Down an Unfamiliar Road

APRONS CAN BE BEAUTIFUL

The lady who wrote this did not leave her name, but we’ll give her credit anonymously. There’s an important lesson in this story that all of us should keep in mind. I hope you enjoy it.

I agreed with her when she said that she didn’t think kids nowadays know what an apron is. The principal purpose of her Grandma’s apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses, and aprons used less material. But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children’s tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. When visitors came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, Grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner. It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that “old-time apron” that served so many purposes.

Grandma used her apron to set her hot apple pies on the window sill to cool after baking. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw before baking. They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. The lady said she didn’t think she ever caught any disease from that apron – only love.

After reading this it struck me that we often times think that the way our parents and grandparents handled things is too old-fashioned and won’t work today – except grandma’s recipes. And the same thing goes with what the Bible says about how to live right in today’s world. But until someone comes up with something better than the Word of God, I’m sure it will work fine until Jesus comes and we won’t need it anymore. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FIFTEEN (Lesson XV)

Charles Hodge takes what Paul says here about what he knew of the Christians in Rome to mean that he was acquainted with some of the leading members of the church well enough that he did not need to be informed by others of their true character.¹ To make sure that he did possess such information, Paul shares what he already knows about them being very conciliatory and highly virtuous in character. Not only that, but that they were also well-versed in the Scriptures and the Gospel of Christ. This then made them spiritually strong enough and sufficiently grounded in the truth so that they could counsel one another on issues of doctrine and Christian ethics. So it wasn’t that Paul was writing to novices in the faith, but seasoned believers.

Albert Barnes believes that Paul’s reference to the believers in Rome being full of goodness was to separate them from those among the Jews and even some Gentiles who were opposed to him. By saying that they were filled with “kindness” it predisposed them to obey all proper and relevant instruction so that any consequent errors in their opinions and conduct would not result from being ignorant, stubborn, or contrary. There was indeed danger in the congregation at Rome from some Jews who were proud and haughty. And even among the Gentile converts, there might have been some reluctance to receive instruction from a foreign Jew such as Paul. But the Apostle was persuaded that all this could be overcome by a mild and humbling spirit of shared faith and fellowship. So Paul kindly asks that they respect his authority as an Apostle of Jesus Christ, called and commissioned for their benefit.²

Barnes also makes note of the special character of Paul when it came to dealing with others. For him, the Apostle, as far as possible, refrained from dwelling on the faults of other Christians. When it was necessary to discipline them, he did it with tenderness and tears. When it was possible for him to commend, he preferred it, and never hesitated to give them credit to the fullest degree possible. He did not flatter, but always told the truth; he did not commend them just to excite pride and conceit, but to encourage them so they would become even more involved in active efforts to help the church grow in harmony. Barnes makes it clear, the ministers who always censure and condemn, whose ministry is made up of complaints and criticisms, who never speak about believers except to point out faults and failures, who constantly preach on sin as though there are no saints in the house, bear no resemblance to our Savior and the Apostle Paul. Therefore, they should expect not to see any real success in their work.³

One Messianic Jewish writer points out that Paul does not teach that without Torah there is no such thing as sin. In verse 14 he makes it very clear that had there been no sin before the giving of the Torah at Sinai, then death would not have reigned from Adam to Moses. Much doctrine has been established around the preceding verses, particularly many related to the concept of original sin. Judaism does teach the doctrine of “evil inclinations” in mankind, they are called Yetzer Hara, but also that man can overcome this, as God Himself asked Cain: “If you are doing what is good, shouldn’t you hold your head high? And if you don’t do what is good, sin is crouching at the door – it wants you, but you can rule over it.”⁴ Judaism teaches that today one conquers sin by learning and obeying the Torah. And the Torah is obeyed by trusting in the atoning work of Yeshua.⁵

Rabbi Nachmanides explored the Rabbinical teachings on God’s admonition to Cain and found several thoughts he shares with us. For instance, Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra takes the phrase, “hold your head high,” as an answer to God’s earlier question to Cain, “Why are you so downcast?”⁶ This is another way of saying, “Why are you standing there with your face looking downward instead of looking upward to Me?” So when a person is able to lift their face, it means they are not ashamed of what they have done. In fact, when his friends tried to shame him, Job stated that they couldn’t believe that he still had a smile on his face and a good sense of humor.⁷ Furthermore, when Jacob was about to meet Esau, knowing that he had deceived their father Abraham and stolen Esau’s birthright, he thought that by sending gifts ahead of their meeting that perhaps when they did meet Esau’s greeting would cause him to lift up his face because he felt forgiven an accepted.⁸

Rabbi Nachmanides goes on to give his own opinion, that what God says to Cain in Genesis 4:7 really means that once Cain mended his ways by repentance and forgiveness, he would be able to get back his dignity. After all, he was the first-born. Now he felt overshadowed by his younger brother Abel. That was really the problem. Cain’s jealousy and sense of shame is what caused him to kill his brother, and now here he stands with his head hanging down, unable to look God in the eye to answer His question, “Where is your brother?”⁹ But since God already knew that Cain had murdered his brother, the question takes on a larger meaning. It was another way of saying: If you are willing to admit that what you have done to your brother was wrong, you will be able to get over this so you can move on with your life. But just remember, every time you go out the door with unforgiven guilt, sin is just waiting to get hold of you and rule your life. So it goes without saying, unforgiven sin will only lead to more sin. The only way to stop it from repeating itself is to get rid of what is causing it in the first place.¹⁰

And Rabbi Avraham Saba also shares insights from the early Jewish writers by noting that verses 6 & 7 of Genesis 4 were given by God so that His creation could learn about His attributes of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Here God goes out of His way to manifest Himself with kindness to someone who partially represented the power of evil in the world, and who was almost the reincarnation of the serpent’s poisonous venom. God spoke to him soothingly, asking “Why are you so upset?” We can see here that Jewish Rabbis were very much aware of the inherited strain of sin from Adam, which is called, “original sin.” Also, God’s response to Cain is clearly seen as God’s offer of grace and mercy. So these Jewish teachings were not new to Paul, he was simply expressing them through the Gospel from a different perspective.

Rabbi Saba goes on to say that instead of Cain blaming Abel for the rejection of his sacrifice, he should blame himself. After all, what he chose to give to God was his personal decision. And God’s revelation of sin crouching at the door was His way of explaining to Cain that he had been born with a residue of the serpent’s poison as an integral part of his being. Consequently, it was within his power to neutralize that handicap and rise above it. All that was required was the will to do so. Here we see the idea of salvation by works, even though God had offered grace and mercy. By telling Cain to mend his ways, the Jews understood this as making amends to God through good deeds and acts of devotion. And if you don’t succeed by offering the correct sacrifice the first time, try again and this time do it right with the appropriate good works. God promised, if done right, He would accept it. However, if Cain continued to bring God an offering of mixed grains, it would only be giving Satan the opportunity to deceive him once again.¹¹

15:15-16: Now on some points I have written to you with forceful words as a way of reminding you about them. It’s because of the grace God has given me to be a servant of the Christ Jesus to you Gentiles, with the priestly duty of presenting the Good News of God to you Gentiles so that you may be an acceptable offering, made pure by the Holy Spirit.

It is clear that Paul feels that he is wrapping up his letter to the Romans, and wanted to reiterate some of his earlier points. His ability in teaching and counseling have caused some Bible scholars to wonder why the eleven disciples didn’t wait a little longer so that they would have had the opportunity to elect Paul to take Judas Iscariot’s place instead of Matthias. Others have even gone so far as to advocate that God should have annulled Matthias’ selection when He knew that Paul would be chosen to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. These conjectures have no basis, of course, and do not enhance our understanding of Paul’s calling. Paul was an Apostle and he was chosen by Jesus Christ for a specific mission. In other words, he was the first of a new breed.

