^16:17 But I beseech you, brethren, to mark those who make dissensions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them. [n. 1213]
^16:18 For they who are such serve not Christ our Lord but their own belly: and by pleasing speeches and good words seduce the hearts of the innocent. [n. 1218]
^16:19 For your obedience is published in every place. I rejoice therefore in you. But I would have you to be wise in good and simple in evil. [n. 1219]
^16:20 But may the God of peace crush Satan under your feet speedily. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. [n. 1220]
^16:21 Timothy, my helper, greets you: and Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. [n. 1221]
^16:22 I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, greet you in the Lord.
^16:23 Caius, my host, and the whole church greet you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you: and Quartus, a brother.
^16:24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
^16:25 Now to him who is able to establish you, according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret for eternal ages; [n. 1223]
^16:26 Which now is made manifest through the writings of the prophets, according to the precept of the eternal God, for the obedience of faith known among all nations: [n. 1226]
^16:27 To God, the only wise, through Jesus Christ, to whom be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. [n. 1227]

1213. After indicating whom they should greet, the Apostle now shows them whom to avoid.

In regard to this he does three things:

first, he teaches whom they should avoid;

second, he gives the reason, at for they who;

third, he promises them divine help to implement this, at but may the God of peace.

1214. And because those whom he wished them to avoid crept in deceptively under the cloak of piety, as it says in Matthew: they come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves (Matt 7:15), he urges them to be cautious, saying: but I beseech you, brethren, to mark those who make dissensions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned.

1215. Here, first of all, it should be noted that ‘to mark’ is nothing more than to consider carefully: which, of course, is sometimes taken in a good sense and sometimes in an evil sense.

It is taken in an evil sense when someone carefully considers the condition and progress of someone in order to inflict harm, as it says in a psalm: the wicked plots against the just and gnashes his teeth against him (Ps 37:12), and in Luke it says: and they were watching him (Luke 14:1).

In a good sense it is taken in one way, when one considers God’s precepts to obey them: observe him and hearken to his voice (Exod 23:21). In another way, when a person considers good men to imitate them, as it says in Philippians: brethren, join in imitating me and mark those who so live as you have an example in us (Phil 3:17).

Third, the evil are observed as persons to be avoided; and that is the way it is taken here.

1216. For there were certain Jewish converts to the faith who preached that the practices of the law must be observed. From this followed dissensions and sects in the Church, since some adhered to their error but others continued in the true faith: dissension, sects (Gal 5:20). Then followed hindrances and stumbling blocks already discussed, while some would judge others and some would spurn others who caused dissensions and hindrances: remove every obstruction from my people’s way (Isa 57:14). But he says: contrary to the doctrine which you have learned by the true apostles of Christ, to show that such dissensions and stumbling blocks derive from false doctrine: if anyone is preaching to you a gospel other than the one I preached to you, let him be accursed (Gal 1:9).

1217. Second, he warns them that once known they should be avoided; hence he says: and avoid them, i.e., fly from their doctrine and company: depart from me, you evildoers (Ps 119:115).

1218. Then when he says, for they who, he assigns two reasons for what he had said, the first of which is taken on the part of those whom he wants avoided.

First, he describes their condition, saying: for they who are such serve not Christ but their own belly. For they preached not for the glory of Christ but for revenue, in order to fill their belly: for many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their god is their belly (Phil 3:18).

Second, he describes their deception, saying: and by pleasing speeches and good words seduce the hearts of the innocent, i.e., of the innocent and inexperienced: the simple believe everything (Prov 14:15). By fair words they pretend to be holy: they speak peace with their neighbor, while mischief is in their hearts (Ps 28:3). And good words, with which they bless and flatter those who follow them: my people, those who call you blessed mislead you (Isa 3:12); I will curse your blessings (Mal 2:2).

1219. He assigns the second reason from a trait of the Romans, who found it easy to follow good and evil.

First, he commends them for their readiness to accept the good, saying: for your obedience, by which you obey the faith so easily, is published in every place on account of the dominion the Romans then exercised over other nations. Hence, anything done by the Romans was easily divulged to others. Your faith is proclaimed in the whole world (Rom 1:8). I rejoice, therefore, in you, because you obey the faith; and this in charity, about which he says that love does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the truth (1 Cor 13:6) .

Second, he cautions them against evil, saying: but I would have you to be wise in good, so that you might cling to what is good, and simple in evil, lest through some simplicity you decline to evil, so that your simplicity be such that you deceive no one into evil: be wise as serpents and simple as doves (Matt 10:16). On the other hand, it is said of certain persons: they are skilled in doing evil, but how to do good they know not (Jer 4:22).

1220. Then when he says, but may the God of peace, he promises them divine help against such deceivers.

First, he makes the promise when he says: but may the God of peace, i.e., its author, who hates the dissensions they cause, crush Satan, i.e., the devil, who is trying to deceive you through these false apostles, under your feet, because you will overcome him by your wisdom. And he will do this speedily, namely, when he comes: behold, I have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19); you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet (Mal 4:3).

Second, he says a prayer to obtain this when he says: the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, which is enough to guard you: my grace is sufficient for you (2 Cor 12:9).

1221. Then when he says, Timothy, he greets them on the part of others, saying: Timothy, my helper, greets you: I have sent you Timothy, who is my dearest and faithful son in the preaching of the Gospel (1 Cor 4:17). He adds: so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen, who were Jews.

Tertius, Paul’s secretary, was allowed to greet the Romans personally with Paul’s consent. Hence he adds: I, Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord.

Then he says: Caius, my host, was the person to whom John wrote in his third letter commending the charity he exercised toward the saints; and the whole church, namely, who were assembled in his house or who were in that region. Then he says: Erastus, treasurer of the city, i.e., who guarded the city’s money, and Quartus, a brother.

1222. Then he greets them on his own, saying: the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

1223. He finishes the epistle with thanksgiving, saying: now to him, namely, to God who is the Trinity, who is able to establish you: after you have suffered a little, he will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you (1 Pet 5:10); and this in the faith which is according to my Gospel, namely according to the Gospel I preach: whether, then, it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed (1 Cor 15:11); and also according to the preaching of Jesus Christ, who first preached the Gospel, as it says in Hebrews: it was declared at first by the Lord (Heb 2:3). Hence Matthew states that Jesus went about preaching the Gospel of the kingdom (Matt 4:23).

1224. Then he adds, according to the revelation of the mystery, i.e., the secret, which can refer to what he had said, namely, according to my Gospel, either because the secret of the divine Incarnation is revealed in the Gospel, in accord with the above: for the justice of God is revealed therein (Rom 1:17); or because the Gospel was revealed to the Apostle himself: God has revealed to us through the Spirit (1 Cor 2:10). Of this secret it says in Isaiah, my secret to myself (Isa 24:16).

Or it can be referred better to the word he had used, to establish. As if to say: God can strengthen you in my Gospel and preaching; and this according to the revelation of the mystery, i.e., of the secret, namely, about the conversion of the gentiles, as he says in Ephesians: to me the least of saints this grace was given, to preach to the gentiles the mystery hidden for ages in God (Eph 3:8).

1225. Hence, he continues: which was kept secret for eternal ages, namely, because it had been hidden among men that the gentiles were to be converted to the faith. He calls these eternal ages, as though lasting a long time, because this was hidden from the beginning of the world: glorious are you, more wonderful than the eternal mountains (Ps 76:4).

It can be said that the long ages are eternity itself about which Isaiah says: the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity (Isa 57:15). So that just as the simple essence of God is described in terms of a likeness to bodily dimensions, as Job says: his measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea (Job 11:9), so his simple eternity is called eternal times, inasmuch as it contains all times.

1226. Then he continues: which now, namely, the mystery, is made manifest, i.e., about the conversion of the gentiles, through the writings of the prophets, i.e., as the prophets foretold. Hence, he says in Ephesians: this mystery was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that is, that the gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body (Eph 3:5ff.).

But it was made known by fulfillment of a work proceeding from God’s command. Hence, according to the precept of the eternal God, who by an eternal decree accomplishes his will in time. This command of God for the obedience of faith is made known among all nations, i.e., that all nations should obey the faith: for the obedience to the faith, in all nations (Rom 1:5).

1227. But if we speak of the Incarnation, the text can be constructed thus: of the mystery, I say, kept secret for eternal ages, because previously it was not so manifest. Which mystery is now made manifest through the writings of the prophets, which predicted this, according to the precept of the eternal God, who willed the mystery of the Incarnation to become known, and this for the obedience to faith among all nations. A mystery, I say, known to God, the only wise, because he alone knew it and knew those to whom he wished it to be revealed, for as it says in 1 Corinthians: no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God (1 Cor 2:11). Or it can be understood of him who alone is wise, i.e., by his very nature, as it says in Mark: no one is good but God alone (Mark 10:18). This does not exclude the Son, because the perfection of the whole Trinity is the same; just as, conversely, when it is said: no one knows the Father but the Son (Matt 11:27), the Father is not excluded from knowledge of himself.

1228. He adds, through Jesus Christ. This does not mean that the Father is wise through Jesus Christ; because, since in God to be wise is the same as to be, it would follow that the Father would be wise through the Son—which is fallacious. But this must be referred to what he had said above: it is now made manifest, namely, through Jesus Christ. To whom, i.e., to Jesus Christ, be honor and glory, through the reverence paid by every creature: at the name of Jesus every knee shall bend (Phil 2:10); and glory, namely, in regard to the full Godhead, as Philippians says: and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord in the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:11), not for a time, but forevermore: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Heb 13:8).

To confirm its truth he adds: amen.

1229. Or it can be construed thus: known to God, the only wise, to whom be glory through Jesus Christ, who glorified God, as it says in John: I glorified you on earth (John 17:4).

It should be noted that this construction is defective and should be completed thus: to him who is able . . . be honor and glory through Jesus Christ, to whom is honor and glory. But if to whom is left out, the construction is plain.