Jesus*"—after the sublimest model of Him whose
all-absorbing desire was to do, "not His own will, but the will
of Him that sent Him" ().

**6. That,** c.—rather, "that
with one accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ" the mind and the mouth of all giving
harmonious glory to His name. What a prayer! And shall this never be
realized on earth?

**7. Wherefore**—returning to the
point
**receive ye one another . . .
to the glory of God**—If Christ received us, and bears with all
our weaknesses, well may we receive and compassionate one with
another, and by so doing God will be glorified.

**8-12. Now**—"For" is
the true reading: the apostle is merely assigning an additional
motive to Christian forbearance.
**I say that Jesus Christ
was**—"hath become"
**a minister of the
circumcision**—a remarkable expression, meaning "the
Father's Servant for the salvation of the circumcision (or, of
Israel)."
**for the truth of God**—to
make good the veracity of God towards His ancient people.
**to confirm the**—Messianic
**promises made unto the
fathers**—To cheer the Jewish believers, whom he might seem to
have been disparaging, and to keep down Gentile pride, the apostle
holds up Israel's salvation as the primary end of Christ's mission.
But next after this, Christ was sent.

**9. that the Gentiles might glorify
God for his mercy**—A number of quotations from the Old Testament
here follow, to show that God's plan of mercy embraced, from the
first, the Gentiles along with the Jews.
**as it is written**— ().
**I will confess to**—that
is, glorify
**thee among the Gentiles.**

**10. And again**— (, though there is some difficulty in the *Hebrew*).
**Rejoice, ye Gentiles**—along
**with his people**—Israel.

**11. And again**— ().
**Praise the Lord, all ye
Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people**—"peoples"—the
various nations outside the pale of Judaism.

**12. And again, Esaias saith**—
([Isaiah 11:10](../../../kjv/isaiah/11/10)).
**There shall be a**—"the"
**root of Jesse**—meaning,
not "He from whom Jesse sprang," but "He that is
sprung from Jesse" (that is, Jesse's son David)—see [Isaiah 11:10](../../../kjv/isaiah/11/10).
**and he that shall rise,**
&c.—So the *Septuagint* in substantial, though not verbal,
agreement with the original.

**13. Now,** c.—This seems a
concluding prayer, suggested by the whole preceding subject matter of
the epistle.
**the God of hope**—(See on
[Romans 15:1](../../../kjv/romans/15/1)).
**fill you with all joy and
peace in believing**—the native truth of that *faith* which
is the great theme of this epistle (compare [Romans 15:1](../../../kjv/romans/15/1)).
**that ye may abound in
hope**—"of the glory of God." (See on [Romans 15:1](../../../kjv/romans/15/1)).
**through the power of the Holy
Ghost**—to whom, in the economy of redemption, it belongs to
inspire believers with all gracious affections.
On the foregoing portion, *Note,*
(1) No Christian is at liberty to regard himself as an isolated
disciple of the Lord Jesus, having to decide questions of duty and
liberty solely with reference to himself. As Christians are one body
in Christ, so the great law of love binds them to act in all things
with tenderness and consideration for their brethren in "the
common salvation" ([Romans 15:1](../../../kjv/romans/15/1)
[Romans 15:2](../../../kjv/romans/15/2)). (2) Of this
unselfishness CHRIST is
the perfect model of all Christians ([Romans 15:2](../../../kjv/romans/15/2)). (3) Holy Scripture is the divine storehouse of all
furniture for the Christian life, even in its most trying and
delicate features ([Romans 15:4](../../../kjv/romans/15/4)).
(4) The harmonious glorification of the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ by the whole body of the redeemed, as it is the most
exalted fruit of the scheme of redemption, so it is the last end of
God in it ([Romans 15:5-7](../../../kjv/romans/15/5-7)).
[Romans 15:5-45](../../../kjv/romans/15/5-45). CONCLUSION:
IN WHICH
THE APOSTLE
APOLOGIZES FOR THUS
WRITING TO THE ROMAN
CHRISTIANS, EXPLAINS
WHY HE
HAD NOT
YET VISITED
THEM, ANNOUNCES
HIS FUTURE
PLANS, AND ASKS
THEIR PRAYERS
FOR THE COMPLETION OF
THEM.

**14, 15. And,** &c.—rather,
"Now I am persuaded, my brethren, even I myself, concerning you"
**that ye also yourselves are
full of goodness**—of inclination to all I have been enjoining on
you
**filled with all knowledge**—of
the truth expounded
**and able**—without my
intervention.
**to admonish one another.**

**15. Nevertheless, I have written the
more boldly unto you in some sort**—"measure"
**as putting you in mind,
because of the grace that is given to me of God**—as an apostle
of Jesus Christ.

