Give Your Lives to God: Be Changed Inside, 12:1-21.
From chapters one through eleven, Paul has been showing how God saves us. In chapters one through three, he showed us that we have all sinned. In chapters four through five, he showed us that Christ did by His death what we could not do for ourselves. In chapters six through eight, he showed us the way God helps us with the struggles of our new life in Jesus. In chapters nine through eleven, he showed us how this new life affects both Jews and Gentiles alike.
From chapter twelve onward, Paul shows how a Christian is to live. How can people watch the way a man behaves and tell whether he is in Christ or not? When one believes in Jesus and is made right with God, what does it change inside him?
[1-2] How do I show God my gratitude? God has shown us great mercy. Jesus has died in our place. He has taken away our sin. How do I show God how thankful I am? Give God a sacrifice. Is it a goat or lamb? This may have served in the past, but not now (Hebrews 10:1-10). Since Jesus died for me, I must remain alive to serve God. So I am a living sacrifice. I have given up myself. I have killed the old man (see chapter 6). When I buried the old man of sin in immersion, I arose from baptism to walk a new life. I live to serve God. I serve no one else but God.
[3-8] How do I think about myself? When we were in sin, some of us had very high views of ourselves. We thought we were big men and should have control over others. Some of us, on the other hand, thought that we were very unimportant and lowly people. It was easy for others to control us. As God’s people, we must see ourselves as we really are. We may have wrong views of ourselves. We must see ourselves as God sees us. But how does God see us? Since God created us by His own power, He knows just what we are. Like a pot-maker and the clay, He knows He has made this one a cup, this one a bowl, and this one a king’s dish. God has made each of us with special abilities, with special ways to serve. If we know what we were created for, we will know how we ought to think about ourselves. Many different kinds of people make up the body of Christ, just as our own bodies have many different parts (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). Different parts can do different things. That is why our bodies can walk, run, and work. Each part does what it was created to do. Since we are many people created for different actions, we all fit together in the body of Christ. For instance, God gives one the power to speak for Him. So that one should speak to the glory of God. Another has been given the gift of serving (helping) other people. Then let him be a helper to others. And so with the other gifts God gives to each one. Another can teach. Another can encourage. Another can give. Another can be a leader of people. Another knows how to show mercy (kindness). As each has his gift from God for a special action, so each is important in his own way. One should not think he can do everything. Let each think about himself as a person to whom God has given a special gift to serve Him. (More is written about such gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14.) Proper use will make sure that we will not think too highly of ourselves nor too lowly. Each will think about himself as God thinks about him.
Romans 12:9-21
9 Love must be sincere. Hate evil. Hold onto good. 10 Have the same kind of love for one another which brothers have. Give each other more honor than you do yourselves. 11 Work hard. Don’t be lazy. Serve the Lord with a boiling spirit. 12 Rejoice in hope. Be patient during times of trouble. Continue praying. 13 Share things with holy people who need it. Try to bring strangers into your homes. 14 Bless those who persecute you. Bless and don’t condemn. 15 Be happy with those who are happy. Cry with those who are crying. 16 Get along with one another. Mix with humble people; don’t try to be clever. Don’t think you are “wise.” 17 If someone does wrong to you, don’t pay him back with another wrong. Be sure you do what everyone already knows is right. 18 If possible, from your part, live in peace with everybody. 19 Don’t avenge yourselves, dear friends. Instead, leave room for God to punish. This is written: “The Lord says, ‘Revenge belongs to me – I will pay it back’!” Deuteronomy 32:35 20 “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. By doing this, you will make him burn up with shame.” Proverbs 25:21-22 21 Don’t let evil defeat you. Instead, use good to defeat evil.
[9-12] How should I conduct myself? If we think about ourselves as God has gifted us, then real love will rule our lives. This was the first and greatest commandment of the law of God to the Jews in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Jesus said it is the most important one for us (Mark 12:28-31). When we love God and love men, we cannot do evil to them. We want only good for those we love. Who can harm the father or the mother that he loves? Who can harm his brother or sister? We can do only good for such loved ones. So love will cause us to treat all men and women as brothers and sisters.
