COMMENTARY

ON THE

EPISTLE TO THE EOMAXS.

BY

CHARLES HODGE, D.D., LL.D.,

LATE PROFESSOR IN Till: T1IKOU K. U.'AL SKMINARY, AT PRIKCETON.

Kcto EJitton,

KEVISED, AND IN GKKAT MEASURE REWRITTEN.

NEW YORK:
ROBERT CARTER AND BROTHERS,

530 BROADWAY.

COPYRIGHT.
H. B. GARNER.

1882.

PREFACE.

THE author of this Commentary is more widely known as a
writer in the departments of controversial and systematic
theolo'j'v than as an expositor of Scripture. Nevertheless,
his whole life was primarily devoted to the critical and sys
tematic studv of the Bible, and his entire theological method
and system is eminently biblical, lie became a teacher of
the Original Languages of Scripture in Princeton Theo
logical Seminary in 18-0, and the professor of Oriental and
Liblical Literature in ISi'i*. He spent two vears in Ger-
many, from 1<S-I> to 1S:28, with Tholuck and ilengstenberg
and Gescnius, in pursuing exclusively biblical studies. Eor
twentv years his time was wholly occupied with the study
of the languages, literature, historical genesis, criticism, and
interpretation of the Bible, especially of the New Testament.
lie continued to lecture on the Pauline Epistles to successive
classes for fifty-six years, — from lX'2'2 to 187-S.

It was not until l!S40 that, much to his own regret, he
was transferred to the department of Didactic Theology.
And hence the result was inevitable that his theologv should
bear the mark of his own personal history and habit, and
that it should be distinguished from that of the majority of
his eminent contemporaries, alike of the New England
and of the German schools, as being a simple induction
from the teachings of Scripture, instead of being adjusted
to, if not founded upon, some of the prevalent philosophical
schemes of the day. It is the mode in this day of violent
reactions to exaggerate one-sidedly partial truths. Especially
is it asserted with nnconscientious indiscrimination that sys
tematic theologians of the past as a class have ignored the

iv PREFACE.

human and historical genesis of the several writings which
compose the Uible ; and that, evolving their systems by a
speculative1 process from narrow premises, they have sought
to support them by disconnected and irrelevant citation of
separate texts. Yet even Archdeacon Farrar, in his recent
"Hampton Lectures," acknowledges that Calvin, the father
of Protestant systematic theology, u was one of the greatest
interpreters oL' Scripture who ever lived." Yet Calvin
published his Institutes first, and his Commentaries after
wards. The order in which Dr. Hodge was providentially
led to conduct his studies was more natural and more
certain to result in a system in all its elements and propor
tions inspired and controlled by the word of (Jod. All
candid students of the theology of the past generation must
acknowledge that Dr. Hodge lias anticipated and preserved
in his system much of the results of the deservedly vaunted
discipline of Hiblical Theology, having, as a matter of actual
history, as well as of intention, so immediately drawn his
material from a continuous study of the sacred text.

His "Commentary on Romans'' was first published in
ISo;"). An abridged edition appeared in 1S::}6. The former
was translated and published in France in 1841, and the
hitter republished in England in 18-38. The whole work was
rewritten and enriched with his mature studies in 1864.
It is this last and most perfect edition which is now offered
to the public. It should continue to be used by all students
of the author's u Systematic Theology," presenting as it docs.
in continuous exposition of the most systematic of the
doctrinal Epistles, the biblical ground and verification of
the "system" which he elsewhere so clearly states and
defends.

A. A. HODGE.

PIUNCETOX, N. J., August, 1886.

INTRODUCTION.

THE APOSTLE PAUL.

WHEN Paul and the other apostles were called to enter npon
their important duties, the world was in a deplorable and yet
most interesting state. Both Heathenism and Judaism were in
the last stages of decay. The polytheism of the (iroeks ami
Romans had been carried to such an extent as to shock tho
common sense of mankind, and to lead the more intelligent
ani"nir them openly to reject and ridicule it. This scepticism
had already extended itself to the mass of the people, and
become almost universal. As the transition from infidelity to
superstition is certain, and generally immediate, all classes of
the people were disposed to confide in dreams, enchantments,
and other miserable substitutes for religion. The two reigning
systems of philosophy, the Stoic and Platonic, were alike insuf
ficient to satisfy the agitated minds nf men. The former
sternly repressed the best natural feelings of tho soul, incul
cating nothing but a blind resignation to the unalterable course
of things, and promising nothing beyond an unconscious exist
ence hereafter. The latter regarded all religions as but different
forms of expressing the same general truths, and represented
the whole mythological system as an allegory, as incomprehen
sible to the common people, as tin.' pa ires of a book to those
who cannot read. This system promised more than it could
accomplish. It excited feeling which it could not satisfy, and
thus contributed to produce that general ferment which existed
at this period. Among the Jews, generally, the state of things
was hardly much better. They had. indeed, the form of truo
religion, but were in a great measure destitute of its spirit.
The Pharisees were contented with the form : the Sadduceea
were sceptics; the Essenes were enthusiasts and mystics. Such
being the state of the world, men were led to feel the need of
some surer guide than either reason or traditi m, arid some

4 INTRODUCTION.

better foundation of confidence than either heathen philosophers
or Jewish sects could afford. Hence, when the glorious gospel
was revealed, thousands of hearts, in all parts of the world,
were prepared, by the grace of God, to exclaim, This is all our
desire and all our salvation.

The historv of the apostle Paul shows that he was prepared
to act in such a state of society. In the first place, lie was
born, and probably educated in part, at Tarsus, the capital of
Cilicia; a city almost on a level with Athens and Alexandria,
for its literary zeal arid advantages. In one respect, it is said
by ancient writers to have been superior to either of them. In
the other cities mentioned, the majority of students were
strangers, but in Tarsus they were the inhabitants themselves.*
That Paul passed the early part of his life here is probable,
because the trade which he was taught, in accordance with the
custom of the Jews, was one peculiarly common in Cilicia.
From the hair of the goats, with which that province abounded,
a rough cloth was made, Avliich was much used in the manufac
ture of tents. The knowledge which the apostle manifests of
the Greek authors, 1 Cor. xv. 33, Titus i. 1*2, would also lead
us to suppose that he had received at least part of his education
in a Grecian city. Many of his characteristics, as a writer,
lead to the same conclusion. lit1 pursues, far more than any
other of the sacred writers of purely Jewish education, the
logical method in presenting truth. There is almost always a
regular concatenation in his discourses, evincing the spontane
ous exercise of a disciplined mind, even when not carrying out
a previous plan. His epistles, therefore, are far more logical
than ordinary letters, without the formality of regular disserta
tions. Another characteristic of his manner is, that in discuss
ing any question, he always presents the ultimate principle on
which the decision depends. These and similar characteristics
of this apostle are commonly, and probably with justice,
;isrribed partly to his turn of mind, and partly to his early
education. We learn from the Scriptures themselves, that the
Holy Spirit, in employing men as his instruments in conveying
truth, did not change their mental habits; he did not make
Jews write like Greeks, or force all into the same mould. Each

* Strabo, Lib. J 4, chap. 5.

INTRODUCTION. 5

retained his own peculiarities of style and manner, and, there
fore, whatever is peculiar to each, is to be referred, not to his
inspiration, but to his original character and culture. Vfhilo
the circumstances just referred to, render it probable that the
apostle's habits of mind were in some measure influenced by his
birth and early education in Tarsus, there are others (such as
the general character of his style) which show that his residence
there could not have been long, and that his education was not
thoroughly Grecian. We learn from himself, that he was prin
cipally educated at Jerusalem, being brought up, as he says, at
the feet of Gamaliel. (Acts xxii. 3.)

This is the second circumstance in the providential prepara
tion of the apostle for his work, which is worthy of notice. As
Luther was educated in a Roman Catholic seminary, and tho
roughly instructed in the scholastic theology of which he was
to be the great opposcr, so the apostle Paul was initiated into
all the doctrines and modes of reasoning of the Jews, with
whom his principal controversy was to he carried on. Tho
early adversaries of the gospel were all J"ws. Even in the
heathen cities they were so numerous, that it was through them
and their proselytes that the church in such places was founded.
\\V find, therefore, that in almost all his epistles, the apostle
contends with Jewish errorists, the corrupters of the irospel. by
means of Jewish doctrines. Paul, the most extensively useful
of all the apostles, was thus a thoroughly educated man; a man
educated with a special view to the work which he was called to
perform. A\ e find, therefore, in this, as in most similar cases,
that God effects his purposes by those instruments which he
has, in the ordinary course of his providence, specially fitted
for their accomplishment.

In the third place, Paul was converted without the interven
tion of human instrumentality, and was taught the gospel by
immediate revelation. " I certify you, brethren," he says to
the Galatians, "that the gospel which was preached of me, was
not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I
taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." These cir
cumstances are important, as he was thus placed completely on
a level with the other apostles. He had seen the Lord Jesus,
arid could therefore be one of the witnesses of his resurrection;

8 INTRODUCTION.

lie was able to claim the authority of an original inspired
teacher and messenger of God. It is obvious that he laid great
stress upon this point, from the frequency with which he refers
to it. He was thus furnished not only with the advantages of
his early education, but with the authority and power of an
apostle of Jesus Christ.

His natural character was ardent, energetic, uncompromising,
and severe. How his extravagance and violence were subdued
by the grace of God, is abundantly evident from the modera
tion, mildness, tenderness, and conciliation manifested in all his
epistles. Absorbed in the one object of glorifying Christ, he
was ready to submit to any tiling, and to yield any thing neces
sary for this purpose. lie no longer insisted that others should
think and act just as he did. So that they obeyed Christ, he
was satisfied; and he willingly conformed to their prejudices,
and tolerated their errors, so far as the cause of truth and
righteousness allowed. By his early education, by his miracu
lous conversion and inspiration, by his natural disposition, and
by the abundant grace of God, was this apostle fitted for his
work, and sustained under his multiplied and arduous labours.

ORIGIN AND CONDITION OF THE CHURCH AT HOME.

One of the providential circumstances which most effectually
contributed to the early propagation of Christianity, was the
dispersion of the Jevrs among surrounding nations. They were
widely scattered through the East, Egypt, Syria, Asia Minor,
Greece, and Italy, especially at Home. As they were permitted,
throughout the wide extent of the Roman Empire, to worship
God according to the traditions of their fathers, synagogues
were every where established in the midst of the heathen. The
apostles, being Jews, had thus always a ready access to the
people. The synagogues furnished a convenient place for regu
lar assemblies, without attracting the attention or exciting the
suspicion of the civil authorities. In these assemblies they
were sure of meeting not only Jews, but the heathen also, and

C *;

precisely the class of heathen best prepared for the reception
of the gospel. The infinite superiority of the pure theism of the
Old Testament Scriptures to any form of religion known to the
ancients, could not fail to attract and convince multitudes among

INTRODUCTION. 7

the pagans, wherever the Jewish worship was established. Such
persons became either proselytes or "devout," that is, worship
pers of the true God. Being free from the inveterate national
and rcligicas prejudices of the Jews, and at the same time con
vinced of the falsehood of polytheism, they were the most sus
ceptible of all the early hearers of the gospel. It was by converts
from among this class of persons, that the churches in all the
heathen cities were in a great measure founded. There is
abundant evidence that the Jews were very numerous at Home,
and that the class of proselytes or devout persons among the
Romans was also very large. Fhilo says (Lcgatio in Caium,
p. 1041, ed. .Frankf.) that Augustus had assigned the Jews a
larne district beyond the* Tiber for their residence. lie accounts
for their being so numerous, from the fact that the captives car
ried thither bv Pompey were liberated by their masters, who
found it inconvenient to have servants who adhered so strictly
to a religion which forbade constant and familiar intercourse
with the heathen. Dion Cassius (Lib. GO, c. 0) mentions that
the Jews were so numerous at Home, that Claudius was at
first afraid to banish them, but contented himself with forbid
ding their assembling together. That he afterwards, on account
of the tumults which they occasioned, did banish them from the
city, is mentioned by Suetonius (Vita Claudii, c. 2">.) and by
Luke, Acts xviii. 2. That the Jews, on the death of Claudius,
returned to Home, is evident from the fact that Suetonius and
Dion Cassius speak of their being very numerous under the fol
lowing rciirns; and also from the contents of this epistle, espe
cially the salutations (chap. 10) addressed to Jewish Christians.
That the establishment of the Jewish worship at Rome had
produced considerable effect on the Romans, is clear from the
statements of the heathen writers themselves. Ovid speaks of
the synaco^ues as places of fashionable resort; Juvenal (Satire
14) ridicules his countrymen for becoming Jews;* and Tacitua

* Quidam sortiti metuentem sabbata patrem,
Kil proctor nubes, cocli nurnon adorant:
Kuc distare putant humana carnc suillam,
Qua pater abstinuit, raox ct proeputia ponunt.
Ilomanas autem soliti contemnere leges,
Jiidaicum ediscunt, et servant, ac metuunt jus,
Tradidit arcane quodcunque volumine Moses, &C.

8 INTRODUCTION.

(Hist. Lib. 5, ch. 5*) refers to the presents sent by Roman
proselytes to Jerusalem. The way was thus prepared for the
early reception and rapid extension of Christianity in the impe
rial city. When the gospel was first introduced there, or by
whom the introduction was effected, is unknown. Such was the
constant intercourse between Rome and the provinces, that it is
not surprising that some of the numerous converts to Christian
ity made in Judea, Asia Minor, and Greece, should at an early
period find their way to the capital. It is not impossible that
many, who had enjoyed the personal ministry of Christ, and
believed in his doctrines, might have removed or returned to
Rome, and been the first to teach the gospel in that city. Still
less improbable is it, that among the multitudes present at Jeru
salem at the day of Pentecost, among whom were " strangers
of Rome, Jews and proselytes," there were some who carried
back the knowledge of the gospel. That the introduction of
Christianity occurred at an early period, may be inferred not
only from the probabilities just referred to, but from other cir
cumstances. When Paul wrote this epistle, the faith of the
Romans was spoken of throughout the world, which would seem
to imply that the church had already been long established.
Aquila and Priscilla, who left Rome on account of the decree
of Claudius banishing the Jews, were probably Christians before
their departure ; nothing at least is said of their having been
converted by the apostle. He found them at Corinth, and
being of the same trade, he abode with them, and on his
departure took them with him into Syria.

The tradition of some of the ancient Fathers, that Peter was
the founder of the church at Rome, is inconsistent with the
statements given in the Acts of the Apostles. Irenreus (litres.
III. 1) says, that "Matthew wrote his gospel, while Peter and
Paul were in Rome preaching the gospel and founding the
church there." And Eusebius (Chron. ad ann. 2 Claudii) says,
- u Peter having founded the church at Antioch, departed for
Rome, preaching the gospel." Both these statements are incor
rect. Peter did not found the church at Antioch, nor did he

* Pessimus quisque, spretis religionibus patriis, tributa et stipes Ulue con-
gerebat, urde auotae Judaeorum res.

INTRODUCTION. 9

and Paul preach together at Rome. That Peter was not at :
Rome prior to Paul's visit, appears from the entire silence of
this epistle on the subject; and from no mention being made of
the fact in any of the letters written from Rome by Paul during-
his imprisonment. The tradition that Peter ever was at Rome,
rests on very uncertain authority. It is first mentioned by
Dionysius of Corinth, in the latter half of the second century,
and from that time it seems to have been generally received.
The account is in itself improbable, as Peter's field of labour
was in the East, about Babylon ; and as the statement of Diony
sius is full of inaccuracies. lie makes Peter and Paul thq
founders of the church at Corinth, and makes the same asser
tion regarding the church at Rome, neither of which is true.
lie also says that Paul and Peter suffered martyrdom at the
same time at Rome, which, from the silence of Paul respecting
Peter, during his last imprisonment, is in the highest de-Tree
improbable.* History, therefore, has left us ignorant of the
time when this church was founded, and the persons by whom
the work was effected.

The condition of the congregation may be inferred from the
circumstances already mentioned, and from the drift of the
apostle's letter. As the Jews and proselytes were verv numer
ous at Rome, the early converts, as might be expected, were
from both these classes. The latter, however, seem greatlv to
have predominated, because we find no such evidence of a ten
dency to Judaism, as is supposed in the Kpistle to the Galatians.
Paul no where seems to apprehend that the church at Rome
would apostatize, as the Galatian Christians had already done.
And in chapters 14 and 1-5, his exhortations imply that the
Gentile party were more in danger of oppressing the Jewish,
than the reverse. Paul, therefore, writes to them as Gentiles
(chap. i. 13.) and claims, in virtue of his office as apostle to the
Gentiles, the right to address them with all freedom and author
ity (xv. 16.) The congregation, however, was not composed
exclusively of this class; many converts, originally Jews, were
included in their numbers, arid those belonging to the other

* See Eichhorn's Einleitung, Vol. III. p. 203, and Neander's Geschichte de*
Pflanzung, £c. p. 456.

10 INTRODUCTION.

class were more or less under the influence of Jewish opinion?,
The apostle, therefore, in this, as in all his other epistles
addressed to congregations similarly situated, refutes those
doctrines of the Jews which were inconsistent with the gospel,
and answers those objections which they and those under their
influence were accustomed to urge against it. These different
elements of the early churches were almost always in conflict,
both as to points of doctrine and discipline. The Jews
insisted, to a greater or less extent, on their peculiar privileges
and customs ; and the Gentiles disregarded, and at times
despised the scruples and prejudices of their weaker brethren.
The opinions of the Jews particularly controverted in this
epistle are, 1. That connection with Abraham by natural
descent, and by the bond of circumcision, together with the
observance of the law, is sufficient to secure the favour of God.
2. That the blessings of the Messiah's reign were to be con
fined to Jews and those who would consent to become prose
lytes. 3. That subjection to heathen magistrates was incon
sistent with the dignity of the people of God, and with their
duty to the Messiah as King.

There are clear indications in other parts of Scripture, ag
well as in their own writings, that the Jews placed their chief
dependence upon the covenant of God with Abraham, and
the peculiar rites and ordinances connected with it. Our
Saviour, when speaking to the Jews, tells them, " Say not,
We have Abraham to our father ; for I say unto you, that
God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abra
ham," (Luke iii. 8.) It is clearly implied in this passage, that
the Jews supposed that to have Abraham as their father
was sufficient to secure the favour of God. The Rabbins
taught that God had promised Abraham, that his descendants,
though wicked, should be saved on account of his merit.
Justin Martyr mentions this as the ground of confidence of the
Jews in his day. "Your Rabbins," he says, "deceive them
selves and us, in supposing that the kingdom of heaven is pre
pared for all those who are the natural seed of Abraham, even
though they be sinners and unbelievers." (Dialogue with
Tri/pho.) They were accustomed to say, "Great is the virtue
of circumcision ; no circumcised person enters hell." And one

INTRODUCTION. 11

of their standing maxims was, "All Israel hath part in eternal
life."*

The second leading error of the Jews was a natural result
of the one just referred to. If salvation was secured by con
nection with Abraham, then none who were not united to their
great ancestor could be saved. There is no opinion of the Jews
more conspicuous in the sacred writings, than that they were
greatly superior to the Gentiles; that the theocracy and all its
blessings belonged to them; and that others could attain even
an inferior station in the kingdom of the Messiah only by
becoming Jews,

The indisposition of the Jews to submit to heathen magis
trates, arose partly from their high ideas of their own dignity,
and their contempt for other nations; partly from their erro
neous opinions of the nature of the [Messiah's kingdom, and
partly, no doubt, fVum the peculiar hardships and oppressions
to which thev were exposed. The prevalence of this indisposi
tion among them is proved bv its being a matter ot discussion
whether it was even lawful to pay tribute to Cassar; by their
assertion that, as Abraham's seed, they were never in bondage
to any man; and by their constant tumults and rebellions,
which led first to their banishment from Home, and finally to
the utter destruction of their city. The circumstances of the
church at Punne, composed of both Jewish and (Jeiitile con
verts; surrounded bv Jews who still insisted on the necessity
of circumcision, of legal obedience, and of connection with the
family of Abraham, in order to salvation; and disposed on
many points to diil'er among themselves, sufficiently account for
the character of this epistle.

TIME AND PLACE OF ITS COMPOSITION.

There are no sufficient data for fixing accurately and cer
tainly the chronology of the life and writings of the apostle
Paul. It is therefore, in most cases, only by a comparison of
various circumstances, that an approximation to the date of the
principal events of his life can be made. With regard to this

* See Rnymundi Martini Pupo Fi<lei, P. III. Disc. 3, c. 16. Pococke's Mis
cellanea, p. 172, 227. Witsii Miscellanea, P. II. p. 553. Michaeli's Introduo-
tioii to the New Testament, Vol. III. p. 03.

12 INTRODUCTION".

epistle, it is plain, from its contents, that it was written just .13
Paul was about to set out on his last journey to Jerusalem. In
the fifteenth chapter he says, that the Christians of Macedonia
and Achaia had made a collection for the poor saints in Jeru
salem, and that he was on the eve of his departure for that city
(ver. 25.) This same journey is mentioned in Acts xx., and
occurred most probably in the spring (see Acts xx. 1G) of the
year 58 or 59. This date best suits the account of his long
imprisonment, first at Cesarca, and then at Rome, of four years,
and his probable liberation in 62 or Go. His subsequent labours
ancl second imprisonment would fill up the intervening period
of two or three years, to the date of his martyrdom, towards
the close of the reign of Nero. That this epistle was written
from Corinth, appears from the special recommendation of
Phcbe, a deaconess of the neighbouring church, who was pro
bably the bearer of the letter (chap. xvi. 1 ;) from the saluta
tions of Erastus and Gains, both residents of Corinth, to tho
Romans (chap. xvi. 23;) compare 2 Tim. iv. 20, and 1 Cor.

1. 14 ; and from the account given in Acts xx. 2, 3, of Paul's
journey through Macedonia into Greece, before his departure
for Jerusalem, for the purpose of carrying the contributions of
the churches for the poor in that city.

AUTHENTICITY OF THE EPISTLE.

That this epistle was written by the apostle Paul, admits of
no reasonable doubt. 1. It, in the first place, purports to be
his. It bears his signature, and speaks throughout in his name.

2. It has uniformly been recognised as his. From the apostolic
age to the present time, it has been referred to and quoted by a
regular scries of authors, and recognised as of divine authority
in all the churches. It would be requisite, in order to disprove
its authenticity, to account satisfactorily for these facts, on the
supposition of the epistle being spurious. The passages in the
early writers, in which this epistle is alluded to or cited, are
very numerous, and may be seen in Lardner's Credibility,
Vol. II. 3. The internal evidence is no less decisive in its
favour, (a) In the first place, it is evidently the production of
a Jew, familiar with the Hebrew text and the Septuagint ver
sion of the Old Testament, because the language and style are

INTRODUCTION". 13

§uch as no one, not thus circumstanced, could adopt; and be
cause the whole letter evinces such an intimate acquaintance
with Jewish opinions and prejudices. (6) It agrees perfectly in
style and manner with the other epistles of this apostle, (c) It
is, in the truth and importance of its doctrines, and in the eleva
tion and purity of its sentiments, immeasurably superior to any
uninspired production of the age in which it appeared. A com
parison of the genuine apostolic writings with the spurious pro
ductions of the first and second centuries, affords one of tho
strongest collateral evidences of the authenticity and inspiration
of the former, (d) The incidental or undesigned coincidences,
as to matters of fact, between this epistle and other parts of tho
New Testament, are such as to afford the clearest evidence of
its having proceeded from the pen of the apostle. Compare
Rom. xv. 25 — 31 with Acts xx. 2, 3, xxiv. 17, 1 Cor. xvi. 1—4,
2 Cor. viii. 1—4, ix. 2, Rom. xvi. 21—23 with Acts xx. 4, Rom.
xvi. 3, et seqq. with Acts xviii. 2, 18—26, 1 Cor. xvi. 19, &c.,
(see Paley's Hone Puuliiue.) 4. Besides these positive proofs,
there is the important negative consideration, that there are no
grounds for questioning its authenticity. There are no discre
pancies between this and other sacred writings ; no counter
testimony among the early Fathers; no historical or critical
difficulties which must be solved before it can be recognised aa
the work of Paul. There is, therefore, no book in the Bible,
and there is no ancient book in the world, of which the authen
ticity is more certain than that of this epistle.

ANALYSIS OF THE EPISTLE.

The epistle consists of three parts. The first, which includes
the first eight chapters, is occupied in the discussion of the doc
trine of justification and its consequences. The second, embrac
ing chs. ix. — xi., treats of the calling of the Gentiles, the rejec
tion and future conversion of the Jews. The third consists of
practical exhortations and salutations to the Christians at Rome.

THE FIRST PART the apostle commences by saluting the Roman
Christians, commending them for their faith, and expressing his
desire to see them, and his readiness to preach the gospel at
Rome. This readiness was founded on the conviction that tho
gospel revealed the only method by which men can be saved,
viz., by faith in Jesus Christ, and this method is equally appli-

!4 INTRODUCTION.

cable to all mankind, Gentiles as well as Jews, chap. i. 1 — 17.
Paul thus introduces the two leading topics of the epistle.

In order to establish his doctrine respecting justification, ho
first proves that the Gentiles cannot be justified by their own
works, chap. i. 18 — 39; and then establishes the same position
in reference to the Jews, clis. ii. iii. 1—20. Having thus shown
that the method of justification by works is unavailable for
sinners, he unfolds that method which is taught in the gospel,

chap. iii. 21 31. The truth and excellence of this method he

confirms in chs. iv. and v. The obvious objection to the doc
trine of gratuitous acceptance, that it must lead to the indulgence
of sin, is answered, and the true design and operation of the law
are exhibited in chs. vi. and vii.; and the complete security of
all who confide in Christ is beautifully unfolded in chap. viii.

In ariniing against the Gentiles. Paul assumes the principle
that God will punish sin, chap. i. 18, and then proves that they
are justly chargeable both with impiety and immorality, because,
though they possessed a competent knowledge of God, they did
not worship him, but turned unto idols, and gave themselves up
to all kinds of iniquity, chap. i. 19 — 32.

He commences his argument with the Jews by expanding the
general principle of the divine justice, and especially insisting
on God's impartiality by showing that he will judge all men,
Jews and Gentiles, according to their works, and according to
the light they severally enjoyed, chap. ii. 1 — 10. He shows that
the Jews, when tried by these rules, are as justly and certainly
exposed to condemnation as the Gentiles, chap. ii. 17 — 29.

The peculiar privileges of the Jews afford no ground of hope
that they will escape being judged on the same principles with
other men, and when thus judged, they are found to be guilty
before God. All men therefore are, as the Scriptures abun
dantly teach, under condemnation, and consequently cannot be
justified by their own works, chap. iii. 1 — 20.

The gospel proposes the only method by which God will
justify men — a method which is entirely gratuitous ; the condi
tion of which is faith ; which is founded on the redemption of
Christ; which reconciles the justice and mercy of God; hum
bles man; lays the foundation for an universal religion, and
establishes the law, chap. iii. 21 — 31.

INTRODUCTION. 15

The truth of this doctrine is evinced from the example of
Abraham, the testimony of David, the nature of the covenant
made with Abraham and his seed, and from the nature of the
law. lie proposes the conduct of Abraham as an example and
encouragement to Christians, chap. iv. 1—25.

Justification by faith in Christ secures peace with God, pre
sent joy, and the assurance of eternal life, chap. v. 1 — 11. The
method, therefore, by which God proposes to save sinners, is
analogous to that by which they were first brought under con
demnation. As on account of the offence of one, sentence lias
passed on all men to condemnation ; so on account of the right
eousness of one, all are justified, chap. v. 12 — 21.

The doctrine of the gratuitous justification of sinners cannot
lead to the indulgence of sin, because such is the nature of union
with Christ, and such the object for which he died, that all who
receive the benefits of his death, experience the sanctifying
influence of his life, chap. vi. 1 — 11. Besides, the objection in
question is founded on a misapprehension of the effect and design
of the law, and of the nature of sanctification. Deliverance
from the bondage of the law and from a legal spirit is essential
to holiness. When the Christian is delivered from this bondage,
he becomes the servant of God, arid is brought under an influ
ence which effectually secures his obedience, chap. vi. 12 — 23.

As, therefore, a woman, in order to be married to a second
husband, must first be freed from her former one, so the Chris
tian, in order to be united to Christ, and to bring forth fruit
unto God, must first be freed from the law, chap. vii. 1 — 6.

This necessity of deliverance from the law, docs not arise
from the fact that the law is evil, but from the nature of the
case. The law is but the authoritative declaration of duty;
which cannot alter the state of the sinner's heart. Its real
operation is to produce the conviction of sin (vs. 7 — 13,) and,
in the renewed mind, to excite approbation and complacency in
the excellence which it exhibits, but it cannot effectually secure
the destruction of sin. This can only be done by the grace of
God in Jesus Christ, chap. vii. 7 — 25.

Those who are in Christ, therefore, are perfectly safe. They
are freed from the law; they have the indwelling of the life-
giving Spirit: they are the children of God; they are chosen,

IQ INTRODUCTION'.

called, and justified according to the divine purpose; and they
are the objects of the unchanging love of God, chap. viii. 1 — 39.
THE SECOND PART of the epistle relates to the persons to
whom the blessings of Christ's kingdom may properly be offered,
and the purposes of God respecting the Jews. In entering upon
this subject, the apostle, after assuring his kindred of his affec
tion, establishes the position that God has not bound himself to
regard as his children all the natural descendants of Abraham,
but is at perfect liberty to choose whom he will to be heirs of
his kingdom. The right of God to have mercy on whom he
will have mercy, he proves from the declarations of Scripture,
and from the dispensations of his providence. He shows that
this doctrine of the divine sovereignty is not inconsistent with
the divine character or man's responsibility, because God
simply chooses from among the undeserving whom he will as
the objects of his mercy, and leaves others to the just recom
pense of their sins, chap. ix. 1 — 24.

God accordingly predicted of old, that he would call the
Gentiles and reject the Jews. The rejection of the Jews was
on account of their unbelief, chs. ix. 25 — 83, x. 1 — 5. The
two methods of justification are then contrasted for the purpose
of showing that the legal method is impracticable, but that the
method proposed in the gospel is simple and easy, and adapted
to all men. It should, therefore, agreeably to the revealed
purpose of God, be preached to all men, chap. x. 6 — 21.

The rejection of the Jews is not total; many of that genera
tion were brought into the church, who were of the election of
grace, chap. xi. 1 — 10. Neither is this rejection final. There
is to be a future and general conversion of the Jews to Christ,
and thus all Israel shall be saved, chap. xi. 11 — 36.

THE THIRD or practical part of the epistle, consists of direc
tions, first, as to the general duties of Christians in their vari
ous relations to God, chap, xii.; secondly, as to their political
or civil duties, chap, xiii.; and thirdly, as to their ecclesiastical
duties, or those duties which they owe to each other as mem
bers of the church, chs. xiv. xv. 1 — 13.

The epistle concludes with some account of Paul's labours
and purposes, chap. xv. 14 — 33, and with the usual saluta
tions, chap. xvi.

A COMMENTARY

ON THE

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.

CHAPTER I.

CONTEXTS.

Tins chapter consists of two parts. The first extends to
the close of vcr. IT, and contains the general introduction to
the epistle. The second commences with vcr. 18, and extends
to the end of the chapter: it contains the argument of the
apostle to prove that the declaration contained in vs. 10, 17,
that justification can only be obtained by faith, is true with
regard to the heathen.

ROMANS I. 1—17.

ANALYSIS.

Tins section consists of two parts. The first from vs. 1 to 7
inclusive, is a salutatory address ; the second, from vs. 8 to 17,
is the introduction to the epistle. Paul commences by an
nouncing himself as a divinely commissioned teacher, set apart
to the preaching of the gospel, vcr. 1. Of this gospel, he says,
1. That it was promised, and of course partially exhibited in
the Old Testament, vcr. 2. 2. That its great subject -yas
Jesus Christ, vcr. 3. Of Christ he says, that he was, as to his
human nature, the Son of David ; but as to his divine nature,
the Son of God, vs. 3, 4. From this Divine Person he had
received his office as an apostle. The object of this office was
to bring men to believe the gospel; and it contemplated all
2 (17)

18 ROMANS I. 1.

nations as the field of its labour, vcr. 5. Of course the Romans
were included, vcr. 6. To the Roman Christians, therefore,
he wishes grace and peace, vcr. 7. Thus far the salutation.

Having "shown in what character, and by what right he ad
dressed them, the apostle introduces the subject of his letter
by expressing to them his respect and affection. He thanks
God, not only that they believed, but that their faith was uni
versally known and talked of, ver. 9. As an evidence of his
concern for them, he mentions, 1. That he prayed for them
constantly, vcr. 9. 2. That he longed to see them, vs. 10, 11.
3. That this wish to sec them arose from a desire to do them
good and to reap some fruit of his ministry among them, as
well as among other Gentiles, vs. 12, 13. Because he was
under obligation to preach to all men, wise and unwise, he was
therefore ready to preach even at Rome, vs. 14, 15. This
readiness to preach arose from the high estimate he entertained
of the gospel. And his reverence for the gospel was founded
not on its excellent system of morals merely, but on its efficacy
in saving all who believe, whether Jews or Gentiles, ver. 16.
This efficacy of the gospel arises from its teaching the true
method of justification, that is, the method of justification by
faith, ver. II. It will be perceived how naturally and skil
fully the apostle introduces the two great subjects of the
epistle — the method of salvation, and the persons to whom it
may properly be offered.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 1. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called an apostle.
Agreeably to the ancient mode of epistolary address, the
apostle begins with the declaration of his name and office. It
was his office which gave him the right to address the believers
at Rome, and elsewhere, with that tone of authority which per
vades all his epistles. Speaking as the messenger of Christ,
he spake as he spake, as one having authority, and not as an
ordinary teacher.

The original name of the apostle was Saul, ^d demanded.
He is first called Paul in Acts xiii. 9. As this change of his
name is mentioned :n the paragraph which contains the account
of the conversion ot Sergius Paulus, the proconsul of Cyprus,

ROMANS I. 1. ID

some have supposed that the name was assumed in compliment
to that distinguished convert. This supposition does not seem
to accord with the apostle's character, and is, on other grounds,
less probable than either of the two following. First, as it was
not unusual, among the Jews, to change the name of a person
in consequence of some remarkable event, as in the case of
Abraham and Jacob, Gen. xvii. 5, xxxii. 8; or when he was
advanced to some new office or dignity, Gen. xli. 45, Dan. i
6, 7; so that a new name is sometimes equivalent to a new
dignity, Rev. ii. 17, it may be supposed that the apostle re
ceived the name of Paul, when called to the office of an apostle.
This supposition is favoured by the consideration that he
received the name soon alter he entered upon the public exer
cise of his apostleship, and by the fact that Simon was called
Cephas when called to be an apostle, John i. 4^, Matt. x. L\
and that James and John were called Boanerges, Mark iii. 17.
Hence Theophylact says that it was in order that even in this
matter, he should not be behind the very chief of the apos
tles, that Saul was called Paul. Second, as it was very com
mon for those Jews who had much intercourse with the hea
then to bear two names, one Jewish and the other Greek or
Roman, which names were sometimes entirely distinct, as llillel
and Pollio, sometimes nearly related as Silas and Silvanus, it is
very probable that this was the case with the apostle. He
was called Saul among the Jews, and Paul among the Gentiles;
and as he was the Apostle of the Gentiles, the latter name
became his common designation. As this change was, however,
made or announced at an epoch in the apostle's history, Acts
xiii. 0, the two explanations may be united. "The only sup
position," says ])r. J. A. Alexander, in his comment on
Acts xiii. 0, kv which is free from all these difficulties, and
affords a satisfactory solution of the facts in question, is, that
this was the time fixed by Divine authority for Paul's manifes
tation as Apostle of the Gentiles, and that manifestation was
made more conspicuous by its coincidence with the triumph
over a representative of unbelieving and apostate Judaism, and
the conversion of an official representative of Rome, whose
name was identical with his own apostolic title."

In calling himself a servant (bondsman) of Jesus Christ, he

20 ROMANS I. 1.

may have intended either to declare himself the derciJant and
worshipper of Christ, as all Christians are servants (slaves) of
Christ, Eph. vi. 6; or to express his official relation to the
Church as the minister of Christ. This is the more probable
explanation, because, in the Old Testament rnn1? "DS is a com
mon official designation of any one employed in the immediate
service of God, Joshua i. 1, xxiv. 29, Jcr. xxix. 19, Isaiah
xlii. 1 ; and because in the New Testament we find the same
usage, not only in the beginning of several of the epistles, as
"Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ," Phil. i. 1.
"James, the servant of God and of Jesus Christ," James i. 1.
"Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ," 1 Peter i. 1;
but also in other cases where the word ooy/oc is interchanged with
didxovoz minister. Comp. Col. i. T, iv. 7, 12. It is, therefore,
a general official designation of which, in the present case,
apostle is the specific explanation. "Apostolatus miriisterii est
species." Calvin. It has also been properly remarked, that
as the expression, servant of Christ, implies implicit obedience
and subjection, it supposes the Divine authority of the Redeemer.
That is, we find the apostle denying that he was the servant of
men, rejecting all human authority as it regards matters of faith
and duty, and yet professing the most absolute subjection of
conscience and reason to the authority of Jesus Christ.

x/y-oz cbrotfroAoc, called an apostle. Paul was not only a
servant of Christ, but by Divine appointment an apostle. This
idea is included in the word x/'/roc, which means not only
called, but chosen, appointed ; and the x/^<rrc, or vocation, as
well of believers to grace and salvation, as of the apostles to
their office is uniformly ascribed to God or Christ; see Gal.
i. 1, 1 Cor. i. 1, Tit, i. 1, Gal. i. 15. As the immediate call of
Christ was one of the essential requisites of an apostle, Paul
means to assert in the use of the word */^'roc that he wa-s
neither self-appointed nor chosen by men to that sacred office

The word d~t')(7Tu/.o^ occurs in its original sense of messenger
in several cases in the New Testament. John xiii. 16, o'jx earc
d~6ffToAoz ttzi*«>v "o7j xs/KfiavTOZ V.'JTOV. Phil. ii. 25, "* Ercatppb
ot~o^ . . . bfww os cbrotfTo/ov. Comp. iv. 18. In 2 Cor. viii. 23,
Paul speaking of the brethren who were with him, calls them
; ToursffTev says Chrysostom, u~b IxxtyGtujv

ROMANS I. 1. 21

,T£/^$£vr£C- Theopliylact adds, xal •fc&poTovrftivrs.z. Our
translators, therefore, are doubtless correct in rendering this
phrase, messengers of the churches. As a strict official desig
nation, the word apostle is confined to those men selected and
commissioned by Christ himself to deliver in his name the
message of salvation. It appears from Luke vi. 13, that the
Saviour himself gave them this title. "And wliea it was day,
he called his disciples, and of them he chose twelve, whom also
he named apostles." If it be asked, why this name was
chosen? it is perhaps enough to say, that it was peculiarly
appropriate. It is given to those who were sent by Christ
to perform a particular service, who were therefore properly
called messengers. There is no necessity to resort for an
explanation of the term, to the fact that the word rrVr mes
senger, was applied sometimes to the teachers and ministers of
the synagogue, sometimes to plenipotentiaries sent by the San
hedrim to execute some ecclesiastical commission.

The apostles, then, were the immediate messengers of Christ,
appointed to bear testimony to what they had seen and heard.
"\e also skill bear witness," said Christ, speaking to the
twelve, "because ye have been with me from the beginning."
John xv. 2G. This was their peculiar office ; hence when
Judas fell, one, said Peter, who has companioned with us all
the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, must be
ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. Acts i. 21.
To be an apostle, therefore, it was necessary to have seen
Christ after his resurrection, 1 Cor. ix. 1, and to have a
knowledge of his life and doctrines derived immediately from
himself. Without this no man could be a witness, lie would
only report what he had heard from others, he could bear no
independent testimony to what he himself had seen and heard.
Christ, therefore, says to his disciples, after his resurrection,
"Ye shall be my witnesses," Acts i. 8, and the apostles
accordingly constantly presented themselves in this character.
Acts ii. 32, iii. 15, xiii. 31. "We are witnesses," said Peter,
spoiking of himself and fellow-apostles, "of all things which
he did, both in the land of Judea, and in Jerusalem." Acts
x. 39. When Paul was called to be an apostle, the Saviour said
to him. UI have appeared unto tliec for this purpose, to make

22 ROMANS I. 1.

nice a minister and a witness of these things which tliou hast
seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thce."
Acts xxvi. 16. We accordingly find, that whenever Paul was
called upon to defend his apostlcship, he strenuously asserted
that he was appointed not of men nor by man, but by Jesus
Christ ; and as to his doctrines, that he neither received them
of man, neither was he taught them, but by revelation of Jesus
Christ. Gah i. 12.

As the testimony which the apostles were to bear related to
all that Jesus had taught them, it was by preaching the gospel
that they discharged their duty as witnesses. Hence Paul
says, c- Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the gos
pel." 1 Cor. i. 17. To the elders of Ephesus he said, "I
count not my life dear unto me, so that I might finish my
course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the
Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Acts
xx. 24.

To irivc authority to this testimony the apostles were inspired,
and as religious teachers infallible. John xiv. 26, xvi. 13.
They h;id the power of working miracles, in confirmation of
their mission. Matt. x. 8, and the Acts of the Apostles passim.
This power they could communicate to others by the laying
on of their hands. Acts ix. 15, 17, 18, xix. 6. This is
what is meant by giving the Holy Ghost, for the apostles
never claimed the power of communicating the sanctifying
influences of the Spirit. Nor was the power of giving the
Spirit, in the sense above-mentioned, peculiar to them, for we
read that Ananias, a disciple, was sent to Paul that he might
receive the Holy Ghost. Acts ix. 17. The apostles seem also
to have had the gift of "discerning spirits," 1 Cor. xii. 10,
and of remitting sins. John xx. 23. They ordained presbyters
over the congregations gathered by their ministry. Acts xiv.
2->, &c. ; and exercised a general jurisdiction over the churches.
1 Cor. v. 8—5, 2 Cor. x. C, 8, 11, 1 Tim. i. 20. The apos
tles, therefore, were the immediate messengers of Jesus Christ,
sent to declare his gospel, endued with the Holy Spirit, render
ing them infallible as teachers, and investing them with mira
culous powers, arid clothed with peculiar prerogatives in the
organization and government of the Church.

ROMANS I. 2. 23

It is in explanation of his apostolic office, and in the further
assertion of his divine commission that Paul adds, atfco^tapsvo^
£<f~C eiMx.'ffshov $£oD, separated unto the gospel of G~od. *A<popi£eeu
is to limit off, to separate, to select from among others. It is so
used in Levit. xx. 24, 26, "I am the Lord your God, which
have separated you from other people." In the same sense, in
Gal. i. 15, uwhen it pleased God, who separated me from my
mother's womb;" that is, who singled me out, or chose me. It
is obvious, therefore, that the apostle here refers to his appoint
ment by God to his cilice. In Acts xiii. 2, it is said, "• Separate
(a<popiaa.Tz) unto me Barnabas and Saul," where a separation
not to the ministry, much loss to the apostleship, but to a special
mission is referred to. Paul's designation to ollice was neither
of man. nor bv man. Gal. i. 1. The words £:;• sbaffsAeou, unto
tlie gospel, express the object to winch he was devoted when thus
separated from the mass of his brethren; it was to preach the
gospel. The divine origin of the gospel is asserted in calling
it the tjuxjH'/ t'f <i'nl. It is the glad annunciation which God
makes to men of the pardon of sin, of restoration to his favour,
of the renovation of their nature, of the resurrection of the
body, and of eternal life.

VKKSI-: -, Which he promised afore. That is, the gospel
which Paul was sent to preach, was the same system of grace
and truth, which from the beginning had been predicted and
partiallv unfolded in the writings of the Old Testament. The
reason \vhv the apostle here adverts to that fact probably was,
that one of the strongest proofs of the divine origin of the
gospel is found in the prophecies of the Old Testament. The
advent, the character, the work, the kingdom of the Messiah,
are there predicted, and it was therefore out of the Scriptures
that the apostles reasoned, to convince the people that Jesus is
the Christ ; and to this connection between the two dispcnsa
tion.s they constantly refer, in proof of their doctrines. See
ch. iii. 21, iv. 8, ix. 27, :>:>, x. 11, 20. Comp. Luke xxiv. 44,
John xii. 10, Acts x. 4-J.

By hiH pr<>/>/!t'fx in t//e JL>ly Scriptures. As in Scripture the
term rroo^'rjjc? Heb. X"i:, is applied to any one who spake by
inspiration as the ambassador of God and the interpreter of his
will ; -oo^-caw here includes all the Old Testament writers,

24 ROMANS I. 3.

whether prophets in the strict sense of the term, or teachers, or
historians. Meyer indeed insists that the line of the prophets
begins with Samuel, according to Acts iii. 24 — "all the prophets
from Samuel, and those who follow after," and therefore that
the earlier writers of the Old Testament are not here included.
But Moses was a prophet, and what is here expressed by the
words "his prophets," is explained by the phrase "the law and
the prophets," in ch. iii. 21.

By the Holy Scriptures must of course be understood, those
writings which the Jews regarded as holy, because they treated
of holy tilings, and because they were given by the inspiration
of the Holy Ghost,

VERSE 8. Concerning his Son. These words are either to be
connected with ebaffehoV) the gospel concerning his Son; or
with Tiposnr^'jfslXaTOj which he promised concerning his Son.
The sense in either case is much the same. As most com
mentators and editors regard the second verse as a parenthesis,
they of course adopt the former construction ; but as there is
no necessity for assuming any parenthesis, the natural gram
matical connection is with KposTrr/ffsttaTO. The personal object
of the ancient promises is the Son of God.

It is a well known scriptural usage, that the designations
employed in reference to our Lord are sometimes applied to
him as a historical person, God and man, and sometimes exclu
sively to one or the other of the two natures, the divine and
human, which enter into the constitution of the theanthropos.
Thus the term Son designates the Logos in all those passages
in which he is spoken of as the Creator of all things ; at other
times it designates the incarnate Logos ; as when it is said,
"the Son shall make you free." Sometimes the same term is
used in the same passage in reference first to the incarnate
Word, and then to the Word as the second person of the
Trinity. Thus in Ileb. i. 2, it is said, "Hath spoken unto us
by his Son, (the historical person, Jesus Christ,) by whom (the
eternal Word) he made the worlds." So here, "concerning his
Son," means the Son of God as clothed in our nature, the Word
made flesh; but in the next clause, " declared to be the Son
of God," the word Son designates the divine nature of Christ.
In all cases, however, it is a designation implying participation

ROMANS I. 3. 25

of the diviue nature Christ is called the Son of God because
he is consubstantial with the Father, and therefore equal to him
in power and glory. The term expresses the relation of the
second to the first person in the Trinity, as it exists from
eternity. It is therefore, as applied to Christ, not a term of
office, nor expressive of any relation assumed in time. He was
and is the Eternal Son. This is proved from John i. 1 — 14,
where the term vlbz is interchanged with /o/'o^. It was the
Son, therefore, who in the beginning was with God, who was
God, who created all things, in whom was life, who is the light
of men, who is in the bosom of the Father. In John v. IT — ->1,
Christ calls himself the Son of God, iu a sense which made him
equal to the Father, having the same power, the same author
ity, and a right to the same honour. In John x. _!(J — 4:2, Christ
declares God to be his Father in such a sense as to make him
self God, one with the Father ; and he vindicates his claim to
this participation of the divine nature by appealing to hi.-,
works. In Col. i. 1-) — IT, he is said as Son to be the image of
the invisible God, the exact exemplar, and of course the revealer
of the Divine nature; the Creator of all things that are in
heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible. In lleb.
i. 4 — -(3, the title Son is adduced as proof that he is superior to
the angels, and entitled to their worship. He is therefore
called God's proper Son, wroc, ll()in. viii. 82, (corap. narepa
i'wuv £/£)'£ rov t)~oi>, John v. IS;) his own Son, c^roO, Horn,
viii. o; his only b<'</<>ttrii Mm, //^op^'c, John i. 14, 1/S, iii.
10, IS, 1 John iv. 9. Hence giving, sending, not sparing this
Son, is said to be the highest conceivable evidence of the love
of God, John iii. KJ, Horn. viii. o2, 1 John iv. 9. The histo
rical sense of the terms /o?-o~, zlxclw, y.'oc, xpcoroToxoc, as
learned from the Scriptures and the usus loquendi of the apos
tolic age, shows that they must, in their application to Christ,
be understood of his Divine nature.

Who was made of tJtc sc<'d of l)<ivi<1. As flvotw.^ from the
assumed theme fi^to, to be</et, signifies to be<jln to be, to come
into existence, it is often used in reference to descent or birth,
T&o/t&cv Ix p,varx6c, Gal. iv. 4 ; r^ kf&rftr^s rsxva, 1 Pet.
iii. 6. "Made of the seed of David," is therefore equivalent
to '-born of the seed of David." That the Messiah was to be

26 ROMANS L 4.

of the family of David, was predicted in the Old Testament, and
affirmed in the New. Lsa. xi. 1, Jer. xxiii. 5, Matt. xxii. 45,
John vii. 42, Acts xiii. 23.

The limitation xara adoxa, according to the flesh, obviously
implies the superhuman character of Jesus Christ. Were he a
mere man, it had been enough to say that he was of the seed
of David ; but as he is more than man, it was necessary to limit
his descent from David to his human nature. That the word
ffdto£ here means human nature is obvious both from the scrip
tural usage of the word, and from the nature of the case. See
John i. 14, Rom. ix. 5, 1 Tim. iii. 16, 1 John iv. 2, 3. It is
not the flesh or body, as opposed to the soul, but the human, as
opposed to the divine nature, that is intended. Neither does
ffdoz here mean the purely material element with its organic
life, the eco/m and ^y/jy, to the exclusion of the ^vsD/^a, or
rational principle, according to the Apollinarian doctrine, but
the entire humanity of Christ, including " a true body and a
reasonable soul." This is the sense of the word in all the
parallel passages in which the incarnation is the subject. As
when it is said, "The Word was made flesh," John i. 11; or,
"God was manifested in the flesh," 1 Tim. iii. 10. These are
explained by saying, "He was found in fashion as a man,"
Philip, ii. 8. The word therefore includes everything which con
stitutes the nature which a child derives from its progenitors.

VERSE 4. Declared to be the Son of God. The word om^tv
means, 1. To limit, or bound, and, in reference to ideas, to
define. 2. To determine. Luke xxii. 22, Acts ii. 23, lleb.
iv. 7. 8. To appoint, or constitute. Acts x. 42. b w{oiafj.svo<;
u~b TO~J $£oD xoiTYjZ ^tbvTtov zu.l Vz.x[>wv. Acts xvii. 31. This last
sense is given by some few commentators to bpta&evroz in this
passage. The apostle would then say that Christ was appointed,
or constituted the Son of God, by or after his resurrection,
But this is inconsistent with what he elsewhere teaches, viz
that Christ was the Son of God before the foundation of the
world, Col. i. 15. As shown above, Son of God is not a
title of office, but of nature, and therefore Christ cannot be said
to have been constituted the Son of God. This interpretation
also would involve the latter part of the verse in great difficul
ties. Hence even those commentators who most strenuously

ROMANS 1. 4. 27

insist on adhering to the signification of words, arc constrained,
ex necessitate loci, to understand bocad-s^oz here declaratively,
or in reference to the knowledge of men. That is, when
Christ is said to be constituted the Son of God, we are not to
understand that he became or was made Son, but was, in the
view of men, thus determined.*

The Vulgate reads, qui praedestinatus cst, which version
is followed by most of the lloman Catholic interpreters, and by
Grotius. This rendering is probably founded on the reading,
Kf>oopi<7&zi<7oz, which, although old, has little evidence in its
favour. Neither is the sense thus expressed suited to the con
text. Christ was not predestinated to be the Son of God. lie
was such from eternity.

With power ; TO'j-sarc, snys Theophylact, d~o r7^ o'j^dazioc
TWV GfiiLZ'.uw (Ly l~oUc ; Theodoret also understands these
words to refer to the miracles which Jesus, by the power of
the Holy Ghost, wrought in confirmation of his claim to be
the Son of God. The former of these commentators takes
ev o'j^dfjL-fj '/.a.-(l r^z~ju.(L, l~ dvaardazcoz, as indicating tliree
distinct sources of proof of the Sonship of Christ. lie was
proved by his miraculous power, by the Holy Spirit either as
given to him, or as by him given to his people, (the latter is
Tlieoplivlact's view,) and by his resurrection, to be the Son
of God. But the change of the prepositions, and especially
the antithetical structure of the sentence, by which -/j/.ra
Tti,s~jtjta is obviously opposed to '/JJ~<L ao.tr/jf., are decisive objec
tions to this interpretation. Others propose to connect In
ou^dtLzi with UiU'Jj >SW in power, for powerful Son; a more
common and more natural construction is to connect them with
bo'.<jf}ii<-uZ) proved, or declared with power, for powerfully,
effectually proved to be the Son of God. lie was declared
with emphasis to be the Son of God, it a ut ejus rei plenissima et
certissima sit fides. "\Vinzer.

* Es bleibt claher, says De Wette, niclits flbrig, als den Gedanken dea
Bestimmen modalisch, d. h. in Beziehung, auf die menschliclie Erkenntniss, zu
nehmen. Much to the .same purpose Fritzsc'he says, Fuerit euim Christus, ut
Hiit, ante raunduin Dei films, hoc certe apparet, eurn inter mortaks iis demum
rebus talem a Deo constitutum esse, sine quibus cum esse Dei filium homi
nes cognoscere non potuissent, velut reditu ex inferis.

28 ROMANS I. 4

According to the Spirit of holiness. As just remarked, these
words are in antithesis with xara advxa; as to the flesh he was
the Son of David, as to the Spirit the Son of God. As ffap£
means his human nature, weo/ia can hardly mean anything
else than the higher or divine nature of Christ. The word
TTvsDua may he taken in this sense in 1 Tim. iii. 16, idwuvfty
iv ^s'jfiart. justified by the Spirit, i. e. he was shown to be just,
his claims were all sustained by the manifestations of his divine
nature, i. e. of his divine power and authority. Heb. ix. 14,
oc dea Trvsy/JLaroz auovioo, who with an eternal Spirit offered
himself unto God. 1 Pet. iii. 18 is a more doubtful passage. The
genitive fcfuoawr^ is a qualification of 7rv£iy/a, Spirit of holiness ;
the Spirit whose characteristic is holiness. This expression
seems to be here used, to prevent ambiguity, as Holy Spirit is
appropriated as the designation of the third person of the
Trinity. As the word holy often means august, venerandus, so
dytcoawrj expresses that attribute of a person which renders him
worthy of reverence ; Trvs^a kfioxjuvrfi is, therefore, Spiritus
summe venerandus, the $£or^c, divine nature, or Godhead,
which dwelt in Jesus Christ ; the Logos, who in the beginning
was with God, and was God, and who became flesh and dwelt
among us. That -vvjtia docs not here mean the spiritual state
of exaltation of Christ, is plain; first, because the word is
never so used elsewhere; and, secondly, because it is inconsis
tent with the antithesis to xara adoxa. Those who understand
the phrase ''Spirit of holiness" to refer to the Holy Spirit,
either, as before remarked, suppose that the apostle refers
to the evidence given by the Spirit to the Sonship of Christ,
hence Calvin renders xara Trj/s^ua per Spiritum ; or they
consider him as appealing to the testimony of the Spirit as
given in the Scriptures. ' Christ was declared to be the Son
of God, agreeably to the Spirit.' To both these views, how
ever, the same objection lies, that it destroys the antithesis.

!£• d.va.Gi6.(jz.toz, yzxnojy, is rendered by Erasmus, Luther, and
others, after the resurrection from the dead. It was not until
Christ had risen that the evidence of his Sonship was complete,
or the fulness of its import known even to the apostles. But it
is better suited to tin context, and more agreeable to the Scrip
ture, to consider the resurrection itself as the evidence of his

ROMANS I. 4. 29

Sonsliip. It was by the resurrection that he was proved to be
the Son of God. " God," says the apostle, "will judge the world
in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof
he hath given assurance unto all, in that he hath raised him
from the dead." Acts xvii. 31. The apostle Peter also says,
that "God hath begotten us to a lively hope by the resurrec
tion of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Pet. i. 3. Comp. iii. 21,
Acts xiii. 35, xxvi. 23, 1 Cor. xv. 20. In these and many
other passages the resurrection of Christ is represented as the
great, conclusive evidence of the truth of all that Christ taught,
and of the validity of all his claims. If it be asked how the
resurrection of Christ is a proof of his being the Son of God,
it may be answered, first, because he rose by his own power..
He had power to lay down his life, and he had power to take
it u^ain. John x. 18. This is not inconsistent with the fact

o

taught in so many other passages, that he was raised by the
power of the Father, because what the Father docs the Son
does likewise; creation, and all other external works, are
ascribed indifferently to the Father, Son, and Spirit. But in
the second place, as Christ had openly declared himself to be
the Son of God, his rising from the dead was the seal of God
to the truth of that declaration. Had he continued under the
power of death. God would thereby have disallowed his claim
to be his Son : but as he raised him from the dead, he publicly
acknowledged him; saying, Thou art my Son, this day have I
declared thee such. " If Christ be not risen, then is our preach
ing vain," says the apostle, ikand your faith is also vain. But now
is Christ risen, and become the first fruits of them tlint slept."

Jesus Christ our Lord. These words are in apposition with
TO~J ulu~j auToit of the third verse ; " his Son, Jesus Christ our
Lord." All the names of Christ are precious to his people.
lie is called Jesus, titti'iour, because he saves his people from
their sins. Matt. i. 21. The name Christ, i. e. Messiah,
Anointed, connects him with all the predictions and promises
of the Old Testament. lie is the anointed prophet, priest, and
king, to whom all believing eyes had been so long directed, and
on whom all hopes centred. lie is x'joio- fj/ww our Lord.
This word indeed is often used as a mere term of respect,
equivalent to Sir, but as it is employed by the LXX. as the

30 ROMANS I. 5.

common substitute of Jehovah, or rather as the translation ol
W», in the sense of supreme Lord and possessor, so it is m
the New Testament applied in the same sense to Christ. He is
our Supreme Lord and possessor. We belong to him, and his
authority over us is absolute, extending to the heart and con
science as well as to the outward conduct ; and to him every
knee shall bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father. He, then, who in this exalted sense
is our Lord, is, as to his human nature, the Son of David, and
as to his Divine nature, the Son of God.

