We have come to the final portion of Paul’s letter to the Romans.
Chapter 15:13 concluded the main body of the letter which was devoted to a glorious presentation of the gospel (1:18-ch8); a discussion of God’s dealing with the Jews (9-11); and a call to Christian obedience (12-15:13). The rest of the letter is devoted to personal matters – Paul’s explanation of his ministry, his plans to visit Rome, his plea for their prayers and personal greetings.

The question to ask is: Why did the Holy Spirit think we needed to hear this lengthy conclusion? It’s understandable that the Spirit wanted us to hear all the doctrine – but how is this final conclusion helpful? Why did the Spirit inspire these words? How is this meant to be helpful for us?