Who Matters to God

PDF

Well, I encourage you to turn just a few chapters over to Romans 16, and I also encourage you to buckle up because we’re going to cover, Lord willing, this morning, 16 verses! That’s got to be a record for the book of Romans.

According to Logos Bible Software, there are 2987 names of people that occur in Scripture. 59 of those names account for about half of those 3000 occurrences. In a weighted list that includes frequency of occurring, book and chapter distribution, the top 15 names are these: Jesus (that’s not surprising), Moses, Jacob, Abraham, Aaron, Solomon, Judah, Isaac, Saul (that is, Israel’s first king), Joseph, Paul, Joshua, Peter, and Levi. But here’s a shocking number. 1600, or over half of those 3000 occurrences of names in the Bible, those names occur only once. Many of them are listed with little or no information. They’re in lists of names. In fact, those who set out to read through the Bible, if Leviticus doesn’t get them, Numbers does when they get to all the genealogies. They simply skip over them, in many cases, without reading them. I won’t ask for a show of hands.

That’s also true when it comes to the list of names found in Roman 16. But as we will discover this morning, this chapter provides a fascinating glimpse into the churches of the first century. And, since all of Scripture is inspired by God and (do you believe this?) is profitable, we’re going to discover in these verses that many simply skip over powerful, spiritual lessons that we need to know and learn.

So, just to remind you where we are, we’re studying the letter’s conclusion. We’ve completed chapter 15 and Paul’s reasons for writing. And, today, we come to chapter 16, the first 24 verses, and to his personal greetings to friends. His personal greetings to friends. This is a historical section and so my outline reflects that. And so, this section begins with the apostle’s greeting to the Roman Christians, in verses 1 to 16, where I want us to look this morning.

Now, obviously, the primary focus of these verses is real believers who lived in the first century. So, as we did with chapter 15, we’re going to begin with the historical and then, before the morning’s done, we’ll finish with the practical. So, we’re going to start with the meaning “then”. This is, by the way, always how you should approach the Scripture. We’re going to start with the meaning, “then”. And then, after we understand that, we’ll consider the implications “now and always”, because in the greetings of Romans 16, we’re going to discover the nature of the first century church, and frankly of all true churches, and crucial lessons about ourselves as individuals, and about the church to which we belong. So, let’s look at it together.

Paul begins his personal greetings with a commendation of the letter’s carrier in the first two verses, a commendation of the letter’s carrier. Verse 1: “I commend to you...” The word means to introduce or to recommend someone. It was a New Testament practice to send letters of commendation with a traveling believer, letters from the church leaders where they attended. The reason for this is obvious. Christians have always been known for their hospitality and, because of that, can be easily taken advantage of. And so, it was helpful to have letters of recommendation accompany people you didn’t know in order to protect against fraud. Can you imagine what it was like when Phoebe arrived in Rome with this letter, and the churches open the letter, and she said, “I’m from Cenchrea and you need to read the final part of this letter.” And so, they unwind the scroll, and they get to the end, to what we call chapter 16, and they read, “Paul says, ’Let me commend to you, Phoebe.’“ I’m sure there was a rush to give her the best seat in the house. This is the apostle, Paul.

Verse 1 goes on: “I commend to you our sister Phoebe [our fellow Christian Phoebe]...” By the way, her name means “bright” or “radiant”. It’s the feminine form of the Greek god, Apollo. And so, this woman was a Gentile. That’s pretty obvious. She was also a servant of the church. Now, that word servant could mean one of two things. It could mean that she was an official deacon or deaconess in the church in Cenchrea, or she was simply a woman who faithfully served other believers in the church. The word can be used for both of those realities.

Now, the reason some see deacon or deaconess here is because they believe that 1 Timothy 3, and you can turn there with me, 1 Timothy 3 - they believe that this chapter includes three church offices. Elders - that’s verses 1-7, deacons - verses 8-10 and then verses 12-13, and then they would say that verse sandwiched in the middle, verse 11, is about deaconesses. Look at verse 11: “Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.” Now, there are several reasons, and I’m not going to develop this fully, but there are several reasons that I believe, and our church has taken the position that these are not deaconesses, but rather wives of deacons. Couple of reasons I’ll just mention to you. One is there’s a Greek word for deaconess, but it never appears in the New Testament. And the first use of the word deaconess in this sense, is in a third century document. There, their duties are listed as assisting the sick, helping in the baptism of women, helping with the needy. The First Council of Nicaea, in 325 AD, mentions that such deaconesses were not ordained and were considered as part of the laity. So, this passage can’t be used to argue, as some have done, that 1 Timothy 2 isn’t in place, but rather women had a significant role of leadership in the church. That’s not what this is saying.

