Romans 15:22-33--Paul's Plan to Visit Rome

Romans 15:22-33
English Standard Version

Paul's Plan to Visit Rome
22 This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. 28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

​30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

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As we reach the end of Paul's letter, he talks a bit about his future plans to come and see them in-person, maybe even as a stopping-off point as he desires to visit Spain.  Paul says that his reason that he's been hindered from coming to see them so far has been that he desires to keep going to areas where the gospel has never been preached, and apparently, that's not the case in Rome.  From his conclusion that we'll see next time, it looks like Priscilla and Aquilla probably are leaders there in the church in Rome and that they have already "laid the foundation" so that Paul feels no need teach them anything new or different--just to encourage them that everything that they have been told was correct and that he's hearing good things about them.

Paul tells that that he's currently about to make a trip to Jerusalem to take the contributions to the Jewish believers there (who were experiencing great persecution) that had been collected by the Gentile believers in Macedonia and Achaia (western Greece)--a mixture of poor and wealthy Gentile believers, some of whom gave out o their poverty and others out of their abundance that God had blessed them with.  All gave as a sign of them being thankful that their Jewish brothers sent them missionaries like Paul, Barnabas, Silas, and others and shared the gospel with them.  Paul's intent was that after he had delivered these offerings to Jerusalem that he would make his way towards Spain and would stop off in Rome on his way.

As we read in the book of acts, it seems like this visit to Jerusalem would correspond with his departure for Jerusalem in Acts 21, but probably before the prophecy is given to him in Acts 21:11 that he would be arrested by the Jews when he went to Jerusalem, because Paul is talking about plans to immediately leave for Spain, so it appears that he doesn't know yet that this trip will be the beginning of the end for him, or perhaps he has received that prophecy as Paul encourages the church in Rome to pray for his safety and that he would be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea.  He seems to have a feeling that some kind of trouble is going to come about, but whether or not he knows exactly that he's going to be arrested and put on trial, it's not exactly clear--either way though, he was totally obedient to what God had called him to do, even if he knew that the end might be imprisonment, torture and possibly death.  He obeyed and went even though everyone tried to cling to him and keep him from going, especially after they heard the prophecy that he was going to be arrested and bound by the unbelievers in Judea (in Jerusalem), but Paul would not be dissuaded from being obedient and fulfilling his mission.

Paul ends this section by praying that they may be united in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the love of the Holy Spirit, and that they would all experience the peace of God.  This is not the peace that the world gives, but is the kind of peace that Jesus taught His disciples about right before His death in John 17,

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.

25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

and again when He breathed on the Ten (Thomas was not with them) after His resurrection and told them to receive the Holy Spirit:


John 20:19-23
English Standard Version

Jesus Appears to the Disciples
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

We have peace because of what unites us to God--the work of Jesus Christ and the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.  We must be connected to the root of the True Vine (Jesus) and let the sap flow through all of us that is the Spirit giving life to each branch and making us into a single, fruitful organism.

We have a few more sections in the final chapter of this letter to talk about over the next few days, but the "Amen" at the end of this chapter seems to be the end of the formal letter--everything else seems to be more "post script"--personal greetings, final greetings and instructions and Paul will end in a doxology.  This letter was written not just to the church in Rome but to us to make sure that we too are united around the foundational beliefs and have all the fundamentals in common with one another.  It encourages us to not be divided, but to be united around to Word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ and the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.  We are to be sure of our salvation because we know it was decided and completed in the past, yet it a process that is ongoing in the present as we are transformed more and more into the image of the Son of God, and we are one day to be glorified, though we will have different kind of glory than the Son, but will share in both His glory and His inheritance as we will all be legitimate heirs by adoption.  There is much to rejoice about and look forward to even in these times of trial and tribulation and God can even use these things that look so awful to accomplish His good purposes--just like He used that which appeared to be the worst day in history when Jesus was crucified for sins that He had not committed to bring about the salvation of all the Elect.  No one would have imagined this to be God's plan, but it was exactly what the Father and the Son had agreed upon from the beginning and exactly the story that the Word of the Lord had spoken to the prophets of Old when Jesus told them all about Himself and His coming and His plan to provide a salvation that they would not see, but they looked forward to and received by faith.  So we are all saved by grace through faith and this not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works so that no man can boast.