True Life: Romans 16:1-16, especially vs. 7: "Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me." The Lord Jesus says plainly, "...whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it" (Mt. 16:25). Christos Yanaras comments on the distinctiveness of this Christian attitude toward life when he says, "In contrast with every other code of ethics, the Church does not seek to safeguard the individual, either in isolation or collectively; she does not aim at individual security, either transient or eternal. She asks man to reject his individuality, to ‘lose' his soul. For this loss is the salvation of man, the existential realization of true life, of personal distinctiveness and freedom."
In his greetings to the households of the Roman Church (vss. 1-16), the Apostle Paul helps us examine some facets of the process of "losing one's soul," and he reveals how we may attain true life. The little digressions the Apostle makes as he greets his beloved fellow Christians provide important insights into what it means to ‘lose' one's soul and ‘to find [life]' (Mt. 16:25).
Eight times in these closing verses, St. Paul uses phrases such as "in Christ Jesus," "in Christ," or "in the Lord" (Rom. 15:3,7-13). These favorite phrases refer one to his share in the Person and mission of the Lord Jesus Himself. The high esteem the Apostle places on being "in Christ," couples with other expressions such as "worthy of the saints" (vs. 2), "who are of note among the apostles" (vs. 7), "beloved" (vs. 8), or "labored much." These phrases disclose a synergy of divine power and grace at work through human commitment and endeavor.
The Apostle presents us with the basic elements that constitute what must be true of our hearts and behavior before we can speak of being "in Christ." Among these we must include repentance (in the sense of an active reordering of one's aims and actions in life), asceticism (the practical mastery of desires and comforts and fasting), repudiation of consumerism, active prayer and worship, and labor on behalf of others. As we reflect on St. Paul's asides in these greetings and what they disclose in terms of earnest dedication, hard work, and disregard for self, the luminous meaning of being "in Christ" shines out brilliantly and often it may shame us.
In the Apostle's remarks concerning Phoebe (vss. 1-2), a deaconess from the church in Cenchreae, he reveals the high value which he placed on the servant role as a means for attaining the fulness of life in Christ. In the early Church, deaconesses were blessed to attend female Catechumens in preparation for and during Baptism. Also they visited prisoners and the sick.
St. Paul tells us further about Phoebe that she was a "protectress" or "patroness" of the Church, implying that she was a woman of position and social standing, capable of extending significant material aid to "many," and who, in actual practice, probably assisted the Apostle himself (vs. 2). His remarks reveal this same servant behavior was manifest in Priscilla and Aquila (vss.3-5), Mary (vs. 6), Tryphaena, Tryphosa and Persis (vs. 12).
Finally, the import of the Lord's comments about ‘losing one's life' as the way to find life stands out vividly as St. Paul greets those who were more than ready to assume risks on behalf of others. No doubt the risks included privation, discomfort, and even loss of life to foster the well-being of other Christians. Priscilla and Aquila "risked their own necks" for his life (vs.4). Andronicus and Junia were his "fellow prisoners" (vs. 7), presumably in Ephesus. The entire picture St. Paul provides is one of people quite willing to reject personal comfort and to lose even their lives to attain true Life. The grace so to live still is offered to all of us who are in Christ.
May I live henceforth not unto myself, but unto Thee, O good Master and Benefactor.