Romans 1:8-10

Romans 1:8-10

[8] First,  I thank  God  through  Jesus  Christ  all,  that  faith  is spoken  of throughout  the whole  world.  [9] For  God  witness,  whom  I serve  with  spirit  in  the gospel  of his  Son,  that  without ceasing  I make  mention  [10] Making request,  now  at length  I might have a prosperous journey  by  the will  of God  to come  unto 

What does Romans 1:8-10 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Paul felt concern for the welfare of this church. The faith of the Roman church had become well known in the few years since it had come into existence (cf. Ephesians 1:15-16; Colossians 1:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 1:3). Typically Paul began by offering commendation to his readers for some praiseworthy trait whenever he could. Here he thanked God for the Romans through Jesus Christ, who had created access to God. He praised the Roman Christians for their obedience to God by trusting in Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 1:5). Failure to trust in Christ is really disobedience to God since God now commands everyone to believe in His Son (cf. Acts 17:30-31).
Paul called God as his witness ( Romans 1:9) because what he was about to say might be difficult to believe. He claimed to pray for the Romans unceasingly, namely, frequently, but not without stopping. The Greek word translated "unceasingly" (adialeiptos, cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:17) denotes that not much time elapsed between his prayers for them. These saints were constantly in his thoughts and prayers. "In my spirit" (NASB) means "with my whole heart" (NIV).
"We are reminded that the real work of the ministry is prayer. Preaching is more a result of the ministry of prayer than it is a ministry itself. A sermon that does not rise from intense and heart-searching prayer has no chance of bearing real fruit." [1]