Ro 15

Not to please ourselves, but to win Gentiles

Warm-up: In certain optical illusions of interwoven images, which image do you recognize first? What makes one image harder to detect than the other for some people?

Read: Romans 15

1) vv1-3: Does it contradict Christian doctrine to be satisfied with pleasing ourselves? Why?

  • What could this mean to “not please ourselves”? v3 [gr. aresko: to please, winning someone’s favor (affection, approval) because meeting their expectation (especially by being in moral agreement).] => Hint:
    • v3: What are the reproaches mentioned by the Ps 69:9 quote?
      • How could Paul maintain that this Psalm prophesied about Jesus? cf Jn 2:17 =>
      • The NT quotes Ps 69 ten times (second only to Ps 22), seeing it fulfilled by Jesus. How can this be true of v5? Hint: Does David’s prophecy attribute to Jesus any actual wrongs? Or does it speak (ironically) of “crimes” of which he was accused wrongfully? cf v4b; v7
    • How does the quote from Ps69:9 explain what it meant for Christ to not please himself?

2) v4: What led Paul to conclude that Ps 69:9 are the words of Jesus and not merely of David? cf 1Pet 1:11-12

  • Why does it matter? Hint: What did Paul set out to prove by interpreting Ps 69:9 as Jesus’ own words?
  • What hermeneutic (methodology of interpretation) must Christians use to rightly interpret this and other OT texts in line with God’s purpose?
    • v2: What attitude is required of the expositor/interpreter?
    • What must Christian interpreters expect of OT texts? Of which ones? Why does it matter? => Example:
  • Unlike most translators, ESV renders Ps 69:4 as ending with a question: “What I did not steal must I now restore?”. Would or should you expect such a question from David or from Jesus or from both (or neither) of them?
    • Literally, the Hebrew reads “…then I restore it”: Was David  made to pay for anything he was accused of having it stolen (as implied by ESV)? On the other hand, when did Jesus pay for a supposed “robbery” that he never committed? cf Phil 2:6; Jn 10:33; 19:7
  • Why is Christ’s example of bearing unjust reproaches relevant for how the strong are you to “bear with the failings of the weak”, v1? v4

3) vv5-7: How does God create harmony among believers, and to what end?

  • Why does he not do it without Scripture, and without the prayer of believers?
  • Why does he not do it without those who are weak? Ro 12:4-5; 1Cor 12:18-22
  • v6: What does it mean to praise God “together with one voice”?
    • Does God need our praise? Why not?
    • Why is man in need of praising this God? Hint: What are we missing if we cannot delight in “the God and Father of Jesus Christ our Lord” together? v9
    • Why do the strong and the weak  need to be united in praise with one voice?
    • Is such unity possible without tolerance?
  • v7: What is the gold standard of tolerance advocated by the Bible?
    • What does such acceptance mean? Does Jesus welcome/accept/tolerate anybody unconditionally?

4) vv8-13 include four quotes from the OT (Ps 18:49; Deut 32:43; Ps 117:1; Isa 11:1). What do they have in common, and why did Paul hammer this point?

  • Why was it so difficult for the Israelites to see that Jesus as Abraham’s promised offspring was destined from the beginning to reveal God’s mercy to Gentiles?
  • What problems arose from this difficulty in the early church? v7

5) vv14-21: What was the result of such tension between Israelite and Gentile believers within the church in Rome?

  • Hint: Why did Paul write in v15 “But in some points…”? What is this qualifying statement and Paul’s own example of ministry to the Gentiles communicating about what was missing?
    • v16: Why did Paul view his missionary work as a priestly service? What is the role of priests? How did believers in Rome come to neglect this?
  • vv17-19: How then is “bringing the Gentiles to obedience” compatible and consistent with the tolerance and acceptance that Paul advocated above?
    • “…by word and deed”: Is he speaking of deeds of love, or of “miracles”? [Rather than defining the deeds, v19 adds to them miracles, thus emphasizing that both are equally “supernatural” and top be credited entirely to the Holy Spirit]
  • v21 cites Isa 52:15. Why is an understanding of the gospel essential to overcome differences with others, including tensions that arose between Jews and Gentiles?

6) vv22-33: How might “pleasing others” translate into supporting missionaries?

  • vv22-25: What motivated Paul himself to set an example how to “please not himself but others”?
  • vv26-27: How did the Macedonian and Achaian Christians follow this example?
    • How could they contribute with pleasure?
    • v27: What does it mean ‘to be of service’, and how can you take pleasure in it even though it costs you?
    • Read 2Cor 9:6-7 Why does God love cheerful giving?
      • What spoils the joy of compulsory gifts?

7) Personal & application

  • Ask yourself quietly and try to write down in which ways you might strive to “please yourself”.
  • Trying to ‘please others’ may have a rather negative connotation for us. Why?
    • What motivates you to follow Jesus’ example what it means to properly please others?
  • What can you learn from Paul’s example to “please others instead of ourselves” by how you strive to explain to your fellow men the gospel by word and deed?