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.
  • 
    Image source: http://www.bibleplaces.com/corinth.htm

(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.”

NOTES:

• Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois.
• Disclaimer: Source material for this study has been gleaned from many different sources. If you want further study, I have attempted to acknowledge these sources at romansoverview.blogspot.com/2012/12/romans-references.html
• Index to all our studies are at http://oakview-bible-fellowship.blogspot.com/

Romans 15

Romans 14: 20-23: Don't tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, there is nothing wrong with these things in themselves. But it is wrong to eat anything if it makes another person stumble. Don't eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another Christian to stumble. You may have the faith to believe that there is nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who do not condemn themselves by doing something they know is all right. But if people have doubts about whether they should eat something, they shouldn't eat it. They would be condemned for not acting in faith before God. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

(1) We may know that these things make no difference, but we cannot just go ahead and do them to please ourselves. We must be considerate of the doubts and fears of those who think these things are wrong.

• NIV: We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
• J. B. Philips translation of verse 1: We who have strong faith ought to shoulder the burden of the doubts and qualms of others, and not just to go our own sweet way.
• Morris: “A genuine concern for the weak will mean an attempt to make them strong by leading them out of their irrational scruples so that they, too, can be strong.”
• I shouldn't just be thinking about my own pleasure, "I'm going to eat this breaded pork tenderloin" when he comes over for dinner. Well, if it is going to stumble and offend him, if I am strong in the faith and eating pork tenderloin doesn't bother me spiritually, then I should eat it at home or in the restaurant when he's not with me. I should be considerate of his own feelings and opinions, even if he's wrong.
• The strong in faith should not despise the weak by looking down on them but should bear with them patiently. The strong of faith should not do anything to please their own desires in these situations.
• A key verse in chapter 14 is found in verse 15: And if another Christian is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don't let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died." There are weak Christians who have erroneous opinions about doctrine and practice. The strong must bear with these weak Christians.
• The strong are those who are well-grounded in Scripture and also in practice. The weak are not so well-grounded. Paradoxically, the weak often consider themselves stronger than those who are actually strong. And the truly strong, who trust in the Lord and His Word, see their own weaknesses much more readily than do the weak.

(2) We should please others. If we do what helps them, we will build them up in the Lord.

• If one thinks he is strong, he places upon himself an obligation to the one he thinks is weak. Too often, the one who thinks he is strong is critical of the one he judges as weak and excludes him. The test for authentic strength, spiritually and morally, is the attitude of the one who is strong toward the one who is weak. If a Christian feels he has matured in the faith, has gone more deeply than others, the evidence of his maturity will not be criticism of the weaker brother. This would indicate immaturity. The evidence of maturity will be his love, concern, sympathy and care for the weaker brother.
• But, there is a limit to pleasing others:
  • Galatians 1:10: Obviously, I'm not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ's servant.
• Galatians 6:2: Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
• 1 Corinthians 9:20-22: When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with those who follow the Jewish laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with the Gentiles who do not have the Jewish law, I fit in with them as much as I can. In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ. But I do not discard the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ.
• 1 Corinthians 10:33: That is the plan I follow, too. I try to please everyone in everything I do. I don't just do what I like or what is best for me, but what is best for them so they may be saved.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:14: Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.
• Philippians 2:3-4: Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.
• This goes against the whole tenor today - “I look out for number 1”. Start building up others and you will find yourself built up.

(3) For even Christ didn't please himself. As the Scriptures say, "Those who insult you are also insulting me."

• Psalm 69:9: Passion for your house burns within me, so those who insult you are also insulting me.
• Philippians 2:5-11: Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross. Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

(4) Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. They give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises.

• John 5:39: "You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!
• 1 Corinthians 10:11: All these events happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us, who live at the time when this age is drawing to a close.
• 2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.
• Liberation from the law of Moses does not make the scriptures of the old covenant irrelevant. Much consolation and motivation for Christian living can be derived from the Old Testament.

(5) May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other -- each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward the other.

(6) Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(7) So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified.

