Romans 16:6

Paul mentions a woman called Mary. We know nothing about this particular woman except her hard work.

Verse 7 Junias is probably a female name, Junia. So Andronicus and Junia may have been a married couple. They were Christians before Paul, so they are probably before the time of Stephen. They were members of the first church in Jerusalem. They are ‘among the *apostles’. So, like other people, they may have seen *Christ when he came back to life (1 Corinthians 15:6).

Verse 8 ‘Ampliatus’ was a common name for a slave. But there is a splendid grave in the Christian catacombs (ancient underground graves) in Rome. It has the name Ampliatus on it. So he was probably a Christian whom people thought well of in the church.

Verse 9 ‘Urbanus’ means someone who belongs to the city. It was a common name for someone who lived in Rome.

Verse 10 Aristobulus was a grandson of Herod the Great. He lived privately in Rome and he was a friend of the *Emperor Claudius. When Aristobulus died, his servants and slaves became the property of the *Emperor. People would know them as the ‘*household of Aristobulus’.

Verse 11 Herodion may have had some *relationship with the Herod family. ‘Relative’ probably means a *Jew, like Paul, rather than a relative by birth.

Narcissus was a secretary to the *Emperor Claudius. Narcissus had made a large sum of money from people who wanted him to give their letters to the *Emperor. When Nero became *Emperor, Narcissus had to die. When he died, his slaves became Nero’s property. They would be called the ‘*household of Narcissus’. So there were Christian slaves in the *Emperor’s *household (Philippians 4:22).

Verse 12 Tryphena and Tryphosa were sisters, and may have been born at the same time. Their names meant that they were attractive and delicate. But they worked hard for the *Lord.

Persis may have come from Persia. She too worked hard for the Christian *faith.

Verse 13 Rufus meant ‘red’, so he probably had red hair. Simon from Cyrene (in Africa) had to carry Jesus’ *cross. He may have become a Christian because of this experience. His sons, Alexander and Rufus, seem to be well-known as Christians, because Mark mentions them by name (Mark 15:21). Simon from Cyrene may be the same as Simeon Niger (which means Simon who was black). Simeon Niger was an important Christian in the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1). And that was the same church where Paul first worked as a leader. So, it may have been in Antioch that the mother of Rufus acted like a mother to Paul. (See Acts 13:1.)

Verse 15 Tradition associates Nereus with Domitilla, a Christian lady from a royal family. Nereus may have been an important official for Domitilla and her husband Flavius Clemens.

Verse 16 In 1 Corinthians 16:20 there is another reference to the ‘*holy kiss’ of Christian greeting. Peter calls it the ‘kiss of love’ (1 Peter 5:14). Tertullian called it the ‘kiss of *peace’.

A list of greetings like this is valuable. It shows how much Paul appreciated his friends. He encouraged them as he praised them. He mentions a variety of Christians. He mentions *Jews and *Gentiles. He mentions both women and men. And he mentions slaves in addition to some important people. This list shows clearly that there is ‘neither *Jew nor *Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female’. All are united in *Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

Paul warns about some teachers 16:17-20

v17 Friends, I urge you to watch out for people who want to separate you. These people cause trouble. You have learned about Christian beliefs. But such people teach ideas that are opposite to these things. Stay away from such people. v18 People like this are not serving our *Lord *Christ. They are greedy people who care only about themselves. They speak well. Their words impress people. So they *deceive people who are simple.

v19 Everyone has heard how you obey God. I am glad because of you. But I want you to be wise about good things. And I want you to be *innocent in relation to evil things. v20 Soon, Satan’s (the devil’s) defeat will be complete. God, who brings *peace, will overcome Satan. And you will be very glad. You will be like someone who places his foot on the head of a dead snake. I pray that the *grace of our *Lord Jesus will be with you.

Verses 17-18 Paul wanted to warn the Christians in Rome about some particular dangers. In chapter 2, Paul has written about some proud teachers who were working in the churches. These men had already caused serious problems in some churches. They were trying to separate *Jewish Christians from *Gentile Christians. They said that they were teaching God’s law. But they were not sincere. They were using the Christian *gospel as a means to make a profit (1 Timothy 6:5; Titus 1:11). And they were not really teaching the *gospel. The *gospel message is that people become *righteous by *faith in *Christ. But these men said that people had to obey the law in order to become *righteous.

Paul writes elsewhere about the arguments that these men caused (1 Timothy 6:3-5). And it seems that these men intended to cause quarrels (1 Timothy 1:3-4). Some men were believing them. So Paul would tell Titus to choose church leaders who knew the *gospel well (Titus 1:9-10). Those leaders could oppose the false teachers firmly (Titus 2:13-14).

