But what he says is this. Are you powerful? Let the weak have trial of your power. Let him come to know your strength; please him. And he does not barely say please, but for his good, and not barely for his good, lest the advanced person should say, See I am drawing him to his good! But he adds, “to edification.” And so if you be rich or be in power, please not yourself, but the poor and the needy, because in this way you will at once have true glory to enjoy, and be doing much service. For glory from things of the world soon flies away, but that from things of the Spirit is abiding, if you do it to edification. Wherefore of all men he requires this. For it is not this and that person that is to do it, but “each of you.” Then since it was a great thing he had commanded them, and had bidden them even relax their own perfectness in order to set right the other's weakness; he again introduces Christ, in the following words:
Ver. 3. “For even Christ pleased not Himself.”
And this he always does. For when he was upon the subject of alms, he brought Him forward and said, “You know the grace of the Lord, that though He was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor.” And when he was exhorting to charity, it was from Him that he exhorted in the words “As Christ also loved us.” And when he was giving advice about bearing shame and dangers, he took refuge in Him and said, “Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame.”. So in this passage too he shows how He also did this, and how the prophet proclaimed it from of old. Wherefore also he proceeds:
“The reproaches of them that reproached You fell upon Me.” But what is the import of, “He pleased not Himself?” He had power not to have been reproached, power not to have suffered what He did suffer, had He been minded to look to His own things. But yet He was not so minded. But through looking to our good He neglected His own. And why did he not say, “He emptied Himself?” It is because this was not the only thing he wished to point out, that He became man, but that He was also ill-treated, and obtained a bad reputation with many, being looked upon as weak. For it says, “If Thou be the Son of God, come down from the Cross.”. And, “He saved others, Himself He cannot save.”. Hence he mentions a circumstance which was available for his present subject, and proves much more than he undertook to do; for he shows that it was not Christ alone that was reproached, but the Father also. “For the reproaches of them that reproached You fell,” he says, “upon Me.” But what he says is nearly this, What has happened is no new or strange thing. For they in the Old Testament who came to have a habit of reproaching Him, they also raved against His Son. But these things were written that we should not imitate them. And then he supplies (Gr. anoints) them for a patient endurance of temptations.
Ver. 4. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime,” he says, “were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope.”
That is, that we might not fall away, (for there are sundry conflicts within and without), that being nerved and comforted by the Scriptures, we might exhibit patience, that by living in patience we might abide in hope. For these things are productive of each other, patience of hope, and hope of patience. And both of them are brought about by the Scriptures. Then he again brings his discourse into the form of prayer, and says,
Ver. 5. “Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one towards another, according to Christ Jesus.”
For since he had given his own advice, and had also urged the example of Christ, he added the testimony of the Scriptures also, to show that with the Scripture Himself gives patience also. And this is why he said, “Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one towards another, according to Christ Jesus.” For this is what love would do, be minded toward another even as toward himself. Then to show again that it is not mere love that he requires, he adds, “according to Christ Jesus.” And this he does, in all places, because there is also another sort of love. And what is the advantage of their agreeing?
Ver. 6. “That ye may with one mind,” he says, “and one mouth, glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
He does not say merely with one mouth, but bids us do it with one will also. See how he has united the whole body into one, and how he concludes his address again with a doxology, whereby he gives the utmost inducement to unanimity and concord. Then again from this point he keeps to the same exhortation as before, and says,
Ver. 7. “Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.”
The example again is as before, and the gain unspeakable. For this is a thing that does God special glory, the being closely united. And so if even against your will (Field “being grieved for His sake,” after Savile, but against manuscripts) and for His sake, thou be at variance with your brother, consider that by putting an end to your anger you are glorifying your Master, and if not on your brother's account, for this at all events be reconciled to him: or rather for this first. For Christ also insists upon this upon all possible grounds, and when addressing His Father he said, “By this shall all men know that You have sent Me, if they be one.”
Source: Homilies on Romans (New Advent)