Romans · New Testament · Romans 15:1–13
Living to Please Others
The Story
Paul opens by carrying forward the argument from chapter 14 and applying it directly to those who are strong in faith: "We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord." The example he immediately holds up is Christ Himself — who did not live to please Himself but bore the insults and reproaches aimed at God, as the Scriptures declared. Paul then draws out the purpose of those Old Testament Scriptures: they were written to give believers hope and encouragement as they wait patiently for God's promises, and he turns this into a prayer that God — the giver of patience and encouragement — would grant the Romans the ability to live in complete harmony with one another as followers of Christ Jesus, so that with one united voice they might give praise and glory to God the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. The governing principle that follows is the passage's center of gravity: "Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory." Paul then grounds this call to mutual acceptance in the sweep of redemptive history — Christ became a servant to the Jewish people to confirm the promises made to their ancestors, and at the same time so that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, just as the Scriptures had foretold through Moses, the Psalms, and Isaiah. The passage closes with a benediction that gathers everything together: "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."
The Message
The call to please others rather than ourselves is not grounded in self-improvement or social harmony — it is grounded in the example of Christ, who gave up everything He could have claimed for Himself in order to serve both Jews and Gentiles and bring glory to God. The standard of acceptance Paul calls believers to is equally clear: accept one another just as Christ has accepted you — not once you have settled your differences, not once everyone agrees, but now, as you are. The passage ends with hope not as a vague feeling but as an overflowing reality produced by trust in God and the power of the Holy Spirit.