Romans 15:13 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

He finisheth here his long discourse about brotherly love and concord with a short and pithy prayer. Having said before, that the Gentiles should hope in God, he takes occasion from hence to style him, The God of hope. He is so, both objective, as being the only object of our hope, see Psalms 146:5 Jeremiah 17:7 1 Timothy 6:17; and effective, as being the only author of it, 1 Peter 1:3. With all joy and peace in believing; i.e. with much inward joy and peace, which riseth in the heart through a lively faith in Christ; or else, with all comfort and concord in the Christian faith. In this he prays they may abound; instead of those contentions that had been amongst them, he desires they may be filled with those things, wherein he told them, Romans 14:17, the kingdom of God consisted. That ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost; he doth not say, that you may have hope, but that you may abound therein, that you may arrive to a plerophory or full assurance of hope, as it is in Hebrews 6:11. Such hope as may be like an anchor to the soul, to keep it safe and steady in the midst of storms and tempests. This hope is wrought in us by no less power and virtue than that of the Holy Ghost. See before.