Homily 28 — Romans 15, verses 8 to 13

“Now I say that Jesus Christ was a servant of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers.” [a]

Again he is speaking of Christ’s care for us. He is still holding to the same subject, and showing what great things Christ has done for us, and how “he did not please himself” (Romans 15, verse 3). And besides this there is another point he establishes: that those from the Gentiles owe God a larger debt. And if they owe a larger debt, then they ought to bear with the weak among the Jews. He had spoken very sharply to the weak; so, to keep this from making the others proud, he brings their unreasonable spirit down, by showing that it was by “promise made to the fathers” that the Jews had the good things given them, while those from the Gentiles had them out of pity and love for humankind alone. That is why he says, “And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.”

But to make what is said plainer, it is good to listen once more to the words themselves, so that you may see what it means that Christ became “a servant of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers.” What, then, is being said? A promise had been made to Abraham: “To you I will give the land, and to your seed; and in your seed all the nations will be blessed” (Genesis 12, verse 7, and 22, verse 18). But after this, the descendants of Abraham all became liable to punishment. For the law, by being broken, brought wrath on them, and from then on it shut them out of that promise made to the fathers. So the Son came and worked together with the Father, so that those promises might come true and reach their fulfillment. For he fulfilled the whole law, and in it he also fulfilled circumcision; and by this, and by the cross, he freed them from the curse of their transgression, and did not let this promise fall to the ground.

So when he calls him “a servant of the circumcision,” he means this: by coming and fulfilling the law, and being circumcised, and being born of the seed of Abraham, he undid the curse, stopped the anger of God, and also made those who were to receive the promises fit for them, since they had been freed once for all from their estrangement.

Now, so that the people he is taking to task could not say, “How, then, did Christ come to be circumcised and to keep the whole law?” he turns their argument around to the opposite conclusion. For it was not so that the law might continue, but so that he might put an end to it, and free you from its curse, and set you entirely free from the rule of that law. It was because you had broken the law that he fulfilled it — not so that you might fulfill it, but so that he might confirm to you the promises made to the fathers, which the law had left hanging in suspense by showing that you had offended and were unworthy of the inheritance. And so you too are saved by grace, since you had been cast off.

So do not quarrel, and do not stubbornly cling to the law at a time when it is out of place; for it would have shut you, too, out of the promise, if Christ had not suffered so much for you. And he suffered these things, not because you deserved to be saved, but so that God might be true. Then, so that this would not puff up the man from the Gentiles, he says:

Verse 9: “And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.” [c]

What he means is this. The Jews would have had promises, even though they were unworthy. But you did not have even this; you were saved out of love for humankind alone — even though, to put it at the lowest, they too would have been no better off for the promises unless Christ had come. Yet in order to blend them together, and not let the Gentiles rise up against the weak, he mentions the promises made to the Jews; but of the Gentiles he says that it was by mercy alone that they were saved. So they are the most bound to glorify God. And it is a glory to God that they be blended together and united, that they praise him with one mind, bear with the weaker, and not neglect the member that has been broken off.

Then he adds testimonies, in which he shows that the Jew ought to blend himself with those from the Gentiles. So he says, “As it is written, ‘For this reason I will praise you among the Gentiles, O Lord, and sing to your name’” (Psalm 18, verse 49).

Verses 10 to 12: “And: ‘Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people’ (Deuteronomy 32, verse 43). And: ‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him’ (Psalm 117, verse 1). And: ‘There will be a root of Jesse, and he who rises to rule over the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles will trust’” (Isaiah 11, verses 1 and 10). [e]

Now he has given all these quotations to show that we ought to be united and to glorify God; and also to humble the Jew, so that he would not lift himself up over the Gentiles, since all the prophets called them too; and to persuade the man from the Gentiles to be humble, by showing him that he had a larger grace to answer for. Then he closes his argument with a prayer again.

Verse 13: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

That is, so that you may be rid of that discouragement toward one another, and may never be cast down by trials. And this will come about by your abounding in hope. Now this is the cause of all good things, and it comes from the Holy Spirit. Yet it does not come from the Spirit simply, but on condition that we contribute our own part as well. That is why he says, “in believing.” For this is the way for you to be filled with joy: if you believe, if you hope. Yet he does not say “if you hope,” but “if you abound in hope,” so that you may not only find comfort in troubles, but even have joy through the abundance of faith and hope.

