Now the God of endurance and of encouragement give to you to be like-minded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus;
Paul has just pointed to Christ, who did not please Himself, as the pattern for a church in danger of division. Now he stops teaching and prays, naming God by a title that fits the need and asking for one mind among the readers, measured by Christ.
Why the Prayer Comes Here
Paul does not just press unity as a duty. He hands the whole matter over to God:
The apostle longed to head off every danger of internal division. He had seen the reality of such a danger in the conduct of Peter and others at Antioch (Galatians 2:12-13). And though at Rome matters had not gone that far, the danger was real, and they needed the warning. And see how he would prevent a split — by bringing God into the matter, and setting the example of the Lord before the saints!
The God of Endurance and Encouragement
Older translations read "the God of patience and consolation" where the ESV has "the God of endurance and encouragement." The title matches the exhortations Paul has just given:
To whom does he direct us for power to respond to those holy and much-needed exhortations? "To the God of patience and consolation." He presents God in the very character in which we need Him. Our small stock of patience would soon run out as we try to meet the varied characters who cross our path, even among our brothers and sisters. There are constant claims on our patience; and others need patience with us too. Where are we all to get the means of meeting these claims? At the inexhaustible treasury of "the God of patience and consolation." Our tiny springs would soon dry up unless they stay in unbroken connection with that ever-flowing Fountain.
The word behind "patience" means holding up under weight. Writers note that it is never used of God Himself:
Hupomone (from hupomeno, "to sustain")… is a "patient endurance" that does not give way under trial and suffering… Romans 15:5 traces it back to its divine source for us. It is never applied to God directly, because there could be no such testing or pressure in His case. But the Lord Jesus, in the place He has taken as Man, is our perfect example of it, Hebrews 12:2-3 — He "endured" the cross, and the hostility of sinners against Himself.
God's Patience Is Our Pattern
God bears with us day by day, and that becomes the pattern for how we treat each other:
God is the God of patience (of how great patience with us all!) and, blessed be His name, of comfort too. What a name to give to God! He always bears with us, with our stupid, ignorant, and often inconsistent hearts. He occupies Himself with all our little trials to comfort us. He consoles those who are cast down. He never withdraws His eyes from the righteous. He is patient even where we are impatient with Him, and He comforts us in grace. So we have to walk like-minded one toward another, and receive one another as Christ received us.
"According to Christ Jesus"
The unity has a standard, and that standard rules out a negotiated agreement:
We need to have Christ before us, the One who "did not please Himself." This will result in like-mindedness toward one another — not a like-mindedness of a human sort, based on compromise or tolerance, but "according to Christ Jesus."
That leaves room for real differences without surrendering anything:
If we want endurance and encouragement we must look to God, who is the source of such virtue. He can enable us to have the mind that was in Christ Jesus toward one another. This produces a godly, fervent unity that glorifies the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is unity even where there is diversity of opinion and various degrees of progress in the truth… This is by no means giving up the truth of God. It is holding the truth firmly, while making no issue of small matters that are the affair of the individual conscience.
Who Makes the Unity Real
The answer to this prayer changes what comes out of people's mouths:
Instead of the mind and mouth of the weak being filled with criticisms of the strong, and the mind and mouth of the strong being filled with contempt of the weak (see Romans 14:2), the minds and mouths of all are to be filled with the praise of God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a perfectly lovely picture, isn't it?
And since it is God's own patience at work, opposition does not decide the outcome:
It is the patience and encouragement of God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that can make this holy, happy unity a fact… This is what the devil would spoil. But God is greater than the devil, and we may always count on His patience and His encouragement.
Summary
- Source. God is the source of endurance. Our own tiny springs run dry unless they stay joined to that ever-flowing Fountain.
- Granted. Paul asks for the unity; he does not organise it. He turns a practical dispute into a prayer and brings God into it.
- Standard. "According to Christ Jesus" rules out unity built on compromise. The measure is the One who did not please Himself.
- Room. Differences of opinion and of progress in the truth can remain. We hold the truth firmly and leave small matters to each conscience.
- Kept. God's patience and encouragement make this holy, happy unity a fact. The devil would spoil it, but God is greater.