The final chapter of Romans displays the fruit of the other 15 chapters. It shows a genuine unity of fellowship built on mutual faith in Jesus Christ. Beginning with a commendation for Phoebe and ending with a greeting from Quartus this section of Romans gives us some insight into the extensive network of believers that existed.
I will not reprint the whole chapter here, so I encourage you to read Romans 16. Paul begins, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae. So you should welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help. For indeed she has been a benefactor of many—and of me also.” (Romans 16:1–2, CSB) Phoebe was probably carried the letter from Corinth to Rome. Paul calls her a servant of the church in the same vein as those called deacons elsewhere in the Bible. But Paul emphasizes not an office but her acts of service, in this case, carrying an important letter to them.
In verses 3-16, Paul greets many people in Rome. Some, such as Prisca and Aquila, are familiar names. Others are unknown to us except for their inclusion in the greetings. The names suggest a mixed group of folks. Men and women, Jews and Gentiles from various countries in the Empire. Some are loosely acquainted with Paul; others are close friends. It is a picture of unified faith. And yet Paul has a warning for them: “Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them, because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words. The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise about what is good, and yet innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” (Romans 16:17–20, CSB)
The next few verses are greetings from the team in Corinth supporting Paul. Tertius, who scribed the letter for Paul, Timothy, and others. Some of the names we recognize from Acts and the Corinthian letters.
Paul closes Romans with a prayer of blessing. “Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation about Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept silent for long ages but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles—to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ—to him be the glory forever! Amen.” (Romans 16:25–27, CSB)
Romans Applied: It is important to recognize the network of folks who support our faith and whom we also support. There will be some closer than others. That network contains people who connected with us at various points in our walk with Jesus. Previous pastors and leaders, people we labored beside in the church, teachers, and those we learned beside in small group or Sunday School; friends we developed along the way; and that same group of folks from today. We rarely recognize the unity of faith around us; instead, we focus on the divisions and differences.
Paul’s warning is very real. Some people seek to tear apart our unity for personal gain with smooth talk and flattering words. Remember, a gossip’s words are like tasty morsels. Paul suggests focusing on the good, not the evil. In other words, know the good so well that evil is self-evident. We don’t need to catalog or study evil; we must, however, study and abide in the goodness of Christ. That way we can discern when smooth talk and flattering words are divisive or genuine expressions of thanks.
May you be strong in the faith of Jesus Christ.
Where do we go from here? Well, we’re not done with Romans. Even though we’ve studied the entire letter, I want to circle back to something and expand on it. Specifically, Romans 12:9-21, where Paul lists a series of encouragements with a specific purpose. Each encouragement, though brief, is ripe for exploration and application. Each one leads us back to the opening line: Let love be without hypocrisy. Or, as I’m calling the series, Authentic Love.
- Romans Applied – Real Unity - October 14, 2026
- Romans Applied – Purpose and Plans - October 7, 2026
- Romans Applied – God’s Patience - September 30, 2026
