In close connection with the immediately preceding prayer-wish Paul assures the Romans that he recognizes their excellent spiritual qualities. Nevertheless, he has at times felt it necessary to express himself rather boldly for their own benefit, exercising his duty as a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, his aim being to bring the Gentiles to God (15:14-16).

In pleasing humility, ascribing all the glory to God alone, the apostle describes not what he has done but what Christ has accomplished through him in leading many Gentiles to God. He had been privileged to proclaim the gospel of Christ all the way from Jerusalem round about to Illyricum (Yugoslavia-Albania). By means of signs and wonders, performed through the power of the Holy Spirit, that work had been signally blessed. Paul had been a trail-blazer for the gospel. From the very beginning his purpose had been to proclaim the gospel in places and regions where Christ was not known (cf. Isa 52:15). That explains why he had not been able to make an earlier visit to Rome (verses 17-22).

Paul informs the Romans that since his work of establishing churches in the eastern part of the Roman Empire is finished and since for many years he had been yearning to visit his fellow-believers in Rome, he plans to do so on his way to Spain. However, he cannot come immediately, for he must first of all supervise the handing over of a generous bounty which the Gentile believers of Macedonia and Achaia had been collecting for the needy saints in Jerusalem. He adds, “They were pleased to do it and, indeed, they owe it to them; for if the Gentiles have come to share in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. When I have completed this task … I will go to you on my way to Spain. I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fulness of the blessing of Christ” (verses 23-29).

In need of the intercession of the church, Paul asks the Romans to remember him in prayer:

a. that he might be rescued from the plots of the unbelieving Jews:

b. that his ministry to Jerusalem-a ministry of benevolence-might be acceptable to the Jews, so that

c. his coming to the Romans might be a matter of joy, and, together with them, he might be refreshed.

This prayer was certainly answered, though not, in every respect, in a manner Paul had been able to foresee.

As to a, there was indeed a plot against his life by the Jews, but it was discovered in time, so that traveling plans were changed (Acts 20:3);

As to b, Acts 21:17 reports that the brothers in Jerusalem did indeed extend a hearty welcome to Paul and his companions, and glorified God when they heard Paul’s report about the results of mission work among the Gentiles. Whether the Jerusalem saints also received the generous collection with grateful enthusiasm is not reported.

As to c, that petition too was granted, though not at the time and in the manner Paul had envisioned. But see Acts 28:11-15: Phil. 1:12.

The little paragraph ends with the prayer-wish of verse 33 (verses 30-33).

The apostle warmly commends to the church Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchrea, a seaport of Corinth. In all probability she was the lady who delivered the letter to the Roman Church.

Next, he extends his own greetings to many persons-men and women, Gentile and Jewish believers-members of the Roman Church and known to Paul. The list of individuals to whom greetings are sent begins with Prisca and Aquila with whom Paul had made his home when this couple was still living in Corinth. They were tent-makers as was Paul. But of even greater importance was the fact that they were “fellow-workers in Christ Jesus.” So very loyal had they been to Paul that once they had even hazarded their lives for his sake. That may have happened during the riot of Ephesus described in Acts 19:23-41. But we cannot be certain about this.

Paul adds, “(Greet) also the church (that meets) at their house.” It seems that wherever Prisca and Aquila were living-whether in Corinth, Ephesus, or Rome-they were always inviting their fellow-believers to meet with them for the worship service.

Next, Paul sends greetings to Epenetus, “Asia’s firstfruits for Christ.” Among several others to whom greetings are extended is also Rufus. Paul adds, “and his mother and mine,” indicating that the mother of Rufus had been a mother to the apostle also; that is, had rendered motherly service to him. This Rufus reminds us of the Rufus mentioned in Mark 15:21, but whether the same person is indicated in both places is uncertain. At the conclusion of the list Paul writes, “All the churches of Christ extend greetings to you” (16:1-16).

Paul now tells the Roman church to watch out for false teachers. Let the members be on their guard, and this especially for two reasons: (a) by means of smooth talk and flattery these troublemakers try to deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting; and (b) the Roman believers should not spoil the good reputation (for obedience to the truth) they have gained everywhere. Using an expression that reminds us of a saying of Jesus (Matt. 10:16), the apostle adds, “I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” In addition to placing emphasis on the responsibility the Romans should shoulder, he comforts them by reminding them that God, in the exercise of his sovereignty, will crush Satan under their feet soon. He adds, “The grace of our Lord Jesus (be) with you” (verses 17-20).

