Original Meaning

WE GROUP THESE verses together for convenience sake. Paul touches quickly on many different topics as he brings the letter to its conclusion, most of which are common in the endings of Paul’s letters (see comments on 15:14–33). But two are not: the warning about false teachers in 16:17–19 and the concluding doxology in 16:25–27. The former is certainly part of the text, and we will discuss just why Paul may have added it here.

The doxology, however, is textually uncertain. It is not found in a couple of manuscripts of Romans and is located elsewhere in other manuscripts. Some claim that its vocabulary is not typical of Paul. Thus, many scholars conclude that it is not part of Paul’s letter to the Romans but was added by someone else at a later date.1 The vast majority of manuscripts, however, do include the doxology at the end of the letter, and the vocabulary is non-Pauline only if we think Paul did not write Ephesians. So the case for including these verses is strong.2

Paul does not elsewhere launch into a warning about false teachers in the conclusion of a letter. But he does issue exhortations and warnings that may presume their presence (e.g., 1 Cor. 16:13–14; 2 Cor. 13:11; Col. 4:17). It is a greater mystery why he waits until the very end of Romans to issue such a warning. Possibly he waits until now because the false teachers have not yet arrived on the scene, or because he only hears about the threat as he is finishing the letter.3

Various theories about who these false teachers may have been and what heresy they are propagating have been suggested. But Paul does not give us enough information to make a decision. All we know is what he here tells us. As with most false teachers, they “cause divisions” (dichostasias, a rare word [1 Macc. 3:29; Gal. 5:20]), putting “obstacles” or stumbling blocks (skandala; cf. 9:33; 11:9; 14:13) in the way of believers. They bring spiritual harm to believers by teaching doctrines contrary to the gospel. These people are not, then, serving Christ, “but their own appetites” (lit., their own belly [koilia]).

Paul uses the same language to brand false teachers in Philippians 3:19, creating a similar problem of identification. The language may be an ironical way of referring to Judaizers, that is, Christians who insisted, among other things, that the Jewish food laws must be obeyed.4 But, lacking evidence for such an application of the word elsewhere, we cannot assume that the Roman Christians would have caught such an allusion. Probably, then, koilia is a synecdoche for sensual appetites generally.5 The false teachers are interested in their own pleasure and ease, not in helping people know God.

Again, in a way typical of false teachers, these people mask their lack of truth by employing persuasive speaking methods. People who are “naive” or innocent (akakon, v. 18) are susceptible to such an approach, and the Roman Christians themselves may fit in that category. Their very sincerity and desire to obey may make them easy prey for false teachers. So, in an ironic twist, Paul wants them to remain “innocent” (akeraios, v. 19) about evil.

Paul’s promise that God will soon “crush Satan under your feet” (v. 20a) perhaps relates to the false teachers. More likely, however, the promise is a general one (cf. 1 Cor. 16:22; 1 Thess. 5:24). The language of the promise perhaps alludes to the famous protoevangelium of Genesis 3:15: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Paul’s grace wish in verse 20b finds a parallel in every other letter he writes. It acts as a kind of bookend with the beginning of the letter, since Paul there wishes the Romans “grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (1:7).

In 16:21–23, Paul conveys greetings to the Romans from some of his own associates and from other believers where he is staying. Timothy was Paul’s closest fellow worker. He is identified as a cowriter with Paul in six of his letters (2 Corinthians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon). Two other letters of Paul were written to him.

The Lucius in verse 21 may be the same as “Lucius of Cyrene” in Acts 13:1 or Luke the Evangelist.6 Neither identification is likely, however. Jason is probably the same Jason who offered hospitality to Paul during his brief and tumultuous stay in Thessalonica (Acts 17:5–9). Sosipater is probably the same as the Sopater of Berea mentioned in Acts 20:4. The NIV “my relatives” leaves the wrong impression about the relationship of these three men to Paul. They were not close relatives but fellow Jews (cf. Rom. 9:3; 16:7, 11).

Tertius (v. 22) identifies himself as the amanuensis of the letter, that is, the trained scribe who “wrote down” what Paul dictated. He is otherwise unknown to us.