Many of the original disciples knew Jesus personally before He called them to follow Him. But when Paul encountered Christ on the road to Damascus, the Lord had to introduce Himself. There is no doubt that Paul’s experience in meeting Jesus was real and undeniable, that’s why Jesus gave Paul directions to go to Damascus and find Ananias, He did not say to him, “follow me,” and then lead him there. So faith was the main factor in Paul’s following Jesus instead of physical contact. Paul exceeded the accomplishments of all the other disciples because he was the first of the faith-called Apostles of whom today’s ministers and Bible teachers are his successors. Some will tell you they would have preferred if Jesus had come down in the flesh and spoken directly to them when calling them to preach, but that would have left them with little faith to go on, and they would keep asking the Lord to come back and instruct them in person again so they could make sure what they were being told by the Spirit was true. With such an attitude, how far do you think they would have gotten in their ministry?

Since Paul knew that he had a lot of subjects to cover and many things to say to the believers in Rome, so he had to be concise and precise. The writer of Hebrews felt the same way,¹² and the Apostle Peter was under the same impression.¹³ And Jude, in his epistle, had these passionate words: “Dear friends, I have been trying to write to you about what God did for us when He saved us from the punishment of sin. Now I must write to you and tell you to fight hard for the faith which was once and for all given to the holy people of God… You already know all this, but think about it again. The Lord saved His people out of the land of Egypt. Later He destroyed all those who did not put their trust in Him.”¹⁴ Thank God they were motivated and inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these letters, for had they not done so we would be lacking in the instructions and insights they received from the Lord.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FIFTEEN (Lesson XIV)

On the subject of God being the God of hope, Charles Spurgeon preached that our God is called the God of hope, not only because He is the object of hope and the basis of joy and peace, but also because it is He that lights the fire of hope and puts the fountain of joy in our hearts. I like the way Spurgeon says that there is no joy like the joy that comes from the Lord. It starts with Him and ends with Him, and there is no joy worth receiving unless it springs from hope in Him. He goes on to say that God must breathe in our souls or else the storm-tossed waters of our spirit will never rest, nor should they, for peace without God is wishful thinking, joy without God is pretension, and hope without God is speculation. For true believers, their hope, faith, joy, and peace are all the handiwork of God. “Our spiritual raiment is never homespun; we are divinely arrayed from head to foot.”¹

Karl Barth has an interesting way of summarizing Paul admonition that Christians learn to get along with each other without one feeling stronger and the other feeling weaker than each other. For Barth, Christ is at the core of our freedom and separation from worldly things. He makes the strong even stronger to the glory of God. But He also uses them to help the weak even more to the glory of God. He is the Messiah of Israel, the Christ of the Church. For every believer – however unsure – who brings to Him their weakness, their hope in Him becomes the object of their faith in the truth of God’s Word. The mercy of God has produced the strong, for they were at one time weak. Truth and Mercy hold together Jew and Gentile, Israel and the Church. Some are strong. Some are weak. But above, before, and behind every human struggle stands – The God of Hope. Says Barth: “To Him, the voices of all who have been found by His Truth and by His Mercy are lifted up in a chorus of jubilation. He beholds weakness in the strong and strength in the weak. With His eyes He sees all, whether they stand on the highest or on the lowest step, sharing in the blessed secret of His Freedom and of His Kingdom.”²

15: 14: My brothers and sisters, I know without a doubt that you are full of goodness and have all the knowledge you need. So you are certainly able to counsel each other.

Even though Paul had never visited Rome, he received enough information about the church there to commend them on being full of goodness, well instructed, and spiritually strong enough to counsel those who needed assistance. Such characteristics were appreciated by the Apostles. To his readers, the Apostle Peter wrote: “I will always remind you about these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you already have.”³ And the Apostle John was able to tell his readers: “I have not written to you because you do not know the truth. I have written because you do know the truth and you know that no lie comes from the truth.”⁴

But Paul wanted more than for these saints of God to simply possess such knowledge and wisdom, he encouraged them to use their gifts for the betterment of the church. He told the Philippians: “I pray that you will be filled with the fruits of right living. These come from Jesus Christ, with honor and thanks to God.”⁵ In other words, if you are qualified to teach and counsel, begin with being an example yourself before you tell others how to conduct themselves. This was also his message to the Colossians: “I have never stopped praying for you since I heard about you. I ask God that you may know what He wants you to do. I ask God to fill you with the wisdom and understanding the Holy Spirit gives. Then your lives will please the Lord. You will do every kind of good work, and you will know more about God.”⁶

The Apostle Peter had the same message for those he wrote to: “Do your best to add holy living to your faith. Then add to this a better understanding. As you have a better understanding, be able to say no when you need to. Do not give up. And as you wait and do not give up, live God-like. As you live Godly lives, be kind to Christian brothers and love them. If you have all these things and keep growing in them, they will keep you from being of no use and from having no fruit when it comes to knowing our Lord Jesus Christ.”⁷

A number of early church scholars write concerning the relativity of human kindness among believers. Ambrosiaster notes that these are words of encouragement. By praising them, Paul is exhorting them to better understanding and behavior. If a person receives encouragement they will strive to be even better at what they’ve been called to do. That’s why Paul did not tell them to lecture one another but that they should inspire each other. Exhortation is often needed when it becomes clear that something or someone is weakening the resolve of the believer and they have grown slack.⁸

Then we have Chrysostom who preached that we must understand what Paul says in this verse after looking at his exhortation given in the preceding verses. It is as if Paul was telling the Roman believers that it wasn’t that they were cruel or haters of their fellow believers that he gave them the message to be kind with each other and do not neglect or destroy the work that God has started. For he was very much aware that they were tenderhearted people. He didn’t want them turned off because they thought he was scolding them, he was only encouraging them.⁹ And then we have the thoughts of Pelagius who sees Paul trying to motivate the believers in Rome to make further progress by congratulating them on what they had already done, something any good teacher would do. He was sure they understood that sometimes a teacher must take corrective and disciplinary action to help their students achieve even more than they thought they could.¹⁰

Martin Luther feels that Paul may be apologizing here for lecturing the Roman believers as though they were ignorant of these things when, in fact, there were many things for which he could praise them. Luther tells his readers to observe the logical sequence Paul follows by first putting “full of goodness,” and then “full of knowledge.” He’s trying to help them see that without love and kindness, knowledge can easily make someone feel that they are indispensable. Furthermore, those to whom they wanted to impart knowledge will better retain what they’ve learned when it is delivered in love. Furthermore, that will then make them more eager to share what they’ve learned with others. Conceited people only have pleasure in showing contempt for others as they tear them down. But loving, caring people freely share what they know in order to build up the ones who need instruction the most.¹¹

Let me share what I learned from a veteran pioneer preacher named Dr. Houston R. Morehead years ago while attending a minister’s retreat in the Netherlands. He said that apple pie was his favorite dessert. He especially loved it when it was warmed up and vanilla ice cream placed on top. But as much as he loved it, he wanted it served to him on a plate not thrown in his face. The same goes for the teachings of Scripture. Instead of getting in people’s faces and saying, “turn or burn!” we should take them by the hand and invite them to “turn and learn.”

