Bible Materials

Romans 15:1-33

by Paul Choi   06/06/2010   Romans 15:1~33

Message


THE PRIESTLY DUTY

Romans 15:1-33

Key Verse: 15:16 “to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

  In chapter 14 we learned how we build up each other as the body of Christ. We are all different in many ways in terms of character, aptitude, interest and so on. But, we become one when we accept one another as Christ accepted us. Paul encouraged us to make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Accepting others seems to be more difficult than moving mountains. But,  last week, one of our church members put what he learned of Jesus into practice by making every effort to peace and mutual edification. I saw his greatness of learning and spiritual victory over Satan’s scheme. Indeed, our life belongs to God. As Paul said, if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.(14:8) Amen.

  The first part of chapter 15 from verse 1-13 is the extension of chapter 14. Paul urges the spirit of unity among the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians in the Roman church by accepting each other. The second part of this chapter verses 14-22 teaches about Paul’s priestly duty to the Gentiles. The last part concludes with Paul’s plan to visit to Jerusalem and his vision to visit Rome and Spain. May the God of hope give us a spirit of unity so that we may fulfill our priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God in our generation. Amen.

First, a spirit of unity (1-13) Look at verse 1. “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.”  In this verse ‘we who are strong’ includes Paul himself, who was free to eat everything which God has created regardless of the legalistic dietary law. (Lev 11:1-47) Those who eat whatever freely by faith should not pass judgment on those who keep the dietary law. It is because the Christ accepted all and the kingdom of God is not matter of eating or drinking, but of  righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.(14:17) Moreover, those who are strong should bear with the failings of the weak and not to please themselves. Here the words ‘failings of the weak’ are weak points and shortcomings of those who eat only vegetables. (14:2) The words ‘bear with’ do not merely mean ‘put up with’ or ‘tolerate’ but ‘to uphold lovingly.” In other words, each Christian should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.(2)

Mature Christians do not seek their own interest, but others and seek how to build them up with Christly love. Christ Jesus showed us a good example. Look at verse 3. “For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” Christ did not come to please himself, but to please God the Father through his suffering and obedient death on the cross. Cross is the emblem of suffering and shame. But Christ voluntarily bore the cross in order to bear human hostilities toward God and toward each other. We are often hurt when we are humiliated and become furious when we are insulted. But Christ, who is the author and perfecter of our faith, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and finally sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb 12:21)

Here is Paul’s prayer for the unity of the saints in Rome. Look at verses 5,6. “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” At that time, the Roman church consisted of diverse races, nationalities and cultures. The church was mixed with Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. So it was not easy for them to become one and to be united. Our church is somewhat as the same as the churches in Rome. We have diverse ages, languages, nationalities, and cultures. Regardless of these diversities and differneces how could we become one and glorify God with one heart and mouth? We can do so as we accept one another as Christ accepted us. We also become one under Jesus’ great world mission command.

Look at verses 7,8. “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs…” Although Jesus is God himself, he accepted to be a man, especially a servant of the Jews. While living on this earth, Christ Jesus accepted all kinds of sinners and served them one by one. Jesus accepted a proud Nicodemus and served him with words of life until late night. Jesus also accepted a sinful Samaritan woman and served her until she tasted the living water welling up to eternal life. In order to bring Jews to salvation, Christ himself became a complete Jew. However, in bringing Jews to salvation, Christ saw a vision of bringing the Gentiles to salvation. When he saw many Samaritans coming toward him to hear his words, he said to his disciples, ‘Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (Jn 4:35)

Usually the twelve disciples of Jesus would not get along well each other. They followed Jesus together, but their hearts were divided into hundreds and their mouths thousands. Peter always exercised the hegemony among the twelve. But John and James would not admit his leadership. So, there were frequent and vociferous arguments among them about who is the greatest. (Mt 18:1, Mk 9:33, 10:37) It seemed impossible for them to have a spirit of unity. However, they became one when they deeply accepted Jesus’ world mission command. Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world. However, he rose again from the dead and gave his disciples the great commission. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mt 28:19,20)  With this great world mission command, the disciples gathered one place and began to pray. Acts 1:14 says that they all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. When they all joined together and prayed with unity to obey world mission command, the Holy Spirit came down on them like fire on the day of Pentecost. (Ac 2:1,2) When the disciples made a strong vessel of prayer and unity, there was a great work of the Holy Spirit.

Among us there can be many different ideas, voices, interests and preferences. However, we can be one under Christ’s great world mission command. We can experience the great work of  the Holy Spirit as we humbly obey Jesus’ world mission command and participate in his work through one to one Bible studies and prayers. There is no other way for us to be one except to obey Jesus’ world mission command.

