Romans 1:11

that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift Some "charisma." The exact reference is not quite certain. It has been explained of miraculous gifts, which (on this view) St Paul desired to impart, by imposition of hands, to the Roman saints. And certainly it appears that these "gifts" were as a ruleconveyed only by immediate apostolic ministry (and therefore only to Christians of the first age). See Acts 8:14-17; Acts 19:6. But the word charisma("gift of grace,") is used with the widest reference. See e.g. Romans 6:23, where it is Salvation itself. And from Romans 12:6 it appears that at least the "gift" of prophecy, or inspired preaching, was then possessed by Roman saints; (though to be sure no other miraculous gift is there named, and even this may have been received from Apostles elsewhere;as it was e.g. by Aquila, Romans 16:3). The sequel of this passage (esp. Romans 1:12; Romans 1:16,) points rather to the "gift" of holy intercourse, and above all to that of instruction. St Paul desires to "preach the Gospel" to the Roman believers; i.e. to do what in fact he does in this Epistle, "expound to them the way of Christ more perfectly," "to the end they might be established," by maturer and ampler knowledge of the eternal Truth.