[13-20] How should I treat other people? When life is going well for me, I should share the blessings God has given me by letting some of God’s people have some of my blessings. Even if I do not know them, I can look for strangers and welcome them into my home. I can bless them as God has blessed me. But what about when trouble comes? What about persecutions? When people do bad things to you, then you do good things to them. If they say evil about you, say good about them. Otherwise, you, a child of God, will be doing evil and saying evil. However they treat you, you can only do good and say good to them. This is the way God does with us. We should act toward men as God acts toward us.
[21] As a living sacrifice to God, you can defeat evil by doing good. When you repay evil for evil, then you have become an evildoer, not a godly man. In such a case, evil has defeated you. Do not let that happen. By doing good to all men, you will be able by God’s power to defeat their evil with your good. So God wins when you behave as a godly man
Romans 13:1-6
13 1 Every person must put himself under existing authority. God is over all human authority; the government positions are those which God appointed. 2 So, if someone rebels against authority, he is going against what God appointed. Rebels will receive condemnation. 3 Rulers don’t scare people who do good things; only evil-doers should fear. Do you want to he unafraid of a man in authority? Do good things! Then, he will honor you. 4 He is God’s servant for your own good. But, if you commit a crime, you should be afraid, because he can use real force! He is God’s servant to give fair punishment to anyone who commits a crime. 5 So, you must obey, not only because you could be punished, but also for the sake of your conscience. 6 This is why you pay taxes. These men are servants of God, giving all their time to ruling. 7 Pay them back whatever you owe: tariffs, taxes, respect, or honor.
Believers Are Under God’s Appointed Governments, 13:1-7.
Paul was a citizen of the Roman Empire. The power of Rome controlled all countries around the Mediterranean Sea. Jews resented the power of Rome. Many of them wanted to use the sword to defeat Rome and to gain freedom. Paul writes what God wants Christians to do.
[1-4] Governments and kingdoms exist because God created them. He appoints them to provide law and order. He gives them the right to use force. He wants them to make evil men fear the power of good. Since God wants it this way, then Christians should submit to these rulers and governments. When people fight against their rulers, they suffer two ways: They go against something God has commanded, and they also bring punishment on themselves by the hand of the ruler.
But what should believers do when governments are evil and when the men who run them are evil? Sometimes that happens. Examples in Bible history include wicked Pharaoh fighting against Moses; King Saul fighting against David; King Ahab and Queen Jezebel trying to kill Elijah; Nebuchadnezzar capturing and enslaving Israel; and both Herod and Pilate fighting to defeat Jesus Himself. Although sometimes there are evil rulers who harm good men, most governments are not that way. Even if evil men rule wickedly, Paul teaches believers to obey lawful order.
[5-7] The believer should obey the political rulers for two reasons. The first is to avoid punishment. The second is that God wants you to obey. Obey because it is the right thing to do. The believer will feel right in his heart by doing what God wants. But now Paul goes even further.
Romans 13:8-14
8 The only thing you should owe anyone is love. The person who loves another person has made the law complete: 9 “You must not commit adultery.” “You must not commit murder.” “You must not steal.” “You must not want something which belongs to someone else.” Exodus 20:13-15, 17 And, any other command is covered by this one sentence: “Love other people the same way you love yourself.” Leviticus 19:18 10 Love does not hurt other people. So, love is the completion of the law. 11 You know this is the right time for you to wake up from sleeping. It’s late! The time for our deliverance is now nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone; daytime is near! So, put away deeds of darkness. Put on the weapons of light. 13 We should live properly, like people do during the daytime, not with orgies or by getting drunk, not committing sexual sin or having wild sex parties, not with fighting or jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t think about how to satisfy the evil desires of your human nature.
