Masiko raced to the garden on the other side of the road. The sun shone warm and comforting on her head as she ran. She waved at a majestic looking kob, a type of antelope plentiful in Uganda, that was watching her lazily from behind some reeds. Masiko gathered some bananas and jackfruit for her mother, then ran back across the road.
She heard the motorcycle too late. Pain seared down Masiko’s leg as she hit the hard ground. A man scrambled off the motorcycle and raced to help her; concern etched in the lines on his forehead.
Weeks later, Masiko was still in the hospital. The bone in her leg had been shattered in several places, and the doctor spoke to her mother in hushed tones about the length of time it would take her to recover.
After Masiko’s mother left that night to care for her brothers and sisters back at home, nurse Afyia came in to check on her. “You are such a sweet girl,” Afyia told her. “You are always smiling even though I know you are in pain.” Afyia adjusted Masiko’s pillow for her. “Masiko, do you mind if I ask you a question?” Afyia’s dark eyes were kind. “How are you so full of joy? Your life has been interrupted by this unfortunate accident, and you have to spend your days in this bed, yet you still radiate hope.”
Masiko grinned. “Afyia, do you know what my name means? Hope! I have hope because of Jesus. I want to show you a Bible verse I read this morning.”
Masiko pulled her turquoise-covered Bible out from under her pillow and flipped to the book of Romans. “Here it is–‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.’ God is the one who gives me hope. No matter what happens, I can trust Him because He gave His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for me so I could have eternal life! I am His child, and nothing can happen to me without Him knowing about it. He has a reason for me being in this hospital. I may not understand, but He is with me, giving me comfort and hope.”
Afyia’s eyes glistened. “Masiko, please tell me more about this God of hope.”
In Romans 15:1-13, Paul begins by actually writing about Scripture and its purpose. This purpose is surprising in itself, given our present-day debates on the nature of Scripture! Paul doesn’t write that it provides us with a moral code or a detailed recipe for a prosperous and good life. No, Scripture’s primary goal is to create hope in us. But we must still ask, what type of hope?
The hope that the Holy Spirit creates within us is not simply for our personal good. It is a hope that is shared with others. It is a hope in which we are a part with many others. In fact, it is the communal nature of this hope that makes it so joyful!
If we are serious about our Christian faith, we must take into consideration how our actions affect others. We cannot grow in faith in isolation from others, and in our interactions with others we should have edification in mind. The phrase “bear with the scruples of the weak” uses the same word Paul used in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens.” This is not a call to tolerance or condescension but a charge to accept people for who they are and to help carry their burdens. Believers are free to exercise their own convictions, but they should do so considering their interest of others before their own. The strong are not to simply tolerate the weaknesses of their weaker brothers; they are to help the weak shoulder their burdens by showing loving and practical consideration for them.
Paul urges the strong and the weak, despite their differing views on these non-essential issues, to pursue loving, spiritual harmony regarding matters on which the Bible is silent. The onus of responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of those who are “strong,” meaning those who in areas of spiritual freedom are free to enjoy such liberty. A conscious decision on the part of the strong is necessary—a decision to refrain voluntarily and sacrificially from the enjoyment of legitimate freedom if it is necessary for the “pleasing” of the neighbor. To make such a decision and to adopt such an attitude requires remarkable and commendable strength and maturity. This comes from a variety of sources.
First, there is the understanding that Christian life in the community of believers involves concern for the edifying or the “upbuilding” of both the individual and the body. Second, there has to be a desire for the glory of God. There is little that brings honor to the Lord in a feuding, fighting fellowship. Third, there is the factor of the Word of God, which produces “patience and comfort” in trying times and which outlines the principles to which God is committed in His dealings with mankind. Fourth, there is the working of the Lord Himself, as outlined in the apostle’s positive and exhilarating benediction of verse 13. “Hope, joy, and peace” are ingredients needed in great measure by those whose commitment is to edifying those who are locked in conflict. Finally, there has to be some degree of confidence in the people involved in addition to the confidence placed in the “God of hope.” Paul’s expression of this is outstanding.
Christ’s sacrificial life was evidence of His sacrificial love. Paul quoted from Psalm 69, one of the great messianic psalms of the Old Testament. It had meaning in its own day and context, but it also had prophetic meaning for Christ. Paul was thinking of the Old Testament when referring to” the Scriptures.” Christians can find strength to live for others by reading the Scriptures. The Greek word for patience is sometimes translated as “Patient endurance.” The phrase “the patience…of the Scriptures” does not mean the Bible has patience; it means patience and endurance are fruits that come through reading the Bible. The normal Christian life is to be characterized by hope, joy, and peace. As we grow in grace, God wants us to experience more and more of each of them—and if they’re lacking, something has gone wrong.
The practice of spiritual unity is simple to define. It means being like-minded toward one another. The purpose of spiritual unity is equally simple: that God might be glorified. The purpose is unity of thought, but Paul adds that this unity of thought happens “among each other,” according to Christ Jesus.” The unity of thought does not mean that the diversity (“among each other”) disappears. However, the criterion of unity among diversity is Christ Jesus. If Christ remains the decisive factor for the community, then the community can reach unity through its diversity and thus glorify God. Glorification is important but has to be done as a community. In this context, the coming of the Messiah and the hope and promises associated with it, is about the future of the nations and their incorporation in the people of God, alongside Israel.
Salvation for Gentiles was not an afterthought for God. He planned from the beginning that the gospel would go to the ends of the earth. Paul cites four Old Testament scriptures that refer to the Gentiles. The first is from Psalm 18:49 where David, as a type of Christ, says he will confess God’s name among the Gentiles. The last quotation is from Isaiah 11:10, where the prophet says the Gentiles “shall hope” in the Messiah.
In Psalm 117:1, the Gentiles were challenged to praise God on their own. First the Gentiles listened to God being praised. Then they praised Him along with the Jews. Now Paul shows how the Old Testament expected them to praise God on their own. Significantly, the Jews are not mentioned in this verse. The proper blessing in Romans 15:13 is for all the believers in the church at Rome. The Centre of the blessing is the reality that God is a God of hope, perhaps prompted by the reference in verse 12 to the Gentiles hoping in the Messiah.
(An audio version of this message can be found by clicking this link: Romans 15 verses 1-13 God-Given Hope)
Bibliography
- Jermiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1565)
- Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 250-253)
- Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
- MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomaas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
- Valerie Nicolet, “Commentary on Romans 15:4-13.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
- Dirk G. Lange, “Commentary on Romans 15:4-13.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
- Savannah Coleman, “Living Hope.” Retrieved from info@keysforkids.org
