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not mention the Roman province of Illyricum nor any of Paul's epistles up to this time.
From Macedonia the Via Egnatia crossed the Balkans to the coast of the Adriatic and it is
possible that Paul had traversed this as far as Illyricum. At this point he could say that he
had completed the preaching of the gospel of Christ (see the N.E.B.) and this was
confirmed by the evidential miracles which abounded in the Acts period. He does not
mean by this that every individual had heard the gospel, but that he had preached it in
every province in that part of the Gentile world and so fulfilled his ministry in that
region. He tells us that he avoided treading on someone's toes, but to cover as wide an
area as possible for the truth of God. This he had done at the eastern end of the
Mediterranean. What remained for his ministry? There was left the north coast of
Africa, Gaul and Spain. Paul makes no mention of Africa, though this was doubtless in
his mind. He does express his intention of visiting Spain, probably taking Gaul on the
way.
"But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have
been longing for many years to see you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to
visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I
have enjoyed your company for a while" (Rom. 15: 23, 24).
Did the Apostle ever reach Spain? There is no further reference to Spain in the N.T.,
nor certain evidence that he did so, but it was not impossible. However, he had a more
immediate task. He was concerned to organize a collection from the Gentile churches for
the poor saints living at Jerusalem. This not only recognized the indebtedness of the
Gentile churches to the mother church, but it also helped to cement the bond between the
Jerusalem believers and the churches of the Gentiles. It was a practical expression of
brotherly love.
At the same time Paul realized that the stricter brethren at Jerusalem looked on his
Gentile ministry with suspicion and he therefore had misgivings as to the sort of
reception he would receive from them:
"Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the saints there. For
Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints
in Jerusalem. They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the
Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with
them their material blessings. So after I have completed this task and have made sure
that they have received this truth, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. I know that
when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ. I urge you,
brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle
by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judaea and
that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, so that by God's will I
may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed. The God of peace be with
you all. Amen" (Rom. 15: 25-33, N.I.V.).
This collection for Jerusalem was not an innovation on Paul's part, for eleven years
previously Barnabas and he had brought a similar gift from believers at Antioch in Syria
to the church at Jerusalem in a period of famine (Acts 11: 30; 12: 25). At that time the
Jerusalem leaders could add nothing to Paul's ministry in the way of instruction, but
advised him to "remember the poor", which, the Apostle tells us, he was ready to do