Romans 16:23: Gaius, Who is Host To Me And To The Whole Church, Greets You. Erastus, The City Treasurer, And Our Brother Quartus, Greet You.

Romans 16:23

Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you. (ESV)

This final greeting comes from some special people. Certainly all of those who are listed in this letter are special. Some of them we have had the privilege of gaining additional information from the text to know more of their background. These three mentioned are special in specific ways. Let's look at these last three "special" friends whom Paul includes in this letter to Rome.

Gaius would have been very special to Paul because he was a convert of his when he first went to Corinth. Paul mentions him by name in his first letter to the church at Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 1:14 Paul writes, " I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius," One of the most exciting things for any minister is to baptize believers in the name of Jesus.

Erastus is special for a different reason. Paul tells us that Erastus was the city treasurer. We may wonder why Paul would include this information. As the church was expanding across the Roman Empire there were many in the society who did not consider Christianity to be a legitimate faith. Erastus being a believer in Jesus Christ and also a prominent member of the city would have given credibility to the faith.

The final one mentioned in this letter is Quartus. We might think that he is not that special. All it says is that he is "our brother." Friends, there is something wonderful about being a brother in Christ. We often take it for granted. To have God as our heavenly father, Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, makes things special. Having other brothers who share this experience is a delight.

If you are in the body of Christ you can be assured that you are very special. Is there someone in the church that might need to hear that they are special? Perhaps you could remind them. Do it today.