The Serpent and the Son

17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them, 18 because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites.[a] They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.

19 The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise about what is good, and yet innocent about what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

21 Timothy, my co-worker, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow countrymen, greet you.

22 I, Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.[b]

23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you.[c]

Romans 16:17-23

Introduction

Romans 16:17 urges brothers and sisters, to watch out for those creating divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them.

Walking near the beach a few years ago, a boomslang slithered across our path. Thomas was with me. The snake wasn’t big. Maybe 50 centimetres. But the little blighter was fast. And small doesn’t mean harmless. I heard David Attenborough say the venom in the little ones is as dangerous as the big ones.

So I did what any South African father would do. I didn’t scream. I didn’t try to reason with it. I didn’t try to tame it. I put myself between that slippery, green, silent death and my son. I kept my eyes on it. I watched out for it. And as soon as it was safe, the literal moment the serpent crossed the road, I grabbed Thomas, and we turned tail and ran. We didn’t walk. We ran. We avoided it.

In Romans 16:17-23, Paul does something strikingly similar. He puts himself between the church and a serpent. He says, Watch out. And then, Avoid them. But he neither leaves us standing frozen, nor running in fear. Paul gives us a rock to anchor our feet upon. And tells of a crushing victory that will be ours. The God of peace will soon crush Satan.

Here is the burden of this text. Because Christ crushed the Serpent, separate from deceivers and embrace His people. Separation is not a suggestion. It is a command. And it is your only safety.

This unfolds in three movements. First, Discern the Serpent’s whisper. Second, Expect the Conqueror’s victory. And third, Hold the Saints’ hands.

Do you know the sound of the Serpent’s whisper? Or have you gotten used to the hiss? Paul begins with the whisper. Let’s listen.

Discern the Serpent’s whisper

17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters. Watch out. Those are not my words. They are the apostle’s. Paul writes, Watch out for those creating divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. This is not a suggestion to the overly cautious. It is a command for all the faithful. We are to mark those that create divisions. We are to avoid those that put up gospel obstacles. Don’t entertain them. Don’t debate with them. Avoid them.

Consider where Paul places this sharp command. Our text sits wedged between a long list of beloved saints, that we looked at last week. And a soaring doxology of glory, which we will look at next week. The contrast is intentional. On one side, you see the beauty of the united community of believers. Sisters and brothers who labour in the Lord. On the other side, you hear the eternal weight of God’s wisdom. And right in the middle, there is a warning about a serpent creating division. This matters because the command to avoid is not a call to preserve gospel unity. We separate from those who create divisions so we can cling to loving community.

Why such urgency? Paul gives the first reason in Romans 16:18. 18 because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They are slaves. Not to the Lord, but to their belly. In ancient Rome, travelling orators survived by flattery. They would tell a wealthy patron whatever his itching ears wanted to hear, and in return, they ate at their table. Their smooth talk was a transaction. Their flattering words were currency for their own appetites.

Men do not serve two masters. You cannot follow the clear voice of Christ and the seductive whisper of a deceiver. You must discern the difference between the two. Is the voice you are listening to calling you to take up the cross for gospel unity? Or are they inflaming sin by creating divisions?

Then Paul gives the second reason in Romans 16:19. 19 For the report of your obedience has reached everyone. He rejoices over them. But he immediately pivots. I want you to be wise about what is good, and yet innocent about what is evil. Innocent. Not sophisticated. Not nuanced about evil and darkness. Innocent.

Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome. They had only recently returned to a church that was now Gentile. False teachers exploited these ethnic and cultural divisions. They called people back to the Mosaic Law as a badge of true spirituality. But Paul says true obedience is not found in returning to shadows. True obedience is found in separating from those who are divisive.

This matters. This is about our public theological unity. The serpent hisses to isolate sheep from the flock. And then he eats them. And so, as an act of corporate obedience we must separate from false teachers.

Older folk, parents, and kids will remember Kaa, the python from The Jungle Book. When prey wanders near, the serpent’s eyes begin to spin. They are not angry eyes. They are calm. Hypnotic. Welcoming. Snakes do not roar like lions. They whisper, Trussssst me. And their prey goes limp. Stops resisting. Mindlessly obeys.

Paul is warning the church. The false teachers Paul worries about aren’t on the outside. They walk among us. And they won’t come to us with obvious heresy. They come with a subtler attack. They whisper, Trussssst me… as they undermine establish truth. They sound so wise. But their fruit isn’t clarity. Their fruit is division. As they gather men and woman to themselves against the cause of the gospel.

