Encountering Jesus in His Word

Introduction

Philip “preached Christ” to the Samaritans (Acts 8:5) and then “preached Jesus” to the Ethiopian official (Acts 8:35). Paul affirms that at Corinth he and his companions preached “the Son of God, Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 1:19). Peter declares, “we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ ...” (2 Pet. 1:16).¹ But the broader context of these passages clearly shows that the person of Jesus Christ, the primary focus of the gospel message, is not the sum total of what is taught.

Preaching “Christ” to the Samaritans included the kingdom of God, the name (authority) of Jesus Christ, and baptism (Acts 8:12-13). Preaching “Jesus” to the Ethiopian helped him understand his need to be baptized (Acts 8:36-39). Preaching “the Son of God, Jesus Christ” at Corinth included the Lord's death, burial and resurrection (1 Cor. 1:23; 2:2; 15:1-4), baptism into his body (Acts 18:8; 1 Cor. 12:13), and all the other teachings that were passed on to them (Acts 18:11). Peter, in his recorded sermons and two inspired epistles, obviously taught more than just the person of Jesus. 

To preach “Jesus,” in the biblical sense, not only involves transmitting the doctrine about Jesus but also the doctrine from Jesus (including what is conveyed through his inspired agents), “the doctrine of Christ” (John 7:16-17; 2 John 9), “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). 

Beware of an Overly-Simplified Condensed Gospel 

How do we answer the question, “What must I do to be saved?” This question is asked on three separate occasions in the book of Acts (2:37; 16:30; 22:10), with a different response given each time. The answer depends on who is asking and where the inquirer is along his or her spiritual journey. 

The Jews in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (chap. 2) and the Ethiopian official on the road to Gaza (chap. 8) were already deeply committed to God and to the authority of the scriptures, whereas the Philippian jailer (chap. 16) and the Athenian philosophers (chap. 17) were not. Still today each prospective convert is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach that is suitable for every person.

Martin Luther preached an abbreviated gospel of justification by faith alone. And if we’re not careful, we can also be guilty of reducing the gospel message to a fraction of what the Lord originally intended.

“Hear, believe, repent, confess, and be baptized” is the standard formula often cited as the gospel plan of salvation, typically accompanied by a single-verse Bible reference for each. Surely we recognize the need to “remain faithful” after baptism, but what all does this entail? We don’t want to overly complicate what ought to be simple and straightforward, but at the same time we don’t want to oversimplify something so important that it could result in the gospel being insufficiently taught. The bottom line is, what exactly is to be heard and believed and obeyed? And where’s the church in God’s plan?

The Book of Conversions

While the fifth book of the NT has historically been labeled “the Book of Conversions,” let’s not forget that it is actually the sequel of a two-volume set. As Dr. Luke composed the historical narrative of Acts, he could reasonably assume that his readers were already familiar with “the former account” (Acts 1:1). 

The Acts narrative is not an intricately detailed report of all that was said and done in each recorded event. In fact, thirty-two years of history have been compacted into only twenty-eight chapters! Acts consists of selective highlights of the conversion stories it recounts rather than comprehensive details of each. Although there is no explicit reference to confession of faith in chap. 2, or to baptism in chaps. 3-4, or to repentance in chap. 8, or to belief in most of chap. 9, surely we understand that it is the totality of information that provides the complete picture.

Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost, which led to the conversions of about 3,000 souls, is boiled down to merely twenty-six verses (which can be read or quoted in less than two-and-a-half minutes!). These verses do not contain the sum total of the apostle’s message, as the inspired historian clearly explains: “And with many other words he testified and exhorted them ...” (Acts 2:40).

The next recorded gospel sermon is summed up in only fifteen verses (Acts 3:12-26), even though it appears to have lasted for several hours. While the events that instigated this evangelistic opportunity started around 3 o’clock in the afternoon (3:1), the preaching continued on into the evening (4:3).

Where’s the Church in the Gospel Plan of Salvation?

