The Final Doxology (2)
Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him— to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. Romans 16:25-27
We’ve come to the conclusion of this great letter, to the final doxology which takes up the letter’s central themes, summarises them, and then relates them to each other. It consists of four parts, beginning with the power of God, then the gospel of Christ, the evangelisation of the nations and praise of God’s wisdom. We’ve looked at the first two, the power of God and the gospel of Christ. This brings us to the third emphasis and Paul’s concluding praise for all that God has done.
Thirdly, Paul writes of the evangelisation of the nations. This good news must be and already is being made known throughout the world: ‘made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him’ (16:26b). There are four features of the universal ‘making known’ of the gospel mystery similar to the letter’s opening paragraph (1:1-5) – the Scriptures, the commission to evangelise, the obedience of faith and all the nations.
First, the mystery is being made known ‘through the prophetic writings’ (the Old Testament scripture). Because even in Paul’s day these scriptures had been available for centuries, he has in mind that following the saving events of Christ, God has given His people a new Christological understanding of the Old Testament as bearing witness to Christ (cf. 1:2; 3:21).
Second, the clause ‘by the command of the eternal God’ must refer to the universal commission to preach the gospel. Behind the risen Christ who gave the commission (Matthew 28:19,20) is the eternal God whose everlasting purpose is to save and unite Jews and Gentiles in Christ.
Third is the clause ‘might believe and obey him’ (16:26b). This is identical to 1:5 (there translated ‘the obedience that comes by faith’). The true response to the gospel is faith but this faith is demonstrated by a life of obedience.
Fourth, the present day ‘making known’ of God’s mystery is for ‘all nations’ (16:26b) so they will believe and obey.
So this fourfold scheme of the making known of the gospel is through Scripture, by God’s command, to bring about the obedience of faith, for all the nations, corresponds to the letter’s opening, where the gospel is according to the Scripture, through the grace and apostleship given to Paul and others, to bring about the obedience of faith, and for all the nations.
Finally, Paul concludes in praise of God’s wisdom. ‘To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen’ (16:27). God’s wisdom is seen in Christ Himself (Colossians 2:3; cf. 1 Corinthians 1:30) and above all else in the cross, which though foolish to many, is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24), in God’s decision to save the world, not through its own wisdom but through the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:21), in the extraordinary phenomena of the multi-racial, emerging church (Ephesians 3:10), and in His purpose to ultimately unite everything under Christ (Ephesians 1:8ff).
So the major themes of Paul’s letter are woven into the doxology: the power of God to save and establish; the gospel and the mystery, once hidden and now revealed, Christ crucified and now risen; the Christ-centred witness of the Old Testament; the commission of God to make the good news universally known; the summons to all the nations to respond with the obedience of faith; and the saving wisdom of God, to whom all glory is due forever.