John Calvin also sees this apology by Paul, who expected some push-back from the believers in Rome due to his claim of being an Apostle, as a way of avoiding any offence on his part because they thought they were being unfairly admonished over things that weren’t really that bad. Paul offers an “I’m sorry,” just in case he came across as an uninvited lecturer who did not take into account their wisdom, kindness, and determination to do things right. This way he removed any suspicion of presumption, which quickly becomes obvious when someone marches in to take over when they were never invited to do so in the first place, and begin to criticize what they don’t like or think is wrong. Instead, Paul lets us see how modest he was about what God called him to do. He didn’t mind what they thought of him, just as long as the doctrine he preached retained its authority.¹² What Calvin is suggesting is that when Paul addressed the Jews or the Gentiles in the church in Rome, he was not talking about or aiming at one or two particular people. Rather, the surreptitious Jew or Gentile who was the source of all the discussion and debate between the weak and strong believers.

Adam Clarke writes, that Paul does not address what could be a very touchy situation. It appears that this part of his letter is directed toward the Gentiles in the Roman church, something he manages with great care. No doubt that’s why he apologizes for the freedom he used in writing to them about such matters, even though he lets them know that he was using the authority he received with his Apostolic appointment by Christ, an office which commissioned him to deal with them in particular. So why should they feel offended when they found themselves the focus of Christ’s love. This is better understood, says Clarke, when we take into consideration that Paul admitted that they were such an important part in the mind and design of God, relative to their calling and the fruit which they were to produce to the glory of God. This made them well qualified to give one another suitable counsel and encouragement on every important point.¹³

Robert Haldane sees Paul attempting to try and justify his writing the Roman church as an instructor rather than as a brother seeking information. That’s why Paul makes an extra effort to share his whole reason for writing them as he had done. It was not that he considered them deficient in Christian character and virtues, or misinformed concerning the doctrines and duties of their profession; on the contrary, even he himself was fully persuaded that they were full of goodness. In our sinful nature there is nothing good, but from the work of the Spirit on our hearts, we may be full of goodness. The honor of this reflects as much on God as it does on our faith. If faith is the gift of God, then “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,”¹⁴ to the praise, glory, and honor of God. It was He who made us and He will not stop until the work He started in us is finished¹⁵.¹⁶

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FIFTEEN (Lesson XIII)

When it comes to Paul’s assertion, in line with what is said in the Scriptures, about the Gentiles being destined to accept the Messiah, Robert Haldane points back to the root of Jesse. That is a definite allusion to one particular person of the family of Jesse. Christ is called a branch in the same chapter of Isaiah 11. But here He appears here to be called a root, or a particular shoot from the root, as He is elsewhere called a root out of dry ground.¹ This limits the origin of the human nature of the Messiah to the family of Jesse. Furthermore, according to what Isaiah says, the Messiah will also be King of the Gentiles as well as King of the Jews. The passage quoted speaks of Him as a rally banner for the Gentiles. This the Apostle Paul interprets as a ruler; because soldiers follow the banner of their captain. This strictly asserts that the Gentiles would trust in a spiritual leader named Jesus of Nazareth descended from Jesse.²

On the subject of reasons for Gentiles to join Jews in glorifying God, Jewish writer David Stern points out that God’s mercy is demonstrated by causing the Gentiles to glorify Him. Paul has not yet dealt with this, so he opens, as he did with God’s truthfulness, by citing Scripture texts as evidence. We see that Paul takes them from all four major sections of the Tanakh: from the Earlier Prophets (2 Samuel 22:50), the Torah (Deuteronomy 22:43), the Writings (Psalm 117:1) and the Later Prophets (Isaiah 11:10). Every part of the Tanakh – the Jewish Bible, gives witness to the inclusion of Gentiles in the people of God.³

15:13 I pray that the God of hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in Him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Here we have Paul’s prayer for the believers in Rome. He asks God to give them hope, joy, and peace through the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Paul believed that these spiritual qualities were indestructible because they have their source in Christ who is always with us. Because Christ will never leave us, our spiritual blessings are secure as long as we are in Him and He is in us.

Several early church scholars commented on the joy and peace that comes to every believer. Origen is not sure how all of this can be done so that they may be filled with all joy and peace. Even the Apostle Paul, when talking about the Gifts of the Spirit, said that he knows in part and prophesies in part.⁴ 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 filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, it is certain that they will always have the fullness of joy and peace.⁵

Then Chrysostom makes the point that a person may overcome the heartlessness of others and yet not be burdened down with depression. This can be achieved by holding onto hope, which is the key to patience that is willing to wait for all the good things that come through the working of the Holy Spirit. But the Spirit is not expected to do all the work, each believer must do their part also. That is why Paul adds the words “trust in Him.”⁶ And for scholar Constantius, Paul shows that because God does not fill anyone with the gift of grace apart from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Father and of the Holy Spirit is one and the same.⁷ Then Pelagius notes that every believer should be filled with joy when they place their hope in things to come. That joy comes from having peace with God and each other. There is little joy in disharmony because it spawns so much heartache. So it’s no wonder that Paul was so prayerful that the believers in Rome would learn how to get along with each other so they could experience the joy God wanted them to have as they then hope for even greater things.⁸

As it relates to hope, Martin Luther sees the expression “the God of Hope” is indeed unique. Nevertheless, by this expression, the Apostle Paul distinguishes between the true God and false gods. The idols are gods over things that are tangible. They rule over those who have no hope but rely solely on material things to help them get by. But whoever trusts in the true God forsakes all these earthly things and lives by faith and hope. Therefore, the expression “the God of Hope” means the same as “the God of those who have hope.” In short, God is “the God of Hope” because He is the Giver of hope, and He has everything a believer could hope for. Wherever there is hope, it’s there that God is worshiped.

Then, as it relates to joy, Luther also notes that the Apostle Paul places joy first and then peace because it is joy that gives peace, relaxing the heart of a person who has obtained peace through faith in Christ, then it will be easy for them to live in peace with others. To have joy and peace is possible only to the person who believes because joy and peace do not rest upon material things, but on those things stored away for the future in heaven that are the object of our hope. Otherwise, God would not be the God of Hope, who promised these blessings. Sometimes these invisible blessings are made manifest in us today such as love for the unlovable, peace in the midst of persecution, and joy in times of sorrow. The individual who does not have these invisible gifts will not survive during the times of storm and sorrow when all their tangible possessions in which they trust are taken away or destroyed. These blessings are only made possible by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit we would be too weak and helpless in times of persecution.⁹ Through Him we will obtain the victory and also become stronger and triumphant.¹⁰

John Calvin points out that most times when the Apostle Paul offers a prayer, it is how he brings the topic on taking care of each other and promoting unity among the body of believers to a conclusion. So here Paul tells the Romans he prays that the Lord will fill them with all joy and peace so that they may abound in hope as both Gentiles and Jews praise God for bringing them together at the cross. As Calvin sees it, in order that peace may be approved by God, everyone must be bound together by real and genuine faith. That means they were to cultivate peace for the purpose of believing. And the same thing applies today. That’s what it will take to stand firm in our beliefs. Having peace in our hearts and love for one another it then helps us to relax and learn more about God and His plans for us. And though the peace we have with God and each other, we can move forward to even better things on the higher ground of faith.¹¹

John Bengel shares some interesting facts with us here. He notes that in the preceding verse Paul used Isaiah to emphasize “hope.” The God of Hope, a name glorious to God, but a name unknown to the Gentiles in this manner. But they did know about Hope, in that one of their false gods, whose temple, Livy mentions in his history, was struck by lightning. Then, later on, it was burned by fire.¹² Here’s how it reads: “A phantom navy was seen shining in the sky; the Temple of Hope in the vegetable market was struck by lightning.”¹³ Then, “All the buildings [in Rome] between the Salinae (saltworks) and the Porta Carmentalis (a double gate in the Servian Walls), including the Aequimaelium, the Vicus Jugarius, and the temples of Fortune and Mater Matuta were burned to the ground. The fire traveled for a considerable distance outside the gate and destroyed much property and many sacred objects.”¹⁴

Adam Clarke believes that once the Jews and Gentiles both realized that it was God who caused them to have hope in the gracious promises that He made to Abraham, and the fact that He had fulfilled them in the most punctual and circumstantial manner, this should give them true spiritual happiness in their souls, peace in their heart, and unity among themselves. Not only could they believe that the promises were theirs, but also believe that it was through Christ Jesus that these promises, which are Yes and Amen reached them. Clarke sees Paul wanting all believers to realize that this should make them excited about getting a better understanding of the salvation which God has provided them, and then be able to see that great expectations can be fulfilled by the power of the Holy Spirit. This will then enable them to hope and believe to even greater dimensions. That will certainly will help seal the fulfilling of the promises of God upon their hearts.¹⁵ That same excitement, hope, and joy should be ours today in the same fullness.

