Relation in Christlikeness

Introduction

With Growth comes Responsibilities.

Baby - No responsibilities

Toddler - Little responsibilities

Child - More responsibilities

Teen - Expected to take more responsibility

Adult - excepts Responsibility

Parent - excepts responsibility of family

Same with Spiritual Growth

New Believer - Learner

Young in the Faith - more learning hands on

Teen in the faith - Accepts responsibilities and serves others.

Adult in the faith - Accepts responsibility and intentionally invest into others.

Starts in the Home, then to circle of influence (Work, School, Church, Society)

Paul in concluding this section on Application of the Gospel (12:1-15:13) finishes with an exhortation and prayer.

Paul’s Exhortation (15:5–7, 13)

Exhortation to Mature believers (15:1-2).

Romans 15:1–2 (ESV)

1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

Endure the weakness of others. (1)

Strong vs. Weak

strong person (abstractly) n. — a person characterized moral strength, courage, will, or other cognitive feature. (Sense) (Spiritually Mature)

weak person (abstractly) n. — a person characterized by lacking moral strength, courage, will, or other cognitive feature. (Sense) (Spiritually immature/young)

Obligated - “to be obligatory in view of some moral or legal requirement—‘ought, to be under obligation.’" (Louw, Nida)

To Bear - “(similar in meaning to ὑποφέρω ‘to endure,’ 25.175, but probably somewhat more emphatic in meaning) to continue to bear up under unusually trying circumstances and difficulties—‘to endure, to bear up under.’" (Louw, Nida)

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5:14 (ESV)

14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

Galatians 6:1 (ESV)

1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

2 Timothy 4:1–5 (ESV)

1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Serve to edify and build up others. (2)

Romans 15:2 (ESV)

2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

Serve for their benefit.

Building them up

Good - “benefit n. — something that aids or promotes well-being. (Sense)

Build up - “building up n. — the act of bringing something closer to fullness or completion; understood as if assisting in the construction of an incomplete building. (Sense)

Ephesians 4:11–16 (ESV)

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Part of Spiritual Maturity is investing into the spiritual growth of others to build them up to maturity. This starts in the Home and then extends to others in our circle of influence.

Examples to Follow (15:3–4, 8–12).

OT Scriptures (4)

Romans 15:4 (ESV)

4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Instructions

Instructions - “to provide instruction in a formal or informal setting—‘to teach, teaching.’" (Louw, Nida)

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV)

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Not only are we to learn from the teaching text, but also the examples we see in the lives of others.

We see examples of people using their strengths to serve the weak.

Endurance/Encouragement

Endurance - “capacity to continue to bear up under difficult circumstances—‘endurance, being able to endure.’" (Louw, Nida)

Encouragement - consolation (source) n. — a source of comfort a person feels when consoled in times of disappointment. (Sense)

We can endure difficult times and be encouraged through reading of God’s faithfulness to the believers of old.

Jesus (3, 8-12)

Jesus accepting reproach (3)

Romans 15:3 (ESV)

3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

Jesus did not use his life to please himself, but to serve God and others.

Quote Psalm 69:9 - Reproach - to speak disparagingly of a person in a manner which is not justified—‘to insult, insult.’ (Louw, Nida)

Hebrews 12:1–2 (ESV)

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus serves for our betterment (8-12)

Romans 15:8–12 (ESV)

8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” 10 And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” 12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”

Jesus came to guarantee God’s salvation to Jews and Gentiles (15:8–12).

Jesus willingly served humanity (Jews and Gentiles) for their salvation.

Mark 10:45 (ESV)

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Luke 19:10 (ESV)

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

To the Jews (15:8): He came to show that God keeps his promises to the Jews.

Confirm - to cause something to be known as certain—‘to confirm, to verify, to prove to be true and certain, confirmation, verification.’ (Louw, Nida)

Jesus, through his serving the Jewish people confirmed that God’s promises are true. All that God has promised the Jewish nation will come true in Jesus’ death, resurrection, and eternal reign as King.

To the Gentiles (15:9–12)

Romans 15:9 (ESV)

9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”

Jesus serving to provide salvation was for Gentiles also and we are now glorify/praise God for the mercy we have received.

Glorify - to speak of something as being unusually fine and deserving honor—‘to praise, to glorify, praise.’ (Louw, Nida)

Mercy - to show kindness or concern for someone in serious need—‘to show mercy, to be merciful toward, to have mercy on, mercy.’ (Louw, Nida)

Paul points to the scriptures to show that God’s heart was to bring in the Gentiles also.

See also Deuteronomy 32:43; Psalm 18:49; and Isaiah 11:10.

As we are growing into maturity (Christlikeness and obedience), we live out the righteousness modeled by Christ and faithful people of the past.

Paul’s Prayer (15:5–7, 13)

Prayer for endurance, encouragement, and unity (15:5–7).

Romans 15:5–7 (ESV)

5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

God would provide what we need.

God is faithful ans that causes us to endure and be encouraged. (cf. 4)

As God’s people we believe that we are to live in a way that honors God, but we also believe that God provides what we need to honor him. (guidance, empowerment, truth, etc)

Live in Harmony

Live in Harmony - to hold a view or have an opinion with regard to something—‘to hold a view, to have an opinion, to consider, to regard.’ (Louw, Nida)

Weather we are more mature in our faith or young and growing, we need to have the opinion of living with each other in harmony.

Unity in praise of God

One Voice as Unity — Unity is conceptualized as having one voice. (The Lexham Figurative Language of the New Testament Dataset.)

Glorify and praise God for all he has done together without quarrels.

This is Paul’s prayer for unity of the church.

John 17:20–23 (ESV)

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

Prayer for joy, peace, and hope (15:13).

Romans 15:13 (ESV)

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

God would fill us with Joy and Peace bring us hope.

Joy - a state of joy and gladness—‘joy, gladness, great happiness.’ (Louw, Nida)

Peace - a state of freedom from anxiety and inner turmoil—‘peace, freedom from worry.’ (Louw, Nida)

Hope - to look forward with confidence to that which is good and beneficial—‘to hope, to hope for, hope.’ (Louw, Nida)

Takeaways

Seek to edify and build up others.

Seek unity in the church.