**16. that I should be the**—rather,
"a"
**minister**—The word here
used is commonly employed to express the office of the priesthood,
from which accordingly the figurative language of the rest of the
verse is taken.
**of Jesus Christ**—"Christ
Jesus," according to the true reading.
**to the Gentiles**—a
further proof that the Epistle was addressed to a *Gentile*
church. (See on [Romans 1:13](../../../kjv/romans/1/13)).
**ministering the gospel of
God**—As the word here is a still more priestly one, it should be
rendered, "ministering as a priest in the Gospel of God."
**that the offering up of the
Gentiles**—as an oblation to God, in their converted character.
**might be acceptable, being
sanctified by the Holy Ghost**—the end to which the ancient
offerings typically looked.

**17. I have therefore whereof I may
glory**—or (adding the article, as the reading seems to be), "I
have my glorying."
**through**—"in"
**Christ Jesus in those things
which pertain to God**—the things of the ministry committed to me
of God.

**18-22. For I will not dare to speak
of any**—"to speak aught"
**of those things which Christ
hath not wrought by me**—a modest, though somewhat obscure form
of expression, meaning, "I will not dare to go beyond what
Christ *hath* wrought by me"—in which form accordingly
the rest of the passage is expressed. Observe here how Paul ascribes
all the success of his labors to the activity of the living Redeemer,
working in and by him.
**by word and deed**—by
preaching and working; which latter he explains in the next clause.

**19. Through mighty**—literally,
"in the power of"
**signs and wonders**—that
is, glorious miracles.
**by the power of the Spirit of
God**—"the Holy Ghost," as the true reading seems to
be. This seems intended to explain the efficacy of the word preached,
as well as the working of the miracles which attested it.
**so that from Jerusalem, and
round about unto**—"as far as"
**Illyricum**—to the
extreme northwestern boundary of Greece. It corresponds to the modern
Croatia and Dalmatia ([2 Timothy 4:10](../../../kjv/2-timothy/4/10)).
See [Acts 20:1](../../../kjv/acts/20/1); [Acts 20:2](../../../kjv/acts/20/2).
**I have fully preached the
gospel of Christ.**

**20, 21. Yea,** c.—rather, "Yet
making it my study (compare [2 Corinthians 5:9](../../../kjv/2-corinthians/5/9)
[1 Thessalonians 4:11](../../../kjv/1-thessalonians/4/11), *Greek*) so to
preach the Gospel, not where Christ was [already] named, that I might
not build upon another man's foundation: but (might act) as it is
written, To whom no tidings of Him came, they shall see," &c.

**22. For which cause**—"Being
so long occupied with this missionary work, I have been much (or,
'for the most part') hindered," &c. (See on .)

**23, 24. But now having no more
place**—"no longer having place"—that is, unbroken
ground, where Christ has not been preached.
**and having a great desire**—"a
longing"
**these many years to come unto
you**—(as before, see on ).

**24. whensoever I take my journey
into Spain**—Whether this purpose was ever accomplished has been
much disputed, as no record of it nor allusion to it anywhere occurs.
Those who think our apostle was never at large after his first
imprisonment at Rome will of course hold that it never was; while
those who are persuaded, as we are, that he underwent a second
imprisonment, prior to which he was at large for a considerable time
after his first, incline naturally to the other opinion.
**I will come to you**—If
these words were not originally in the text, and there is weighty
evidence against them, they must at least be inserted as a necessary
supplement.
**in my journey,** &c.—"as
I pass through by you, to be set forward on my journey thither, if
first I be somewhat filled with your company": that is, "I
should indeed like to stay longer with you than I can hope to do, but
I must, to some extent at least, have my fill of your company."

**25-27. But now I go to Jerusalem to
minister**—"ministering"
**to the saints**—in the
sense immediately to be explained.

**26. For,** c.—better, "For
Macedonia and Achaia have thought good to make a certain contribution
for the poor of the saints which are at Jerusalem." (See ). "They have thought it good and their debtors verily
they are"; that is, "And well they may, considering what
the Gentile believers owe to their Jewish brethren."

**27. For if the Gentiles have been
made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also**—"they
owe it also"
**to minister unto them in
carnal things**—(Compare [1 Corinthians 9:11](../../../kjv/1-corinthians/9/11);
[Galatians 6:6](../../../kjv/galatians/6/6); and see [Luke 7:4](../../../kjv/luke/7/4);
[Acts 10:2](../../../kjv/acts/10/2)).

**28, 29. When therefore I have . . .
sealed**—that is, delivered over safely
**to them this fruit**—of
the faith and love of the Gentile converts
**I will come**—"come
back," or "return"
**by you into Spain**—(See
on [Romans 15:1](../../../kjv/romans/15/1)).

**29. And I am sure**—"I
know"
**that . . . I shall come in
the fulness of the blessing of Christ**—Such, beyond all doubts,
is the true reading, the words "of the gospel" being in
hardly any manuscripts of antiquity and authority. Nor was the
apostle mistaken in this confidence, though his visit to Rome was in
very different circumstances from what he expected. See .

**30. Now I beseech you, brethren, for
the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit**—or,
"by the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit"—not
the love which the Spirit bears to us, but that love which He kindles
in the hearts of believers towards each other; that is "By that
Saviour whose name is alike dear to all of us and whose unsearchable
riches I live only to proclaim, and by that love one to another which
the blessed Spirit diffuses through all the brotherhood, making the
labors of Christ's servants a matter of common interest to all—I
beseech you."
**that ye strive together with
me in your prayers to God for me**—implying that he had his
grounds for anxious fear in this matter.