VERSE 5. Through whom we have received grace and apostle-
ship. As it was of the utmost importance that Paul's authority
as an apostle should be acknowledged in the Church, he here
repeats the assertion that he received his office immediately
from Jesus Christ, whose exalted character as the Son of God
and our supreme Lord he had just declared. Though oi ou
properly moans through whom, by whose instrumentality, the
preposition must here be taken in a more general sense as indi
cating the source from whom. Comp. Gal. i. 1, oca fisou
xaTpoz. Rom. xi. 36, 1 Cor. i. 9. The words ydow xal a-w-ofyv
may either be taken together and rendered the favour of the
apostleship, or each word may be taken separately. Then
%df>iz refers to the kindness of God manifested to the apostle
in his conversion and vocation. ' Through whom we received
grace, favour in general, and specially, the apostleship.'

Unto the obedience of faith. These words express the object
of the apostleship; xiffTecoz is either the genitive of apposition,
"obedience which consists in faith;" or it is the genitive of the
source, "obedience which flows from faith ;" or it is the geni
tive of the object, "obedience to faith," i. e. to the gospel. In
favour of the last interpretation reference may be made to
2 Cor. x. 5. y; u-axoy rorj Xocarou ; 1 Pet. i. 22, -/j b-axoy r7^
dty&siaz, obedience to the truth. Sec Gal. i. 23, Acts vi. 7, Jude
iii. for examples of the use of TJ.GTI^ in this objective sense. The
subjective sense, however, of the word xiffTtz in the New Testa
ment is so predominant that it is safest to retain it in this pas
sage. The obedience of faith is that obedience which consists in
faith, or of which faith is the controlling principle. The design
of the apostleship was to bring all nations so to believe in Christ

ROMANS I. 6. 31

the Son of God that they should be entirely devoted to his ser
vice. The sense is the same if Kia-tz he taken objectively, un
derstood however not of the gospel, but of the inward principle
of faith to which the nations were to be obedient. Among all
nations. The apostles were not diocesans restricted in jurisdic
tion to a particular territory. Their commission was general.
It was to all nations. If these words are connected with we re
ceived, they express directly the extent of the apostle's mission,
4 We have received a mission among all nations.' If, as is much
more natural on acccount of their position, they are connected
with the immediately preceding words, they express the same
idea indirectly; his oilice was to promote obedience to the faith
among all nations. Fur his name. That is for the sake of
(b~e<t) his name or glory. These words are most naturally
connected with the whole preceding verse, and express the final
end of the apostle.-hip, viz. the honour of Christ. It was to
promote the knowledge and glory of Christ that Paul had
received his oilice and laboured to make the nations obedient to
the gospel.

VERSK <J. Amnnij irhom are ye also. The apostle thus justi
fies his addressing the Church at Home in his oilieial character.
If the commission which he had received extended to all nations,
lie was not transcending its limits in writing as an apostle to
any church, though it had not been founded by his instrument
ality, nor en jo veil his personal ministry. Called <>f Jesus
Christ. This may mean. Those whom Christ has called. But
as the -//.Y^::, or vocation of believers, is generally in the New
Testament referred to God, the meaning probably is. The called
who belong to Christ. Qui Dei benelicio estis Jesu Christi.
Bt'za. Tiie word x/j^o^ is never in the epistles applied to one
who is merely invited by the external call of the gospel. 01
xA'/jToc, the <•<///!?</, means the effectually called ; those who are
so called by God as to be made obedient to the call. Hence
the xtfTOi are opposed to those who receive and disregard the
outward call. Christ, though an offence to the Jews and Greeks,
is declared to be (ro?c x/j^ol-) to the called the wisdom and
power of God. 1 Cor. i. 24. Hence, too, x/^roi and ixhxToi
are of nearly the same import; xa~a r.obdzGtv x/qTOi, Horn, yiii,
28; comp. lloin. ix. 11, 1 Cor. i. 26, 27. We accordingly find

32 ROMANS I. 7.

xtyrot used as a familiar designation of believers, as in Rev.
xvii. 14, of fJ.^,T ai>Torj, xtyrol xal extexToi xal xiaroi See Jude
i. 1. Corap. Rom. viii. 30, ix. 24, 1 Cor. i. 9, vii. 17, et seq.,
Gal. i. 15, Eph. iv. 1, Col. iii. 15, 1 Thcss. ii. 12, v. 24,
2 Tim. i. 9. In these and in many other passages, the verb
xrdsw expresses the inward efficacious call of the Holy Spirit.

Theophylact remarks that the word xtyrol is applied to Chris
tians, since they are drawn by grace, and do not come of them
selves. God, as it were, anticipates them. The same remark
may be made of most of the other terms by which believers are
designated. They all more or less distinctly bring into view the
idea of the agency of God in making them to differ from others.
They are called ixtexroi dzorJ. Rom. viii. 33, Col. iii. 12,
1 Tim. i. 1 ; or more fully, ixtex?ol xara xpofycoatv &sot, 1 Pet.
i. 2 ; •ftftaaiJLsvot, sanctified, which includes the idea of separa
tion, 1 Cor. i. 1, Jude i. 1, 7tpoopeff&£vre<; xo.ra xpbfrzaw rorj
•#£oD, Eph. i. 11, ffcoZo/jLwo:, I Cor. i. 18, 2 Cor. ii. 15, rera-
ffjisvot ere £tortv aitovcov, Acts xiii. 48.

VERSE 7. To all who are in Rome. These words are, in
sense, connected with the first verse, "Paul, the servant of
Jesus Christ, to all who are in Rome." Beloved of God. This
is the great distinction and blessedness of believers, they are
the beloved of God. They are not so called simply because, as
was the case with the ancient Israelites, they are selected from
the rest of the world, and made the recipients of peculiar
external favours; but because they are the objects of that great
love wherewith he hath loved those whom, when they were dead
in sins, he hath quickened together with Christ, Eph. ii. 4, 5.
They are the elect of God, holy and beloved, Col. iii. 12 ; they
are brethren beloved of the Lord, 2 Thcss. ii. 13. Called to be
saints. The former of these words stands in the same relation
to the latter that xtyTO? docs to d-o0ro/oc in ver. 1, called to be
in apostle, called to be saints. It is one of those designations
peculiar to the true people of God, and expresses at once their
vocation, and that to which they are called, viz. holiness. The
word (if toz, in accordance with the meaning of Ehnp in the Old
Testament, signifies clean, pure morally, consecrated, and espe
cially as applied to God, hob/, worthy of reverence. The people
of Israel, their land, their temple, &c., are called holy, as sepa-

ROMANS I. 7. 33

rated and devoted to God. The term a;-'0' as applied to the
people of God under the new dispensation, includes this idea.
They are saints, because they are a community separated from
th-e world and consecrated to God. But agreeably to the nature
of the Christian dispensation, this separation is not merely
external ; believers are assumed to be really separated from
sin, that is, clean, pure. Again, as the impurity of sin is,
according to Scripture, twofold, its pollution, and guilt or just
liability to punishment, so the words xattu.'.o^, xatiaoi^v,
6.f(d^s:i<J which all mean to cl<'<tuxi'. are used both to express the
cleansing from guilt by expiation, and from pollution by the
Holy Spirit. Sometimes the one and sometimes the other, and
often both of these ideas are expressed by the words. See
John xv. 2, lid), x. 2, for the use of xafracoco; Acts xv. 9,
Epli. v. 20, Tit. ii. 14, ]Ieb. ix. 14, 22, 1 John i. 7, for the use
of xad-api^aj ; John xvii. 11*. Acts xxvi. 1'!. 1 Tim. iv. o, Ileb.
ii. 11, x. 10, 14, 2(-», for tin1 use of ri;'.'tt*</;. Hence Christians
arc called tLfiot) fffia.GfJ.ivQi, not only as those who are conse
crated to God, but also as those who are cleansed both by
expiation, and by the renewing of the Ifolv Ghost.

"Novam hie periodum incipio," says Dcza, "adscripto puncto
post &('.()>.'" In this punctuation he is followed by Knapp,
Lachmann, Fritzsche, and many others. The senst,1 then is,
".Paul, an apostle — to the saints in Home." And then follows
the salutation, "Grace and peace to vou." That the words
y/i-o:z tut stfrfy/j are in the nominative, and the introduction of
utiiK show that a new sentence is here begun.

d rm-n. be to ifnu* <unl p<'a<-<>. \a<>^ is kindness, and espe
cially undeserved kindness, and therefore it is so often used to
express the unmerited goodness of God in the salvation of sin
ners. Very frequently it is used metonymically for the effect
of kindness, that is, for a gift or favour. Anything, therefore,
bestowed on the undeserving may be called yji.<t'.c. In this
sense Paul calls his apostleship yfvn~, Horn. xii. -5, Kph. iii. 2, 8;
and all the blessings conferred on sinners through Jesus Christ,
are graces, or gifts. It is in this sense repentance, faith, love,
and hope are graces. And especially the influence of the Holy
Spirit in the heart, in connection with the gift of the Son, the
greatest of God's free gifts to men, is with peculiar propriety
3

34 ROMANS I. 8.

called ydp'.z, cr grace. Such is its meaning in 1 Cor. xv. 10,
2 Cor. viii. 1, Rom. xii. G, Gal. i. 15, and in many other pas
sages. In the text, it is to be taken in the comprehensive
se in which it is used in the apostolic benediction, for the

sense

favour and love of God and Christ. The word ecftfvy, which
is so often united with ^a/A'C in the formulas of salutation, is
used in the wide sense of the Hebrew word tjiid, well-being,
prosperity, every kind of good. Grace and peace therefore
include everything that we can desire or need, the favour of
God, arid all the blessings that favour secures. "Nihil prius
optandum," says Calvin, " quuin ut Deurn propitium habcamus ;
quod designatur per gratiam. Dcinde, ut ab eo prosperitas
et successus omnium rerum fluat, qui significatur Pacis voca-
bulo."

From God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. This
association of the Father and Christ as equally the object of
prayer, and the source of spiritual blessings, is a conclusive
proof that Paul regarded Christ as truly God. God is called
our Father, not merely as the author of our existence, and the
source of every blessing, but especially as reconciled towards
us through Jesus Christ. The term expresses the peculiai
relation in which he stands to those who are his sons, whc
have the spirit of adoption, and are the heirs or recipients
of the heavenly inheritance. Jesus Christ is our Lord, as
our supreme Ruler, under whose care and protection wTe are
placed, and through whose ministration all good is actually
bestowed.

YE USE 8. From this verse to the end of the 17th, we have
the general introduction to the epistle. It has the usual
characteristics of the introductory portions of the apostle's
letters. It is commendatory. It breathes the spirit of love
towards his brethren, and of gratitude and devotion towards
God ; and it introduces the reader in the most natural and
appropriate manner to the great doctrines which he means to
exhibit. First, I thank my God. The words ~/>wroy jdv
imply an enumeration, which however is not carried out.
Comp. 1 Cor. xi. 18, 2 Cor. xii. 12, and other cases in which
the apostle begins a construction which he does not continue.
My God, that is, the God to whom I belong, whom I serve,

ROMANS I. 9. 35

and who stands to me in the relation of God, as father, friend,
and source of all good. "I will be to them a God, and they
shall be to me a people," is the most comprehensive of all pro
mises. Through Jesus Christ, are not to be connected with the
immediately preceding words, 'My God, through Jesus Christ;'
but with etyaofff-co, 'I thank God, through Jesus Christ.'
This form of expression supposes the mediation of Christ, by
whom alone we have access to the Father, and for whose sake
alone either our prayers or praises are accepted. See Roni.
vii. 25, Eph. v. 20, "Giving thanks always for all things unto
God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
And Col. iii. 17, "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in
the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the
Father by him." Hob. xiii. 15, "By him therefore let us
offer the sacrifice of praise to God." All this is in accordance
with the command of Christ, John xiv. 13, and xvi. 23, 24,
"Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye
shall receive." Such then being the clear doctrine of the
Bible, that in all our approaches to God in prayer or praise,
we must come in the name of Christ, that is, in him, referring
to him as the ground of our acceptance, there is no need of the
various forced interpretations of the words in the text, which
have been given by those who arc unwilling to admit the idea
of such mediation on the part of Christ. For you all. Several
manuscripts have ~im instead of uxso, which is probably a
Correction. The sense is the same. The special ground of the
apostle's thankfulness is expressed in the following clause:
That your faith is spoken of throughout the u'hole world.
Their faith was of such a character as to excite general atten
tion and remark. Xot only the fact that the Romans believed,
'out that their faith was of such a character as to be everywhere
spoken of, was recognized by the apostle as cause of gratitude
to God. God therefore is the giver of faith.

VERSE 0. In confirmation of his declaration of gratitude
for their conversion, and for the eminence of their faith, Paul
appears to his constant remembrance of them in his prayers.
For Grod is my witness. This reverend appeal to God as the
searcher of hearts, is not uncommon in the apostle's writings.
2 Cor. i. 23, Gal. i. 20, Philip, i. 8. It is an act of worship,

30 ROMANS I. 10.

a devout recognition of God's omnipresence and omniscience.
Whom I serve. The word karpzuu) is in the New Testament
always used of religious service, either as rendered to God or to
creatures — 'Who worship and serve the creature more than the
Creator,' chap. i. 25. This service may consist either in worship,
or in the performance of external duties of a religious nature.
The service of which Paul here speaks is characterized in the
following clause; iti my spirit. This is opposed at once to an
insincere, and to a mere external service. In the gospel of his
Son. That is, it was a service rendered in preaching the
gospel. The priests served, $AdTf>£uaau, when performing the
duties of their office ; and Paul served in performing the duties
of an apostle. The gospel of his Son, may mean either the
gospel concerning his Son, or which his Son himself taught.
The former, perhaps, is more in accordance with the use of this
and similar phrases, as, i gospel of the kingdom/ 'gospel of the
grace of God,' &c. That I constantly make mention of you.
It is plain, from the occurrence of the word ozo/uvoz in the
next verse, and from the use of this expression in other places,
Philip, i. 3, 1 Thess. i. 2, that Paul here refers to his remem
bering the Roman Christians in his prayers, and not to his
bearing them in his mind, or talking about them. The particle
cb- may be connected with ddtahixnoz, how uninterruptedly ;
or with the clause, ' God is my witness that,' &c. Comp. Acts
x. 28, 1 Thcss. ii. 10.

VERSE 10. I make mention of you, always in my prayers
praying (ic ~co-) if possibly, if it may be, expressing the sub
mission to the will of God with which the apostle urged his
request, yjoy ~o~s, now at last, as though he had long looked
forward with desire to what there was now a prospect of his
seeing accomplished. I may be so happy, by the will of God,
to come to you. Euodouv is, to lead in the right way, to pros
per one's journey, Gen. xxiv. 48, and figuratively, to prosper,
1 Cor. xvi. 2, 8 John 2. In the passive voice, it is, to be
prospered, successful, favoured. In the present case, as Paul
had neither commenced his journey, nor formed any immediate
purpose to undertake it, s-ee chap. xv. 25 — 29, his prayer was
not that his journey might be prosperous, but that he might be
permitted to undertake it; that his circumstances should be so

ROMANS I. 11. 37

favourably ordered that he might be able to execute his long
cherished purpose of visiting Home. Knowing, however, that
all things are ordered of God, and feeling that his own wishes
should be subordinated to the Divine will, he adds, Itij the will
of G-od ; which is equivalent to, If it be the will of God.
'Praying continually, that, if it be the will of God, I may be
prospered to come unto you.'

VERSE 11. Why the apostle was anxious to visit Rome, he
states in this verse. lie desired to see them, not merely for
his own gratification, but that he might confer some spiritual
gift upon them, which would tend to strengthen their faith.
For 1 lomj to see you, that 1 maif impart (JJLZTO.OCO xl/a.n- with
you) some spiritual <jift. l>y spiritual gift is not to be under
stood a gift pertaining to the soul in distinction from the body,
but one derived from the Spirit. The gifts of which the Holy
{Spirit is the author, include not only those miraculous endow
ments of which such frequent mention is made in the Epistle to
the Corinthians, and the ordinary gifts of teaching, exhorta
tion, and prophesying, 1 Cor. xii., but also those graces which
are the fruits of the Spirit. The extraordinary gifts were
communicated by the imposition of the apostles' hands, Acts
viii. IT, xix. 6, and therefore abounded in churches founded by
the apostles, 1 Cor. i. T, Gal. iii. 5. As the church at Rome
was not of this number, it has been supposed that Paul was
desirous of conferring on the Roman Christians some of those
miraculous powers by which the gospel was in other places
attended and confirmed. The following verses, however, are
in favour of giving the phrase here a wider signification. Any
increase of knowledge, of grace, or of power, was a ydpiapa
r^?J<w.TMov in the sense here intended. In order that ye may
be strengthened. This includes not only an increase of con
fidence in their belief of the gospel, but an increase of strength
in their religious feelings, and in their purpose and power of
obedience. Comp. 1 Thess. iii. "2: I sent Timothy — uto estab
lish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith." And
2 Thess. ii. 17, "Now our Lord Jesus Christ comfort your
hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.'* And
the apostle prays that the Ephesians might be strengthened
is to the inner man.

38 ROMANS I. 12.

"VERSE 12. That is, that I may be comforted amcng you.
This is obviously intended to be an explanation or correction
of what precedes. He had desired to see them, in order that
he might do them good ; but this was not his whole object, ho
hoped to receive benefit himself. As to the grammatical
construction, the infinitive aop.xapazk/j&T'jVat may depend on
arqprfcdfjiHU. The sense would then be, ' That you may be
strengthened, that I may be comforted.' Or the one infinitive
is coordinate with the other; then both depend on the iva
UZTV.OCO of ver. 10, ' That I may impart some spiritual gift to
you, in order that you may be strengthened; that is, that I
may be comforted together with you.' This seems the most
natural construction; yet as Paul expected to be refreshed by
their faith, and not by his giving them spiritual gifts, the sense
seems to require that G^ii.-o.t>(j:/J:fli)-7l^(u should depend on the
first words of ver. 10, ' I desire to see you, that I may impart
(iva tJtSTaoa)} some spiritual gift to you; that is, that I may be
comforted (GO/j.-apax/^&YjVat),' &c. It is not a valid objection to
this interpretation, that it supposes a change of the construc
tion from the subjunctive to the infinitive. A similar change
occurs (probably) in ch. ix. 22, 23 ; and much greater irregu
larities are not unfrequent in the New Testament.

The word xaoaxaAsto is used in such various senses, that it is
not easy to determine what precise meaning should be attached
to it here. It signifies to call near, to invite, Acts xxviii. 20,
to call upon, and more generally to address, cither for instruc
tion, admonition, exhortation, confirmation, or consolation.
Our translators and the majority of commentators choose the
last mentioned sense, and render crJ!JL~ao(t:/jjjdy^(u (i/Jtz) that I
may be comforted. This is probably too narrow. The word
expresses all that excitement and strengthening of faith and
pious feeling, as well as consolation, which is wont to ilow from
the communion of saints. This appears from the context, and
especially from the following clause, d>a TY^ lu d)J:ijXocz
Trr'tfrcw,, u<w)u rs '/ju l/io7), through our mutual faith, as well
yours as mine. The faith of the llomans would not only com
fort, but strengthen the apostle ; and his faith could not fail to
produce a like effect on them. ll*ntoi> TS xat kuorj are the
explanation of the preceding iv d/x^/o^ and should therefore

ROMANS I. 13, 14. 39

be in the dative. Fritsche refers to Luke i. 55, for a similar
case of variation in the construction.

VERSE 13. I would not have you ignorant., brethren; a mode
of expression which the apostle often adopts, when he would
assure his readers of anything, or call their attention to it par
ticularly. That oftentimes 1 purposed to come unto you. In
chap. xv. 23, he states that he had cherished this purpose for
many years. And ivas hindered until now. Our version ren
ders xai adversatively but. This is objected to as unnecessary,
especially as xai often introduces a parenthesis ; and such is
this clause, because the following ?i/« must depend on Tzpos&sfJtijV
of the preceding clause. As in the fifteenth chapter the apos
tle says, that having no more place in the countries around
Greece, lie was ready to visit Rome, it is probable that the
hindering to which he here refers, was the incessant calls for
apostolic labour, which left no time at his command. As, how
ever, his course seems to have been under the guidance of a
special providence, Acts xvi. 6, 7, 9, it may be that the Spirit
who had forbidden his preaching in Asia, had hitherto forbidden
his visiting Homo. That I way have no we fruit among you, as
among other gentiles. Kan-ov ^J^ i> flt l>"r<> j"''>fif, or advati*
tagc. See chap. vi. 21, 22. The profit, however, which Paul
desired, was the fruit of his ministry, the conversion or edifica
tion of those to whom he preached.

VKRSK 14. Jlvth to (! r»'<'kx nn<l harh<ii'i<in*. t<> tin1 //v'.sv and
to the utiwim', I am debtor. That is, I am under obligation (to
preach) to all classes of men. His commission was a general
one, confined to no one nation, and to no particular class.
Greeks and barbarians, mean all nations; wise and unwise,
mean all classes. Bdofiapoz means properly a foreigner, 0110
of another language, 1 Cor. xiv. 11. Greeks and barbarians,
therefore, is equivalent to Greeks and not Greeks, all nations.
As the Greeks however excelled other nations in civilization,
the word came to signify rude, uncultivated; though even by
later writers it is often used in its original sense, and not as a
term of reproach. The apostle distinguishes men first as
nations, Greeks and not Greeks, and secondly as to culture,
wise and unwise. The Romans, whose city was called "an
epitome cf the world," belonged exclusively neither to the one

40 ROMANS I. 15, 16.

class nor to the other. Some were wise and some unwise,
some Greeks and some barbarians.

VERSE 15. And so, or Jtence. That is, since I am bound to
all men, Greeks and barbarians, I am ready to preach to you,
who are at Rome. The clause, TO XO.T S/JLS npoftu/jLOu, admits of
different interpretations. According to the English version, TO
xaT £/is must be taken together ; 7ip6&up.ov is taken as a sub
stantive, and made the nominative to iari. Hence, as much as
is in me, (or, as far as I am concerned,) there is a readiness,
i. c. I am ready. Thus Calvin, "Itaque, quantum in me est,
paratus sum." This gives a good sense, and is specially suited
to the context, as it renders prominent Paul's dependence and
submission, lie did not direct his own steps. As far as he
was concerned, he was willing to preach in Rome ; but whether
he should do so or not, rested not with him, but with God. A
second explanation makes TO XUT I/JLS the subject of the sen
tence, and npo&uftov the predicate. 'What is in me is ready.'
Tims Beza, " Quicquid in me situm est, id promptuin est." Or,
as Beza also proposes, TO XU.T e/ts may be taken as a peri-
phrase for k-fd), and the clause be translated, "Promptus sum
ego." But it is denied that such a periphrase for the personal
pronoun ever occurs; TO. bjjisTspa for 6//£?c, and r« I fid for spw,
to which Beza refers, are not parallel. The third explanation,
refers TO to TCpb&OfJLOV) and makes ZV.T S/JLS equal to e//oD, ' My
readiness, or desire is.' Comp. Eph. i. 15, TT^ xatf uiiil^
KiffTW, your faith; Acts xvii. 28. TCOV xatf u(j.H^ -o^Ttou,
xviii. lo, vofjLou TOU y.u.<y d/jtas. To preach the gospel. The
verb £i)ai"[£M(jaad-ac is commonly followed by some word or
phrase expressing the subject of the message — kingdom of God,
go-spel, word of God, Christ. In writing to Christians, who
knew what the glad tidings were, the apostles often, as in the
present case, use the word absolutely so that the word by
itself means, to preach the gospel, &c. See ch. xv. 20, Acts
xiv. 7, Gal. iv. 13.

VERSE 16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.*
This he assigns as the reason why he was ready to preach even

* The words rw Xprrsy are omitted in the MSS. A. B. C. D. E. G. 17. G7. in
many of the versions and Fathers, and are rejected by Mill, Bengel, Griesbach,
Laehmann, Tischendorf, and others. They are found in the Complutensian
text and are defended by Wetstein and Matthaei.

ROMANS I. 16. 41

at Rome. To the wise of this world the gospel was foolishness,
1 Cor. i. 23, yet Paul was not ashamed of it, but was ready
among the wise and unwise to preach Christ and him crucified.
The reason of this regard for the gospel is stated in the follow
ing clause: For it is the power of God unto salvation. By
dwafJLtz 0zo~j, some understand great power, in accordance with
an assumed Hebrew idiom, agreeably to which 'mountains of
God' mean great mountains, 'wind of God' great wind, 4 zeal
of God' great zeal, &c. But the existence of such an idiom in
the Hebrew is very doubtful, and its application to this passage
is unnatural and unnecessary. Others make 6sorj a mere quali
fying genitive, 'power of God,' meaning k divinely powerful.'
Beza's explanation is, "Org;uion Dei vere potens et cfficax."
The gospel is then declared to be that through which God exer
cises his power. Most commonly 6zorj is taken as the "-euitivo

*/ r"1

of the Author, and power of God is made to mean power derived
from God. There are two things then asserted of the gospel,
first that it is powerful, and secondly that it is from God. Comp.
1 Cor. i. 18, 24. The main idea, however, is that expressed by
Be/:i, The gospel is that in which God works, which he renders
efficacious — srV ffcoTypiav, unto wdv<iti<»i. That is, it is eilica-
cious to save. The nature of the salvation here intended is to
be learned from the nature of the gospel. It is deliverance
from sin and its punishment, and admission into eternal life
and blessedness. 'This is what no means of man's devising, no
efforts of human wisdom or human power could effect for any
human bring. The gospel effects it ~a^ri TOJ rr.'tfrrWtv, for
every one that believes. Emphasis must be laid on both the
members of this clause. The gospel is thus efficacious to every
one, without distinction between Jew and gentile, Greek or bar
barian, -wise or unwise ; and it is efficacious to every one that
believes, not to every one who is circumcised, or baptized, or
who obeys the law, but to every one who believes, that is, who
receives and confides in Jesus Christ as he is offered in the
gospel. We have here the two great doctrines set forth in this
epistle. First, salvation is by faith ; and secondly, it is univer
sally applicable, to the Greek as well as to the Jew. The faith
of which the apostle here speaks includes a firm persuasion
of the truth, and a reliance or trust on the object of faith.

42 ROMANS I. 16.

Sometimes the one, sometimes the other cf these ideas is
expressed by the word, and very often both are united. The
meaning of the term is not to be determined so much by philo
sophical analysis as by scriptural usage. For the question is
not what is the abstract nature of the act of believing, philoso
phically considered, but what act or state of mind is expressed
by the words xeaTS'Jsev and xiaTtz in the various constructions
in which they occur. It is rare indeed that the state of mind
expressed by any word is so simple as not to admit of being
resolved into various elements. The exercise expressed by the
word love, for example, includes the perception of agreeable
qualities in its object, a judgment of the mind as to their
nature, a delight in them, and a desire for their enjoyment.
And these differ specifically in their nature, according to the
nature of the thing loved. It is not to any one of these
elements of the complex affection that the word love is applied,
but to the state of mind as a whole. So also with the word
faith, the exercise which it expresses includes a perception of
its object and its qualities, that is, it includes knowledge;
secondly, an assent of the mind to the truth of the thing
believed, and very often a reliance or trust on the object of
faith. Assent is therefore but one of the elements of saving
faith, that is, it is but one of the constituents of that state
of mind which, in a multitude of cases, is in the Bible expressed
by the word. And as the great object of interest to Christians
is not a philosophical definition of a word, but a knowledge of
the sense in which it is used in the word of God, we must recur
to the usage of the Scriptures themselves to determine what
chac faith is which is connected with salvation.

There is no doubt that xeff-ce'jseis is often used to express
mere assent. It means — to receive as true, to be persuaded of
the truth of anything. Hence xiartz is persuasion of the truth.
When -t(JT='j=>v has this simple meaning, it is commonly fol
lowed by the accusative, as in 1 Cor. xi. 18, John xi. 26 ; or
by the dative, Mark xvi. 13, owls Ixsluo^ l-'.(J7E>j<7au, John
v. 40; or by orr, Mark xi. 23, Rom. x. 9. Yet in these cases
the word often expresses confidence or trust, as well as assent ;
-lOTZ'jzw Qsw is in many connections, to confide in God; aa
Acts xxvii. 25, xcGTeuco yap TOJ 6zw OTC O'JTCOZ Za~ai.

ROMANS I. 16. 43

When r.ta-z'jiiv is followed by l~i with an accusative, as in
Rom. iv. o, r.ia-z'juv-t l~c TOV dr/ato^ra, or by l~i with a
dative, as Rom. ix. 33, o r.ta-z'juv IT: «yro5, 1 Tim. i. 16, it
commonly means to ?rz«sf, to believe upon, to confide in. It has
the same sense when followed by src, as in John xiv. i.,
xta-z'jz-s s/c TOV 0sov, x«< £<c £,«£ ~UT-Z'JZTZ, xvi. 9, Rom. x. 14,
Gal. ii. 16, and often elsewhere. The construction with iv is
less common; see, however, Mark i. 15, fizravozlTS, mi r.ta-
TZ'JZTZ iv TO~J s'jaffsAiqj; comp. Gal. v. 10, Kenot&a iv Kuo'iw,
2 Thess. iii.' 4.

The substantive rr/tfr.'C also in various constructions signifies
reliance, or trust; thus when followed by etz, as in Acts xx. 21,
TJ.O-LV 77 > £/c rov K'jinm* YJtwWi xxiv. 24, xxvi. 18; by i~r, with
the accusative, Ileb. vi. 1; by ~/>oc, as 1 Thcss. i. S, -rrrr.'C
6/^wv xy roor ro> f-)-nv ; by cV, Rom. iii. 2o, ^« r/^c rs.a-ZMZ, ^->
T(u a'J~orj atftv-t, comp. Gal. iii. 26, 1 Tim. iii. 13, -XT-Z> nt ^
\<na~w, 2 Tim. iii. 1-3; or by the genitive, as in Horn. iii. 22, 26,
Gal. ii. 10, iii. 22, and often. That faith, therefore, which is
connected with salvation, includes knowledge, that is, a percep
tion of the truth and its qualities; assent, or the persuasion of
the truth of the object of faith; and trust, or reliance. The
exercise, or state of mind expressed by the word faith, as used
in the Scriptures, is not mere assent, or mere trust, it is the
intelligent perception, reception, and reliance on the truth, as
revealed in the gospel.

To tin' Jew ///•*/, <iii<l alxo fo tJi>> G/'a'Jc. To render -WOTOU
(first,) here r.s^vvW///, would make the apostle teach that thf
gospel was peculiarly adapted to the Jews, or specially designed
for them. Rut he frequently asserts that this is not the case,
chap. iii. i\ 22, 20, x. 12. Upcorov, therefore, must have refer
ence to time, ' To the Jew in the first instance, and then to the
Greek.' Salvation, as our Saviour said to the woman of
Samaria, is of the Jews. Of them the Messiah came, to them
the gospel was first preached, and by them preached to the
Gentiles. The apostle often, as in the present instance, says
Jews and Greeks, for Jews and Gentiles, because the Greeks
were the Gentiles with whom, at that period, the Jews were
most familiar.

44 ROMANS I. IT.

VEUSE 17, The reason why the gospel has the efficacy
ascribed to it in the preceding verse, is not because of its pure
morality, or because it reveals and confirms a future state of
retribution, but because the righteousness of G-od is therein
revealed. As this is one of those expressions which are
rmployed to convey ideas peculiar to the gospel, its meaning
is to be learned not merely from the signification of the words,
but from parallel passages, and from the explanations given in
the gospel itself of the whole subject to which it relates. That
oc/juoa'jvfi cannot here be understood of a divine attribute, such
as rectitude, justice, goodness, or veracity, is obvious, because
it is a dtzaioauvq Ix xlarzcoz, a righteousness wldcli is Inj faith,
i. e. attained by faith, of which the apostle speaks. Besides,
it is elsewhere said to be without law, Rom. iii. 21, to be u
gift, v. 17, not to be our own, x. 3, to be from God, Philip,
iii. 9. These and similar forms of expression are inconsistent
with the assumption that the apostle is speaking of a divine
attribute. The righteousness of God, therefore, must mean
either the righteousness of which God is the author, or which
he approves. Luther, Calvin, and many others, prefer the
latter. "Die Gerechtigkeit die vor Gott gilt," is Luther's
version. Calvin says, "Justitiam Dei accipio, quae apud Dei
tribunal approbatur." Beza, Reiche, De Wette, RUckcrt, and
others, prefer the latter. These ideas are not incompatible.
This righteousness is at once a otxaicxr'^ fj Ix $£oD, Philip,
iii. 9; and a dexcuoff&vy ~a(>a rw (9ctw, Rom. ii. 13, iii. 20, Gal.
iii. 11. The gospel reveals a righteousness, which God gives,
and which he approves; it is a righteousness, "qua quisquis
donatus e.-t, sistitur coram Deo, sanctus, inculpatus, et nullius
labis possit postulari." Beza.

This interpretation is confirmed by all that the Scriptures
teach respecting the manner of our justification before God.
The Bible represents God in the character of a moral governor
or judge. Man is placed under a law which is the rule of his
duty, and the standard by which he is to be judged. This law
may be variously revealed, but it is ever substantially the
same, having the same precepts, the same sanction, and the
same promises. Those who comply with the demands of this
law are oixacot, righteous; those who break the law are docxot,

ROMANS I. 17. 45

unrighteous; to pronounce one righteous is 3.'x#ro3v, to justify; t
the righteousness itself, or integrity which the law demands is I
dr/.aco(T'Ji>'/j. Those who are righteous, or who have the right-j
eousness which the law requires, or who are justified, have a»
title to the favour of God.

Now, nothing is more clearly taught in the Scriptures than
that no man in himself is righteous in the sight of God.
" There is none righteous, no not one ; for all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God." It is no less clearly taught
that no man can make himself righteous ; that is, he cannot
attain the righteousness which the law demands, and which is
necessary to his acceptance with God. The reason is that the
law demands perfect ohedience, which no one has rendered
or can render. It is hence plain that by the works of the
law no flesh can he justified before God. Rom. iii. 12<), Gal.
ii. 10 ; oc/j >.',() rf'jv^ is not Ix wtwjj Gal. iii. 21, or U>JL youou,
ii. 21, or l~ soj'wv, ii. 10. Men are not justified tma dtxaeoff'JVfl
by their own righteousness. Rom. x. 3. And yet righteous
ness is absolutely necessary to our justification and salvation.
Such a righteousness the gospel reveals; a righteousness which
is %(t><>iz w/wj, without the law; which is not of works; a
oc/.tLiocs'jvr, ~i(7~zioz or I/. rrrVirc^c, u'hi<'h is l»j fctitli ; a right-
ousness which is not our own, Philip, iii. (J ; which is the gift
of God, Rom. v. 17; which is 1% H^rj fmm (J}»d\ which is
imputed /c'jo.'c e,"/'"^ without works. Christ is our righteous
ness, 1 Cor. i. oU, or we are righteous before God in him.
2 Cor. v. 21.

From this contrast between a righteousness which is our
own, which is of works, and that which is not our own, which
is of God, from God, the gift of God, it is plain that the
dwuoaw-f] Oiorj of which the apostle here speaks, is that
dtx(uo<j'ji>rj by which we arc made dixwoe ~aoa TW t)z(n ; it is a
righteousness which he gives and which he approves. This
is the interpretation which is given substantially by all the
modern commentators of note, as Tholuck, Reiche, Fritzsche,
Ruckert, Koellner, De Wette, &c., however much they may
differ as to other points. uAlle Erkliirungen," says De Wette,
"welche das Moment der Zurechnung iibersehen, und das thun
besonders die katholischeri, auch die des Grotius, sind falsch."

46 ROMANS I. 17.

That is, "All interpretations which overlook the idea of impu
tation, as is done in the explanations given by the Romanists,
and also in that of Grotius, are false."

The nature of this righteousness, it is one great des.ign of
this epistle, and of the whole gospel to unfold. This, there
fore is not the place to enter fully into the examination of
that point ; it will present itself at every step of our progress.
It is sufficient here to specify the three general views of the
nature of that righteousness by which men are justified before
God. The first may be called the Pelagian, according to
which the apostle teaches that righteousness cannot be attained
by obedience to the ritual law of the Jews, but consists in
works morally good. The second view is that of the Roman
ists, who teach that the works meant to be excluded from our
justification are legal works ; works done without grace and
before regeneration; but the righteousness which makes us just
before God, is that inherent righteousness, or spiritual excel
lence which is obtained by the aid of divine grace. The third
view, which is the common doctrine of Protestant churches is,
that the righteousness for which we are justified is neither any
thing done by us nor wrought in us, but something done for us
arid imputed to us. It is the work of Christ, what lie did and
suffered to satisfy the demands of the law. Hence not merely
external or ceremonial works are excluded as the ground of
justification; but works of righteousness, all works of what
ever kind or degree of excellence. Hence this righteousness
is not our own. It is nothing that wre have either wrought
ourselves, or that inheres in us. Hence Christ is said to be
our righteousness ; and we are said to be justified by his blood,
his death, his obedience ; WTC are righteous in him, and are
justified by him or in his name, or for his sake. The right
eousness of God, therefore, which the gospel reveals, and by
which we are constituted righteous, is the perfect righteous
ness of Christ which completely meets and answers all the
demands of that law to which all men are subject, and which
| all have broken.

This righteousness is said in the text to be of faith. It is
obvious that the words Ix -lars.^ are not to be connected with
sTac , They must be connected either directly or

ROMANS I. 17. 47

indirectly with d'y.aioa'j^. It is either
d-oxaA'j-TiTa!, righteousness by faith is revealed; or, OC
faoxaA'j-TeTac Ix -'.oieeo- ouaa, righteousness is revealed, being
of faith, i. e. which is by faith. Not an excellence of which
faith is the germinating principle, or which consists in faith,
because this is inconsistent with all those representations which
show that this righteousness is not subjective.

The meaning of the words el- x*.a-w in the formula ex
ni<JTeco- el- ~><TTtu, from faith to faith, is very doubtful. They
must be explained in a manner consistent with their connection
with oc,:!L'.o(j''jvrr It is a righteousness which is of faith to faith.
Now it cannot bo said that our justification depends on our
believing first the Old Testament, and then the New, which is
the interpretation of Theodoret — osl ~(<u> ~t(j-zrj<r<u rul^ npoyy-
TOIZ-, xu'i oe sxziws el- rr^ rov euaffeMou ~f.(j-& xodrtfrftrjvac;
nor does it seem to suit this connection to make the phrase in
question express a progress from a weak or imperfect faith
to that which is more perfect. This however is a very gene
rally received interpretation. Calvin says, " Qiium initio gusta-
mus evaugelium, lactam quidcni et exporrectam nobis ccrnimus
Dei frontem, sed eminus; quo magis augeseit pietatis erudi-
tio, velut propiore accessu clarius ac magis familiariter Dei
gratiam perspicimus." The sense is however perfectly clear
and irood, if the phrase is explained to mean, faith alone.
As "death unto death'' and "life unto life" tire intensive,
so "faith unto faith" may mean, entirely of faith. Our justi
fication is by faith alone; works form no part of that right
eousness in which we can stand before the tribunal of God.
"Dicit," says Px-r.gcl, k> (idem meram ; namque justitia ex fide
subsistit in fide, sine operibus ..... Fides, intuit Paulus,
manet fides; fides est prora ct puppis, apud Judicos et Gentiles,
etiam apud Paulum, us(lue ad ipsam cjus consummationem."
Most of the modern commentators regard el- in the words e/c
xiffw, as indicating the terminus. Righteousness is from faith
and unto faith, comes to it. This makes riaw here virtually
equivalent to r^a'e'jo^ra-, as in chap. iii. 22, the daatoffwy
0eo~j is said to be e^ -d^a^ TO-J-- xeffTMovraz. Righteousness
then is by faith and unto faith, i. e. is granted unto or bestowed
upon believers.

48 ROMANS I. IT.

This doctrine of the apostle, that the righteousness which is
unto life is to be obtained by faith, he confirms by a reference
to Hab. ii. 4, where it is said, 6 os olxaioz ex TiiaTetoz, Cr/aerat*
lie that is righteous by faith, shall live; or, the righteous shall
live by faith. The connection of ex xcareaH; with oixcuoz is
certainly best suited to the apostle's object, which is to show
that righteousness is by faith ; but in either construction the
sense is substantially the same. Salvation is by faith. In the
Hebrew also, either construction is 'allowable, as the words are
"The righteous in his faith shall live." The Masoretic accen
tuation however connects, as Paul does, the first two words
together, ' The righteous in his faith, shall live.' Shall livey
shall attain that life which Christ gives, which is spiritual,
blessed, and everlasting; comp. chap. v. 17, viii. 13, x. 3. This
passage is cited in confirmation of the apostle's own doctrine,
and is peculiarly pertinent as it shows that under the old dis
pensation as well as under the new, the favour of God was
to be secured by faith.

DOCTRINE.

1. The apostolic office, except as to what was peculiar and
extraordinary, being essentially the same with the ministerial
office in general, Paul teaches, 1. That ministers are the
servants of Christ, deriving their authority from him, and not
from the people ; 2. That their calling is to preach the gospel,
to which all other avocations must be made subordinate ;
3. That the object of their appointment is to bring men to
the obedience of faith; 4. That their field is all nations;
5. That the design of all is to honour Christ; it is for his
name, vs. 1 — 5.

2. The gospel is contained in its rudiments in the Old
Testament. It is the soul of the old dispensation, ver. 2.

3. Christ is the Alr^ha and Omega of the gospel. In
stating the substance of the gospel, Paul says, i It concerns
Jesus Christ,' ver. 3.

4. Christ is at once God and man; the son of David and
the Son of God, vs. 3, 4.

5. Christ is called the Son of God in reference to his Divine
nature, and on account of the relation in which, as God, he

ROMANS I. 17. 49

stands to the Father. The name, therefore, is expressive of
his Divine character, vs. 3, 4.

6. He is the proper object of prayer, and the source of
spiritual blessings, ver. 7.

7. He is the Mediator through whom our prayers and
thanksgiving must be presented to God, ver. 8.

8. God is the source of all spiritual good; is to be wor
shipped in spirit, and agreeably to the gospel; and his pro
vidence is to be recognized in reference to the most ordinary
afciirs of life, vs. 8—10.

9. Ministers are not a class of men exalted above the people,
and independent of them for spiritual benefits, but are bound
to seek, as well as to impart good, in all their intercourse with
those to whom they are sent, vs. 11, 12.

10. Ministers are bound to preach the gospel to all men,
rich as well as' poor, wise as well as unwise; for it is equally
adapted to the wants of all, vs. 14, 15.

11. The salvation of men, including the pardon of their sins
arid the moral renovation of their hearts, can be effected by the
gospel alone. The wisdom of men, during four thousand years
previous to the advent of Christ, failed to discover any ade
quate means for the attainment of either of these objects; and
tlu.se who, since the advent, have neglected the gospel, have
been equally unsuccessful, ver. 16, &c.

12. The power of the gospel lies not in its pure theism, or
perfect moral code, but in the Cuoss, in the doctrine of justifi
cation by faith in a crucified Redeemer, ver. 17, &c.

REMARKS.

1. Ministers should remember that they are "separated unto
the gospel," and that any occupation which, by its demands
upon their attention, or from its influence on their character or
feelings, interferes with their devotion to this object, is for
them wrong, ver. 1.

2. If Jesus Christ is the great subject of the gospel, it is
evident that we cannot have right views of the one, without
having correct opinions respecting the other. What think ye
of Christ? cannot be a minor question. To be Christians, we
must recognize him as the Messiah, or son of David; and as

&0 ROMANS I. 18—32.

Divine, or the Son of God; we must be able to pray to him, to
look for blessings from him, and recognize him as the Mediator
between God and man, vs. 1 — 8.

8. Christians should remember that they are saints ; that is,
persons separated from the world and consecrated to God.
They therefore cannot serve themselves or the world, without a
dereliction of their character. They are saints, because called
and made such of God. To all such, grace and peace are
secured by the mediation of Christ, and the promise of God,
ver. 7.

4. In presenting truth, everything consistent with fidelity
should be done to conciliate the confidence and kind feelings of
those to whom it is addressed ; and everything avoided, which
tends to excite prejudice against the speaker or his message.
Who more faithful than Paul? Yet who more anxious to avoid
offence ? Who more solicitous to present the truth, not in its
most irritating form, but in the manner best adapted to gain
for it access to the unruffled minds of his readers ? vs. 8 — 14.

5. As all virtues, according to the Christian system, are
graces (gifts,) they afford matter for thanksgiving, but never
for self-complacency, ver. 8.

6. The intercourse of Christians should be desired, and made
to result in edification, by their mutual faith, ver. 12.

7. He who rejects the doctrine of justification by faith,
rejects the gospel. His whole method of salvation, and system
of religion, must be different from those of the apostles, ver. 17.

8. Whether we be wise or unwise, moral or immoral, in the
sight of men, orthodox or heterodox in our opinions, unless
we are believers, unless we cordially receive "the righteousness
which is of God," as the ground of acceptance, we have no part
or lot in the salvation of the gospel, ver. 17.

ROMANS I. 18—32.

ANALYSIS.

The apostle having stated that the only righteousness avail
able in the sight of God is that which is obtained by faith,
proceeds to p~ove that such is the case. This proof required

ROMANS I. 18. 51

that he should, in the first instance, demonstrate that the
righteousness which is of the law, or of works, was insufficient
for the justification of a sinner. This he does, first in refer-
rence to the Gentiles, chap. i. 18 — 32 ; and then in relation to
the Jews, chap, ii., iii. 1 — 20. The residue of this chapter
then is designed to prove that the Gentiles are justly exposed
to condemnation. The apostle thus argues : God is just ; his
displeasure against sin (which is its punishment) is clearly
revealed, vcr. 18. This principle is assumed by the apostle, as
the foundation of his whole argument. If this be granted, it
follows that all who are chargeable with either impiety or
immorality are exposed to the wrath of God, and cannot claim
his favour on the ground of their own character or conduct.
That the Gentiles are justly chargeable with both impiety and
immorality, he thus proves. They have ever enjoyed such a
revelation of the divine character as to render them inexcusa
ble, vs. 10, 20. Notwithstanding this opportunity of knowing
God, they neither worshipped nor served him, but gave thcm-
Belves up to all forms of idolatry. This is the height of
impiety, vs. 21 — 23. In consequence of this desertion of God,
he gave them up to the evil of their own hearts, so that they
sank into all manner of debasing crimes. The evidences of
this corruption of morals were so painfully obvious, that Paul
merely appeals to the knowledge which all his readers possessed
of the fact, vs. 24 — 31. These various crimes they do not
commit ignorantly ; they are aware of their ill-desert; and yet
they not only commit them themselves, but encourage others in
the same course, v. 32.

The inference from the established sinfulness of the Gentile
world, Paul does not draw until he has substantiated the same
charge against the Jews, lie then says, since all are sinners
before God, no flesh can be justified by the works of the law,
chap. iii. 20.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 18. *A7zo'/a):j~Ts.Tv.c fv.p OO^TJ 0s.oi> CLTZ o'joo.vo'j. For
the wrath cf Gad is revealed from heaven. The apostle's object
is to prove the doctrine of the preceding verse, viz. that right
eousness is by faith. To do this it was necessary to show that

52 ROMANS I. 18.

men in themselves are exposed to condemnation, or are desti
tute of any righteousness which can satisfy the demands of
God. His argument is, God is just; he is determined to punish
sin, and as all men are sinners, all are exposed to punishment.
Hence this verse is connected by ?dp to the preceding one.
Men must be justified by faith, for the wrath of God is
revealed, &c.

The wrath of G-od is his punitive justice, his determination
to punish sin. The passion which is called anger or wrath,
and which is always mixed more or less with malignity in the
human breast, is of course infinitely removed from what the
word imports when used in reference to God. Yet as anger in
men leads to the infliction of evil on its object, the word is,
agreeably to a principle which pervades the Scriptures, applied
to the calm and undeviating purpose of the Divine mind, which
secures the connection between sin and misery, with the same
general uniformity that any other law in the physical or moral
government of God operates.

Is revealed. ^AnoxaAOTirco is properly, to uncover, to bring to
light, and hence to make known, whether by direct communica
tion, or in some other way. A thing is said to be revealed,
when it becomes known from its effects. It is thus that the
thoughts of the heart, the arm of the Lord, and the wrath of
God are said to be "revealed." It is not necessary therefore to
infer from the use of this word, that the apostle meant to inti
mate that the purpose of God to punish sin w^as made known
by any special revelation. That purpose is manifested in
various ways ; by the actual punishment of sin, by the inherent
tendency of moral evil to produce misery, by the voice of con
science. Nor do the words "from heaven" imply any extraor
dinary mode of communication. They are added because God
dwells in heaven, whence all exhibitions of his character and
purposes are said to proceed. It is however implied in the
whole form of expression, that this revelation is clear and
certain. Men know the righteous judgment of God; they
know that those who commit sin are wrorthy of death. As this
is an ultimate truth, existing in every man's consciousness,
it is properly assumed, and made the basis of the apcstle'a
argument.

ROMANS I. 19. 53

This displeasure of God is revealed against all ungodliness
and unrighteousness of men; that is, against all impiety towards
God (dasfisca,) and injustice towards men (ddexia.) This dis
tinction is kept up in the following part of the chapter, in
which the apostle proves first the impiety, and then the gross
immorality of the heathen. Who hold the truth in unrighteous
ness. The word d&y&eca is used in the Scriptures in a more
comprehensive sense than our word truth. It often means
what is right, as well as what is true ; and is therefore often
used in antithesis to doexia, unrighteousness, as in Horn. ii. 8;
see Gal. iii. 1, v. 7. It is used especially of moral and religious
truth ; see John iii. 21, viii. 32, 2 Cor. iv. 2, 2 Thcss. ii. 12. It
is therefore equivalent to true religion, that is, what is true and
right, in reference to God and duty. As xaT£%ew sometimes
means to have in the sense of possessing, as in 1 Cor. vii. 30,
this clause1 may be rendered, 'Who have the truth, together
with unrighteousness;' i. e. although they possess the truth,
are unrighteous. Comp. James ii. 1, /JIT] £v TtpoacDnoXrj^iatz
£/£rs -TjV -iar-v. The sentiment is then the same as in ver. 21,
where the heathen are said to know God, and yet to act
wickedly. But as xaTsysw also means to detain, to repress or
hinder, 2 The.ss. ii. (J, T, the passage may be translated, Who
hinder or oppose the truth. The great majority of commenta
tors are in favour of this latter interpretation. The words Iv
dd'/.ia may either express the means of this opposition, and
be rendered, tlirough unrighteousness; or they may be taken
adverbially, Who unjustly, or wickedly oppose the truth. The
former is to be preferred.

VERSE 10. That this opposition is wicked, because inex
cusable on the plea of ignorance, is proved in this and the
following verses. They wickedly oppose the truth, because the
knowledge of God is manifest among them. Agreeably to this
explanation, this verse is connected with the immediately pre
ceding clause. It may however refer to the general sentiment
of ver. 18. God will punish the impiety and unrighteousness
of men, because he has made himself known to them. The
former method is to be preferred as more in accordance with
the apostle's manner, and more consistent with the context,
inasmuch as he goes on to prove that the impiety of the

54 ROMANS I. 19.

heathen is inexcusable. Since that which may be known of
Grod, is manifest in them. This version is not in accordance
with the meaning of yvcocrTby, which always in the Bible means,
what is known, not what may be known. Besides, the English
version seems to imply too much; for the apostle does not mean
to say that everything that may be known concerning God was
revealed to the heathen, but simply that they had such a know
ledge of him as rendered their impiety inexcusable. We find
fvaxjTOZ used in the sense of fvcoroz, known, Acts i. 19, ii. 14,
xv. 18, yvcotTTa ax accouoz earc rw Osw r.d^ra ra l^a O.UTOD;
and often elsewhere. Hence TO fvaxjrou is=fua>fftz, as in Gen.
ii. 9, ^vctxrrov roi) xa),ol) xal TOO Trov/jpou. The knowledge of
God does not mean simply a knowledge that there is a God,
but, as appears from what follows, a knowledge of his nature
and attributes, his eternal power and Godhead, ver. 20, and his
justice, ver. 32. (fiavspov zarw sv auTot^, may be rendered,
either is manifest among them, or in them. If the former
translation be adopted, it is not to be understood as declaring
that certain men, the Pythagoreans, Platonists, and Stoics, as
Grotius says, had this knowledge ; but that it was a common
revelation, accessible, manifest to all. In them, however, here
more properly means, in their minds. "In ipsorum animis,"
says Beza, "quia haec Dei notitia recondita est in intimis
mentis penetralibus, ut, velint nolint idololatrse, quoties sese
adhibent in consilium, toties a seipsis redarguantur." It is not
of a mere external revelation of which the apostle is speaking,
but of that evidence of the being and perfections of God which
every man has in the constitution of his own nature, and in
virtue of which he is competent to apprehend the manifesta
tions of God in his works, for Grod hath revealed to them.,
viz. the knowledge of himself. This knowledge is a revelation;
it is the manifestation of God in his works, and in the consti
tution of our nature. "Quod dicit," says Calvin, "Deum
manifcstasse, scnsus est, ideo conditum esse hominem, ut spec
tator sit fabrise mundi; ideo datos ei oculos, ut intuitu tarn
pulchroe imaginis, ad auctorem ipsum fcratur." God there
fore has never left himself without a witness. His existence
and perfections have ever been so manifested that his rational

ROMANS I. 20. 55

creatures are bound to acknowledge and worship him as the
true and only God.

VERSE 20. This verse is a confirmation and amplification of
the preceding, inasmuch as it proves that God does manifest
himself to men, shows how this manifestation is made, and
draws the inference that men are, in virtue of this revelation,
inexcusable for their impiety. The argument is, God has mani
fested the knowledge of himself to men, for the invisible things
of him, that is, his eternal power and Godhead are, since the
creation, clearly seen, being understood by his works ; they are
therefore without excuse. The invisible things of him. By the
invisible things of God, Theodoret says we are to understand
creation, providence, and the divine judgments; Theophylact
understands them to refer to his goodness, wisdom, power,
and majesty. Between these interpretations the moderns are
divided. The great majority prefer the latter, which is obvi
ously the better suited to the context, because the works of
God are expressed afterwards by -ocr^w.^a, and because the
invisible things are those which are manifested by his works,
and are explained by the terms "power and Godhead." The
subsequent clause, y re dioco^ WJTO~J dfoufjuz xat u-scorqz, is in
apposition with and an explanation of the former one. The
particle TS followed by xai, serves then, as Tholuck remarks, to
the partition of don a' a into the two ideas dwa/juz and d-ztorrfi,
and not to annex a distinct idea, as though the meaning were,
'and also his power and Godhead.' The power of God is more
immediately manifested in his works; but not his power alone,
but his divine excellence in general, which is expressed by
tfc.'or^c, from &s2o^. Osorr^, from 0so^ on the other hand,
expresses the being, rather than the excellence of God. The
latter is Godhead; the former, divinity, a collective term for
all the divine perfections.

This divine revelation has been made d~o XT'XTZCO^ zoff/wv,
from the creation of the ivorld, not by the creation ; for /r.'^c
here is the act of creation, and not the thing created; and the
means by which the revelation is made, is expressed immedi
ately by the words ro?c ~oqtmm, which would then be redun
dant. The -oiYjaara rorj 6>soD, in this connection, are the
things made by God, rather than the things done by him. The

56 ROMANS I. 21.

apostle says the do par a xa&oparat, the unseen things are seen,
because they are perceived by the mind; voou/jteva being under
stood by means of the things made. So that they are inexcusa
ble. These words are by Griesbach, Knapp, and others, made
to depend on the last clause of ver. 19 ; and then the interpre
tation of Beza and the elder Calvinists would be the most
natural. God has revealed the knowledge of himself to men, in
order that they might be without excuse. But this, to say the
least, is unnecessary. The connection with xad-opHrcu is per
fectly natural. ' The perfections of God, being understood by
his works, are seen, so that men are without excuse.' Paul does
not here teach that it is the design of God, in revealing himself
to men, to render their opposition inexcusable, but rather, since
this revelation has been made, they have in fact no apology for
their ignorance and neglect of God. Though the revelation of
God in his works is sufficient to render men inexcusable, it does
not follow that it is sufficient to lead men, blinded by sin, to a
saving knowledge of himself. As Paul says of the law, that it
was weak through the flesh, that is, insufficient on account of
our corruption, so it may be said of the light of nature, that,
although sufficient in itself as a revelation, it is not sufficient,
considering the indisposition and inattention of men to divine
things. " Sit haec distinctio," says Calvin, " demonstrate
Dei, qua gloriam suam in creaturis perspicuam facit, esse,
quantum ad lucem suam, satis evidentem; quantum ad nos-
tram csecitatcm, non adeo sufficere. Cseterum non ita cseci
sumus, ut ignorantiam possimus prsetexere, quin perversitatis
arguamur."

VERSE 21. Since 'knowing Crod. The most natural and
obvious connection of this verse is with the last clause of the
preceding, ' Men are without excuse, since, although they knew
God, they worshipped him not as God.' This connection,
moreover, is in accordance with the apostle's manner, who
often establishes a proposition, which is itself an inference, by
a new process of argument. Thus in the present instance, in
vs. 19, 20, he proved that the heathen had a knowledge of God
which rendered them inexcusable, and then the fact that they
were without excuse, is proved by showing that they did not
act in accordance with the truth. Kiickert, however, who is

ROMANS I. 21. 57

followed by Tholuck, considering that the apostle's object is to
show that the heathen wickedly oppose the truth, as stated in
ver. 18; and that this proof consists of two parts, first, the
heathen had the knowledge of the truth, vs. 19, 20, and
secondly, that they did not act according to it, vs. 21—23 ;
assumes that the connection is rather with the last clause of
ver. 18, and that something is implied here which is not
expressed, and that the logical reference of deort is to this
omitted thought. ' The heathen are without excuse, and wick
edly oppose the truth, since although they knew God, they
glorified him not as God.' This sense is good enough, but it
is a forced and unnatural interpretation.

