Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Romans 16

We have finally reached the last chapter in our lengthy study in Romans, one of the most important books in the Bible. The names which occur in this chapter are chiefly Greek and many are women, which was unusual in the societies of the day. Possibly some of them had been converted under the ministry of the apostle himself during his preaching in Corinth and other parts of Greece. For a city he has never been to, he knows a surprising number of people who have moved to Rome. It shows in a remarkable way how imperial Rome with its worldwide authority, its military roads and ship lines, its traffic to and fro from center to each point of the circumference of world territory and its amalgamation of nations, was a providential preparation for the propagation of a universal religion.

We do not know how the church in Rome had come into being, whether Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost had given the main impetus, or whether the people Paul had met elsewhere and whom he greeted in this epistle had carried the Gospel to the capital of the empire.

(1) Our sister *Phoebe, a ***deacon in the church in ***Cenchrea, will be coming to see you soon.

  • *Phoebe: This name is the feminine form of a title given to the pagan god Apollo, the title meaning “the bright one.” As the letter-carrier, she may have read the letter out loud, answered questions about it and the author, and conveyed some verbal news and greetings from Paul and from others in Corinth.
  • **deacon: Bible translators have a habit of translating the ancient Greek word diakonon as “deacon” when it speaks of men and “servant” when it speaks of women as in the KJV. A woman deacon would have helped and even taught the women of the church.
  • ***Cenchrea, located nine miles from Corinth, was the port for Corinth on the eastern side of the isthmus, and remains of the ancient harbor are visible in the water today. Paul had his hair cut here because of a vow, and then set sail from the harbor, concluding his 18-month stay in Corinth on his second journey:
    • Acts 18:18: Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that and then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters and sailed for the coast of Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him. (Earlier, at Cenchrea, Paul had shaved his head according to Jewish custom, for he had taken a vow.)

(2) Receive her in the Lord, as one who is worthy of high honor. Help her in every way you can, for she has *helped many in their needs, including me.

  • *helped many in their needs: The words "benefactor" or "patron" as used here in some versions is just one of many suggested English translations of the Greek word prostasis. Literally, it means a person placed in front. In the Greek Old Testament, it was used for officials; in ordinary Greek it was used for patrons - wealthy people who assisted others. Although she probably would not need financial help, Paul asks the Roman Christians to help her in other ways such as keeping her safe, lodging her and introducing her to the other women in the church in Rome.
  • Phoebe probably did not realize what an immortal treasure of truth for the whole Christian Church throughout the centuries to come was entrusted to her hands. And Paul probably did not realize that two thousand years later, Christians like us would still be digesting this foundational letter of Christian truth.
  • Whatever her business was, she had need of assistance and encouragement from the Christians at Rome.
  • The Pulpit Commentary states here: “This Phoebe was probably the bearer of the Epistle. She appears to have had business, perhaps of a legal kind, that took her to Rome; and St. Paul took advantage of her going to send the letter by her, desiring also to enlist the aid of her fellow-Christians at Rome in furtherance of her business, whatever it might be. Her having business at Rome, and her having been ‘a succourer of many,’ suggests the idea of her being a lady of means.” Some Commentators believe that Phoebe may have been a convert from paganism since a Jewish woman would be unlikely to bear a name borrowed from Greek mythology.
  • The Wycliffe Bible Commentary adds to this: “This chapter refutes the idea that the apostle resented women working in the churches or among believers. His tribute to Phoebe is followed by greetings to various people and groups. Among those greeted are eight women. Paul specifically comments on how much work five of these women did (Mary, v. 6; Priscilla, a fellow worker, v. 3; Tryphena and Tryphosa, v. 12; Persis, v. 12). The mother of Rufus was so dear to Paul that he calls her his mother as well (v. 13). Only two women are mentioned without any comment-Julia and the sister of Nereus (v. 15).”

(3) Greet *Priscilla and Aquila. They have been **co-workers in my ministry for Christ Jesus.

