Romans 16:25

Romans 16:25. Now to him, etc. This is the usual form in a doxology; ‘the only wise God' (Romans 16:27), is in apposition with ‘Him,' all that intervenes being descriptive. There is, however, a grammatical difficulty, owing to the change of construction in the latter part of Romans 16:27. The phrase on which all that precedes logically depends (‘be the glory') is placed in a dependent relative clause. Some have thought that in beginning the Apostle had in mind another form of expression than a doxology, and that the relative in Romans 16:27 refers to Christ, while others regard the relative as an interpolation (see below).

Who is able to stablish you. Comp. marginal references. This description of God is appropriate in this Epistle.

According to my gospel. It is difficult to determine the exact sense and connection of this phrase, but it seems best to join it with ‘stablish,' with the sense ‘in reference to my gospel,' that you may remain steadfastly faithful to the teaching I have set forth. Others give it the wider sense of ‘in subordination to and according to the requirements of my gospel' (so Alford). The explanation ‘through' is lexically untenable.

And the preaching of Jesus Christ. This is closely joined with the preceding phrase, and is probably an explanation of it; either the preaching concerning Christ, which is the substance of his gospel, or the preaching which Christ causes to be promulgated through him. ‘Preaching' here means the thing preached, and the former explanation is preferable, since it follows the analogy of the phrase ‘the gospel of Christ.' ‘The Apostle would thus efface what might seem too personal in that noun, “according to my gospel” (Godet). To refer the phrase to the preaching of Christ himself when on earth, is unwarranted.

According to the revelation, etc. The connection of the clause here introduced has been explained in three ways: (1.) Coordinate with ‘according to my gospel,' etc., and thus closely connected with ‘stablish.' (2.) Explanatory of the whole preceding statement, and thus defining ‘able to stablish,' etc. (3.) Explanatory of ‘my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ,' connected with the verbal idea therein implied. The last seems least defensible grammatically. Either of the other two would be linguistically correct, but it is more probable that ‘according to' here has the same sense as before. We therefore prefer (1), which gives us another designation of the gospel, ‘as the revelation of the primitive sacred mystery' (Meyer).

Of the mystery. The article is wanting in the Greek, but what follows explains ‘mystery' as the specific one on which the Apostle delighted to dwell. On the word, see chap. Romans 11:25, but especially Ephesians 1:9. Here, as in Ephesians, the contents of this mystery are, in general, the salvation of sinful men, decreed from eternity, accomplished by Christ, proclaimed through the gospel to all men, so that this is the revelation of the mystery! But the Apostle in such expressions seems always to have in mind the extension of salvation to the Gentiles, so that they become one body with believing Jews (see Ephesians 3:3-9; Colossians 1:26). But the view we take of the connection prevents our limiting the reference to this extension.

Hath been kept in silence during eternal ages. The thought is a common one in the Apostle's writings. ‘Eternal ages' include all the ages of human history, but also plainly suggest that eternal past when God formed his counsels of redemption (Ephesians 1:4). ‘Since the world began' (E. V.) needlessly limits the sense to the period since the creation.