Romans 16:7-8 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.
Paul continues his greeting. Two more long time friends and believers are next, Andronicus and likely his wife Junia. They had followed a similar path as Paul. They were “kinsman,” likely meaning Jews. There is no indicator where they came from, but since they were known to the apostles, they may have spent some time in Jerusalem. That they were well known shows that they had developed a reputation of service and faith. They had also spent time in prison with Paul. Paul was not the only early Christian who was imprisoned for his faith but many other Christians. They had paid a high cost for their faith. Somehow and sometime they had made their way to Rome, into the lion’s lair. Finally, Paul says that they were “in Christ” before him. They had become believers before Acts 9. Had they experienced persecution in the early years of the church and fled Jerusalem at some point? There is no way to know, but there were likely many people like this. To be “in Christ” is to be in a relationship of service in and faith in Christ. It is the type of life Paul has written about in this letter.
Not much is said about Ampliatus but the short statement is still significant. He is “beloved in the Lord.” “Beloved” comes from the well-known Greek word for love agape, the special love that God put in our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Ampliatus is also “in the Lord” and part of the fellowship of believers. Being in Christ brings a special bond to people that transcends time and space.
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