Exposé of Romans Chapter Sixteen
       
by Jameison-Faussett-Brown
In Process . . .
• Key
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Romans
16:1-27. CONCLUSION, EMBRACING SUNDRY SALUTATIONS AND DIRECTIONS, AND
A CLOSING PRAYER.
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Verse 1. I commend unto you PhÅ"bebe our
sister, which is a servant--or "deaconess"
of the church which is at Cenchrea--The
word is "CenchreÃ|," the eastern part of Corinth (Acts
18:18). That in the earliest churches there were
deaconesses, to attend to the wants of the female members,
there is no good reason to doubt. So early at least as the
reign of Trajan, we learn from PLINY'S
celebrated letter to that emperor--A.D.
110, or 111--that they existed in the Eastern churches.
Indeed, from the relation in which the sexes then stood to
each other, something of this sort would seem to have been a
necessity. Modern attempts, however, to revive this office
have seldom found favor; either from the altered state of
society, or the abuse of the office, or both.
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Verse 2. Receive her in the
Lord--that is, as a genuine disciple of the Lord Jesus.
as--"so as"
becometh saints--so as saints should receive
saints.
assist her in whatsoever
business she hath--"may have"
need of you--some private business of her own.
for she hath been a succourer of
many, and of myself also--(See Psalm
41:1-3; 2 Timothy 1:16-18).
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Verse 3-5. Salute Priscilla--The true
reading here is "Prisca" (as in 2 Timothy
4:19), a contracted form of Priscilla, as "Silas" of
"Silvanus."
and Aquila my
helpers--The wife is here named before the husband (as in
Acts
18:18, and Ro 16:26, according to the true reading; also
in 2 Timothy
4:19), probably as being the more prominent and helpful to
the Church.
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Verse 4. who have for my life laid
down--"who did for my life lay down"
their own necks--that is, risked their lives;
either at Corinth (Acts
18:6, 9, 10), or more probably at Ephesus (Acts
19:30, 31; and compare 1 Corinthians
15:32). They must have returned from Ephesus (where we
last find them in the history of the Acts) to Rome, whence the
edict of Claudius had banished them (Acts
18:2); and doubtless, if not the principal members of that
Christian community, they were at least the most endeared to
our apostle.
unto whom not only I
give thanks, but also all the churches of the
Gentiles--whose special apostle this dear couple had
rescued from imminent danger.
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Verse 5. Likewise the church that is in
their house--The Christian assembly that statedly met
there for worship. "From his occupation as tent-maker, he had
probably better accommodations for the meetings of the church
than most other Christians" [HODGE].
Probably this devoted couple had written to the apostle such
an account of the stated meetings at their house, as made him
feel at home with them, and include them in this salutation,
which doubtless would be read at their meetings with peculiar
interest.
Salute my well beloved
EpÃ|netus, who is the first-fruits--that is, the first
convert
of Achaia unto
Christ--The true reading here, as appears by the
manuscripts, is, "the first-fruits of Asia unto Christ"--that
is, Proconsular Asia (see Acts
16:6). In 1 Corinthians
16:15 it is said that "the household of Stephanas was the
first-fruit of Achaia"; and though if EpÃ|netus was one of that
family, the two statements might be reconciled according to
the received text, there is no need to resort to this
supposition, as that text is in this instance without
authority. EpÃ|netus, as the first believer in that region
called Proconsular Asia, was dear to the apostle. (See Hosea
9:10; Micah 7:1). None of the names mentioned from Romans
16:5-15 are otherwise known. One wonders at the number of
them, considering that the writer had never been at Rome. But
as Rome was then the center of the civilized world, to and
from which journeys were continually taken to the remotest
parts, there is no great difficulty in supposing that so
active a travelling missionary as Paul would, in course of
time, make the acquaintance of a considerable number of the
Christians then residing at Rome.
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Verse 6. Greet--or "salute"
Mary, who bestowed much labour on
us--labor, no doubt, of a womanly kind.
