Debt

                    I am obligated both to Greeks and non Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 

Romans 1.14

Paul sees himself as “obligated,” to Greeks and non-Greeks, to wise and foolish; to everyone, no matter their ethnic background or intellectual capabilities. “Obligated” can also be rendered “indebted.” Yet Paul has never met the Roman church, far less the greater population of Rome. So in what sense is he in debt to them? It is illustrative to think about how I can be in debt to you. First, you may have lent me $ 100—I am in debt to you until I pay it back. But second, someone else may have given me $ 100 to pass on to you—and I am in debt to you until I hand it on. It is in this second sense that Paul is “obligated” to everyone, everywhere. God has shared the gospel with him. But God has also commissioned him to declare it to others. So Paul owes people the gospel.

(Tim Keller, Romans For You)