Romans 16:20
“And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
King James Version (KJV)
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As Paul closes Romans with greetings and a warning against those causing division, he assures the believers of God's coming victory over Satan and blesses them with grace.
What Does Romans 16:20 Mean?
Near the letter's close, Paul gives a stirring promise: "the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." The wording deliberately echoes the ancient promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head. Paul declares that this victory will be shared -- Satan will be crushed under the believers' own feet, as they are joined to the triumph of Christ. The God who brings peace is also the God who defeats the enemy of peace.
There is a tension worth noticing: the God of peace wins by crushing. True peace is not achieved by ignoring evil but by overcoming it, and Paul promises that this overcoming will come "shortly." Whatever opposition the Roman believers faced, its end was certain and near in God's reckoning. Then Paul adds the means by which they would stand until that day: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." Victory is promised, but it is grace that sustains the people in the meantime. For the reader, this verse holds together assurance and dependence -- confidence that evil will be defeated, and reliance on the grace of Christ to carry us there.
In the Original Language
The verb suntribo, "bruise," means to crush or shatter, echoing the promise in Genesis 3:15 that the serpent's head would be crushed.
Cross References
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
- Genesis 3:15
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:57
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;”
- Hebrews 2:14
Application
Take heart that evil's defeat is certain and near in God's sight, and lean on the grace of Christ to sustain you faithfully until that victory is complete.
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