  • *Priscilla: (diminutive form of Prisca) Quite unusually, she is mentioned before her husband. They are mentioned in Acts 18:2, Acts 18:26; 1 Corinthians 16:19. Paul at first met them at Corinth. Aquila was a Jew, born in Pontus, who had resided at Rome, and who had left Rome, and come to Corinth, when Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome. It is probable that they were converted under the preaching of Paul. Paul lived with them, and they had the advantage of his private instruction. At the death of Claudius, or whenever the decree for the expulsion of the Jews was repealed, it is probable that they returned to Rome.
  • **co-workers: sunergo. They were tent makers, the same profession as Paul. Paul met them in Corinth when he went to the synagogue.
  • They were a husband and wife team. God can so greatly use a godly couple! Priscilla’s name is mentioned six times in the N.T. and in each place her husband’s name is found as well. She is always mentioned with him. They functioned as a very effective team for the Lord Jesus.
  • Spurgeon on Priscilla and Aquila: “When two loving hearts pull together they accomplish wonders. What different associations cluster around the names of ‘Priscilla and Aquila’ from those which are awakened by the words ‘Ananias and Sapphira’! There we have a husband and a wife conspiring in hypocrisy, and here a wife and a husband united in sincere devotion.”
  • Acts 18:2-3: Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had been expelled from Italy as a result of Claudius Caesar's order to deport all Jews from Rome. Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was.
  • Acts 18:18: Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that and then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters and sailed for the coast of Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him. (Earlier, at Cenchrea, Paul had shaved his head according to Jewish custom, for he had taken a vow.)
  • Acts 18:24-26: Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had just arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. He had been taught the way of the Lord and talked to others with great enthusiasm and accuracy about Jesus. However, he knew only about John's baptism. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately.
  • 1 Corinthians 16:19: The churches here in the province of Asia greet you heartily in the Lord, along with Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings
  • 2 Timothy 4:19: Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila and those living at the household of Onesiphorus..
  • If it weren’t for the fact that Priscilla and Aquila had to leave Rome, they never would have met Paul. What is interesting is that Priscilla and Aquila are now back in Rome. That Roman order to kick the Jews out of Rome had been rescinded or no longer enforced. This couple decided it was best to go back to their home in Rome and set up a church at that location.
  • The application of this sentence is you never know the impact of any Christian service one performs. There is a classic story of an “insignificant” Sunday school teacher close to a hundred years ago. There were no major accomplishments in his life, other than the fact he was the one who preached the Gospel message to Billy Graham as a child when he first got saved. Billy Graham has lead millions to Christ. My point is one never knows the impact of one’s service for God.

(4) In fact, they *risked their lives for me. I am not the only one who is thankful to them; so are all the Gentile churches.

  • *risked their lives: Historically, there is no record of this event in the Bible. Perhaps, they risked their lives when Paul as in danger in Ephesus (Acts 19:23-41).

(5) Please give my greetings to the church that meets in their *home. Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the very first person to become a Christian in the province of** Asia.

  • *home:
    • This gives us a clue to the organization of the early church. In a city with a Christian community of any size, there would be several “congregations” meeting in different houses, since there were no “church” buildings at this time. They had Christ’s promise, "For where two or three gather together because they are mine, I am there among them." (Matthew 18:20).
    • When Aquila and Priscilla lived in Ephesus mention was made of "Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings" (1 Corinthians 16:19).
    • In Acts 12:12 we learn that "the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer".
    • The house of Lydia was used as a gathering place for believers (Acts 16:15,40).
    • In Laodicea, there was a house church hosted by Nymphas (to Nympha and those who meet in her house." - Colossians 4:15).
    • In Philemon 2 we read, " and to our sister Apphia and to Archippus, a fellow soldier of the cross. I am also writing to the church that meets in your house."
  • **Asia: The KJV has "Achaia" but the Greek manuscripts seem to better support the reading of "Asia"

(6) Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit.

  • worked (kopiao): The word "worked" means to labor to the point of weariness, to sweat and exhaustion. How did Paul know she had given much labor to the church at Rome? Possibly, Aquila and Priscilla who had come from Rome would have informed Paul about her. She probably had been an early part of the church at Rome. The fact that it's in the past tense indicates that by now she may have been very old.

(7) Then there are Andronicus and *Junia, **my relatives, who were in ***prison with me. They are respected among the apostles and became Christians before I did. Please give them my greetings.

  • *Junia is a woman’s name.
  • **my relatives: Whether “my relatives” means that they were related to Paul personally is unclear. The words could simply mean that they were fellow Jews. Where and when they were in prison with Paul cannot be established.
  • ***prison:
    • Colossians 4:10: Aristarchus, who is in prison with me, sends you his greetings, and so does Mark, Bananas' cousin. And as you were instructed before, make Mark welcome if he comes your way.
    • Philemon 23: Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings.

