THE GRACE OF JESUS BE WITH YOU

Romans 16:1-27
Key Verse: 16:20

     "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
      The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you."

As a final greeting of a letter, most people say, "Sincerely yours," or,
"Yours truly." In the case of a rejection letter most companies or
universities say as a final greeting, "Cordially yours." The word
"cordially" is good, but rejection is painful. But St. Paul's final greeting
is not that. short. Paul's final greeting to the saints in Rome covers one
chapter composed of 27 verses. In his final greeting Paul also mentions 29
persons, of whom 9 are women. Paul's final greeting to the saints in Rome
might be the longest final greeting ever written. In his final greeting we
learn of Paul's affection toward the saints in Rome. His affection toward
the saints in Rome is so deep and wide that we cannot fathom it. Philippians
1:8 may well explain his affection. It says, "God can testify how I long for
all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus." His affection was the
affection of Christ, which transcends time and space. There is a saying,
"Out of sight, out of mind." But Paul's affection was not such an emotional
affection. It was the affection of Christ, which is overflowing forever.

In his final greeting to the saints in Rome we also learn Paul's faith. Even
though the situation of the time was a most unfavorable one, he believed
that God would accomplish his plan of world salvation (Php 1:3-6). Why did
he have such a deep concern for the saints in Rome? It was because he loved
God and he wanted to fulfill God's plan of world salvation, and to carry out
the world mission command of Jesus coworking together with the saints in
Rome. In his greeting we learn Paul's love for God and deep appreciation of
the grace of Jesus Christ and his affection for fellow Christians scattered
around the world.

First, Paul recommends Phoebe (1,2). Look at verse 1. "1 commend to you our
sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea." Paul recommends Phoebe,
who lived in Cenchrea, which was the port of Corinth, and who was a rich
woman. She was bringing this letter to the saints in Rome. But Paul felt a
danger that she would not be treated as a precious servant of God but as an
ordinary woman of the times, who were traditionally despised and
mistreated. As we know well, at that time women were regarded as the
property or slaves of men. But Paul asked their favor to receive her in the
Lord, in a way worthy of the saints, and to give her any help she may need
from them because she had been a great help to many people, including Paul
himself (2). There was in Paul true human equality when he recommended
Phoebe. Paul urged them to welcome her as a servant of God.


Second, Priscilla and Aquila, founders of the house church. (3-5) Look at
verses 3 and 4. "Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ
Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of
the Gentiles are grateful to them." Here, the word "greet" does not mean
"say hello" to Priscilla and Aquila. In light of Paul's final greetings it
means, the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. I Corinthians 16:23 says,
"The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you." 2 Corinthians 13:14 says, "May
the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit be with you all." This final greeting later became the
benediction for all the church workers. Galatians 6:18 says, "The grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen." Paul's greeting,
that is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, was not to our body, but to our
spirit. It is meaningful that Paul greeted our spirit. John 6:63 says, "The
Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to
you are spirit and they are life." When Jesus died John said, "...he bowed
his head and gave up his spirit." (Jn 19:30) In this case the word "spirit"
stands for "life." Again, Philippians 4:23 says, "The grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen."  Therefore, when Paul said "greet"
it meant, "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." Here we
learn that we must know personally the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: We
must also be strong in the grace that is in Jesus Christ. We also must help
others to come to know the grace of our Lord Jesus and be strong in the
grace of Jesus. We also learn we should be men and women of spirit, not of
flesh.

Priscilla and Aquila were Jews who had previously been residents in
Rome. But Claudius the Roman Emperor, an anti-semitist, had issued an edict
to banish all Jews from Rome. So they came to Corinth and settled (Ac
18:2,3). They were tentmakers like Paul. When Paul went to Ephesus they gave
up all their business and followed him to cowork with him (Ac
18:18). Priscilla and Aquila met Apollos in Ephesus.  Apollos was a Jew, a
native of Alexandria. He was a man of great learning with a thorough
knowledge of the Scriptures. But he didn't know the core of the gospel. He
only knew the baptism of John. So Priscilla and Aquila invited him to their
home and explained to him the way of God more adequately through oneto-one
Bible study.  They taught him the core of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Their
one-to-one Bible study was so effective that Apollos immediately began to
prove from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ (Ac 18:28).