And in this way you will also draw the Spirit to you; in this way, when he has come, you will keep to all good things continually. For just as food maintains our life and in this way governs the body, so if we have good works we will have the Spirit, and if we have the Spirit we will also have good works. And on the other hand, if we have no works, the Spirit flies away; and if we are deserted by the Spirit, we will also falter in our works. For when the Spirit has gone, the unclean one comes. This is plain from Saul. And what if he does not choke us as he did Saul? He still strangles us in some other way, by wicked works.

So we need the harp of David, so that we may charm our souls with the divine songs — both these songs, and the songs that come from good actions. For if we do only the one, and while we listen to the charm we make war on the charmer by our actions, as Saul did long ago (First Samuel 19, verse 10), the remedy will even turn into judgment against us, and the madness will grow more furious. Before we heard it, the wicked demon was afraid that we might hear it and recover. But when, even after hearing it, we go on the same as we were, this is the very thing that rids him of his fear.

So let us sing the psalm of good deeds, so that we may cast out sin, which is worse than the demon. For a demon certainly will not deprive us of heaven; in some cases it even works along with those who are self-controlled. But sin will certainly cast us out. For this is a demon we receive willingly, a madness of our own choosing. That is why it has no one to pity it or to pardon it. So let us sing charms over a soul in this state, both from the other Scriptures and from blessed David.

Let the mouth sing, and let the mind be taught. Even this is no small thing. For once we teach the tongue to sing, the soul will be ashamed to be plotting the opposite of what the tongue sings. Nor is this the only good we will gain; we will also come to know many things that are to our advantage. For David talks with you about things present and things to come, about things seen and about the invisible creation. [i]

If you want to learn about heaven — whether it remains as it is or will be changed — he gives you a clear answer, and will say, “The heavens will grow old like a garment, and like a cloak you will fold them up, O God, and they will be changed” (Psalm 102, verse 26). And if you want to hear about their shape, you will hear, “Who stretches out the heaven like a skin.” And if you have a mind to know further about their upper side, he will tell you again: “Who covers his upper rooms with waters” (Psalm 104, verses 2 and 3). And even here he does not stop, but will also talk with you about their breadth and height, and show you that these are equal in measure. For he says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he set our wrongdoings from us. As the height of heaven is above the earth, so great is the Lord’s mercy toward those who fear him” (Psalm 103, verses 12 and 11).

And if you want to busy yourself with the foundation of the earth, even this he will not hide from you; you will hear him singing, “He founded it upon the seas” (Psalm 24, verse 2). And if you want to know where earthquakes come from, he will free you from this difficulty too, by saying, “Who looks upon the earth and makes it tremble” (Psalm 104, verse 32). And if you ask what the night is for, you can learn this too and know it from him: “For in it all the beasts of the forest move about” (Psalm 104, verse 20). What use the mountains are, he will tell you: “The high mountains are for the stags.” And why there are rocks: “The rocks are a refuge for the porcupines” (Psalm 104, verse 18). Why are there trees that bear no fruit? Learn from him: “There the sparrows build their nests” (Psalm 104, verse 17). Why are there springs in the wildernesses? Listen: “By them the birds of the sky live, and the wild animals” (Psalm 104, verse 12). Why is there wine? Not only so that you may drink — water is by nature enough for that — but so that you may also be gladdened: “For wine gladdens the heart of man” (Psalm 104, verse 15).

