"Free to Love" November 5 Readings: Romans 15-16

 

Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2024

This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened." Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New. 

Bible Readings: Romans 15-16

Background:  

In chapter 15, Paul continues the discussion of disputable issues, issues of conscience from chapter 14, and expands the discussion.

Paul also explains his role as an apostle to the Gentiles and begins his personal remarks that close the book. 

Romans has more content than perhaps any other book. The closing chapter, Paul's personal remarks toward the people of Rome, follows suit. It has remarkable content like the book it caps off. Here are a few of the notable moments in the chapter.

• Verse 1 has been the subject of more than a little discussion, referencing Phoebe as a "servant." The Greek is the female form of "deacon" and this verse has been used by advocates of egalitarianism as an indication that "the church had female deacons." No such conclusion is warranted. The word simply means "one who serves" and is used to describe many people, those who were part of the official deacon ministry and those who were not. 
• Verse 3 mentions Prisca (Priscilla) and Aquilla, friends of Paul from Corinth who evidently went as some sort of missionaries to Rome to help with founding of the church there. 
• Tertius identifies himself, in verse 22, as the scribe who wrote the letter for Paul. 
• The closing doxology, in verses 25-27 is a powerful encapsulation of the message of the book, ending with an expression of praise and glory to God. 

Daily Devotional: Free to Love

The words seem strange to our modern ears.

Each one of us must please his neighbor his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please Himself. (Romans 15:2-3)

Wait a minute! I thought I was always supposed to live to please myself. Isn't that what we are told? God's word confronts the selfishness and vanity of our world's commonly accepted teachings. When we are bought with the price of Christ's blood we lose the right of self-determination, of self-centeredness, of living to please ourselves above all.

First and foremost, we must live to please the Father in heaven. Our lives are for his glory. He is the audience of our lives and we must seek his applause and his alone. We do not live to please ourselves. In that sense, we do not even live to please others. The applause and appreciation of man is a fickle thing. We live for God's glory alone.

As we live for the glory and pleasure of God, we also live our lives in the service of others. This is not to say that we make ourselves slaves to the opinions or approval of others, but that as Christ laid down his life for us, so we lay down our lives for others. We serve them. We bless them. We seek to lead them to Christ and help them grow in his grace.

We are servants first of God and then of other people.

In this specific context, Paul is talking about the way we express our freedom in Christ. In chapter 14, he talked about how each of us has the freedom to live by our conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and that it is okay for us to have different beliefs and convictions about items like diet (personal preferences) and Sabbaths (observance of OT laws).

Paul wants to make it clear that he is not saying we should simply live to please ourselves, do what we want, and disregard others. No, we are to be more concerned about the spiritual health of others than we are about the freedom of our own conscience. If it hinders the spiritual growth of a fellow believer, Paul says, he will give up just about anything, even food and drink (fairly necessary things). The spiritual prosperity of others meant more to him than his own freedom!

Father, may I live my life for you and give myself for the growth and health of others in the body of Christ, not just my own pleasure. Make my life a blessing. 

Consider God's Word:

Have you bought into the idea that you live to please yourself, or have you, like Paul and Jesus, decided to please the Lord and live to serve others?