Romans 16:21-27

21: Timothy my fellow worker greets you, and so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.
22: I, Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23: Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus, the brother.
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 preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past,
26: but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith;
27: to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.

*** 

Final greetings were given, and Paul ended his letter with a praise to God, acknowledging that He was able to establish them according to his gospel and preaching of Jesus Christ. Their establishment would be in accordance with the mystery, which had been kept secret for so long, but was now revealed. Paul said that this mystery was now being made known to all the nations, leading to their obedience in the faith.

Paul mentioned this mystery earlier in Romans 11:25 saying that he didn’t want them to be ignorant of it, that there was a partial hardening of Israel going on until the fullness of the Gentiles comes. Jesus also spoke of troubling times for the Jews until the times of the Gentiles were fulfilled (Luke 21:24). Again, in Ephesians 3:3-6 Paul spoke of the mystery of Christ which had been previously unknown but now revealed. This mystery, he said, is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and partakes of the promise in Christ through the gospel.

So we see this mystery revealed, which is that God is extending to all nations—both Jew and Gentile—His grace in Christ for salvation. All may become heirs and partakers of the promise through faith in Jesus. The Jews received the promise and carried the oracles of God for many generations until Jesus came and offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice, instituting God’s long-awaited plan of salvation for all by grace through faith.

The Jews had their time, and the Gentiles have their time. In the end both are grafted together into the same tree making one new man in by faith in Christ (Romans 11:17-24), Ephesians 2:11-22). Paul ended by giving glory to Him—the only wise God—through Jesus Christ.



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