Penitent baptized believers are added to the church (Acts 2:37-47), baptized into one body (1 Cor. 12:13), the church (Col. 1:18). Jesus is the Savior of the body/the church (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:23). The Greek word ekklēsía, translated “church” in our English Bibles, occurs no less than twenty-two times in Acts with reference to the congregated disciples of Jesus.² As we trace the gospel story through Luke’s first volume (the Gospel) and on through the second (Acts), it is clear that the ekklēsía of Acts fulfills the numerous basileía (kingdom) prophecies of the Gospel.³

Jesus came to earth to “preach the kingdom of God” (Luke 4:43; 8:1; 9:11), and he commissioned his disciples to do the same (Luke 9:2; 10:9, 11). He promised that within their lifetime they would actually see this spiritual kingdom realized (Luke 9:27). Following his death and resurrection, and for several weeks prior to his ascension, the Lord continually reminded the apostles “of things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).

On the Day of Pentecost, when the gospel was communicated in its fullness, penitent baptized believers were forgiven of sins and added to the community of the saved (Acts 2:21-47). From this point onward the church that Jesus had promised to build and the kingdom he had repeatedly foretold is coming are no longer spoken of prospectively. The church is present (Acts 5:11; 8:1, 3; 20:28)⁴ and the kingdom is present (Acts 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31).⁵

While the kingship of Jesus is implied and his lordship affirmed in the Pentecost-day discourse (Acts 2:30, 36), Peter preached “many other words” (v. 40). The Samaritans who obeyed the gospel “believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God …” (Acts 8:12) and were counted among the newly established churches in the region (Acts 9:31). The Galatians were warned by Barnabas and Paul of inevitable afflictions when entering “into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22), which incorporated the churches of that area (Gal. 1:2). In planting the church in Thessalonica (1 Thess. 1:1), Jesus was proclaimed as “king” (Acts 17:7). Paul consistently taught those in Ephesus about “the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8; 20:25), and as “fellow citizens” (Eph. 2:19) they comprised the church (Eph. 1:22; 3:10, 21; 5:23). In Rome he preached “the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus …” (Acts 28:23) and spent two whole years “preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ …” (v. 31).

Can we preach “Jesus” without including the church that he purchased with his own blood? (Acts 20:28). Who are we to sever the head from the body (Eph. 5:23), or to keep the foundation while removing God’s spiritual house that he built on it? (1 Cor. 3:9-16). Can we divorce the bride from the bridegroom? (Rev. 21:9). How can Jesus be King without his kingdom? (Col. 1:13). If Jesus is “the Way” (John 14:6), can we dismiss his church that is also called “the Way”? (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). Jesus and his church are not mutually exclusive, and to preach one without the other is insufficient and detrimental to his cause.

The Commitment Requirement

The Great Commission involves the worldwide proclamation of the gospel and making disciples of all nations.⁶ In the first volume of his two-volume set, Luke records in chap. 14  the words of Jesus, prior to issuing the Great Commission, where he unequivocally states three times that one “cannot be My disciple” unless he or she counts the cost of discipleship and is totally committed all the way to the end (vv. 26-33). As we continue obeying the Great Commission today and seek to make disciples, we do a grave disservice when we try to rush people into the baptistery who are insufficiently taught, not entirely committed to the Lord, and uninformed about what is expected after baptism.

The Gospel Plan of Salvation

Simply stated, the gospel plan of salvation is our gracious God seeking to reconcile sinners to himself through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in a unified collectivity of forgiven disciples. Our response to this divine plan can be summarized as follows:

o   Hear (listen to, understand, heed) the gospel message (Mark 4:23-24; Acts 2:22, 37; 3:22), and keep on hearing, receptively and responsively (Rom. 10:17; Eph. 4:21, 29; Phil. 4:9; Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29).

o   Believe the gospel message (Acts 4:4; 18:8; 9:42) and continue believing and increasing in faith (Rom. 3:22; 4:11, 24; 10:4; 2 Pet. 1:5-7).

o   Repent of sinful attitudes and behaviors (Acts 2:38; 3:19), and don’t stop repenting as it is needed (Acts 8:22; Rom. 6:1-18; 2 Cor. 7:9-10).

o   Confess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 10:32; 1 Tim. 6:12) and keep on confessing (Rom. 10:9-10; 2 Cor. 9:13; Heb. 4:14; 10:23).