Writing about our hope, Robert Haldane says that Paul was inspired to make the point that God is called the God of Hope because He is the source and object of all our well-grounded hope. Now it must be recognized that the world has their version of hope. Unfortunately, it is most often false hope because it is grounded in wishful thinking. The believer’s hope is anchored in a God who never changes nor goes back on His promises. But the world’s hope is tied to things that change all the time, and that often comes after promises are broken. Not only is God the author of all true hope, but He does not let that hope slip away in times of sorrow and despair. This allows Him to reach down and pick up even the most despondent and discouraged and help them walk and hope again. He can also comfort the guilty by reminding them of His grace and forgiveness that will bring relief to their troubled soul. Just think about the thief on the cross, and with the three thousand who were saved on the day of Pentecost!¹⁶

Charles Ellicott comments on Paul’s prayer that the Roman believers would be filled with hope, joy, and peace by God. He sees hope, joy, and peace as a triad formed to represent the attitude of the Christian in looking towards the future, so far as that future reflects back on the present. Hope may be taken as including joy and peace as it is upon the certainty of the Messianic promises that all three depend, just as it is through the constant energizing power of the Holy Spirit that they are kept alive.¹⁷

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FIFTEEN (Lesson XII)

15:12 And Isaiah says, “Someone will come from Jesse’s family. He will come to rule over the nations, and they will put their hope in Him.”

Now, to make sure that both Jews and Gentiles understood that this Messiah could not just appear out of nowhere without any trace of lineage like some mythical spirit, Paul points to what is said about the true Messiah by none other than the prophet Isaiah: “One will come from the family of Jesse. A branch will grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of wise words and strength, the spirit of much learning and the fear of the Lord… In that day the nations will turn to the One from the family of Jesse. He will be honored by the people as someone special to look for.”¹

Not only was Jesus a descendant of Jesse through David, but this is attested to by the Prophets and the Gospels. And in his vision of the future, the Apostle John recorded this: “One of the leaders said to me, ‘Stop crying. See! The Lion from the tribe of Judah has power and has won. He can open the book and break its seven locks. He is of the family of David.’”² Not only that, but in that same revelation Jesus Himself spoke: “I am Jesus. I have sent My angel to you with these words to the churches. I am the beginning of David and of his family. I am the bright Morning Star.”³

Some commentators have misunderstood the “morning star” concept, especially in Judaism. It has nothing to do with the star itself, but what the star represents. As Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenbert says: “Therefore, the basic aspects of the meaning of the concept of the morning star is glory. To receive or to be given the morning star should be understood as a promise of the glorious future, an affirmation of great good yet to come.”⁴ But we also know that the Jews also accepted this same title for Lucifer. But in the writings of the wise man Job, we find a possible clue as to why both the Messiah and Lucifer were referred to that way: “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”⁵ We know that one of the morning stars fell to earth while the other came to earth to redeem those who were led into sin by this fallen angel.⁶

Not only that but the fallen angel, Lucifer, could not resist the power and authority of the true Morning Star because full control of the earth was given to Him: “You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father. Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for You to own. The ends of the earth will belong to You.”⁷ And again: “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will worship before Him. For the holy nation is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations.”⁸ And through the Prophet Isaiah God foretold the worldwide outreach He planned: “I will also make You a light to the nations, so that men over all the earth can be saved from the punishment of their sins.”⁹

In his message to Mary, the Archangel Gabriel said: “The Lord God will give Him the place where His early father David sat. He will be King over the family of Jacob forever and His nation will have no end.”¹⁰ Was Gabriel making this up? No, it had been said long ago: “To Him was given rulership, glory and a kingdom, so that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His rulership is an eternal rulership that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”¹¹ This is why no believer can hear the Gospel just once, or read the Bible through one time and put it back in a box for safekeeping. We must hear God’s Word over and over again because each time the Holy Spirit has something new to reveal to us.

Early church scholar Ambrosiaster talks about Gentiles receiving greater assurance and a surer hope in Christ. He notes that Paul backs up God’s decree with many examples. Why is Christ said to be from the root of Jesse and not from the root of Boaz,¹² or of Obed?¹³ It is because He is said to be the Son of David on account of the kingdom, and just as He was born of God to be a divine King, so also He was born of David according to be a human being. Therefore, from the root of Jesse sprang the tree of David, which produced the branch on which the Virgin Mary was formed, who gave birth to the fruit from which is made the Bread of Heaven.¹⁴

Reformer Martin Luther has an interesting way of interpreting this root of Jesse springing up. He explains that the word “root,” refers to the stump itself, which, so to speak, remains after the tree – the fig tree called Israel, has withered, died, and then cut down.¹⁵ Out of this stump, nevertheless, grows in a marvelous way to become a great tree. From this “root” came Christ who has spread out into a large Church.¹⁶ The term “root” may also be taken to suggest the suffering and death of Christ, who was humiliated so that He became as nothing, and then again was exalted.¹⁷ Christ’s suffering and death are thus described by a figure of speech. By doing this, the Apostle removes any reason for the Jewish and Gentile Christians to be at odds with one another. Instead, accept each other as Christ also accepted them. For out of pure mercy He has welcomed not only the Jews but also the Gentiles. Therefore, both have reason enough to glorify God and not fight with each other to see who is number one in God’s eyes.¹⁸

Concerning the quote from Isaiah by Paul, John Calvin states that this prophecy is the most illustrious of them all. That is because in this passage, during a time when things were almost past hope, the words given to Isaiah the prophet comforted the small remnant of the faithful by telling them that there would arise a shoot from the dry and dying trunk of David’s family, and that a branch would flourish from his root which would restore to God’s people their once shining glory. It is clear from the account that this shoot or branch was Christ, the Redeemer of the world. And then, he added, that he would be raised for a banner for the Gentiles, that to them would be a sign of their salvation. The Greek text used here in Romans differs somewhat from the Hebrew text in Isaiah. In Hebrew, we read: “He that shall rise to reign” (KJV). while in English it says: “which stands as an ensign” (KJV). The Complete Jewish Bible has this: “He who arises to rule,” and “which stands as a banner.” But what cannot be lost is that in both places He will rise to reign and will stand as a banner for the Gentiles to rally around and follow. But even more, it says that the Gentiles will seek Him out (Isaiah) and put their hope in Him (Romans). That means, that to seek God is to put one’s hope in Him.¹⁹

The Greek Septuagint version of Isaiah 11:10 reads as follows: “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall arise to rule over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust, and his rest shall be glorious.” The Hebrew text reads this way: “And there shall be in that day a root of Jesse that shall stand for an ensign of the people unto the Gentiles who shall seek it and shall be his majestic rest.” So the editor of Calvin’s Commentary says the language of the Prophet must be understood as being metaphorical since the Septuagint translators interpreted it that way. And, since Paul quoted from the Septuagint it is obvious he approved and adopted this interpretation. The Messiah is represented by the Prophet as a general of an army, raising His banner for the nations to see that he is a winner, and the Gentiles rally around his banner for protection.²⁰ There may be many suggestions on what the ensign or banner of the Messiah may be, around which the Gentiles will gather to find rest for their souls, but for me, there is only one and that is the cross of Jesus the Christ.