• Spurgeon on just as Christ also received you: “Christ did not receive us because we were perfect, because he could see no fault in us, or because he hoped to gain somewhat at our hands. Ah, no! But, in loving condescension covering our faults, and seeking our good, he welcomed us to his heart; so, in the same way, and with the same purpose, let us receive one another.”
• Verse 7 gives some pretty basic advice: accept one another as Christ accepted you, and work patiently with one another as Christ works with you. This will change our attitudes to other people. I am no better than they.
• Although people come from all different backgrounds, careers, countries and families, we can still accept the differences and love each other as Christ loved us. To what degree are we to accept one another? We are to do it as Christ accepted us. A lot of times we may not want to accept others because they don't deserve it. But we don't deserve Christ accepting us either. Look at Peter who rebuked Jesus. Look at the rest of the disciples who again and again lacked faith and doubted. Look at Paul who actually persecuted the church.

(8) Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors.

• Matthew 10:5-6: Jesus sent the twelve disciples out with these instructions: "Don't go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel -- God's lost sheep.
• Matthew 15:24: Then he said to the woman, "I was sent only to help the people of Israel -- God's lost sheep -- not the Gentiles."

(9) And he came so the Gentiles might also give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: "I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to your name."

• Ephesians 2:15: By his death he ended the whole system of Jewish law that excluded the Gentiles. His purpose was to make peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new person from the two groups.
• Isaiah 42:6-7: "I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will guard and support you, for I have given you to my people as the personal confirmation of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide all nations to me. You will open the eyes of the blind and free the captives from prison. You will release those who sit in dark dungeons.
• Psalm 18:49: For this, O LORD, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing joyfully to your name. (Quoted from the (Septuagint).
• 2 Samuel 22:50: For this, O LORD, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing joyfully to your name.
• The point is that Christ truly received both Jew and Gentile to Himself, the former to keep His covenant and promise, the latter simply because He had mercy on them.
• Lenski: "Already the Old Testament saw Jews and Gentiles joining in praise to the Lord. This JOINT PRAISE is the subject of the quotations, coming from one heart and one mouth, one unanimous, harmonious chorus. These passages are carefully selected and built up as a whole: 1) David brings Jehovah to the Gentiles; 2) They are told to praise God with his people, 10; 3) All nations and peoples, Jews and Gentiles, are to join together in praise of their own accord, 11; 4) And the cause of all this praise is 'the shoot of Jesse' the Jews' own, yet the Gentiles' ruler and hope.
• Paul lists four verses (using the Septuagint version) as proofs that the Gentiles were part of God's plans even back in OT times.
• Paul’s reasoning is that the Son of God became a Jew to confirm the promises to the patriarchs, in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. In support of this Paul strings together a series of passages from the Old Testament that show God’s plans to include the Gentiles in the praise of God. His first passage is from Psalm 18:49 where praise to God comes among the Gentiles. He then uses Deuteronomy 32:43, Moses’ song with the panoramic view of God’s eternal program. Then he works in the shortest psalm, Psalm 117, which is a call for Jew and Gentile to praise the Lord. And then he adds Isaiah 11:10 to show that even though the Messiah will spring from Jesse, he will rule over the nations. It was clearly God’s plan that Gentiles should come to faith in the Messiah.

(10) And in another place it is written, "Rejoice, O you Gentiles, along with his people, the Jews."

• Deuteronomy 32:43 Septuagint translation: Rejoice, O ye nations, [with] his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, [and] to his people.
• Isaiah 24:15: In eastern lands, give glory to the LORD. In the coastlands of the sea, praise the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. (Quoted from the (Septuagint).
• Zechariah 8:20: "This is what the LORD Almighty says: People from nations and cities around the world will travel to Jerusalem.

(11) And yet again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; praise him, all you people of the earth."

• Psalm 117:1: Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise him, all you people of the earth. (Quoted from the (Septuagint).

(12) And the prophet Isaiah said, "The heir to David's throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hopes on him."

• Isaiah 11:10: In that day the heir to David's throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, for the land where he lives will be a glorious place. (Quoted from the (Septuagint).
• Matthew 2:2-6: "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We have seen his star as it arose, and we have come to worship him." ... 'O Bethlehem of Judah, you are not just a lowly village in Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.' "
• Luke 1:32-33: He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!"

(13) So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

(14) I am fully convinced, dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well that you are able to teach others all about them.

• A sign of spiritual is the ability to teach others.

(15) Even so, I have been bold enough to emphasize some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder from me. For I am, by God's grace,

(16) a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News and offer you up as a fragrant sacrifice to God so that you might be pure and pleasing to him by the Holy Spirit.

