Chapter XV.
(Vers. 1.)
(Vers. 1.) Nevertheless, we, the stronger, ought to bear the weaknesses of the weaker ones. It is rightly said, we ought to; because it is necessary for teachers to strengthen the weak and to instruct the ignorant with gentleness; lest, when they are provoked and eager to argue, they seem lowly and make progress for the worse.
(Vers. 2.)
(Vers. 2.) And it is not to please ourselves, that is, not to vindicate something that is beneficial and pleasing to us, but also to our brother; because we must take care of one another. Let each one please his neighbor for his good, for edification. Now he has distinguished his own person; for he admonishes these, that they should be devoted to charity and please their neighbors in that which is useful. This is edification, as he says elsewhere: I, he says, please everyone in everything (I Cor. X, 13).
(Vers. 3.)
(Verse 3.) For Christ also did not please Himself, but as it is written: "The insults of those who reproach you have fallen upon me." The Savior does not say that He pleased Himself, but rather God the Father; for He says: "For I have not come down from heaven to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me, the Father" (John 6:38). And because He said these things, the Jews who were contradicting Him treated Him as a sinner, so the Psalmist speaks on His behalf to God the Father, saying: "The insults of those who reproach you have fallen upon me" (Psalm 69:10); that is to say, when I was doing your will, they accused me of sinning against you. By not receiving me, whom you sent, they insulted you. Because the Jews sinned against God, and not receiving Christ whom He sent, they even killed Him as if He were sinning against God. So the sins of sinners fell upon God Himself; for the innocent is killed by sinners as if He were a blasphemer, as it is written in the Gospel (Mark XV, 28).
(Vers. 4-6.)
(Verses 4-6.) For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope. Now, it is evident that whatever was written in the past was written for our discipline, so that through the encouragement it provides, we might grow in hope, not doubting the promises, even if they are delayed.
But may the God of patience and consolation grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Jesus Christ, that with one accord you may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. As the Apostle is sent with a good wish to the people for their salvation, wishing that God may grant them one sense of wisdom according to Jesus Christ, that they may understand according to the doctrine of Christ. For then they will be able to keep love by following the example of the Lord who says: 'Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends and brothers' (John 15:13); and thus with one mouth, with one confession, to praise God the Father in Christ, if they have exhorted one another according to the mind of Christ; so that they may ceaselessly praise God for all that he has done through Christ, and, having fallen through error, he has deigned to raise and reform them again through the same, giving a double benefit, mercy and knowledge.
(Vers. 7.)
(Verse 7) Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted you to the glory of God (Isaiah 56:4). Thus, we were accepted by Christ, as he took on our weaknesses and carried our sorrows. Let us therefore strengthen one another through patience, following this example, so that the honor of God's name may not be emptied in us. For we are called children of God through the grace of Christ.
(Vers. 8.)
(Verse 8.) For I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of circumcision for the sake of God's truth, in order to confirm the promises made to the Fathers. He commends the origin of the Jews; for in circumcision he signifies the sons of Abraham, to whom Christ was sent to minister the grace promised to the Fathers. Hence the Savior says: 'For I am among you,' not to be served, but to serve; in order that the truth of the promise made to the Fathers might be proven. For circumcision of the flesh was given to Abraham as a representation of the circumcision of the heart, which the prophet later signified would come, saying: Circumcise the hardness of your heart (Jeremiah 4:4). By these words, Christ is the servant of the promised circumcision, that is, the preacher. Then to the apostles, so that they may minister the circumcision of the heart to those circumcised in the flesh, he said: As the Father has sent me into this world, so I also sent them into this world (John 6:58). But the circumcision of the heart is, the cloud of error being dispelled, to acknowledge the Creator God the Father, and his Son Christ, through whom He created all things, so that the truth of God may be fulfilled. For He had promised that He would give mercy, and He had promised to the fathers of the Jews; for He had said to Abraham: In your seed all the nations will be blessed (Gen. 22:18). And to David He said: I will set upon your throne the fruit of your womb (Psalm 131:11), and: A star will rise out of Jacob (Num. 24:17).
(Vers. 9.)
(Verse 9) But the nations, on the other hand, honored God because of His mercy. For since they had no promise, they were chosen for salvation solely by His mercy, in order to glorify God through confession; because the unbelievers dishonor Him.
As it is written: Therefore, I will confess to you among the nations, and I will sing to your name. He proves this by a prophetic example; for it is written in the seventeenth Psalm that the nations are to be admitted to the grace of God in order to receive salvation (Psalm 17:50). For it is the voice of Christ, by which he foretold that his preaching would bear fruit of the confession of the sacrament of God among the nations; therefore, the Son gives thanks to the Father for the obedience of the nations. Where in the Gospel it says: I will praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, and have revealed them to the little ones; for it was pleasing to you (Matthew 11:25). Therefore, this confession belongs to the triune God, from which joy arises; so that after confessing the truth, one may joyfully sing of God's mercy and gift.
