Two Are Better Than One

ROMANS 16:1-27 - A REMARKABLE CLOSING - 2008-12-04

G. 16:1-2 A WORD ON PHOEBE FOR HELP

SuNIStemi de huMIN PHOIben ten a-delPHEN heMON,

And I commend to you Phoebe our :sister,

OUsan kai diAko-non [1249] tes ek-kleSIas tes en Ken-chreAIS:

who is also servant of the church :at Cenchreae:

HIna prosDExes-the [4327] auTEN en KuRIo, aXIos ton haGIon,

2 that you receive her in theLord, worthily of the saints,

kai pa-raSTEte [3936]auTEen hoan huMON CHREze[5535]PRAGma-ti [4229]:

and assist her in whatsoever matter she have need of you:

kai gar auTEproSTAtis [4368]polLON e-geNEthe, kai eMOU auTOU.

for she herself also has been a helper of many, and of my self.

H. 16:3-16 A HOST OF REMARKABLE GREETINGS ON PAUL'S HEART

a. 16:3-5a PRISCA AND AQUILA: CAUSED ALL GENTILE CHURCHES TO GIVE THANKS

AsPAsas-the [782] PRISkan kai A-KUlan tous su-nerGOUS [4904] mou en ChrisTO 'I-eSOU,

Salute Prisca and Aquila my :fellow-workers in Christ Jesus,

HOIti-nes huPER tes psuCHES mou ton he-auTON TRAche-lon [5137] huPEthe-kan [5294]:

4 who for my :life laid down their own :necks:

hois ouk eGO MOnos eu-cha-risTO [2168],

whom not only I thank,

alLA kai PAsai hai ek-kleSIai ton ethNON:

but also all the churches of the nations:

kai ten kat' OIkon auTON ek-kleSIan.

5 and salute the church :in their :house.

b. 16:5b EPAENETUS

asPAsas-the E-PAIne-ton ton a-ga-peTON mou,

Salute Epaenetus my :beloved,

hos es-tin a-parCHE [536] tes A-SIas eis ChrisTON.

who is the first fruit of :Asia unto Christ.

c. 16:6 MARY

as-PAsas-the MaRIan, HEtis polLA e-koPIa-sen [2872] eis huMAS.

Salute Mary, who bestowed much labor on you.

d. 16:7 ANDRONICUS AND JUNIA

 asPAsas-the AnDROni-kon kai 'IouNIan, tous sug-geNEIS [4773]mou,

Salute Andronicus and Junia, my :kinsmen,

kai su-naich-maLOtous [4869] mou, HOItiNES ei-sin ePIse moi [1978] en tois a-poSTOlois [652],

and my fellow-prisoners, who are noted among the apostles,

hoi kai pro eMOU GEgo-nan en ChrisTO.

who also have been in Christ before me.

e. 16:8 AMPLIATUS

asPAsas-the Am-pliAton ton a-ga-peTON mou en KuRIo.

Salute Ampliatus my :beloved in the Lord.

f. 16:9 URBANUS AND STACHYS

asPAsas-the Our-baNON ton su-nerGON [4904] eMON en ChrisTO,

Salute Urbanus our :fellow-worker in Christ,

kai STAchun ton a-ga-peTON mou.

and Stachys my :beloved.

g. 16:10a APELLES

AsPAsas-the A-pelLEN ton DOki-mon [1384] en ChrisTO.

Salute Apelles the approved in Christ.

h. 16:10b ARISTOBULUS

asPAsas-the tous ek ton A-ris-toBOUlou.

Salute those of the house of Aristobulus.

i. 16:11a HERODION

asPAsas-the He-roDIo-na ton sug-geNE mou.

Salute Herodion my :kinsman.

j. 16:11b HOUSE OF NARCISSUS

asPAsas-the tous ek ton NarKISsou, tous ONtos en KuRIo.

