Another Hall of Faith

The Letter to the Romans

Paul and His Plans

Another Hall of Faith.

Faithful Women

Faithful Unity

Faithful Partnership

Introduction

Good morning and welcome to Countryside Vineyard!

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Joe Fager, one of the pastors here.

Today we’ll be continuing our study of Paul’s letter to the Romans

Chapter 16:1-16

Introduction

When people think of Romans, they think of the theology—the depth of chapters 1 through 11. Or they think of the practical exhortations in chapters 12 through 15. But then we come to Romans 16, and at first glance, it feels like a list of names. Greetings. Commendations. Almost like the credits rolling at the end of a movie.

But Scripture never wastes words. The Spirit included these names for a reason. This is more than an appendix—it’s a portrait of the church in Rome. And what a picture it is!

Paul ends his greatest letter not with lofty theology, but with people. People who loved, who labored, who partnered with him in the gospel. And from this list, we can learn a lot about what faith looks like in real life.

I want us to see Romans 16 as another Hall of Faith. Hebrews 11 gives us the heroes of Israel’s past. Romans 16 gives us the everyday heroes of the early church. And through their example, we see three truths we can carry into our own lives.

Pray…

Faithful Women

One of the first things you notice in this chapter is how many women Paul highlights. Out of 28 individuals, 10 are women — almost a third of the list.

That may not sound unusual to us, but in the first-century world it was remarkable.

Women weren’t usually named in public commendations, much less celebrated as gospel coworkers. Yet here they are, honored forever in Scripture.

Women were important to Paul, and they are important today as well.

Phoebe 1-2- commend to you our sister Phoebe, deacon of the church in Cenchrea benefactor of many even me.

Deaconess

Benefactor

Deliverer / interpreter of letter

Then there’s Priscilla 3-4—always listed with her husband Aquila, sometimes even first. Together, they risked their lives for Paul. Verse 4 they risked their lives for me.

There’s Mary, Tryphaena, Tryphosa, and Persis - 6, 12—Paul says they worked hard in the Lord, even to the point of exhaustion. Notice: that commendation isn’t given to any of the men.

And then Junia — 7. Paul calls her “outstanding among the apostles.” She is a Jew who spent some time in prison with Paul.

Now, I’m not going to make a case for women teaching men or serving in a pastoral role over men, (for one thing a pastor is supposed to be servant leader – that is submitted to those he or she leads). We here at Countryside Vineyard quite obviously do not think Paul is talking to the modern church when he says he does not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man (because you all have listened to Juli and Merlene teach). That was a contextual issue Timothy needed to deal with in his church setting.

What we notice here though is the countercultural way Paul sort of just naturally puts the focus onto the importance women in the church. This would have been revolutionary in Paul’s day, and in some circles is still revolutionary today. As we move a long here today we’re going to see that every member of the church is important to the health and growth of the church.

This is Galatians 3:28 lived out brought out into technicolor light. Paul here is shining a light on the gospel of Jesus Christ which declares the that every dividing wall of hostility be torn down in the name Jesus Christ. We as a church are to honor all members man, woman, child, Jew Greek, rich poor business owner, employee. Every class or any other distinction that society makes is to be torn down in the name of Jesus Christ. It does not matter we all stand condemned before a holy God and we each only come to salvation and grace though the means of the cross of Jesus cross. His blood is the only thing that makes us worthy, not our gender, not our social status, but the cross of Jesus Christ.

So, what Pual is doing here intentionally or not is telling us that we need to find the quiet voices in our midst and give them life and volume. We need to let the quiet ones speak, because each has value, each has a story, and each matters in the family of God.

Faithful Unity

But it wasn’t just the women who stood out in this list. What makes Romans 16 remarkable is the range of people it names — men and women, Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free, all side by side. This is the church’s diversity on display.

While it’s not possible to determine who each of these people are definitively, there are clues to their sex (which we’ve already seen), their social status to an extent, and their religious affiliation.

Religious Background

Out of 28 there are at least 7 or 8 who are Jewish and the rest then are most likely Gentiles.

Priscilla and Aquilla are certainly Jewish and Paul mentions them often and they are mentioned in the Book of Acts, so a very prominent couple in the early church. (Vs. 4)

Mary – A Jewish Name – not much else is known. (vs.6)

Andronicus and Junia – They are a Jewish couple who are “outstanding among the Apostles.” – likely meaning that they are well known to and highly regarded among the Apostles for the work they do. Kinsmen of Paul. (vs 7)

Herodian – (vs 11) Again Paul’s kinsman

Rufus and his mother (vs. 13) Likely Rufus in Mark 15:21 Son of Simon of Cyrene who carried Jesus’ cross.

Phoebe – most certainly a wealthy Gentile – first deacon who was not Jewish mentioned in Scripture. First and only office of any kind referred to in the New Testament as belonging to a Gentile and a woman! Come on we would do well to take note of this.

The rest of these names are all Greek names and most of them we really don’t know much about other than what brief things Paul has to say about them.

Social Status

Phoebe (vs1-2) – Benefactor / patron. – Financial support to people.

Priscilla and Aquilla (vs 3-4) Wealthy – free moved around freely and had homes in Corinth, Rome, and Ephesus at least.

Household of Aristobulus and Narcissus (vs 10-11) Herodian dynasty / close advisors to Claudius both of these groups (slaves free even family members) Nero’s household – Christians in the household of Nero.

Slaves – many names are common Roman slave names. For instance, Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. (vs 14)

So we have Jew and Greek (Gentile), we have slaves and free, we have males and females sound familiar?

That’s Galatians 3:28 lived out: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Notice:

No hierarchy here. He’s just rattling off a bunch of people and they aren’t by order of importance, except Phoebe which makes sense because she is the one delivering the letter. And maybe Priscilla and Aquilla, but not because of their social status, but because of their importance to him personally.

What do we learn from this?

In the church, there are no second-class believers. Jew or Gentile, slave or free, man or woman — all are one in Christ. And because of that unity, Paul doesn’t just call them believers — he calls them co-workers, partners in the gospel. That’s our third point…

Faithful Partnership

Unity in Christ wasn’t just an idea to Paul — it showed up in the way he spoke about people. He doesn’t rattle off this list like a cold roster. He speaks with warmth, affection, and gratitude. Listen to how he describes them: “my beloved”

“my fellow worker”

“approved in Christ”

“they risked their necks for me”

Partnership had faces, names, and sacrifices attached to it.

Phoebe carried the letter.

Priscilla and Aquila opened their home.

Epaenetus was the first convert in Asia.

Mary wore herself out serving.

Junia went to prison.

God saw fit to record these people forever in His Word. Why? Because their ordinary faithfulness mattered.

Another thing I’d like to point here is the structure of the church.

Verse 5: “Greet also the church in their house.” That’s Priscilla and Aquila opening their home.

Verse 14: “Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them.” Another house church.

Verse 15: “Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.” Yet another group.

The Roman church wasn’t one giant congregation under a single roof. It was a network of small groups—gatherings of believers in homes, in living rooms, in courtyards. Ordinary spaces where extraordinary faith was lived out.

That means the small-group model is not a modern invention—it’s the biblical design. Faith grows best in circles of community. That’s where people are known by name, prayed for, discipled, and cared for.

Large gatherings like this are vital—we worship together, we hear the Word together. But small gatherings are just as vital—they are the places where faith is worked out in relationship.

Bill and I can never be responsible for discipling each of you. It’s a something done in close relationship with other people Iron sharpens Iron. Maybe it’s just a group of you getting together on Tuesday over coffee to talk about the Sunday sermon together. It’s just a conversation, how is this working out in your life? How can we pray for you etc.etc.

Don’t just sit in rows. Join a circle.

Don’t just hear sermons. Share life.

Don’t just attend. Partner.

This is what Paul celebrates in Romans 16: faithful partnership lived out in house churches. And this is what still fuels the kingdom today. The gospel has never advanced through a few “big names,” but through countless ordinary believers walking side by side in Christ. Faithful women. Faithful unity. Faithful partnership. That’s how the church moved forward then — and that’s how it moves forward now.

Gospel Call

Why does Paul end this great letter with names? Because the gospel is not just about ideas—it’s about people. People who were once far from God, now redeemed. People whose lives were transformed by the grace of Jesus.

Romans tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That the wages of sin is death. That Christ died for us while we were still sinners. And that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Romans 16 shows us what that looks like in practice: a family of forgiven sinners, drawn together by the gospel, working side by side for Jesus.

And here’s the good news: your name can be added too. Not to this list, but to the Book of Life. Not just as an attendee at church, but as a child of God, forgiven and made new through Jesus Christ.

If you’ve never surrendered your life to Jesus, today is your moment. He bore your sin on the cross. He rose again to give you life. And now He invites you into His family.

And for those who already belong to Him—maybe you’ve been drifting. Maybe you’ve stepped away from partnership. Today is your call to step back in. To live faithfully. To link arms with your brothers and sisters. To let your ordinary faithfulness matter in eternity.

Closing Exhortation

Romans 16 is more than a list of names. It’s another Hall of Faith.

Faithful women—who carried, served, and led with strength.

Faithful unity—showing the gospel unites every background.

Faithful partnership—ordinary believers locking arms in mission.

This is the church God calls us to be. This is the church Christ died to form. And this is the church we can be, right here, right now.