Paul saw the great vision for world salvation through the Roman churches. He quoted several verses from the Old Testament and convinced God’s hope and desire for world salvation. Look at verses 9,10. “so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.” Again, it says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” Here ‘his people’ indicates Jews.  We Christians glorify God and praise the name of Jesus when we see many gentile unbelievers accepting Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior and praising his name together with us. We see this work of God through our one to one Bible study and reaching out. And we will witness this through the coming Midwest & Missouri Valley Summer Bible Conference. 

Jesus Christ is the hope of the world. The Prophet Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.” (12) In this verse the Root of Jesse refers to Jesus Christ, who was born as a descendant of King David. Today people say that we have no hope because of economical crisis and global warming. But it is not true. There is hope in Jesus the Crucified.  Americans have hope because of Jesus Christ. Mexicans have hope because of Jesus Christ. Chinese, Africans, Russians and peoples of the whole world have hope in Christ Jesus. Let us read verse 13. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (13) Amen.

Second, the priestly duty (14-22) In this part, Paul identifies himself as a minster of Christ to the Gentiles so that the saints in Rome also share the vision of God for world salvation. Look at verses 15,16, “I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” To Paul, the priestly duty was not ritual ceremonies in the temple such as lightening kindles, burning incense, sprinkling animal’s blood, but proclaiming the gospel of God to the Gentiles. By proclaiming the gospel of God, the Gentiles may become an offering acceptable to God. Paul was not a temple priest. Still he fulfilled the priestly duty which came from Christ by proclaiming the gospel of God.

  These days some of our missionaries and young disciples obey Jesus’ world mission command and fulfill their priestly duty as a minister of Christ. Last week, Mary Choi and Ben West visited Wash U. and proclaimed the gospel of Christ. They are not fulltime ministers, but fulfill their priestly duties as a royal priesthood. 1 Peter 2:9 encourages us and endorses our priesthood saying, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

  Paul’s ambition was to preach the gospel where Christ was not known. (20) So he traveled from Jerusalem all the way to around Illyricum and preached the good news of Jesus. I pray that Paul’s ambition may become our own ambitions, and his priesthood be our priesthood for this generation. Amen.

Third, Paul’s plan and vision to visit Rome (23-33).  By the time Paul was writing this letter to the believers in Rome, he was preparing to visit Jerusalem. He had two main purposes of visiting Jerusalem; first, he wanted to report the work of God among the Gentiles so that the church of Jerusalem might accept and share God’s world salvation purpose. Second, through the contribution raised by the Gentile churches in Macedonia and Achaia for the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, Paul wanted to connect two churches with world mission purpose.  However, his trip to Jerusalem was very dangerous and costly. Many malicious Jews were seeking for Paul’s life in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, Paul had absolute faith that God would enable him to accomplish his task. (28)

  What was Paul’s plan after this? He wanted to visit Rome. In verse 24 he said, “I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.” In verse 28 he repeated his plan to visit Rome and then Spain. “So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this fruit, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way.” At that time people believed that Spain was the end of the earth because they thought that the earth was flat. Paul’s vision was to preach the gospel of God to Spain, the end of the earth according to Jesus’ world mission command.(Mt 28:19,20, Mk 16:15, Ac 1:8)

  Paul was not self-complacent or narrow-minded. He shared God’s heart desire for world salvation. In order to fulfill God’s divine purpose for world salvation, he was ready to go anywhere any time, even to the end of the earth despite his old age.  Among us, Ben West wants to see the work of God in other regions. God’s work of salvation starts with those who share God’s heart desire for world salvation and obey Jesus’ world mission command. Our vision is not a television but a world mission vision.

  In verses 30-33 Paul humbly requests a prayer support from the Roman churches for his safe and successful trip to Jerusalem. He asked them to pray for him to be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea so that his service in Jerusalem might be acceptable to the saints there, and that he might come to visit Rome with joy. (31) Paul was a great man of faith. Still he humbly asked prayer support. It was because he knew that he cannot do anything without God’s help and mercy. Paul humbly depended on God through prayer.

  In conclusion, Paul eagerly wanted the Jews and the Gentiles to participate in God’s world mission purpose. He knew the secret of forming unity between them, which is to obey Jesus’ world mission command and to fulfill their priestly duty by proclaiming the gospel of God. May God help all of us to accept one another as Christ accepted us so that we may form the spiritual unity under Jesus’ world mission command. May God bless the coming Latin America Regional Bible Conferences and the Midwest & Missouri Valley Summer Bible Conference. Amen.


Attachment



St Louis UBF University Bible Fellowship

7375 Tulane Ave University City, MO 63130, USA
314-898-3512 choi8149@yahoo.com


  Website : UBF HQ | Chicago UBF | Korea UBF | Pray Relay Site |   YouTube : UBF HQ | UBF TV | Daily Bread

Copyright St Louis UBF UBF © 2020