The greetings which friends are sending to the Roman church follow. The greeters include Timothy, a very dear friend and fellow-worker of Paul; Tertius, the apostle’s secretary, to whom the apostle had dictated the letter; and Gaius, at whose home Paul was staying and who was ever ready to reveal his hospitality in the interest of the entire church (verses 21-23).

By means of a very impressive doxology, one which in many ways reflects the opening verses of the epistle, Paul brings his marvelous epistle to an appropriate close (verses 25-27).

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^[1]Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953-2001). Vol. 12-13: New Testament commentary : Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Accompanying biblical text is author’s translation. New Testament Commentary (523). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

As Paul is approaching the end of this epistle he is aware that there is one important problem on which he has not yet touched, namely, that of the relation between the weak and the strong. The strong were those who were able to grasp the significance of Christ’s death for daily living; that is, for eating and drinking, etc., the weak were not.

1. Origin of the problem

God had laid down certain rules with respect to clean versus unclean animals. Only the clean were permitted to be used as food. See Lev. 11:1-45; Deut. 14:3-21. Cf. Dan. 1:8 f.; Tobit 1:10-12; I Macc. 1:62; II Macc. 7: Josephus, Antiq. IV.vi.8.

In connection with his teaching that whatever enters a person from the outside is undefiling, Jesus had pronounced all foods clean (Mark 7:15-19). But if even Peter was slow in taking to heart the full implications of this dominical pronouncement, as Acts 10:9-16; 11:1-18; Gal. 2:11-21 indicate, it is understandable that for other Jewish converts to Christianity the situation became even more difficult.

It has been suggested that in the church of Rome the clash between meat-eaters and abstainers became more explosive when Jews who had been expelled from the capital by Claudius (see p. 18) returned. During their absence the Roman church experienced no difficulty, but with their return to Rome a somewhat strained relation began to develop between the two ethnic groups. Whether this theory is correct cannot now be determined, but it may well be. The view according to which “the strong” consisted of the Gentile portion of the congregation, the majority (see pp. 21-23), while “the weak” consisted of the Jewish portion, seems to be confirmed by 15:7 f. (See on that passage). However, this does not mean that only Gentiles belonged to the strong portion, and only Jews to the weak. A Hebrew of Hebrews was Paul; nevertheless, he included himself among the strong (15:1).

But had not Christ, by his death on the cross, fulfilled and thereby abolished, the Old Testament shadows? And if even the divinely established dietary regulations had lost their validity, was not the same true, in fact more decisively, with respect to all man-made rules that had been embroidered upon them?

True indeed, but this legitimate inference was not drawn by every believer in Christ. Many, especially in Jerusalem and vicinity, but also in Rome and probably elsewhere, held fast to their “traditions.”

Now as long as no saving significance or merit of any kind was ascribed to the perpetuation of such rules and regulations, and no offense was given, such persistence in clinging to the old could be tolerated. The adherents must be treated with love and patience. This was true especially during what might be called “the period of transition.” 

However, in mixed communities problems immediately presented themselves. Customs-Gentile versus Jewish-were bound to clash. The fact that the law of ordinances had been nailed to the cross, and along with it all man-made regulations had also become logically extinct, had not become clear to every believer in Christ. And the further and closely related fact that “in Christ” the wall of separation between Jew and Gentile had been broken down, never to be rebuilt, was frequently ignored, as it is even today in certain circles!

2. What the two groups-the strong and the weak-had in common

a. The members of each group must be regarded as genuine believers (Rom. 14:1-4, 6, 10, 13).

b. Each group was critical of the other (14:3, 4, 13). 

c. Each group will have to give an account of itself to the Lord (14:11). 

3. The points with respect to which the two groups differed:

a. The strong believed that they were permitted to eat anything (meats as well as vegetables); the weak were vegetarians (14:2). 

b. The strong regarded every day as being “good.” The weak regarded one day as being better than another (14:5). The emphasis falls on a. 

4. Paul’s attitude toward the two groups and his admonitions addressed to the groups and to the congregation in general

a. In at least one important point Paul agrees with the strong, namely, in believing that nothing (no food) is unclean in itself (14:14, 20; 15:1).

b. He admonishes each group not to look down on the other (14:3, 5, 19).

c. He is especially emphatic in denouncing the attitude of some strong people toward the weak (14:14-21), and he admonishes the strong lovingly to bear with the failings of the weak (15:1).

 d. He stresses the fact that the matter of eating and drinking is not nearly as important as that of being a citizen of the kingdom of God, for the essence of that kingdom is not “eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (14:17).

