Conclusion to the Book of Romans: Romans 16:25-27
“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, 25) 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; 26) to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.” Romans‬ ‭16:25-27‬ ‭
We now have the conclusion to the book of Romans. It serves as a brief summary of the entire book. At this point the Bible student needs to go back and read the full book in one setting to wrap their mind around all the moving parts that converge in the gospel.
In the book of Romans, Paul does a brief survey of human history and God raising up the Jewish nation for a noble purpose. The Old Testament is primarily the story of the Jewish people. They seemed to want to know and follow God, but lacked the inner strength or power to do so. They were slaves to sin and their own fleshly desires.
When Moses gave the Law, the children of Israel had a high and righteous moral code that defined the holiness of God, but it failed to change the inner heart of people. Paul penned the book of Romans through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to unpack and explain the full impact of the work of Jesus Christ and the gospel. Jesus not only paid for human sin on the cross, but also opened the door for a new relationship with God based on grace and faith.
The Old Testament prophets spoke of this coming age, but it was a mystery to them. (Read 1 Peter 1:10-12) They longed for it, but could not enter into the glory of the coming church age. It remained a mystery to them.
But that all changed with the coming of Jesus Christ. The book of Romans is a core part of the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret in previous ages. It explains how Jesus Christ accomplished human redemption and the possibility to live by faith and walk in the Spirit. (Review Romans 5-8) These were radically new concepts that accompanied the gospel.
In Paul’s conclusion he touched on another benefit of the gospel in verse 26. Instead of being for Israel, Jesus opened the door of salvation to “all the nations.” John 3:16 makes it clear that God loves the whole world and sent His Son to bring salvation to all mankind. People are saved by grace through faith.
Paul also makes it clear in this conclusion that the One and Only Eternal God has only one way of salvation. Not all roads lead to God. Jesus Christ is the only way to God. (See Acts 4:12) Jesus claimed to be “the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father, but through me.” (John 14:6)
The book of Romans does not point to human religion as the means to salvation. There are hundreds of man make religions. The book of Romans points to the gospel and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as the only way to God.
There is an additional point that can be gleamed from these three concluding verses to the book of Romans. Verse 25 starts out by saying that God can “establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ.” Only the gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to change people. Paul looked for this change as an indication of true salvation.
A bit of self examination at this point is important. Has the gospel and your relationship with Jesus Christ changed you? If not, why not? The problem is not with the gospel.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global