Paul Resolves the Touchy Issues Between Jews and Gentiles (12:1-15:13)

Counsel to the Strong (1-2) 

Paul sums up the counsel he has been giving to the Roman church concerning how to live in love and harmony. He is especially concerned that the strong are patient with and bear up the weak. Paul appeals to the strong to seek to accommodate the weak and to take the lead in strengthening them (1-2).

Counsel from the Old Testament (4-13)

Paul shares a principle of interpreting Scripture; those things formerly written in the Old Testament were written so the church could learn of God's faithfulness concerning His mercy and desire to save everyone. The assurance in Scripture of God's faithfulness to Jew and Gentile was to create within the church not only praise but also a continual welcome to all, a welcome originating in Jesus (4-7).  

Paul then slides in this important observation: God became a servant to the circumcision (Israel) to show God's faithfulness to Israel, and part of His faithfulness was His promise to the Patriarchs (Genesis 12:3) concerning His blessing of the world through Abraham's descendants (8).  

In this chapter, Paul quotes five Old Testament passages to explain God's faithfulness:

• Psalm 69:9: Paul makes the point that according to prophecy, Jesus took the insults of others because He was more zealous about unifying Jews and Gentiles into one house than in defending every reproach (3).  

• 2 Samuel 22:50/Psalm 18:49: Paul refers to when David was delivered from Saul, and David declared that, due to the Lord's deliverance from his enemies, he would find a place and a welcome to praise God among the nations (9).

• Deuteronomy 32:43 (NKJV): Paul explains that in the last verse of Moses’ song, God issues an invitation to the Gentiles to come and worship (10).

• Psalm 117:1: Paul declares that God is inviting the Gentiles to come and extol Him, and the reason is found in verse 2 of the same Psalm—God's steadfast love is great (11).

• Isaiah 11:10: Paul writes that God promised that the Messiah, who was to come, would rule the Gentiles also (12).  

These Old Testament passages for Paul were a sampling of all God had to say about His desire to include the Gentiles in His great work of salvation. This was meant to fill the Roman church with hope, joy, peace, and the power of the Holy Spirit to live as one body, Jews and Gentiles together reaching out to the whole world (13).  

Paul Forecasts Future Missions (15:14-16:23)

Counsel Concerning What He Has Accomplished (14-21)

Paul rehearses his purpose for ministry and begins by letting the church know that while he has been bold to point out some things, and they needed to sharpen up their thinking and practice, they were nonetheless ready to disciple (14-15). Paul reminds them that he was sharpening them up on the very area of his expertise—the inclusion of the Gentiles as a people offered to God and separated for holy service by the Holy Spirit (16).  

• He asserts that all things relating to the Gentiles and accomplished through his life were done through Christ (17-18).  

• He observes that what Christ did was through signs, wonders, and power of the Holy Spirit (19).  

• He reminds them that, according to God's prophetic word (Isaiah 52:15), he went where Christ had not been named (20-21).  

Counsel Concerning Future Plans (22-29)

Paul now admits that the work to preach where Christ had not been preached was coming to an end, and he was looking forward to fulfilling a goal he had been longing to fulfill for some time—visiting the church in Rome (22-23). He planned to stop in Rome on his way to Spain, but only after he had gone to Jerusalem to drop off the offering from Macedonia and Achaia (24-26,28). He then mentions to the Roman church that if they received spiritual blessings from the Jewish church, they should be more than eager to share their material blessings with them (27). Paul asserts he is confident he will come with a full blessing or gift from Christ to share with them (29).  

Counsel Concerning How to Pray for Paul (30-33)  

Paul ends the chapter by appealing for the whole church to join in fervent prayer for some of his most pressing needs:

• To be delivered from unbelievers in Judea 

• For his offering to the church to be acceptable (30-31), Paul ever living with the harm he had done to many Jews during his days of persecution, leaving many of them penniless

• That at long end he may come to them in joy (32-33)