Romans 16:25-27: In Closing...

Lectionary Cycle Year B: Fourth Sunday in Advent
Romans 16:25-27 (Read it on Bible Gateway)
In Closing...
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In this brief passage from Romans, we have Paul's closing blessing for this letter to the Church at Rome. The three verses on their own might not seem to reveal much theological depth, however, in their placement at the end of the letter, and in this week's readings of the Lectionary, they carry a good deal of depth.

Paul is affirming that the word he has shared throughout this letter is the teaching of the Gospel, the Good News of Christ, and its sole purpose has been to the glory of God. In essence, these verses sum up Paul's entire mission of evangelical preaching throughout his travels. It serves as his mission statement and ultimate goal, to bring the news of Christ to all the world.

As it makes references to prophecies, these verses also serve as a nice reflection on both the Psalm and II Samuel passage in this round (see Devotions: Psalm 89:1-29 and II Samuel 7:1-16), both of which dealt with prophecies that indeed were fulfilled in Christ.

Paul's words to the Church at Rome were to offer assurance of their faith, to encourage them to grow and to help them wrestle with questions. We still face many of those same challenges, so perhaps they can speak to us as well. As we go through life, we may at times question whether Jesus is indeed the Messiah. One of the greatest strengths of the Bible is that it serves as a witness, it also provides a multitude of evidence that indeed supports that Christ is the one long awaited and that our faith is founded on promises fulfilled and not myths.

This is one of the reasons that our own study of Scripture is important, because in doing so we can help build our confidence in our faith by seeing the many ways the Scripture supports what we believe in, how messages spread over thousands of years still ring true.

For the complete listing of our Devotions, see our Devotions Archive