Romans 1:8-15
Lesson #3 on Romans
    By Pastor Ronnie Wolfe

8 ¶ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

My God

Paul is now beginning the proper body of his letter with thanksgiving to his God. His God is different from any of the gods of this world or of anyone to whom Paul may be directing this letter.

Paul uses this phrase "my God" several times in his epistles.

Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

1 Corinthians 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;

1 Corinthians 14:18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:

2 Corinthians 12:21 And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

Philippians 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Philemon 1:4 I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,

Paul considered his God a personal God. He was not just the God of creation or the God of Heaven or the God of the universe or the Great God beyond all description and comprehension. He was Paul’s personal God.

Thankfulness

Paul is thankful to his God for the saints in Rome. We, too, should thank God for our Christian brothers and sisters. They mean more to us than we may think. What would we do if we were in this world alone as a believer?

He intimates that their comradery is through Jesus Christ. This is our common bond with every Christian around the world.

But Paul is thankful, not just for the saints alone, but for the fact that their "faith is spoken of throughout the whole world."

Faith

Paul is thankful for the faith of the Romans. Faith is a wonderful gift of God through which we are all saved. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Faith is a very precious commodity. The righteousness of God is revealed from heaven from faith to faith (Rom. 1:17).

The Romans did not shield or hide their faith, but they let it be known around the world. This means that the Romans had learned the lesson that the Gospel was not just for Jews but for the Gentiles also. Some of the Jews had not yet learned this lesson.

9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;

My Witness

To have a witness implies that an oath has been made. Remember, it is better not to vow than to vow and not pay (Eccl. 5:5).

Paul, then, had vowed to God that he would pray for the Romans without ceasing, and this he did, knowing that God was his witness. If he had not kept his vow, then he would need to answer to God, not to the Romans.

10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.

God was also Paul’s witness that he indeed wanted to come to Rome to be with the saints there and to impart something to them in person.

Paul made request to God that he might have a prosperous journey to Rome and that the journey would be in God’s will and not in his own.

James 4:13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

The phrase "at length" in this verse simply means "sometime." It is the Greek word POTE and means "sometime" or "any time."

11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;

Paul’s Longing

This word "long" has the meaning of strong desire or even lust. The idea here is that Paul had an intense desire to see the saints at Rome.

Paul’s desire was not to see the great city of Rome or its grand government buildings or its art or culture. His desire was to see and be with the lowly saints of God.

Paul’s Duty

Paul had a duty in mind. He has a desire to impart (give) some spiritual gift, not a special gift as was given to the apostles and the prophets of old, but a spiritual gift, perhaps the gift of his own teaching that the church there may be stabilized (established).

New children of God have everything needed to secure them unto heaven, but they do need to be instructed (Matt. 28:18-20) in the things of Jesus Christ so that they may grow thereby (1 Pet. 2:2).

12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

Comforted In Mutual Faith

Paul’s desire is that he come to them, give them a spiritual gift that they may be established and that they and he may be bonded together in "mutual faith."

Paul would be comforted in this, both he and they. This spiritual gift of his teaching would bring mutual faith, stability and comfort for both Paul and the Romans.

In this mutual faith, both Paul and the Romans are responsible for dispensing the message of this faith to the whole world. In establishing them in deeper truths of the word of God, they would be able to carry on the work of evangelism for a long time; and Paul would certainly be comforted in knowing that.

13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

Ignorance

Paul did not want the Romans ignorant of the fact that he had for a long time had this strong desire to come to them. He did not want them to think that he had just recently developed this desire. He had been praying for the Romans for a long time, and he would have come much earlier if he could have done so.

Hindrance

The word "let" means to hinder. Either God hindered Paul from going to Rome because he had somewhere else for Paul to travel and preach the Gospel, or Satan had hindered him from coming.

1 Thessalonians 2:18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.

Paul wants to see fruit among the believers in Rome. I am sure he wants to receive the fruit of the conversion of many as he comes to preach to them.

Then, he wants the fruit of the edification of the saints of God as he teaches them the word.

He also wants the fruit of the works of the saints as they work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. He wants to see them acting upon their faith.

Paul implies that he has had fruit among other Gentiles, and he wants to see some fruit among the Romans. It is not arrogance or selfishness to desire to see fruit from our evangelism or preaching or witnessing the grace of God in the Gospel.

Paul said:

1 Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

Sometimes we receive the fruit of another’s planting or watering. Therefore, we should not be proud when people are saved when we witness to them or preach to them.

14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.

Being A Debtor

The Bible discourages debt of any kind, but in a spiritual sense, we become debtors to every person.

Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

We are debtors to two things: (1) To the Greek, the Barbarians, the wise and the unwise to love them and give them the Gospel. (2) We are debtors to do the whole law.

Galatians 5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

We are debtors to the Jews, also; because Paul said many times: "to the Jew first, and also to the Greek," etc.

15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

As Much As In Me Is

This is a strange-sounding phrase to me. "As much as in me is."

The one Greek word that is translated "as much as" is KATA and means "according to."

The one Greek word that is translated "In me is" is the word EME and means "me."

Literally it would be translated "according to me."

This means that Paul was persuaded in himself that God wanted him to go to Rome to preach to the Romans. He had been called by God as a servant and led by the Spirit of God to go to Rome and preach the gospel to them.

I Am Ready

So, he said "I am ready." The Greek word here is PROTHUMOS and means "ready" or "willing."

Paul was willing to submit to God’s call to go to Rome also. I think he emphasizes Rome here with the term "Rome also," since it was the capital city for crime, commerce, and the seat of Satan where the Roman government was ruling the world with an iron hand.

When God calls us to do a job, travel overseas, or be in harm’s way to preach the gospel; will we be willing to follow his leadership? Will we have a lust, love or strong desire to follow the Lord’s leading even though dangers lie ahead?

Many of our missionaries are in harm’s way today, yet they have followed God’s leading. Many are old and feeble, but they continue to go on for the Lord and do the work away from the comfort of a home in America. They love the people in their countries, and they are persuaded to do the work of God.

Even here in the United States, missionaries and pastors many times are put against the wall of persecution and continue to do the work of God. May we all have that zeal to love the Lord, surrender to his service and be willing and ready to go when and where he calls us.