A Legacy Article for Notion.com — by Douglas Vandergraph
Romans 16 is one of the most overlooked, underestimated, and under-preached chapters in the entire Bible. Most believers skim it. Many theologians rush through it. And countless readers assume that a chapter made up almost entirely of names is somehow “less important” than the doctrinal thunder of Romans 8 or the theological brilliance of Romans 5.
But anyone who thinks that has failed to understand what Paul is actually doing.
Romans 16 is not a list. It’s a revelation.
It is a portrait of the Kingdom.
It is a map of what real ministry looks like.
It is a reminder that the gospel was never meant to be carried by celebrities, lone heroes, or isolated individuals.
It has always been a movement carried by people — flawed, faithful, courageous, unseen, hardworking, deeply imperfect people redeemed by a perfect Savior.
Romans 16 is Paul taking the curtain and pulling it back, saying:
“Here are the people who make ministry happen. Honor them. Learn from them. Become like them.”
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Most sermons about Romans end in Chapter 15. That’s because Romans 16 feels less like a theological masterpiece and more like a personal scrapbook. But that “scrapbook” is the very heartbeat of the early church. It shows the foundational truth that ministry — real ministry — stands on the shoulders of ordinary disciples who live extraordinary obedience.
Paul understood this so deeply that he spent an entire chapter immortalizing the names of the people who made the work of God advance. He didn’t just thank them privately. He wrote their names into the eternal Word of God. He carved them into Scripture because partnership is holy, unity is holy, encouragement is holy, and calling people by name is holy.
And as modern believers, this chapter becomes a mirror.
A question.
A divine challenge.
What kind of person are we becoming — the kind whose life gets carried by others, or the kind whose life helps carry the Kingdom?