But
now, I say, I am going to Jerusalem, serving the saints. For it has been the good pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are at Jerusalem. Yes, it has been their good pleasure, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, they owe it to them also to serve them in fleshly things.
Romans 15:25-27
Romans 15 [22.] Therefore also I was hindered these many times from coming to you, but now, no longer having any place in these regions, and having these many years a longing to come to you, whenever I travel to Spain, I will come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while.
Romans 15 [25.] But now, I say, I am going to Jerusalem, serving the saints. For it has been the good pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are at Jerusalem. Yes, it has been their good pleasure, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, they owe it to them also to serve them in fleshly things. When therefore I have accomplished this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will go on by way of you to Spain. I know that, when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of the Good News of Christ.
Romans 15 [30.] Now I beg you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints; that I may come to you in joy through the will of God, and together with you, find rest. Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Meaning:
Near the end of his letter to the Romans, Paul explains his travel plans. He longs to visit Rome and then go on to Spain, but first he must make one more journey east, to Jerusalem. He was probably writing from Corinth, in the province of Achaia, during the three months he spent in Greece before setting out (Acts 20:2-3).
- “I am going to Jerusalem, serving the saints”
For several years he had gathered money from the Gentile churches for poor believers in Jerusalem. He organised the giving in Corinth (1 Corinthians 16:1-3) and urged: “Let each man give according as he has determined in his heart; not grudgingly, or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). When the leaders in Jerusalem accepted his mission to the Gentiles, they asked only that he “remember the poor,” which he was “zealous to do” (Galatians 2:10).
- “It has been the good pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia”
Paul stresses that the churches of northern and southern Greece gave willingly.
- “They are their debtors”
Paul then explains why the gift was right. The good news came to the Gentiles through Israel: the promises, the Scriptures, the Messiah and the first apostles. In Romans 11 he pictures Gentile believers as wild olive branches grafted into Israel’s tree, adding, “it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you” (Romans 11:18). Those who share in such spiritual riches owe a debt of love, and it is fitting to repay it with material help, “to serve them in fleshly things.”
The collection was more than charity. It was a sign that Jew and Gentile now belonged to one family in Christ, who “made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition” (Ephesians 2:14).
- What happened in Jerusalem
Paul asked the Romans to pray “that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints” (Romans 15:30-31). Acts tells how he was seized in the temple soon after arriving. Later, defending himself before Governor Felix, he said, “I came to bring gifts for the needy to my nation, and offerings” (Acts 24:17).
The Significance of Romans 15:25-27
- Generosity that unites
Giving across cultural and national lines expresses the unity of God’s people. Paul reminded the Ephesian elders of the words of the Lord Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
- Gratitude shown in action
Believers who have received spiritual blessings through others can show their thanks in practical help.
Cross-References:
2 Corinthians 9:7: “for God loves a cheerful giver.” The spirit of the collection.
Romans 11:18: “the root supports you.” The Gentiles’ debt to Israel.
Acts 24:17: “I came to bring gifts for the needy to my nation.” Paul’s account before Felix.
Conclusion: Paul told the Romans that he was going to Jerusalem with the gift of the Macedonian and Achaian churches for the poor believers there. The Gentiles gave gladly, recognising that they owed material help to those through whom they had received spiritual blessing. The collection expressed the unity of Jew and Gentile in Christ, and Paul later named it before Felix as the reason for his visit.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible