Introductory remarks:
"The epistle concludes with various salutations. The names which occur in this chapter are chiefly Greek; and the persons designated had been probably inhabitants of Greece, but had removed to Rome for purposes of commerce, &c. Possibly some of them had been converted under the ministry of the apostle himself during his preaching in Corinth and other parts of Greece. It is remarkable that the name of Peter does not occur in this catalogue; which is conclusive evidence, contrary to the Papists, that Peter was not then known by Paul to be in Rome (and therefore could not have been the first Pope)" (Barnes). "Paul asks them to receive and help Phebe, and sends personal greetings to various acquaintances. Finally, he warns them to avoid troublemakers who serve themselves and not God. He sends greetings from those with him" (A Survey of Romans - by Brenda). This chapter may be outlined as follows: personal greetings vv. 1-23; doxology vv. 25-27.
Personal Greetings
Verse 1, "I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:"
LGT "But I commend Phoebe our sister, being [also] a servant of the assembly, the one in Cenchrea:"
But I commend unto you Phoebe: Paul sent this epistle with Phoebe to the church at Rome with this simple introduction. Our sister: our sister in the Lord. Being also a servant of the assembly: Phoebe was probably a widow, for she could not have been spoken of as a minister to the assembly if she were married. The widows often served in comforting the sick and ministering to those in jail etc. We cannot make too much of the word diakonos which simply means she was a servant to the family of God. Deaconess is a man-made office when they wanted to organize the church proper; however, I believe they should have remained family oriented, and forget about rulers. The one in Cenchrea: "Corinth, from which the epistle was sent, was situated on an isthmus, and had three ports, Cenchrea on the east side, and Lechaeum on the west of the isthmus, with Schoenus, a smaller port, also on the eastern side, at the narrowest point of the isthmus. Cenchrea was nine miles from Corinth. It was a thriving town, commanding a large trade with Alexandria, Antioch, Ephesus, Thessalonica, and the other cities of the Aegean. It contained temples of Venus, Aesculapius, and Isis" (Vincent).
Verse 2, "That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and myself also."
LGT "That ye may receive her in [the] Lord worthily of saints, and ye may assist her in whatever matter she may need of you: for also she has been a succourer of many, and of me myself."
That ye may receive her in the Lord: Paul asks the Christians in Rome to receive Phoebe as a family member. As becometh saints: receive her fittingly as you do one another, for you are all Christians, and all Christians are saints; thank God we don't have to wait for the Roman Catholic Church to tell us if we are saints or not. And ye may assist her: the Greek word for assist means to stand beside her. In whatever matter she may need of you: she has the welfare of the Church at heart, and you should assist her in whatever she may require of you. For also she has been a succourer of many, and of myself: "applied to Phoebe, it means probably that she had shown great kindness in various ways to the apostle, and to other Christians; probably by receiving them into her house; by administering to the sick, &c. Such persons have a claim on the respect and Christian attentions of others" (Barnes).
Verses 3, 4, "Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also the churches of the Gentiles."
LGT "Salute Priscilla and Aquila my fellow workers in Christ Jesus: (who for my life laid down their own necks, whom not only I thank, but also all the assemblies of the Gentiles)."
From verses 3-16 Paul sends greeting to various brothers and sisters he knew in Rome. "Priscilla and Aquila were a Jewish couple. How had Paul met them, and in what way were they his helpers? Well, there had been a wave of anti-Semitism that had swept over the city of Rome, and Priscilla and Aquila had to leave. They came to the city of Corinth while Paul was there and set up shop. Corinth was a good commercial center, and Paul was also plying his trade there. Since they were all tentmakers, this drew them together (see Acts 18:1-3), and Paul led them to the Lord. Then they were with Paul at Ephesus. Perhaps they had gone over there to open up a branch store. In Acts 18:26, we find that they were able to be helpful to Apollos: And he [Apollos] began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. Notice that when we first meet them it is 'Aquila and Priscilla.' Now here in Romans it is Priscilla and Aquila. Why are the names reversed? Well, I think here is a case when the woman became dominant in spiritual matters. Spiritually she became the leader, although they were both outstanding workers for Christ" (McGee).
Verse 5, "Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ."
LGT "And the assembly at their house. Salute Epaenetus my beloved, who is first-fruit of Achaia for Christ."
And the assembly at their house. The early church met in homes; this does not mean that the entire Christian community met in Priscilla and Aquilas' home, but that they met in homes all over Rome, I believe that Phoebe traveled throughout Rome with this letter from Paul to the homes that met in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and these ones he greets might have been the leaders of the many different fellowships. "There is no clear example of a separate building set apart for Christian worship within the limits of the Roman Empire before the third century, though apartments in private houses might be specially devoted to this purpose" (Lightfoot - quoted by TEGT).
McGee notes:
"The local church met in private homes at the very beginning. (See Acts 12:12; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Philem. 2.) Sanday writes, 'There is no decisive evidence until the third century of the existence of special buildings used for churches.' It is the belief of many folk today, and I have found this belief for years, that the church, which began in the home, will return to meeting in the home. Many of these great buildings of stone and mortar. They are mausoleums, not living churches that contain a real, living body of believers. The church was never intended to be spoken of as a building. For the first three centuries the church was the body of believers and met in homes like that of Aquila and Priscilla."
Salute Epaenetus my beloved: this is all that is known of this man. Who is the first fruit of Achaia for Christ: he was the first of Paul's converts in Achaia, that is, he was the first fruit of Paul's spiritual harvest.
Verse 6, "Greet Mary, who bestowed much labor on us."
LGT "Salute Mary, who labored much for us."
Mary was a Jewish Christian whom Paul had an acquaintance, and she labored with him; nothing more is known of her. She may have met Paul in one of the Grecian towns and then removed to Rome.
Verse 7, "Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me."
LGT "Salute Andronicus and Junias my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also have been [and still are] in Christ before me."
Salute Andronicus and Junias: these were fellow-Jews with Paul, and they probably took to themselves Greek names. My kinsmen: most probably they were from the same tribe as Paul, that of Benjamin. And my fellow-prisoners: "It is not certain to what the Apostle refers; for we have no particular account of him hitherto as a prisoner [at this time], except for a short time at Philippi, Acts 16:23-40; and it is probable, that it was on that occasion that they had been his fellow-prisoners; for it appears from the narrative, that there were more prisoners than Paul and Silas, as it is said that the prisoners heard them singing, verse 25; and Paul's saying to the jailor, in verse 28, we are all here, clearly implies that he had some with him besides Silas" (Henry Beveridge). Who are of note among the apostles: they were known by, and regarded by the apostles as men of high regard. This phrase does not mean that they were apostles themselves. If in fact they were apostles, as Calvin and others believe, it would be in the widest sense of the term meaning "sent one." In this definition I would concur, but not in the strict sense of the meaning that was given the twelve, as eyewitnesses of the resurrection of our Lord. Who also have been [and still are] in Christ before me: they were converted before Paul. The term in Christ means they were joined to Christ by adoption, the same as we are today.
Verse 8, "Greet Amplias my beloved in the Lord."
LGT "Salute Ampliatus my beloved in the Lord."
"Sanday and Hedlam give inscriptions from the cemetery of Domitilla, which make it probable that a person of this name was conspicuous in the earliest Roman Church, and may have been the means of introducing Christianity to a great Roman house" (TEGT). Paul loved him because of their share in the grace of God, and that they were joint heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 9, "Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved."
LGT "Salute Urbanus our fellow-worker in Christ, and Stachys my beloved."
Urbanus was a city boy, that is, he was brought up in the city. It is from this name we get our term "urban" meaning "mid-city." Stachys was of the royal household, the name means "the head" or "ear of corn."
Verse 10, "Salute Apelles approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus' household."
LGT "Salute Apelles the approved one in Christ. Salute those of the [household] of Aristobolus."
Salute Apelles the approved one in Christ: Apelles, that approved Christian. In some conspicuous way the Christian character of Apelles had been tried and found proof: see James 1:12, 2 Tim. 2:15." (TEGT). Salute those of the household of Aristobolus: "Possibly household slaves. They might have borne the name of Aristobolus even if they passed into the service of another master, since household slaves thus transferred, continued to bear the name of their former proprietor. Lightfoot thinks this Aristobolus may have been the grandson of Herod the Great, who was still living in the time of Claudius" (Vincent).
Verse 11, "Salute Herodion my kinsmen. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord."
LGT "Salute Herodion my kinsmen. Salute those of the [household] of Narcissus, who are in [the] Lord."
Salute Herodion my kinsmen: "Herodion was evidently a Jew, as Paul calls him a fellow countryman. The name suggests the Herod family. He may have been a slave who adopted the name of the family to which he belonged" (McGee). Salute those of the household on Narcissus: "This name was borne by a distinguished freedman, who was secretary of letters to Claudius. Juvenal alludes to his wealth and his influence over Claudius, and says that Messalina, the wife of Claudius, was put to death by his order. His household slaves, passing into the hands of the emperor or of some other master, would continue to bear his name" (Vincent). Who are in the Lord: this phrase might have been added because not all the family of Narcissus belonged to the Church of Christ.
