Paul's Final Words

Love’s Many Contacts (16:1-16)

Paul was a man with many friends.

His great heart embraced all the people of God, and his love for them provoked him to take a keen interest in them.

Every contact was a potential friend and Paul had many contacts.

Somehow, in a day and age which knew nothing of modern communications, Paul was able to keep in touch with the church universal.

It would not be hard to imagine Paul in Corinth haunting the harbor at Cenchrea and accosting mariners from all parts of the Roman world.

"Where are you from, sailor? Rome? Do you by any chance know a sail maker by the name of Aquila?"

It is easy to picture Paul cross-questioning merchants from the east as they pass through Corinth.

"You’ve just come from Ephesus? Were you at Antioch in Syria? Antioch in Pisidia? Troas?"

And never a Christian could enter Corinth but that Paul would pounce on him for at least a quick report on the church at Philippi, at Berea, at Thessalonica, at Jerusalem, Alexandria or Samaria.

So Paul, with his heart full of love for the people of God, had many contacts.

He was able to keep himself informed of the state of the church in Rome.

He knew many of the leading Christians by name.

They were all down in his prayer book, and now he checks them off one by one as he draws his letter to a close.

How Paul Solicits His Brethren at Rome (16:1-2)

First he has to commend to the church at Rome a sister from the church at Cenchrea, the port of Corinth, who is planning a trip to the capital.

They Are to Accept Phebe (16:1)

It was a wise custom in the early church, and one still widely practiced today, to furnish believers leaving one locality for another with letters of commendation to the church in the new vicinity (2 Cor. 3:1 ).

It insured for the traveler a friendly reception in the strange city and helped the church there in its reception of believers from other places.

"I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is the servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: that ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints" (vv. 1-2a).

Nothing else is known of Phebe beyond the fact that Paul calls her a "succourer of many" (v. 2), implying perhaps that she made it her ministry for the Lord to be helpful especially to strangers in Cenchrea and Corinth.

Her name, however, is immortalized by her faithful service to the apostle, to the church at Rome, and to the ages from then till now in carrying this epistle to Rome.

They Are to Assist Phebe (16:2)

It is a great ministry of local Christians to put themselves and their service at the disposal of visiting saints from other parts of the world.

Those who have traveled extensively know what a blessing it is to be in the fellowship of the church and find helpful brothers and sisters in all parts of the world.

"Assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you," writes Paul, "for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also" (v. 2b).

The word for "assist" means "to stand by" and is used by Paul when he says that the Lord Jesus stood by him at his trial before Nero (2 Tim. 4:17).

The world knows nothing of the fellowship, friendship and helpfulness which is to be found within the family of faith.

No lodge or club on earth can begin to provide for its members such a bond of helpfulness as exists between truly saved believers.

How Paul Salutes His Brethren at Rome (16:3-16)

Thirty-five persons are named in these concluding sections of Romans.

Nine were with Paul in Corinth when he wrote; eight men and one woman.

Twenty-four were at Rome; seventeen of them men and seven of them women, all affectionately greeted by Paul.

In addition there are two households in Rome that are mentioned, as well as some unnamed brethren.

There are also two unnamed women.

It is a notable list.

There is something strangely attractive about it and about these shadowy names which appear for a flash upon the page of Scripture and then are gone back into the black night of obscurity.

They flare up before our gaze like bursts of flame and then burn down to a little handful of white ashes.

And there they are, names forever immortalized by the pen of Paul, names that represent people who lived and loved long, long ago and who live forever in the power of an endless life.

There they are, people dear to the heart of Paul, carrying the gospel banner high in the world’s capital and one by one summoned into the spotlight to be tenderly, lovingly mentioned and greeted by Paul.

He Salutes Them With Love’s Distinctiveness (16:3-15)

He doesn’t lump them all together and say, "Greetings to all the saints at Rome."

Love delights to single out its objects and recall them one by one.

Love particularizes.

"He calleth his own sheep by name," said the good Shepherd describing His intimate knowledge of each one (John 10:3).

Just so Paul, the great under-shepherd, shows here what a true pastor-heart he had.

There were Priscilla and Aquila.

Here, in Acts 18:18 and in 2 Timothy 4:19 the wife’s name comes first, intimating perhaps that she was the dominant of the two when it came to spiritual things.

Aquila was a Jew, a native of Pontus and a tentmaker by trade.

Paul first met this couple on his second missionary journey.

At that time they were plying their profession at Corinth.

He lived with them for awhile, being of the same trade, and quite possibly led them to the Lord.

When Paul left Corinth they accompanied him to Ephesus and did the spadework for the gospel in that city so that when Paul arrived back there a little later, it was ripe for revival.

While awaiting Paul’s return, they were able to instruct another gifted evangelist, Apollos, in "the way of God more perfectly."

Now they were in Rome, and their home was once more a center of evangelism.

Some years later they appear to have returned to Ephesus, for Paul greets them as being there during his second imprisonment, just prior to his martyrdom. (See Acts 18; 1 Cor. 16:19; 2 Tim. 4:19.)

Here he says to the Roman church,

"Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house" (vv. 3-5).

When they jeopardized their own lives for Paul’s sake is not known; but since the news had evidently spread abroad among all the Gentile churches, some time must have elapsed.

Next in Paul’s list comes Epaenetus.

"Salute my well-beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ" (v. 5).

Paul had seen a great revival in proconsular Asia, particularly at Ephesus. The fires had spread to Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, Colossae, Hierapolis and other cities.

But he never forgot his first convert.

None of the names found in verses 5-15 are mentioned elsewhere in Scripture, except perhaps Rufus.

At the head of the list is Epaenetus. He is followed by Mary.

"Greet Mary," says Paul, "who bestoweth much labor on us [you]" (v. 6).

There are a half dozen Marys in the New Testament—the mother of the Lord, Magdalene, the sister of Lazarus, the wife of Clopas, the mother of John Mark, and this unknown saint at Rome.

There are also two forms of the word "Mary" in the New Testament, one being Miriam, and thus Jewish, and the other Maria, a Gentile name.

Opinions differ as to whether this Mary was a Gentile or a Jewess.

Mary of Rome, however, whoever she was, had worn herself out for the Christians in that city.

The word for "labor" is the same as that used for the Lord when "wearied with his journey" He sat down by the well (John 4:6).

It is the same word used of the disciples when after a fruitless night’s fishing they told the Lord that they had "toiled all night" (Luke 5:5).

Mary of Rome, then, joins the ranks of the multitudes who for the cause of Christ and on behalf of His people have worked their fingers to the bone and not grown weary in well-doing.

"Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me" (v. 7).

It is not certain whether the latter name should be "Junias" (masculine) or "Junia" (feminine).

The word "kinsman" can mean either fellow countryman or blood relative.

In this verse it is at least likely that Paul is referring to actual relatives.

In any case, Andronicus and Junia were "of note" in apostolic circles. The thought seems to be that they had the mark of greatness upon them; they were illustrious.

It is interesting how the Spirit of God passes over in silence so much that we would like to know.

What made this couple so great in the early church?

We shall never know until that great day when all the saints are gathered around the throne of God and are there publicly honored for their deeds of distinction.

Then Andronicus and Junia, along with all the other unsung multitude of God’s worthies, will come into their own.

The day is coming when great David’s greater Son will read out the roll of honor and recite the names of His mighty men.

Then this couple will get their reward.

In the meantime, all we know of them is that Paul calls them his "fellowprisoners," the literal interpretation of which means "war captives."

Perhaps they had shared one of his imprisonments. One day we shall know.

"Greet Amplias my beloved in the Lord," says Paul. "Greet Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved" (vv. 8-9).

To be loved by Paul, to be counted as one of his helpers—these are distinctions indeed.

These unknown saints flash for a moment in the reflected light of Paul’s greatness.

Yet the humblest of the children of God, beloved by the Lord and one of His helpers, is just as surely known, honored and remembered.

The day is coming when each one will be given a place in the sun to reflect His glory for every eye to see for all the ages of eternity.

"Salute Apelles approved in Christ" (v. 10).

Here was a saint who had won his spurs. He had in some way been put to the test and had won the approval of his brethren.

It is instructive to note how this word "approved" is used elsewhere in the New Testament.

It is rendered "tried" in James 1:12: "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried [approved], he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."

Paul uses the same word in his discussion of a believer’s attitude toward the weaker brother.

The man who looks out for his brother’s interests and who recognizes that "the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 14:17), will win the approval of his brethren.

Paul says, "For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men" (14:18).

Writing to the Corinthians Paul says, "For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you" (1 Cor. 11:19).

We know too that there were heresies threatening the saints at Rome, because later in this chapter Paul tells the believers how to handle false teachers (16:17-18).

Another essential of winning approval is modesty about one’s own accomplishments.

"For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth" (2 Cor. 10:18).

In his last letter, written to young Timothy, Paul says, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15).

The same Greek word for "approved" is used in each of the above examples.

In some such way perhaps Apelles was raised to a place in the esteem of his brethren. These are ways open to any of God’s people.

"Salute them which are of Aristobulus’ household. Salute Herodion my kinsman. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord" (vv. 10b-11).

In both the above instances the word "household" does not appear in the original, a fact which is evident even in the Authorized Version where the word occurs in italics indicating it has been supplied by the translators.

Herodion probably belonged to the Herod family also, and was a fellow countryman of Paul, that is, a Jew.

"Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much in the Lord" (v. 12).

Tryphena and Tryphosa were most likely sisters. Persis is assumed to have been a more elderly sister in Christ because her labor is referred to in the past tense.

"Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine" (v. 13).

This Rufus may have been the son of Simon the Cyrenian, the man who carried the cross for Christ (Mark 15:21).

Certainly Mark, who wrote his gospel for the Romans, describes Simon as the father of Alexander and Rufus, the likelihood being that this man was the Rufus known in the Roman church.

Possibly too Simon of Cyrene was the same Simon mentioned in Acts 13:1 as one of the elders of the Antioch church who played a part in commending Paul and Barnabas to the mission field. F. F.

"Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them" (v. 14).

"Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them" (v. 15).

Having saluted them with love’s distinctiveness, he suggests a practical way love can be shown.

He Salutes Them With Love’s Demonstrativeness (16:16)

Love is not cold and formal.

Love is warm and affectionate.

So Paul says, "Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you" (v. 16).

This direction is repeated five times in the New Testament (1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14).

In the East, a kiss was and is a sign of respect and affection.

It was the traditional Oriental greeting, but it would be wrong to dismiss the injunction merely as an Orientalism.

"A hearty handshake" would give the idea in our culture.

A warm handclasp conveys the idea of love, respect, fellowship and warmth.

It is just this that Paul had in mind.

This page of worthies is no mere relic from the past.

As Bishop Moule writes, "It is a list of friendships to be made hereafter, and to be possessed forever in the endless life where personality indeed shall be eternal, but where also the union of personalities in Christ shall be beyond our utmost present thought."

Love’s Mighty Conquests (16:17-20)

Mark them! Avoid them!

This is Paul’s advice for dealing with those who would undermine the faith with false teachings.

From earliest times the church has been plagued with heresy.

More than one of Paul’s letters takes up the cudgels against unscriptural doctrines.

The church at Galatia was plagued with legalism, the church at Colossae with gnosticism, the church at Thessalonica with false eschatalogical teachings.

Peter, John and Jude stood shoulder to shoulder with Paul in combating teachings which were subversive of the truth.

It is therefore not surprising to find that at Rome, the great magnet of the world, false teachers were on the prowl.

Paul has two parting words of advice on the subject of Satanic subversion of the doctrines of the faith.

I. We Are to Watch Vigilantly Against Seduction (16:17-19)

Heresy is always stealthy.

It is like water that presses against a dyke.

It probes for a weak spot through which it can enter, in a trickle at first but later like a flood.

Seduction From Without (16:17-18)

We are to notice how false teachers:

Betray themselves.

Once we recognize them, we are to reject them.

It is no part of love’s sphere to tolerate seduction.

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them" (v. 17).

"Divisions" comes from a word meaning "dissention" or "discord" and is translated "seditions" in Galatians 5:20, where it is listed as one of the works of the flesh and where it keeps close company in the text with "heresies."

"Offences" comes from a word meaning "trap-stick."

One authority gives the etymology of this word skandalon as "a crooked stick on which a bait is fastened, which, being struck by the animal, springs the trap; a trap, a gin, a snare; hence, anything which one strikes or stumbles against, a stumblingblock, especially a cause of stumbling."

In other words, it suggests an impediment placed in the way, causing the unwary to stumble and fall.

In Romans 11:9 Paul uses the same word, only there it is translated "stumblingblock." It well describes the activity of the cultist.

The believer is to be on his guard against teachers who come to divide and destroy the local church.

They deliberately seek to snare and trap those who are not watching vigilantly against sedition.

Paul’s warning to the Roman church against such heretics, even though it appears almost as an afterthought, inserted between two lists of names, was actually most timely.

History attests how badly the warning was needed at Rome and how little it was heeded.

The way to detect error is to lay the subversive teaching alongside the straightedge of divine truth—"the doctrine which ye have learned."

In Romans 6:17 Paul uses the same word "doctrine." "God be thanked," he says of the Romans, "ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you [unto which you were delivered]."

Heresy will make little progress in a church that is rooted and grounded in the "apostles’ doctrine" (Acts 2:42).

Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses and other modern-day cultists find their most fruitful field for recruits in the ranks of those who have some smattering of "religion" but who are largely ignorant of the broad and basic tenets of the Christian faith.

"Shun them!" says Paul.

It is good advice. There is a time and a place to confront the heretic.

There is a way to expose error both privately and publicly.

But that is no task for the average church member.

It is a task for the theologian and the Spirit-taught believer.

All too often the untaught and the unspiritual engage the cultist in debate and find themselves badly beaten in the discussion.

For one thing, the errors propounded are never simple but subtle.

Also, the door-to-door emissaries of the cult are usually well trained and have been primed on the best ways to turn aside the usual objections made to their teachings.

When an untaught believer tries to meet such in debate, he is in danger of himself being led astray.

Paul’s injunction "mark them... avoid them" is very practical and is a wise rule for the average believer.

The writer knows personally of one family which failed to heed the apostle’s words with disastrous results.

He received a phone call one day from a woman he knew attended a local Bible-believing church. Whether the woman and her husband were truly saved, it is difficult to say in view of what followed.

The woman asked on the phone, "Can you tell me where I can get a Greek Bible?" "A Greek Bible?" was the astonished reply. "Why do you want a Greek Bible?" (The woman was no student—certainly no student of Greek!)

"Well," she said, "you can understand the Bible better when you go back to the original." At this point the writer’s suspicions were aroused. "Have you been talking to a member of the Jehovah’s Witness group?" he asked. It turned out that the woman and her husband had not only been talking to Jehovah’s Witnesses but had been allowing them into the home to give Bible instruction. Things had progressed so far that the couple were attending various meetings at the Kingdom Hall.

When he hung up the phone, the author called the woman’s pastor and suggested a pastoral visit would be in order; but the pastor seemed reluctant to get involved. The writer therefore called a friend of his, a well-taught Christian worker and an experienced controversialist, and then made arrangements for them both to meet with the woman, her husband and their Jehovah’s Witness instructors. A royal battle followed, lasting late into the night.

The cultists finally left, and the woman and her husband professed to be convinced that they had been led astray. They refused, however, to destroy the books they had bought from the cult and, although they did go back to their old church for a short while, the poison was still at work.

Eventually they began meeting again with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, cancelled their membership in the fundamental church, were baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses and became zealous propagandists for the cult.

True, their pastor was not blameless. Evidently the couple had been neither properly taught nor cared for in their own church. But their fascination with and ultimately their seduction by the Russellites all began because they did not "mark" and "avoid" the cult’s missionaries.

The "trap-stick" was carefully laid at their door. It was well baited with plausible words and friendly overtures. They were unwary and the trap was sprung. The fear of Armageddon entered into their souls and they became "Watchtower slaves."

False teachers, then, betray themselves by seeking to divide and destroy.

Paul next tells how false teachers (2) behave themselves.

He exposes their real god and their real goal. "For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good’ words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple" (v. 18).

False teachers are motivated by their own base interests.

It is striking that Paul should say that they serve "their own belly."

Later on, writing to the Philippians he warns of those who are "the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things" (Phil. 3:18-19).

It does not necessarily follow that the false teachers are sensualists, although of course they may be.

The reference to the belly is a contemptuous way of drawing attention to the low motives, their real god, their self-seeking spirit.

They use plausible arguments.

They flatter.

They have a suave and polished style.

They thoroughly deceive the "simple," the guileless.

Above all, they "serve not our Lord Jesus Christ."

They have a Christ in the cults but he is not our Lord Jesus Christ.

The modernist, for example, has a Christ, but he was not virgin born. He was a man so good that his deluded followers mistook him for God. He was the world’s greatest ethical teacher, divine only in the sense that all men are divine. The Christ of the modernist performed no miracles, those recorded in the New Testament being merely legendary exaggerations of events explicable by natural causes. The modernist’s Christ did not rise from the dead. He is not "our Lord Jesus Christ."

The Mormons have a Christ but he was the son of Adam-God and Mary. He was a polygamist, secretly married to the Marys and to Martha at Cana. His atonement had to do only with the sins of Adam and is not sufficient for our personal sins. Their Christ is not ours.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses have a Christ but he was not the second Person of the Godhead. He was merely "a son of God." Before he came into the world he was a created angel, namely, Michael the archangel. When he entered this life he became a perfect human being, nothing more. The ransom he offers does not guarantee eternal life to any man. Nor did he rise from the dead. According to the Watchtower people, we do not know what happened to the body of Jesus in Joseph’s tomb. The Christ of the Russellites is not "our Lord Jesus Christ."

The Christian Scientists have a Christ but he is not God. He is merely a divine ideal. His blood was of no more avail when it was shed on the cross than when it flowed through his veins. He accommodated himself to the immature ideas of his contemporaries and made great concessions to popular ignorance. He is not "our Lord Jesus Christ."

The Spiritualists have a Christ but he is nothing more than a medium of high order. He was not divine but is now an advanced spirit in the sixth sphere. His death had no atoning value. In fact, Jesus was simply a Jewish enthusiast who met an untimely death. The Christ of the Spiritualists is not "our Lord Jesus Christ."

All the cults have a Christ but he is not the Christ of the Bible.

The Christ of the Bible is the second Person of the Godhead. He was supernaturally conceived of the Holy Ghost and was born of the virgin Mary. He lived an immaculate life, claimed to be God, performed amazing miracles, and proved that claim. His teachings were sublime, perfect, flawless. He foretold His death exactly and was crucified just as He predicted. His death was vicarious; He suffered for the sins of the world, and He imparts eternal life to those who trust in Him. He rose again physically and literally the third day and ascended bodily into heaven. He is seated today at God’s right hand, from whence He will return to judge all men. This is "our Lord Jesus Christ."

The Christ of the cults is unknown to the Bible—unless, perhaps, he is the Antichrist.

Seduction From Within (16:19)

The Romans had earned a wide reputation for their obedience.

It was a true Roman characteristic. Rome’s vast empire was held together by obedience.

The Roman Christians had carried over into their faith the most outstanding feature of their national culture and had become renowned for their obedience.

Paul was proud of them for it; the thought of their obedience made him glad.

However, he has a word of warning. He speaks of (2) the dangerous weakness of the assembly at Rome.

The believers there were at the very heart of worldly and sophisticated things.

There was danger that these things might creep into the church, for the great world revolved around Rome. Into her markets poured the multitudes of earth and the merchandise of the world. Her citizens and nobles were polished, cultured, proud, and had vast wealth, enormous power and boundless privilege. There was abject slavery too, and grinding poverty, and hopeless misery, for cruelty and oppression were part of the pattern of life.

Thousands were slaughtered at a Caesar’s whim or to make a "Roman holiday" for the plebian mob. Vice was taken for granted. It was elevated in pagan religions as the very essence of worship. And from all these various backgrounds the Christian believers of Rome had come.

Many of the believers carried with them from their past a sophistication regarding evil which, if uncrucified, could wreck and ruin the church.

So Paul says, "Yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil (v. 19b).

Only divine grace can wash the mind of its memories and free the heart from the fetters of a past deep knowledge of the world and its ways, and impart instead a guilelessness, a simplicity, an innocence regarding evil.

This is what God wishes to do with each of His saints. As long as the spirit of the world activates us, we are a potential danger to the church with which we meet. Paul urged the Romans to be watchful against seduction from within—a worldly spirit, which if allowed free reign would finally open the door to every kind of error.

History has proved how right he was to warn the Roman church of these things.

We Are to War Victoriously Against Satan (16:20)

Satan Is to Be Bruised (16:20a)

That God permits Satan a measure of freedom to pursue his evil designs against the human race is part of the mystery of iniquity. We can be quite sure, however, that God makes no mistakes and that He is following out His own perfect plans with the unfaltering wisdom of omniscience. In the meantime, God has Satan on a leash.

Satan may be the instigator of strife and division, but God is "the God of peace," and as Paul says, "the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly" (v. 20a).

This bruising will actually be an utter and complete crushing of the serpent. The saints are going to share with Christ in His final absolute triumph over the evil one (Gen. 3:15).

Saints Are to Be Blessed (16:20b)

We do not have to wait the final crushing of the serpent, however, in order to enter into the blessings and benedictions of grace.

We can enjoy them now. Paul says, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen" (v. 20b).

Each one of Paul’s epistles ends with a benedictory prayer. Here he takes the key thought of the epistle—the thought of grace—and pours it like fragrant spikenard on the heads of the saints of God.

Then he adds a resounding "Amen!" It is his second "amen" in the epistle. He will use the word twice more before finally putting down the pen. It almost seems as though he can hardly tear himself away from this communication with his friends and fellow believers at Rome.

Heretics, then, may plague the church. Satan may scheme to defile it and destroy it. But the grace of the Lord Jesus is sufficient, and in that grace we may triumph now, and in that grace we shall surely triumph by and by.

Greetings Conveyed From the Saints of God

Grace Conferred by the Son of God (16:24)

Romans 16:24 KJV 1900

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

The Work of God is Declared (16:25-26)

Romans 16:25–27 KJV 1900

Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.