👆Click and listen to this training as you get ready or drive somewhere.
The New Testament makes a simple but profound statement: “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4). Paul is saying that the coming of Jesus was not random. It wasn’t an accident of history. It happened at precisely the right time, in the right place, under the right conditions. God orchestrated the world stage so that when Christ entered, the gospel could spread in ways no one could have imagined.
One of the key reasons it was the right time was because of the Roman Empire. At first glance, Rome seemed like an enemy of the gospel. After all, it was a Roman governor, Pilate, who ordered Jesus’ crucifixion. It was Roman soldiers who mocked Him, nailed Him to the cross, and gambled for His clothes. Later, Roman emperors like Nero would unleash brutal persecution against Christians. And yet, even with all its cruelty, Rome provided conditions that made the spread of the gospel possible in a way no previous age could have managed.
First, the Roman Empire created something called the Pax Romana, or “Roman Peace.” From about 27 BC to AD 180, the Mediterranean world enjoyed an unprecedented level of stability. For centuries before Rome, the ancient world was divided by constant wars between rival kingdoms. Armies marched back and forth, and borders shifted constantly. Travel was dangerous, trade was inconsistent, and communication was limited.
But under Rome, for almost 200 years, there was a general peace across the empire. Roman legions guarded the borders, suppressed uprisings, and kept trade routes open. While Rome was far from gentle, its iron fist created an environment where ordinary people could travel farther, trade more freely, and move with relative safety. For the first time in history, the entire Mediterranean basin was united under one political system.
Now think about the gospel. Jesus commanded His disciples in Acts 1:8: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” For that mission to succeed, the world needed roads, travel, and peace. And that is exactly what Rome provided. Paul and the apostles could move from city to city, province to province, with a freedom that would have been impossible just a century earlier.
Second, Rome was famous for its roads. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “All roads lead to Rome.” That was more than just a saying. The Romans built over 50,000 miles of carefully engineered roads that connected their vast empire. Soldiers marched on them, merchants traveled on them, and missionaries would later carry the gospel on them.
These roads made Paul’s missionary journeys possible. He traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch, from Philippi to Thessalonica, from Corinth to Ephesus. He sailed across the Mediterranean and walked along Roman roads, bringing the gospel to Jew and Gentile alike. Without those roads, his journeys would have been slow, dangerous, and limited. But with them, the gospel spread rapidly across the empire.
One historian put it this way: “Rome thought it was building roads for its legions. God knew they were building roads for His missionaries.” What Rome built for conquest, God used for kingdom.
Third, Rome also provided a legal framework that protected, at least in part, the early Christians. Roman law was highly developed and enforced across the empire. For ordinary citizens, this meant there was some measure of protection against chaos or arbitrary punishment.
Paul himself was a Roman citizen, which gave him rights others didn’t have. When he was beaten unlawfully in Philippi, he appealed to his citizenship (Acts 16:37). When Jewish leaders plotted against him in Jerusalem, he invoked his right to appeal to Caesar (Acts 25:11). That appeal carried him all the way to Rome, the very heart of the empire, where he boldly proclaimed the gospel under house arrest.
Rome thought it was preserving its legal order. But God was using Roman law to bring the message of Christ into the emperor’s capital.
Another factor was Rome’s emphasis on cities. The empire built massive urban centers, connected by trade, politics, and culture. Cities like Corinth, Ephesus, and Philippi became hubs where diverse people gathered. And Paul understood that reaching the cities meant reaching the world. If the gospel took root in these centers, it would spread outward as people carried it back to their towns and villages.