Salute them of the house of Narcissus, that are in the Lord.

k. 16:12a TRYPHAENA AND TRYPHOSA

asPAsas-the TRUphai-nan kai TruPHOsan, tas ko-piOsas [2872] en KuRIo.

Salute Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord.

16:12b PERSIS

asPAsas-the PerSIda ten a-ga-peTEN, HEtis polLA e-koPIa-sen en KuRIo.

Salute Persis the beloved, who labored much in the Lord.

m. 16:13 RUFUS AND MOTHER

asPAsas-the 'ROUphon ton e-klekTON [1588] en KuRIo,

Salute Rufus the chosen in the Lord,

kai ten meTEra auTOU kai eMOU.

and his :mother and mine.

n. 16:14 FIVE MEN

asPAsas-the A-SUNkri-ton, PHLEgon-ta, HerMEN, PaTROban,

Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas,

HerMAN, kai tous sun auTOIS a-delPHOUS.

Hermas, and the brethren :with them.

o. 16:15 GROUP GREETING

asPAsas-the PhiLOlo-gon kai 'IouLIan, NeREa kai ten a-del-PHEN auTOU,

Salute Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his :sister,

kai O-lumPAN, kai tous sun auTOIS PANtas haGIous.

and Olympas, and all the saints :with them.

p. 16:16a THE HOLY KISS

AsPAsas-the alLElous en phiLEma-ti [5370] haGIo.

Salute one another with a holy kiss.

q. 16:16b SALUTE OF CHURCHES

AsPAzon-tai huMAS hai ek-kleSIai PAsai tou ChrisTOU.

All the churches of the Christ salute you.

I. 16:17-20a A WARNING CONCERNING DIVISIONS AND SATAN

a. 16:17 MARK AND AVOID DIVISION-MAKERS

Pa-ra-kaLO de huMAS, a-delPHOI,

Now I beseech you, brethren,

skoPEIN [4648] tous tas di-chos-taSIas [1370] kai to SKANda-la [4625],

mark those causing the divisions and the stumblings,

paRA ten di-daCHEN [1322] hen huMEIS eMAthe-te [3129], poiOUNtas:

contrary to the teaching which you learned:

kai ekKLIne-te [1578] ap' auTON.

and turn away from them.

b. 16:18 DESCRIPTION OF SUCH

hoi gar toiOUtoi to KuRIo heMON ChrisTO ou douLEUou-sin [1398],

For the such are not bondmen of our :Lord Christ,

alLA te he-auTON koiLIa [2836]; kai diA tes chre-sto-loGIas [5542]

but of their own :belly; and by their smooth

kai eu-loGIas [2129] e-xa-paTOsi [1818] tas karDIas ton aKAkon [172].

and fair speech they deceive the hearts of the innocent.

c. 16:19a TESTIMONY OF OBEDIENCE

he gar huMON hu-pa-koE [5218] eis PANtas aPHIke-to [864].

For your :obedience is come unto all.

d. 16:19b PAUL'S DESIRE FOR ROMAN BELIEVERS

eph' huMIN oun CHAIro [5463]: THElo de' huMAS soPHOUS [4680] men

I rejoice therefore over you: but I would have you wise

EInai eis to a-gaTHON, a-keRAIous [185] de eis to kaKON.

unto what is good, and harmless unto what is evil.

e. 16:20a A PROPHECY

ho de TheOS tes eiREnes sunTRIpsei [4937] to Sa-taNAN

And the God of :peace shall bruise :Satan

huPO tous POdas huMON en TAchei.

under your :feet shortly.

J. 16:20b APOSTOLIC BENEDICTION (PAUL'S SIGNATURE)

He CHAris tou KuRIou heMON 'I-eSOU meth' huMON.

The grace of our :Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

K. 16:21-23 GREETINGS FROM OTHERS TO ROME

a. 16:21 GREETINGS FROM FOUR

AsPAze-tai huMAS TiMOthe-os ho su-nerGOS [4902] mou;

Timothy my :fellow-worker salutes you;

kai LOUki-os kai 'IAson kai SoSIpa-tros, hoi sug-geNEIS mou.

and Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my :kinsmen.

b. 16:22 GREETINGS FROM TERTIUS

asPAzo-mai huMAS, eGO TERti-os, ho GRApsas ten e-pi-stoLEN [1992], en KuRIo.

