After asking his readers to wrestle with him in prayer about his own serious circumstances, Paul closes the formal part of his letter with a prayer for them. This was a customary greeting among believers of the time, but we should not read it as anything less than a genuine prayer for the Christians in Rome.

Paul prays that the God of peace would be with them all. "God of Peace" is one of the titles Paul uses to describe God's nature. He is the God who gives peace in every sense of that word. He makes us to be at peace with Him through faith in Christ (Romans 5:1). He gives us peace in our hearts and minds through His Spirit (Romans 8:6). And He makes it possible for us to be at peace with other Christians (Romans 14:19).

Paul's letter isn't entirely finished. In Romans chapter 16, Paul launches into a series of post-script greetings and recommendations, followed by more instructions and greetings, before coming to a beautiful letter-closing doxology or hymn of praise to God.

Romans 15:22–33 describes Paul's plan to visit the Christians in Rome on his way to preaching the gospel in Spain. He has longed to see them for years. Before he comes, he must deliver a gift of financial aid from Gentile Christians to the poor Jewish believers in Jerusalem. He asks his readers to wrestle with him in prayer about this trip. Paul especially hopes to be delivered from the unbelieving Jewish religious leaders who want to kill him, and that the Christian Jews will receive the gift he is bringing.

Romans 15 begins with Paul's encouragement to those strong in faith: to please other Christians before themselves so the church can be unified. Christ came to fulfill God's promises to Israel and about the Gentiles. Paul is satisfied with the faith and practice of the Roman Christians. His work of taking the gospel to unreached regions of Gentiles in his part of the world is completed, and he longs to come see them. First, he must deliver financial aid to Jerusalem, a trip about which he asks them to pray along with him.

Romans 15 concludes Paul's teaching that those strong in faith ought to sacrifice their own desires to live in harmony with other believers. Paul shows that God always planned to welcome the Gentile nations, and his mission is to introduce Gentiles to the message of salvation by faith in Christ. He longs to visit the Christians in Rome and plans to do so as soon as he delivers financial aid to poor Christian Jews in Jerusalem. He begins Romans 16 by greeting many friends and acquaintances in Rome by name, as part of a drawn-out ending to this letter.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.

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