What does Romans 1:15 mean?

Paul concludes this section about why he wants to come to Rome to see his readers in person. This is a desire he often expresses when writing to churches with which he had been involved (1 Thessalonians 2:17–18). He has given several reasons, including his desire to see people from multiple cultures come to faith in Christ. He has been praying for the opportunity to go, but so far God has prevented it from happening (Romans 1:13–14).

Still, as Paul writes now, he remains eager to preach the gospel to his readers in Rome. Christ Himself gave Paul the mission to preach about Christ to Gentiles from all nations (Acts 9:15). Since so many of those nations and people groups were likely represented in the world city of Rome, it seemed to Paul to be a natural destination for him. He was thinking strategically about how best to distribute faith in Christ to all peoples.