(Vers. 10, 11.)
(Ver. 10, 11.) And again he says: Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people, in this song of Deuteronomy (Deut. XXXII, 43). And again: Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and magnify him, all you peoples. This shows that God had decreed long ago in Psalm 116 to bring the Jews and Gentiles together through his mercy, so that the Gentiles, having obtained grace, would become partners with the Jews, who themselves were once called his people by the gift of God. But now the noble Jews, indeed, are made ignoble through mercy, so that together all may be joyful in the knowledge of the truth, and with the nations praising, all peoples magnify God, the one God of the twelve tribes, who increased the number of his people, having added nations. Finally, when the Jews were disputing against the apostle Peter on the account of Cornelius, having been presented with the reason, they agreed, magnifying the Lord and saying: Perhaps God has also granted repentance to the nations in order to obtain life (Acts 11:18).
(Vers. 12.)
(Verse 12.) And again Isaiah says: There will be a root from Jesse; and he who rises to rule the nations, in him the nations will hope (Isaiah 11:10). In order to give greater confidence to the nations and certain hope, he confirms with many testimonies that it was God's decree for all nations to be blessed in Christ; lest the arrogance of the unbelieving Jews sadden and make the souls of the believing Gentiles doubtful, as if in vain they promise themselves hope, because faith is attributed to the Jews from God's covenant with Abraham, so that they may increase in joy and security. But why did Christ come from the root of Jesse, and not from the root of Boaz, a righteous man, or from the root of Obed? But because he is called the Son of David because of the kingdom; just as he was born from God as king, so he would have his origin from David the king according to the flesh; therefore the root of Jesse is the tree of David, which bore fruit through the branch, who is the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Christ.
(Vers. 13, 14.)
(Verses 13, 14.) But may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope and in the power of the Holy Spirit. And I am convinced, brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. These are words of encouragement; for through praise, he urges them to a better understanding and life. For when someone sees themselves being praised, they work diligently to ensure that what is said is true. Therefore, he did not say that they should teach each other, but that they should admonish each other; for what is known sometimes escapes the mind once it is understood. The rest is not obscure, as it needs no explanation.
(Vers. 15, 16.)
(Verse 15, 16.) But I have written to you, brothers, more boldly in some parts, as if reminding you, because of the grace that has been given to me by God; so that I may be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, sanctifying the Gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable and sanctified in the Holy Spirit. For he does not indicate that he has written without purpose, for he speaks of the authority given to him by the grace of God, so that he may dare to write to all nations, admonishing and confirming their purpose in Christ; so that he may show his concern in the ministry of the Gospel, as a teacher of the Gentiles, and their sacrifice may become acceptable for the sake of sanctification in the Holy Spirit. For whatever is offered with faith intact and a clear mind, is purified by the Holy Spirit.
(Vers. 17-19.)
(Verses 17-19.) Therefore, I have glory in Christ towards God; for I dare not speak of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient, by the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Holy Spirit. He says that he has glory before God through Jesus Christ. For by believing and serving Christ Jesus with a pure conscience, he has obtained merit before God the Father, to the extent that he says nothing is lacking that Christ has not accomplished through him for the encouragement of the Gentiles, by giving signs and wonders through his hands, so that the power of his preaching may be commended. From here it is where he shows that he has glory in Christ towards God; for serving Christ he has glory towards God, to such an extent that he does not lack any divine power, which has not been given to him by God: but he claims that he has achieved everything, because he has been found worthy, which would be effective for the conversion of the gentiles through the power of miracles. He proves by this that he was no less able than the other apostles, who were with the Lord: nor did God perform any less miracles among the gentiles; so that by this they may increase, seeing that they have obtained this grace, which the Jews, who claim the prerogative of the Fathers, had obtained.
(Vers. 20.)
(Verse 20) So as to fulfill the Gospel of God and His Son Christ, I have traveled from Jerusalem throughout the surrounding area to Illyricum. However, I preach the Gospel not where Christ has already been named, so as not to build on someone else's foundation. It is not without reason that I strive to preach where Christ has not been named, for I know that false apostles try to teach things about Christ that are not true (this was their purpose, to deceive the people with doctrines that were not aligned with Christ, and it was a great challenge to correct afterwards). Therefore, I wanted to preempt them and deliver the message of the Gospel to those who have not heard it, so that the words of the Gospel would be preserved and the foundation of the message would remain unaltered. And because a teacher was given to the nations, it was necessary for him to take care of this diligently, so that he would teach there, where Christ had not been announced; and so that he would establish his authority, and have the full fruit of his labor from those things which he had planted. Hence it is from where the Church has occupied all places; for heresies afterwards, with malicious subtlety, were attempting to corrupt the sense of the Law and faith under the name of Christ. Which he warned about by the testimony of the Law, saying:
(Vers. 21.)
