John Wesley

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority?

“A terror to evil works - Only. Wouldest thou then not be afraid - There is one fear which precedes evil actions, and deters from them: this should always remain.”

Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

“To love one another - An eternal debt, which can never be sufficiently discharged; but yet if this be rightly performed, it discharges all the rest. For he that loveth another - As he ought. Hath fulfilled the whole law - Toward his neighbour.”

Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ - Herein is contained the whole of our salvation. It is a strong and beautiful expression for the most intimate union with him, and being clothed with all the graces which were in him.”

It is written: “As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God.”

“As I live - An oath proper to him, because he only possesseth life infinite and independent. It is Christ who is here termed both Lord and God; as it is he to whom we live, and to whom we die.”

I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.

“I am assured by the Lord Jesus - Perhaps by a particular Revelation. That there is nothing - Neither flesh nor herbs. Unclean of itself - Unlawful under the gospel.”

If your brother is distressed by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother, for whom Christ died.

“If thy brother is grieved - That is, wounded, led into sin. Destroy not him for whom Christ died - So we see, he for whom Christ died may be destroyed.”

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

“For the kingdom of God - That is, true religion, does not consist in external observances. But in righteousness - The image of God stamped on the heart; the love of God and man, accompanied with the peace that passeth all understanding, and joy in…”

So then, let us pursue what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

“Peace and edification are closely joined. Practical divinity tends equally to peace and to edification. Controversial divinity less directly tends to edification, although sometimes, as they of old, we cannot build without it, Neh. iv, 17.”

Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to let his eating be a stumbling…

“The work of God - Which he builds in the soul by faith, and in the church by concord. It is evil to that man who eateth with offense - So as to offend another thereby.”

It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything to cause your brother to stumble.

“Thy brother stumbleth - By imitating thee against his conscience, contrary to righteousness. Or is offended - At what thou doest to the loss of his peace.”

Keep your belief about such matters between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.

“Hast thou faith - That all things are pure? Have it to thyself before God - In circumstances like these, keep it to thyself, and do not offend others by it.”

But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that is not from faith is sin.

“Because it is not of faith - He does not believe it lawful and, in all these cases, whatsoever is not of faith is sin - Whatever a man does without a full persuasion of its lawfulness, it is sin to him.”

For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs,

“Christ Jesus-Jesus is the name, Christ the surname. The latter was first known to the Jews; the former, to the gentiles. Therefore he is styled Jesus Christ, when the words stand in the common, natural order.”

so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to Your name.”

“As it is written - In the eighteenth Psalm, here the gentiles and Jews are spoken of as joining in the worship of the God of Israel.”

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the…

“Now the God of hope - A glorious title of God, but till now unknown to the heathens; for their goddess Hope, like their other idols, was nothing; whose temple at Rome was burned by lightning.”

I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, brimming with knowledge, and able to instruct one another.

“There are several conclusions of this Epistle. The first begins at this verse; the second, chap. xvi, 1; the third, chap. xvi, 17; the fourth, chap. xvi, 21; and the fifth, chap. xvi, 25; Ye are full of goodness - By being created anew.”

In this way I have aspired to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.

“Not where Christ had been named - These places he generally declined, though not altogether, having an holy ambition (so the Greek word means) to make the first proclamation of the gospel in places where it was quite unheard of, in spite of all the…”

I hope to see you on my way to Spain. And after I have enjoyed your company for a while, you can equip me for my journey.

“Into Spain - Where the gospel had not yet been preached. If first I may be somewhat satisfied with your company - How remarkable is the modesty with which he speaks!”

For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

“The poor of the saints that are in Jerusalem - It can by no means be inferred from this expression, that the community of goods among the Christians was then ceased.”

They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to minister to them…

“It hath pleased them; and they are their debtors - That is, they are bound to it, in justice as well as mercy. Spiritual things - By the preaching of the gospel.”

So after I have completed this service and have safely delivered this bounty to them, I will set off to Spain by way of you.

“When I have sealed to them this fruit - When I have safely delivered to them, as under seal, this fruit of their brethren's love.”

Now I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.

“I beseech you by the love of the Spirit - That is, by the love which is the genuine fruit of the Spirit.”

Pray that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there,

“That I may be delivered - He is thus urgent from a sense of the importance of his life to the church. Otherwise he would have rejoiced "to depart, and to be with Christ."”

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.

“A servant - The Greek word is a deaconness. Of the church in Cenchrea - In the apostolic age, some grave and pious women were appointed deaconnesses in every church.”

Greet Herodion, my fellow countryman. Greet those from the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

“Those of the family of Aristobulus and Narcissus, who are in the Lord - It seems only part of their families were converted. Probably, some of them were not known to St. Paul by face, but only by character.”