Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit. Pray that I will be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God. Pray also that the believers there will be willing to accept the donation I am taking to Jerusalem. Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other. And now may God, who gives us His peace, be with you all. Amen.
Romans 15:30–33
Paul closes his letter to Romans it seems with thoughts related to his prayer needs. For the Lord’s protection against those who seek to do him harm in Judea. For the response on the part of the believers in Jerusalem to the gift he is bringing and then lastly for his intentions to go visit them in Rome. It has taken a while to get there as it is and he asks that they pray so indeed it will happen. This close could well have been a close to our newsletter (Vail’s Trails) on any one occasion. It is all so normal. Then he finishes with “And now may God, who gives us His peace, be with you all. Amen.” All very natural and normal. Ah but is it? Remember I told you in Bible Gem 132 that there are a number of places where Paul appears to close the letter which prompts some critics or commentators to question the genuineness of some parts.
I believe I have sufficiently explained the query at the end of Romans 11 for you. Although some may think the doxology indicates Paul’s intention to close the Epistle at that point, it is not the case. Paul was just caught up in the wonder of God’s grace and was breaking out in song (See Bible Gem 230 and 231)
Then others see Rom 15:13 as a close to the letter. “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” But in my opinion although it has doxology like elements in it, it lacks other elements. It is more a comment from Paul related to what he prays for the Roman Christians and the hope that he has for them.
But there is also 15:33, 16:20 and 16:25-27.
And the God of peace be with all of you. Amen.
Romans 15:33
And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Romans 16:20
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel, and the proclaiming of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery having been kept unvoiced during eternal times, but now has been made plain, and by prophetic Scriptures, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known for obedience of faith to all the nations; to the only wise God through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever. Amen.
Romans 16:25-27
What is going on here? Well I will do what I have done to you before and suggest you do the homework on it first. I will deal with the matter again at the end of Chapter 16.
Some of your ‘God experiences’ will happen when you’re preoccupied with something else.
Ian Vail
To move forward you have to make waves and risk upsetting somebody.
Anon