Another argument here in 1 Timothy 3 would be verse 11 is sandwiched between verses about deacons. If it’s a separate office, why didn’t Paul first finish the qualification for deacons, and then deal with deaconesses? On the other hand, it’s perfectly natural if verse 11 is describing the wives of deacons, to put it in the middle of a passage that’s dealing with deacons.

A third reason I would give you is that Paul uses the word for women, there in the beginning of verse 11 here in Timothy, both for women and for wives. But in the closest context, chapter 3 verse 2 and verse 12, it refers to wives. And so, therefore, I think we could translate it “their wives”, that is, the wives of deacons must be having these qualifications. So, then, that’s just a brief overview, but these qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:11 are for the wives of deacons, who from time to time, will assist their husbands in the service of the church.

So, back to Roman 16 then, Phoebe was not an official deaconess, but rather she was simply a woman who faithfully served in her church. Notice she served in the church. By the way, it’s interesting, this is the first use of the Greek word ekklesia, the word for “church” in Romans. He’ll use it five times in this chapter, but this is the first time in Romans - “the church which is at Cenchrea”.

Now, if you understand anything about the Mediterranean, or if you were to see a map, this would make perfect sense to you. Paul had visited Cenchrea in Acts 18:18, when he had previously lived in Corinth for 18 months. Why? Because Cenchrea was the port for Corinth. In fact, it was only 6 1/2 miles away from the city of Corinth, the city from which Paul wrote this letter of Romans. So, Cenchrea then made perfect sense as the starting point for a journey to Rome, and he tasked Phoebe, who lived nearby in Corinth’s port, with taking this letter from Corinth to Rome. Donald Gray Barnhouse writes this, “Never was there a greater burden carried by such tender hands. The theological history of the church through the centuries was in the manuscript that she brought with her. The Reformation was in her baggage. The blessing of multitudes in our day was carried in that parchment.” No Mediterranean storm was going to sink that ship.

When Phoebe arrived in Rome, Paul wanted the Christians to treat her a certain way. Notice verse 2: “that you receive her in the Lord [that is, as a Christian sister] in a manner worthy of the saints...” Receiving, here, means welcome her into the fellowship of the churches, and help her. Help her find lodging, food, other necessities. He goes on to say, “...and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you...” That’s an interesting expression and not something Paul says anywhere else. He isn’t explicit here about exactly what kind of help Phoebe needed, but the Greek word translated “matter” (whatever matter), is used in 1 Corinthians 6:1 of a legal dispute. It’s possible that was involved, but we just don’t know. Regardless, the churches there were to help her.

Why? Verse 2 goes on to say, “...for [because] she herself has also been a helper...” By the way, in secular Greek, that word “helper” often means patron or benefactor, someone who gives generously of their means. “...for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.” So, Phoebe was likely a woman of high social standing and wealth and was generous with both her wealth and her home. By the way, this explains why a woman would be taking this letter. I mean, it would be rare for a woman in the ancient world to travel alone. Instead, this is likely a woman of some means and stature who had been traveling with people with her, and who would have been able to protect her and care for her in whatever issues came up that in the first century she would not have been able to address or deal with.

So, she’s the carrier of the letter. Having commended her as the carrier of the letter, Paul continues, secondly here, with a greeting of the Roman Christians; a greeting of the Roman Christians beginning in verse 3 and running down through verse 15.

Now, as he greets the believers in Rome, he began with a couple he knew very well, Prisca and Aquila. Now, Prisca is not the normal form of this name we’re used to. It’s the root form of Priscilla. Priscilla is the diminutive in Greek. Just as we sometimes play with names in English, they did in Greek as well. Four of the five times that this couples’ names appear in the New Testament, Priscilla ‘s name comes first. So, some have suggested that she had a higher social rank than Aquila’s. That’s possible, but the New Testament doesn’t care much about social rank, so it may just have been a manner of form or of social grace. Aquila is an interesting name. It’s actually Latin for “the eagle”.