(8) Say hello to *Ampliatus, whom I love as one of the Lord's own children,

  • *Ampliatus, a contracted form of "Ampliatus," was a common name among slaves. There is a tomb dating from the late first or early second century in the earliest Christian catacomb of Rome which bears the name AMPLIAS. Some suggest that this is the same person mentioned in Romans 16:8. A Roman nobleman or a Roman free man would have three names, but a slave would only have one name. And Ampliatus was a slave.

(9) and Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and beloved Stachys.

(10) Give my greetings to *Apelles, a good man whom **Christ approves. And give my best regards to the members of the household of ***Aristobulus.

  • *Apelles: Whether Apelles is the same name as Apollos, mentioned in Acts, we don't know.
  • **Christ approves (dokimos): Christ-approved! What a statement! Can that be said of us?
  • ***Aristobulus:. The fact that the household of Aristobulus is greeted, but not Aristobulus himself, made Spurgeon think that he himself was not converted but many in his household were. Lightfoot, the classical Greek commentator, suggests something interesting about this man. In studying history around this time we find that it's likely that this man may have been the brother of Herod Agrippa I and the grandson of Herod the Great. So that Aristobulus was in the family of the Herods. He would therefore have been an intimate ally with Emperor Claudius, who at the time was the Roman Emperor. When Aristobulus died, Lightfoot says, his household, that is his wife and family and slaves and possessions would become the property of the Emperor and they would all be absorbed within the Emperor's Imperial household. So in the Imperial household you would have those of Aristobulus...it would be known as the household of Aristobulus.

(11) Greet Herodion, my relative. Greet the Christians in the household of *Narcissus.

  • *Narcissus: We know from Roman history that he was a former slave who became the personal secretary of The Emperor Claudius. He exercised a tremendous influence over the emperor. In fact he is said to have amassed a private fortune. But he had a tremendous amount of wealth. His power had lain in the fact that all correspondence addressed to the emperor had to pass through his hands and never reach the emperor until he allowed it to do so. So he made his fortune from the fact that people paid him large bribes to make sure their petitions and requests reached the emperor. When Claudius was murdered and Nero came to the throne, Narcissus survived for a little while. In the end he was compelled to commit suicide and all of his fortune and all of his household of slaves passed into the possession of Nero. It may well be his one time slaves which are here referred to. It may have been those who once belonged to Narcissus who now have been redeemed. And Barclay says if Aristobulus really is the Aristobulus who is the grandson of Herod, and if Narcissus really is the Narcissus who is Claudius' secretary, then this means that many of the slaves at the Imperial court were already Christians and the leaven of Christianity had reached the highest circles of the Empire. We remember in Paul's letter to the Philippians at the end he says the believers in Caesar's household greet you.

(12) Say hello to *Tryphena and Tryphosa, the Lord's workers, and to dear **Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord.

  • *Tryphena and Tryphosa: These were probably two holy women, who ministered to the sick and labored to promote the spread of Christianity.
  • **Persis, another female name. In fact, it literally means a Persian woman.

(13) Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.

  • He apparently was chosen in a unique way for service to Christ.
  • Mark 15:21: A man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the country just then, and they forced him to carry Jesus' cross. (Simon is the father of Alexander and Rufus.)

(14) And please give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them.

  • Both Hermes and Hermas are names for the Greek god, also known as Mercury.

(15) Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, *Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the other believers who are with them.

  • *Nereus probably was the housekeeper of a prominent Roman citizen named Flavius Clemens - who later became the Consul or Rome - the highest political office in the city. In 95 A.D., Flavius was condemned to death by the Emperor Domitian because he was a Christian. It's possible that Nereus would have been the one to lead Flavius to Jesus. Nereus later was himself martyred for his faith.

(16) Greet each other in Christian love. All the churches of Christ send you their greetings.

  • KJV: Greet one another with a holy kiss: This might sound strange to us, but Luke 7:45 shows how common a greeting a kiss was. Jesus rebukes a Pharisee because he had not given Jesus a kiss when He came into his house.
  • Morris explains that this section demonstrates that the Letter to the Romans “was a letter to real people and, as far as we can see, ordinary people; it was not written to professional theologians.”
  • Spurgeon: “They were like the most of us, commonplace individuals; but they loved the Lord, and therefore as Paul recollected their names he sent them a message of love which has become embalmed in the Holy Scriptures. Do not let us think of the distinguished Christians exclusively so as to forget the rank and file of the Lord’s army. Do not let the eye rest exclusively upon the front rank, but let us love all whom Christ loves; let us value all Christ’s servants. It is better to be God’s dog than to be the devil’s darling.”

(17) And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people's faith by teaching things that are contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them.

  • Let’s define false teachers: This is a person who teaches an idea that is contrary to one of the basic foundational truths of Christianity. Such people may be highly moral, great speakers and wonderful people to be around. They may be 99% right in their Christian views. For example, they may believe in the Trinity and that Jesus paid the price for our sins. However, they insist that Jesus didn’t really die on the cross and rise again as God can’t really die or some similar nonsense. They may believe in Jesus, but believe he is a created being and not equal with God the Father. One can only tell a false teacher based on what he or she teaches, and not by their personality, morals, attitude, etc.

(18) Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.

  • Satan was already at work in the church in Rome promoting false doctrines through false teachers. The most corrupt and influential religious system that ever developed from Christianity bears the name "Roman" - the Roman Catholic church led by a false prophet!
  • The Pulpit Commentary suggests: “In speaking of them as serving, or being slaves to, their own belly, it cannot be concluded certainly that he attributed to them habits of sensuality. He may only mean that it is the gratification of the lower part of their nature that they have in view; and there may be allusion to the motive of such persons being the desire of eating and drinking at the cost of the Churches. In ‘The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles’ (alluded to under… Romans 12:6, seq.) the desire to live without working at the cost of the Church is set down as one of the marks of a false apostle or a false prophet.”
  • 2 Corinthians 11:3: But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent.
  • 2 Corinthians 11:13-15: These people are false apostles. They have fooled you by disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder his servants can also do it by pretending to be godly ministers. In the end they will get every bit of punishment their wicked deeds deserve.
  • Galatians 1:6-9: I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who in his love and mercy called you to share the eternal life he gives through Christ. You are already following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who twist and change the truth concerning Christ. Let God's curse fall on anyone, including myself, who preaches any other message than the one we told you about. Even if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other message, let him be forever cursed. I will say it again: If anyone preaches any other gospel than the one you welcomed, let God's curse fall upon that person.
  • 2 Timothy 3:13-14: But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will go on deceiving others, and they themselves will be deceived. But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.
  • Philippians 3:18-19: For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. Their future is eternal destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and all they think about is this life here on earth.
  • 2 Peter 2:1-3: But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach their destructive heresies about God and even turn against their Master who bought them. Theirs will be a swift and terrible end. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of them, Christ and his true way will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction is on the way.
  • 2 Peter 2:9-14: So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while punishing the wicked right up until the day of judgment. He is especially hard on those who follow their own evil, lustful desires and who despise authority. These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at the glorious ones without so much as trembling. But the angels, even though they are far greater in power and strength than these false teachers, never speak out disrespectfully against the glorious ones. These false teachers are like unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, who are born to be caught and killed. They laugh at the terrifying powers they know so little about, and they will be destroyed along with them. Their destruction is their reward for the harm they have done. They love to indulge in evil pleasures in broad daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you. They revel in deceitfulness while they feast with you. They commit adultery with their eyes, and their lust is never satisfied. They make a game of luring unstable people into sin. They train themselves to be greedy; they are doomed and cursed.
  • Jude 1:11-12: How terrible it will be for them! For they follow the evil example of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they will do anything for money. And like Korah, they will perish because of their rebellion. When these people join you in fellowship meals celebrating the love of the Lord, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are shameless in the way they care only about themselves. They are like clouds blowing over dry land without giving rain, promising much but producing nothing. They are like trees without fruit at harvest time. They are not only dead but doubly dead, for they have been pulled out by the roots.

(19) But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to see clearly what is right and to stay innocent of any wrong.

(20) The God of peace will *soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

  • *soon: So, what's the delay? Some will say that it already happened - hardly! Just read any newspaper and you can tell that Satan hasn’t been crushed under our feet yet. He was defeated at the cross and his ultimate doom announced, but his eternal banishment to the lake of fire has not yet happened. When it does, the whole universe will know that God has won and Satan has lost.
  • Genesis 3:13-15: Then the LORD God asked the woman, "How could you do such a thing?""The serpent tricked me," she replied. "That's why I ate it." So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, you will be punished. You are singled out from all the domestic and wild animals of the whole earth to be cursed. You will grovel in the dust as long as you live, crawling along on your belly. From now on, you and the woman will be enemies, and your offspring and her offspring will be enemies. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
  • The initial fatal blow was given to Satan when Jesus died on the cross.

(21) *Timothy, my fellow worker, and **Lucius, ***Jason, and ****Sosipater, my relatives, send you their good wishes.

  • *Timothy: Paul first met Timothy, the son of a Jewish mother and a Greek father in Lystra, and he took him with him on his travels.
    • Acts 16:1-3: Paul and Silas went first to Derbe and then on to Lystra. There they met Timothy, a young disciple whose mother was a Jewish believer, but whose father was a Greek. Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek.
  • **Lucius: Acts 13:1: Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called "the black man" ), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul.
  • ***Jason: Acts 17:5-9: But the Jewish leaders were jealous, so they gathered some worthless fellows from the streets to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. "Paul and Silas have turned the rest of the world upside down, and now they are here disturbing our city," they shouted. "And Jason has let them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, Jesus." The people of the city, as well as the city officials, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. But the officials released Jason and the other believers after they had posted bail.
  • ****Sosipater: Acts 20:4: Several men were traveling with him. They were Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus; Aristarchus and Secundus, from Thessalonica; Gaius, from Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus, who were from the province of Asia.

(22) I, *Tertius, the one who is writing this letter for Paul, send my greetings, too, as a Christian brother.

  • *Tertius was probably a slave. In those days they didn’t always give slaves names. In Latin, the numbers are Primas = first, Secundus = second, and Tertius = third. His brother Quartus - fourth - is mentioned in verse 23.
  • F. F. Bruce writes in The Epistle of Paul to the Romans: “He is not mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament. Paul seems regularly to have employed amanuenses to write his letters, but this is the only one who is known to us by name. Whether he sent his greetings personally on his own initiative or at Paul’s suggestion, Paul would certainly approve of his sending them. Perhaps he was a professional amanuensis, since Romans is rather more formal than most of Paul’s letters; but he was evidently a Christian, since he sends his greeting ‘in the Lord’. On other occasions one of the apostle’s companions (such as Timothy, to judge by the frequency with which his name is added to Paul’s in the superscription of letters) may have acted as amanuensis.”

(23) *Gaius says hello to you. I am his guest, and the church meets here in his home. **Erastus, the ***city treasurer, sends you his greetings, and so does Quartus, a Christian brother.

  • *Gaius:
    • Acts 20:4: Several men were traveling with him. They were Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus; Aristarchus and Secundus, from Thessalonica; Gaius, from Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus, who were from the province of Asia.
    • 1 Corinthians 1:14: I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,
    • 3 John 1: 1-7: This letter is from John the Elder. It is written to Gaius, my dear friend, whom I love in the truth. Dear friend, I am praying that all is well with you and that your body is as healthy as I know your soul is. Some of the brothers recently returned and made me very happy by telling me about your faithfulness and that you are living in the truth. I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children live in the truth. Dear friend, you are doing a good work for God when you take care of the traveling teachers who are passing through, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church here of your friendship and your loving deeds. You do well to send them on their way in a manner that pleases God. For they are traveling for the Lord and accept nothing from those who are not Christians.
    • Gaius had such a reputation for hospitality that Paul can say he was regarded as the host of the whole church. He also must have been well off to have taken care of so many "traveling teachers."
  • **Erastus:
    • Acts 19.22: He sent his two assistants, Timothy and Erastus, on ahead to Macedonia while he stayed awhile longer in the province of Asia.
    • 2 Timothy 4:20: Erastus stayed at Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick at Miletus.
  • ***city treasurer: the director of public works for the City of Corinth.The name Erastus has been found in an archeological excavation in 1929 in Corinth, inscribed on a marble paving stone, stating that he laid this pavement at his own expense. The inscription read: ERASTVS. PRO. AED. S. P. STRAVIT, which is an abbreviation of ERASTUS PRO AEDILITATE SUA PECUNIA STRAVIT. The inscription translates as "Erastus, in return for his aedileship, laid this pavement at his own expense." The office of aedilis was the commissioner of public works and, for this reason, a high ranking public official belonging to the Roman ruling class in a city. Whether that is the same person mentioned here cannot be proven. But, it seems likely since he was the director of public works and the city treasurer.

(24 25) God is able to make you strong, just as the Good News says. It is the message about Jesus Christ and his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept *secret from the beginning of time.

