Romans 15 - Selflessness, Acceptance, Unity

LINK: Romans 15  

BACKGROUND

"A Christian is a most free lord of all, subject to none. 

A Christian is a most dutiful servant of all, subject to all." 

(Martin Luther, "A Treatise on Christian Liberty")

When the Jewish believer kept the Old Covenant customs and eating rituals, the Gentile believers questioned their faith in Christ. When the Gentile believers served food forbidden by the Law of Moses and ignored Old Testament holy days, the Jewish believers questioned their full conversion from paganism. Paul blazed a path through the flaming darts thrown back and forth and said simply, "Selflessly love."

Jesus is our primary example, He bore with us, and we should bear with and accept one another, especially the weak. We are to think less of what we have the freedom to do and think about how our conduct affects others. Our goal should be the building up and blessing of others. We can draw the spiritual power to do this through the Word of God (15:4) and prayer (15:5-6). This all glorifies God (15:7). 

Romans 15:14 - 16:27 is Paul's long goodbye to the Romans. So, I will include the remainder of Romans 15 in tomorrow's post. 

REFLECTION

My favorite English novelist, Jane Austen, once wrote: 

"Incline us, oh God, to think humbly of ourselves, to be severe only in the examination of our own conduct, to consider our fellow creatures with kindness, and to judge all they say and do with that charity which we would desire from them ourselves." 

(The Doubleday Christian Quotation Collection, p. 161). 

Doesn't that line up beautifully with our reading for today? 

APPLICATION 

Love trumps all. It really does. How are you doing in the love department?

Pray and ask God what your "I will" statement will be for today. Mine might give you a good example:

"I will build up and bless my husband by telling him how much I appreciate his investment in our boys."

My husband goes about things in a totally different way than I would go about doing things. His investment looks different from mine based on our different gifts, talents, and personalities. I can judge "how" he invests or I can praise him that he invests; one tears down and one builds up. It is obvious which one I should choose. 

(2015 Update: As I edited the whole book of Romans, he was in the living room talking for hours with our youngest son. That is true investing. I should tell him how much I appreciate it again!)

Also, here is an excellent analysis of 1 Corinthians 13 and the role of love in the believer's life by the Scottish evangelist, Henry Drummond, written in 1880:

"The Greatest Thing in the World"

"The Greatest Thing in the World" Audio

2023 Update: While updating the links for this classic on love, I saw that the website had closed down. Then, I found out it was because it was a church with a history of over 40 years of abuse and was forced to shut down because of a BBC investigation. And they had a message about LOVE in the Body of Christ on their website. I am so sad!

PRAYER

Jesus, help us to follow Your example of selfless love. And I pray for the victims of the abuse of this church that did not show love. Amen.