You should also pay your money to the rulers as they may require you to do. This is so that rulers can be paid for their work in punishing evildoers and rewarding good people. This costs money. Believers should pay it. Sometimes it will be called taxes, sometimes tariffs, or some other word. In addition to money, believers ought to give respect and honour to their rulers. They should not call their leaders by evil names. As God’s appointed system, they ought to be treated as worthy of honour and respect.
The Only Law: Love Other People, 13:8-14.
[8-9] Paul has spoken about paying taxes, because we owe taxes to our rulers. The Christian principle is that we should pay what we owe. If a man buys food, he ought to pay for it. If a man hires labourers, he ought to pay them. To refuse to pay what we owe is sin. The business world teaches us this. People are punished if they owe what they will not pay.
Paul says that we owe every man the debt of love. Why? Because God loved us. Even when we were in sin, God loved us. Since He has blessed us with love, the only way we can repay God is to love other people. We owe God a debt for His love. This is exactly what God wants us to do. This will fulfill the entire law of God for us. How? Remember all the laws of the Ten Commandments? (See Exodus 20.) Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not wish you had another man’s property. If you love a person, how could you do these evil things against him? You would never do this to your friend or your dear brother. So if you love, then you will have completed all the laws God gave. So, all God’s laws are included in this one law: Love other people the same as you love yourself. See Leviticus 19:18.
[10] Love does not hurt. Love helps. This is what God’s law is all about. Do not hurt people by killing, stealing, using their wives, etc. When you love people, you will not be able to do such harmful things to them.
[11-14] In these next verses, “day” and “night” are words used as symbols. Day means all the good that is coming to us when we shall live with God in eternal life. Night means all the sinful world with its dark deeds. People sleep in the night. They do evil things in the night, because they are ashamed to do them in the day. They get drunk. They engage in sexual sins. They have parties in which they act like animals and waste food and money. They have arguments about these. They are jealous of others. These are deeds of darkness, of the night. Christians must wake up from such sleeping in the night of evil deeds. Live in the day of good. Do not make plans to feed your evil hunger with evil deeds. Plan to live in the light, without shame.
Bearing with One Another, 14:1-12.
As we learn how to love everyone (Romans 13:8-14), believers meet a special problem. It would be great if everyone could agree with one another, but this rarely happens. Where there are human beings, there are disagreements. What should we do when we have differences of opinion as Christians?
Romans 14:1-12
14 1 Accept the brother who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about opinions. 2 One person believes that he is allowed to eat anything. But the weaker brother eats nothing but vegetables. 3 The one who eats anything must not look down on the one who does not eat. And, the one who does not eat meat must not condemn the one who eats, because God accepts him, too. 4 Who are you? Can you judge the servant of someone else? That servant’s master decides whether he is a good or bad servant, not you. He will be successful, the Lord is able to make him successful. 5 One person thinks that one day is more holy than another day. But, another man thinks that every day is the same. Each person must be sure in his own mind. 6 When someone is honoring a special day, he is doing this for the Lord. When someone is eating in a special way, he is thanking God. And, the brother who is not eating meat is doing that for the Lord. He also thanks God! 7 None of us lives alone and none of us dies alone. 8 If we live, let’s live for the Lord. If we die, let’s die for the Lord. It doesn’t matter whether we live or die we belong to the Lord! 9 Christ died and came back to life, so that he could rule over the living and the dead. 10 But, who are you? Can you judge your brother? Also, why do you look down on your brother? Because we will all stand in front of God at the Judge’s bench. 11 This is written: “The Lord says, ‘As sure as I am alive: Every knee will bow to Me. Every tongue will declare that I am God.’ ” Isaiah 45:23 12 So, each one of us must give an answer to God for the way we live.
[1-5] One brother is strong in faith and knows what is right and what is wrong. Another brother has been a believer only a short time. He does not yet know for sure what is right or wrong. The stronger brother is told by Paul to accept the weaker brother. Even though he may have different opinions, do not leave him out of the family of faith. He is your brother in the Lord.
