Board index ‹ Specific Bible verses, texts, and passages ‹ Romans

[Mel B]

What does Roman’s 15:7-12 mean? I’m having a hard time following

[jimwalton]

In the book, Paul has been writing that Jews and Gentiles are equally guilty before God. Jews don’t get a special pass because they are Jews (God’s “special” people), and Gentiles can’t claim that they should get a “special” pass because the Law wasn’t given to them. Instead, we all have to fall at the feet of Christ and accept His atoning sacrifice for our sins. Gentiles who accept Christ are welcome in the kingdom, and Jews who recognize Christ as their true messiah and God are also welcome in the kingdom. No one gets a free pass, but no one is excluded, either.

After showing that the Jews still have a role to play in God’s plan (Rom. 9-11), Paul has spent a few chapters teaching people how to act: love, forgiveness, etc. He wants Jews and Gentiles to reach across the aisle and be not only friends but to also be one body of Christ in the world.

That’s what this section (Rom. 15.7-13) is about. Jesus isn’t just up in Heaven with His feet up watching TV, waiting for the Second Coming. He is active in the world through His Holy Spirit to create communities of unity and love, who have reconciled with each other, live in peace, and are reaching out to the world as salt, light, and agents of reconciliation to heal the world and bring them to Christ.

Rom. 15.7: So accept one another as Christ has accepted you. Jews and Gentiles must both drop their hostilities and attitudes of both pride and disdain. It’s the only way to bring praise to God.

V. 8: Jesus came as a servant (Mk. 10.45) to the Jews to model for them what God promised Abraham: the idea that even Gentiles were welcome in the kingdom of God if they come to the Father through Jesus (Jn. 14.6), implying that Jews should do the same.

V. 9: The goal all along was to include the whole world, Jews and Gentiles together. The Gentiles were called through the promises made to the Jews (Gn. 12.3). Paul quotes Psalm. 18.49 to support his point.

V. 10. Then Paul quotes an amalgamation of 2 Sam. 22.50 & Dt. 32.43 as further support: it was always the idea that Gentiles would be included in the kingdom.

V. 11. More verses to show this has been long-standing biblical teaching (Dt. 32.34; Ps. 117.1), and Jews need to accept it. He’s begging them all to shed their bigotries and come together.

V. 12 is a messianic prophecy. The Messiah from the line of David (David was the son of Jesse, therefore the messiah is known a few times in the OT as the “Root of Jesse” (Isa. 11.10). For Paul, the resurrection of Jesus is the heart of the gospel and the basis for obedient Christian living. “The Root of Jesse will spring up. He will arise to rule over the nations. In Him the Gentiles will hope. Jesus is the king to whom all should submit.

He closes the section in v. 13: “So figure it out, dudes. instead of creating barriers and continuing in your hostility at worst, but worshiping separately at best, get it together. Live as people united by their hope in Jesus. Be joyful people, not angry people. Be people of peace, not conflict. Trust in God: God is sovereign; trust in His wisdom; work out your salvation for God’s purposes. Forget your own agendas; be transformed by the renewing of your minds (Rom. 12.2). And treat each other as God has treated you.” All this is done not by your own strength of will, but rather by the power of the Holy Spirit in you, who has changed you from looking at things and behaving like any normal human to looking and things and behaving as a child of God.