Romans 16

Christ had received both into his church, naturally turned his thoughts to an objection which might be made to this doctrine, namely, that if Christ had meant to receive the Gentiles he would have preached to them himself. To this the apostle replied, that Jesus Christ was born a Jew, and preached to the Jews only; [being ‘‘a minister of the circumcision;’’] because thereby, in the end, he most effectually accomplished God’s promises to the fathers, concerning the blessing of the nations in Abraham’s seed. (Ver. 8, 9.)—Farther, because the Jews were unwilling to be united with the Gentiles in one church, the apostle quoted various passages from their own prophets, foretelling that the Gentiles in future times would be Messiah’s subjects, and join the Jews in worshipping the true God.

(Ver. 9—12.) Wherefore, God having determined from the beginning to make the Gentiles his people, the Jewish believers were bound to acknowledge such of them as were converted, for their brethren and fellow-heirs of the promises of God notwithstanding they did not obey the law of Moses. ‘And having thus established the title of the Gentiles to all the privilegés of the people of God under the gospel dispensation, the apostle proved that God would fill them with all joy and peace, through the firm belief of their title to these great blessings. (Ver. 13.) “Both the doctrinal and practical part of this tow finished, the apostle makes a handsome apology to the Romans for writing so long a letter to persons with whom he was not personally acquainted.

He tells them, that having a good opinion of their virtue and knowledge, (ver. 14,) he had on that account written to them with the more freedom, to bring things to their remembrance.” He then refers to his office as apostle to the Gentiles, and to the success with which he had already been favoured: he tells them that he was now going up to Jerusalem with the contributions of the brethren of Ma- Rome in his way to Spain; and adds his earnest entreaty, for Christ’s sake and for the love of the Spirit, that they would strive together in their prayers to God for him, that he might have a prosperous journey, by the will of God, to visit and commune with them, and that he might be delivered from his unbelieving brethren in passing through Jerusalem.

Chap., XVI. Ver. 1—27. Paul’s salutations, and those of his brethren, to eminent characters in the church of Rome.— Some of these have been before mentioned, and of others we shall add such particulars as history affords. Phebe is called a servant or deaconess of the church at Cenchrea, by whom Paul sent this Epistle to the church at Rome. “In the apostolic age (observes Cox) grave and pious females were frequently appointed to the office of deaconess. Their duty appears principally to have consisted in giving private instruction to catechumens, or persons who were candidates for baptism, especially to those of their own sex, and in ministering to the temporal and spiritual wants of such as were sick, or imprisoned on account of their profession of Christianity.

It is probable, from the second verse, that Phebe was a person of some property, and one who entertained the apostles and preachers who came to minister at Cenchrea.” Of Priscilla and Aquila we had some mention before. ((Acts 18:2) and 26.) They had gone to Corinth at the time that Claudius banished the Jews from Rome, but returned, as it now being should seem, on the repeal of that decree. They were persons eminent both for Christian knowledge and piety, and being of the same occupation with Paul, (that is, tent-makers,) they had worked together at Corinth; and, on some occasion not expressly mentioned, it appears that they had risked their lives in his defence. Paul calls them his “helpers in Christ Jesus:”

and mentions a church or congregation held in their house. Of the assistance which they afforded to the cause of Christ, we have a farther specimen in the instruction which they gave to Apollos, in the chapter already referred to. Of the other persons here mentioned little is known, except that Aristobulus, who had been sent prisoner to Rome on some political account, was of the royal oat of the Maccabees, and that Narcissus was the prime minister of Claudius: yet in both their households there were saints and followers of the Lord Jesus. From no mention being made, however, of Peter among the persons saluted, it is sufficiently evident he was not then at Rome, much less could he have been bishop of the church there, as the Roman Catholics pretend.

The charge to salute one another with a holy kiss, linden, as we well know, to an Oriental custom, which it is thought the Christians borrowed from the Jewish synagogue; and was not promiscuous between the two sexes, but each saluted their own sex only. Yet, “chastely and prudently as it was managed, (says Dr. Doddridge,) it seems to have been the occasion of those false and scandalous reports, which were so industriously propagated among the heathen, of practices in Christian assemblies; on which account it seems to have been laid aside very early.” Having, remembered distinctly those who were chiefly eminent for their Christian piety, he now cautions the believers at Rome against certain persons of a contrary description; chiefly, it is thought, those Jewish zealots, who, as mentioned in the early part of this Epistle, corrupted the gospel by an intermixture of Hebrew ceremonies, and strenuously opposed the important doctrine of salvation by grace alone.