o   Be immersed in water for forgiveness of past sins by Christ’s blood (Acts 2:38; 8:36-39; 22:16), entering (“into”) Christ and his emblematic body, the church, the saved community (Acts 2:41-47; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-27; 1 Pet. 2:20-21), raised to live a new life (Rom. 6:3-5; Col. 2:11-13; 3:1-3).

o   Remain faithful (Acts 2:42; 14:22) as an active and devoted member of Christ’s body—universally (Eph. 3:6; 5:23; 1 Pet. 2:17) and locally (Rom. 12:3-13; 1 Cor. 12:12-27)—a loyal citizen of his spiritual kingdom (Eph. 2:19; Col. 1:9-18).

 

Conclusion

In our humble attempts to evangelize, how do we help people encounter Jesus in his word? We show them Jesus by introducing them to the gospel of Christ in its entirety, without abridgements, shortcuts, or compromise.

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from the NKJV.

     ² Ekklēsia also appears in Acts 2:47 in the Byzantine Majority Text tradition; once in reference to the assembling of Israelites (7:38), and three more times in a secular sense (19:32-41).

     ³ The basileia (kingdom) of God is referenced seven times in Acts, and a whopping thirty-nine times in the Gospel of Luke!  

     ⁴ See also 1 Cor. 10:32; 11:22; Gal. 1:13; Eph. 1:22; et al.

     ⁵ See also Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 4:20; Col. 1:12, 13; 4:11; et al.

     ⁶ Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:45-47; Acts 1:8.

*Prepared for the 2025 FHU Lectureship as part of the series Missions and Church Growth: Personal Evangelism. Full title, “Conducting the Study: Encountering Jesus in His Word.”

Related Posts: What Must I Do To Be Saved?, The Church of the NT

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Should the Congregational Budget Be Public?

Church Finances

In 1 Corinthians 16:1-3 Paul issues an apostolic command for churches to take up a collection of funds every first day of the week, receiving from each contributing member according to his or her own ability and level of prosperity. At the time of writing Paul was raising benevolent aid for a particular need, but there are broader implications for how the work of the church is to be financed. Beyond this explicit injunction, there are numerous examples of the Lord’s work funded through free-will offerings collected in a common treasury.¹ No other method of financing the Lord’s work is biblically sanctioned beyond the intentional and generous giving of members of the local church.²

Keeping the Church Informed

In the earliest days of the church, the giving and distribution of funds were public (Acts 4:32-37). The apostolic church-leaders delegated this benevolent ministry to reputable and qualified men (Acts 6:1-6). In later reports of congregational free-will giving, the brethren knew what their contributions were funding (1 Cor. 16:1-4; 2 Cor. 8:1–9:15), and it was a matter of public record (Rom. 15:25-28).

Elders, as congregational leaders, are to be above reproach, not greedy for money, and good stewards of God (1 Tim. 3:2-3; Tit. 1:6-9). It seems that transparency (including the reporting of church finances) is necessary for the congregation to have confidence in their leaders as scripturally qualified men and for incentive to obey passages like 1 Thess. 5:12-13; Heb. 13:7, 17. 

“The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away” (1 Pet. 3:1-4, NKJV).

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Cf. Acts 2:42, 44, 45; 4:32, 34-37; 5:1-2; 6:1-4; 11:29-30; Rom. 15:26-27; 2 Cor. 8:10-12, 19; 9:1-7; Eph. 4:28. 

     ² See K. L. Moore, “The Sunday Collection,” Moore Perspective (25 March 2015), <Link>.

