And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
All Commentaries on Romans 15:14 Go To Romans 15
Thomas Aquinas
AD 1274
1163. After instructing the Romans with general admonitions, the Apostle now begins to write certain familiar matters to them. First, matters pertaining to himself; secondly, matters pertaining to others, in chapter 16 [n. 1193]. In regard to the first he does three things: first, he excuses his presumption in instructing and correcting them; secondly, he excuses his tardiness in not visiting them [v. 22; n. 1178]; thirdly, he seeks the favor of their prayers [v. 30; n. 1188]. In regard to the first he does two things: 577 first, he excludes a wrong interpretation of the reason for instructing and correcting them; secondly, he assigns the true cause [v. 15; n. 1165]. 1164. In regard to the first it should be noted that someone could believe that the Apostle wrote to the Romans, because he thought there was no one there who could instruct and correct them. But he excludes this, saying: I myself am satisfied, my brethren, by things I have heard about you that you are capable of admonishing those among you who need admonishing. Two things are required of one who would admonish properly: first, that he admonish not from anger or hatred but from love, as it says in Ps 141 (v. 5): "Let a good man rebuke me in kindness," and in Gal (6:1): "you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness." As to this he says: because you yourselves are full of goodness: "Fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim," i.e., with the fire of charity (Ez 10:2). Secondly, knowledge of the truth is required, because some have zeal for God in correcting, but it is not enlightened, as he said above (10:2). That is why he adds: filled with all knowledge, i.e., human and divine, of the Old Law and of the New: "In every way your were enriched with all speech and all knowledge" (I Cor 1:5). From this he concludes: so that you may be able on account of the love and knowledge, fittingly to instruct one another. For because "we all offend in many ways" (Jas 3:2), it is fitting that we admonish one another, as it says in Si (17:14): "He gave commandment to each of them concerning his neighbor." 578 1165. Then when he says, But on some points, he gives the true cause why he had admonished and corrected them. In regard to this he does two things: first, he shows that this belongs to the authority committed to him by his apostolate; secondly, how he used this power [v. 17; n. 1168]. 1166. He says, therefore: But very boldly, i.e., securely, I have written to you by attacking your errors and shortcomings, which of course could be ascribed to bold presumption, inasmuch as I did not fear your displeasure: "He goes out boldly to meet the weapons" (Jb 39:21). But this presumption is excused for three reasons: first, on account of the condition of those to whom he wrote, because even though among the Romans there were some to whom such rebukes seemed bold and presumptuous, there were others who needed a sharp rebuke on account of their insolent disposition: "Rebuke them sharply" (*** 1:13). And this is what he says: in part. As if to say: my writing does not seem to be bold to all of you but only to a part of you. Or it can be understood as meaning, on some points, on which he rebukes them. But it can also mean some part of the Church, i.e., which is with me. Secondly, the boldness is excused because of the Apostle’s intention. For he was not writing to them as though he regarded them as ignorant, but in order to jog their memories. And this is what he adds: by way of reminder, as though they had forgotten things they once knew: "Recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings" (Heb 10:32). 579 Thirdly, he is excused because of his apostolic authority which required this. Hence, he adds: because of the grace of the apostolate committed to me: "By the grace of God I am what I am" (I Cor 15:10). 1167. First, he describes the author of this grace when he says: which was given me by God. As if to say: not by men: "Paul an apostle, not from men nor through men" (Gal 1:1). Secondly, he specified that grace when he says: to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, i.e., to serve God in the conversion of the Gentiles, i.e., to serve God in the conversion of the Gentiles: "One should regard us as ministers of Christ" (I Cor 4:11); "Inasmuch as I am a minister of Christ, I will honor my ministry" (Rom 11:13). Thirdly, he shows the function of this grace when he says: sanctifying the gospel of God, i.e., showing that it is holy by the word of truth and the work of a good life and of miracles: "In the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world, is bearing fruit and growing" (Col 1:6); "All the words of my mouth are righteous" (Pr 8:8). Fourthly, he presents the end of this grace when he says: so that the offering of the Gentiles may be made, i.e., the nations converted by my ministry, in which he offered, as it were, a sacrifice and oblation to God, as it says in Phil (2:17): "Even if I am to be poured as a libation upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all." May be made acceptable, namely, to God through a right intention: "Then wilt thou delight in right sacrifices, oblations and holocausts" (Ps 51:20) – and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, i.e., by charity and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit: "you 580 were sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God" (I Cor 6:11). 1168. Then when he says, in Christ Jesus, he shows how he used his apostolic authority. First, he mentions the fruit it produced; secondly, the greatness of this fruit [v. 19b; n. 1172]; thirdly, he shows the difficulty [v. 20; n. 1173]. 1169. In regard to the first he does three things: first, he gives glory to God for the fruit he produced, saying: Therefore, because I have received such a grace and have carefully executed that for which it had been given tome, I have glory, i.e., merit worthy of glory, as a faithful minister: "I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting" (I Cor 9:15). But I do not attribute this glory chiefly to myself; rather I have it in Christ Jesus, i.e., through Christ Jesus, by Whose power I was able to bring forth fruit: "Without me you can do nothing" (Jn 15:5). And because all things were handed over to Him by the Father, as it says in Mt (11:27), the Father abiding in Him also does the works (Jn 14:10). Therefore, he finally refers this glory to the Father, saying: to God, namely, the Father: "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name give glory" (Ps 115:1). Then he assigns the reason for what he had said, saying: For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has wrought through me. As if to say: I will not speak about the fruit produced through me, if it was not produced by me. Otherwise, I would have no glory with God, even if with men. What I do relate are things not as 581 accomplished chiefly through me, but as done by Christ though me: "O Lord, thou hast wrought for us all our works" (Is 27:12). 