Romans 15:1-7 - Dealing with Those with whom we Disagree
1)We who are strong ought to put up with the failing of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2)Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor. 3) For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 4)For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. 5) May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6) so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7) Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
About Romans: Paul’s letters are the oldest Christian documents that we have. The earliest were written within 25 years of Jesus’ death. Romans was the last letter that Paul wrote, as far as we know. Romans was written to pave the way for Paul to visit the church in Rome, a church he had never visited, but whose help he needed to complete the work he longed to do in the western Mediterranean. Most scholars believe that Paul was arrested in Jerusalem when he went to take an offering that his various churches had collected to help the impoverished church there. We think that he was taken as a prisoner to Rome died while under arrest there. The circumstances of his death are unclear. Romans is the most fully developed and densely theological of all of Paul’s works. In it, we see the Jewish roots of Christianity and the unspeakable grace of God that washes over all of human life and the whole created order. It is that grace alone that leads to salvation.
Basic Point of Today’s Lesson: Paul wants his readers to understand that in Christ their status before God has changed them once and for all. No longer are we frightened people cowed by our own inabilities and failures in the religious sphere. We are not people who have no standing before God because of our sin or inability to live perfectly holy lives. We are God’s own beloved children. Because of that we share the divine character. We do not have to labor under the excessive burden of Law, or of sin. In today’s passage, however, Paul recognizes that not all members of the church are at the same level of understanding and trust. As we have seen in so many of the letters in the New Testament, the writer is writing to try to help the people get along and the church to not split over their differences. Here the differences are doctrinal. Some are having trouble letting go of the ways they have always done things in the past. These he calls the “weak.” They are not yet able to accept the magnitude of grace although they love Jesus dearly. Others have accepted Paul’s grace alone theology, but even though Paul calls them the “strong,” they are not yet mature enough to accept with grace those with whom they disagree, at least not in the same way Jesus has accepted them. All of this Paul knows from hearsay since he has never visited this church. Still, he has trusted friends there, and from their reports he can see the signs of trouble he has seen in so many of his churches. The central issue in today’s section is how, and indeed should, we accept each other’s theological interpretations or indeed, should we do so. Paul frames his argument in an almost parental way. It is like he says, “Can’t you still love and teach your baby sister who is still in diapers when you are on a skateboard?” A timely question indeed.
Word Study
Vs. 1 – Strong – by using this word Paul is speaking to, and referring to, those within the body who have, in his view, a stronger grace-based faith. He is speaking to them in particular because he sees them having little patience with those who are not on the same theological plane as they are.
Put up with – This word means to bear, as we considered with bearing one another’s burdens. It means to carry the ‘pack’ of a theological point of view they no longer share without complaint.
Weak – Here Paul is referring to the faction in the church that still believes that the Mosaic law and all of its rituals is necessary along with grace for righteousness and salvation. The word means powerless. Paul sees these ones as stuck and powerless to release old understandings.
Please ourselves – Clearly Paul identifies with the views of the strong. Still, he knows that the behavior of the strong is crucial for all concerned. This phrase is not a general admonition to avoid all that brings one pleasure, but rather a call to the strong not to please themselves by exercising their rights to indulge, say in formerly forbidden foods, when it might hurt others
Vs. 2 – good – agathos – This word refers to all that is intrinsically and morally good.
Building up – This word is also translated edification. It comes from the root to build or construct a building and refers to one who builds or constructs a house physically. Here Paul is using the word metaphorically to refer to the constructing of a stable spiritual home within a person and within the church.
Vs. 3 – as it is written – Paul is referring either to holy scripture itself or perhaps the accompanying books of interpretation. We don’t know exactly what he is quoting.
Vs. 4 – instruction – Beautiful and important word here! Didaskalia. It comes from the root for teaching and in this form carries the weight of both sound doctrine and the authority of the one teaching it.
Encouragement – This word comes from para which means ‘from’ and kaleo which means ‘to call.’ It is used to refer to calling someone toward something wonderful, to help, to exhort toward virtue.
Hope – elpis – This word refers to the deep desire for something good with at least some expectation of obtaining it.
Vs. 5 – steadfastness – This is an interesting and widely held translation of this word that I don’t fully understand. In Greek the word is a form of hupomeno, which means to bear or abide courageously under suffering. It carries a sense of strength and remaining strong, or even enduring hard times. It is not the ordinary word used for steadfast. When that is the case in scripture, it is often significant.
Encouragement – see verse 4
Harmony – Again this is an interesting translation. In the literal Greek the verses 5-6 reads “Now the God of endurance and encouragement give to you the same thing: to think among one another according to Christ Jesus, that with one accord and with one mouth you may glorify the God and father of the Lord of us Jesus Christ.” That does sound like an almost unimaginable harmony!
Vs. 6 – voice – Literally one mouth, as a single being.
Glorify – doxa – Comes from the root that means to think of, or recognize what a person really is. It sometimes refers to one’s appearance or reputation. It is to recognize the truth and honor it. It is to elevate and make that truth apparent and to enhance the reputation of the one we glorify.
Vs. 7 – Welcome one another – This interesting phrase can be translated, accept one another, or receive one another.
Just – in the same way.
Questions for Personal Reflection
- Are there, within the context of the church itself, perspectives that you find difficult to tolerate? How does that difficulty affect your relationships with those with whom you differ?
- Can you think of a time when you truly felt Christ’s welcome of you in, or through, the church? Was it a time when you were in trouble, or when your own thinking was shallow and fear-based? Are you able to accept others in the same good way that you found acceptance?
- How do you share the burdens of others and help build them up in the faith?
- Think about the notion of hope. In what ways can you deepen your hope and share it with others in your congregation or beyond?