The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed His plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey Him. All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.
Romans 16:24-27
There is much debate about the ending of Romans given the number of times Paul seems to close the letter. And the fact that he closes with a full doxology rather than the normal benediction. There are many places in Romans where Paul seems to close the letter as we have discussed before. The other occurrences we have dealt with, now what about this one?
Verse 24 is placed by the Syriac version at the end of the chapter, and is missing from the Ethiopic version, but it is in all other copies, it ought to be repeated and stand here. The reason for the repetition may be because the former (vs 20) might have been written by Paul, and verse 24 was written by his Emmanuensis, Tertius. It is possible that Tertius wrote the whole of the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th verses, without receiving any particular instructions from Paul, except the permission to add his own salutations with those of his particular friends. There is a great deal of disagreement among the MSS. and versions relative to this verse; some rejecting it entirely, and some of those which place the following verses at the end of Rom_14:23, inserting it at the end of the 27th verse in that place.
If Paul were to have written both how do we explain it? If Paul dictated the first “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” then why would he dictate it a second time and then add the word “all”. Many see it as being by the hand of Tertius. So all of Rom 16:22-24 appear as though they could have been written by Tertius. It is an interesting puzzle. You work out what you think about it. It is not a significant issue in my mind for us to spend more time on.
Romans 16:25-27 are placed at the end of the chapter by the most reputable manuscripts and versions, which is supposed by most critics to be their proper place. Like the repetition of the grace we have a repetition of the glory in verse 25 and again in verse 27. Glory to God who is able to make you strong – in the fight and in the outworking of His grace. The Gospel, this good news about God’s grace, is wrapped around his message for the Gentiles. It is clear that this message to the Gentiles was at the centre of God’s heart from the beginning. It is clear that Romans chapters 9-11 are central in God’s plan and therefore integral to Paul’s purpose in writing the epistle to the Romans. After all they are Gentiles. Then he closes the book with a repeat of the idea of all glory going to God.
Yes indeed may all glory go to the Lord. All glory in life and all glory through the reading of the book of Romans and the outworking of its truths.
ALL GLORY TO GOD.
You are who God says you are. Spiritually alive. Heavenly positioned. A billboard of mercy. An honoured child.
Max Lucado
If God’s Word holds the universe together, surely He can keep your life from falling apart!
A R Bernard