1170. Secondly, he mentions the fruit itself, saying: to win obedience from the Gentiles. As if to say: My glory is this, that I have made the Gentiles obey the faith: "To bring bout the obedience of faith among all the nations" (Rom 1:5); "As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me" (Ps 18:44). 1171. Thirdly, he shows how he had brought the Gentiles to this obedience. But because he had said above (10:10): "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ," he now says: by word, i.e., by the word of preaching the faith. But the arguments favoring the faith preached are the good life of the preachers; in regard to this he says: and by deed, as though I brought you to the faith through right deeds: "That they may see your good works" (Mt 5:16); and miraculous works, by which God bears witness to the doctrine preached, as it says in Mk (16:20): "the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it." Hence he adds: by the power of signs, i.e., of minor miracles, such as healing the sick, and wonders i.e., major miracles, which portend or manifest something great from their grandeur. But all this would be insufficient, unless the Holy Spirit stirred the hears of their hearers to believe. Hence, it says in Act (10:44) that while Peter was speaking the words of faith, the Holy Spirit fell on all who hard the word. Therefore, he adds: by the power of the Holy Spirit: "While God also bore witness by signs and wonders and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will" (Heb 2:4). 1172. Then when he says, so that from Jerusalem, he shows the magnitude of the fruit by the multitude of places in which he preached, saying: So that beginning from 582 Jerusalem, where at the commencement of his conversion he preached in the Jewish synagogues, as it says in Ac (9:28). Thus, he fulfilled the word in Is (2:30): "Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the law from Jerusalem," as far as Illyricum, which is on the Adriatic Sea across from Italy, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ, i.e., I filled all those places with the preaching of the Gospel. But lest anyone suppose that he followed a straight path from Jerusalem to Illyricum to preach the gospel, he adds: from Jerusalem as far round as Illyricum, namely, because he preached to the Gentiles in every direction around him and converted them to the faith: "Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain? (Jb 38:25). 1173. Then when he says, thus making, he shows how difficult it is to produce this fruit, for it is difficult to convert those entirely ignorant to the faith. First, therefore, he mentions the difficulty, saying: thus making it my ambition to preach the Gospel, not, indeed, where Christ has already been named, i.e., not among those who had heard the name of Christ: "People whom I had not known served me" (Ps 18:43); "Behold, you shall call nations that you know not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you" (Is 55:5). 1174. Then he gives the reason, saying: lest I build on another man’s foundation. Another man’s foundation can be interpreted in two ways: in one way heretical doctrine, which is alien to the foundation of the true faith: in this sense the word, lest, is taken causally. For the Apostle willed to preach to those who had not heard the name of Christ with the intention, because if his hearers had heard the teachings of false apostles, it would have been more difficult to lead them back to the truth. Hence, it says in Mt (7:26): "The man is foolish who builds his house on sand." 583 In another way, another’s foundation can mean the doctrine of the true faith preached by others. Then the word, lest, is taken in a consecutive sense. For the Apostle did not avoid preaching to those to whom others had preached; thus he preached to the Romans, whom Peter had previously instructed. But when he preached to those who had heard nothing about Christ, the result was that he was not building on another’s foundation, but he himself laid the first foundation of the faith: "As a wise architect, I laid a foundation" (I Cor 3:10). 1175. Secondly, he cites an authority for what he had said, saying: But as it is written (Is 52:15): They shall see who have never been told of him and they shall understand who have never heard of him. In these words the prophet seems to predict that the Gentiles will arrive at a more excellent way of knowing God than the Jews, who knew Him before. 1176. First, therefore, he shows its excellence with respect to the knowledge’s cause which is twofold, namely, the words heard and the things seen. For these two senses are capable of discipline. The Jews, therefore, arrived at a knowledge of Christ’s mysteries by words announced to them by the prophets: "The prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired about this salvation; they inquired what person or time was indicated by the spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory" (I Pt 1:10). But the Gentiles see such mysteries of Christ really fulfilled; hence, he adds: Because the Gentiles to whom nothing had been announced by the prophets concerning him, i.e., concerning Christ, as it had been announced to the Jews, will see the things 584 now fulfilled: "Many prophets and kings desired to see what you see and did not see it" (Lk 10:24). 1177. Secondly, he shows its excellence in regard to the manner of knowing, because the Jews had only heard the announcements of the prophets: "We have heard tidings from God and a message has been sent among the nations" (Ob 1:1). But the Gentiles obtained understanding from seeing. Hence, it is stated: and they, namely, the Gentiles, who previously had not heard about the Christ foretold by the prophets, shall understand, namely, the truth of the faith: "And now, O kings, understand" (Ps 2:10).
