NG Podcast
Romans 16
Hey guys! Welcome to the NG podcast where after almost an entire year, I finally finish the book of Romans. Buckle in and take a journey with me as I excitedly stumble over my words to tell you about why I think Romans 16 is so special.
Podcast Transcript/ Notes:
Today we’ll be going through Romans chapter 16.
Hey y’all, its Victoria here and I’m so glad you could join me!
I just wanted to let you know that as we reach the last chapter of Romans, I’m excited for this podcast and excited to learn with you guys.
That being said, you guys know that I’m not a pastor or a proper theologian, I’m just Victoria and trying to be faithful to the word.
I am by no means the end all be all authority to any of these things, that authority is reserved for God and his word, and himself alone.
Colossians chapter 3 says:
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
We are called to admonish each other, and admonishment can take the form of encouragement, instruction, or correction, so as I attempt to admonish you, feel free to admonish me, whether it be questions, comments, concerns, or corrections. I hope we can all learn something today from this as a collective body of Christ.
Before we dive into Romans 16, I just wanted to give a quick recap of the book of Romans. The book of Romans is perhaps the most theologically dense Epistle in the bible and is worthy of being studied and meditated on in-depth, so for those of you who haven’t gotten the chance to dedicate time to Romans, I recommend going back to the previous chapters and previous podcasts and diving into it.
So, Romans. We begin in Romans 1 where we cover the Gospel as the power of God, moving to the righteousness of God’s judgment in chapter 2.
In chapters 3, 4, and 5, Paul talks about righteousness apart from the law, being justified by faith in Jesus, and the results of that.
In Romans 6, Paul talks about freedom from sin, in 7, marriage to Christ, and in 8, life in the spirit.
Romans 9 is about how we have become Children that inherit God’s promise through Christ. In 10, Paul talks about confession of faith, and in 11, the remnant of Israel. In Romans 12, Paul encourages believers to be living sacrifices, and in 13, he talks about authorities (which I have a podcast on if you want to know more). In 14, Paul talks about the weak and the strong in faith, then in 15, unity among believers (which I also have a podcast on if you are so inclined to listen).
Now, without further ado, Romans 16.
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae.
2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.
3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
5 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.
6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among[d] the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.
9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.
Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.
11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.
Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
12 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.
13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.
14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the other brothers and sisters with them.
15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them.
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the churches of Christ send greetings.
17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, 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. 18 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. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
21 Timothy, my co-worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.
22 I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 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.
[24] Some manuscripts include here “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen.”
25 Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Today’s theme in Romans 16 is going to be that of the unlikely servants. As we reach the final chapter of Romans, although we won’t cover every single person mentioned in this letter, I hope that as we explore the profiles of some unlikely servants of the early church, we might feel encouraged and empowered to be servants of the Lord.
Paul is pastoring his church in a way that the Shepard knows his sheep. He knows congregants by name, is building relationships, and is being intentional with his church. To lead well you need to know your sheep, and to love well you need to know your sheep. Take heart this example all you leaders, you cannot lead well someone you do not know.
“Twenty-nine people are mentioned in Romans 16:1-16, with twenty-eight based in Rome. But this passage is not a dry list of names. Rather, it gives insight into the church in Rome, and it reveals Paul’s esteem and regard for some of the believers there. He comments on the faith of a few of these people, on his relationships with a few of these people, and on some of their ministries.
Paul wanted to foster unity among the believers in Rome and between the different house churches. So he asks that these people and the various households be greeted. Furthermore, Paul ends his list with a call for mutual and reciprocal salutations among the Roman Christians. He wanted to ease tensions among the Romans, including ethnic tensions”
-Marg Mowezko
pointing to the Galatians 3:28 passage “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
So let’s start here in verses 1 and 2:
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.”
The first person we are looking at here is named Phoebe, who is only mentioned here.
It says that Paul has named Phoebe as a deacon of the church.
Though the historical role of deacon is not the same as the modern role of deacon, it is still agreed upon by many theologians that Phoebe, who was one of the few wealthy members, and even fewer wealthy females, of the church, was installed officially as a Deacon in the church. This was not a mere title of endearment or honor, but a serious role given to her by the church, for the functioning of the church.
The word “deacon” translates very closely to the word “servant”. Phoebe’s dominant role was as an official caretaker of the poor, sick, and marginalized.
Paul Carter says:
“What is clear from all of this is that Phoebe was a wealthy woman who used her wealth, her mobility, and her personal resources to care for the saints and to assist in the spread of the Gospel. Her example should inspire all of us to consider how we can leverage our advantages and opportunities to do the same.”