The apostle having shown in ver. 19, that the knowledge of
God was revealed to men, has no hesitation in saying that the'
heathen knew God ; which (iocs not mean merely that they had
the opportunity of knowing him, but that in the constitution of
their own nature, and in the works of creation, they actually
possessed an intelligible revelation of the Divine existence and
perfections. This revelation was indeed generally so neglected,
that men knew not what it taught. Still they had the know
ledge, in the same sense that those who have the Bible are said
to have the knowledge of the will of God, however much they
may neglect and disregard it. In both cases there is knowledge
presented, and a revelation made, and in both ignorance is
without excuse. As there is no apology for the impiety of the
heathen to be found in any unavoidable ignorance, their idola
try was the fruit of depravity. The apostle therefore says,
that although they knew God, they glorified him not as God,
neither were thankful to him. Aozd^» is to ascribe llonour
to any one, to praise, and also to honour, to make glorious,
or cause that others should honour any one. Men are said
to glorify God either when they ascribe glory to him, or
when they so act as to lead others to honour him. In the
present case, the former idea is expressed by the word. They
did not reverence and worship God as their God; neither did
they refer to him the blessings which they daily received at his

hands.

Instead of thus rendering unto God the homage and gr;
tude which an his due, they became vain in their imaginations.

58 ROMANS I. 22.

Vain, (lp.aTcua>&rjaay) that is, according to coLstant scriptural
usage, became both foolish and wicked. Vain conversation is
corrupt conversation, 1 Pet. i. 18 ; and vanity is wickedness,
Eph. iv. 17. These words are all frequently used in reference to
idolatry, as idols are in the Bible often called ndraca, vanities.
In their imaginations, deaAofefffjLOtG, properly thoughts, but usu
ally, in the New Testament, with the implication of evil; evil
thoughts or machinations. Here the word also has a bad sense.
The thoughts of the heathen concerning God were perverted and
corrupt thoughts. The whole clause therefore means, that the
heathen, in refusing to recognize the true God, entertained
foolish and wicked thoughts of the Divine Being ; that is, they
sank into the foll^ and sin of idolatry. And their foolish heart
was darkened; they lost the light of divine knowledge ; d^vsroc,
destitute of auvzacz understanding, insight into the nature of
divine things. The consequence of this want of divine know
ledge was darkness. The word xapdla, heart, stands for the
whole soul. Hence men are said to understand with the heart,
Matt. xiii. 15; to believe with the heart, Rom. x. 10; the heart
is said to be enlightened with knowledge, 2 Cor. iv. 6 ; and the
eyes of the heart are said to be opened, Eph. i. 8. The word
dtavoia, mind, is used with the same latitude, not only for the
intellect, but also for the seat of the affections, as in Eph. ii. 3,
we read of the desires of the mind. It is not merely intel
lectual darkness or ignorance which the apostle describes in
this verse, but the whole moral state. We find throughout the
Scriptures the idea of foolishness and sin, of wisdom and piety,
intimately connected. In the language of the Bible, a fool is
an impious man; the wise are the pious, those who fear God;
foolishness is sin ; understanding is religion. The folly and
darkness of which the apostle here speaks, are therefore ex
pressive of want of divine knowledge, which is both the effect
and cause of moral depravity.

VERSE 22. Professing themselves to be ivise. (Pdaxovret; elvai
ao(fol, (for tfc^o^c, by attraction.) Saying in the sense of pre
tending to be. The more they boasted of their wisdom, the
more conspicuous became their folly. What greater folly can
there be, than to worship beasts rather than God ? To this
the apostle refers in the next verse.

ROMANS I. 23. 59

VERSE 23. They became fools, and exchanged the glory of
the incorruptible Grod for the likeness of the image of corruptible
man. Herein consisted their amazing folly, that they, as
rational beings, should worship the creature in preference to
the Creator. The common construction of the verb dtidffff&v
in Greek when it means to exchange, is either ri rrvoc, or rr
divri TWOS* but the apostle imitates the Hebrew construction,
2 "PTan, which by the LXX. is rendered &Hdffff$ev cv, as in Ps.
cvi. 20. The sense is not that they change one thing into
another, but that they exchanged one thing for another. The
glory, a collective* term for all the divine perfections. They
exchanged the substance for the image, the substantial or real
divine glories for the likeness of an image of corruptible wan,
i. e. an image like to corruptible man. The contrast is not
merely between God and man, or between the incorruptible,
imperishable, eternal God, and frail man, but between this
incorruptible God and the image of a man. It was not, how
ever, in the worship of the images of men only that the degra
dation of the heathen was manifested, for they paid religious
homage to birds, beasts, and reptiles. In such idolatry the
idol or animal was, with regard to the majority, the ultimate
object of worship. Some professed to regard the visible image
as a mere symbol of the real object of their adoration; while
others believed that the gods in some way filled these idols, and
operated through them; and others again, that the universal
principle of being was reverenced under these manifestations.
The Scriptures take no account of these distinctions. All
who l)o wed down to stocks and stones are denounced as wor
shipping gods which their own hands had made ; and idolatry
is made to include not merely the worship of false gods, but the
worship of the true God by images. The universal prevalence
of idolatry among the heathen, notwithstanding the revelation
which God had made of himself in his works, is the evidence
which Paul adduces to prove that they arc ungodly, and conse
quently exposed to that wrath which is revealed against all
ungodliness. In the following verses, to the end of the chap
ter, he shows that they are unrighteous ; that as the con
sequence of their departure from God, they sank into the
grossest vices.

60 ROMANS I. 24.

VERSE 24. WJierefore also he gave them, in their lusts, unto
uncleanness. The most natural construction of this passage is
to connect e/c dxa&apffiav with napeficoxev, he gave up unto
uncleanness. We have the same construction in vs. 26, 28,
and frequently elsewhere. To construct TLapeoojxsu with Iv
TCUZ iitt&UfJLicuz, as Beza and others do, gives indeed a good
sense, He gave them up to their desires unto uncleanness,
i. e. so that they became unclean, but is opposed to the con
stant usage of the New Testament, inasmuch as TcapadidtofJU
never occurs in construction with sv. If the former construc
tion be adopted, Iv ra?c fag&ufjucui; may be rendered as in our
version, through their lusts; or better in their lusts; Iv ex
pressing their condition, or circumstances : them in their lusts,
i. e. being in them, immersed in them. To dishonour, TOIJ
aTt/mreff&at. This infinitive with rou may depend on the pre
ceding noun; 'the uncleanness of dishonouring,' &c., " quse
cernebatur in," &c. Winer, § 45. 4. b. But as the infinitive
with the genitive article is so frequently used to express design,
or simple sequence, it is better to make it depend on the whole
preceding clause, ' He gave them up to uncleanness, to dis
honour,' i. e. either in order that they might dishonour, or so
that they dishonoured, &c.; &TtfJtd££cr&at may be taken either as
middle, so that they dishonoured their bodies; or as passive, so
that their bodies were dishonoured. The former best suits the
context. ' Ev ea'JTotz is either equivalent to iv aXAi/jAoa;, reci
procally, they dishonoured one another, as to their bodies ; or
in themselves, dishonouring their bodies in themselves; "signi-
ficantius exprimit," says Calvin, "quam profundas et inelui-
biles ignominies notas corporibus suis inusserint."

This abandonment of the heathen to the dominion of sin
is represented as a punitive infliction. They forsook God,
dib xai, wherefore also he gave them up to uncleanness. This
is explained as a simple permission on the part of God.
But it removes no real difficulty. If God permits those who
forsake him, to sink into vice, he does it intelligently and inten
tionally. The language of the apostle, as well as the analogy
of Scripture, demands more than this. It is at least a judicial
abandonment. It is as a punishment for their apostasy that
God gives men up to the power of sin. Tradidit Deus ut Justus

ROMANS I. 25. 61

judex. He withdraws from the wicked the restraints of hig
providence and grace, and gives them over to the dominion of
sin. God is presented in the Bible as the absolute moral and
physical ruler of the world. lie governs all things according
to the counsel of his own will and the nature of his creatures.
What happens as consequences does not come by chance, but
as designed; and the sequence is secured by his control. "It
is beyond question," says Tholuck, "that, according to the
doctrine of the Old and New Testaments, sin is the punish
ment of sin." So the Rabbins teach, "The reward of a good
deed is a good deed, and of an evil deed, an evil deed." This
is also the teaching of all experience. We see that sin fol
lows sin as an avenger. De Wette truly says, "Diese Ansicht
ist nicht bloss judisch, sondcrn allgemein walir vom absolutcn
Standpunktc der Religion aus." "This is no mere Jewish
doctrine, but it is universally true from the absolute stand-point
of religion." God is not a mere idle spectator of the order of
events ; he is at once the moral governor and efficient controller
of all things. "Man is not 'a virtue-machine,' " says Meyer,
"when God rewards virtue with virtue; neither is he ' a sin-
machine,' when God punishes sin with sin." Men are as frco
in sinning as they are in obeying; and what in one passage
arid from one point of view, is properly presented as the work
of God, in another passage and from another point of view, is
no less properly presented as the work of man. What is here
said to be God's work, in Eph. iv. 19, is declared to be the
sinner's own work.

A'HRSE 2"). Whu ehanf/e, (o^Tr^s-.) The pronoun has a causal
sense, being such as those who, i. e. because they exchanged the,
truth of God for a lie. The construction is the same as in
vcr. 23, //sr^'//^r/y £y, they exchanged for, not, they changed
into. The truth of God, either a periphrase for the true God, or
the truth concerning God, i. e. right conceptions of God. For
a lie, that is, either a false god, or falsehood, i. c. false views
of God. The former is the better explanation. The glory of
God is God himself as glorious, and the truth of God, in this
connection, is God himself as true ; that is, the true God. In
the Old Testament, as in Jer. xiii. 25, xvi. 19, the gods of the
heathen are spoken of as lies. Anything which is not what it

62 ROMANS I. 26.

pretends to be, or what it is supposed to be, is in the Scriptures
called a lie. The proof of this apostasy is, that they worshipped
(£ffs£ld<r&ijffav) and served (Hdrpeoaav.) These words are often
synonymous, both being used to express inward reverence and
outward worship ; although the former properly expresses the
feeling, and the latter the outward service. The creature
(xrlffzfj) not the creation, but any particular created thing.
This noun belongs, in sense, to both the preceding verbs,
although the first by itself would require the accusative. More
than the Creator, xaoa rov xriffavTa, i. e. beyond, in the sense
of more than, or in the sense of passing by, neglecting;
"pneterito Crcatore," as Beza translates. The latter suits
best. Who is blessed for ever. Amen. Who, notwithstanding
the neglect of the heathen, is the ever-blessed God. This is

o

the natural tribute of reverence toward the God whom men dis
honoured by their idolatry. The word luXofyroz is by Harless,
Epli. i. 3, and by Meyer, made to mean praised, as the Hebrew
Y'"1-) to which it so constantly answers; not, therefore, worthy
of praise, but who is in fact the object of praise to all holy
beings. Brctschneider (Lexicon,) Tholuck, and others, render
it u celebrandus, vencrandus." Amen is properly a Hebrew
adjective, signifying true or faithful. At the beginning of a
sentence it is often used adverbially, verily, assuredly; at the
end of a sentence it is used to express assent, it is true, so let it
be. Paul says Amen to the declaration that God is the ever-
blessed.

VEIISK 26. For this cause, &c. That is, because they wor
shipped the creature rather than the Creator, God gave them
up to corrupt affections. Hatty d.rctua^, shameful lusts, pas
sions which are degrading, and the indulgence of which covers
men with ignominy. This verse is therefore an amplification
of the idea expressed in ver. 24. The reasons why Paul refers
in the first instance to the sins of uncleanness, in illustration
and proof of the degradation of the heathen, probably were,
that those sins are always intimately connected with idolatry,
forming at times even a part of the service rendered to the
false gods ; that in turning from God and things spiritual, men
naturally sink into the sensual ; that the sins in question are
peculiarly degrading ; and that they were the most notorious,

ROMANS I. 27, 28. 63

prevalent, and openly acknowledged of all the crimes of the
heathen world. This corruption of morals was confined to no
one class or sex. The description given by profane writers,
of the moral corruption of the ante-Christian ages, is in all
respects as revolting as that presented by the apostle. Of this
the citations of AVetstein arid Grotius furnish abundant proof.
Paul first refers to the degradation of females among the
heathen, because they are always the last to be affected in the
decay of morals, and their corruption is therefore proof that all
virtue is lost.

VERSE 27. The apostle for the third time repeats the idea
that the moral degradation of the heathen was a punishment of
their apostasy from God. Receiving, he says, in themselves the
meet re-cutti/tenae of their error. It is obvious from the whole
context that ~~/Avrt here refers to the sin of forsaking the true
God; and it is no less obvious that the recompense or punish
ment of this apostasy was the moral degradation which he had
just described.

The heathen themselves did not fail to see the intimate con
nection between impiety and vice. Silius, iv. 71*4. u lieu
primie sceleruin cau.-vc mortahbus iegris naturam nescire Deum.
Cicero De natura Deorum, 12. Ilaud scio, an, pietate adversus
Dcos sublata, (ides etiam et societas, et una excellentissima
virtus justitia tollatur." Sec WETSTEIX. Those therefore who
would merge religion into morality, or who suppose that moral
ity can be sustained without religion, are more ignorant than
the heathen. They not only shut their eyes to all the teach
ings both of philosophy and of history, but array against them
selves the wrath of God, who has revealed his purpose to
abandon to the most degrading lusts those who apostatize
from him.

VERSE 28. And an the// did not think it wortli while to retain
G-od in their knowledge, he gave them up to a reprobate mind.
Another repetition of the sentiment is expressed in vs. 24, 26,
that God abandons those who abandon him. And as, xac
xad-oj^. The cases arc parallel ; as they deserted God, so God
abandoned them; comp. John xvii. 2. They did not like, oux
idoxi/jiafffw; the verb means to try or put to the test, to ex
amine, to approve, and, lignum habere, to regard as worthy,

64 ROMANS I. 29—31.

1 Cor. xvi. 3, 1 Thess. ii. 4, and when followed by an infinitive,
to think it worth while. The heathen did not think it worth the
trouble to retain the knowledge of God. They considered reli
gion as useless, and supposed they could live without God. The
phrase £%ztv ev Imj'vcoffet is stronger than simply to know; both
because err^-voWc, full knowledge, is stronger than f\*wai~, and
because £/^v Jv lm[vd)ff£t is stronger than imfeYvwffxeev. The
text therefore means to retain in accurate or practical know
ledge. It was the practical recognition of the only true God,
whose eternal power and Godhead are revealed in his works,
that men were unwilling constantly to make. G-od gave them
up to a reprobate mind. Beza, Bengel, and others, give
dooxetJtoz here the sense of judicii expers, incapable of judgment
or discernment. But this is contrary to usage, and contrary to
the etymology of the word. Abxtjioz, from diyouai, means
receivable, worthy of being received ; and ddoxt/wz, worthy of
rejection, reprobate. To do things not becoming; that is, to do
things not becoming: the nature and duties of man. Of the

o o

things meant, the following verses contain a long and painful
catalogue. /7o^c?v is the exegetical infinitive, to do, that is, so
that they did. It expresses the consequence of the dereliction
just spoken of, and the natural fruit of a reprobate mind.

VERSES 29 — 31. Being filled with all unrighteousness, forni
cation, wickedness, &c. The accusative nerrtypcofjieyouz is con
nected with a'jro'jc of the preceding verse. lie gave them up,
filled with all unrighteousness; or it depends on the preceding
infinitive ~o.'£?y, so that they, filled with all unrighteousness,
should commit, &c. It is not so connected with Ttapsdcoxev, as
to imply that God gave them up after they were thus corrupt,
but it is so connected with xotdv as to express the consequence
of God's abandoning them to do the things which are not con
venient. The crimes here mentioned were not of rare occur
rence. The heathen were filled with them. They not only
abounded, but in many cases were palliated and even justified.
Dark as the picture here drawn is, it is not so dark as that pre
sented by the most distinguished Greek and Latin authors, of
their own countrymen. Commentators have collected a fearful
array of passages from the ancient writers, which more than
sustain the account given by the apostle. We select a single

ROMANS I. 29—31. 65

passage from Senca de Ira, II. 8 : " Omnia sceleribus ac vitiis
plena sunt ; plus committitur quam quod possit coercitione
sanari. Certatur ingenti quodam nequitise certamine ; major
quotidie peccandi cupiditas, minor verecundia est. Expulso
melioris aequiorisque respectu, quocunque visum est, libido se
impingit; nee furtiva jam scelcra sunt, printer oculos cunt.
Adeoque in publicuni rnissa nequitia est, ct in omnium pectori-
bus evaluit, ut innocentia rion rara, sed nulla sit. Numquid enim
singuli aut pauci rupere legem? undique? velut signo dato, ad
fas nefasque miscendum coorti sunt." What Paul says of the
ancJerit heathen world, is found to be true in all its essential
features of men of all generations. Wherever men have ex
isted, there have they shown themselves to be sinners, ungodly,
arid unrighteous, and therefore justly exposed to the wrath of
God. Of the vices with which the heathen were filled, xof&sla
stands first as the most prominent; xovrjpia, malice, the dispo
sition to inflict evil ; rr/£oj/£^rV/, rapacity, the desire to have
more than is our due; xaxia, malignity, malrce in exercise;
cftoiso^ and cn^o^, envy and murder, united either from simi
larity in sound, or because the former tends to the latter; epc$,
oo/oc, Contention and fraud, nearly related evils. The primary
meaning of oo/oc is a bait, food exposed to entrap an animal;
then the disposition to deceive, or an act of deception; xaxo-
rfii'.d. (xuxnz and /J^^cO malc/'ul'nee, the disposition to make the
worst of everything; c'v^'^^r^'c, a lohisperer, clandestine slan
derer ; xt/-fi)sjLk>~, a detractor, one who speaks against others ;
$£OtfT'Jj^'c, hateful to God, or J/atiiif/ God. Usage is in favour
of the passive sense, the connection of the active. All wicked
men, and not any one particular class, are the objects of the
divine displeasure. To meet this difficulty, Meyer proposes to
make tins word a mere qualification of the preceding, Grod-
abliorred detractors. This, however, is out of keeping with the
whole passage. The great majority of commentators adopt the
active sense. Then follow three designations, expressive of the
different forms of pride, u^o^ral, the insolent; dxspr/ydvot, the
self -conceited; a/oCov£C, boasters; l<pz'Jtoz-ae xaxtov, inventors of
crimes; disobedient to parents. That such should be included
in this fearful list, shows the light in which filial disobedience
is regarded by the sacred writers. In vcr. 31, all the words

66 ROMANS I. 32.

begin with the d privative, aaoverous. without (crjvs,m$) insight
into moral or religious things, i. e. blinded, besotted, so as to
think evil good, and good evil ; aaoud-sro'JZ, perfidious; aarbp-
f«yc, those in whom the natural affection for parents or child
ren is suppressed ; aar.bvoo'j^, implacable; d.vzA£'/j/j.oyaz, without
pity.

VERSE 32. Who well knowing the righteous judgment of
Crod; that is, although they well know, &c. They were (oFr^sc)
such as who. The heathen whose acts had been just described,
are declared to be, Men who, although they Imeiu the righteous
judgment, &c., (otxaUo/ia) decree, a declaration of what is right
and just ; and or/acco/m TOL> 0zoi> is the declaration of God as to
what is right and just. The import of this declaration is con
tained in the clause, that they who do (xpdaaoum, commit) such
things are worthy of death. By death here, as often elsewhere,
is meant punishment, in the general meaning of that word. It
expresses the penalty of the law, and includes all evil inflicted
for the satisfaction of justice. Paul therefore teaches that the
heathen knew they deserved punishment for their crimes, or in
other words, that they were justly exposed to the wrath of God,
which was revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness
of men. The source of this knowledge he explains in the fol
lowing chapter, ver. 14. It was a knowledge written on their
hearts, or included in the constitution of their nature ; it was
implied in their being moral agents. As he had before shown
that the impiety of the heathen was without excuse, inasmuch
as they had a knowledge of the true God, so here he shows that
their immorality was inexcusable, since their sins were not com
mitted in ignorance of their nature or desert. This passage
also shows that the judicial abandonment of God does not
destroy the free agency or responsibility of men. They are
given up to work iniquity, and yet know that they deserve
death for what they do. The stream which carries them away
is not without, but within. It is their own corrupt nature. It
is themselves. Notwithstanding this knowledge of the ill-desert
of the crimes above enumerated, they not only commit them,
but approve cf those who do (or practise) them. This is the
lowest point of degradation, To sin, even in the heat of pas
sion, is evil; but to delight in the sins of others, shows that

ROMANS I. 18—32. 67

men are of set purpose and fixed preference, wicked. Such is
the apostle's argument to prove that the heathen are all under
Bin, that they are justly chargeable with ungodliness and
unrighteousness, and consequently exposed to the wrath of
God.

DOCTRINE.

1. The punitive justice of God is an essential attribute of his
nature. This attribute renders the punishment of sin neces
sary, and is the foundation of the need of a vicarious atone
ment in order to the pardon of sinners. This doctrine the
apostle assumes as a first principle, and makes it the basis of
his whole exposition of the doctrine of justification, ver. 18.

2. That sin is a proper object of punishment, and that,
under the righteous government of God, it will be punished, are
moral axioms, which have "a self-evidencing light," whenever
proposed to the moral sense of men, vs. 18, 82.

3. God has never left himself without a witness among his
rational creatures. Both in reference to his own nature and to
the rule of duty, he has, in his works and in the human heart,
given sufficient light to render the impiety and immorality of
men inexcusable, vs. 11), 20, 82.

4. Natural religion is not a sufficient guide to salvation.
What individual or what nation lias it ever led to right views
of God or of his law? The experience of the whole world,
under all the variety of circumstances in which men have
existed, proves its insufficiency; and, consequently, the neces
sity of a special divine revelation, vs. 21 — 23.

5. The heathen, who have only the revelation of God in his
works and in their own hearts, aided by the obscure tradition
ary knowledge which has come down to them, need the gospel.
In point of fact, the light which they enjoy does not lead them
to God and holiness, vs. 21 — 23.

6. Error (on moral and religious subjects) has its root in
depravity. Men are ignorant of God and duty, because they
do not like to retain him in their knowledge, vs. 21, 28.

7. God often punishes one sin by abandoning the sinner to
the commission of others. Paul repeats this idea three times,
vs. 24, 26, 28. This judicial abandonment is consistent with

68 ROMANS I. 18—32.

the holiness of God and the free agency of man. God does noi
impel or entice to evil. He ceases to restrain. He says of the
sinner, Let him alone, vs. 24 — 28.

8. Religion is the only true foundation, and the only effectual
safeguard for morality. Those who abandon God, he abandons.
Irreligion and immorality, therefore, have ever been found inse
parably connected, vs. 24 — 28.

9. It evinces, in general, greater depravity to encourage
others in the commission of crimes, and to rejoice in their com
mission, than to commit them one's self, ver. 32.

10. The most reprobate sinner carries about with him a
knowledge of his just exposure to the wrath of God. Con
science can never be entirely extirpated, ver. 32.

REMARKS.

1. It lies in the very nature of sin, that it should be inex
cusable, and worthy of punishment. Instead, therefore, of
palliating its enormity, we should endeavour to escape from its
penalty, vs. 18, 32.

2. As the works of God reveal his eternal power and God
head, we should accustom ourselves to see in them the mani
festations of his perfections, vs. 18 — 21.

3. The human intellect is as erring as the human heart. We
can no more find truth than holiness, when estranged from
God ; even as we lose both light and heat, when we depart
from the sun. Those, in every age, have sunk deepest into
folly, who have relied most on their own understandings. "In
thy light only, 0 God, can we see light," ver. 21, &c.

4. If the sins of the heathen, committed under the feeble light
of nature, be inexcusable, how great must be the aggravation
of those committed under the light of the Scriptures, ver. 20.

5. As the light of nature is insufficient to lead the heathen
to God and holiness, it is one of the most obvious and urgent
of our duties to send them the light of the Bible, vs. 20 — 23.

6. Men should remember that their security from open and
gross sins is not in themselves, but in God ; and they should
regard as the worst of punishments, his withdrawing from them
his Holy Spirit, vs. 24—28.

ROMANS II. 1—16. 69

7. Sins of uncleanness are peculiarly debasing and demoral
izing. To be preserved from them is mentioned in Scripture
as a mark of the divine favour, Eccl. vii. 26, Prov. xxii. 14 ; to
be abandoned to them, as a mark of reprobation.

8. To take pleasure in those who do good, makes us better;
as to delight in those who do evil, is the surest way to become
even more degraded than they are themselves, ver. 32.

CHAPTER II.

CONTENTS.

THE object of this chapter is to establish the same charges
against the Jews, which had just been proved against the
Gentiles ; to show that they also were exposed to the wrath of
God. It consists of three parts. The first contains an exhi
bition of those simple principles of justice upon which all men
are to be judged, vs. 1 — 16. The second is an application of
these principles to the case of the Jews, vs. 17 — 24. The third
is an exhibition of the true nature and design of circumcision,
intended to show that the Jews could not expect exemption on
the ground of that rite, vs. 25 — 30.

ROMANS II. I- 16.

ANALYSIS.

THAT men so impious and immoral, as those described in the
preceding chapter, deserved the divine displeasure, and could
never, by their own works, secure the favour of God, the Jew
was prepared readily to admit. But might there not be a set
of men, who, in virtue of some promise on the part of God, or
of the performance of some special duties, could claim exemp
tion from the execution of God's purpose to punish all sin?
To determine this point, it was necessary to consider a little
more fully the justice of God, in order to see whether it

70 ROMANS II. 1.

admitted of impunity to sinners on the ground supposed This
first section of the chapter, therefore, is employed in expanding
the principle of ver. 18 of the first chapter. It contains a
development of those principles of justice which commend
themselves at once to every man's conscience. The first is,
that he who condemns in others what he does himself, does
thereby condemn himself, ver. 1. The second, that God's
judgments are according to the truth or real state of the case,
ver. 2. The third, that the special goodness of God, manifested
towards any individual or people, forms no ground of exemp
tion from merited punishment ; but being designed to lead them
to repentance, when misimproved aggravates their condemna
tion, vs. 3 — 5. The fourth, that the ground of judgment is the
works, not the external relations or professions of men : God
will punish the wicked and reward the good, whether Jew or
Gentile, without the least respect of persons, vs. 6 — 11. The
fifth, that the standard of judgment is the light which men have
severally enjoyed. Those having a written law shall be judged
by it, and those who have only the law written on their hearts,
(and that the heathen have such a law is proved by the opera
tions of conscience, vs. 13 — 15,) shall be judged by that law,
ver. 12. These are the principles according to which all men
are to be judged in the last day, by Jesus Christ, ver. 16.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 1. In order to appreciate the force of the apostle's
reasoning in this and the following verses, it should be remem
bered that the principal ground on which the Jews expected
acceptance with God, was the covenant which he had made
with their father Abraham, in which he promised to be a God
to him and to his seed after him. They understood this pro
mise to secure salvation of all who retained their connection
with Abraham, by the observance of the law and the rite of

/ i/

circumcision. They expected, therefore, to be regarded and
treated not so much as individuals, each being dealt with
according to his personal character, but as a community to
whom salvation was secured by the promise made to Abraham.
Paul begins his argument at a distance ; he states his principles

ROMANS II. 1. 71

in such general terms, that they could not fail to secure the
assent of the Jew, before he was aware of their application to
himself. That the Jews are addressed in this chapter is evident
from the whole strain of the argument, and from the express
application of the reasoning of the case of the Jews, from
ver. IT onward. This view of the passage is now generally
adopted, though many of the earlier commentators supposed
either that no particular class of persons is here addressed, or
that the apostle has in view the better portion of the heathen,
or at least those who did not seem to approve of the crimes
mentioned in the preceding chapter, but rather condemned
them.

The connection between this chapter and what precedes, as
indicated by the particle 0^6, whcrrfi,/;-. is somewhat doubtful.
Some suppose the inference to be drawn from the doctrine
taught from ver. 1<S of the preceding chapter, (jod is just, and
determined to punish all unrighteousness and ungodliness of
men: wherefore they are without excuse who commit the sins
which they condemn in others. In this case, however, the con
clusion is not exactly in the form suited to the premises. It is
not so much the incxcusablencss of sinners as the exposure to
punishment, that follows from the justice of (!od. Most com
mentators therefore consider the inference as drawn from the
last verse of the preceding chapter. It is there said that all
men know that those who sin are worthy of death; and the
inference is, that thev who commit sin are without excuse, how
ever censorious their self-conceit mav render them towards
others. Yvv/y/ one wJt» judge*. Though from what follows it
is plain that the Jews are here intended, yet for the reasons
above stated the proposition is made general. Kfnv coy, judging;
but by implication, condemning. Fur -ir he rein t/i»u jmlgent
another, tliou condemnest tltyxelf. Wherein (kv c/3,) either in
the thing which, or thereby, i. e. in the same judgment, or
whilst. See Mark ii. 19, John v. 7. The reason of this asser
tion is given in the following clause, for thou that jwlgext docst
the same things. It is the thing done which is the ground of
condemnation; and therefore he who condemns the act, con
demns the agent, whether the agent be himself or some one
else, whether he be a Jew or a Gentile.

72 ROMANS II. 2, 3.

VERSE 2. But we know. That is, however perverse and
partial may be the judgment you pass on yourself, we know, &c.
We does not refer to the Jews, as peculiarly instructed, but to
all men. Every one knows. The proposition contained in
this verse is: The judgment of Grod is against those who do
such things. That is, however they may excuse themselves,
God will judge them. The words xara atyftztav, therefore, do
not form the predicate of the sentence, as though the sense
were, The judgment of God is according to truth. The mean
ing rather is, the judgment of God, which is according to truth,
is against those, £c. There are two things therefore asserted,
the certainty of this divine judgment, and its being according
to truth, i. e. without error, without respect of persons. It is
not founded upon mere appearances or professions, but upon
the real truth of the case. Comp. Prov. xxix. 14, kv curftda
xplucov T:TCO%O'JZ, and John viii. 16, /y xpiatz jj Ipy dtydrfi ianv.
This verse then contains the second general principle of justice,
according to which all men, whether Jews or Gentiles, are to be
judged. The whole hope of the Jews was founded on the
assumption that the judgment of God regarding them would be
guided by some other rule than truth. He was not to judge
them according to their real merits, but according to their
national and ecclesiastical relations, just as men now hope to
be saved because they belong to the true Church.

VERSE 3. But thinJcest thou this, 0 man, that judgest, &c.
The truth that God's judgment is just, and will fall on those
who themselves commit the sins which they condemn in others,
is so plain, that the apostle exclaims at the folly of those who
seem to deny it. The emphasis lies on the word thou, in the
middle of the verse. Dost thou think that thou, a Jew, and
because a Jew, shalt escape the righteous judgment of God?
Shalt escape, Ixipeugij. "Every one," says Bengel, "who 13
arraigned, (psuyst, tries to escape; he who is acquitted, exysufse,
escapes." In ver. 1, the apostle had shown that the man
who did what he condemned in others, condemned himself.
"If then," as Theophylact says, "he cannot escape his own
judgment, how can he escape the judgment of God? If
forced to condemn ourselves, how much more wrill the infi
nitely Holy condemn us?" The ground on which this false

ROMANS II. 4. 73

and absurd expectation rested is mentioned in the following

verse :

VERSE 4. Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and
forbearance, and lon<j-mfferin<j ? That is, admitting the general
principle, that those who do what they condemn in others are
themselves exposed to condemnation, do you expect exemption
on the ground of the peculiar goodness of God? That this was
the expectation of the Jews is plain from the apostle's argu
ment here and in the following chapter, and from chap. ix.
and xi. Comp. also Matt. iii. (J, " Think not to say, Wo have
Abraham to our father," and John viii. oo. Despisest. To
despise, *«r«p/>ov£7v, is to form a low estimate of. They
despise the goodness of God, who form such a wrong estimate
of it, as to suppose that it gives them a license to sin ; who
imagine that he will not punish, either because he long for
bears, or because his goodness towards us is so great that wo
shall escape, though others perish. The words j^ffronjCj ^°yjj->
and wwnoii'juia, express the Divine goodness under different
aspects. The first means kindness in general, as expressed in
giving favours; the second, patience; the third, forbearance,
slowness in the infliction of punishment. The reason why the
Jews, as referred to by the apostle, and men in general, thus
abuse the goodness of God, is expressed by the clause, n»t
knowing that the <j<>udn<'xs <>f <!<><l l-ndfth tln-e. t<> repentance.
'//p/oaiv, not knowing, not. understanding; and here, not com
prehending the true nature and design of. Men abuse the
goodness of God, because they do not rightly apprehend that
instead of indicating a purpose not to punish, it is designed to
lead them to forsake their MIIS. The goodness of God leads us
to repentance, because it shows us our duty towards a Ueing
who is so kind, and because it gives us ground to hope for
acceptance. "The word aj'^', leads" says Dr. Wordsworth,
Canon of Westminster, in his elegant and scholarly work on
the Greek Testament, "intimates not only the will of God, but
the will of man. God leads, but man may refuse to be led:
'Deus ducit volentem duci,' as Bengel says, ' ducit suaviter
non cogit necessitate.' ' Very true; but who gives the will to
be led? Is there no preventing grace? Does not God work in
us to will, as well as to do ? Surely there is such a thing a3

74 ROMANS II. 5, 6.

being made willing without being forced. There is a middle
ground between moral suasion and coercion. God supersedes
the necessity of forcing, by making us willing in the day of his
power. The apostle, however, is not here speaking cf gracious
influence, but of the moral tendencies of providential dis
pensations.

VERSE 5. The goodness of God, so far from being a ground
of reasonable expectation that wre shall ultimately escape
punishment, becomes, when abused, an aggravation of our
guilt. This principle the apostle here applies to the Jews>
who, through their abuse of the peculiar mercy of God, were
treasuring up wrath for themselves. Kara as rrtv ffxAyporyrd
GOD, after tliy hardness, i. e. as might be expected from thy
hardness ; agreeably to its nature and degree — zal dnzra^orrov

O !/ O / /

xaoolav, heart incapable of repentance. " 'A/JtsTavoyroz, vim
activam habet, animus, qui resipicere non potcst, poenitere
nescius. Enervat hunc locum Grotius quum explicat, animus,
qui poenitentiam non agit." Fritzsche. To treasure up is to
lay up little by little, and thus accumulate a store of anything,
whether good or evil. The abusers of God's goodness accumu
late a store of wrath for themselves. '£v fyjtspq. oo-f?^ is com
monly rendered unto the day of wrath ; but this unnecessarily
gives lit the force of etc. It is better, with De Wette, Meyer,
and others, to connect Iv with dprfv, i wrath at or on the day
of wrath.' They treasure up for themselves wrath at that day
when wrath shall be manifested. That day is further described
as the day aTioxa/.'jipzco^ dixcuoxpca'iaz rorj Osoi>, of the revelation
of the righteous judgment of Grod. Some manuscripts insert
xa: between d~oxaA'j(/>zco~ and dtxaioxptGiaz; which reading is
preferred by Bengel, Wetstein, Mill, and Knapp. The sense
then is, the day of revelation, and of the righteous judgment
of (rod. The day of revelation, viz. of Christ, whose second
coming is always associated in Scripture with the final judg
ment ; and therefore the day of revelation may well express
the day of judgment. But as the phrase " day of revelation"
nowhere else occurs in this sense, and as the oldest manuscripts
are in favour of the common text, it should be allowed to stand.
VERSE 6. Who ivill render to every man according to his
works. This is the fourth important principle which the

ROMANS II. 6. 75

apostle teaches us regulates the judgment of God. He will judge
men neither according to their professions nor their relations,
but according to their works. The question at his bar will be,
not whether a man is a Jew or a Gentile, whether he belongs to
the chosen people or to the heathen world, but whether he has
obeyed the law. This principle is amplified and applied in
what follows, in vs. 7 — 11. The question has been asked, how
the declaration that God will render to every man, whether Jew
or Gentile, according to his works — to the good, eternal life, to
the wicked, indignation and wrath —is to be reconciled witli the
apostle's doctrine, that no man is justified by works, that right
eousness and life arc not by works, but by faith, and through
grace. In answering this question, two things are to be borne
in mind. The first is, that notwithstanding the doctrine of
gratuitous justification, and in perfect consistency with it, the
apostle still teaches that the retributions of eternity are accord
ing to our works. The good only are saved, and the wicked
only are condemned. '• For we must all appear In-fore tho
judgment-scat of Christ, that every one may receive the tilings
done in his body, whether good or bad," '2 Cor. v. 10, Kph. vi. S.
u Ueproborum," says Calvin, " malitiam justa ult ione si puniet
Dominus, rependet illis quod meriti suiit. Rursum quia sancti-
ficat, qiios olim statuit glorificare, in illis quoquo bona opera
coronabit, sed non pro merito." With this accord tin' words
of Bernard: "Bona opera sunt via regni. non causa rcgnandi."
The wicked will be punished on account of their works, and
according to their works; the righteous will be rewarded, not
on account of, but according to their works. Good works are
to them the evidence of their belonging to that class to whom,
for Christ's sake, eternal life is graciously awarded; and they
are, in some sense and to some extent, the measure of that
reward. But it is more pertinent to remark, in the second
place, that the apostle is not here teaching tho method
of justification, but is laying down those general principles
of justice, according to which, irrespective of the gospel, all
men are to be judged. lie is expounding the law, not the
gospel. And as the law not only says that death is the wages
of .sin, hut also that those who keep its precepts shall live by
them, so the apostle says, that God will punish the wicked and

76 ROMANS II. 7, 8.

reward the righteous. This is perfectly consistent with what
he afterwards teaches, that there are none righteous ; that
there are none who so ohey the law as to be entitled to the life
which it promises ; and that for such the gospel provides a plan
of justification without works, a plan for saving those whom the
law condemns. He is here combatting the false hopes of the
Jews, who, though trusting to the law, were by the principles
of the law exposed to condemnation. This he does to drive
them from this false dependence, and to show them that neither
Jew nor Gentile can be justified before the bar of that God,
who, while he promises eternal life to the obedient, has revealed
his purpose to punish the disobedient. All therefore that this
passage teaches is, that irrespective of the gospel, to those who
either never heard of it, or wrho having heard, reject it, the
principle of judgment will be law.

VERSES 7, 8. The principle laid down in ver. G, is here
amplified. God will render eternal life to the good, indignation
and wrath to the wicked, without distinction of persons ; to the
Jews no less than to the Gentiles. Though the sense of these
verses is plain, there is great difference of opinion as to the
grammatical construction. The explanation adopted by our
translators is perhaps the most natural, and is the one which is
most generally followed. To the verb drrodcoffee of ver. 6,
belong the two accusatives, ^cor^ atcovtov, and dvubv xal bo-fa;
and the two datives, ro?c /ASV — ^'rtTo~}(Jt and ro?c os l£ Ipt&elaz.
The accusatives oo~av xat rc'ir^ '/JJ.L d<p$o.paiay then of course
depend on ^roy<r.', and zap u~oao^r^ ett^ou dfa&ou is an
adverbial qualification. The passage then reads thus: "To
those, who through perseverance in good works, seek glory,
honour, and immortality, eternal life ; but to those who are
contentious, indignation and wrath." Another construction,
adopted by Bengel, Fritzsche, and others, supposes that rol^
fj.ku zatT faoiwi/rp eoyoy dja&orj (soil, ouffi) are to be taken
together; to those who are according to perseverance, i. e. to
those who persevere; (comp. of za~d adpxa=oi aapxcxol, and ol
xard //1/sv/y.tt— of Trj/su/^rr/o/.) The folio .ving clause, obzav —
C/JTOW, is then in apposition with the preceding: "To those
who persevere in good works, seeking glory, honour, and
immortality, he will render eternal life." This view of the

ROMANS II. 3. 77

passage is recommended by the correspondence thus established
between the ro?c [*sv xa& ur.o^ovr^ of ver. 7, and the ro?c os lz
ipc&sia.^ of ver. 8. It is opposed, however, by the following con
siderations : 1. The interpretation of the phrase ol *«#' u~o-
fjio^u epfo'j dfa&ou, is hardly borne out by a reference to the
phrases ol xo~a. adpxa and ol xa-a Il^=rjtia. 2. The second
clause of ver. 7, if a mere amplification of the first clause,
should be introduced by xai, as in ver. 8 : 7o?c os lz iptd-siaz,
xat d-se&o'jfft. Luther, after Oecumenius, translates thus :
" Welcher geben ivird Preis und Ehrc und unvergangliches
"\Vesen denen, die mit Gcduld in guten Werken trachten nach
dcm ewigen Leben:" "Who will give glory, honour, and
immortality to those, who, in patient continuance in well-doing,
seek eternal life." According to this view, the accusatives
oo£#v, Teu7ji>, (Icdapciav, depend upon drzootbazc, and ^cor^
alcimov on ^Torjff!. But this tlie position of the words will
hardly bear. Luther's fluent and forcible version is effected by
an entire transposition of the clauses. The construction there
fore first mentioned is on the whole to be preferred. In the
English version of the words *«//" it-otto^y, xo~d is rendered
through. So also Grotius, l)e Wcttc, and others. Sec 1 Cor.
xii. 8, Eph. iii. o, 7. Others translate it by the Latin preposi
tion sccundiim, according to, or in virtue of. * )'~oftoi<?'' is ren
dered patien-ce by the Vulgate, and Luther; pat'u'nx t\rj><'<'f<iffoy
by Be/a ; constancy, or patient continuance, in our version.
In illustration of the combination i)-onn^r^ zn-fo'j (rfajhr). coinp.
u-of/.o'^ r^c C/TT/OOC, 1 Thess. i. o. The sing. E//J-O-J is used
collectively for eV/'^ :is '"*• Gal. vi. 4, 1 Thess. i. :>, and else
where. What is immediately afterwards expressed by eternal
life., is here expressed by the three words, glory, honour, and
immortality. The manifested excellence or splendour of the
future condition of the saints is expressed by dbza; the honour
due such excellence by rctirj; and the endless nature of their
blessedness by dup&apaia.

VERSE 8. To those wlio are of contention, that is, the con
tentious. Coinp. ol I/ rr^rsf-'c, believers; ol Ix -zfurotLy^, the
circumcised; o> ~x dxpofi'jff-caz, the uncircumcised; ol Ix i/6/jio'j,
those who belong to the law, legalists. Instead of the ordinary
derivation of Irud-tia from £^c, Kuckert traces it to Ipc&oz, a

78 ROMANS II. 8.

hireling, which derivation is sustained by Tholuck, "Beitrage zur
Spracherklarung dcs Neuen Testaments," p. 25, and Fritzsche,
Excursus to his Commentary on the second chapter of this
Epistle, and is now generally adopted. The signification of the
word, as determined by its etymology and its classical usage is,
work for lure, selfishness, ambition, party spirit, malice. In the
New Testament it is used several times in the same sense, as in
Philip, i. 10, ol /JLSV e~ iptd-sia^ some of rivalry, or malice; the
antithetical expression is ol os e? ajd~r^. In Philip, ii. 8, it is
connected with xsvodogla, vain glory. In James iii. 14, 16, it
is connected with £"£/oc, envy. In 2 Cor. xii. 20, it is distin
guished from sfttz. These passages show that the scriptural
usage of the word agrees with the classical. Still in the present
case it seems to have a somewhat wider meaning. It is not
envy, or rivalry, but malicious opposition to God and his
requirements that is here expressed. This is plain from the
explanatory clauses that follow. The disposition expressed by
epe&ela is manifested in disobeying the truth, and obeying
unrighteousness. Brctsclmcider therefore explains ol ££ ipi-
$£/«£ to mean qui malitia ducti Deo, i. e. rei divince, adversan-
tur: "Those who through malice oppose themselves to God."
The same interpretation is given by Reiche and De "Wette, as
well as by the older commentators. Who obey not the truth.
\-\xstd-sco is to refuse belief, to disbelieve, as well as to disobey.
This clause therefore means, who refuse assent and obedience
to the truth. *A):/jf}£ta is divine truth; what is true and right
as to faith and practice. See i. 18. " Saepe," says Bengel, " haec
duo (di)jrjd-£ta and ddr/la) inter se opponuntur : veritas continet
justitiam, et injustitia connotat mendacium." Who yield them
selves to, or follow unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
(shall be rendered.) The words &u/j.bc xal oof-rj should regularly
be in the accusative, as depending on a~odcoazi of ver. 6 ; but
as they are in the nominative, la-cat or a~od(oaerac must be
supplied. There may be, as some suppose, force in the change
of construction and omission of the verb. God gives eternal
life ; indignation and wrath come as earned by man, so to
speak, Deo nolente. God wills all men to be saved. Comp.
Rom. vi. 2-j. Both words are used for the sake of intensity.
As to their specific difference, both ancient and modern philo-

ROMANS II. 9. 79

legists differ. The majority make d-uiibz express the momentary
impulse of anger, otr^ the permanent feeling. Others make
<3/>py to include the desire of vengeance, and therein to differ
from &u[j.6z. The former distinction is more in accordance with
the primary meaning of the words ; as &'jrib- means the mind
as the seat of the emotions, and hence is used for any strong
passion, and on^r- means disposition, habit of mind.

VERSE (J. Tribulation and anguish; ^/.'/'.'C, (from /^//^w, to
press,) means prt'smre, affliction; at&o%tooia, strait ness of
place, anyuish. They are often associated; see chap. viii. 85,
2 Cor. vi. 4. The latter is the stronger of the two terms, as
may be inferred from its always following the other, and espe
cially from "2 Cor. iv. 8, fl-hftopsvot) "«//' 011 GTSKOfcopoufisvoe,
troubled, but not <listr<w<L Ecenj smd />/' man, that is, every
man. Comp. Acts ii. 41, Rom. xiii. 1, and the Hebrew »'c:-":3
t-a. Iviiekert, Meyer, and others, give c'"^ its full force,
upon every soul that !>fi>n<i* t<> a man. to express the idea, that
the soul and not the body is to suffer the penalty. Hut in
xiii. 1. </";% evidently stands for the whole person: 'let every
soul,' means let every person; and such is a common scriptural
meaning of the word, "if a soul sin," "if a soul lie," l'if the
priest buy a soul with his money," ,Ve. Of tin- ,/, /r //Vxf, and
ahn of tin' Gri't'fc. It becomes now apparent that the apostle,
in laying down these general principles of justice, had the Jews
specially in view. (i,,d, be says, will render to every man
according to his works; to the good, eternal life ; to the evil,
tribulation and anguish. And lest the every man should fail to
arrest attention, lie adds expressly, that the Jew as well as the
Greek is to be thus judged. The word -<>«)-(^ may express
either order or preeminence. If the former, the sense is what
is expressed by Calvin, kiJLiee universalis est divini judicii lex,
•inne a Jmheis incipiet, et comprehendet totiim orbem." The
judgment shall begin with the Jews, and extend to the Gen
tiles. If the latter, the sense is, The Jew shall not only be
punished as certainly as others, but more severely, because he
has been more highly favoured. '-The Jew first," is equivalent
then to the Jew especially. The same remark applies to
the following verse. If the Jew is faithful, he shall be spe
cially rewarded What is true of all men, is specially true

80 ROMANS II. 10—12.

of those to whom God has revealed himself in a peculiar
manner.

VERSE 10. But glory, honour, and peace, to every one doing
good; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. This verse com
pletes the statement of the principle of law announced in ver. 6.
The law, while it threatens death to the transgressor, promises
life to the obedient ; and it matters not in either case, whether
it is a Jew or Gentile who receives its award. Glory, honour,
and peace are descriptive terms for eternal life. It is a life
glorious in itself, an object of reverence or regard to others,
and a source of unspeakable blessedness or peace.

VERSE 11. For there is no respect of perso?zs with God. He
is righteous and impartial, looking not at the person, but the
conduct of those whom he judges. This is the ground of the
assurance that he will judge Jews and Gentiles according to
their works. The words TtpoactiTiotyfiia, ~(>oaa)-oArj~Tr^, xpoa-
CO-O/^TTTSO), are all peculiar to the New Testament, and all owe
their origin to the phrase xpoffco-ov lafifidvsw, which is used in
the sense of the Hebrew phrase, fc^B as:, to lift up, or accept
the face of any one, that is, to be favourable to him. This is
sometimes used in a good sense, as Gen. xxxii. 21, "Peradven-
ture he will accept of me," literally, lift up my face. Gen.
xix. 21, Job xlii. 8. Most frequently in a bad sense, for par
tiality. Hence judges are forbidden to accept the face of any
one. Lev. xix. 15, Deut. x. 17. In the New Testament, all the
expressions above mentioned are used in the sense of unjust
partiality. All 7rpoaa)7tok/j</>ta, respect of persons, is denied
to God, and forbidden to men. See Eph. vi. 9, Col. iii. 25,
James ii. 1.

VERSE 12. In the preceding verse it was stated that God is
just and impartial in all his judgments. This is confirmed not
only by the previous assertion, that he will judge every man
according to his works, but also by the exhibition of the impor
tant principle contained in this verse. Men are to be judged
by the light they have severally enjoyed. The ground of judg
ment is their works; the rule of judgment is their knowledge.
For as many as sinned without law. That is, God is impartial,
for he will judge men according to the light which they have
enjoyed. Our Lord teaches the same doctrine when he says,

ROMANS II. 13. 81

"The servant which knew his lord's will, . . . shall be beaten
with many stripes; but he that knew not, and did commit things
worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes." Luke
xn. 47, 48. By law, is here meant a written or supernatural^
revealed law. In 1 Cor. ix. '21, the heathen are called fcoftw,
without law, as distinguished from the Jews, who were u~o
1,0 1 toy, under law. Xotta^ as used by the apostle, means the
rule of duty, the will of (Jod revealed for our obedience: com
monly, however, with special reference to the revelation made
in the Scriptures, \-hof tcu; is equivalent to yo)ol- yorwj, with
out law, and is not to he taken in its moral sense, without
restraint, i. e. recklessly. \hotw)~ xa: o-ohrr^u.^ shall a Into
2'">rixlt without law, that is. their punishment sliall be assigned
without reference to the written law. AV/> before d-o/oDvra*,
says Riickert and Tholuck, indicates the relation between I lie
cause and effect, or premise and conclusion; or as Frit/sclio
says, " ncccssitatem indicat, quit TO wttuo- u.-n'/jjjrrlhu ex TW
dwfw)z &tmpi:dvztv consequatur." Neither of these explana
tions seems to express the true fore-' of the particle: it rather
serves to indicate that as the sinning is wmoz, so also is the
punishment. \-l-vu>j/u is to destroy, to put to death, spoken
of physical death, and also of eternal death. Matt. x. L'S. Luke
iv. -U; and in the passive form. Luke xiii. :•). 5, -John iii. \.\ JiJ.
1 Cor. vin. 11. The word is strong in its own import; ;lnd as
explained by other passages, it here teaches that those who sin
without a written revelation — although they are to be judged
fairly, and are to be treated far less severely than those who
have enjoyed the light of revelation— are still to perish.
"Vide igitur, quale patrocinium suscipiant, <|ui pra»pn<teni
misericordia gcntes evangel ii lumine privatas ignoranti;e pr;e-
textu Dei judicio eximcro tentant.'' Calkin.

VERSI-: I-0,. For not th<* hearers of th<> law. This verse is
connected with the last clause of the preceding, and assigns the
reason why the Jews shall be judged or punished according to
the law: the mere possession or knowledge of the law would
not avail, for it is not the hearers, but the doers of the law
that are just before God. The expression hearers instead of
readers, is explained by the fact that the law was read in the
presence of the people, and bv hearing rather than by readiri"-
6

82 ROMANS II. 14.

their knowledge of it was obtained. Comp. Matt. v. 21, John
xii. 34, Gal. iv. 21, James i. 22. To be just before God, and
to be justified, are the same thing. They are both forensic
expressions, and indicate the state rather than the character of
those to whom they refer. Those are just in the sight of God,
cr are justified, who have done what the law requires, and are
regarded and treated accordingly ; that is, are declared to be
free from condemnation, and entitled to the favour of God. In
obvious allusion to the opinion, that being a Jew was enough to
secure admission to heaven, the apostle says, It is not the
hearers but the doers of the law that are justified. He is not
speaking of the method of justification available for sinners, as
revealed in the gospel, but of the principles of justice which
will be applied to all who look to the law for justification. If
men rely on works, they must have works ; they must be doers
of the law ; they must satisfy its demands, if they are to be
justified by it. For God is just and impartial; he will, as a
judge administering the law, judge every man, not according to
his privileges, but according to his works and the knowledge of
duty which he has possessed. On these principles, it is his
very design to show that no flesh living can be justified.

VERSE 14. For whenever the G- entiles, not having the law.
In the preceding verse the apostle had said, That not the hear
ers but the doers of the law are justified before God ; and then
adds, For whenever the Gentiles, not having the law, do by
nature the things of the law, they are a law unto themselves.
But the fact that the Gentiles are a law unto themselves, has
nothing to do, either as an illustration or confirmation, with the
general proposition contained in ver. 13. Those who insist on
establishing such a connection, suppose that ver. 14 refers to
the last clause of ver. 13, and is designed to prove either that
with regard to the Gentiles as well as Jews, doing is the thing
required ; or that there are doers of the law who may be justi
fied, among the heathen. 'The doers of the law,' says the
apostle, 'shall be justified; but the heathen do the law, there
fore they shall be justified.' This, however, is not the con
clusion at which the apostle is aiming. He is not teaching the
method of justification, or arguing to prove that the Gentiles as
well as the Jews may be doers of the law, and thus be justified

ROMANS II. 14. 83

in the sight of God. He is expounding the law; he is showing
the principles by which God will judge the world, Gentiles as
well as Jews. Those who are without the written law, he will
judge without any reference to that law; and those who are
under the law, he will judge by that law. This general pro
position he confirms first by saying, in ver. 13, that the mere
possession of the law is not enough ; and secondly by saying,
in ver. 14, that the Gentiles have a law by which they may be
judged. The logical connection of ver. 14, therefore, is not
with ver. 13, but witli ver. I'2. Thus Calvin, who says, u Pro-
bationera prioris membri (ver. 1-f) mine repetit. Probat enim
frustra obtendi a gentibus ignorant iam, 41111111 factis suis de-
clarent. nonnullam se liabere justiti:e regulam. Xulla enim
gens uncjuani sic ab huinanitate abhorruit. ut non se infra leires
ali([iias contineret." What, ivln'm-vt'i', as often ^x, wliicli may
be the sense of the particle in this case, 'Whenever, or as often
as the heathen do so or so.' Or it nrny have the sense of a'/tilc,
bc<'<iuxc: • Because, or since the heathen do so or so.' Conip.
1 Cor. xv. -7. As Zi+yrt is without the article, many would
render it Jn'utlu')^ that is, s<t)n<> Ju'uthcn. But in the first place,
it is evident from the context that this is not what the apostle
means to say. 1 1 is object is to show that the heathen would
have a rule of duty written on their hearts; a fact which is not
proved by some heathen obeying the law, but which is proved
by the moral conduct of all men. Men generally, not some
men, but all men, show by their acts that they have a know-.
ledge of right arid wrong. And secondly, this word has, with
out the article, in virtue of its frequent occurrence, a definite
sense, romp. iii. U, ix. l24, and especiallv ver. 30: l/(hrj . . .
'/.fj'i/.'/.it dtyjuoa'jvr.v: tin' heathen attained righteousness. Do

i O

by nature the thin;/* of tin- Inir. There are two misinterpreta
tions of the phrase, ~<L TO~J ^ono'j Tiotzlv. The one is, that it
means to fulfil the law; the other, to do the office of the law,
i. e. to command and forbid. The former is unnecessary, and
is in direct opposition to the express and repeated declaration
of the apostle, that ncnc, whether, Jew or Gentile, has ever
fulfilled the law. To do the things of the law, is indeed to do
what the law prescribes, (comp. x. 5, Gal. iii. 12 ;) but whether
complete or partial obedience is intended, depends upon tho

84 ROMANS II. 14.

context. The man who pays his debts, honours hid parents, ig
kind to the poor, does the things of the law ; for these are
things which the law prescribes. And this is all the argument
the apostle requires, or his known doctrine allows us to under
stand by the phrase, in the present instance. This being the
case, there is no need of resorting to the second interpreta
tion mentioned above, which was proposed by Beza, and adopted
by Wetstein, Flatt, and others. Though /rorsZy ra roi) ^6/j.ou
might mean to do what the law does, prescribe what is good and
forbid what is evil, it certainly has not that sense elsewhere in
Paul's writings, see x. 5, Gal. iii. 12; and is especially out of
place here, in immediate connection with the phrase 7:oc^ral ro5
bbtioy, in the sense of doers of the law. The heathen do quase,
by nature, the things of the law. The <pjocz of anything is the
peculiarity of its being, that in virtue of which it is what it is ;
it is that which belongs to its original constitution, and is
opposed to what is taught, acquired, or made. The word is
sometimes used for a disposition or sentiment arising out of our
nature, as opposed to mere arbitrary rules, as in 1 Cor. xi. 14.
In the present case, the opposition is to UOJULO^. It is by nature,
not by an external law, that the Gentiles are led to perform
moral acts. Comp. Gal. iv. 8. Eph. ii. 3. The proper connec
tion of c'jffzt with rd TOL> UO/JLOU xors;, they do by nature the tilings
of the law, is retained in our version, and by the great majority
of commentators. Bengel, R-uckert, and a few others, connect
it with p.?] UOIJLOV lyo^ra, not having the law Inj nature; but this
is saying very little to the purpose of the apostle. His object
is to show that tp'jatz supplies to the Gentiles the place of W/JLOZ.
These not having the law, are a law unto themselves. No/iov,
without the article, maybe rendered either, a law, "not having
a law," by implication, a written, external law; or the law,
i. e. the Jewish law, since that word is often used without the
article for the law of the Jews ; that is, the law of God, as
revealed in the Scriptures. The Gentiles, then, are law unto
themselves ; they have in their own nature a rule of duty ; a
knowledge of what is right, and a sense of obligation. As
the absence of all moral acts among the lower animals shows
that they have no sense of right and wrong, that they are
not under a moral law, so the performance of such acts by

ROMANS II. 15. 85

the Gentiles, shows that they have a law written on their
hearts.