Often when brothers differ in this way, two things happen. The stronger brother looks down at the weaker. He may make fun of him. He may think him foolish. He may think himself better than the weaker brother. Or, on the other hand, the weaker brother may see someone doing what he thinks to be wrong. He accuses him of sin. He condemns his behaviour. He will not have anything to do with “such a sinner.” So between the two children of God enmity grows. They will not be friends. They stop loving and begin to quarrel. They may even become enemies and harm each other.
[6-12] So what is the solution? Only God has the right to judge His children. That is God’s right as Creator and Master. In matters of opinion, Christians should be gracious to one another as we strive for what is best for the church as a whole. Of course in matters of doctrine, Christians should strive for the understanding of the Word and unified obedience (John 17). This may take time and effort but is important as we grow into the fullness of Christ, together.
Romans 14:13-23
13 Stop criticizing one another. Instead, do this: Decide not to put anything there which could trip your brother or cause him to sin. 14 In the Lord Jesus, I know, and I’m sure, that nothing is unholy in and of itself – unless it becomes “unholy” to the person who thinks it is unholy. 15 If your brother feels upset because of what you eat, you are not living with love anymore. Don’t destroy that brother with your food; Christ died for him! 16 So, don’t let anyone say something evil about your good. 17 God’s kingdom does not consist of eating and drinking; what’s important is being right with God, having peace, and being happy in the Holy Spirit. 18 The person who serves Christ like this will please God and be liked by people. 19 Therefore, let us try to have peace and build up one another. 20 Don’t destroy God’s work for the sake of food. Everything is pure. But, it is wrong for a person to eat anything that might trip someone else. 21 It is better if you don’t eat meat, drink wine, or do anything that might trip your brother. 22 You have your own faith. Keep it between yourself and God! The person who doesn’t feel condemned is happy. He knows what he is doing. 23 But the person who has doubts feels condemned, if he goes ahead and eats, because he is not sure. A person must be sure that everything he does is right, or else it is sin.
Build Up Your Brothers: Do Not Tear Them Down, 14:13-23.
[13-15] It is good, then, not to judge each other. We must not cause each other to fall into sinful behaviour. Instead of that, let us begin to find ways we can remove the cause of wrong, so our brothers will not stumble and fall.
It is true that nothing we eat is unholy. We who are strong in faith know this. Whether vegetables or meat, we eat what God created and give thanks. Whether we observe a special holy day or regard the holiness of all days alike, we give thanks to God for all. Strong believers know that. But some are not strong. If such a believer thinks something is wrong, then to him it is wrong. If he sees you eating what he thinks is wrong, he is hurt. He thinks you are wrong. That offends him. He feels pain when he sees you do it. If you allow that to happen, you are not loving your brother. You are hurting him. You cannot hurt one you love. So you should not hurt and destroy your brother just because you like certain food or because you celebrate certain days differently from him. Your brother is so important that Christ died for him. The food you enjoy is not that important. Special days are not that important. Your brother is more important.
[16-23] For the people in God’s kingdom, the most important thing is not eating and drinking. The most important things are being right with God, being at peace with our brothers, and being happy in the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if you do this for the love of Jesus, you will please God. You will also be loved by your brothers, and you will get along with them well.
This is the way people who differ can have peace. We can build up each other in the Lord to be made stronger, not weaker. Surely you cannot destroy God’s work (His people) just for special food that you like to eat. Of course in reality, it is pure and right to eat it. But if it destroys your brother to see you eat it, then you are wrong. It would be better not to eat any meat or drink any wine, or do anything if it causes your Christian brother to fall into sin.
