Bible Study Romans 15
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Romans 15 · WEB

Christ's Example and Paul's Mission

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Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
2Each one of us should please his neighbor for that which is good, to be building him up.
3For even Christ didn't please himself. But, as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me."
4For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that through patience and through encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
5Now the God of patience and of encouragement grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus,
6that with one accord you may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7Therefore accept one another, even as Christ also accepted you, to the glory of God.
8Now I say that Christ has been made a servant of the circumcision for the truth of God, that he might confirm the promises given to the fathers,
9and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will give praise to you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name."
10Again he says, "Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people."
11Again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Let all the peoples praise him."
12Again, Isaiah says, "There will be the root of Jesse, he who arises to rule over the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles will hope."
13Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
14I myself am also persuaded about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish others.
15But I write the more boldly to you in part, as reminding you, because of the grace that was given to me by God,
16that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the Good News of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
17I have therefore my boasting in Christ Jesus in things pertaining to God.
18For I will not dare to speak of any things except those which Christ worked through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed,
19in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of God's Spirit; so that from Jerusalem, and around as far as to Illyricum, I have fully preached the Good News of Christ;
20yes, making it my aim to preach the Good News, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build on another's foundation.
21But, as it is written, "They will see, to whom no news of him came. They who haven't heard will understand."
22Therefore also I was hindered these many times from coming to you,
23but now, no longer having any place in these regions, and having these many years a longing to come to you,
24whenever I journey to Spain, I will come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while.
25But now, I say, I am going to Jerusalem, serving the saints.
26For it has been the good pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are at Jerusalem.
27Yes, it has been their good pleasure, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, they owe it to them also to serve them in fleshly things.
28When therefore I have accomplished this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will go on by way of you to Spain.
29I know that, when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of the Good News of Christ.
30Now I beg you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me,
31that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints;
32that I may come to you in joy through the will of God, and together with you, find rest.
33Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
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Summary

The strong should bear with the weak rather than please themselves, following Christ who did not please himself but bore reproaches for our sake. Paul prays for unity that the church may glorify God with one mouth, and urges believers to welcome one another as Christ welcomed them. He strings together Old Testament passages to show that Gentile inclusion was always God's promise. Paul then explains his apostolic strategy — preaching where Christ has not been named, from Jerusalem to Illyricum — and his travel plans: first carrying the Gentile relief offering to Jerusalem, then through Rome to Spain. He asks the Romans to strive in prayer for him, that he might be delivered from his opponents and arrive among them with joy.

Themes

  • The strong bearing the weak in imitation of Christ
  • Scripture given for our endurance and hope
  • Gentile inclusion as the long-promised plan
  • Pioneer mission to unreached regions
  • Gentile churches in debt to Jerusalem

Key verses

  • Romans 15:13 — “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
  • Romans 15:20 — “Making it my aim to preach the Good News, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build on another's foundation.”
  • Romans 15:4 — “Whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that through patience and through encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
  • Romans 15:7 — “Therefore accept one another, even as Christ also accepted you, to the glory of God.”

Context & background

Written c. AD 56-57 from Corinth. Paul has finished his eastern Mediterranean work — "from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum" (v. 19), Illyricum being the Roman province along the eastern Adriatic (modern Albania and the western Balkans). He plans the great relief offering for Jerusalem (vv. 25-27; cf. 1 Corinthians 16:1-4, 2 Corinthians 8-9), a deliberate sign that the Gentile churches were one family with the Jewish believers. Spain (v. 24) represented the western frontier of the empire and the "ends of the earth" of the Mediterranean world; whether Paul ever reached it after his Roman imprisonment is debated (1 Clement 5:7, written c. AD 96, suggests he did). The catena of OT quotations in vv. 9-12 — from Deuteronomy 32:43 (or 2 Samuel 22:50), Psalm 18:49, Psalm 117:1, and Isaiah 11:10 — assembles a sweeping witness from Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets to Gentile worship of Israel's God. Paul's pioneer principle (v. 20) shapes how to identify unreached fields rather than duplicate effort.

Cross-references

  • 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 — Practical instructions for the same Jerusalem collection.
  • 2 Corinthians 8-9 — Paul's theological framing of generosity.
  • Acts 19:21 — Paul's resolve to see Rome and then go further west.
  • Isaiah 11:10 — "The root of Jesse" — quoted in v. 12.
  • Psalm 69:9 — "The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me" — quoted in v. 3.

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    What does Paul say the strong "ought" to do at the opening of Romans 15?

  2. Observe

    To what destination did Paul plan to travel after delivering the collection in Jerusalem, and which city did he plan to visit on the way?

  3. Interpret

    Paul cites Psalm 69:9 — "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me" — as an example for the strong. What theological point does this Old Testament quotation make about bearing with others?

  4. Interpret

    What does Paul mean when he says in verse 20 that his aim was to preach the gospel "not where Christ was already named, that I might not build on another's foundation"?

  5. Apply

    Paul asked the Roman church to "strive together with me in your prayers" for his protection in Jerusalem and acceptance there (v. 30). What does this teach about intercessory prayer?

  6. Apply

    Romans 15:7 commands, "Accept one another, even as Christ also accepted you, to the glory of God." What makes this a stronger basis for acceptance than simply being told to get along?

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