VERSE 15. Who show the work of the law written or. their
hearts. Here, as in i. 25, and often elsewhere, the relative has
a causal force: 'They are a law unto themselves, because they
show the work of the law,' &c. Wolf, Tholuck, and others
make In-fw ~OL> uojuou a periphrase for the law itself; Grotius,
the effect of the law, that is, a knowledge of right and wrong ;
most modern commentators make TO lo^oi> equivalent to rd
io-fa. The same works which the Jews have prescribed in their
law, the Gentiles show to be written on their hearts. It is by
doing the things of the law, that the Gentiles show they have
this inward rule of duty ; their conscience aho learhnj icitiicw.
Grotius, Koppe, and Tholuck, take a'jtitjLauT'jozlv in the sense
Df the simple verb. Gump. Jer. xi. 7, in the LXX., Horn. ix. 1,
viii. 1*J. -Their conscience bearing witness,' that is, to the fact
that there is a law written on their hearts. ]>ut as a'jnnanr'j-
/>s?v is properly und textari, and as the context presents no
reason for departing from the common meaning of the word,
the great majority of commentators give the G'JV its proper
force. That with which conscience joins its testimony is the
honcstas vitiv, the moral acts of the heathen; and the fact to
which this joint testimony is borne, is that they are a law unto
themselves. The apostle appeals not only to their external
conduct, but to the inward operations of their moral nature.
— 'j^z.'.d/jrt^ is the <'<>nx<'it'nf/<i ro/ixetfuots, the inward jud^e,
whose acts are described in the following clause: Their tl/<nt<jhtx
(ilti-rniifi 1>{ (i<'i'u*in<i <>r even f'sruxiny. Our version takes n^a~'j
as an adverb, and makes d/./.^/.aj^ the object of the following
participles, 'And in the meanwhile, their thoughts accusing, or
else excusing one another.' Kollner defends this interpreta
tion, and declares that //sra£y, between, cannot mean viaissim.
It is used, he asserts, only of time, between two portions of
time, i. e. during; or of space, between two places, persons, or
things. It is not, however, so much the signification of the
word uzraZ'j, as the sense of the phrase /JLSTUZ'J dtiy/MV, that is
expressed by the translation, vicissim, sive alternante sententid.
* Between one another,' implies reciprocal or alten ate action;
comp. Matt, xviii. 15. The order of the words is obviously

86 ROMANS II. Ii5.

opposed to the separation of aWfav from ^erc£u, and to
making the former the object of the following participles;
which are rather to be taken absolutely. Their thoughts alter
nately accusing and excusing, viz. their conduct. The inward
monitor acquits or condemns, as the case demands. Bcngcl
remarks on the YJ xai, or even, that xal is concessive, and shows
" cogitationes longe plus habere quod accusent, quam quod
defendant."

VERSE 16. The greatest difficulty in relation to this verse is
to determine its connection with the preceding context. In the
common copies of our Bible, vs. 13, 14, 15, are marked as a
parenthesis, and ver. 16 is placed in connection with ver. 12 :
4 The heathen shall be judged without the lawT, and the Jews by
the law, in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men.'
Thus the passage is arranged by Griesbach and Knapp; a mode
of connection adopted also by Beza, Grotius, Rciche, and others.
The objections to this explanation are, first, the distance at
which this verse stands from ver. 12 ; and secondly, that the
intervening verses have not the nature of a parenthesis, but are
intimately connected with the idea contained in ver. 12. Calvin,
Bengel, lluckcrt, Fritzsche, De AVette, Meyer, Tholuck, &c.,
connect this verse >yUh ver. 15. The difficulty then is, that the
verb and participles of ver. 15 are in the present tense, whereas
xpevst of this verse is future : ' Their thoughts accusing or ex
cusing in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men.'
To meet this difficulty, Calvin proposes to give sv 'r^isfta the
force of e<c ^,"«v, in the sense of until, or in reference to the
day. Tholuck modifies this by making £y include e^, 'until
and on that day.' Not only does conscience now exercise its
office, but will do so especially on the day of judgment. Riick-
ert, De Wette, and others, suppose that the apostle thought
only of the present when he wrote ivdelxvuvrau, but extends the
reference to the future, in the latter part of the verse. That
is, the present participles express what will be present on the
day of judgment: 'The heathen show the work of the law
written on their hearts, and their conscience also bearing wit
ness,' &c., on the day of judgment. But the main objection to
this connection is, that the sense thus expressed is not suited to
the apostle's object. He designs to prove that the Gentiles are

ROMANS II. 16. 87

a law to themselves. This is proved by the present operation
of conscience, which approves or condemns their conduct. But
it seems forced to bring that prcof from what conscience will
do on the day of judgment. It seems best therefore to refer
this verse back to ver. 12. God, it is said, will judge the secrets
of men; the things which have escaped the knowledge of others ;
those hidden deeds of the heart and life, which are the surest
criterion of character. The searching character of this judg
ment; its justice, as not guided by mere external appearance;
and its contrast with mere human judgments, are all intimated
by this expression. The clause, accurdimj to my gospel, is not
to be connected with y.outi, as though the gospel was to be the
rule of this divine judgment; for this would contradict the
apostle's doctrine, that men are to be judged by the light they
possess. It refers to the fact of a final judgment, which is
declared to be in accordance with the gospel, or a part of that
message which Paul was commissioned to deliver. 7>// Jesus
C/it'lxt is to be connected with xo'.^il. God will judge the world
through Jesus Christ, agreeably to our Saviour's own declara
tion, "The Father judgeth no man, but has committed all judg
ment to the Son." Sometimes this judgment is referred directly
to the Messiah, as in 1 Cor. iv. f>, '2 Cor. v. 10, '1 Tim. iv. 1 ;
sometimes indirectly, as though he were but the representative
of God, as in Acts xvii. ol. These representations, however,
are perfectly consistent. The preposition md in such eases only
expresses the idea that the power or authority which belongs to
the Godhead is specially exercised through the Son. Thus
sometimes it is said, God created all things through the Son,
lleb. i. 2, and sometimes that the Son himself is the Creator,
Col. i. 1G.

Such then are the principles on which Paul assures us that
all men are to be judged. They commend themselves irresisti
bly to every man's conscience as soon as they arc announced,
and yet every false hope of heaven is founded on their denial
or neglect. It may be proper to repeat them, that it may be
seen how obviously the hopes of the Jews, to which Paul, from
ver. IT onward, applies them, are at variance with these moral
axioms. 1. lie who condemns in others what he does himself,
ipso facto condemns himself. 2. God's judgments are according

88 ROMANS II. 1—16.

to the real character of men. 3. The goodness of God, being
designed to lead us to repentance, is no proof that he will not
punish sin. The perversion of that goodness will increase our
guilt, and aggravate our condemnation. 4. God will judge
every man according to his works, not according to his pro
fessions, his ecclesiastical connections or relations. 5. Men
shall be judged by the knowledge of duty which they severally
possess. God is therefore perfectly impartial. These are the
principles on which men are to be tried, in the last day, by
Jesus Christ ; and those who expect to be dealt with on any
other plan, will be dreadfully disappointed.

DOCTRINE.

1. The leading doctrine of this section is, that God is just.
His judgments are infinitely removed above all those disturbing
causes of ignorance and partiality, by which the decisions of
men arc perverted, vs. 1, 16.

2. The refuge which men are always disposed to seek in their
supposed advantages of ecclesiastical connection, as belonging
to the true Church, &c., is a vain refuge. God deals with men
according to their real character, vs. 2, 3.

3. The goodness of God has both the design and tendency
to lead men to repentance. If it fails, the fault must be their
own, ver. 4.

4. It is a great abuse of the divine goodness and forbearance
to derive encouragement from them to continue in sin. Such
conduct will certainly aggravate our condemnation, vs. 3 — 5.

5. None but the truly good, no matter what the professions,
connections or expectations of others may be, will be saved;
and none but the truly wicked, whether Gentile or Jew, Chris
tian or heathen, will be lost, vs. 6 — 10.

6. The goodness which the Scriptures approve consists, in a
great degree, in the pursuit of heavenly things : it is a seeking
after glory, honour and immortality, by a persevering continu
ance in well-doing. It is the pursuit of the true end of our
being, by the proper means, ver. 7.

7. The 1 esponsibility of men being very different in this
world, their rewards and punishment will, in all probability, be

ROMANS II. 1—16. 89

very different in the next. Those who knew not their Lord's
will, shall be beaten with few stripes. And those who are
faithful in the use of ten talents, shall be made rulers over ten
cities, vs. 9, 10.

8. The heathen are not to be judged by a revelation of which
they never heard. But as they enjoy a revelation of the divine
character in the works of creation, chap. i. 19, 20, and of the
rule of duty in their own hearts, vs. 14, 15, they are. inexcusa
ble. They can no more abide the test by which they are to be
tried, than we can stand the application of the severer rule
by which we are to be judged. Both classes, therefore, need a
Saviour, vcr. 12.

9. The moral sense is an original part of our constitution,
and not the result of education, ver. 14.

10. Jesus Christ, who is to sit in judgment upon the secrets
of all men, must be possessed of infinite knowledge, and there
fore be divine, ver. 16.

REMARKS.

1. The deceitfulness of the human heart is strikingly exhi
bited in the different judgments which men pass upon them
selves and others; condemning in others what they excuse in
themselves. And it not unfrequently happens that the most
censorious are the most criminal, vs. 1, 8.

2. How does the goodness of God affect us? If it docs not
lead us to repentance, it will harden our hearts and af<Tavate

i CO

our condemnation, vs. 4, 5.

3. Genuine repentance is produced by discoveries of God's
mercy, legal repentance by fear of his justice, ver. 4.

4. Any doctrine which tends to produce security in sin, must
be false. The proper effect of the enjoyment of peculiar advan
tages is to increase our sense of responsibility, and our grati
tude to God, and not to make us suppose that we are his special
favourites. God is no respecter of persons, vs. 3 — 10.

5. How vain the hopes of future blessedness, indulged by the
immoral, founded upon the expectation cither that God will riot
deal with them according to their works, or that the secrets of
their hearts will not be discovered ! vs. G — 10, 16.

90 ROMANS II. IT— 29.

6. If God is a just God, his wrath is not to be escaped by
evasions, but in the way of his own appointment. If we have
no righteousness of our own, we must seek that of the Saviour,
vs. 1—16.

7. He who died for the sins of men is to sit in judgment
upon sinners. This is a just ground of fear to those who reject
his offered mercy, and of confidence to those who trust in his
righteousness, ver. 16.

ROMANS II. IT— 29.

ANALYSIS.

Tins section consists properly of two parts. The first,
vs. IT — 24, contains an application of the principles laid down
in the former section, to the case of the Jews. The second,
vs. 25 — 29, is an exhibition of the nature and design of circum
cision. The principal grounds of dependence on the part of the
Jews were, 1. Their covenant relation to God. 2. Their supe
rior advantages as to divine knowledge. 3. Their circumcision.
Now if it is true that God will judge every man, Jew or Gentile,
according to his works, and by the law which he has enjoyed,
what will it avail any to say, We are Jews, we have the law,
ver. IT ; we have superior knowledge, ver. 18 ; we can act as
guides and instructors to others ? ver. 19. This may all be very
true ; but arc you less a thief, merely because you condemn
stealing ? less an adulterer, because you condemn adultery ? or
less a blasphemer, because you abhor sacrilege ? vs. 21, 22.
This superior knowledge, instead of extenuating, only aggra
vates your guilt. While boasting of your advantages, you by
your sins bring a reproach on God, vs. 23, 24. According to
the first principles of justice, therefore, your condemnation will
be no less certain, and far more severe than that of the Gentiles.
As to circumcision, to which the Jews attached so much impor
tance, the apostle shows that it could avail nothing, except on
condition of obedience to the law or covenant to which it be
longed, ver. 25. If the law be broken, circumcision is worth
less, ver. 25, latter clause. On the other hand, if the law is

ROMANS II. 17. 91

obeyed, the want of circumcision will not prevent a blessing,
vcr. 20. More than this, if those less favourably situated than
the Jews are found obedient, they will rise up in judgment
against the disobedient, though favoured people of God, vcr. 27.
All this proves that an external rite can, in itself, have no
saving power ; because God is a Spirit, and requires and
regards spiritual obedience alone. This principle is stated,
first negatively, he is not a Jew who is such in profession
merely, vcr. 28 ; and then affirmatively, he is a Jew who is one
inwardly, ver. 29.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 17. Instead of cos, Iwlwld, which is in the common
text, most of the ancient manuscripts, many of the versions,
and of the Fathers, read et os, but if ; which reading is adopted
by Bengel, Griesbach, Knapp, and Lachmann, and is followed
by almost all the recent commentators. We- have then the
protasis of a, sentence of which the apodosis does not follow:
' J>ut if thou art called a Jew, and hast the law, thou xhouldst
a<;t according to it;' comp. 2 Pet. ii. 4. Or the answering clause
may be found in ver. 21, ' If thou art called a Jew,' tfcc.,
'tcachest thou then (<>u^) not thy>elf"r' Win>'r, § 0 4, 11. 1. Art
caff i'il, i-f>^i>>!.('i.''yr I'ullt'd «ft(i\ or in <t>l>liti»n f»; a. sense
insisted on here by Theodoret, who says, " obx il~-^ u\,otul~7n
d//' k~OKorj.d^7j." .IJcngcl, Kb'llner, Clever, and others, take the
same view of the meaning of the word: 'Besides your proper
name, you call yourself a Jew.' JJut as the compound word is
used for ilie simple one in (Jen. iv. 17, 2o, 20, and elsewhere,
and as .lew was then the common name of the people, it is
better rendered, tf<<m <irt called. ' /ouoaioz, a •/<•!/', ;i descendant
of Judah, in the New Testament applied to all the Israelites, as
inhabitants of Judea. It was considered a title of honour, not
only on account of its etymology, r—rrr, meaning ///v/.svW, Gen.
xlix. 8, but because it designated the people of God. Comp.
vs. 28, 21), and llev. ii. 9: "I know the blasphemy of those who
say they are Jews, and are not." To be a Jew in this sense,
was to be one of the covenant people of God, a member of the

92 ROMANS II. 17.

theocracy, or of the true Church. As this was the principal
ground of the false confidence of the Jews, the apostle mentions
tt before all others. It was not enough that they were the
children of Abraham ; if they sinned, they were exposed to the
displeasure of that God who will render to every man according
to his works, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. And
rcstest on the law. That is, Thou placest thy confidence upon
the law. In the Scptuagint, the word occurs in Micah iii. 11,
a passage illustrative of the one before us, "The heads thereof
judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, the
prophets thereof divine for money; yet will they lean upon the
Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us ? none evil can come
upon us." The law here means the whole Mosaic system, the
civil and religious polity of the Jews. This they relied upon ;
the fact that they were within the Church, were partakers of
its sacraments and rites; that they had a divinely appointed
priesthood, continued in unbroken succession from Aaron, and
invested with the power to make atonement for sin, was the
ground on which they rested their hope of acceptance with God.
Within that pale they considered all safe ; out of it, there was
no salvation. Such was the false confidence of the Jews ; such
has been and is the false confidence of thousands of Christians.
And malceM % boast of 6rod. See Winer, § 13. 2, on the
form of the word xau-^aaae. To boast, or glory in any person
or thing, is to rejoice in him or it as a source of honour, happi
ness, or profit to ourselves. We are forbidden thus to glory in
ourselves, or any creature, as the ground of our confidence and
source of our blessedness. "Let no man glory in men; but he
that glories, let him glory in the Lord." This glorying in God
may be right or wrong, according to the reasons of it. If it
proceeds from a sense of our own emptiness, and from right
apprehensions of the excellence of God, and from faith in his
promises, then it is that glorying which is so often commanded.
But if it arises from false notions of our relation to him, as his
peculiar favourites, then it is vain and wicked. The Jews
regarded themselves in such a sense the people of God, as to be
secure of his favour, let their personal character be what it
might. They boasted that he was their God, that they mono
polized his favour, all other nations being his enemies.

ROMANS II. 18. 93

VERSE 18. And knowcst tlie will &c., of God. Superior
knowledge was another of the peculiar distinctions of the Jews.
The particulars to which the apostle refers in this, as well as in
the preceding and succeeding verses, constituted real and great
privileges, by which the Jews were distinguished from all other
people. To he the people of God, to have the law, to know the
divine will, were indeed great advantages; but these advantages
only increased the obligations of those who enjoyed them. They
did not of themselves constitute any ground of confidence of
acceptance with God; much less did the mere possession of
these distinguishing favours give exemption from those princi
ples of just retribution, according to which God will judge the
world. The apostle, however, grants the Jews all they claimed:
he grants that they were the people of God; that they had the
law. knew the divine will. ^e.. and then shows that they were
nevertheless exposed to condemnation. If real advantages,
such as distinguished the .lews above all other nations, were of
no avail to their justification or acceptance before God, what is
to be said or thought of those who place their confidence in
fictitious advantages, in mere imaginary superiority to their
fellow men or fellow Christians; as belonging to the true
Church, having the true succession, the real sacraments, when
in fact in these respects they are even less favoured than thoso
whom they look upon as outside the Church and the covenant?
And <i in>r<>r,'xt (//<> t/n'n</x t/mt arc more e.r<'c?/<-nf. Aoxtfuii^stv
is tn fr//. t» examine, as in 1 Cor. iii. !•'>; and then. 1» regard
<i* trt'i'if. i. e. 1<> approve, as in 1 Cor. xvi. o. Jefjufsostv means
to ditfi'i\ as in Gal. ii. • > : and also, to excel, as in Matt. x. •>!.
See also Matt. vi. '2(\, Luke xii. 7, <N:c. This is the most common
meaning of the word in the Xc\v Testament. We have then the
choice of the two interpretations, Tlinii approved tJ/c tliunj* f//<ft
arc more excellent, or, Tlum dost distinguish the things that <rre.
different. Our version gives the former, both here and in
Philip, i. 10, where the same words occur. The latter is adopted
by Theodorct, who explains dtaupspovra by IW&T'KI d.)J^Xoe^
dtxaioa'JWjV xal <wr/:av; and Theophylact, r/ os? r.nv.tuj. xt/.i ri jjj]
f?£? r:nn.~~(u. The same view is taken by most of the recent com
mentators. It is suitable to the context, inasmuch as the
apostle is here speaking of the peculiar advantages of the Jews,

94 ROMANS II. 19, 20.

one of which was their superior knowledge, and their ability to
do what others could not, that is, decide what was and what
was not consistent with the will of God. On the other hand,
however, to approve of what is right, to discern it to be right,
is a higher attainment than merely to discriminate between
good and evil. And as the apostle is here conceding to the
Jews everything they could claim, it is better to give his words
their highest sense. lie admits that theoretically they were
right in their judgments. It was not their moral judgments,
but their moral conduct that was in fault. Being instructed,
xar/j%ou/jizvoz, (orally instructed, as the word literally means,)
out of the law, i. e. the Scriptures, as i^o/jto^ often means. The
word or law of God was a light to their feet, to which they
could at all times refer to guide their steps.

VERSES 19, 20. And art confident that thou thyself art a
guide of the blind. The apostle in these verses states the effect
which the peculiar advantages of the Jews produced upon them.
They considered themselves to be greatly superior to all other
nations; capable of instructing them ; and of being the guides
and light of the world. This idea is presented in different
lights, in what follows — a ligltt of them which are in darkness,
an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes. They looked
upon themselves as qualified to act as the instructors of others,
e£oi/r«, having, i. e. because they had the form, &c. Having
the form of knowledge and of truth in the law. Mbn<fto0cz
occurs in the New Testament only here and in 2 Tim. iii. 5.
In the latter passage it is opposed to the reality (d'jva/jtcz,) and
means mere appearance. This however cannot be its meaning
here ; for the clause in which it occurs, assigns the reason
which the Jews felt themselves to have, and which they had in
fact, for their superior knowledge. They supposed themselves
to be able to guide others, because they had the form of know
ledge in the law. It therefore here means, forma quce rem
exprimat, as Grotius expresses it. The form of knowledge, is
knowledge as represented or expressed in the law. In other
words, the exhibition of knowledge and truth in the law is
given in a form which expresses their true nature. The words
f\>M(ttZ and dtf&sta do not essentially differ. The former, says
De Wette, is truth as known ; the latter, truth in itself.

ROMANS II. 21, 22. 95

VERSES 21, 22. Thou therefore that teachest another. We
have here the virtual apodosis of ver. IT. ' If thou, although a
Jew, and related to God as one of his peculiar people, and well
instructed out of the law, violate the law, and do the things thou
condemnest in others, how canst thou escape the judgment of
that God who will render to every man according to his works?'
It is evident the apostle means to assert that the Jews were
guilty of the crimes here specified; and it matters little whether
the several clauses be read interrogatively or amrmatively.
The former, as the more forcible, is generally preferred. To
set ourselves up as instructors, and yet not to apply our prin
ciples to ourselves, is riot only an inconsistency, but offensive
arrogance and hypocrisy. To steal and to commit adultery
are great sins, but for those who preach against them and con
demn them in others, to commit them, is to quadruple their
guilt. The Jews, therefore, who committed the sins which they
so loudly condemned in the heathen, were more guilty in the
bight of God than the heathen themselves. While flattering
themselves that they were secure from the divine wrath, in the
enclosure of the theocracy, they were the special objects of
God's displeasure; so that publicans and harlots were nearer to
the kingdom of God than they. Tlum that abhorrcst /</"/*, dnxt
thou rob temples.* That the Jews, subsequently to the captivity,
did abhor idols, is a well known fact; that tliev robbed the
temples of idols is not known. Hesidcs, robbing the temples
of idols was not sacrilege; for in the mind of the Jew there was
no sacredne>s in those' temples. It was to him robbery, and
nothing mure: probably something less. The objurgatory cha
racter of these several clauses requires that the thing hen;
charged should be of the same nature with idolatry, not its
opposite. The Jew taught that men should riot steal, yet he
himself stole ; he said, Commit not adultery, yet he was guilty
of that crime ; he abhorred idols, yet was guilty of idolatry.
It is something analogous to idolatry that is here charged, not
the despoiling of heathen temples, which would be the natural
expression of the abhorrence of idols. The essence of idol
atry was profanation of God; of this the Jews were in a high
degree guilty. They had made his house a den of thieves.
Instead therefore of taking the word h^oa'jhl^ literally, which

96 ROMANS II. 23—25.

the context forbids, it should be understood in a secondary
sense. It expresses the sin of irreverence in its higher forms ;
either as manifested in withholding from God his due, which
the prophet denounces as robbery — "Will a man rob God? yet
ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed
thee? In tithes and offerings," Mai. iii. 8: or it may be taken
in the still more general sense of profanation, the irreverent
disregard of God and holy things. This is all the context
requires: 'You profess great reverence for God, in eschewing
idolatry ; and yet, in other forms, you are guilty of the greatest
irreverence.'

VERSES 23, 24. Another striking instance of the incon
sistency between their principles and their conduct was, that
while they made a boast of the law, they so disregarded its
precepts as to lead the heathen to think and speak evil of that
God who gave the law, of whose character they judged by
the conduct of his people. This charge he expresses in the
language of their own prophets; see Isa. Iii. 5, and Ezek.
xxxvi. 20, 23. In the former passage we find in the LXX.
nearly the same words as those used by the apostle: " 61 6/^C
dca-av-cbz TO ovoud /JLOL> fttaff<pyfJL£iiTae Iv ro?c ed-vzae." Both
Isaiah and Ezckiel, indeed, refer to that blaspheming of God
by the heathen, which arose from the misery of his people,
whose God they were thus led to regard as unable to protect
his worshippers. This however does not render the reference
of the apostle less appropriate; for it is the mere fact that
God's name was blasphemed among the Gentiles, on account
of the Jews, that the apostle means to confirm by this reference
to the Scriptures. And besides, as their sins were the cause
of their captivity, their sins were the cause also of the evil
speaking of God, of which their sufferings were the immediate
occasion.

VERSE 25. The apostle, in vs. 1—16 of this chapter, had
proved that God would judge both Jews and Gentiles accord
ing to their works; in vs. 17 — 24, that the Jews, notwith
standing their peculiar privileges, were no less sinful than
the Gentiles ; the obvious conclusion therefore was, that they
were no less liable to condemnation. It is with this conclusion
implied, but not expressed, that this verse is connected by the

ROMANS II. 25. 97

particle ydf) : i You are exposed to condemnation, for circum
cision, in which you trust, profits only on condition that you
keep the law.' Comp. chap. iv. 2, and iv. 0, and other places in
which f6.o refers to a thought omitted. Circumcision is not
here to be taken for Judaism in general, of which that rite was
the sign, but for the rite itself. It is obvious that the Jews
regarded circumcision as in some way securing their salvation.
That they did so regard it, may be proved not only from such
passages of the New Testament where the sentiment is implied,
but also by the direct assertion of their own writers. Such
assertions have been gathered in abundance from their works
.by Eisenmenger, Schoettgen, and others. For example, the
Rabbi Menachem, in his Commentary on the Books of Moses,
fol. 43, col. •>, savs, "Our Rabbins have said, that no circum
cised man will sec hell." In the Jalkut Rubeni, num. 1, it is
taught, "Circumcision saves from hell." In the Medrasch
Tillim, fol. T, col. -, it is said, "God swore to Abraham, that
no one who was circumcised should lie sent to hell." lu tho
book Akedath Jizehak, fol. f>4. col. i\ it is taught that "Abra
ham sits before the gate of hell, and does not allow that any
circumcised Israelite should enter there."* The apostle con
siders circumcision under two different aspects. First, as a rite
supposed to possess some inherent virtue or merit of its own;
and secondly, as a sign and seal of God's covenant. In the
former view. Paul IHTC as well as elsewhere, says, "Circum
cision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing," Gal. vi. 15;
in the latter, it had its value. As a seal it was attached in the
first place to the national covenant between God and the Jews.
It was a sign of the existence of that covenant, and that the
person to whom it was affixed was included within its pale. It
was a pledge on the part of God that he would fulfil the pro
mises of that covenant. If any Jew fulfilled his part of the
national covenant, and in that sense kept the law, his circum
cision profited him. It secured to him all the advantages of
Judaism. But this rite was, in the second place, attached to
the spiritual covenant formed with Abraham ; that is, " it wag
a seal of the righteousness of faith;" it was designed as an

* Eisenmenger's Entlecktes Judenthum, Part II. p. 28-3.

98 ROMANS II. 26.

assurance that Abraham was, in virtue of his faith, regarded a?
righteous in the sight of God. To all those Jews who had the
faith of Abraham, and thus kept the covenant established with
him, circumcision was in like manner profitable. It was the
visible sign and pledge that all who believed should be justified.
On the other hand, if either the national or spiritual covenant
was broken, circumcision was of no avail. The fact that an
Israelite was circumcised, did not save him from excision from
the people, if he broke any of the fundamental laws of Moses ;
neither could circumcision save those who, being destitute of
the faith of Abraham, appeared as sinners before the bar of
God. Paul therefore teaehes that circumcision had no inherent,
magical efficacy; that it had no value beyond that of a sign and
seal; that it secured the blessings of the covenant to those who
kept the covenant ; but to the transgressors of the law it was
of no avail. This latter idea he expresses by saying, rj T^OIIO^
ao') dxpofjua-cta fsyovsv, tliy circumcision has become uneireum-
cision. That is, it is of no use. It cannot prevent your beino
dealt with as a transgressor, or treated as though you had nevei
been circumcised.

VERSE 26. Therefore, if the uncircumcision keep the right
eousness of the law. This verse is an inference (obv} from the
preceding. It was there taught that everything depends upon
obedience to the law. God will judge every man according to
his works. If a Jew, though circumcised, break the law, he
shall be condemned ; and if a Gentile, though uncircumcised,
keep the law, he shall be justified. The one proposition flows
from the other ; for if circumcision is in itself nothing, its pre
sence cannot protect the guilty ; its absence cannot invalidate
the claims of the righteous. dcxauop.aTa^ decrees, precepts, what
the law prescribes as right. The apostle does not mean to
intimate that the Gentiles do in any case keep the righteous
ness of the law; contrary to his own explicit assertion, that
there is none righteous, no not one. It is a mere hypothetical
statement, designed to show that everything depends on obedi
ence, and that circumcision cannot be the ground either of
justification or condemnation. Shall not his uncircumcision be
counted for circumcision ? The phrase lo-fi^za&ai re d'c r<, in
accordance with the Hebrew b -~n? 1 Sam. i. 13, Isa. xxix. 17,

ROMANS II. 27. 99

often means to reckon or regard one thing as another. Uncir-
cumcision shall be taken for circumcision.

VERSE 27. Calvin makes this verse a part of the interro
gation begun in vcr. 26, a mode of pointing followed by Koppe,
Lackinann, Fritzsche, and many others. 'Shall not uncir-
cumcision be reckoned circumcision, and condemn you who
break the law?' Our translators supply o'j'/J before %pu,z~,
and make vcr. 27 a distinct interrogation, 'and shall not the
uncircumcision condemn you,' <&c. Meyer takes ver. 27 cate
gorically, and -/.a* in the sense of even or moreover, so that
ver. 27 is virtually an answer to the preceding question.
* Shall not uncircumcision be taken for circumcision ? (Yes,
verily,) it will even condemn you,' &c. In either way the
idea is, that the obedient uncircumcised heathen would be
better off, he would stand on higher ground, than the disobe
dient circumcised Jew. It is only putting the truth taught
in this verse into different words, to say, 'the unbaptized
believer shall condemn the baptized unbeliever.' TJic uwlr-
cunK'ision which is ly nat>ir<\ ^ zz ^''jaiwz, dxpofiuffTta, The
position of the article shows plainly that Iz (f'jffsco^ qualifies
axoofijaria, and is not to be connected with the following par
ticiple TiXo~jff(/.. The sense is, "the uncircumcision which is
natural," and not 'which by nature keeps the law.' Jf it
fulfil tltf l<in\ i. e. provided it is obedient, and therefore right
eous. ,S'//'/// ,///'/'/*', %'ni'zZ. by implication, $li<tll <'<>n<l<'iiin ; the
judgment is bv the context supposed to be a condemnatory
one. Comp. Matt. xii. 41. Thee irlio In/ the. letter, &c.; <TS
rov oca •fndtttiaroz, tliec with the letter, i. e. the written law.
In the present case it is not used in a disparaging sense, for
the mere verbal meaning in opposition to the spirit. The
context rather requires that ftHutuft. and --fHro/q should be
taken as expressing the real and substantial benefits of the
Jews. Our version renders did fy/, Beza also has per. He
understands the apostle to mean that external circumcision
being profaned only rendered the Jews so much the worse.
But as did with the genitive so often means with, as expressing
the circumstances under which anything is done, (as oc bnofj.6v/]C
with patience, OM -ooazbtiita-oz, with offence,) the meaning is,
T*i, qui literal et circumcisionem habens, contra legem fads.

100 ROMANS II. 28, 29.

Notwithstanding they had the law and circumcision, they were
transgressors of the law. Calvin makes letter and circumcision

o

to mean literal circumcision ; but this is unnecessary, and
unsuited to the context ; for when speaking of the advantages
of the Jews, the law is of too much importance to allow of
the word which expresses it being merged into a mere epithet.

VERSES 28, 29. For not he who is externally a Jeiv, is a
Jeiu, &c. These verses assign the reason why the external
rite of circumcision can avail so little. God looks upon the
heart, and does not regard mere external circumstances. It
is not, therefore, mere descent from Abraham, nor connection
with the external theocracy or church, that can secure his
favour ; but the possession of those internal dispositions which
external rites are intended to symbolize. Verse 28 contains
the negative, ver. 29 the affirmative statement of this gene
ral truth. The word ' loudaioz is to be supplied in the first
member of the sentence, as the subject is b iv rw (fauspaj
' /oudatoz, and the predicate 'Joooaioz kffTev. The same remark
may be made with regard to the following clause, where the
subject is $ lv rw <paisepw, £v aapxs xeptTO/j>ij, and the predicate
Ttspt-ofjt'/j io-w. External circumcision in the flesh is not circum
cision. (Po.v*pbz apparent, visible, what falls under the observa
tion of the senses, hence external. The word Jew is of course
to be taken as the designation of the people of God. ' He is
not one of the people of God who is such externally/ It is
nothing external that constitutes or secures this peculiar
relation to God. The affirmative statement is, «//' 6 kv TCJJ
xpUTirw VouoaToc, [Voi»<5#o>c ctfr^y,] but the Jeiv in secret is a
Jew. As in the preceding verse, part of the subject is bor
rowed from the predicate, so here and in the following clause
the predicate is to be borrowed from the subject; that is,
lortv is to be supplied after the first clause, and
Ttv after the second clause of this verse, so that
the whole reads thus: "But he who is inwardly a Jew, is
really a Jew; and the circumcision of the heart, in spirit and
not in letter, is circumcision." This is the construction
of the passage almost universally adopted. Kpunroz hidden,
and as opposed to yovzpbz, inward; hence ly TW xpuxTtp
inwardly, in heart. Comp. 1 Pet. iii. 4. True circumcision

ROMANS II. 28, 29. 101

is described as xspeTO/jy xapoiaz, Iv nvzunart, oj
These latter words admit of different interpretations. The
apostle contrasts rrvsiy^ and j-pd/jL/jia in Rom. vii. 6, and 2 Cor,
iii. 6, much as he does here. In chap. vii. 6, oldness of the letter
may mean the condition and spirit of those who were under the
law, now become old; and neiuness of the spirit may mean that
new condition and temper which the Holy Spirit gives. In
2 Cor. iii. G, Paul says he was made a minister of the new cove
nant, o'j fpdp.fj.aTOZ) d/j.a ~is£'jfJ.aTOZ, not oj~ the letter, but of the
spirit, i. e. not of the law, but of the gospel ; not of a mere ob
jective, legal covenant, but of that which derives its whole cha
racter from the Spirit, and therefore is spirit, or in the widest
sense of the word, spiritual. Coinp. also Gal. iii. 3. Guided by
these passages, Ruckcrt understands rrvsiy^ here to mean the
new principle of life imparted by the Holy Spirit, and Iv to ex
press instrumentality. Thus the sense is : The circumcision of
the heart is not produced or effected by the law. but by this new
divine principle of life. The same interpretation substantially
is given bv Kollnc-r. It is not, however, strictly in accordance
with the mode of representation adopted in the Scriptures, to
speak of the circumcision of the heart, i. e. sanctification, as
effected by anything implanted in us. Beza makes £v xvsufjLart
simply exegetical of zapuiaz. and gives the sense thus: "• Cujus
vis est interior et in animo, sive <[ua circumcisi sunt affectus."
Erasmus: " Qiue Spiritu constat, referens ad Spiriturn Sanc
tum, eujus unius opus est ista circumcisio d^scpOTTolr^TO^. Mihi
vero videtur £v ~i<s'j(tv-: additum partini pmpter antithesin
Ypd/i/jiaToz, partini ut explicarct, <[iiid vocaret circumcisionem
cordis." According to this view, Iv xvz'jfj>aTt is in heart,
and is tautological with the clause (circumcision of the heart)
which it should explain. And besides, the opposition between
TTI/C-W/ and 'fiiditna is thus destroyed. Others again take iv
xvz'jtKJit! and £v j'orz^«arr adverbially, "after a spiritual, not
after a literal or external way ;" or adjectively, spiritual, not
literal. The most common, and on the whole the preferable
interpretation refers ~^z~j<ia to the Holy Spirit, and gives iv
the sense of by. The circumcision of the heart is then described
as effected by the Spirit, and not by the letter, i. e. in obedi
ence to the prescriptions of the law. Whose praise is not of

102 ROMANS II. 17—29.

men, but of G-od. The relative ol) is to be referred to ^
The true Jew, or child of God, is one whose excellence is inter
nal, seen and acknowledged by God ; not in its nature external,
securing the notice and approbation of men. If the relative ob
be taken as neuter, then the idea is the same, but presented in
another form : ' Of which (i. e. of this spiritual Judaism) the
praise is of God.' As, however, *Iouofuoz is the main subject in
the context, the former explanation is the more natural. ' The
spiritual import of circumcision was clearly taught in the Old
Testament, as in Deut. xxx. 6: "I will circumcise your heart,
and the heart of your children, to love the Lord thy God." See
Deut. x. 16, Jer. iv. 4: "Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
and take away the foreskins of your heart." The wicked are
therefore called "the uncircumcised in heart," Jer. ix. 29,
Ezek. xliv. 9, Acts vii. 56. Comp. Col. ii. 11: "In whom also
ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands."
This is what he calls "the circumcision of Christ," or Christian
circumcision; that which Christ secures and gives. As circum
cision thus signifies inward purification, and was a seal of the
righteousness of faith, it was, as to its import and design, iden
tical with baptism. Hence what in Col. ii. 11, Paul expresses
by saying, Ye are circumcised, he expresses in ver. 12, by
saying, Ye are buried with him in baptism. What, therefore,
he teaches of the worthlessness of external circumcision, without
internal purity, and of the possibility of the external sign being
received without the internal grace, is no less true of baptism
See 1 Cor. vii. 18, 19, Gal. vi. 15.

DOCTRINE.

1. Membership in the true Church, considered as a visible
society, is no security that we shall obtain the favour of God.
The Jews, before the advent, were members of the true and
only Church, and yet Paul teaches that they were not on this
account the more acceptable to God. Multitudes of Jewish
converts were members of the apostolic Church, and yet.
retaining their former doctrines and spirit, were in the gall of
bitterness, ver. 17.

ROMANS II. 17—29. 103

2 Mere knowledge cannot commend us to God. It neither

o

sanctifies the heart, nor of itself renders men more useful.
When made the ground of confidence, or the fuel of pride and
arrogance, it is perverted and destructive, vs. 18 — 20.

3. Superior knowledge enhances the guilt of sin, and in
creases the certainty, necessity, and severity of punishment,
without in itself increasing the power of resistance. It is,
therefore, a great mistake to make knowledge our sole depend
ence in promoting the moral improvement of men, vs. 18 — 20.

4. The sins of the professing people of God, are peculiarly
offensive to him, and injurious to our fellow-men, vs. 22 — 24.

5. Here, as in the former part of the chapter, the leading
idea is, that God is just, lie asks not whether a man is a Jew
or a Gentile, a Greek or barbarian, bond or free, but what is
his character? Does he do good or evil? vs. IT — 24.

6. According to the apostle, the true idea of a sacrament is
not that it is a mystic rite, possessed of inherent eHu-acy, or
conveying grace as a mere opus operatiun; but that it is a seal
and sign, designed to confirm our faitli in the validity of the
covenant to which it is attached; and, from its significant
character, to present and illustrate some great spiritual truth,
ver. 25.

7. All hopes are vain which are founded on a participation
of the sacraments of the Church, even when they are of divine
appointment, as circumcision, baptism, and the Lord's supper;
much more when they are of human invention, as penance, and
extreme unction, vs. 20, 27.

8. Religion and religious services, to be acceptable to God,
must be of the heart. Mere external homage is of no account,
vs. 28, 29.

REMARKS.

1. The sins and refuges of men are alike in all ages. The-
Jew expected salvation because he was a Jew, so does the
Roman Catholic because he is a Roman Catholic, the Greek
because he is a Greek, and so of others. Were it ever so cer
tain that the Church to which we belong is the true, apostolic,

104 ROMANS II. IT— 29.

universal Church, it remains no less certain that without holi
ness no man shall see God, ver. 17, &c.

2. The possession of superior knowledge should make us
anxious, first, to go right ourselves, and then to guide others
right. To preach against evils which we ourselves commit,
while it aggravates our guilt, is little likely to do others much
good, ver. 18, &c.

o. Christians should ever remember that they are the epistles
of Jesus Christ, known and read of all men; that God is
honoured by their holy living, and that his name is blasphemed
when they act wickedly, vs. 23, 24.

4. Whenever true religion declines, the disposition to lay
undue stress on external rites is increased. The Jews, when
they lost their spirituality, supposed that circumcision had
power to save them. i Great is the virtue of circumcision,'
they cried; 'no circumcised person enters hell.' The Chris
tian Church, when it lost its spirituality, taught that water in
baptism washed away sin. How large a part of nominal Chris
tians rest all their hopes on the idea of the inherent efficacy of
external rites ! ver. 25, &c.

5. While it is one dangerous extreme to make religion con
sist in the observance of external ceremonies, it is another to
undervalue them, when of divine appointment. Paul does not
say that circumcision was useless; he asserts its value. So,
likewise, the Christian sacraments, baptism and the Lord's
supper, are of the utmost importance, and to neglect or reject
them is a great sin, ver. 26, &c.

6. If the heart be right in the sight of God, it matters little
what judgment men may form of us ; and, on the other hand,
the approbation of men is a poor substitute for the favour of
God, ver. 29.

ROMANS III. 1—8. 105

CHAPTEE III.

CONTEXTS.

TuiS chapter may be divided into three parts. The first con
tains a brief statement and refutation of the Jewish objections
to the apostle's reasoning, vs. 1 — 8. The second, a confirma
tion of his doctrine from the testimony of Scripture; and a,
formal drawing out and declaration of his conclusion, that by
the works of the law no flesh living can be justified before
God, vs. 9 — '20. The third, an exposition of the gospel method
of justification, vs. '21 — ol.

ItOMANS III. 1—8.

ANALYSIS.

THE first objection to Paul's reasoning here presented is,
that according to his doctrine the Jew has no advantage over
the Gentile, ver. 1. The apostle denies the correctness of this
inference from what he had said, and admits that the Jews have
great advantages over all other people, ver. '1. The second
objection is, that God having promised to be the God of the
Jews, their unfaithfulness, even if admitted, does not release
him from his engagements, or make his promise of no effect,
ver. 3. Paul, in answer, admits that the faithfulness of God
must not be called in question, let what will happen, vs. 4, 5;
but he shows that the principle on which the Jews expected
exemption from punishment, viz. because their unrighteousness
commended the righteousness of God, was false. This he
proves by showing first, that if their principle was correct, God
could not punish any one, Gentile or Jew, vs. 5 — 7; and
secondly, that it would lead to this absurdity, that it is right to
do evil that good may come, ver. 8.

106 ROMANS III. 1, 2.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 1. What then is the advantage of the Jew? The
conclusion at which the apostle had arrived at the end of the
preceding chapter was, that the Jews, no less than the Gentiles,
are to be judged according to their works, and by their know
ledge of the divine will ; and that being thus judged, they arc
exposed to condemnation, notwithstanding their circumcision
and all their other advantages. The most obvious objection in
the mind of a Jew to this conclusion must have been, that it
was inconsistent with the acknowledged privileges and supe
riority of his nation. This objection the apostle here presents ;
the answer follows in the next verse : Lhcuaaoz, over and above,
abundant; and in a comparative sense, better, and substantively,
as in the present instance, excellence, preeminence. What is
the preeminence or superiority of the Jew? Comp. Eccles.
vi. 11, ri TiSntaabv raJ dv&pcbftqj; what advantage has man?
The second question in this verse, what is the benefit of circum
cision? is by some considered as a repetition of the first; cir
cumcision being taken as the mere sign of Judaism. ' What is
the advantage of the Jew? or what is the benefit of Judaism?'
But circumcision as a rite was so important in the estimation
of the Jews, and is made so prominent by the apostle in the
preceding context, that it is better to consider the second ques
tion as referring to the rite itself.

VERSE 2. Much, in every way. The answer to the objection
implied in the preceding verse, is a denial of its correctness as
an inference from the apostle's reasoning. It does not follow,
because the Jews are to be judged according to their works,
that there is no advantage in being the peculiar people of God,
having a divine revelation, &c. IIpcoTou IJLGV fdp. These words
are rendered by Beza, primarium enim (illud est;) comp. Luke
xix. 47, Acts v. 2. Calvin says, "xp&Tov significat proecipue
vel prsesertim, hoc sensu, Etsi unum istud esset, quod habent
Dei oracula sibi commissa, satis valere debet ad eoruin digni
tatem." Our translators adopt the same view. But to both
of the interpretations the particle f&p furnishes an objection.
The third and simplest view is, that the words in question mean
first, in the first place, as in 1 Cor. xi. 18 ; fdf is then namely.

ROMANS III. 3. 107

for example. That the enumeration is not carried on, is no
serious objection to this explanation, as we have other examples
of the same kind. Sec chap. i. 8. Because tliey were entrusted
with the oraelcs of Grod. The subject of l-Hjrz'Jfyaay, viz.
' lo'jdaio'. is implied by the connection ; ~<J. ).o-fia is the accusa
tive; comp. Gal. ii. 7: TTcTr/tfrsiy/.ar TO sbafyehoV) 1 Cor. ix. 17,
1 Thcss. ii. 4. Some, as Theodorct, Beza, &c., understand by
ra lofla TO~J Osorj, the law; others, as Grotius, Tholuck, &c..
the Messianic promises; others, as Calvin, Rosenmiiller, Do
Wette, the whole Scriptures. In favour of this last is the usage
of the phrase which in the Old Testament is used for the reve
lation of God in general, and in the Xew Testament, for any
divine communication, lleb. v. 1-, 1 Pet. iv. 11. The words
therefore are general in their meaning, and there is nothing in
the context to limit them; foi *he apostle is speaking of the
treasure committed to the safe custody of the Jews; that
deposit of divine knowledge by which they were distinguished
from all other nations. Here, as in innumerable other places,
the sacred writers of the Xew Testament use forms of ex pi-ess-
ion which clearly imply that they regarded the sacred writings
of the Jews as really the word of God.

YKII.SI-] 3. 7V ;-ao; What then.- See Philip, i. 18 — a formula
used to introduce an explanation, confirmation, or vindication
of a preceding assertion; or to start an objection f«>r the pur
pose of answering it. In the present instance it is agreed that
the apostle de>ign< to vindicate what he had previously taught;
but whether ver. o refers to ver. -. or to the conclusion that the
Jews were as much exposed to condemnation as the Gentiles, is
not so plain. According to the former view, the design of this
verse is to confirm what is said in ver. 2: 'To the Jews were
committed the promises of God, or oracles of God. This is a
great advantage ; for if some of them disbelieve those promises,
and reject the Messiah, God remains faithful, and will accom
plish all his gracious purposes.' Thus substantially, Calvin,
Beza, Tholuck, Fritzsche, Rilckert, Meyer, and many others.
According to the other view, the apostle here presents and
answers another objection to his previous reasoning: ' What if
we are unfaithful,' says the Jew, ' does that invalidate the faith
fulness of God : lias he not promised to be a God to Abraham

108 ROMANS III. 3.

and to his seed? Has he not entered into a solemn covenant
to grant his people all the benefits of the Messiah's kingdom ?
This covenant is not suspended on our moral character. If we
adhere to the covenant by being circumcised and observing the
law, the fidelity of God is pledged for our salvation. We may
therefore be as wicked as you would make us out to be ; that
docs not prove that we shall be treated as heathen.' For the
latter view it may be urged, 1. That it is better suited to the
context. It is plain that the whole of the first part of this
chapter is an answer to the objections of the Jews to the apos
tle's doctrine that they were exposed to condemnation. This is
clear as to the first verse, and to the fifth and those that follow
it. It is therefore more consistent with the design of the pas
sage, to make this verse an answer to the main objection of the
Jews, than to consider it a mere confirmation of what is said in
ver. 2. This consideration has the more force, since on the
other view of the passage the principal ground of confidence of
the Jews, viz. their peculiar relation to God, is left unnoticed.
Their great objection to Paul's applying his general principles
of justice to their case was that their situation was peculiar :
' God has chosen us as his people in Abraham. If we retain
our relation to him by circumcision and the observance of
the law, we shall never be treated or condemned as the Gen
tiles.' Traces of this opinion abound in the New Testament,
and it is openly avowed by the JeAvisli writers. "Think not,"
says our Saviour, "to say within yourselves, We have Abraham
for our father," Matt. iii. 9. "We be Abraham's seed," John
viii. 33. Comp. Rom. ii. 17, ix. 6, and other passages, in which
Paul argues to prove that being the natural descendants of
Abraham is not enough to secure the favour of God. That such
was the doctrine of the Jews is shown by numerous passages
from their writings. "If a Jew commit all manner of sins,"
says Abarbanel, "he is indeed of the number of sinning Israel
ites, and will be punished according to his sins; but he has
notwithstanding a portion in eternal life." The same sentiment
is expressed in the book Torath Adam, fol. 100, in nearly the
same words, and the reason assigned for it, " That all Israel has
a portion in eternal life."* This is a favourite phrase with

* Eisenmeiiger's Ent. Judenthum, Part II. p. 293.

ROMANS III. 3. 109

tne Rabbins, and frequently occurs in thar writings. Justin
Martyr, as quoted by Grotius on chap. ii. 13, attributes this
doctrine to the Jews of his day : " They suppose that to them
universally, who are of the seed of Abraham, no matter how
sinful and disobedient to God they may be, the eternal kingdom
shall be given." This interpretation therefore makes the verse
in question present the objection which the Jews would be most
likely to urge. 2. A second consideration in its favour is, that
it best satisfies the meaning of the words. The other view
makes Paul say that the unfaithfulness of some of the Jews,
some here and there, could not render the promise of no effect.
It would be natural for the Jews thus to soften down the state
ment of the case. But Paul had not said that some of the Jews
were unfaithful, but that they were all under condemnation;
that as to this point there was no difference between them and
the Gentiles, since all had sinned and come short of the glory
of God. It canimt escape notice how coniph'tel v the doctrine
of the Jews has been transferred by ritualists to Christianity.
They held that if a man was circumcised and remained within
the Theocracy, lie might be punished for his sins, but he would J-*-
ultimately be .saved. So ritualists hold that all who are bap
tized and remain within the pale of the true Church, though
they may suffer for their sins here or hereafter (in purgatory,)
are certain to he finally saved.

Jt KU/HI' tint >/»f believe? The word ~/—!f777fTw mav mean
dtsfu'liwil, or lucre uiif<iithfn1. Tholuck, Fritzsche, Kiickert
(2d edition.) Mever, sav the former, and explain the passage

« o

thus: 'The promises (roc /.o^a) committed to the Jews are a
great distinction; and though some of the Jews have not
believed those promises, nor received the Messiah, still (Jod is
faithful.' The great majority of commentators say the latter,
and consider the apostle as stating the want of fidelity of the
Jews to the trust committed to them, i. e. to the covenant made
with their fathers, as no reason for assuming a want of fidelity
on the part of God. That ar^rsTv may have the sense here
assigned to it is plain from 2 Tim. ii. 18; and from the sense
of d/T.'<Tr/tt in Ileb. iii. 12, 10, and of fctfroc in Luke xii. 46,
Rev. xxi. 8. To understand the passage as referring to want
of faith in Christ, seems inconsistent with the whole context.

110 ROMANS III. 4.

The apostle has not come to the exposition of the gospel ; he i&
still engaged in the preliminary discussion designed to show
that the Jews and Gentiles are under sin, and exposed to con
demnation; an exposure from which no peculiar privileges of
the former, and no promise of God to their nation, could pro
tect them.

VERSE 4. Let it not be; the frequently recurring formula to
express strong aversion or denial. The objection presented
in the preceding verse is, that the apostle's doctrine as to the
condemnation of the Jews is inconsistent with the faithfulness
of God. Is the faith of God without effect? asks the objector.
By no means, answers the apostle ; that is no fair inference
from my doctrine. There is no breach of the promises of God
involved in the condemnation of wicked Jews. How the con
demnation of the Jews is consistent with the promises of God,
he shows in a subsequent part of his epistle, chaps, ix. — xi.;
here he merely asserts the fact, and shows that the opposite
assumption leads to an absurdity. Let Crod be true, but every
man a liar. That is, the truth and fidelity of God must be
acknowledged, whatever be the consequence. This is said to
express the strongest aversion to the consequence charged on
his doctrine. Fc^sa^co has its proper sense, fiat, let him
become, i. e. be seen and acknowledged as true. This disposi
tion to justify God under all circumstances, the apostle illus
trates by the conduct and language of David, who acknowledged
the justice of God even in his own condemnation, and said,
"Against thee only have I sinned; that thou mightest be
justified in thy sayings, and overcome when thou art judged;"
i. c. that thy rectitude, under all circumstances, might be seen
and acknowledged. In the Hebrew, the last verb of the verse
is active, ivlien thou judgest; in the Septuagint, a passive form
is used, ivhen thou art judged. This latter Paul follows,
because the sentiment in either case is the same. God is seen
and acknowledged to be just. The sacred writers of the New
Testament often depart from the Avords of the Old Testament in
their citations, being careful only to give the mind of the Spirit.
" Scinms," says Calvin, " apostolos in recitandis Scripturas
vorbis sa?pe esse liberiores ; quia satis habebant si ad rem appo
site citarcnt ; quarc non taiita illis fuit vcrboruiu rcligio."

ROMANS III. 5. Ill

VERSE 5. But if our unrighteousness commend the righteous
ness of G'od, what shall we then say? Adr/ia is not to be taken
in the restricted sense of injustice, nor as equivalent to a-iaiia.
in the preceding verse, but in the comprehensive sense of un
righteousness, wickedness. It is the opposite of dtxaeocruvy,
rectitude, righteousness, which includes all moral excellence.
The righteousness of God is here, not his goodness, which the
context does not require and usage does not authorize, but
rectitude, that attribute which is manifested in doing right.
2uv'.arr]fj.i, in the New Testament, is to place with or before any
one; and hence either to commend, to recommend, Horn. xvi. 1,
2 Cor. iii. 1, v. 1~; or to set forth, to render conxniruvHs; see
Horn. v. 8, '1 Cor. vi. 4. The latter is obviously the sense
required in the present instance. That this verse is in answer
to an objection is obvious; but that objection is nut derived
from the language of ver. 4. Paul had said nothing there to
give any colour to the suggestion, that he himself held that it
would be unrighteous in God to punish the wicked. lie had
simply said, that the truth of God was to be admitted and
acknowledged, though all men were liars. From this it could
not be made an inference that we may do evil that good may
conic. It is not a false inference from ver. 4, but a new objec
tion to his general conclusion that he is here answering: 'Not
only is God's fidelity pledged to our salvation, but the very fact
of our being unrighteous will render his righteousness the more
conspicuous; and consequently it would be unjust in him to
punish us for what glorifies himself.' This is the thought; the
form in which it is presented is determined by the fact that the
apostle does not introduce the person of the objector, but states
the objection in his own person, in the form of a question. It
is plain, however, that the point of the argument is that God
cannot consistently punish those whose unrighteousness serves
to display his own rectitude; arid this is supposed to be urged
to show that the Jews, notwithstanding their sins, were not
exposed to condemnation. If our unrighteousness commend
the righteousness of God is the suggestion; the inference, which
the Jews were disposed to draw, and which Paul asks, whether
they would venture to make, is that God is unjust who taketh
vengeance: 6 6=.b~ o kxtyifmv rr^ fyffv, Crod the taker of

112 ROMANS III. 6.

vengeance; he whose prerogative it is to inflict the punishment
due to sin. That the apostle is not in this verse expressing his
own sentiments, he intimates by saying, xo.ra d.v$c)a)7iov Ae-fto, 1
speak as a man. This formula, which is of frequent occurrence,
means to speak as men are accustomed to speak ; and as men
are in general wicked, to speak or act after the manner of men,
is to speak or act wickedly. It depends, however, entirely on
the context whether this idea is implied. When Paul asks,
"Are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" 1 Cor. iii. 8, the case
is plain. But when in Gal. iii. 15, he says, "Brethren, I speak
as a man,'" he means merely to appeal to what was commonly
acknowledged as true amon£ men. See also 1 Cor. ix. 8. When

o o

in Rom. vi. 19, he says, av/^ow^vov ttfto, it is plain from the
context that he means, in a manner adapted to the comprehen
sion of men. And in the present case, where he is not express
ing his own sentiments, xara av&oto-ov Asfto is designed to
declare that he is not speaking in his character of an apostle
or Christian, but speaking as others speak, expressing their
thoughts, not his own.

VERSE 6. In answer to the question whether God is unjust
in punishing those whose unrighteousness renders his own
righteousness the more conspicuous, he says : By no means,
since in that case how can Grod judge the world? There is here
an answer to the question, and a proof of the correctness of
that answer. There are three views which may be taken of the
nature of this proof. The first supposes xov/w:; to mean the
Gentiles as distinguished from the Jews. The sense then is:
If God cannot punish sin under the circumstances supposed, he
cannot even punish the heathen, for their unrighteousness
serves to commend his righteousness. This view is clear and
satisfactory as far as the argument is concerned, and is adopted
by Koppe, Reiche, Olshausen, &c. Besides the pertinency of
the argument as thus explained, this interpretation is supported
by the frequent use of xocrtw- to designate the world in dis
tinction from the Theocracy, or the Church. 1 Cor. vi. 2, xi. 32,
Rom. xi. 12, John xii. 31, 1 John iv. 17, &c. The principal
objection to it arises from the difficulties in which it involves
the explanation of the following verse. The second view of the
passage supposes the argument to rest on the admitted fact that

ROMANS III. 6. 113

God is the judge of all the earth; if so, he must be just. It is
impossible that God should be unjust, if he is to judge the
world; but he is to judge the world, therefore he is not unjust.
''Sunlit argumentum ab ipsius Dei officio," says Calvin, "quo
probet id esse impossibile; judicabit Dens Jtunc tnundian, ergo
injustus esse non potest." To the same purpose Grotius says:
"Nullo modo possumus Dcum injustum imaginari quern cum
Abrahamo judicem miuidi agnoseimus." This view is given
also by Tholuek, DC AVette, RUckert, Kollner, and Meyer.
The obvious objection to it is, that it makes the apostle assume
the thing to be proved. He says, 'God cannot be unjust,
because he is the judge of the world, and the judge of the world
must be just.' But it is no more certain that the judge of the
world must be just, than that God is just, which is the point to
be established. RUckert, in his characteristic assumption of
superiority to the apostle, admits that the argument is "weak,
very weak;" but lie not the less confidently asrribc-s it to tie
apostle. The misapprehension of the argument in this vei so
arises out of a misapprehension of the previous reasoning, a id
of the precise point of the objection which is here answer) d.
Paul is not guarding ;i gainst any false inference from his o vu
reasoning; he is not teaching that though God is seen to bo
just when he speaks, and clear when lie judges, we must i.ut
hence infer that he is unjust in punishing the sin which com
mends his own righteousness, which would be indeed k* enio
erbiirmliche Einwendung," (a pitiable subterfuge,) as Rei( lio
calls it; but he is answering the objections of the Jews to his
doctrine, not their false inferences. To the declaration that
they were exposed to condemnation, the Jews pleaded the pro
mise of God, which their unfaithfulness could not render of no
effect, and the less so because their unrighteousness would serve
to render the righteousness of God the more conspicuous. Paul '
says on this principle God cannot judge the world. The ground i
assumed by the Jews might be assumed by all mankind, and if
valid in the one case it must be in all. In this view the answer
is complete and satisfactory; it is a redw.'tlo ad a^urdum.
The correctness of this explanation is confirmed by what
follows.