(Verse 21.) But as it is written: Those to whom it has not been announced about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand: it is found in Isaiah (Isaiah 52:15). So, in order for this true and inviolable understanding of the true Son of God to be, he always says that he hastened to imbue the nations with the truth of the Gospel.
(Vers. 22-24.)
(Vers. 22-24.) Therefore, I was greatly hindered from coming to you. But now, having no further place in these regions, and desiring to come to you for many years now, when I begin to travel to Spain, I will see you and be escorted there by you, if I have first enjoyed your company in part. As he mentions at the beginning of the letter, saying: For I have often intended to come to you, but have been prevented until now (Romans 1:13). Now he finishes, showing the reason for his delay; that wanting to come he was engaged in something else, which was imminent, to exclude the false teachings of the pseudo-apostles: and finally, after preaching to everyone in the vicinity, he says that he is ready to come to Rome, which he had long desired. Therefore, because the Romans had been introduced to the Law, he corrects them for the time being through a letter. However, those who had not yet heard his preaching would benefit more from being taught in person by him: so that, having a firm foundation in the correct faith, they would find it difficult to receive anything else. However, he promised himself that he would come at a time when he was going to Hispania, because Christ had not been preached there in order to occupy their minds, and because it was difficult for the false apostles to travel to them; therefore, it would not be a trouble if he went later.
(Vers. 25, 26.)
(Vers. 25, 26.) Now indeed I will journey to Jerusalem to minister to the saints; for Macedonia and Achaia have approved to make some contribution for the poor saints who are in Jerusalem. But first, he says, I will go to minister to the saints in Jerusalem: by which he wants the Romans to know that such works should be supported. For those who live by mercy and have been justified by God, they should serve this person.
(Vers. 27.)
(Verse 27) For they are debtors. Because if the Gentiles have become partakers of their spiritual things, they ought also to minister to them in carnal things. Indeed, the Gentiles are debtors to the Jews who believe, as just as the Gentiles have become partakers of their spiritual things, they also ought to share in their material needs; so that, rejoicing and celebrating, the believing Gentiles may praise God's providence for the salvation of the Jews through their ministry. For truly, by devoting themselves completely to divine worship and caring nothing for worldly matters, they provided an example of good conduct to believers. The Apostle wants us to be so inclined towards mercy that he says we should consider ourselves debtors when it comes to giving alms and performing good works with a joyful heart. For anyone who hopes for mercy from God must be merciful themselves, in order to prove that they have a true hope. For if humans show mercy, how much more will God! For this is the retribution or reward, that those who receive mercy, show mercy. Hence the Lord says: Blessed are the merciful (Matthew 5:7); for God will show mercy to them.
(Vers. 28, 29.)
(Verses 28, 29) Therefore, when I have completed this and have delivered to them this fruit, I will set out by way of you to Spain. And I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. So I am sure that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
(Vers. 30, 31.)
(Vers. 30, 31.) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Holy Spirit, that you join me in earnest prayers to the Lord, so that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea. Then he prays to be helped in prayer, so that he may escape the hands of the unbelieving Jews: not because he is less deserving, but he follows the order that prayer for their leader should be made by the Church. For when many who are least gather together with one accord, they become great; and it is impossible for the prayers of many not to obtain the desired result. Therefore, if they themselves also are eager to see the Apostle, let them pray more fervently, so that they may be able to receive him with joy and love upon his liberation.
(Vers. 32.)
(Verse 32.) That my service of offering may be acceptable to the saints in Jerusalem; and that I may come to you with joy, by the will of God, and be refreshed together with you. He also says this in prayer, that his service of offerings may be accepted by the saints in Jerusalem, and that he may show that he does everything according to the will of God; so that because his heart is devoted to the giving of gifts, he also desires to have their hearts respond to him in judgment of God; so that having understood his love for them, they may with one accord thank God with him. For great is the progress of him, by whose ministry they are made joyful, and they give God thanks.
(Vers. 33.)
(Verse 33). But may the God of peace be with you all. Amen. The God of peace is Christ, who says: My peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you (John 14:17), He desires to be with those who, knowing that the Lord has said, Behold I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world (Matthew 28:20), wish to be such that the Lord Christ Jesus may be with them, who, having removed all discord of human error, has dedicated and shown what is true; so that they may remain in peacefulness in the very truth.