Verse 12, "Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which labored much in the Lord."
LGT "Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labor in [the] Lord. Salute Persis the beloved, who labored much in the Lord."
Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa: the names mean "to live luxuriously." They were sisters, and possibly even twins. Who labor in the Lord: they served the Lord, probably as mentioned before, helping the poor and the sick with their needs. Salute Persis the beloved: the dear sister was the beloved to the whole church. Who labored much in the Lord: the entire church loved this freedwoman for her labors of love.
Verse 13, "Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine."
LGT "Salute Rufus the chosen in [the] Lord, and his mother and mine."
Paul salutes Rufus and his mother; evidently Paul had a relationship with Rufus' mother where he regarded her as he would his own mother.
Verse 14, "Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them."
LGT "Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren with them."
We know nothing of these brothers of Paul, and they have made up a small fellowship in Rome, as most of the others did.
Verse 15, "Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them."
LGT "Salute Philologus, and Julias, Nereus and his sister, and Olympus, and all the saints with them."
This verse and the last with the phrase "with them" substantiate my belief that these names were acquaintances of Paul and that they set up fellowships in their homes. "Another church in the house. These unnamed, constitute the great majority in all the churches in Rome" (Robertson).
Verse 16, "Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you."
LGT "Salute one another with a holy kiss. The assemblies of Christ salute you."
This "holy kiss" was an eastern method, practiced by the Jews, men kissing men, and women kissing women; the western style was a handshake. Paul was not instituting a ritual, but simply saying they should greet each other with Christian love.
Verse 17, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."
LGT "But I exhort you, brethren, keep your eye on the ones who make divisions and causes of offense contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned."
But I exhort you, brethren: Paul comes back to what he has been so obsessed with in this entire epistle of keeping peace between the legalists and the Gentile grace believers. Keep your eye on: the Greek word for "mark" is skopeite, and as I translate it in my LGT, it means to keep an eye on, and in this case Paul is telling these brethren in Rome to keep an eye open, or in modern day slang, "scope it out," in order to avoid the ones who make divisions: these Judaizers were seeking to set up parties in order to defeat Paul's grace teaching. And causes of offence: he urges the Gentiles not to be a stumbling block to the weaker ones; Paul does not want the church to break down into divisions of superiority and self-righteousness. Contrary to the doctrines you have learned: "to the teaching which you have received in this epistle and elsewhere; the teaching that these divisions should cease; that the Jewish ceremonies are not binding; that all should lay aside their causes of former difference, and be united in one family" (Barnes).
Verse 18, "For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly: and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple."
LGT "For such [ones] serve not the Christ our Lord, but their own belly, and by smooth speech and praise deceive the hearts of the innocent."
For such ones: the ones who cause the divisions and offence of verse 17. Serve not Christ: Christians are not to associate with those who do not serve the Lord; this phrase not serving Christ, goes for the unbeliever as well as the believer who is not positive concerning Bible Doctrine. But their own belly: these false teachers serve their own self-interest rather than the interest of the Christian community as a church. These false teachers claim to serve Christ but are in fact hypocritically serving their own interest. Rick Warren certainly fits this description, with special emphasis on the "Belly." I use slick Rick because I know well-intentioned people who are taken in by this charlatan. And by smooth speech and praise: flattery is one of the weapons these false teachers use to form small groups in the church to cause division. "The preachers of the gospel have also their courtesy and their pleasing manner, but joined with honesty, so that they neither soothe men with vain praises, not flatter their vices: but imposters allure men by flattery, and spare and indulge their vices, that they may keep them attached to themselves" (Calvin). Deceive the hearts of the innocent: the innocent are the weak ones who do not expect evil from these teachers. Instead of growing in grace, these innocent ones are led astray by these false teachers. If these innocent ones had been mature, Paul would not have to warn them of this impending problem.
Matthew Poole comments on this verse:
"As Satan insinuated unto Eve, by pretending he wished her good; so these seducers pretend they aim at nothing but the good and benefit of those whom they have to do: with smooth and flattering words, they praise both the persons and doings of those whom they would ensnare, and by this means they impose upon the simple, i.e. the over-credulous [gullible] and unwary, who do not mistrust any deceit or hurt. The word rendered simple, properly signifies such as are not evil, or that are incautious, and not suspicious."
Verse 19, "For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil."
LGT "For the obedience of you reached to all: I rejoice therefore concerning you; but I wish you to be wise [as] to good, and simple [as] to evil."
