I always think of the Book of Romans in the Bible as a great resource for sound doctrine. The apostle Paul outlines the doctrine of the Kingdom in such clear terms in this book. And I love so many of those passages. It is also a heavy book. Deep and many-layered. Several scholars have written multi-volume commentaries about this one letter.

This week, though, I was struck by how Paul ends the letter: He talks about his friends.

In this letter, Paul lays out fundamental teachings that will hold the Church steady for centuries. Then, he gets all personal with notes about Phoebe, Epenetus, Rufus, Priscilla, Aquilla,  and many others. A good editor might have cut that chapter. It seems outside the flow of the rest of the book.

But, it isn’t. Because friendship is basic to Christianity. Our faith is all about people getting back into right relationship with God and with one another. It’s almost like Paul ended the letter by saying, “See, this is what it looks like. The Christian life I’ve been trying to describe to you lives, and breathes, and walks, and loves among friends. Here are a few of mine.”

I love that.