"I commend unto you our sister Phebe, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; that ye receive her in the Lord as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath with you: for she hath been a succorer of many, and of myself also." Romans 16v1-2
Paul ends his exposition of the gospel with a mention of a list of names of people who have not only received the gospel but have been enabled to demonstrate its power in their lives. This is Paul's list of trophies of grace. This gospel is no thin spun philosophy, but has the power to change lives as is evidenced here. This is akin to the list of "David's mighty men" in 2nd Samuel 23and 1st Chronicles 11 when he rewarded the people who had remained loyal to him during the days of his rejection. Romans 16 is the evidence of Romans 1v16 that the gospel is "the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes." We notice also here the amazing attention to detail by the apostle Paul, he was an extremely busy man involved in preaching, counselling, writing, praying and yet he took note of twenty seven individuals whom he knew not only by name but by character. This is a tremendous example to all of us. He took the time to remember many people individually.
There are a few features of this list of names that we should consider: first of all it can be seen that God has saved people from all sections of humanity. The nations of the world were divided in Genesis 10 by the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham & Japheth. In this list we have people from these three sections of humanity.
- From the sons of Shem - Priscilla, Aquila, and Herodian.
- From the sons of Ham - Rufus and his mother.
- From the sons of Japheth - Andronicus and Junia.
Again, we note that there are male and female mentioned. In the day in which we live woman are treated with due respect, (and rightly so). but in Paul's day it was not so. However the gospel elevated women, as also it brought many other benefits to society. Of the twenty seven names here, ten are women, and a number of them were greatly respected in the Christian community.
The gospel transcends all known human barriers. In Colossians 3v11 the apostle writes "In Christ there is neither Greek nor Jew (no national barrier), circumcision nor uncircumcision (no religious barrier), barbarian or Scythian (no cultural barrier), bond nor free (no social barrier). We understand from reading a list like this that the gospel will alter the lives of people from all nations, from all backgrounds, from all walks of life. In Revelation 7v9 a sneak preview is given of the future harvest of souls won by the gospel "a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues." Will you be part of this great gathering? There is someone in your family who is saved; as with your nation; as with your people.
A brief outline of the chapter is as follows:
- Chapter 16 v 1-2 - The commendation of a faithful sister.
- Chapter 16 v 3-16 - Congratulations to the saints at Rome.
- Chapter 16 v 17-20 - The condemnation of false teachers.
- Chapter 16 v 21-24 - The communion of fellow saints.
- Chapter 16 v 25-27 - The consummation of the gospel of Christ.
There is much profit to be gained by studying this list of names and the Christian graces that were illustrated in their changed lives, which we will do in due course.
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