114 ROMANS III. 7, 8.

VERSES 7, 8. These verses are the amplification and con
firmation of the answer given in the sixth to the objection of
the Jews. These verses are designed to show that if the ground
assumed by them was valid, not only may every sinner claim
exemption, but it would follow that it is right to do evil that
good may come. The connection by fdp is therefore with the
sixth verse : ' God could not judge the world, for any sinner
may say, If the truth of God more abounds through my lie,
to his glory, why am I yet judged as a sinner?' The truth
of Grod. As dty&eca is not unfrequently opposed to adc/ia,
it may have here the sense of dtxacoauv/j^ and designate the
divine excellence: then (peuafia, in the following clause, must
mean falsehood towards God, wickedness: 'If the excellence of
God is rendered more conspicuous by my wickedness.' But as
it was on the truth or veracity of God, his adherence to his
promises, that the false confidence of the Jews was placed, it is
probable that the apostle intended the words to be taken in
their more limited sense. Hath more abounded unto Jit's glory.
JJzotffffS'Jzw, to be abundant., rich, or great; and by implication,
in a comparative sense, to be more abundant, or conspicuous,
Matt. v. 20, 1 Cor. xv. 58. The latter is the sense here, 'If
the truth of God has been made the more conspicuous;' st£ ryv
do~av ttiroO, so that he is glorified. Why am I also still judged
as a sinner? xdfcb, either even /, or I also; I as well as others ;
or even I a Jew; or, according to another view of the context,
even I a Gentile : ere, yet, i. e. notwithstanding my falsehood is
the means of displaying the glory of God. According to the
view now given, the use of the first person is sufficiently ex
plained by saying, as has often been done, "suam. personam
ponit pro quavis alia." 7, therefore, stands for any one: 'Any
one may say, Why am I also judged as a sinner?' Those how
ever who understand xb(T/jtoz, in the preceding verse, to mean
the Gentiles, suppose that the apostle here personates a heathen,
who is made to ask, 'If the divine majesty is the more displayed
by my idolatry, why am even I judged as a sinner?' This
interpretation gives a very good sense, because the Jews readily
admitted that the Gentiles were exposed to condemnation, and
therefore any principle which was shown to exculpate them, the
Jews must acknowledge to be false. The objections to this

ROMANS III. 8. 115

view of the passage are the unnecessary limitation which it
imposes on the word teapoy ver. G, and the unusual, if not
unauthorized sense, which it requires to be given to the words
d/y&sta and (p&Jtifjia, the latter not being elsewhere used for
idolatry, and the former, in this connection at least, riot ad
mitting of the version, truth concerning Grod, i. e. the true
God.

VERSE 8. Almost all the modern commentators are agreed

o

in considering this verse as a continuation of the question com
menced in the seventh, and in assuming an irregularity in the
construction, arising from the introduction of the parenthetical
clause in the middle of the verse: 'If your principle is correct,
why am I judged as a sinner; and wltji not let u* d<> evil, that
good may come?' Having commenced the question, he inter
rupts himself to notice the slanderous imputation of this doc
trine to himself — as we arc *l<tn</>'rrd, and </x' x<>//ie </////•/// we
say, that id1- should d<> evil that good may come, Ho^aion^,
therefore, instead of being connected with the (ri) ur/ at the
beginning of the verse, is connected by o~c with the immediately
preceding verb. See Winer, § u'->. \Vh<>ne condemnation /x jnxt.
Paul thus expresses his abhorrence of the principle that we may
do evil that good may come. Tholuck and others refer wi> to
the /9/atf^/^oyvrec, to the slanderers of the apostle; but that
clause is virtually parenthetical, and it is not blaspheming the
apostle, but teaching a doctrine subversive of all morality, that
is here condemned. Calvin unites, in a measure, both views of
the passage: "Duplici autem nomine damnabilis fuit eorum
perversitas; primum quibus venire haec impietas in mentem
potuerit usque ad ipsum assensum, deinde qui traducendo evan-
gelio calumniam inde instruere ausi fucrint."

Such is the apostle's argument against the grounds of con-

1 < <"^ O

fidence on which the Jews rested their hope of exemption from
condemnation. 'Our unfaithfulness serves to commend the
faithfulness of God, therefore we ought not to be punished.'
According to this reasoning, says Paul, the worse we are, the
better; for the more wicked we are, the more conspicuous will
be the mercy of God in our pardon ; we may therefore do evil
that good may come.' By reducing the reasoning of the Jews
to a conclusion shocking to the moral sense, he thereby refutes

116 ROMANS III. 1—8.

it. The apostle often thus recognizes the authority of the
intuitive moral judgments of our nature, and thus teaches us
that those truths which are believed on their own evidence, as
soon as presented to the mind, should be regarded as fixed
points in all reasonings; and that to attempt to go beyond
these intuitive judgments, is to unsettle the foundation of all
faith and knowledge, and to open the door to universal skepti
cism. Any doctrine, therefore, which is immoral in its ten
dency, or which conflicts with the first principles of morals,
must be false, no matter how plausible may be the arguments
in its favour.

DOCTRINE.

1. The advantages of membership in the external Church,
and of a participation of its ordinances, are very numerous
and great, vs. 1, 2.

2. The great advantage of the Christian over the heathen
world, and of the members of a visible ecclesiastical body over
others not so situated, is the greater amount of divine truth
presented to their understandings and hearts, ver. 2.

o. All the writings which the Jews, at the time of Christ
and his apostles, regarded as inspired, are really the word of
God, ver. 2.

4. No promise or covenant of God can ever be rightfully
urged in favour of exemption from the punishment of sin, or

' of impunity to those who live in it. God is faithful to his
promises, but he never promises to pardon the impenitently
guilty, vs. 3, 4.

5. God will make the wrath of men to praise him. Their
unrighteousness will commend his righteousness, without, on
that account, making its condemnation less certain or less
severe, vs. 5, 6.

6. Any doctrine inconsistent with the first principles of
morals must be false, no matter how plausible the metaphysical
argument in its favour. And that mode of reasoning is correct,
which refutes such doctrines by showing their inconsistency
with moral truth, ver. 8.

ROMANS III. 1—8. 117

REMARKS.

1. We should feel the peculiar responsibilities which rest
upon us as the inhabitants of a Christian country, as members
of the Christian Church, and possessors of the word of God;
as such, we enjoy advantages for which we shall have to render
a strict account, vs. 1, 2.

2. It is a, mark of genuine piety, to be disposed always
to justify God, and to condemn ourselves. On the other hand,
a disposition to self-justification and the extenuation of our
sins, however secret, is an indication of the want of a proper
sense of our own unworthiness and of the divine excellence,
vs. 4, 5.

3. Beware of any refuge from the fear of future punish
ment, founded upon the hope that God will clear the guilty, or
that he will not judge the world and take vengeance for our
sins, vs. 0, 7.

4. There is no better evidence against the truth of any doc
trine, than tLat its tendency is immoral. And there is no
greater proof that a man is wicked, that his condemnation is
just, than that ho does evil that irood may come. There is
commonly, in such cases, not only the evil of the act com
mitted, hut that of hypocrisy and duplicity also, ver. 8.

o. Speculative and moral truths, which arc believed on their
own evidence as soon as they are presented to the, mind,
should he regarded as authoritative, and as fixed points in all
reasonings, \Vhen men deny such first principles, or attempt
to push beyond them to a deeper foundation of truth, there is
no end to the obscurity, uncertainty, and absurdity of their
speculations. What (lod forces us, from the very constitution
of our nature, to believe, as, for example, the existence of the
external world, our own personal identity, the difference be
tween good and evil, &c., it is at once a violation of his will
and of the dictates of reason to deny or to question. Paul
assumed, as an ultimate fact, that it is wrong to do evil that
good may come, ver. 8.

118 ROMANS III. 9.

ROMANS III. 9—20.

ANALYSIS.

THE apostle having demonstrated that the Jews cannot
expect exemption from condemnation, on the ground of their
being the peculiar people of God, except on principles incom
patible with the government of the world, and inconsistent
with the plainest moral truths, draws, in ver. 9, the conclusion,
that the Jew, as to the matter of justification before God, has
no preeminence over the Gentile. lie confirms his doctrine of
the universal sinfulness of men by numerous quotations from
the Scriptures. These passages speak of men in general as
depraved, vs. 10 — 12; and then of the special manifestations
of that depravity in sins of the tongue, vs. 13, 14 ; and in sins
of violence, vs. 15 — 18. The inference from all his reasoning,
from chap. i. 18, derived from consciousness, experience, and
Scripture is, that "the whole world is guilty before God,"
ver. 19 ; and that " no flesh can be justified by the deeds of the
law," ver. 20.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 9. What then? do we excel? What then? i. e. what
is the conclusion from the preceding discussion? are we Jews
better off than the Gentiles ? Wahl points the passage thus :
Ti obv Trpoe^o^e&a; What then do tve, or can we. pretend or pre
sent as an excuse? Then, however, as Ruckert and others
remark, the answer should be, OLJOSV, nothing, and not oi>
TidvTOj;;. The principal difficulty in this verse is to determine
the meaning of ~tooe%d/jLs&a. The most commonly received and
the most satisfactory explanation assumes that the middle form
has here the sense of the active. Ilpoly^w means to hold
before, or intransitively and topically, to have before another, to
excel. In the middle voice, the verb means to hold before one-
self, as a shield, or figuratively, to use as a pretext. Though
the middle does not elsewhere occur in the sense of the active,
its use in the present instance in that sense, may be justified

ROMANS III. 9. 119

either by the remark, that the later writers often use the middle
form where the earlier authors employ the active, (Tholuck); or
by assuming the sense of the active to be here somewhat modi
fied, since the apostle is speaking of a superiority which the
Jews attributed to themselves, so that the strict sense is:
"Licetne nobis tribuere major em dignitatem?" Bretschneider.
The context suits the sense commonly attributed to the word.
The whole discussion has brought the apostle to the conclusion,
that the Jews as sinners have no advantage over the Gentiles,
and this is the conclusion which lie here confirms. If the
middle force of the verb be retained, then the sense is, as given
by Meyer: 'What then? Have we protection or defence?'
That is, are we Jews and Gentiles, men as sinners, protected
from the justice of God? The answer is, By no means. But
this does not so well suit the context or the form of the answer
to the question presented. The verb 7if>o£%6fj.$$a should, as
Riickert says, in that case have an accusative, designating the
excuse or pretext: ' Have we anything fur a pretext?' And the
answer would be, Nothing. The passive sense, Are we excelled?
adopted by Wetstein and others, is still less suited to the con
text. For whether the Gentiles or the Jews be supposed to ask
the question, there is nothing to account for it, or to suggest it.
Paul had given no reason to either to ask, Are we excelled?
He had not proved that the Gentiles were worse oft' than the
Jews, or the Jews than the Gentiles, but that both were alike
under condemnation. The question, therefore, Do we excel?
are we Jews better off than the Gentiles? is the only one which
the occasion calls for, or that the answer suits. This is the view
given by Theophylact, who says, OZWDCSI /t^asi; r/.vro'JC s^c.'V
Trsf^iTrrov, QGOV Ix T«>V olxtuov ~<>d~£(ov; and which is adopted by
Calvin, Beza, Grotius, and the modern commentators, Tholuck,
Riickert (-d edition,) llciche, and De Wette.

Not at all, not in the least, (o-j -d^Tco^i) the -d^raj- strength
ening the negation. Grotius, Wetstein, and Kollncr translate,
not altogether, not in all respects. But the former version is
shown by Winer, § 65, to be consistent with usage, and is much
better suited to the context ; for it is the obvious design of the
apostle to show that, as to the point in hand, the Jews did not
at all excel the Gentiles. This strong negation the following

120 ROMANS III. 10.

clause confirms. The Jews are not better off; for we have
before charged both Jews and Gentiles with being under sin.
AiTtaa&cu is properly, to accuse, here as in other cases followed
by an accusative and infinitive. Our version, we have before
proved, though it may be justified by implication, is not in
strict accordance with the meaning of the words. The same
sense, however, is expressed by Erasmus, "ante causis redditis
ostendimus," and is adopted by Reiche and others. There is
force in the remark of Calvin: "Verbum Grsecum curtaad-at
proprie est judiciale : ideoque reddere placuit constituimus.
Dicitur enim crimen in actione constituere accusator, quod
testimoniis ac probationibus aliis convincere paratus. Citavit
autem apostolus universum hominum genus ad Dei tribunal, ut
totum sub unam damnationem includeret." To be under sin
means to be under the power of sin, to be sinners : whether the
idea of guilt, just exposure to condemnation, or of pollution, or
both, be conveyed by the expression depends on the context.
Comp. 1 Cor. xv. IT, Gal. iii. 10, 22, John xv. 22. Here both
ideas are to be included. Paul had arraigned all men as sin
ners, as the transgressors of the law, and therefore exposed to
condemnation.

Verses 10 — 18, contain the confirmation of the doctrine of
the universal sinfulness of men by the testimony of the Scrip
tures. These passages are not found consecutively in any one
place in the Old Testament. Verses 10 — 12 are from Psalms
xiv. and liii.; ver. 13 is from Ps. v. 10; ver. 14 is from Ps. x. 7;
vs. 15 — IT are from Isa. lix. 7, 8; and ver. 18 is from Ps.
xxxvi. 1. These passages, it will be observed, are of two
different classes; the one descriptive of the general character
of men; the other referring to particular sinful acts, on the
principle, "by their fruits ye shall know them." This method
of reasoning is common and legitimate. The national character
of a people may be proved by the prevalence of certain acts by
which it is manifested. The prevalence of crime among men is
a legitimate proof that the race is apostate, though every man
is not a shcdder of blood, or guilty of robbery or violence.

VERSE 10. There is none righteous, no not one. Ps. xiv. 1,^
I in the Hebrew is, " there is none doing good ; " in the Septua-j
fgint it is, TTOiwv ^prio-ror^ra ; Paul has, OVK SCTTI Sitccuos, there is\

ROMANS III. 11, 12. 121

none righteous. The sense is the same. Paul probably uses
&'xa.'oc, righteous, because the question which he is discuss
ing is, whether men are righteous, or can be justified on the
ground of their own righteousness in the sight of God. This is
a declaration of the universal sinfulness of men. The two ideas
included in the negation of righteousness, want of piety and
want of rectitude, are expressed in the following verses.

VERSE 11. There is none who understands, there is none who
seeks after G-od. In the Psalms it is said: "God looked down
from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there was one wise,
seeking after God." Here again the apostle gives the thought,
and not the precise words. Instead of "if there was one wise,"
he gives the idea in a negative form, "There is none who under
stands," o'jx ZGTI o a'juiov. The participle 6 o'jvuov, der vcr-
stundige, the wise, is stronger than the verb, who understands;
as the former expresses a permanent characteristic, the latter
properly only an act. The words o-vvt'tj/ju. and crwecrt? are ire-
quentlv used in the New Testament to express the right appre
hension of divine truth. See Matt. xiii. 1">, Acts vii. 25, Eph.
iii. 4, v. IT, (Y>1. i. l>, ii. "1. In this ease, awtow (avviwv^
Wi>i<')\ 14, § •),) answers to ^'Ptp, a ^-ord often used in a
reliirious sense, as in the Scriptures, wisdom and religion are
convert ihlc terms. This riu'lit apprehension or spirit tial discern
ment of divine tiling's is always attended with riu'ht affections
and rijrht conduct — he that understands seeks after (Jod —
which latter expression includes all those exercises of desire,
worship, and obedience, which are consequent on this spiritual
discernment.

VERSE VI. Tltey are all gone out of the way. Blinded by
sin to the perfections and loveliness of God and truth, they
have turned from the way which he has prescribed and which
leads to himself, and have made choice of another way and of
another portion. Here, as in the first chapter, the loss of the
knowledge of God is represented as followed by spiritual blind
ness, and spiritual blindness by moral degradation. Men do
not understand, i. e. have no right apprehension of God ; then
they turn away from him, then they become altogether unprofit
able, -fypetcb&yffav, worthless, morally corrupt. This depravity is
universal, for there is none that doeth good, no not one. The

122 ROMANS III. 13—17.

words oux eax; ivoc, not so much as one, are a Hebrewism for
ouos efc- Tliis passage is taken from the Septuagint transla
tion of Psalm xiv. 3.

VERSES 13, 14. These verses relate to the sins of the tongue.
The passages quoted are from Ps. v. 9, cxl. 3, and x. 7. Their
throat is an open sepulchre. The point of comparison may be
the offensive and pestiferous character of the exhalations of an
open grave. This is forcible, and suited to the context. Or the
idea is, that as the grave is rapacious and insatiable, so the
wicked are disposed to do all the injury with their tongues
which they can accomplish. In Jer. v. 16, it is said of the
Chaldeans, "Their quiver is an open sepulchre," i. e. destruc
tive. But as in the following verses sins of violence are brought
distinctly into view, the former explanation is to be preferred.
What issues from the mouths of the wicked is offensive and
pestiferous. With their tongues they have used deceit. The
word kdoAtoiHjav is in the imperfect, for idoAtow, implying con
tinuous action. In the Hebrew it is, " They make smooth their
tongue," i. e. they flatter. The LXX. and Vulgate give the
version which the apostle adopts. The poison of asps is under
their lips. This is the highest expression of malignity. The
bite of the adder causes the severest pain, as well as produces
death. To inflict suffering is a delight to the malignant. This
is a revelation of a nature truly diabolical. Their mouth is full
of cursing and bitterness. The Hebrew in Ps. x. 7, is, " His
mouth is full of deceit and violence ; " the Septuagint, " His
month is full of cursing, bitterness, and deceit." The 'Vulgate
follows the LXX. ; Paul condenses the idea.

VERSES 15 — 17. These verses adduce the sins of violence
common among men, in proof of the general depravity of the
race. Their feet are swift to shed blood. That is, on the
slightest provocation they commit murder. The life of their
fellow-men is as nothing in their estimation, in comparison with
the gratification of their pride or malice. The words are quoted
from Isa. lix. 7: " Their feet run to evil, and they make haste
to shed innocent blood." Here the Septuagint agrees with the
Hebrew, and Paul again condenses the sense. Destruction and
misery are in their ways. Their path through life is marked
not only with blood, but with the ruin and desolation which

ROMANS III. 18, 19. 123

they spread around them. In Isaiah the passage runs, "Their
thoughts are thoughts of iniquity ; wasting and destruction are
in their paths." The way of peace tlieij have not known. "The
way of peace" is the way that leads to peace, or pacific ways.
"They have not known," means they have not approved or fre
quented. The idea is to be taken in its most comprehensive
form, as the apostle designs to prove, not from any specific
form of violence, but from the general prevalence of sins of
violence among men, that human nature is depraved. The tree
which produces such fruit so abundantly must be evil.

VERSE 18. There is no fear of God before their eyes. This
is taken from Psalm xxxvi. 1 : " The dictum of depravity con
cerning the wicked man in my heart is, There is no fear of God
before his eyes." That is, his depravity proves or reveals to
me that he does not fear God. See Alexander on the Psalms,
who proposes this witli other versions of the passage. However
the previous part of the verse may be understood, the clause
quoted by the apostle is plain. The course of wicked men, as
previously described, is proof that they are destitute of the fear
of God. And by "the fear of God," we may understand, accord
ing to Scripture usage, reverence for God, piety towards him ; or
fear, in the more restricted sense, dread of his wrath. In either
way, the reckless wickedness of men proves that they are desti
tute of all proper regard of God. They act as if there were no
God, no Being to whom they are responsible for their conduct,
and who has the purpose and power to punish them for their
iniquity.

VERSE 10. Now we know; it is a thing plain in itself, and
universally conceded, that what things soever the laio saith, it
saith to them that are under the law. The word i^ofto^ means
that which binds, that to which we are bound to be conformed.
It is that which binds the reason, the conscience, the heart, and
the life, whether it be revealed in the constitution of our nature,
or in the decalogue, or in the law of Moses, or in the Scrip
tures. It is the word or revelation of the will of God, consi-
sidered as the norm or rule to which men are to conform their
faith and practice. It depends on the context, under what
aspect this rule is in any particular case contemplated. It may
be the rule as written on the heart, ii. 14, or the law of Moses,

124 ROMANS III. 19.

or the whole Scriptures, as John x. 34. In this passage it obvi
ously means the whole Old Testament, for the quotations given
above are taken from the Psalms and the Prophets. In every
instance the principle applies, that what the law says, it says to
those who have the law. Those to whom any revelation of the
divine will is made, are bound to be conformed to it. What the
law written in the heart says, it says to those who have that
law; and what the law as written in the Scriptures says, it says
to those who have the Scriptures. The declarations therefore
contained in the Old Testament, which was the revelation of
God's will made to the Jews, were the norm or rule to which
they were obliged to conform their judgments and conduct. If
the Old Testament declared that all men are under sin, that
there is none righteous, no not one, the Jews could not deny the
truth of this universal declaration in its application to them
selves. These passages speak not of heathen as heathen, but
of fallen men as such, and therefore are to be understood of all
men, of the Jews as well as of the Gentiles. That every mouth
may be stopped. The word is «W, in order that. That is, the
design of God in these general declarations was, that every
mouth should be stopped; that all men should be reduced to
silence under the conviction that they had nothing to say against
the charge of sin. This idea is expressed in another form in the
following clause: That the whole world (~u.~ b z6<7/w~,) all man
kind, Jews and Gentiles, should become (^swyrctf,) in their own
conviction, guilty before God. That is, that all men should be
convinced of guilt. Guilt, here, as always in theological lan
guage, means liability or exposure to punishment on account
of sin. It is not to be confounded either with moral pollution,
or with mere demerit. It may exist where neither pollution nor
personal demerit is to be found. And it may be removed where
both remain. Christ is said to have borne the guilt of our sins,
although immaculate and without personal demerit ; and justifi
cation removes the guilt (or just exposure to punishment) of the
sinner, but it does not change his inward character. This is
the proper meaning of uxodcxo:; (Ivo^o^ dixr^J) guilty, satisfac-
tionem alteri debens, obnoxious to punishment. Before Grod,
TW 6soj, in relation to God, as it is to him that satisfaction for
sin is due. It is he whom we have offended, and under whose

ROMANS III. 20. 125

sentence we lie. There are three things involved in the con-i
sciousness of sin ; sense of moral turpitude, sense of demerit or
of ill-desert, and the conviction that we ought to be punished.
This last element is often the most clearly revealed ; so that a
criminal often voluntarily gives himself up to justice. It is this
that is denominated guilt, the obligation to suffer punishment ;
so that the guilty are not merely those who may be punished,
but those who justice (or moral rectitude) demands should be
punished. It is this that stops the sinner's mouth ; and it is
this which is met by satisfaction, so that although in the justi
fied believer a sense of pollution and of ill-desert remains, there
is no longer this dreadful conviction that God is bound to,

O

punish him. The conclusion to which the apostle's argument,
from experience and Scripture, has thus far led is, that all men
are guilty in the sight of God; and if guilty, they cannot be
justified on the ground of their personal character or conduct,
To justify is to declare not guilty; and therefore the guilty
cannot, on the ground of character, be justified.

VKKSH 20. Therefore !>>/ the. deeds <>f the ltn> shall no flesh
be justified in I/is si<//>t. Thc.rcforc. The particle is wore, which
is equivalent to di o re, on account of which thin<j, wherefore.
In this sense it indicates a conclusion from preceding premises.
This would suit this connection, as ver. 20 is a fair conclusion
from what is said in ver. 19: 'All the world is guilty before
(rod. wherefore^ hence it follows that, no one can be justified by
works.' Tin's is the conclusion which the apostle has had in
view from the be^innin^ of his arinunont. His whole design is

< < ,—

to prove that men cannot be justified by their own righteous
ness, in order to prepare them to receive the righteousness of
God. This view of the connection is assumed in our version,
by Beza, Turrettin, Rosemmiiller, and others. But in the New
Testament, ororr is almost uniformly, perhaps in every case,
used in the sense of oca TO~JTO or.', on this account that, or of the
simple OTC, that. The great majority of commentators there
fore render it here, because, as in i. 19, viii. 7, &c. Verse 20
then assigns the reason of what is said in ver. 19: 'Every
mouth must be stopped, because no flesh can be justified by
works.' This view is to be preferred, not because more suita
ble, but because more consistent with the common use of the

126 ROMANS III. 20.

particle in question. No flesh. When men are called flesh, in
the Bible, there was originally a reference to their weakness
and faults, as the flesh is earthly and perishable. But in many
cases there is no such implication; "no flesh" is simply equiva
lent to no man. The Greek is here 710.00. capz ou x.r.X, every
flesh shall not; according to the familiar Hebraism, no flesh
shall. The future is used not in reference to the day of final
judgment, for the act of justification takes place in this life,
jit expresses the certainty of the thing affirmed: No flesh shall
ever be (i. e. ever can be) justified. The apostle seems evi
dently to have had in his mind the passage in Psalm cxliii. 2 :
a Enter not into judgment with thy servant; for in thy sight
shall no man living be justified." Aaaioco, to justify, is not
simply to pardon. A condemned criminal, in whose favour the
executive exercises his prerogative of mercy, is never said to be
justified; he is simply pardoned. Nor is it to pardon and to
restore to favour. When a king pardons a rebellious subject,
and restores him to his former standing, he does not justify
him. Nor is it to make just inwardly. When a man accused
of a crime is acquitted or declared just in the eye of the law,
his moral character is not changed. To justify is a forensic
term ; that is, it expresses the act of a judge. Justification is
a judicial act. It is a declaration that the party arraigned is
dixaiot;, just; and dcxatoz means right, conformed to the law.
/ To justify, therefore, is to declare that the party implicated is
I rectus in foro judieii; that dixy, justice, does not condemn, but
pronounces him just, or declares herself satisfied. This is the
i uniform meaning of the word, not only in Scripture, but also
in ordinary life. We never confound justification with pardon,
! or with sanctification. It is always used in the sense antithe-
|j tical to condemnation. To condemn is not merely to punish,
but to declare the accused guilty or worthy of punishment ; and
justification is not merely to remit that punishment, but to
declare that punishment cannot be justly inflicted. Much less
does to condemn mean to render wicked, and therefore neither
does to justify mean to render good. When we justify God, we
declare him to be just ; and when God justifies the sinner, he
declares him to be just. In both cases the idea is, that there
is no ground for condemnation ; or that the demands of justice

ROMANS III. 20. 127

are satisfied. Hence the terms and expressions used in Scrip
ture, convertibly with the word to justify, all express the sumo
idea. Thus, in ii. lo, it is said: "Not the hearers of the law-
are just before God (uixruot ~aoa -at 6zw,) but the doers of
the law shall be justified (dixata)&7jaovTat.' ) Here, to be just
before God, (in his sight or estimation,) and to be justified,
mean the same thing It is clearly impossible that the apostle
should mean that the doers of the law shall be pardoned. What
should they be pardoned for? Doing the law does not call for
pardon: it is declared to be the ground of justification. Pardon '
and justification therefore are essentially distinct. The one is
the remission of punishment, the other is a declaration that no
ground for the infliction of punishment exists. Quite as evident
is it that the apostle does not mean, in the passage referred to,
to say that the- doers of the law shall be made holy. To justify,
therefore, cannot mean to make inherently just or good. In
iv. U, he speaks of the •'blessedness of the man to whom the
Lord imputeth righteousness without works." To impute right
eousness is to justify. To impute is to ascribe to, to reckon to|
one's account. J3ut when we pardon a man, we do not ascribe
righteousness to him; and therefore, again, justification is seen!
to be different from pardon. It is quite as clear, that to impute
righteousness cannot mean to render holy; and therefore to
justify, which is to impute righteousness, cannot mean to mako
good. In viii. 1, the apostle says, ••there is no condemnation (
to th >se who are in Christ Jesus." Not to condemn is neither ,
to pardon nor to sanctify, but it is to pronounce just. Nothing
can be clearer as a question of exegesis, than that the word
dtxcuoco (to justify) expresses a judicial, as opposed to an execu |
tive, and also to an ellieient act. This indeed is plain from the
very form of the statement in this and other passages. It
would be utterly unmeaning to say that "no flesh shall be par
doned by the works of the Jaw," or that "no man shall be sanc
tified by the deeds of the law." In the fifth chapter of this
epistle, Paul uses the phrase "sentence unto condemnation
(xf)l/w ef~ xa'dx(>>iia") in antithesis to "sentence unto justifi
cation (xii'i[ia sc- oexwwffrs.") Justification therefore is as much
a sentence, a xniim, a judgment, a declarative act, as condemna
tion. It need not be remarked that this is a point of vital

128 ROMANS III. 20.

^importance. How can man be just with God? is the question
which of all others most immediately concerns our eternal
interests. The answer which Pelagians and Remonstrants give
to this question is, that to justify is simply to pardon and to
restore to divine favour. The Romanists say, that it is to
render inwardly pure or good, so that God accepts as right
eous only those who are inwardly conformed to the law, and
.because of that conformity. Protestants say, that to justify is
I to declare just ; to pronounce, on the ground of the satisfaction
of justice, that there is no ground of condemnation in the
sinner; or that he has a righteousness which meets the demands
of the law. The Romish doctrine of subjective justification,
against which the Protestants contended as for the life of the

r^

Church, has in our day been revived in different forms. The

[speculative and mystic theologians of Germany all repudiate

, the doctrine of objective justification; they all teach in some

f way, that to justify is to make just ; to restore the ruined

i| nature of man to its original state of purity or conformity to

|lthe law of God. They are all disposed to say, with Olshausen:

"Von Gott kann nie etwas als gerecht anerkannt oder dafur

Bcrklart werdcn, was es nicht ist;" i. e. Gf-od can never acknow
ledge or declare that just, which is not so in itself. This is said
to prove that God cannot pronounce the sinner just, unless he is
l| inherently righteous. If this is so, then no flesh living can be
' justified; for no human being in this life, whether under the law
or the gospel, is inherently just, or inwardly conformed to the
law of God. The conscience of the holiest man on earth con
demns him, and God is greater than our hearts, and knoweth all
f things. If not righteous in our own eyes, how can we be right
eous in the sight of omniscient and infinite holiness ? Agreea
bly to the principle just stated, Olshausen defines dixcuoauvT),
conformity to law, so that "not only the outward act, but the
inward feeling and disposition answer to the divine law;" and
o'xacoco is said to express "die gottliche Thatigkeit dcs Her-
vorrufcns dcr dcxa.coa'j^, welches natlirlich das Anerkennen
derselben als solcher in sich schlicsst." That is, to justify is to
produce moral rectitude, and to acknowledge it as such. See
Olshausen s Commentary, Rom. iii. 21. Justification therefore
includes two things; first, making a man inwardly just; and

ROMANS III. 20. 129

secondly, acknowledging him to be so. No man tnerefore can 5
be justified who is not inwardly conformed to the perfect law
of God. This is a sentence of eternal condemnation on all
mankind; for there is none righteous, no not one; neither by
works nor by faith, neither by nature nor by grace. Blessed
be God, this is not the doctrine of the Bible. God justifies the
ungodly; that is, he pronounces just, those who, personally con
sidered, are unjust. lie imputes righteousness to those without
works; that is, to those who are in themselves unrighteous. In
no instance in the Scriptures has o'./jj.cno) the sense of producing
d!%fu<HT''jyrt. We do not make God holy when we justify him ;
the unrighteous judge does not make the wicked holy when he
justifies him for a reward, Isa. v. '2-\. lie surely is not an
abomination to the Lord, who makes the unrighteous good, but
lie is declared to be such an abomination, who either justifies the
wicked or condemns the just. Pmv. xvii. lo. This doctrine is
not less inconsistent with the faith of the Church, than it is
with the plain meaning of the Scriptures. The people of God
of every denomination are led as by instinct to renounce all
dependence upon anything done by them or wrought in them,
and to cast themselves, for acceptance before God, on what
Christ has done for them. Their trust is in him, and not on
their own inward conformity to the law. Xo previous training,
and no trammels of fal-e doctrine can prevent those who are
truly under the guidance of the Spirit of (rod from thus
renouncing their own inward righteousness, and trusting to the
righteousness of the S"ii of God.

To justify then is not merely to pardon and restore to favour ; h
nor is it to make inwardly ju<t or holy, but it is to declare or
pronounce just; that is, judicially to declare that the demands
of justice are satisfied, or that there is .10 just ground for con
demnation. The apostle here as everywhere teaches that no
human being can be thus pronounced just, on the ground of his
personal character or conduct, because all have sinned and are
guilty before God. This is here expressed by saying, that no
flesh can be justified //// works of the biw. Bv works of the law ]
are not meant works produced or called forth by the law as a |
mere objective rule of duty, as opposed to works produced by an i
inward principle of faith, but works which the law prescribes.

130 ROMANS III. 20.

It is not by obedience to the law, by doing the works which the
law enjoins, that any man can be justified. As to the nature
of the works which are thus expressly declared not to be the
ground of justification, there are different opinions arising out
of the different views taken of the plan of salvation revealed
in the Scriptures. 1. The Pelagian doctrine, that the works

j intended are the ceremonial works prescribed by the Mosaic
law. The doctrine assumed to be taught by the apostle is, that
men are not justified by any external rites, such as circumcision
and sacrifice, but by works morally good. 2. The Homish
doctrine, that the works of the law are works performed under
the stress of natural conscience. The Homish theory is, that
works done before regeneration have only the merit of con-
gruity; but those done after regeneration, and therefore from a,
principle of grace, have the merit of condignity, and are the
ground of acceptance with God. 3. The Remonstrant or
Arminian doctrine is, that by the works of the law is to be
understood the perfect legal obedience enjoined on Adam as
the condition of eternal life. Under the gospel, such perfect

(obedience is not required, God for Christ's sake being willing
to accept of imperfect obedience. Men therefore are not justi-

'fied by the works of the law, but by the works of the gospel,
which requires only a fides obsequiosa. 4. The modern doc
trine already referred to is only a philosophical statement of

• the Romish theory. Olshausen, Nearidcr, and the school to
which they belong, teach that the law as an objective rule of
duty cannot produce real inward conformity to the will of God,
but only an outward obedience, and therefore there is need of a
new inward principle which produces true holiness in heart and
life. "Das Gcsetz," says Olshausen, " konnte es nicht liber
eine aussere Legalitat hinausbringen, (lurch die Wiedergeburt
wird aber (lurch Gnade ein innerer Zustand, die dtxouoffuvy Osoi>,
im Glalibigen geschaffen, der den hochsten Forderungen ent-
spricht;" (see his Comment, on i. 17.) "The law can only
effect an external legal obedience; but by regeneration, an
inward state, the 8rxato06uy 6zo~j, is produced by grace, which
meets the highest demands." The works of the law, therefore,
according to this view, the dixcuoa'jyq ro~j vbfj.oo, or lx isbiwj, or
dtxatcauv/i loia^ are those vorks or that righteousness which

ROMANS III. 20. 131

men by their own power, without the cooperation of divine
grace, can effect; ("der Mensch sic gleichsam mit semen
eignen, riach dem Fall ihm gebliebenen sittlichen Kriiften, ohnc
Wirkung der Gnade, zu Stande bringt.") Such works or such
righteousness cannot justify; but the inward righteousness pro
duced by the grace of God, and therefore called the owuoa'jyq
6zorj or £* TtlffTscoz, meets the demands of the law, is the true
ground of justification. Uklutux'-n. •>, -1. See also Zander's
G-eschichte der Pjlanzung, pp. ;3U3 — 51<>. The doctrine of the
divines of the school of Schleiermacher, presented in formulas
more or less mystic and transcendental is, that as we derive a
corrupt nature from Adam, and on the ground of that nature
are condemned, so we derive a holy nature from Christ, and on
the ground of that nature are justified, o. In opposition to all
these views, which place the ground '^f justification, so far as i
is a declarative act, in man's own inward character or state,
Protestants with one heart and one voice teach that l»v the
ivorks n f f/ir /<(tv, which are excluded from the ground of Justin
fication, are meant not only ceremonial works, not merely the
works of the unregenerate done without grace, not only the
perfect obedience required by the law originally given to
Adam, but works of all kinds, everything either done by IH or
wrought in us. In proof of this, it maybe urged: 1. That the
law of which the apostle speaks, is the law which binds all man
kind. It is the law, the violation of which renders all men
guilty IK- fore God, as stated in ver. ID. The whole of the pre
ceding argument is designed to >linw that both Jews and Gen
tiles, viewed as to their personal diameter, are under sin and
incapable of justification on the ground of their own character
or conduct. '2. This law which thus binds all men, demands
the highest kind of moral obedience. It is spiritual, extendiii"

o

not merely to the external act, but to the secret motives. It
says, uthou shalt not covet;'' thus condemning all irregular
or inordinate desires. It is holy, just, and good. It required
us to love God with all the heart, and our neighbour as our
selves. There can therefore be no form or kind of righteous
ness, whether natural or gracious, higher than that which the
law demands, and which is comprehended in the works of the
law. 3. The contrast or opposition is never between one kind

132 ROMANS III. 20.

/of works and another. Paul does not teach that we cannot be

) justified by ceremonial works, but are justified by good works;

he does not exclude merely opera ex soils natures viribus, i. e.

works of the unregcnerate, and assert that works flowing from

a principle of grace are the ground of justification; he does not

L contrast imperfect obedience under the gospel with the perfect

obedience required of Adam; but the opposition is always

between works in general, all works, and faith. 4. The works

rejected as inadequate are called "works of righteousness,"

Titus iii. 5; that is, works of the highest order, for there is no

< designation of excellence of higher import than that. 5. The

o o i

, works intended are such as Abraham, the father of the faithful,

whose obedience is held up as a model to all generations, per-

Iformed. 6. Whenever the ground of our justification is affirma-

ftively stated, it is declared to be the obedience, the death, the

blood or work of Christ. 7. The objection to the apostle's

doctrine, which he answers at length in chap, vi., supposes that

j good works of every kind arc excluded from the ground of our

S justification. That objection is, that if works are not the

Aground of justification, then wre may live in sin. There could

be no room for such an objection, had the apostle taught that

| we are not justified by mere ceremonial or moral works, but by

»' works of a higher order of merit, It was his rejecting all

^ works, every kind and degree of personal excellence, and

s making something external to ourselves, something done for us

'» as opposed to everything wrought in us, the ground of our

' acceptance with God, that called forth the objection in question.

4 And this objection has been urged against Paul's doctrine from

/ that day to this. 8. Appeal may safely be made on this subject

\ to the testimony of the Church or the experience of the people

,- of God of every age and nation. They with one accord, at

I least in their prayers and praises, renounce all dependence on

1 their own inward excellence, and cast themselves on the work

or merit of Christ. In reference to this cardinal doctrine,

Calvin says: "Neque vero me latet, Augustinum secus expo-

nere ; justitiam enim Dei esse putat regenerationis gratiam ; et

hanc gratuitam esse fatetur, quia Dominus immerentes Spiritu

suo nos rcnovat. Ab hac autcm opera legis excludit, hoc est

quibus homines a seipsis citra renovationein conantur Deum

ROMANS III. 20. 133

promereri. Mihi etiam plus satis notum est, quosdam novos
speculatores hoc dogma superciliose proferre quasi hodie sibi
revelaturn. Scd apostolum omnia sine exceptionc opera com-
plecti, etiam qiue Dominus in suis efficit, ex contextu plunuui
fiet. Nam certc regeneratus erat Abraham, et Spiritu Dei
agebatur quo teinpore justificatum fuisse operibus negat. Ergo
a justificatione hominis non opera tantum moraliter bona (ut
vulgo appellant) et quie fiunt natune instinctu excludit, sed
quoecunque etiam fidelcs habere possunt. Deinde si ilia est
justitiie fidci definitio, Beati quorum remissai sunt iniquitates,
Ps. xxxii. 1; non disputatur do hoc vel illo genere operum ;
sed abolito operum merito sola peceatorum remissio justitiae
causa statuitur. Putant luec duo uptime convening, li<le justifi-
cari hominem per Christi gratiam; et tameii operibus justificari,
qiue ex regeneratione spiritual! proveniant ; quia et gratuito
nos Deus renovat, et ejus domim lido percipimus. At Paulus
longe aliud principium suinit : nunqiiam scilicet tranquillas fore
conscientias, donee in solam Dei misericordiam recumbant; ideo
alibi postquani docuit Deum t'uisso in Christ*.), ut homines justi-
ficaret, inoduin simul exprimit, non imputando illis peccata."

Fur l»j the law is the knowledge <>f sin. No llesli can be*
justified by the law, fur by the law we arc convinced of sin.)
The law condemns by bringing sin clearly to our knowledge
as deserving the wrath of God, which is revealed against all
sin, and therefore it cannot justify. "Ex radrm scatebra,"
says Calvin, "non prodeunt vita et mors." A'-rpwtf.'C (J'uff <>r
accurate knowledge) is stronger than the simple word pr^'C
(kti'Kclcdi/c..) When the object of knowledge is something in
our own consciousness, as in the case of sin, knowledge involves
a recognition of the true nature of that object, and a cor
responding experience. The knowledge of sin is therefore not
a mere intellectual cognition, but an inward conviction, includ
ing both an intellectual apprehension and a due sense of its
turpitude and guilt. This is the office of the law. It was not/
designed to give life, but so to convince of sin that men may bej
led to renounce their own righteousness and trust in the right
eousness of Christ as the only and all "Sufficient ground of their j
acceptance \vitU God.

134 ROMANS III. 9—20.

DOCTRINE.

1. However men may differ among themselves as to indivi.
dual character, as to outward circumstances, religious or social,
when they appear at the bar of God, all appear on the same
level. All are sinners, and being sinners, are exposed to con
demnation, vcr. 9.

2. The general declarations of the Scriptures, descriptive of
the character of men before the advent of Christ, are applicable
to men in all ages of the world, because they describe human
nature. They declare what fallen man is. As we recognize
the descriptions of the human heart given by profane writers a
thousand years ago, as suited to its present character, so the
inspired description suits us as well as those for whom it was
originally intended, vs. 10 — 18.

3. Piety and morality cannot be separated. If men do not
understand, if they have no fear of God before their eyes, they
become altogether unprofitable, there is none that doeth good,
vs. 10—12.

4. The office of the law is neither to justify nor to sanctify.
It convinces and condemns. All efforts to secure the favour of
God, therefore, by legal obedience must be vain, ver. 20.

REMARKS.

1. As God regards the moral character in men, and as we
are all sinners, no one has any reason to exalt himself over
another. With our hands upon our mouth, and our mouth in
the dust, we must all appear as guilty before God, ver. 9.

2. The Scriptures are the message of God to all to whom
they come. They speak general truths, which are intended to
apply to all to whom they are applicable. What they say of
sinners, as such, they say of all sinners ; what they promise to
believers, they promise to all believers. They should, there
fore, ever be read with a spirit of self-application, vs. 10 — 18.

3. To be prepared for the reception of the gospel, we must
be convinced of sin, humbled under a sense of its turpitude,
silenced under a conviction of its condemning power, and

ROMANS III. 21. 135

prostrated at the footstool of mercy, under a feeling that wo
cannot satisfy the demands of the law, that if ever saved, it
must he by other merit and other power than our own, ver. 20.

ROMANS III. 21—31

ANALYSIS.

HAVING proved that justification, on the ground of legal
obedience or personal merit, is for all men impossible, 1'aul
proceeds to unfold the method of salvation presented in the
gospel. With regard to this method, he here teaches, 1. Its
nature. 2. The ground on which the offer of justification is
made. 8. Its object. 4. Its results.

I. As to its nature, he teaches, 1. That the righteousness
which it proposes is not attainable bv works, but hv faith,
vs. 21. 22. 2. That it is adapted to all men, Jews as well
as Gentiles, since there is no difference as to their moral state,
vs. 22, 28. 3. It is entirely gratuitous, ver. 24.

II. As to its ground, it is the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, or Jestts Christ as a propitiatory sacrifice, vs. 24. 2-3.

III. Its object is the display of the divine perfections, and
the reconciliation of the justice of God with the exhibition of
mercy to the sinner, ver. 2<>.

IV. Its results. 1. It humbles man by excluding all ground
of boasting, vs. 27, 2S. 2. It presents God in his true charac
ter as the God and father of all men, of the Gentile no less
than of the Jew, vs. 2t>, 30. 8. It confirms the law, ver. 3L.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 21. But now the ri<iltt<>nu*Hi>xx of G-od ivithout tJt<> law
is manifested, &c. Having demonstrated that no flesh can be
justified by the deeds of the law in the sight of God, the ap-K-tle
proceeds to show how the sinner can be justified. With regard
to this point, he teaches, in this verse, 1. That the righteous
ness which is acceptable to God is not a legal righteousness;
and, 2. That it had been taught already in the Old Testament.

136 ROMANS III. 21.

The words but now may be regarded as merely marking the
transition from one paragraph to another, or as a designation
of time, now, i. e. under the gospel dispensation. In favour of
this view is the phrase, "to declare, at this time, his righteous
ness," in ver. 20 ; compare also i. 17. Is manifested, i. e. clearly
made known, equivalent to the phrase is revealed, as used in
i. 17. The words righteousness of Grod, are subjected here to
the same diversity of interpretation that was noticed in the
passage just cited, where they first occur. They may mean,
1. A divine attribute, the justice, mercy, or general rectitude
of God. 2. That righteousness which is acceptable to God,
which is such in his estimation. 3. God's method of justifica
tion ; compare i. 17. The last interpretation gives here a very
good sense, and is one very commonly adopted. ' The method
of justification by works being impossible, God has revealed
another, already taught indeed, both in the law and prophets, a
method which is not legal (without law,) i. e. not on the condi
tion of obedience to the law, but on the condition of faith, which
is applicable to all men, and perfectly gratuitous,' vs. 21 — 24.
But for the reasons stated above, in the remarks on i. 17, the
interpretation which best suits both the force of the words and
Paul's usage is, ' The righteousness of which God is the author,
which comes from him, which he gives, and which consequently
is acceptable in his sight.' The word righteousness is employed
to designate that excellence which the law demands, or which
constitutes a man or/ato^ (righteous) in the sight of the law, and
the genitive (TO~J 0so7j) of Crod, indicates the source or author
of that righteousness. As men therefore cannot attain such
righteousness by the deeds of the law, God has revealed in the
gospel another righteousness, which is not legal, but is attained
or received by faith, and is offered to all men, whether Jews or
Gentiles, as a free gift. The words %copiz UOJJLO'J, without law,
may qualify the word righteousness. It is a righteousness
without law, or with which the law has nothing to do. It is
not a product of the law, and does not consist in our inward
conformity to its precepts ; so that %io<n~ WIJIOD is equivalent to
Xtof/iz Zcrftov w/wu, Gal. ii. 16. The connection however may
be with the verb : ' Without the law (i. e. without the coopera
tion of the law) the righteousness of God is revealed. But the

ROMANS III. 22. 137

whole context treats of justification without works, and there
fore the interpretation which makes the apostle say that a
righteousness without the works of the law is made known in

O

the gospel, is more suited to the connection. The perfect
7:nf(j.^i<>toi:Lu has its appropriate force. The revelation has
been made and still continues. This righteousness, which, so
to speak, had long been buried under the types and indistinct
utterances of the old dispensation, has now in the gospel been
made (<ffrs=.od) clear and apparent. The apostle therefore adds,
beinij testified l>y the law and the prophets. The word is f*uf>-
T'Joo'jiJLivrn leintj testified t<>; the present is used because the
testimony of the Old Testament to the gospel was still con
tinued. The Jews were accustomed to divide the Scriptures
into two parts — -the Latu including the live books of Moses, and
the 7 V'/yy//r/.v including all tin; other books. The word prophet
means one who speaks for God. All inspired men are prophets,
and therefore the designation applies to the historical, as well
as to the books which we are accustomed, in a more restricted
sense of the word, to call prophetical. The Law and the Pro
phets therefore mean the Old Testament Scriptures. Matt.
v. IT, vii. 12, Luke xvi. •]!, Acts xiii. 15, kc. The words desig
nated a well known volume, and had to the minds of the Jews
as definite a meaning as the word />////<' has with us. The con
stant recognition of that volume in the ]Se\v Testament as of
divine authority, relieves us of the neeessitv of proving sepa
rate Iv the inspiration of its several books. In sanctioning the
volume as the word of God, Christ and his apostles gave their
sanction to the divine authority of all that the volume contains.
That the Old Testament does teach the doctrine of "a right
eousness without works," Paul proves in the next chapter, from
the case of Abraham, and from the declarations of David.

VEUSI-: -'2. Even the righteousness of God. The repetition
of the subject from the preceding verse; ds is therefore not-
adversative, but is properly rendered even. This righteousness,
of which God is the author, and which is available before him,
and which is now revealed, is more particularly described as a
(dexatoa'JU'q (oixra) oca rJ.aiKJLi'} righteousness which is of faith,
i. e. by means of faith, not d:a ~'.cfciv, on account of faith. Faith
is not the ground of our justification; it is not the righteousness

138 ROMANS III. 22.

which makes us righteous before God, (it is not itself the
dtxcuoauvq roy 6soi),) nor is it even represented as the inward
principle whence that righteousness proceeds. It is indeed the
principle of evangelical obedience, the source of holiness in
heart and life; but such obedience or holiness is not our justi
fying righteousness. Holiness is the consequence and not the
cause of our justification, as the apostle proves at length in the
subsequent parts of this epistle. This righteousness is through
faith, as it is received and appropriated by faith. It is, more
over, not faith in general, not mere confidence in God, not
simply a belief in the Scriptures as the word of God, much less
a recognition of the truth of the spiritual and invisible, but it is
faith of Cltrist; that is, faith of which Christ is the object. A
man may believe what else he may; unless he receives and rests
on Christ alone for salvation, receives him as the Son of God,
who loved us and gave himself for us, he has not the faith of
which the apostle here speaks as the indispensable condition
of salvation. This important doctrine is not only clearly but
frequently brought into view in the New Testament. What our
Lord constantly demanded was not merely religious faith in
general, but specifically faith in himself as the Son of God and
Saviour of the world. It is only faith in Christ, not faith as
such, which makes a man a Christian. "If ye believe not that
I am he," saith our Lord, "ye shall die in your sins," John
viii. 24. " To as many as received him, to them gave he power
to become the sons of God, even to as many as believed on his
name," John i. 12. "That whosoever believeth on him should
not perish, but have eternal life," John iii. 14, 16. "Whoso
ever believeth on him, shall not be confounded," Rom. ix. 33.
"How shall they call on him on whom they have not believed,"
x. 14. Such passages are almost innumerable. So when the
object of saving faith is designated, it is said to be not truth in
general, but Christ himself. See ver. 25, (through faith in his
blood,) Gal. ii. 16, 20, iii. 24, Eph. iii. 12, &c. ^The act there
fore which the sinner is required to perform, in order to be
made a partaker of the righteousness of God, is to believe on
Christ ; that is, to receive him as he is revealed in the gospel
as the eternal Son of God, clothed in our nature, loving us and
giving himself as a propitiation for our sins. As there is no

ROMANS III. 23. 139

verb in the text, of which otxcuoffwy (righteousness) is the nomi
native, we must either borrow the verb 7r£<pavstoa)TGu from vcr.
21, 'the righteousness of God is manifested unto all;' or what
better suits what follows, supply soyzra!, comes (or simply s<rr.',
in) unto all and upon all. The words xa: i~c -u.^-<i.' (and upon
all) are omitted in the MSS. A. c. 20. 31. 47. <>i>. <>7: in the
Coptic and Ethiopic versions; and by several of the Fathers.
Griesbach and Lachmann leave them out of the text : most
modern critical editions retain them, both on external and
internal grounds. This righteousness is e^ rra^rwc, extending
unto all, xa: l~l ravr^c, and over all, as covering them or over
flowing them. "Eine Gnadenfluth," says Olshausen, " die an
alle herandringt und sogar iibcr alle hmiiberstromt." There
is no distinction between Jew and Gentile recognized in this
method of salvation. The <niestioii is not as to whether men
are of this or that race, or of one or another rank in life, or in
the Church visible or out of it. This righteousness is unto all
who believe. Faith is all that is demanded. The reason why
the same method of salvation is suited to all men is given in the
following clause: For there is no difference among men as to
their moral state or relation to God, or as to their need o[ sal
vation, or as to what is necessary to that end. "What one man
needs ail require, and what is suited to one is suited to and
sufficient for all. The characteristics, therefore, of the plan of
salvation presented in this verse are: 1. That the righteousness
of God which is revealed in the gospel is to be attained by
faith, not bv works, not by birth, not by any external rite, not
by union with any visible Church, but simply and only by
believing on Christ, receiving and resting upon him. '2. That
this righteousness is suited to and sufficient for all men; not
only for all classes, but lor all numerically; so that no one can
perish for the want of a righteousness suitable and sufficient,
clearly revealed and freely offered.

VKUSK *2;]. For all have sinned. This is the reason why
there is no difference as to the condition of men. All are
sinners. The apostle uses the aorist ^ww-ov, xinni'J. and not
the perfect, 1/aee sinned. Riickert says this is an inaccuracy;
Bengel explains it by assuming that the original act in paradise,
and the sinful disposition, and also the acts of transgression

140 ROMANS III. 24.

flowing from it, are all denoted. Olshausen says that the
reference is mainly to original sin ; for where there are no
peccata actualia, there is still need of redemption. Dr. "Words
worth, Canon of Westminster, gives the same explanation:
"All men sinned in Adam, all fell in him." Meyer says,
"The sinning of each man is presented as an historical fact of
the past." The idea that all men now stand in the posture
of sinners before God might be expressed either by saying, All
have sinned (and are sinners,) or all sinned. The latter is the
form adopted by the apostle. And come short, uo-c-otywcat, in
the present tense. The sinning is represented as past; the
present and abiding consequence of sin is the want of the glory

• !0f Crod. By oo-a TO~J 9=orj is most naturally understood the

r •/ j •» t/

'I approbation of God, the ob~a which comes from God; comp.
John xii. 43, "They love the praise of men rather than the
praise (obzav) of God." Calvin explains it as the glory quce
coram Deo locum habet, glory before God, i. e. in his estimation,
as he explains OC/JJMO'J^ 6sorj to be righteousness in his sight,
what he regards as such. This is against the natural force of
the genitive. Others understand ooza in the sense of glorying,
non habent, unde coram Deo glorientur, Estius; so also Luther,

1 Tholuck, (who refers to John v. 44, oo-a^ ~aoa roD 0so5,) arid
others. This idea would be expressed by the word xwjyrptz,
ver. 27, or xo:r/rt<m, iv. 2, 1 Cor. v. 6, ix. 16, &c. Others again
say that the glory of God here means that glory which God
promises to the righteous, as in v. 2. So Beza, who says,
" c/ora est meta ad quam contendimus, id cst, vita retcrna, quse
in glorice Dei participatione consistit." Ruckcrt and Olshausen
say it means the image of God : ' Men are sinners, and are
destitute of the image of God.' But this is not the sense of the
words; 'the glory of God' does not mean a glory like to that
of God. The first interpretation, which is the simplest, is per
fectly suited to the context. All men are sinners and under
the disapprobation of God. In this respect there is no differ
ence between them ; and therefore all need a righteousness
not their own, in order to their justification before God.

VERSE 24. Being justified freely b// his grace, through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus. The apostle continues his
exhibition of the method of salvation by using the participle

ROMANS III. 24. 141

'being justified,' instead of the verb 'we are justified,' agreea
bly to a mode of construction not unusual in the Greek, though
much more frequent in the Hebrew. Aaawj n&ot therefore
depends on 5ff7£nowTcu, i all come short of the favour of God,
being justified freely. That is, since justification is gratuitous,
the subjects of it are in themselves unworthy; they do not merit
God's favour. Justification is as to us ocoozdv, a matter of gift ;
on the part of God it is an act of grace; we are justified r;/y
a>JTOrj yd-furc ly his grace. The act, so far as we are concerned,
is altogether gratuitous. We have not the slightest degree of
merit to offer as the ground of our acceptance. This is the
third characteristic of the method of justification which is by
the righteousness of God. Though it is so entirely gratuitous
as regards the sinner, yet it is in a way perfectly consistent
with the justice of God. It is through "the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus," that is, of which he is the anther.