Related Posts: The Biblical Doctrine of Tithing, Qualifications of Elders (Part 2)

 

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The Last Chapter of Romans: Greetings to and from Churches of Christ (Romans 16:14-16)

“Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes,¹ Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them” (Romans 16:14, ESV).² 

Another local church appears to be identified here. All five of the individuals greeted have Greek names, presumably eastern immigrants, “and the brothers who are with them” would be the other members unknown to Paul by name. None standing out as an apparent patron or host, all listed together seemingly on the same level, gives the impression of congregants among society’s lower echelons, perhaps meeting in a small tenement apartment.³

Referencing them as “brothers” [ἀδελφοί] (or “brethren”) sees them belonging to God’s universal family, with another group of believers in Rome called “saints” [ἅγιοι] (v. 15) and those assembling in the home of Prisca and Aquila called a “church” [ἐκκλησία] (v. 5). Rather than making pedantic distinctions, these local groups are more likely alluded to with descriptive terms that ultimately bring them together as a unified whole. They are brethren (1:13; 8:12; 15:14, 30),⁴ churches belonging to Christ (1:5-6; 16:16) and mutually sanctified (1:7; 8:27; 15:16).

The Greek name “Asyncritus” [Ἀσύγκριτος] means “incomparable.” Apparently from somewhere east of Rome, the name has been found twice in Roman inscriptions, only one of which is relevant to Paul’s time period (the latter half of the first century) and that of an imperial freedman.⁵

“Phlegon” [Φλέγων] is a Greek name, from the verb φλέγω (“ignite,” “burn,” “inflame”), conveying the sense of “burning” or “zealous.” The few relevant inscriptions in Rome (possibly as many as seven) indicate a migrant from the east, either a slave or freedman, with possible ties to the emperor’s court.⁶

“Hermes” [Ἑρμῆς], the Greek name of the messenger of the gods (cf. Acts 14:12), was a name commonly worn in the mid-first century by slaves and descendants of slaves, including those of the imperial household (e.g., freedmen of Claudius), as well as the lowest class. Later on, inscriptional evidence shows that socially prominent persons also wore the name, including those with their own slaves and freedmen.⁷

“Patrobas” [Πατροβᾶς] is another Greek name, a combination of πατήρ (“father”) + βίος (physical “life”), denoting “father’s life,” “emulating a father,” or “paternal.” The Greek form of the name is unattested elsewhere, but in its Latin form there was a mid-first century freedman of Nero’s household, killed by emperor Galba, who was named Patrobii [Patrobius] (Suetonius, Galba 20; Tacitus, History 1.49) and its shortened form Patrobas (Martial, Epigram 2.32). Roman inscriptions point toward probable eastern origin and potential slave ancestry inclusive of prominent freedmen of the imperial court.⁸

The Greek name “Hermas” [Ἑρμᾶς], a variation (dialect form) of the aforementioned “Hermes,”⁹ is a contraction of a number of names, such as Hermagoras, Hermeros, Hermodorus, and Hermogenes, none of which was uncommon.¹⁰ Among the ancient inscriptions in Rome, of the three that may be contemporaneous, one can be identified as a first-century slave. The Hermas to whom Paul sends greetings appears to have been a Gentile Christian from the eastern region of the Roman Empire.¹¹

“Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them” (Romans 16:14). 

Evidently another local church is identified here, conceivably comprised of the household of “Philogus” (the paterfamilias), “Julia” (his wife), “Nereus and his sister” (the children), “Olympas” (possibly another household member and/or the only other congregant known to Paul by name),¹² “and all the saints [ἅγιοι]¹³ who are with them.” 

The Greek name “Philologus” [Φιλόλογος] is a combination of φίλος (“loving,” “friend”) + λόγος (“word,” “saying,” “message”), meaning “lover of the word,” “fond of learning,” or “scholar.” Most likely of eastern provenance, among the eighteen potentially contemporaneous Roman inscriptions bearing the name, half are slaves or freedmen with possible links to the royal household.¹⁴ If the name in our current text had been given to a freedman by a former master, “some light is thrown on the probable occupation of the Philologus of St Paul.”¹⁵ Traditionally he is believed to have been the father of the heretic Marcion.¹⁶

“Julia” is a Latin name (transliterated Ἰουλία in Greek), the female counterpart of the masculine name Julius. As a family designation (nomen gentilicium), the clan gens Iulia (linked by common ancestry) was one of the most prominent ruling-class families of ancient Rome, Gaius Julius Caesar among the more notable.¹⁷ The Christian woman to whom Paul sends greetings, perhaps the wife of Philologus, was likely a freed person or descendant therefrom of the Julian family.¹⁸

“Nereus” [Νηρεύς] is a Greek name, from the adj. νηρός (“of fish” or “of water”), applied in Greek mythology to the father of the sea nymphs and minor sea god Nerites. In Rome this was a common name for slaves and freedmen, including those of the imperial court.¹⁹ The “sister” of Nereus is unnamed (the feminine form “Nereis” might be a possibility), presumably known to Paul’s readership. If she and her brother were children of Philologus and Julia, it is fairly certain this was a Gentile family. 

The Greek name “Olympas” [Ὀλυμπᾶς], meaning “heavenly,” is a derivative of the Greek pantheon’s Mount Olympus, perhaps an abbreviated form of the name Olympianus (“of Olympus”) or Olympiodorus (“gift of Olympus”). Inscriptional evidence links the name and related forms to slaves and former slaves, including imperial slaves and freed persons.²⁰ A Christian wearing this name would be indicative of Gentile ethnicity, probably Greek, from an idolatrous background (cf. 1:21-23),²¹ which is also the case for the previously named Nereus, as well as Phoebe (v. 1) and Hermes (v. 14).

“Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you” (Romans 16:16).

The “one another” [ἀλλήλων] involves the entire community of believers, so once again Paul is promoting mutuality and fellowship.²² While applicable whenever fellow-Christians encountered one another, perhaps all the churches in Rome were to be called together for the public reading of this letter, and like the proverbial “kiss and make up,” the gathering would conclude with a corporate gesture of fraternal solidarity.²³ The kiss-greeting was customary throughout ancient Mediterranean cultures,²⁴  which Paul regulates here and elsewhere to ensure that intimate exchanges among the “saints” [ἅγιοι] are kept “holy” [ἅγιος] with respect to motivation and manner, averting insincerity, hypocrisy, and impropriety.

Unique in Paul’s writings and the rest of scripture is the explicit allusion here to “all the churches of Christ” [αἱ ἐκκλησίαι πᾶσαι τοῦ Χριστοῦ].²⁵ Of the 114 occurrences of the noun ἐκκλησία in the NT,²⁶ over half (sixty-two) are used by Paul.²⁷ He speaks of the one universal “church,”²⁸ all the “churches” comprehensively,²⁹ a plurality of “churches” in a broad geographical region,³⁰  and a single “church” in a particular place.³¹ In Romans all five occurrences of the word are in the final chapter with reference to three individual gatherings of Christians (vv. 1, 5, 23), numerous congregations comprised of Gentile believers (v. 4), and all the churches (v. 16).³²

As a divinely commissioned apostle of Jesus Christ (1:1-5), Paul was in a position to speak broadly of, for, and to all the churches. Some have argued that the reference in the current text is limited to the communities the apostle himself had planted (so-called Pauline churches).³³ Yet Paul routinely visited and/or included in his apostolic ministry churches that he did not personally initiate (e.g., Damascus, Jerusalem and Judea, Caesarea and Samaria, Syrian Antioch, Troas, Ephesus, Tyre, Ptolemais, Puteoli, Rome, Colosse, Laodicea).³⁴ His heartfelt concern for “all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:28) surely included these and more (cp. 1 Cor. 1:2; Col. 1:3-6). Without added or contextual qualifiers, there is no convincing reason not to take at face value allusions to “all” the churches. 

The genitival construction (English prepositional phrase) “of Christ” is fitting, seeing that the messianic title “Christ” [Χριστός] occurs sixty-six times in Romans (more than in any other Pauline document). Using the imagery of the “body” (cf. 12:4-5), Paul envisions the church as “the body of Christ.”³⁵ To be “in Christ” (vv. 3, 7, 9, 10; cf. 3:24; 6:11, 23; 8:1-2, 39; 9:1; 12:5; 15:17) is to be in Christ’s body, which is a mutual inclusion³⁶ involving “churches” [ἐκκλησίαι] said to be “in Christ” (Gal. 1:22), “of God in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 2:14), and “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1).

Elsewhere Paul refers to churches that are “of God”³⁷ (implying divine origin and ownership), and according to the spiritual state, ethnicity, or ethnogeographic identity of the membership.³⁸ In Romans, however, seeing that the letter begins with an address to those who are “called [κλητοί] of [to belong to] Jesus Christ [Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ]” (1:6), the letter now ends by sending a greeting to the same addressees from all other “called-out ones” [ἐκ-κλησίαι] “of [belonging to] the Christ [τοῦ Χριστοῦ].” This highlights a fundamental basis of unity³⁹ and provides the other end of the letter-opening where Paul has informed these readers, “your faith is proclaimed in all the world” (1:8). 

The universal church [ἐκκλησία] was preordained and identified by Christ as “my church” (Matt. 16:18). Therefore, “all the churches of Christ” comprising the global community of the saved are no ordinary gatherings or temporal assemblies. The spiritual qualifiers added by Paul give a special sense to an otherwise common term.

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ The names Hermes and Hermas are reversed in the BMT/TR.

     ² Later tradition includes Asyncritus (alleged bishop of Hyracania), Phlegon (alleged bishop of Marathon), Hermes (alleged bishop in Dalmatia), Patrobas (alleged bishop of Naples and Puteoli), and Hermas (alleged bishop of Philippopolis and author of The Shepherd of Hermas) among the seventy(-two) disciples of Luke 10:1.

     ³ R. Jewett, Romans 29-30; P. Lampe, From Paul to Valentinus 164-71; H. A. W. Meyer, Romans 570. An alternative interpretation suggests that each of the named men could be a household leader representing a separate house church (see T. B. Allworthy, s.v. “Philologus” in Hastings’ Dictionary of the NT). It would depend on whether “the brothers who are with them” are with all of them collectively or each of them separately.

     ⁴ Having repeatedly applied the designation ἀδελφός to the one regarded as “weak” (Rom. 14:10, 13, 15, 21), Paul then uses the same term for the entire community of Christians (15:14, 30). In fact, Paul addresses them all as ἀδελφοί ten times in the letter (1:13; 7:1, 4; 8:12; 10:1; 11:25; 12:1; 15:14, 30; 16:17). Note also “brotherhood” terminology (8:29; 12:10; cf. 8:18, 21).

     ⁵ R. Jewett, Romans 29; P. Lampe, From Paul to Valentinus 170, 178; “Asyncritus” in Anchor Bible Dictionary 1:508; purportedly a freedman of Augustus (W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans 427).

     ⁶ P. Lampe, From Paul to Valentinus 170, 180; “Phlegon,” in Anchor Bible Dictionary 5:347. Phlegon of Tralles was a second-century author and freedman of emperor Hadrian.

     ⁷ E. F. Harrison, “Romans” 165; J. B. Lightfoot, Philippians 176; W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans 427; see esp. P. Lampe, From Paul to Valentinus 172-74; “Hermes” in Anchor Bible Dictionary 3:156. A marble gravestone from Rome, dated mid-first century to early-second century (held in John Hopkins University’s collection of epigraphic materials, unpublished), has the epitaph of Antigone (a Latinized Greek name), the daughter of Tiberius Claudius Hermes and Claudia Heuresis.

     ⁸ P. Lampe, From Paul to Valentinus 170, 178; “Patrobas” in Anchor Bible Dictionary 5:186; J. B. Lightfoot, Philippians 176-77; W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans 427.

     ⁹ C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans 2:795.

     ¹⁰ J. B. Lightfoot, Philippians 176; W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans 427.

     ¹¹ P. Lampe, From Paul to Valentinus 180; “Hermas” in Anchor Bible Dictionary 3:147-148. Hermas was the name of a wealthy Christian freedman in Rome, believed to have authored The Shepherd of Hermas. While the ancient work does reflect the state of Christianity in Rome, its mid-second century dating excludes Paul’s greeted associate. See M. W. Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers 199-203.

     ¹² Later tradition includes Philologos (alleged bishop of Sinope) and Olympas (reportedly martyred by Nero) among the seventy(-two) disciples of Luke 10:1.

     ¹³ This is the final occurrence of the plural adj. “saints” or “sanctified ones” [ἅγιοι] in Romans (cf. also 1:7; 8:27; 12:13; 15:25, 26, 31; 16:2). 

     ¹⁴ C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans 2:795; R. Jewett, Romans 30; P. Lampe, From Paul to Valentinus 170, 178; “Philologus” in Anchor Bible Dictionary 5:345; J. B. Lightfoot, Philippians 177; W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans 427.

     ¹⁵ J. B. Lightfoot, Philippians 177 n.1.

     ¹⁶ According to the fourth-century Epiphanius of Salamis, Panarion 42.

     ¹⁷ Following Julius Caesar, two family lines, the Julio-Claudian dynasty, provided the first five emperors of the Roman Empire.

     ¹⁸ Women were often called by the feminine form of their paternal nomen, e.g., the daughters of Germanicus Julius Caesar were Julia Agrippina, Julia Drusilla, and Julia Livilla, who may be named in literary and inscriptional records simply as Julia. The name is found on over 1,400 inscriptions of ancient Rome, mostly of freed persons and their children (P. Lampe, From Paul to Valentinus 175-76; “Julia” in Anchor Bible Dictionary 3:1125; cf. W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans 427). See also Josephus, Ant. 16.5.1; 17.1.1; 19.4.3.

     ¹⁹ Of the twenty-eight inscriptions in Rome that may be contemporaneous and indicative of slave ancestry, fifteen are definite and one is probable, including an ex-slave of emperor Tiberius, a bodyguard of Claudius, and another imperial slave (R. Jewett, Romans 31; P. Lampe, From Paul to Valentinus 174; “Nereus” in Anchor Bible Dictionary 4:1074; J. B. Lightfoot, Philippians 176; cf. W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans 427).

     ²⁰ P. Lampe, From Paul to Valentinus 179; “Olympas” in Anchor Bible Dictionary 5:15.

     ²¹ Note also 1 Cor. 6:9-11; 8:4-13; 10:7, 14-30; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; Gal. 4:8; Eph. 2:11-12; 4:17-20; 1 Thess. 1:8.

     ²² Cf. also Rom. 1:12, 27; 2:15; 12:5, 10, 16; 13:8; 14:13, 19; 15:5, 7, 14.

     ²³ C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans 2:795-96; D. J. Moo, Romans 926.

     ²⁴ Gen. 27:26; 29:13; 2 Sam. 20:9; Matt. 26:49; Luke 7:45; Acts 20:37; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:26; 1 Pet. 5:14. Writing from Rome in the mid-second century, Justin Martyr (ca. 100-165) states: “Having ended the prayers, we salute one another with a kiss” (First Apology 65). 

     ²⁵ The adj. πᾶσαι (“all”) is not included in the BMT/TR.

     ²⁶ There are twenty-three occurrences in Acts: one pre-Christian (7:38), three non-Christian (19:32, 39, 41), and the rest in a Christian setting. At 9:31 textual variation is between the plural ἐκκλησίαι (BMT/TR) and the singular ἐκκλησία (NA²⁸/UBS⁵). If the latter is original, as per most modern versions, this is the only use of the singular term for a collectivity of churches in multiple geographical regions (Judea, Galilee, Samaria; cp. 15:41). John uses the word three times in his third epistle and twenty times in Revelation, incl. a reference to “all the churches” (2:23). The remaining NT uses are in Matthew (three times, each attributed to Jesus), Hebrews (twice), and James (once).

     ²⁷ This is “the single most frequent term used by Paul to refer to the groups of those who met in the name of Christ…. Clearly, then, ‘church’ is the term with which Paul most regularly conceptualized the corporate identity of those converted in the Gentile mission” (J. D. G. Dunn, Theology of Paul the Apostle 537).

     ²⁸ 1 Cor. 10:32; 12:28; 15:9; Gal. 1:13; Eph. 1:22; 3:10, 21; 5:23, 24, 25, 27, 29, 32; Phil. 3:6; Col. 1:18, 24.

     ²⁹ 1 Cor. 4:17; 7:17; 11:16; 14:33-34; 2 Cor. 8:18; 11:28; 12:13; 2 Thess. 1:4.

     ³⁰ 1 Cor. 16:1, 19a; 2 Cor. 8:1, 19, 23, 24; 11:8; Gal. 1:2, 22; 1 Thess. 2:14. Note also Acts 14:23; 16:5.

     ³¹ 1 Cor. 1:1; 6:4; 11:22; 16:19b; 2 Cor. 1:1; Phil. 4:15; Col. 4:15, 16; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:5, 15; 5:16; Philem. 2. Paul can speak of all assembled churches (1 Cor. 14:34) in the context of a local church assembled (1 Cor. 11:18; 14:4, 5, 12, 19, 23, 28, 35).

     ³² The earliest Pauline letters employ the term ἐκκλησία in the opening address (1-2 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1-2 Corinthians), whereas the later congregational letters (starting with Romans and followed by those written from Rome) are addressed to the ἁγίοι (“saints”).

     ³³ R. Jewett, Romans 976-77; D. J. Moo, Romans 927.

     ³⁴ Acts 9:19-30; 11:19-26; 15:2-4; 18:19–19:1; 20:5-7; 21:3-17; 28:13-16; Rom. 1:9-13; Col. 1:5-8; 4:16-17; Philem. 1-2.

     ³⁵ Explicitly 1 Cor. 10:16-17; 12:27; Eph. 4:12; implicitly 1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:16; 3:6; 4:4, 16; 5:23, 30; Col. 1:18, 24; 2:19; 3:15.

     ³⁶ Cf. Rom. 12:5; Eph. 1:1-14, 22-23; 2:16-22.

     ³⁷ 1 Cor. 1:2; 10:32; 11:16, 22; 15:9; 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:13; 1 Thess. 2:14a; 1 Tim. 3:5, 15.

     ³⁸ Churches are said to be “of the saints” (1 Cor. 14:33), “of the Gentiles” (Rom. 16:4), “of Galatia” (1 Cor. 16:1; Gal. 1:2), “of Asia” (1 Cor. 16:19), “of Macedonia” (2 Cor. 8:1), “of Judea” (Gal. 1:22), “of the Laodiceans” (Col. 4:16), and “of the Thessalonians” (1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1). But mostly Paul speaks of the “church/es” without added qualifiers.

     ³⁹ The wording “reminds the Romans of their inclusion not just within a Pauline mission, but within a group which encompasses all the churches…. a desire by Paul to have the Roman church join with all the churches, encouraging mutuality and independence, and a common identity ...” (J. T. Hughes, Ecclesial Solidarity 145-46). Paul’s unique phrase expresses “the way in which the Church of Rome was an object of love and respect to Jewish and Gentile Churches alike” (F. J. A. Hort, Prolegmena to Romans and Ephesians 1:52; cited in W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans 427). Cf. also C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans 2:796-97.

Related Posts: The Church of the NT, Greetings to Brothers & Sisters (Rom 16:8-13), Avoid Those Causing Division (Rom 16:17-20)

 

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Why I love the church

I love the church because I love God, and God has demonstrated his own love for me and the rest of the world through his Son Jesus Christ, who is inseparable from his church. Jesus Christ is the builder, the foundation, the purchaser, and the head of his church (Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Colossians 1:18). He is the savior of the body, which is his church (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:23). As a penitent baptized believer I am forgiven of sins, reconciled to God, and added to this community of the saved (Acts 2:37-47). I love the church because God through Christ loves the church. The church is his precious bride (Revelation 19:7; 21:9). I am privileged to not only be a member of Christ’s church but to know and work with others around the world who share the same faith and commitment. These are by far the best people I have ever known, diligently engaged in loving and serving people, seeking to save the lost, and glorifying the Lord in view of eternity. The church, comprised of fallible human beings, is not perfect. But imperfect people like me are invited to be part of this community wherein we work and serve together and support each other to be more like the one to whom the church belongs. The church of Christ allows me to be identified with and to honor him. How can I not love the church?

--Kevin L. Moore

*Originally written for Revista Edificação (July 2022), ed. Randal Matheny.  

Related Posts: The Church of CHRIST, The Church in the Gospel Plan of Salvation 

 

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