Paraphrase of the Book of Romans
by E.H. “Jack” Sequeira
Chapter 15Building Each Other Spiritually
1 To those of you who are mature
Christians, please be sympathetic and understanding with regards
to the weaknesses of the immature believers who are still babes
in Christ. Do not look down on them in self-righteousness.
2 Let every believer have genuine
concern for the welfare of others and be helpful in building each
other up spiritually, 3 just as Christ
did not come to please Himself or to be ministered to but to seek
and save lost humanity. He did what was prophesied of Him:
“The condemnation and curse that belongs to sinful mankind
was heaped upon me” [Ps. 69:9].
4 And, incidentally, these prophecies
concerning our Lord’s redemptive activity were penned for our
comfort so that we may encourage one another to remain faithful in
the midst of persecution, while we wait for our ultimate salvation.
5 May God, who has been long-suffering
and patient towards each one of us give you that same attitude
toward one another through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
6 in order that in unison you may glorify
God in words and actions—He whom we call Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. 7 Therefore, treat and accept each
other just as God in Christ accepts us sinners as His sons and
daughters.
Salvation Extended to the Gentiles
8 Now, it is true Christ came, as He
announced, “but for the house of Israel.” This is because
God, in the Old Testament, promised salvation through the Jews or the
descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This promise He fulfilled
in Christ, who, according to His human nature, was a Jew.
9 Nevertheless, while salvation is through
the Jews, it encompasses the Gentile world, too; and for this they
need to be grateful. And since salvation included all humanity it was
prophesied: “The good news of salvation shall be preached among
the Gentiles and His praises they will sing” [Ps. 18:49].
10 God’s purpose of including the
Gentiles in His salvation is so clearly taught in the Old Testament that
I cannot see how we Jews missed it. Here are some examples: “Rejoice
you Gentiles along with the Jews!” [Deut. 32:43].11 Or, “Praise God all you
Gentiles and let all men glorify Him” [Ps. 117:1].12 Even the great prophet Isaiah repeats the same
truth: “There shall be a descendant of Jesse who will come to
redeem all mankind and many Gentiles will believe in Him” [Isa.
11:1,10].
13 In view of this wonderful truth,
may the God of our redemption fill you with joy unspeakable, peace
that is beyond understanding, and full assurance of your salvation,
so that under the influence of the Holy Spirit your hope never
diminishes. 14 Not that I am doubting
your faith, for I am convinced by the reports received that you
Christians in Rome are full of love and good works, grounded in the
truth, and able to teach one another.
15 But in spite of this, I have been
rather straightforward with you in reminding you of your Christian
obligations, seeing that God has set me aside as an apostle, 16 a minister of Jesus Christ, especially
assigned to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles and make them part
of the family of God through faith in Jesus Christ and sanctification
of the Holy Spirit. 17 And for this
ministry I am most grateful to our Lord and Saviour, who is God’s
means of our redemption.
Salvation Extended to the Gentiles
18 What I have written to you is not
my own opinion but what Christ Himself has revealed to me,
commissioning me to win souls among the Gentiles, manifesting to them
God’s saving power in word and deeds. 19
That is, through miracles and supernatural acts demonstrating the power
of God’s Spirit so that from Jerusalem up to the remotest parts
of the Middle East I have fully preached the good news of salvation
in Christ.
20 And in doing this, I have especially
endeavored to proclaim this gospel in unentered areas, lest I interfere
with the witnessing and work of other Christian believers.
21 As a result of this ministry, the following
prophecy has been fulfilled: “To those outside the covenant people
of God I will be shown, and they who were not looking for the Messiah
will rejoice in the truth when Christ is preached” [Isa. 52:15].22 And incidentally, it is this ministry that
has hindered me from coming to you in Rome until now.
23 But now that I have finished the work
commissioned to me and have proclaimed the gospel in all the unentered
areas of the Middle East and in view of the fact that I have longed to
come to Rome for many years, I certainly am looking forward to this trip.
24 My plans are to travel to Spain and include
you in my itinerary. All being well, therefore, I expect to see you
Roman Christians shortly and trust I wlll be blessed in your presence.
25 But first of all I have to return to
Jerusalem with the special offerings the Greek Christians gave to help
the suffering believers there. 26 These Greek
Christians have heard about the hard time the believers in Jerusalem were
having, and out of real concern have given special donations to aid the
suffering Jewish believers. 27 You will be
glad to know these Greek Christians were more than happy to give this
help, seeing that salvation came of the Jews. They felt that since they,
as Gentiles, were included in the redemption promised to the Jews, the
least they could do in gratitude was to support the Jewish Christians
in their material needs.
28 So when I have delivered the goods
to the brethren in Jerusalem and made sure all is well, I will definitely
plan to leave for Spain, 29 stopping at Rome
on the way, where I will have the opportunity, I hope, to proclaim the
gospel of Christ more fully to you.
30 In the meantime, please continue to
uphold the love of God which you have received through the indwelling
Spirit; and also, please pray for me, that God’s will be done,
31 and that I may not be hindered from
coming to you by the enemies of the gospel in Judea. Also, do not forget
to pray for the believers in Jerusalem, that they may appreciate my work
and the help I am bringing them 32 so that
when I come to you I can do so with joy, knowing God has blessed my
ministry and will continue to do so in your presence. 33 May our wonderful God, who brings peace into
our hearts, be with all of you continually. Amen.