Romans 15:12 Kommentar

The apostle, in this chapter, continues the discourse of the former, concerning mutual forbearance in indifferent things; and so draws towards a conclusion of the epistle. Where such differences of apprehension, and consequently distances of affection, are among Christians, there is need of precept upon precept, line upon line, to allay the heat, and to beget a better temper. The apostle, being desirous to drive the nail home, as a nail in a sure place, follows his blow, unwilling to leave the subject till he has some hopes of prevailing, to which end he orders the cause before them and fills his mouth with the most pressing arguments. We may observe, in this chapter, I. His precepts to them. II. His prayers for them. III. His apology for writing to them. IV. His account of himself and his own affairs. V. His declaration of his purpose to come and see them. VI. His desire of a share in their prayers.

INTRODUCTION TO ROMANS 15 The apostle in this chapter pursues his exhortation to mutual affection and forbearance, notwithstanding their different sentiments about the use of meats, and observation of days; excuses his writing so freely to them, which they might bear with, in consideration of his being an apostle, especially an apostle of the Gentiles, and which office he magnified and fulfilled everywhere; gives them the reasons why he had not as yet been with them though he greatly desired it, encourages them to expect, a visit from him; and concludes with earnestly entreating them that he might have a share in their prayers: and first, as an inference from what he had said in the preceding chapter, he lays it down as a duty incumbent on himself, and all that were strong in the doctrine of Christian liberty, to bear with the infirmities of weak Christians, and not please themselves, but others, Rom 15:1, which he enforces, from the usefulness of it, it being for the good and edification of others, Rom 15:2, and from the example of Christ, who pleased not himself, Rom 15:3, and which is proved from a passage of Scripture in Psa 69:9, the pertinency of which passage, and the citation and application of it to Christ and the present case, are vindicated from this consideration, that whatever was written in former times, was for the use of the saints under the Gospel dispensation, Rom 15:4, and that the exhortation might have its effect upon them, be puts up a prayer to God for them, that such a temper of mind might be in them, which would be for the glory of God, Rom 15:5, and then he repeats his exhortation, Rom 15:7, that they would affectionately receive one another; which he urges by the example of Christ, who had received them to the glory of God; and that they might glorify him, and this was one way of doing it: and that this argument might have the greater weight with both parties, he observes, that Jesus Christ had a special regard to the Jews, and was their minister, sent unto them to fulfil the promises made unto their fathers, and had received them; and therefore though they were weak, they were not to be despised, grieved, and offended, Rom 15:8, and as for the Gentiles, it was a clear case that God had had long ago a design of mercy to them, and that they were to be, and were now received by Christ, and so under obligation to glorify God for his mercy; and therefore not to be judged and condemned, though they did not conform to the ceremonial law; and this he proves in Rom 15:9, from several passages of Scripture in Psa 18:49, and closes this argument he had so long insisted on with a prayer to God for them, that they might be in the exercise of faith and hope; and, in the exercise of those graces, be filled with joy and peace, Rom 15:13, and in order to prevent an objection that might be made to these prayers and exhortations of his, that they suggested that they were wicked and ignorant men, devoid of affection, and knew not how to behave to each other, nor to exhort one another, the apostle softens such a resentment, by calling them brethren, and by expressing his persuasion of their abundant goodness, knowledge, and abilities, Rom 15:14, and excuses the freedom he took with them by observing, that he only acted the part of a monitor, Rom 15:15, and the rather this freedom might be allowed him, on account of the great gifts bestowed upon him, qualifying him to be an apostle of Christ; and especially as he was an apostle of the Gentiles and so their apostle, Rom 15:16, and on account of his office, gifts, and usefulness, he had reason to glory; though through Christ only, and in things relating to God, and not himself, Rom 15:17, when he takes an occasion to enlarge on his ministry, and magnify his office; partly from the end and success of it, bringing the Gentiles to the obedience of Christ, Rom 15:18, and partly from the means and causes of such success the preaching of the word, working miracles, and the power of the Holy Ghost; and from the extent of it, reaching from Jerusalem to Illyricum, Rom 15:19, and from the difficulty which attended it, he preaching in places where the Gospel was never preached before, and which he chose to do, Rom 15:20, and which was necessary to be done, according to a prophecy in Isa 52:15, which he cites, Rom 15:21, and observes, that it was his preaching in these many and distant parts that was the reason of his not having been with the saints at Rome, Rom 15:22, but now gives them reason to expect his coming; partly because he had finished his travels in those countries, and partly because of the vehement desire he had to see them, Rom 15:23, and besides, an opportunity seemed to be offering, he intending to take a journey to Spain, when it would lie in his way to come to Rome, and be for his advantage, Rom 15:24, in the mean while he informs them what he was engaged in, to carry the contribution of the Macedonian and Asian churches to Jerusalem, for the poor saints there, Rom 15:25, on which contributions he enlarges, showing not only who made them, and for whom, but the source and spring of them, they arose from their good will and pleasure, Rom 15:26, and yet they were debtors, and under obligation to do what they did; it was but a piece of justice and equity, since those churches had received of the spiritual things of the Jews, Rom 15:27, and as for his coming to them, he acquaints them of the time that it would be, when he had finished the above service and labour of love, and when he should come into Spain, as he had before signified, Rom 15:28, and of the manner in which he should come, of which he was fully persuaded, as that it would be with the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ, Rom 15:29, and then with great importunity desires them to pray for him, and that very earnestly, Rom 15:30, particularly that he might be delivered from his enemies in Judea, and that the saints there would accept of what he brought them from the Gentiles, Rom 15:31, and that, if it was the will of God, he might come to them and be refreshed with them, Rom 15:32, and then closes the chapter with a salutation of them, or a wish that the God of peace might be with them, Rom 15:33.

Now the God of hope,.... This character is taken from the latter part of Rom 15:12, and is occasioned by it, "in him shall the Gentiles trust", or "hope"; and is proper to God as he is the author and giver of this grace; for naturally men are without it; that which is a good hope is the gift of God, and through his grace, and is wrought in the heart in regeneration; for to this are the children of God begotten again. Moreover, God is the object of it; not wealth and riches, nor works of righteousness, but Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit, particularly Christ, is called the believer's hope; that is, the object of it, in whom the Gentiles hope and trust. Likewise, it is God that encourages to the exercise of it by the proclamations of his grace, and mercy, and plenteous redemption; by the discoveries of his love, and views of interest in him; and by bringing to mind the past experiences of his goodness: he preserves and maintains this grace useful and lively, firm and steadfast, at least in being, which sometimes seems almost perished and gone; he increases it, and causes his people to abound in the exercise of it, and continues it even unto death. The Ethiopic version reads, "the God of our promises", which are what hope has respect unto, and builds upon: fill you with all joy and peace in believing. This is a petition to the God of hope. The apostle has recourse again to prayer, knowing that all his exhortations would be useless, without the grace of God accompanying them: and it is observable, that he prays for the same things mentioned in the above prophecies and promises, as joy, peace, and hope; for though God has promised ever so great things concerning his people, he will be inquired of by them to do them for them. One part of this petition is, that God would "fill them with all joy"; not with every kind of joy; not with worldly joy, or with the joy of hypocrites, who rejoice in sin, or in their own boastings, which is evil; but with spiritual joy, joy in God as a covenant God and Father; in Christ, in his person, righteousness, and salvation; and in the Holy Ghost, the author of it, whose fruit it is; and in the Gospel, doctrines, blessings, and promises of it; and in the view and hope of the heavenly glory, amidst various afflictions and tribulations: and it designs an abundance of it, even a fulness thereof; though the petition implies, that as yet it is not full; it is frequently interrupted and broke in upon by the corruption of nature, and falls into sin, by the temptations of Satan, through divine desertions, and various trials and exercises; yet it supposes it may be increased, as by the renewed discoveries of the love of God, of interest in Christ, and through the gracious influences of the Spirit; and even made full and complete, though not in this, yet in the other world: another branch of the petition is, that God would fill with "peace", with a sense of their peace with him, made by the blood of Christ; with a conscience peace in their own breasts, arising from a view of their justification by the righteousness of Christ, and from the sprinklings of his blood upon them; and also with peace one among another, which was much wanting, and the apostle was very desirous of: and all this he asks, that it might come to them "in believing"; in the way of faith, and the exercise of that grace; for joy comes this way; faith and joy go together; where one is, the other is also; and as the one increases, so does the other; a believing view of interest in Christ is attended with joy unspeakable, and full of glory: and so peace comes in at the door of faith: there is no true peace till a soul is brought to believe in Christ; and that is promoted and increased by repeated acts of faith on Christ, or by a constant living by faith on him; see Isa 26:3. The end for which this petition is made is, that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. By hope is meant that grace which God is the author, object, and promoter of; and the Syriac version reads it, "in his hope", or "the hope of him"; of enjoying him, of meeting with him, and having communion with him in his house and ordinances; of having fresh supplies of grace from him, and of being favoured with all the blessings of grace laid up in an everlasting covenant, and at last with eternal life and glory: to "abound" herein, is to be in the free and frequent exercise of this grace, being encouraged by the grace of God, and an enlarged experience of it, and supported by faith, the substance of things hoped for: and this "through the power of the Holy Ghost"; not by might or power of man, but by that same divine power which first began the good work, and must fulfil it; which at first implanted the grace of hope, and must perform the work of that, as of faith. The same power is requisite to cause grace to abound, or saints to abound in the exercise of it, as was to the first production of it. The Vulgate Latin reads, "that ye may abound in hope, and in the power of the Holy Ghost"; but there is no copulative in the Greek text.