He beseeches the Christians of Rome to mark them which cause divisions and offences, contrary to the doctrine which they had learned from him, and from the other apostles of our Lord. These men caused divisions by endeavouring to separate the Jewish and Gentile converts; and they caused offences by introducing stumbling-blocks in the way of weak and simple Christians, They served not Jesus Christ, but their own bellies, by consulting their own interests and gratification, in preference to the cause and glory of our Saviour. He assures the brethren, however, that as, according to the first promise, Satan (the old serpent) had been trampled under our Saviour’s feet; so also, shortly, he should be bruised under their feet, by a restoration of peace and harmony in the church.

St. Paul then adds the salutation of Timothy, Luke, and other brethren that were with him, and the usual apostolical benedictions; and concludes, finally, with an animated doxology “to God the only wise,” through Jesus Christ our Lord. After his salutation and thanksgiving, 10 he exhorteth them to unity, and 12 reproveth their dissensions. 18 God destroyeth the wisdom of the wise, 21 by the foolishness of preaching, and 26 calleth not the wise, mighty, and noble, but 27, 28 the foolish, weak, and men of no account. pac. called* to be an apostle of Jesus Christ |. Ac. 18.1, through the will of God, and Sosthenes > our brother, Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ.

Notes on the verses

Chap. XVI. Ver.1. A servant.—(Gr. deaconess.) | See 1 Tim. deaconesses were usually widows, and well advanced in years. iii. 11; v. 9. -: Ver. 2. Assist her.—Probably she had come to Rome on private business of her own, and might need assistance and advice. iene Ver. 3. Greet Priscilla.—{Had the notes of time in this epistle fixed the writing of it to any date prior to St. Paul’s first residence at Corinth, the salutation of Aquila and Priscilla would have contradicted the history, because it would have been prior to his acquaintance with these persons. If they had fixed it during that residence at Corinth, during his journey to Jerusalem, or during his progress through Asia Minor, an equal contract been incurred, because, during all that time, they were either with St.

Paul, or abiding at Ephesus. Lastly, had they fixed this epistle to be either contemporary with the first epistle to the Corinthians, or prior to it, a similar contradiction would have ensued, for they were then with St. Paul. As it is, all things are consistent. See Paley.)—Bagster. Ver. 4. Laid down their own necks.—An allusion to persons presenting themselves to decapitation to save others. ‘The expression is proverbial. Ver. 5. The first-fruits of Achaia—i. e. one of the first converts. Ver. 14. Hermas:—Supposed to be the author of an ancient allegory called The Pastor, (or shepherd,) which is still preserved. z Ver. 19. Is come abroad—i. e. the report of it. (The Epistle to the Romans is “a writing,”

says Dr. Macknight, “ which, for sublimity and truth of sentiment, for brevity and strength of expression, for regularity in its structure, but above all for the unspeakable importance of the discoveries which it contains, stands unrivalled by any mere human composition, and as far exceeds the most celebrated productions of the learned Greeks and Romans, as the shining of the sun exceeds the twinkling of the stars.”"— St. Paul, as Dr. Taylor justly observes, ‘was a great genius and a fine writer; and he seems to have exercised all his talents, as well as the most perfect Christian temper, in drawing up this Epistle. ‘The plan of it is very extensive and it is easy to see what a spacious field of knowledge he

Ver.

20. Bruise Satan.—This seems to allude to the first promise, (Genesis 3:15). Ver. 21. Timotheus—i. e. Timothy.—Lucius.— Probably Luke the Evangelist,” says Dr. Lardner. m—And Jason.—See (Acts 17:7)—Sosipater. —(Acts 20:4). Ver. 22. Tertius.—Perhaps Silas, the names being of the same import; Notian would have Paul being, as it is thought, not very ready in forming the Greek characters, is supposed to have employed this man as an amanuensis. See 2 Co. xvi. 21. Ver. 23. Gaius.—See (1 Corinthians 1:14). —Erastus.—(Acts 19:22). The chamberlain or treasurer of the city; he to whom the receipt and expenditure of the public money were intrusted. Ver. 25. My gospel—i. e. the gospel which Paul preached.— Of the mystery.—Either salvation generally, or, in particular, the calling of the Gentiles.

Ver. 25, 26. Now to him, &c.—In many ancient MSS., Versions, Greek Fathers, &c. these verses are placed at the end of (Romans 14); so Griesbach. The Alexandrian Manuscript has them in both places. All Paul’s other Epistles end with a doxology. Ver. 27. From Corinthus—i. e. Corinth.——Sent by Phebe. See verse 1. has comprised; and how many various designs, arguments, explications, instructions, and exhortations, he has executed in so small a compass…. The whole Epistle is to be taken in connexion, or considered as one continued discourse; and the sense of every part must be taken from the drift of the whole, Every sentence, or verse, is not to be regarded as a distinct mathematical proposition, or theorem, or as a sentence in the book of Proverbs, whose sense is absolute, and independent of what goes before, or comes after: but we must remember, that every sentence, especially in the argumentative part, bears relation to, and is dependent upon, the whole discourse; and cannot be understood unless we understand the scope and drift of the whole.

And there—