Following Paul’s salutation to the Romans, that comprised the first 7 verses of chapter 1, the next contextual section begins in verse 8 and extends through verse 15 and could be titled: Paul’s Expression of Concern.

Commentators like Barclay and MacArthur correctly point out that Paul probably had two motives for writing to the Roman Christians, most of whom he had never met: 1) he had what I call a "Kingdom mentality"…he understood the universality of the Church and his great heart throbbed with compassion and concern for all God’s children; 2) he wisely understood that his gospel carried a flavor of inclusion that some of the "other gospels" didn’t…specifically the Judaizers, and he wanted to prepare the Christians in Rome to receive him in person.

Notice the combination of wisdom and love Paul uses as he begins with a compliment in verse 8: First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.

Paul wisely avoids any charge of flattery and keeps their focus on God instead of themselves. He does not thank them for being faithful, which might be seen as flattery, but he thanks God for their faithfulness…recognizing that it is God who gives them a faith that is worth being proclaimed throughout the whole world. At that time, the whole world was the Roman Empire. Paul genuinely appreciated the faithfulness of the churches in Rome because it made his ministry easier as he traveled from place to place and could use them as an example of the power of the Gospel of God.

In verses 9-10, Paul informs the Romans that they have been on his prayer list for some time: For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.

Once again, there are clearly different opinions among the commentators I researched. Some feel it is a simple statement reflecting Paul’s total commitment and could just as easily be translated "with all my heart" while others feel that Paul is giving credit to the Holy Spirit as the Source of his service. As I read and re-read this phrase, I was drawn to the conclusion that, in view of Paul’s strong belief that all service of eternal consequence has as its Source the indwelling Spirit of Christ, this is probably a reference to the Holy Spirit. I believe this conclusion is clearly supported by these two statements by Paul: 1) I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 ISV) and 2) For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:9-10 ESV)

I believe that the longer Paul lived after his Damascus Road experience, the more difficult it became to separate the spirit of Paul from the Spirit of Christ. I believe you and I can have that same experience!

Evidently, for some time Paul has wanted to visit Rome, but has been prevented from doing so. The cause for this delay is the subject of some speculation among commentators…but here’s the real reason: God prevented it! My support for taking that position is, among other things, Luke’s account of another occasion in Paul’s ministry when he didn’t get to do what he wanted: They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia…(Acts 16:6) What? God actually stopped Paul from doing what He had commanded him and the other apostles to do (make disciples of all nations)?

According to our pastor, while Paul was looking at Asia, God was looking at the whole world! By going to Macedonia, the whole world was opened to the Gospel.

Let’s read verses 11-12: For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.

The Holy Spirit is the Source of all spiritual gifts. One believer cannot "give" a spiritual gift to another believer in terms of personal possession, but a believer can "give" or "impart" the spiritual gift he/she has received from the Holy Spirit by sharing it in the life of another believer. I believe it is in this sense that Paul speaks here. He knew well that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not for the one who receives them. He was anxious to share his spiritual gifts with the Romans and for them to reciprocate so that he would be uplifted and encouraged.

The Greek word is sterizo (stay·rid·zo) and means to make stable, set firmly, to strengthen, to confirm one’s mind. Paul’s goal was to strengthen and stabilize the believers in Rome as well as expose the unbelievers to the good news of reconciliation with God. He understood that God would use him as the human instrument for accomplishing this by sharing his spiritual gifts with them. Paul knew that genuine faith is a gift from God, but that faith can be strengthened through fellowship and the sharing of spiritual gifts.

Let’s read verses 13-15: I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even 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, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Once again Paul reiterates his long-standing desire to come to Rome and to share with them his gospel. Now back in verse 10, I told you that it was God who had prevented Paul from coming to Rome earlier and I cited the incident recorded in Acts where Luke says it was the Holy Spirit who prevented Paul from preaching the word in Asia.

Both in Galatia and Thessalonica, Paul seemed to feel that someone other than God was interfering with his plans:

You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? (Galatians 5:7 NASB95)

For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost. But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while—in person, not in spirit—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—and yet Satan hindered us. (1Thessalonians 2:13-18 NASB95)

That depends on whether you believe we are in a two-power struggle or a one-power demonstration. I’m pretty sure Paul was clear that the only Source of power in this universe is God, but as a part of the demonstration, God sometimes allows Satan to exercise the power he received from God to "hinder" what we humans think is God’s plan.

The Greek word is karpos (kar·pos) and can refer to any agricultural produce, but in many instances, as here, it is a metaphorical reference to individuals who accept the gospel and submit to the Lordship of Christ.

Here is a sampling of how the word is used in the New Testament:

Verse fourteen has, in Greek, a double meaning that is almost untranslatable. The Revised Standard Version has it, "I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians." Paul was thinking of two things when he wrote that. He was under obligation because of all the kindness that he had received, and he was under obligation to preach to them. This highly compressed sentence means, "Because of all that I have received from them and because of all it is my duty to give to them, I am under an obligation to all sorts of men."

It may seem strange that Paul speaks of Greeks when he is writing to Romans. At this time the word Greek had lost its racial sense altogether. It did not mean a native of the country of Greece. The conquests of Alexander the Great had taken the Greek language and Greek thought all over the world. And a Greek was no longer only one who was a Greek by race and birth; he was one who knew the culture and the mind of Greece. A barbarian is literally a man who says bar-bar, that is to say a man who speaks an ugly and an unharmonious tongue in contrast with the man who speaks the beautiful, flexible language of Greek. To be a Greek was to be a man of a certain mind and spirit and culture. One of the Greeks said of his own people, "The barbarians may stumble on the truth, but it takes a Greek to understand."

What Paul meant was that his message, his friendship, his obligation was to wise and simple, cultured and uncultured, lettered and unlettered. He had a message for the world, and it was his ambition some day to deliver that message in Rome too.