Welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the book of Romans. Tonight is study 27 of Romans, chapter 1, and we are going to read Romans 1:12-15:

That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

In our last study, we were looking at Romans 1:11 that expressed Paul’s great desire to see the Romans. Paul is a pattern of believers, and the believers in Rome picture God’s elect out in the world. In order to see them, he had to leave Judaea. And God’s elect had to leave the churches, and that identifies with the Lord’s program for the end stage of history. Paul said, “For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift,” and “to impart” means “to give.” And spiritual gifts must come forth from the Spirit of God above, and it starts with salvation. You cannot receive any spiritual gift if you have not received salvation to begin with, by God’s grace.

Then he added, “to the end ye may be established.” We looked at a few verses using the word established, like the verse that said “being established in the present truth,” and we saw it was the same word translated as “fixed” in Luke 16 and as “strengthened” in Luke 22:32. It is being strengthened in the spirit through salvation and through the working of the Spirit of God within the ones that He has saved.

Then it continues in Romans 1:12:

That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

I mentioned at the close of the last study that there is a strong emphasis here on “you and me.” Being comforted together is emphasizing that; and “by the mutual faith,” also indicates the faith of you and the faith of me; and the word “both” also fits with that idea. And then it closes with the words “you and me.” It is a very interesting verse because of the way God has worded it.

Let us start with the words “comforted together,” which is one Greek word. It is Strong’s #4837, and it is only found in this verse. Sometimes that is an obstacle because we learn when we compare spiritual with spiritual, and we see how the word is used here and in other places, but we cannot do that when it is only used one time. However, this Greek word translated as “comforted together,” is a compound word. It has the Greek preposition “sun,” which denotes union (together), and it is attached to the Greek word “parakaleō,” which itself is a compound word. It means “to call near.” “Para” means “near” or “alongside,” and “kaleō” means “to call.” So we wonder how we get the word “comforted” from a Greek word that really means “to call near.” Actually, “parakaleō” is Strong’s #3870, and it is translated as “beseech,” or “pray,” or “desire,” or “exhort,” or “comfort.” So comfort is included in this. For example, it is translated as “desire” in Acts 8:31 when Philip encountered the Ethiopian eunuch, as it says in Acts 8:31:

And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

The word “desired” is a translation of the same Greek word translated as “comforted,” so we can see this idea of “calling near.” The Ethiopian eunuch was calling Philip near – he desired him to come up and sit with him. And, yet, God has also translated this same word as “comforted” in some places, but it is translated as “beseech” and “exhort” in Romans 12. It is translated as “beseech” in Romans 12:1:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

It is as if he is saying, “I call you near, brethren.” It is a call out to the people of God to come near to God Himself, and as we do so, then we are presenting our bodies a living sacrifice, which is our reasonable service.

Or, it says in Romans 12:8:

Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation…

The word “exhorteth” is the same word that was used in verse 1. God is speaking to those that receive the gifts; of prophecy, let them prophesy; of ministry, on ministering; or he that teacheth, on teaching; or he that “exhorteth” or one that “calls near,” or proclaims the Gospel which is a call to the sinner to come to God and boldly approach unto the throne of grace in the day of salvation that he might find grace to help in the time of need.

So, again, this is an interesting word that is translated as “comforted” in other places than the verse we are looking at in Romans 1. For example, during the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, it says in Matthew 5:4:

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

You know, I think when we read this word “comforted” we get a different mental picture than this Greek word is actually showing us. It is “calling near.” Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be called near to God. It was as the Ethiopian eunuch desired of Philip to come near and sit with him. That is actually more the idea.

It says in Luke 16 regarding the account of Lazarus and the rich man, in Luke 16:25:

But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

How is he comforted? Remember, he was in “Abraham’s bosom.” He was brought near to God, as Abraham is a type and figure of God in this parable, and you cannot get any closer to someone than the “bosom.” And that is the idea.

I will go to just one other place this word is used in 1Thessalonians 4, which tells us of the time of the resurrection and the rapture. It says in 1Thessalonians 4:15-17:

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

That is the manner in which the last day will work out according to God’s plan. There will be the resurrection, and then all that great multitude that are alive and living (that have gone through that long judgment period which the Biblical evidence is indicating will be 22 actual years or 23 inclusive years, ending in 2033) will be caught up and changed to be with the Lord. That will begin eternity future for us, and we will forever be with the Lord. Then it says in 1Thessalonians 4:18:

Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Comfort one another or comfort together – it is mutual comfort for you and me. I think it is telling us to just approach unto God through His Word and draw strength and comfort from Him, and be encouraged.

Let us go back to Romans 1:12:

That is, that I may be comforted together with you…

And, again, the Greek word translated as “with” is a preposition that is most often translated as “in” (over 1,900 times in the New Testament). It is translated as “with” about a hundred times, and it is also translated as “by” a hundred or so times. But, overwhelmingly, it is translated as “in.” So we could read this, “That is, that I may be comforted together in you through the mutual faith of you and me.” Let me just read how this verse would be said, literally. “…that I may be comforted together in you through the “in one another faith,” both yours and mine.” That is another way of saying “of me” or “of you.” If something is “of me” it is “mine.” So, it is the “comforting together in you through the in one another faith, both yours and mine.” That is interesting that it is “in one another faith,” is it not? And, of course, by God’s mercy, we now understand that Christ is faith, just as God is love. Christ is faith. Whenever the Bible speaks of saving faith, it is always (100% of the time) Jesus Christ who is in view – He is “the faith once delivered to the saints.” He was delivered at the foundation of the world one time to atone for the sins of His people, and He was delivered in 33 A. D. to Pontius Pilot to demonstrate the fact that He had made payment for sin before the world was, so saving faith is Christ.

