NOTES for Rom 15:1

The style of the letter of Apostle Paul, quite as of any other person, distinguishes itself from many of his oral sermons, which the Holy Scriptures preserved for us. But we encounter in this verse with laconism and strength, with which penetrated all his retorts that reached to us. Whom Paul addresses, saying "we are strong "? At the moment of the letter writing - to Romans, that is to Christians among gentiles, and thus, and to all of us now. But can we often use the word "strong" in regard to ourselves and, of the way we believe? Are we really strong? What is the source of this strength? And in what this strength has to manifest itself? All the chapter 14 of the epistle examines in detail, how should behave someone, who became aware of his liberty in Christ. Judge not, be responsible for your choice and condemn not yourself, by looking how another one defines the outside plan of his Christian life. Support on this difficult way - from the outward into the inward, from the cover to the contents, from physical appearance into spiritual, from ritual to Spirit - is for us the Holy Scriptures (Rom. 15:4-5). And so, if we return to the verse, with which we began, it will turn out that "strong" should consider himself anyone, who read and accepted the Scriptures as reason of life. Then will sound otherwise the words "my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9).