Love THAT FUELS OUR Compassion and ENDURANCE

A PRAYER FOR UNITY

When Paul wrote his letter to the church in Rome around 58 AD, they faced a significant issue that remains relevant today. The primary problem was division and disputes over ethical and cultural backgrounds and their relationship to salvation and the expression of that salvation. At that time in Rome, a key question revolved around how Gentiles could be saved: What laws needed to be observed to fully partake in the inheritance and to be grafted into the family of Abraham? On the other hand, some questioned whether being Jewish by heritage still held any significance. Their history, customs, and identity were heavily challenged and, in some cases, even denied.

In other words, Gentiles had become prideful and looked down on Jews, while some Messianic Jews continued to question the full inclusion of Gentiles in the family and inheritance of Abraham. It’s not difficult to see parallels in our world today, both inside and outside the church. The reality is that there are over 45,000 Christian denominations, each shaped by differences in ethical and cultural backgrounds, which have also led to varying doctrines and beliefs and leave us far from unity.

To address this issue, Paul reminded the church in Rome of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the sole means of entering salvation and the family of God. Christ, the ultimate reconciler, and Paul, acting as an agent of reconciliation, urged the church to accept and welcome one another. By looking to Jesus, the head of the church, in whom we have all found justification and salvation through faith, they—and we—can also find reconciliation, glorifying God together as one.

For this reason, Paul offers a prayer near the end of his letter, echoing the prayer Jesus prayed before departing the earth to return to the Father. He prays that we, the church, would be united as one, walking in the ways of Jesus Christ and glorifying the Father through our unity.

Jesus prayed: “The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me.” (John 17:22–23 NASB)

Paul prayed: “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. … May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:5–6,13)

Love as I have loved you

“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,” (Romans 15:5)

Jesus commanded us to love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34–35). Similarly, in his letter to the Romans, Paul prays that we would look to Jesus and to God, finding endurance and encouragement to love and build one another up as He does. Christ serves as the ultimate example—He did not seek to please Himself but always served His neighbor for their good and edification (Romans 15:3). This selfless service pleased God and fulfilled His mission (John 4:34; 5:30; 8:29), and through Christ, it has now become our mission as well (Galatians 1:10).

This means we are not called to fight against one another but to fight for one another, despite our cultural and ethical differences, varied expressions, and even secondary disagreements in beliefs. We are called to bear one another’s burdens, which fulfills the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2), and to fully adopt the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:2–5). Bearing one another’s burdens and showing compassion does not necessarily mean conforming but rather building each other up, encouraging one another, and being patient so that together we may grow in maturity and experience the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19; 4:13–14).

This endurance and encouragement to keep hoping and pressing on for the fullness and unity of the body come from God. He is the God of all endurance and encouragement. It is not achieved through striving but through abiding—a strengthened faith that comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). This is how stamina is built. As we read the Scriptures, particularly the Torah and the Old Testament, we should be encouraged by God’s longsuffering, patience, mercy, compassion, and abounding love. Created in His likeness (Genesis 1:27), we are called to walk in these same ways, especially in how we relate to our brothers and sisters.

Living in harmony does not mean agreeing on everything or thinking uniformly, but rather agreeing specifically in and through Christ. It means recognizing that we are one body under Christ, dependent on one another and submitted to the Lord (1 Corinthians 12:12). Living in harmony involves following His ways, such as humility, meekness, and love, as described in 1 Corinthians 13 and beyond.

Together glorify the Father

“that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:6)

From the very beginning, when God created us, it was so that we could have communion with Him, fellowship with one another, and partake in the love of the Father, Son, and Spirit. We were created to share in and reflect this love, always pointing to the One to whom we belong.

In this spirit, just as Jesus prayed, so did Paul—asking the Father to grant unity within the body, a unity that transcends ethical and cultural boundaries. This unity reflects how God Himself crosses all borders for the sake of His people and points us back to Him. When people come together with one heart and one voice, doing the will of God—particularly in loving one another (Exodus 24:3; John 17:22–23)—it leads to the acknowledgment and praise of the Father and reveals the fullness of His glory among His people (2 Chronicles 5:13).

and taste of his goodness

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)

A few verses later, Paul erupts again in prayer, reminding the Roman church that God welcomed both Jew and Gentile into His family through the blood of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:14-18).

God is the God of hope, and it is through the Holy Spirit that we are reminded of the hope we have in Jesus, who redeemed us—Jew and Gentile, black and white, from all kinds of denominations—back to God. We are sealed by the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13) to experience the fulfillment of what we hope for in Christ: to live with God forever, as it was in the garden of Eden.

As we trust in Christ and walk by the Spirit, our hope overflows (Romans 5:5), for the Spirit Himself is the guarantee of what is yet unseen and yet to come: a perfected bride, one new man unified and perfected under Christ. Even now, through the Holy Spirit, we can foretaste this communion between God and humanity—the blessings of the life to come, filled with joy and peace. This strengthens our hope.

So Paul prays for this strengthening of faith in the Holy Spirit, that we would experience unity among us, the whole church under Christ, filled with joy and peace, as a foretaste of what is yet to come, reminding us of the promises ahead and giving us the endurance to press on. 

Prayer

“Father, we thank You for Your love that is patient and kind, that always hopes, never fails, and ultimately gave us Your Son to redeem us back to You. Help us to fully receive Your love and remain open to the transformation it brings to our hearts, so that we may love as You love, come into unity within the church under Christ, and bring You the glory You deserve. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, through whom we can be assured of the love You have poured out on us. Thank You for empowering us with joy and peace and for reminding us of the hope we have in You and Your kingdom—the restoration and redemption of humanity. May we continue to grow in experiencing this reality, so that, with strength and joyful expectation, we may endure until the end.”

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REFERENCES

Bruce Barton et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001).

Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2014).

Douglas J. Moo, The Letter to the Romans, ed. Ned B. Stonehouse et al., Second Edition, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018).

F. F. Bruce, Romans: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 6, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985).

Leon Morris, The Epistle to the Romans, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1988).