The Higher Value of Mission / Romans 15:1-13

The Math and English of Faith

Go ahead and pick up your Bibles and turn to Romans chapter 15. We are getting toward the end of this letter; there are only sixteen chapters, and we are right on the home stretch.

As you’re turning there, I have a confession to make: I hate English. I’m just being honest. Some of you are probably thinking, “Man, we’re like blood brothers right now.” I get it. But I love math. I know there are some weird people out there who like both, but I’m a math guy. I like math because it’s always the same. Two plus two always equals four. It’s not like two plus two equals four except on Tuesdays, or maybe if you write it in pencil. It’s absolute. It’s always there.

English, on the other hand, drives me crazy because it’s not like that at all. You have words that are spelled differently but sound the same—like “dear” and ”deer.” Why do they do that? I have no idea. Why not just make plurals easy and just add an “s”? You have “mouse,” so it should be “mouses.” But no. Some people got in a room somewhere and said, “How can we really mess them up? I know—we’ll make it ‘mice.’” Then, right when I think I’ve got it, I see that they’re building a bunch of “houses” up the street. Why isn’t it “hice”? It makes no sense at all!

Then they come up with rules, and I think, “Finally! Rules like math!” I learn “I before E,” and then they add, “except after C, or when sounding like A, as in neighbor and weigh.” My blood starts to boil. And the most ironic part? The word “neither” doesn’t fit any of those rules! Even the exceptions have exceptions.

For a long time, I thought God was a “math God.” We look at the order of the universe and science and think that’s how He operates. But I’m going to break it to you: you’re going to sleep a lot better at night once you realize that God is an “English God.” He makes us think. Not everything is lined up in black and white. There are gray issues.

Navigating the Gray Areas

If you’ve been here the last few weeks, you know that’s what we’ve been talking about. For those of us who are math people, this is tough. We want to know: is it right or is it wrong? But in these gray areas, the exact same thing I do could be right for me but wrong for you.

We’ve been working on navigating these areas with our “morally discerning muscle.” Following Jesus isn’t as simplistic as I once thought. I used to think Christianity was just about what I did—do the good things, avoid the bad things. But it is so much deeper than asking God, “What do I do?” It’s also about asking ourselves, “Why am I doing it?” and “How am I doing it?”

Those things are just as important. I can do exactly what God wants me to do, but if I’m doing it for the wrong reason—like doing it so you’ll think I’m great—then it’s motivated by pride. Even if the action is right, the “why” is wrong. And the “how” matters, too. We aren’t supposed to do things in our own strength; we are to do them dependent upon the Holy Spirit.

Paul has been telling us that in these moral issues, it’s not just about whether an act is a sin. He brings up two primary motivations: what will bring glory to God, and what is most loving for other people? When you have multiple options, ask: Is one of these going to bring more honor to God? Is one of these going to hurt my brother? It’s not about us; it’s about others.

Romans 15:1-2 (NASB)

Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not [just] please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.

Our world tells us something totally different. The world says, “Live for yourself.” God says, “No, you hold your freedoms and your rights with an open hand, ready to let them go anytime they get in the way of loving someone else.” We are to bear the weaknesses of those without strength. It’s like being on a trail; if you have the ability to run ahead, you don’t just leave everyone behind. You stop, go back, and lock arms with the person who can’t run at all to help them get there. The world is about crossing the finish line first; God is about helping someone else cross it.

The Motive Behind the Offense

Paul qualifies this by saying we should please our neighbor “for his good, to his edification.” This doesn’t mean being a people-pleaser in a way that gives everyone what they want. Love is the choice to serve someone, which means giving them what they need according to God’s will, not necessarily what they want.

Think about Jesus. He didn’t please Himself, but He also wasn’t everyone’s friend. He was rejected. Paul quotes Psalm 69 here:

Romans 15:3 (NASB)

For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, ‘THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME.’

Jesus came to live for other people, but that actually caused some people to be offended. This is an interesting facet of moral discernment. Some of you might think, “Okay, I get it. I just need to make sure I never offend anyone.” But remember: God is an “English God.” Did Jesus offend people? Yes. Did Paul offend people? Yes. They didn’t go out of their way to be offensive, but they were motivated by a higher purpose.

There was a time when Peter was asked if Jesus paid the temple tax. Jesus told Peter that as the Son of the King, He didn’t have to pay it. But then He said, “So that we do not offend them, go to the lake…” and He provided the tax money through a fish. He gave up His right to avoid unnecessary offense.

