Paul’s Commendation of Phoebe
1 I commend to you w our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae. x 2 So you should welcome her in the Lord y in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help. For indeed she has been a benefactor of many—and of me also.
Greeting to Roman Christians
3 Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, z my coworkers in a Christ Jesus, b 4 who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches. 5 Greet also the church that meets in their home. c Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who is the first convert ,d to Christ from Asia. ,e 6 Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews ,f and fellow prisoners. g They are noteworthy in the eyes of the apostles, and they were also in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. h 11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those who belong to the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. 12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, i chosen in the Lord; also his mother—and mine. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. j 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. k All the churches of Christ send you greetings.
Warning against Divisive People
17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. l Avoid them, m 18 because such people do not serve our Lord Christ n but their own appetites. ,o They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words. p
Paul’s Gracious Conclusion
19 The report of your obedience has reached everyone. q Therefore I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise about what is good, and yet innocent about what is evil. r 20 The God of peace s will soon crush Satan t under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. u
21 Timothy, v my coworker, and Lucius, w Jason, x and Sosipater, y my fellow countrymen, greet you.
22 I Tertius, who wrote this letter, z greet you in the Lord.
23 Gaius, a who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, b the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you.
Glory to God
25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you c according to my gospel and the proclamation about Jesus Christ, d according to the revelation of the mystery kept silent e for long ages f 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, g according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faith h among all the Gentiles— 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ—to him be the glory forever! ,i Amen.
16:1–2. Phoebe is a Christian sister who serves as a worker in the church in Cenchreae, one of the two ports of Corinth. The use of the word “servant” (Gk diakonos) in 16:1 does not suggest menial service only (see the CSB footnote). Paul often uses it for missionary preaching and pastoral teaching (1 Co 3:5; 2 Co 3:6; 6:4). He asks the Roman Christians to welcome her as a fellow believer and to assist her in any matter in which she needs help (16:2). Some suggest that Paul has asked Phoebe to organize the logistical details of the mission to Spain and that he asks the Roman Christians to support her in these efforts. Phoebe was evidently wealthy: she had been a benefactor to Paul and to other Christians, which means that she had provided financial help to missionaries. She may have also delivered the letter on Paul’s behalf.
16:3–15. In the longest list of greetings in any of his letters (16:3–16), Paul greets twenty-six individuals and at least five house churches. These greetings express the affection that Paul has for his former coworkers and other believers in Rome, resulting from the new life they share (note the frequent “in Christ” or “in the Lord”). Many of the believers in Rome he knew personally. Some had been his coworkers for many years (e.g., Priscilla and Aquila, 16:4–5a). The list illustrates why Paul can be confident that there are experienced believers in the churches in Rome who can instruct the Christians responsibly and competently (15:14).
16:16. Believers greeted each other by kissing (16:16a; cf. 1 Co 16:20; 2 Co 13:12; 1 Th 5:26; 1 Pt 5:14), a sign of familial affection—probably not only in church but also when they met in public. This was a potent expression of the transforming power of the gospel, particularly when wealthy believers greeted Christian slaves. Paul sends greetings from “all the churches of Christ” (16:16b)—that is, from all the churches that he has established and that know and support his ministry. This greeting expresses the universal scope of the gospel and the unity of the believers that results from the truth of the gospel.
16:17–20. Paul adds a postscript, perhaps in his own hand (cf. Gl 6:11; Col 4:18). He urges the believers to watch out—that is, to identify and evaluate people who cause dissensions and who question the gospel, and to keep away from them (16:17). These people are not interested in Jesus Christ. They are absorbed with their own appetites, and their smooth talk and eloquence can easily detract from the truth of the gospel (16:18). There is no agreement on the identity of these troublemakers.
16:21–24. Final greetings to the Christians in Rome are conveyed by coworkers in Corinth, prominent among them Timothy, who had worked with Paul in Macedonia, Achaia, and Asia (16:21). Paul dictated the letter to Tertius, who was a secretary (16:22) and was perhaps one of the slaves of Gaius, Paul’s host (16:23a). Both send their greetings, indicating that they are both Christian believers and thus part of God’s universal family and also of Paul’s mission. Erastus, “the city treasurer” (16:23b), is probably the same Erastus who is mentioned in an inscription acknowledging his benefaction that paid for the pavement in front of the theater, given in gratitude for being appointed to the aedileship, a municipal office with wide-ranging administrative duties.
C. Final doxology (16:25–27). The letter concludes with a doxology, which ascribes glory to God. The long sentence summarizes the central themes of Paul’s letter: the power of God (1:16), the gospel Paul proclaims (1:1–6; 2:16), the message of Jesus the Messiah (1:3, 9; 3:21–31), the nature and the consequences of the gospel as the mystery God promised in the prophets and that he has now revealed (1:16–17; 11:25), the importance of the Scriptures (1:2; 3:21), the present time (“now,” 16:26) as the time in which God saves Jews and Gentiles (3:21–5:21), the obedience to the will of God the Creator and the merciful Savior among Jews and Gentiles (1:5; 6:1–8:39), the wisdom of God’s revelation of saving righteousness (1:18–5:21; 9:1–11:36), and the work of Jesus the Messiah, whose death atones for the sins of humankind and whose resurrection grants new life to Gentiles and Jews (3:21–8:39). These truths and realities confirm that all the glory of all the ages belongs to God (16:27). “Amen” emphasizes Paul’s commitment to these truths and invites the Roman Christians to join in the praise of God the Creator and the Savior.