1I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the assembly that is at Cenchreae, 2that you receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and that you assist her in whatever matter she may need from you, for she herself also has been a helper of many, and of my own self.
3Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the assemblies of the Gentiles. 5Greet the assembly that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first fruits of Achaia to Christ. 6Greet Mary, who labored much for us. 7Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and my fellow prisoners, who are notable among the apostles, who were also in Christ before me. 8Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord. 9Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. 10Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. 11Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet them of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. 12Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord. Greet Persis, the beloved, who labored much in the Lord. 13Greet Rufus, the chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. 14Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16Greet one another with a holy kiss. The assemblies of Christ greet you.
17Now I beg you, brothers, look out for those who are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and turn away from them. 18For those who are such don’t serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the innocent. 19For your obedience has become known to all. I rejoice therefore over you. But I desire to have you wise in that which is good, but innocent in that which is evil. 20And the God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
21Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my relatives. 22I, Tertius, who write the letter, greet you in the Lord. 23Gaius, my host and host of the whole assembly, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, as does Quartus, the brother. 24The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all! Amen. 25
The Lord Our God is One
The Lord Our God is One
17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore, I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.
To understand the Book of Romans, it is absolutely necessary to understand why Paul was writing it. He was addressing a division in the church in Rome. The Jewish Christians had left when exiled, and when they returned to Rome, they found Gentile Christians running the church. This ruffled feathers and caused division. God hates division. God loves unity. The great Hebrew prayer, the Shemah Yisrael, begins with the declaration, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4). The Hebrew word used there for “one” is in fact the word “unity”. God is Unity. God is One. God desires for His people to worship together in peace.
Years ago, our little community of faith in Texas was visited by a group of Amish men and women from Wisconsin. They came to put a new roof on our fellowship hall, but only under a few conditions. One condition was that I would give a devotional every morning before we started work. As I prayed about what to teach on that first morning, my mind stumbled across Psalm 133. It states, “See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil on the head, that ran down on the beard, even Aaron’s beard, that came down on the edge of his robes,” The anointing of Aaron isn’t recorded anywhere else in scripture, but David was talking about it. But that wasn’t the big idea.
David states that unity among brethren is like the precious oil used for anointing the head. I did a deep dive and learned that the “anointing oil” was a special blend of oils and spices set forth by God. It could not be holy with just one kind of oil. What made it holy was the mix of diverse ingredients, all required by God to make the special oil holy. God is not interested in uniformity, but in unity. Some of my Amish listeners understood the implication. Uniformity in dress, buttons, suspenders, and other outward things had very little to do with unity. We should all strive for unity in our church body if we’re not getting along with someone. Get that “thing” worked out. In this passage, Paul calls those who create divisions evil. Whether they know it or not, they are being used by Satan to stir up trouble. Don’t give the devil a foothold. Strive for unity with other believers with all your abilities. Paul knew that the only things that truly threatened the unity of God were divisions and offense. Always remember that offense is the bait of Satan. Don’t fall for it. As much as you are able to do so, stay unified with your brothers and sisters in Christ.