Commentary - Romans 15:1-6

Bird's-eye view

In this magnificent passage, the Apostle Paul brings his practical instructions from chapter 14 to a thundering theological conclusion. Having dealt with the squabbles between the "strong" and the "weak" over matters of conscience like food and holy days, he now grounds the entire ethical demand in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The central principle is this: Christian strength is not for self-indulgence but for service. Christian liberty is not a license to please ourselves but an obligation to build up our neighbor. And the ultimate model for this self-denying service is Christ Himself, who did not please Himself but bore our reproaches. Paul then pivots to explain the purpose of the Old Testament Scriptures, which is to provide us with the endurance, encouragement, and hope necessary to live this way. The final goal of this Christ-like, Scripture-fueled unity is nothing less than the corporate, unified, single-voiced glorification of God the Father. This is not about being nice; it is about putting the glory of God on display through the supernatural unity of the church.

In short, Paul is teaching us that our horizontal relationships in the church, particularly in areas of disagreement, must be a direct reflection of our vertical relationship with God through Christ. The gospel is the pattern for our behavior. Just as Christ did not please Himself but served us at infinite cost, so we are to serve one another. And the end of it all is doxology, the unified praise of God.

Outline

Context In Romans

This passage is the capstone of the argument that began in Romans 14:1. There, Paul addressed a conflict in the Roman church between believers with a "strong" conscience, who understood their freedom in Christ to eat any food, and those with a "weak" conscience, who still felt bound by Old Covenant dietary laws or pagan associations. Paul's instruction was for the strong not to despise the weak, and for the weak not to judge the strong. Now, in chapter 15, he moves from specific prohibitions to the positive, foundational principle that must govern all such interactions. He elevates the discussion from "what not to do" to "who we are to be." This section, therefore, is not a new topic but the theological heart of the preceding chapter. It provides the gospel-drenched "why" for all the practical "how-to's" of Christian fellowship. It also serves as a bridge to the conclusion of the main body of his letter, before he turns to his personal travel plans and greetings.

Key Issues

The Muscle of the Mature

In our day, the word "strong" conjures up images of self-reliance, independence, and the right to do as one pleases. The world's idea of strength is the ability to throw off all constraints and live for oneself. But biblical strength is the polar opposite. Paul is not talking about physical strength or strength of personality; he is talking about the strength of a well-formed Christian conscience, one that is robust in its understanding of gospel freedom. And what is this strength for? It is for bearing. It is for carrying. It is for serving.

The strength of the strong is given by God not for their own comfort and enjoyment, but as a resource for the entire body. The mature believer is like a spiritual weightlifter, and his strength is meant to help carry the burdens of those who are not yet able to carry them. This completely demolishes any notion of a libertarian, individualistic Christianity. Your knowledge, your freedom, your maturity are not your private property. They are a stewardship, given to you for the building up of the church. True Christian strength is measured not by how much you can indulge, but by how much you can bear for the sake of another.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.

Paul includes himself with the "strong," those who understand Christian liberty. He says they have an obligation, a duty. The Greek word opheilomen signifies a moral debt. This is not an optional suggestion for extra credit. The duty is to "bear the weaknesses" of the immature. This is more than mere tolerance. The word for "bear" (bastazein) means to carry a heavy load, to support, to endure patiently. The strong are to come alongside the weak and help carry their scruples, their fears, their undeveloped consciences. And the antithesis of this duty is to "please ourselves." The great temptation of the strong is to use their liberty for their own gratification, to say, "I have a right to do this, and I don't care how it affects you." Paul says this attitude is a fundamental betrayal of Christian duty.

2 Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his building up.

This clarifies the previous statement. Pleasing our neighbor is not the same as being a man-pleaser, caving to every whim or sinful desire. The action is qualified by its purpose. We are to please him "for his good," with the specific goal of "building up," or edification. The aim is to strengthen him, to help him grow in his own faith, to build him up into a mature believer. Sometimes this might mean forbearing from an activity. At other times, it might mean gently instructing him. But the motive must always be his spiritual welfare, not our own convenience or the avoidance of conflict. True love is not about making someone feel good in the moment; it is about doing what is necessary for their eternal good.

3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME.”

Here is the foundation for the entire argument. Our ethics are grounded in the gospel. The ultimate reason we should not please ourselves is that Christ did not please Himself. Paul proves this by quoting Psalm 69:9, a messianic psalm of lament. The psalmist, speaking prophetically in the voice of Christ, says to the Father that the insults and reproaches that were rightly aimed at God have fallen on him instead. This is a profound statement of substitutionary atonement. Christ stepped in and took the judgment we deserved. He bore our shame. He absorbed the wrath that should have been ours. If the Lord of glory was willing to endure the ultimate displeasure for our sake, how can we possibly insist on our own petty preferences at the expense of our brother for whom Christ died?

4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through the perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Having just quoted the Old Testament, Paul pauses to give us a crucial piece of his hermeneutic. All of the "earlier writings," the entire Old Testament, were written for the instruction of New Covenant believers. This is our book. It is not a dusty collection of historical artifacts; it is a living word for the church. And its purpose is intensely practical. Through the examples of perseverance we find there, and through the divine encouragement it provides, we are meant to find hope. Hope is the fuel that enables us to live the self-sacrificial life Paul is describing. When we are tempted to grow weary in bearing with the weak, the Scriptures are God's appointed means of strengthening our resolve and reminding us of the glorious hope set before us.

5 Now may the God of perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,

Paul turns from instruction to prayer, which shows that this kind of unity is a supernatural gift. He calls God "the God of perseverance and encouragement," the very things he just said the Scriptures provide. God is the source; Scripture is the instrument. His prayer is that God would grant them to be "of the same mind." This is not a call for uniformity of opinion on every trivial matter. It is a call for a shared mindset, a common disposition and purpose that is patterned "according to Christ Jesus." We are to think about one another in the way Christ thinks about us. We are to have the mind of Christ, who humbled Himself for the sake of others (Phil 2:5).

6 so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the grand purpose, the ultimate goal of it all. Why should the strong bear with the weak? Why should we deny ourselves? Why should we strive for unity? So that the church can fulfill its primary reason for being: to glorify God. Notice the beautiful harmony Paul describes: "with one accord" (homothumadon), meaning with one passion or purpose, and "with one voice," meaning in unified speech. When a church is unified in this gospel-centered way, its corporate worship becomes a powerful testimony. The bickering is silenced, and a single, mighty chorus of praise rises to God. All our efforts at mutual edification are ultimately aimed at this doxological climax.

Application

This passage is a direct assault on the radical individualism that infects the modern church. We are taught by our culture to think in terms of our rights, our preferences, our needs, and our "personal journey with Jesus." Paul confronts this by reminding us that we are a body. The strength God gives us is not for our personal aggrandizement but for the common good.

The mature Christian must ask himself: Am I using my knowledge and freedom to serve, or to show off? Am I more concerned with winning an argument over a disputable matter than with building up the brother I am arguing with? Does my exercise of liberty build a bridge to the weaker brother, or does it become a stumbling block that trips him up? Our pattern is Christ, who held all rights and privileges in the universe, and who laid them all aside to bear our reproaches. We are called to that same self-forgetful love.

And the fuel for this difficult calling is found in two places. First, in the Scriptures, which give us the encouragement and hope to persevere. We must be people of the Book. Second, in prayer to the God of that Book, who alone can grant the grace for this kind of supernatural unity. And we do it all for one reason: so that our churches might, with one heart and one voice, put the glory of our great God and Father on display for a watching world.