Deeper Commentary
ROMANS CHAPTER 16
16:1- see on :23.
I commend to you Phoebe-
Paul in 2 Corinthians seems to criticize the idea of letters of
commendation and the practice of wanting to have some external
commendation. He is not simply saying 'I converted you at Corinth, so you
know me, and it is inappropriate for you to demand third party
commendations of me'. He is saying that, but he says so because of his
belief that it is only the Lord's commendation which means anything (2
Cor. 10:18). And yet he goes along with this idea in the case of Phoebe,
because he goes along with their weakness and culture on this point. And
we can take that wider principle.
Our sister-
Paul argues to Philemon that if Philemon considers Paul a brother in
fellowship, then he must also consider Onesimus such. Because Paul
considers Onesimus a brother. And the same logic applies here; Phoebe was
Paul's sister in Christ, and the Romans were to likewise accept her as a
sister. It could be of course that she was his literal sister; for we know
that his sister's son was supportive of Paul.
Who is a servant of the church-
She was indeed a 'deacon' but the word simply means a servant and it is
impossible to argue whether this referred to an official church position
or not. Paul has just described himself in chapter 15 as a minister to the
Gentiles, and it would seem he is extending that idea to Phoebe. So he is
asking the 'weak' who were tacitly against the work with the Gentiles to
accept another who was working likewise for the Gentiles- for the church
at Cenchreae were likely Gentiles.
That is at Cenchreae-
The port of Corinth, from where it seems Paul was writing.
16:2- see on Lk. 11:7.
That you may welcome her in the Lord- This is the same idea as the exhortation to 'receive' the 'weak' in
fellowship (14:1; 15:7) exactly because they too were "in the Lord". We
suspect there was some opposition to receiving her- hence Paul's raising
of the matter. Perhaps because she was a woman, or perhaps because she too
was engaged in the ministry to the Gentiles. For Paul has just written of
both the Lord Jesus and himself as being ministers of the Gentiles; and
now he states that Phoebe is also a minister. Active fellowship of the
kind envisaged here is predicated upon being "in the Lord". It is
therefore utterly wrong to accept on one hand that a person is "in the
Lord", but to deny them fellowship for reasons of church politics.
In a way worthy of the saints-
"The saints" is a term used about the final acceptability of the believers
in God's future Kingdom. Being 'worthy' or 'not worthy' is likewise the
language of the last judgment (Mt. 22:8; Acts 13:46; Rom. 1:32 etc.).
Accepting our fellow believers is the "way" to eternal life; this is a
characteristic of those who will be 'worthy' or appropriate to be saints
eternally. Likewise those who refuse to fellowship their brethren are
behaving as the unworthy of being saints.
And I ask that you assist her in whatever matter she may have need of you-
"Assist" is a legal
term, used of presenting witnesses in a court (see Acts 24:13). Paul uses
the word of how the Lord Jesus stood with him in his trial (2 Tim. 4:17).
For she herself also has been a helper of many, and of my own self- Or, "succourer".
According to Barnes: "The word used here means properly “a patron, a
help,” and was applied by the Greeks to one who “presided” over an
assembly; to one who became “a patron” of others; who aided or defended
them in their cause; and especially to one who undertook to manage the
cause of “strangers” and foreigners before the courts". The Cambridge
commentary adds: "Lit. a champion; one who stands before another. The word
conveys a graceful allusion to the request that they would “stand by”
Phœbe: she had “stood before” many a needing and suffering Christian". The
legal language used here leads me to think that she was in Rome on legal
business on behalf of the Christian brotherhood. Perhaps she needed
witnesses to testify, and Paul urges the Romans to participate. But we
note from 2 Tim. 4 his lament that when he had to stand trial in Rome,
none of them stood with him. Phoebe may simply have been noted as a patron
or supporter of Paul and others; for clearly his work had to have been
funded by someone. But it would seem there is more to it than that. A
theme of chapter 16 is not only the mixture of Jewish and Gentile names,
but also of slave and free, rich and poor. And further, the role of women
is emphasized. It's as if Paul seeks to demonstrate that in the way the
Spirit has worked with the Romans and those associated with his ministry,
there was exhibited an amazing unity and breaking down of social barriers.
