Romans 15:8-16:27
Kalamazoo Mennonite Fellowship
Will Fitzgerald
October 11, 2009
Romans 15:8-16:27
Kalamazoo Mennonite Fellowship
Will Fitzgerald
October 11, 2009
We are come to the end of our study of the book of Romans. And I hope that it has been as valuable to you as it has been to me. I feel like I’ve returned home in many ways: Romans, as I said, was the first book of the Bible that I studied as a young Christian in high school. And Paul and Pauline teaching has been the mainstay of much of the preaching and teaching I have heard. But Mennonites tend to focus on the life and teaching of Jesus—not in exclusion to Paul, but I think, because, as Christians, we of followers of Christ’s, not Paul’s. Although the Anabaptist movement started at roughly the same time as the Lutheran and Calvinist movements, the Anabaptists were more concerned with right living, and somewhat less concerned with right thinking. Certainly, the Lutheran association of the “works of the Law” as the rites and the rituals of the Roman Catholic church, which has so colored the Protestant understanding of Romans has not quite been so strong for Mennonites. And, I think it makes it a little easier for us to read Romans for what it is theologically and practically, without quite the lens of a critique of the Roman Catholic church or human effort. I am grateful once again for the books, articles and teachings of N.T. Wright, which have guided much of what I’ve said over the past few months.
Last week, we stopped at verse 15:7, as a kind of climax to the section of bearing with one another in this new humanity, where kosher-keeping Christians and meat-avoiding former pagans, and freedom-minded believers are told to “welcome one another, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” This idea of welcome is a very precious one, and it brings to my mind the delight we can have when we meet new and old friends in God. And, although it is a climax verse on welcoming, it also is a linking verse to Paul’s final theological summary of the book of Romans. You’ll see that he really condenses what he has been saying in 15 chapters or so down to just a few sentences.
He says (15:7-9)
Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
In these verses, Paul states:
Paul goes on to provide several Bible verses that remind us that it was God’s plan all along to create a new people that included both Jews and Gentiles:
As it is written, “Therefore I will confessa you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name”; 1and again he says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people”; and again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him”; and again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope.”
And so we have it: The theme of Romans in a nutshell: God’s plan from the foundation of the world to redeem humanity from its fall by choosing a people, sending Jesus as its Messiah, and then opening up the promises to all humankind. Good news, indeed!
I like how Paul ends this letter with lots of personal notes—of course, he does this in most of his letters, but it reminds us that God’s plan cashes out in the people who join the family, and we can see in this list some of the diversity and opening out to a new family from many nations.
Phoebe is mentioned first—she apparently is carrying the letter from Paul to the church in Rome. She’s a leader in the church at Cenchreae, near Corinth. She’s also a “benefactor,” so I think this means she has some money.
Prisca and Aquila are greeted first. These are great friends of Paul’s, both Jews. And they have a house church, like ours!
Epanenetus is Paul’s first convert in Asia, so he has especially warm feelings towards him.
We have a Mary.
We have Andronicus and Junia, Paul’s relatives, and who are “prominent among the apostles,” and who were Christians before Paul was.
Ampliatus is greeted next; it’s not unlikely that he was a slave. And Urbanus, Staches, apelles, the family of Arisobulus, Herodion, the family of Narcissus, Trphaena and Tryphosa, Persis, Rufus and his mother, Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the church there; Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and their church.
And peole send greetings, too, including Timothy, and Lucius, Jason and Sosipater; and the scribe writing the letter, Tertius; and Gaius and his church; and the Eratus, a city treasurer, and Quartus.
And so we see the church starting to form: male and female, rich and poor, slave and free, Jew and Gentile. Women are leaders; slaves are greeted; Paul often revels in his poverty; we are all slaves of one another; we are forming the new Israel.
And, for all the church’s faults over the years, this vision of an Israel that truly and honestly follows God, strengthened by one another and by the Spirit, made up of all nations, has remained. May our small church be a part of that great fellowship.
It is right and natural that we choose to give God glory for the great things God has done—for us as a church, and as individuals, and in the whole sweep of human history. Let us pray the last verses of Romans together, which is a doxology of glory to God:
Now to Godm who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whombe the glory forever! Amen.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.