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Verse 7. Andronicus and Junia--or, as
it might be, "Junias," a contracted form of "Junianus"; in
this case, it is a man's name. But if, as is more probable,
the word be, as in our version, "Junia," the person meant was
no doubt either the wife or the sister of Andronicus.
my kinsmen--or, "relatives."
and my fellow prisoners--on
what occasion, it is impossible to say, as the apostle
elsewhere tells us that he was "in prisons more frequent" (2 Corinthians
11:23).
which are of note
among the apostles--Those who think the word "apostle" is
used in a lax sense, in the Acts and Epistles, take this to
mean "noted apostles" [CHRYSOSTOM, LUTHER, CALVIN, BENGEL, OLSHAUSEN, THOLUCK, ALFORD, JOWETT]; others, who are not clear that the word
"apostle" is applied to any without the circle of the Twelve,
save where the connection or some qualifying words show that
the literal meaning of "one sent" is the thing intended,
understand by the expression used here, "persons esteemed by
the apostles" [BEZA, GROTIUS, DE WETTE, MEYER, FRITZSCHE, STUART, PHILIPPI, HODGE]. And of
course, if "Junia" is to be taken for a woman, this latter
must be the meaning.
who also were
in Christ before me--The apostle writes as if he envied
them this priority in the faith. And, indeed, if to be "in
Christ" be the most enviable human condition, the earlier the
date of this blessed translation, the greater the grace of it.
This latter statement about Andronicus and Junia seems to
throw some light on the preceding one. Very possibly they may
have been among the first-fruits of Peter's labors, gained to
Christ either on the day of Pentecost or on some of the
succeeding days. In that case they may have attracted the
special esteem of those apostles who for some time resided
chiefly at Jerusalem and its neighborhood; and our apostle,
though he came late in contact with the other apostles, if he
was aware of this fact, would have pleasure in alluding to
it.
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Verse 8. Amplias--a contracted form
of "Ampliatus."
my beloved in the
Lord--an expression of dear Christian affection.
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Verse 9, 10. Urbane--rather,
"Urbanus." It is a man's name.
our
helper--"fellow labourer"
in
Christ.
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Verse 10. Salute Apelles
approved--"the approved"
in
Christ--or, as we should say, "that tried Christian"; a
noble commendation.
Salute them
which are of Aristobulus' household--It would seem,
from what is said of Narcissus in Romans
16:11, that this Aristobulus himself had not been a
Christian; but that the Christians of his household simply
were meant; very possibly some of his slaves.
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Verse 11. Salute Herodion, my
kinsman--(See on Romans
16:7).
Greet them that be of
the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord--which
implies that others in his house, including probably himself,
were not Christians.
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Verse 12. Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa,
who labour in the Lord--two active women.
Salute the beloved Persis--another woman.
which laboured much in the
Lord--referring probably, not to official services, such
as would fall to the deaconesses, but to such higher Christian
labors--yet within the sphere competent to woman--as Priscilla
bestowed on Apollos and others (Acts
18:18).
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Verse 13. Salute Rufus, chosen--"the
chosen"
in the Lord--meaning,
not "who is one of the elect," as every believer is, but "the
choice" or "precious one" in the Lord. (See 1 Peter
2:4; 2 John 13). We read in Mark
15:21 that Simon of Cyrene, who was compelled to bear our
Lord's cross, was "the father of Alexander and Rufus." From
this we naturally conclude that when Mark wrote his Gospel,
Alexander and Rufus must have been well known as Christians
among those by whom he expected his Gospel to be first read;
and, in all likelihood, this was that very "Rufus"; in which
case our interest is deepened by what immediately follows
about his mother.
and--salute.
his mother and mine--The
apostle calls her "his own mother," not so much as our Lord
calls every elderly woman believer His mother (Matthew
12:49, 50), but in grateful acknowledgment of her motherly
attentions to himself, bestowed no doubt for his Master's
sake, and the love she bore to his honored servants. To us it
seems altogether likely that the conversion of Simon the
Cyrenian dated from that memorable day when "passing
[casually] by, as he came from the country" (Mark
15:21), "they compelled him to bear the" Saviour's cross.
