The Roman Road

Paul doesn’t want to be seen as a poacher on someone else’s turf. He had no part in founding the church at Rome. Since one of his purposes is to ask these congregations to help fund a potential mission to Spain, he wants to answer the question, “Why now, Paul?” in advance. Paul addresses these issues in our text for this outline.

Romans 1.8-15 (JMT) (All the “yous” in this passage are plural or “y’all.)

8. The first thing I want to say is eucharisteo to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because (word of) your faith is being spread throughout the world.

9. My God, whom I serve with my spirit in the good news of his Son, is my witness how unstoppingly I make mention of you.

10. At all times I plead imploring God if by some means now at last I may succeed in coming to you according to God’s plan.

11. I long to see you so that I may share some charisma with you, some grace gift to make you stronger,

12. that is to be encouraged together with you through our one another faith, both yours and mine.

13. I don’t want you to ignore the fact brothers (and sisters) that many times I had planned to come to you, but was prevented until right now, that I might have some fruit among you just as the rest of the ethnos.

14. I am under obligation to both Greeks and barbarians, both those who have deep knowledge and those who refuse to use their brains.

15. Thus, I am very, very eager, indeed, I am, to tell the good news to you who are in Rome.

8. The first thing I want to say is eucharisteo to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because (word of) your faith is being spread throughout the world.

Paul, in keeping with ancient letter writing and his own pattern, follows the greeting with a prayer.

Galatians 1:8–9 LEB

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim a gospel to you contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let him be accursed! 9 As we said before, and now I say again, if anyone is proclaiming a gospel to you contrary to what you have received, let him be accursed!

This prayer, again as is common with Paul [1 Cor 1.4; Eph 1.16; Phil 1.3; Col 1.3; 1 Thess 1.3], is defined by the term ευχαριστεω.

He thanks God because people everywhere are talking about their great faith.

What a great thing if people can think about their church, and others, with thanksgiving.

Paul here presents Jesus in his role as mediator.

In Judaism, this was a function of the archangels.

While Paul accepts Jesus’ equality with the father [Phil 2.6], he still sees a difference in their function.

9. My God, whom I serve with my spirit in the good news of his Son, is my witness how unstoppingly I make mention of you.

With my spirit: that part of a person able to relate to God, not a synonym for soul.

The God Paul serves is his witness.

Paul anticipates those who may question why Paul is just now communicating with them.

God can be his witness because it is to God Paul has been speaking about the Roman believers.

10. At all times I plead imploring God if by some means now at last I may succeed in coming to you according to God’s plan.

Paul has been bugging God constantly to make a trip to Rome part of God’s plan for him.

Notice Paul would not do a thing he desired very much to do, even what would seem to be a God thing, without God’s blessing.

11. I long to see you so that I may share some charisma with you, some grace gift to make you stronger, 12. that is to be encouraged together with you through our one another faith, both yours and mine.

Now we have Paul’s reason back of his desire.

He wants to share a χαρισμα, a grace gift, a truly spiritual gift.

It is his hope that by doing so he can make them stronger.

But then he seems to backpedal.

There was much misunderstanding and false information about spiritual gifts, especially tongues and the primacy of gifts.

So, Paul now wants to clear something up, he’s coming not just to impart something but to receive what they can add to his own faith.

I translated the Greek literally, our one another faith, for that is what true faith is.

13. I don’t want you to ignore the fact brothers (and sisters) that many times I had planned to come to you, but was prevented until right now, that I might have some fruit among you just as the rest of the ethnos.

Don’t hold it against me that I haven’t been there already; don’t be suspicious of my motives.

I would have been there already, but I wasn’t allowed.

Maybe he was viewing the roadblock as satanic in nature, perhaps witnessed by the expulsion of the Jews from Rome by Claudius.

1 Thessalonians 2:18 LEB

18 because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, on more than one occasion—and Satan hindered us.

Perhaps it was because God had other things for Paul to do; after all, there was already a strong church in Rome without Paul.

Paul believed there were fruitful things for him to do in Rome.

He could bring things uniquely Pauline to the table.

He certainly was hoping he could win more converts in the great city.

After all, he had been able to do so among the rest of the peoples (ethnos).

14. I am under obligation to both Greeks and barbarians, both those who have deep knowledge and those who refuse to use their brains.

This verse is kind of a transition.

He is under obligation, owes a debt.

Obviously, he owes the gospel.

But he probably is also thinking of the more tangible assistance that has made his mission possible.

This debt is owed to members of the ethnos previously mentioned.

There are the Greeks and barbarians (the city folk and the hillbillies, culturally speaking).

There are those able to grasp the knowledge of deep philosophies and those who seem reluctant to use their brains at all.

Notice Paul uses cultural and rational categories, not racial or geographical ones.

15. Thus, I am very, very eager, indeed, I am, to tell the good news to you who are in Rome.

He feels the same obligation to those in Rome.

And he piles up words to stress just how deep is his longing to begin paying that debt.