Look at verse 5. "Greet also the church that meets at their house."' This
verse tells us that the early Christians used their houses as meeting places
for their Bible study and prayer and worship service. Priscilla and Aquila
were an outstanding couple who opened their hearts and house for fellow
Christians. They lived an unsettled life. They were born in Asia, (Ac 18:2)
immigrated to Rome, and were banished from Rome and settled in Corinth, then
followed Paul to Ephesus, then came back to Rome.  Wherever they went their
house was a center of Christian fellowship and service. These days we see
many homes which are nothing but places of physical rest, television
watching, complaining centers, sometimes a battleground. But Priscilla and
Aquila's home was virtually a church. They gathered Christians or possible
Christians and distributed the word of life to them and also treated them
with delicious food. Their house was also a place for prayer for coworkers
throughout the nations. Through their house we remember Jesus' word in Mark
11:1 7b, "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." When
we review church history, there is no record that there was a formal church
building until the end of the second century. So we can say Priscilla and
Aquila were the founders of the Christian church throughout their
lifetime. The open door, the open hand, the open heart are the
characteristics of their lives. So to Paul, Priscilla and Aquila were very
important persons in the sight of God, and they were indispensable
characters in the fellowship of Jesus Christ. But Paul did not say,
"Aquila's family." He said, "Priscilla and Aquila."  The church of God began
at a house church. Evidently Aquila's wife Priscilla gave her privacy to God
so that they might have worship service, and after the worship service she
cooked endlessly to share love dinners. In a house church the housewife's
role is very important. Because of this Paul saw them with equal honor and
respect.

There are many good examples of the house church. A woman medical missionary
invited a college girl student to stay at her home. She bore with her during
the long summer vacation time. As a result, the woman missionary could
understand "The Taming of the Shrew" better. After the student went back to
her dormitory, the woman missionary paid a pretty big telephone bill for one
reason or another. But she was very thankful that God used her house as a
house church. One American shepherd put beautiful wallpaper in one of his
rooms and made it like a room for a princess. He had never decorated the
room before. Then he invited a college girl student to stay there and he and
his wife served her wholeheartedly. As a result, she decided to marry a man
of God instead of marrying a presidential candidate. Her inner person was
changed through her life in a house church. After marriage she also invited
a girl student to her house. But the girl student went away somewhere she
could enjoy funs to gratify her human desires. The young woman missed her
sheep so much that she said, "I was not joyful even when I gave birth to a
second son." Dr. John Jun's mother became a widow when she was 22 and raised
her two sons and a daughter by working as a breakfast cook for the laborers
on the bottom of society. His family barely maintained a hand-to-mouth
existence. But Dr. Jun, when he was a medical student, invited a classmate
and lived with him for two years. As a result, his classmate became a saint
of this generation, who helps all the needy he sees with his prayers and
medical care. The Christian church was crumbling together with the Roman
Empire because of its corruption and hypocrisy. But all the faithful laymen
like Aquila and Priscilla restored the Christian church through Bible
studies and prayer at their house churches. Paul thought of Aquila and
Priscilla with tremendous respect in Jesus Christ as coworkers to whom he
owed his life.

