As Paul starts to wind down his letter to the church in Rome…he gets personal…[15:14]
I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of
goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.
A pretty praiseworthy statement considering he had never been in that church …a church he didn’t establish…had never pastored….didn’t personally know the people of that church…but speaks so admirably about them.
Paul is acknowledging his confidence that the Roman Christians were full of goodness…filled with all knowledge and able to counsel one another.
Makes you wonder how someone who had never been to that church could know so much about them and be so confident that they were living righteously and harmoniously by faith…and speak so favorably about them…
In this chapter of Romans Paul give us a little further insight into this church by identifying three things about this church…three qualities they possessed.
FIRST he says…”I am convinced…that you are full of goodness” … really…is that true…we are full of goodness?
If you’ve been with us through the 39 weeks we’ve been in Romans, then you remember that Paul’s clear argument in Rom. 3:10 is that ‘none is righteous, no, not one’ …we…by nature are not good in God’s sight.
Why would Paul tell a church they were full of goodness when he himself had earlier stated that we are not good in God’s sight.
There’s a profound psychological reality these people understood…and we should as well…they understood the nature of the flesh…and the need to be justified…the need to be forgiven of sins…they knew that even though they had been redeemed they still possessed the old sin nature.
That’s the frustration with Christianity…Paul shared the same frustration…what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do [Rom. 7:15].
Here’s what we need to remember when talking about doing good…the problem is that the word ‘good’ is used so frequently in our everyday lives that it almost loses its meaning…the word ‘good’ used here is only used 4 times in the entire New Testament and does not appear at all in any secular Greek writing.
When referring to believers it means the goodness that comes from God…not our living a ‘good’ life…because we will never achieve that.
Goodness is often seen in our actions…but while it is good to be connected to a local church…to serve…give…and minister…being religious does not make us good or restore us to goodness before God.
The Church is not a group of people who are good at obeying religious rules… we are people who are good because we are united to Christ by faith.
So, what is Biblical goodness? …Galatians [5:22-23] lists goodness as one of the fruit of the Spirit…so how’s it relate to our Christian faith?
This spiritual fruit…just like with physical fruit, will not grow or ripen in our lives overnight…spiritual fruit will grow as we mature in our faith…that’s why it’s not wise to judge another person regarding their Christian commitment because some people mature faster than others.
The true test of goodness is seen in our hearts…the goodness of Jesus is to be demonstrated in our lives every day.
For any genuine follower of Jesus spiritual growth should be our central desire …should be the core of our ambition…and in parallel…goodness should not merely be in our moral behavior alone but in our character as well.
Paul is stating that although he had never been to that church, from what knowledge he had of them, they were a compassionate church…a church that reached out to people who were in need…responding to those who hurt…had burdens…and concerns.
Looking at our Church…I think this is one of the qualities I appreciate about this congregation…wherever there is a need…inside the church or a legitimate need from someone outside the church there is always a compassionate response.
The SECOND thing Paul remarks about the church is that they were complete in knowledge.
That is a remarkable statement…to be complete in knowledge…Paul is saying that if we are to continue to please the Lord and genuinely grow in Christ it is necessary that we ‘be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding’ [Col 1:9].
In Colossians [1:9] Paul prays the same thing for that Church…that they would have the knowledge of God…what that does that mean?
Paul’s request to be filled with all knowledge is implying do you know it well enough to apply it in every situation in life…not just whether or not we should take a different job…or what person to marry…but that we might be filled with the knowledge that would control our thoughts…words…and actions.
Paul’s prayer for the church is that they would have more than just a general head knowledge of God…His Son…and the Holy Spirit…BUT…to grow in a knowledge that ought to be the guiding decision in their lives.
This knowledge should want us to obey Him in every way…not just in lip service…or in coming to church periodically…our desire should be for God’s will to be in all areas of our lives…at work…school…our family…our careers… at church…in our daily thoughts…our attitudes…our plans and desires all focusing on one thing…God’s will.
That should be our desire as Christians…to grow in spiritual maturity…some may ask… “Well, doesn’t everyone in Church want to grow?” …sadly no… many people who attend church have no interest in growing.
They attend because it’s what they’ve always done…or to please a spouse …or so they can socialize…or out of guilt…or maybe just in order to feel good about themselves…having no real intention or ambition to grow in the knowledge of Christ.
This goes back to something I refer to a lot…Lordship Salvation…whether a person who claims to be a Christian yet does not show evidence of good works is truly a Christian…are they truly united to Christ.
The Bible teaches faith in Christ will cause a person to live differently.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Why…because without biblical insight and the knowledge of the truth we become motivated only by selfish concerns and personal desires.
God does not permit every church member to grow and develop in the faith just because you come to church…it is dependent on your commitment and sincerity to want to grow.
Spiritual knowledge requires spiritual wisdom to know how God wants us to live…what God expects of us…the purpose that God has for all people… something that can only be achieved by reading and studying the Bible.
As Christians the most important thing in life is to know that purpose and accomplish it…because God in His Sovereign Providence has a purpose for us being here.
If you’re truly serious about a relationship with Jesus then you know there is a reason for your existence.
Do you have an adequate knowledge of God’s will for your life?
Not asking about how well you know the Bible…but…are you aware of God’s purpose for your life?
Paul is asking if the answer is ‘no’ then you must aspire to have a fuller and deeper knowledge of it by studying Scripture…and by maintaining a close walk with the Lord through prayer.
The THIRD thing Paul remarks about the church is that they were able to instruct one another.
Paul then says that because you are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge (you are) able to instruct one another.
TWO THINGS:
FIRST…There are countless ‘one another’s’ in the New Testament…Paul used that same phrase earlier in [12:16] – honor one another about yourselves… [12:10] –love one another…and here in [13:8] to instruct one another.
SECONDLY…The Greek word that we translate…instruct one another…is to admonish…in English many think the world ‘admonish’ means to ‘rebuke’, and while one connotation can mean that…the sense here does not fit that context.
Look at how this word admonish is used in other places:
[Acts 20:31] — for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.
[Colossians 3:16 ] Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another.
[1 Thess. 5:14] — we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle,
So, depending on context, the word ‘admonish’ can mean a number of different things…to encourage…to warn… to counsel…or advise…but here Paul is referring to our instruction of one another.
There are lots of non-profit and charitable groups that can inspire us to do good deeds…but the family of God is meant to be a place where we not only serve one another…where we build one another up…but also…where we instruct one another.
I’ll say it again…the importance of being in Church…if we are going to grow in Christ then we need to be instructed in Christ…who He is…what He has done… what He says about Himself…about us…His promises…His truth…His ways.
God has given us the Church…a community…a family of believers who do know Him…and as the word in the Greek implies, we should be more than willing to instruct one another.
When is the last time you instructed another Christian?…notice he doesn’t say judge one another…are you ‘instructing’ one another?
Now the immediate response is… ‘hey, you’re the preacher, that’s your job’ …so…when Paul uses the word ‘instruct’ does he have the gift of teaching in mind? NO.
In spite of our imperfections…God has chosen to use each of us in one another’s lives…as such…we should be observant of those who are weak and downcast with the burdens…anxieties…and fears…of living in a sin riddled world…not being hesitant to encourage one another regarding a lapse of spiritual truths that would hamper their spiritual growth.
So…the question God may be bringing to us this morning is… “if Paul were here today, would he write Romans 15:14 about us” …are we full of goodness and knowledge and ‘able to instruct one another?’ …even more important…if we are…are we actually doing it?