To Him Who is Able to Establish You
Paul ends his book to the Romans with a doxology, calling for the glorification of the one “who is able to establish you” (Rom 16:25). The verb “to establish” (Gk. sterizo, στηρίζω) conveys the idea of causing something to be inwardly firm or strengthened. In fact, Paul used the same word in Romans 1:11, where he stated that the goal of his writing to the Romans was to strengthen them— “so that you may be established.” This idea is reminiscent of the psalmist’s description of the one who delights and meditates on the law of Yahweh. “He will be like a tree, firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither, and in whatever he does he prospers” (Psalm 1:3). Paul surely wished exactly this for his brothers and sisters in Rome.