Paul first met this couple in Corinth on his second missionary journey. I want you to go back to Acts 18 and see how this happened. Acts 18:1. This is on his second missionary journey: “After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth. And [there is Corinth, verse 2] he found [and notice what we learn about this couple here. He found] a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius [the Emperor] had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome.” So, this was a Jewish couple. He, Aquila, was originally from Pontus. That’s the southern shore of the Black Sea. He had lived in Rome until, or they had lived in Rome rather, until the Emperor Claudius had demanded that all the Jews leave the city in the year 49 AD, likely because of disturbances in the Jewish synagogues related to the gospel.

After leaving Rome, this couple had settled in Corinth, here where Paul met them for the first time. Like Paul, we learned in verse 2, they were tent makers. That’s what first drew them together. By the way, we don’t know for sure what that means. It may be tents like you probably think of, but it’s possible, since Paul and this couple typically lived in large cities in the ancient world, that instead of tents for, you know, families to have like outings in, they made cloth awnings or tent-like covers for shops and homes just like we have today.

Verse 3 says, “[He came to them] and because he was of the same trade [notice this], he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers. And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.” So, during Paul’s 18 months in Corinth, he stayed at the home of Aquila and Priscilla. When he left Corinth after 18 months, Priscilla and Aquila traveled with him. You’ll notice down in chapter 18:18, “Paul, having remained many days longer, took leave of the brethren and put out to sea for Syria, and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchrea [where Phoebe was from, the port there by Corinth] he had his hair cut, for he was keeping a vow. They came to Ephesus, and he [Paul] left them [this couple] there.” So, they leave Corinth, and they travel to Ephesus. Now, while this couple were in Ephesus, you remember later in this 18th chapter, they heard a man who was a powerful preacher, a man named Apollos, and this couple took him aside and helped him better understand the gospel, better understand all that Christ had taught.

Now, when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, he mentions the church that was meeting in Aquila and Priscilla ‘s house in Ephesus. So, they left Corinth, moved to Ephesus and there they hosted a church in their home. Eventually, they left Ephesus and returned to Rome. Shortly after Claudius’ death in the year 54 AD and the recension of his edict that banned the Jews from Rome, they return. And when Paul wrote Romans, Aquilla and Priscilla were back in Rome.

Now, go back to Romans 16. Now, you understand why, verse 3, Paul calls them “my fellow workers in Christ Jesus”, because surely, they had been in remarkable ways, including 18 months he had stayed in their home in Corinth. And then he adds in verse 4, “who for my life risked their own necks [that is, they endangered their own lives to save Paul’s], to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles...” He said, “Listen, I’m grateful, but think of what would’ve happened if I’d been killed? There’re churches that would not have been built up; churches that wouldn’t have been planted.” And so, they’re grateful.

Now, when did this happen? Verse 4. It was likely, we don’t know for sure, but it was likely at the time of the riot in Ephesus, you remember.

Verse 5: “also greet the church that is in their house.” So, Aquila and Priscilla returned to Rome and a church was meeting in their house in Rome. Now, this was typical in the first century. There were no church buildings. Churches typically met in the large meeting rooms in the homes of the wealthy members. You remember, in Acts 1, they were meeting in the upper room, the same one where Jesus and His disciples gathered. And that room in Jerusalem, that wealthy room in Jerusalem, accommodated 120 people. And so, this is how the churches met.

Now, having greeted this couple, who had so consistently been his ministry partners, he goes on to greet other individuals in the Roman churches, other individuals in the Roman churches. Now, beginning in the middle of verse 5 and going down through verse 13, as we work through these names, it’s clear that Paul had a relationship with some of these people. But with others, he likely only knew them through word of mouth from Aquila and Priscilla, who, remember, had been at Rome, and then he had stayed with them for 18 months in the city of Corinth.

Verse 5, and here’s a list of names. Now, let me just tell you, as I pronounce these names, I will do my best. These are the pronunciations the experts tell us. This is how they ought to be pronounced in English. So, you can keep that in mind, and you’ll see some of these names or names that you may want to use for naming your children in the future.