I want to emphasize Phoebe’s role as “a servant of the Lord”, because it is a prime example of what the church should strive to be. In the modern-day, it is so easy for church leaders to get caught up in church politics, budgets, and “serving the Lord”, that they forget the people that they are serving, and forget to look outward to the needs that need to be filled.
Phoebe was using her spiritual gifts of compassion and mercy, as well as leveraging her financial status to be able to care for people well.
Mentioning Phoebe is important because not only was Phoebe a woman, who would have been considered a second class citizen at the time, but she was named as an official leader of the church among both men and women, but she was also entrusted to deliver arguably one of the most important letters in church history to the church in Rome.
And as we will see, Phoebe is not the only one.
The current conversations in the church about women filling ministry positions can be tricky, and I’m not here to tell you all of my opinions on how and where women should serve.
This point of contention varies depending on your denomination and the needs of your church. But I will say that there is a tremendous need for the distinct and unique role of women in leadership positions in the church. Whether staffed or unstaffed, whether voluntary or professional, the body of Christ would not be complete without the unique perspectives and gifts of women. To all the women pursuing ministry, I’d say prayerfully consider your calling and ask the Lord about where he wants you to be and what roles you need to be filling. Even the first to carry the message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ were women. Our God values and cherishes the women he made and is adamant to use us for the furthering of the Gospel of God to the ends of the earth.
Next, we have verses 4 and 5:
3 Greet Priscilla[c] and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
5 Greet also the church that meets at their house.
According to the Faithward resources:
“Priscilla and Aquila were tentmakers native to Rome. After the persecution of the Jewish people under Emperor Claudius, they made their way to Greece, where they encountered the Apostle Paul and tutored the dynamic evangelist Apollos. Their impact on these Christian leaders – and the bravery they demonstrated within the early church—became legendary, and Priscilla and Aquila are referenced in four different New Testament books.”
Priscilla and Aquilla were known to be some of the most influential church-makers in Rome. Marg Mowezko notes that “Priscilla’s name is listed before her husband’s in four of the six times their names are mentioned in the New Testament. This seems to indicate that Prisca was more prominent in ministry than Aquila. The couple hosted and led a house church in Rome which is also greeted.”
We then have
- Epaenetus
- Mary
- Andronicus
- Junias
- Ampliatus
- Urbanus
- Stachys
- Apelles
We can see that there is a mix between both Roman and Hebrew names, men and women, noting the diversity of this church, and an encouragement to each one of their strengths and giftings to the body. We get a tiny glimpse into the body at work with their different spiritual giftings coming together to serve one God for the sake of one mission, under one commission.
See here 1 Corinthians 12, and Matthew 28:19.
Then in verse 10 we get to Aristobulus.
This one is interesting because Aristobulus was not greeted, but his household was. He was probably not greeted because he himself was dead. It is also possible that he was the grandson of Herod the Great – the brother of Agrippa I or the son of Herod of Chalcis and ruler of Armenia Minor. It is possible that his household, after his death, had connections with the imperial household of Rome and was still known by his name.
The idea that we have someone of the ranking of Aristobulus along with others once again shows the diversity and the influence of the church. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you might have, the person of Jesus is so compelling that he can bring together even the most radically different of people under the banner of the King, and the hope of salvation.
Afterward, we are introduced to Herodian in verse 11, who contrasts Aristobulus greatly. Herodian was a Jew, and likely a slave in the household of Herod. The difference between Aristobulus and Herodian is so stark on an outward level, but in the eyes of the church, they are the same, as it should be, because in the eyes of the Lord, they are the same- both sinners in need of mercy, bringing their diverse gifts and perspectives into this community in Rome.
We then greet
- Narcissus
- Tryphena and Tryphosa, likely twin sisters
- Persis, another slave
- Rufus, who was likely the man who was forced to carry the cross of Christ, and later on called on him as his savior
- Rufus’s mother- what a beautiful testimony of witnessing to your family
- Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, and Hermas who probably lived together as Christian brethren
- Philologus, whose name means “lover of the word”, and his wife Julia, who was likely a slave of the imperial household
- Nerus and his sister, yet another example of the power that Christ has to compel those around you by the way you live
- Olympas
“Of the twenty-nine people, ten are women. What is especially interesting, however, is that seven of the ten women are described in terms of their ministry (Phoebe, Prisca, Mary, Junia, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis). By comparison, only three men are described in terms of their ministry (Aquila, Andronicus, Urbanus), and two of these men are ministering alongside a female partner (Aquila with Prisca, Andronicus with Junia). These are numbers worth remembering.
It is apparent that women were active in significant ministries in the church at Rome. It is also apparent that Paul has no problem with these women. Rather, he affirms them and their ministries. Did Paul make a point of affirming these women in an effort to ease tensions caused by some Roman Christians who had a problem with ministering women?”
-Marg Mowezko
More generally, I again want to reiterate this picture of the beauty of the diversity of the body. Men, women, single people, married couples, rich, poor, and everything in between. The uniqueness of testimony to bring glory to the Lord, and the uniqueness of gifts to reflect that. This is such a beautiful picture of a healthy body in Christ- for us to meditate on, emulate, and celebrate.
Moving on to verses 17-20:
17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to [some versions say “note”, “keep an eye on”, or] 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.
18 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.
19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil [or “innocent of any wrong, or “guiltless in evil”].
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
We see here Paul offering a final warning to watch out for both dividers and deceivers. He says to “take note” of them, then to “keep away from them”. This may seem harsh, but Paul warns the believers to purge those who might break either the unity or the orthodoxy of the church.
This is because, frankly, truth without unity is not communal, breaking down the body of Christ, and unity without truth is cultish, making the purpose of the church obsolete- another social club.
Now, this is not to say that any time anyone messes up, we are meant to cast them away and treat them poorly. Paul refers here to the outsiders, the unrepentant, and those who are not willing to cooperate for the unity and the mission of the church.
For the dissenters in the church:
In Matthew 18:15-17, it says:
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
For those that we might discern are causing disunity in the church, or are teaching false doctrine, Matthew lays out a process for reconciliation, which when if approached by both sides with a soft heart, we see the body of Christ strengthened. These processes might take time, it might take multiple rounds of conversation and reconciliation, but it is possible and even expected to see newness come from this. If this process doesn’t work, it is then when we see Paul’s instruction come into play: Keep away from them, and what Matthew says to take it even further: let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Not to treat them hatefully or without the mercy of the Lord, but rather treat them as an unbeliever- as someone who does not understand the mercy of the Lord, as someone who does not value the protection of the church. As someone who is a bad influence. Simply, keep away. B
Furthermore, Paul talks about deceivers in verse 18 as “deceiving the hearts of the naïve or the simple”. This is pointed toward those who are naïve, young, or immature in their faith because it points to the fact that the mature believer will not be moved by what they know to be falsehood or division. For the mature believer, they can spot a deceiver, are tasked with defending their church by confronting the deceiver and walking through the process of reconciliation in wisdom. Mature believers should be defenders of the faith for their younger brothers and sisters. This is the function of the body- this brings life to the church.
He then says “be wise in what is good”, meaning to be well equipped in the word, in spiritual disciplines, and the things that are edifying to the church. The best defense against dividers and deceivers is to know good, reflect good, teach good, and fight with what you know to be good in the spirit. Learning the things that are holy is more beneficial than learning about what is not, because with our understanding what is good and righteous, the absolute truth that is the word of the lord will in turn show us what is evil, or what is outside of his parameters for righteousness, without us having to dwell on or meditate on what is evil. The light will contrast the darkness, so we then don’t have to sit in the darkness to know darkness.
Paul then gives another round of greetings in verses 21-23 from the coworkers who are working with him:
- THE Timothy
- Lucius
- Jason, who might have been the same “Jason” that hosted Paul on his visit to Thessalonica, mentioned in Acts 17
- Sosipater
- Tertius
- Gaius
- Erastus
- Quartus- brother of Tertius
We see the beautiful greeting and unity between Jews and Gentiles here, the vine and those grafted in- a beautiful outworking and representation of the concepts that Paul was explaining, earlier in the letter in Romans 11.
I want to take a second to focus on verse 22:
I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.
Tertius, who in this verse can quickly be glossed over, is of great significance to the depth of the work that was happening here in Rome. The name Tertius means “three”- the name of a slave who was so unloved and so un-cared-for, that nobody bothered to give him a name, but a number. This was a man who was thought not to be worthy enough of love or significance in society during the time that he lived, but what we know about the Lord Jesus Christ is that he says “blessed are the poor in spirit”, “blessed are the meek”, and Tertius, for being these, was blessed. He was blessed enough to be of eternal significance to the Lord, getting a spot, named in the eternal word of God as a man who was given the great honor and privilege of penning down one of the greatest if not the greatest epistle of biblical history. He mattered to the Lord. Tertius mattered to the Lord. A man without a proper name, a man whose identity was whittled down to just a number- He mattered to the Lord. Now we, as believers and brothers and sisters of this saint, get the privilege of seeing his testimony written down in this one little verse:
I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.
Next, we get to verse 23, and the contested verse 24:
23 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.
Here, we receive final greetings from
- Gaius
- Erastus
- Quartus
Completing the list of 37 people and 6 people groups in this chapter. The beauty of reaching the end of this list is that we are beginning to see how robust the church is growing to be right after the resurrection, and what it means to know your church and your people.
Then we get to verse 24, where some manuscripts include the phrase:
“May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen.”
Either way, it is a beautiful blessing to proclaim over your church.
Lastly, we get this beautiful doxology:
25 Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past,
26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith—
27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
This doxology, or “word of praise”, as it is meant, is truly a blessing that shouldn’t be looked over.
Many times, we reach a doxology, whether it be in church, or in our reading of scripture, and it is easy to look over it or ignore it altogether, but Pastor Paul LeBoutillier says that a doxology is something that is meant to “bubble forth” or say:
“God be all the glory, all the praise. It usually comes at the end of a biblical letter because I think that the writer is just so overwhelmed by how awesome God is, and overwhelmed that he has been used by God so powerfully to say something so magnificent… You realized that there is a sense in which God used you as a tool for his glory.”
This doxology is all one sentence. I love this so much because I relate to it so much. This doxology is one run-on sentence; a mega word of praise without a breath.
The words “NOW TO HIM” help to anchor the doxology and established the aim of where we are giving this doxology- upward.
He says “To him who is able”- meaning that God is ABLE to do all things. He speaks to God’s power.
“Able to do” what? “establish you in accordance with my gospel”- Paul calls it “my gospel” because he takes ownership of it, and associates himself with it, not because he is saying he was the one who authored it, or the only one who preached it, but because he was personal to him. We also notice here that the power of God and the glory of God is a blessing to us,- He is able to BLESS US, establishing us in accordance to His gospel, setting our feet on His firm foundation, rebuild us and root us in He who is the vine, in He who is the head of the church. In the Greek, another word for “establish you” might be “strengthen you” or “made stable”.
This scripture reminds me that I am not just someone who needs revision but someone who needs reconstruction. I must die and be rebuilt from the new life given to me in Christ. I must be uprooted and cut from the dying vine of the world and grafted back into the branch that is Christ, new life, eternal life.
Are we taking ownership of the Gospel like this? Are we taking the gospel personally? Letting it affect us personally? That I was a sinner, that I was saved by the second Adam into eternal life through the sacrifice of the perfect lamb? Do I believe that? Do I own that? Was I purchased by that?
We need to be strengthened, we need to be rooted and upheld by the Lord. We can look back at all of the book of Romans and see all the ways in which the Lord has established His children INTO his gospel, and we see how he strengthens us by THAT.
There are a lot of things that might destabilize us or weaken us, like bad teaching or division in the church, as Paul mentions in verses 17-20. He strengthens us in the TRUTH so that we can refuge behind the word simply because we KNOW the word. Knowing the depths of the truth of the word allows us to be defended against the lies in the enemy that comes in the form of distortion- little by little until you begin to buy into the lies that the enemy wants you to believe. But in Christ, HE IS ABLE to strengthen us against the enemy by holding us up in His truth!
in keeping with 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 the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith
Meaning that the Lord’s plan to bring about salvation through His son Jesus Christ which the previous believers did not know about but had to believe in through faith and prophecy that we no longer have to guess about because it is written plainly: JESUS CHRIST IS OUR SALVATION- Jesus saying “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
It is stated plainly in Romans 1:16, “the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
So about this last verse, David Guzik says:
“In this conclusion, Paul reflects on the wisdom of God’s plan in the gospel and the fact that such wisdom is beyond man. God had a plan no man would come up with, but the wisdom and glory of the plan is evident.
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 gospel – as good news. It’s entirely fitting that Paul concludes this letter praising the God of such a gospel.”
-David Guzik
The book ends where it begins, with Paul encouraging believers to have obedience that comes from Faith- to take hold of the Gospel, to live the Gospel, and to preach the Gospel- as it is the most precious thing we have.
We’ve reached the end of the book of Romans, and I think that there is no better benediction to leave you with than Romans 16:25-27 one more time:
25 Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past,
26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith—
27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
NOTES ABOUT GLORY 