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Romans 63: Phoebe Our Sister (16:1-16)

Joe Harby on

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Introduction

In this last chapter of Romans, Paul says his farewells, gives various greetings, and does so in a way as to teach us many invaluable things. Some might wonder what kind of message we might get out of a passage in which Paul basically says hi to everyone the Roman church phone directory, but we have to remember that all Scripture is profitable.

The Text

“I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: 2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also . . .” (Rom. 16:1-16).

Summary of the Text

Paul commends to the Romans a woman named Phoebe, who was probably the messenger who carried the letter to the Romans. As valuable trusts go, this was probably one of the most important missions in the history of the church. She is called a sister, and is identified as a “servant” of the church at Cenchrea (v. 1). In the next verse, Paul urges them to give her a saints’ welcome, and to assist her in whatever business she might need to use them. She had been a great help to many, Paul included (v. 2). Greet Priscilla and Aquila, Paul’s helpers in Christ (v. 3), who risked their lives for Paul (v. 4). Greet their house church (v. 5), along with Epaenetus, the first convert in Achaia (v. 5). The greetings are then extended to Mary (v. 6), Andronicus and Junia (v. 7), Amplias (v. 8), Urbane and Stachys (v. 9), Apelles and the household of Aristobulus (v. 10), Herodian and the household of Narcissus (v. 11), Tryphena, Tryphosa and Persis (v. 12), Rufus and his mother (v. 13), Ayncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes and the brothers with them (v. 14), Philogus and Julia, Hereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints with them (v. 15). Paul then tells them to greet one another with a holy kiss (v. 16), and says that the churches of Christ salute them (v. 16).

Some Details About the Names

Paul is greeting a number of the saints who are there at Rome, and it is striking how many of them he knows—and it appears a number of them quite well. I take v. 7 as saying “notable among the apostles” as opposed to “notable apostles,” as Junia is a woman’s name. These saints were converts out of paganism, as most had common names for that culture and others had the sorts of names that a Christian mom would not have given—such as Hermes or Olympas. Paul refers several times to kinsmen (vv. 7, 11), and that he and Rufus had the same (unnamed) mother. These are most likely like kin, and not actual relatives. But who knows? After all, a nephew shows up in Paul’s life around this time (Acts 23:16).

The Value of Labor

We can see how close Paul is to these people. We can also see how he got close to them—for Paul, labor and sacrifice were at the center of his value system. Phoebe was a great help to many (v. 2). Priscilla and Aquila put their necks on the line (v. 4). Mary was a hard worker (v. 6). Urbane was a helper in the Lord (v. 9). Tryphena and Tryphosa labored in the Lord (v. 12). Persis labored much in the Lord (v.12)

We were created for work. The fall into sin makes that work harder, true enough, but it also gives us more that we have to do. We should gather up the kind of friends that Paul had, and get to work.

The Church at Their House

The church at Rome was actually a cluster of churches. One of them met at the home of Priscilla and Aquila (v. 5). It is possible that a couple of others met at the homes of Narcissus and Aristobulus, who may have been unbelievers since there were not greet by name. Two other groups are mentioned in vv. 14-15. At this point in history, there were no church buildings, and so the singular church at Rome (which Paul could write one letter to) was actually a collection of churches. Paul could write to them, give a number of greetings to the saints in different gatherings, expecting them to be able to see one another in order to pass on those greetings. Geographical separation, whether or Paul across the ocean or the other Roman saints who were across town meeting at the Best Western, is not a separation in fellowship.

Phoebe Our Sister

Phoebe is called a number of things, from which we learn a great deal. She is “our sister” (v. 1), she is a servant (diakonos) of the church at Cenchrea, clearly serving that church in some sort of official capacity. She was the one who delivered the letter to the Romans, and Paul instructs them to help her out now that she is in Rome (v. 2). The word translated in the AV as “succourer” is a word that means benefactress or patronness. She was clearly wealthy, and came from the eastern port of Corinth (Cenchrea), a place that had been about six miles east of Corinth, and is now underwater. The word diakonos as it is used here can either denote a formal office, or it can simply mean a generic “helper” or servant. Given Phoebe’s prominance, and the importance of the help, it seems that the former is meant. But it does not follow from this that the church at Cenchrea had a deacon board, and that women were on it. To reason that way is anachronistic.

A Holy Kiss

Speaking of anachronism, some Christians take Paul’s reference to the kiss here to mean that Christians are required to greet each other in some special liturgical fashion, i.e. with a liturgical kiss, or a “holy” kiss. Others, like myself, would want to say that your greetings, such as they are and how they function, should be holy. Your kiss, or your handshake, or your Christian side hug, should be holy. They would want to point out that Paul has just finished a long list of ordinary greetings, and he then urges them to greet one another (using the same word)—and to do so in holiness. In other words, a woman could be eligible to be enrolled as a widow, even if she had never, ever washed any of the saints’ feet (1 Tim. 5:10). As we make cultural transpositions, we must always remember the difference between principles and methods.

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Romans 62: The Ministry of Fundraising (15:22-23)

Joe Harby on

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Introduction

We have noted before that the book of Romans is a fundraising letter. The fact that it is so strikingly different from modern Christian fundraising letters tells us all we need to know about the attitude of the modern church to money . . . and to the gospel.

The Text

“For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you. But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you; Whensoever I take my journey into Spain . . .” (Rom. 15:22-33),

Summary of the Text

Since Paul did not plant the church in Rome, his desire not to meddle with another man’s foundation had kept him from visiting the Roman church (v. 22). But now, done with his current work, and because he could hit Rome on the way to Spain, he thought to indulge a desire of many years and visit them now (vv. 23-24). But before heading west, Paul was going to go to Jerusalem first (v. 25). His ministry there was a financial one, delivering a contribution from Macedonia and Achaia (v. 26). The Gentiles of Greece had an obligation to do this, because they were beneficiaries of the spiritual inheritance of the Jews (v. 27). After Paul had performed this duty, what he called a “sealing of fruit,” he intended to visit Rome on his way to Spain (v. 28; cf. Rom. 1:8-15). He clearly would love the support of the Romans in this endeavor. When he comes, he is sure that he will do so in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel (v. 29). Paul then beseeches their prayer support (v. 30) for his pending trip to Judea. He asks for three things. The first is that he would be spared from the unbelievers of Judea (v. 31). The second is that his financial ministry would be acceptable to the saints there (v. 31). The third is that his subsequent trip to Rome would result in mutual refreshment and joy in the will of God (v. 32). Paul then finishes with a benediction (v. 33).

Paul’s Unknown Travels

We have already noted that this letter was written in the mid-fifties. As we can read in the book of Acts, this trip that Paul was requesting prayer for was a trip that in fact needed a great deal of prayer. He was received by the saints gladly (Acts 21:17), meaning one of his requests was answered. But the unbelievers he mentioned here successfully got a tumult going (Acts 21:27-28), with the result that Paul was arrested/rescued by a centurion. Held for a time by Felix and then Festus, Paul eventually appealed to Caesar, and was shipped off to Rome (Acts 27:1). The book of Acts ends with Paul under house arrest (Acts 28:30-31), and we are still in the fifties. According to Clement of Rome, a friend of Paul’s, the apostle “taught righteousness to the whole world, having traveled to the limits of the west” (1 Clement 5:7). This refers to Spain, and possibly Britain. Paul wasn’t executed by Nero until the persecution broke out in 64 A.D., so it is safe to presume that Paul was released after the end of Acts, made his way west, and was subsequently rearrested.