This is the command to separate from deceivers. And this is how Paul builds his argument. The command is to separate from deceivers.

How can we stand with confidence? Separate with clarity? We know the end of the Serpent. And that is where Paul turns next. We separate from the whispers because we expect the Conqueror’s victory.

Expect the Conqueror’s victory

Now Romans 16:20. And here the tone shifts from warning to wonder. Paul has commanded us to watch out and avoid. But he does not leave us in a defensive crouch. He gives us the ground beneath our feet. But victory is not in our grip. The victory lies beneath our feet.

As Paul writes, 20 Now the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. Hear the title. The God of peace. Not the God of anxiety. Not the God of panic. The God of peace. And yet this God of peace is about to do something violent. He will crush. The word means to shatter. To break into pieces. The God of peace makes war on the Serpent so that His people might have peace.

This is no new thought. Romans 16:20 reaches back to the garden. Genesis 3:15. The ancient promise. The seed of the woman will crush the Serpent’s head. What God promised in the shadows of Eden, Paul announces as certain here in Rome. The Serpent will not have the final word. The Deceiver will not slither through the church forever. The God of peace will crush Satan.

And notice where this crushing takes place. Under your feet. Not just Christ’s feet. Yours. You will not be spectators of this victory. You will be participants. You will stand on the neck of the enemy. This matters. The command to separate is not a desperate retreat. It is a confident advance. We avoid deceivers because we know who wins. We do not run from the Serpent in terror. We walk away in triumph. And mark this, we do not need to strike the Serpent ourselves. The command is to avoid. The promise is that He will crush. We leave the Serpent to God, while we walk in the light.

And then Paul prays. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Grace. Favour. Aid. The sustaining power of Christ. Between the promise of crushing and the day it happens, you will need grace. You cannot watch out on your own strength. You cannot avoid deceivers by sheer willpower. You need the grace of the Lord Jesus. And He gives it to you. Freely. Daily. Sufficiently. This is encouragement for the weary saint. You are not asked to fight the Serpent in your own power. You stand in grace until He finishes the fight.

Can you imagine the dialogue as Paul writes these words? Paul writes, The God of peace will soon crush Satan. And then he hesitates. Lord, what if it is two thousand years? Can I really write soon? And the Lord replies with that calm, eternal voice. If you give the impression that it is not soon, you will do far more damage. They must live ready. Say soon. For me, it is soon. And for them it will be sudden. This is not a chronological miscalculation. This is pastoral urgency. The church in every age must live with its bags packed. The victory is imminent because the Victor has already won.

This is the desire that enables the command. The promise of crushing and the provision of sovereign grace. The Lord’s victory demands you separate from deceivers.

So, how do we stand? Not alone. Never alone. Paul turns next from the victory under our feet to the brothers at our side. We expect the Conqueror’s victory. As we hold the saints’ hands.

Hold the Saints’ hands

Paul turns from the serpent under our feet to the saints at our side. Romans 16:21-23. A list of names. Easy to skip. Easy to treat as a postscript. But this list is not filler. It is the embodiment of the command. The Lord’s victory demands you separate from deceivers. Yes. And it demands you stand with the saints. These names prove we do not stand alone.

21 Timothy, my co-worker. The trusted son in the faith. He stands with Paul. Then Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow countrymen, greet you. Fellow countrymen. Jews who have not abandoned their heritage but have found its fulfilment in Christ. They stand with Paul. And then the scribe. The man holding the pen. 22 I, Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord. Even the secretary is in the fight. He stands with Paul.

23 Gaius sends greetings. Host to Paul and to the whole church. His home was open. His table was full. The church gathered under his roof. He stands with Paul. And then Erastus, the city treasurer. A man of influence. A man with keys to the public purse. Yet he is not ashamed of the gospel. He stands with Paul. And Quartus. Simply called our brother. No title. No rank. Just a brother. And he stands with Paul.

Do you see the picture? A co-worker. Countrymen. A scribe. A host. A treasurer. A brother. Jews and Gentiles. Prominent and obscure. The only thing they share is the Lord who saved them and the apostle who leads them. Paul is not a lone ranger. He is surrounded. And so are you.

Think of a South African rugby scrum. The forwards lock arms. Shoulder to shoulder. Heads together. The opposition pushes hard. But the Bokke do not move alone. They move as a unit. We are not individuals fighting private battles against the Serpent. We are a scrum. Locked in. Standing firm against the the darkness together.

The community embodies the command. The Lord’s victory demands you separate from deceivers. And it demands you stand with the saints.

And how is such a community formed?

