The Unveiled Secret of the World Text: Romans 16:25-27
Introduction: The Final Chord
Every great symphony ends with a final, crashing chord that resolves all the tension and brings all the themes to a glorious conclusion. The book of Romans is a theological symphony of the highest order, and Paul does not end it with a quiet fade-out. He ends it with a doxology, a thunderous anthem of praise that summarizes the entire argument of the letter. This is not a polite "thank you and goodnight." This is a declaration of cosmic triumph. It is the final word on what God has done, is doing, and will do in the world through Jesus Christ.
We live in an age that is desperate for a story that makes sense. Our secularist priests offer us a story of blind, meaningless chance, a tale that begins with nothing and ends with nothing. They want us to believe that history is a random walk, a tale told by an idiot. But the Christian faith offers a different story entirely. It is a story with a plot, an author, a central conflict, and a guaranteed victorious conclusion. That story is the gospel.
These final three verses of Romans are not just a benediction; they are a worldview manifesto. They tell us how God operates in history. He works according to a plan, a "mystery" that was conceived in eternity, hidden for ages, but is now being shouted from the housetops. This plan is not a secret anymore. It is the central drama of human history, and its purpose is to bring all the nations of the world to the "obedience of faith," all for the glory of the one, true, and wise God. This is the engine driving history. If you don't understand this, you don't understand anything.
The Text
Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the Gentiles, leading to obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.
(Romans 16:25-27 LSB)
The Power to Establish (v. 25a)
Paul begins by directing our attention to the source of all Christian stability.
"Now to Him who is able to strengthen you..." (Romans 16:25a)
The Christian life is not a matter of self-improvement or pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps. We are not called to establish ourselves. We are called to be established by God. The word for "strengthen" here is the word from which we get "steroids." It means to make firm, to set, to stabilize. In a world of shifting sands, of relativism, of emotional fads and intellectual fashions, the believer is not left to find his own footing. God Himself is the one who makes us stand firm.
How does He do this? Paul immediately gives us the instrument: "...according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ." God strengthens His people through the proclamation of the good news. The gospel is not a set of helpful tips for a better life. It is power. It is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16). It is the objective, historical news about what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, accomplished in His life, death, and resurrection. When this message is preached, God works through it to plant the feet of His people on solid rock.
Notice Paul calls it "my gospel." This is not arrogance. It is the possessive of a steward who has been entrusted with a great treasure. He is not the author of the gospel, but he is its herald. And the content of that gospel is "the preaching of Jesus Christ." It is not about us. It is not about our feelings. It is about Him. A church that is not constantly hearing the proclamation of Christ crucified and risen is a church that will be weak, wavering, and easily blown about by every wind of doctrine.
The Unveiled Mystery (v. 25b-26a)
Next, Paul explains the grand, historical nature of this gospel. It is not a new idea; it is an ancient plan, now revealed.
"...according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested..." (Romans 16:25b-26a LSB)
The word "mystery" in the Bible does not mean a riddle we are supposed to solve. It means a truth that was once hidden but has now been revealed by God. For centuries, God's plan of redemption was veiled. It was hinted at in shadows, types, and prophecies. The Old Testament saints looked forward, seeing the promises from afar, but the full picture was not yet clear.
What was this mystery? It was that God intended to unite both Jew and Gentile into one new man, the Church, through the atoning work of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:4-6). For ages, the dividing wall stood. The covenant was largely confined to the nation of Israel. But the plan from the beginning was always global. God promised Abraham that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed. This was the secret plan.
But now, Paul says, this mystery "is manifested." The secret is out. With the coming of Christ, the veil has been torn. The plan is now public knowledge. History has turned a corner. The promises that were whispered in the Old Testament are now being shouted in the New. This is a direct assault on any worldview that sees history as cyclical or meaningless. No, history has a plot, and the incarnation of Jesus Christ is the climax.
The Prophetic Key and the Divine Mandate (v. 26b)
How do we know this is the plan? How was it made manifest? Paul gives two answers.
"...and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the Gentiles..." (Romans 16:26b LSB)
First, it is revealed "by the Scriptures of the prophets." This is crucial. The gospel is not a departure from the Old Testament; it is the fulfillment of it. The New Testament does not abolish the Old; it explains it. The prophets wrote about this, but now, in light of Christ, we can read their words and see what they were pointing to all along. Jesus Himself said that all the Scriptures testified of Him (Luke 24:27). The apostles did not invent a new religion. They simply went into the synagogues, opened the scrolls of Isaiah and the Psalms, and showed how Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled everything that was written.
Second, this revelation is happening "according to the commandment of the eternal God." The mission to the Gentiles is not a human idea or a strategic decision by the early church. It is a divine mandate. The eternal God, the one who stands outside of time and directs its flow, has issued the order. This is why the church must be a missionary church. We are not inviting people to join our club. We are announcing the decree of the King of the universe. He has commanded that this gospel be made known to all the nations.
The Goal of History and the Glory of God (v. 26c-27)
What is the ultimate purpose of this worldwide proclamation? Paul brings it all to a sharp point.
"...leading to obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen." (Romans 16:26c-27 LSB)
The goal is "obedience of faith." This is not two separate things, as though faith were one step and obedience another. It is one concept. True faith is obedient faith. It is a faith that submits. The gospel call is a summons to surrender. It demands that we lay down our arms of rebellion, stop trusting in our own righteousness, and bow the knee to King Jesus. This is the goal for all the nations. God is not interested in simply getting a few individuals saved out of a sinking world. He is in the business of discipling the nations, of bringing entire cultures to the obedience of faith (Matthew 28:19). This is postmillennial confidence in a nutshell. The gospel is powerful enough to accomplish what it was sent to do.
And this all culminates in the final, ultimate goal of everything: the glory of God. "To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen." God's wisdom is put on display in this glorious, intricate plan of redemption. Who but an all-wise God could devise a plan to save rebellious sinners, unite warring peoples, fulfill ancient prophecies, and do it all in a way that upholds His perfect justice and demonstrates His infinite love? No one.
And this glory comes to the Father "through Jesus Christ." Christ is the lens through which we see the glory of God. He is the mediator, the way, the truth, and the life. All of history, all of redemption, all of creation is designed to put the glory of the triune God on display, and the focal point of that glory is the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And to this, all of creation will one day say, "Amen." So be it.
Conclusion: The Unstoppable Plan
This doxology is more than just a fitting end to a letter. It is a declaration of the unstoppable nature of God's purpose. God has a plan. That plan was once a mystery, but it is now an open secret. That plan is being accomplished through the preaching of the gospel. That plan was written down beforehand in the Scriptures of the prophets. That plan is being driven by the command of the eternal God Himself. The goal of that plan is to bring all the nations of the world into glad submission to King Jesus. And the ultimate end of that plan is the everlasting glory of the only wise God.
This is the story we are in. This is the grammar of reality. You are either aligning yourself with this purpose, or you are setting yourself against it. But make no mistake, you cannot stop it. You can either be a joyful participant in God's global renovation project, or you can be part of the rubble that gets cleared away. The choice is to embrace the obedience of faith, or to persist in the disobedience of unbelief. But the plan will not be thwarted. The glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.