Verse 19 Paul was pleased to hear that the Christians in Rome were obeying God. But he wanted them to recognise good things, and to do those things. He wanted them to avoid evil things. Jesus had told his *disciples to be ‘as wise as snakes and as *innocent as doves (a kind of bird)’ (Matthew 10:16).

Verse 20 Paul writes about the God who brings *peace. It is *Satan who causes disagreements and wars. ‘Soon’ does not mean immediately. It means that at some time in the future, God will act to end the power of *Satan permanently. In the original language, Paul did not actually mention a ‘snake’ here. But we have included this word in our translation because Paul seems to be referring to Genesis 3:15 here. Paul’s words are like God’s promise that a woman’s *descendant would ‘destroy the snake’s head’ (Genesis 3:15). That verse is a *prophecy (description of future events). It means that the *Messiah will overcome *Satan.

Paul’s words also refer to an ancient custom after a battle. The captains of the army that won would place their feet on the necks of their chief enemies (Joshua 10:24). This action showed that they had completely overcome their enemies. Psalms 110:1 speaks about the *Messiah who puts his feet on his enemies. *Christ won *victory over *Satan at the *cross. But *Satan continues to oppose God. And *Satan continues to cause trouble for God’s people. But Paul was confident that *Satan’s final defeat is certain. *Christ’s death was sufficient to end *Satan’s power completely.

At the present time, we are still waiting for *Satan’s final defeat. God has allowed this delay to give people the opportunity to trust him (2 Peter 3:9). People who refuse will suffer the same punishment as all God’s enemies (Revelation 20:13-15). But God does not want people to suffer that punishment. That is why he sent *Christ into the world. *Christ died on the *cross to suffer the punishment for *sin. People who trust him are not still God’s enemies. They have become God’s friends, and they will overcome together with *Christ.

Greetings from Paul’s friends 16:21-24

v21 Timothy, who works with me, sends his greetings to you. So do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my relatives.

v22 (I, Tertius, who wrote this letter down, greet you as a believer in the *Lord.)

v23-24 Gaius is my host here. And the whole church meets in his house. He sends you his greetings. Erastus is the Director of Public Works here in the city. He and our *brother Quartus send you their greetings.

Verse 21 Timothy came from Lystra. There, Paul decided to make Timothy a companion for his journeys (Acts 16:1-3). He served Paul for many years. Paul wrote that their work together was ‘like a son with his father’ (Philippians 2:19-22). Timothy was with Paul when he was ready to go to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4). (See Romans 15:25.)

Lucius, Jason and Sosipater were *Jews, like Paul. We cannot be sure who they were. Lucius might be Lucius from Cyrene (Acts 13:1) or even Luke. Jason invited Paul to stay at his home in Thessalonica. The result was that the *Jews attacked Jason’s house. They dragged him in front of the city rulers (Acts 17:5-9). His name is not among the people who took the gift to Jerusalem. But Sopater (the shorter form of Sosipater’s name) took the gift from Berea to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4).

Verse 22 Tertius is the only secretary of Paul whose name we know. He sends his own greetings here.

Verse 23 Gaius was one of the only two people whom Paul *baptised in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:14). If his full name was Gaius Titius Justus, he lived next to the *synagogue in Corinth. When Paul left the *synagogue, he moved into Gaius’s home to continue his work. ‘The whole church’ (in other words, all the church members) met in Gaius’s house (Acts 18:7-8). Clearly, Gaius had a very large house.

Erastus was the Director of Public Works in Corinth. So he was a very important man in that city. His name is on a pavement (stones which cover a street or path) that people discovered in 1929. The *Latin words say that he paid for the pavement himself. He appreciated the honour that the city had given to him.

Our ‘*brother’ Quartus probably means that he was a Christian. The word ‘brother’ may of course mean a family relationship. Quartus means ‘4th’. One writer suggests that he was the brother of Tertius, whose name means ‘3rd’. Another writer thinks that this is rather unlikely!

Verse 24 Many *manuscripts do not include this verse. But other *manuscripts have these words here: ‘I pray that the *grace of the *Lord Jesus *Christ will be with you all. *Amen.’ These *manuscripts have these words here, instead of the end of verse 20.

The song to praise God 16:25-27

v25 And so I pray to God. He is able to make your *faith strong by the good news which I *preach. We declare the good news about Jesus *Christ. This secret truth was unknown for long ages in the past. v26 But now God has made it public. As the *prophets wrote, people from all nations can know it. God, who lives always, ordered this. He wanted people everywhere to obey him and to trust him. v27 So I praise God, who alone has all wisdom. All *glory will always belong to him, because of Jesus *Christ. *Amen.