• Acts 26:16-18: Now stand up! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and my witness. You are to tell the world about this experience and about other times I WILL appear to you. And I will protect you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am going to send you to the Gentiles, to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God's people, who are set apart by faith in me.'

(17) So it is right for me to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God.

(18) I dare not boast of anything else. I have brought the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I lived before them.

(19) I have won them over by the miracles done through me as signs from God -- all by the power of God's Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ all the way from Jerusalem clear over into Illyricum.

• 
• Illyricum was on the Adriatic Sea not very far from Rome. Think of this! In three missionary journeys the Apostle Paul had accomplished this tremendous task: planting the Church, raising up leadership and leaving the Church in capable hands.
• Illyricum covered most of the Eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It included Albania and what was formerly Yugoslavia.
• In less than 25 years, the work of frontier missions in the entire eastern Mediterranean was finished.

(20) My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.

(21) I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, "Those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand."

• Isaiah 52:15: And he will again startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not previously been told about; they will understand what they had not heard about.

(22) In fact, my visit to you has been delayed so long because I have been preaching in these places.

(23) But now I have finished my work in these regions, and after all these long years of waiting, I am eager to visit you.

(24) I am planning to go to Spain, and when I do, I will stop off in Rome. And after I have enjoyed your fellowship for a little while, you can send me on my way again.

• Whether he ever went as far as Spain, we are not told; but we know from the book of Acts that he did get to Rome, was a prisoner there, probably was released and then later arrested again when he was a martyr of Jesus at the hands of the cruel Nero.
• Tradition is that Paul did go to Spain between his first and second imprisonments in Rome.
• Paul had these plans; yet things did not work out according to his plans. He did go to Rome, yet not as a missionary on his way to Spain. He went to Rome as a prisoner awaiting trial before Caesar, where he would preach the gospel on a different kind of frontier. We may have our plans, and He often changes them for us.
• After his release from the Roman imprisonment at the end of the Book of Acts, we have reason to believe that Paul did in fact make it to Spain and preached the gospel there.
• Parts of Spain (which in the ancient world included all the Iberian peninsula) had been occupied by Rome since about 200 B.C.; but it was only in Paul's lifetime that the Romans had fully organized the entire area.

(25) But before I come, I must go down to Jerusalem to take a gift to the Christians there.

• Paul would stop in Corinth on his way to Jerusalem, bringing with him a collection from Christians in Macedonia and Achaia (Acts 20:1-3).
• Acts 24:17: "After several years away, I returned to Jerusalem with money to aid my people and to offer sacrifices to God.
• 1 Corinthians 16:1-4: Now about the money being collected for the Christians in Jerusalem: You should follow the same procedures I gave to the churches in Galatia. On every Lord's Day, each of you should put aside some amount of money in relation to what you have earned and save it for this offering. Don't wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once. When I come I will write letters of recommendation for the messengers you choose to deliver your gift to Jerusalem. And if it seems appropriate for me also to go along, then we can travel together.
• 2 Corinthians 8:1-4: Now I want to tell you, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done for the churches in Macedonia. Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, their wonderful joy and deep poverty have overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the gracious privilege of sharing in the gift for the Christians in Jerusalem.
• 2 Corinthians 9:1-2: I really don't need to write to you about this gift for the Christians in Jerusalem. For I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to our friends in Macedonia that you Christians in Greece were ready to send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of them to begin helping.

(26) For you see, the believers in Greece have eagerly taken up an offering for the Christians in Jerusalem, who are going through such hard times.

• Paul was in Corinth when he wrote this. He had gone to Corinth and to the churches in Macedonia to collect an offering to take to the poor saints in Jerusalem to help them in their need. He had written to the church in Corinth to take up a collection before he got there., He don't want any offerings taken while he was there to take it to the church in Jerusalem. The church in Jerusalem had experienced some real financial problems.
• The message he wanted to send to the Jerusalem church was this: "See how many Gentiles are now praising God because of the mission you began. They are thankful that your Messiah is also their Messiah.

(27) They were very glad to do this because they feel they owe a real debt to them. Since the Gentiles received the wonderful spiritual blessings of the Good News from the Jewish Christians, they feel the least they can do in return is help them financially.

(28) As soon as I have delivered this money and completed this good deed of theirs, I will come to see you on my way to Spain.

(29) And I am sure that when I come, Christ will give me a great blessing for you.

(30) Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.

• The ancient Greek word translated join me in my struggle here in the NLT or strive together in the KJV is sunagonizomai - literally meaning, “agonize together.” To emphasize the importance and intensity, Paul repeats the word twice: sunagonizomai sunagonizomai.

(31) Pray that I will be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God. Pray also that the Christians there will be willing to accept the donation I am bringing them.

• Paul had some apprehension about this because he had been warned by Agabus the prophet in Miletus that the Jews, the unbelieving Jews in Jerusalem, were going to trap him and deliver him over to the Gentiles.
  • Acts 21:11: When he visited us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, "The Holy Spirit declares, 'So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Romans.'"
• Paul feared that the church leaders in Jerusalem might turn up their noses at gifts from Gentiles - pride.

(32) Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a happy heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.

• He did come to Rome after he spent two years patiently in jail at Caesarea, then endured a shipwreck at Malta, and then finally arrived in Rome - in chains (Acts 28:15-31). Paul knew God’s peace down in a prison, in chains or in shipwreck. In Rome he could write in 2 Timothy 4:6-8: As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me -- the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return.
• While Paul had not expected to arrive in Rome in chains, he was able to say in Philippians 1:12, And I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.

(33) And now may God, who gives us his peace, be with you all. Amen.

NOTES:

• Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois.
• Disclaimer: Source material for this study has been gleaned from many different sources. I have attempted to acknowledge these sources at romansoverview.blogspot.com/2012/12/romans-references.html
• Index to all our studies are at http://oakview-bible-fellowship.blogspot.com/

Romans 14

Source: www.foundationsforfreedom.net/References/NT/Pauline/Romans/Romans14/Romans14_01-6_Conflict-intro.html

Rome was a "melting pot" of cultures, languages, moral values, traditions, nationalities and religions. In particular, the Rome church body consisted of both Jewish converts (still practicing Judaism but recognizing Jesus as the Messiah) and Gentiles with entirely different backgrounds, morals and traditions. Additionally, Romans was written before the "middle wall of partition" (Ephesians 2:14) between the Jew and the Gentile be livers had been broken down. The problems of Romans 14 are preeminently Jewish and are practically unknown in the church today. But, the principles remain and the points of contention between groups of Christians have changed to other areas.

It was understood that the death of Christ was the fulfillment of the ceremonial law and that the requirement to sacrifice an animal in order to obtain forgiveness had become obsolete. But even Peter struggled with the question of eating the meat of certain animal that the Mosaic Law had declared unclean. In Acts 10, we read that when he received a vision in which he was ordered to kill and eat animals that were not kosher, he answered: “ Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.” And when the first Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) adopted a motion which was sent to the churches of mostly Gentile believers, they advised them to “abstain from eating meat sacrificed to idols, from sexual immorality, and from consuming blood or eating the meat of strangled animals.” Sexual immorality in that context pertained primarily to participating in pagan temple rites.

The main point to get across from this whole introduction is how to deal with Christians with whom we disagree.  Again, it is not about sin, it is about debatable issues.  It is about seeing other Christians whose relationship with God is different from ours.

Charles Swindoll paraphrases the main points of Romans 14 in his book The Grace Awakening: "Nothing that is not specifically designated as evil in Scripture is evil -- but rather a matter of one's personal preference or taste. So let it be. Even if you personally would not do what another is doing, let it be. And you who feel the freedom to do so, don't flaunt it or mock those who disagree. We are in the construction business, not destruction. And let's all remember that God's big-picture kingdom plan is not being shaped by small things like what one person prefers over another, but by large things, like righteousness and peace and joy."

My wife distinguishes these differences as those that are minor and those which are a "hill to die on".

Wiersbe, W. W. Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books: "Romans 14:1-15:7 deals with the problem of questionable things in the Christian life and what to do when sincere Christians disagree about personal practices. Paul recognizes that in each local church there are mature believers (“We that are strong,” Romans 15:1) as well as immature (“him that is weak in faith,” Romans 14:1), and that these two groups may disagree on how the Christian is to live. The Jewish Christians might want to cling to special holy days and OT dietary laws, while the Gentile believers might turn their Christian liberty into license and offend their Jewish brothers and sisters. Many Christians have the false notion that extreme legalism (observing days and diets) shows strong faith, but Paul states that just the opposite is true! It is the Christian that is mature in the faith who recognizes the truths found in Colossians 2:18-23."
Colossians 2:18-23: Don't let anyone condemn you by insisting on self-denial. And don't let anyone say you must worship angels, even though they say they have had visions about this. These people claim to be so humble, but their sinful minds have made them proud. But they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For we are joined together in his body by his strong sinews, and we grow only as we get our nourishment and strength from God. You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the evil powers of this world. So why do you keep on following rules of the world, such as, "Don't handle, don't eat, don't touch." Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline. But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person's evil thoughts and desires.

To put this into more contemporary Christian disagreements, here are just a few areas of disagreement amongst Christians, sometimes vehemently:

• Drinking alcohol (wine versus beer versus "strong drink").
• Smoking, "chewing".
• Going to the movie theater
• Playing cards
• Dancing
• Women wearing "inappropriate" clothing - pants instead of skirts, wearing caps instead of hats, plunging necklines, short skirts, mini-skirts, bathing suites, bikinis, etc.
  • What is "modest" dress? 1 Timothy 2:9: And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes.
• Women wearing short hair versus long hair
• Women wearing cosmetics
• Head covering for women
• Men and women wearing jewelry (including wedding rings)
• Long hair on men
• Men wearing beards
• Women in Ministry
• Mixed swimming
• Wearing zippers instead of buttons
• Going to church on Saturday versus Sunday or not at all
• Observing religious and other holidays (Christmas, Easter, New Years, Halloween)
• Observing Jewish festivals: Pentecost, Passover, etc.
• Which version of the Bible is the "correct" version?
• Speaking in "unknown" tongues
• Healing
• "Rock" music and Christian rock music
• Writing notes in the Bible
• Divorce & remarriage
• Eating meat, particularly foods forbidden in the Old Testament
• Premarital sex
• Kissing before marriage or in public
• Homosexuality
• Birth control
• Sex education
• Holding hands before marriage
• Public schools versus Christian schools versus home schools
• Communion - with or without wine; for today or not?
• Mode of Baptism or no water baptism
• Home church versus church buildings
• Music in church services
• Piano in the church (this question actually split a denomination)
• Guitars, drums, etc. in church
• Singing hymns in church or only Psalms or no singing at all
• Tithing
• Baptists versus Catholics versus other denominations
• Dispensations
• Predestination
• Can you lose your salvation?
• What "works" are required for salvation?
• Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib, Post-Trib, amillenialism
• Calvinism versus Arminianism
• The "Lost Ten Tribes"
• Replacement Theology
• Legalism versus freedom
• What parts of the law, including the Ten Commandments, in the Old Testament are we to still observe, if at all?
• Evolution

Romans 13:13-14: Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

(1) *Accept Christians who are **weak in faith, and don't argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.

• *Accept: (proslambano from prós = to, toward + lambáno = to take) means literally to take to or toward. Proslambano can mean to accept the presence of a person with friendliness, to welcome, to receive hospitably, to receive into one’s home or circle of acquaintances. The idea is to receive as one would welcome one into one's home, with the additional idea of doing so with kindness. The Amplified Version renders Romans 14:1 as "welcome him [into your fellowship]" while Wuest has "be giving a cordial welcome".
• **weak:
  • David Guzik: There are many reasons why a Christian might be weak.
    • They may be a babe in Christ (babies are weak)
    • They may be sick or diseased (by legalism)
    • They may be malnourished (by lack of good teaching)
    • They may lack exercise (needing exhortation)
  • Josephus says that some of the Jews at Rome lived on fruits exclusively, from fear of eating something unclean.
  • They probably were the same class of Jewish Christians as are spoken of in 1Corinthians 8 as over-scrupulous about eating of things that had been offered in sacrifice to idols.
  • This is not one whose faith is weak but one who sincerely believes certain religious behavior to be required by God when it is not.
  • Undoubtedly these weak ones did not see themselves as weaker. It's likely they thought they were the strong ones, and the meat-eaters were the weak ones. Legalism has a way of making us think that we are strong and those who don't keep the rules the way we do are weak.
• Ray Stedman notes that The NIV is misleading here by translating it as: "Accept him whose faith is weak." This command to the stronger brother has nothing to do with the strength or weakness of the other individual's faith. Therefore, the mark of understanding truth is freedom; it is liberty. That is why Paul calls the person who understands truth clearly one who is strong in the faith, while those who do not understand it clearly are weak in the faith. They do not understand the delivering character of truth. ("On Trying to Change Others")
• The stronger (more knowledgeable) faith, for example, perceives that certain meats, formally “unclean” under the Mosaic economy (Leviticus 11), are no longer forbidden to those in Christ and that he no longer needs to observe the Jewish feasts and days.