A Different Kind of Fundraising

Paul knows the necessity of fundraising. He also knows and fully understands the necessity of not doing it in a way that discredits the gospel. Indeed, the gospel is to be honored and spread by this means, and Paul knows that in order for the Romans to support his work with a clean conscience, he needed to set the gospel he preached before them, and he does so by means of a full synopsis.

Unlike so many, Paul says, he is not a huckster peddling the Word of God (2 Cor. 2:17). So many? That is a telling indictment, and we still need to be reminded of it today. At the same time, to walk away from the responsibility of raising money is to be negligent in ministry. The people of God need to be taught these financial principles. Consider how often Paul addresses it. The one taught should share all good things with the one who teaches (Gal. 6: 6-9). The spiritual nature of ministry does not mean that it runs on air (1 Cor. 9:7, 14).

Generosity in financial matters is a spiritual form of farming (2 Cor. 9:6-7). At the same time, it is important to avoid any appearance of impropriety (2 Cor. 8:20). Paul is exceptionally sensitive at this point (Phil. 4:17), but not so sensitive that he withholds the truth from Christians (Phil. 4:10).

The Fellowship of Money

The word used for “contribution” in Rom. 15:26 is the word for fellowship, koinonia. A verb form of the same root is used in Phil. 4:14, when he says that the Philippians shared with him in his trouble. He does the same in Gal. 6: 6. When Paul takes the gift from Greece to Jerusalem, he does so in order to minister to them. The word is related to diakonos, and refers to service ministry. And the word for the Gentiles ministering in v. 27 is another word we discussed before—leitourgos. This whole subject has to do with religious and priestly service.

Now whenever finances are brought up in a sermon, it is often the case that all God’s people say, uh oh. But all I need to say here is that as a congregation you have been extraordinarily generous with your time, your expertise, your money, your hands, and your homes. The only exhortation I would give you is to make sure you don’t grow slack in this privilege, and that you redouble your efforts to do all this more and more (1 Thess. 4:1,10). There are profound blessings here. To have the reputation of a generous people is good, but not good enough. You should want to be more generous than that.

Guilt-Edged Securities

As believers devoted to generosity, we don’t want to save up guilt-edged securities. Gilt is superficial, but guilt goes all the way down and contaminates everything. You have heard many times that guilt is a poor motivator in giving. But notice what happens when we move this whole subject into the sanctuary. We confess our sins at the beginning of the service, and we hear the words of peace spoken over us from God. That means that when the offering is brought forward, the whole thing is a delight. The offering is part of the consecration offering, and is not part of the guilt offering. Jesus made that offering for us.

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Romans 61: The Priestly Work Of Evangelism (15:13-21)

Joe Harby on

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Introduction

We have seen that we should not have lethargic or anemic views of evangelism. God is in the processing of saving the world, and that has ramifications for the town in which we live. But we must also be careful to not have irreligious views of evangelism. Evangelism is not mere recruitment; in this text, the apostle Paul gives us a striking image for our evangelistic work.

The Text

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost . . .” (Rom. 15:13-21).

Summary of the Text

God is the God of hope, and He creates hope in us a particular way. He fills us with all joy and peace in our believing, and He does this through the Spirit, so that we might abound in hope (v. 13). Paul is convinced that the Romans are filled with goodness, and filled with knowledge, with the result that they are able to admonish one another (v. 14). He wrote to them boldly, not because he did not think this of them, but simply to remind them of what they knew (v. 15), according to the grace that had been given to him. God gave this grace to Paul in order he might be a minister of God to the Gentiles, in the priestly office of the gospel, that the sacrificial offering of the Gentiles might be sanctified and acceptable to God (v. 16). As a result he glories in what Christ has done through him (v. 17), and he refuses to take credit for work he did not do in the labor of making the Gentiles obedient (v. 18), while at the same time saying that God did indeed accomplish some marvelous things through him in the power of the Spirit (v. 19). Thus far, he had preached from Jerusalem in the east through Illyricum to the northwest (in the region of modern Croatia, Serbia, and Albania). He has been careful to avoid building on another man’s foundation (v. 20), an important courtesy. Paul must preferred building from scratch. In support of this approach, Paul then cites Is. 52:15—the verse right before the great gospel declaration of Is. 53, and right after the promise that many nations would be sprinkled.