Let’s start with this one. Here’s a good boy’s name. “Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to [know] Christ from Asia [that is, from Asia Minor, modern Turkey].” Paul knew this man and especially loved this man because he was the first to believe in Christ in Asia Minor, where Paul had spent the last 25 years of his ministry.

Verse 6: “Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.” Mary was a common name both among the Jews and among the Gentiles, so we don’t know which she was. And she had worked hard, we’re told, in the churches, in the church to which she belonged. I can’t help but think, as I read this again and again, of the many in our own church who work hard for the Lord in this place. This was true in the first century.

Verse 7: “Greet Andronicus and Junias...” Likely, this was a married couple. There’s been some discussion about Junias. Is that a male or female? But before the 12th century, commentators unanimously taught that Junias was a woman, probably the wife of Andronicus, and I think that’s the best way to understand it here. They also were Jewish. Verse 7 says, “my kinsmen”. But Andronicus and Junias are Greek names, so these were Hellenistic Jews, Jews who had been influenced by the Greek culture. Verse 7 says, “...and my fellow prisoners...” They had been arrested and imprisoned with Paul at some point in his ministry.

It goes on to say, verse 7, “...who are outstanding among the apostles...” Now, in the New Testament, whenever the word “apostles” appears with a definite article, as it does here, it’s always referring to the apostles to the Twelve minus Judas. So, they were outstanding among the apostles. Don’t misunderstand. This is not saying they were apostles, but they were esteemed among the apostles is the idea. They were outstanding in the eyes of the apostles.

And he adds in verse 7, “...who also were in Christ before me”. That means that this couple was saved in the early 30s AD, shortly after the crucifixion and resurrection. Possibly, they were among the Hellenistic Jews in that synagogue, you remember, in Jerusalem where Steven preached. We can’t be sure.

Verse 8: “Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.” He was likely, based on his name, because names were given... Some names were given to slaves and former slaves, some names were given to the upper class. This name means that Ampliatus was likely a slave or a freed slave. His name is quite unusual. It doesn’t occur much at all in Rome or in Roman history, so it’s interesting. This may be the man whose name is referred to in a catacomb inscription dating from the first century.

Verse 9: “Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ...” He also was a slave or a former slave. And it’s interesting, Bishop Lightfoot, in his description of all of these names, says it’s possible, based on the name itself, that this man was part of Caesar’s household, that he was on the imperial staff. Also notice he says, “our fellow worker”, not my fellow worker as he did with Aquila. So, it’s possible Paul only knew this man by reputation. He adds in verse 9, “...and Stachys my beloved.” We know nothing about him except Paul loved this man.

Verse 10: “Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ...” All we know about this man is that he was well known and a respected believer. He was approved in Christ. You know, what a name for somebody to wear. There’s a prayer for you to pray. Lord, help me to be approved in Christ.

Verse 10 goes on, “Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus.” Now, it’s implied the way this is worded, that Aristobulus is not included in this greeting, that he was not a believer. But members of his household, especially his slaves, were. There are good reasons to believe that this man was the grandson of Herod the Great and the brother of King Herod Agrippa I, in which case, Aristobulus wasn’t alive when Paul wrote this. He had died six or seven years earlier, and so, Paul is writing to his household. On his death, his slaves would have passed to the emperor. And so, again, this is likely a household of people who are connected to the imperial household.

Verse 11: “Greet Herodion, my kinsman.” Again, here’s a Jewish man. This name never appears in Roman history, and that’s likely because he was a Jew, and he was in the service of one of the Herods. And that’s why his name is a form of Herod, and that particular member of the Herodian family had died in Rome, and he’s there now in Rome.

Next, Paul greets believers who belong to another prominent Roman household. Verse 11 says, “Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord.” Now, Narcissus is notorious in Roman history. He was a former slave who served the Roman Emperor, Claudius. He was in leadership in Claudius’ household. He was an evil man who actually committed suicide, shortly before Paul wrote the book of Romans. It’s amazing that there were people in his house who were believers. It’s such a lesson in sovereign grace. You would never have imagined that those living in Narcissus’ house would have been believers, but there were. And his slaves, too, would have passed to the emperor on his death. So, they too were likely in the imperial household.

