Romans 15:14 - Exposition

And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye yourselves also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another . It is St. Paul's courteous as well as kindly way to compliment those to whom he writes on what he believes to be good in them, and to cling to a good opinion of them, even where he has some misgivings, or has had reason to find fault (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:4 , seq. ; 2 Corinthians 1:7 ; 2 Corinthians 3:1 , seq.; 2 Corinthians 7:3 , seq .). Here "I myself also" ( καὶ αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ) may have tacit reference to the general good report of the Roman Church (cf. Romans 1:8 and Romans 16:19 ), which he means to say he himself by no means doubts the truth of, notwithstanding his previous warnings. "Ye yourselves also" ( καὶ αὐτοὶ ) implies his trust that even without such warnings they would of themselves be as he would wish them to be; "full of goodness" ( ἀγαθωσύνης ), so as to be kind to one another, as they were enlightened and replete with knowledge ( γνώσεως ).