Romans 15:1-13
15 1 We who are strong should help weaker brothers with things they cannot do, not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please the other person, building him up. 3 Because even Christ did not please himself. This is written: “The insults of the people who were insulting you fell on me.” Psalm 69:9 4 Everything that was written long ago was written to teach us. We should learn that we can have hope through the patience and comfort we get from the Scriptures. 5 The God who gives you patience and comfort will help you agree with one another, as you follow Christ Jesus. 6 Then, with one voice, all together, you will give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 For God’s glory, accept one another, as Christ accepted you. 8 I tell you, Christ became a servant of the Jewish people for the sake of God’s truth. He did this to confirm God’s promises to our ancestors. 9 Then other nations would give glory to God for His mercy. This is written: “This is why I will acknowledge You among the nations. I will sing to Your name.” Psalm 18:49 10 Again Moses said, “You people who are not Jewish, celebrate with God’s people!” Deuteronomy 32:43 11 Again, “All nations, praise the Lord God! Let all people praise Him!” Psalm 117:1 12 Again Isaiah said, “The descendant of Jesse will come. He will rise to rule the nations. The nations will place their hopes on him.” Isaiah 11:10 13 The God of hope will fill you with every kind of happiness and peace while you trust Him. He will use hope to flood you with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Build Up One Another as God Built You Up, 15:1-6.
[1-2] If the strong in faith are to help the weak in faith, they may say, “That isn’t fair. I’m strong. They are weak. They bother me. It is a burden to help them. It’s not fair for the weak to depend on men who are strong.” True, but life is that way. The weak infant depends on the strong mother. The weak citizen depends on the strong king. The weak child depends on the strong father. So, in Christ weak people depend on the Divine Lord. He teaches those who are strong to help the weaker ones. If the weak struggle with what they cannot do, the stronger ones should build them up. The life of faith in Jesus is not meant to please oneself.
[3-6] This is true for us, because it was true for Jesus. He took our sins upon Himself. We were weak, but He lifted our burdens. When insults are given us more than we can bear, remember that He took these insults upon Himself (see Psalm 69:9). Even from the time of the ancient Scripture, God has been building us up by giving us His strength in our weakness. From His divine writings, we gain hope when we suffer. To help our suffering, we learn patience and strength from the Scriptures (the divine writings of ancient times). Since God builds up our weakness, we can build up each other. This makes us God’s coworkers when stronger Christians help the weaker ones. This is godly.
Accept Everyone as Jesus Did, 15:7-13.
[7] Paul pleads with believers to bear with one another because Christ has accepted us. The entire Book of Romans is an explanation of how God has accepted us. Jesus has accepted us by dying for us and by giving us life. Now Paul asks us to bear with our weaker brethren. These differences are of many kinds. Herdsmen differ from farmers. Village people differ from city-dwellers. The educated differ from the uneducated. The literate differ from the illiterate. Rulers differ from ordinary citizens. Those who speak modern languages differ from those who speak ancestral languages. The young want modern ways, and the older people want the traditional ways.
[8] Jesus was the Christ, the Anointed One of God. As God sent Him into the world to accept us, it meant He had to become a servant (Philippians 2:5-7). Jesus was promised to the Jews to be a “servant king.” He was a royal leader, but, at the same time, He was the servant of His people. Christians must learn this. We like to rule over our brothers in the Lord, but He teaches us that we must learn to serve them.
[9-13] But when Jesus had become a servant to the Jews, He then turned to be also the servant of the Gentiles. Four Old Testament Scriptures are quoted to show this. Jesus is Servant of both Jew and Gentile. So then all nations will give glory to God because of Him.
Knowing that this is the way of God Himself, we clearly see that we must bear with our weaker brethren. We must build them up in love (see 15:1-6). We must serve them (see 15:8). When we do this, we are doing God’s will. We are behaving as God behaves. For this He will bless us with happiness, peace, hope, and power in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:14-16
14 My brothers, I feel sure about you. You are full of goodness, complete with every kind of knowledge, and able to warn one another. 15 In this letter I have written to you about several things. I was very honest with you because of the gracious love that God gave me. I wanted to help you remember. 16 I have been allowed to be Christ Jesus’ servant to non-Jews. I am performing holy service to God’s Good News. Then, after the nations have been made holy by the Holy Spirit, they will become an acceptable offering to God.
Leading Non-Jewish People to God Through Jesus, 15:14-21.