The word a-otirfHOffiz, r<'<l'irtptt<>n. has two senses in the
New Testament. 1. It means properly 'a deliverance efYeeted
by the payment of a ransom.' This is its primary etymological
meaning. 2. It means deliverance simply, without any refer
ence to the mode of its accomplishment, whether by power or
wisdom. Luke xxi. 2S, fc-The day of redemption (i. e. of deli
verance) draweth nigh:'' lleb. xi. 25, and perhaps Rom. viii. 23;
compare Isa. 1. 2. " Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot
redeem'.''" &C. When applied to the work of Christ, as affect
ing our deliverance from the punishment of sin, it is always
taken in its proper sense, <l<'/^'crane<> effected l>f the p<ti/ment
of a ransom. This is evident, 1. Because in no case where it
is thus used, is anything said of the precepts, doctrines, or
power of Christ, as the means by which the deliverance is
effected; but uniformly his sufferings arc mentioned as the
ground of deliverance. Eph. i. 7, "In whom we have- redemp
tion through his blood;" lleb. ix. 15, "By means of death, for
the redemption of transgressions," Col. i. 14. 2. In this pas
sage the nature of this redemption is explained by the following
verse: it is not by truth, nor the exhibition of excellence, but
through Christ 'as a propitiatory sacrifice, through faith in his
blood.' 8. Equivalent expressions fix the meaning of the term
beyond doubt. 1 Tim. ii. 6, "Who gave himself as a ransom

142 ROMANS III. 25.

for all;" Matt. xx. 28, " The Son of man came to give his life
as a ransom for many;" 1 Peter i. 18, "Ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, but with the
precious blood of Christ," &c. Accordingly Christ is presented
as a Redeemer, not in the character of a teacher or witness, but
of a priest, a sacrifice, a propitiation, &c. That from which we
are redeemed is the wrath of God ; the price of our redemption
is the blood of Christ. That is in Christ Jesus. This may
mean ly him, Iv having its instrumental force, as in Acts
xvii. 31, (h avool w,) lij the man. As this use of the prepo
sition with names of persons is infrequent, others retain its
usual force, in. Compare Eph. i. 7, "In whom (sv w) we have
redemption," &c.; and Col. i. 14, 'We are justified by means
(did) of the redemption which we have in virtue of union to
Christ,'

VERSE 25. Whom Grod hath set forth to be a propitiation,
through faith in his blood, &c. This clause contains the ground
of our deliverance from the curse of the law, and of our accept
ance with God, and constitutes therefore the second step in the
apostle's exhibition of the plan of salvation. He had already
taught that justification was not by works, but by faith, and
entirely gratuitous ; he now comes to show how it is that this
exercise of mercy to the sinner can be reconciled with the
justice of God and the demands of his law. The word ~c>os-
$£~o, Jiath set forth., also signifies to purpose, to determine,
jtom. i. 13; compare viii. 28. If this sense be adopted here,
the meaning would be, 'whom God hath purposed or decreed to
be a propitiation.' But the context refers to a fact rather than
a purpose; and the words ere ivdscgev (for the manifestation,)
as expressing the design of the manifestation of Christ, is
decidedly in favour of the common interpretation. There are
three interpretations of the word iAaar/jpcov, (propitiation,)
which are worthy of attention. It was understood by many
of the Fathers, and after them by Luther, Calvin, Grotius,
Olshauscn, and others, to mean the propitiatory, or mercy-seat,
jver the ark of the covenant, on which the high priest, on the
great day of atonement, sprinkled the blood of the sacrifices.
Here it was that God was propitiated, and manifested himself
as reconciled to his people. The ground of this interpretation

ROMANS III. 25. 143

is, that the original word here used is employed in the Septua-
gint as the designation of the niercy-seat, Exod. xxv. 18 — 20 ;
and often elsewhere. The meaning would then be, 'that God
had set forth Jesus Christ as a mercy-seat, as the place in
which, or the person in whom he was propitiated, and ready to
forgive and accept the sinner.' But the objections to this
interpretation are serious. 1. The use of the word by the
Greek translators of the Old Testament, probably arose from
a mistake of the proper meaning of the Hebrew term. The
Hebrew word means properly a cover; but as the verb whence
it comes means literally, to cover, and metaphorically, to atone
for, to propitiate, the Greek translators incorrectly rendered
the noun iAaaTr/peov, the Latin propitiatorium, and our trans
lators, the mercy-scat, a sense which rn£5 never has. It is,
therefore, in itself a wrong use of the Greek word. 2. This
interpretation is not consistent with the unalogv of Scripture.
The sncred writers are not accustomed to compare the Saviour
to the cover of the ark, nor to illustrate his work bv such :t
reference. This passage, if thus interpreted, would stand alone
in this respect. ->. According to this view, there is an obvious
incongruity in the figure. It is common to speak of the blood
of a sacrifice, but not of the blood of the mercy-seat. He-ides,
Paul in this very clause speaks of "his blood." See /h't//i/ii/it
Observationcs, Part II., sect. 41, and Krelxs Xew T<-xt<unent,
illustrated from the writings of Josephus.

The second interpretation supposes that the word //O////
(sacrifice) is to be supplied: 'Whom he has set forth as a pro
pitiatory sacrifice.' 1. In favour of this interpretation is the
etymology of the word. It is derived from tidaxowu, t<> (tjijtense,
to conciliate. Hence Ikacrcrjocoz, as an adjective, is applied to
anything designed to propitiate; as in the expressions "pro
pitiatory monument," fci propitiatory death." (Josephus, Ant,
XVI. 7. 1 Lib. <!<>• Mace., sect, IT. See Krcls on this verse.)
2. The use of analogous terms in reference to the sacrificial
services under the old dispensation, as acoTypioy, sacrijieium pro
salute, Exod. xx. 24, xxviii. 20, for which we have in Exod.
xxiv. 5, &'j(r!a ffcoTr/plou; so #^/'.'T^w#, thank-offerings^ TO
xa&dpffiov, the offering for jmrifaation. In keeping with all
these terms is the use of tiaa-cypeov (dr>/j.a) in the sense of

144 ROMANS III. 25.

propitiatory sacrifice. 3. The whole context favours this ex
planation, inasmuch as the apostle immediately speaks of the
blood of this sacrifice, and as his design is to show how the
gratuitous justification of men can be reconciled with the justice
of God. It is only a modification of this interpretation, if
llaaTifjOiov be taken substantively and rendered propitiation, as
is done in the Vulgate and by Beza.

The third interpretation assumes that IhaGryptov is here used
in the masculine gender, and means propitiator. This is the
explanation given by Scmler and Wahl; but this is contrary to
the usage of the word and inconsistent with the context. The
obvious meaning, therefore, of this important passage is, that

'God has publicly set forth the Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight
of the intelligent universe, as a propitiatory sacrifice for the

• sins of men. It is the essential idea of such a sacrifice, that it
is a satisfaction to justice. It terminates on God. Its primary
design is not to produce any subjective change in the offerer,

,but to appease God. Such is the meaning of the word, from
which we have no right to depart. Such also is the idea which
it of necessity would convey to every Gentile and every Jewish
reader, and therefore such was the idea which the apostle
intended to express. For if we are not to understand the
language of the Bible in its historical sense, that is, in the
sense in which the sacred writers knew it would be understood
by those to whom they wrote, it ceases to have any determinate
meaning whatever, and may be explained according to the
private opinion of every interpreter. But if such be the mean
ing of these words, then they conclusively teach that the ground
of our justification is no subjective change in us, but the propi
tiatory sacrifice of Christ. Olshausen, who elsewhere plainly
teaches the doctrine of subjective justification, in his comment
on this verse, admits the common Church doctrine. lie denies
that the work of Christ terminates on the sinner. "Every
sacrifice," he says, "proposed to expiate the guilt of man, and
to appease the wrath of God, consequently the sacrifice of all
sacrifices, in which alone all others have any truth, must
accomplish that which they only symbolized." The doctrine
of the Scotists, he adds, of gratuita acceptatio, refutes itself,
because God can never take a thing for what it is not, and

ROMANS III. 25. 145

therefore cannot accept as a satisfaction what is no satisfaction.
Grotius's view of an acceptilatio, which amounts to the same
thin" with the doctrine of Scotus, and resolves the atonement

o

into a mere governmental display, (a popular theory reproduced
as a novelty in the American Churches,) he also rejects. lie
says, "So there remains nothing but the acute theory of
Ansclm, properly understood, of a satisfactio vivaria, which
completely agrees with the teachings of Scripture, and meets
the demands of science."* According to Olshausen, therefore,
("die tiefste Erorterungen,") the profoundest disclosures of
modern science have at last led back to the simple old doctrine
of a real vicarious satisfaction to the justice of God, as the)
ground of the sinner's justification.

Through faith. These words, o'.a -:(TTSU)~, may be connected
with dixa'.o'jjjLS,vot as coordinate with nrj\ d,~o).'JTp«)azco~: * Being
justified fhruU'/h tin' r>'il<'tt}/>fi"ti. tliat is, being justified through
faith.'' "But this breaks the connection between -yos'/s-o ami
£:\~ sWcf-/v. Meyer connects both oca Ttlarscoz and zi> ~cu aifjiaTt
witli -fiitzt'Jzro: 'God liatli, by means of faith, by his blood, set
forth Christ as a propitiation.' But the faith of man is not tho
means by which God set forth Christ. The most natural con
nection is with IXacrrijtHoy) 'a propitiation through faith,' i. <l.
which is received or appropriated through faith. It is a moro
doubtful question how the words /// ///* ll«ml are to be con
nected. The most obvious construction is that adopted in our
version, as well as in the Vulgate, and by Luther, Calvin,
Olshausen, and many others, 'Through faith in his blood;' so
that the blood of Christ, as a propitiatory sacrifice, is the
ground of the confidence expressed in rr.'Vrr.'C, ;*in Christ! san
guine repositam habenm< fiduciam." Calrin. To this it is
objected, that the construction of -rVrr.'c with ^v is altogether
unauthorized. But there are so many cases in the Xew Testa
merit in which this construction must be admitted, unless
violence be resorted to, that this objection cannot be allowed
much weight. See Gal. iii. 20, Eph. i. 15, Col. i. 4, 1 Tim. iii. 13,
2 Tim. iii. 15. Others connect both oca -'.GTZCO^ and sv r«7

* So bleibt nur die richti^ verst;in>le hOchst scharfsinnige Anselmischo
Theorip (satisfactio vicaria) als diejetiige iibrig, die der Schriftlehre eben so
sehr geuilgt, als den Ansprucher der Wissensckaft.

10

146 ROMANS III. 25.

at [mil as distinct qualifying clauses with fdaartjp>ov; the former,
as De "VYettc says, expressing tlic means of the subjective appro
priation, the other the means of the objective exhibition. That
is, i God has set forth Christ as a propitiation, which is availa
ble through faith, and he is a propitiation by his blood.' Still
another method is to connect in TW at pare with ou: i Whom God
has set forth in his blood as a propitiation.' The construction
first mentioned, and sanctioned by the translators of the English
Bible, gives a perfectly good sense, and is most agreeable tp
the collocation of the words. The blood of Christ is an ex
pression used in obvious reference to the sacrificial character
of his death. It was not his death as a witness or as an exam-
pie, but as a sacrifice, that expiates sin. And by his blood, ii
not to be understood simply his death, but his whole work for
our redemption, especially all his expiatory sufferings from the
beginning to the end of his life.

This whole passage, which Olshausen happily calls the "Acro
polis of the Christian faith," is of special importance. It
teaches that we are justified in a manner which is entirely of
grace, without any merit of our own; through, or by means
of faith, and on the ground of the propitiatory sacrifice of Jesus
Christ. It is evident from this statement, that Paul intended to
exclude from all participation in the meritorious ground of our
acceptance with God, not only those works performed in obedi
ence to the law, and with a legal spirit, but those which flow
from faith and a renewed heart. The part assigned to faith in
the work of our reconciliation to God is that of an instrument ;
it apprehends or appropriates the meritorious ground of our
acceptance, the work or righteousness of Christ. It is not
itself that ground, nor the means of attaining an inherent
righteousness acceptable to God. This is obvious, 1. Because
our justification would not then be gratuitous, or without works.
Paul would then teach the very reverse of the doctrine which
he has been labouring to establish, viz. that it is not on account
of works of righteousness, i. e. works of the highest order of
excellence, that we are accepted, since these works would then
be the real ground of our acceptance. 2. Because we are said
to be justified by faith of which Christ is the object, by faith
in his blood, by faith in him as a sacrifice. These expressions

ROMANS III. 25. 147

cannot possibly mean, that faith in Christ is, or produces, a
state of mind which is acceptable to God. Faith in a sacrifice
is, by the very force of the terms, reliance on a sacrifice. It
would be to contradict the sentiment of the whole ancient and
Jewish world, to make the design of a sacrifice the production
of a state of mind acceptable to the Being worshipped, which
moral state was to be the ground of acceptance. There is no
more pointed way of denying that we are justified on account
of the state of our own hearts, or the character of our own acts,
than by saying that we are justified by a propitiatory sacri
fice. This latter declaration places of necessity the ground of
acceptance out of ourselves ; it is something done for us, not
something experienced, or produced in us, or performed by us.
There is no rule of interpretation more obvious and more]
important than that which requires us to understand the lan-j
guage of a writer in the sense in which he knew lie would bei
understood by the persons to whom he wrote. To explain,
therefore, the language of the apostle in reference to the sacri
fice of Christ, and the mode of our acceptance with God, other
wise than in accorda-nce with the universally prevalent opinions
on the nature of sacrifices, is to .substitute our philosophy of
religion for the inspired teachings of the sacred writers.

To declare Jus righteousness for the /v////xxAy^ of $in# tlmt arc.
past, through the forbearance of (<<>/]. Having stated the
nature arid ground of the gospel method of justification, Paul
comes, in this clause, to state its object: 'God has set forth
Christ, as a propitiatory sacrifice, to declare his righteousness.'
It should be remembered that the object of the death of Christ,
being very comprehensive, is variously presented in the Avord
of God. In other words, the death of Christ answers a great
number of infinitely important ends in the government of God.
It displays "his manifold wisdom,'' Eph. iii. 10, 11; it was
designed "to purify unto himself a people zealous of good
works," Titus ii. 14; to break down the distinction between the
Jews and Gentiles, Eph. ii. 15; to effect the reconciliation of
both Jews and Gentiles unto God, Eph. ii. 10; "to deliver us
from this present evil world," Gal. i. 4 ; to secure the forgive
ness of sins, Eph. i. 7; to vindicate his ways to men, in so long
passing by or remitting their sins, Rom. iii. 25; to reconcile the

148 ROMANS III. 25.

exercise of mercy with the requirements of justice, ver. 26, &c.
These ends are not inconsistent, but perfectly harmonious.
The end here specially mentioned is, to declare his righteous
ness. These words here, as elsewhere, are variously explained.
1. They are understood of some one of the moral attributes
of God, as his veracity, by Locke ; or his mercy, by Grotius,
Koppe, and many of the moderns. Both of these interpreta
tions are forced, because they assign very unusual meanings to
the word righteousness, and meanings little suited to the con
text. 2. Most commentators, who render the phrase 'right-
Jeousness, or justification of God,' in chap. i. 17, iii. 21, God's
method of justification, adopt that sense here. The meaning
| would then be, that ' God had set forth Christ as a propitia-
< tion, to exhibit his method of justification, both in reference to
! the sins committed under the old dispensation, and those com-
; mitted under the new.' But this is inconsistent with the
i meaning of duaioa'jvr^ which never has the sense of "method
, of justification," and is unsuitcd to the context. 3. The great
majority of commentators understand the dr/.awa'jvs] 6zorj here
spokcn'of to be the justice of God. This is the proper meaning
of the terms, and this the context demands. Justice is the
attribute with which the remission, or passing by, of sins with
out punishment, seemed to be in conflict, and which therefore
: required vindication. It was necessary that the justice of God
should be publicly exhibited, because he forgave sin. Besides,
the apostle himself explains what he means by ar/a.'ocr'j^, when
he adds that God set forth Christ as a propitiation, in order
that he miyht be just, and yet justify the ungodly. The satis
faction of justice therefore was the immediate and specific end
of the death of Christ, This was indeed a means to a higher
end. Justice was satisfied, in order that men might be sancti
fied and saved ; and men are sanctified and saved, in order that
might be known, in the ages to come, the exceeding riches of
| the grace of God.

For the remission of sins, o:a rr^ xdpsffw, x.r.L This admits
of different explanations. 1. Some give oca with the accusa
tive the same force as with the genitive ; through the forgive
ness of sins. That is, the righteousness of God was manifested
bv means of remitting sins. This is contrary to the proper

ROMANS III. 25. 149

meaning of the words, and supposes that daaioa'jvy means good
ness. Beza, however, adopts this view, and renders the words,
per remissionem; so also Reiche, Koppe, and others. 2. It is
taken to mean, as to, as it regards. This gives a good sense,
' To declare his righteousness, as to, or as it regards the remis
sion of sins.' So Raphelius, (Observations, &c., p. 241,) who
quotes Polybius, Lib. 5, ch. 24, p. 517, in support of this inter
pretation. This view is given by Professor Stuart. But the
preposition in question very rarely if ever has this force. No
such meaning is assigned to it by Wahl, Bretschneider, or
'Winer. 3. The common force of the preposition is retained,
on account of. This clause would then assign the ground or
reason of the exhibition of the righteousness of God. It became
necessary that there should be this exhibition, because God had
overlooked or pardoned sin from the beginning. This is the
most natural and satisfactory interpretation of the passage. So
the Vulgate, proptcr remissionem, and almost all the moderns.
4. Others again make the preposition express the final cause or
object, "To declare his righteousness for the sake of the remis
sion of sins,' i. e. that sins might be remitted. So Calvin, who
says, u Tantundcm valet pnepositio causalis, acsi dixisset,
remission is ergo, vel in hunc finem ut peccata deleret. Atque
haec deh'nitio vel exegesis rursus confirmat quod jam aliquoties
monui, 11011 justificari homines, quia re ipsa tales siut, sed
imputatione." But this is a very questionable force of the pre
position: see Winer s Gram., § 5o, a. The third interpretation,
therefore, just mentioned, is to be preferred. The word Ttdpzats,
remission, more strictly means pretermission, a p((sxui</ J>>f, or
overlooking. Paul repeatedly uses the proper term for r<' //fis
sion (dtfsat^j) as in Eph. i. 7, lleb. ix. 22, *S:c.; but the word
here used occurs nowhere else in the Xrw Testament. Many,
therefore, consider the selection of this particular term as
designed to express the idea, that sins committed before the
advent of Christ might more properly be said to be overlooked,
than actually pardoned, until the sacrifice of the Redeemer had
been completed ; sen,1 Wolfs Curce. Reference is made to Acts
xvii. 80, where God is said to have overlooked the times of
ignorance. Hut as the word used by the apostle is actually
used to express the idea of remission, in Greek writers, (see

150 ROMANS III. 25.

Eisner,) the majority of commentators adopt that meaning here.
/The words ndpeact; and aipzcrcz express the same thing, but under
different aspects. They differ only as not punishing, and par
doning. To say that God did not punish sins under the old
.dispensation, is only a different way of saying that he pardoned
them. So "not to impute iniquity" is the negative statement
of justification. This passage, however, is one of the few which
the Romanists quote in support of their doctrine that there was
no real pardon, justification, or salvation, before the advent of
Christ. The ancient believers at death, according to their doc
trine, did not pass into heaven, but into the limit us patrum,
(where they continued in a semi-conscious state until Christ's
descensus ad inferos for their deliverance. The moden trans
cendental theologians of Germany, who approach Romanism in
/so many other points, agree with the Papists also here. Thus
Olshausen says, " Under the Old Testament there was no real,
but only a symbolical forgiveness of sins." Our Lord, however,
/speaks of Abraham as in heaven; and the Psalms are filled
:with petitions and thanksgiving for God's pardoning mercy.

The words, that are past, seem distinctly to refer to the times
before the advent of Christ. This is plain from their opposition
to the expression, at this time, in the next, verse, and from a
comparison with the parallel passage in Ileb. ix. 15, a lie is the
Mediator for the redemption of sins that were under the first
testament." The words lv TTJ lw%9j, rendered through the for
bearance of Crodj admit of different explanations. 1. They may
\>e connected with the words just mentioned, and the meaning
be, ' Sins that are past, or, which were committed during the
forbearance of God;' see Acts xvii. 20, where the times before
the advent are described in much the same manner. 2. Or they
may be taken, as by our translators, as giving the cause of the
remission of these sins, ; They were remitted, or overlooked
through the divine forbearance or mercy.' Forgiveness however
is always referred to grace, not to forbearance. The former
interpretation is also better suited to the context. The mean
ing of the whole verse therefore is, ' God has set forth Jesus
Christ as a propitiatory sacrifice, to vindicate his righteousness
or justice, on account of the remission of the sins committed
under the former dispensation;' and not under the former

ROMANS III. 26. Icl

dispensation only, but also in the remission of sins at the pre
sent time, as the apostle immediately adds. The interpretation
of the latter part of this verse, given above, according to which
TOL "ooyz^o^oia. &uv.oTrj[JLv~GL, (the sins before cotiinuttcd^ mean
the sins committed before the coming of Christ, is that which
both the context and the analogy of Scripture demand. In the
early Church, however, there were some who held that there is
no forgiveness for post-baptismal sins — a doctrine recently
reproduced in England by the Rev. Dr. Pusey. The advocates
of this doctrine make this passage teach that Christ was set
forth as a propitiation for the forgiveness of sins committed
before baptism, that is, before conversion or the professed
adoption of the gospel. Ruckert and Keiclie, among the recent
German writers, give the same interpretation. This would
alter the whole character of the gospel. There could be no
salvation for any human being; for all men sin hourlv, after as
well as before baptism or conversion. ^So man at anv moment
of his life is perfectly conformed to the law of God. Conscience
always pronounces sentence against us. There could be no
peace in believing, no imputation or possession of righteousness.
"We should not now be under grace, but under law, as com
pletely as though Christ had never died.

VERSE 2G. T<> declare, I say, his righteousness, &C. This
clause is a resumption of what was said before. -<><)' l^nn^rj
being coordinate with the foregoing £.'~ z^n-.'.^:^, both depending
upon ~<n)ii.H-o: 'He set him forth sr- and — ~'//c.' The two
prepositions have the same sense, as both expiv>s the design or
object for which anything is done: 'Christ was set forth as a
sacrifice for the manifestation of the righteousness of God, on
account of the remission of the sins of old—/'"/- t/i>- )n<tnif<'xta-
tion of his righteousness at this time.' There were two pur
poses to be answered; the vindication of the character of God
in passing by former sins, and in passing them by now. The
words sv T(i> yji; '/M.cnuJ, (at tin* fi//n>.) therefore stand opposed
to Iv rj duoyjj, (during the forbearance.) The death of Christ
vindicated the justice of God in forgiving sin in all ages of the
world, as those sins were by the righteous God, y.s Olshaiiben
Bays, "punished in Christ."

That he might be just, &c.. £/c TO €cs(u «'jrov dixcuov^ in order

152 ROMANS III. 26.

that, as expressing the design, and not merely the result of the
exhibition of Christ as a propitiatory sacrifice. This clause
therefore expresses more definitely what is meant by e^ £i<dse~ci>
dixcuoauvr^. Christ was set forth as a sacrifice for the mani
festation of the righteousness or justice of God, that is, that he
might be just, although the justifier of the ungodly. The word
<ju$t expresses the idea of uprightness generally, of being or
doing what the nature of the case demands. But when spoken
of the conduct of a judge, and in reference to his treatment of
sin, it must mean more specifically that modification of general
rectitude, which requires that sin should be treated according
to its true nature, that the demands of law or justice should not
be disregarded. A judge is unjust when he allows a criminal
to be pronounced righteous, and treated accordingly. On the
other hand, he acts justly when he pronounces the offender
guilty, and secures the infliction of the penalty which the law
denounces. What the apostle means to say is, that there is no
such disregard to the claims of justice in the justification of the
sinner who believes in Christ. This is seen and acknowledged,
when it is known that he is justified neither on account of his
own acts or character, nor by a mere sovereign dispensing with
the demands of the law, but on the ground of a complete satis
faction rendered by his substitute, i. e. on the ground of the
obedience and death of Christ. The gratuitous nature of this
Justification is not at all affected by its proceeding on the
i ground of this perfect satisfaction. It is, to the sinner, still the
most undeserved of all favours, to which he not only has not the
shadow of a personal claim, but the very reverse of which he
has most richly merited. It is thus that justice and mercy are
harmoniously united in the sinner's justification. Justice is no
less justice, although mercy has her perfect work ; and mercy
is no less mercy, although justice is completely satisfied.

'Just and the justifier,' &c. In the simple language of the
Old Testament, propositions and statements are frequently con
nected by the copulative conjunction whose logical relation
would be more definitely expressed by various particles in other
languages; as Malachi ii. 14, "Against whom tliou hast dealt
treacherously, and she was thy companion," i. e. although she
was thy companion. " They spake in my name, and (although)

ROMANS III. 26. 153

I sent them not;" see G-eseniuss Lexicon. In like manner the
corresponding particle in the Greek Testament is used with
scarcely less latitude. Matt. xii. 5, " The priests profane the
Sabbath, and (and yet) are blameless;" Rom. i. 13, " T pur
posed to come unto you, and (but) was let hitherto;" Heb.
iii. 9, "Proved me, and (although the?/) saw my works;" see
WahVs Lex. and Winers G-ram., § 57. So in the present
instance it may be rendered, "That God might be just, and
yet, or altliowjli the justifier," &c. Him which believeth in
Jesus, literally, 'Him who is of the faith of Jesus;" so Gal.
ii. 7, "They which are of faith," for believers; Gal. ii. 12,
"They of the circumcision," i. e. the circumcised; see Rom.
ii. 8, iv. 12, &c. Faith of JCKUS, faith of which Jesus is the
object ; see ver. 22. Our version therefore expresses the sense
accurately, lie whom God is just in justifying, is the man who
relies on Jesus as a propitiatory sacrifice. That justification id
a forensic act, is of necessity implied in this passage. If to
justify was to make subjectively just or righteous, what neces
sity was there for the sacrifice of Christ? Why should he die,
in order that it might be just in God to render men holy ? It
were an act of mercy to make the vilest malefactor good; but
to justify such a malefactor would be to trample justice under
foot. The doctrine therefore of subjective justification perverts
the whole gospel. It is worthy of remark, that the orthodox
interpretation of the meaning of this whole paragraph is
acknowledged to be correct, even by those who cannot them
selves receive the doctrine which it teaches. Thus Kollner, one
of the latest and most candid of the German commentators,
says: "It is clear that the true sense of this passage entirely
agrees with the doctrine of the Church concerning vicarious
satisfaction, as unfolded in the Lutheran symbols. Neverthe
less, although it is certain that Paul intended to teach the doc
trine of vicarious satisfaction, not merely as a figure, (or in the
way of accommodation.) but as a matter of full personal con
viction ; yet it is easy to see how he was necessarily led to
adopt this view, from the current opinions of the age in which
he lived." He proceeds to show that as the idea of vicarious
punishment was incorporated in the Jewish theology, the guilt
of the offender being laid upon the head of the victim offered in

154 ROMANS III. 27.

sacrifice, Paul was unavoidably led to conceive of the work oi
Christ under this form. As, however, this theory, according
to Kollner, arose out of a false view of the nature of God, and
of his relation to the world, he cannot regard it as a divine
revelation. He proceeds to unfold what he supposes to be
the eternal truth contained under these Jewish ideas, (unter
der Hiille der Zeitvorstellungen,) and presents very much the
governmental view of the atonement introduced by Grotius, and
reproduced in this country by the younger Edwards and his
followers. "Did Paul," says Kollner, "merely teach that God
made a symbolical exhibition of justice in the sufferings of
Christ, we might acquiesce in his teaching, but he says more;
he constantly asserts that men are justified or constituted right
eous through the blood of Christ, iii. 21, v. 19, Eph. i. 7, Col.
i. 14." Such writers arc at least free from the guilt of per
verting the word of God. They allow the Bible to mean what

.it says, although they refuse to submit to its teaching. This is
better than not only refusing to submit, but forcing the Scrip-

, tures to teach our own foregone conclusions. In Germany, the
subjection of the Bible to philosophy has come to an end. In
this country, it is still struggling for liberty. It is desirable
that the separation should here, as there, be made complete,
between those who bow to the authority of the word of God,
and those who acknowledge some higher rule of faith. Then

'both parties can agree as to what the Bible really teaches.

VERSE 27. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By
what law? of works? Nay; but by the law of faith. In this
and the following verses the apostle presents the tendency and
results of the glorious plan of salvation, which he had just
unfolded. It excludes boasting, ver. 27. It presents God in
his true character, as the God and Father of the Gentiles as well
as of the Jews, vs. 29, 30 ; and it establishes the law, ver. 81.
The word v.wjyrtaiz (boasting,) is used to express the idea of self-
gratulation with or without sufficient reason. In the former
case, it is properly rendered rejoicing, as when Paul speaks of
the Thessalonians being his "crown of rejoicing." In the
latter, the word boasting is the correct version. The word
properly means the act of boasting or rejoicing; at times, by
metonymy, the ground or reason of boasting, as in Rom. xv. 17.

ROMANS III. 28. 155

Either sense suits this passage. The article ,j xavffifftz, the
boasting, may have its appropriate force. The reference how
ever is not specially to ver. 1 of this chapter, the boasting of
the Jews over the Gentiles, but the boasting of the sinner before
God. The latter however includes the former. A plan of sal
vation which strips every man of merit, and places all sinners
on the same level before God, of course cuts off all assumption
of superiority of one class over another. Paul means to say
that the result of the gospel plan of salvation is to prevent all
self-approbation, self-gratulation and exaltation on the part of
the sinner. He is presented as despoiled of all merit, and as
deserving the displeasure of God. He can attribute, in no
degree, his deliverance from this displeasure to himself, and he
cannot exalt himself either in the presence of God, or in com
parison with his fellow-sinners. As sin is odious in the sight
of God, it is essential, in any scheme of mercy, that the sinner
should be made to feel this, and that nothing done by or for him
should in any measure diminish his sense of personal ill-desert
on account of his transgressions. This result obviously could
not follow from any plan of justification that placed the ground
of the sinner's acceptance in himself, or his peculiar advantages
of birth 01- ecclesiastical connection ; but it is eil'cctually secured
by that plan of justification which not only places the ground
of his acceptance entirely out of himself, but which also requires,
as the very condition of that acceptance, an act involving a
penitent acknowledgment of personal ill-desert, and exclusive
dependence on the merit of another. In this connection, the
phrases '-by what law," "'the law of works," and "the law of
faith," are peculiar, as the word VO/JLO^ (law} is not used in its
ordinary sense. The general idea, however, of a rule- <>f <x-l/<>u
is retained. fc I>y what rule? ]}y that which requires works?
Nay: by that which requires faith.' By the ulaw of faith,"
therefore, is obviously meant the gospel. Compare ix. -51.

YKRSK i^S. Tlu'rcfnre we conclude, &c. The common text
has o5v, t/n'r<'f<»'»'i giving this verse the character of a conclu
sion from the preceding argument. The great majority, how
ever, of the best manuscripts, the Vulgate and Coptic versions,
and many of the Fathers, have ^o, which almost all the modern
editors adopt. This verse then is a confirmation of what is said

156 ROMANS III. 28.

before: 'Boasting is excluded, ),o^^6/2e&a -f6.(>, for we think,
i. e. are sure,' &c. See ii. 3, viii. 18, 2 Cor. xi. 5, for a similar
use of the word ^l^ 0/201. That a man is justified by faith.
If by faith, it is not of works ; and if not of works, there can
be no room for boasting, for boasting is the assertion of per
sonal merit. From the nature of the case, if justification is by
faith, it must be by faith alone. Luther's version, therefore,
allcin durcli den glauben, is fully justified by the context. The
Romanists, indeed, made a great outcry against that version as
a gross perversion of Scripture, although Catholic translators
before the time of Luther had given the same translation. So
in the Nuremberg Bible, 1483, "Nur durch den glauben."
And the Italian Bibles of Geneva, 1476, and of Venice, 1538,
per sola fede. The Fathers also often use the expression,
"man is justified by faith alone;" so that Erasmus, De Ratione
Concionandi, Lib. III., says, "Vox sola, tot clamoribus lapi-
data hoc sieculo in Luthero, reverenter in Patribus auditur."
See Koppe and Tholuck on this verse.

Without ivories of the law. To be justified without works, is
to be justified without anything in ourselves to merit justifica
tion. The works of the law must be the works of the moral
law, because the proposition is general, embracing Gentiles as
well as Jews. And as our Saviour teaches that the sum of the
moral law is that we should love God with all the heart, mind,
and strength, and our neighbour as ourselves, and as no higher
form of excellence than supreme love to God is possible or con
ceivable, in excluding works of the law, the apostle excludes
everything subjective. He places the ground of justification
out of ourselves. Olshauscn, on this verse, reverts to his
Romish idea of subjective justification, and explains ^vorJcs of
the law to mean works produced by the moral law, which he
says spring only from ourselves, and are perishable, whereas
"the works of faith are imperishable as the principle whence
they spring." That is, we are not justified by works performed
from a principle of natural conscience, but by those which are
the fruits of a renewed nature. How utterly subversive this is
,of the gospel, has already been remarked. The works of the
law are not works which the law produces, but works which the
, law deman Is, and the law demands all that the Spirit of God

ROMANS III. 29, 30. 157

effects, even in the just made perfect. And thercfoie spiritual
as well as legal works are excluded. The contrast is not
between works produced by the law and works produced by
faith, but between works and faith, between what is done by
us (whether in a state of nature or a state of grace) and what
Christ has done for us.

VERSES 2!>, 30. Is he the Grod of the Jews only? is he not,
also of the Crentiles? Yes, of tJte G-entiles also; seeing it is"
one God who shall justify, tS:c. We have here the second result
of the gospel method of justification; it presents Gud as
equally the God of the Gentiles and of the Jews, lie is such,
because 'it is one God who justifies the circumcision by faith,
and the uncircumcision through faith.' lie deals with both
classes on precisely the same principles; he pursues, with
regard to both, the same plan, and offers salvation to both on
exactly the same terms. There is, therefore, in this doctrine,
the foundation laid for a universal religion, which may be
preached to every creature under heaven; which need not, as
was the case with the Jewish system, be confined to anv one
sect or nation. This is the only doctrine which suits the cha
racter of God, and his relation to all his intelligent creatures
upon earth. God is a universal, and not a national God; and
this is a method of salvation universally applicable. These
sublime truths are so familial1 to our minds that tliev have, in a
measure, lost their power; but as to the Jew, enthralled all his
life in ins narrow national ami religious prejudices, tliev must
have expanded his whole soul with unwonted emotions of
wonder, gratitude, and joy. AVe Gentiles may now look up to
heaven, and confidently say, u Thou art our Father, though
Abraham be ignorant of us, and though Israel acknowledge us
not."

Paul here, as in ver. 20, uses the future, daawHrx, will
justify, not for the present, nor in reference to the final judg
ment, but as expressing a permanent purpose. There is no
distinction as to the meaning to be sought between £* -rVrrso;,
(Inj faith) and o:a -ia-zcoz (through faith.) as Paul uses both
forms indiscriminately; ex, for example, in i. IT, iii. 20, iv
10, &c., and d'.d in iii. 22, 25, Gal. ii. 1C, and sometimes first
the one, and then the other, in the same connection. There is

158 ROMANS III. 31.

no greater difference between the Greek prepositions, as here
used, than between the English l)ij and through.

VERSE 31. Do ive then make void the law through faith?
God forbid: yea, we establish the law. This verse states the
third result of this method of salvation ; instead of invalidating,
it establishes the law. As Paul uses the word law in so many
senses, it is doubtful which one of them is here principally
intended. In every sense, however, the declaration is true.
If the law means the Old Testament generally, then it is true ;
for the gospel method of justification contradicts no one of its
statements, is inconsistent with no one of its doctrines, and
invalidates no one of its promises, but is harmonious with all,
and confirmatory of the whole. If it means the Mosaic insti
tutions specially, these were shadows of which Christ is the
substance. That law is abolished, not by being pronounced
spurious or invalid, but by having met its accomplishment, and
answered its design in the gospel. What it taught and promised,
the gospel also teaches and promises, only in clearer and fuller
measure. If it means the moral law, which no doubt was pro
minently intended, still it is not invalidated, but established.
No moral obligation is weakened, no penal sanction disregarded.
The precepts arc enforced by new and stronger motives, and the
penalty is answered in Him who bore our sins in his own body
on the tree. " Ubi vero ad Christum ventum est," says Calvin,
" priinum in eo invenitur exacta Legis justitia, qua) per imputa-
tionem ctiam nostra fit. Deinde sanctificatio, qua formantur
corda nostra ad Legis observationem, imperfectam quidem illam,
sed ad scopum collimat." Instead of making vcr. 31 the close
of the third chapter, many commentators regard it as more
properly the beginning of the fourth. The proposition that the
gospel, instead of invalidating, establishes the law, they say is
too important to be dismissed with a mere categorical assertion.
This, however, is Paul's method. After showing that the law
cannot save, that both justification and sanctification are by the
gospel, he is wont to state in a sentence what is the true end
of the law, or that the law and the gospel being both from God,
but designed for different ends, are not in conflict. See above,
ver. 20, Gal. iii. 19, 20. If this verse, however, be made
the beginning of the exhibition contained in the following

ROMANS III. 21—31. 159

chapter, then by law must be understood the Old Testament,
and the confirmation of the law by the gospel consists in the
fact that the latter teaches the same doctrine as the former.
4 Do we make void the law by teaching that justification is by
faith? By no means: we establish the law; for the Old Testa
ment itself teaches that Abraham and David were justified
gratuitously by faith, and without works.' Although the sense
is thus good, there does not appear to be any sufficient reason
for departing from the common division of the chapters. The
next chapter is not connected with this verse by f(in, which
vthe sense would demand, if the connection was what Meyer,
De Wette, and others would make it: 'We establish the law
when we teach faith, for Abraham was justified by faith.' The
connecting particle is simply ofo, then, and gives a very dif
ferent sense. Besides, it is a very subordinate object with the
apostle to prove that the law and the gospel agree. His design
is to teach the true method of justification. The cases of Abra
ham and David are referred to, to prove his doctrine on that
point, and not merely the agreement between the old dispensa
tion and the new.

DOCTRINE.

1. The evangelical doctrine of justification by faith is the
doctrine of the Old, no less than of the Xew Testament, ver. 21.

2. Justification is pronouncing one to be just, and treating
him accordingly, on the ground that the demands of the law
have been satisfied concerning him, vs. 24 — 2»J.

•1 The ground of justification is not our own merit, nor faith,
nor evangelical obedience: not the work of Christ in us, but his
work for us, i. e. his obedience unto death, ver. 25.

4. An act may be perfectly gratuitous as regards its object,
and at the same time proceed on the ground of a complete
satisfaction to the demands of the law. Thus justification is
gratuitous, not because those demands are unsatisfied, but
because it is granted to those who have no personal ground of
recommendation, vs. 24, 26

5. God is the ultimate end of all his own acts. To declare
his glory is the highest and best end which he can propose for
himself or his creatures, ver. 25.

160 ROMANS III. 21-31.

6. The atonement does not consist in a display to others cf
the divine justice. This is one of its designs and results ; but
it is such a display only by being a satisfaction to the justice
of God. It is not a symbol or illustration, but a satisfac
tion, ver. 26.

7. All true doctrine tends to humble men, and to exalt
God; and all true religion is characterized by humility arid
reverence, ver. 27.

8. God is a universal Father, and all men are brethren,
vs. 29, 30.

9. The law of God is immutable. Its precepts are always'
binding, and its penalty must be inflicted either on the sinner
or his substitute. When, however, it is said that the penalty
of the law is inflicted on the Redeemer, as the sinner's substi
tute, or, in the language of Scripture, that "he was made a
curse for us," it cannot be imagined that he suffered the same
kind of evils (as remorse, &c.) which the sinner would have suf
fered. The law threatens no specific kind of evil as its penalty.
The term death, in Scripture, designates any or all of the evils
inflicted in punishment of sin. And the penalty, or curse of
the law, (in the language of the Bible,) is any evil judicially
inflicted in satisfaction of the demands of justice. To say,
therefore, that Christ suffered to satisfy the law, to declare
the righteousness of God, or that he might be just in justifying
him that believes in Jesus, and to say that he bore the penalty
of the law, are equivalent expressions, ver. 31.

REMARKS.

1. As the cardinal doctrine of the Bible is justification by
faith, so the turning point in the soul's history, the saving act,
is the reception of Jesus Christ as the propitiation for our
sins, ver. 25.

2. All modes of preaching must be erroneous, which do not
lead sinners to feel that the great thing to be done, and done
first, is to receive the Lord Jesus Christ, and to turn unto
God through him. And all religious experience must be de
fective, which does not embrace distinctly a sense of the justice
of our condemnation, and a conviction of the sufficiency of

ROMANS IV. 1—17. 1G1

the work of Christ, and an exclusive reliance upon it as such,

3. As God purposes his own glory as the end of all that he
docs, so ought we to have that glory as the constant and com
mand in <z object of pursuit, ver. -•">.

4. The doctrine of atonement produces in us its proper effect,
when it leads us to see and feel that Clod is just ; that lie is
infinitely gracious ; that we arc deprived of all ground of boast
ing ; that the wav of salvation, which is open for us, is open
for all men ; and that the motives to all duty, instead of being
weakened, are enforced and multiplied, vs. "2~> -\\.

5. In the gospel all is harmonious: justice and mercy, as it
regards (!<>d ; freedom from the1 law, and the strongest obliga
tions to obedience, as it regards men, vs. 2f), :',!.

CHAPTER IV.

CONTENTS.

THE object of this chapter is to confirm the doctrine of justifi
cation bv faith. It is divided into two parts. 'Flic first, from
ver. 1 to IT inclusive, contains the argumentative portion. The
second, ver. 18 to -.">, is an illustration of the faith of Abraham.

ROMANS IV. 1—17.

ANALYSIS.

PAUL, from the 21st verse of the preceding chapter, had been
getting forth the gospel method of salvation. That this is the
true method he now proves, 1. From the fact t'li^t Abraham
was justified by faith, vs. 1 — ">. That this was really the case
he shows, first, because otherwise Abraham would have had
ground of boasting, even in the sight of God, ver. 2; second,
because the Scriptures expressly declare that he was justified
by faith, ver. 8. Verses 4, 5, are designed to show that being
11

162 ROMANS IV. 1.

justified by faith is tantamount with being justified gratu
itously, and therefore all those passages which speak of the
gratuitous forgiveness of sins may be fairly cited in favour of
the doctrine of justification by faith. 2. On this principle he
adduces Ps. xxxii. 1, 2, as his second argument ; for there
David speaks not of rewarding the righteous as such, or for
their righteousness, but of the free acceptance of the unworthy,
vs. 6 — 8. 3. The third argument is designed to show that cir
cumcision is not a necessary condition of justification, from the
fact that Abraham was justified before he was circumcised, and
therefore is the head and father of all believers, whether cir
cumcised or not, vs. 9—12. 4. The fourth argument is from
the nature of the covenant made with Abraham, in which the
promise was made on the condition of faith, and not of legal
obedience, vs. 13, 14. 5. And the fifth, from the nature of the
law, vs. 15 — 17.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 1. What shall we then say that Abraham, our father
as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? The connection of this
verse with the preceding train of reasoning is obvious, Paul
had taught that we are justified by faith ; as well in confirma
tion of this doctrine, as to anticipate an objection from the Jew,
he refers to the case of Abraham : ' How was it then with
Abraham? How did he obtain justification?' The point in
dispute was, how justification is to be attained. Paul proposes
to decide the question by reference to a case about which no
one could doubt. All admitted that Abraham was justified.
The only question was, How? The particle ow, therefore, is
not inferential, but simply indicates transition. What then
shall we say about Abraham? In the question, however, re
obv IOGV//SV, x.r.l. the ri belongs to euor^xsvac: ' What shall we
say that Abraham hath found?' i. e. attained. The words
xara ffdoxa do not belong to 7r#r£/>«, ' our father according to
the flesh,' but to the preceding infinitive, sbpyxevcu, 'what hath
he attained through the flesh?' Although the question is inde
finite, the connection shows that Paul meant to ask whether
Abraham secured justification before God, xara adpxa. through

ROMANS IV. 2. 163

the flesh. The word flesh admits in this connection of different1
explanations. Calvin says it is equivalent to naturaliter, ex'
seipso, and Grotius much to the same effect, propriis viribus,
* through his own resources.' Not much different from this is
the explanation of Meyer, Tholuck, and De Wettc — naeh sein
memcldieherWeise — that is, after a purely human way; so that
ffdo: stands opposed to the divine ll^^aa, (Holy Spirit.) If
this^implies that Abraham was not justified by natural, but was
justified by spiritual works, (works done after regeneration,) it ^
contradicts the whole teaching of the apostle. This, however,
though naturally suggested as the meaning of the passage as
thus explained, is not the doctrine of either of the commenta
tors just named. Paul gives his own interpretation of y.a~a
ffdoxa in the following verse: 'Did Abraham,' he a>ks, 'attain
justification according to the flesh? No, for if he was justified
by works, he hath whereof to boast.' It is plain that he uses
the two expressions, ae<'<>r<lin<i t<> the fl<>*h and by works, as
equivalent. This meaning of adt>z is easily explained. Paul
uses the word for what is external, as opposed to what is inter
nal and spiritual, and thus for all external rites and ceremonial
works, and then for works without limitation. See Gal. iii. 3,
vi. 12, Philip, iii. 3, 4. In this last passage Paul includes,
under the //•'<//, not only his Hebrew descent, his circumcision,
his being a Pharisee, his blameless adherence to the Jewish law,
but everything comprehended under his "own righteousness,
as distinguished from "the righteousness which is of (jod (C,T«
xiffTx) on the condition of faith." This is clearly its sense here.
It includes everything meant by -works." and "works" includes
all forms of personal righteousness. This same result is reached
in another way. Kara adnxa may mean, as Meyer and others
Bay, after a human method, i. e. after the manner of men; and
this may be understood to mean after the manner common
among men, i. e. through works, or personal merit, which is the
way that men adopt to secure favour with others. This is the
explanation given by Kollner.

VERSE 2. For if Abraham were justified by ivories, he hath
whereof to glory, but not before Crod. The apostle's mode of
reasoning is so concise as often to leave some of the steps of
his arguicont to be supplied, which, however, are almost always

164 ROMANS IV. 3.

sufficiently obvious from the context. As just remarked, ?»
negative answer is to be supposed to the question in the first
verse. Abraham did not attain the favour of God through
the flesh. The force of for, at the beginning of this verse, is
then obvious, as introducing the reason for this answer. The
passage itself is very concise, and the latter clause admits of
idifferent interpretations. 4 If Abraham was justified by works,
he miirht indeed assert his claim to the confidence and favour

<TD

of his fellow-men, but he could not have any ground of boasting
before God.' This view, however, introduces an idea entirely
'foreign from the passage, and makes the conclusion the very
opposite of that to which the premises would lead. For if justi
fied by works, he would have ground of boasting before God.
The interpretation given by Calvin is altogether the most satis
factory and simple: "Epichirema est, id est imperfecta ratio-
cinatio, qune in hanc forinam colligi debet. Si Abraham operibus
justificatus est, potest suo merito gloriari ; sed non habet undo
glorietur apud Deum ; ergo non ex operibus justificatus est."
4 If Abraham was justified by works he hath whereof to glory;
but he hath not whereof to glory before God, and therefore he
was not justified by works;' the very conclusion which Pau]
1 intended to establish, and which he immediately confirms by
the testimony of the Scriptures. The argument thus far is
founded on the assumption that no man can appear thus con
fidently before God, and boast of having done all that was
required of him. If the doctrine of justification by works
involves, as Paul shows it docs, this claim to perfect obedience,
it must be false. And that Abraham was not thus justified, he
proves from the sacred record.

VERSE 3. For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed
Grod, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. The con
nection of this verse with the preceding is this : Paul had just
said that Abraham had no ground of boasting with God ; for,
what saith the Scripture ? Does it refer the ground of Abra-
" ham's justification to his works? By no means. It declares
he was justified by faith; which Paul immediately shows is
equivalent to saying that he was justified gratuitously. The
passage quoted by the apostle is Gen. xv. 6, "Abraham be
lieved God, and it was counted unto him (i. e. imputed to him)

ROMANS IV. 3. 165

for righteousness." This is an important passage, as the phrase
"to impute faith for righteousness," occurs repeatedly in Paul's
writings. 1. The primary meaning of the word )>ofi^ofi.at, here
rendered to count to, or impute, is to reason, then, to reckon, or
nuntlcr; 2 Chron. v. 5, " Which could not be numbered for
multitude;" Mark xv. 28, "lie was numbered with the trans
gressors;" see Isa. liii. IT, &c. "2. It means to esteem, or
regard as something, that is, to number as belonging to a cer
tain class of things; Gen. xxxi. 15, "Are we not counted of him
strangers?" Isa. xl. IT, &c.; compare Job xix. 11, xxxiii. 10,
in the Hebrew. 3. It is used in the more general sense of pur
posing, devising, considering, thinking, &c. 4. In strict con
nection with its primary meaning, it signifies to i/njuitc, t<> x-ct
to nuf's account; that is, to number among the things belonging
to a man, or chargeable upon him. Jt generally implies tin-
accessory idea of 'treating one according to the nature of the
thing imputed.' Thus, in the iVeipieut phrase, t<> impute ,v//v,
as '1 Sam. xix. 1(J, "Let not my Lord impute iniquity unto
me," i. e. 'Let him not lay it to my charge, and treat me
accordingly;" compare 1 Sam. xxii. 15, in the Hebrew and
Septuagint; Ps. xxxii. 2, (Septuagint, xxxi.j ^ Blessed is the
man to whom the Lord iniputeth not iniquity," &c. And in
til-.- Xew Testament. '1 C<>r. vi. 11*. -'Xot imputing unto men
their trespasses;" '1 Tim. iv. 15, ••/ /»v/// <!<><l that it may not
be laid to their charge'," i\:c. These and numerous similar pas
sages render the scriptural idea of imputation perfectly clear.
It is laying anything to one's charge, and treating him accord
ingly. It produces no change in the individual to whom the'
imputation is made; it simply alters his relation to the law '
All those objections, therefore, to the doctrine expressed by
this term, which are founded on the assumption that imputation
alters the moral character of men; that it implies an infusion
of either sin or holiness, rest on a misconception of its nature.,
It is, so far as the mere force of the term is concerned, a matter
of perfect indifference whether the thing imputed belonged
antecedently to the person to whom the imputation is made or
not. It is just as common and correct to speak of laying to a
man's charge what does not belong to him, as what does. That
a thing can seldom be jmtly imputed to a person to whom itl

166 ROMANS IV. 3.

does not personally belong, is a matter of course. But that the
word itself implies that the thing imputed must belong to the
person concerned, is a singular misconception. These remarks
have, of course, reference only to the meaning of the word.
Whether the Bible actually teaches that there is an imputation
jof either sin or righteousness, to any to whom it does not per
sonally belong, is another question. That the Bible does speak
both of imputing to a man what does not actually belong to
him, and of not imputing what does, is evident from the follow
ing, among other passages, Levit. xvii. 3, 4: 'What man soever
killcth an ox, and bring^th it not to the door of the taberna
cle,' &c., "blood shall be imputed to that man;" that is, blood-
guiltiness or murder, a crime of which he was not actually
guilty, should be laid to his charge, and he should be put to
death. "Sanguis hie est ccedes, says Rosenmuller; perinde Deo
displicebit, ac si ille hominem occidisset, et mortis reus judi-
cabitur." "Als Blutschuld soil es angercchnet werden diesem
Mamie." Cresenius. On the other hand, Levit. vii. 18, if any
part of a sacrifice is eaten on the third day, the offering " shall
not be imputed to him that made it." Paul, speaking to Phile
mon of the debt of Onesimus, says, "put that on my account,"
i. e. impute it to me. The word used in this case is the same
as that which occurs in Rom. v. 13, " Sin is not imputed where
there is no law;" and is in its root and usage precisely synony
mous with the word employed in the passage before us, when
the latter is used in reference to imputation. No less than
twice also, in this very chapter, vs. 6 and 11, Paul speaks of
i imputing righteousness,' not to those to whom it personally
belongs, certainly, but to the ungodly, ver. 5; to those who
have no works, ver. 6.

Professor Storr, of Tubingen, De vario sensu vocis oc/aloz,
&c., in Nov. Test., in his Opuscula, Vol. I., p. 224, says,
"• Since innocence or probity (expressed by the word righteous
ness) does not belong to man himself, it must be ascribed or
imputed to him. In this way the formula, 'righteousness which
'is of God,' Philip, iii. 9, and especially the plainer expressions,
<to impute faith for righteousness,' Rom. iv. o, and 'to impute
righteousness,' are to be understood." We readily admit, he
says, that things which actually belong to a man may also be

ROMANS IV. 3. 167

said to be imputed to him, as was the case with Phineas, &c.,
and then adds, "Nevertheless, as he is said not to impute an
action really performed, Lcvit. vii., '2 Sam. xix., &c., who does
not so regard it as to decree the fruit and punishment of ir ; so,
on the other hand, those things can be imputed, Levit. xvii. 4,
which are not, in fact, found in the man, but which are so far
attributed to him, that he may be hence treated as though
he had performed them. Thus righteousness may be said to
be imputed, Rom. iv. 6, 11, when not his own innocence and
probity, which God determines to reward, is ascribed to the
believer, but when God so ascribes and imputes righteousness,
of which we are destitute, that we are treated as innocent and
just." On page -:»:>, he says, "Verbum ),(r-'.'^in<hi/. monstrat
gratiam, Rom. iv. 4, nam Ofxaeoff'jy/jy nostram negat."

This idea of imputation is one of the most familiar in all the
Bible, and is expressed in a multitude of cases where the term
is not used. When Stephen prayed. Acts vii. (JO. " Lord, lay
not this sin to their charge," he expressed exactly the same
idea that Paul did, when he said, - Tim. iv. 1'i, *•/ /'/v// Uud it
may not be laid to their charge," although the latter uses the
word impute (/.<>'( c<jth'.rr] and the former does not. So the ,
expressions, "his sin shall be upon him." Hie shall bear his
iniquity," which occur so often, are perfectly synonymous with
the formula, "his sin shall be imputed to him;" and, of course,
"to bear the sins of another," is equivalent to saving, "those
sins are imputed." The objection, then-fore, that the word
impute does not occur in reference to the imputation of the sin
or righteousness of one man to another, even if well founded,
which is not the fact, is of no more force than the objections
against the doctrines of the Trinity, vicarious atonement, ])er-j,
severance of the saints, &e., founded on the fact that these)'
words do not occur in the Bible. The material point surely isr
Do the ideas occur? The doctrine of "the imputation of right
eousness" is not the doctrine of this or that school in theology.
It is the possession of the Church. It was specially the glory
and power of the Reformation. Those who differed most else
where, were perfectly agreed here. Lutherans and Reformed,
alienated from each other by the sacramentarian controversy,
were of one mind on this great doctrine. The testimony of the

168 ROMANS IV. 3

learned Rationalist, Bretschneider, if any testimony on so
notorious a fact is necessary, may be here cited. Speaking
jwith special reference to the Lutheran Church, he says, "The
(symbolical books, in the first place, contradict the scholastic
'representation of justification, followed by the Romish Church,
that is, that it is an act of God, by which he communicates to
men an inherent righteousness, (justitia habitualis, infusa^)
i. e. renders them virtuous. They described it as a forensic or
judicial act of God, that is, an act by which merely the moral
relation of the man to God, riot the man himself (at least not
I immediately,) is changed." "Hence, justification consists of
•three parts: 1. The imputation of the merit of Christ. 2. The
remission of punishment. 3. The restoration of the favour and
the blessedness forfeited by sin." "By the imputatio justitice
.'{(or meriti) C/iristi, the symbolical books understand that judg
ment of God, according to which he treats us as though we had
not sinned, but had fulfilled the law, or as though the merit of
Christ was ours; see Apol., Art. 9, p. 226, Merita propitiato-
ris — aliis donantur imputatione divina, ut per ea, tanquam
propriis mentis justi reputcmur, ut si quis amicus pro amico
solvit aes alienum, debitor alien o merito tanquam proprio libe-
ratur." — Bretschneider' s Mntwickelung oiler in der Dog. vor~
Jcommenden Begriffe, pp. 631, 632, &c.

