How Should We Praise the Lord. (Romans 16: 18-27)

Welcome & Final Reflections

Welcome to the final episode in our series through the book of Romans.

Today’s message, titled “Should We Praise the Lord?”, is both a concluding meditation and a doxological exclamation point to one of the greatest theological works in the Bible.

As we wrap up this journey together, we pause not to summarize or analyze one more time—but simply to worship.

This episode is not primarily about personal application or practical instruction—it is about offering something back to God. After all we've received through this study of Romans—truth, grace, conviction, encouragement—it is only fitting that we end with praise.

Paul closes his letter with greetings, grace, and glory. So today, we do the same.

From the depths of doctrine to the heights of doxology, this final message invites us to lift our eyes and our hearts and praise the only wise God—through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.

Thank you for walking through Romans with me. I hope this series has blessed you, challenged you, and rooted you deeper in the truth of the gospel.

May grace always be with you. And may glory always go to Him.

📖 Episode Notes

Key Themes:

• Giving God praise—not just for what He’s done, but for who He is
• Grace to you, and glory to God
• The wisdom and power of God in establishing His Church
• The mystery of Jew and Gentile united in one body
• The call to praise as the appropriate response to truth

Takeaway Thought:

We who have received grace should give glory to God.

🙌 Final Benediction

"To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen."
—Romans 16:27

🎧 Subscribe and stay connected for upcoming series and teachings. New journeys are ahead—but the gospel remains our guide.

With thanks and blessing, Jeremy

Freedom to Learn
Championing school choice, defending parental rights, & exposing the harm caused by unions

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Chapters

• 17:22 [Ad] Freedom to Learn
• 18:04 (Cont.) How Should We Praise the Lord. (Romans 16: 18-27)

Transcript

How Should we Praise the Lord?” (Last Episode)

Transcript: 

If I asked you, “Should we praise the Lord?” I’m guessing most of you would nod, smile, maybe even throw in a heartfelt amen.

However, if I followed that up with, “And how often have you actually done that this week?”—well, suddenly it might go very quiet out the in podcast land.

Let’s be honest. We all know we should praise God, but sometimes our spiritual life can start to look like that gym membership we paid for in January—full of good intentions, rarely used.

So today, I want to give us all a little spiritual nudge—not a guilt trip, not a self-help pep talk, but a simple reminder: 

And that is, God is worthy of our praise. Not because He needs it to feel better about Himself, but because He deserves it.

Let’s talk about giving God something—not our complaints, not our wish lists, not our spare time leftover after all the business of life—but our praise.

And to help us do that, we’re going to look at some of the final verses of Romans, where Paul signs off not with a to-do list, but with a song of worship.

So today, I want to speak to you about something simple but essential—just praising our God.

Some message are meant to help you personally by offering comfort, strength, or guidance. 

Others help us in our relationships with one another—encouraging love, and expressions of forgiveness, or unity. 

But sometimes, a passage has no other goal than to glorify God—to be aimed directly, not horizontally toward others or even inwardly to ourselves, but vertically, upward, toward God himslef.

Now, I know—when we glorify God, we are edified too. That's a beautiful mystery of worship: we grow when we exalt Him. 

But my aim shouldn’t primarily be about what we get. It's about what He deserves.

I want this passage and our study of it as an offering—a spiritual act of praise. I want us, together, to give the Lord something. And that something is our praise….

Now, we’ve been journeying through the book of Romans—verse by verse, chapter by chapter. And today, we've come to the very end: Romans 16. Please look with me at verse 21.

Paul is closing his letter. The first part of his letter consisted of a long list of greetings to believers in Rome. But then in verses 21 to 24, he includes greetings from those who are with him. After that, in verses 25 to 27, he closes with a doxology—a declaration of praise.

These names in verses 21–24. They may seem like a footnote, but they're a powerful reminder of the real people behind this gospel movement.

Paul writes:

“Timothy, my fellow worker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, greet you.”