John Bengel gives us an insightful exegesis of this verse. He notes that Paul has quoted both Moses and David without mentioning their names. But here he mentions the name of Isaiah, whose scroll is part of the section on the Prophets. Any part of that section that is read in the synagogue is called, Haftara, (which means “to conclude”), and this is chanted on the eighth day of the Passover, at the same time of the year at which this Epistle to the Romans seems to have been written. There is little doubt that while Jews considered this to be a reference to the Messiah, Paul clearly identified the Messiah as Jesus of Nazareth.

If we compare the tenth verse in the eleventh chapter of Isaiah with what is said here in Romans 15:12, He is also called the root of Jesse.²¹ Both Christ’s descent from Royalty and the promised Messiah, He was divinely ascribed to the house of Jesse before it was linked to the house of David, and that descent might have been expected even from another son of Jesse.²² But David was king, not Jesse; and the kingdom of Christ was in some measure hereditary from David,²³ in respect to the Jews, but not in respect to the Gentiles. He is, therefore, in these Scriptures from Isaiah and Romans, not called the root of David,

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FIFTEEN (Lesson XI)

15:10 There are other Scriptures: “You people of other nations should be happy together with God’s people.”

Based on early scriptures in the Torah, Paul points out that God called on His people to rejoice with other nations when they heard the Good News of what God had done for them. Paul does not include the whole verse in Deuteronomy which reads: “Rejoice, O nations, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And will render vengeance on His adversaries, And will atone for His land and His people.”¹ The Apostle wanted to focus on the last line that speaks about God atoning for His people. The point here is that His message of salvation was meant for the world, not just Israel.

We can see where this same message was included in another Hymn of Praise that it was meant to exalt the Lord for allowing this message to go into all the world: “God, be gracious to us, and bless us. May He make His face shine toward us, (Selah) so that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples give thanks to You, God; let the peoples give thanks to You, all of them. Let the nations be glad and shout for joy.”² And that is due to the fact that: “The LORD has made His saving power known. He has shown to the nations how right and good He is. He has shown His loving-kindness and how beautiful He is to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of our God.”³

Chrysostom comments on Paul’s call to the Gentiles to rejoice with their Jewish brethren. Paul has taken the time to point out the Scriptures that give them enough reason to be united and glorify God together. But he wanted the Jews to learn humility so they wouldn‘t think they were better than the Gentiles, especially in light of the fact that God clearly said they were to be included. He also wanted to humble the Gentiles by pointing out that if it were not for God’s love, grace, and mercy they would not be included in the promises of His kingdom.⁴

Martin Luther believes that this call for the Gentiles to join God’s people went forth from Jerusalem, from God’s people to all peoples. The Gospel did not reach the Gentiles until it was first preached in Galilee and Judah. Therefore, by Paul using this Psalm he was indicating that this passage was meant to predict the Messiah’s lordship among all nations.⁵ And now that the Gospel had reached the Gentiles, they too were to join their Jewish brothers and sisters in sending out the call to the rest of the world. God did not send His Son to be Lord over only one nation, but all nations.

Many Bible scholars take this quote by Paul as being part of Moses’ Song in Deuteronomy,⁶ Calvin disagrees. For him, Moses’ purpose was to terrify the enemies of Israel by displaying God’s greatness, rather than invite them to join in their rejoicing. That’s why Calvin believes that Paul was quoting from Psalm 67:4, where it is written, “Let the Gentiles be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the Gentiles with equity and guide the nations of the earth.” And Paul then adds, with his people, and he did this by way of explanation; for the Prophet in that psalm no doubt connects the Gentiles with Israel and invites both alike to rejoice, and there is no joy without the knowledge of God.⁷

Robert Haldane takes issue with Calvin over his preference of a Psalm over the Torah. As far as he’s concerned, this would be a very unsafe and presumptuous mode of reasoning. We must stand on Paul’s authority, rather than on the authority of Calvin, as to what Moses’ intentions were in the passage quoted. If Moses intended to strike terror into the enemies of Israel, why would Gentile believers be excited about rejoicing with the Jewish people because of the victories of the Messiah over them as His enemies? The quotations from the Psalms that Paul uses are obvious in the application he is making here about Gentiles being invited to join with the Jews in praising God once they hear about all the good things God has done for His people and the world. Besides that, the passage alleged by Calvin as the quotation that Paul should have used does not correspond with the words of Paul without twisting the meaning. Why exclude a passage where the words are easily found, and select a passage where you have to guess its meaning?

Haldane is sure that the authority of Paul as a commentator on Moses should prevail. In fact, the quotation is as applicable to the Gentiles as to the Jews. As this passage by Paul is understood, can we not see that the Gentiles in the church at Rome were interested in the Jews as a nation coming to the Messiah as well. Just look at how much Paul prayed that they would. Certainly, that would give them a reason for them to rejoice. The Jews should indeed rejoice in the glory of God and the happiness of seeing Gentiles come into the knowledge of His saving grace. But the Gentiles, in addition to this, are to rejoice in it as part of their own salvation.⁸ As a matter of fact, the Complete Jewish Bible agrees with Haldane by referencing this quote by Paul to Deuteronomy 32:43. And Calvin should not be faulted because he was looking for harmony on the subject, not the text.

On Paul’s call for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy, Charles Spurgeon preached that if there was any joy or hope for the chosen people of God, we as believers should rejoice as well. Let’s rejoice with the people of Israel who were redeemed out of Egypt, led through the Red Sea, fed with quail and manna, drank water out of a rock and brought to the borders of Canaan. We certainly have every reason to rejoice with them over the celebration of Passover, and delight with them on the Day of Pentecost. Did not the Lord say: “Rejoice, you Gentiles, rejoice with His people.”⁹ Their joy can become our joy.¹⁰

15:11 The Scriptures also say, “Praise the Lord all you people of other nations; all people should praise the Lord.”¹¹

The Apostle Paul does not want the Gentiles to feel like second class citizens in the Kingdom of God, nor did he want the Jews to have that “Members Only” attitude. He wants both to know that this inclusive idea of binding Jews and Gentiles together into one family was God’s plan from the beginning. It is contextually evident that the Psalmist was calling on all Jewish people around the world to sing a new song to the Lord by the fact that back then the Gentiles did not have access to the Psalms. Yet their rejoicing would be over the news that they had been given the pleasure of carrying the Gospel message of salvation to all nations around the world.

Early church scholar Ambrosiaster commented on Jews and Gentiles now being joint-heirs to God’s promises to Abraham. As he saw it, God did not wait to the last minute to include Gentiles in His plan of salvation, He decreed that by the intervention of His mercy. That way, Jews and Gentiles would be united. The Gentiles would be granted grace to become fellow heirs with the Jews, who by the grace of God were long ago named as His people. While the Jews were noble, the Gentiles were ignoble, but now by God’s mercy the Gentiles have been made noble as well, so that all may rejoice together by acknowledging the truth.¹²

John Calvin also has an issue with how this quote by Paul from Psalm 117:1 is interpreted. For him, this passage is inaptly applied because how can they who know nothing about God’s greatness be called on to praise Him? They could no more do this than to call on His name when they didn’t even know what His name was? It is then a prophecy most suitable to prove the Gentiles would be called. And their calling would be for the reason that they would finally be able to thank God for His truth and mercy.¹³ In other words, when this Psalm was written and the writer wanted the Gentiles to join in with the children of God in praising God, he was not thinking of them doing so then and there, but “someday.” Now Paul is saying to the believers in Rome, that day has come.