And by knowing this you will know how far the use of wine is allowed. Where do the birds and the wild animals get their food? You will hear it from his words: “All these wait on you, to give them their food in due season” (Psalm 104, verse 27). If you ask what the cattle are for, he will answer that these too are for you: “Who makes the grass grow for the cattle,” he says, “and the green plants for the service of human beings” (Psalm 104, verse 14). What is the moon for? Hear him saying, “He made the moon for seasons” (Psalm 104, verse 19). And that all things, the seen and the unseen, were made is something he has also taught us clearly, by saying, “He spoke, and they were made; he commanded, and they were created” (Psalm 33, verse 9). [k]

And that death has an end, he teaches this too, when he says, “God will deliver my soul from the hand of hell, when he receives me” (Psalm 49, verse 15). What was our body made from? He tells us this too: “He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103, verse 14). And again, where does it go? “It will return to its dust” (Psalm 104, verse 29). Why was this universe made? For you: “For you crown him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of your hands” (Psalm 8, verses 5 and 6). Do we human beings have anything in common with the angels? He tells us this too, saying, “You have made him a little lower than the angels.” Of the love of God: “As a father has compassion on his own children, so the Lord has mercy on those who fear him” (Psalm 103, verse 13). And of what awaits us after this present life, and of that state free from all disturbance, he teaches: “Return to your rest, O my soul” (Psalm 116, verse 7).

Why the heaven is so great, he will also tell you: it is because “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19, verse 1). Why day and night were made — not only to give light and to give us rest, but also to teach us: “For there are no speeches or words whose sounds” — the sounds of the day and the night, he means — “are not heard” (Psalm 19, verse 3). How the sea lies all around the earth, you will learn this too from here: “The deep, like a garment, is its covering.” For that is how the Hebrew has it.

But now that you have a sample in what I have mentioned, you will have a notion of all the rest as well: the things about Christ, about the resurrection, about the life to come, about the rest, about punishment, about moral matters, everything that concerns doctrine. And you will find the book filled with countless blessings. If you fall into trials, you will gain much comfort from it. Even if you fall into sins, you will find countless remedies stored up here; or if into poverty or distress, you will see many harbors. If you are righteous, you will gain much safety from it, and if you are a sinner, much relief. For if you are righteous and are ill-treated, you will hear him say, “For your sake we are killed all day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter” (Psalm 44, verse 22).

“All this has come upon us, and yet we have not forgotten you” (Psalm 44, verse 17). And if your good deeds make you proud, you will hear him say, “Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for in your sight no one living will be shown to be in the right” (Psalm 143, verse 2), and at once you will be brought low. And if you are a sinner and have despaired of yourself, you will hear him singing again and again, “Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion” (Psalm 95, verses 7 and 8), and you will quickly be held up. And if you even have a crown on your head and are high-minded, you will learn that “a king is not saved by a great army, and a giant will not be saved by the greatness of his strength” (Psalm 33, verse 16), and you will find yourself able to be reasonable. If you are rich and well thought of, again you will hear him singing, “Woe to those who trust in their own strength, and boast in the abundance of their riches” (Psalm 49, verse 6). [o]

And: “As for man, his days are like grass” (Psalm 103, verse 15). And: “His glory will not go down with him, after him” (Psalm 49, verse 17). And you will not think any of the things on earth great. For when the most splendid things of all, glory and power, are so worthless, what else on earth is worth taking into account?

But are you dejected? Hear him saying, “Why are you so sorrowful, O my soul, and why do you trouble me so? Trust in God, for I will give praise to him” (Psalm 42, verse 5). Or do you see people held in honor who do not deserve it? “Do not fret because of those who do wickedly. For they will be dried up like the grass, and like the green plant they will quickly fall away” (Psalm 37, verses 1 and 2). Do you see both the righteous and sinners punished? Be told that the cause is not the same. For “many,” he says, “are the plagues of sinners” (Psalm 32, verse 10). But in the case of the righteous he does not say plagues, but, “Many are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all” (Psalm 34, verse 19). And again: “The death of the sinner is evil” (Psalm 34, verse 21). And: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116, verse 15).

Say these things continually; be taught by them. For every single word here holds an ocean of meaning whose depths no one can find. We have only run over them quickly; but if you were willing to examine these passages carefully, you will see that the riches are great. Yet for now, even by what I have given you, it is possible to be rid of the passions that weigh on you. For since he forbids us to envy, or to grieve, or to be dejected out of season, or to think that riches are anything, or distress, or poverty, or to imagine that life itself is anything, he frees you from all passions.

So for this let us give thanks to God, and let us always have our treasure at hand, “so that through the endurance and comfort of the Scriptures we may have hope” (Romans 15, verse 4), and may enjoy the good things to come. May God grant that we all attain them, by the grace and love for humankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.