For the obedience of you reached to all: Paul separates them from the false teachers and commends them for their position, and their willingness to learn and obey Bible Doctrine. I rejoice therefore concerning you: Paul says 'I rejoice at your willingness to learn, and then gives this caution to them; but I wish you to be wise as to good: that is, learning is the taking in of Bible Doctrine, but wisdom is exercising what they learn, that is, put that knowledge to every day use. And simple as to evil: the seductive teaching of the legalist is to be repelled.
Verse 20, "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."
LGT "But the God of peace will bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus [be] with you."
But the God of peace: God who promotes peace. Paul uses this to give them strength to what is to follow. Will bruise Satan under your feet: this is given to them to encourage them that God will conquer the works of Satan at last. The false teachers will come and cause their trouble, but God will prevail. Shortly: as God counts time. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you: Paul reminds them to be strong in the Lord Jesus, because they have been endowed with the riches of His grace. No matter what Satan can hurl at the believer they are conquerors in Christ.
Verse 21, "Timotheus my workfellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you."
LGT "Timotheus my fellow-worker, and Lucius and Jason and Sosipater my kinsmen, salute you."
These are the men who were with Paul when he wrote this epistle. These men were his countrymen.
Verse 22, "I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord."
LGT "I Tertius, the one who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord."
Tertius was Paul's amanuensis [scribe or secretary] to whom Paul dictated this letter, salutes the Roman Christians as joint-heirs with Christ. Nothing more is said of this faithful servant of Paul.
Verse 23, "Gaius mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus the chamberlain of the city saluteth you, and Quartus a brother.
LGT "Gaius my host, and of the whole assembly salutes you. Erastus the steward of the city, and Quartus the brother salutes you."
Gaius my host, and of the whole assembly salutes you: Paul lived with Gaius while at Corinth, and this is the home where some of the Church at Corinth met for fellowship; Gaius opened his home for all Christians to come and worship. Erastus the steward of the city: Erastus was the city manager. And Quartus the brother salutes you: a fellow Christian.
Verse 24, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
LGT (verse 24 is not genuine and was added by the translators.)
Doxology
Verses 25, 26 "Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith."
LGT "Now to the One who is able to establish you according to my Glad Tidings, and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to a revelation of [the] mystery in times of the ages having kept secret, but made manifest now, and by prophetic Scriptures, according to commandment of the Eternal God, for obedience of faith to all the nations, having been made known."
Paul concludes this epistle with this magnificent doxology, and this is the only epistle that ends with a doxology. Now to the One who is able: God is the only One who is able to perfect the believer. Now the perfecting of the Christian and the Christian being perfect are two distinct doctrines. The fact that the Christian is perfect through the finished work of Christ is a position that can never change; the perfecting of the Christian, however, is a life long task, which only God is able to perform. To establish you: to strengthen and prove worthy. According to my Glad Tidings: according to the doctrines of grace that Paul is teaching. Paul calls these doctrines his, not because he invented them, but that he is defending all the doctrines he had been teaching them in this epistle. And the proclamation of Jesus Christ: not the teachings of Jesus Christ's earthly ministry, but also these, which He inspired Paul to write and teach. According to the revelation of the mystery: the revelation is the revealing of the Gospel of grace that is now made known to the entire world, that is, faith alone in Christ alone. And by prophetic Scriptures: this Gospel of grace was witnessed by the Law and the prophets and runs as a scarlet thread throughout the Word of God; the scarlet thread is the shed blood of Jesus Christ shed on our behalf, "without the shedding of blood there is no remission" (Heb. 9.22). This verse is an explanation of Leviticus 17:11: "For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." The atonement of Jesus Christ for mankind was foretold in the Law. According to commandment of the Eternal God: Paul conceives that the atonement of mankind is by the rule of the Eternal God. For obedience of faith: this is faith alone in Christ alone, and this is the Gospel of grace. To all the nations having been made known: It is now made known to all mankind by the Apostle Paul. "This refers particularly to the Gentiles. The Jews had some obscure intimation of these truths, but they were now made known to all the world" (Barnes).
Verse 27, "To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen."
LGT "To God only wise, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory to the ages, amen."
Paul ends this epistle with To God only wise: the absence of the article "the" emphasizes the character of God as the only true wisdom. Through Jesus Christ: because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross all men see the wisdom of God. Be glory: Christ's entire ministry was to honor and glory of His eternal Father.
I will now turn to the book of Galatians to continue my expositions because they are so similar; after that I will return and work on 1 and 2 Corinthians.
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