[14-16] Paul speaks to the believers in Rome as his brothers. He has no fear or uncertainty about their souls. They are not young babies in their faith. In three ways they are mature believers: (1) They are full of good (evil has been conquered in their lives). (2) They know all they need to know to carry out the good in their hearts. God has taken away their ignorance by revealing in Jesus Christ how they should conquer Satan and his demons. (3) They are able to teach others. When weaker brothers stumble, these are able to help them. They are also able to find men in sin and to lead them to salvation in Jesus. In this confidence about their faith, Paul is sure that they will sacrifice themselves to God’s work (chapter 12), obey their rulers as unto the Lord (chapter 13), bear with weaker brethren with whom they have differences (chapter 14), and build up their brothers in faith (chapter 15). Paul expects his brothers in Rome to be mature and to be strong believers in Christ. Therefore, he has spoken boldly and openly to his readers, without hiding the things of the gospel that are hard to follow. Because God has given Paul a special gift of speaking to brothers to mature them, he is helping them to remember all they should know in order to walk well with the Lord.
Romans 15:17-33
17 So, in Christ Jesus, I take pride in the offerings that are made to God. 18 Because I dare not say anything about the way Christ has used me to get something done about leading the non-Jewish people to obey God. He just used my words, my actions, 19 powerful proofs from God, miracles, and the power of the Spirit. I have told the Good News everywhere – from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum. 20 I’ve always wanted to tell it where they didn’t know anything about Christ. I didn’t want to build on someone else’s foundation. 21 This is written: “The people who were not told about him will learn. Those who have not heard will begin to understand.” Isaiah 52:15 22 So, I was stopped from coming to you many times. 23 But now, I have no more places to preach in this area. And, I’ve wanted very much to come to you for many years. 24 So, whenever I travel to Spain, I hope to visit you while passing through. After I’ve enjoyed my visit for a while, you can help me to continue my trip to Spain. 25 I am going to Jerusalem now to help the Christians. 26 The Christians in the areas of Macedonia and Achaia were delighted to share in doing something for the poor holy people in Jerusalem. 27 They were delighted, because they owe them a lot. Since non-Jews have shared in the spiritual blessings of Jews, they should help them with physical things. 28 When I’ve finished this and made sure that it does some good, I will come to you on my way to Spain. 29 I know when I get there, I will come with Christ’s complete blessing. 30 Brothers, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Holy Spirit, I beg you to pray to God for me. Help me fight on! 31 Pray that I will be rescued from people in the land of Judea who are not persuaded. Pray that my ministry to Jerusalem will be acceptable to the holy people there. 32 Pray that, if God wants this, I will come to you with joy. Then I can be with you and relax. 33 May the God of peace be with all of you. Amen.
[17-18] As a result of Jesus’ call to Paul when he was converted (see Acts 9; 22; 26), his ministry was to speak the Good News about Christ, especially to the Gentiles (the non-Jewish nations). To speak the Good News to them was Paul’s holy service to God. When those nations had been changed by faith from enemies of good, the Holy Spirit would make their lives and hearts to become an offering to God which would please Him. As a preacher, Paul was glad he was able to bring men and women to be offerings before God. Such a ministry gave him much joy. But he quickly added that this was not carnal pride. He dared not boast that he himself had done it. It was only through obedience to Christ that God had been able to use Paul in bringing non-Jewish sinners into the Christian faith. By himself he could not have done so. The glory was to God.
[19] The God-powered ministry of Paul had worked in the entire eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. Beginning from Jerusalem, Paul had preached all around the southeast corner of the coast and in the interior, all the way to Illyricum. The modern name for the country of Illyricum is Albania. It is north of the Mediterranean Sea, on the east side of the Adriatic Sea. Italy (whose capital was Rome) is just across the Adriatic from Albania (Illyricum). From Jerusalem to Illyricum is a very, very long way. During his ministry, Paul had travelled back and forth throughout that region. This took years, as well as much hard travel and labour in the Lord. But now that part of Paul’s ministry was finished, and he was ready to start on another part.
