Continuing the conversation about life in the Kingdom, Paul turns to the fundamental concepts of the prophetic tradition that describe the relationship between God and the people of God: mercy (“mercy”) and faithfulness (“truth”). This turn is, of course, no accident, since...
Continuing the conversation about life in the Kingdom, Paul turns to the fundamental concepts of the prophetic tradition that describe the relationship between God and the people of God: mercy (“mercy”) and faithfulness (“truth”). This turn is, of course, no accident, since mercy and faithfulness remain fundamental also for those living in the Kingdom in their relationship with Christ. Speaking of the circumcised, that is, of the Jews, the apostle recalls not so much the people’s faithfulness to God as God’s faithfulness to the promises once given and the covenant once made. Turning to the recent Gentiles who have come to Christ, he recalls mercy, because unlike the Jews, God had promised the Gentiles nothing and had made no covenants with them. If the way into the Kingdom is nevertheless opened to them, it is solely as a gift to which they have no right and on which they cannot in any way count, at least not in the sense in which Jews rely on it, since certain promises had indeed been given to them.
Since the Kingdom is founded on mercy and faithfulness, the relationships among those who live in it must also be permeated with these qualities. Mercy and faithfulness presuppose condescension toward the weaknesses of those who, by definition, cannot be strong, having only recently been joined to the life of the Kingdom. For unlike an ordinary religious community, where common views and their orthodoxy are what matter, in the Kingdom the spiritual unity of the faithful comes to the fore. From the point of view of religion, what matters most are people’s views, their ideas and opinions; from the point of view of the Kingdom, what matters most are relationships, without which it is impossible to glorify God. For religion, what matters most are people’s views, their ideas and opinions; for the Kingdom, relationships without which it is impossible to glorify God. And for the sake of relationships one can make peace with many religious and worldview differences, especially since without such humility one can hardly count on the spiritual unity, the “unity of mind,” of the Church of which the apostle speaks just above, in verses 4–5.
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15:7 Receive ye one another - Weak and strong, with mutual love.
15:8 Now I say - The apostle here shows how Christ received us.Christ Jesus - Jesus is the name, Christ the surname. The latter was first known to the Jews; the former, to the gentiles. Therefore he is styled Jesus Christ, when the words stand in the common, natural order. When the order is inverted, as here, the office of Christ is more solemnly considered. Was a servant - Of his Father. Of the circumcision - For the salvation of the circumcised, the Jews. For the truth of God - To manifest the truth and fidelity of God.
15:9 As it is written - In the eighteenth psalm, here the gentiles and Jews are spoken of as joining in the worship of the God of Israel. Psa 18:49