Verse 1: WE then that are able, are under obligation to carry the weaknesses of the unable, and not to please ourselves.
Verse 2: Let every one of us please his neighbour for good to his edification.
Jesus when he came taught us that God’s way is to serve others rather than ourselves. If we merely serve ourselves how are we any different to the people of this world?
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
So as Jesus died for us while we were still sinners, he has set the example that we serve others, even sinners, rather than ourselves.
Matthew 20:25-28 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 For though I am free from all men, yet have I made myself bond-servant to all, that I might make even more spiritual profit. And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might earn the Jews; to those that are under the law, as under the law, that I might earn those that are under the law; To those that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, rather under the law to Christ,) that I might earn those that are without law. To the weak I became as weak, that I might earn the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
So not only Jesus set this example for us, but also the Apostles.
I think the main point of these scriptures is: if we have confidence in our own salvation, we should be focused on the salvation of the unsaved and also the building up of those weaker in the faith than ourselves, thereby serving them, not ourselves.
Verse 3: For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written: The insults of them that insulted you fell upon me.
Verse 3 is quoting Psalm 69 verse 9, and we will read Psalm 69 to see if we can glean even more understanding than is revealed in Romans. But first let’s address the question of whether the Old Testament is written for us?
Many in various Churches say that we are now under Grace and the Law doesn’t apply to us. Irrespective of whether this is true or not, this then leads many questions to ignore the teaching of the Old Testament to their own loss and misunderstanding of the whole council of God.
Verse 4: For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we, through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures might have hope.
So at the time the New Testament was being written Paul was saying and Peter said the same thing, that: all things were written aforetime for our learning!
Now, if we say this and just move on, we acknowledge this fact by our mouths only and not by our understanding. Let’s therefore acknowledge that the Old Testament was written for our learning and dig deeper into Psalm 69 that Paul just quoted to see if we can learn more.
Psalm 69 was written by King David who being inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote about Christ. So let’s read all of Psalm 69 to see which parts apply only to David and which parts of it might be prophetic of Christ:
Psalm 69:1-2 Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, Where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, Where the floods overflow me.
Psalm 69:3 I am weary with my crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
Does this sound like Jesus? Let’s quickly read Isaiah to see Isaiah’s writings about the Christ:
Isaiah 53:1-6 Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
So the Christ was to be a man of sorrows, it seems already that this Psalm is prophetic of Jesus:
Psalm 69:4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; They are mighty who would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully;
Though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it.
Psalm 69:5 O God, You know my foolishness;
And my sins are not hidden from You.
I think this is where we need to be able to discern between which words are about David and which are prophetic of Christ. Clearly the Christ was to be without sin, the only way we could say that Jesus had sin was that he bore our sins.
Psalm 69:6-9 Let not those who wait for You, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed because of me; Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel. Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; Shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;
Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up,
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
This is clearly of Jesus because this same Psalm is quoted in the Gospel of John:
John 2:13-17 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”
Psalm 69:10-12 When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting, that became my reproach. I also made sackcloth my garment; I became a byword to them.
Those who sit in the gate speak against me, and I am the song of the drunkards.
Psalm 69:13-15 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD, in the acceptable time;
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, hear me in the truth of Your salvation.
Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink;
Let me be delivered from those who hate me, and out of the deep waters.
Let not the floodwater overflow me, nor let the deep swallow me up;
And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.
The pit is clearly talking about Hades, the abode of the dead. Jesus did descend into Hades as we can see in Acts:
Acts 2:27-28 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’
Acts 2:29-32 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
Psalm 69:16-18 Hear me, O LORD, for Your loving kindness is good;
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.
And do not hide Your face from Your servant, for I am in trouble; hear me speedily.
Draw near to my soul, and redeem it; deliver me because of my enemies.
Personally I see this as Jesus praying to the Father to redeem his soul from Hades which of course is the resurrection of the dead in which we hope.
Psalm 69:19-21 You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonour; my adversaries are all before You.
Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.
They also gave me poison for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
This part of the Psalm is clearly prophetic of the crucifixion of Jesus:
Mark 15:17-20 And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.
Mark 15:21-23 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross. And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. Then they gave Him vinegar mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.
Psalm 69:22-25 Let their table become a snare before them, and their well-being a trap.
Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see; and make their loins shake continually.
Pour out Your indignation upon them, and let Your wrathful anger take hold of them.
Let their dwelling place be desolate; let no one live in their tents.
So we have this Sunday school image of Jesus, but is that just tradition? Is it scriptural? Look at Jesus prayer to God just before his crucifixion:
John 17:6-8 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.
John 17:9-19 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
John 17:20-23 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
John 17:24-26 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
Clearly to me, Jesus is to be feared, just as the Father is. And this is where so many Christians come undone, they fail to discern between the love of God and the fear of God.
Through my readings of the Bible I can see that God is loving and patient towards those that seek Him, even if they do stumble along the way. But to those who disobey Him and are self-serving, He is also patient but that patients has a limit and to those that oppose Him there is no more fearsome person in this universe, that’s why the scriptures says:
Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Luke 12:4-5 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!
Psalm 69:26-28 For they persecute the ones You have struck, and talk of the grief of those You have wounded.
Add iniquity to their iniquity, and let them not come into Your righteousness.
Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.
The book of the living is clearly the Lamb’s book of life we read about in Revelation.
Psalm 69:29-33 But I am poor and sorrowful; let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.
I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bull, which has horns and hooves.
The humble shall see this and be glad; and you who seek God, your hearts shall live.
For the LORD hears the poor, and does not despise His prisoners.
Psalm 69:34-36 Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them.
For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it.
Also, the descendants of His servants shall inherit it, and those who love His name shall dwell in it.
Verse 5 Now may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to be likeminded, one toward another, in accordance with Christ Jesus:
Verse 6 So that you may, with one mind and one mouth, glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us for Gods glory.
This is speaking of unity in the Body of Christ. But unity in and of itself is not all good. Think about it, if two denominations with different theology are to come together in unity, they need to compromise to achieve this. And what about if Muslims and Christians came together in unity? Image the compromise of the beliefs of both to achieve this?
God is not the God of compromise, but of Holiness. What he expects from His Congregation is purely and obedience.
When Paul speaks of unity, he is talking about unity in Christ; which you could more clearly say as: unity in obedience to Christ! If we all follow God’s word and are obedient to it, then we will walk together in unity under the leadership of Christ. It is when we start following false doctrine and false teachers that division within the Body of Christ comes.
To see an example of unity against God, let’s look at the example of the Tower of Babel:
Genesis 11:1-9 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
Remember God had commanded the people of the Earth through Noah:
Genesis 9:6-7 “Whoever sheds man’s blood,
By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.
And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; Bring forth abundantly in the earth And multiply in it.”
So mankind was to go out and conquer the whole Earth, not stay together in one place. This proves that unity in itself is not always good, especially when it is unity against God. And in the same way division is not always bad in God’s eyes:
Luke 12:49-53 “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
Jesus clearly is the stumbling stone of which some will be broken and some crushed. Some with good hearts will choose to follow Christ, some will refuse Christ and some will follow false Christs, because it is easier.
Now I have heard some say that Christ has not come to bring division to the Church but between believer and non believer. Clearly the division is to be between believer and non believer, but don’t assume that all in the Church are believers.
Don’t you think that all those Israelites that come out of Egypt believed after having seen the 10 plagues and crossing through the Red Sea? And yet all were destroyed save two because of their disobedience!
Every time we say that something doesn’t apply to the church without scripture to back it up, we nullify the Word of God and make it of no effect to us, when someone tells you something doesn’t apply to the Church ask them to prove it from the scriptures, don’t just take their word for it. Also refer back to verse 4 which says: all things are written aforetime were written for our learning.
Let’s consider a couple of examples from our history regarding unity and division:
In the 4th century A.D. the Emperor Constantine combined the state religion of the Roman Empire with Christianity to come up with the universal (Catholic) Church. The bible believing Christians resisted this and were persecuted and killed for their for their refusal to accept this compromise. QUESTION: Would you have preached unity to these Christians in order that there be no division?