[20] Paul explains how he decided where to preach. If other people had already been there to preach Christ to the people, Paul did not go. He always wanted to tell the gospel story to people who had never heard about Christ. Even after all the years since Paul wrote this, there are still large numbers of tribes and peoples who have never one time heard the name of Christ. Pray that God will raise up men who will commit themselves to preaching where men have never heard, rather than by building upon another preacher’s foundation.
Paul’s Plan to Visit Some, 15:22-33.
[22-24] Paul had never been to Rome. After many years of trying to visit Rome, Paul saw a possible way. He was planning to go to Spain. Spain was at the extreme west end of the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem was at the extreme east end. The distance between Jerusalem and Spain was about 2500 kilometres (or 1600 miles).
[24-28] To travel from Jerusalem to Spain, one would pass near Rome. So Paul planned to stop in Rome on the way to Spain. But for the present time, he was going to Jerusalem. The church in Jerusalem was having trouble with famine and poverty. Paul had collected gifts of money from many churches in Macedonia and Achaia (both regions are in Greece). He was now travelling to Jerusalem to deliver this money to believers who were in poverty.
This is an interesting gift. Jews and Gentiles usually did not get along with each other well. They preferred to cause trouble for each other rather than to help in times of trouble. But now the Gentile believers in Greece were sending gifts of love to Jewish believers in Jerusalem, (see 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8-9). Being in Christ had made them brothers. Brothers want to help brothers when they are in need.
[29] “Christ’s complete blessing” which he refers to probably means that he will have news for them about the churches and the brothers in Asia, Jerusalem, Antioch, and other places. He may have more to teach them in detail about Christian living. He could be sure they understood the deeper truths about Christ’s death for them. There were probably other explanations he could give them about what he had written in this book. But also, there were parts of their faith which would be a blessing to Paul himself. He had referred to this in Romans 1:8-13. The blessing would flow both ways when he came.
[30-33] As an example of the mutual blessing, Paul asked them to pray for him. His prayer request was for five things:
(1) Paul wanted them to pray for him. His future was uncertain. None of us can know what will happen tomorrow. We need God every hour.
(2) “Help me fight on!” The Christian life and ministry is involved in war with Satan. Doctrines of demons, temptations, struggles with enemies of Christ – all these we fight with constantly (see Ephesians 6:10-20).
(3) He wanted their prayers that he might be rescued from the “people in the land of Judea who are not persuaded.” This means the unconverted Jews. They did not believe in Christ and considered Paul their enemy because he did believe. He had already had much trouble with such men. His guess here was right. When he arrived in Jerusalem, his trouble with the Jews was so serious that he was sent to prison for more than two years (see Acts 21-28).
(4) Paul wanted their prayers that his “ministry to Jerusalem will be acceptable to the holy people there.” This gift of money from the Gentiles to the Jews might be misunderstood. Paul seems to be a little afraid that the Jews might reject the gift because of previous enmity against the Gentiles. In such case, he would have much trouble trying to convince the Jews that the Gentiles loved them.
(5) He knew that his plans to visit Rome were in his own plans. He was not sure yet that God would want him to visit there.
Romans 6:1-16
16 1 I recommend our sister Phoebe to you. She is a servant of the congregation in the town of Cenchrea. 2 I want you to accept her, as holy people should in the Lord Jesus. Help her with anything she might need from you, because she has been very helpful to many people and to me also. 3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their very lives for me. I am not the only one who is thankful for them; all the non-Jewish congregations are thankful, too! 5 Also, greet the group which meets in their house. Greet my dear Epaenetus, too. He was the first convert to Christ in the land of Asia. 6 Greet Mary. She worked very hard for you. 7 Greet my relatives, Andronicus and Junias. They were in jail with me. The apostles think they are special. They were in Christ before I was. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord Jesus. 9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and Stachys, my dear friend. 10 Greet Apelles. He was tested in Christ. Greet the people in the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my relative. Greet those in Narcissus’ family who are in the Lord Jesus. 12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa. These women worked very hard in the Lord Jesus. Greet Persis, my dear friend. She has worked very hard in the Lord Jesus, too. 13 Greet Rufus, the one chosen in the Lord Jesus. Also, greet his mother; she treats me as her son. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the holy people who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the congregations of Christ greet you.
