Discovery BoxRomans 1:11
Context1:11 For I long to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift 1 to strengthen you,
Romans 15:29
Context15:29 and I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of Christ’s blessing.
Philippians 1:25-26
Context1:25 And since I am sure of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for the sake of your progress 2 and joy in the faith, 3 1:26 so that what you can be proud of may increase 4 because of me in Christ Jesus, when I come back to you. 5
[1:11] 1 sn Paul does not mean here that he is going to bestow upon the Roman believers what is commonly known as a “spiritual gift,” that is, a special enabling for service given to believers by the Holy Spirit. Instead, this is either a metonymy of cause for effect (Paul will use his own spiritual gifts to edify the Romans), or it simply means something akin to a blessing or benefit in the spiritual realm. It is possible that Paul uses this phrase to connote specifically the broader purpose of his letter, which is for the Romans to understand his gospel, but this seems less likely.
[1:25] 2 tn Grk “for your progress.”
[1:25] 3 sn Paul’s confidence in his release from prison (I know that I will remain and continue with all of you) implies that this Roman imprisonment did not end in his death. Hence, there is the likelihood that he experienced a second Roman imprisonment later on (since the belief of the early church was that Paul died under Nero in Rome). If so, then the pastoral letters (1-2 Tim, Titus) could well fit into a life of Paul that goes beyond any descriptions in the book of Acts (which ends with Paul’s first Roman imprisonment). Some have argued that the pastorals cannot be genuine because they cannot fit into the history of Acts. But this view presupposes that Paul’s first Roman imprisonment was also his last.
[1:26] 4 tn Grk “your boasting may overflow in Christ Jesus because of me,” or possibly, “your boasting in me may overflow in Christ Jesus.” BDAG 536 s.v. καύχημα 1 translates the phrase τὸ καύχημα ὑμῶν (to kauchma jJumwn) in Phil 1:26 as “what you can be proud of.”
