8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.
9 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,
10 always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.
11 For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established;
12 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.
Paul had a tremendously large prayer list - every one of Paul’s thirteen letters includes names of people for whom he is praying. When Paul thinks of the church in Rome, there at least five (5) things he wants them to know about his prayers for them:
- Their faith is known everywhere - ( v. 8)
- God knows how earnestly Paul prays - ( v. 9)
- Paul asks to come to Rome - ( v. 10)
- He wants to teach and encourage the church - ( v. 11)
- He wants to support the church, and have the church support him. - ( v. 12)
Vs. 8 - First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.
“First...” - Before he gets into the meat of the letter, he has a couple of things he wants them to know. He is praying for them. He has never met the members of the church in Rome. Yet, they are in his prayers.
“ your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world ” - Many of Paul’s letters were to churches he had started, or people who were his friends or co-workers. The church in Rome was probably not a ‘mega-church’, with an immense building, rather it may have been a collection of ‘home churches’ (See Rom. 16:5, 10, 11, 14, 15).
Considering that Rome was the power center of western civilization - from the British Isles in the north down to Egypt, Ethiopia and Northern Africa; from the Iberian peninsula in the west to the Middle East - the churches in Rome were big news. The churches were known for their faith in a risen Christ, and their love for other believers and the community around them. Non-Christians knew of this church!
Vs. 9 - 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,
“ God... is my witness ” - Paul is swearing an oath that he is not lying about praying for them.
“unceasingly I make mention of you .” - He is not exaggerating. These are not prayer telegrams - “prayer tweets” - 140 words or less to God. Looking at Paul’s letters, we see Paul did two things - preach the gospel and pray - everywhere and all the time.
Vs. 10 - always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.
“ by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you ” - Paul has been on missionary journeys for about 20 years, but has never been to Rome. He’s been to Greece and Macedonia a couple of times.
Vs. 11 - For I long to see you in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established;
“ I long to see you ” - It would be a thrill for Paul to meet these believers whose faith is so well-known throughout the nations. To talk to them, to hear their testimonies. To share with each other what the Lord has been doing through them.
“ I may impart some spiritual gift to you ” - I am not sure Paul is referring to ‘spiritual gifts’ as are described in other letters (See: 1 Cor. 12:1-12); but perhaps more along the idea of edification, exhortation, teaching and preaching. (See: 1 Cor. 12:28-29; 14:1-3; Eph. 4:11)
“ that you may be established ” - Although their reputation as Christians is well known “throughout the whole world”, Paul desires to see them strengthened in the faith through proper instruction and information. He will be able to determine first-hand their faith is based on nothing less than Jesus Christ and His righteousness (from the hymn Christ the Solid Rock)
| On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand. When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found, Clothed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne! On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand. |
Anything else is false gospel, and cannot strengthen the believers.
Vs. 12 - 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.
“each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine” - He expects to be encouraged by their faith, and in turn encourage them. In this way, both are built up, established and strengthened.
No comments:
Post a Comment