 e. He admonishes both groups-in fact, the entire congregation-to pursue those things that lead to peace and mutual edification (14:19; 15:2, 3).

 f. He points to the example of Christ, who did not please himself, and was willing for our sake, and to the glory of God, to suffer reproach (15:3-6).

 g. He summarizes his exhortations by pleading: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, to the glory of God” (15:7). He shows that, in Christ, Jews and Gentiles attain their unity. He states, “Christ has become a servant of ‘the circumcision’ (i.e., of the Jews) for the sake of God’s truth … but the Gentiles glorify God for the sake of (his) mercy, ” quoting passages from the Old Testament to prove what he had just now said with respect to the Gentiles (15:8-12).

h. He closes this section-and in a sense, the entire letter up to this point-with the beautiful prayer-wish, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, in the exercise of (your) faith, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may overflow with hope” (15:13).

 5. Similarities and differences between Paul’s teaching (with respect to diets and days), a. in Romans, and b. in other epistles

There are resemblances and there are also differences between that which Paul says about this subject here in Romans, on the one hand, and what, on the other hand, he says about it in I Corinthians, Galatians, and Colossians; differences not in doctrine but in approach and style.

 a. Romans and I Corinthians

Both here in Romans and in I Cor. 8:1-13; 10:14-33 Paul teaches that the church-and of course also believers individually-should treat with consideration and tenderness those who are weak; that is, who are, or seem to be, unable to grasp the significance of Christ’s death on the cross for daily life. The strong and the weak should treat each other with kindness.

“Let not him who eats look down on him who does not, and let not him who does not eat judge him who does, for God has accepted him” (Rom. 14:3). “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak” (I Cor. 8:9).

In the Corinthian passages Paul speaks about food that had been offered to idols (I Cor. 10:20, 28). This feature is not mentioned in Romans, though it may be implied. Also, in Romans (14:5 f.) there is a reference to the observance of special days. This item is absent from I Corinthians.

b. Romans and Galatians

Also between what Paul says here in Rom. 14:1-15:13 and what he says in Gal. 4:10, 11 there is a resemblance. In both letters reference is made to the observance of certain special days. But the manner in which the apostle refers to these days differs widely in these two epistles. In Galatians the reference is to sabbath-days, days of the new moon, festival seasons belonging to the Jewish cycle, and either (1) the sabbath and jubilee years, or (2) the New Year (Rosh Hashana) on the first day of the month Tishri. Paul is saying that strict observance of such days and festivals has nothing whatever to do with securing divine favor. As a foundation upon which to build one’s hope of being justified in the sight of God such observance is merely a superstition. It is utterly futile, nothing but sinking sand. Paul, as it were, shakes his head in utter disgust when he reflects on the fact that rigid, painstaking adherence to the Mosaic law regarding stated days was actually being substituted for simple faith in Jesus Christ. He even states, “I am afraid about you, lest somehow I have labored among you in vain” (Gal. 4:11).

Here, in Rom. 14:5, Paul simply says, “One person regards one day as being better than another; another regards every day as being good. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind.” The sharply critical and denunciatory style that characterizes the Galatian passages is completely absent from Romans, the reason being that by the weak brothers in Rome the observance of certain days was not viewed as having anything to do with obtaining salvation. So in Rom. 14:1, 5, 19; 15:1, 7 the apostle expresses himself in a very gentle and subdued manner.

c. Romans and Colossians

 There are also similarities and differences between Rom. 14:1-15:13 and Colossians. In Col. 2:16, 17 Paul writes, “Therefore allow no one to pass judgment on you by what you eat or drink, or with respect to a (religious) festival or a New Moon celebration or a sabbath day.” And in 2:20, 21 he asks, “If with Christ you died to the rudiments [or: basic principles] of the world, why, as though you were still living in the world [or: as though you still belonged to the world], do you submit to its regulations ‘Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!’ “?

It is clear that here, in Colossians, Paul again sharply rebukes those whom he addresses, the reason now being that these people were giving heed to false teachers who were telling them, “Faith in Christ will not give you fulness of knowledge, wisdom, power, salvation. Therefore you must follow our rules concerning days and diets.” At bottom this was an attack on the supremacy and all-sufficiency of Christ, “in whom all the fulness of the godhead dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9).

 As has been indicated, the treatment of the same general theme-days and diets-in Romans differs sharply, since the weak ones addressed in this epistle did not attach any saving significance to their eating, drinking, and abstaining, and to their observance of certain special days.

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^[1]Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953-2001). Vol. 12-13: New Testament commentary : Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Accompanying biblical text is author’s translation. New Testament Commentary (452). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.