But when the same prophet represents to us even nations sometimes estimated as "the small dust of the balance," and as "less than nothing, and vanity," and sometimes as about to hope and "trust in the name" and arm of the Lord, are we at all misled respecting the Gentile nations by the diversity of statement? Are some of them to turn believers, and are others accounted dust, from any difference of nature? Nay, rather Christ has shone as the true light on the nations within the ocean's limits, and from the heaven which is over us all.

"And, rejoice, ye Gentiles, with His people. And, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and let all people laud Him." "And, There shall be a root of Jesse, and He that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him shall the Gentiles trust." Now all these quotations he has given to show that we ought to be united, and to glorify God; and also, to humble the Jew, that he may not lift himself up over these, since all the prophets called these, as well as to persuade the man of the Gentiles to be lowly, by showing him that he had a larger grace to answer for.

In order to give the Gentiles greater assurance and a surer hope, Paul backs up God’s decree with many examples.Why is Christ said to be from the root of Jesse and not from the root of Boaz, a righteous man, or of Obed? It is because he is said to be the Son of David on account of the kingdom, and just as he was born of God to be king, so also he was born of David according to the flesh. Therefore, the root of Jesse is the tree of David, which bore fruit on the branch which is the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Christ.

Jesse was the father of David, from whose seed, through Mary, Christ was born [cf. 1:3].… It is thus proved to the Jews that their Messiah has already come, because it is clear that all the Gentiles hope in Christ.

He brought all these testimonies as proof that those called from among the Gentiles must live in unity and be of one mind with those who came from among the Jews; he humbles them so that they would not exalt themselves over those called from among the Gentiles, for all the prophets called them, while he again persuades those called from among the Gentiles not to be puffed up, showing that they are more indebted to God, as having received greater mercy; for they, not being a people, were united with the people. The words "I will praise You among the Gentiles" are spoken in the person of Christ, instead of: I will proclaim You, O Father, among the nations; and the words "there shall be a root of Jesse" are spoken instead of: from the root of Jesse shall grow He Who shall rise to rule the nations, that is, Christ.

The fourth authority contains the reverence of the gentiles toward Christ. Hence he continues: and again Isaiah says: the root of Jesse shall come (Isa 11:10). Here he foretells the origin of Jesus, that he will be born of the seed of Jesse. For Jesse was David's father. Therefore he says: there shall be a root of Jesse, from whose seed Christ will be born: in that day the root of Jesse shall stand as an ensign to the people (Isa 11:10). Or Christ will be the root of Jesse, because although he came from Jesse according to bodily origin, yet it was his power that sustained him and gave him grace: you do not bear the root but the root bears you (Rom 11:18). Then he touches on Christ's office, adding: he who shall rise up with such excellent grace that he is able to rule the gentiles by leading them to divine worship, which no one had been able to do previously: I will make the gentiles your heritage. You shall rule them with a rod of iron (Ps 2:8). Finally, he mentions the devotion of the gentiles to Christ, saying: in him the gentiles shall hope, i.e., to obtain through him the inheritance of heavenly glory: we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Pet 1:3).

The strong should bear the infirmities of the weak, and each strive to please, not himself, but his neighbor, after the example of Christ, Rom 15:1-3. Whatsoever was written in old times was written for our learning, Rom 15:4. We should be of one mind, that we might with one mouth glorify God, Rom 15:5, Rom 15:6. We should accept each other as Christ has accepted us, Rom 15:7. Scriptural proofs that Jesus Christ was not only the minister of the circumcision, but came also for the salvation of the Gentiles, Rom 15:8-12. The God of hope can fill us with all peace and joy in believing, Rom 15:13. Character of the Church of Rome, Rom 15:14. The reason why the apostle wrote so boldly to the Church in that city - what God had wrought by him, and what he purposed to do, Rom 15:15-24. He tells them of his intended journey to Jerusalem, with a contribution to the poor saints - a sketch of this journey, Rom 15:25-29. He commends himself to their prayers, Rom 15:30-33.

SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED AND CONCLUDED. (Rom 15:1-13) 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 Rom 14:14; Rom 14:20. ought . . . not to please ourselves--ought to think less of what we may lawfully do than of how our conduct will affect others.

And again, Esaias saith-- (Isa 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 Rev 22:16. and he that shall rise, &c.--So the Septuagint in substantial, though not verbal, agreement with the original.