Q: The Apostle Paul was trying to get to Rome, why? Did he want to establish churches? Was he aware of how evil Nero was? Were Christians freely practicing their faith in Rome during that time?
A: As was the case with all the missionary journeys of Paul, his primary reason for going to Rome was to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Besides advancing the Gospel, there may be other reasons that motivated him. In Acts 18, we read that two Jewish believers, Priscilla and Aquilla, met Paul in Corinth because, Roman Emperor, "Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome (Acts 18:2)." Knowing his Jewish brethren were facing severe persecution from the Romans must have caused Paul a lot of distress. We know from Paul's letter to the Romans of his deep love for his Jewish brethren and his desire that they all accept Jesus Christ as their savior. He wanted this so much that he said, "I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel (Romans 9:3-4)." I am not sure how many of us love someone enough to give up our salvation so that others may have it.
One of the greatest things a Christian can come to learn is the way in which God can use us to reach others for Christ despite the circumstances we may find ourselves in. As has been established, Paul desired to go to Rome in order to preach the Gospel to his Jewish brothers and sisters during their stressful time under Roman rule. However, before Paul could reach Rome on his own, he was arrested and imprisoned in Jerusalem for preaching the Gospel, ironically, to his Jewish brethren. While in prison there the Lord appeared to Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome (Acts 23:11)." The plan of God and the desire of Paul's heart were in tune together as Paul was eventually able to reach Rome, although it would be in chains. While the Roman church had already been planted by the time Paul arrived, his letter to them is no doubt his attempt to comfort, instruct and help sustain them. The experiences of Paul leading up to his visit to Rome no doubt led him to say, "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)."
Paul is believed to have been martyred during the reign of Nero around A.D. 65. Therefore, he not only was aware of the evil of Nero, he, unfortunately, had first hand experience. However, Paul and Nero had something in common. Both of them had experience in the persecution of Christians. In fact, Paul was on his way to persecute the Christian Church in Damascus when he had his encounter with Jesus (Acts 9). Later, Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, used as evidence for his legalistic righteousness, his persecution of the church (Philippians 3:6). Despite all of his efforts against the Church, Paul still was used mightily by God to advance the Gospel after his conversion. Yet, Paul still struggled with his past actions as is indicated by him saying, "I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God (1 Corinthians 15:9)." While disheartening that Paul struggled with his past, it should encourage all Christians that God doesn't hold our sins against us and can still use us to do great things for His Kingdom.
At the time Paul wrote his letter to the Romans, it is highly likely that Christians were in the midst of, or on the brink of, some of the worst persecution ever to befall the Church. As a matter of fact, Paul was under house arrest in Rome for two years. Along with Paul, the Apostle Peter is believed to have been condemned to death in Rome around the same time. Whether or not Christians were able to freely practice their faith did not stop Paul from doing so. Despite his confinement it is written of Paul that boldly and "without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 28:31)." We can take encouragement from Paul in regards to his willingness to be used by the Lord to preach the Gospel regardless of his circumstances. With everything that could have stopped Paul, his past sins against the Church, the threats on his life from his unbelieving Jewish brethren and the persecution of the Roman Empire, he wrote nearly two thirds of the New Testament. To this day, nearly 2,000 years after his journey to Rome, Christians can find instruction and hope in Paul's writings about the Lord and his life in Christ. While nobody would have blamed Paul for shying away from going to Rome, he went anyway. And because he went we can be strengthened by the following words he left us with:
"As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:36-39
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