Romans 15:14 Paul - For The Glory of Jesus

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Paul

Paul wanted to take a gift from the Gentile believers to the Christian Church in Jerusalem. After that he wanted to journey to Rome and Spain.

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Romans 15:14-33

14. The church in Rome was “a healthy church. Morally, they were ‘full of goodness,’ intellectually they were ‘complete in knowledge,’ and functionally they were ‘competent to instruct one another.’” [NIV] (Mounce, Robert H, The New American Commentary, Volume 27, Romans. [Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995], 266)

15. “In spite of their spiritual strength, these Christians needed to be reminded of truths they already knew but could easily neglect or even forget (cf. 1 Timothy 4:6; 2 Timothy 2:8-14; Titus 3:1).” (MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Bible Commentary. [Nashville, Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005], 1555)

16. “Paul looked on himself as a priest at the altar, offering up to God the Gentiles he had won to Christ. They were a ‘spiritual sacrifice’ to the glory of God (see 1 Peter 2:5).” (Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. [Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004], 563)

“Note the involvement of the Trinity in the ministry of the Word. Paul was the minister of Jesus Christ; he preached the ‘gospel of God’; and he served in the power of the Holy Spirit of God who sanctified his ministry.” (Wiersbe, 563)

17. Glory [NKJV]. Lit. “To boast. Paul never boasted in his accomplishment as an apostle, but only in what Christ had accomplished through him. (1 Corinthians 1:27-31; 2 Corinthians 10:13-17; 12:5, 9; Galatians 6:14; 1 Timothy 1:12-16).” (MacArthur, 1555)

True Missionary

18. “By faithfully carrying out his priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel to the Gentiles, Paul had served as Christ’s instrument in leading the Gentiles to obedience to God.” (Mounce, 267)

19. “The Holy Spirit empowered Paul to minister, and enabled him to perform mighty signs and wonders. The miracles God gave Paul to do were ‘signs’ in that they came from God and revealed Him to others. And they were ‘wonders’ in that they aroused the wonder of the people.” (Wiersbe, 563)

20. “It was a point of honor with Paul—not competition—which caused him to go as a pioneer where the gospel had not been preached. Paul did not minister where a church already existed or where others had gone. He was a true missionary.” (McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV. [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983], 750)

21. “The OT quotation refers primarily to Christ’s Second Coming, but in its broader application it refers to the process of evangelism that began in Paul’s day and continues throughout church history until Christ returns. (MacArthur, 1556) Isaiah 52:15

Visit to Rome

22. “His desire to fulfill his ministry among those in the Eastern Mediterranean sector who had not heard kept him from moving on with his subsequent plan to visit Rome and proceed westward to Spain.” (Mounce, 268)

23. “Paul believed he had covered the region with the gospel sufficiently and could move on the other areas.” (MacArthur, 1556)

24. “Paul’s desire for many years had been to visit Rome and then move to Spain, but there is no record that he ever did. Tradition says that he did go to Spain, and possibly to Britain, after he was released, but church tradition is not always to be trusted.” (Wiersbe, 564)

25. “He wanted to go to Jerusalem to take a gift to the poor saints there, and he wanted to take it with his own hands. Why? Because with his own hands he had ‘wasted’ the church at Jerusalem; he had led in the persecution of the believers in Jerusalem.” (McGee, 752)

26. Contribution [KJV]. “The word carries the basic idea of sharing and usually translated ‘fellowship’ or ‘communion.’ The context indicates that here it is the sharing of a financial gift to help support the poor in Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 16:1; 2 Corinthians 8:2-4; Galatians 2:9-10).” (MacArthur, 1556)

27. “They were obligated to respond with material help when the occasion called for it (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:11).” (Mounce, 269)

28. Going to Jerusalem “placed him into the hands of his enemies who had him arrested.” (McGee, 752)

This fruit [KJV]. “The financial gift for the Jerusalem church; the fruit of their genuine love and gratitude.” (MacArthur, 1556)

28-29. Spain [KJV]. When Paul was “sure the gift was safely in their hands, he would start for Spain and come by Rome on his way.” (Mounce, 270)

Pray for Me

30. Love of the Spirit [KJV]. “This phrase occurs only here in Scripture and refer to Paul’s love for the Holy Spirit, not the Spirit’s love for him (cf. Psalm 143:10).” (MacArthur, 1556)

30-31. Paul was asking the Roman Christians to pray for him. “Their prayers were answered in that he met with success in Jerusalem (Acts 2:17-20) and was delivered from death, but not imprisonment (Acts 21:10-11; 23:11)” (MacArthur, 1556)

31. “He was also concerned that his mission in Jerusalem be well received. The still somewhat fragile union in the church between Jew and Gentile will be measurably strengthened by a favorable reception of the gift.” (Mounce, 271)

32. “The prayer was answered: his life was spared, the church in Jerusalem accepted the gift, he did come with joy to Rome.” (McGee, 753) (It might help to better understand the situation by reading Acts 23:12 to the end of the chapter)

33. “‘The God of peace’ shows that Paul experienced peace in prison, in chains, in storm, and in shipwreck.” (McGee, 754)

References

In this article Scripture quotations taken from KJV.

McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983
MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Bible Commentary. Nashville, Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005
Mounce, Robert H, The New American Commentary, Volume 27, Romans. Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995
Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004

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