Follow this blog for daily bible commentary.

Romans 1:11

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong —

Paul says he wishes to see the Christians in Rome to impart on them a spiritual gift that will make them stronger. If someone came to me and said they have any gift, let alone a spiritual gift, that would make me strong, my guard would go up. What is this spiritual gift that Paul is referring to? There has been considerable thought from theologians focused on this verse since it was written, with a number of different possibilities proposed. In his first letter to the Corinthians, written before the letter to the Romans, Paul writes a passage about spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-11), in which he says:

1 Corinthians 12:8-10

To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

Is it one of these spiritual gifts that Paul wants to bring to the Romans? Some commentators (Moo), believe that Paul doesn’t know what spiritual gift he’ll bring until he travels to the Romans and sees what their needs are. Longnecker and others believe that the spiritual gift is the letter to the Romans itself, and a deeper understanding of the Gospel. Of course, Paul could be intending for all the above; his gifts are the letter and his preaching of the Gospel and whatever other blessings he can give when he finds out the needs of the local Roman church.

ASK YOURSELF: What are your spiritual gifts? How do we find out what our spiritual gifts are and how to apply them for the furthering of the Gospel?

Dear God, I pray that you soften my heart and open my eyes to see the opportunities you are placing in my life to reach others with love; seeing what their needs are and self-sacrificially meeting those needs. Amen.