The last major section of exhortation is drawn to a close. Paul has extolled the person and work of Christ for God’s glory and the joy, peace, and hope of His redeemed. His thesis in this section has been that all who are justified by faith are welcomed in Christ for the purpose of worship. As he opened this section so now he closes it with a catchword for what Christ has done for us. We are “welcomed” in Christ for worship. There is a strong corporate dimension to the joy, peace, and hope that Christ has won for us. This closing crescendo celebrates the work of Christ in the gospel, freely reconciling sinners to God and one another, resulting in joy and peace that abounds in hope (15:8-13). The foretaste of a glorious and eternal worship in God’s presence breaks into the here and now through the hope that is in Christ.