However, there were many other times when Jesus healed on the Sabbath. People told Him, “You’re offending people by doing this!” And Jesus essentially said, “I’m sorry, but I’m going to keep doing it.” Why the difference? Because in that case, the offense was standing in the way of reaching and healing people. He wasn’t going to let a human tradition stop Him from helping someone in need.

That is moral discernment. We have to be honest about our motivations. For example, some people might say the volume of our music is offensive and they can’t worship. We don’t just crank it up to flaunt our freedom—that would be sin. But we do have a strategy and a purpose behind what we do to reach people. We aren’t trying to be offensive; we are trying to be effective.

You have to do the same in your personal life. Be honest. Are you refraining from something to love someone, or are you doing something because you have a purpose to reach someone? If there’s no purpose and it offends, lay off. But if there is a kingdom purpose, you might have to endure some reproach for the sake of serving others.

The Higher Value of Mission

Paul reminds us that the Scriptures were given to give us examples of this.

Romans 15:4 (NASB)

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

We see it everywhere in the Bible. We see Abraham letting Lot choose the best land first, even though Abraham had the right to it. We see Jonathan giving up his right to the throne for David. We see it most clearly in Jesus.

Paul’s prayer for the church is that we would be united.

Romans 15:5-7 (NASB)

Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.

When he says to be of “the same mind,” he isn’t saying we all have to have the exact same stance on every gray area. It’s actually more powerful when we are unified while having different stances. Our preferences on things like schooling, or diet, or politics are secondary.

Imagine two people standing side-by-side. One has very strict convictions about a certain activity, and the other feels total freedom. The first person says, “Because of my background, I don’t feel comfortable doing that; I’m refraining to bring glory to God.” The second person says, “I don’t have that same background, and I believe using my freedom here helps me reach my circle of friends.” Then, they high-five each other and say, “You keep refraining for the glory of God, and I’ll keep reaching people for the glory of God. I’ll see you next week to worship together.”

That is a mature body of believers.

Too often, we try to make everyone like us. We do it with culture and race, too. We say, “You need to see the world the way I do.” But Jesus says, “No, all of you need to be like Me.” Jesus accepted us exactly as we are, and we are to accept one another to the glory of God.

A Global Vision of Praise

In Rome, the hardest people to bring together were the Jews and the Gentiles. They were worlds apart. The Jews called Gentiles “dogs.” They wouldn’t eat with them or enter their houses. And the Gentiles had their own prejudices. Yet Jesus brought them together.

Romans 15:8-12 (NASB)

For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises [given] to the fathers, and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, ‘THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE GENTILES, AND I WILL SING TO YOUR NAME.’ Again he says, ‘REJOICE, O GENTILES, WITH HIS PEOPLE.’ And again, ‘PRAISE THE LORD ALL YOU GENTILES, AND LET ALL THE PEOPLES PRAISE HIM.’ Again Isaiah says, ‘THERE SHALL COME THE ROOT OF JESSE, AND HE WHO ARISES TO RULE OVER THE GENTILES, IN HIM SHALL THE GENTILES HOPE.’

Paul quotes from the Law (Deuteronomy), the Writings (Psalms), and the Prophets (Isaiah). He uses all three sections of the Old Testament to prove to the Jewish believers that it was always God’s plan to bring the nations together.

If we were all the same, with the same standards and the same look, we would only reach one kind of person. I don’t want that. I want us to be different so we can reach different people, as long as we have the same unifying principle: bringing glory to God and living for others.

The Power to Live It Out

Paul ends this section with a beautiful benediction.

Romans 15:13 (NASB)

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Remember the three parts: the what, the why, and the how. We can’t do this on our own. I’m never going to be able to get along with people who are vastly different from me unless I rely on the Holy Spirit. He is the one who reminds us of what is truly important.

Did you know that Jesus actually prayed for you? In John 17, He prayed for His disciples, but then He said, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word.” That’s us! And what did He pray? “That they may all be one… so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

Our unity is the evidence to the world that the Gospel is real. My hope is that we wouldn’t go around wondering if the church will ever be united. It’s a certainty in Christ. So let’s start living like it now. Let’s look at the higher level. Let’s remember that what unifies us far outweighs any difference we have.

Lord, thank You for this encouragement. I love this prayer that Paul prayed for the people in Rome. I see his heart wanting them to realize that their differences aren’t what matter, but the things that bring them together. God, help us to be brothers and sisters who respect the convictions of those around us. Help us to honor the freedoms of others as we work together to reach people and bring You glory as a unified, diverse body of Christ. In the name of Your Son, who brought us together and who is our Head, we pray. Amen.