That I may be delivered, &c.— How extreme their bigotry and rage were, appears from their behavior to him at the very time here referred to, Acts, xxi-xxiv. It was from a sense of the great importance of his life to the cause of Christianity, that he is thus urgent; else we may be assured, that he would gladly have given it up. See Philippians 1:21.
Inferences.—With what tenderness and self-denial should we behave towards our brethren in Christ! We should bear with the infirmities of the weak; study to please every one for his edification; receive into our affection and communion all whom Christ has received, to the glory of God; and unite in glorifying him, as with one heart and voice. What a noble pattern has our Lord set us of this excellent spirit, in denying himself; in the reproaches that he sustained for his Father's honour, and the good of his church; and in his condescending to act the part of a minister, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, that the Gentiles might glorify God, rejoice in him, and praise him, for making them equal heirs of all privileges and blessings with the Jews. What a rich treasure have we in the Holy Scriptures, which were written for our instruction and comfort, patience and hope! And how should we strive together in prayer, that the God of patience and consolation would enable us to make such use of them, according to the mind of Christ, as may fill us with all joy and peace in believing, and cause us to abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost! Blessed be God for his mercy to us Gentile Sinners! We, by the Gospel dispensation, are brought under the Messiah's reign; and he is proposed as an object of faith to us, who were utter strangers to him before, that we might trust in him; and that Gentile believers, and their services, might be acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, as a pure offering, which is sanctified by the Holy Ghost. And, oh, what an honour does our great Lord confer upon his servants! He puts them into the ministry of the Gospel; and makes them his instruments for the conversion of sinners, and for farther helping them that have believed through grace. And, oh, how delightful and advantageous is it to have the Gospel with the fulness of its blessings! And what a wide and glorious spread does it take; and what wonderful happy effects does it produce, when attended with the power of the Spirit, which resides in Christ, and is exerted by him! This gives the servants of Christ great occasion of glorying in the Lord: they ascribe all honour to him, and would take none to themselves; nor would they boast of any thing that he has not wrought by them; nor invade the province of their brethren: they are desirous to go and work wherever God calls them; and they submit all their own purposes and motions for his service to his will; they cheerfully encourage all sorts of benevolence, by the love of Christ and of his Spirit; they take pleasure in conversing with fellow-Christians, and recommend themselves, and all their labours, to their prayers; and they pour out their own hearts to God, with fervent desire that love and unity may abound among them, and that the God of peace may be with them. Amen.
REFLECTIONS.—1st, The Apostle infers from what he had advanced in the foregoing chapter,
1. That, We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves; having compassion towards them; making every kind allowance for their prejudices and scruples; not provoked by their rash censures, and desirous to prevent them by foregoing our own pleasure for their profit. Let every one of us therefore please his neighbour for his good to edification; not complying with him in any thing that is sinful, but in all indifferent matters ready to yield to him, in order to insinuate into his confidence, for the advantage of his soul.
2. He enforces his exhortation by the strongest motive of Christ's example. For even Christ pleased not himself; when he was under no obligations to us, he freely submitted to all hardships and sufferings for our sakes; as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee, fell on me; he willingly bore the contradiction of sinners against himself. And in this Scripture, as well as others, we are not to suppose that David speaks of himself, but of Christ, and with a view to the edification of his people. For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning; that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope; animated by the examples there set forth, to shew the same meekness, patience, and forbearance; revived by the views of the great and precious promises, and comforted in the hope of eternal life therein revealed to us. Note; (1.) Christ's pattern should be ever in our view. "Would the Lord Jesus in our situation have thus thought, spoke, and acted?" should be our inquiry. (2.) They are the truly wise who are learned in the Scriptures, and know the way to everlasting life. (3.) The Scriptures afford us the most powerful arguments for patience under all our trials and provocations, and furnish us with the most substantial comforts under our discouragements, both in the precious promise of present divine support, and in the prospect of the glory which shall be revealed.
3. He seconds his exhortations with his prayers: we can only speak to the ear; God must make our words effectual to the heart. Now the God of patience and consolation, who is so long-suffering towards us, and ready to comfort the afflicted, and is the source and author of all patience, and the giver of all consolation, grant you to be like-minded one towards another; united in sentiment and affection, according to Christ Jesus; copying his example, and obedient to his holy will; that ye may with one mind and one mouth, as if animated by one soul, in your religious assemblies, and in social converse, glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; in spirit and conversation desirous to exalt his great and glorious name, and shew forth his praises. Note; (1.) Christians should, as far as possible, be united in one mind, and join in the same worship. (2.) Our prayers must follow our preaching, that God may give the blessing.
2nd, The Apostle returns to enforce his former exhortation, Wherefore receive ye one another, with brotherly affection, in friendly intercourse, and holy communion, as Christ also received us, whether Jews or Gentiles, notwithstanding all our infirmities, to the glory of God; as this was the end that he had in view, the same must we propose to ourselves.
1. Christ had received the Jewish converts. Now I say, that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision; submitted himself to that bloody rite, and personally ministered to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, for the truth of God, to display his faithfulness to his covenant, and to confirm the promises made unto the fathers. Now as this put a peculiar honour upon the Jews, their Gentile brethren should not despise them, because of any weak attachment to the ceremonial institutions.
2. Christ had also received the Gentiles to the participation of the same privileges, and therefore this should engage the brotherly regards of their Jewish brethren, since the salvation that Jesus obtained was to extend to them, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy, who now at last looked with peculiar compassion upon them, and had called them into his visible church: as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. Because thou hast given me the heathen for my inheritance, I will declare thy word among them, and call upon them to offer their thanksgivings for the inestimable blessings of which in the Gospel they are made partakers. And again, in another prophesy, he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people; incorporated with them, sharing their privileges, and therefore happy in the experience of the same Gospel grace. And again, it is said, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and laud him, all ye people; joining your voices together in the great congregation, the partition-wall being taken down. And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, the divine Messiah, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, exalted to the mediatorial throne, and extending his conquests over the souls of sinners to the ends of the earth; in him shall the Gentiles trust; placing their dependence upon him as their only Lord and Saviour. All which prophesies clearly shew, that the time should come, when the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body; and therefore the Jewish converts should with hearty affection embrace their Gentile brethren, as all one in Christ Jesus.
3. The Apostle adds his affectionate prayer for them both. Now the God of hope, who in Christ Jesus is the ground and author of our hope of all spiritual and eternal blessings, fill you with all joy and peace in believing; enabling you to lay hold of the promises, and giving you the abundance of divine consolations, and of that peace which passeth all understanding; that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost; possessing both the earnests and foretastes which the Spirit gives, in the light, strength, and comfort which he now communicates. Note; (1.) When faith is in exercise, then our souls will be happy, even here below. (2.) The Christian's hope never makes him ashamed. (3.)
They who would abound in hope, peace, and joy, should be much in prayer to him who is the giver of every good gift, and whose face none seek in vain.
3rdly, St. Paul, 1. Expresses the high estimation in which he held them. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, from the gracious testimony borne to you by those who are acquainted with your state, that ye also are full of goodness; enriched with every gracious fruit of the Spirit, with tender benevolence and sympathy, willing to bear and forbear, and united in love and peace, notwithstanding any lesser differences of opinion, filled with all knowledge, in the great essential points of the Gospel revelation; able also to admonish one another, and to communicate your gifts for mutual edification.
2. He elegantly apologizes for the freedom that he had taken in reproving, advising, and exhorting them, who were themselves so eminent in gifts and graces. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you, in some sort, as putting you in mind; rather as your monitor to refresh your memory, than setting up myself for your instructor, as if you were ignorant. The liberty that he used with them, was what his office obliged him to: because of the grace that is given to me of God; honoured by him with the apostleship; that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the Gospel of God, discharging the office of a Christian minister with unwearied diligence, fidelity, and zeal; that the offering-up of the Gentiles, their spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise, might be acceptable through Jesus Christ, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, and thereby infinitely more excellent than any of the oblations that were ever made at the temple.
4thly, Having mentioned his office as the apostle of the Gentiles, he glories therein. I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ, by whose grace I have been so supported, and who has given such eminent success to my labours, in those things which pertain to God, wherein his glory is so greatly concerned, and in the conversion of the Gentiles so highly exalted. Or the words may be rendered, I have therefore a rejoicing in Christ concerning the things of God; that is, the Gentiles, who are offered up to him as living sacrifices, in which he felt the most unfeigned satisfaction. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me; far be all arrogant boasts from me; nor would I ascribe the least honour to myself, but only to him whose mighty grace, under my preaching, has wrought powerfully, to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed; shewing forth by an open confession, and a becoming conversation, the reality of their conversion to God, through mighty signs and wonders, which were wrought in confirmation of my divine mission, by the power of the Spirit of God; whose mighty influence gives energy and demonstration to the word preached; so that from Jerusalem and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ; diffusing with indefatigable labours the light of truth through Syria, Lesser Asia, and Greece; and keeping back nothing of the whole counsel of God concerning the free and perfect salvation of sinners through the great Redeemer. Yea, so have I strived to preach the Gospel, not where Christ was named; but with a holy ambition I went rather to the places where he was wholly unknown; lest I should build upon another man's foundation, and be thought to be inferior to those who went before, and to have borrowed my knowledge from them, and so should have wanted a signal proof of my doctrine and office, as immediately received from Christ himself. But as it is written (Isaiah 52:15.), so has it been fulfilled by my ministry; To whom he was not spoken of, that shall see: and they that have not heard, shall understand: the Gentiles, who lay in darkness, utterly ignorant of the Messiah and his kingdom, shall see the light of life, and be made wise unto salvation. Note; Whatever success attends our labours, God must have all the glory, who alone giveth the increase.
5thly, St. Paul had travelled far, but he intended still to extend his labours to a wider circle, and visit Rome also, and the regions beyond it.
1. He had long proposed to visit them, but his many avocations had hitherto prevented him. For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you; but now having no more place in these parts, the Gospel being fully preached, and Christian churches planted throughout the country between Jerusalem and Italy, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you, that I might impart to you some spiritual gift, and be comforted by you; whensoever I take my journey into Spain, where I purpose, God willing, to erect the Gospel standard, I will come to you, and take you in my way; for I trust to see you in my journey, and, according to the kind reception I have met with in other churches, to be brought on my way thitherward by you, some of you going with me; and giving me such directions and necessaries as may conduce to the success of the expedition; if first I be somewhat, or in part, filled with your company; enjoying the satisfaction of their conversation, rejoicing in their steadfastness, and tasting a little of the sweetness of that communion of saints, which he hoped in the utmost perfection to enjoy with them in heaven. Note; (1.) When duty detains us from those whose company we most delight in, we are ever cheerfully to forego our own pleasure, for the sake of our Master's service. (2.) All our purposes should be formed in subordination to divine Providence. (3.) Christian fellowship is one of the greatest joys on earth, and a little foretaste of what we expect, when we shall join the spirits of the just made perfect.
2. He at present was obliged to return to Jerusalem with the collections of the several churches for their poor brethren in Judea, who by persecution and the famine were in great distress. But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints, to distribute among them the generous contributions of their Gentile brethren; For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia, to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily, thus freely and liberally to contribute of their substance, and afford a noble example of Christian benevolence: and their debtors they are; gratitude as well as charity required this at their hands. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, and have been called to share in those privileges that were long peculiar to the church of Israel, their duty is also, in return, to minister unto them in carnal things, λειτουργησαι, honouring God by a conscientious and liberal supply of their wants.
3. When he had finished this work, he expresses his confidence that he should come to them. When therefore I have performed my present journey and service, and have sealed to them this fruit, careful that it be rendered up to them undiminished, I will come by you into Spain. And I am sure that when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ; as a merchant vessel; richly fraught, bringing with me the inestimable treasures of the Gospel-word for your most abundant edification and comfort. Note; It is a happy meeting between a minister and his people, when he thus comes to them in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ.
6thly, Having declared to them his purpose, he intreats their prayers, that he may be able to accomplish it.
Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, by every powerful argument which can be drawn from the grace which is in Him, whose I am, and whom I serve; and for the love of the Spirit, who visited your souls with his blessed influence; and as a proof of your being possessed of this divine principle, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; fervently and importunately joining me in my earnest cries to God, that I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judea, those most envenomed foes, his own infidel and wicked countrymen; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem, may be accepted of the saints; that all their prejudices against him and the Gentile converts might be removed, and this benevolence thankfully and cheerfully received, to the cementing of a nearer union between them. And also that I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, having found success in this ministry, if the Lord so pleased; and may with you be refreshed, in the enjoyment of your company, and the communication of our mutual happy experience. And now, may the God of peace be with you all, uniting your hearts in love to his blessed Self, and to one another; and filling you with all peace and prosperity in your souls. Amen. I pray that this may, and trust that it will, be your happy case. Note; (1.) We are bound to desire each other's prayers, and should count these among the greatest obligations which can be conferred upon us. (2.) Our applications to a throne of grace must be fervent and agonizing, as becomes those who know the inestimable value of the prize for which they wrestle.