Romans 1:8-15

Longing to Go to Rome

⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ [as grace comes to us from God through Jesus, so our thanks goes to God through Jesus, our representative] for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. [Paul is commenting on how many places Christianity has spread. Faith is not just in Rome or in particular house-churches but is spreading all over the world.] ⁹ For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you ¹⁰ always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. [We do not know of the earlier occasions he wanted to come but he has for some time.] ¹¹ For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—¹² that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith [ministry strengthens and builds up the whole body of Christ, and Paul wants to build up the Roman body of Christ], both yours and mine. ¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented) [perhaps because of the imperial edict of AD 49 expelling Jews from Rome?], in order that I may reap some harvest [make converts] among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. [Paul thought of the church in Rome as predominantly Gentile.]  ¹⁴ I am under obligation [commissioned by Jesus] both to Greeks and to barbarians [to the Greeks all non-Greeks were barbarians], both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. [Why is Paul the perfect person to build Christian unity in Rome?]