1 I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the ecclesia which is at Cenchrea:

This implies a prominent, active, if not official position on the part of the sister in question. He further distinguishes her by making her the bearer of the epistle to the Romans, of which, for a time, she was the sole custodian. He entreats the whole Roman ecclesia on her behalf, saying of her that "she hath been a succourer of many, and of me also."

... It is the part of true nobility to shine in the performance of the humblest duties, we will not say "stoop," or "condescend," because there is no stooping in the case. These humble duties, which are most important in the economy of life, become exalted in the hands of intelligence and worth. But to insist on confining sisters to these, would be to ignore the fact that they have brains as well as bodies; and that men have other needs of help-meetship besides those of knife and fork.

Such a boorish doctrine would destroy companionship, where brethren need it most, and unfit their wives to fulfil the highest function of motherhood, which is to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. In fact, it is a doctrine to be opposed and detested as much as any hurtful doctrine may be. The man who holds, and much more the man who preaches it, deserves to be deprived of every social advantage, and to be shut up in a cave. This, in fact, is his destiny at last.

Bro Roberts - Woman's position

2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.

Sisters of the New Testament

Phebe

receives mention by Paul as 

"the succourer of many, and of myself also" (Rom. 16:2). 

To appreciate Phœbe's work in this direction we must have before our minds the position that Paul and his brethren were placed in which rendered them in need of succour. It was no honour, from the world's standpoint, to succour Paul. 

The estimation that the world placed upon him comes out in Paul's pathetic description of his sufferings. he was the subject of hunger, thirst, and nakedness, he was buffetted, of no certain dwelling-place, reviled, persecuted, defamed, and "made as the filth of the world, and the off-scouring of all things."

Let us add to this the contumely which we know was heaped upon him by false brethren, and we shall have a little idea of the courage of the sister who had been a "succourer of many, and of myself also." Adam's descendants are all to a greater or lesser degree influenced by what onlookers will think, but this love of approbation is generally admitted to hold its greatest sway over women. In Phœbe, we have an exhibition of its direction in a right channel. She sought God's approval, not man's.

Phœbe might have found many excuses for leaving Paul to himself. She might have argued that so many spoke against him that there might be something in it after all—and then, again, what would people say of her? But Phœbe did not give way to such thoughts. She displayed such firmness and strength of character as a full assurance of faith alone can create. She was prepared to judge for herself, and to judge righteous judgment. She knew that the apostle's career had been one of uprightness and fidelity, and she was determined to strengthen his hands, though whole quiverfuls of asp-poisoned arrows assailed him.

We have not Paul in our midst to-day to succour, nevertheless, there are many of Paul's brethren and sisters who stand in need of help. Let us not withhold our help from them because the world or our friends will frown on us. Let us not be of those who love the praise of men more than the praise of God.

The Christadelphian, Dec 1889

9 Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.

Sisters of the New Testament

Urbane

styled by Paul "our helper in Christ." This sister had evidently seconded the Apostle's labours. What particular form her help took we know not. But it must have been active service of some kind—something beyond the "staying at home," "weaving" and "superintending the cooking," to which one of the early ecclesia luminaries relegated women.

It is right and scriptural to faithfully attend to home affairs, but these are not to prevent us from availing ourselves of other and more active means of serving the truth. We should keep ourselves on the alert for any and every opportunity of helping in the service of Christ

A visit here, a letter there, a tract or book in another direction, are little deeds in themselves, but they form very important items in the sum of those things for which we shall receive in the days of Christ's coming, commendation or rebuke.

The Christadelphian, Dec 1889

16 Salute one another with an holy kiss. The ecclesias of Christ salute you.

"The Ecclesia."

—This is another collective designation, rendered "the church" in the common version. The term expresses the idea that those so spoken of had been called out, for this is the meaning of the word. This agrees with James who tells us that God had visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. The "call" which these receive is the Gospel invitation to God's Kingdom and glory. Thus called, they are taken out or separated from the rest of the community for divine objects.

The Christadelphian, Apr 1888

17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

THE GOSPEL SCHISMATIC

I remark, in the next place, that GM accuses me falsely in saying that I "scatter division and schism wherever I appear." When Paul visited the synagogues

"he reasoned with them out of Moses and the Prophets, expounding and proving by citations the things concerning the Christ."