16:3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow-workers in Christ Jesus-
Priscilla is usually mentioned first in the records, perhaps because she
played the leading role in the ministry. And as noted on :2, the collapse
of barriers between male and female, as well as between Jew and Gentile,
was a feature of the Spirit's movement in Paul's circle of ministry.
Acts 18:2 explains that 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; so there is an internal consistency when we
read that they have returned to Rome, as the decree was rescinded.
16:4 Who for my life laid down their own necks. To whom not only I give thanks, but also
all the churches of the Gentiles-
This suggests they at some point (perhaps in Ephesus) had been willing to
take Paul's death sentence. This was and is a response to the fact
that the Lord laid down His life for us. According to Deissmann, this Greek term refers
to the possibility of being murdered in the place of someone condemned to
death. But 1 Clement 55 speaks of Christians serving prison terms for each
other: “We know many among ourselves who have given themselves up to
bonds, in order that they might ransom others”. They did this, presumably,
because they believed Paul's freedom would result in the Gospel spreading
further than it would by their own continued freedom. Therefore Paul goes
on to say that "the churches of the Gentiles" were grateful for this. The
context in Romans 15 is of Paul's ministry to the Gentiles, and his desire
that the Romans participate fully in it. So it would appropriate to
mention the great example of Priscilla and Aquilla in this matter. We
likewise may sacrifice money or even more to enable another to do work
which we know we cannot do so well. If indeed they served a prison
sentence on Paul's behalf, this might explain why they were back in Rome.
Although :5 says that they had a house church.
16:5 And greet
the church that is in their house- The first of several
mentions in this chapter of house groups. There is no archaeological
evidence of dedicated Christian meeting places in the first century; the
believers met as house groups, occasionally coming together as larger
groups. If all the Roman house groups are mentioned in this chapter, then
the size of the church in Rome may not have been larger than 100 members
at the most- probably far less.
Greet Epaenetus my beloved, who is the firstfruits of Asia to Christ-
It depends how we define
"Asia", because 1 Cor. 6:15 says that “the household of Stephanas was the
first-fruit of Achaia”. Perhaps Epaenetus was one of that extended family,
perhaps a slave within it. The first convert in Asia, therefore, was an
obscure slave. This is typical of how God works with the small things in
human eyes.
16:6
Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on you-
Some manuscripts have
the Hebrew form, Mariam; in any case, this is a Hebrew name. So she was a
Jewish Christian in Rome who had done much for Paul personally, although
Paul had never visited Rome. It seems all those in Rome whom he greets
were in fact known to him personally, and had for various reasons ended up
in Rome.
16:7 Greet Andronicus and Junias- Junia could be Joanna.
My kinsmen-
Their names are Greek and Latin (respectively) as was common for Jews
living in the empire. But they were "kinsmen". Perhaps his relatives,
maybe from the tribe of Benjamin, but the point was- they were Jews. And
Paul has been writing earlier about how the Jewish element were "the
weak", still tempted to rely on legal obedience for justification. And yet
it now emerges that a number of the Jewish element were in fact well known
to Paul and actually his friends. His position on them was therefore
purely from principle, as his natural desire would have been to cut his
friends some slack, understanding their culture and where they came from.
And my fellow-prisoners,
who are of note among the apostles, who also have been in Christ before me-
Paul mentions elsewhere
that he had "often" been imprisoned. The Acts record is very abbreviated,
and most of them we are unaware of. It could be that even at Corinth, from
where Paul wrote Romans, he was in prison- and these who were in prison in
Rome were his fellow prisoners. Or perhaps at some previous point they had
been imprisoned along with him.
16:8
Greet Ampliatus my beloved in the
Lord-
Tertius was a “scribe”
(:22), which was a learned profession; Luke (:21) a doctor. Yet next to
these brethren are listed the likes of Ampliatus, which was a common slave
name. Romans 16 is an essay in the unity between rich and poor in the
early ecclesia.
16:9
Greet Urbanus our fellow-worker in Christ- “A common Roman slave
name found among members of the household” (Sanday and Headlam).
