The Gospel that Strengthens

Introduction

Do you ever get the feeling God is telling you something? That there's something he wants you to know?

As I was preparing the message this week, I had a feeling I'd preached part of this before. Our first point especially—when I came up with the heading, "A Family on a Mission," I thought, haven't I done this before? And then I remembered only a few weeks ago in Mark's Gospel when we looked at the twelve disciples, our final heading was: a family on a mission.

Now either, it's finally happened—I've run out of headings—or God is trying to tell us something!

But what we see in our passage right here at the end of Romans is a family who are working together for the Gospel, a family on a mission. And what we see here in many ways is a real-life picture of what the twelve disciples were pointing to—the fulfilment of that promise, the outcome of what was begun there.

It's tempting to write off this last bit as Paul just signing off, but God wants to show us what Christian community looks like, as we see a loving, diverse family on a mission.

And that's our first point...

A Loving, Diverse Family on a Mission (v1-16, 21-24)

I am a big fan of PopMaster on Radio 2. I will go on it at some point! I just need to build up the courage. At the end though, every contestant is given 30 seconds to do a "shout-out" where they can say hello to everyone they know.

It's tempting to think that what we have got here at the end of Romans is just a shout-out "to anyone who knows me." But it's more than that—it picks up on so many of the themes we've seen in the second half of the letter. In many ways it's a grounding of so much of what he's been teaching.

We're not going to go through each person one by one, but we see among them some repeated themes.

Firstly: Love

They are a loving community. We met that theme in chapter 13—that we were to love one another and so fulfil the law. Four are beloved. Paul is saying how much he loves them. The word for love is the strongest kind—agape. He really loves them—the word for God's love towards us in the Bible.

They are to greet one another with a holy kiss. Lots of confusion around this, but it's just probably what you'd expect: a sign of affection. It might be in a family—we'll come to that in a minute—but Jesus rebukes Simon the Pharisee for not kissing him in greeting when he came to his house. It would be strange to do that if kissing in greeting was just confined to families. It would be less strange if not kissing him was a sign that he was not accepting him, welcoming him.

A kiss was a sign of affection, probably a kiss on the cheek—like the French do—though Covid apparently has kind of killed that! Though even by the second century, Christian leaders were having to lay down rules about how to kiss. The kiss became a formal part of the Sunday gathering, a bit like some churches share the peace. But some Christians apparently were demanding others kiss them on the lips with open mouths! That is not a sign of brotherly affection or a loving greeting; that is abuse! So it became regulated to just members of the same sex and with a closed mouth.

But it's not supposed to be some formal, ritualised thing. It was supposed to be a sign of love and acceptance. A kiss with the lips is a sign of a holy love for them in the heart.

Does it apply now? Yes, but how will differ from culture to culture. However we show genuine love and affection in our culture should be reflected in our greeting and relationship in church. It might be a holy handshake. It might be a holy hug. It might be a holy, hearty hello. But what it should do is show the genuine holy love you have in your heart for each other. And don't abuse it and make others feel uncomfortable—that's not showing love, is it?

And what we see here is a group that loves one another, a loving community.

Secondly Diverse

This really picks up on what we saw in chapters 14 and 15.

There are a mixture of Roman, Greek and Hebrew names. One of those names in Greek means "Persian," so we might be able to guess where they are from!

There are a mixture of common slave names and also rich person names—from Nereus ("Wet Lump") to Aristobulus ("Best Councillor").

There are city dwellers and country dwellers. Urbanus means "city dweller." Stachys, the very next name, means "Head of Grain."

Of the 29 people mentioned here, 10 are women. That's over a third! How does that compare with us in the UK, say Parliament? Women have been in Parliament since 1918. It was only at the last general election that it first reached the percentage Paul has here in his greetings! Way ahead of his time, Paul!

There are also a mixture of Jewish background Christians and Gentile background Christians. At least six of those mentioned here are Jewish background Christians—it could be more. But this has been a big concern in this latter section of Romans, and Paul greets both parties, both groups. He shows no partiality.

