Romans 15:7-13 – The Hope of Salvation

Topic: The Hope of Salvation

Reading: Romans 15:7-13

7 Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise thee among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name”; 10 and again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people”; 11 and again, “Praise the Lord, all Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him”; 12 and further Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse shall come, he who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles hope.” 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Introduction and Overview

Prior to the first coming of Jesus, the Gentile nations had no hope of salvation. Salvation was offered to the people of Israel through the law, but for the rest of the world there was no hope. The hope of salvation was only offered to those first descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

But when Jesus appeared on the earth, one of the key reasons for His coming was to offer the hope of salvation to all people. Through Jesus Christ, every person on earth has the same hope of salvation. And it is even better than the salvation offered to the children of Israel since it is built on better promises.

The hope of salvation brought to the world by and through Jesus was not based upon keeping laws. It was built upon the grace and mercy of God. It is enacted through faith in God, specifically recognising Jesus as Lord and Saviour, and that God the Father raised Him from the dead. This is the hope of salvation offered to all mankind, including the Gentile nations. That is, anyone who is not a Jew, like myself. And even the Jews have the offer of God’s salvation through this better way, if they too have faith. After all, the hope of salvation that we know today was first preached and offered to the Jews by Jesus. They may have rejected it, which allowed the hope of salvation to be preached and offered to the Gentiles through the early disciples, but it is still available to the Jews as well. It is offered to anyone and everyone if they have faith.

This hope of salvation to the Gentiles is the message in the verses we are looking at today. It is a great source of joy and we should rejoice that we and everyone else has this offer.

Key points from reading:

1. The mercy and the hope of salvation is offered to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ
2. This offer is and should be the cause for great joy among all people as it is a great blessing
3. Through faith and believing we may be filled with hope, joy, and peace.

Discussion:

1. Scripture: Romans 15:7
   • In this first verse we are encouraged to welcome one another. It doesn’t matter who we are, what our backgrounds or social status may be, in Christ we are all equal. We are all the children of God and brothers and sisters together in Christ and the family of God.
   • The hope of salvation you have is the same hope that all those who come to God through Jesus Christ have. We hold onto our hope of salvation through faith, believing that God will keep His promises. And the promises He has given us are truly amazing. Life, freedom, no more sin, sickness, pain, or evil. Eternity with Jesus and God the Father. These things all are part of the hope of salvation that we will receive when we hold fast to our faith in God and Jesus Christ.
   • That is why we should welcome one another in brotherly love. We should not come together for arguments but rather in the love of God we should rejoice at the great mercy and love He has shown us. The time for petty arguments and bickering over our points of difference is past. Now is the time to take hold of the hope of salvation in faith and glorify God for His love, compassion and mercy.
2. Scripture: Romans 15:8
   • Christ first appeared on this earth not as the King that He is, but as a servant. He came to serve God and to deliver the hope of salvation for all mankind. In His love He came, knowing that He would have to suffer and die an excruciating and painful death, so that we could have the hope of salvation. Without His death and resurrection we would not have this hope. We would be in the same place as all of the non-believers who are doomed to perish because they do not or will not accept God and Jesus Christ and so be saved.
   • But Jesus came to confirm all of the promises that had been made to the people of Israel through their patriarchs. He fulfilled all of those promises, fulfilled the law, and became the perfect sacrifice so that we could live in Him.
   • In all of the promises and prophecies He fulfilled we see also the promises God made to the Gentiles. Jesus became the hope of the Gentiles so that the hope of salvation would be made to all mankind. In Christ we all have access to the Father when we have faith and believe in what Jesus has done for us. And He deserves glory and worship for His obedience as a servant to the Father because without His selflessness, we would have no hope.
3. Scripture: Romans 15:9-12
   • In these verses we see the promises to the Gentiles that rest upon the work of Jesus. God has offered the hope of salvation to all mankind, especially the Gentiles, through the offering of Jesus.
   • Let us all raise our voices together to give God the glory and praise Jesus for what He has done for us. Rejoice with singing and with humility because Jesus died and was raised for you. He gave Himself for and for me, and for all who will believe. Yes, it was personal what Jesus did. He did it for you. He did it for me. And He did it for everyone else personally, if they will come to Him.
   • This hope of salvation is a thing of great joy. It is the free gift from God to you, me, and everyone who has faith. You can’t buy it, you can’t take it, but it is given freely for those who have faith. So, take hold of the hope of salvation that God the Father and Jesus Christ are offering you. They have their hands out to you saying, “Come!” Come and receive His gift of salvation and the hope that is in Jesus Christ.
4. Scripture: Romans 15:13
   • God has sealed this hope in everyone who comes to Him through the power and the working of the Holy Spirit. The story doesn’t end with the hope of salvation. Part of this free gift from God is the promise of the Holy Spirit that was first poured out on His people at Pentecost. And the promise of the Holy Spirit is offered to everyone who has faith down to this day.
   • Peter stood and preached to the people on the day of Pentecost saying:
     
     38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him.” (Acts 2:38-39)
   • In these words he showed that the promise of the Holy Spirit is offered to everyone. Not just the Jews, but to everyone so that we can all be taught and transformed by the working of the Holy Spirit. He is changing us into the image of Jesus Christ. And as these words of Peter show us, the promise is to “…everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” Do you believe that you have been called by God to Him? If so, then the promise of the Holy Spirit with the gifts that were shown at Pentecost are also offered to you as part of the free gift and the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ.
   • So, we too can echo the words of Paul in Romans 15:13 when he said, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Amen. May you and I abound in this hope and receive all the promises of the hope of salvation.

Prayer Points

1. Pray and ask the Lord to reveal the fullness of the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ to you. Rejoice and thank God for the free gift of this hope that we live in, and through which we can approach and come into the presence of God.
2. Thank the Lord God for His great blessings and that His Son, Jesus Christ obeyed the Father to come and preach this gospel of salvation, and to give Himself for us so that we could have the hope of salvation.