Romans 16 — Glory to God Alone Forever
Introduction: Paul wanted the believers at Rome to receive his letter to them before he would be able to see them in person. There are quite a few names in the exchange of greetings, and most of them would have no record in scripture except for this letter. Paul closed the letter in a very positive manner with glory to God. This chapter of Romans is in my own paraphrase, to some extent in an amplified style, prepared by examining several translations, and with some use of Greek and Hebrew lexicons.
NOTE: Verses in the comments are from the 1769 King James Bible.
A — Paul Wanted Phoebe to Be Warmly Received at Rome
Romans 16 “1 I send to you with my trust Phoebe, our sister, who is a dedicated servant to the assembly of believers at Cenchreae. 2 I want you to receive her in the Lord, in a way worthy of fellow Christians, and to assist her in whatever ways she may need from you, for she has given needed help to me and to many others. 3 Give my greeting to Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 they risked their own lives for my life; and for that not only do I thank them, but also all the assemblies of the Gentile believers thank them. 5 Give my greeting to the assembly of believers that meet in their house. Give my greeting also to Epaenetus, my beloved, who was the first to accept Christ during my ministry in Achaia.”
Comments: Paul introduced Phoebe to the believers at Rome with a high personal recommendation, asking that they willingly give her any kind of help she might need. (This reference to Phoebe is all that is available in scripture about her.) Cenchreae was the eastern port of Corinth. Aquila and Priscilla may have been among the earliest contacts Paul had with believers from Rome. Acts 18:1–3 records that Paul found them at Corinth when Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome — they were tentmakers like Paul. After more than a year of ministry, Paul and that couple left Corinth together (Acts 18:18). There are several references in scripture about Aquila and Priscilla, and more than once it is apparent that they hosted a group of believers in their house. Epaenetus was the first to accept Christ Jesus when Paul first visited Corinth, but there is no other information about this person in scripture.
B — Paul Listed More Greetings to Ones in Rome by Name
Romans 16 “6 Greet Mary for me, who did much diligent work for us. 7 Also give warm greeting to Andronicus and Junia, my blood relatives and my fellow prisoners, who have distinction and good reputation among the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Amplias, my beloved and esteemed in the Lord; 9 and Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved… 12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord, and Persis, the beloved, who labored much in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus for me, the chosen in the Lord, and his mother who has treated me as though she were mine… 16 Then greet one another with genuine warm affection. The assemblies of Christ send their love and affectionate greeting to you.”
Comments: All the names listed in the above verses do not appear anywhere else in scripture. Andronicus and Junia are referred to as relatives of Paul, and they were believers before Paul, so they could have been some of the earliest Christians with close contact to other apostles. They may have actually been fellow prisoners in persecution with Paul at some point, as he himself was a prisoner more than once (2 Corinthians 11:23). Paul used various brief descriptive terms — beloved for Amplias, Stachys, and Persis; fellow worker for Urbanus; laborers in the Lord for Tryphaena and Tryphosa. He called Rufus “the chosen in the Lord” and his mother was like a mother to Paul. He mentioned whole households for Aristobulus and Narcissus. Paul asked them all to greet one another warmly in honor to the Lord, then passed along greetings from the assemblies of Christ to the believers at Rome.
C — Failure to Follow Sound Doctrine Causes Division
Romans 16 “17 Now I earnestly and urgently call upon you my fellow believers to be watchful and prepared for those who are causing divisions and creating snares and impediments to progress, that do not line up with the sound doctrines and principles which you learned, and turn away from them. 18 For those who take such actions don’t serve our Lord, Jesus Christ, but their own desire for personal gain and satisfaction; and by their smooth, skillful, convincing, and even flattering speech, they deceive the very hearts of the innocent. 19 Your obedient compliance in the faith has become known to people all around, and for this reason I rejoice over you. But I also very much want you to be wise in that which is truly good and beneficial, but separated from thoughts or actions that are harmful, base, evil, injurious or unjust. 20 And be assured that the God of peace, joy, and rest will quickly break and tread down Satan to be forever vanquished before you. May the grace, mercy, and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
Comments: Paul gave a final warning about those who deviate from sound doctrine because they are more concerned with promoting themselves than serving the Lord of glory. They can be very convincing in the way they present themselves, and that presents a real danger to believers who are not on their guard. Those who alter true doctrine often have great skill with their words and try by various means to excessively compliment the ones they want as followers. Paul said the good reputation of the believers at Rome gave him great pleasure, but he wanted to emphatically encourage them to continue exercising their wisdom in doing that which is truly good while remaining separated from thoughts or actions not characteristic of a dedicated follower of Christ. The God of peace will completely vanquish Satan forever — so we need to continually embrace the grace, mercy, and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ despite any trials we may face.
D — Tertius Gave Greetings Before Closing the Letter
Romans 16 “22 I, Tertius, the one writing the letter, give you my greeting in the Lord. 23 Gaius, my host and host of the whole assembly, sends his greetings to you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, as does Quartus, the brother… 25 Now give praise to the one who has all the power to firmly establish you in accord and in agreement with the gospel I share, and the preaching of Jesus Christ. This is precisely in accord with the disclosure of the mystery, which was kept concealed for centuries on end, 26 nevertheless from now on it is revealed… according to the commandment of the eternal and everlasting God. And this is declared for understanding to all people everywhere for the acceptance and submissive exercise of their faith and belief. 27 To God who alone is wise, may there be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.”
Comments: The name Tertius appears only this one time in all of scripture — Paul apparently confidently asked him to write down this long letter. Gaius was a gracious host for an assembly of believers; 1 Corinthians 1:14 records that Paul baptized Gaius at Corinth. Erastus is identified as the city treasurer, and Quartus also sent greetings — that is all we know of either of them. Paul wanted to convey assurance that God has unlimited power to establish and sustain believers in their eternal position in him. The preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ is in complete agreement with the many prophecies of the Old Testament that were fulfilled by the appearing of Jesus in flesh. This mystery was revealed by Jesus and subsequently by his apostles, planned and brought to reality by the commands of the eternal and everlasting God — declared for all around the world for any who will receive and accept the truth by placing faith in Christ Jesus the Son of God, to the glory of the only true and living God forever!
Reflections in Prayer
Lord, I pray that I will often think of Paul in regard to the many people he connected with over the years as he traveled. Some of those accompanied him at various times, while others gave him accommodations and support for his journeys. They were spread over many territories, and some were Jews while others were Gentiles, but Paul’s letter showed how much respect and love he had for all who were fellow believers. Though Paul had a very special authority as your chosen apostle, he knew how to live in humility while at the same time asserting his firm commitment to the truth of scripture. He set aside his own comfort over many years to take the gospel to unreached areas, and you provided many people to assist him in his journeys. Paul always spoke so well of the mercy, grace, and glory, of the Lord God; and he continually offered guidance for believers to strengthen their faith in Christ and to continually separate themselves from false doctrine. Lord, I ask that you help me to learn from the teaching of Paul about the many truths in scripture to share with those who need Christ as Savior. I also want to live as you chose and designed for me that I may build up other believers with each opportunity you provide. I know that I will always need the guidance of the Holy Spirit to further open my understanding and application of the teaching that is throughout all scripture. Amen.
Published 31 July 2016