Sweet compulsion, if what he thus beheld issued in his
voluntarily taking up his own cross! Through him it is
natural to suppose that his wife would be brought in, and that
this believing couple, now "heirs together of the grace of
life" (1 Peter
3:7), as they told their two sons, Alexander and Rufus,
what honor had unwittingly been put upon their father at that
hour of deepest and dearest moment to all Christians, might be
blessed to the inbringing of both of them to Christ. In this
case, supposing the elder of the two to have departed to be
with Christ ere this letter was written, or to have been
residing in some other place, and Rufus left alone with his
mother, how instructive and beautiful is the testimony here
borne to her!
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Verse 14, 15. Salute Asyncritus,
&c.--These have been thought to be the names of ten less
notable Christians than those already named. But this will
hardly be supposed if it be observed that they are divided
into two pairs of five each, and that after the first of these
pairs it is added, "and the brethren which are with them,"
while after the second pair we have the words, "and all the
saints which are with them." This perhaps hardly means that
each of the five in both pairs had "a church at his house,"
else probably this would have been more expressly said. But at
least it would seem to indicate that they were each a center
of some few Christians who met at his house--it may be for
further instruction, for prayer, for missionary purposes, or
for some other Christian objects. These little peeps into the
rudimental forms which Christian fellowship first took in the
great cities, though too indistinct for more than conjecture,
are singularly interesting. Our apostle would seem to have
been kept minutely informed as to the state of the church at
Rome, both as to its membership and its varied activities,
probably by Priscilla and Aquila.
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Verse 16. Salute one another with an holy
kiss--So 1 Corinthians
16:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14. The custom prevailed among the
Jews, and doubtless came from the East, where it still
obtains. Its adoption into the Christian churches, as the
symbol of a higher fellowship than it had ever expressed
before, was probably as immediate as it was natural. In this
case the apostle's desire seems to be that on receipt of his
epistle, with its salutations, they should in this manner
expressly testify their Christian affection. It afterwards
came to have a fixed place in the church service, immediately
after the celebration of the Supper, and continued long in
use. In such matters, however, the state of society and the
peculiarities of different places require to be studied.
The churches of Christ salute
you--The true reading is, "All the churches"; the word
"all" gradually falling out, as seeming probably to express
more than the apostle would venture to affirm. But no more
seems meant than to assure the Romans in what affectionate
esteem they were held by the churches generally; all that knew
he was writing to Rome having expressly asked their own
salutations to be sent to them. (See Romans
16:19).
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Verse 17. Now I beseech you, brethren,
mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the
doctrine which ye have learned--"which ye learned."
and avoid them--The fomentors
of "divisions" here referred to are probably those who were
unfriendly to the truths taught in this epistle, while those
who caused "offenses" were probably those referred to in Romans
14:15 as haughtily disregarding the prejudices of the
weak. The direction as to both is, first, to "mark" such, lest
the evil should be done ere it was fully discovered; and next,
to "avoid" them (compare 2 Thessalonians
3:6, 14), so as neither to bear any responsibility for
their procedure, nor seem to give them the least
countenance.
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Verse 18. For they that are such serve
not our Lord Jesus Christ--"our Lord Christ" appears to be
the true reading.
but their own
belly--not in the grosset sense, but as "living for low
ends of their own" (compare Philippians
3:19).
and by good words and
fair speeches deceive the simple--the unwary, the
unsuspecting. (See Proverbs
14:15).
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Verse 19. For your obedience--that
is, tractableness
is come abroad
unto all. I am glad therefore on your behalf--"I rejoice
therefore over you," seems the true reading.
but yet I would have you wise unto that which is
good, and simple--"harmless," as in Matthew
10:16, from which the warning is taken.
concerning--"unto"
evil--"Your reputation among the churches for
subjection to the teaching ye have received is to me
sufficient ground of confidence in you; but ye need the
serpent's wisdom to discriminate between transparent truth and
plausible error, with that guileless simplicity which
instinctively cleaves to the one and rejects the other."
