Romans 15:1-13

(Romans 15:1-13)

 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:  That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.  Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

 

It is easy for people to read the text as an exhortation that those who have strong beliefs should bear the weaknesses of those who are weak. Then, it is easy to misunderstand that those who have strong beliefs have no weaknesses and those who have weak beliefs are very problematic. And the ultimate goal of a life of faith can be viewed as strong faith. In this case, you will be tempted to feel that you will have to make any effort to have strong faith.

 

However, in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Faith does not come from me, nor does it belong to me. So I am not going to boast. It does not say that strong faith is the best, but deals with what the believers should do through the faith received as a gift.

 

The Bible says that faith is a tool to please our neighbors and to achieve good and virtue. The Lord who makes perfect, the principal of faith, did not please himself, but gave himself up for us, so mankind could have hope. Faith should not be a tool for my satisfaction and joy, but a tool for sharing the virtues and hopes around me.

 

『 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 』 To become one with each other, to become one heart and one bite, is possible only when you are faithful to the essence. The early church was a community with one heart and one will. Among them, there were emotional conflicts and conflicts. There were heresy attacks and theological debates. Each time they did not hesitate to have one heart and one will before the gospel. They talked, prayed, imitated the Lord, and shared their will. It has the same purpose.

 

Christ did not speak alone, but himself participated in God the Father's plan of salvation. And he gave mercy to us who are humble. The work of salvation could be completed because Jesus listened to God's voice and heard our sighs that we could not save ourselves. As Jesus did, the gospel commands us to listen to each other and accept each other. It is not only those who have strong faith to help the weak, but the weak also grow together with the strong. The Bible quotes three verses from the Old Testament and tells the song that the Lord's choir should sing.

 

『 Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people. 』(Deuteronomy 32:43) 『Praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. 』(Psalm 117:1) 『And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. 』(Isaiah 11:10)

 

The above three songs of praise will bring people from all over the earth to join the ranks of praise to the Lord. The repeated history of mankind means that people are hostile to each other through differences in skin color, ideology and religion. Who can break the link between the numerous wars committed under the guise of faith, the suicide bombings that still take place, and the evil that is given and received? No matter how hard each Christian tries, it seems that there is no change, so it is easy to give up. So the songs of our lives are cut off. However, since the life of a believer is not a dot, it is a line, it is a harmony, not a scream, so each person must make the sound of the heavens.Even if my voice is buried in the world and the world does not pay attention, the Holy Spirit, our conductor, will weave the songs of individual lives and turn them into the grandest and most beautiful symphonies.

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