But to return to the phrase, ' Faith is imputed for righteous
ness.' It is very common to understand faith here, to include
its object, i. e. the righteousness of Christ; so that it is not
faith considered as an act, which is imputed, but faith consi
dered as including the merit which it apprehends and appro
priates. Thus hope is often used for the thing hoped for, as
I Rom. viii. 24, "Hope that is seen is not hope," &c.; and faith
Jfor the things believed, Gal. i. 23, "He preacheth the faith," &c.
In illustration of this idea, Gerhard, the leading authority in
the Lutheran Church, during the seventeenth century, says,
' Quemadmodum annulus, cui inclusa est gemma, dicitur valere
aliquot coronatis, pretiosissima ita fides, quoe apprehendit Christi
justitiam, dicitur nobis imputari ad justitiam, quippe cujus est
organurn apprehendens." Loci Tom. VII. 238. Although there
are difficulties attending this interpretation, it cannot, with any
consistency, be exclaimed against by those who make faith to

ROMANS IV. 3. 169

include the whole work of the Spirit on the heart, and its fruits
in the life ; as is done by the majority of those who reject this
view of the passage. Besides this interpretation, there are
three other explanations which deserve consideration. The first
is that adopted by the Remonstrants or Arininians. According
to their view, ^LKaLoavvrj is to be taken in its ordinary sense of
rujhteuuxnesx, that which constitutes a man righteous in the
eye of the law. Thev understand the apostle, when he says,
u Faith was imputed for righteousness/' as teaching that faith
was regarded or counted as complete obedience to the law.
As men are unable to render that perfect obedience which the
law given to Adam required, Ood, under the gospel, according
to this view, is pleased to accept of faith, (d Ji<lct obsequiosa^ as
it is called, i. e. faith including evangelical obedience,) instead
of the righteousness which the law demands. Faith is thus
made, not the instrument, but the ground of justification. It
is imputed for righteousness in the sense of being regarded and
treated as though it were complete obedience to tin' law. It
must be admitted, that so far as this single form of statement is
concerned, this interpretation is natural, and consistent with
usage?. Thus imcircumcision is said to be imputed for circum
cision, that is, the former is regarded as though it were the
Litter. This, however, is not the only sense the words will
naturally bear, and it is utterly inconsistent with what the
Scriptures elsewhere teach. 1. It contradicts all those passages
in which Paul and the other sacred writers deny that the ground
of justification is anything in us, or done by us. These passages
are too numerous to be cited; sec chap. iii. 20, where it is shown
that the works which are excluded from the ground of justifica
tion arc not ceremonial works merely, nor works performed
with a le^al spirit, but all works, without exception; works of
righteousness, Titus iii. o, i. e. all right or good works. But
faith considered as an act, is as much a work as prayer, repent
ance, almsgiving, or anything of the kind. And it is as much
an act of obedience to the law, as the performance of any other
duty; for the law requires us to do whatever is in itself right.
2. It contradicts all those passages in which the merit of Christ,
in any form, is declared to be the ground of our acceptance.
Thus in chap. iii. 25, it is Christ's propitiatory sacrifice;

170 ROMANS IV. 3.

chap. v. 18, 19, it is his obedience or righteousness ; in many
other places it is said to be his death, his cross, his blood.
Faith must either be the ground of our acceptance, or the means
or instrument of our becoming interested in the true meritorious
ground, viz. the righteousness of Christ. It cannot stand in
both relations to our justification. 3. It is inconsistent with
the office ascribed to faith. We are said to be saved by, or
through faith, but never on account of our faith, or on the
ground of it. (It is always oca. xlffTSco^ or £* xlffTScoz, but
never oca xiarw.) The expressions, " through faith in his blood,"
iii. 25, "by faith in Jesus Christ," &c., admit of no other inter
pretation than ' by means of faith in the blood of Christ, or in
Christ himself, as the ground of confidence.' The interpreta
tion, therefore, under consideration is at variance with the very
nature of faith, which necessarily includes the receiving and
resting on Christ as the ground of acceptance with God; and7
of course, implies that faith itself is not that ground. 4. We
accordingly never find Paul, nor any other of the sacred writers,
referring his readers to their faith, or anything in themselves,
as the ground of their confidence. Even in reference to those
most advanced in holiness, he directs them to what Christ has
done for them, not to anything wrought in them, as the ground
of their acceptance. See a beautiful passage to this effect, in
Neanders G-elegenlieitschriften, p. 23. After stating that the
believer can never rest his justification on his own spiritual life,
or works, he adds, "It would, indeed, fare badly with tho
Christian, if on such weak ground as this he had to build his
justification, if he did not know that 'if he confesses his sins,
and walks in the light, as he is in the light, the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanses from all sin.' Paul, therefore, refers
even the redeemed, disturbed by the reproaches of conscience,
amidst the conflicts and trials of life, not to the work of Christ
in themselves, but to what the love of God in Christ has done for
them, and which, even notwithstanding their own continued sin-
fulness, remains ever sure." 5. Paul, by interchanging the
ambiguous phrase, 'faith is imputed for righteousness,' with
the more definite expressions, 'justified through or by means
of faith," 'justified through faith in his blood,' fixes the sense
in which the clause in question is to be understood. It must

ROMANS IV. 3. 171

express the idea, that it was by means of faith that Abraham
came to be treated as righteous, and not that faith was taken
in lieu of perfect obedience. See this subject more fully dis
cussed in Owen on Justification, chap, xviii.

According to the second view, the word righteousness is taken
in a much more limited sense, and the phrase ' to impute faith
for righteousness,' is understood to mean 'faith was regarded as
right, it was approved.' This interpretation also is perfectly
consistent with usage. Thus, Ps. cvi. 31, it is said of the zeal
of Phineas, " It was counted unto him for righteousness." This
of course does not mean that it was regarded as complete
obedience to the law, and taken in its stead as the ground of
justification. It means simply that his zeal was approved of.
It was regarded, says Dr. Owen, " as a just and rewardable
action." uDivinitus approbatum erat," says Tuckney, W/"Av,'-
tioncs, p. 212, "tanquam juste factum." In like manner, Deut.
xxiv. 13, it is said of returning a pledge, ''It shall be right
eousness unto tliec before the Lord thy God." Agreeably to
the analogy of these passages, the moaning of this clause may
be, 'his faith was regarded as right; it secured the approbation
of God.' How it did this, must be learned from other passages.
The third interpretation agrees with the first, in taking or/.at-
oa'jvfi in its proper sense, (righteousness,^) but gives a different
force to the preposition e^: 'Faith was imputed to him unto
righteousness,' that is, in order to his being regarded and treated
as righteous. In support of this view, reference i* made to such
frequently recurring expressions as sr'c ffcoTr^olay, (unto *<ilr<i-
tion,) 'that they might be saved,' x. 1: E/~ //£rr/M;.'^v, (unto
repentance,] 'that they might repent,' Matt. iii. 11. In x. 10,
of this epistle, the apostle says, 'With the heart man bdicvctli
unto righteousness,' (src dcxacoa'jvrjV^ i. e. in onL'r to becoming
righteous, or so as to become righteous. Faith secures their

o <~

beino- righteous. According to this view of the passage, all it

O O O '

teaches is. that faith and not works secured Abraham's justifica
tion before God. And this is the object which the apostle has
in view. The precise relation in which faith stands to justifi
cation, whether it is the instrument or the ground, however
clearly taught elsewhere, this particular expression leaves unde
termined. It simply asserts that Abraham was justified as a

172 ROMANS IV. 3.

believer, and not as a worker, (epfa£6fjtsvoC)) as Paul expresses
it in the next verse.

The Rationalistic theologians of modern times agree with the
Socinians in teaching that justification by faith, as distinguished
from justification by works, is nothing more than the doctrine
that moral character is determined more by the inward princi
ple than by the outward act. By faith., in the case of Abraham,
they understand confidence in God ; a pious frame of mind,
which is influenced by considerations drawn from the unseen
and spiritual world, the region of truth and eternal principles,
rather than by either mercenary feelings or outward objects.
When, therefore, the Scriptures say, ' God imputed Abraham's
faith for righteousness,' the meaning is, God accepted him for
his inward piety, for the elevated principle by which his whole
life was governed. If this is what Paul means, when he speaks
of Abraham being justified by faith, it is what he means when
he teaches that men are now justified by faith. Then the whole
gospel sinks to the level of natural religion, and Christ is in no
other sense a Saviour, than as by his doctrines and example he
leads men to cultivate piety. It is perfectly obvious that Paul
means to teach that sinners are now justified in the same way
that Abraham was. He proves that we are justified by faith,
because Abraham was justified by faith. If faith means inward
piety in the one case, it must have the same meaning in the
other. But as it is expressly said, over and over, in so many
words, that men are now justified by faith in Christ, it follows
of necessity that faith in Christ was the faith by which Abra
ham was justified. lie believed the promise of redemption,
which is the promise that we embrace when we receive and rest
on Christ for salvation. Hence it is one principal object of the
apostle's argument in the latter part of this chapter, and in the
third chapter of his Epistle to the Galatians, to show that we
are heirs of the promise made to Abraham, because we have
the same faith that he had ; the same, that is, both in its nature
and object.

It is further to be remarked, that \oyi£e(rdai els BircaLoo-vi'rjv,
(to impute for righteousness,) and &t,Kat,ov(T0ai, (to he justified,)
mean the same thing. Thus Calvin says, " Tantum iioternus,
cos quibus justitia imputatur, justilicari ; quando haec duo a

ROMANS IV. 3. 173

Paulo tanquam synonyma ponuntur." Yet, strange to say,
Olshausen asserts that they are very different. To be justified
(dcxacoi)$ai) and to have righteousness imputed, he .says, differ as
the Romish and the Protestant doctrines of justification differ.
The former means to be made subjectively righteous, the latter
simply to be regarded as righteous. "Was Jemandem anire-
reclmet wird, das hat er nicht, er wird aber angesehen und
behandelt, als ha'tte er cs." What is imputed to a wan, t/tat lit
has not, lut he is regarded and treated, as though he had it.
Abraham therefore was not justified, because before the coining
of Christ, any true righteousness (iir/f/.foff'r^ f-)-orj, as ()l>hausen
says) was impossible; he was only regarded as righteous.* ]>ut
as what is said of Abraham is said also of believers under the
gospel, since to them a.-- well a> to him, righteousness is said to
be imputed, it follows that believers are not reallv justified in
this life. This is the conclusion to which he is led bv two prin
ciples. The first is, that the word ur/jw'no means to make
righteous inwardly, (e> bedeutet die gottlichc Thiitiirkeit des
Hervorrufens der dr/.aeo(T'jyy],) and no man is perfect Iv holy in
this life; the second is, that (lod cannot regard any one as
being what he is not, and therefore lie cannot regard the
unrighteous as righteous. The former of these assumptions is

* The doctrine of the transcendentalists (so called) regarding tlie nicarna-
tiori, the person of Christ, and hi- relation to tlie Church, necessarily leads to
the assumption .if a great distinction between the religion of the Old Te-tament
and that of the New, and between the state and privileges of believers tln-n and
now. If our redemption consists in our being made partaker-; of the thean-
thropic nature of Christ, a< there was no such nature before the manifestation
of (!od in the fle»h, there could be no real redemption, no deliverance from the
guilt and power of sin, before that event. Hence Olshausen says there could
be no JMXWJV* e«J really belonging to those who lived before the advent; and
on page 171 he says, if we admit there was any regeneration at all under the
Old Testament, it could only be symbolical; and on page K',7, he says, before
Christ, forgiveness of sin was not real, but only symbolical. In a foot note ho
adds, that under the theocracy there was the pardon of separate acts of trans
gression, but not the forgiveness of all sins, actual and original, which can
only proceed from Christ. It follows also from this theory, that justification
is a subjective change, a change wrought in the soul by the reception of a new
nature from Christ. These conclusions the Romanists had reached long ago,
by a different process. It is not wonderful, therefore, that so many of the
transcendentalists of Germany, and of their abettors elsewhere, have passed
over to the Church of Uorno.

174 ROMANS IV. 3.

utterly unfounded, as dixaiba) always means to declare just, and
never to make just. The second principle, Olsliausen, in his
comment on this verse, modifies so far as to say that God can
only regard as just those whom he purposes to render just ; and
as with God there are no distinctions of time, he regards as
already possessed of righteousness those whom he has purposed
to render so. (This would seem to imply eternal justification,
or at least an imputation of righteousness from eternity to all
whom God has purposed to save.) Without this modification,
he says, the objection of Romanists to the Protestant doctrine
would be unanswerable. There is a sense, however, in which
the principle in question is perfectly sound. God must see
things as they are, and pronounce them to be what they
are. The Protestant doctrine does not suppose that God
regards any person or thing as Being other than he or it really
is. When he pronounces the unjust to be just, the word is
taken in different senses. He does not pronounce the unholy
to be holy; he simply declares that the demands of justice
have been satisfied in behalf of those who have no righteousness

o

of their own. In sin there are the two elements of guilt and
pollution — the one expressing its relation to the justice, the
other its relation to the holiness of God; or, what amounts to
the same thing, the one expressing its relation to the penalty,
arid the other its relation to the precept of the law. These two
elements are separable. The moral character or inward state
of a man who has suffered the penalty of a crime, and thus
expiated his offence, may remain unchanged. His guilt, in the
eye of human law, is removed, but his pollution remains. It
would be unjust to inflict any further punishment on him for
that offence. Justice is satisfied, but the man is unchanged.
There may therefore be guilt where there is no moral pollution,
as in the case of our blessed Lord, who bore our sins ; and there
may be freedom from guilt, where moral pollution remains, as
in the case of every justified sinner. 'When, therefore, God
justifies the ungodly, he does not regard him as being other
than he really is. He only declares that justice is satisfied, and
in that sense the man is just ; he has a dcxaioa'jvrj which satisfies
the demands of the law. His moral character is not the ground
, of that declaration, and is not affected by it. As to the

ROMANS IV. 4, 5. 175

distinction made by Olshausen between imputing righteousness
and justifying, there is not the slightest ground for it. IIo
himself makes them synonymous, (p. Io7.) The two forms of
expression are used synonymously in this very context. In
ver. 8, it is said, 'faith is imputed for righteousness;' in ver. 5,
'God justifies the ungodly;' and in ver. 6, 'he imputes righteous
ness' — all in the same sense. Olshausen, although a representa
tive man, exhibits his theology, in his commentary, in a very
unsettled state. lie not only retracts at times, in one volume,
what lie had said in another, but he modifies his doctrine from
page to page. In his remarks on Romans iii. -1, lie himself as
serts the principle, (as quoted above,) that "by God' nothing can
ever be regarded or declared righteous, which is not righteous,"
(p. 14');) but in his comment on this verse, lie pronounces the
principle, '-das (Jott nach seiner Wahrhaftigkeit nielit .Jeman-
den fiir ctwas an.-elien kann, was er nicht ist — i'alseh und iiber
den licilswcg durchaus irreleitend," (p. 174.) That is, he savs
that the principle "that (iod, in virtue of his veracity, eannor
regard one as being what he is not — is false, and perverts the
whole plan of salvation.'' On pagel">7, he savs, "The passing
over of the nature (Wesen) of Christ upon the sinner, is expressed
by saying righteousness /.v imputed to ///?;?;" whereas, on pages
1^ — ;>j lie labours to show that imputing righteousness is some
thing very different from imparting righteousness, lie prevail
ingly teaches the doctrine of subjective justification, to which
his definition and system inevitably lead: but under the stress
of some direct assertion of the apostle to the contrary, he for
the time brings out the opposite doctrine. He exhibits similar
fluctuations on manv other points.

A ERSES 4, f>. Now t<> Jinn tJnit wnrld-fh, i* tJ><> reward not
reckoned of grace, lut of debt; Int to him that ivorketh not, &c.
These verses are designed, in the first place, to vindicate the
pertinency of the quotation from Scripture, made in ver. 3, by
showing that the declaration 'faith was imputed for righteous
ness,' is a denial that works were the ground of Abraham's
acceptance; and, secondly, that to justify by faith, is to justify
gratuitously, and therefore all passages which speak of gratui
tous acceptance are in favour of the doctrine of justification
by faith.

176 ROMANS IV. 4, 5.

Now to Mm that ivorketh, that is, cither emphatically *tc
him who docs all that is required of him;' or 'to him who
seeks to be accepted on account of his works.' The former
explanation is the better. The words then state a general pro
position, ' To him that is obedient, or who performs a stipulated
work, the recompense is not regarded as a gratuity, but as a
debt.' The reward, b /Mff&bz, the appropriate and merited com
pensation. Is not imputed, XO.TCL %doty, #//« dpeltyfjia, not
grace, but debt, which implies that a claim founded in justice is
the ground and measure of remuneration. Paul's argument is
founded on the principle, which is so often denied, as by
Olshausen, (p. 172,) that man may have merit before God ; or
that God may stand in the relation of debtor to man. The
apostle says expressly, that rw ipfa^ofjLSvqj) to him that works,
the reward is a matter of debt. If Adam had remained faith
ful and rendered perfect obedience, the promised reward would
have been due to him as a matter of justice; the withholding
it would have been an act of injustice. When, therefore, the
apostle speaks of Abraham as having a ground of boasting, if
his works made him righteous, it is not to be understood simply
of boasting before men. He would have had a ground of
boastino- in that case before God. The reward would have been

O

to him a matter of debt.

But to him that worketh not, rw os /J.YJ ipfa^o^svcp. That is,
to him who has no works to plead as the ground of reward;
XiffTZ'joyTt ok l-i x.T.L, but beUeveth upon, i. e. putting his trust
upon. The faith which justifies is not mere assent, it is an act
of trust. The believer confides upon God for justification. He
believes that God will justify him, although ungodly; for the
object of the faith or confidence here expressed is b or/jmov ~bu
frffsffi, he who justifies the ungodly. Faith therefore is appro
priating:; it is an act of confidence in reference to our own
acceptance with God. To him who thus believes, faith is
counted for righteousness, i. e. it is imputed in order to his
becoming righteous. It lies in the nature of the faith of which
Paul speaks, that he who exercises it should feel and acknow
ledge that he is ungodly, and consequently undeserving of the
favour of God. He, of course, in relying on the mercy of God,
must acknowledge that his acceptance is a matter of grace, and

ROMANS IV 4, 5. 177

not of debt. The meaning of the apostle is plainly this : ' To
him that worketh, the reward is a matter of debt, but to him
who worketh not, but believeth simply, the reward is a matte!
of grace.' Instead, however, of saying ' it is a matter of grace,'
lie uses, as an equivalent expression, " to him faith is counted
for righteousness." That is. he is justified by faith. To be
justified by faith, therefore, is to be justified gratuitously, and
not by works. It is thus he proves that the passage cited in
ver. 8, respecting Abraham, is pertinent to his purpose as an
argument against justification by works. It at the same time
shows that all passages which speak of gratuitous acceptance,
may be cited in proof of his doctrine of justification hv faith.
The way is thus opened for his second argument, which is
derived from the testimony of David.

It is to be remarked, that Paul speaks of God as justifying
the ungodly. The word is in the singular, rov dm ft. the.
ungodly win. not with anv special reference to Abraham, as
though lie was the ungodly person whom God justified, but
because the singular, iftfa^oiJLS^tu^ (fo Jifi/i tJi<(t trnr/ci'tJi.) ~cn~i''j-
oi/r.', (to him tlii 1. 1 lidi'-i'i'tJi.) is used in the context, and because
every man must believe for himself (rod does not justify com
munities. If every man and all n,v-n are ungodly, it follows
that they are regarded and treated as righteous, not on the
ground of their personal character: and it is further apparent
that justification does not consist in making one inherently just
or holy: for it is as ungodly \\\&\ those who believe are iVeelv
justified for Christ's sake. It never was, as shown above, the
doctrine of the Reformation, or of tlie Lutheran and Reformed
divines, that the imputation of righteousness affects the moral
character of those concerned. It is true, whom God justifies ho
also sanetifies; but justification is not sanctificat ion. and trio
imputation of righteousness is not the infusion of righteousness.)
These are the first principles of the doctrine of the Reformers,!
''The fourth grand error of the Papists in the article of justifi
cation," says an old divine, '"is concerning that which we call
the form thereof. For they, denying and deriding the imputa
tion of Christ's righteousness, (without which, notwithstanding,
no man can be saved,) do h )\<\ that men are justified by infusion.
and not by imputation of righteousness ; we, on the contrary.
12

178 ROMANS IV. 6—8.

.do hold, according to the Scriptures, that we are justified before
God, only by the imputation of Christ's righteousness, and not
by infusion. And our meaning, when we say that God imputeth
Christ's righteousness unto us, is nothing else but this : that he
graciously accepteth for us, and in our behalf, the righteousness
of Christ, that is, both as to his obedience, which, in the days
of his flesh, he performed for us; and passive, that is, his suf
ferings, which he sustained for us, as if we had in our own per
sons both performed and suffered the same ourselves. Ilowbcit,
we confess that the Lord doth infuse righteousness into the
faithful ; yet not as he justified), but as he sanctiiieth them,'

I &c. Bishop Downame on Justification, p. 261. Tuckney, one
of the leading members of the Westminster Assembly, and
principal author of the Shorter Catechism, in his Prcelectiones,
p. 213, says, "Although God justifies the ungodly, Rom. iv. 5,
i. e. him who was antecedently ungodly, and who in a measure
remains, as to his inherent character, unjust after justification,
yet it has its proper ground in the satisfaction of Christ," &c.

' On page 220, he says, "The Papists understand by justifica
tion, the infusion of inherent righteousness, and thus confound
justification with sanctification; which, if it was the true nature
and definition of justification, they might well deny that the
imputation of Christ's righteousness is the cause or formal
reason of this justification, i. e. of sanctification. For we are
not so foolish or blasphemous as to say, or even think, that the
righteousness of Christ imputed to us renders us formally or
inherently righteous, so that we should be formally or inhe
rently righteous with the righteousness of Christ. Since the
righteousness of Christ is proper to himself, and is as insepara
ble from him, and as incommunicable to others, as any other
attribute of a thing, or its essence itself."

VERSES 6 8. ~Even as David also describcth the blessedness

of the man to whom Crod imputeth righteousness 'without works.
Paul's first argument in favour of gratuitous justification was
from the case of Abraham; his second is from the testimony of
David. The immediate connection of this verse is with ver. 5.
At the conclusion of that verse, it was said, to him who had no
works, faith is imputed, in order to his justification, i. e. he is
justified grati itously, even as David speaks of the blessedness

ROMANS IV. 6—8. 179

of him whom, although destitute of merit, God regards and
treats as righteous. Describeth the blessedness, i. e. pronounces
blessed. The words are /£;-- rov /jLaxapeffuoy, utters the declara
tion of blessedness concerning the man, &c. To whom God
imputcth righteousness without works, that is, whom God regards
and treats as righteous, although he is riot in himself righteous.
The meaning rf tins clause cannot be mistaken. 'To impute/
sin,' is to lay sin to the charge of any one, and to treat him
accordingly, as is universally admitted; so "to impute right
eousness,' is to set righteousness to one's account, and to treat!
him accordingly. This righteousness does not, of course, belong
antecedently to those to whom it is imputed, for they are un
godly, and destitute of works. Here then is an imputation to
men of what does not belong to them, and to which thev have
in themselves no claim. To impute righteousness is the apos- 1
tie's definition of the term to Justify. It is not making men
inherently righteous, or morally pure, but it is regarding and
treating them as just. This is done, not on the ground of per
sonal character or works, but on the ground of the righteous-
ness of Christ. As this is dealing with men, not according to
merit, but in a gracious manner, the passage cited from Ps.
xxxii. 1, '2, is precisely in point: u Blessed are they whose)
iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Jilessed is
the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." That is,
blessed is the man who, although a sinner, is regarded and
treated as righteous. As the remission of sin is necessarily
connected with restoration to God's favour, the apostle speaks
of it as the whole of justification ; not that the idea of remission
exhausts the whole idea of justification, but it necessarily
implies the rest. In like manner, in Eph. i. 7, it is said, >kiu
whom we have redemption, . . . the forgiveness of sins ;" which
does not imply that forgiveness is the whole of redemption, that
the gift of the Spirit, the glorification of the body, and eternal
life, which are so constantly spoken of as fruits of Christ's
work, as parts of the purchased inheritance, are to be excluded.
Here again the doctrine of a personal, inherent righteous
ness, which it is the special object of the apostle to exclude, is
introduced by the modern mystical or transcendental theolo
gians. On the declaration that righteousness is imputed without

180 ROMANS IV. 9.

.works, Olshauscn remarks: "No matter how abundant or pure
'works may be, the ground of blessedness is not in them, but in
the principle whence they flow; that is, not in man, but in
,GDd." The whole doctrine of the apostle is made to be, that
men arc justified (made holy,) not by themselves, but by God;
.thus confounding, as Romanists do, justification Tt.th sanetifica-
tion. In Ps. xxxii. 1, 2, as quoted by Paul from the LXX.,
cupdi'M (to remit,) and k~txa.A>j7:T£tv (to cover,) arc interchanged.
Olshausen says the former expresses the New Testament idea
of forgiveness, (die realc Hinwegschaffung der Siinde,) i. e. the
real removal of sin ; the latter, the Old Testament idea of non-
imputation of sin — the sin remaining, but being overlooked.
This view of the nature of remission, and of the difference
Detwecn the Old and the New Testament, is purely Romish.

VERSE 9. Cometh this blessedness upon the circumcison only,
or upon the uncircumcision also? &c. The apostle's third argu
ment, commencing with this verse and continuing to the 12th,
lias special reference to circumcision. He had proved thafc
Abraham was not justified on account of his works generally;
he now proves that circumcision is neither the ground nor con
dition of his acceptance. The proof of this point is brief and
conclusive. It is admitted that Abraham was justified. The
only question is, was it before or after his circumcision ? If
before, it certainly was not on account of it. As it was before,
circumcision must have had some other object.

'Cometh this blessedness.' There is nothing in the original
to answer to the word cometh, although some word of the kind
must be supplied. The most natural word to supply is Aefsrat.
David utters the declaration of the blessedness 'of the man
whose sins are pardoned.' Concerning whom is this declara
tion uttered? The word rendered blessedness means, more
properly, 'declaration of blessedness.' 'This declaration of
blessedness, is it upon, i. e. is it about, (Uf=.rac] is it said con
cerning the circumcision only?' The preposition (*~i) used by
the apostle, often points out the direction of an action, or the
subject concerning which anything is said. This question has
not direct reference to the persons to whom the offers of accept
ance are applicable, as though it were equivalent to asking, 'Is
this blessedness confined to the Jews, or may it be extended to

ROMANS IV. 10, 11. 181

the Gentiles also?' because this is not the subject now in hand.
It is the ground or condition of acceptance, and not the persons/
to whom the offer is to be made, that is now under consideration.!
The question therefore is, in substance, this: "Does this decla
ration of blessedness relate to the circumcised, as such ? Is cir-'
cumcision necessary to justification?' — the blessing of which
Paul is speaking. The answer obviously implied to the pre
ceding question is, c It is not said concerning the circumcised,
as such; for we say that faith was imputed to Abraham for
righteousness.' It was his faith, not his circumcision, that was
the condition of his justification. The preceding verses are
occupied with the testimony of David, which decided nothing as
to the point of circumcision. To determine whether this rite
was a necessary condition of acceptance, it was requisite to
refer again to the ca>e of Abraham. To decide the point pre
sented in the que.-tion at the beginning of the verse, the apostle
argues from the position already established. It is conceded
or proved that Abraham was justified by faith; to determine
whether circumcision is necessarv, we have only to ask. Under
what circumstances was he thus justified, before or after cir
cumcision ?

\ KKSI: 10. How was it then reckoned? ivhai lie 'was in
circumcision or uncir cumcision? Xot in circumcision, but ui
uncircumcision. Of course, his circumcision, which was long
subsequent to his justification, could not be either the ground
or necessary condition of his acceptance with God.

A HUSK 11. ^[/cl In* received f/«' X!<IH <>f circumcision, th<' .sv//;.
of the righteousness <~>1 ih>' J<tttlt ichi<-]i h>' //a</, l><'!i/</ i/t-t iuicir-
cumeised, Me. As Paul had shown that circumcision was not the
condition of justification, it became necessary to declare its true
nature and de-sign. Tin' xi<jn <>f circumcision, i. e. circumcision
which was a sign, (genitive of apposition;) as u the earnest of
the Spirit," for 'the Spirit which is an earnest,' '1 Cor. i. 20.
The Mdl of t/te righteousness of faith, &c. The phrase, riyht-
eouxm.'*x of faith, is a concise expression for 'righteousness
which is attained by faith,' or, as it stands more fully in Philip,
iii. i), 'kthe righteousness of God, which is by faith." The
word righteousness, in such connections, includes, with the idea
of excellence or obedience, that of consequent blessedness. It

182 ROMANS IV. 11.

is the * state of acceptableness with God.' Tie circumcision of
Abraham was designed to confirm to him the fact, that he was
regarded and treated by God as righteous, through faith, which
was the means of his becoming interested in the promise of
redemption. From this passage it is evident that circumcision
was not merely the seal of the covenant between God and the
Hebrews as a nation. Besides the promises made to Abraham,
of a numerous posterity, and of the possession of the land of
Canaan, there was the far higher promise, that through his seed
(i. e. Christ, Gal. iii. 16) all the nations of the earth should
be blessed. This was the promise of redemption, as the apos
tle teaches us in Gal. in. 13 — 18: "Christ," he says, "has
redeemed us from the curse of the law — in order that the bless
ing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles." The blessing
promised to Abraham, in which the Gentiles participate through
Jesus Christ, can be none other than redemption. As that
blessing was promised to Abraham on the condition, not of
works, but of faith, the apostle hence argues, that in our case
also we are made partakers of that blessing by faith, and not
by works. This was the covenant of which circumcision was
the seal. All therefore who were circumcised, professed to
embrace the covenant of grace. All the Jews were professors
of the true religion, and constituted the visible Church, in which
by divine appointment their children were included. This is
the broad and enduring basis of infant church-membership.

Abraham, says the apostle, was thus assured of his justifica
tion by faith, (s/c TO £?j/«r,) in order that lie might be the father',
or, so that he is the father, &c. The former explanation is to
be preferred, not only because £?z with the infinitive, commonly
expresses design, but also because the whole context shows that
the apostle intends to bring into view the purpose of God in the
justification of Abraham. The father of all them that believe,
though they be not circumcised, xdvrcov TCOV -!<7rs'j6^Tcov di
dxpoftuffTtaz, i. e. 'of all believing, with uncircumcision.' That
is, of all uncircumcised believers. The preposition oca, here, as
in ii. 27, and elsewhere, simply marks the attendant circum
stances. The word father expresses community of nature or
character, and is often applied to the head or founder of any
school or class of men, whose character or course is determined

ROMANS IV. 11. 183

by the relation to the person so designated; as Gen. iv, 20,
21: " Jabal . . . was the father of such as dwell in tents;" and,
" Jubal . . . was the father of all such as handle the harp and
organ." Hence teachers, priests, and kings are often called
fathers. Believers arc called the children of Abraham, because
of this identity of religious nature or character, as he stands
out in Scripture as the believer; and because it was with him
that the covenant of grace, embracing all the children of God,
whether Jews or Gentiles, was reenacted; and because tliev are
his heirs, inheriting the blessings promised to him. As Abra
ham was the head and father of the theocratical people under
the Old Testament, this relation was not disowned when the
middle wall of partition was broken down, and the Gentiles
introduced into the family of God. He still remained the father
of the faithful, and we are "the sons of Abraham by faith,"
Gal. iii. 7. The Jews were accustomed to speak in the same
way of Abraham : Michlol Jophi on Malachi ii. I"), hv tin- one.
there mentioned, ''Abraham is intended, for he was one alone,
and the father of all who follow and imitate him in faith."
Bechai. fol. 27, he is calh'd k*Tlio root of faith, and lather
of all those who believe in one God." Jalkut Chadash, fol.
54, 4, '"On this account Abraham was not circumcised until he
was ninety-nine years old. lest lie should shut the door on
proselytes coming in." See Sclioettgen^ p. 50*.

That rif/hteousiicss //u'<///f In' i///^nf>'<l unfn tJt<'//> <(lxo. The
connection and design of these words are not verv clear, and
they are variously explained. Thev may be considered as
explanatory of the former clause, and therefore connected with
the first part of the verse. The sense would then be. •Abraham
was justified, being yet uncirciimcised, that he might be the
father of believers, although uncirciimcised, that is, that right
eousness might be imputed unto them also.' This clause ia
most commonly regarded as a parenthesis, designed to indicate
the point of resemblance between Abraham and those of whom
he is called the father: 'lie is the father of uncircumcised
believers, since they also are justified by faith, as he was.'
The words e:z ~o koytad-vfjcu are explanatory of sl^ ~o ic^a: V.'JTOIJ
Z'Hj.: 'He was justified in imcircumcision, in <>/'<l<'r tltat lie
be the father., &c.; that is, in order that faith miylit le

184 ROMANS IV. 12.

imputed to them also.' From this it appears that "to impute
faith for righteousness" and " to impute righteousness," are
synonymous. To Abraham righteousness was imputed; he had
the (d>xawa'jvrj r?^ -laTSco^) righteousness of faith as truly and
really as believers now have. Nothing can be more opposed to
the whole tenor of apostolic teaching than the Romish and
modern mystical doctrine, that the Old Testament believers
were not fully justified; that their sins were pretermitted, but
not remitted; that their regeneration was symbolical, but not
real.

^ERSE 12. And the father of circumcision to them ivlw are
not of the circumcision only, £c. That the preceding clause is
parenthetical is plain, because the grammatical construction in
this verse is continued unbroken. Father of circumcision, i. e.
of the circumcised. To them, auTot^. This change of con
struction from the genitive to the dative may be accounted for
either by the fact, that in the Hebrew it may be said "father
to" as well as "father of;" or by assuming that aljTolz, is the
dative of advantage, "for them." The meaning of this verse
is somewhat doubtful. According to our version, which adheres
closely to the Greek, the meaning is, 'Abraham is not the father
of uncircumcised believers only, as stated in ver. 11, but he is
the father of the circumcised also, provided they follow the
example of his faith.' According to this view, as ver. 11 pre
sents him as the father of the believing Gentiles, this presents
him as the father of the believing Jews. The only grammatical
objection to this interpretation is the repetition of the article
ro?~ before O^OLJO^O;., which Avould seem to indicate that "those
who follow the steps of his faith" were a different class from
the circumcised. Hence some commentators interpret the pas-
sao-e thus : ' He is the father of the circumcision, and not of the

o

circumcision only, but also of those who follow his faith, which
he had being yet uncircumcised.' But this is inconsistent with
the construction. 1. It overlooks the xai at the beginning of
the verse, by which it is connected with ver. 11: 'He is the
father of the uncircumcised, (ver. 11,) and father of the circum
cised, (ver. 12.) 2. It requires a transposition of the words
Tolz o'j, so as to rea 1 o'j rdl-. What Paul says is, ' To those
are not of the circumcision only.' This interpretation

ROMANS IV. 13. 185

makes him say, 'Xot to those only who are of the circumcision.''
3. It is very unnatural to make this verse repeat what had just
been said in ver. 11. There Paul had said that Abraham was
the father of Gentile believers ; why should he here say he was
the father of the Jews, and also of the Gentiles? The former
interpretation, which is adopted by the great body of com-
mentatois, is therefore to be preferred.

Verses lo — 10 contain two additional arguments in favour
of the apostle's doctrine. The first, vs. lo, 14, is the same as
that presented more at length in Gal. iii. 18, &c., and is founded
on the nature of a covenant. The promise having been made
to Abraham (and his seed.) on the condition of faith, cannot
now, consistently with fidelity, be made to depend on obedience
to the law. The second argument, vs. !;">, 16, is from the nature
of the law itself.

VKRSI-; 1-3. For the promise, that he should be. heir of the
world, ti'tiis not to Ati/'K/Kit/i, or to hi* seed, ^e. The word for
does not connect this verse witli the one immediately preceding,
as a proof of the insulliriency of circumcision. It rather marks
the introduction of a new argument in favour of the general
T)i-oposition which the chapter is designed to establish. As
Abraham was not justified for his circumcision, so neither was
it on account of his obedience to the law. If. however, it be
preferred to connect this verse with what immediately precedes,
the argument is substantially the same. In the preceding
verses Paul had said that Abraham is the father of believers;
in other words, that believers are his heirs, for the promise
that lie should inherit the world was made on the condition ot
faith. The promise here spoken of is, that Abraham ami his
seed should be the heirs of the world. The word /«•//•, in Scrip
ture, frequently means secure possessor. Ileb. i. '2, vi. 17,
xi. 7, &c. This use of the term probably arose from the fact,
that among the Jews possession by inheritance was much more
secure and permanent than that obtained by purchase. The
promise was not to Abraham, nor to ILLS seed, (/y TW o-itnmn
a'jTorj,} i. e. neither to the one nor to the other. Both wero
included in the promise. And by his seed, is not here, as in Gal,
iii. 16, meant Christ, but his spiritual children. This is evident
from ver. 16, where the apostle speaks of ~<iv TO a-so^a, the

186 ROMANS IV. 13.

whole seed. The clause TO xfypovouov a-jrov e?v«i is explar/ator y
of Y] sxfJL-i'fztia. It states the contents of the promise. The
article ro, attached to the infinit.ve, renders it more prominent
or emphatic. As no such promise as that mentioned in this
verse is contained, in so many words, in the Old Testament, the
apostle must have designed to express what he knew to be the
purport of those actually given. The expression, however, has
been variously explained. 1. Some understand tJte world to
mean the land of Canaan merely. But in the first place, this
is a very unusual, if not an entirely unexampled use of the
word. And, in the second place, this explanation is incon
sistent with the context ; for Paul has reference to a promise
of which, as appears from ver. 16, believing Gentiles are to
partake. 2. Others understand the apostle to refer to the
promise that Abraham should be the father of many nations,
Gen. xvii. 5, and that his posterity should be as numerous as
the stars of heaven, Gen. xv. 5 ; promises which they limit to
his natural descendants, who, being widely scattered, may be
said, in a limited sense, to possess the world. But this inter
pretation is irreconcilable with vcr. 16. 3. Besides the pro
mises already referred to, it was also said, that in him all the
nations of the earth should be blessed, Gen. xii. 3. This, as
Paul explains it, Gal. iii. 16, &c., had direct reference to the
blessings of redemption through Jesus Christ, who was the seed
of Abraham. And here too he speaks of blessings of which all
believers partake. The possession of the world, therefore, here
intended, must be understood in a manner consistent with these
passages. The expression is frequently taken in a general
sense, as indicating general prosperity and happiness. " To be
heir of the world" would then mean, to be prosperous and
happy, in the best sense of the words. Reference is made, in
support of this interpretation, to such passages as Matt. v. 5,
Ps. xxxvii. 11, "The meek shall inherit the earth;" Ps. xxv.
13, " His seed shall inherit the earth," The promise then, to
be the heir of the world, is a general promise of blessedness.
And as the happiness promised to believers, or the pious, as
such, is of course the happiness consequent on religion, and is
its reward, the promise in this sense may include all the bless-
m^s of redemption. So in Gal. iii. 14, Paul uses the expression

ROMANS IV. 13. 187

"that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles,"
as equivalent to saving 'that all the blessings of the gospel
might come upon them.' 4. Or the promises in question may
have reference to the actual possession of the world by the
spiritual seed of Abraham, and Christ their head. The declara
tion that Abraham should be the father of many nations, and
that his seed should be as the stars of heaven for multitude,
included far more than that his natural descendants should be
very numerous. If they who are of faith ' art; the seed of Abra
ham, and heirs of the promise,' Gal. iii. 0, 2l>, then will the pro
mise, as stated by the apostle, have its literal accomplishment
when the kingdoms of this world are given to the saints of the
most high God (Dun. vii. 27,') and when the uttermost parts of
the earth become the possession of Christ. In this sense, the
promise includes the universal prevalence of the true religion,
involving of course the advent of Christ, the establishment of
his kingdom, and all its consequent blessings. The Jewish
writers were accustomed to represent Abraham as the heir of
the world. "Bemidbar, K, xiv., fol. 2<>2, 'The garden is the
world which God gave to Abraham, to whom it is said, Thou
shalt be a blessing.' 'God gave to mv father Abraham the pos
session of heaven and earth.' Midrasch Mischle, 1'-*. Mechila,
in Iv\~. xiv. ->l, 'Abraham our father did not obtain the inhe
ritance of this world, and the world to come, except through
faith.' " W.-Wi't'n.

The promise in Abraham and his seed was not f7tr<>nt/7i tin*,
laiv^lut through (In- rif/htcoumc.sat <>t\i'<t>'/7i. That is.it was not
on condition <>l obedience to Ilie law, but on condition of his
having that righteousness which is obtained hv faith. TIir<nn/h
the law ) is therefore cqnivalcnl to ////•"////// tin1 works of the A//r,
as appears from its opposition to the latter clause. • righteous
ness ot faith.' \\\ tin- l<m\ is to lie understood the whole rule
of duty, as in other passages of the same kind : sec iii. 20. In
this sense it of course includes the Mosaic law. which, to the
Jews, was the most prominent portion of tin; revealed will of
God, and hy obedience to which especially thev hoped for the
mercy of (lod. The parallel passage, (lal. iii. IN. Ac., where
the law is said to have been given four hundred vcars after the
covenant formed with Abraham, shows it was one part of the

188 ROMANS IV. 14.

apostle's design to convince the Jews, that as Abraham WAS riot
justified by his circumcision, (ver. 11,) so also it was not it
virtue of the Mosaic economy not yet established ; and therefore
the promise could not be made to depend on the condition of obe
dience to that dispensation. This idea, although included, is not
to be urged to the exclusion of the more comprehensive mean
ing of the word law, which the usage of the apostle and the con-
t)xt show to be also intended. It was neither by obedience to the
law generally, nor to the particular form of it, as it appeared
in the Mosaic institutions, that the promise was to be secured.

VERSE 14. For if they which are of the law be heirs, &c.
The original condition being faith, if another be substituted the
covenant is broken, the promise violated, and the condition
made of none effect. "They who are of the law" (ol Ix w/iou,)
sometimes, as ver. 16, means the Jews, i. e. those who have the
law; compare ver. 12, "Those of circumcision," &c. But here
it means legalists, those who seek justification by the works of
the law; as 'those who are of faith' are believers, those who seek
justification by faith; compare Gal. iii. 10, "As many as are
of the works of the law are under the curse," i. e. as many as
seek acceptance by their own works. The apostle's meaning,
therefore, obviously is, that if those who rely upon their own
works are the heirs of the promise, and are accepted on the
condition of obedience to the law, the whole covenant is broken,
faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. " Is
made void" (xsxsvcorat,) is rendered useless; see 1 Cor. i. 17,
"The cross of Christ is made useless," ix. 15, &c.; compare
1 Cor. xv. 17, "Your faith is vain," not only without founda
tion but of no use. The promise is made of none effect (xarijp-
y/jrat,) i. e. is invalidated; see chap. iii. 3, 31. It is plain
from the whole design and argument of the apostle, that by
law, in this whole connection, he means not specifically the
law of Moses, but the law of God, however revealed as a rule
of duty for man. He has reference to the Gentiles as well as
to the Jews. His purpose is not simply to convince his readers
that obedience to the Mosaic law cannot save them, but that
obedience in any form, works of any kind, arc insufficient for a
man's justification before God. So far, therefore, from the
context requiring, as so many of the modern commentator?

ROMANS IV. 15. 189

assert, an exclusive reference in this connection to the law of
Moses, it imperatively demands the reverse.

VERSE 15. For the liw worketh wrath, &c. That is, it causes
men to be the subjects of wrath. It brings them under con
demnation. So far from imparting life, it causes death. If,
therefore, the inheritance is suspended on the condition of obe
dience to the law, it can never be attained ; for by the law no
flesh living can be justified. The connection of this verse,
therefore, may be with what immediately precedes. The pro
mise fails if it be by the law, for the law worketh death. The
truth here presented, however, although thus incidentally intro
duced, is none the less a new and substantive argument for the
doctrine of justification by faith. It is the same argument as
that urged in Gal. iii. 10, derived from the very nature of the
law. If it works wrath, if all who are under the law are under
the curse, if the law condemns, it cannot justifv. As, however,
there are two ways in which, according to the apostle, the law
works wrath, so there arc two views of the meaning of this pas
sage. First, the law works wrath, because it says, "Cursed is
every one who continueth not in all things written in the book
of the law to do them," Gal. iii. 10. As the law, from its very
nature, demands perfect obedience, and condemns all who arc
not perfect, it, by its very nature, is unsuited to give life to t
sinners. It can only condemn them. If there were no law, .
there would be no sin, and no condemnation. JJut as all are
under the law. and all are sinners, all are under the curse. The
other way in which the law works wrath is, that it excites and
exasperates the evil passions of the heart; not from anv defect
in the law itself, but from the nature of sin. This idea the
apostle presents fully in the seventh chapter; where it is pro
perly in place, as he is there treating of sanctification. Here,
where lie is treating of justification, that idea would be inappro
priate, and therefore the former interpretation is to be decidedly
preferred. Calvin, Tholuck, and others, however, understand
the apostle to reason thus: -The law, instead of freeing men
from sin, incidentally renders their transgressions more numer
ous, conspicuous, and inexcusable, and thus brings them more
and more under condemnation.' "Nam quum Lex nihil quam
ultionem generet, non potest affere gratiam. Bonis quidem ac

190 ROMANS IV. 15.

integris viam vitse mfnstraret: sed quatcnus viaosis ac cor
ruptia prajcipit, quid dcbcant, prsestandi autem vires non sub-
ministnit, rcos apud Dei tribunal peragit. QUJC cnim cst naturae
nostnxi vitiositas, quo magis docemur, quid rectum sit ac justum,
eo apcrtius nostra iniquitas dctegitur, maximeque contumacia;
atque hoc modo gravius Dei judicium acccrsitur." For where
there is no law. there is no transgression. The interpretation
given to this clause depends upon the view taken of the preced-
in«- one. It assigns the reason why the law works wrath. If

O O c/

the law be understood to work wrath by exasperating the evils
of our corrupt nature, then the meaning of this confirmatory
clause must be, that the law makes sin more inexcusable. It
exalts sins into transgressions, d.fj.apria into Ttapdfiaffez. Thus
again Calvin says, that the reason why the law works wrath is,
"quia cognitione justitine Dei per legem perceptu, eo gravius
peccamus in Deum, quo minus excusationis nobis supcrest — non
loquitur apostolus," he adds, " de simplici justitire transgress-
ione, a qua nemo eximitur ; sed transgrcssionem appellat, ubi
animus edoctus, quid Deo placeat quidve displiceai, fines voce
Dei sil)i definitos sciens ac volens perrumpit. Atqui ut uno
verbo dicam, transgressio hie non simplex delictum, sed destina
tain in violanda justitia contumaciam significat." But ail this
belongs to the inefncacy of the law to produce holiness, and not
to its impotency in the matter of justification, which is the point
he-re under consideration. The apostle's argument here is, that
the inheritance must be by faith, not by the law, for the law
can only condemn. It works wrath, for without it there would
be no condemnation, because there would be no transgression.
Besides, Paul does not make the distinction between sin and
transgression, between d.p.apria and Tiapaftaatz, which the former
interpretation supposes. What is here said of transgression, is,
in v. 1-3, said of sin. Where there is no law, there can be no
sin, because the very idea of sin is the want of conformity to a
rule, to which conformity is due ; so that where there is no rule
or standard, there can be no want of conformity. Such being
the meaning of this clause, it is plain that by law, the apostle
does not intend the Mosaic law, but law as the standard to
which rational creatures are bound to be conformed. If men
would onlj acquiesce in Paul's idea of law, they could not fail

ROMANS IV. 16. 191

to receive his doctrine concerning sin and justification. If the
law is holy, just, and good; if it is spiritual, taking cognizance
not only of outward acts, but of feelings, not only of active
feelings, but of the inherent states of the mind whence these
(i-'d'ju'ia.^ spring; if it condemns all want of conformity to its
own inflexible standard of complete perfection, then there must
be an end to all hope of being justified by the law.

VERSE l(j. Therefore, it is of faith, that it might be by grace;
to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed, £c.
This arid the following verse contain the conclusion from the
previous reasoning, and especially from the two preceding
arguments: 'The inheritance promised to Abraham and his
seed must be either of the law, or of faith. It cannot be of the
law, for the law works wrath, therefore it is of faith.' The
expression in the original is simply OM TO~JTO lx -'fTTsajz, there
fore of faith. It matters little, so far as the sense is concerned,
whether we supply the words ol x/yoowiw: z>v> (therefore the
heirs are <f faith,} from ver. 14, or the word l-a-r-^a (the
promise,) from ver. 1:{; or with Luther, d'xwowj^. out of the
general context — darum muss die G-ereehtigkeit aus dem (Uau-
ben kommen. These are only different ways of saying the same
thing. The connection, as stated above, is in favour of the first
explanation. The inheritance is of faith, (ha xara ydmv,) in
order that it might be a matter of graee. And it is of irrace,
(src TO sc^v falalav rr^ ?-a~ffz/.>ais.) in order that th>' promise
might be sure. If salvation be in any form or to any decree
dependent on the merit, the goodness, or the stability of man,
n ncvcr (':t;i ^ sure, nay, it must be utterly unattainable.
Unless we are saved by grace, we cannot be saved at all. To
reject, therefore, a gratuitous salvation, is to reject the only
method of salvation available for sinners. Salvation being of
grace, suspended on the simple condition of faith, without
regard to parentage, to national or ecclesiastical connection, it
is available for all classes of men. And therefore the apostle
says, 'The promise is sure (~avri TW a-st^aTi) to all the seed;
i. e. to nil the spiritual children of Abraham. He had already
shown in vs. 11, 12, that Abraham was the father of believing
Gentiles as well as of believing Jews. The word ff-sp/m (seed)
must therefore, in this connection, be understood of believers

192 ROMANS IV. IT.

who. in a higher sense than mere natural descendants, are the
children of Abraham. Both classes of his seed are included in
the promise which is sure, (oi> rw kx TO~J vofwu /wvov,) not to that
of the law only, i. e. not only to that portion of the seed who
are of the law, that is, believing Jews, but also (raj I* ~!ffT£(oc
\-\fit.cmii) to that whieh is of the faith of Abraham. These for
mulas arc indefinite, and susceptible, taken by themselves, of
different interpretations ; but the context renders all plain.
Paul is speaking of the spiritual children of Abraham ; of those
who are heirs of the inheritance promised to him. Of these
there arc two classes ; believing Jews and believing Gentiles.
The former are distinguished as (Ix vo^ou] of the law, the latter
as of the faith of Abraham, because their connection with him
is purely spiritual, whereas the Jewish believers were connected
with him by a twofold tie — the one natural, the other spiritual.
Who is the father of us all, i. e. of all believers. The highest
privilege of New Testament saints is to be partakers of the
inheritance promised to Abraham. They are not exalted above
him, but united with him in the blessings which flow from union
with Christ.

VEHSE 17. As it is written, I have made thce a father of
many nations, Gen. xvii. 5. This declaration, the apostle
informs us, contains a great deal more than the assurance that
the natural descendants Abraham should be very numerous.
Taken in connection with the promise, that "in him all the
nations of the earth should be blessed," it refers to his spiritual
as well as his natural seed, and finds its full accomplishment in
the extension of the blessing promised to him, to those of all
nations who are his children by faith. This clause is very pro
perly marked as a parenthesis, as the preceding one, "who is
the father of us all," must be connected immediately with the
following words, before him whom he believed, even Crod, who
quiekeneth the dead, &c. The words xarsvavrc ob l-tffT&jffs
Osoi), admit of different explanations. They are commonly
regarded as an example of the substantive being attracted to
the case of the relative, instead of the relative to that of the
substantive, dzct) being in the genitive, because ob is. The
clause may therefore be resolved thus : xaT£va.vTt Qzo\) w iTzta-
reuffz, before God whom he believed. To this, however, it is

ROMANS IV. 17. 193

objected, that this form of attraction with the dative is very
unusual, and therefore "Winer, § 24, 2, b, and others, adopt the
simple explanation, xaTsva'sre QZO~J xa-csvavrt oy i-ia-cz'jaz, (before
(.rod, before ivliom lie believed.) The sense in either case is
the same. Abraham is the father of us all, (xaTevavrt,) before,
in the siyht of that God in whom he believed. God looked upon
him as such. He stood before his omniscient eye, surrounded
by many nations of children.

It is not unusual for the apostle to attach to the name of God
a descriptive peripnrase, bringing into view some divine attri
bute or characteristic suited to the subject in hand. So here,
when speaking of God's promising to Abraham, a childless old
man, a posterity as numerous as the stars of heaven, it was
most appropriate to refer to the omnipotence of God, to whom
nothing is impossible. Abraham believed, what to all human
appearance never could happen, because God, who made the
promise, is he who quicJceneth the Jftd, <ni'l ccdleth those things
which be. not, as though they were. To originate life is the pre
rogative of God. It requires almighty power, and is therefore
in Scripture specified as one of God's peculiar works ; see Dent,
xxxii. ;50, 1 Sam. ii. 6, 2 Kings v. 7, Ps. Ixviii. 20. The being
who can call the dead to life, must be able to fulfil to one,
although as good as dead, the promise of a numerous posterity.
The other clause in this passage, (xat MWWTO* ra it.rt o^~a d»*
ovrc/.j i.tn'l '•allimj ////////* tJuit /"' nnt. <ix /;/•/////. is more doubtful.
There are three interpretations of these words, founded on throe
different senses of the word (yju^} t<> <'<iJL 1. To c<tJJ, means to
command, to control, to muster or dispose of. Thus the psalm
ist says, "The mighty (rod. even the Lord hath spoken, and
called the earth, from the rising of the sun unto the going down
thereof." Isaiah, speaking of the stars, says, u Who . . . bring-
eth out their host by number: he calleth them all by name, by
the greatness of his might," xl. 26, also Ps. cxlvii. 4, Isa. xlv. •],
xlviii. 18. This gives a sense perfectly suited to the context.
God is described as controlling with equal ease things which
are not, and those which are. The actual and the possible are
equally subject to his command. All things are present to his
view, and all are under his control. This interpretation also is
suited to the peculiar form of expression, who calls (ra /r/j o'vr«
13

194 ROMANS IV. 1—17.

d>C oWa,) things not being, a$ being. It gives cl>c its appropri
ate force. 2. To call, however, is often used to express the
creating energy of God. See Isa. xli. 4, xlviii. 13. Compare
Ps. xxix. 3 — 9. Philo de Great., TO. /ty WTO. kxdX-a-v e/c TO
ecvcu. This also gives a good sense, as the omnipotence of God
cannot be more forcibly expressed than by saying, ' He calls
things not existing into existence.' But the difficulty is, that
d»~ o'vra is not equivalent with e^ TO scvat, nor with iaopsva, nor
with £*c TO elvat d»c 6W«, as Kollrier and De Wette explain it.
This indeed is not an impossible meaning, inasmuch as oW«, as
Fritzsche says, may be the accusative of the effect, as in Philip,
iii. 21, " lie shall change our vile body (a'jju/jiofHfov) like unto
his glorious body," i. e. so as to be like; see also 1 Thcss. iii. 13.
As, however, the former interpretation gives so good a sense,
there is no need of resorting to these constrained explanations.
o. To atU, is often used to express the effectual calling of men
by the Holy Spirit. Hence some understand the apostle as
here saying, ' God calls to be his children those who were not
children.' But this is entirely foreign to the context. Paul
is presenting the ground of Abraham's faith in God. lie
believed, because God was able to accomplish all things.
Everything is obedient to his voice.

DOCTRINE.

1. If the greatest and best men of the old dispensation had
to renounce entirely dependence upon their works, and to
accept of the favour of God as a gratuity, justification by works
must, for all men, be impossible, vs. 2, 3.

2. No man can glory, that is, complacently rejoice in his
own goodness in the sight of God. And this every man of an
enlightened conscience feels. The doctrine of justification by
works, therefore, is inconsistent with the inward testimony of
conscience, and can never give true peace of mind, ver. 2.

3. The two methods of justification cannot be united. They
are as inconsistent as wages and a free gift. If of works, it is
not of grace ; and if of grace, it is not of works, vs. 4, 5.

4. As God justifies the ungodly, it cannot be on the ground
of their own merit, but must be by the imputation of a right-

ROMANS IV. 1— IT. 195

eousness which does not personally belong to them, and which
they received by faith, vs. 5, 6, 11.

5. The blessings of the gospel, and the method of justifica
tion which it proposes, arc suited to all men ; and are not to be
confined by sectarian limits, or bound down to ceremonial
observances, vs. 9 — 11.

6. The sacraments and ceremonies of the Church, although
in the highest degree useful when viewed in their proper light,
become ruinous when perverted into grounds of confidence.
What answers well as a sign, is a miserable substitute for the
thing signified. Circumcision will not serve for righteousness,
nor baptism for regeneration, ver. 10.

7. As Abraham is the father of all believers, all believers are
brethren. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, bond nor free,
among them as Christians, vs. 11, \'l.

8. The seed of Abraham, or true believers, with Jesus Christ
their head, are the heirs of the world. To them it will ulti
mately belong; even the uttermost parts of the earth shall be
their possession, ver. !•].

9. To speak of justification by obedience to a law which we
have broken, is a solecism. That which condemns cannot
justify, ver. 15.

10. Nothing is sure for sinners that is not gratuitous. A
promise suspended on obedience, they could never render sure.
One entirely gratuitous needs only to be accepted to become
ours, ver. 1(J.

11. It is the entire freeness of the gospel, and its requiring
faith as the condition of acceptance, which renders it suited to
all ages and nations, ver. ]IJ.

VI. The proper object of faith is the divine promise; or
God considered as able and determined to accomplish his
word, ver. 17.

HEM AUKS.

1. The renunciation of a legal self-righteous spirit is the first
requisition of the gospel. This must be done, or the gospel
cannot be accepted. 'lie who works,' i. e. who trusts in his
works, refuses to be saved by grace, vs. 1 — 5.

196 ROMANS IV. 18—25.

2. The more intimately we are acquainted with our owr
hearts and with the character of God, the more ready shall wo
be to renounce our own righteousness, and to trust in his
mercy, vs. 2, 3.

3. Those only are truly happy and secure, wTho, under a
sense of ill-desert and helplessness, cast themselves upon the
grace and promise of God, vs. 7, 8.

4. Nothing is more natural, and nothing has occurred more
extensively in the Christian Church, than the perversion of the
means of grace into grounds of dependence. Thus it was with
circumcision, and thus it is with baptism and the Lord's supper ;
thus too with prayer, fasting, &c. This is the rock on which
millions have been shipwrecked, vs. 9 — 12.

5. There is no hope for those who, forsaking the grace of
God, take refuge in a law which worketh wrath, ver. 15.

6. All things are ours if we are Christ's; heirs of the life
that now is, and of that which is to come, ver. 13.

7. As the God in whom believers trust is he to whom all
things are known, and all things are subject, they should be
strong in faith, giving glory to God, ver. 17.

ROMANS IV. 18—25.

ANALYSIS.

THE object of this section is the illustration of the faith of
Abraham, and the application of his case to our instruction.
With regard to Abraham's faith, the apostle states, first, its
object, viz. the divine promise, ver. 18. lie then illustrates its
strength, by a reference to the apparent impossibility of the
thing promised, vs. 19, 20. The ground of Abraham's con
fidence was the power and veracity of God, ver. 21. The con
sequence was, that he was justified by his faith, ver. 22. Hence
it is to be inferred that this is the true method of justification ;
for the record was made to teach us this truth. We are situ
ated as Abraham was ; we are called upon to believe in the
Almighty God, who, by raising up Christ from the deai, has
accepted him as the propitiation for our sins, vs. 23 — 25.

ROMANS IV. 18. 197

COMMENTARY.

