I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Romans 15-16.

    Paul concludes his case about how we deal with “disputable matters” by writing that we should not live just to please ourselves. Rather we should live so as to help others do what is right. By doing so we can live in harmony. As in other places, Paul writes here that those who follow Christ should live in unity. However, he also ends his letter to the Roman Church by warning them to stay away from people who cause division by teaching things different from what has been the teachings of the Church from the beginning. Paul’s teachings on unity among believers is often used by those who teach things counter to what he taught on issues concerning sexual morality and others. Faithful believers have often failed to recognize that Paul condemns those who advocate such practices without practicing them even more strongly than he does those who practice immorality. We would recognize that someone who encourages others to use heroin or cocaine recreationally is encouraging people to harm themselves. Why do we fail to recognize that those who encourage others to be sexually immoral are doing the same?
    As part of his conclusion, Paul writes that he is confident that the members of the Roman Church, to whom he is writing, are fully aware of the teachings he is writing about. He emphasizes that this letter to them is but a reminder of things which they already know and teach. He makes the point that this reminder is necessary, not because they were not fully aware of what he is writing, but because the things he wrote were so important that reiterating them is always a good thing.