Robert Haldane takes on Calvin’s thinking without quoting him directly. By using Psalm 117 it implies that salvation would be extended to all nations of the earth. But they must wait for that call because it is impossible to praise God without knowing who He is. They ought to praise God. But this praise ought to be in faith, as well as for many other reasons. There is no danger in calling on sinners to observe the whole law of God, as long as we keep in mind that no obedience in any degree can be given to God except through faith in His Son. This is quite a different thing from making prayer and praise a preparatory process to conversion.¹⁴ In other words, this psalm expresses a hope that someday the Gentiles would get to know God as Israel did so they could praise Him too.

So how does all of this apply to us today? The days of Gentiles as one big group has slipped into the shadows as far as the rest of the world is concerned. However, the Jews have kept it alive in their hearts, that’s why they refer to all non-Jews, regardless of race or color, as Goyim. This Hebrew word actually means “nations.” But even the Jews were part of a nation. And that’s where the mystery is solved. There are many nations in the world, but for God, there was only one nation He called His people – Israel. Breaking down that wall between Jews and Goyim will only be done by an act of God. But here is where we can rejoice. Paul, by using these Scriptures, was not limiting this transformation to his day and age. God’s promises of all nations of the world coming together to worship the One True God is still part of prophecy. And there is no religion on earth that has done a better job of bringing people of all races, colors, ethnicities, and customs together in churches all over the globe who meet to give glory and honor to God, to Christ, and to the Holy Spirit for their salvation than the Goyim. And it will continue until Christ returns to set up His Kingdom here on earth for a thousand years. Amen!

It’s almost every week, or so, that we hear about some dire prediction of a horrible event that will be taking place by a certain time if we do not do something immediately. After looking at some examples, I found 18 that are spectacularly wrong made around 1970, almost 50 years ago. Here they are:

Harvard biologist George Wald estimated in 1970 that “civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind.”

“We are in an environmental crisis which threatens the survival of this nation, and of the world as a suitable place of human habitation,” wrote Washington University biologist Barry Commoner in the Earth Day issue of the scholarly journal Environment.

The day after the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, the New York Times editorial page warned, “Man must stop pollution and conserve his resources, not merely to enhance existence but to save the race from intolerable deterioration and possible extinction.”

“Population will inevitably and completely outstrip whatever small increases in food supplies we make,” American biologist Paul Ehrlich confidently declared in the April 1970 issue of Mademoiselle. “The death rate will increase until at least 100-200 million people per year will be starving to death during the next ten years.” “Most of the people who are going to die in the greatest cataclysm in the history of man have already been born,” wrote Paul Ehrlich in a 1969 essay titled “Eco-Catastrophe! “By…[1975] some experts feel that food shortages will have escalated the present level of world hunger and starvation into famines of unbelievable proportions. Other experts, more optimistic, think the ultimate food-population collision will not occur until the decade of the 1980s.” Ehrlich sketched out his most alarmist scenario for the 1970 Earth Day issue of The Progressive, assuring readers that between 1980 and 1989, some 4 billion people, including 65 million Americans, would perish in the “Great Die-Off.”

“It is already too late to avoid mass starvation,” declared Denis Hayes, environmental advocate and proponent of solar power the chief organizer for Earth Day, in the Spring 1970 issue of The Living Wilderness.

Peter Gunter, a North Texas State University professor, wrote in 1970, “Demographers agree almost unanimously on the following grim timetable: by 1975 widespread famines will begin in India; these will spread by 1990 to include all of India, Pakistan, China, and the Near East, Africa. By the year 2000, or conceivably sooner, South and Central America will exist under famine conditions….By the year 2000, thirty years from now, the entire world, with the exception of Western Europe, North America, and Australia, will be in famine.”

In January 1970, Life Magazine reported, “Scientists have solid experimental and theoretical evidence to support…the following predictions: In a decade, urban dwellers will have to wear gas masks to survive air pollution…by 1985 air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half….”

Ecologist Kenneth Watt told Time that, “At the present rate of nitrogen buildup, it’s only a matter of time before light will be filtered out of the atmosphere and none of our lands will be usable.”

American cellular biologist and college professor and politician Barry Commoner predicted that decaying organic pollutants would use up all of the oxygen in America’s rivers, causing freshwater fish to suffocate.

American biologist Paul Ehrlich chimed in, predicting in 1970 that “air pollution…is certainly going to take hundreds of thousands of lives in the next few years alone.” Ehrlich sketched a scenario in which 200,000 Americans would die in 1973 during “smog disasters” in New York and Los Angeles. Paul Ehrlich warned in the May 1970 issue of Audubon that DDT and other chlorinated hydrocarbons “may have substantially reduced the life expectancy of people born since 1945.” Ehrlich warned that Americans born since 1946…now had a life expectancy of only 49 years, and he predicted that if current patterns continued this expectancy would reach 42 years by 1980 when it might level out. (Note: According to the most recent CDC report, life expectancy in the US is 78.8 years).

Ecologist Kenneth Watt declared, “By the year 2000 if present trends continue, we will be using up crude oil at such a rate…that there won’t be any more crude oil. You’ll drive up to the pump and say, `Fill ‘er up, buddy,’ and he’ll say, `I am very sorry, there isn’t any.’”

Harrison Brown, a scientist at the National Academy of Sciences, published a chart in Scientific American that looked at metal reserves and estimated the humanity would totally run out of copper shortly after 2000. Lead, zinc, tin, gold, and silver would be gone before 1990.

Sen. Gaylord Nelson wrote in Look Magazine that, “Dr. S. Dillon Ripley, secretary of the Smithsonian Institute, believes that in 25 years, somewhere between 75 and 80 percent of all the species of living animals will be extinct.”

In 1975, American biologist Paul Ehrlich predicted that “since more than nine-tenths of the original tropical rainforests will be removed in most areas within the next 30 years or so, it is expected that half of the organisms in these areas will vanish with it.”

Ecologist Kenneth Watt warned about a pending Ice Age in a speech. “The world has been chilling sharply for about twenty years,” he declared. “If present trends continue, the world will be about four degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but eleven degrees colder in the year 2000. This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age.”

How could all these geniuses have been so wrong? There is a myriad of reasons, but let us look at some. First, they were using the time in earth’s history as though it was in a permanent decline. Disregarding what had happened in centuries past and ignorant of what may come in future decades, they were sure that nothing could stop this decline unless drastic actions were taken immediately, some of which were impossible to implement.

The Apostle James had great insight into this idea of predicting the future without any provable evidence. He wrote: “Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘f the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise, you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is irrational and egotistical – Dr. Robert R Seyda.¹

DID YOU KNOW HE STILL LOVES YOU

I read this story about a nurse who did not identify herself. However, as I read it I was moved by the lesson it was teaching me. I hope it touches you like it touched me.

The nurse said it was a busy morning, about 8:30 when an elderly gentleman in his 80’s arrived at the hospital to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

One of the nurse’s aides took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it might be over an hour before someone would be able to see him. She saw him looking at his watch and decided since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

Upon examining his thumb, she noticed that it was well healed, so she talked to one of the doctors to see if she could get him on his way. The doctor told here to go ahead, so she got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While she was taking care of his wound, she asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment this morning, since he was in such a hurry. The gentleman shook his head, “No,” then told her that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

The nurse asked about her health. The elderly gentleman told her that his wife had been in the nursing home for quite a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease. As they talked, she asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him for over five years.

