What example did Christ leave us?
In a word… Sacrifice…
“Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.'” (Romans 15:2-3)
And also Love;
“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7)
What produces endurance in our journey (15:4)? What produces harmony in the body of Christ? (15:5)?
My instinctive answer without looking at the verse is the Holy Spirit. Without the constant tug from the Holy Spirit, I never would have had the endurance to be where I am today in my journey with Christ.
Paul writes in Romans 15:4 endurance is found through the instruction, encouragement, and hope that we find in scripture.
So, in short, my answer would be that endurance in our journey is the work of the Holy Spirit, through the instruction, encouragement, and hope found in God’s word. I think verse 5 reiterates this as well. Paul says that God is “the God of endurance and encouragement,” so it seems clear that our endurance comes from Him and through His word.
Likewise, in verse 5, Paul states that harmony also comes from God. However, that’s not to say that we don’t still play a part in keeping harmony in the body of Christ. Like what we discussed in chapter 14, we must all walk in love for our brothers and sisters in Christ if we truly want to experience the harmony that God grants us.