Third, Paul remembers their labor in the Lord in his greeting. In Paul's
life and ministry, there were many hardships and sufferings and rejections
and accusations and misunderstandings from anti-Christians. Paul was old and
tired. So he could have been overwhelmed by the sense of loss and
suffering. But he was not. He was happy to remember each individual who
became a coworker and brother in Jesus in Rome. Look at verse 5b. "Greet my
dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of
Asia." When Paul was engaging in gospel work in Asia, he could hardly find a
new convert. It was because the people of Asia were slaves of shamanism
under witch doctors. But Epenetus became the first convert to Christ in the
province of Asia. So Paul praises and thanks God for the great work he had
done in Epenetus. To Paul, "the first convert in Asia" was indeed
significant. We now have missionaries in 87 countries. The first prayer
topic of each missionary of each country is that God may grant them one
convert who will be the ancestor of faith like Abraham; like Pastor Abraham
Lincoln to Missionary Jimmy Lee in India.

Look at verse 6. "Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you." This Mary was
not the mother of Jesus, but one of the Marys. In verse 6, the phrase, "who
worked very hard for you," means that she worked to the point of death. Paul
was an extraordinary hardworking person. Soto Paul, an ordinary hardworking
person was not considered a hardworking person. Paul thanks God for Mary
because she knew the grace of God and worked hard.

Look at verse 7. "Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in
prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in
Christ before I was." Andronicus and Junias were senior to Paul in faith in
Jesus. They were in Christ before Paul was. But they didn't care about their
seniority and lived for the glory of God and coworked under Paul. The place
was uncertain but they had been in prison together with Paul for Jesus'
name's sake. Paul praises and thanks God that they knew the grace of our
Lord Jesus and worked hard. Paul said, "They are outstanding among the
apostles." It meant they were better than he.

Read verses 8-10. Urbanus, Stachys, and Apelles were men of faith and
soldiers of Christ. Satan tried to beat them but they rather resisted
Satan's attack and defeated Satan. In the early Christian days so many
Christians stumbled, but they stood firm in Christ as warriors of faith. So
Paul praises and thanks God that they knew the grace of Jesus Christ
personally and stood firm.

Read verses 11 and 12. Herodion and those who were in the household of
Narcissus, and Tryphena and Tryphosa were probably young men and
women. Usually people have a regular job for their survival. So when they
have to work for God they feel that the work of God is extra work which
requires extra strength and effort. The work of God is also spiritual
work. So whoever does not give his heart has nothing to do. One sheep has
hung around in UBF holding his hands behind his back during the last 40
years. "Why do you always hold your hands behind your back?" someone
asked. "I have nothing to do," he answered angrily. But these young people
worked hard for God. Paul prays for them that the grace of our Lord Jesus be
with them.

Read verses 13-16. Look at verse 13. "Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and
his mother, who has been a mother to me, too." In verse 13, Paul mentions
Rufus. Paul says that he was chosen in the Lord and that his mother had been
a mother to Paul too. Paul worked hard until he had no time to be
married. So there is a strong impression that Paul was a superman. But he
was not. He was a human being who needed motherly love and affection. He
thanks God for Rufus and his mother who knew the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ and cared for him.

Fourth, the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you (17-20). In this part, Paul
appeals to the Roman Christians to watch out for those who are a bad
influence, causing division and causing weak Christian brethren to
stumble. Paul also appeals to them to keep away from those who gossip for
their selfish motives. (17-19)

Look at verse 20. "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your
feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you." In this verse Paul prays
that Satan may be crushed and the peace of God be upon all men. Paul also
prays that the grace of our Lord Jesus be with them. This verse is short but
it summarizes, in a sense, the whole Bible. This is also our daily
prayer. As God had promised, God sent his one and only Son as the Savior of
the world and crushed Satan and gave us final victory. We also pray that the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ will be with us always. When we look at
people of the world we cannot be happy always, even with gorgeous and young
people: We see in them all the ugliness that fallen man can possess. We
become tired and weary to look at them. But when we look at our Lord Jesus
Christ on the cross shedding his blood, we remember his grace that he died
for the sin of the world as a Paschal Lamb. Sometimes we become selfish and
our hearts are hardened and we cannot see the grace of God. But when we
stand beneath the cross and look at him we realize the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ. When we have the grace of Jesus Christ in our hearts the world
looks different and each person looks beautiful. So Paul prayed, "the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." The final greeting of Paul was, "The
grace of our Lord be with you," to 29 individual persons. May God help us to
seek the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ moment by moment.

