The Mystery Now Made Known to All Nations

Romans ends where it began: God establishes believers according to Paul’s gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to a mystery once kept secret but now manifested “by the scriptures of the prophets” and made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. Compare Romans 1:1–5: promised beforehand in Scripture, centered on the Son, aimed at the obedience of faith among the nations.

The doxology’s location varies in the manuscript tradition—some witnesses place it earlier, some at the end, and some display more complex forms. That textual history should be acknowledged without pretending the church lacked Romans 16 entirely or that one simple “shorter original Romans” theory has been proved.