The Ties that Bind

Series on Romans

XX Spiritual Parting Advice

Text: Romans 16:1-27

Introduction

In his concluding remarks the Apostle continues his fervent devotion to the truth that God’s purpose in the plan of salvation and in Christ can only be fulfilled through the union of Jews and Gentiles in one dedicated fellowship. You will recall again how Paul teaches the church at Rome that both Jews and Gentiles are utterly lost in sin and apart from Jesus blood and righteousness nobody can be saved. He reminds them how both Jew and Gentile are justified through Christ and the result of that justification is being dead to sin and alive to Christ so that both are over-comers. He instructs them about God’s purpose from the beginning which is to make the Church one new man consisting of Jew and Gentile. Then he urges both to love one another and help one another. Chapter 16 carries these sentiments forward by displaying them in greetings, guidance, and glory.

i Greetings

We see the greetings in verses 1-18, and 21-24. The first of these sections is introducing us to Phoebe and those whom the Apostle knows in the church at Rome and the second is greetings from Paul’s fellow workers. Thus in verses 1-18 we read, I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me. Greet Priscillab and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. 8 Greet Ampliatus, whom I love in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. Greet Apelles, tested and approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my relative. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings. It is probable that Phoebe was the messenger that brought Paul’s letter to Rome. She was a Greek servant of the church in Cenchrea, a seaport near Corinth where Paul had labored and her service to the church and to Paul was widely known. There are many other women in the church of Rome who are mentioned here and commended here for their abundant labors in the service of the gospel. Most of the names both male and female are Roman and also include Christians apparently living in divided households, others with churches meeting in their homes, converts from Paul’s ministry including those who are doing well and have stood the test, fellow prisoners, and fellow countrymen. Although he had not yet visited Rome, Paul names twenty-four individuals, seventeen men and seven women, along with many who are unnamed, such as those in the households of Aristobulus and Narcissus. In these verses the apostle gives a roster of choice Christians he knew and with whom he had worked. He had served them and been served by them. Many of these people had moved to Rome from other parts of the empire and Paul’s wide ranging travels had brought him into contact with them. Of special note are Rufus, probably the son of Simon of Cyrene who bore Jesus cross according to Mark 15:21, and also Priscilla and Aquila. Priscilla and Aquila, were tentmakers like Paul, mentioned 3 times in Acts and 3 times in Paul’s letters, in Timothy and Corinthians besides here, because thy were abundant laborers in the gospel along with Paul. These greeting show the close fellowship of Christians from different parts of the empire and underline the importance of the fellowship and mutual support that Paul is urging. Verses 21-24 add the greetings of fellow workers, his amanuensis, Tertius, and the members of the church meeting in the house of Gaius in Corinth, Timothy, my fellow worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my relatives. I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord. Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings. Erastus, who is the city’s director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings.

II Guidance

In order to maintain the closeness and intimacy of this devotion to one another the Christians had to be on guard as Paul writes in verses 17-20, I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. We see in these verses three things which we must do to maintain the close fellowship and care that Paul commands and exemplifies. We must run from falsehood, resist the Devil, and remain in Grace.

A Run from Falsehood

Paul says, first if all, that we should shun false teachers. There is no shortage of those who serve their own interests while posing as teachers of the truth. John MacArthur writes, Paul is not talking about hair splitting over minor interpretations, or about immature believers who are divisive because of personal preferences, as disruptive and damaging as those things can be. About these Paul writes to Timothy, “refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels”. Paul is here talking about something immeasurably more serious. He is warning about those who challenge and undermine the teaching which you learned, that is, the divinely-revealed apostolic teaching they had received. Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples about false prophets, and they, in turn, warned others. As Peter writes in his second letter, chapter 2, verses 1-3, But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

B Resist the Devil

Those false teachers are actually Satan’s emissaries and by resisting them, the Christians at Rome will be resisting Satan. According to Peter the evil one goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour, and James 4:7 promises that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. Paul is expressing a similar sentiment here, but the imagery is taken from the first promise of God’s grace in Genesis 3 where we are told that the seed of the woman will bruise the serpent’s head. It is Jesus, the Son of God, who tramples Satan under our feet. Here He is called the God of peace because he made peace by the blood of the cross, and that is where Satan was crushed.

C Remain in Grace

Paul prays that the grace of the Lord Jesus would be with them. They have been walking in grace and Paul is full of joy because everyone has heard about their obedience, and so he warns them to continue in grace by being wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. As John Newton wrote in his great hymn, “Amazing Grace,” ‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.

III Glory

Paul’s benediction and ascription here in verses 25-27 is about the gospel, and the gospel is glorious. It is glorious because it glorifies God in a way that nothing else can. Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him—to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. The mystery of which Paul writes is simply the hiddenness of the gospel in the prophetic writings of the Old Testament. It was there, but it was not fully revealed. Now, Paul says, it has been fully revealed in the preaching of the cross of Christ, and this in turn is a revelation of the wisdom of God in the plan of salvation. This involves not only God’s plan to sum up all things in Christ, but also His plan to call the Gentiles, “so that all nations might believe and obey him.” Paul writes eloquently of this wisdom of God in the plan of salvation in I Corinthians 1: 18-24 For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to us that are saved it is God’s power. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and set aside the understanding of the understanding ones. Where wise? where scribe? where disputer of this world? has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom has not known God, God has been pleased by the foolishness of the preaching to save those that believe. Since Jews indeed ask for signs, and Greeks seek wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews an offense, and to nations foolishness; but to those that called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ God’s power and God’s wisdom.