Day 57 – Romans 15-16

Well, I missed another day! As I write this post (and the next day’s post as well) I am sitting on an airplane headed to SC for a couple weeks of vacation. So, yesterday was the day to prepare to leave. There was so much to do that I didn’t have time to post. So, here is the first of two posts for today.

Chapter divisions in the Bible are not inspired. They were added much later. They are certainly useful to us to help us find specific passages of Scripture more quickly and easily; however, sometimes the chapter divisions can actually break a line of thought that the Scripture writer was attempting to develop. The chapter division between Romans 14 and 15 is such an example. The beginning verses of chapter 15 are very clearly a continuation of the theme of chapter 14, namely that we ought to be looking out for our fellow-believers in an attempt to keep from causing them to stumble. This thought is actually somewhat of an illustration of what it looks like to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (13:14) because part of the reasoning that Paul uses is the example of Jesus Christ and how He did not live to please Himself (vs3). The thrust here is selfless serving of our brothers for the sake of unity in the body of Christ.

At 15:13 Paul begins to end this epistle. It’s interesting how many times it feels like Paul is about to end, and yet he continues to write! It’s almost like the preacher who continues to use words like, “finally,” “lastly,” and “in conclusion” and yet continues to preach! This first “closing” of Paul is truly a wonderful prayer to pray for one another. It is directed to the “God of hope.” Truly, God is the only One that can give us lasting hope! Paul prays that his readers would be filled with joy and peace, not merely given a measure of joy and peace. Notice, though, the path to these—believing! Faith is the pathway to being filled with joy and peace. Of course, the power behind this filling is the power of the Holy Spirit—God Himself! And the ultimate outcome is abundant hope! This verse truly is a gem to be meditated on time and time again.

Paul’s humility is again on display for us. In vs18 he makes the declaration that he “will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through [him].” Where does this put the focus? On Christ and His enabling grace and power! What marvelous things were done through Paul that from a humanly standpoint he could have taken the credit for! But he refuses and continues to deflect the praise and honor to the One to whom it is due—Jesus Christ!

After listing his greetings to the Roman church, Paul adds a warning in 16:17 concerning divisive people. Paul’s love for the church continues to shine through. What he has already done has well-equipped the church for unity. Right doctrine is the foundation to true biblical unity, and Paul has done a masterful job of presenting not only the doctrine that unites, but also the application of that doctrine that will preserve this unity. However, Paul knows that there is no such thing as a perfect church, and so he warns against these people who would come in and try to destroy the unity that Paul’s letter has attempted to establish.
Paul then closes this magnificent letter with a final doxology. A doxology is literally a “word of glory.” This entire book has put the glory of God on display and so a “word of glory” is certainly a fitting end to this book. Soli Deo Gloria!