PURPOSE
PURPOSE
The treatise style of the letter to the Romans gives rise to one of the most debated questions about the letter: What was Paul’s purpose in sending so heavy a theological exposition to the Christians in Rome? If we first turn to explicit statements of purpose in the letter itself, we find little to help answer this question. Paul writes about his reasons for visiting Rome, but not about his reason for writing to Rome. The only statement he makes on this latter point is too general to be of any real help: "I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again” (Rom. 15:15).
The only remaining method of determining Paul’s purpose is to fit the contents of the letter to its occasion. The general occasion of the letter is sketched above (see the section Provenance and Date). But it is the particular occasion, Paul’s motivations in writing, that will lead to conclusions about purpose. Opinions on this question tend to move in two different directions: those that focus on Paul’s own circumstances and needs as the occasion for the letter, and those that stress the circumstances of the Christian community in Rome as its immediate occasion. Few solutions ignore one or the other of these factors entirely; the differences come in the importance accorded to each one.
1. We begin with those views that single out Paul’s own circumstances as decisive. For the sake of convenience, these may be divided according to the location that is seen as central to Paul’s concerns.
Spain. Paul’s missionary-campaign plan is to travel to Spain in order to plant new churches in virgin territory (Rom. 15:24-29). He is stopping in Rome on the way, and
one of his undoubted purposes is to enlist the support of the church in Rome for his outreach there. Paul alludes to these hopes in 15:24 with the verb προπέμπω (propempo, G4636), which connotes "help on the way with material support.” One of Paul’s purposes in writing, then, may have been to introduce himself to the Roman Christians as a way of preparing for his visit and for his request for sponsorship. Indeed, some find this to be Paul’s chief reason for writing. 41They claim that the general theological tenor of the letter is due to Paul’s desire to prove that he is orthodox and worthy of support.
Preparation for the mission in Spain was probably a major reason for the writing of Romans. But it cannot stand alone as a reason for the letter. Had this been Paul’s overriding purpose, we would have expected mention of Spain long before Rom. 15. Furthermore, the contents of Romans, while theological in nature, focus on a limited number of topics, treating these from a certain perspective: the salvation-historical disjunction of law and gospel, Jew and Greek. Something more definite than a desire to introduce himself is required to explain Paul’s purpose in Romans.