And Stachys my beloved- A rare Greek name, but recorded as being
used among members of the imperial household. "My beloved" suggests that
Paul knew this person from his previous missionary work- and now somehow
this believer was in Rome and perhaps in Caesar's household. Paul's point
is that the Gospel has united Jew and Gentile, and penetrated the most
strongly Gentile places. And he asks the Roman church to participate in
that mission which clearly was of the Lord through His Spirit.
16:10 Greet Apelles the approved in Christ- A name used among Jews
and the name of a famous tragic actor. If this individual is referred to,
then the point would be that his approbation was from Christ, and not
because of his secular fame. And he is listed alongside petty slaves, at
the other end of the social spectrum, but all together in Christ.
Greet them that are of the household of Aristobulus-
Paul writes to them as
if there was one church in Rome, and yet he mentions the house groups of
Aristobulus and Narcissus (Rom. 16:10,11). Indeed, in Rom. 16:14,15 we
have lists of names of brethren, and then the comment “and all the saints
which are with them”. It could be that the long list of greetings to named
individuals was more like a list of greetings to the various house
churches which comprised the larger ‘ecclesia’ in Rome. Robert Banks
observes: “Justin in his First Apology refers to several distinct
house-based meetings in Rome as much as a century after the New
Testament”.
Lightfoot suggests that this Aristobulus may have been the grandson of
Herod the Great. But the reference to his "household" may not require that
he himself was converted. For Paul doesn't greet him, but rather those of
his household. So here we have a Roman of considerable distinction who had
Christians among his servants or his slaves. He may have been dead, and
the slaves continued to be known by their association with his extended
family. Again we have the picture of slaves being a significant part of
the Rome ecclesia. The metaphors in Romans related to slavery, and the
message of radical freedom in Christ, would have been the more meaningful
to them.
16:11 Greet
Herodion my kinsman-
Probably one belonging to the Herod family, but a Jew like Paul. Again
Paul is seeking to demonstrate the very wide range of the Spirit's work
with Jew and Gentile alike.
Greet them of the household of Narcissus, that are in the Lord- Not
all the extended family had been converted. Suetonius and Tacitus both
mention a notorious Narcissus, a freedman of Claudius, who became one of
Nero’s bad favourites. But within the household slaves of that man, there
were baptized Christians, who it seems had been known by Paul personally
at some other place in the empire. Again, the scope, range and penetration
of the Spirit's work amongst the Gentiles is being emphasized. For these
Gentiles of the Gentiles are listed along with Paul's "kinsman" Herodion,
a Jewish believer.
16:12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. Greet
Persis the beloved, who laboured much in the Lord- The two sisters
were labourers in the Lord, but sister Persis is commended for labouring
much. The aorist may refer to some special occasion in the past, some
particular great work she had done. Or maybe she had lost her labouring
zeal and therefore laboured no more, or was too infirm to do the kind of
labour she had once done.
16:13- see on Mt. 27:32; Rom. 16:23.
Greet Rufus the chosen in the Lord
; and his mother, who also was as a
mother to me-
A very common slave
name, perhaps the Rufus of Mk. 15:21. Paul the Roman citizen considered a
slave’s mother to be his mother, who presumably was dead or had rejected
him. Again we see the closeness of the new relationships in Christ.
16:14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the
believers that are with them- Asyncritus is a name on an inscription
in Rome, referring to a freedman of Augustus. If it is the same person,
then he is significantly listed next to Hermes, a very common slave name.
Paul would be demonstrating the truth of Gal. 3:27-29- slave and freedman
were all together in Christ. Likewise there is an inscription in Rome
mentioning
Patrobas as a freedman of Nero. And this name is followed by Hermas, a
common slave name. Slave and free are therefore being purposefully
juxtaposed together. See on :23 Quartus. "The believers that are
with them" would suggest that there was a small house church associated
with each of them. The slaves could feasibly run a house church comprised
perhaps of other slaves and household members, right within the premises
they lived and worked in.
16:15 Greet
Philologus- Another
common slave name.
