Romans 16:19Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This was said not to free them from shame, but to anticipate them with praises and keep them in obedience by a multitude of witnesses.

I alone do not bear witness, he says, but the whole world. The Apostle did not say, “your prudence,” but, “your obedience,” that is, submission.

This testified to great meekness. “I rejoice over you.” This too is no small praise.

Then after the praise comes exhortation. Having freed them from accusation, the Apostle again gives them hints, lest through forgetfulness they become more negligent.

He says, “I want you to be wise in what is good and simple in what is evil.” Do you see how subtly he reproves them again, when they do not suspect it?

By this the Apostle hints that some of them have already been deceived.

“Your obedience in the faith is known to all; therefore I rejoice over you.” They deceive, he said, the simple.

But your obedience, which comes from great meekness, is known to all. I alone do not bear witness to it; the whole world does.

Therefore I rejoice over you, because you have not been deceived.

“But I want you to be wise in what is good and simple in what is evil.” He hints that even some of them had been deceived.

He plainly says the same thing as the Lord: “Be wise as serpents and simple as doves,” Mt 10:16.

He wants them to be wise, or cautious, in what is good, that is, in the matter of their own salvation and benefit.

He wants them to be simple in what is evil, that is, in not doing evil to others. For a simple person harms no one.

“That your obedience may reach all lands.” This means either that your good conduct reaches every person, or that the Gospel which you received is preached before all men.

To be wise in what is good means to do what is good. Those are simple concerning evil who do not do evil, that is, who avoid evil.

“For your obedience has reached all,” because you received the apostolic teaching with zeal. Therefore, the Apostle continues, “I rejoice concerning you.” Yet while praising them, he does not cease to teach them as well: “I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.” The Lord also gave this law to the apostles, saying, “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Mt 10:16). The Master’s word requires us to repel the snares of enemies, but by no means to take revenge on those who wrong us.

In the Epistle to the Romans the Apostle marvels at the “pure in heart” and gives something like a definition of children in the words: “But I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil.”

Christians are called sheep in Holy Scripture because there is no small likeness between Christians and sheep.

Sheep do no wrong to any livestock. So too Christians wrong no one.

Simplicity is observed in sheep. When a wolf tears one sheep, the others do not run away, but all look on.

So too Christians are simple-hearted, “wise in what is good and simple in what is evil,” Rom 16:19.

Sheep bring great benefit to their owners, giving them wool, milk, hide, and meat. So too Christians are good and useful to all.

They offer to God, their Lord, the sacrifice of praise and confession.

Peace and concord are observed in sheep, for many of them fit even in a small fold. So too Christians are peaceful and in concord among themselves.

In contrast to the false teachers, true Christians, including many of those mentioned above by the Apostle who labored in the Roman Church, were distinguished by meekness and openness.

Therefore the Apostle wishes them to continue to be distinguished by these qualities. Thus they could concentrate their whole mind on good, without spending any of it on evil.

Heretics, by contrast, sharpened themselves in every way for evil and were complete ignoramuses in good, cf. Mt 10:16.

Explaining the last words of this verse, His Grace Theophan says: “The good in the present case is faithfulness to the truth and the rejection of every lie.

The Apostle wishes them to notice immediately the falsehood and deceit of the false teachers, and at once resolve to withstand them.

He wants them to protect themselves and their own from them, and at the same time to be simple toward evil, that is, neither to know it nor to know how to do it.”

Your obedience means obedience to the faith, submission and devotion to the faith. “Has reached all” means it is known to all, or, as at the beginning, is proclaimed in all the world, Rom 1:8.

By this the Apostle wishes to say: corrupters of minds succeed in deceiving the simple-hearted in other places.

But as for you, “I am confident in your firmness. You will not cast off the yoke of obedience to the faith, nor will you be shaken in it.

It was unlikely that they, being so wise, would after knowledge of the truth submit to any foolish speculations,” says Ambrosiaster.

“He intentionally sets forth so many witnesses of their obedience in the faith. Holding this in mind, they would not allow themselves to be put to shame by turning aside to any evil teaching,” says Oecumenius.