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Brotherly harmony makes the common praise of God possible:
v. 7. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
v. 8. 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,
v. 9. and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written, For this cause I will confess to Thee among the Gentiles and sing unto thy name.
v. 10. And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with His people.
v. 11. and again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud Him, all ye people.
v. 12. And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and He that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in Him shall the Gentiles trust.
v. 13. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost!
Therefore, in order that such praise might be possible, and that the object of such harmonious praise be attained, receive, welcome, one another; let both parties show the spirit which is in Christ, according to the will of Christ. And this mutual acceptance and kindly treatment should be according to the measure of Christ's acceptance of us and should redound to the glory of God, the final end of the Christian's whole life. We Christians are called to the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, 1Co_1:9. The obligation thus rests upon us to cultivate the spirit of harmony. The harmonious life and worship of the believers is now described in detail: For I say that Christ became a servant of the circumcision for the sake of the truth of God, to confirm the promises given to the fathers, v. 8; and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, v. 9a. When Christ came, His first direct service was in the interest of the circumcised people or nation, the Jews; in His ministry He served principally the Jews, because He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Mat_15:24, and out of their midst gathered His own little congregation of disciples. And the apostles took up His work where He had ceased: they preached to the Jews first and established congregations in Judea. This work of His prophetic office Christ carried on in this manner for the sake of the truth of God, in the interest of God's veracity, namely, in order to confirm the promises made to the fathers. The Messiah had been promised to the patriarchs and then to the children of Israel; out of them, according to the flesh, He was to be born; in their midst He was to live and perform His work. This promise of God was fulfilled; the veracity of God was vindicated. And all the true Israelites that have, by faith, become partakers of Christ's salvation now praise God and extol His glory for keeping His promises to the fathers. But while the Jews praised God for confirming, for carrying into effect His promises, the heathen glorify His name on account of His mercy, because God out of free grace has given them the same glorious gift and benefit as the children of Israel, to whom the promises were entrusted. Thus Jesus Christ became a minister also to the Gentiles, namely, by sending out His messengers to all nations and gathering His Church out of all the people of the world by the preaching of the Gospel. To the faithfulness of God the Jews and to the mercy of God the Gentiles owe their possession of salvation in Jesus Christ.
This last thought is now substantiated by the apostle by a reference to several passages of the Old Testament in which the conversion of the Gentiles was prophesied, thus indicating that the eternal counsel of God was being put into execution in their case. The first reference is to Psa_18:49 : For this reason I will confess to Thee, glorify Thee exceedingly, among the Gentiles and sing hymns to Thy name. The Messiah, speaking through the mouth of David, praises the wondrous things which God has done to the nations, in the midst of the Gentiles, for their salvation. And the message of salvation provokes the praises of the Gentiles, as the following quotations prove: Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with His people, Deu_32:43; All ye Gentiles, praise the Lord; and praise Him highly, all ye people, Psa_117:1. The Gentiles, together with the children of Israel, are urgently invited to sing praises to God for the fullness of His mercy, and thus show their membership in the true, spiritual Israel. The fourth quotation is from Isa_11:10 : There will be the Root of Jesse, and He that shall arise to rule over the Gentiles; in Him will the Gentiles hope. Christ, the descendant of Jesse, the offspring of David according to the flesh, will extend His dominion of grace among the Gentiles, through the preaching of the Gospel, and the result will be that the Gentiles will place their hopes in Him as their only Savior and Redeemer. Thus the Church of the New Testament is a communion of believing Jews and regenerated Gentiles, united in the worship of the true God and the Father of Jesus Christ, their Savior. And this harmony shall properly find its expression in the entire relation of the believers toward each other, charitable consideration for the brethren being the motive of all their actions. This ideal, of course, cannot be reached by their own reason and strength; it necessitates the continual assistance of the Holy Spirit. And therefore Paul, in closing this section and the body of the letter, writes: But the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, to make you abound in hope in the power of the Holy Spirit, v. 13. The God who is able to grant, and does give, hope, who keeps the mind of the believers directed upon the great fulfillment of all their desires, is able also to fill the hearts of His children with the greatest joy, with all possible joy, and with that peace which passes all understanding, since these both rest upon, and flow out of, faith in Jesus the Savior. With this assistance on the part of God, the hope of the Christians will not be a wavering and uncertain opinion, but a divine certainty, making them abound in hope, giving them the joyful confidence in the fulfillment of their salvation, in the realization of future glory. This wonderful gift is made possible in us through the power of the Spirit, who causes joy and peace to grow stronger with hope, and thus leads our hearts and minds forward to the blessed goal of our destination.