Romans 16:1-24: "Love for the Saints"

To conclude his letter to the saints at Rome, Paul gives a heartfelt commendation to them, including mentioning quite a few by name. Paul begins the first two verses of this chapter with a commendation to Phoebe. "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well". MacArthur writes, "The name Phoebe mean "bright and radiant," and from Paul's brief comments about her, it seems that those words did indeed characterize her personality and her Christian life. Paul commends her to the church at Rome in three different ways; as a sister in Chris, as a servant and as a helper of many, including himself". It is believed that Paul entrusted the very letter to the Romans to Phoebe to be delivered. Paul obviously had a great deal of respect and trust in this woman who would travel with this important letter and deliver it to the saints at Rome. Paul was calling the recipients of this letter to accept, embrace, and provide any needs necessary for her to feel welcome. He is instructing them to make sure they are receiving her "in a manner worthy of the saints". You can see the deep devotion and love Paul had for his fellow brother and sisters in the Lord. Paul is also quick to point out all the help Phoebe has provided to him as well as all the help he knows she will provide for them. For that reason he is quick to ask that they provide her with anything she has need of. This is a perfect illustration of the unity that Paul spoke of through most of the second half of this gospel. Although no one knew this woman, she was to be brought into the fellowship of the believers and cared for immediately as part of the Christian family. MacArthur writes, "The esteemed apostle readily and graciously acknowledged his personal indebtedness to and love for a Christian sister, whom he memorialized in these two verses in the Word of God".

Paul then moves on to list a number of fellow Christians that he has served with and that he wants to share his love and appreciation for. MacArthur writes, "Paul continues his outpouring of love and affection for a host of beloved friends and fellow believers. Doubtless he could have included many more, but the ones he chose to acknowledge here were especially close and dear. As with his comments about Phoebe, he is not speaking as their authority so much as a friend in Christ. Although he had not yet visited Rome, Paul names twenty-four individuals, seventeen men and seven women, along with may who are unnamed, such as those in the households of Aristobulus and Carcussus. In these verses the apostle gives a roster of choice Christians he knew and with whom he had worked. He had served them and been served by them".

After his listing of the many men and women he cared about as brothers and sisters in the Lord he cautions the saints at Rome against dissension. As Paul's love for those who had served him and he had served welled up in his heart as he penned this letter, he was firm in telling them to make sure they were careful to keep this love among one another and do everything in their power to remain unified. He writes, "Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them". Paul is not merely speaking of keeping unity and avoiding conflicts among one another, but more specifically and importantly, he is speaking against false prophets that would come to teach things contrary to what they had learned. Paul is strong in his language to make sure they understood to keep a close watch for this and be discerning to the point that when one is found among them they are to "turn away from them". MacArthur writes, "The right response of believers to false teachers, especially those who teach their heresy under the guise of Christianity, is not debate or dialogue. We are to turn away from them, to reject what they teach and to protect fellow believers, especially new converts and the immature from being deceived, confused, and misled". Paul goes on to explain that "such mean are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites". False teachers crave the attention of their followers and will have some sort of ulterior motive for their ministry. Whether it be power, money, attention, or any other evil vise, the false teacher will lead others astray to the enjoyment of their own sinful appetite. Any teaching that is contrary to Scripture can be held up and exposed in the light of the truth. Paul's heart for his beloved saints cries out as he knows there will be false teachers on the prowl. In Acts 20:28-30, "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them". Paul had such a love and care for the souls of his brethren that he was constantly warning them of false prophets. Continuing to describe these false teachers to the saints at Rome, he writes, "and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting". Paul makes clear that whatever may sound smooth and flattering, appealing to the ears, yet contrary to scripture is done to deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. MacArthur writes, "the many popular and sentimentalized gospels of ecumenicity and ecclesiastical unity proclaimed today reflect such smooth and flattering speech, which disguises itself as loving and beneficent, while denying the central truths of the gospel".

Paul wants to affirm his confidence and pleasure in their obedience, however, wants to be firm in cautioning them. He writes, "For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil". Knowing that even the most mature believers can fall into satan's trap, Paul comes alongside his brethren and continues to exhort and encourage them. He explains that his desire for them is to understand all they need to in what is good, and to know nothing of what is evil. Earlier in Rom. 12:9 Paul wrote, "abhor what is evil [and] cling to what is good". MacArthur writes, "To be innocent in what is evil is not to be ignorant of it or to disregard it. We cannot abhor evil unless we have some idea of what it is. But, to use a popular analogy, the only reliable way to recognize a counterfeit bill is to be completely familiar with the genuine bill. The only reliable way to recognize evil is to be thoroughly familiar with the good, and the only reliable way to learn what is good is to learn God's Word".

In the last part of Paul's caution to the saints at Rome he encourages them in the hope they are to have. "And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you". Paul is telling them to hold fast and not give in to the persuasions of the false teachers. Persevere through this because soon enough God will come and destroy all those who are not of the light. MacArthur writes, "Paul assures faithful believers that they can look forward to the day when their spiritual warfare will be over. Teachers of deceit and falsehood are instruments of the devil, and they will be destroyed when the God of peace crushes Satan".

In the last part of this section, Paul will send greetings on behalf of his companions and fellow workers. He writes, "Timothy my fellow worker greets you, and so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. I, Tertius, what write this letter, greet you in the Lord. Gaius, host to me and to the church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus, the brother". Presumably some of the readers back in Rome knew of or about some of these fellow workers of Paul, as they send their greetings. MacArthur writes, "Timothy, [is] a choice fellow worker and protege . . . Lucius may be the native of Cyrene who was one of the prophets and teachers in Antioch who, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, first commissioned Paul and Barnabus . . . Jason and Sosipater probably . . . were fellow Jews, not necessarily relatives . . . Tertius, was Paul's secretary, or amanuensis, who penned this letter that Paul dictated to him, and who here inserts his own greeting . . . Gaius was a host to Paul as well as to the whole church, probably referring to a congregation that met in his house . . . Erastus was the city treasurer of Corinth and therefore a man of prominence and high political office . . . [Quartus] is identified only as the brother, which could mean he was the biological brother of Erastus, who has just been mentioned, or more probably, simply that he was a brother in Christ".

What we can see is Paul's huge heart for his fellow believers and workers in Christ. To go out of his way and mention so many people by name in the very breaths of Scripture is touching. As big as Paul was for the kingdom of God, he never forgot to give thanks and encourage even the lesser known, understanding they were all equal and fighting the same fight as Paul. What an encouraging thought to know that Paul spent the time to know individual names and people and write about them in his letters.