Romans 15:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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,

NIV: But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you,

NASB: but now, with no further place for me in these regions, and since I have had for many years a longing to come to you

CSB: But now I no longer have any work to do in these regions, and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you

NLT: But now I have finished my work in these regions, and after all these long years of waiting, I am eager to visit you.

KJV: But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you;

NKJV: But now no longer having a place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you,

Paul has written to the Christians in Rome about why he has never traveled to see them there. His mission from God was to take the good news about salvation through faith in Jesus to regions where it had never been heard before (Romans 15:20).

He now writes that he has run out of unreached places to preach in his part of the world, freeing him up to come and see them on his way to Spain. Paul speaks very personally that he has longed to come and see them for many years. The following chapter will reveal that, though Paul has never been to Rome, he knows a great many people there, and cares deeply about them.

Paul's expression of his longing to see the Romans echoes what he wrote at the beginning of his letter. There, he mentioned his desire to strengthen them spiritually, to give and receive encouragement, and to reap a spiritual harvest among them (Romans 1:10–13).

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.

Accessed 5/7/2024 6:15:54 PM