The nurse thought for a moment, and then said to him with great admiration, “And you still keep going every morning to have breakfast with her even though she doesn’t know who you are?” He smiled as he patted her hand and said, “She may not know who I am but I know who she is. And I plan to do this until the day I die. The nurse had trouble holding back tears as he left. She had goosebumps on her arm, and thought, “That is the kind of love every woman dreams of.”

As I read this I was struck by the enduring love this man had for his wife, and it caused me to wonder what Jesus would say to an angel who asked Him, “Why are you in such a hurry all the time to visit earth again and again?” Could it be possible that He would say to the angel that many of his followers needed His presence to help them get through the day? The angel then might inquire as to whether or not they knew it each time He visited them. It’s possible, He might say: “No, some of them don’t recognize me anymore, in fact, some haven’t recognized me for many years now.” So the angel might say, “So why then do you keep going?” I’m quite certain that the Master would say, “They might not recognize me, but I know who they are. We used to walk hand-in-hand every day. But then they got busy with other things. So you see, they need me now more than ever and I’m not going to abandon them just because they don’t recognize me anymore. When I told them that I loved them, I said that I would love them for the rest of eternity. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FIFTEEN (Lesson X)

15:9 Christ also did this so that the non-Jewish people could praise God the Father for the mercy He gives to them. The Scriptures say, “I will profess You among the people of other nations; I will sing praises to Your name.”

Now Paul emphasizes this truth to the congregants of Rome. Instead of the Jews resenting that the Gentiles had been allowed to become part of God’s family, they should be rejoicing and thanking God they had a part to play in the spreading of the Good News. This was a vital part of David’s Song of Praise: “I give thanks to you, ADONAI, among the nations; I sing praises to your name.”¹ This was not lost on generations of Jews who followed. In fact, in the Targum² on the Psalms we read: “For because of the miracle and deliverance that You will perform for Your Messiah, and for the remnants of Your people who will remain, all the Gentiles, nations, and tongues will confess and say, There is no God but the LORD, for there is none besides You; and Your people will say, There is none mighty except our God.”³

Several early church scholars give their views. Ambrosiaster points to the 18^th Psalm [17th in the Septuagint Version (LXX)]⁴ that the Gentiles will be admitted to the grace of God in order to receive salvation. Now we hear Paul telling them that this prophecy has come true through the work of Christ.⁵ In other words, it could not happen until Christ came. Then Chrysostom comments on how we glorify God by manifesting unity. Foremost, it was by mercy alone that the Gentiles were saved. This should cause them to glorify God without any prompting. But even more glory is given to God when both Jews and Gentiles blended their voices together in united praise and worship of the One who redeemed them all. Also, when those He called and redeemed reach out and help those who are struggling to keep up because their burden is so, God gets even more glory.⁶ And Pelagius makes the point that Paul helps the Jews understand that since it was foretold by their own prophets that the Gentiles would be saved, they should be glad and rejoice that God’s Word has proven to be true. And the Gentiles should acknowledge their indebtedness to the Jews because without them there would have been no Messiah.⁷

Martin Luther writes that the Apostle Paul is pointing out to the Gentiles, that what the Psalmist said the Jews would do among the Gentiles was by Christ, in that, Christ is now among them and the Gentiles do sing praises to God along with the Jews. As Luther sees it, this is not an improper use of Scripture by Paul, nor is it a contradiction. Furthermore, seeing Jews and Gentiles declare Christ as their personal Savior to the glory of God the Father, is only possible by the work of Holy Spirit.⁸

For John Calvin, after talking about unity Paul now makes a second point on how God can be glorified among the Gentiles. Paul spends a lot of time on this subject because of its importance. In the opening line of this chapter Paul quote is taken from Psalm 18; which psalm is recorded also in 2 Samuel 22, where no doubt a prophecy is given concerning the Kingdom of Christ. From this, Paul establishes God’s promise of calling the Gentiles. That’s why a confession of thanks to the glory of God should be made among the Gentiles. Calvin notes that singing praises to God is one of the best ways of making Him known among those who’ve never heard of Him before. We can see how true this is today because Christmas carols such as Silent Night are sung in countries, such as Japan, and Christmas is celebrated where Christianity is a small minority. The point is to get the word out about Christ both in word and song.⁹

John Bengel sees the Psalm quoted by Paul as telling a story of why and how God will be glorified among the Gentiles, as well as, the Jews. Paul asserts God did for the Gentiles exactly what He said He would do in Psalms 18 and 22. In fact, God and Christ were using Paul to do their work among the Gentiles. To put this in simpler terms, Paul uses this Psalm to show that God had all along planned to have His Son bring the Good News to the Gentiles so that they could join the Jews in praising Him.¹⁰ In Psalm 22:22. the Messiah announces the name of the LORD to His brothers among the Gentiles. Then in Psalms 18:43. as soon as they hear of Him they bow before Him. Also, in Psalm 117 the Jews invite all tribes and all nations to worship Him. They say: Praise Adonai, all you nations! Worship Him, all you peoples! His grace has overcome us, and Adonai’s truth continues forever. Hallelujah!¹¹”¹²

Jonathan Edwards points out that the verb “confess” used by the KJV, signifies more than merely acknowledging something exists. It implies an establishing and confirming of facts with a personal testimony of an eye-witness, and is done with great esteem and affection.¹³ No doubt the Apostle John was convinced that this must be expressed with great force and passion: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.”¹⁴ That’s why Paul told the Corinthians that no one can proclaim from their heart and mind that Jesus is Lord except by the power of the Holy Spirit¹⁵.¹⁶

Adam Clarke takes note of something taught by Jewish Rabbis that he is sure the Apostle Paul knew about and something that the Jewish converts in Rome must have heard taught to them. It comes from their Talmud and speaks of how they have been taught that until they entered the Promised land, no matter what land they lived in it was proper to sing hymns of praise to God for all the miracles He did for them. However, once they entered the Promised Land, it was not considered proper to sing hymns of praise to God for His miracles. But then, when the people of Israel were sent into exile, the other countries they were once again qualified to sing hymns giving praise to God.¹⁷ In Clarke’s mind, the Jews were admitting that the Gentiles have a right to glorify God. So based on God’s word, Gentiles were predestined to be made partakers of His grace and mercy.¹⁸

On the subject of glorifying God for His mercy, Robert Haldane believes part of Christ’s purpose for coming into the world was that Gentiles, as well as, Jews might glorify God on account of His mercy. In other words, it was not a matter of luck or a last minute decision after the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah. He sees nothing here or anywhere else in Scripture that would suggest that mankind had any chance of meriting salvation by their own works. Salvation is of mercy and grace. In the preceding verse, Paul spoke of God’s truth, here, he speaks of God’s mercy. That which was given as truth to the Jews, having been promised to their fathers, was now mercy to the Gentiles who were allowed to join the children of Israel to participate in the blessings promised to Abraham. This the Apostle proves by the different passages he quotes which declare that the mercy of God was to be extended to all nations. Consequently, both Jews and Gentiles had every reason to love one another rather than to condemn or to despise one another. Why couldn’t they see that they were all united in Christ Jesus as prophesied by the Scriptures? Paul’s message to the Ephesians was certainly clear enough: “He is our peace, who has made us one, and has broken down the wall that divided us.¹⁹”²⁰

On the hope that the Gentiles would see the merciful goodness of God, Charles Ellicott makes the point that the Jews had their covenant to appeal to, and the attributes of God were most clearly brought home to them in Christianity so that His truthfulness in fulfilling the promises contained in this covenant would be carried out. The Gentiles had no such covenant, and their admission to the blessings of Christianity was an act of pure grace and mercy, which they should thankfully recognize. The Apostle then proceeds to quote from the First Covenant a succession of passages that shined light on the ultimate reception and triumph of the Gentiles through Christ²¹.²²

