These small group studies of Romans contain outlines, cross-references, Bible study discussion questions, and applications. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
Romans 16 Inductive Bible Study
Paraphrase–
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I recommend to you our sister Phoebe. She is a servant of the church in Cenchrea.
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Please receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and help her in anything you can for she has also greatly helped me and many other people.
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Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus.
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They risked their very lives for me. I and all the Gentile churches are very grateful to them.
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Greet the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first one in Asia to believe Christ.
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Greet Mary, who worked diligently for you.
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Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are honored among the apostles and they believed in Christ before I did.
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Greet Ampliatus. I love him in the Lord.
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Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ. And greet my close friend Stachys.
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Greet Appelles, tested and approved in Christ.
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Greet Herodion, my relative. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
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Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.
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Greet Rufus. He was chosen in the Lord. His mother was also chosen in the Lord and was a second mother to me.
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Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patroas, Hermas, and the brothers with them.
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Greet Philologus, Julias, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints with them.
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Greet one another in a friendly way. All the churches of Christ send greetings.
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Please be on the watch for those who cause divisions and put stumbling blocks in your way, going against the things you have learned. Stay away from them!
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Those kinds of people do not serve our Lord. They serve their own desires. They try to use smooth talk and flattery to deceive the minds of naïve people.
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Your obedience is famous so I am really joyful about you. Be sure to be wise concerning the good things and innocent in regards to evil.
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The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
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Timothy, my fellow worker, sends his greetings to you. So does Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my relatives.
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I, Tertius, who wrote this letter for Paul greet you in the Lord.
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Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings.
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Erastus, the city’s director of public works greets you as does our brother Quartus.
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Now God is able to establish you by my gospel and the declaration of Jesus Christ, because the mystery that was hidden for long ages past
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is now revealed and made clear through the prophetic writings which were commanded by God. Because of this all nations can believe and obey him.
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To him, the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Outline-
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Conclusion (chapter 16)
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Greetings (1-16)
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Final warning (17-19)
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Stay away from false teachers (17-18)
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Stay away from evil (19)
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Assurance of Victory (20)
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More Greetings (21-24)
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Benediction (25-27
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Key Words-
Greet- To enfold in the arms, to salute, to welcome
Verse by Verse Commentary
Most of this final chapter to the Romans contains greetings. These greetings have a two-part emphasis. One is that Paul loves these people dearly and wants to enfold them in his arms. The second is that they were mature and dedicated believers who he wants to commend and salute. Most of these people lived in societies that condemned them and even persecuted them. Yet they persevered through all kinds of trials in service to God. The extent of these greetings shows what a far-reaching ministry Paul had. All of these were his personal friends or acquaintances and many had served with him in proclaiming the gospel.
Phoebe – 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 2:3-5. Women such as these were to be taken care of by the church. 1 Timothy 5:3-16. The lesson from Phoebe is that all members of the church are to be involved helping the church. It is also our opportunity and responsibility to help such servants of the church wherever they go. It used to be a practice that families in a church would take turns housing and providing meals for the pastor. Also, when visiting believers would arrive, they would show hospitality to them. This is a good practice and one we should take note of as we seek to extend hospitality to others.
Priscila and Aquila – Acts 18:1-3. See again that Paul was not doing ministry in a vacuum by himself. He had integral partners in ministry supporting him every step of the way. Even super missionaries like Paul need help from other believers such as this faithful couple who risked their lives to help save Paul’s. Not only Paul was grateful, but by extension all the churches he had worked in should be thankful to them. Notice also that a church met in their house. Churches normally met in homes back then, requiring the hospitality of the believers to open their homes to others.
The final words of instruction he gives to them are important. It is a warning to watch out for false teachers or divisive people. These people have the wrong motives when they serve God. Their main desire is to serve themselves. We should beware of them and keep away from them! See Matthew 24:24, Acts 20:27-32, Galatians 1:6-8, Eph 4:14.)
Also he warns them to be separate from evil. This separation from evil is not only a physical separation or action. It is mental as well. We should strive to know as much as possible about God and his word. This will be a positive influence and shape our behavior for good as it acts upon our mind and thoughts. However, we should desire to know as little as possible about the darkness, the deep ways of evil. It is nothing that will carry any benefit whatsoever to us. We don’t even want those kinds of things in our mind, because once there they could have a bad influence and slowly start to shape our thinking. What is the practical application of this? Stay away from evil both in action and in mind! If people tell us bad jokes, share bad stories, or try to tell us of their deep sins in most cases it is better not to listen or hear the details. Proverbs 13:20. Peer pressure is powerful. We often become like those whom we hang around. It is easier to pull down than to pull up. So we should make an effort to spend our time productively away from things that will be a bad influence on us.
Paul closes with a benediction, praising God and giving Him all the glory for everything, a fitting way to end the book.
Discussion Questions
Who are Aquila and Priscilla? Acts 18:2,26 (Good example of a husband-wife missionary team)
When it says to greet one another with a holy kiss how can we apply that today? (Common sense will often show if a command is cultural or not)
What final warning does Paul give to the Romans?
Think if Paul was to mention you in this list what could he say to praise you? (Meditate on this question)
What can we learn from verse nineteen?
What is the mystery which was hidden for long ages? Ephesians 4:6
Review of Romans
What are the main things you learned from Romans?
What passage will stick with you for the rest of your life (me, 8:35-39)
Can you remember the theme?
Trace the progression of Romans.
Chapters 1-5
Chapter 1 sets the theme, the gospel of Christ.
Chapters 2-3 show why it is necessary. All men are unrighteous and condemned because they rejected God’s law as shown in nature, conscience, and His word. Instead they followed their own sinful desires.
Chapters 4-5 talk about true righteousness. It comes from Christ and is based on faith, not works. Our position is righteous before God.
Chapters 6-8 talk about this righteousness as it is lived out. We can be sanctified, not through the law, but through Christ’s power because He has set us free from sin. Nothing can separate us from His love.
Chapters 9-11 talk about God’s historical plan for salvation and how the Jews and Gentiles fit in that plan. We were chosen by God before the world began and it is completely God’s choice not ours. It is only God’s grace and sovereignty not our own goodness.
Chapters 12-15 again go back to living out righteousness. And in this section Paul lays out instructions for our behavior in many areas, giving many details and principles to follow. The areas include, ourselves, church, society, government, and brothers and sisters in Christ. In all of this Christ is our example.
Chapter 16 includes greetings and closing comments.
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