Romans 15:14-33

Romans 15:14-33 … Paul is writing to believers in Rome, a city he has longed to see but never yet visited. In Rome, his readers would include Jewish believers but would be predominantly Gentiles. Paul emphasizes that his conversation is saturated with the things of God, not desiring to say anything about himself, but only of Christ. We learn that Paul, ever the missionary, wants to go beyond Rome and over to Spain. (Church historians hold that he did travel beyond Rome between his first and second trials, but that can’t be proven.) We also see that the Jerusalem church is in dire straits because of famine and that Paul feels compelled to return there with gifts and offerings he’s received from churches along the way who have had compassion on the Jerusalem church. Finally, notice Paul’s apprehension concerning zealous, non-believing Jews in Jerusalem who may (and did) seek his life because of their disdain for bringing Gentiles into Jewish synagogues. Recall that we saw the history of that in the closing chapters of Acts, the only history book of the New Testament.