In this song to praise God, Paul repeats the main ideas in his letter:

Verse 25

1. God has the power to make a Christian’s *faith firm. God protects a Christian’s *faith from wrong beliefs. He gives Christians the power to win against tendencies to *sin. He gives them courage when people oppose them.

2. The good news about Jesus *Christ comes to everyone by means of the people who declare it. Paul speaks about the *gospel that ‘I *preach’. God had given to him the task to *preach, especially to the *Gentiles.

3. For many centuries, people did not know God’s plan. It was like a secret that God has now made public. God had decided to rescue people, both *Jews and *Gentiles, by means of Jesus *Christ, his son.

Verse 26

4. The *Old Testament *prophets said that *Christ was coming. God made people understand that the *scriptures were a witness to *Christ.

5. God’s purpose was that the good news should be available to everyone in all the world. Jesus himself had given the command to his *disciples to tell the good news to everyone everywhere (Matthew 28:19-20).

6. Christians must show that their *faith is real. They do this as they obey God. He has shown his love for them by means of *Christ. So they should obey him as they show love to everyone.

Verse 27 Paul wants God to receive the honour that he deserves. And Paul himself praises God. God showed his wisdom when he sent his son, Jesus *Christ. And God’s wisdom is so much greater than any person’s wisdom (Romans 11:33-36). So Paul ends his letter with thanks and he praises God. ‘*Amen’ shows that he wants everyone to join with him and to give *glory to God.

Roman ~ a person from the city called Rome, or a description of anything that has a relationship with Rome. Rome was the most important city in the world at the time when Paul wrote this letter. It was the capital city where the Emperor lived.
Emperor ~ ruler over many countries.
preach ~ to tell and to explain the good news about Jesus.
Lord ~ God; the word that we may use for Jesus when we obey him; someone who rules or who is a master.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah, that is, Jesus.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king who would come to rescue them; the Christ (that is, Jesus).

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
Gentile ~ someone hwo is not a Jew, or, a description of anything that has a relationship to people who are not Jews.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
apostle ~ someone who goes out to preach about Jesus; one of the 12 men whom Jesus sent out.
preach ~ to tell and to explain the good news about Jesus.
relationship ~ a friendship; or way in which people know each other.
household ~ the people who live together in a house, including servants, maids and slaves. A household might be very large. For example, the Emperor’s household meant everyone who lived in the Emperor’s palace.
Emperor ~ ruler over many countries.
holy ~ something or someone that is special for God.'Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
gospel ~ good news.
Emperor ~ ruler over many countries.
faith ~ trust in someone or something; the things that Christians believe about Jesus.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that people have fixed together in the shape of a cross. Soldiers would attach a criminal to a cross in order to kill that person.
peace ~ a calm and content attitude.
deceive ~ to make people believe things that are false.
innocent ~ free from sin.
sin ~ evil deeds against God’s law; or to do such deeds.
grace ~ God’s love that people do not deserve.'Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
righteous ~ good, holy.
holy ~ something or someone that is special for God.
disciples ~ students; people who follow another person to learn from him.
Satan ~ the chief evil spirit, the devil.
descendants ~ future members of a family or nation.
prophecy ~ words that God gave someone to speak or to write down; especially, a message from God about the future.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king who would come to rescue them; the Christ (that is, Jesus).

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah, that is, Jesus.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.
victory ~ success against an enemy.
sin ~ evil deeds against God’s law; or to do such deeds.'baptise, baptism ~ use water as a sign that Christ has freed a person from sin.
baptise ~ to put a person in to water, or to put water on a person; the way that we show to everyone that a person belongs to Christ and to his church.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah, that is, Jesus.
sin ~ evil deeds against God’s law; or to do such deeds.
church ~ (1) all Christians; (2) members of a local group of Christians.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king who would come to rescue them; the Christ (that is, Jesus).

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
synagogue ~ a local Jewish meeting place for worship.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
worship ~ to show honour to God (or to a false god), alone or with other people.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
Latin ~ the language that people from Rome spoke.
manuscript ~ a book that someone has written by hand.
amen ~ a word at the end of a prayer. It shows agreement.
prophet ~ a person who told the people what God wanted.
glory ~ great beauty and honour. Only God (or Christ) has perfect glory.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah, that is, Jesus.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king who would come to rescue them; the Christ (that is, Jesus).

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.

'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible. The authors of the books in the Old Testament wrote their books centuries before Christ’s birth.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah, that is, Jesus.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king who would come to rescue them; the Christ (that is, Jesus).

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.