The result was division wherever he went. Was Paul, or the truth he set forth, the efficient cause of the schisms? "G. M." would hardly deny that it was the truth that divided them, and not Paul. This is the fact. Yet Paul was denounced by the "G. M.'s" of his day as a scatterer of divisions or schisms, a turner of the world upside down, a pestilent fellow, and so forth. Well, I take Paul for my example in preaching the Gospel.

I sometimes enter into Campbellite and other synagogues where Moses and the Prophets are classed with old almanacs: and proceed to reason with the people out of them, opening and alleging, that Christ's mission is as yet only fulfilled in a very small degree; that He is to restore the kingdom again to Israel, and to rule over it on David's throne; that he is then to bring the gospel-blessedness announced to Abraham upon all nations to the ends of the earth; and that Jesus, whom Paul preached, is He, who must, therefore, come again in power and great glory to accomplish the work.

These great truths and the testimonies of the apostles and prophets pertaining to them, are followed by debates and oppositions. But I am no more to be blamed for these than Paul.

When God's testimony is presented to the blind who say they see, trouble in their camp is inevitable; for the thinking of the flesh is enmity against God and his word. The word of life is light, even as God is light. When, therefore, it shines into the darkness, a struggle ensues between the two elements.

If the light prevail the darkness is extinguished, and there is peace; but if the darkness maintain its position, as is generally the case, the light is excluded with all through whom it shines and death remains. Thus, a division or schism ("G. M." does not seem to know that they are the same) is effected.

The Schismatics are the fleshly-thinking opponents of the testimony of God, and not he or they who show what that testimony is, and endeavor to prove that it means precisely what it says.

This was all I did in Britain. It is true σχισματα, or divisions, followed; but I am no more worthy of condemnation for these than Paul, whose doings were invariably followed by the same results. I obey the apostolic injunction,

"Contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints."

Where this faith is unknown it is opposed when presented. Shall the earnest contention for that faith cease because of opposition? Shall ignorance of Moses and the prophets put to silence the advocates of their testimony? No; though that ignorance become incarnate, and rejoice in the high-sounding titles with which vain men and proud ecclesiastics delight to honour one another before the multitude.

Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, Sept 1853

20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

On another occasion, the Lord said to his disciples,

"I beheld the Satan fall out of the heaven like lightning".

This was the Satan in heaven contemporary with his sojourn upon earth. He beheld his fall as the prophets beheld things not yet come to pass: for this Satan was still in the heaven after his assumption to the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens.

This is evident from Paul's assurance to the saints in Rome, the Capital of the Satan's empire, that

"the Deity of peace should bruise- the Satan under their feet shortly" (Rom. 16:18).

When Paul wrote this, the Satan was still in the heaven. It was the same Satan that prevented Paul more than once from visiting the saints in Thessalonica (1 Thess. 2:18). It was their great and potent adversary in the Dragon government, the Pagan Roman Church and State.

It was this Great Red Dragonic Diabolos and Satan, that

"magnified himself against the Prince of (Israel's) host: and by whom the Daily Sacrifice was taken away, and the place of its sanctuary was cast down" (Dan. 8:9-12).

It is symbolized in this place by "a Little Horn, which waxed exceeding great." It was by this Satanic Power, "Messiah the Prince was cut off;" and by which the city and sanctuary were destroyed" (Dan. 9:26).

It was the great adversary of Judah, and of the Saints, whom it reckoned also as Jews. When the Lord Jesus saw it in vision fall like lightning from heaven, he saw their adversary expelled from the Roman Heaven, as symbolized in this twelfth chapter of the Apocalypse.

Paul said it would be bruised "shortly" after he wrote. It was ejected by the lightning of war from the heaven, about 25O years after, when the Michael and his party fought against the Dragon and his angels (ch. 12:7). It fell out of the heaven, as Jesus said; and John records, that "he was cast out into the earth," to the great terror of those among whom he fell (ver. 9,12).

The Dragon-Power of Rome, then, was surnamed THE SATAN, because it was the great and persistent Adversary of Christ, and His Brethren. No one intelligent in the word would confound the Satans related to Israel, Job, Jesus and Peter, and merge them into one and the same Satan, identical with such a Devil, as is pressed into the service of the Clergy, to aid them in scaring sinners into church-membership.

