The Credits
Let's say I asked you your favorite movie. Let's say you answered, “National Treasure.” Let's say I responded with excitement, “Great choice! What's your favorite scene?” And let's say you told me, “Oh! At the very end, when the screen goes black, and those words start to go up the screen.” I pause, then ask, “You mean the credits?” And you say, “Yes! That's the best part!”
If that happened, I'd probably look at you a bit sideways.
Chances are you’ve never heard a sermon on Romans 16:1–16. It's a passage that feels a bit like, well, the credits.
Romans in a Nutshell
Romans, written by Paul, tackles the rift between Jews and Gentiles. His argument? Justified by faith, therefore fellowship by faith. All on equal footing before God.
You probably know Romans for its mountaintop truths:
Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel…”
Romans 5:8 – “…while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 8:1 – “There is therefore now no condemnation…”
And then—chapter 16. A random collection of funny names, pertaining to people we know nothing of, and dealing with things completely irrelevant to us. Right?
Maybe not. Tucked in the credits is something vital: a picture of what the gospel actually produces.
The Names in Romans 16
Paul mentions 27 people here. That’s 27 lives with faces, families, joys, and heartbreaks. Not mythic figures—real people, known and loved.
They knew each other’s names. They were bound together in solidarity and affection. The gospel hit like a meteor, and the crater it left was a family.
Paul begins with Phoebe (16:1–2). She carried this very letter to Rome—the greatest theological letter ever written, in her bag.
Paul calls her a deacon (diakonos) of her church, likely an office-holder. He also calls her a patron, a wealthy supporter of ministry. But most importantly, he calls her sister.
In the ancient world, sibling bonds were stronger than even marriage. That’s why Joseph Hellerman writes:
“God, in Jesus’ great work of redemption, was not establishing a series of isolated personal relationships… He was creating a family of sons and daughters—siblings—who are now all one in Christ.”
Phoebe wasn’t just a partner. She was Paul’s sister.
All of Them: In the Lord
Read closely and you’ll see how often Paul says: in the Lord… in Christ.
Jew and Gentile.
Rich and poor.
Single and married.
Slaves and descendants of royalty.
All siblings. All welcomed “in a way worthy of the saints” (16:2; cf. 15:7). Because Jesus welcomed us, we welcome one another.
Prisca and Aquila—tentmakers who risked their necks for Paul. Mary—who worked hard for the church. Andronicus and Junia—fellow prisoners. Rufus’s mother—like a mother to Paul himself.
Name after name, line after line, brimming with affection. These Christians are less like a bag of marbles—gathered incidentally, accidents of history, bouncing around and rolling apart as soon as you dump the bag—and more like a cluster of grapes, joined to the same vine, drawing from the same source of life, vitally connected.
What This Means for Us
So what do we do with the credits? It reminds us that we're less like marbles and more like grapes.
Here’s what that looks like:
Every name matters. Paul remembered them. He wrote them down. Specific people, specific, rich, textured lives, as real s my own.
We take each other seriously. Membership isn’t a roll sheet. It’s saying: “These are my people. I’m committed to them, and they to me.”
We live overlapping lives. The early church shared meals, homes, and burdens. That’s why we linger after service, open our homes, and eat together.
We practice the “one anothers.” Forgive, encourage, bear with, challenge. Sometimes tears, sometimes laughter, always life together.
We train for eternity. Every welcome and handshake is rehearsal for the eternal family gathering around Christ’s throne.
Romans 16 shows theology doesn’t just soar in the clouds. It lands in living rooms, around tables, in names spoken with love.
Closing Credits
Romans 16 isn’t filler. It’s not credits. Look closely, and you’ll see it’s a family. Names written down. Remembered. Cherished.
And yours can be among them.