Paul and the Family of God, 16:1-16.
[1-16] At the closing of his letter, Paul sends greetings to his friends in Rome. Although he has never been to Rome before, he knows more than twenty-seven people there. Seventeen of them are men. At least ten of them are women. How did Paul know these people in a city he had never visited? Many people travelled widely around the Mediterranean Sea. Paul did so. Many of the people he met in the churches had migrated to Rome. Paul knew them by name.
From the way he speaks to them, we know a little about some of them. Most of the people we know nothing about, except that they were friends of Paul. All of them were personal acquaintances. Many of them were close friends (see verses 5, 7, 8, 9, 12). At least one was his own convert (verse 5). People who had been coworkers with Paul are listed in verses three, six, nine, and twelve. Paul calls some of these his relatives (see verses 7, 11, 13), although it is hard to tell whether he means actual blood relatives or brothers and sisters in the Lord. He refers to five churches that met in the houses of individual friends. Some of these names are Jewish, and some are Gentile names.
It is clear that Paul had a network of friends and coworkers in the Lord. They were like one large family. Jesus said in Matthew 19:27-29 that, when His followers leave family and friends to follow Him, they shall receive a hundredfold. Whereas Paul left his family in Tarsus or Jerusalem, it is obvious that he was rewarded with people as near as blood relatives to him, even in a distant city like Rome.
Romans 16:17-27
17 Brothers, I beg you, watch out for people who cause splits and do things which cause people to sin. This is against the teaching which you learned from us. Turn away from them. 18 People like this in Christ our Lord are only serving their own appetites. They fool innocent people with smooth talk and flattery. 19 Everyone has heard about how you obeyed. I’m proud of you. However, I want you to be wise about good, and simple about evil. 20 The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet soon. May the gracious love of Jesus our Lord be with you. 21 Timothy, our co-worker, greets you. And so do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater (my relatives). 22 I, Tertius (who copied this letter), greet you in the Lord Jesus. 23 Gaius greets you. The whole congregation and I are his guests. Erastus greets you. He is the city manager. Brother Quartus sends you his greeting, too. 24[Some very early manuscripts omit the last sentence of verse 20 and use it as verse 24] 25 I commit you to God who is able to make you strong with my gospel (the preaching about Jesus Christ) and the secret revelation which has been kept hidden for a long, long time. 26 This secret has now been made clear through the prophetic writings. The eternal God ordered this, so that when it becomes known, all nations will believe it and obey. 27 Give glory forever to God – who alone is all-wise – through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Words of Farewell, 16:17-27.
[17-18] Beware of evil workers. Some will come into the Roman church causing trouble, dividing believers against each other, and causing them to sin. How should they be treated? Stay away from them. Why? Because they are not serving Christ in love. They are serving their own appetites, pleasing themselves, and fooling innocent people with seducing talk. Watch out for them.
[19-20] You are on the way to victory. The believers in Rome had been known among all Christians around the Mediterranean Sea. Paul rejoiced in their faith and obedience. And because they were in God their faith in God’s power would work against Satan and evil to give them power to overcome all evil and evil men.
[21-24] Greetings from brethren with Paul. Eight names are listed to identify the friends who send greetings to Rome. Very little is known about these more than what Paul says here. Timothy is the one to whom Paul wrote two letters. Verse twenty-four is not found in many early writings. In others it is the same as the last sentence of verse twenty.
[25-26] The mystery is now made known. God will make the Romans strong through the gospel. From earliest times, God had prepared the Good News about Jesus. But God kept His way of saving men a secret until it was revealed in Jesus Christ. Now the mystery is no longer secret. Everyone who hears about Jesus can be saved. All nations can know the true God and be saved.
[27] The last benediction. How wise is God. Glory be to Him forever. He is glorified in Jesus Christ. Amen.