People debate why Paul mentions so many people. I think in part it's to make this point and to show he shows no partiality, no prejudice, no racism. He includes as many different groups as he can. He tries to include as many as he can.

I love the FIEC, the fellowship of churches we're part of. Every year they have a leaders' conference—there were 800 of us there last time, pre-Covid. The first meeting they have a slot: "Have we got anyone here from...Scotland...Wales...South West...London...South East...North West...North East," and then they stop! I've complained about it! Where's Yorkshire? Where's the North? You feel a bit left out.

Paul wants to avoid that—he includes every group he can!

The church in Rome is a microcosm, a miniature version of what the church should be—a real, diverse mixture of people who, as we've seen, love each other.

But it's more than that, they're...

Thirdly: Family

All the way through the second half of the letter, he's been calling them brothers. The Greek word can include sisters, so those translations that include it aren't just being politically correct!

He calls Phoebe in verse 1 "our sister." She is not just loved; she is family, she is a sister. Family are more than just people that we love; they are people who stick with us, who are bound to us in a way stronger than friends. Blood is thicker than water, they say. Well, we are united by Christ's blood.

Paul says Rufus's mother is not just Rufus's mother, but she has been a mother to Paul. It's like she's adopted Paul into her family. You can imagine that, can't you?—how she looked after him.

I became a Christian just as I was about to become a teenager. A family at church sort of adopted me as part of their family. I was round their house every week—they invited me to birthdays, anniversaries, New Year's Eve. We went on trips together. I always imagine that's the sort of relationship Paul had with Rufus's family. They welcomed him as their own.

In verse 14, Christians are referred to as brothers. And Paul uses the same phrase for all the believers in Rome in verse 17. Those are the sorts of relationships that are normal in a church. We are united by Christ's blood; we have been adopted into his family. We are brothers and sisters to each other, aunts and uncles, mothers and fathers.

Do we reflect that in the way we interact with each other? Church is not a club where we see each other once a week; it's a family. Our lives should be interconnected. The ties that bind us should be stronger. We bear one another's burdens; we have one another's backs. We are a family.

Finally: On a Mission

The final thing that marks this group out is that they are on a mission.

This was what we saw back at the beginning of chapter 12: working together as a body, laying down our lives as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.

Seven of those listed here are mentioned as workers or fellow-workers or those who have worked hard for others.

Phoebe is a "patron," a sponsor of Paul and of many others. She has given sacrificially to the work of the Gospel. She's also mentioned as a servant of the church in a town near Corinth, where Paul was. The word there, "servant," is literally "deacon," but since "deacon" means servant, it's ambiguous! She could be a deacon if there were female deacons, or she could just be someone who was always serving the church in different ways. Hopefully the two are not entirely unconnected! Either way, she's travelled hundreds of miles to deliver Paul's letter to Rome.

Priscilla and Aquila, we're told, risked their neck for Paul—possibly while Paul was in Ephesus and there was a riot about the church putting Artemis out of business. The Greek goddess, not the gift store that used to have our building! They really have put their necks on the line for their brother, for the sake of the mission. They also have a church meeting in their house. All the churches of the Gentiles give thanks for them, which is pretty amazing to note because they were Jews. Yet they'd worked for the good of their Gentile brothers and sisters.

Andronicus and Junia in verse 7, we're told, have been to prison at some point—presumably for the Gospel. There's some debate, but I would say from the evidence that Junia is a woman, but that she wasn't an Apostle. Apostles with a capital A, so to speak, were appointed witnesses of the resurrection sent into the wider world to establish the faith, to build a solid foundation for the church.

The word is occasionally used in Scripture just of someone who is sent, like a messenger, and the word is sometimes translated that way even in the King James Version in places like Philippians 2 and 2 Corinthians 8. Here though, I think Apostle with a capital A is meant, but that this couple, like the ESV translates it, were well known by the Apostles, not among the Apostles themselves. They had marked themselves out with such sacrificial service that they were often on the minds of the Apostles.