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Verse 20. And the God of peace shall
bruise Satan under your feet shortly--The apostle
encourages the Romans to persevere in resisting the wiles of
the devil with the assurance that, as good soldiers of Jesus
Christ, they are "shortly" to receive their discharge, and
have the satisfaction of "putting their feet upon the neck" of
that formidable enemy--symbol familiar, probably, in all
languages to express not only the completeness of the defeat,
but the abject humiliation of the conquered foe. (See Joshua
10:24; 2 Samuel 22:41; Ezekiel 21:29; Psalm 91:13). Though the apostle
here styles Him who is thus to bruise Satan, the God of
peace," with special reference to the "divisions" (Romans
16:17) by which the church at Rome was in danger of being
disturbed, this sublime appellation of God has here a wider
sense, pointing to the whole "purpose for which the Son of God
was manifested, to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John
3:8); and indeed this assurance is but a reproduction of
the first great promise, that the Seed of the woman should
bruise the Serpent's head (Genesis
3:15).
The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you. Amen--The "Amen" here has no
manuscript authority. What comes after this, where one would
have expected the epistle to close, has its parallel in Philippians
4:20, &c., and being in fact common in epistolary
writings, is simply a mark of genuineness.
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Verse 21. Timotheus, my
work-fellow--"my fellow labourer"; see Acts
16:1-5. The apostle mentions him here rather than in the
opening address to this church, as he had not been at Rome
[BENGEL].
and
Lucius--not Luke, for the fuller form of "Lucas" is not
"Lucius" but "Lucanus." The person meant seems to be "Lucius
of Cyrene," who was among the "prophets and teachers" at
Antioch with our apostle, before he was summoned into the
missionary field (Acts
13:1).
and Jason--See Acts
17:5. He had probably accompanied or followed the apostle
from Thessalonica to Corinth.
Sosipater--See Acts
20:4.
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Verse 22. I, Tertius, who wrote
this--"the"
epistle--as
the apostle's amanuensis, or penman.
salute you in the Lord--So usually did the apostle
dictate his epistles, that he calls the attention of the
Galatians to the fact that to them he wrote with his own hand
(Galatians
6:11). But this Tertius would have the Romans to know
that, far from being a mere scribe, his heart went out to them
in Christian affection; and the apostle, by giving his
salutation a place here, would show what sort of assistants he
employed.
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Verse 23. Gaius mine host, and--the
host
of the whole church--(See
Acts
20:4). It would appear that he was one of only two persons
whom Paul baptized with his own hand (compare 3 John
1). His Christian hospitality appears to have been
something uncommon.
Erastus the
chamberlain--"treasurer."
of
the city--doubtless of Corinth. (See Acts
19:22; 2 Timothy 4:20).
and Quartus
a brother--rather, "the" or "our brother"; as Sosthenes
and Timothy are called (1 Corinthians
1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1, Greek). Nothing more is known of this
Quartus.
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Verse 24. The grace, &c.--a
repetition of the benediction precisely as in Romans
16:20, save that it is here invoked on them "all."
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Verse 25. Now to him that is of
power--more simply, as in Jude
24, "to Him that is able."
to
stablish--confirm, or uphold
you, according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus
Christ--that is, in conformity with the truths of that
Gospel which I preach, and not I only, but all to whom has
been committed "the preaching of Jesus Christ."
according to the revelation of the
mystery--(See on Romans
11:25).
which was kept secret
since the world began--literally, "which hath been kept in
silence during eternal ages."
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Verse 26. But is now made
manifest--The reference here is to that peculiar feature
of the Gospel economy which Paul himself was specially
employed to carry into practical effect and to unfold by his
teaching--the introduction of the Gentile believers to an
equality with their Jewish brethren, and the new, and, to the
Jews, quite unexpected form which this gave to the whole
Kingdom of God (compare Ephesians
3:1-10, &c.). This the apostle calls here a mystery
hitherto undisclosed, in what sense Romans
16:27 will show, but now fully unfolded; and his prayer
for the Roman Christians, in the form of a doxology to Him who
was able to do what he asked, is that they might be
established in the truth of the Gospel, not only in its
essential character, but specially in that feature of it which
gave themselves, as Gentile believers, their whole standing
among the people of God.
and by
the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment
of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for--in
order to
the obedience of
faith--Lest they should think, from what he had just said,
that God had brought in upon his people so vast a change on
their condition without giving them any previous notice, the
apostle here adds that, on the contrary, "the Scriptures of
the prophets" contain all that he and other preachers of the
Gospel had to declare on these topics, and indeed that the
same "everlasting God," who "from eternal ages" had kept these
things hid, had given "commandment" that they should now,
according to the tenor of those prophetic Scriptures, be
imparted to every nation for their believing acceptance.
