Romans 16:10 – Proving Ground of Faith
Greet Apelles, approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus.
Truth to Learn
Christians undergo trials of their faith.
Behind the Words
The word translated “approved” is dokimos, derived from the verb dokimadzō, which means “to try or test for the purpose of determining value or worthiness.” In the Greek text the definite article (the) is present. Thus, Paul is referring to “Apelles, the approved one.”
Notice that the word “household” is in italic font. That’s because the Greek equivalent does not appear in the text. A literal translation of this greeting would be, “Greet those of Aristobulus.”
“Aristobulus” is a Greek name, although it was used by some Jews as well. It means “the best advise” or “the best advisor.”
Meaning Explained
Again, we have two people about whom we know very little for certain other than what Paul says here. Throughout the centuries there have been a number of ideas regarding who these two might have been, however. Let’s start with Apelles. One of the church fathers in the third century was Origen of Alexandria. He believed that Apelles may have been another name for Apollos (see Acts 18:24-26). Others have argued, however, that since Apollos was such a powerful and remarkable preacher of the Gospel, Paul would have said much more than simply that he was “approved in Christ.” Others have claimed that Apelles was one of the seventy disciples of Christ (see Luke 10:1) and that he had become bishop of the church at Smyrna.
Whoever Apelles might have been, according to Paul he was “the approved one in Christ.” In order for Paul to refer to him as such, Apelles must have gone through some great and well known trial of his faith, having come successfully through. As we have said before, the verb dokimadzō is the word used when speaking of testing gold to determine its purity by burning it in fire. We don’t know anything about the fiery trial that Apelles went through, only that he was found to be approved in the end. James talks a little about this process:
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12)
Paul now greets those of Aristobulus. There was a grandson of Herod the Great with this name who lived around this time. Some think that it is he whom Paul is referring to. Whoever he was, it is interesting that Paul does not greet him, only those of his household. There are a couple of possible reasons for this. It is possible that Aristobulus had passed away when Paul wrote this letter and that he was thus greeting the slaves and other family members. The other possibility is that this man was not a believer but that some of his slaves, domestic servants, and family members were believers, and it is these people to whom Paul sends his greeting.
Application
God chooses to test the faith of some Christians more than others. The important thing is not whether you have been tested or not, but that you have been found approved in the end. Has God been trying your faith? Have you been found approved?
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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