Our men’s study on the book of Romans is continuing to go well and all of us are learning a lot. Last time we covered Paul’s greeting in Romans 1:1-7 and this week we plan to cover what many view as an extended greeting to the brethren in Rome in vv.8-17. Paul makes some very personal comments to these brethren at this point:
“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome” (Romans 1:8-15).
The essence of what Paul is conveying here is “before I go any further and get into the ‘meat’ of what I have to say to you, I want you to know that I am grateful for you and for your faith; I continue to pray for you; I long to visit with you; I am looking forward to teaching you in person.” To me it is amazing when you think about the problems these brethren had, which we will begin to see shortly as we progress through this letter, that Paul actually encourages these folks in the way that he does. He actually commends them for their faith here. He is able to tell them these things without ever taking the emphasis off of faith. Paul gives us an example of tact and positive edification. But I also think he provides us with an excellent example here of how powerful prayer really is and how we ought to urgently pray for each other. From a personal standpoint, I need your prayers, undoubtedly.
Think about how much stronger the church could be as a whole, and how much more unified we might be, if we actually loved each other enough to pray for one another like Paul displays here. Paul is not encouraging them to divide into certain camps (i.e., conservative vs. liberal, traditional vs. progressive, etc.). After studying this epistle in its entirety, hopefully we will see that Paul is actually charging them to avoid this (i.e., Romans 14). All are influenced and saved by the grace of God. It is Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection that unites us when when we die and resurrect with Him (Romans 6:3-4). In any event, Paul’s heart is clearly set on the gospel (vv.9, 16-17).
Obviously we know from Paul’s words here that he had not visited these brethren personally. The 11th verse here also gives us at least somewhat of an indication that neither Peter, nor any other apostle, had visited them up to this point, as only the apostles had the ability to impart these gifts to which Paul refers. I am not sure if we can speak with certainty as to the exact nature of this gift, but it is probably along the lines of what Paul discusses in 1 Corinthians 12. Perhaps Paul wanted to impart this gift to them for the purpose of aiding in the ministry of the church there or in strengthening their personal lives as Christians.
Again, I am intrigued by the humility of Paul from verse 12. Not only does he want to teach them the deeper points of the gospel, but he expresses his anticipation of gaining something from them as well. He says “that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” Why have we historically been so afraid of the concept of “testimony” in the church? I understand that in and of itself, it is not necessarily a Biblical term, but what does it mean? It means to go tell people about what God has done for us. Folks, this is employed throughout scripture as a way of strengthening the church. Jesus even told people to do it during His ministry (e.g., Mark 5:18-20). Testimony is beneficial on two levels: (1) we have much to gain from one another. Some of my most memorable growth experiences have been through conversation with brethren. It encourages and strengthens me greatly to hear where some of my brethren have come from and the journeys from worldliness which they have overcome. And (2), as for “sharing our faith” with those outside the church, what better opportunity for opening the doors to evangelism and teaching them the gospel? In any event, Paul was just as much looking forward to being edified by the faith of these same Christians, whom he is going to use a significant portion of this letter rebuking.
There is very little doubt that the demands of preaching to the “unchurched” in the Eastern Mediterranean area had hindered Paul’s intentions of spending time with these brethren up to this point. He anticipated bearing fruit and doing wonderful things for their benefit just as he had so many others (v.13). This is what the gospel does for people today. This is the power of the gospel (v.16), including its deeper implications. A study of faith and grace, and a deeper understanding of these things will help us never be the same. This is what Paul intended for these brethren. And let us remember….Romans is for everyone, including us.
Paul reminds them that he was literally “bound by obligation” here to preach the gospel to everyone, and this includes them, of course. He is saying that he is forever indebted to God to do what God has called him to do. He implies that it is the very least he can do. Paul considered his teaching to be a moral obligation. Likewise, I feel personally “indebted” to the congregation here in La Grange as well as to the people in this community to teach the fundamentals of the gospel as well as its deeper points. I hope and pray that I can at least maintain half the dedication I learn from the apostle Paul here.
As we continue to see it indicated that Paul’s calling was to the Gentiles; the non-Jews (vv.13-14), he says he is obligated to preach “both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.” These are categories or classes of the Gentile peoples. Barbarians were among the less sophisticated and educated in the Greek culture. This does not suggest that Paul did not deal with Jews at all, but without a doubt, his primary focus was on the non-Jews. His point is that not only is he obligated to preach to all mankind, but that all men and women are blessed so as to be affected by the gospel if they will adhere to its teachings. I think another implication here is that obviously all men and women are indeed subject to the gospel.
In my next post, I want to take a closer look at the transitional statement we see in vv.16-17, where Paul begins to introduce the subject of justification by faith, which will eventually lead to what I believe is the theme of this letter in Romans 3:28—justification by faith, apart from law.
Have a blessed day!
Jason Browning