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Verse 27. To God, &c.--"To the
only wise God through Jesus Christ, be"--literally, "to whom
be"; that is, "to Him, I say, be the glory for ever. Amen." At
its outset, this is an ascription of glory to the power
that could do all this; at its close it ascribes glory to the
wisdom that planned and that presides over the
gathering of a redeemed people out of all nations. The apostle
adds his devout "Amen," which the reader--if he has followed
him with the astonishment and delight of him who pens these
words--will fervently echo.
On this concluding section of the
Epistle, Note, (1) In the minute and delicate
manifestations of Christian feeling, and lively interest in
the smallest movements of Christian life, love, and zeal,
which are here exemplified, combined with the grasp of thought
and elevation of soul which this whole Epistle displays, as
indeed all the writings of our apostle, we have the secret of
much of that grandeur of character which has made the name of
Paul stand on an elevation of its own in the estimation of
enlightened Christendom in every age, and of that influence
which under God, beyond all the other apostles, he has already
exercised, and is yet destined to exert, over the religious
thinking and feeling of men. Nor can any approach him in these
peculiarities without exercising corresponding influence on
all with whom they come in contact (Romans
16:1-16). (2) "The wisdom of the serpent and the
harmlessness of the dove"--in enjoining which our apostle here
only echoes the teaching of his Lord (Matthew
10:16) --is a combination of properties the rarity of
which among Christians is only equalled by its vast
importance. In every age of the Church there have been real
Christians whose excessive study of the serpent's wisdom has
so sadly trenched upon their guileless simplicity, as at times
to excite the distressing apprehension that they were no
better than wolves in sheep's clothing. Nor is it to be
denied, on the other hand, that, either from inaptitude or
indisposition to judge with manly discrimination of character
and of measures, many eminently simple, spiritual, devoted
Christians, have throughout life exercised little or no
influence on any section of society around them. Let the
apostle's counsel on this head (Romans
16:19) be taken as a study, especially by young
Christians, whose character has yet to be formed, and whose
permanent sphere in life is but partially fixed; and let them
prayerfully set themselves to the combined exercise of both
those qualities. So will their Christian character acquire
solidity and elevation, and their influence for good be
proportionably extended. (3) Christians should cheer their own
and each other's hearts, amidst the toils and trials of their
protracted warfare, with the assurance that it will have a
speedy and glorious end; they should accustom themselves to
regard all opposition to the progress and prosperity of
Christ's cause--whether in their own souls, in the churches
with which they are connected, or in the world at large--as
just "Satan" in conflict, as ever, with Christ their Lord; and
they should never allow themselves to doubt that "the God of
peace" will "shortly" give them the neck of their Enemy, and
make them to bruise the Serpent's head (Romans
16:20). (4) As Christians are held up and carried through
solely by divine power, working through the glorious Gospel,
so to that power, and to the wisdom that brought that Gospel
nigh to them, they should ascribe all the glory of their
stability now, as they certainly will of their victory at last
(Romans
16:25-27). (5) "Has the everlasting God . . .
commanded" that the Gospel "mystery," so long kept hid but now
fully disclosed, shall be "made known to all nations for the
obedience of faith" (Romans
16:26)? Then, what "necessity is laid upon" all the
churches and every Christian, to send the Gospel "to every
creature!" And we may rest well assured that the prosperity or
decline of churches, and of individual Christians, will have
not a little to do with their faithfulness or indifference to
this imperative duty.
The ancient subscription at the end of
this epistle--though of course of no authority--appears to be
in this case quite
correct.
• Key
Copyright Statement
These files are a derivative of an electronic edition
prepared from text scanned by Woodside Bible Fellowship.
This expanded edition of the Jameison-Faussett-Brown
Commentary is in the public domain and may be freely used and
distributed.
Bibliography
Information
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.
"Commentary on Romans 2". "Commentary Critical and
Explanatory
on the Whole Bible".
<http://www.studylight.org/com/jfb/view.cgi?book=ro&chapter=002>.
1871.
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