We know Timothy—Paul’s trusted companion, co-worker in the gospel, and later the recipient of two of Paul's letters. At the time of writing, he was with Paul in Corinth and sends his greetings to the church in Rome.

The next three—Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater—are described as Paul's “kinsmen,” meaning they were fellow Jews. Lucius is not to be confused with Luke the evangelist, as some have done, , Luke was a Gentile, by the way, not a Jew.

Jason was likely the man who hosted Paul during his ministry in Thessalonica, and Sosipater is probably the same man mentioned in Acts 20:4.

Then comes verse 22, a surprising line:

“I, Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.”

Wait a minute—Paul didn’t write Romans?

Well, yes he did. Paul is the author, but Tertius was his , what we would today call a secretary or a personal assistant who wrote the letter down as Paul dictated it. And here, Tertius steps briefly into the frame and says, in essence, “Hi, I’m the guy doing the writing—and I want to send my greetings too.”

Then verse 23:

“Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you.”

This Gaius—again different from the Gaius in 3 John—was Paul's host in Corinth. He not only opened his home to Paul, but to the whole Christian community who lived there or who were passing through. 

As you may know, early Christian churches didn’t meet in buildings but in homes. Gaius hosted one of these gatherings—a sort of first-century house church.

Next is Erastus, “the city’s treasurer.” His name has actually been found on a stone in Corinth by archaeologists. Some think it could be the same man. The stone identifies him as the Commissioner of Public Works—a slightly different office than treasurer. Still, it’s a tantalizing glimpse into how the gospel was reaching every level of society, even into civic life.

Finally, Paul mentions “Quartus, a brother.” That’s all we’re told. No title. No accomplishments. Just—a brother. And you know what? That’s enough. Being a brother or sister in Christ is the highest honour any of us can have.

And then Paul concludes this list of greetings in verse 24 with a final benediction:

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

This could be seen as a collective greeting from all these individuals, or Paul's own benediction, or both at the same time.

Regardless, it’s addressed to Christians, those already saved: "May the grace of God be with you."

Does it seem strange to extend grace to those who already believe? 

This is a good moment to again remember that the Book of Romans teaches the entirety of the Christian experience is by grace.

·         We are "justified freely by His grace" (Romans 3:24).

·         We are "not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:14).

·         We receive spiritual gifts "according to the grace that is given to us" (Romans 12:6).

Paul himself siad that he ministered "through the grace given to me" (Romans 12:3). 

Everything is by grace. Even in his period of suffering, Paul says he received a message from God telling him, "My grace is sufficient for you" (2 Corinthians 12:9). 

So, it's perfectly fitting for Paul to wish continued grace upon believers. Let us never forget, it is all by grace anyway—salvation, service, suffering, the whole spiritual life.

Finaly, Paul concludes Romans with a magnificent doxology in verses 25-27. It essentially praises God for His power and wisdom.

“Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with 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 the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith.”

(Rom 16:25-26)

That’s God’s power.

 The finally, verse 27 ascribes glory.

"To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

The closing overarching theme is praise: "To God be glory through Jesus Christ, forever.

Let's look at these attributes.

First, God's power is to establish believers (v. 25). The word "establish" means to be fixed, firm, stable. Paul opened Romans (1:11) expressing his desire to visit Rome to impart a spiritual gift so they might be established, same word. 

Now, he affirms God is able to do just that.

How does God establish us? "According to my gospel, God says, and the preaching of Jesus Christ." The gospel is God's means.

This "preaching of Jesus Christ," Paul continues, is "according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now has been made manifest" 

What is this mystery? It cannot be the gospel itself, for Romans 1:2 states the gospel was "promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures." 

So, the gospel was never itself a secret. A "mystery" (then revealed) pertains to an aspect of the preaching of Jesus Christ opening up that mystery. Paul often speaks of "this mystery."

Ephesians chapter 3 (verses 1-6) clarifies it beautifully. Paul explains the mystery revealed to him and the apostles:

"That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel." 

The mystery revealed is that of the Church, where Jews and Gentiles are united as equals in one body. 

While Old Testament prophets foretold Gentile salvation, they didn't reveal this specific union in the Church. This was hidden until the New Testament age.

So, in Romans 16, the preaching of Jesus Christ is shown as that which brings Jew and Gentile into one body—the Church. That is the mystery now revealed.

This mystery, verse 26 says, "Has now been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures [likely Old Testament prophetic writings or OT Scriptures now understood in this new light] has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith." 

God commanded this truth to be preached worldwide, so people could obey the call to trust in Christ.

The core thought, after these layered phrases, returns to God's power: through this gospel, which includes the now-revealed mystery of the Church, God is able to establish us spiritually.

But Paul also praises God for His wisdom: "to God alone wise, be glory" (v. 27).

Why this emphasis on wisdom alongside power? That is because they are related.

This isn't the only doxology in Romans. Romans 11 also ends with a sincere praising of God for His wisdom, especially concerning Israel and the Gentiles.

Romans 11:33 exclaimed, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" 

Both doxologies (end of Romans 11 and end of Romans 16) mention "the mystery" and conclude with "to whom be glory forever. Amen."

Paul is saying something important here: God, through the gospel of His Son's grace, has brought both Jew and Gentile into one body, the Church. He has now used that power to do this and establish us; and in His unfathomable wisdom, He exercised that power.

So, the doxology of Romans 16 calls us to praise God for His power to establish us spiritually through the gospel, and for His wisdom in doing so, particularly in forming the Church.

It all about thanking God for showing grace to us, and bringing Glory to God

The end of Romans 16 beautifully encapsulates these two ideas: together. Verses 21-24 expresses "grace to us," and verses 25-27 offers "glory to God." 

We who have received grace we should always give glory to God. 

Appropriately, Romans, the great book of God's grace and salvation, ends with this powerful acknowledgement of praise. Many key themes of Romans converge here: the gospel, faith, salvation, the equality of Jew and Gentile, and God's overarching wisdom.

I began by saying this message was intended to benefit the Lord. When we think of praising God for His power, we might think of creation, or salvation, or answered prayer—all appropriate. But here, it’s deeper. It's about understanding, through Scripture, what God is doing—His grand, wise and gracious plan. 

Have you ever just praised God for His wisdom? Not for what you get out of it, but just as one of His redeemed creatures, praising Him for who He is and His intricate plans—for Israel, for the Gentiles, for the Church, and the whole world.

His wisdom in closing the eyes in part of Israel so Gentiles could be saved, and His future plans for Israel's complete conversion be completed—Praise Him for His wisdom of God! Praise Him for His power to save by grace through His Son, and for His wisdom in it all of it.

We are often so self-centered, needing to relate everything to ourselves. This praise is born of contemplation and study. But to simplify it; at its core, it means, "Thank God He saved me, by His wisdom and His power." And we ought to praise and thank Him constantly.

Don't let a day go by without thanking God for just redeeming you. If you do, you'll never get very far away from the Lord.

Let me remind you of how Jesus told the apostles not to rejoice merely in their power over demons, but to "rejoice that your names are written in the Lamb’s book of life." 

That understanding has now stayed with me for over 30 years, and it is why I reminded you of it yesterday.

Constantly, I come back and say, "Lord, thank you most of all that you just saved me." 

And when I contemplate what He's truly doing in His wisdom and power—saving diverse people and uniting them in His Church—I can only say, "Lord, you are so gracious, so merciful. Glory be to God!"

This concluding passage is the mountain top of the  wisdom of God. 

He has made it possible for men and women, who were made, lower than the angels to rise higher than the angels... Think about that….

For creatures to become children. For those once bound by earth to know the throne of God as our future eternal home.

Is it any wonder that we should cry, “To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ?"

To God be the glory. Great things He has done. 

He has saved us and made us members together of the same body. 

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.

May we, like Paul, conclude our understanding of God's vast work with simply heartfelt praise to Him who is able to establish us, For God alone is worthy of our praise.