Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Romans 16:17

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them that are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which ye learned: and turn away from them." — Romans 16:17 (ASV)

Before Paul ends his letter, he includes a warning concerning schismatics. Is it possible to identify these troublemakers? Perhaps it glances back at the problem of the strong and the weak already discussed in 14:1–15:13 (cf. the word “obstacles” here in v.17 and in 14:13). However, the general tone of vv.17–20 is so much sharper than the earlier one, so that any relationship is dubious. The sort of people the apostle singles out here do not seem to have come yet on the Roman scene but posed a threat of doing so. Paul does not specify the particular doctrines of these interlopers, but he is quite pointed in identifying their motives and tactics, which suggests that his warning is based on his missionary experience that had often brought him into contact with false teachers who tried to build their own work on the foundation he had laid (Acts 20:29–30). Some of them may even have kept track of Paul’s movements and, being aware of his plan to visit Rome, were hoping to arrive there before him. If they could gain a foothold in this influential church, it would be a notable success.

Paul’s command to the believers in Rome is to “watch out” (GK 5023).

Alertness to the danger is the main consideration, because failure to be on guard could result in being deceived. Whatever they did, their activity could affect the whole church. As an antidote to their corrupting influence, the apostle points them to “the teaching you have learned.” This is hardly to be identified solely with the contents of this letter, but is more particularly intended to refer to the instruction they have already received in the basics of the faith (cf. 6:17). This should serve as the touchstone enabling them to discern error. But such counsel is not enough. As a practical measure, they must “keep away from them,” giving them no opportunity for inroads into the congregation.

Paul uses the term “such people” (v.18) rather than “these people,” an important distinction that confirms the opinion already given that he does not have in mind a group he could name or identify precisely, but a class he has become all too familiar with in his travels. They may talk about the Lord but they do not serve him. Rather, they serve “their own appetites’ (cf. Php 3:18–19; 1 Timothy 6:3–5). With their smooth talk and flattery intended to deceive, they brand themselves as sophists and charlatans. Those they aim to reach are the “naive,” the simpleminded folk so innocent of ulterior motives.