The Apostle Paul's Social Network

In the closing section of the Epistle of Romans, Paul mentions thirty-three individual names describing great love and affection in the church. God uses the broad interconnection of Christians and real fellowship of the saints to accomplish much of the work of the Gospel. This closing and signature of the letter includes the commendation of a faithful servant to the church in Rome; numerous greetings to members of the church in; and loving remembrances from those assisting Paul in the ministry.

Most of the people in this group are unknown to us today, but their faithful service to Christ's church testifies that they are known by the Lord. The church then was made up of Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female, rich and poor, meek and prominent – showing forth the power of Christ to redeem from many people. The inherent diversity of the Saints of God is a testimony to the veracity of the Gospel itself.