Whether you think Junia was an apostle or not, here was a remarkable woman who had given sacrificially of herself for the sake of the Gospel. We should never downplay the contribution women have made to the Gospel over the years. Paul certainly doesn't!

All these people are on a mission together, along with guys Paul mentions in verses 21-24. They are working for the same cause, the cause of the Gospel. Their primary identity, their number one thing, is the Gospel. They are those who are in Christ, who are in the Lord, used 11 times in these verses.

They are a loving, diverse family on a mission—the mission of the Gospel. But Paul is worried their mission might be derailed—they might be taken in by evil forces.

So our next point. They are a loving, diverse family on a mission...

Who Are to Shun Evil (v17-20)

There's a bit of a gear change in verses 17-20, so much so that people have suggested this is a later addition to the letter. But there's no textual evidence for that. And, like the verses before, this revisits themes we've seen in the second half of the letter.

He warns them about those who cause divisions and create obstacles—those in chapter 14 who just won't let it go, who take minor issues and try to cause major division in the church, those who go out of their way to put stumbling blocks in the way of their brothers and sisters.

Avoid them, says Paul. If they have an unhealthy interest in creating divisions and quarrels, best to give them a wide berth. It fits with what we read elsewhere: "Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women...always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth...men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith" (2 Timothy 3:5b-8).

And yet Paul says of them in verse 5: "having the appearance of godliness..." They look godly; they look studious and concerned with the Word, always learning. Yet they lead astray, causing divisions and causing people to stumble.

The picture painted here is of false teachers seeking disciples, who will flatter and flirt to get you onside, who pose as your best buddy when in fact they're your worst nightmare! As the Proverb says, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses" (Proverbs 27:6, NIV).

That said, if leaders are never saying anything nice, uplifting, or positive to you, that's probably not a good sign either!

Paul seems to think though that the problem is that the Romans are so known for their obedience that they might end up obeying people who will lead them astray. Paul in Corinth has had to deal with "false apostles" making themselves out to be legit leaders when they are anything but—who were out for gain and glory, lining their own pockets rather than laying down their lives for the sake of the Gospel, filling their bellies with other people's food rather than feeding the flock with the word. Perhaps it's these Paul has in mind as he writes from Corinth to Rome.

Whoever Paul has in mind, Paul wants the Romans to have nothing to do with them. He wants them not to be naïve, but to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. And if they're unsure what that is, well, Paul has just spent several chapters explaining what that looks like! And Paul is confident that they will resist, verse 20a.

The verse relates back to a prophecy made back in Genesis 3: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel" (Genesis 3:15).

We often think of Christ as the fulfilment of that prophecy—and he is—but he is the serpent crusher who will crush Satan's head. But as we saw in verses 1-16, Christians are those who are in Christ. And in Christ, believers become serpent crushers.

Often we focus on sharing Christ's sufferings—and we do—we are bruised, as Christ was bruised. We are bruised, but we are also bruising—as we resist the devil's schemes to divide us and lead us astray, as we as a church live in peace as we reflect the God of peace, as we take up our cross and lay down our lives for each other, we crush Satan under our feet.

The devil cannot destroy us, but he can divide us. The devil cannot defeat us, but he can deceive us. Paul wants the Romans to know that he is confident that Satan will soon be crushed under their feet, as they follow the pattern of Christ, as they overcome.

How do they overcome? How do we overcome? By grace! It's no mistake that verse comes next: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." Nor is it a mistake that it is God who crushes Satan, yet it is our feet that do the crushing. We start by grace; we carry on by grace—the grace of God that teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, as Paul writes to Titus. The gospel that delivers us, develops us, grows us, strengthens us.

And that's our final point...

And Be Strengthened by the Gospel (v25-27)

The word "according to" is the Greek word kata. It's probably better translated here as "by" rather than "according to"—it's used that way around 40 times in the New Testament. It's more helpful then to read it that way.

So it reads like this: "Now to him who is able to strengthen you BY my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, BY the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages, but has now been disclosed...BY the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God be glory for evermore through Jesus Christ! Amen."