Verse 12. Here are a couple of names you might want to name your next twins, “Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord.” These were typically names of slaves or former slaves as well, and they were likely sisters. And because of the similar sounding names (yes, they did this in the ancient world as well), they were possibly even twins. Their names mean (are you ready for this?), “delicate and dainty”. There’s an irony, isn’t it? Delicate and Dainty, labored to exhaustion in the Lord, Christians who were committed to serving the Lord in their churches.

Verse 12: “Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord.” Now, this name Persis is a feminine form of the word Persian. So, this was a woman from, likely from Persia. She may have been captured as a slave in that region. And notice, she was beloved, and Paul changes the wording here and says she “has worked hard”, serving in the church. That implies that maybe that service has now slowed down. Perhaps, this woman was elderly.

Verse 13: “Greet Rufus [which means Red in Latin], a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.” This is my favorite name in this entire list. You know why? Because of the story behind it. In Mark’s gospel, Mark 15:21, we’re told about the crucifixion of our Lord. And as Jesus was led out of the city carrying that cross, remember of the cross on which He was to be crucified on His shoulders, because of complete exhaustion from all that He had experienced physically for the last 12 hours or so, He collapsed. And there, standing on the street corner at the time of Passover, was a man named Simon of Cyrene. Simon of Cyrene was there for the feast. He was a Jewish man, likely, just waiting across the street till the crowd passed. Roman soldier grabbed him and said, “You! You’re going to carry this cross.” And Simon of Cyrene did just that. Mark 15:21 says, “They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene...to bear His cross.” And Mark adds this, “the father of Alexander and Rufus”.

Now, Mark wrote his gospel in Rome, so most believe that he’s connecting Simon of Cyrene, whom the people in Rome didn’t know, with two well-known Christians in Rome. It appears from the New Testament record, and this is an amazing story of grace, that a passer-by named Simon of Cyrene, compelled by a Roman soldier in what appears to be pure chance, carried the cross of Jesus to Golgotha. And there, he heard all that unfolded. He heard the taunts. He heard the claims. He heard Christ and those seven words from the cross. He saw Him die. And Simon of Cyrene became a believer in Jesus Christ, and he went home and told his wife, and so did she, and his two sons, Alexander and Rufus, and so did they. Alexander, tradition says, by this time, by the time of the book of Romans, had already been martyred and Simon had died as well, but Rufus and his mother were still living. So, Paul here refers to Rufus as a choice or outstanding man in the Lord.

Paul also, notice, greets Rufus’ mother - that’s the wife of Simon of Cyrene, who carried Jesus’ cross. And, notice, he had apparently treated, she rather, the mother of Rufus, had apparently treated Paul like her own son at some point. And so, he refers to her not only as the mother of Rufus, but my mother as well.

So, in greeting the Roman Christians, then, Paul greeted Prisca and Aquila. He greeted several other individuals. But, thirdly, notice in verses 14 and 15, he also greets key Roman churches and their leaders. Verse 14: we meet the first of those churches, a list of names. Notice, again, how Paul greets this church: “Greet Asyncritus [which, by the way, means incomparable - thinking about asking my children, if we have grandkids, to name their first son Asyncritus - incomparable. This probably won’t be a name we’ll use] Phlegon [it means “burning” and in the first century it was a common dog’s name], Hermes [named after the Greek God], Patribus, Hermus [and notice this] and the brethren with them.” Now, the wording here implies that these men listed may have been elders in this church, and the brethren with them were the Christians who were part of that church.

Verse 15: “[another church] Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.” Philologus means “lover of words”. What a great name for a Christian and an elder - a lover of words. Julia was likely his wife. Nereus and his sister may have been their children and part of the church. We just don’t know for sure. Olympus was apparently the only other member of this church that Paul knew by name. And, notice, he then greeted all the saints who were with them, all the other believers who attended this church.

Now, in addition to these two churches, in verses 14 and 15, there were other churches in Rome. Go back to verse 5, remember, there was the church that met in the home of Prisca and Aquila. And if you look at this other list of names, there had to have been churches where these people attended as well. So, more than four churches met in the city of Rome.

