Romans 15:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you.

NIV: So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way.

NASB: Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain.

CSB: So when I have finished this and safely delivered the funds to them, I will visit you on the way to Spain.

NLT: As soon as I have delivered this money and completed this good deed of theirs, I will come to see you on my way to Spain.

KJV: When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.

NKJV: Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain.

Returning to his main point about coming to see the Christians in Rome, Paul sums up his earlier statements. He will travel to them after he delivers the financial contributions to the poor Christians in Jerusalem. More specifically, Paul says he will leave for Spain by way of visiting his readers in Rome. To this point, Paul's emphasis on introducing the gospel to unreached areas has prevented him from passing through Rome (Romans 15:20–22).

He also uses unusual language to describe his delivery of the money to Jerusalem. He says that he will leave when he has "sealed to them this fruit." Likely, by fruit, he means the financial gift of the Gentile Christians. It is the fruit, or product, of both their generosity and their faith in God. Paul will "seal" it in the sense that he will complete the task by handing it off to the right people and verifying who it is from and what it is for.

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 5/2/2024 6:58:44 AM