  • Verse 24 is missing in the NIV and the NLT and in most modern translations. Some older Bible version read “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” which seems redundant since it was already stated in Verse 20.
  • *secret (mystery):
    • 1 Corinthians 2:6-7; 2:10: Yet when I am among mature Christians, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world, and not the kind that appeals to the rulers of this world, who are being brought to nothing. No, the wisdom we speak of is the secret wisdom of God, which was hidden in former times, though he made it for our benefit before the world began. ... But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets.
    • Ephesians 3:3-6: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby , when ye read , ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
    • Titus 1:2-3: This truth gives them the confidence of eternal life, which God promised them before the world began -- and he cannot lie. And now at the right time he has revealed this Good News, and we announce it to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been trusted to do this work for him.
    • 2 Timothy 1:9-10: It is God who saved us and chose us to live a holy life. He did this not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan long before the world began -- to show his love and kindness to us through Christ Jesus. And now he has made all of this plain to us by the coming of Christ Jesus, our Savior, who broke the power of death and showed us the way to everlasting life through the Good News.
    • Paul means this as the whole plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. Though God announced much of the plan previously through prophecy, its final outworking wasn’t evident until revealed by God through Jesus.

(26) But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they might believe and obey Christ.

(27) To God, who alone is wise, be the glory forever through Jesus Christ. Amen.

  • William Sanday in his masterly exposition of Romans in the International Critical Commentary: “The doxology,” he writes, “sums up all the great ideas of the Epistle. The power of the Gospel which Paul was commissioned to preach; the revelation in it of the eternal purpose of God; its contents, faith; its sphere, all the nations of the earth; its author, the one wise God, whose wisdom is thus vindicated - all these thoughts had been continually dwelt on. And so at the end feeling how unfit a conclusion would be the jarring note of verses 17-20, and wishing to ‘restore the Epistle at its close to its tone of serene loftiness,’ the apostle adds these verses, writing them perhaps in those large, bold letters which seem to have formed a sort of authentication of his Epistle (Galatians 6:11), and thus gives an eloquent conclusion to his great argument.”

The name of “Peter” does not occur; which is conclusive evidence that Peter was not in Rome and shows that Peter is neither the founder of the church in Rome and is not the "first Pope." It shows that there was not in central Rome one big church, with a nascent pope, lording it over suburban and village churches.

The various names of those saluted and saluting, about thirty-five in all, indicating various nationalities, shows that the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles is broken down in the churches, and that "...it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us." (Colossians 3:11).

In his Preface to Romans, Luther uses this last chapter of the epistle to vent his wrath and ire against the Roman Catholic Church. We read: “The last chapter consists of greetings. But Paul also includes a salutary warning against human doctrines which are preached alongside the Gospel and which do a great deal of harm. It’s as though he had clearly seen that out of Rome and through the Romans would come the deceitful, harmful Canons and Decretals along with the entire brood and swarm of human laws and
commands that is now drowning the whole world and has blotted out this letter and the whole of the Scriptures, along with the Spirit and faith. Nothing remains but the idol Belly, and St. Paul depicts those people here as its servants. God deliver us from them. Amen.”

Luther’s last word in Preface to Romans: “We find in this letter, then, the richest possible teaching about what a Christian should know: the meaning of law, Gospel, sin, punishment, grace, faith, justice, Christ, God, good works, love, hope and the cross. We learn how we are to act toward everyone, toward the virtuous and sinful, toward the strong and the weak, friend and foe, and toward ourselves. Paul bases everything firmly on Scripture and proves his points with examples from his own experience and from the Prophets, so that nothing more could be desired. Therefore it seems that St. Paul, in writing this letter, wanted to compose a summary of the whole of Christian and evangelical teaching which would also be an introduction to the whole Old Testament. Without doubt, whoever takes this letter to heart possesses the light and power of the Old Testament. Therefore each and every Christian should make this letter the habitual and constant object of his study. God grant us his grace to do so. Amen.”

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About Me

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Bible studies are held in Oakbay subdivision in Noblesville, Indiana. In-person Sunday studies have been eliminated because of COVID-19 concerns. Wednesday studies at 7:00 pm led by Don Terry via Zoom - presently studying the Book of Acts from a dispensationalist viewpoint. Bi-monthly Wednesday’s women’s studies at 7:00 pm led by Carolyn Terry via Zoom - presently studying Paul’s second letter to Timothy - and his last writing. You can see several of our present and past studies but we covered many other subjects before starting this blog. The goal of these studies is to bring each of us to know Christ better (epignosis) and then to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” as mentioned by Paul in Philippians 3:14 and to hear Jesus’ “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”. Dedicated to the memory of Don & Carolyn Terry’s daughter, DJ (Dorothy Jean) Terry, who went to be with the Lord Jesus Christ in 1999 at 20 years old.