(2) For instance, one person believes it is all right to eat anything. But another believer who has a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables.

• Those who conscientiously refrain from eating “unclean” meats were not to be condemned. Even though their knowledge was incomplete, they meant well, and their efforts, though misguided, were designed towards bringing glory to God. Similarly, the man who refused to labor on the Sabbath - even though that restriction was abolished in Christ (Ephesians 2:13ff; Colossians 2:14-17) was doing so with the purest of motives — to honor his Creator (v. 6).
• Some believed that there was nothing wrong with eating meat that had been offered to an idol because they knew that the idols were worthless. Others carefully checked the source of their meat or gave up eating meat altogether. The problem was especially serious for Christians who had once been involved in idol worship. For them, being reminded of their former days was too much temptation. It weakened their newfound faith. Likewise, for some Christians who had once worshiped God on the required Jewish holy days, it caused them to feel empty and unfaithful if they didn't dedicate those days to God.
• Paul’s first example of “weak in faith” is someone who is a vegetarian. It is best to explain this illustration historically: At that time, most meat that was sold in the marketplace was animals sacrificed to pagan gods.  The “leftovers” of the animals were then sold in the marketplace. Given that, many Christians of that day would not eat such meat because it was offered to idols. There is also the issue of the meat being “kosher” for Jewish-Christians.  There were certain types of animals that were forbidden to be eaten by Jews and animals must only be slaughtered a certain way (removal of the blood).  Paul might also have that in mind for the case of Jewish converts to Christianity.
• Because some Christian saw nothing wrong in this meat and others saw much wrong in it, this was a burning issue among believers in Paul's day.

(3) Those who think it is all right to eat anything must not look down on those who won't. And those who won't eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them.

• The issue of eating meat that is sacrificed to idols is no longer relevant in our day, but the principle of discernment still is. We could make a long list of supposed Christian taboos that dominate the daily life of sincere believers in Christ, but in doing so we might leave out some that would offend one person and not the other. The solution Paul offers is abstaining from judgment.
• Offending Christians who were steeped in Judaism was a very sensitive issue in Paul’s day. This may no longer be the case today, but the principle that our attitude toward others must be governed by loving concern about the salvation of their souls is still valid
• Less than a year earlier, Paul had written to the believers at Corinth about eating patterns. Read 1co08 to better understand the problems here.
• Matthew 7:3-5: And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.
• Mark 7:19: "Don't you understand either?" he asked. "Can't you see that what you eat won't defile you? Food doesn't come in contact with your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then comes out again." (By saying this, he showed that every kind of food is acceptable.)
• Acts 10:14: "Never, Lord," Peter declared. "I have never in all my life eaten anything forbidden by our Jewish laws. "
• 1 Corinthians 8: Now let's talk about food that has been sacrificed to idols. You think that everyone should agree with your perfect knowledge. While knowledge may make us feel important, it is love that really builds up the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn't really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one God knows and cares for. So now, what about it? Should we eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God and no other. According to some people, there are many so-called gods and many lords, both in heaven and on earth. But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we exist for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life. However, not all Christians realize this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. It's true that we can't win God's approval by what we eat. We don't miss out on anything if we don't eat it, and we don't gain anything if we do. But you must be careful with this freedom of yours. Do not cause a brother or sister with a weaker conscience to stumble. You see, this is what can happen: Weak Christians who think it is wrong to eat this food will see you eating in the temple of an idol. You know there's nothing wrong with it, but they will be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been dedicated to the idol. So because of your superior knowledge, a weak Christian, for whom Christ died, will be destroyed. And you are sinning against Christ when you sin against other Christians by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong. If what I eat is going to make another Christian sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live -- for I don't want to make another Christian stumble.
• Colossians 2:16-17: So don't let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new-moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules were only shadows of the real thing, Christ himself.
• 1 Timothy 4:1-5: Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons. These teachers are hypocrites and liars. They pretend to be religious, but their consciences are dead. They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanksgiving by people who know and believe the truth. Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it. We may receive it gladly, with thankful hearts. For we know it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

(4) Who are you to condemn God's servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him tell them whether they are right or wrong. The Lord's power will help them do as they should.