Fifth, Timothy, my fellow coworker. Read verses 21-23. Look at verse
21. "Timothy, my fellow worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius,
Jason and Sosipater, my relatives." Paul not only sends his own greetings to
Rome but he also sends greetings on behalf of Timothy. It is amazing to know
that Paul had such a tremendous respect for Timothy, his assistant. As we
know well, Timothy was not the type of person to be Paul's righthand man or
a successor of Paul's ministry. But Paul chose Timothy to be his successor
because he was a faithful person. Paul did not choose his successor from
among able men, among the men of great learning, or among the successful
businessmen. But he chose Timothy, even though he looked weak and tearful
and fearful, because he was faithful. Faithful people in the Christian
fellowship usually look weird. Still we have to choose faithful people to
whom to entrust the work of God (2 Ti 2:2). Paul's wisdom was
right. Faithful men remain to the end. But all other kinds of men run away
at the opportune time. Our God is a faithful God. Our Jesus is faithful.
Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and
forever."'  Great is God's faithfulness. Great is the faithfulness of Jesus
Christ. Great is the faithfulness of all the saints in history. Paul praises
God for Timothy's faithfulness, and greets the saints in Rome on behalf of
Timothy.

Sixth, praise the Lord. Look at verse 26. 11 ... but now revealed and made
known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so
that all nations might believe and obey him." According to his promises, God
sent his one and only Son Jesus Christ to save men from their sins. The
coming of Christ is the consummation of history. The coming of Christ is a
unique event in history. The coming of Jesus Christ is God's glory. Through
the coming of Jesus Christ all peoples of all nations can believe and obey
God through his Son Jesus Christ. Look at verse 25. "Now to him who is able
to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past." In
this verse Paul praises God that he established them in the gospel of
Jesus. The process and fulfillment of the gospel was long, so long that it
seemed to have been hidden. But through the coming of Jesus, the gospel was
proclaimed. Now Paul and his coworkers are established in the gospel of
Jesus Christ. To Paul, this was a marvelous grace of God. There is nothing
greater than to be established in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Look at verse
27. "To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen." This
verse is the final doxology in awesome thankfulness.

In this chapter we learn that Paul knew the love of God and the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ. He praises God for the saints in Rome. Paul hoped to
carry out God's plan of world salvation coworking together with them. Most
of all, we learn Paul's affection of Christ toward saints in Rome. In his
final greeting, Paul's affection of Christ is overflowing toward 29 saints
one by one. May God bless us to have the affection of Christ in our hearts
toward our fellow Christian brothers and sisters all over the world.


STUDY QUESTIONS

1. Read verses 1-2. Why did Paul recommend Phoebe to them? Who was she? What
   does this show about Paul's attitude toward women coworkers?

2. Read verses 3-6. What do you know about Priscilla and Aquila and their
   house church? What does Paul remember about them? Who was Epenetus? Why
   was he so precious? Why does Paul greet and praise Mary?

3. Read verse 7. How does Paul reveal his humility? Read verses 8-10. Who
   are the coworkers he mentions here? How does he express his affection for
   them? What does it mean to be "tested and approved in Christ"?

4. Read verses 11 -16. What does he remember about these coworkers? (17-19)
   What warnings does he give? Read verse 20. What is his sure hope? What
   difference does it make to have the grace of the Lord Jesus with us?

5. Who are the fellow workers who are with Paul? Among them, what can you
   find about Timothy? About any of the others?

6. Read verses 25-27. What is the mystery hidden for long ages past but now
   made known? (Eph 3:6) In his benediction, what are his topics of praise
   and prayer?