Able to Instruct One Another

“I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” -Romans 15:14–16

Paul begins to transition his letter from strongly exhorting and teaching to mollifying the Roman church just before offering his salutation in which he appeals to their generosity for support to go to Spain. However, he is not attempting to lessen the exhortations by concession of his message but by assuring them of his faith in their goodness and ability to instruct one another is what is right. 

Calvin says Paul made this statement, “with the view of pacifying the Romans, in case they thought themselves reproved by so many and so urgent admonitions, and thus unjustly treated,” and suggests,

There was much pride in the Romans; the name even of their city made the lowest of the people proud; so that they could hardly bear a teacher of another nation, much less a barbarian and a Jew. With this haughtiness Paul would not contend in his own private name: he however subdued it, as it were, by soothing means; for he testified that he undertook to address them on account of his Apostolic office.

Nevertheless, Paul does soften his strong exhortations by appealing to his office as a minister to the Gentiles and saying he was, in a word, only preaching to the choir. But he needed to do this, not because he didn’t think well of the church, but because his office demanded it of him. His role as a minister of the gospel was to ensure the full harmonious inclusion of the Gentiles into the church by means of the gospel of Christ and the sanctification of the Holy Spirit.