**31. That I may be delivered from
them that do not believe**—"that do not obey," that is,
the truth, by believing it; as in .
**in Judea**—He saw the
storm that was gathering over him in Judea, which, if at all, would
certainly burst upon his head when he reached the capital; and the
event too clearly showed the correctness of these apprehensions.
**and that my service which I
have for Jerusalem**—(See on ).
**may be accepted of**—"prove
acceptable to"
**the saints**—Nor was he
without apprehension lest the opposition he had made to the narrow
jealousy of the Jewish converts against the free reception of their
Gentile brethren, should make this gift of theirs to the poor saints
at Jerusalem less welcome than it ought to be. He would have the
Romans therefore to join him in wrestling with God that this gift
might be gratefully received, and prove a cement between the two
parties. But further.

**32. That I may come unto you
with**—"in"
**joy by the will of God**—
([Acts 18:21](../../../kjv/acts/18/21); [1 Corinthians 4:19](../../../kjv/1-corinthians/4/19);
[1 Corinthians 16:7](../../../kjv/1-corinthians/16/7); [Hebrews 6:3](../../../kjv/hebrews/6/3);
[James 4:15](../../../kjv/james/4/15))
**and may with you be
refreshed**—rather, "with you refresh myself," after
all his labors and anxieties, and so be refitted for future service.

**33. Now the God of peace be with you
all. Amen**—The peace here sought is to be taken in its widest
sense: the peace of reconciliation to God, first, "through the
blood of the everlasting covenant" ([Hebrews 13:20](../../../kjv/hebrews/13/20);
[1 Thessalonians 5:23](../../../kjv/1-thessalonians/5/23); [2 Thessalonians 3:16](../../../kjv/2-thessalonians/3/16);
[Philippians 4:9](../../../kjv/philippians/4/9)); then the peace which
that reconciliation diffuses among all the partakers of it ([1 Corinthians 14:33](../../../kjv/1-corinthians/14/33);
[2 Corinthians 13:11](../../../kjv/2-corinthians/13/11); and see on [2 Corinthians 13:11](../../../kjv/2-corinthians/13/11)); more widely still, that peace which the children of God,
in beautiful imitation of their Father in Heaven, are called and
privileged to diffuse far and wide through this sin-distracted and
divided world ([Romans 12:18](../../../kjv/romans/12/18); [Matthew 5:9](../../../kjv/matthew/5/9);
[Hebrews 12:14](../../../kjv/hebrews/12/14); [James 3:18](../../../kjv/james/3/18)).
*Note,* (1) Did "the
chiefest of the apostles" apologize for writing to a Christian
church which he had never seen, and a church that he was persuaded
was above the need of it, save to "stir up their pure minds by
way of remembrance" ([2 Peter 1:13](../../../kjv/2-peter/1/13);
[2 Peter 3:1](../../../kjv/2-peter/3/1)); and did he put even
this upon the sole plea of apostolic responsibility ([2 Peter 3:1](../../../kjv/2-peter/3/1))? What a contrast is thus presented to hierarchical
pride, and in particular to the affected humility of the bishop of
this very Rome! How close the bond which the one spirit draws between
ministers and people—how wide the separation produced by the other!
(2) There is in the Christian Church no real priesthood, and none but
figurative sacrifices. Had it been otherwise, it is inconceivable
that [Romans 15:16](../../../kjv/romans/15/16) should have been
expressed as it is. Paul's only priesthood and sacrificial offerings
lay, first, in ministering to them as "the apostle of the
Gentiles," not the sacrament with the "real presence"
of Christ in it, or the sacrifice of the mass, but "the Gospel
of God," and then, when gathered under the wing of Christ,
presenting them to God as a grateful offering, "being sanctified
[not by sacrificial gifts, but] by the Holy Ghost." (See [Romans 15:16](../../../kjv/romans/15/16)). (3) Though the debt we owe to those by whom we have
been brought to Christ can never be discharged, we should feel it a
privilege when we render them any lower benefit in return ([Romans 15:26](../../../kjv/romans/15/26);
[Romans 15:27](../../../kjv/romans/15/27)). (4) Formidable
designs against the truth and the servants of Christ should, above
all other ways of counteracting them, be met by combined prayer to
Him who rules all hearts and controls all events; and the darker the
cloud, the more resolutely should all to whom Christ's cause is dear
"strive together in their prayers to God" for the removal
of it ([Romans 15:30](../../../kjv/romans/15/30); [Romans 15:31](../../../kjv/romans/15/31)).
(5) Christian fellowship is so precious that the most eminent
servants of Christ, amid the toils and trials of their work, find it
refreshing and invigorating; and it is no good sign of any
ecclesiastic, that he deems it beneath him to seek and enjoy it even
amongst the humblest saints in the Church of Christ ([Romans 15:24](../../../kjv/romans/15/24);
[Romans 15:32](../../../kjv/romans/15/32)).

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