Previously in Romans, Paul finished up his discussion on Christian liberty. Believers who are strong are to bear with the weaknesses of other believers, and put their needs ahead of their own. This is to follow in Jesus’ example who went to the cross for you and me. We serve a God of hope who wants to fill us with joy and peace by believing, that we may also abound in hope through the Holy Spirit. In closing his letter, Paul expressed his desire and plan to come see them on his way to Spain, but his desire was not fulfilled in the way he had expected. In chapter 16, he will finish his closing by giving several greetings.
He begins by commending Phoebe who was a sister in the Lord and a servant of the church in Cenchrea. She was headed to Rome, and was probably entrusted with delivering this epistle to them. The word for servant is translated as deacon in other passages, but probably is not referring to the office of deacon since Paul addresses the qualifications for deacons and their wives in 1 Timothy 3:8-12. Also, when the apostles chose the first deacons, they chose seven men (see Acts 6:3-4). However, she was a willing servant to the Church, and apparently had been of great help to Paul and many others. The fact she was being entrusted to take Paul’s letter to Rome demonstrates she was thought highly of by the Church. Paul instructed them to receive her in the Lord in a worthy manner as other saints, and to assist her in whatever business she had need of.
Next, he tells the Church to greet Priscilla and Aquila, his fellow-workers in Christ Jesus. Paul had met Priscilla and Aquila on his second missionary journey when he arrived in Corinth. They had come to Corinth because Claudius Caesar had commanded all Jews to leave Rome. He, being of the same trade as them, worked with them in tent-making (Acts 18:1-3). As a side-note, Paul did not view himself above hard work as an apostle and minister of the Gospel. Ministry itself is hard work, but he also had a trade that he used to provide for himself at times on his missionary journeys. As a former Jewish rabbi, it would have been standard practice for him to have a trade. He probably did not do this all the time, but he did use it as a fallback on occasion to avoid being a financial burden to others and the accusation that he was preaching for gain. Some pastors enter into the ministry with the notion that the Church should provide all their needs, and this is certainly nice when it works out that way. However, sometimes this is not possible, especially in rural communities. Most pastors I know have to work, at least a little bit, in order to provide for their families because either their churches are just too small, or, in some instances, people do not want to give.
Prescilla and Aquila were a husband-and-wife team who ministered with Paul in Corinth, who left Corinth when Paul did, and stayed in Ephesus for a time. Apparently, they were back in Rome at the time of this epistle. They are mentioned several times by both Luke and Paul in the New Testament, some listing Aquila first, and others listing Priscilla first. Some like to read more into this, even going as far as to say that Priscilla was the leader of their home church. However, there is no Biblical precedence for this view, and would contradict Paul’s instruction to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:12-14. Other contemporary documents show that a person’s first mention indicates his/her social prominence or conversational initiative rather than a role reversal. Paul may have been doing it as a way to demonstrate the equal spiritual standing of men and women who are believers (Galatians 3:28). Another possibility is that some believe Priscilla was a Gentile, and Paul may have addressed her first since he was writing to a gentile audience. He credits them with risking their necks for him, possibly referring to his legal troubles in Corinth (Acts 18:12-17) or the riot in Ephesus (Acts 19:21-41).
They also had churches that met in their home in both Ephesus and in Rome, so they were working together to encourage believers to grow in their walks with the Lord. The early church regularly met in homes, and did so until the mid-third century. As believers we are told to be in the habit of assembling together, but the Scriptures do not say where. That means it is up to us to meet in the place that suits us best, and homes can be a very practical place for this, especially in times of persecution. However, these home churches had elder leadership (Acts 14:23 and Titus 1:5). From these passages and others, we can see that there was more than one elder appointed in a city. This could be that any given gathering had more than one elder present, or that as the number of believers grew, there would have been several home meetings taking place, each of them needing at least one elder. In summary, this was a powerful husband-and-wife team who were devoted to advancing the Kingdom, and were willing to lay their lives on the line for Paul. These are the type of people you want in your corner, especially in the ministry.
Paul gives greetings to several more individuals, and he has something good to say about many of them. He was good at building up others, even the Corinthians whom he had to severely correct. They were greetings to ordinary people like you and me who loved the Lord and served Him with the gifts He gave them. Out of the persons listed here, seven of them mentioned by name were women. Everywhere the Gospel has gone it has promoted women as one in Christ and heirs of the promise of God, the same as the men. Some of them, Andronicus and Junia, were Paul’s countrymen and fellow prisoners, and were apostles. This was not of the original 12, but of others listed such as Silas, Barnabas, and others. Some like to interpret Junia to be a woman apostle since the name can be masculine or feminine, but this, again, would not be in keeping with Paul’s instruction in his other epistles. Some of the individuals listed are recognized for laboring for the Lord, and some of them are recognized for laboring much. Out of the 24 persons listed, 13 of them appear in inscriptions or documents connected with the emperor’s palace in Rome, so Paul could have been greeting servants of Caesar’s who became Christians. He tells them to greet one another with a holy kiss, a common way of greeting someone in that culture. Different cultures have different forms of greeting one another, but the idea is it should be a warm friendly greeting that shows we are genuinely glad to see them. And, “the Churches of Christ greet you.”
As a matter of importance, he urges them to note (mark) those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine they had already learned. These are those who do not adhere to sound doctrine, those things that make Christianity true Christianity. This is much of what Paul taught in the book of Romans, the first five chapters in particular. A believer can be wrong about things in subsequent chapters of the book, but it can be detrimental to their Christian walk. For example, if a believer does not understand the truths found in chapters 6-8, they will be saved, but walking in defeat as it relates to their sin. A person does not have to have a correct view on God’s plan for Israel in order to be a Christian, but so often, this descends into antisemitism and an out-right hatred of the Jew. When you see professing believers spew out hatred for the Jewish people (or any people group for that matter), you do have to wonder.
These individuals who do not adhere to essential doctrines are not true believers, but are serving their own bellies (desires). We are not to give place to these individuals because they use smooth words and flattery to deceive those who are immature in the faith. They are seeking to draw a following, and it causes confusion and division in the Church. When we encounter these types of individuals, Paul says we are to avoid them. He also wrote to Titus, “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.” (Titus 3:10-11)
He was glad for them that their reputation for obedience to good doctrine was known to all, but he wanted them to be wise (skilled) in what is good and simple (innocent) concerning evil. We do not have to be an expert on sin to preach against it; we just need to be an expert on what is right. He reminded them that the God of peace would crush Satan under their feet shortly. We have to endure his wrath for a time, but we overcome through our faith in Jesus. The Scriptures state, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. “(Rev 12:11) A time is coming, however, when we will have to deal with the devil no more. After the 1,000-year reign of Christ, there will be one more Satanic Rebellion, and then the devil will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone forever.
Paul ends by saying, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. He then includes greetings from others with him in Corinth such as Timothy, Paul’s close associate and “true son in the faith”; Tertius, Paul’s professional secretary who wrote the letter; Gaius, Paul’s host while staying in Corinth; and Erastus, the treasurer of the city of Corinth, a godly man in a secular profession. They gave the same valediction, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
In typical Paul fashion, he does not end with his original closing, but goes on to give a benediction: “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith— to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.” God is able to make us stable, strengthen us, and make us to stand firm, and He does this through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel, the good news that was kept a mystery (hidden) since the world began, is now revealed, and was foretold by the prophetic Scriptures to all nations. This was according to the commandment of God, in order that mankind may place their faith in Jesus Christ. It is our faith in Christ that has delivered us from the guilt, punishment, and power of sin, and has made us more than conquerors in Him. It is through our faith that we are children of God and loved by Him with a love from which we cannot be separated. It is through our faith in the Lord that we receive His promises just as Israel will receive His promises by that same faith. It is through faith that we yield our bodies as a living sacrifice, operate in spiritual gifts, and love one another. It is through faith that we serve a God of Hope, and are recipients of His joy and peace. This is the Gospel, folks! As Paul began the epistle, we should not be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, because it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes. It is in the Gospel that the righteousness of God is revealed, and it is through faith, from beginning to end. We are not just saved by faith, but we live by faith. Lastly, Guzek writes, “If there is anything that the Book of Romans explains from beginning to end, it is the greatness and glory of this plan of God that Paul preached as a gospel – as good news. It’s entirely fitting that Paul concludes this letter praising the God of such a gospel. The good news Paul preached presented the God who chose to glorify Himself through the person and work of Jesus Christ, and who will glorify Himself that way forever. Amen!”
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