Gaius (v. 23) was a common name, but is probably the Gaius of Corinth (1 Cor. 1:14), since Paul is likely writing from Corinth. Gaius offers hospitality both to Paul and the “whole church,” which may mean that a church is meeting in his house7 or that he regularly offers to put up visiting believers.8

Erastus may be the same Erastus referred to in Acts 19:21–22 (cf. 2 Tim. 4:20). But an inscription has been discovered in Corinth that refers to an Erastus who was an aedile of the city. This title may be equivalent to Paul’s oikonomos (NIV “director of public works”). Even if the two are not identical, Erastus may have first served as oikonomos before being promoted to aedile.9 Quartus is otherwise unknown.

Paul appropriately concludes his letter with a doxology in praise of God. He words the doxology in such a way as to echo many key ideas in the letter, especially its opening part:

who is able (who has power)	cf. 1:4, 16
establish you	1:11
my gospel	1:1, 9, 16; 2:16
revelation/revealed	1:17; cf. 3:21
prophetic writings	1:2; cf. 3:21
believe and obey	1:5
all nations (or Gentiles)	1:5
only God	3:29–30
wise God	11:33–36

While Paul (cf. 1:11) or others seek to establish believers in their faith, only God can ultimately do so. He works through the gospel, which Paul further defines as “the proclamation of [or about] Jesus Christ.” This gospel is “according to the revelation of the mystery.” As the apostle says elsewhere (cf. 1 Cor. 2:7; Eph. 3:3–9; Col. 1:26–27), the good news of redemption for all people in Christ is the climax of a plan of God, a “mystery” hidden in the past but now “revealed and made known” (v. 26) for all to see. Since the New Testament reveals this mystery, “the prophetic writings” may be a reference to the gospel.10 But Paul has shown throughout Romans that the Old Testament as a whole is a prophetic book, pointing forward to Christ and the revelation of God’s righteousness in him (cf. 1:2; 3:21). The fact and timing of the revelation of this mystery lay in God’s plan; it was his “command” that put the gospel into effect.

God’s purpose in doing so was that “all nations might believe and obey him.” The Greek phrase is the same as we encountered in 1:5 (lit., “the obedience of faith”). As there, the phrase refers to the obedient lifestyle that must always be flowing from sincere faith in the Lord.

The concluding description of God (16:27) reminds us especially that he has instituted a “wise” and wonderful plan for the redemption of his creation (cf. 11:33–36). Surely our response should echo Paul, as we give glory to him through Jesus Christ!

Bridging Contexts

FALSE TEACHERS. Our application of Paul’s warning about false teachers (vv. 17–19) would gain precision if we could determine exactly what they were teaching. But, as we pointed out above, Paul gives us little help in making specific identification. Coming so suddenly at the end of the letter, the warning may be intended to reinforce earlier teaching. But Paul does not warn about specific false teachers anywhere else in this letter. The closest we get is the weak in faith in 14:1–15:13, and a few scholars have suggested it is this group, or a group allied with them, that Paul warns against here.11 Paul, however, never treats the weak in faith as false teachers. Indeed, he calls on other Christians to accept them and even to respect their opinions.

Paul also alludes in passing to people who blasphemed him by accusing him of encouraging evil that good may come (3:8), but that reference is as obscure as this one. Taking their cue from the one specific issue that Paul does bring up—the false teachers “serve … their own appetites [koilia]”—scholars have generally suggested two main identifications. If this refers to a preoccupation with Jewish food laws, the false teachers are probably Judaizers, Jewish-Christians who wanted to impose the law on Gentile Christians.12 If, however, the phrase refers to a concern with satisfying one’s own appetites, then the false teachers are perhaps libertines, people who see the gospel as an excuse for a licentious lifestyle.13

Both tendencies surfaced repeatedly in the early church, representing extreme positions on the value of “law” for believers. But serving the koilia is a phrase that eludes precise meaning; thus, as we concluded above, we simply cannot know just what these false teachers were saying. But if our inability to identify them prevents us from making specific application to similar teachers today, it has the advantage of allowing us to apply the language of this passage to virtually any threat of false teaching in our own day.

