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Romans 15 :: Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Pleasing Others, Not Ourselves
Rom 15:1

Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves.

Rom 15:2

Each one of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

Rom 15:3

For even Christ did not please himself. On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.

Rom 15:4

For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.

Rom 15:5

Now may the God who gives[fn] endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus,

Rom 15:6

so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice.

Glorifying God Together
Rom 15:7

Therefore welcome one another, just as[fn] Christ also welcomed you, to the glory of God.

Rom 15:8

For I say that Christ became a servant of the circumcised[fn] on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises to the fathers,

Rom 15:9

and so that Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,

and I will sing praise to your name.

Rom 15:10

Again it says, Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people!

Rom 15:11

And again,

Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;

let all the peoples praise him!

Rom 15:12

And again, Isaiah says,

The root of Jesse will appear,

the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;

the Gentiles will hope in him.

Rom 15:13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

From Jerusalem to Illyricum
Rom 15:14

My brothers and sisters, I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.

Rom 15:15

Nevertheless, I have written to remind you more boldly on some points[fn] because of the grace given me by God

Rom 15:16

to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the gospel of God. God’s purpose is that the Gentiles may be an acceptable offering, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Rom 15:17

Therefore I have reason to boast in Christ Jesus regarding what pertains to God.

Rom 15:18

For I would not dare say anything except what Christ has accomplished through me by word and deed for the obedience of the Gentiles,

Rom 15:19

by the power of miraculous signs and wonders, and by the power of God’s Spirit. As a result, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum.[fn]

Rom 15:20

My aim is to preach the gospel where Christ has not been named, so that I will not build on someone else’s foundation,

Rom 15:21

but, as it is written,

Those who were not told about him will see,

and those who have not heard will understand.

Paul’s Travel Plans
Rom 15:22

That is why I have been prevented many times from coming to you.

Rom 15:23

But now I no longer have any work to do in these regions,[fn] and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you

Rom 15:24

whenever I travel to Spain.[fn] For I hope to see you when I pass through and to be assisted by you for my journey there, once I have first enjoyed your company for a while.

Rom 15:25

Right now I am traveling to Jerusalem to serve the saints,

Rom 15:26

because Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

Rom 15:27

Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to them in material needs.

Rom 15:28

So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds[fn] to them,[fn] I will visit you on the way to Spain.

Rom 15:29

I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing[fn] of Christ.

Rom 15:30

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in prayers to God on my behalf.

Rom 15:31

Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my ministry to[fn] Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,

Rom 15:32

and that, by God’s will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you.

Rom 15:33

May the God of peace be with all of you. Amen.

CSB Footnotes
Lit God of
Or because
The Jews
Other mss add brothers
A Roman province northwest of Greece on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea
Lit now, having no longer a place in these parts
Other mss add I will come to you.
Lit delivered this fruit
Or and placed my seal of approval on this fruit for them
Other mss add of the gospel
Lit that my service for
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