Joy, Peace, and Hope

When God does a work in our hearts, He does not do it simply by zapping us, and then we are happy in some generic spiritual sense. God is an architect, and He builds His graces in us. Certain things come first, and others follow after, and it is all done by the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit. In this case, the God of hope fills us with something else, joy and peace, so that hope may follow abundantly. Without the joy and peace, the hope will be a vain hope, and will collapse. This is the pattern that the Holy Spirit follows. If you are agitated, for example, and you hope that your emotional agitation will cease, this is not the same kind of hope that Paul is talking about here. If you are solemn and grim, and you hope that all these frothy fellows cavorting about you will get a real job sometime, that is not the right kind of hope either. Real peace, real joy, leads to abundant hope. This is the Spirit’s way.

Goodness and Knowledge Both

Paul assumes that a lot of pastoral work is going to be done within the congregation. As the leaven of gospel teaching grows and spreads within the congregation, so does the ability of that congregation to admonish one another rightly. But notice what the two preconditions are. The first is that the admonisher be full of goodness, and the second is that he be full of knowledge. Goodness without knowledge leads to well-intentioned mayhem in the admonition. Knowledge without goodness leads to censorious priggishness, and certain self-appointed fellows with the “gift of rebuking” start letting other people have it.

When a man is full of goodness, and full of knowledge, then and only then is the beam out of his eye. But when these conditions pertain across a congregation, a lot of pastoral ministry occurs that the church leadership never even hears about.

Priestly Evangelists

The language Paul uses to decribe his evangelistic efforts is quite striking. In verse 15, he says that the grace of God was given to him to make him a minister of Jesus Christ (v. 16). The word for minister here is leiturgos, a word used for priestly ministers in a temple. We get the word liturgy from it. He then says that he ministers the gospel of God. The word here is hierourgeo and means “to minister as a priest.” The preach or declare the blood of Christ shed for sinners is to conduct a priestly work. It is not priestly in the old typical sense—clouds of incense and blood on the altar, but it is the antitype. This makes it the real priestly work, of which the older forms of priestly work were just shadows and smoke. We must appropriate the reality here by faith, and This is not a way of spiritualizing it away— evangelists and ministers are priests of the gospel. Note that the converts are an offering made to God. This too is sacrificial language, and it is striking. The Gentiles, symbolized by unclean animals, are now sanctified by the Holy Spirit and are to be offered up as an acceptable offering. Acceptable is even more sacrificial language (Rom. 12:1-2; Is. 60:5-7). If we think of this rightly, it is not worship and evangelism, or worship or evangelism. It is that worship is evangelism. In learning this, we must not skew it.

Turf Concerns

Priests served in an orderly fashion (Luke 1:8). The work of God is conducted in a manner that is consistent with order and good government (1 Pet. 5:3). Just as the land of Canaan was apportioned among the tribes, so also the ministry of worship/evangelism is apportioned. Paul says in this passage that he had been assigned the Gentiles, and this is why he was very careful in his ministry to the Jews.

Obedience to the Gospel

We must take care to distinguish works from obedience. Our understand of obedience is based on whatever the commandment was. If the command was “believe,” then obedience is to have faith alone. If the command was to climb this greasy pole all the way to Heaven, then obedience would be works. So which is it? This is the work of God that you believe in the one God has sent (Jn. 6:29). Obedience is something rendered to the gospel; obedience is a gospel duty (Acts 6:7; Rom. 6:16; Rom. 15:18; Rom. 16:26, and more).

