Verse of the Day (March 18, 2020)

Verse of the Day (March 18, 2020) #BMSeminary – These verses serve two purposes. They repeat that Jesus gave himself for the sake of others, even for “the circumcised” (v. 8)—his own people, who for the most part had rejected him (John 1:11). This shows believers how they should treat one another (see Rom. 15:7) even when they hold deep-seated and opposing personal opinions. These differences may be especially acute in the Roman church, where Jews and Gentiles of different ethnicities, backgrounds, and habits are gathering together for Christian worship. Thus, these verses also give a fourfold Scriptural proof of God’s desire to bring Gentiles into the kingdom in order to fulfill his promises to the Jewish patriarchs (vv. 8–12). This epochal truth and fulfillment of prophecy is the ground for Paul’s encouraging the Roman Christians toward mutual love: the multiethnic gathering of worshipers was always God’s plan, and his past faithfulness to his plan and promises brings the hope of greater victories for the gospel in the future (v. 13). God’s mission to the Gentiles in his Son will also be a main theme of the next section. (Gospel Transformation Study Bible)