²² For this reason I have often been prevented from coming to you; ²³ 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 ²⁴ whenever I go to Spain—for I hope to see you in passing, and to be helped on my way there by you, when I have first enjoyed your company for a while— ²⁵ but now, I am going to Jerusalem serving the saints.

Paul returns to his personal explanation of what is taking him so long in visiting Rome. He had “often … planned to come to you, and have been prevented so far…” (Rom 1:13). Although he had a great desire to go there, Paul was all about preaching the Gospel, and that compelled his every decision. In this case, he had been preaching the good news around the eastern Mediterranean. In Romans 15:19 he specifically mentions the area between Jerusalem to Illyricum (modern-day southwest Turkey). This included the area of Galatia (to whom he wrote the letter by that name, “Galatians”), as well as Colossae and Ephesus, where he preached the Gospel during his first and second missionary tours. But we learn from the book of Acts that by the time Paul was writing his letter to the Roman believers, he had extended the Gospel into Macedonia and Greece, which included Thessalonica, Philippi, Corinth, Athens, and various other smaller communities.

“But now” his work in those places was done. Paul was apparently writing from Corinth, if we piece together correctly various historical references of his movements in the book of Acts and references in 1 & 2 Corinthians. He has one last task to complete, namely delivering the benevolence offering he had been collecting to the Jerusalem Christians (vs. 25). It was then time to go west. The Romans, already being Christians, had been on his heart “for many years,” and were his goal in passing. But his ultimate objective was Spain, that Roman province unreached with the Gospel.

As we pointed out before, the Roman church was probably founded by Paul’s converts, for although he had never been there himself, he knew many of the believers there judging by his extensive greetings in Romans 16. There is no biblical evidence that Peter founded the church there, as the Catholic denomination asserts, nor does Paul anywhere in the letter refer to Peter, which would be strange if Peter had founded the church. The church had been there a long time (“years”). Paul hoped to minister to them, be encouraged by them (Rom 1:12-13) and be helped by them on his way.

Lord, help me connect with and support other Christians, particularly those traveling in Your service of preaching and teaching the Gospel.