This can complicate it, but there is also “faith” that the people of God show or give evidence of in our lives that comes as a result of the faith of Christ having saved us. Then we receive the Spirit of God, the indwelling Holy Spirit, which produces spiritual fruit, one of which is faith. That “faith” has nothing to do with obtaining salvation, but it is something that comes afterwards as a “fruit” or as a result of the salvation that Christ has wrought and purchased on behalf of His elect people. That is why it is a “mutual faith,” or, again, literally, it is “in one another faith.” It is faith within you, if you are truly saved, and it is faith within me, if I am truly saved. It is your faith and my faith, and it is the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Hebrews 11, which is “the faith chapter,” we could substitute “Christ” for every time we read “faith” in this chapter. I am sure you are aware of that, but it says in Hebrews 11:1:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

If we substitute “Christ” there, it would read: “Now Christ is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” And that is also true. But we are helped a little bit because God has hidden a nice bit of information in the word “substance,” Strong’s #2257.

And I hope that everyone who listens to EBible Fellowship has a concordance. As you can see, we refer a lot to Strong’s numbers because God has provided these wonderful Bible helps, and they are a big help in studying the Bible, and seeing how God has hidden truth and we can uncover some of the mysteries of the Word.

When we look up “substance,” I think it is used about a half dozen times. It is translated in various ways, such as “substance,” and “confidence,” and as “person” (one time), in Hebrews 1, where it speaks of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. It says in Hebrews 1:3:

Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person…

The word “person” is the word translated as “substance” in Hebrews 11. Now this is not the typical word for “person.” I am not trying to say that, but this is how God has written the Bible in ways that have hidden truth that allows us to use these English translations (or whatever language we use) that have all these synonyms for the same word. In Hebrews 3, it is translated as “confidence,” in Hebrews 3:14:

For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

You see, the translators are translating the same Greek word. If they had translated it as “beginning of our substance,” that does not seem to make any sense. If they had translated it, “if we hold the beginning of our person steadfast unto the end,” it does make sense because Christ is the Person. And He is the Word, so if we hold onto the Word of God steadfast to the end, that is what it says in Matthew 24:13: “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

You see, God has complicated the Bible, and He also made it beautiful to study because now we can substitute the word “confidence”: “Now faith is the confidence of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” That seems to fit, or we could use the word “person,” and it would read: “Now faith is the person of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” And that also fits beautifully, and we know who that Person is – it is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the faith once delivered. He is the faith who is the Person of things hoped for.

I just want to look at one more thing regarding this idea of Christ as “faith.” We have turned here before in our study in Romans as we looked at the word “long,” and we saw that it mentioned being in prayer “night and day,” and then it said in 2Timothy 1:4:

Greatly desiring to see thee…

That was a translation of the Greek word that was translated as “long” in Romans 1:11. Here, again, it says in 2Timothy 1:4:

Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;

He was writing to Timothy. Then it says in 2Timothy 1:5:

When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

It is “unfeigned faith that is in thee,” which Paul says under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to Timothy. Then referring to this “unfeigned faith,” he says it “dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and they mother Eunice.” And now there was Timothy, so that was three generations, and faith had dwelt within them. You see, it is a “mutual faith,” of both you and me, and it is a Person. It is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is “the faith” that dwells within us. We know the Bible tells us that if we have not the Spirit of Christ, we are none of His, so the Bible certainly says that the Spirit of Christ dwells within us.

And, here, God is just saying it in a different way: “The faith that dwells in you, Timothy, was also in your grandmother and your mother.” And is that not a blessed family situation? We, ourselves, could long to have our family members be partakers of “the faith,” and have Christ (the faith) dwelling in those that we love.

But, here, it is worded, “…faith that is in thee,” but it dwelt first in his grandmother and then in his mother, but now also in him. Is it just some kind of attribute or characteristic that was handed down? Did the grandmother teach the daughter to believe, and then her daughter, who was Timothy’s mother, taught Timothy about the faith, so it was through instruction? Well, in some ways that is true because it involved the Word of God, and the Word of God was handed down and taught, and as people received instruction, if they were God’s elect, they could become born again. Faith comes by hearing; that is, Christ (His Spirit) comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. So the Word of God delivered the faith. It introduced the faith and the Spirit then indwells that person.

We can confirm this because the word “dwelt” is Strong’s #1774. It is a compound word that literally means “to indwell.” It is used only five times. It is used once here, and it is also used in 2Timothy 1:14:

That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.

It is found in Romans 8:11:

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you…

It is found in 2Corinthians 6:16:

… will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

And, finally, it is found in Colossians 3:16:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…

Do you notice anything about those four other verses? It is always God – God the Spirit; Christ; or the Word of Christ that indwells: “…the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” It is God Himself. Jesus Christ, who is God, is indwelling His people.