Love, Paul

In this final chapter of Romans, the gospel walks in shoe leather down the first century Roman Empire roads. In those pagan, sinful cities, witnesses for Jesus Christ traveled the streets with the joy of the Lord in their hearts.

Paul has left the mountain peaks of doctrine to come down to the pavements of Rome. In Romans 16, we meet Paul’s friends in Rome. These people, living in a culture far removed from God, discovered this gospel to be true, and they lifted high the name of Jesus Christ in their generation. They were rich and poor. Greek and Jewish. Gifted servants and faithful workers. Slaves and freed. From the city and the countryside. From the palace to the farm.

They are just names to us, but Paul knew them and their stories.

Always the pastor, he warns them of false teachers; some have even wedged their way into the church. “Be wise in what is good” means they must rely on the instruction of God’s Word. And be “simple concerning evil” means live without evil mixed in (v. 19). Satan is behind it, of course, but soon the God of peace will put down Satan (see Genesis 3:15). Until then, resist the devil and be sober and alert.

As Paul wrote the book of Romans from Corinth, he sent greetings from Christians there with him. Hello from Timothy and Tertius (Paul’s secretary who wrote down the letters Paul dictated). Paul was staying in Gaius’ home, who said hello, too.

Now, as Paul closes his letter to the Romans, he gives full attention to the glory of God. In this beautiful benediction, he chose every word carefully. He directs our focus to God and His Spirit, who alone can transform us to look like His Son:

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. -vv. 25-27

What a privilege, Paul wrote, to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, now unveiled in Jesus Christ. The gospel has always been God’s plan—you can trace it back to Moses. But the partial message entrusted to the Jews has been fully revealed and made available to everyone—of any race, nation, language, culture, or generation.

We’ve come full circle. In the first chapter, when Paul first mentioned the gospel, he said, “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith’” (1:17).

And now we’ve seen through this book what that means. As we close, let’s encourage each other to live in “obedience to this faith” to the glory of the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, amen.