Personal greetings
16
📚I commend to you Phoebe our sister 📖, who is a servant 📖 of the church in Cenchrea, 2 📚that you receive her in the Lord, as is worthy of saints, and that you assist her in whatever business she has need of you. For she has been a helper of many, and of myself also.3 📚Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus, 4 📚who have risked their necks for my life. Not only I give thanks to them, but also all the Gentile churches.
5 📚Likewise greet the church that meets in their house. Greet my dear Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Asia to Christ.
16:5 In those early days meetings for fellowship and teaching were often held in homes.⚜
6 📚Greet Mary, who laboured much for us.
16:6 Mary was a very common name then as now. We know nothing about this Mary.⚜
7 📚Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives, and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles 📖, who were also in Christ before me.
16:7 Paul was several times in prison (2 Cor 11:23). We do not know which time this was.⚜
8 📚Greet Amplias, who is dear to me in the Lord.
9 📚Greet Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys who is dear to me.
10 📚Greet Apelles, approved in Christ 📖. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus.
11 📚Greet Herodion, my relative. Greet those who are of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord.
12 📚Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. Greet dear Persis, who has laboured much in the Lord.
16:12 Some believers laboured for the Lord; others “laboured much” (v 6). Paul stated things as they were. And this will be true in the day we stand before God. He will not say anything about us that is not true or reward us for what we have not done – Rom 2:6; 1 Cor 3:12-15. See also Luke 19:12-26.⚜
13 📚Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother 📖 and mine.
14 📚Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren who are with them.
15 📚Greet Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.
16 📚Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you.
16:1-16 All parts of the Bible were given by inspiration of God, and there are good lessons to be learned in every part of it. In these verses we see Paul’s love and concern (and so the Lord’s love and concern) for the believers in Rome. We see things he (and the Lord) approved in them, and so have good examples for our own life and service. Seeing this record we can also remember the greater and more complete record written down in heaven about us all (Heb 12:23; Mal 3:16; Rev 20:12; Dan 7:10; Luke 10:20; Phil 4:3).⚜
16:16 In those days a kiss on the cheek was a common way of greeting, of showing respect (Luke 7:45). A “holy” kiss means there was to be no suggestion of impurity about it, only a recognition and honoring of fellow believers in Christ.⚜
A warning against teachers of false doctrine
17 📚Now I plead with you, brethren, look out for those who cause divisions and hindrances contrary to the teaching you have learned, and avoid them.
16:17 Paul warned believers about false teachers in many of his letters (2 Cor 11:13-15; Gal 1:6-8; Col 2:8, 18; 1 Tim 4:1-3; 2 Tim 3:1-8; 4:2-4). See also Matt 7:15-16; 24:4-5, 24; Acts 20:29-31; 2 Pet 2:1-2; 1 John 2:18-19; Jude 4. Truth is God’s instrument to save people and to establish and build up believers. Falsehood is Satan’s way of trying to destroy people (John 8:44). Satan uses false teachers to introduce false doctrines into churches. We can recognize false teachers by the results of their teaching (Matt 7:20). One result will be “divisions”. Another will be that obstacles in the way of following the truth will be created, and these obstacles will be contrary to God’s revealed truth.
When anyone tries to bring false teaching into the church believers must do one thing only – “avoid them”. They must not accept them, have fellowship with them, or permit them to teach.⚜
18 📚For such people do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own stomach, and by flattery and fine speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
16:18 If they are teaching contrary to God’s Word, it is plain they cannot be true servants of Christ. So they are serving their own desires (and Satan who stands behind them – 2 Cor 11:14-15). See Phil 3:18-19; Jude 13,14. Inwardly they are like demons, but outwardly are full of smooth talk and flattery.⚜
19 📚For your obedience has become known to everyone. So I am happy about you, but I want you to be wise concerning what is good, and simple concerning evil.
Concluding remarks
20 📚And the God of peace 📖 will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
21 📚Timotheus, my fellow worker, and Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my relatives, greet you.
22 📚I Tertius, who wrote down this epistle, greet you in the Lord.
16:22 Tertius wrote down the words Paul dictated to him.⚜
23 📚Gaius 📖, my host, and the host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city manager, greets you, and Quartus, a brother, does too.
24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
25 📚Now to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, in accordance with the revelation of the mystery that was hidden since the world began,
16:25 “My gospel” does not mean Paul invented it. It means the gospel Paul preached and taught and which is the great theme of this letter (Rom 1:16). “Mystery” means spiritual truth of God which He must reveal if men are to know it. They can never find it out in any other way. The mystery of the gospel in all its aspects was not fully revealed in Old Testament days (Eph 3:5).⚜
26 📚but is now revealed, and through the writings of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith,
16:26 By “writings of the prophets” Paul may be referring to the writings of the apostles. They were prophets like the Old Testament prophets, but with a fuller revelation of God’s truth. Compare 1 Cor 2:6-13. Or Paul may mean that the writings of the OT (which had prophecies and pictures of the gospel) have now been made clear by the apostles. Compare Rom 3:21; Luke 24:25-27, 45-47; 1 Pet 1:10-12. In either case God’s purpose is the same. He wants all nations to believe and obey Him – Rom 1:5; 11:32; 15:9-12.⚜
27 📚to God, who alone is wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.
\bd16:27\bd* The one true God alone is absolutely wise. He alone knows what can be known and what to reveal to men and when to reveal it. And only He is worthy of glory (Rom 11:33-36; Rev 4:1; Isa 48:11). And all glory should go to Him “through Jesus Christ” – 1 Pet 4:11; Jude 25 ⚜