And Julia- The commonest name for
female slaves in the imperial household because of Julius Caesar. Perhaps
the wife of Philologus.
Nereus
and his sister and Olympa- This name is found in
inscriptions from the imperial household. Along with Julia, there is
reason to think that there was a house group of Christians right in
Caesar's household, comprised of believers whom Paul had personally known
or maybe converted in other parts of the empire. He mentions no
fewer than 26 such people here, whom he knew personally. They were at this
point in Rome, although Paul had never been there. Perhaps had been driven
from Rome by Claudius and had returned now Claudius was dead; Aquila and
Priscila would be examples (Acts 18:2; Rom. 16:3). People were mobile
within the Roman empire. Aquila had moved several times, from Pontus to
Rome to Corinth to Ephesus and now back to Rome (Acts 18:1,2,18,26; 1 Cor.
16:9). But many of these names are slave names. We marvel how many slaves Paul knew personally. He, the
Jewish rabbi, the intellectual, the educated and literate- had mixed with
and converted those at the very lowest level of the social ladder. Many
slaves could not easily get away from their masters, and so we imagine
Paul entering the wealthy homes where they worked and lived.
And all the saints that are with them- As noted on :14, this would
seem to refer to house churches connected with each name.
16:16- see on Acts 2:46.
Greet one another with a holy kiss-
There is repetition of the command to all ecclesial members to
greet all the other members with a "holy kiss" (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor.
16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Pet. 5:14). It's hard to translate into our terms
the huge meaning of this in the first century world. It would've been
unthinkable for a slave to take such initiative to kiss their master, or
indeed any free person. This practice of all kissing everyone else in the
congregation would've been arresting and startling. Sociologically, it
stood no chance of ever being done. And yet these social and
inter-personal miracles were what made Christianity stand out so
noticeably- and in essence, our overcoming of social and inter-personal
barriers ought to do the same for our community in the present world. But
does it? Are we so markedly different from others... ? Is our love
and unity of such an evidently deep and different quality? The implication
is that all these various slaves from different households did meet each
other for fellowship. We can imagine the issues they faced with shifts,
getting free time off, permission to leave the household etc. And the same
effort is required by us to achieve face to face fellowship in Christ.
All the churches of Christ greet you- Just as Rome was comprised of house churches who
met together occasionally, so it seems the church at Corinth [from where
Paul was possibly writing] was likewise composed of a similar network. And Paul
would have made the effort to tell all in Corinth that he was writing to
Rome, and solicited the greetings from the various house groups where he
was.
16:17 Now I urge you brothers, mark those that are causing divisions-
The article with each noun points to some well-known division; and the
teaching in chapters 14 and 15 has made clear that the division related to
issues between Jew and Gentile, and whether the Jewish food laws should
still be kept by the Gentiles. It is not judgmental to note that certain
individuals are divisive. Christianity is no call to naivety. We are not
to judge in the sense of condemning, but we are indeed asked to be wise.
And create obstacles
contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught-
Those who cause divisions cause “occasions of
stumbling” (RV) and should therefore be avoided- because, the implication
is, division causes stumbling. A skandalon referred to the twig on
a trap which causes it to open. Divisions within the church may be over
trivial matter, as trivial as a twig. But they cause people to stumble
from the path to the Kingdom. It’s as simple as that. People stumble, in
Paul’s experience, because of divisive people within the ecclesias. To be
disunited was contrary to the doctrine taught; the specific teaching in
view may simply be the commands relating to unity.
Turn away from these-
And yet has not Paul been speaking about the all-important need for unity?
There are different levels of being out of fellowship with other
believers. Any analysis of the NT teaching about ecclesial discipline will
make this clear. Some brethren should be simply avoided, kept away
from, not necessarily because they themselves are teaching any
false doctrine (Rom. 16:17 Gk.). More seriously, 2 Thess. 3:15 speaks of
some cases where we should not count a brother as an "enemy", 'an opposing
one', but admonish him as a brother, while separate from him;
whilst Mt. 18:17 describes other cases where the errant brother should be
treated as we would a worldly Gentile (although note: “Let him be unto
thee” singular; this is talking about personal decisions, not
ecclesial withdrawal); and, going a stage further, 1 Cor. 5:11 suggests we
should not even keep social company with a brother who is involved in
sexual perversion. These different levels of being 'out of fellowship' can
be applied to the different level of separation there may be in practice
between us and a false teacher, and those who perhaps in a misguided view
of 'love' still tolerate him in fellowship. Even if we insist that Mt.
18:7 should be applied to someone, it must be noted that the Lord’s
attitude to tax collectors and Gentiles was to mix with them, even share
table fellowship with them, with a burning desire to win them for His
cause (Mt. 9:9; 10:3; 11:19; 28:19). It is no accident that all these
passages in Matthew have some reference to Matthew the tax collector being
called and saved by the Lord. Matthew is effectively saying under
inspiration that we should treat the person we decide to relate to as a
tax collector and Gentile just as he had been treated by the Lord’s
saving, calling grace.
16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Christ- Those who
make divisions don't serve "our Lord Christ" (Rom. 16:17,18 RV); if they
saw Christ's Lordship, they wouldn't be divisive, but be humbled into
loving co-operation with His brethren. And yet those who make divisions in
churches nearly all claim to be reluctantly doing so as part of their
devotion to the Lord Christ. It was the same in the first century, and
Paul clearly states that this is just so much flannel and excuse.
But their own belly-
It could be that there was some financial issue which further nuanced the
question of obedience to the Law. Perhaps some were appealing to the
Jewish law in order to demand tithes from other members.
And by their smooth and fair speech they deceive the hearts of the
innocent- The language of the
serpent in Eden. See on :20.
16:19 For your obedience is known to all- Obedience is a major
theme in Romans; Paul liked to see the believers in Rome as a parade
example of Gentile obedience to the Gospel (1:5; 6:16; 15:18; 16:26). He
therefore feared that they would be led away by the Jewish false teachers,
and this would negatively impact all those who had looked to them as an
example of obedience. As noted in our study of Galatians, Titus and 1
Timothy, the legalism of Judaism was strangely attractive to the Gentile
converts. To believe in salvation by pure grace is actually very
demanding- for the wonder of it requires our all. The flesh finds it
attractive to retain our acceptance that God and Jesus exist, but to slip
back into a half-hearted attempt to keep a few laws in the hope that maybe
we might be thereby accepted at the last day.
But I would have you to be wise regarding that which is good and simple
concerning evil-
A reference to the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the need to not
listen to the voice of the serpent. The true wisdom was in Christ, not in
the serpent. See on :20.
16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with
you-
The ‘satan’ in view is I suggest the Jewish opposition, which was to be
shortly destroyed in the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem elite in
AD70.
The Jewish system ceased
to be a serious adversary or Satan to the Christians in the aftermath of
its destruction in A.D. 70, as Paul prophesied here. A closer study of the
context reveals more precisely the mentality of the Judaizer Satan. Satan
being bruised underfoot alludes back to the seed of the serpent being
bruised in Genesis 3:15. The Jews are therefore likened to the
Satan-serpent in Genesis (as they are in Jn. 8:44), in their causing
“divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned”
(Rom. 16:17). Other details in Romans 16 now fall into the Genesis 3:15
context: “they that are such serve... their own belly; and by good words
and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (:18). The fair
speeches of the Judaizers were like those of the serpent. Instead of ‘Why
not eat the fruit?’ it was ‘Why not keep the law?’. Is. 24:6 had earlier
made the point that because of the sin of the priesthood “therefore hath
the curse devoured the earth / land”; “their poison is like the poison of
a serpent” (Ps. 59:4).
The tree of knowledge thus comes to represent the Law – because “by the
law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20). The fig leaves which Adam and
Eve covered themselves with also represented the Law, seeing they were
replaced by the slain lamb. Their initially glossy appearance typifies
well the apparent covering of sin by the Law, which faded in time. The fig
tree is a symbol of Israel. It seems reasonable to speculate that having
eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge, they made their aprons out of
its leaves, thus making the tree of knowledge a fig tree. Both the tree
and the leaves thus represent the Law and Jewish system; it is therefore
fitting if the leaves were from the same tree. It is also noteworthy that
when Christ described the Pharisees as appearing “beautiful” outwardly, he
used a word which in the Septuagint was used concerning the tree of
knowledge, as if they were somehow connected with it (Mt. 23:27).