The clerical devil and Satan belongs to the mythology of the heathen, and is as unreal as their gods: nevertheless, this mythical phantasm has a real and tenacious hold of their worshippers; who are much more careful to treat him with reverence, than to praise and honour Him by whom they live and have their being.

Eureka 12.15

25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Paul says, the only wise Deity establish you "by my evangile," good-announcement, or gospel,

"and proclamation of Jesus Christ; by the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret in aionian times, but now is made manifest through the prophetic writings by command of the aionian Deity (the Deity of the times of the law) made known for obedience of faith to all the nations."

They set forth in their teaching the gospel preached to Abraham; and afterwards preached by Moses to the enslaved Israelites in Egypt; and next proepeggeilato, previously announced through His prophets in the holy writings; and then by John the Baptist, Jesus and his disciples, before the crucifixion; after this, they proved that Jesus was the promised and expected Christ, or Son of David and Son of the Deity, raised from among the dead to be King of Israel; and they showed how remission of sins and eternal life might be obtained through his name.

"The sufferings of the Christ and the glory that should follow,"

are the more general and twofold division of the mystery; or in other words, "the things concerning the Kingdom of the Deity, and the Name of Jesus Christ;" which every one taught by them who desired to share in the great salvation, practically elaborated by the Spirit-Angel of the Bow, believed, and obtained a right to by being aqueously immersed into Christ.

From this exposition, then, the reader will perceive, that, the mystery previously announced through the prophets, and preached by the apostles, is not yet finished.

Multitudes have received the remission of sins and a right to eternal life, on the basis of the sufferings of the Christ, belief of the truth, and immersion into his name; but the realization of their right in the kingdom of which they are "heirs;" and the blessedness of all nations in Abraham and his Seed, are parts of the mystery previously announced to the prophets, "the Hope of the Gospel" and "the Hope of Israel," which yet remain to be developed by the almighty power of the Spirit-Angel of the Bow, in "the days of the seventh angel," when he shall synchronically consummate "the wonders" and "the times" (Rom. i. 2; xvi. 25,26; 1 Cor. ii. 7,8; Eph. i. 9,10; iii. 3-9; vi. 19,20; Col. i. 26; iv. 3; Matt. i. 17).

Eureka 10.12.

26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

Jesus has revealed himself as "the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him," and to none else, there is nothing that carnal pietism revolts from so instinctively as obedience. It will believe and do any thing and every thing not required of it; but the thing commanded for the "obedience of faith" is just the thing that it will not submit to.

... an erroneous faith is no more justifying than no faith—they are in this matter virtually equivalents.

... Now, men are justified by the belief of the true gospel, and not by the action of immersion; though it is true at the same time, that they cannot be justified without it. If they be ignorant, or faithless, of the true gospel they have nothing in their hearts to be counted for righteousness, justification, or remission of sins, in being immersed. Their immersion, therefore, goes for nothing; and we say, get faith, get wisdom, get understanding; and when they are acquired, be immersed, and then you will be the subject of the "one baptism."

Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, Dec 1854

"Law" in Hebrew, Greek, and English, is a rule or standard of acting. It was applied to the Mosaic Code, which was the ecclesiastical, civil, and social rule according to which the Twelve Tribes of Israel and the strangers among them were to regulate their actions as tenant-at-will occupants of the Holy Land. The obedience rendered to this law was called "works," of which immersion into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was never one. The law of works was the Mosaic Law, and is that to which the apostle refers in Romans...

...If a man were justified by keeping the burdensome ritual of Moses (which none but Jesus ever did, and even he was cursed by that law because of hanging on a tree,) he would have something to boast of; but in being baptised, which baptism belongs to the law of faith, there is no scope for self-glorification, or boasting; for a man does not baptise himself, but is passive, being baptised of another, which to the subject is no "work" at all—no more than the burial of a corpse is the work of the deceased. "We are buried with Christ by baptism into death" to sin, "that we should walk in newness of life."

Law, then, implies regulated action, or obedience. Law of faith defines the subjects of the law or rule, that is, believers. This law exacts obedience only from believers; none others however willing can obey it; for it is only believers who can render obedience of faith. An unbeliever may perform the act prescribed by a law of faith, but he has not therefore yielded obedience in the sense of the law; because his performance has not resulted from faith in the things propounded for his belief.

Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, Oct 1853