Contemporary Significance

FALSE TEACHERS then and now. The truth of Christianity is, of course, formally opposed by adherents of other religions, philosophies, and worldviews. Buddhists, Muslims, animists, Marxists, atheists, and so forth propagate worldviews that are explicitly set in contrast to Christianity. The battle lines are drawn, and we understand the need to oppose these worldviews with a vigorous and reasoned defense of our own.

But Christians must also deal with false teachers—people within the church who claim to be Christians but who deviate in some way from an essential truth of the gospel. False teachers have always plagued the church, and they are not going away. What Paul says in verses 17–19 may help us spot these false teachers and deal with them once we have identified them.

Paul’s message about the false teachers reiterates what is said almost everywhere in the New Testament on such people. What we have is a stock profile of typical false teachers. In addition to errors in doctrine, Paul says three things about them: (1) They serve themselves rather than Christ; (2) they are crafty and effective speakers; and (3) they create divisions in the church. Paul, in other words, describes the motives, the means, and the results of their ministry.

False teachers often go wrong at the level of motivation. Instead of focusing on the glory of God and the good of the church, they become preoccupied with themselves. Pride is often their root sin. More status, prestige, and publicity come to people who teach new or strange things than to those who plod along, following the lines of truth laid down in Scripture and in the history of the church. Time magazine does not run articles on orthodox theologians. Only what is new and different is newsworthy. Thus, people can drift into false teaching out of a concern to stand out from others around them. And once a teacher has gone public with a new view, it is humiliating to back down in the face of opposition. One gets a vested interest in the view. Each of us needs, then, to make sure that we teach and minister for the right reasons. We need to evaluate, as best we can, what it is that motivates those who teach us.

By definition, the views that false teachers propagate are contrary to biblical teaching. They are often illogical as well. They will mask these problems in a flurry of rhetoric. False teachers are usually glib and convincing. They pull out every rhetorical trick in the book to try to win converts. Paul himself often faced these kinds of people, and some of his converts compared his own rhetorical abilities rather unfavorably with those of his opponents (see esp. 1 Cor. 1–2; 2 Cor. 10–13). But Paul prided himself on being a plain speaker, seeking to convey the truth of the gospel as clearly and straightforwardly as he could. He wanted people to be convicted by the truth of what he said, not moved for the moment by a slick presentation.

Which methods do we use? Carefully crafted sermons are certainly not wrong, but the preacher must always be careful not to substitute fancy words or illustrations or rhetorical devices for truth. The old adage about the preacher’s notes—“weak point, speak more loudly”—is too often close to the truth. Those of us who listen to Christian teaching and preaching—in our churches, Sunday school classes, on the radio, and on TV—need to evaluate what is being said on the basis of its content, not just its style. False teachers often gain a hearing because they can be so engaging and so much fun to listen to. They disguise a lack of truth with smooth words.

Divisions, of course, can be created by people who proclaim the truth of the gospel in situations where that truth has not been carefully preserved. The zealous evangelical pastor who comes into a church that has drifted from orthodoxy over the years is bound to stir up dissension. Some people are not going to like the “new” ideas, and they will resist them. Factions in the church, and even permanent divisions, may result.

But false teachers are especially prone to create divisions. They are often guilty of singling out one point of doctrine, distorting it and then exaggerating it until it stands out from others. In their zeal for their “new” idea, they make converts who are equally zealous. The upshot is a group within the church who follow the lead of these false teachers and try to force their view on everyone else. We ought, therefore, to be suspicious of teachers in the church who encourage such devoted followings and who focus exclusively on one doctrine.

Theology and doxology. The wonderful doxology in 16:25–27 is an appropriate way to end a letter that so beautifully sets forth the truth of the gospel. All theology has its ultimate goal in the glory of God, and any true theology will always lead to this end. Theology, the “study of God,” is not an intellectual pastime. Nor is it only for the good of the church. Its ultimate purpose is to enable God’s people to glorify him more effectively and more passionately because they have learned more about him. We noted above how Paul weaves into this doxology so many of the motifs of the letter. It is as if he himself is led to burst out in spontaneous praise to God as he reflects on the marvelous truths he has taught in the letter. May our “bottom line” also be sola dei gloria—“to God alone be the glory.”