Romans 15:8-13 Preparing our world for Christ’s rule

Romans 15:8-13

For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name.”
10 And again it is said,
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
11 And again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him.”
12 And again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Background

When God made a covenant with Israel to save them, He has in mind the salvation of the rest of the world. As God has placed the mission of evangelism on the shoulders of the Jews, God has placed a similar responsibility on the church to preach the gospel. Thus, it is the responsibility of every believer to love others even if they are of different nationality and religion and to spread the gospel to them. As the gospel is extended to the world and upon Christ’s return, He will establish His physical government and rules the earth in justice and mercy. Believers are responsible to prepare the people to accept Christ’s rule and salvation by the preaching of the gospel.

Observation

For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name.”
10 And again it is said,
“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
11 And again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him.”

Christ is born as a Jew, coming as the Messiah for Israel in order to fulfill the promises given to the forefathers of Israel: to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs. It is God’s plan that the salvation that came to Israel be extended to the peoples of other nations where Paul is an instrument. Therefore, Paul spontaneously praises God: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people”… because salvation has come to the world through the covenant that God made with the Jews. Having said that, the united church is formed of both Jews and Gentiles standing on level ground, equally accepted before God regardless of their heritage and practices.

12 And again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”

Christ (the root of Jesse) will be the ultimate Ruler when He comes to judge the world. On that day, His rule extends beyond Israel to the rest of the world: even he who arises to rule the Gentile. It is through the government of Christ that all sufferings and injustice will cease and the hope of justice and prosperity will come: in him will the Gentiles hope. There is much injustice in our world today; in the family, company and the society at large where the weak are mostly exploited; the rich get richer at the expense of the poor. The rich get away with crimes and the poor has no resources to have their day in court. The less capable ones are more than often manipulated by those smarter and more capable. When Christ comes again, there will be perfect justice and mercy at all levels of the society.

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

What is then the resolution to this universal injustice? For one, Christ will return to rule as King. At the present time, the Holy Spirit strengthens each believer to uphold justice, mercy and to protect the rights of the poor wherever they are. It is then important to uphold our government in prayer that they may implement the values of justice and mercy in the society.

Truth

1.     The salvation of the Gentiles comes from God’s covenant with the Jews. In a sense, when God made a covenant with Israel, He had the Gentiles in mind that this covenant will extend even to the ends of the earth. We can conclude that God sees peoples of different nationalities as one and He will rule them as one people. Therefore, we must never separate ourselves from people of other nationality or religion just because they are different. From God’s perspective, we are one people. With that in mind, we must learn to be open to the cultures and practices of another and learn to appreciate them.

2.    Believers must understand that as long as the society is governed by people, there will never be perfect justice. However, believers can do their part to work with the authorities to enforce justice and mercy as best as we can. The governors themselves are not above the law of whom God is the Author and Authority. God in His time and ways will execute perfect justice according to the law He has established.

3.    God reaches out to the world in His mercies through the Jews and the ministry of Paul. Hence, it is through the church, God’s covenant and mercies is extended to the people around us. Hence, God hold believers responsible to extend His salvation to the world around us. We must make evangelism our full time endeavor of which we must give an account to God when He returns.

Application

1.    Bearing in mind that God does not despise people of different nationalities and religions, but sees them as one. We must learn to appreciate the differing cultures and accept them as part of us. Hence, we should seek to break into their circle, in doing so, we can be effective reaching out to them.

2.    Make list of people that God has put in your heart and make casual connections with them. If they are open to you, God could use this opportunity to touch them with your friendship.

Dear Lord, take away my hesitations towards people who are different knowing that You are not concerned with those differences. Use me to lift up the weak and stand up for them. Give me wisdom to lift up justice and mercy in my organization. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.