From the 14th to 16th century English men like John Wycliffe and William Tyndale worked against the orders of the Church to translate the Bible which at that time was only available in Latin and Greek into the common tongue of the English people so they didn’t have to rely on the corrupt teachings of the Church. QUESTION: They caused division in the Church. Was this wrong?
Also remember that Jesus died outside the camp of Israel:
Hebrews 13:11-16 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, in order to make the people holy with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Let us go out therefore to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, rather we seek one about to come. Through him therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips acknowledging his name. But forget not, to do good deeds and fellowship also: because with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Also Moses the great teacher of Israel was raised outside the camp of Israel by the Egyptians. And the Prophets were persecuted by God’s so called people because their words were against them.
Let’s consider the False Christ (Antichrist) with regards to unity. When the False Christ comes and calls for religious unity, will you follow for the sake of unity?
Verse 8 Now I say that Jesus Christ came as a servant to the circumcision on behalf of Gods truth, for the purpose of confirming the promises made to the fathers:
This is clearly saying that Jesus came as a servant to Israel for the purpose of confirming God’s promises made to the fathers of Israel: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, etc.
Verse 9 And that the nations in view of his mercy may glorify God, as it is written: On account of this I will openly praise you amongst the nations and sing songs of praise to your name.
Verse 10 And again he says, Rejoice, you nations together with his people.
Verse 11 And again, praise the Lord, all you nations; and speak of his excellence all his peoples.
In the preceding three verses “his people” clearly refers to Israel and the nations to the rest of us. Verse 9 is referring to 2 Samuel 22:50 and Psalm 18:49 but let’s read a few verses around it to get more insight.
2 Samuel 22:44-46 “You have also delivered me from the strivings of my people; You have kept me as the head of the nations. A people I have not known shall serve me. The foreigners submit to me; As soon as they hear, they obey me. The foreigners fade away, And come frightened from their hideouts.
2 Samuel 22:47-50 “The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock!
Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation! It is God who avenges me,
And subdues the peoples under me; He delivers me from my enemies.
You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name.
2 Samuel 22:51 “He is the tower of salvation to His king,
And shows mercy to His anointed,
Given that King David lived around 1,000 years before Jesus, these versus are clearly prophetic that the Christ was to be king of the nations as well as Israel. Also note that anointed means Christ just as Messiah does. Christ is the Greek word for anointed, just as Messiah is the Hebrew word for anointed.
Verse 12 And again, Isaiah says: There shall be the root of Jesse, and he will rise up to rule over the nations; in him shall the nations put their hope.
Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
Matthew 22:41-43 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”
They said to Him, “The Son of David.”
He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying:
Matthew 22:44 ‘The LORD said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’?
Matthew 22:45-46 If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.
So as the creator, Jesus was the root of Jessie and David, but as a man Jesus was the son of David, that is why in Revelation He is referred to as the offspring of David.
Verse 13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all kinds of joy and inner peace through your continuing belief and confidence, with the result that you have an abundance of hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Verse 14 And I myself am also convinced in relation to you, my brothers, that you are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.
I think this verse is important, in that we are to have knowledge and instruct one another. This I think is referring to how easily sin leads us off the path that leads to life and how we are to support each other in our walk with God that none of us is lead astray by the Devil.
Verse 15 I have written to you boldly for this reason brothers, so that you might remember these points, on account of the grace given to me by God.
Verse 16 So that I should be a servant of Jesus Christ to the nations, serving as priest to the gospel of God, so that by the Holy Spirit the nations be made holy and become a pleasing offering to God.
Verse 17 I therefore have reason to boast in Jesus Christ regarding the things of God.
Verse 18 For I dare not speak of anything which Christ has not wrought through me, only those things resulting in the obedience of the nations through word and deed;
Verse 19 Through powerful signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God. So that from Jerusalem, and round about and as far as Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
Verse 20 And then, in this way I have strived to announce the gospel where Christ was not known, lest I should build upon another’s foundation;
Verse 21 But as it is written: For that which had not been told them, they shall see: and that which they had not heard, they shall understand.
This verse is quoting Isaiah 52:15 which was written over 700 years earlier.