Romans 15.31b-Paul Requests That Romans Pray That His Service For Jerusalem Would Be Acceptable To The Jewish Saints
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday July 21, 2010
Romans: Romans 15:31b-Paul Requests That Romans Pray That His Service For Jerusalem Would Be Acceptable To The Jewish Saints
Lesson # 539
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 15:30.
Last evening we began a study of Romans 15:31 by noting the first prayer request that Paul presents to the Roman believers, namely that he would be delivered by God from those Jews in Judea who were disobedient to the gospel.
This evening we will complete the verse by noting his second request, namely that his service on behalf of the poor Jewish saints in Jerusalem would be acceptable to the Jewish saints in that city.
Romans 15:30, “Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me 31, that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints.”
“And that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints” is an additional purpose for Paul appealing to the Romans to fight together with him by means of their prayers on behalf of him.
The first purpose for Paul desiring the intercessory prayers of the Roman believers was so he might be rescued from those Jews in Judea who are disobedient to the gospel.
The additional request is that the Romans would fight together with him by means of their prayers on his behalf so that his service to the poor Jewish believers in Jerusalem in delivering to them the contribution from the Gentile churches in Macedonia and Achaia would be acceptable to the Jewish saints in that city.
“My service” is the articular nominative feminine singular form of the noun diakonia (διακονία) (thee-ah-koe-knee-ah), “service” and genitive first person singular form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ) (eh-go), “my.”
The noun diakonia in Romans 15:31 refers to Paul’s service on behalf of the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem in delivering the contribution from the Gentile churches in Macedonia and Achaia.
“For Jerusalem” indicates that Paul is requesting that the Roman believers pray that his ministry “on behalf of” the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem would be acceptable to the Jewish saints in that city.
“May prove acceptable” is composed of the third person singular aorist middle subjunctive verb ginomai (γίνομαι) (yee-no-meh), “may prove” and the nominative feminine singular form of the adjective euprosdektos (εὐπρόσδεκτος) (ef-prose-thek-toce), “acceptable.”
The verb ginomai means “to possess certain characteristics with the implication of their having been acquired.”
In our passage, the word is used with Paul’s service in delivering to the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem the offering from the Gentile churches in Macedonia and Achaia as its subject.
It thus speaks of this service on behalf of the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem as possessing the characteristic of being acceptable to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem.
The middle voice of the verb is a permissive middle indicating that Paul’s service in delivering the Gentile offering to the poor Jewish believers in Jerusalem as the subject is receiving the action of being accepted by the Jewish saints in that city.
“Acceptable” is the nominative feminine singular form of the adjective euprosdektos (εὐπρόσδεκτος) (ef-prose-thek-toce), which means “acceptable” and is used to describe Paul’s service on behalf of the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.
Romans 15:31, “That I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints.”
“The saints” is the articular dative masculine plural form of the adjective hagios (ἅγιος) (eye-yoce), which describes all the members of the body of Christ in Jerusalem who have been set apart through the Baptism of the Spirit at the moment of salvation in order to order serve God (See Romans 1:7; 8:27; 12:1).
Hagios functions as an “ethical” or “existential dative” or “dative of opinion” indicating that Paul desires that his service on behalf of the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem would “in the opinion of” or “in the judgment of” the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, be acceptable.
Romans 15:30, “Now, I appeal to each and every one of you spiritual brothers and sisters without exception on the basis of the common relationship we share with our Lord, namely Jesus, who is the Christ as well as on the basis of the divine-love, which is produced by the Spirit to fight together with me by means of your prayers in the presence of God the Father on behalf of me. 31, in order that I would be rescued from those who exist in a state of unbelief in Judea and in addition that my ministry, which is on behalf of the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem would be considered acceptable in the judgment of the saints.” (My translation)
Wuest writes, “The reason for Paul’s apprehension of what he might encounter in Jerusalem is made clear in Denney’s note; ‘It was not the unbelieving Jews only who hated Paul. To them he was an apostate who had disappointed all their hopes; but even Christian Jews in many cases regarded him as false to the nation’s prerogative, and especially to the law. There was a real danger that the contribution he brought from the Gentile churches might not be graciously accepted, even accepted at all; it might be regarded as a bribe, in return for which Paul’s opposition to the law would be condoned, and the equal standing of his upstart churches in the Kingdom of God acknowledged. It was by no means certain that it would be taken as what it was—a pledge of brotherly love; and God alone could dispose ‘the saints’ to take it as simply as it was offered.’” (Wuest’s Word Studies in the Greek New Testament).
The acceptance of this offering by the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem was important because it would serve to build unity among Jewish and Gentile believers and thus it would serve as a symbol of unity among believers.
This prayer request was answered according to Acts 21:18-21.
Acts 21:1, “After we tore ourselves away from them, we put out to sea, and sailing a straight course, we came to Cos, on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. 2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went aboard, and put out to sea. 3 After we sighted Cyprus and left it behind on our port side, we sailed on to Syria and put in at Tyre, because the ship was to unload its cargo there. 4 After we located the disciples, we stayed there seven days. They repeatedly told Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. 5 When our time was over, we left and went on our way. All of them, with their wives and children, accompanied us outside of the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, 6 we said farewell to one another. Then we went aboard the ship, and they returned to their own homes. 7 We continued the voyage from Tyre and arrived at Ptolemais, and when we had greeted the brothers, we stayed with them for one day. 8 On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 (He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.) 10 While we remained there for a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it, and said, ‘The Holy Spirit says this: ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is, and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ 12 When we heard this, both we and the local people begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul replied, ‘What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’ 14 Because he could not be persuaded, we said no more except, ‘The Lord’s will be done.’ 15 After these days we got ready and started up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea came along with us too, and brought us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple from the earliest times, with whom we were to stay. 17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly. 18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were there. 19 When Paul had greeted them, he began to explain in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 When they heard this, they praised God.” (NET Bible)