Romans Chapter 15 Vs. 8

 

Christ the Hope of Jews and Gentiles

Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: Rom 15:8

Now I say... Christ confined His ministry to the Jews to confirm the Scriptures, so the Gentiles should be able to bear with a few Jewish scruples and glorify God for mercy through Christ (Rom. 15:8-9). Jesus says He was sent to the house of Israel.

Mat. 15:24 “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

to confirm the... The promises here mentioned are the ones made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We know also, that all believers in Christ are heirs of the promises to Abraham.

Gal. 3:29: “And if ye [be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Having pointed to the Lord Jesus as the Model for Christians, Paul proceeded to discuss Jesus’ ministry and its objectives: Christ became a servant (the word “deacon” comes from this Gr. noun diakonon) of the Jews (lit., “to the circumcision”). Jesus was born a Jew as God’s Messiah for Israel. God had two objectives to accomplish through Jesus’ ministry. The first was to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs (cf. Rom. 9:4-5). God’s second objective in Christ’s ministry was so that (lit., “and that,” because the following clause is coordinate with the preceding one) the Gentiles may glorify God (cf. Rom. 15:6) for His mercy.

In verses 9-12, it shows God’s plan has always been to bring Jew and Gentile alike into His kingdom and to soften the prejudice of Christian Jews against their Gentile brothers. Paul quotes from the Law, the Prophets and twice from the Psalms, all the recognized divisions of the Old Testament proving God’s plan from their own Scripture.