I Tertius, who write the epistle, salute you in the Lord.

c. 16:23a GREETINGS FROM GAIUS AND THE CHURCH

asPAze-tai huMAS, GAIos ho XEnos mou, kai HOles tes ek-kleSIas.

Gaius my :host, and of the whole church, salutes you.

d. 16:23b GREETINGS FROM ERASTUS AND QUARTUS

asPAze-tai HUmas Eras-tos ho oi-koNOmos [3623] tes POle-os [4172],

Erastus the treasurer of the city salutes you,

kai KOUar-tos ho a-delPHOS.

and Quartus the brother.

V. 16:25-27 A MOST SOLEMN COMMITTAL FOR ESTABLISHMENT

a. 16:25-27a. GOD EXALTED

To de du-naMEno huMAS steRIxai [4741] kaTA to eu-agGEliON [2098] mou

Now to the one able to establish you according to my :gospel

kai to KErug-ma [2782]'IeSOU ChrisTOU, kaTA a-poKAlu-psin [602]

and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to revelation

mus-teRIou [3466] CHROnois [5550] ai-oNIois se-si-geMEnou [4601],

of the mystery kept silent through the times of ages,

pha-ne-roTHENtos [5319] de nun, diA te graPHON pro-phe-tiKON [4397],

26but now is manifested, and through theprophetic scriptures,

kat' e-pi-taGEN [2003] tou ai-oNIou TheOU,

according to commandment of the eternal God,

eis hu-pa-koEN [5218] PISte-os [4102] eis PANta ta ETHnegno-risTHENtos:

is made known unto all the nations unto obedience of faith:

MOnosoPHO[4680] TheO, diA 'IeSOU ChrisTOU,

27to theonly wise God, through Jesus Christ,

hoheDOxa [1391] eis tous aiOnas.

to whom the glory unto the ages.

b. 16:27b AMEN - aMEN.

NOTE: Romans 16:25-27 - “Now to the one able to establish you according to my :gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to revelation of themystery kept silent through the times of ages, 26but now is manifested, and through theprophetic scriptures, according to commandment of the eternal God, is made known unto all the nations unto obedience of faith; 27to theonly wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom the glory unto the ages.” The Gospel establishesus. Without the Gospel, no one is truly established. If this is the way God looks at it, it matters littlehow we consider it - at the Great White Throne Judgment we will discover how foolish and shortsighted we have been. See “Visions Beyond the Veil” by H. A. Baker, to see how clearly little Chinese orphans understood this.

Understand also the Mystery of the Ages - that Jews and Gentiles through the Gospel would become One New Man! God chose Paul to unfold this Mystery. It was difficult for Jewish leaders and Judaizers to understand this. The Book of Galatians and Romans make this abundantly clear.

The Mystery had been foretold throughout the 2000 years from Abraham to Christ. However, not even the prophets who foretold it, actually understood what they were prophesying. All Old Testament saints had to await the days of Paul, who made known this Mystery.

God's will concerning this is that all nations who hear this Gospel message should receiveit by exercising the obedience of faith. Note that Paul in Romans 1:5 started out this basic epistle with the challenge of obedience offaithamong all nations, and here in the last chapter he is encapsulating this challenge by repeating it in 16:26!

Make no mistake - the book of Romans, Paul's letter to the heart of the Roman Empire, is a key that unlocks the heart of God, and His clear thinking on behalf of both Jew and Gentile. Paul's letter to the Hebrews, his 14^thletter, spells this out in an easier manner for Jews to receive. In a sense, Romans is God's Gospel to the nations, and Hebrews is His Gospel to the Jews.

Let us commit ourselves to be established by the full Gospel of God. - Jim Watt