Connect to the gospel

Paul has shown us the Serpent’s whisper, the Conqueror’s victory, and the saints’ hands. But why is this victory certain? Only because of what happened on a hill outside Jerusalem.

This passage connects to the gospel through Paul’s allusion to Genesis 3:15. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. This is not new. It is the outworking of the ancient promise. In Eden, God spoke. The seed of the woman will crush your head. For ages the Serpent raged. Then came the cross.

I put myself between the snake and my son. But in the end, I could only run. I could not crush. But on the cross, the Son put Himself between the Serpent and His people. And He did not run. He took the fangs. He absorbed the venom meant for you. See the Son hanging in darkness. The weight of sin upon Him. The venom coursing through His veins. He did not flinch. He did not turn back. When He breathed His last, the Serpent’s doom was sealed. The head was crushed. The enemy defeated. The resurrection proves it. He is risen. He reigns.

Yet a final crushing awaits. The Serpent’s head is crushed, but a dying snake still strikes. His doom is sure. His venom is real. So, until God places him fully under your feet, you watch. And you avoid. You do not toy with what Christ died to destroy.

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. Not because you are strong. Because Christ is victorious. And you are in Him. His triumph is yours.

This is why Paul prays for grace. Between the cross and the final crushing, we need sustaining power. He gives it freely. Daily. Sufficiently.

Now hear the weight of this. If the Serpent’s head is crushed, why linger near his mouth? If the King has conquered, why entertain His conquered foe? To abide with the Deceiver is not sophistication. It is treason. The command to separate is a declaration of allegiance to the Victor. You cannot walk in resurrection light and hold hands with garden darkness.

Because Christ crushed the Serpent, separate from deceivers and embrace His people.

Now, what does this look like in your life?

Application for believers

Because Christ crushed the Serpent, separate from deceivers and embrace His people.

Separation is not a suggestion. It is a command. And this command is not given to you alone. It is given to us together. We are a body. We are a scrum.

Avoid the divisive teacher. Now, let me be clear. A brother who struggles with doubt isn’t a divisive teacher. A sister who weeps in the night. The divisive teacher is a whisper campaign that undermines the gospel intending to create division amongst the brethren. We avoid divisive teachers so we can hold on to these saints tighter.

That day on the beach, I didn’t debate the snake. I kept my eyes on it, and as soon as it was safe, we ran. We avoided it. This is the Christian life in miniature. Not running in defeat. Running in triumph because He has won.

And notice how you run. You don’t run alone. Look around this room. This is our scrum team. Opposition pushes hard. The serpent hisses. But we will not be moved. We lock arms. Shoulder to shoulder. Like Timothy, Tertius, Gaius, and Quartus. We scrum standing firm against the darkness together.

Application for unbelievers

Because Christ crushed the Serpent, separate from deceivers and embrace His people.

Maybe you’re on the cusp of faith. But haven’t yet pledged allegiance to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. You need to know, you cannot obey this command. Not yet. You can’t separate from the Deceiver because you still belong to him. His venom runs through your veins. You need an antidote. You need a Victor.

Romans 16:20 is an invitation to you today. The God of peace crushed the Serpent at the cross. Christ took the venom meant for you. He bore the accusation that belongs to you. He defeated the enemy who holds you captive. Come, all you who are deceived and enslaved. Be set free.

Today, heed the call. Separate from the Deceiver. Embrace Christ’s people. It begins with repentance and faith. Turn from the voices that have lied to you. Turn to the One who speaks only truth. When you do, you are no longer a servant of the Serpent. You are a son of the Victor. Grace is on offer.

Conclusion

That day on the beach, with Thomas beside me… I didn’t debate the snake. I didn’t tame it. I put myself between that death and my son. I kept my eyes on it. And as soon as it was safe, we ran. We avoided it.

This is the Christian life. In miniature. Because Christ crushed the Serpent, separate from deceivers and embrace His people. This is not a strategy for the especially devout. It is the only safe path for every blood-bought saint.

Discern the whisper. Watch out. Avoid them. Do not entertain the voice that sounds like reason but smells like rebellion.

Expect the victory. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. You do not fight for victory. You stand in it.

Hold the saints’ hands. You are not alone. You are locked in a scrum, pushing back the darkness together.

Avoid the divisive teacher. Be innocent about evil. Not curious. Not nuanced. Innocent.

And if you belong to the Deceiver hear this. The Victor offers you grace. Come to the cross.

Church, we know how the story ends. The Serpent’s head is crushed. The saints stand in victory. And the God of peace reigns forever.

Amen.