• In his commentary entitled "The Daily Study Bible: The Letter to the Romans", William Barclay writes, "Paul lays down a great principle. No man has any right to criticize another man's servant. The servant is answerable to his master alone. Now all men are the servants of God. It is not open to us to criticize them, still less to condemn them. That right belongs to God alone. It is not in our judgment that a man stands or falls but in his. And, Paul goes on, if a man is honestly living out his principles as he sees them, God can make him able to stand."

(5) In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. Each person should have a personal conviction about this matter.

• The conscience is not the final arbiter of right and wrong (Proverbs 14:12). It must be educated. Yet, in its proper place, it is a prized gift from God, and the Christian must guard against it becoming hardened.
  • Proverbs 14:12: There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
• Having a personal conviction speaks about what that person has come to believe through understanding the scriptures. It is not simply speaking about adopting the values of those around you.
• One’s conscience has also been affected by the fall. It needs to be renewed by the Holy Spirit working through the scriptures.

(6) Those who have a special day for worshiping the Lord are trying to honor him. Those who eat all kinds of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who won't eat everything also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God.

• Converts from Judaism had come out of a system of ceremonies. Because Christ had fulfilled what these had pointed forward to, certain ceremonies no longer applied. In any case, it seems that the ceremonies were not the most important part of the gospel, and people were allowed to grow in Christ gradually. Even today, many disagree which "ceremonies" are to be observed, if any.
• Both convictions are motivated by a sincere desire to please, serve God.
• Galatians 4:8-11: Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. And now that you have found God (or should I say, now that God has found you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual powers of this world? You are trying to find favor with God by what you do or don't do on certain days or months or seasons or years. I fear for you. I am afraid that all my hard work for you was worth nothing.
• Colossians 2:16-17: So don't let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new-moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules were only shadows of the real thing, Christ himself.

(7) For we are not our own masters when we live or when we die.

(8) While we live, we live to please the Lord. And when we die, we go to be with the Lord. So in life and in death, we belong to the Lord.

(9) Christ died and rose again for this very purpose, so that he might be Lord of those who are alive and of those who have died.

• Matthew 22:32: 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' So he is the God of the living, not the dead."

(10) So why do you condemn another Christian? Why do you look down on another Christian? Remember, each of us will stand personally before the judgment seat of God.

• 1 Samuel 16:7: But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn't make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at a person's thoughts and intentions."
• 1 Corinthians 2:11: No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit.
• 1 Corinthians 3:12-15: Now anyone who builds on that foundation may use gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But there is going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone's work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builders themselves will be saved, but like someone escaping through a wall of flames.
• 2 Corinthians 5:10: For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies.
• The judgment seat of Christ: “This is the bema seat, equivalent to the judge’s seat in the Olympic Games. After each game, the winners came before the judge’s seat to receive crowns for first, second and third places. Likewise, the Christian’s works will be tested by fire, and he’ll be rewarded for those which remain . . . The judgment seat of Christ is only concerned with a Christian’s rewards and position in the kingdom, not with his salvation.” (Smith)
• The judgment seat was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

(11) For the Scriptures say, "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow to me and every tongue will confess allegiance to God.'"

• Paul quoted Isaiah 45:23: I have sworn by my own name, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to my name."
• Philippians 2:10: so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

(12) Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God.

(13) So don't condemn each other anymore. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not put an *obstacle in another Christian's path.

• *obstacle: stumbling block in the KJV. A “stumbling-block” literally means anything laid in a man’s path, over which he may fall.

(14) I know and am perfectly sure on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong.

(15) And if another Christian is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don't let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.

