The faith of the Romans

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, as your faith is proclaimed throughout the world.”
Rom 1:8

Paul had never been to Rome before, as he describes a few verses later (Rom 1:10 and Rom 1:13). So he writes a letter to a community he knows only by hearsay. What did he hear about this community? This is what comes up in this verse. Indeed, Paul gives thanks to God, through Jesus Christ, “for all of you, since your faith is being proclaimed throughout the world.” Your reputation has preceded the church in Rome. People talk about this community. So Paul also heard about this church. This was possible without the Internet and social media, because people talked to each other.

Let us remember that Rome was the center of the Roman Empire. “All roads lead to Rome” was the logical magnetism of the center of power at the time. People come and go. Rome was a vibrant metropolis of antiquity. Trade was conducted and the city flourished. The Romans had built a network of roads across the empire. There was an infrastructure, which, of course, was used not only for military but also for other purposes. Travelers told stories, reported about Rome, about the people there. This was also told by the believers from the capital.

It was known of the church in Rome that their faith stood out. Because faith always works through love (Gal 5:6), we can think of concrete community actions. The church in Rome was traveling as a community. It is a testimony of their confidence and trust in God. So faith is not a private matter that is lived in a quiet chamber and only for oneself (as is often the case today), but it is the faith of this community that was carried outward. “Your faith is proclaimed throughout the world.”

The yearning of the apostle

“For my witness is God (to whom I worship in my spirit at the Gospel of His Son), how incessantly I remember you, always pleading in my prayers, whether I may at last be so fortunate as to come to you by the will of God. For I long to see you.”
Rom 1:9-11

Paul longs to know the Romans. He means it. He even calls God to witness how unceasingly he has the church before his eyes. He constantly carries the church in prayer and begs God to let him travel to Rome one day. This takes time, however, and although he expresses this desire on another occasion (Acts 19:21), he will not get to Rome until much later and in a different way than he had thought. Towards the end of Acts we read how he is captured and, to save his skin, protects himself from the Jewish countrymen by appealing (as a Roman citizen) to the emperor (Acts 25:10). Accordingly, Paul was to come before the emperor and was shipped to Rome as a prisoner (Acts 25:21, Acts 28:16).

What is Paul’s relationship to the Romans? That’s being explored right now. The access is through common faith, through common trust in the same God. That is the unifying element. He sees himself as a servant of God. He has a mission. He addresses the church as an apostle, a messenger with a mission. Paul writes that he “worships God in my spirit at the gospel of His Son” (Rom 1:9).

He sees his apostleship as a service to God. Admittedly, this is not worship in the sense of going to church or temple, but worship in a true sense and as a visual language. His worship takes place in the Spirit (cf. Phil 3:3). That is nevertheless very pragmatic. In his spiritual ministry, works as a man among men. It is a figurative worship, which is also expressed, for example, in this letter. Paul is seeking contact, seeking connection with the believers in Rome so that he can fulfill his ministry. It is the love of the Christ that urges him to his service (2 Cor. 5:14).

“For I long to set my eyes upon you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift of grace to strengthen you.”
Rom 1:11

The spiritual welfare of the Romans is a concern of his. Also at the end of the letter he comes back to this “consolidate”:

“But to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the heraldic message of Christ Jesus.”
Rom 16:25

The good news, with which Paul is on his way, the proclamation of Jesus Christ, that is the spiritual gift of grace, with which he wants to “strengthen” the Romans. Spiritual stability is the goal, as an expression of an adult faith. Much later Paul writes to the church in Colosse:

“… yet I am with you in spirit, and joyfully observe your order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.”
Col 2:5

Paul always has in mind the spiritual awakening of the people. People should grow up spiritually. This theme is repeated in every other letter as well. It is about the “Building up the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to the matured man, to the measure of the fullness of the completion of the Christ, that we may no longer be babes, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine as by surging waves.” (Eph. 4:12-14). This is the goal of Paul’s ministry.

The interaction

Paul reveals himself as a human being. For him, faith is not just theology or intellectual debate. It is about a holistic encounter. When he has the church in Rome in mind, he wants to go all out there, to invest himself, but also to be awarded himself.

“But this is done that I may be credited with among you through the faith of both of you, yours and mine.”
Rom 1:12

Paul sees himself as part of this exchange. He also needs encouragement. He is indeed in a ministry, and comes with a certain authority from Christ, but in the encounter he is also a man himself. He also wants to be a recipient of communion, of God’s graces. It is the mutual faith that is emphasized here. The Romans should also recognize him as their equal. He is interested in these exchanges. He is looking for them, but hasn’t had the chance yet.

“Neither will I leave you in ignorance, my brethren, that I have often purposed to come unto you (hitherto I have been denied), that I may have some fruit among you also, as well as among the rest of the nations.”
Rom 1:13

His service was never limited, but downright unlimited. There was no reason to exclude the Romans from the proclamation, for example. On the contrary, they should also experience encouragement and be built up. Paul also wants to see “some fruit” from his work among the Romans.

The image of “bearing fruit” is found in many places, from the famous parable of the vine (John 15) to the ninefold “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal 5:22). It is a positive image. A seed is planted and the plant is nurtured. Then follows later fruit. It is also a symbol of confidence, for the church grows “according to God’s growth” (Col 2:19).