Bible Commentaries

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

We then that are strong - The sense of this verse is supposed to be the following: We, Gentile Christians, who perfectly understand the nature of our Gospel liberty, not only lawfully may, but are bound in duty to bear any inconveniences that may arise from the scruples of the weaker brethren, and to ease their consciences by prudently abstaining from such indifferent things as may offend and trouble them; and not take advantage from our superior knowledge to make them submit to our judgment.

Let every one of us please his neighbor - For it should be a maxim with each of us to do all in our power to please our brethren; and especially in those things in which their spiritual edification is concerned. Though we should not indulge men in mere whims and caprices, yet we should bear with their ignorance and their weakness, knowing that others had much to bear with from us before we came to our present advanced state of religious knowledge.

For even Christ pleased not himself - Christ never acted as one who sought his own ease or profit; he not only bore with the weakness, but with the insults, of his creatures; as it is written in Psalm 69:9 : The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me - I not only bore their insults, but bore the punishment due to them for their vicious and abominable conduct. That this Psalm refers to the Messiah and his sufferings for mankind is evident, not only from the quotation here, but also from John 19:28, John 19:29, when our Lord's receiving the vinegar during his expiatory suffering is said to be a fulfilling of the scripture, viz. of Psalm 69:21 of this very Psalm; and his cleansing the temple, John 2:15-17, is said to be a fulfillment of Psalm 69:9 : For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up, the former part of which verse the apostle quotes here.

For whatsoever things were written aforetime - This refers not only to the quotation from the 69th Psalm, but to all the Old Testament scriptures; for it can be to no other scriptures that the apostle alludes. And, from what he says here of them, we learn that God had not intended them merely for those generations in which they were first delivered, but for the instruction of all the succeeding generations of mankind. That we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures - that we, through those remarkable examples of patience exhibited by the saints and followers of God, whose history is given in those scriptures, and the comfort which they derived from God in their patient endurance of sufferings brought upon them through their faithful attachment to truth and righteousness, might have hope that we shall be upheld and blessed as they were, and our sufferings become the means of our greater advances in faith and holiness, and consequently our hope of eternal glory be the more confirmed. Some think that the word παρακλησις, which we translate comfort, should be rendered exhortation; but there is certainly no need here to leave the usual acceptation of the term, as the word comfort makes a regular and consistent sense with the rest of the verse.

Now the God of patience and consolation - May that God who endued them with patience, and gave them the consolation that supported them in all their trials and afflictions, grant you to be like-minded - give you the same mode of thinking, and the same power of acting towards each other, according to the example of Christ.

That ye - Jews and Gentiles - may with one mind - Thinking the same things, and bearing with each other, after the example of Christ; and one mouth, in all your religious assemblies, without jarring or contentions, glorify God for calling you into such a state of salvation, and showing himself to be your loving compassionate Father, as he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is very likely that the apostle refers here to religious acts in public worship, which might have been greatly interrupted by the dissensions between the converted Jews and the converted Gentiles; these differences he labors to compose; and, after having done all that was necessary in the way of instruction and exhortation, he now pours out his soul to God, who alone could rule and manage the heart, that he would enable them to think the same things, to be of the same judgment, and that all, feeling their obligation to him, might join in the sweetest harmony in every act of religious worship.

Wherefore receive ye one another - Προσλαμβανεσθε Have the most affectionate regard for each other, and acknowledge each other as the servants and children of God Almighty.

As Christ also received us - Καθως και ὁ Χριστος προσελαβετο ἡμας· In the same manner, and with the same cordial affection, as Christ has received us into communion with himself, and has made us partakers of such inestimable blessings, condescending to be present in all our assemblies. And as Christ has received us thus to the glory of God, so should we, Jews and Gentiles, cordially receive each other, that God's glory may be promoted by our harmony and brotherly love.