Romans Part 6: RESPONSESample

The Future of Christian Theology

Can you believe we are about to read the final chapter of Romans? I hope you have been blessed as much as I have been. Some believe this chapter was not originally attached, but I would like to make a case for the unity of Romans 1-16.

• Chapter 16 is included in the Chester Beatty Papyri, found in Egypt in 1931. It is dated to around 200 AD.
• The shorter forms of the text are later reductions
• To have to end the letter of Romans after each benediction would be too obvious
• The names in Chapter 16 were those Paul knew, those who had moved to Rome - doesn’t it make sense he would write to them?

Let us remember this is not some document dropped out of heaven or written in an ivory tower. These are real people in real history with a heart for the gospel to be spread around the world. It should not be neat and tidy. The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write this letter to the Christians in Rome, the capital city of the Empire.

The first person mentioned is not a great preacher or elder of the church. It is Phoebe, the deaconess of the church at Cenchreae, and she is commended by Paul. This city was about 7 miles southeast of Corinth. She was a servant, the meaning of the word deacon. She was a patron also, which means she was generous with her resources!

There is a great chance that she may have been the bearer of Romans. Can you imagine if she carried under her robe the entire future of Christian theology? What an honor! What a miracle! God has used this book through the years to touch so many giants in the faith (Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and Karl Barth are just a few). Imagine if she lost the papyrus! Oh, how God can use one willing person if he/she is available. May we seek today to be those servants. Only heaven will disclose the impact we leave!

-Brian Mott