Now, after Paul greets all of these believers, some he knows well, others he’s heard of through Aquila and Priscilla, he encourages them to greet one another. Verse 16: “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” Five times in the New Testament, the believers of the first century were given this command - here in verse 16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:26, and by Peter in 1 Peter 5:14. What does this mean? Some of you are getting a little uncomfortable, right? Greet one another with a holy kiss. When I first went to Russia after the Soviet Union collapsed, there were still a lot of Christians there who greeted one another, when they came together, with a kiss on the lips, men with men, women with women. It’s not necessarily a tradition I want to get into.

But in the first century, it was common to greet others with a kiss in particular two circumstances - one as an expression of love for family, just like it is today, and secondly as an expression of affection for a close, a really close, friend. That was the kind of kiss the New Testament was commanding. By the way, the tradition of actually greeting one another with a holy kiss lasted for several centuries in the church. Justin Martyr writes, “On finishing the prayers, we greet each other with a kiss.” But as the culture changed over the centuries, eventually the church abandoned this practice, just like foot-washing. Why? Because it’s not the act that was being demanded and encouraged, but rather the lesson behind the act, just like with foot-washing. And what is the enduring spiritual lesson for us behind the idea of a holy kiss? We are to have love for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, that is usually reserved for family and close friends, and we’re to show that toward each other in culturally appropriate ways.

You say, “Well, what’s appropriate for us today?” Well, let me ask you this question. How do you greet family or close friends when you haven’t seen them in a long time, or you won’t see them again soon? Maybe it’s a handshake. You know, my brothers and I often will give a handshake. Sometimes, if we know we’re not going to see each other for a long time, perhaps a hug. Other family members, you hug them, a sideways squeeze or hug at times, or even a kiss in some cases. Whatever it is, whatever is the normal expression that you reserve for family and close friends, that is to be how you are to think of your brothers and sisters in Christ. That’s what we’re to do with them. And notice whatever form of greeting, whether it’s a handshake or a hug or a kiss, it’s always to be a holy thing, that is, we’re never to use this command as a cover for anything impure.

Finally, after saying you need to greet one another, Paul added a greeting from other churches at the end of verse 16: “All the churches of Christ greet you.” He means all the churches that he had planted back in verse 19, from Jerusalem to Illyricum, all over eastern Europe, all of those churches that I know and am familiar with, they greet you in Christ.

So, that’s the history. That’s the “then”. But we’re not done yet because I want to point out to you several abiding lessons. I want us to go from the “then” to the “now and always”. So, stay tuned, because this is really the point. These are the lessons we can glean from this historical section of Scripture.

Number one, here’s the first abiding lesson. Christ intended His church to be diverse. Christ intended His church to be diverse. The diversity of the Roman churches was like our own church. I want you to think about this with me. In these verses, Paul mentions twenty-six individuals, twenty-four by name, two households, at least three (probably four or five or more) churches. In this list of names, there are seventeen men, about half of those are probably elders of the churches he’s talking to, and nine women. So, about equal number, really, once you take the elders out of the picture, about an equal number of men and women. There are three married couples. Likely, there are several women here who were widows. As in every culture, that tends to be true. And several men and women who were married to unbelievers, who were unequally yoked.

Now, there have been several studies, extensive studies of this list of names. Let me just give you an overview of what’s been learned. Most of the names are Gentile; a few are Jewish. The names reveal several different ethnicities and several different nationalities. Ten of these names were typically given to slaves or to former slaves in the first century. And again, just to remind you, first century slavery was not a good thing, but it was certainly not the evil thing that American slavery was. It wasn’t kidnapping and what was given a criminal and capital penalty in the Old Testament and the New Testament. It wasn’t that. So, ten of these names are typically given to slaves or freed slaves. Four of these names are given to those of higher social standing and wealth. And about 12 of the names we really don’t know what their social standing or background was. So, in the churches in Rome, there were Jews and Gentiles, there were freeborn, there were slaves, and there were freed men and women, that is, those who were former slaves. There were people of vastly different socioeconomic status. There were people with conflicting cultural and religious backgrounds. There were new believers and there were some who had been in Christ for many years. How do we know that? Well, Rufus and his mother, the wife of Simon of Cyrene, were saved around the time of the Crucifixion, some 25 years earlier. Paul says that Andronicus and Junias were in Christ before him, sometime before 32 or 33 AD. That, again, would have been 20-25 years before. In this list of names, there were Roman natives. There weren’t many of them, just like there aren’t many native Texans. But there were native Romans and there were also, in these churches, believers from across the Empire - from Pontus, from Asia Minor, from Cyrene, and from California. No, there were none from California, but there are in our church. And each church enjoyed relationships with other churches. You see that as Paul greets one and the churches, through him, greet other churches. And, of course, the gift that we read about in chapter 15.