• Another classic debate issue is Christians drinking alcohol. Some Christians think having a drink is acceptable and others do not. Getting drunk is considered sinful behavior.  (Ephesians 5:18.) Therefore, the classic debate issue is “Can a Christian have a glass of wine with dinner?”  The application here is even if we think it is ok, we should not drink in the presence of another Christian if they think it is wrong. On such issues, it is best to keep on the safe side. Make an attempt to withhold our “rights” to do things that could cause other people to stumble in their faith.
  • Ephesians 5:18: Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.
• Greathouse via Coffman wrote that the real danger was in influencing the weak brother to do what he regarded as sinful in violation of his conscience.

(16) Then you will not be condemned for doing something you know is all right.

(17) For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

(18) If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God. And other people will approve of you, too.

(19) So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

• Christians must follow after things that make for peace; we must strive to build up one another, not the reverse. All of this, of course, is to be accomplished in an atmosphere of loyalty to the truth.
• Christians are to be constructors, not destructors!

(20) Don't tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, there is nothing wrong with these things in themselves. But it is wrong to eat anything if it makes another person stumble.

• Paul is back to his favorite illustration:  food. His point is if eating or not eating certain food groups causes other people to stumble, then we should give up our rights.
• The danger is in trying to “fix” people, we are turning people off to Jesus. Unfortunately, the history of the Christian church has seen lots of people walk away because they can’t stand to be around certain people in the church. The “sin police” have caused many people to walk away from God.
• 1 Corinthians 10:27-33: If someone who isn't a Christian asks you home for dinner, go ahead; accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you and don't ask any questions about it. Your conscience should not be bothered by this. But suppose someone warns you that this meat has been offered to an idol. Don't eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you. It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person. Now, why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it? Whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God. Don't give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. That is the plan I follow, too. I try to please everyone in everything I do. I don't just do what I like or what is best for me, but what is best for them so they may be saved.

(21) Don't eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another Christian to stumble.

(22) You may have the faith to believe that there is nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who do not condemn themselves by doing something they know is all right.

(23) But if people have doubts about whether they should eat something, they shouldn't eat it. They would be condemned for not acting in faith before God. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

• A clear conscience does not make a wrong act right, but a violated conscience can make a right act (in terms of its basic nature) wrong for that individual.
• The motto of the Christian should be “compassion without compromise.”

Romans 15:1-7: We who are *strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.” Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.

*strong: The stronger (more knowledgeable) faith, for example, perceives that certain meats, formally “unclean” under the Mosaic economy (Leviticus 11), are no longer forbidden to those in Christ. These saints understand that certain “days,” formerly esteemed as “holy,” henceforth are not to be viewed as such under the law of Christ. The “strong” Christian must exercise patience so as to understand that the “weak” have not reached the level of knowledge that is possessed by the more mature (vv. 2-3). Therefore the strong must extend compassion and longsuffering, allowing the weak time to grow, thus reaching a level of comprehension wherein he can move forward in Christ without violating his conscience (vv. 5-6, 13, 15-16).

Paul warned "strong" brethren (mature Christians who were doctrinally accurate) not to drive weaker brethren away from the truth (or church). All Christians need to realize that when disagreements occur, we do not "make points" with God simply by "proving the other person wrong." While seeking the truth on a disputed issue, we must also make every effort to avoid "giving offense" to those with whom we disagree. Interestingly, Romans 15:1 indicates that God puts greater responsibility on "the strong" for maintaining unity than he does on "the weak" (those who don't yet realize they are incorrect on a particular doctrine or issue).

Here's a poem an instructor I used to work with frequently mentioned in his training classes entitled "Wreckers or Builders":

I watched them tearing a building down,
A gang of men in a busy town.
With a ho-heave-ho and lusty yell,
They swung a beam and a sidewall fell.
I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled,
As the men you’d hire if you had to build?”
He gave me a laugh and said, “No indeed!
Just common labor is all I need.
I can easily wreck in a day or two
What builders have taken a year to do.”
And I tho’t to myself as I went my way,
Which of these two roles have I tried to play?
Am I a builder who works with care,
Measuring life by the rule and square?
Am I shaping my deeds by a well-made plan,
Patiently doing the best I can?
Or am I a wrecker who walks the town,
Content with the labor of tearing down?

NOTES:

• Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois.
• Disclaimer: Source material for this study has been gleaned from many different sources. I have attempted to acknowledge these sources at romansoverview.blogspot.com/2012/12/romans-references.html
• Index to all our studies are at http://oakview-bible-fellowship.blogspot.com/