And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Romans 15:14
According to Dale Carnegie, the best way to get somebody to do a good job of something is to let them know how confident you are that they will do a good job. Mr. Carnegie’s philosophy has been borne out in tests that show high school students who had always performed at an average level began to perform at an exceptional level if their teachers treated them as exceptional students. When we look at today’s text, we see the apostle Paul placing some very high expectations on the Christians living in Rome. But this text was not written only to the saints in Rome, but was also written to the Christians of today’s world. The text is addressing you and me.
Are you full of goodness? Are you filled with all knowledge? Are you able to counsel others in an effective, positive way? If you are like me, you have to hang your head in shame on all counts. Probably the Christians in Rome did, too. But Paul was reminding them of what he, and God, expected them to be like, and of what they were capable of being like. These are high standards. But Scripture would not describe us like this if we were incapable of being like this.
How can we be filled with goodness? By being more like the Lord Jesus! We need to study His life, His interaction with the world in which He lived, his words and behaviour in various situations. Striving to be more like our Lord will cause us to be filled with goodness.
How are we to be filled with all knowledge? The fount of all knowledge is the Word of God. By reading, by studying, by meditating on the Word of God, we can fill our mind and heart with what is truly truth and worth knowing. The more we know of Scripture, the more we are filled with knowledge.
The ability to admonish one another is not an easy skill to master. But God would like us to be a help to our fellow saints. By showing them kindness, we teach them kindness. By showing them a godly care and interest, we teach them to have such a care and interest in others. In so many ways, by displaying our Lord’s approach to others, we are able to cheer, comfort, encourage, and exhort them.
Our Lord has high expectations of us. And He knows we are able to live up to those expectations, by His Spirit. – Jim MacIntosh