To the Ends of the Earth

What if Paul’s letter to the Romans was never intended to be abstract theology but was instead a missionary appeal? To the Ends of the Earth rereads one of Christianity’s most influential texts as a pastoral and apostolic intervention written to form a people capable of participating in God’s mission. Drawing on decades of cross-cultural ministry and fifteen years of sustained scholarly research, Jeff Roper argues that Romans is not a detached doctrinal system but a letter shaped by real communities, lived tensions, and life under empire.

Written to believers at the heart of the Roman world, Romans addresses churches fractured by ethnicity, status, power, and practice. Jewish and gentile followers of Jesus, enslaved and free, and patrons and the urban poor were learning how to live together as one body in Christ. Paul’s theology emerges here as formation—shaping a reconciled community whose shared life embodied the gospel and propelled its witness outward.

Placing Romans within its historical, social, and imperial context, this book attends to house churches and tenement churches, honor and shame, patronage, and the often-hidden faithfulness of marginalized believers. Moving from the first century to the present, it brings Paul’s missional vision into conversation with contemporary church life and global missions. This book is a compelling invitation to read Romans as a summons to become a Spirit-formed people sent into the world for the sake of the nations.

Jeff Roper is the global associate director for the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and Europe for Foursquare Missions International, where he focuses on developing leaders and disciple-making movements. When not traveling, he enjoys time with his wife, Debbie. Together, they have six children, thirteen grandchildren (so far), and one dog named Millie. They enjoy camping, hiking, and long walks. He is currently working on a PhD in missiology.