Romans 16 Devotional Questions and Commentary: Relationships in the Church0
Posted In Devotions,Discipleship,Syndicated
Devotional Sharing, Submitted by Jiseon Choi, Gracepoint Berkeley
List the characteristics of those people Apostle Paul greets here. What picture of Christian discipleship and relationship do these qualities paint? The characteristics that Apostle Paul describes include – working hard in the Lord, great help to many people, who worked very hard for you, outstanding among the apostles, etc. The picture of Christian discipleship that emerges from Paul’s apt description of these fellow Christians is that of much hard work and sacrifice to many people. Even Andronicus and Junias distinguished themselves by being outstanding among the apostles, most obviously by their hard work and sacrifice for others, that even exceeded the level of effort exerted by the other disciples Paul commended.
What were the conditions that created the depth of relationships pictured here?
In his reference to these fellow Christians, Apostle Paul refers to them in the language of familial bonds, as fellow sisters, brothers, and mothers to him and to one another. The conditions that created this were that of much danger and personal peril, as he talks of Priscilla and Aquila, his dear friends, who literally risked their lives for him, for those like Andronicus and Junias were suffering in prison with him, and Apelles tested and approved in Christ. They were brothers and sisters in more than name, as they endured through much difficulty together in their faith.
What should be the basis of relationships in the church? The basis of the depth of relationships they enjoyed is in the shared commitment that they had in living out the gospel message, as “fellow workers in Christ Jesus”.
What can be surmised about the life of the early Christian community from the fact that though Apostle Paul had never been to the church at Rome, he had so many people there whom he could greet with such personal references?
What can be surmised about the life of the early Christian community from the fact that Apostle Paul had so many personal references, though never been to Rome, was the intimate fellowship that they shared among one another, such that he knew of people by name. We can imagine that the brothers traveling from city to city would share stories among each other, accounts of how this brother or sister had risked their lives but were spared (PTL!) or have brought this unbeliever, now a new brother or sister to faith in the Way. It must’ve been an exciting time, probably akin to starting a new ministry, as in our Austin church, where each and every person attending Bible Study is eagerly anticipated and remembered by name, young and old alike. And although many of us in the other churches may not have ever met (albeit about a dozen recently during the Thanksgiving retreat), we refer to these young members of our Austin church with great fondness, learning of their stories with great excitement as having prayed for them fervently in faith during the early morning prayer bands.
Note the many names of women that appear in this list (e.g., Phoebe, Priscilla, Mary, Junias, Tryphena and Tryphosa, Persis, Rufus’ mother, Julia, Nereus’ sister.) What does the fact that Apostle Paul referred to so many women with deep personal appreciation, respect, and high commendation show about gender roles in the early church?
The fact that Apostle Paul referred to so many women with deep personal appreciation with whom he commended and honored shows that the women believers were just as hard working and invested in the gospel as their male counterparts. The gospel must have greatly transformed the cultural norms, elevating the view of women and allowing them to serve in these capacities, showing that Jesus had brought change that far exceeded the times and dignified and ennobled women who at the time were seen as property and a liability.
As Apostle Paul comes to the end of his dense and packed epistle, he lists people he loves—those who had been “a great help … to me,” a couple who “risked their lives for me,” three he calls “dear friend,” many who “worked hard,” those who “have been in prison with me,” and a woman who “has been a mother to me.” Think about how he must have felt as he recollected each of these brothers and sisters, and the shared experiences and stories of serving God together surrounding each of them. Reflect on the richness of Apostle Paul’s life. Do I recognize such a life as the best and highest life? Who might be the ones who remember me with this kind of fondness, and whom can I recollect with a similar fondness in Christ? If I have none, or only a few such people in my life, what is the reason, and how can this change?
Yes, I realize that a life of being remembered with this kind of fondness of shared history, of having gone through real ups and downs of faith, of persevering together through times of trial and testing, to experience the thrill of deliverance together is the most blessed life. It does not even compare with the temporary cheap thrills of this world. There are people whose faces conjure up so many memories that revisit me like a dear friend. I still recall sitting on an outside bench with Kelly Smn when she lifted up her hand to the sky and said to me when I was just 18 years old freshmen, and telling me that God had a grand vision for my life. I was baffled and thought, I just told her that I was bad in math, why would and how would God factor into the nitty-gritty of my life? So many older women who elevated my picture of Christian life and just life for me, who was just planning on settling down to a comfortable, private life, took pains with me so that I would desire a radical Christ honoring life. Perhaps some younger ones I ministered to in different years would remember the conversations we had when I too in turn were able to instill my conviction in them that God had a great vision for their lives. Yet the number is too few and the reason I hold back is the feeling of disqualification I feel as my number of sins increases only logically as I get older. The only way to continue is to remember the saints before me, like Apostle Paul, all the men and women of faith, who risked their lives, suffered in prison, and had been like a mother, even to the great Apostle Paul. Why? Because of their understanding that they were to labor in love for believers and nonbelievers as an act of obedience, not a result of qualification.
Devotional Questions:
Romans 16:1-16
- List the characteristics of those people Apostle Paul greets here. What picture of Christian discipleship and relationship do these qualities paint?
- What were the conditions that created the depth of relationships pictured here? What should be the basis of relationships in the church?
- What can be surmised about the life of the early Christian community from the fact that though Apostle Paul had never been to the church at Rome, he had so many people there whom he could greet with such personal references?
- Note the many names of women that appear in this list (e.g., Phoebe, Priscilla, Mary, Junias, Tryphena and Tryphosa, Persis, Rufus’ mother, Julia, Nereus’ sister.) What does the fact that Apostle Paul referred to so many women with deep personal appreciation, respect, and high commendation show about gender roles in the early church?
- As Apostle Paul comes to the end of his dense and packed epistle, he lists people he loves—those who had been “a great help … to me,” a couple who “risked their lives for me,” three he calls “dear friend,” many who “worked hard,” those who “have been in prison with me,” and a woman who “has been a mother to me.” Think about how he must have felt as he recollected each of these brothers and sisters, and the shared experiences and stories of serving God together surrounding each of them. Reflect on the richness of Apostle Paul’s life. Do I recognize such a life as the best and highest life? Who might be the ones who remember me with this kind of fondness, and whom can I recollect with a similar fondness in Christ? If I have none, or only a few such people in my life, what is the reason, and how can this change?
Romans 16:17-20
- How does Apostle Paul exhort the church to deal with those who cause divisions in the church?
- What can I learn about the nature of divisiveness within the church from Apostle Paul’s directive?
- Why is divisiveness within the church such a serious issue?
Commentary:
vv.1-16 “It’s interesting that Romans, a profound book of doctrine, ends with so many personal greetings. This illustrates the fact that true doctrine leads to loving fellowship among people. It also shows that no matter how admired and significant Paul was as an apostle, he saw himself as one of the believers – a fellow worker and friend of those in Christ.”[1]
“[W]hat is not typical about this section is the number of greetings. He asks the Romans to greet twenty-six individuals, two families, and three house churches. This number is all the more surprising when we remember that Paul had never visited Rome.” [2]
vv.1-2 “Letters of commendation were important in the ancient world. People who traveled in an age with few public facilities (such as hotels or restaurants) depended on the assistance of people they had sometimes never met for their needs. Phoebe is apparently going to be traveling to Rome, and so Paul commends to the church this ‘sister’ (adelphe, rare in the New Testament as a description of believer [1 Cor 7:15; 9:5; Philem 2; Jas 2:15]).
“But Phoebe is more than a sister; she is also a ‘servant [diakonos] of the church in Cenchrea.’ Diakonos can be applied to any Christian, called to ‘serve’ God and his people. This may be its sense here. But the addition ‘of the church in Cenchrea’ makes it more likely that Phoebe holds an official position in the church there. Phoebe is probably a ‘deacon,’ serving the church by ministering to the financial and material needs of the believers (see esp. 1 Tim 3:8–12; cf. also Phil 1:1).”[3]
v.3 “Priscilla and Aquila were a married couple who had become Paul’s close friends. They, along with all the other Jews, had been expelled from Rome by the emperor (Acts 18:2,3) and had moved to Corinth. There they met Paul and invited him to live with them. They were Christians before they met Paul, and probably told him much about the Roman church. Like Paul, Priscilla and Aquila were missionaries. They helped believers in Ephesus (Acts 18:18-28), in Rome when they were allowed to return, and again at Ephesus (2 Tim 4:19).”[4]
v.7 “The fact that Andronicus and Junias were ‘outstanding among the apostles’ could mean they had distinguished themselves as apostles. They may have been a husband and wife team. Paul’s references to them as relatives (see also 16:21) could mean that they were from the same tribe as Paul.”[5]
v.13 “It is not certain that this is the same Rufus as is mentioned in Mark 15:21, but it is possible that he is the son of Simon of Cyrene. Apparently Rufus’ mother ministered significantly to Paul.”[6]
v.22 “Tertius functioned as Paul’s scribe or secretary for the letter. It was common for those writing letters in the first century to dictate to a secretary, but the content of the letter is clearly Paul’s.”[7]
[1] Quest Study Bible, study notes (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994) 1570.
[2] Douglas J. Moo, Romans, Life Application Bible Commentary CD (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2000).
[3] Douglas J. Moo, Romans, Life Application Bible Commentary CD (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2000).
[4] Life Application Study Bible, study notes (co-published by Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan; Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1991) 2056.
[5] Life Application Study Bible, study notes (co-published by Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan; Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1991) 2057.
[6] English Standard Version Study Bible, study notes (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008) 2184.
[7] English Standard Version Study Bible, study notes (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008) 2185.