It was as if the Judaizers were saying: ‘Yea, hath God said you cannot
keep the law? Why then has He put it there? It will do you good, it will
give you greater spiritual knowledge’. Colossians 2:3–4 shows this kind of
reasoning was going on: “In (Christ) are hid all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with
enticing words”. Here is another allusion to the serpent. Because all
spiritual knowledge is in Christ, Paul says, don’t be beguiled by offers
of deeper knowledge. Thus Adam and Eve’s relationship with God in Eden
which the serpent envied and broke is parallel to us being “in Christ”
with all the spiritual knowledge that is there. Hence Paul warned Corinth:
“I fear, lest... as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your
minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Cor.
11:3). The ‘simplicity in Christ’ was therefore the same as man’s
relationship with God in Eden. So again we see the Judaist false teachers
equated with the Satan-serpent of Genesis. Titus 1:10 and 2 Peter 2:1 – 3
specifically define these men who used an abundance of words and sophistry
as “they of the circumcision”, i.e. Jewish false teachers. Those in 2
Peter 2 are described as speaking evil of Angels (:12 cp. Jude 8) – in the
same way as the serpent spoke evil of the Angelic commands given in Eden.
It’s been pointed out that there’s an Aramaic pun which connects the
serpent [hewya] with the idea of instruction [hawa] and also
Eve, the false teacher of Adam [Hawah].
Back in Romans 16, the Judaizer Satans/ adversaries are spoken of as
serving “their own belly” (:18) like the serpent did. Maybe the serpent
liked the look of the fruit and wanted to justify his own eating of it; to
do this he persuaded Eve to eat it. Because he served his belly, he had to
crawl on it. Similarly the Judaizers wanted to be justified in their own
keeping of the Law, and therefore persuaded Eve, the Christian bride of
Christ (2 Cor. 11:1–3), to do the same. “Yet I would have you wise unto
that which is good, and simple (AV mg. “harmless”) concerning evil” (Rom.
16:19) – “be wise as serpents, (primarily referring to the Pharisees?) and
harmless as doves”, Jesus had said (Mt. 10:16).
16:21
Timothy my fellow-worker greets you, as do
Lucius-
Luke the writer of the
Gospel, who was often together with Paul and Timothy.
Jason-
The Jason of Acts
17:5,7.
And Sosipater, my kinsmen-
Perhaps the Sopater of Acts 20:4, from where we learn he was Jewish. if
these indications are correct, then Paul chosen to send greetings from
Jewish brethren; having spoken of the Jewish element in Rome as "the
weak". “Kinsmen” could mean they were Paul’s relatives, or that they were
also Jews, perhaps also from Tarsus.
16:22 I Tertius, who write this epistle, greet you in the Lord- See
on :8.
"Note Paul's exquisite
courtesy in leaving Tertius to salute in his own name. To dictate to him
his own salutation would be to treat him as a machine".
16:23 - see on Lk. 8:3.
Gaius my host (and of the whole church) greets you-
Gaius had a home big enough for the Corinth ecclesia
to meet in (Rom. 16:23). The social mix amongst believers must have been
startling. Excavations at Ostia near Rome have revealed how the spacious
homes of the wealthy stood right next to the insulae, the blocks of
squalid flats in which the poor lived. There was little differentiation of
rich and poor according to which neighbourhoods they lived in. So when we
read that the wealthy believer Gaius was ‘host of the whole church’ (Rom.
16:23), we are to imagine this wealthy man opening his spacious home to
the urchins who lived in the neighbouring blocks who had come to Christ.
This must have been startling for the surrounding populace. Such was the
witness of true Christian unity.
