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Timothy: Romans 16:17-27
Final Instructions and Greetings

17 And brothers I exhort you to watch those making divisions and causes of stumbling contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and turn away from them.

18 For such ones do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth speaking and flattering they deceive the hearts of those without guile.

19 For your obedience reached to all; therefore, I rejoice over you. But I desire you to be truly wise as to good, but simple toward evil.

20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

21 Timothy, my fellowworker, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, greet you.

22 I, Tertius, the one writing the epistle, greet you in the Lord.

23 Gaius, the host of all the assembly and me, greets you. Erastus, the steward of the city, and Quartus the brother, greet you.

24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel, and the proclaiming of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery having been kept unvoiced during eternal times,

26 but now has been made plain, and by prophetic Scriptures, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known for obedience of faith to all the nations;

27 to the only wise God through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever. Amen.

[Literal Translation of the Holy Bible]

Dear God, my Beloved Father, I offer You my words of praise and thanks for Your protection over Your Church. I am grateful for another day You have given me. I pray that Christ takes away the tiredness from my body and gives me renewed strength. I pray that the Holy Spirit gives me wisdom as I meditate on the Eternal Living Word of God. I am thankful for Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Dear Father, I would like to present my understanding of Romans 16:17-27.

Dear Father, I understand verses 17 and 18 to mean that Paul is cautioning the believers in the Church in Rome to be careful of those who cause division and offend the Church. These individuals are not true believers in Christ, but are wolves in sheep’s clothing sent by Satan to destroy the Church from within. They speak against fellow believers, falsely accuse leaders, and teach false doctrines. The people of God must avoid them and not allow them to operate in the Church.

Dear Father, I understand verse 19 to mean that the life of faith and holiness of the believers in the Church in Rome, who obey and follow You, has become known throughout the empire. This makes Paul happy, and he hopes that their spiritual maturity will enable them to discern what is good and lead them to live holy lives, free from evil. To be wise about what is good means to know what is good and how to do good without causing offense, and to be pure from evil means to not think about, do, or participate in the evil actions of others.

Dear Father, I understand verse 20 to mean that You are called the God of Peace because all Your plans for humanity are plans of peace. You have given the Gospel of Salvation to all people so that whoever believes in Jesus can have peace. You have defeated Satan through Your people, and they have victory through the grace of the Lord Jesus. They have the power, wisdom, grace, and faith to live a victorious life.

Dear Father, I understand that verses 21 and 23 mean that while writing the letter to the Church in Rome, Paul may have had conversations with his companions who also wanted to greet the Church in Rome. Therefore, Paul listed their names.

Dear Father, I understand verse 22 to mean that Paul read his letter to the Romans, as well as most of his other letters, to someone else to transcribe. The reason for this was that his eyesight was weak, and he found it inconvenient to write letters. The person transcribing the final words of the letter to the Romans for Paul was Tertius. Tertius took advantage of the opportunity to write down his greeting to the Church in Rome before continuing with Paul’s words.

Dear Father, I understand that verse 24 is a blessing for the people of God in Rome that Paul repeats from verse 20.

Dear Father, I understand that from verse 25 to 27 are words of praise for You. Paul affirms that You have the power to make Your people firm in their faith and that You inspired the prophets to write about the Gospel. You are honored through Christ forever.

Dear Father, I understand that “the mystery having been kept unvoiced during eternal times” refers to the Gospel of Salvation that You arranged before the beginning of time. But it was not revealed until God the Word became flesh and made the Gospel a reality. Christ is the One who makes the Gospel known. Christ explains the Scriptures that the prophets wrote about the Gospel.

Dear Father, I am joyful that I have the opportunity to know and accept the Gospel. I am joyful to meditate on the Eternal Living Word of God every day. I am joyful while studying the book of Romans with my brothers and sisters in the Church. May Your Word sanctify us and fill us with wisdom, peace, and joy. Thank You, Father.

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
04/16/2023