Instruction and endurance from what was written in former days
A reflection from Romans chapter 15
Romans 15:1-4 “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.’ For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
In the first three verses of chapter 15 in his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul insists that Christians strong in the faith are not only to tolerate those who are weaker, but they are to support them. Instead of living selfish lifestyles, pursuing personal desires, the Christians in Rome were to go out of their way to guide those newer to the faith closer to Jesus.
Paul wanted strengthening others always to be the priority for the Romans. He insisted that Jesus is the perfect example of living for the glory of God. Leading others closer to Jesus would not only strengthen the weak but also bless those who were stronger in their faith.
As far as “whatever was written in former days,” St. Paul refers to the Old Testament in its entirety. He’s confident that the OT Scriptures were written for both encouragement and instruction. Paul indirectly implies that everything written in the OT is the Word of God, words that He directed for His purposes not only at the time they were written, but also for future centuries of His people.
This is a lot to absorb for only four verses. Not only do Paul’s words instruct those who are strong in the faith, but they should also inspire and guide those who are newer to following Jesus Christ. This passage can be applied to everyone, regardless of how mature their faith is.
As much as I want to write about the importance of mentorship and the need for Christian community, as a Bible nerd and someone who writes about Sacred Scripture, I want to focus on what was “written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
The Old Testament has always been my favorite part of the Bible. It was the focus of my first theology degree. That doesn’t make me better or worse than anyone. It just means that I know the OT well.
For Christians living more than 2,000 years after the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have the blessing of being able to say both the Old and New Testaments were written in former days for our instruction and endurance. However, none of the Bible can be properly used without proper study.
As someone who’s on the stronger side of my faith, as well as knowledge and understanding of the Bible, I have an obligation to those who are new or newer to God’s Word. This newsletter will be a significant part of fulfilling that obligation going forward.
This coming Monday will be the launch of my weekly Bible study podcast episode. After going back and forth for a couple of weeks on how and where to start, I’ve decided to begin with my favorite Old Testament prophet, Jonah.
There will also be weekly blog posts diving deeper into what we studied in the previous podcast episode, as well as other article-style posts geared toward different areas of Scripture being applied to daily life. This is the only way I know to make the Bible more important, something I greatly need right now.
I hope you decide to follow along. Also, please share this post with anyone you know of who might be interested in learning the Bible better.