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Romans 60: On That Day… (15:8-12)

Joe Harby on

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Introduction

Our views of evangelism are far too tiny, too anemic, and too weak. Evangelism is not a matter of recruiting enough people so that your church can pay its bills. Evangelism is not a matter of getting market share. Evangelism is not a matter of the Israelite army settling for a portion of Canaan. Evangelism is about the salvation of the whole world.

The Text

“Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: 9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. 10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. 11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. 12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust” (Rom. 15:8-12).

Summary of the Text

Jesus Christ was a minister of the Jews, a minister of the circumcision, in order that the promises that God made to the patriarchs might be confirmed (v. 8). Jesus was a rabbi of Israel. But He was not just as rabbi of Israel, but was also the desire of the nations. He came in such a way that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy to them (v. 9). In support of this, Paul cites 2 Sam. 22:50 and Psalm 18:49—confession is to be made among the Gentiles, and songs of praise sung in their midst (v. 9). Then he quotes Dt. 32:43, where the Gentiles are invited to join in the praise (v. 10). Then he quotes Psalm 117:1, where all the nations are called upon to sing praise to the Lord (v. 11). And then he tops it off with a most instruction quotation from Isaiah 11:10, where the prophet tells us that the root of Jesse will spring up, that He will rule over the nations, and that the Gentiles will in fact hope in Him (v. 12).

A Minister of the Circumcision

Jesus Christ came to the Jews, and He came to them as a servant, as a deacon. He is described here as a minister or servant of the circumcision, in order to accomplish two things. The first was that He came in order to fulfill the promises that had been made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But the second was based on the first, and it was something that the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had not understood. The promises made to the patriarchs of the Jews were not exclusive promises, but rather promises that encompassed the whole world. The confirmation of these promises therefore overflowed into the Gentile world as well—Jesus was a minister of the circumcision so that the uncircumcision would be able to glorify God for His mercy. This was not an esoteric aspect of the promises given to the fathers. Abraham was told, remember, that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him. The Lord had pointed to the stars and had said, so shall your descendants be. And as Paul argued earlier in Romans, Abraham believed God in this before he was circumcised, making him the archtypical Gentile. And he was then circumcised, making him the archtypical Jew. He truly is Father Abraham.

Let the Gentiles Sing

As the great King David was on his death bed, he sang about how he would praise the Lord in the presence of the Gentiles (2 Sam. 22:50). A variation of this is found in Ps. 18:49). The Gentiles watch while David praises the Lord. But they are destined to be more than spectators. Remember that Dt. 32 has been a key to understanding Paul’s view of Israel’s apostasy. In that verse, the Gentiles are invited to praise the Lord, together with His people, for the Lord will avenge the blood of His servants. The Gentiles are invited to sing and rejoice in the context of the coming demolition of Jerusalem (Dt. 32:43). Then Paul cites the very short psalm, where the nations are invited simply to praise the Lord—His merciful kindness is great toward us (Ps. 117). The Church needs to stop preaching to the devil’s stragglers, and start preaching to the world.The salvation that the Lord is bringing upon the earth is by no means limited to the Jews. This salvation is for all the world, all the nations, all the peoples, and all the tribes. The Church needs to stop preaching to the devil’s stragglers, and start preaching to the world.

Is Isaiah Out of His Mind?

The next quotation, from Isaiah 11, is quite instructive. Let’s look from the beginning of that chapter.

1And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. 9They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. 10And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious” (Is. 11:1-10).

What is Paul doing? He is citing this passage, along with all the others, in order to justify his mission to the Gentiles, which he began two thousand years ago. There are two things we must remember in this regard. The first is that these days of glory do not arrive, wham, overnight. The leaven works through the loaf, and the mustard seed grows. But the second is that Isaiah tells us what the loaf looks like fully risen, and Paul tells us that the leaven was at work in the loaf in his day. Is Isaiah out of his mind? No, but we who call ourselves Christians are frequently out of ours. Why do we not believe what the prophets have spoken?

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