Those three things are referring to the same thing: the Gospel, Paul's Gospel, the Gospel he's been explaining in Romans. That's what he's talking about. And it's there to strengthen us! The Gospel doesn't just save us; it strengthens us, establishes us, it keeps us going.

The Gospel is not just something unbelievers need to hear to be converted, though that is true. It's something that believers need to hear to keep going. As believers we still need the good news about Jesus. We still need to hear about that righteousness that comes through faith alone that Paul has been batting on about for 16 chapters!

As believers we don't start with the Gospel and move onto something else. We live in the Gospel of grace; we abide in salvation through faith alone. So often when problems arise in the life of a Christian, it is because we have moved on from the Gospel in one direction or another. We no longer think we need it or need to hear it. The Gospel becomes something we preach to unbelievers, not preach to ourselves. Does that ring true with you?

We never outgrow the Gospel. And getting stronger does not mean we move on from it; it means we move deeper into it!

Look at how Paul describes it here.

Verse 25a: The Preaching of Jesus Christ

It hasn't got Jesus in it; it's not the Gospel. The content of the Gospel is Jesus. It's about him that we need to hear to be strengthened. So Paul can write in Colossians: "Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ" (Colossians 1:28).

If we want to grow in maturity, if we want to be strengthened in our faith, we need to hear about Jesus. Spurgeon's often quoted on this:

• "No Christ in your sermon, sir? Then go home, and never preach again until you have something worth preaching."
• "A sermon without Christ in it is like a loaf of bread without any flour in it."
• "You do not really preach the gospel if you leave Christ out; if he be omitted, it is not the gospel. You may invite men to listen to your message, but you are only inviting them to gaze upon an empty table unless Christ is the very centre and substance of all that you set before them."

We never move on from the Gospel; that means we always need to be hearing of Christ!

How else is it described?

Verse 25b & 26: The Revelation of the Mystery

"The revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages, but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations."

It's a mystery that was a secret but has now been disclosed and made known through the prophetic writings. What Paul is referring to there is almost certainly not the New Testament, but the Old. As Paul was writing, most of the New Testament had not been written. And this little section parallels the opening of Romans like a mirror. There it said: "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures" (Romans 1:1-2).

He's saying now that the secret is out—now that the Gospel has been disclosed, it's been made known to the nations through the Old Testament. The Old Testament scriptures are out there, and now we have the key to unlock them: Christ. In the light of Christ, the Old Testament preaches the Gospel!

That's why we don't need to be embarrassed about the Old Testament. That's why the Old Testament can strengthen us too! Because we understand it now in the light of Christ. When we talk about preaching Christ, that doesn't mean we don't preach the Old Testament. But it does affect how we preach the Old Testament. "No Gospel in your Old Testament, sir? Then go home and look again for Christ!"

The final way the Gospel is described is in...

Verse 26b: The Command of the Eternal God

"The command of the eternal God to bring about the obedience of faith."

The Gospel brings about faith. And faith is not just how we start the Christian life; it's the way we live it! The righteous will live by faith—that in one sense has been the verse Paul has been expounding the whole way through!

And that living by faith has been the theme since chapter 12. God wants us to trust him, to trust in what he's done for us in Christ—not just for our place with him in glory, but for our lives now. We are saved by faith, and we live by faith. From faith for faith, as Paul put it back in chapter one.

God has given us one gospel that not just brings us to life, but changes our life! By God's Spirit it produces faith and helps us to live by faith.

How clever is our God! How wise! How wonderful! That he can take sinners to glory, that he can turn lives around, all without compromising his justice and righteousness. So we have no need to be ashamed of the Gospel. It is the very power of God for salvation for all who believe, that brings us salvation and brings him glory because of what Jesus has done.

No wonder he finishes with "to the only wise God be glory for evermore through Jesus Christ! Amen."

Maybe in the end that's what God is telling us! It may be different for each one of us—why not chat about it over coffee? But Paul finishes his letter with the pinnacle: a diverse, loving family on a mission, saved by grace, shunning evil, strengthened by the Gospel. And all the glory for it—goes to God.