December 1998 Issue

In order to grasp fully this text, one needs to note its relationship to its broad context, its structure, and its overall place in the letter.

Broad Context

Romans 14:1-15:13 forms a unit in which Paul exhorts the Roman Christians to respect and accept each other's personal piety as part of their mutual existence in Christ. 14:1 opens with the instruction that the strong are to welcome the weak. Though the identities of the "strong" and the "weak" remain debated in scholarly circles, Paul's continuous concern in Romans for Jewish Christian and gentile Christian relations does seem to color his instructions here. While one cannot reduce all the strong to gentile Christians (since Paul considers himself to be among the strong, 15:1), the weak include those Christians whose personal piety requires them to abstain from meat and wine (14:2, 21) while also observing certain days (14:5-6). The personal piety of the strong knows no such restrictions, because in itself nothing is unclean (14:14). Nevertheless, Paul instructs the strong not to pass judgment on the weak, because God has welcomed them (14:3-4), and Christ has died for them (14:10-12). Hence in the broad context Paul uses christology to form the basis for his exhortation on mutuality.

Structure

Structurally this passage stands within Paul's argument of 15:1-13. Indeed 15:1-6 and 15:7-13 form parallel units which conclude Paul's exhortations on mutual acceptance and respect.

Verses 1-2 summarize the previous address to the strong and also hold up pleasing one's neighbor rather than one's self as a key Christian concern and motivation. The inclusion of neighbor here is meant to recall the instruction in 13:9-10 to love one's neighbor as one's self. The purpose of such an attitude is to build up the neighbor. This means one is to seek that which promotes and enhances their life in Christ and not just to give the neighbor whatever the neighbor may desire. In verse 3 Paul again grounds this exhortation on christology. The reference to Christ not pleasing himself points to his death. Paul quotes Psalm 69:9 to give scriptural warrant to Christ's selfless perspective.

In verses 4-6 Paul explains why he has used scripture. For him scripture is not simply a past record of God's actions but a living word which strengthens, guides, and encourages God's people in the present. In this case Psalm 69:9, which points to Christ's selfless death, provides a foundation for the Christian community to live in mutual respect and acceptance. The result of this God-empowered unity is that Christians are able to glorify God and Jesus. For Paul, then, Christian unity is not really something we achieve. Rather it is thoroughly theocentric in that it is founded upon Christ's death, is empowered by God, and results in glorification of God and Jesus.

The exhortation of welcome in verse 7 uses the exact same word as in 14:1, but here it is addressed to all Christians not just to the strong. Again Paul gives this instruction a christological foundation. We welcome each other no matter what our personal pieties entail, because Christ welcomed us. The goal of Christ's welcoming action is again the glorification of God.

In verses 8-9a Paul elucidates this last claim by reminding his audience that God's faithfulness to the patriarchs was confirmed in that Christ has become a servant to the circumcised and that such covenant faithfulness on God's part has also led to the merciful inclusion of gentiles into God's people. Such divine action again results in glorification of God. The implication is the same as before: Christian unity is not the result of diverse people deciding to get along with each other. Christian unity derives from God's faithfulness and mercy whereby first Jews and then gentiles are included in the people of God for the glorification of God.

Verses 9b-12 form a progressive, hymnic chain whereby four scriptural passages highlight such praise to God. In the first God's name is confessed and praised among gentiles (14:9b quotes Ps 18:49). In the second and third the gentiles are invited to join God's people in such divine praise (14:10 quotes Dt 32:43; 14:11 quotes Ps 117:1). The crescendo comes in the fourth whereby Jesus is extolled as the Jewish Messiah whose resurrection means not only his rule over the gentiles but that he is the salvific hope of the gentiles (14:12 quotes Isa 11:10).

The closure in 15:13 is a prayerful request which shows that for Paul hope, too, is thoroughly theocentric. It looks back to God's covenant faithfulness in Jesus Christ. It is empowered by the Holy Spirit, and it looks to the goal of God's salvific plan which Paul has discussed throughout Romans.

Place in Romans

This passage forms the closure of the body of the letter to the Romans. Paul began the body by highlighting the failure of humanity to glorify God (1:21) so that humanity exchanged God's glory for idolatry (1:23). Now at the close of the body, Paul highlights how God's faithful action in Christ brings about a new unity within humanity for the rightful glorification of God. Likewise throughout the letter Paul has discussed this new unity in terms of God's salvific action in Christ as moving first to the Jews and then to the gentiles. Here he continues to reflect such a movement in God's faithfulness. Finally in Romans the goal of such God-created unity and glorification is the future redemption of Christians, the liberation of creation, and the salvation of all Israel. Such a salvific goal is recapitulated in the prayer request of hope to the God of hope (15:13). In this way our passage pulls together much of the focus of the entire epistle.

Advent Implications

This passage helps us refocus our Advent preparation in important ways. Preparing for Christ's advent is much more than personal preparation or piety. It engenders and reflects the God-created unity we share as the community of Christ. For Paul that means Christ's actions shape our Advent actions and attitudes so that we will not celebrate ourselves nor our traditions. Rather we will stand together glorifying God for what God has done in Christ's first Advent, for what God continues to do in the midst of the community through the Holy Spirit, and what God faithfully will do in the final advent of Christ.

Richard Carlson
Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary