The final chapter in Romans (chapter 16) is a letter of commendation for a sister named “Phebe,” coupled with salutations to various brethren in Rome. It includes a warning to withdraw from divisive persons who might mislead them, and closes with a doxology that links the two parts of Paul’s ministry together as being the means of establishing the saints in all the truth of God.
In verses 1-2 Paul writes, “I commend to you Phebe, our sister, who is minister of the assembly which is in Cenchrea” (JND). This letter of commendation formally introduced Phebe to the assembly in Rome. She was travelling from Cenchrea (the port of Corinth, two miles away) to Rome for some personal “matter,” and was probably the carrier of the epistle.
The use of such letters was common practice among brethren in the early church (Acts 18:27; 2 Cor. 3:1). The existence of them shows the care they had in inter-assembly communion. There were dangers that threatened the fellowship of the saints, and they needed to be careful whom they received, both on a personal level (1 Tim. 5:22), and collectively as assemblies (Acts 9:26-28). False brethren were coming into the Christian profession with bad doctrine and unholy practices, and they were corrupting the saints (2 Cor. 11:12-15; Gal. 5:7-12; 2 Pet. 2:1; 1 John 4:1-6; Jude 4). In view of this danger, the fellowship of the saints was not open, nor was it closed, but it was guarded. Such care should still be used among Christian assemblies that seek to be Scripturally gathered. In fact, since the corruption in the Christian profession is greater today than ever before, this care is needed more than ever. If a person in fellowship at the Lord’s table goes to an assembly where he or she is known, a letter is nice to have, but not necessary (2 Cor. 3:1-3). But if a person is visiting an assembly where he or she is not known, a letter of commendation should be used.
A Minister of the Assembly
We might wonder what this sister was doing functioning as a “minister of the assembly” in Cenchrea, when Scripture teaches that sisters are not to minister publicly from the Word of God and teach in the assembly (1 Cor. 14:34-35; 1 Tim. 2:11-12). However, this question reflects a common misunderstanding. The problem is that the inquirer is trying to understand the passage by using the conventional (commonly accepted) meanings that men have attached to Biblical terms. Sad to say, Christendom has attached unscriptural meanings to many Scriptural terms, and these ideas have been popularized and accepted by the masses. But this has led to much confusion. Having our minds colored by these unscriptural thoughts makes it difficult to learn the true meaning of a passage.
In the example before us, it is a mistake to think that a “minister” is a clergyman (a so-called pastor who leads a congregation of Christians). Within the meaning of Scripture, a minister is a person (male or female) who carries out a service for the Lord in either spiritual (Acts 6:4; 1 Peter 4:11) or temporal things (Matt. 10:41-42; Acts 6:2-3; 13:5; 19:22; 1 Tim. 3:10). Since a sister, according to the order in Scripture, is not to minister from the Word of God publicly in the assembly, Phebe must have ministered to the assembly in temporal things. Another states in his translation footnote that the word can be translated “deaconess,” which is a servant who serves in temporal things. She may have swept the floor of the meeting room where the saints met in Cenchrea, or something like that. She would not have been in the official office of a deacon because that was to be filled by men (1 Tim. 3:8-13). Since Paul states that she was “a helper of many,” she may have had the gift of “helps” (1 Cor. 12:28).
S. B. Anstey