Erastus the treasurer of the city greets you; and Quartus the brother- The list of believers’
names in Romans 16 is there for a purpose: to show how all types had come
together in the Rome ecclesia. Women are named and greeted [uncommon in
contemporary Jewish letters of the time]; some names are common slave
names: Phlegon, Hermes, Philologus; whereas tradition has it that
the Narcissus mentioned was a famous and wealthy member of the court of
Claudius. Greetings are given from two members at Corinth: “Erastus the
treasurer of the city [of Corinth] salutes you, and Quartus, a brother”
(Rom. 16:23). There is an intended juxtaposition here: of the wealthy and
powerful brother Erastus, and the unknown [slave?] Quartus, who all the
same was “a brother”, on the same spiritual standing. Phoebe is described
as the prostates of the Cenchreae ecclesia and Paul himself- a word
translatable as “patroness” (Rom. 16:1,2). It could be that she funded
Paul’s activities at least in part. The same implication may be behind
Paul’s description of the mother of Rufus as being his “mother” (Rom.
16:13). This would have continued the example of wealthy women like Joanna
supporting the ministry of Jesus (Lk. 8:2). If one goes through the Acts
and the New Testament letters and makes a list of all the individuals who
are named, we have a list of about 78 people. About 30 of these people
have some indication in the narrative as to their social status; and the
majority of these are from above average social stations. For example, the
way Achaicus, Fortunatus, Tertius and Lucius in Corinth and Clement in
Philippi all have Latin names in Roman colonies could well indicate that
they were from the original stock of colonists, who tended to be well
ahead of the local population.
16:24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all- The
stress is upon "all". Both weak and strong, Jew and Gentile, those who
correctly understood and those who didn't or wouldn't, are all covered in
the Lord's grace. Yet charis is used also of the gift- of the
Spirit. Paul has argued that the experience of the Spirit's work is what
binds believers together, and he wishes this to be with them all.
16:25 Now to him that is able to establish you- Stability of faith
involves the direct operation of God in the human mind; he writes in 1
Thess. 3:13 of how the Lord can establish hearts. And this is exactly the
work of the Spirit about which this epistle has had so much to say. "Is
able" uses the word Paul has earlier employed to explain how the
unassisted sinner is not able to please God or obey his law
(8:7,8). But God is able through the Spirit to transform us towards
salvation- if we are willing and believing. The word "establish" is
exactly how Paul began the letter, wanting to give them "Some gift of the
Spirit, to the end you may be established" (1:11). He clearly did not have
in view the word of the Gospel, for they already knew that. There was a
Spirit gift which God was willing to give them which would stabilize them
in faith so that they didn't believe the false teachers. But surely Paul
had somewhat justified his trip to Roman by saying that he wanted to come
to them in order to impart that gift to them. God was willing to give that
gift in any case and by any means. And he wishes that in whatever way,
they may receive it.
According to the gospel I preach, which is the preaching of Jesus Christ-
As the Lord is the light
of the world, so are we. We are Him to this world insofar as we preach
Him. The message of salvation by faith alone and Holy Spirit strengthening
was central to the good news Paul preached. But again the point is made to
the Jews that Paul is not merely sharing his personal opinions about the
law and salvation by faith- the Lord is preaching to them through his very
words.
According to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept in silence
through times eternal-
The mystery was of salvation by faith alone and not obedience to law, and
of internal strengthening by the Spirit. Paul felt these things were
indeed found in "the scriptures of the prophets" (:26)- once you start
searching for them, looking back from a Christian perspective. But until
the time of Christ, this great mystery was as it were kept secret.
16:26 But
now is manifested, and in accordance with the scriptures of the prophets,
according to the
commandment of the eternal God, is made known to all the nations to
obedience of faith-
This is surely an
allusion to the great commission- a command to take the good news to all
the nations, so that they might believe and be baptized. The act of
baptism is therefore hinted at in the phrase "the obedience of faith".
Paul has used the same word about how God has made known the riches of His
grace to us (9:23); our response is to make it known to others. Preaching
is therefore a response to His grace and initiative towards us.
16:27 To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever-
That God alone is wise may be a final parry against the way the false
teachers claimed to be offering new wisdom unknown to others. But clearly
Paul also is simply commenting upon the wisdom of God in doing things the
way He has.
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