Jewish commentator David Stern shares his view that Yeshua the Messiah became a servant of the Jewish people. Stern says quite emphatically, “It is not true that Yeshua is the Christian Messiah, while the Jews are waiting for someone else. He is also the Messiah of the Jews. If He is not the Jewish Messiah, the Christians have no Messiah.” Paul focuses on two reasons for Yeshua’s becoming a servant of the Jews: to show God’s truthfulness and to show God’s mercy. God’s truthfulness, faithfulness, and reliability are certain.²³ Though some Christians might question this because not all Jews have followed Yeshua, God will still make good on all His promises to the Patriarchs,²⁴ and He will do this through His servant of the Jewish people, Yeshua the Messiah.²⁵

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FIFTEEN (Lesson IX)

Early church preacher Chrysostom speaks on Paul’s confirmation of the promises to the Patriarchs and their application to Christians. When Paul begins by saying that Christ became a servant to the Jewish people, His coming was meant to carry through with what the Law required of Him. He did this by being born of the seed of Abraham and circumcised on the eighth day after His birth. By becoming both God and man, Christ was able to take the curse of condemnation that was on all humankind so that God’s wrath would be neutralized and allow those who were meant to obtain the promises, fit to receive them.¹ That way, those forefathers who believed in Him before He came, were now included with those who were eligible then and in the future for all the promises God made to Abraham. Jesus’ coming also met the requirement that they be confirmed by the Messiah. There was no other way for this to happen. If Christ had not come and completed the Law, then neither those of the past, present, or future would have any chance of escaping eternal separation from God.²

Then Augustine comments on why the Gospel was spoken first to Israel. Today we would call this a case of reverse psychology. Paul wanted to remind the Gentiles that the Lord Christ Jesus had been sent to the Jews first, so now that they were also included, there was no reason for them to be proud as though they had accomplished something. Since the Jews rejected God’s message of salvation that was sent to them first, it opened the door for the Gospel to be preached to the Gentiles. We find this clearly explained by Luke when the Apostles told the Jews in Antioch in Pisidia – which is today in southern Turkey: “It was necessary that the Word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you … judge yourselves unworthy … behold, we turned to the Gentiles.”³ It also agrees with the Lord’s own testimony, when he said: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,”⁴ and, “It is not right for the children’s bread to be thrown to the dogs.”⁵ If the Gentiles think carefully, they will realize by their own faith, by which they now believe that to the pure all things are pure, that they should not offend those Jewish converts who, perhaps from weakness, dared not to touch certain kinds of meat, fearing that it has been in contact with idols.⁶

Martin Luther believes that Paul is trying to emphasize to the Gentile believers that they should be grateful to God that Jesus came to the Jews in order to carry out the promise made to the patriarchs so that those who were non-Jews would be included. This would have never taken place if Christ had come into the world as a Roman or Greek or Persian. It had to come through the Jews. Luther points out that the Gentile Christians were not the same as the Jews to whom Christ had been promised, and yet, because they received Him as their Messiah it was guaranteed by a divine promise to Abraham. That’s why Paul told them: “As Christ also received us,” stressing the mercy of God which is given gratuitously. In doing so, he immediately shows in what respect it is mercy that is given so freely.⁷ In other words, the Gentiles ended up receiving the same offer of divine mercy that was originally promised only to the descendants of Abraham. For this, they should rejoice and be glad to be equal children of God along with the Jews whom they now accept as brothers in Christ.

John Calvin shares a word-picture that he sees in what Paul is describing. He believes that Paul now shows that Christ has embraced us all, so that He leaves no difference between the Jews and the Gentiles, except, that He was promised to the Jewish nation first and was in a manner particularly designed for them before He was revealed to the Gentiles. Calvin also believes that Paul’s intention was to put to rest any contention between the Jews and Gentiles by pointing out that Christ had gathered both of them from their miserable conditions to Himself on the cross. He did so that after His resurrection He might bring them into His Father’s kingdom as a shepherd gathers all the sheep as one flock. This was done to unite them into one force to propagate the Gospel to the whole world.⁸ This high expectation on the part of Paul for unity is certainly praiseworthy, but even he admitted, in several letters, that there was discord even among Gentile Christians in some of the churches. And we can all testify to the fact that even to this day there are still incidents of contention among congregations over such minor things as to which hymnbook they should buy, the location of the organ and piano on the platform, or the color of the carpet in the sanctuary aisles.

John Locke believes that the phrase, “Jesus became a servant to the Jews,” should be placed in parenthesis to give it more emphasis in order to restrain the converted Gentiles in Rome to dismiss those Jews who had joined them by not thinking highly of them. And just as Christ came to be a minister to the Jews, so it is that this same Jesus called him to be a minister to the Gentiles. So this was Christ’s way of reaching to them through the Gospel as preached by Paul.⁹ We see the same thing today when one person of a particular denomination decides to join another congregation that has somewhat different views. Those who receive them as new members are still not fully convinced that they are real until they denounce their obedience to their old way of interpreting the Bible and pledge their full allegiance to this new way of believing. And in order to do that, they must get saved the right way, baptized the right way, read the right version of the Bible, sing the right hymns, pray the right way, etc., etc.

However, John Taylor does not see how the structure, or sense, of the Greek in Verse 8 would allow for those words that, “Jesus became a servant to the Jews,” to be placed in parenthesis. Also, John Locke suggests that we take the “glory of God,” in verse 7 and connected it with the “truth of God,” in verse 8, followed by verse 9 for a clearer understanding. Doing so would make it read like this: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you in order to bring glory to God on behalf of God’s truth so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy.”¹⁰ So there was no need to eliminate the Gentiles as part of God plan and think of themselves as having received God’s grace by accident. They were already included as recorded in God’s Word.¹¹

John Bengel has an interesting commentary on this verse. He writes that by this verse the preceding clause concerning the term “Christ”¹² is explained – Christ Jesus. Some versions say, Jesus Christ. Those, who have omitted the name Jesus in this passage, seem to have done so in harmony with verses 3 and 7. The terminology, Jesus Christ, and Christ Jesus ought not to be used indiscriminately. Jesus is the name, Christ is the title. As Jesus, He was first made known to the Jews because of His humanity. As Christ, He was introduced to the Gentiles because of His divinity. Therefore, he is called Jesus Christ according to the natural and common order of the words. But when He is called Christ Jesus, by inverting the order of the words, peculiar reference is made to the office of Christ, with somewhat of a more solemn design. And this is especially suitable for the present passage. Sometimes in one place, both arrangements of the words prevail¹³.¹⁴

On the significance of Christ’s coming as a pauper instead of a Prince, Charles Hodge feels this was done to prove the truthfulness or accuracy of what God foretold through the Prophets. Christ clearly showed His humility by not being born as a Prince or Potentate, but as an itinerant prophet to the Jews in order to carry out the gracious promises of God to Abraham. But they were looking for a Prince or Potentate, so they rejected this unknown teacher from Galilee. That’s why the wall between Jews and Gentiles was broken so that now Christ could be preached to them. They received Him as the Divine Savior of the world and the one who opened the door for them to the Kingdom of God. Now, they were united with the Jews on equal terms. When looked at this way, the believers in Rome were furnished the strongest motive for the cultivation of mutual affection and unanimity.¹⁵ One way to drive this point home is to consider this: Had the message of Christ not been shared with the Gentiles, neither you nor I would be Christians today. Christianity would have remained a small Jewish sect and joined all the others that exist today in Judaism.