Romanos 15
Origen of Alexandria · Comentário Patrístico (catena)
Romanos 15:1
Paul appears from this to be calling himself strong, just as he says in 1 Corinthians: "To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak." — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 15:2
We ought to please God first, then our neighbor. But perhaps someone will say that Paul is contradicting himself here, because elsewhere he says: "If I please men, then I am not a servant of Christ." … In answer to this it must be said that it is one thing to try to please others in order to get their praise and quite another to please them in order that one's own life might be blameless, so that those who meet us may be edified by what they see and hear. We are not called to please others by doing things which are against faith, honor and piety.… Note that Paul himself says this, when he adds that in pleasing our neighbor the purpose is to edify him. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 15:3
Christ did not please himself nor did he think it was robbery to be equal with God, but wanting to please men, that is, to save them, he suffered the reproaches of those who reproached God, as it is written. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 15:4
This is similar to what Paul says elsewhere: "these things were written down for our instruction." … "Encouragement of the Scriptures" is given not to those who neither believe nor understand them but only to those who do. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 15:5
Here Paul is blessing the Romans in the manner of the patriarchs and prophets.… It is a great blessing that they should all understand and think alike. If you want to know just how great it is, look at what the Savior said in the Gospel: "If two or three of you agree, whatever they ask will be done for them by God." …This unanimity must be "in accord with Christ Jesus," for of course it is possible to conspire together for evil. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 15:8
There are two ways in which "Christ became a servant to the circumcised." First, he was himself circumcised and so identified himself with them. Second, he fulfilled the promises of the law, so that now neither those who are circumcised nor Gentile believers are obliged to keep it any more. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 15:13
Precisely how all this can be fulfilled so that they may be filled with all joy and peace is hard to say, especially since the apostle himself, when talking about the gifts of the Spirit, says that he knows in part and prophesies in part. But I think that believers can have the fullness of peace when they are reconciled to God the Father by faith.… For if someone who believes is armed with the power of the Holy Spirit, it is certain that he will always have the fullness of joy and peace. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 15:14
This fullness is relative. Paul and those like him are full of goodness, etc., in comparison with their fellow believers, but naturally they are still vastly inferior to the perfection of God. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 15:16
The priests had to make sure when they offered sacrifices that there were no blemishes on the sacrificial victim nor faults of any kind, so that the sacrifice might be acceptable and pleasing to God. So also the one who makes a sacrifice of the gospel and preaches the Word of God must ensure that there is no blemish in his preaching, nor fault in his teaching, which might make him blameworthy at the judgment. Rather, he ought first of all to sacrifice himself, to strangle his own faults and to put to death the sins in his members, so that not only by his teaching but also by the example of his life he may make his sacrifice, which is the salvation of his disciples, acceptable to God. The Holy Spirit is the source of sanctification, and therefore the offering of the Gentiles which is made by Paul, in the role of priest, is said to be made acceptable to God by the Holy Spirit and not by the observance of the law. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 15:17
To be proud of one's work for God without Christ Jesus would be like saying one has glory in God's eyes without righteousness, wisdom or truth. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 15:19
Signs differ from wonders in that signs are miracles which point to some future happening, whereas wonders are just miracles. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 15:22
Paul was not hindered by Satan, as some think, but by the fact that he was too busy planting churches in places where nobody had ever preached the gospel before. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 15:23
"These regions" refer to Achaia, where Paul then was, and to the neighboring Macedonia, where he had been the first to preach the gospel. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 15:24
This must not be understood to mean that Paul had so little love for the Romans that he was only going to drop in on them briefly while passing through on his way elsewhere. Look what he says [in the next few verses] and you will see that this cannot be right. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 15:26
Note how Paul subtly exhorts the Romans by praising the believers of Macedonia and Achaia. For if they could make some contribution, why could the Romans not do likewise? Most people think that Paul wanted the Romans to give to the same purpose as those of Macedonia and Achaia had done, but this interpretation seems to me to be too narrow. There were poor saints all over the place, and Paul wanted the Romans to develop a spirit of generosity toward them all. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS
Romanos 15:29
What does Paul mean by this? I think he is talking here about the image of God, by which he means that there will be no admixture of any alien thought in the fulfilling of his task and no praise sought from men. He simply will offer all he has done to God in the simplicity of his heart. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS