44:1ffIn this chapter Paul points out that not aff Jews have rejected God’s message of salvation. There are still a faithful few (11:5), Paul himself, after all, was a Jew, and so were Jesus’ disciples and nearly all of the early Christian missionaries.
Life Application Study BibleRomansChapter 16
Romans 16
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1923, 1924
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
16Romans 16
Paul Greets His Friends
1I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. 2Welcome her in the LORD as one who is worthy of honor among God's people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me. 3Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. 4In fact, they once risked their lives for me. 1am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. SAlso give my greetings to the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person from the province of Asia to become a follower of Christ. Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit. 7Greet Andronicus and Junia,* my fellow Jews,* who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did. °Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the LORD. 9Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. 10Greet Apelles, a good man whom Christ approves. And give my greetings to the believers from the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.* Greet the LORD’s people from the household of Narcissus. 12Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, the LORD’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the LORD. 13Greet Rufus, whom the LORD picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me. 14Give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters* who meet with them. ‘Give my greetings to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas and all the believers who meet with them. ‘Greet each other in Christian love.* All the churches of Christ send you their greetings.
Paul’s Final Instructions
1747And now] make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught, Stay away from them. 18Such people are not serving Christ our LORD; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people. 19But everyone knows that you are obedient to the LORD. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong. 20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our LORD Jesus* be with you. 21Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you his greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow Jews. 22], Tertius, the one writing this letter for Paul, send my greetings, too, as one of the LORD’s followers. 23Gaius says hello to you. He is my host and also serves as host to the whole church. Erastus, the city treasurer, sends you his greetings, and so does our brother Quartus.* 25Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. 26But now as the prophets* foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him. 27All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.
Textual footnotes
- manuscript places 16:25-27 here. 16:7a Juniais a feminine name. Some late manuscripts accent the word so it
- reads Junias, a masculine name: still others read Julia (feminine). _16:7b Or compatriots; also in 16:21.
- Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Still others add this sentence after verse 27.
- 16:11 Or compatriot.
- 16:14 Greek brothers; also in 16:17.
- 16:16 Greek with a sacred kiss.
- 16:20 Some manuscripts read LORD Jesus Christ.
- 16:23 Some manuscripts add verse 24, May the grace of our LORD
- 16:26 Greek the prophetic writings.
Life Application Notes 12 notes
16:1,2Phoebe was known as a “deacon,” or servant and helper. Apparently she was a wealthy person who helped support Paul’s ministry. Phoebe was highly regarded in the church, and she may have delivered this letter from Corinth to Rome. This provides evidence that women had important roles in the early church. Cenchrea, the town where Phoebe lived, was the eastern port of Corinth. six miles from the city center.
16:3Priscilla and Aquila were a married couple who had become Paul’s close friends. They, along with all other Jews, had been expelled from Rome by the emperor (Acts 18:2, 3) and had moved to Corinth. There they met Paul and invited him to five with them. They were Christians before they met Pau! and probably told him much about the Roman church. Like Paul, Priscilla and Aquila were missionaries. They helped believers in Ephesus (Acts 18:18-28), in Rome when they were allowed to return, and again at Ephesus (2 Timothy 4:19).
16:3Priscilla and Aquila ministered effectively behind the scenes. Their tools were hospitality, friendship, and person-to- Person teaching. They were not public speakers, but private evan- Qelists. For some of the Romans, their home was used for church Meetings (16:5). Priscilla and Aquila challenge us with what a couple can do together to serve Christ. Do we regard our families and homes as gifts through which God can accomplish his work? How might God want to use your home and family to serve him?
16:5ffPaul's personal greetings went to Romans and Greeks, Jews and Gentiles, men and women, prisoners and prominent citizens. The church's base was broad, crossing cultural, social, and economic lines. From this list we learn that the Christian community was mobile. Though Paul had not yet been to Rome, he had met these people in other places on his journeys.
16:7The fact that Andronicus and Junia were “highly respected among the apostles” could mean they had distinguished themselves as apostles. They may have been a husband and wife team. Paul notes that they were “fellow Jews” who at one time had been in prison with him.
43:8Why is love for others called an obligation? We are perma- ‘ently in debt to Christ for the lavish love he has poured out on us. The only way we can even begin to repay this debt is by fulfilling our obligation to love others in turn. Because Christ's love will always be infinitely greater than ours, we will always have the obligation to love our neighbors.
30:11-14to apply to Christ. Christ has provided our salvation through his incarnation (God in human form) and resurrection. God’s salvation is right in front of us. He will come to us wherever we are. All we need to do is to respond and accept his gift of salvation.
16:17-20When we read books or listen to sermons, we should check the content of what is written or said so that we won't be fooled by smooth talk and glowing words. Christians who study God’s Word, asking him to reveal the truth, will not be fooled, even though superficial Christians may easily be taken in. For an example of believers who carefully checked God's Word, see Acts 17:10-12.
16:21Timothy was a key person in the growth of the early church, traveling with Paul on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:1-3}. Later Paul wrote two letters to him as he worked to strengthen the churches in Ephesus—1 and 2 Timothy. See his Profile in the book of 1 Timothy 2, p. 2059.
16:25-27Paul exclaims that it is wonderful to be alive when the plan, God's secret—his way of saving the Gentiles—is becoming known throughout the world! All the Old Testament prophecies were coming true, and God was using Paul as his instrument to tell this Good News.
16:25-27As Jerusalem was the center of Jewish life, Rome was the world’s political, religious, social, and economic center.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 1924
There the major governmental decisions were made, and from there the Good News spread to the ends of the earth. The church in Rome was a cosmopolitan mixture of Jews, Gentiles, slaves, free people, men, women, Roman citizens, and world travelers; therefore, it had potential for both great influence and great conflict. Paul had not yet been to Rome to meet all the Christians there and, of course, he has not yet met us. We, too, live in a cosmopolitan setting with the entire world open to us. We also have the potential for both widespread influence and wrenching conflict. Listen carefully to Paul’s teachings about unity, service, and love so you may apply them.