Romans 16:17-20

Warning Against False Teachers And The Final Triumph Of Our LORD Jesus Christ (16:17-20).

That this warning comes at the end of the letter rather than in the main part suggests that such false teachers were not seen by him as a major problem in the church at Rome. Indeed, as we have seen, he knew that the church in Rome had within their leadership people with whom he was well acquainted, and in whom he had great confidence. But he was well aware that no church was free from such false teachers, and that they therefore needed to be on their guard against them. The comment about Satan being shortly bruised under their feet especially suggests that there were some there who were causing trouble (possibly visiting wandering preachers), while not being a major threat.

The false teachers in question may well have been Judaistic ‘Christians' who were overemphasising the salvation aspect of circumcision, obedience to the Law and the necessity of observing the Sabbath, and holy days and abstaining from ‘meats' (compare Colossians 2:16; 2 Corinthians 11:3). Wherever there were a large number of Jewish Christians such would always arise, for at this time large numbers of Jewish Christians still religiously followed the practises of circumcision on the eighth day, abstaining from unclean foods, and observance of Jewish festivals and the Sabbath (as indeed many do today). It was only a short (but crucial) step from this to making them necessary for salvation. And it might even be that as he was concluding his letter he had received the news that certain Judaistic ‘Christian' teachers who had continually plagued him, had now arrived in Rome, intending to cause similar problems to those which had occurred in Galatia (Romans 2:12; Romans 6:12), Philippi (Romans 3:2) and elsewhere.