St Paul’s Letter to the Romans (2)

Part of Paul’s reason for writing to the Romans was to announce his intention to visit there on his way to Spain (Romans 15:24). He says, almost off-handedly, that first he will be going to Jerusalem to deliver the money he had collected from the gentile Christians in Macedonia and Achaia to assist “the poor among the holy ones in Jerusalem.” He explains that the gentile churches are in fact indebted to the Jewish churches since gentiles share in their spiritual blessings, so he considers it appropriate that the gentile Christians should assist the Jewish Christians with material blessings. Could it be that Paul’s letter to the Romans is a 7,000 word appeal for a collection to help him bring the Gospel to Spain? When he says to the Romans, “I know that in coming to you I shall come in the fullness of Christ’s blessing,” it does make us wonder.