The question is this: how could people from such different backgrounds enjoy such a wonderful and rich spirit of unity? And that brings us to our second lesson. Not only does Christ intend for His church to be diverse, but the source of our unity is Christ our Lord. I’m not going to take you through and show you each one, but nine times in these 16 verses, Paul says these believers were either “in the Lord” or “in Christ”. That was the source of their unity, and it is the source of our unity as well. 1 Corinthians 12:13 says, “For by one Spirit [the Holy Spirit] we were all [all believers] baptized [immersed] into one body [whose body? Christ’s body!], whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” That’s what unites us. Listen, we’re different. We are different just like the believers in Rome. We’re different in so many different ways. And we can celebrate individually those differences but those differences, in the end, are not what should define us. What defines us is our common Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thirdly, true Christians love other believers and forge interconnecting relationships across the world. You see that in this letter. I mean these people, I hope you understand, they moved around a lot more than you think they moved around. You see that certainly with the Aquila and Priscilla. You see that with others. The ancient world was not that much unlike our own. And what happened then should happen now, and that is, the Christian community is a small community. And we should forge, we should love other Christians, and we should forge and celebrate interconnecting relationships with like-minded brothers and sisters in this place and around the world. Let me ask you, if you profess to know Jesus Christ, do you love other believers? Because I can tell you this, according to 1 John, if you don’t, if this isn’t a passion of your heart, then there’s something desperately wrong with your profession of faith.

Number 4, and I love this one: Christ cares about every believer and knows each by name. You know, sometimes I think we’re tempted to think of the church as this group. And Christ looks at the group and yeah, He goes, “Well, yeah, what is that guy’s name? I don’t remember him.” No, it’s not like that at all. Individuals matter. Christ knows each of us as individuals.

I was thinking this last week about Isaiah 43, verses 1 and 7. There, it’s talking about the true believers in Old Testament Israel. And he first speaks to them as a group. Listen to this, Isaiah 43:1: “But now, thus says the Lord [Yahweh], your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!” Now, if we stop there, we might think he’s just thinking collectively. But you go down to verse 7 of that same chapter and he says this, “Everyone [every individual] who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”

Would you stop for a moment and just think about what you have in chapter 16 of Romans? These are real people. In the most cases, ordinary, unknown, first century believers who served Christ in small little house churches in Rome. They find their names forever recorded in the inspired Word of God. You’ll meet these people in heaven. And I’m sure you will find that they are still amazed that their names were recorded in Paul’s letter to the Romans, still amazed that their names have been recorded for all time, for God’s people, as examples of those who were faithful in Christ because they would be the first to say, “Listen, I’m just an ordinary believer, just trying to serve Christ in my little house church, caring for people, carrying out tasks that frankly don’t seem that important.” Barnhouse writes this: “When all the stones have turned to sand and when the elements melt in fervent heat and Rome, supposedly eternal, is seen to be the quintessence of all that is temporal, these humble people beloved, hard workers, and saints will burst forth in the brilliance of the truly eternal city, which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

And brothers and sisters, I want you to see the same thing is true today. The same thing is true for you and for me. You are... If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, you are important to our Lord. He died to make you His own. He has redeemed you. He has called you by name. You are His.

Let’s pray together.

Father, we are overwhelmed by the truths we have just described and considered together. Lord, who is man? What is man that You are mindful of him? And who are any of us as individuals, that You would set your love upon us, that You would call us by name and make us Your own, that You’d give us as a love gift to your Son, as an eternal expression of Your love and care for Him? We are overwhelmed by Your Grace. But, Lord, help us, help us to praise You, to relish this truth. Help us not to think of ourselves as ordinary, unknown, insignificant because we aren’t to You. You have paid for us at the heaven’s greatest cost. Help us to be like these saints - just faithful, faithful to serve You and the church You placed us in, knowing that while time will move on, You, our Lord, will never forget. Thank You for the encouraging reminder of these otherwise nameless saints. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen!