Study
Romans 16: Greetings, Warnings, and Glory
Romans · Doctrinal study

Romans 16: Greetings, Warnings, and Glory

The people behind the letter, a warning about those who divide, the promise of Satan's defeat, and a last song of praise that gathers up the whole of Romans.

Theologica Editorial17 min read
Introduction

A Letter That Ends with Names

Romans 15 closed with Paul's plans for Jerusalem, Rome, and Spain, a plea for prayer, and a blessing: Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen (Romans 15:33). One chapter remains. The greatest explanation of the Gospel ever written ends with a list of names. Many readers skip it. They should not. After fifteen chapters on sin, grace, faith, Israel, and the Christian life, Romans 16 shows what that Gospel produced: a family. Slaves and free, Jews and Gentiles, men and women, people with Greek and Latin names, all beloved of God, called to be saints (Romans 1:7).

Paul wrote from Corinth, about AD 57, to believers he had mostly never met (Romans 1:13). Yet he knew many of them by name. Some he had worked beside in the east before they moved to Rome. Others he knew by report. By greeting them he built a bridge to a church he hoped to visit, and he showed that the doctrine of the first fifteen chapters lives in real people.

  • Phebe, Priscilla, and Aquila (16:1-5). A servant who most likely carried the letter, and a couple who risked their lives for Paul.
  • The many names (16:5-16). Twenty-four people greeted by name, and what they show about the early churches.
  • Mark them, avoid them (16:17-20). A warning against false teachers, and a promise of victory.
  • Greetings and glory (16:21-27). Paul's companions in Corinth, and the doxology that closes the letter.

Loading the rest of this article

Further reading

For Deeper Study

  • The Epistle to the RomansAmazon Douglas J. MooA thorough evangelical commentary (NICNT), Reformed-leaning, including discussion of Phebe, Junia, and the history of the letter's text.
  • Biblical Separation: The Struggle for a Pure ChurchAmazon Ernest D. PickeringA Baptist history and theology of separation from the second century to modern times, with practical guidance; revised in 2008. Read it alongside Paul's warning in 16:17-18.
  • The Message of RomansAmazon John StottA readable exposition of the whole letter by an evangelical Anglican pastor. A good companion for reading Romans again from the start.
  • Recovering Biblical Manhood and WomanhoodAmazon John Piper and Wayne Grudem, eds.Essays by Reformed-leaning evangelical scholars on women's ministry and church office, with discussion of Phebe and Junia. Several contributors hold views on other doctrines that we do not share.
  • Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.

As an Amazon Associate, Theologica earns from qualifying purchases.

Continue exploring

Romans 15: Receive One Another

Following Christ, who pleased not Himself, the strong bear with the weak so that Jew and Gentile glorify God with one voice, and Paul, the Gentiles' minister, lays his plans for Jerusalem, Rome, and Spain in God's hands and asks the church to strive with him in prayer.

Open Doctrine