"VERSE 18. Who against hope believed in hope. Here In efaidt
may be taken adverbially, confidently: 'Against all human hope
or reasonable expectation, he confidently believed.' Or it may
indicate the subjective ground of his faith: he believed, because
he had a hope founded on the promise of God. lie believed,
that lie iniijht become the father of many nations. The Greek
is, el- TO fiiiiad-fu awv -ars<>a, x.-.L, that is, according to one
explanation, the object of his faith was, that he should be the
father of many nations. The idea thus expressed is correct.
Abraham did believe that God would make him the father of
many nations. But to this it is objected that -earz'Jzw s/c, with
an infinitive used as a substantive, although grammatically cor
rect, is a construction which never occurs. Had the apostle,
therefore, intended to express the object of Abraham's faith, he
would probably have used ur:. he /u7/<r<.'<7 that If slmnLl he. &c§.
Others make s!~ TO ~[£yi(j&(j.i express the result of his faith: " He
believed . . . and hence he became,' ^c. The consequence of his
faith was, that the promise was fulfilled. Most recent commenta
tors assume that £/~ with the infinitive here, as it commonly does,
expresses design, or intention; not however the design of Abra
ham, but of God: 'He believed in order that, agreeably to the
purpose of God, he might become the father of many nations.'
This best agrees with what is said in ver. 11, and with the con
text. According to that w//i<'// tea* spoken, S» x/ialt ///// seed
be. This is a reference to the promise which was the object of
Abraham's faith. It is a quotation from Gen. xv. 5. The
word so refers to the stars of heaven, mentioned in the passage
as it stands in the Old Testament. The promise, therefore,
particularly intended by the apostle is, that Abraham should
be the father of many nations, 01 that his seed should be as
numerous as the stars. It has already been seen, however, that
the apostle understood this promise as including far more than
that the natural descendants of Abraham should be very numer
ous ; see vs. 13, IT. The expression in the text is a concise
allusion to the various promises made to the ancient patriarch,
which had reference to all nations being blessed through
him. The promise c? a numerous posterity, therefore, included

198 ROMANS IV. 19—21.

the promise of Christ and his redemption. This is evident,
1. Because Paul had been speaking of a promise (ver. 16,) in
which believing Jews and Gentiles were alike interested; see
Gal. iii. 14. 2. Because Paul asserts and argues that the seed
promised to Abraham, and to which the promise related, was
Jesus Christ, Gal. iii. 16. 3. So Abraham himself understood
it, according to the declaration of our Saviour; John viii. 56,
"Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and lie saw it, and was
glad." He looked forward under the greatest discouragements
to the Redeemer as yet to come. We have the easier task to
look back to the same Deliverer, who has died for our sins, and
risen again for our justification, ver. 25.

VERSE 19. And being not weak in faith, he considered not
his own body, now dead, &c. The 18th verse had stated it was
contrary to all appearances that Abraham believed; this verse
states the circumstances which rendered the accomplishment of
the promise an apparent impossibility, viz. his own advanced
age, and the age and barrenness of his wife. These circum
stances he did not consider, that is, he did not allow them to
have weight, he did not fix his mind on the difficulties of the
case. Had he been weak in faith, and allowed himself to dwell
on the obstacles to the fulfilment of the divine promise, he
would have staggered. This does not imply that there was no
inward conflict with doubt in Abraham's mind. It only says,
that his faith triumphed over all difficulties. "The mind," says
Calvin, "is never so enlightened that there are no remains of
ignorance, nor the heart so established that there is no misgiv
ings. With these evils of our nature," he adds, "faith main
tains a perpetual conflict, in which conflict it is often sorely
shaken and put to great stress; but still it conquers, so that
believers may be said to be in ipsa in firm it ate firmissimi."
Paul says Abraham was not weak, r/y rj.GTZi, as to faith.

VERSES 20, 21. lie staggered not at the promise of God ; oi)
dtexpi&y. The aorist passive is here used in a middle sense, he
ivas not in strife with himself, i. e. he did not doubt ; e;c TIJU
1/ra^sA/av, in reference to the promise of God ; r^ direffrefa the
dative lias a causal force, through unbelief. Want of faith in
God did not cause him to doubt the divine promise, a///), but,
i. e. on the contrary; lvzdi>ya[jLco$r^ not middle, made himself

ROMANS IV. 22. 199

strong, but passive, lie was made strong: rfj rJ.ar-:^ either by, or

as to faith. Giving glory to God; that is, the strength was

manifested in his giving glory to God. To give glory to God,

is to take him to be what he really is, almighty and faithful.

It is to show by our conduct that we give him credit, (so to

speak,) that he will arid can do what lie says. Therefore the

apostle adds, xai "typCHpoprftzlz, and being fully persuaded;

that is, he gave glory to God by being fully persuaded that

what he had promised he was able also to perform. ''Quod

addit," says Calvin, " dcdissc gloriam Deo, in eo notandum est,

non posse Deo plus honoris deferri quani dum fide oloi^namus

ejus vcritatem ; sicuti rursus nulla ei gravior contumelia inuri

potest quam dum respuitur oblata ab ipso gratia, vel epis verl)o

derogatur auctoritas. Quare lioc in ejus cultu pnecipuum est

caput. promissiones ejus obedientcr amplecti : vera reli^io ;L fide

incipit." It is therefore a very great error for men to suppose

that to doubt is an evidence of humility. On the cmitrarv, to

doubt God's promise, or his love, is to dishonour him. because

it is to question his word. Multitudes refuse to accept his grace,

because they do not regard themselves as wortliv, as though

their worthiness were the ground on which that grace is offered.

The thing to be believed is, that God aeeepts the unworthv;

that for Christ's sake, he justifies the unjust. Manv find it far

harder to believe that God can love them, notwithstanding their

sinfulness, than the hundred-years-old patriarch did to believe

that he should be the father of many nations. Confidence in

God's word, a hill persuasion that lie can do what seems to us

impossible, is as necessary in the one ease as in the oilier. The

sinner honours God, in 1 rusting his grace, as mncli as Abraham

did in t rusting liis power.

\~Kiisi-: -'2. Therefore <d*» If tcax imputed to him f»r rh/Jtt-
eousncxx. That is, the faith of Abraham was imputed to him
for righteousness. He was accepted as righteous on account
of bis faith : not that faith itself was the ground, but the con
dition of his justification. lie believed, and God accepted him
as righteous: just as now we believe, and are accepted as right
eous, not on account of any merit in our faith, but simply on
the ground of the righteousness of Christ, which is imputed to
us when we believe ; that is, it is given to us, whenever wo

200 ROMANS IV. 23, 24.

are willing to receive and rest upon it. "Niliil plus conferre
fides nobis potcst, quam a verbo acceperit. Quare non protinus
Justus erit, qui general! tantum confusaque notitia imbutus
Deum veracem esse statuet, nisi in promissione gratise quiescat."
Faith justifies by appropriating to ourselves the divine promise.
But if that promise does not refer to our justification, faith
cannot make us righteous. The object of justifying or saving
faith, that is, of those acts of faith which secure our acceptance
with God, is riot the divine veracity in general, nor the divine
authority of the Scriptures, but the specific promise of gratu
itous acceptance through the mediation and merit of the Lord
Jesus Christ.

VERSES 23, 24. Now, it ivas not written for his sake alone,
that it was imputed to him. The record concerning the faith
and consequent justification of Abraham, was not made with the
simple intention of giving a correct history of that patriarch.
It had a much higher purpose. Abraham was a representative
person. "What was true of him, was true of all others who stood
in the same relation to God. The method in which he was jus
tified, is the method in which other sinners must be justified.
That he was justified by faith, is recorded in the Scriptures to
be a perpetual testimony as to the true method of justification
before God. The apostle therefore adds, thai it was of fyjiuz,
on our account. That is, on account of those to whom it shall
be imputed; o?c /JieAAze hof't^ead-cu, to whom it is appointed to be
imputed, in case they should believe. As all men are sinners,
the method in which one was certainly justified is the method
by which others may secure the same blessing. If Abraham
was justified by faith, we may be justified by faith. If the
object of Abraham's faith was the promise of redemption, the
same must be the object of our faith. He believed in God as
quickening the dead, that is, as able to raise up from one as
good as dead, the promised Redeemer. Therefore those to
whom faith shall now be imputed for righteousness are described
as those -who believe that Crod hath raised up Jesus from the
dead. By thus raising him from the dead, he declared him to
be his Son, and the seed of Abraham, in whom all the nations
of the earth were to be blessed. The object of the Christian's
faith, therefore, is the same as the object of the faith of Abra-

ROMANS IV. 25. 201

riam. Both believe the promise of redemption through the
promised seed, which is Christ. When we are said to believe
in God, who raised up Christ, it of course implies that we
believe that Christ was thus raised up. As the resurrection of
Christ was the great decisive evidence of the divinity of his
mission, and the validity of all his claims, to believe that he
rose from the dead, is to believe he was the Son of God, tho
propitiation for our sins, the Redeemer and the Lord of men;
that he was all he claimed to be, and had accomplished all lie
purposed to effect. Compare Rom. x. 0, Acts i. 22, iv. 33,
1 Cor. xv., and other passages in which the resurrection of
Christ is spoken of as the corner-stone of the gospel, ;is the
great fact to be proved, and which, being proved, involves all
the rest.

VKUSI-] 25. W/to was delivered fur our offences, and rained
again- for our juxt!ji<'<it(»n. This verse is a comprehensive state
ment of the gospel. Christ was delivered unto deotlt for our
offences, i. e. on account of them, and for their expiation; see
Isa. liii. 5, G, lleb. ix. 28, 1 Peter ii. 21. This delivering of
Christ is ascribed to God, Rom. viii. 32, Gal. i. 3, and else
where; and to himself, Tit. ii. 14, Gal. ii. 20. It was by the
divine purpose and counsel he suffered for the expiation of sin;
and he gave himself willingly to death. "• lie was led like a
lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is
dumb, so he opened not his mouth." Christ is said to have
been delivered unto death, out -<L -ana-rwtLa-a /y/^v, and to
have been raised, oca r^v dixaicoffiu 'fjtjiujv; that is, he was
delivered in order that our sins might be expiated, and he was
raised in order that we might be justified. His death and his
resurrection were alike necessary; his death, as a satisfaction
to divine justice. lie bore our sins in his own body on tho
tree. That is, lie bore the punishment of our sins. " Significat
ergo Paulas," says Calvin, " satisfactionem pro peccatis nostris
in cruce fuisse peractam. Nam ut Christus nos in gratiam
Patris restitueret, reatum nostrum ab ipso aboleri oportuit ;
quod fieri non potcrat, nisi pocnam, cui solvemhc pares non
enmms, nostro nomine lucret." His resurrection was no less
necessary, first, as a proof that his death had been accepted as
an expiation for our sins. Had he not risen, it would have bee»

202 ROMANS IV. 25.

evident tnat he was not what he claimed to be. We should be
yet in our sins, 1 Cor. xv. 17, and therefore still under con
demnation. Our ransom, in that case, instead of being publicly
accepted, had been rejected. And secondly, in order to secure
the continued application of the merits of his sacrifice, he rose
from the dead, and ascended on high, there to appear before
God for us. lie stands at the right hand of God, ever to make
intercession for his people, thereby securing for them the benefits
of his redemption. With a dead Saviour, a Saviour over whom
death had triumphed and held captive, our justification had been
for ever impossible. As it was necessary that the high priest,
under the old economy, should not only slay the victim at the
altar, but carry the blood into the most holy place, and sprinkle
it upon the mercy-seat ; so it was necessary not only that our
great High Priest should suffer in the outer court, but that he
should pass into heaven, to present his righteousness before
God for our justification. Both, therefore, as the evidence of
the acceptance of his satisfaction on our behalf, and as a neces
sary step to secure the application of the merits of his sacrifice,
the resurrection of Christ was absolutely essential, even for our
justification. Its relation to inward spiritual life and eternal
blessedness is not here brought into view ; for Paul is not here
speaking of our sanctification. That dexaUoffez means justifica
tion, and not the act of making holy, need hardly be remarked.
That follows of necessity, not only from the signification of the
word, but from the whole scope of this part of the epistle. It
is only by those who make justification identical with regenera
tion, that this is called into question. "Pervertunt autem,"
says Calovius, " sententiam Apostoli Papistse, cum id eum velle
contcndunt, mortem Christi exemplar fuisse mortis peccatorum,
resurrectionem autem exemplar renovationis et regenerationis
intcrnae, per quam in novitatc vitoe ambulamus, quia hie non
agitur vel de morte peccatorum, vel dc renovatione et novitate
vitoe ; de quibus, cap. vi., demura agere incipit Apostolus ; sed
de non imputatione vel remissione peccatorum, et imputatione
justitiae vel justificatiorie." Olshausen agrees substantially
with the Romish interpretation of this passage, as lie gives
dtxaiajffiz an impossible sense, viz. (die den neuen Menschen
schaffende Thatigkeit,) the regenerating activity of God. It

ROMANS IV. 18—25. 203

will be observed, that the theology of Olshausen, and of the
mystical school to which he belongs, has far greater affinity for
the Romish than for the Protestant system.

DOCTRINE.

1. Faith is an operative assent to the divine testimony, not
the reception of truth as something which can be proved by our
own arguments, vs. 18, 20.

2. When faith is genuine it is founded on correct apprehen
sions of the divine character, and has a controlling influence
over the heart and life, vs. 20, 21.

3. The method of salvation has never been changed; Abra
ham was not only saved by faith, but the object of his faith was
the same as tin? object of ours. vs. 2 -I. 17.

4. The resurrection of Christ, as an historical fact, estab
lished by the most satisfactory evidence, (see 1 C«»r. xv.,)
authenticates the whole gospel. As surely as Christ has risen,
so surely shall believers be saved, ver. 2-3.

REMARKS.

1. The true way to have our faith strengthened is not to
consider the difficulties in the way of the thing promised, but
the character and resources of God, who has made the pro
mise, ver. 10.

2. It is as possible for faith to be strong when the thing pro
mised is most improbable, as when it is probable. Abraham's
faith should serve as an example and admonition to us. He
believed that a Saviour would be born from his family, when
his having a son was an apparent impossibility. Wo an; only
called upon to believe that the Saviour has been born, has suf
fered, and risen again from the dead — facts established on
the strongest historical, miraculous, and spiritual evidence,
vs. 20. 24, 2.5.

3. Unbelief is a very great sin, as it implies a doubt of the
veracity and power of God, vs. 20, 21.

4. All that is written in the Scriptures is for our instruction.
What is promised, commanded, or threatened, ''unless of a

204 ROMANS V. 1—11

strictly personal nature,) although addressed originally to indi
viduals, belongs to them only as representatives of classes of
men, and is designed for all of similar character, and in similar
circumstances, vcr. 23.

5. The two great truths of the gospel are, that Christ died
as a sacrifice for our sins, and that he rose again for our justifi
cation. Whosoever, from the heart, believes these truths, shall
be saved, vcr. 25, Rom. x. 9.

G. The denial of the propitiatory death of Christ, or of his
resurrection from the dead, is a denial of the gospel. It is a
refusing to be saved according to the method which God has
appointed, ver. 25.

CHAPTER V.

CONTENTS.

FROM verse 1 to 11, inclusive, the apostle deduces some of the
more obvious and consolatory inferences from the doctrine of
gratuitous justification. From the 12th verse to the end, he
illustrates his great principle of the imputation of righteous
ness, or the regarding and treating "the many" as righteous,
on account of the righteousness of one man, Christ Jesus, by a
reference to the fall of all men in Adam.

ROMANS V. 1—11.

ANALYSIS.

THE first consequence of justification by faith is, that we
have peace with God, vcr. 1. The second, that we have not
only a sense of his present favour, but assurance of future
glory, ver. 2. The third, that our afflictions, instead of being
inconsistent with the divine favour, are made directly conducive
to the confirmation of our hope ; the Holy Spirit bearing witness
co the fact that we are the objects of the love of God, vs. 3 — &

ROMANS V. 1. 205

The fourth, the certainty of the final salvation of all believers.
This is argued from the freeness and greatness of the divine
love ; its freeness being manifested in its exercise towards
the unworthy; and its greatness, in the gift of the Son of God,
vs< Q — 10. Salvation is not merely a future though certain
good, it is a present and abundant joy, ver. 11.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 1. Therefore, being justified bi/ faith, we have*
with G-od; that is, we are reconciled to God. We are no longer
the objects of God's displeasure, his favour having been propi
tiated by the death of his Son, ver. 10. As a consequence of
this reconciliation, we have conscious peace with God, that is,
we have neither any longer the present upbraidings of an unap-
peased conscience, nor the dread of divine vengeance. Both
these ideas are included in the peace here spoken of. The
latter, however, is altogether the more prominent. The phrase
eiY^V^y £%oti~i' ~oo£ rov #£ov, we hace peace in regard to God,
properly means, God is at peace with us, his ocrfq (wrath)
towards us is removed. It expresses, as Philippi says, "not a
state of mind, but a relation to God."f It is that relation
which arises from the expiation of sin, and consequently justi
fication. We arc no longer his enemies, in the objective sense
of the term, (sec ver. 10. j but are the objects of bis favour.
The whole context still treats of reconciliation and propitiation,
of the removal of the wrath of God by the death of his Son,
and not of inward sanctification. It is true that the immediate
and certain effect of God's reconciliation to us is our reconcilia
tion to him. If he is at peace with us, we have inward peace.
Conscience is only the reflection of his countenance, the echo,

* Instead of t%cu&, we have peace, l^uutv, hi us have, is read in the MSS. A.
C. I>. 17, 18, 10, 22, 24, 34, 30. 37, 42, 44, 40, 5">, GO, in the Syriac, Coptic, and
Vulgate versions, and by several of the Fathers. The latter reading is adopted
by Lachmann. But as the external authorities are nearly equally divided, and
as the common reading gives a sense so much better suited to the context, it
is retained by the majority of critical editors.

f Commentar Qber den Brief Pauli an die R<3mer von Friederick Adolph
Philippi, Doktor und ord. Professor der Theologie zu Dorpat; since of
Rostock,

206 ROMANS V. 2.

often feeble and indistinct, often terribly clear 'and unmistaka
ble, of bis judgment; and therefore subjective peace uniformly
attends faith in the love of God, or assurance of our justifica
tion. Although, therefore, the primary idea of the apostle is,
that God is at peace with us, it is nevertheless true that inward
tranquillity of mind is the fruit of justification by faith. It is
peculiarly an evangelical doctrine, that pious affections are the
fruit of this reconciliation to God, and not the cause of it. Paul
says this peace is the result of justification by faith. He who
relies on his works for justification, can have no peace. lie can
neither remove the displeasure of God, nor quiet the apprehen
sion of punishment. Peace is not the result of mere gratuitous
forgiveness, but of justification, of a reconciliation founded
upon atonement. The enlightened conscience is never satisfied
until it sees that God can be just in justifying the ungodly;
that sin has been punished, the justice of God satisfied, his law
honoured and vindicated. It is when he thus sees justice and
mercy embracing eacli other, that the believer has that peace
which passes all understanding ; that sweet quiet of the soul in
which deep humility, in view of personal unworthiness, is min
gled with the warmest gratitude to that Saviour by whose blood
God's justice has been satisfied, and conscience appeased.
Hence Paul says we have this peace through our Lord Jesus
Christ. It is not through ourselves in any way, neither by our
own merit, nor our own efforts. It is all of grace. It is all
through Jesus Christ. And this the justified soul is ever
anxious to acknowledge. "Pacem habemus. Singularis justitise
fidei fructus. Nam siquis ab opcribus conscientise securitatem
petere vclit, (quod in profanis et brutis hominibus cernitur,)
frustra id tentabit. Aut cnim contemptu vel oblivione Divini
judicii sopitum est pectus, aut trepidatione ac formidine quoque
plenum est, donee in Christum recubuerit. Ipse enim solus est
pax nostra. Pax ergo conscicntiiTe serenitatein significat, quse
ex eo nascitur, quod Deum sibi reconciliatum sentit." Calvin.

VER.-E 2. By wlwni also we have access by faith into this
t/race, &c. This verse admits of different interpretations. Ac
cording to one view, it introduces a new and higher benefit than
peace with God, as the consequence of our justification: 'We
nave not only peace, but access (to God,) and joyful confidence

HOMANS V. 2. 207

of salvation.' Besides other objections to this interpretation,
It overlooks the difference between e%ousu and laffixapsV) ren
dering both, wehace: 'We have peace, and we have access;'
whereas iayjqxatizv is properly, we have had. This clause, there
fore, instead of indicating an additional and higher blessing
than the peace spoken of in vcr. 1, expresses the ground of that
peace: 'We have peace with God through Jesus Christ our
Lord, through whom also we have had access into this grace.'
So Meyer, Philippi, &c. ' We are indebted to Christ not only
for peace, but also for access to this grace, (this state of justifi
cation,) which is the ground of our peace.' The word -poaaftoi'if]
means either introduction or access. In Eph. ii. IS, and iii. 12,
it has the latter meaning, which maybe retained here. Jn both
the other places in which it occurs, it is used of access to God.
Many commentators so understand it in this place, and there
fore put a comma after l<jyjjxa.fj.zy, and connect -:a--.: with *i~
ryu %dcitv ra'j-y^. The sense would then be, c Through whom
also we have had access to God, by faith on this grace.' The
objections to this explanation are, that it supposes an omission
in the text, and that the expression "faith on the grace," has
no scriptural analogy. The obviously natural construction is
to connect Tiftoffa^co^v with er- r^v yjinw rv/'Jr^v, as is done in
our version, and by the great majority of commentators, -uid to
take ~7f -'.(j-=i instrumcntally, Itf firitlt. The grace to whidi we
have access, or into which we have been introduced, is the state
of justification. The fact, therefore, that we are justified, ire,
rather than others, is not due to anvthing in us. We did not
open the way, or introduce ourselves into this state. We were
brought into it by Christ. "Accessus (juidem nomine initium
salutis a Christo esse docens, preparationes cxdudit, quibus
stulti homines Dei misericordiam se antcvertere putant ; acsi
iiccret, Christum nihil promeritis ol)viam venire manumque
porrigere." Calrin. In which we stand. The antecedent of
the relative (jjrj is not ~'wcz', but yanw; in which r/race we
stand; that is, we are firmly and immovably established. So
in John viii. 44, it is said of Satan, that he stood not (oty
£ffTr4xz]s) in the truth, did not remain steadfast therein. 1 Cor.
xv. 1, "Wherein ye stand," 2 Cor. i. 24. The state, therefore,
into which the believer is introduced by Christ, is not a preca-

208 ROMANS V. 2.

rious one. H« has not only firm ground on which to stand, bin
lie lias strength divinely imparted to enable him to keep his
foothold. And rejoice in hope of the glory of G-od. The word
xa'j'/jj.otmi is one of Paul's favourite terms. It properly means
to talk of ones self, to praise ones self, to boast; then to con
gratulate one's self, to speak of ourselves as glorious or blessed;
and then to felicitate ourselves in anything as a ground of con
fidence and source of honour and blessedness. Men are com
manded not to glory (%a'j%tlfffrac) in themselves, or in men, or in
the flesh, but in God alone. In this passage the word may be
rendered, to rejoice, 'we rejoice in hope.' Still something more
than mere joy is intended. It is a glorying, a self-felicitation
and exultation, in view of the exaltation and blessedness which
Christ has secured for us. In hope of the glory of God. The
object or ground of the rejoicing or boasting expressed by this
verb is indicated here by 1^'; commonly, in the iSew Testament,
the matter of the boasting is indicated by sv, sometimes by
u~so and TTSO/. The glory of Grod may mean that glory which
God gives, or that glory which he possesses. In either case, it
refers to the exaltation and blessedness secured to the believer,
who is to share in the glory of his divine Redeemer. "The
glory which thou gavcst me," said our Lord, "I have given
them," John xvii. 22. There is a joyful confidence expressed
in these words, an assurance of ultimate salvation, which is the
appropriate effect of justification. We are authorized and
bound to feel sure that, having through Jesus Christ been
reconciled to God, we shall certainly be saved. This is only a
becoming confidence in the merit of his sacrifice, and in the sin
cerity of God's love. This confidence is not founded on our
selves, neither on the preposterous idea that we deserve the
favour of God, nor the equally preposterous idea that we have in
ourselves strength to persevere in faith or obedience. Our con
fidence is solely on the merit of Christ, and the gratuitous and
infinite love of God. Although this assurance is the legitimate
effect of reconciliation, and the want of it is evidence of weak
ness, still in this, as in other respects, the actual state of the
believer generally falls far short of the ideal. He ever lives
below his privileges, and goes limping and halting, when he
should mount up as with the wings of the eagle. Still it is

ROMANS V. 3, 4. 209

important for him to know that assurance is not an unseemly
presumption, but a privilege and duty. " Hie evertuntur,"
says Calvin, " pcstilentissiina duo sophistarum dcgmata, alte-
rum, quo jubcnt Ciiristianos esse contentos conjcctura morali
in percipienda erga se Dei gratia, altcrum, quo tradunt omnes
esse inccrtos finalis perseverentiae. Atqui nisi et certa in pro>
sens intelligentia, et in futurum constans ae ininiiiic dubia sit
persuasio, quis gloriari auderet?"

VERSES 3, 4. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations
also. Not only do we rejoice in this hope of future glory, but
we glory in tribulations also. Since our relation to God is
changed, the relation of all things to us is changed. Afflictions,
which before were the expressions of God's displeasure, arc now
the benevolent and beneficent manifestations of his love. And
instead of being inconsistent with our iiiial relation to him, they
serve to prove that lie regards and loves us as his children ; Putin.
viii. IS, Jleb. xii. U. Tribulations, therefore, although for the
present not joyous, but grievous, become to the believer matter
of ]o\* and thankfulness. The words xa'jycb infra fv :v/?~ d-Al^'S&tv
do not mean that we glory in the midst of affliction.", but on
account of them. They are themselves the matter or ground
of the glorying. So the Jews are said to glory (iV) in the law,
others glory in men, the believer glories in the Lord; so con
stantly. Afflictions themselves are to the Christian a ground of
glorying; he feels them to be an honour and a blessing. This
is a sentiment often expressed in the word of God. Our Lord
says. "Blessed are they who mourn;" '• Blessed are the perse
cuted:" '• Blessed arc ye when men <hall revile you." He calls
on his suffering disciples to rejoice and be exceeding glad when
they are afflicted. Matt. v. 4, 10 — VI. The apostles departed
from the Jewish council, u rejoicing that they were counted
worthy to suffer shame for Christ's name." Acts v. 41. Peter
calls upon Christians to rejoice when they are partakers of
Christ's sufferings, and pronounces them happy when they are
reproached for his sake. 1 Pet. iv. lo, 14. And Paul says,
"Most gladly therefore will I glory in (on account of) my
infirmities," (i. e. my sufferings.) "I take pleasure," he savs,
"in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in
distresses for Christ's sake." 2 Cor. xii. 10, 11. This is not
14

210 ROMANS V. 5.

irrational or fanatical. Christians do not glory in suffering, as
such, or for its own sake, but as the Bible teaches, 1. Because
they consider it an honour to suffer for Christ. 2. Because they
rejoice in being the occasion of manifesting his power in their
support and deliverance ; and, 3. Because suffering is made the
means of their own sanctification and preparation for usefulness
here, and for heaven hereafter. The last of these reasons is
that to which the apostle refers in the context. We glory in
afflictions, he says, because affliction worketli patience, UXO/WVTJ.
constancy. It calls into exercise that strength and firmness
evinced in patient endurance of suffering, and in perseverance
in fidelity to truth and duty, under the severest trials. And
this constancy worJceth experience, doxf/juj. This word means,
1. Trial, as in 2 Cor. viii. 2, "In a great trial of affliction."

1. e. in affliction which is a trial, that which puts men to the test.

2. Evidence, or proof, as in 2 Cor. xiii. 3, " Since ye seek a
proof of Christ speaking in me." Compare 2 Cor. ii. 9, Philip,
ii. 22. This would give a good sense here : ' Constancy produces
evidence' of the fidelity of God, or of our fidelity. 3. The word
is used mctonymically for the result of trial, i. e. approbation,
or that which is proved worthy of approbation : ' doxiuy est
qualitas ejus, qui est doxtjuot;.' Bengal. It is tried integrity, a
state of mind which has stood the test. Compare James i. 12,
"Blessed is the man that endurcth temptation, (oc 5~o/jt£yse
nstpaffiuoy;) for when he is tried (ort duxttio^ j^oni^o^] he shall
receive the crown of life." ' I'-otto^y, the endurance of trial,
therefore, makes a man d6xe/j.o$; in other words, it worketh
3oxt(jr/j. It produces a strong, tested faith. Hence the parallel
expression, TO doxlfjuov uiwj^ ri^ TZ'KJTZCO*, the trying of your
faith. 1 Pet. i. 7. And this ooy.>/j:/j, 'well tested faith, or this
endurance of trial produces hope; tends to confirm and
strengthen the hope of the glory of God, which wre owe to our
justification through Jesus Christ.

VERSE 5. And hope malteth not asltamed, (xaTata%uv£c.) Not
to make ashamed, is not to put us to the shame of disappoint
ment. The hope of the believer, says Calvin, "habet certissi-
mum salutis exitum." It' certainly eventuates in salvation.
See ix. 33. The hope which true believers entertain, founded
on the very nature of pious exercises, shall never disappoint

ROMANS V. 6. 211

them, Ps. xx ii. 5. The ground of this assurance, however, is
not the strength of our purpose, or confidence in our own good
ness, but the love of God. The latter clause of the verse assigns
the reason why the Christian's hope shall not be found delusive;
it is because the love of Crod is sited abroad in our hearts, ly
the Holy Gliost given unto us. ' The love of God' is his love to
us, and not ours to him, as appears from the following verses,
in which the apostle illustrates the greatness and frecncss of
this love, by a reference to the un worthiness of its objects. To
shed abroad, (ixxiyjJT<u, it has been, and continues to be shed
abroad.) is to communicate abundantly, and hence to evince
clearly, Acts ii. IT, x. 45, Titus iii. 6. This manifestation of
divine love is not any external revelation of it in the works of
Providence, or even in redemption, but it is in our hearts, ev
ra?c /'//'0:«.'c ~///'-<^, diffused abroad within our hearts, where ^,
in, is not used for s/c, into. "The love of God," says Pliilippi,
"does not descend upon us as dew in drops, but as a stream
which spreads itself abroad through the whole soul, filling it
with the consciousness of his presence and favour. And this
inward persuasion that we are the objects of the love of God, is
not the mere result of the examination of evidence, nor is it a
vain delusion, but it is produced by the Holy Ghost: "The
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirits, that we arc the
children of God," Rom. viii. 10, 2 Cor. i. 21, 22, Eph. i. 14.
As, however, the Spirit never contradicts himself, he never
bears witness that "the children of the devil" are the children
of God; that is, that the unholy, the disobedient, the proud or
malicious, are the objects of the divine favour. Any reference,
therefore, by the immoral, to the witness of the Spirit in their
favour, must be vain and delusive.

VERSE 0. For -when we were ijet without strength. The con
nection of this verse, as indicated by ffi.f>, is with vcr. 5. We
are the object of God's love, for Christ died for us. The gift
of Christ to die on our behalf, is everywhere in Scripture
re-presented as the highest possible or conceivable proof of the
love of God to sinners. John iii. 16, 1 John iii. 10, iv. 9, 10.
The objection that the Church doctrine represents the death of
Christ as exciting or procuring the love of an unloving God, is
without the shadow of foundation. The Scriptures represent

212 ROMANS V. 6.

the love of God to sinners as independent of the work of Christ,
and anterior to it. He so loved us as to give his only begotten
Son to reconcile our salvation with his justice. In the Greek
of this passage, ere ^ao Ao.'^roc o^rtov YJ[IOJI> dadzi>o)y, the err,
yet, is out of its natural place; it belongs to OI^TCOU aoti^tiiv,
(as in vcr. 8, Izv d/mpTwAwv,) and not to Xftiaro^. Such tra-
jections of the particles are not unusual even in classical Greek.
See Winer, § 65, 4 : ' Christ died for us, when we were yet weak.'
This slight irregularity has given rise to considerable diversity
of readings, even in the older manuscripts. Some, instead of
err at the beginning of the verse, have si'ys or zc-* rr, and place
en after aa&zvibv; others have ere both at the beginning and at
the end of the clause. The great majority of editors and com
mentators retain the common reading;, and refer the lie to

rD "

oW^v, £c., as is done in our version. We being yet weak. The
weakness here intended is spiritual weakness, destitution of
strength for what is spiritually good, a weakness arising from,
and consisting in sinfulness. The same idea, therefore, is ex
pressed in ver. 8, by the words Ir.' fW^roV.rov, when we were
yet sinners. What, in Isa. liii. 4, is expressed by the LXX. in
the words TV.:; b.u.o.n~>.tj.^ Yj>wrj c?£0£.', he bears our sins, is, in
Matt. viii. 17, expressed by saying, r«c aT'Vsi/s.'V/c '/J/JLOJV s/.afc,
lie took our weaknesses. In due time, yjj-u. xacoov^ are not to
be connected witli the preceding participial, 'we being weak
according1 to (or considering) the time,' secundum rationem
temporix, as Calvin and Luther, after Chrysostom and Theo-
doret, render it, but witli the following verb, aTreQave, he d'u'.d
Kara Kaipov. This may mean, at the appointed, or at the appro
priate time. The forimT is moiv in accordance with the analogy
of Scripture, Christ canio at th(j tiin«; appointed by tlie Father.
The same idea is expressed in Gal. iv. 4, by "the fulness of
iinio;" coni])arc Kpli. i. 10, 1 Tim. ii. 0, Titus i. 3, John v. 4.
Of course the appointed was uls > tlu; appropriate time. The
question only concerns the form in which the- idea is expressed.
He died, uirep dae/3a)v,for tin', unyodly. As th(; apostle bad said,
' when we were weak,' it would have been natural for him to
say, 'Christ died for usj rather than that he died for the
unjodlij, had it not been his design to exalt the gratuitous
nature of God's love. Christ died for us the ungodly ; and

ROMANS V. 6. 213

therein, as the apostle goes on to show, is the mystenousness
of the divine love revealed. That God should love the good,
the righteous, the pure, the godiy. is what • -:ajvi;

but that the infiniteiy Holy shou] i love the j y, an ; give

his Si-n for their redemption, is the '••• . iers.

" Herein is i jve. not that ^

and sent his Son i -• 1 -J" ---^

iv. 10. A- the i her child, with which God

the attr ictive qualities of th -.: chii

.

i .-.'•: -.I::.-/. ntsy is

: rled -:• its being thus _• I

. ... i.-; W >ul i 10*. IS r;;V -^ . .

con-: . «. But

a. the •;; --.;
s: ir, -y

-. Chris: i. f-yr \ : .-. '.'. '-

-

:...:.. :: :.:.

fore, if thi: that the .Scrip:

with : ur :: ;

_.. -:. G , ..::-'-:- 3. >:.' :-'. -. -s in :: tLo meaa-

ir.g Cf 2>Tf.

214 ROMANS V. 7.

VERSE 7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, ye\
per adventure for a good man some would even dare to die. The
.greatness and frceness of the love of God is illustrated in this
and the following verse, by making still more prominent the
unworthiness of its objects: 'It is hardly to be expected that
any one would die. in the place of a merely righteous man,
though for the good man, this self-denial might possibly be
exercised. But we, so far from being good, were not even
righteous; we were sinners, ungodly, and enemies.' The dif
ference between the words -righteous and good, as here used, is
that which, in common usage, is made between just and kind.
The former is applied to a man who does all that the law or
justice can demand of him, the latter to him who is governed
by love. The just man commands respect ; the good man calls
forth affection. Respect being a cold and feeble principle, com
pared to love, the sacrifices to which it leads are comparatively
slight. This distinction between oixaco^ and a^afto^ is illustrated
by that which Cicero, De Offieiis, Lib. III. 15, makes between
Justus and bonus: "Si vir bonus is cst qui prodest quibus
potest, nocct ncmini, recte justum virum, bonum non facile
'* reperiemus." The interpretation given above is the one gene
rally adopted; it suits the context, the signification of the
words, and the structure of the passage. The design of the
apostle is to represent the death of Christ as an unexampled
manifestation of love. Among men, it was never heard of that
one died for a man simply just; the most that human nature
could be expected to accomplish is, that one should die for his
benefactor, or for the good man — one so good as to be charac
terized and known as the good. There is evidently a climax in
the passage, as indicated by the opposition between (fj.bh$ and
ra^#) scarcely and possibly. The passage, however, has been
differently interpreted. Luther takes both dtxaiou and TOO
afa&o[) as neuters: "Scarcely for the right will any one die,
possibly for something good some one might dare to die."
Calvin makes no distinction between the words : " Rarissimum
sane inter homines exemplum exstat, ut pro justo quis mori
sustineat quanquam illud nonnunquam acciderc possit." Meyer
takes dexaioUj as it is without the article, as masculine, but
TOL* afattorj as neuter, and renders the latter clause of the

ROMANS V. 8, 9. 2 15

verse interrogatively: "Hardly for a righteous man will one
die, for who can easily bring himself to die for what is good
(TO dfa&6^, the good)?" The common interpretation is per
fectly satisfactory, and to these, other objections more or less
decisive may be adduced. Instead of or/aio'j, the Syriac reads
dolxoi>/ 'Scarcely for an unrighteous man will one die.' But
this is not only unauthorized, but the sense is not so appro
priate.

VERSE 8. But Grod commendeth his love towards us, in that*
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ' Commendeth,'
a'^AarfjO',, proves, or renders conspicuous; see iii. 5. What
renders the love of God so peculiarly conspicuous, is his send
ing his Son to die, not for the good, nor even for the righteous,
but for sinners, for those who were deserving of wrath instead
of love. The word sowers expresses the idea of moral turpi
tude, and consequent exposure to the divine displeasure. It
was for, or in the place of those who were at once corrupt, and
the enemies of God, that Christ died.

VEUSK D. Mueli more than, bcin<j now justified by I/is Hood,
we shall be saved from wrath through him. This and the fol
lowing verse draw the obvious inference, from the freeness and
greatness of the love of God, as just exhibited, that believers
shall be ultimately saved. It is an argument a fortiori. If tlio
greater benefit has been bestowed, the less will not be withheld.
If Christ has died for his enemies, ho will surely save his
friends. Being justified. To be justified is more than to bo
pardoned; it includes the idea of reconciliation or restoration
to the favour of God, on the ground of a satisfaction to justice,
and the participation of the consequent blessings. This idea is
prominently presented in the following verse. 'We are justified
by his blood.' This expression, as remarked above (chap. iv. 3,)
exhibits the true ground of our acceptance with God. It is not
our works, nor our faith, nor our new obedience, nor the work
of Christ in us, but what he has done for us; chap. iii. 25,
Eph. ii. 13, lleb. ix. 12. Having by the death of Christ been
brought into the relation of peace with God, beiiv now regarded

O O o

for his sake as righteous, we, shall be saved from wrath through
him. He will not leave his work unfinished; whom he justifies,
them he also glorifies. The word wrath, of course, nocans the

216 ROMANS Y. 10.

effects of wrath or punishment, those sufferings with which the
divine displeasure visits sin; Matt. iii. 7, 1 Thess. i. 10, Rom.
i. 18. Not only is our justification to be ascribed to Christ, but
our salvation is through him. Salvation, in a general sense,
includes justification; but when distinguished from it, as in this
lase, it means the consummation of that work of which justifi
cation is the commencement. It is a preservation from all the
causes of destruction; a deliverance from the evils which sur
round us here, or threaten us hereafter; and an introduction
into the blessedness of heaven. Christ thus saves us by his
providence and Spirit, and by his constant intercession ; chap,
viii. 34, Ileb. iv. 14, 15, vii. 25, Jude v. 24, 1 John ii. 1.
Olshausen here also introduces his idea of subjective justifica
tion, and says that the meaning of this passage is, "If God
regenerates a man, we may hope that he will uphold and per
fect him, and reduce his liability to apostasy to a minimum."
According to this, to justify is to regenerate, and to save from
wrath is to reduce our liability to apostasy to a minimum.

VERSE 10. For if, ivhen ive were yet enemies, we were recon
ciled £0 Crod l>ij the death of his 8on, &c. This verse contains
nearly the same idea as ver. 9, presented in a different form.
The word enemies is applied to men not only as descriptive of
their moral character, but also of the relation in which they
stand to God as the objects of his displeasure. There is not
only a wicked opposition of the sinner to God, but a holy
opposition of God to the sinner. The preceding verse presents
the former of these ideas, arid this verse the latter most promi
nently. There it is said, 'though sinners, we are justified;'
and here, 'though enemies, we are reconciled.' The word
l%& pol has the same passive sense in xi. 28. And this is the
principal difference between the two verses. To be reconciled
to God, in such connections, docs not mean to have our enmity
to God removed, but his enmity to us taken out of the way, to
have him rendered propitious, or his righteous justice satisfied.
This is evident, 1. Because the reconciliation is ascribed to the
death of Christ, or his blood, ver. 9. But, according to the
constant representations of Scripture, the death of Christ is a
sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, or to propitiate the favour of
God, and not immediately a means of sanctification. The former

ROMANS V. 10. 217

is its direct object, the latter an incidental result. This is the
very idea of a sacrifice. The most liberal commentators, that
is, those least bound by any theological system, admit this to
be the doctrine of Scripture, and of this particular passage.
Thus Meyer: " Christi Tod tilgte nicht die Feindschaft der
Menschen gegen Gott ;" that is, uThe death of Christ does not
remove the enmity of men towards God, but as that which
secures the favour of God, it removes his enmity towards men,
whence the removal of our enmity towards him follows as a con
sequence." So also Ruckert: uThe reconciled here can only
be God, whose wrath towards sinners is appeased by the death
of his Son. On man's part nothing has happened; no internal
change, no step towards God: all this follows as the conse
quence of the reconciliation here spoken of." De AVette also
says, that "x«r«//«^' must mean the removal of the wrath of
God, and consequently the reconciliation is of God to man,
which not only here, but in iii. 25, '1 Cor. v. IS, 10, Col. i. "21,
Eph. ii. 16, is referred to the atoning death of Christ." '2. The
object of the verse is to present us as enemies, or the objects
of God's displeasure. 'If while we were the objects of the
divine displeasure,' says the apostle, 'that displeasure has been
removed, or God propitiated by the death of his Son, how
much more shall we be saved,' &e. That is, if God has been
reconciled to us, he will save us. •). This is the proper mean
ing of the word, 2 Cor. v. 18, 19. See also Matt. v. 24, " First
go and be reconciled to thy brother," i. e. go and appease his
anger, or remove the ground of his displeasure; compare Hob.
ii. IT, " He is a priest to make reconciliation (s^ TO DAoxsad-cu)
for the sins of the people." It is the appropriate business of
a priest to propitiate God, and not to reform men. See also
1 Sam. xxix. 4: ''Wherewith should he reconcile himself (oca).-
Xa^fJirat) to his master? should it not be with the heads of these
men?" Eph. ii. 16, "That he might reconcile (dnoxaraUd^r/)
both unto God by the cross," not remove their enmity to God,
but secure for them his favour and access to the Father, ver. 18.
The verbs y.o-auAaaM, ota/Jdoaio, and dxoxaTaAAaaaco, are used
interchangeably. The main idea, of course, as expressed by
, to change, is slightly modified by the force of the

218 ROMANS Y. 10.

several prepositions with which it is combined — to change xaz<i
in relation to, otd between, 6.716 from. The three verbs, however,
are all used to express the idea of reconciliation, i. e. changing
the relation of parties at enmity, so that they are at peace.
Whether this reconciliation is effected by the propitiation of the
justly offended party, or by a change of feeling in the offender,
or both, depends on the connection. 4. The context obviously
requires this sense here. "Being reconciled by the death of
his Son," evidently corresponds to the phrase, " Being justified
by his blood," The latter cannot mean that our feelings towards
God are changed, but is admitted to express the idea that we
are forgiven and restored to the divine favour. Such therefore
must be the meaning of the former. Besides, it is the object
of the apostle to illustrate the greatness and frecness of the love
of God, from the un worthiness of its objects. While sinners,
we are justified; while enemies, we are reconciled. To make
the passage mean, that when enemies we laid aside our enmity,
and became the friends of God. would be to make it contradict
the very assertion and design of the apostle.

We shall be saved by his life. This rather unusual mode of
expression was doubtless adopted for the sake of its correspond
ence to the words, by It Is death, in the preceding clause, arid is
a striking example of Paul's fondness for such antithetical con
structions ; see chap. iv. 25, Gal. iii. 3, 2 Cor. iii. 6. The mean
ing is obvious: 'If while we were enemies, we were restored to
the favour of God by the death of his Son, the fact that he
lives will certainly secure our final salvation.' 1. His life is a
pledge and security for the life of all his people ; see John
xiv. 19, "Because I live, ye shall live also;" Horn. viii. 11,
1 Cor. xv. 23. 2. He is able to save to the uttermost, "because
he ever lives to make intercession for us," Ileb. vii. 25, &c.
3. At his resurrection, all power in heaven and earth was com
mitted to his hands, Matt, xxviii. 18 ; and this power he exer
cises for the salvation of his people ; Eph. i. 22, ' He is head
over all things, for the benefit of his Church;' Rev. i. 18, Heb.
ii. 10, 1 Cor. xv. 25, &c.; see also the passages cited on the
last clause of ver. 9. There is, therefore, most abundant
ground for confidence for the final blessedness of believers, not

ROMANS V. 11. 219

only in the amazing love of God, by which, though sinners and
enemies, they have been justified and reconciled by the death
of his Son, but also in the consideration that this same Saviour
that died for them still lives, and ever lives to sanctify, protect,
and save them.

VERSE 11. yot only so, but we rejoice in G-od, tJirowjh our
Lord Jesus Christ; o?j [JLOVOV os, d//// '/.at 7.u:jy^'on.i^of. lv ~<u Ozw..
There are three ways of explaining the participle xay^wvej/or;
the one is to make it antithetical to xaTaHafSVTSZi ' 11()t only
reconciled, but exulting in God, shall we be saved.' But this
is not only an unnatural form of expression, but in VCT. 0,
xaraMaj'Si'TSZ is not a qualification of ffco&qaojjisd-a. The moan
ing is not, 'We shall be saved reconciled,' but, ' Since wo are
reconciled we shall be saved.' Another interpretation supplies
the verb from the preceding clause, 'Not <>nlv -hall we bo
saved, but saved rejoicing in God.' The best sense is obtained
by supplying i<rti.iy after the participle, as is assumed in the
English version, and advocated by the majority of commenta
tors: ; We shall not only be ultimately saved, but wo now glory
in God.' The benefits of redemption are not all future. It is
not only deliverance from future wrath, but the jov and irlory
of the present favour and love of (rod, that we owe to Jesus
Christ. Thus the Vulgate, which renders '/.(Viywnzw. as ;i verb,
(wd et gloriamurj) as does Luther, •• \Vir riihmen uns audi
Gottes. ' A\ o glory in (rod through »ur Lord >f>x>t* (1/>/-/*f.
That is, it is to him that we are indebted for this jo\- in <i"d
as our (I o-l and portion. T//r»>!>/// >•"//<, /n we Inn*,- now received
atoneiiit'iit. This is the reason \vliy wo owe our present u'loi'V-
ing in (rod to Christ; it is because ho has secured our recon
ciliation. The word rendered by our translators, atonement, is
XdLTfJL/JMfT], the derivative of %o.Ta)3AG(no, proj'x-i'lv I'onderod in
the context, as elsewhere, to reconcile. The proper rondonnir,
therefore, of the noun would be reconciliation: 'Through whom
we have received reconciliation, that is, have boon reconciled.'
This verse therefore brings us back to ver. 2. There it is said,
'Having peace with God, we rejoice in hope of his glory;' and
here, 'Being reconciled, we glory or rejoice in God.' Salvation
is begun on earth.

220 ROMANS V. 1—11.

DOCTRINE.

1. Peace with God is the result of that system of religion
which alone, by providing at once for the satisfaction of divine
justice and the sanctification of the human heart, is suited to
the character of God and the nature of man. All history
shows that no system other than the gospel has ever produced
this peace, vcr. 1.

2. All the peculiar blessings of redemption are inseparably
connected with and grow out of each other. Those who are jus
tified have peace with God, access to his presence, joy under the
most adverse circumstances, assurance of God's love, and cer
tainty of final salvation; see the whole section, and compare
chap. viii. 30.

8. The Holy Ghost has intimate access to the human soul,
controlling its exercises, exciting its emotions, and leading it
into the knowledge of the truth, ver. 5.

4. The assurance of hope is founded on the consciousness of
pious affections, and the Avitness of the Holy Spirit ; and is a
grace to which believers may and ought to attain, vs. 4, 5.

5. The perseverance of the saints is to be attributed not to
the strength of their love to God, nor to anything else in them
selves, but solely to the free and infinite love of God in Christ
Jesus. The praise is therefore no more due to them, than com
mendation to a helpless infant for its mother's sleepless care.
"Can a woman forget her sucking child," &c., vs. 6 — 10.

6. Redemption is not by truth or moral influence, but by
blood, vs. 9, 10.

7. The primary object of the death of Christ was to render
God propitious, to satisfy his justice, and not to influence human
conduct, or display the divine character, for the sake of the
moral effect of that exhibition. Among its infinitely diversified
results, all of which were designed, some of the most important,
no doubt, are the sanctification of men, the display of the divine
perfections, the prevention of sin, the happiness of the universe,
&c. But the object of a sacrifice, as such, is to propitiate, vs. 9,
10, Heb. ii. 17.

8. All we have or hope for, we owe to Jesus Christ — peace,
communion with God, joy, hope, eternal life; see the whole
section and the whole Bible.

ROMANS V. 12—21. 221

REMARKS.

1. If we are the genuine children of God, we have peace of
conscience, a sense of God's favour, and freedom of access to
his throne. We endure afflictions with patience. Instead of
making us distrustful of our heavenly Father, they afford us
new proofs of his love, and strengthen our hope of his mercy.
And we shall have also, more or less of the assurance of God's
love, by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, vs. 1 — 5.

2. None of these fruits of reconciliation with God can be ob
tained until the spirit of self-righteousness and self-dependence
is removed. They are secured through faith, and by Christ
Jesus, and not by our own works or merit, ver. 1, &c.

3. The hope of the hypocrite is like a spider's web ; the
hope of the believer is an anchor to his soul, sure and stead
fast, ver. 5.

4. Assurance of the love of God never produces self-com
placency or pride: but always humility, self-abasement, wonder,
gratitude, and praise. The believer sees that the mysterious
fountain of this love is in the divine mind; it is not in himself,
who is ungodly and a sinner, vs. 8 — 10.

5. As the love of God in the gift of his Son, and the love of
Christ in dying for us, are the peculiar characteristics of the
gospel, no one can be a true Christian on whom these truths do
not exert a governing influence, vs. 0, 10; compare 2 Cor. v. 14.

6. True religion is joyful, vs. 2, 11.

ROMANS V. 12—21.

AXALYSIS.

I. Scope of the passage. The design of this section is tho
illustration of the doctrine of the justification of sinners on the
ground of the righteousness of Christ, by a reference to tho
condemnation of men for the sin of Adam. That such is its
design is evident, 1. From the context. Paul has been engaged
from the beginning of the epistle in inculcating one main idea.
viz. that the ground of the sinner's acceptance with God is not
in himself, but the merit of Christ. And in the preceding

222 ROMANS V. 12—21.

verses lie had said, "we are justified by his blood," ver. 9: by
his death we are restored to the divine favour, ver. 10; and
through him, i. e. by one man, we have received reconciliation,
that is, are pardoned and justified, ver. 11. As this idea of
men's beino- regarded and treated, not according to their own

O CD ^

merit, but the merit of another, is contrary to the common mode
of thinking among men, and especially contrary to their self-
righteous efforts to obtain the divine favour, the apostle illus
trates and enforces it by an appeal to the great analogous fact
in the history of the world. 2. From an inspection of vs. 12,
18, 19, which contain the whole point and substance of the
comparison. Verses 13 — IT are virtually a parenthesis ; and
vs. 20, 21, contain two remarks, merely incidental to the dis
cussion. Verses 12, 18, 19, must therefore contain the main
idea of the passage. In the 12th, only one side of the com
parison is stated; but in vs. 18, 19, it is resumed and carried
out : 'As by the offence of one all are condemned, so by the
righteousness of one all arc justified.' This, almost in the words
of the apostle, is the simple meaning of vs. 18, 19, and makes
the point of the comparison and scope of the passage perfectly
clear. 3. The design of the passage must be that on which all
its parts bear, the point towards which they all converge. The
course of the argument, as will appear in the sequel, bears so
uniformly and lucidly on the point just stated, that the attempt
to make it bear on any other involves the whole passage in
confusion. All that the apostle says tends to the illustration
of his declaration, 'As' we are condemned on account of what
Adam did, we are justified on account of what Christ did.' The
illustration of this point, therefore, must be the design and
scope of the whole.

It is frequently and confidently said that the design of the
passage is to exalt our views of the blessings procured by
Christ, by showing that they are greater than the evils occa
sioned by the fall. But this is not only improbable, but impos
sible. 1. Because the super abounding of the grace of the gospel
is not expressly stated until ver. 20. That is, not until the
whole discussion is ended; and it is introduced there merely
incidentally, as involved in the apostle's answer to an objection
Lo his argument, implied in the question, ' For what purpose did

ROMANS V. 12—21. 223

the law enter?' Is it possible that the main design of a passage
should be disclosed only in the reply to an incidental objection?
The pith and point of the discussion would be just what they
are now, had no such objection been suggested or answered;
yet, if this view of the subject is correct, had the objection not
been presented, the main design of the passage would have been
unexpressed and undiscoverable. 2. The idea of the superiority
of the blessings procured by Christ to the evils .occasioned by
Adam, although first expressly stated in ver. 20, is alluded to
and implied in vs. 1G, 17. But these verses, it is admitted,
belong to a parenthesis. It is conceded on all hands, that
vs. lo, 14, are designed to confirm the statement of ver. 12, and
that vs. L~> — IT, are subordinate to the last clause of ver. 14,
and contain an illustration of its meaning. It is therefore not
only admitted, but frequently and freely asserted, that vs. 12,
18, 19, contain the point and substance of the whole passage,
vs. lo — IT being a parenthesis. Yet, in vs. 12, IS, 19, the
superabounding of the grace of Christ is not even hinted. Can
the main design of a passage be contained in a parenthesis, and
not in the passage itself? The very nature of a parenthesis is,
that it contains something which mav be left out of a passage,

O i/

and leave the sense entire. ]>ut can the main design and scope
of an author be left out, and his meaning be left complete? If
not, it is impossible that an idea contained only in a parenthesis
should be the main design of the passage. The idea is in itself
true and important, but the mistake consists in exalting a corol
lary into the scope and object of the whole discussion. The
confusion and mistake in the exposition of a passage, conse
quent on an entire misapprehension of its design, may be
readily imagined.

II. Tin1 connection. The design of the passage being the
illustration of the doctrine of justification by the righteousness
of Christ, previously established, the connection is natural and
obvious: ' WHEREFORE, as by one man we have been brought
under condemnation, so by one man we are brought into a state
of justification and life.' The wherefore (o:a rovro) is conse
quently to be taken as illative, or marking an inference from
the whole of the previous part of the epistle, and especially
from the preceding verses. ' WJierefore we are justified by the

224 ROMANS V. 12—21.

righteousness of one man, even as we were brought into con
demnation by the sin of one man.' It would seem that only a
misapprehension of the design of the passage, or an unwilling
ness to admit it, could have led to the numerous forced and
unauthorized explanations of these words. Some render them
moreover; others, in respect to this, &c.

III. The course of the argument. As the point to be illus
trated is the justification of sinners on the ground of the right
eousness of Christ, and the source of illustration is the fall of
all men in Adam, the passage begins with a statement of this
latter truth: 'As on account of one man, death has passed on
all men; so on account of one,' £c., ver. 12. Before carrying
out the comparison, however, the apostle stops to establish his
position, that all men arc condemned on account of the sin of
Adam. His proof is this : The infliction of a penalty implies
the transgression of a law, since sin is not imputed where there
is no law, ver. 13. All mankind are subject to death or penal
evils; therefore all men are regarded as transgressors of a law.
ver. 13. This law or covenant, which brings death on all men,
is not the law of Moses, because multitudes died before that was
given, ver. 14. Nor is it the law of nature written upon the
heart, since multitudes die who have never violated even that
law, ver. 14. Therefore, as neither of these laws is sufficiently
extensive to embrace all the subjects of the penalty, we must
conclude that men are subject to death on account of Adam ;
that is, it is for the offence of one that many die, vs. 13, 14.
Adam is, therefore, a type of Christ. As to this important
point, there is a striking analogy between the fall and redemp
tion. We are condemned in Adam, and we are justified in
Christ. But the cases are not completely parallel. In the first
place, the former dispensation is much more mysterious than
the hitter ; for if by the offence of one many die, MUCH MORE
by the righteousness of one shall many live, ver. 15. In the
second place, the benefits of the one dispensation far exceed the
evils of the other. For the condemnation was for one offence ;
the justification is from many. Christ saves us from much more
than the guilt of Adam's sin, ver. 16. In the third place,
Christ not only saves us from death, that is, not only frees us
from the evils consequent on our own and Adam's sin, but

ROMANS V. 12. 225

introduces us into a state of positive and eternal blessedness,
ver. 17. Or this verse may be considered as an amplification
of the sentiment of ver. 15.

Having thus limited and illustrated the analogy between
Adam and Christ, the apostle resumes and carries the compari
son fully out: 'THEREFORE, as on account of one man all mer
are condemned; so on account of one, all are justified,' ver. 18.
'For, as through the disobedience of one. many arc regarded
and treated as sinners; so through the righteousness of one
many are regarded and treated as righteous,' ver. 1!>. This
then is the sense of the passage — men are condemned for the
sin of one man, and justified for the righteousness of another.
If men are thus justified by the obedience of Christ, for what
purpose is the law'.' 'It entered that sin might abound,' i.e. that
men might see how much it abounded; since by the law is the
knowledge of sin. The law has its use, although men arc not
justified by their own obedience to it, ver. 20. As the law dis
closes, and even aggravates the dreadful triumphs of sin reign
ing, in union with death, over the human family, the irospel
displays the far more effectual and extensive triumphs of irraco
through Jesus Christ our Lord, ver. 21.

According to this vi-cw of the passage it consists of five parts.
The first, contained in ver. 12, presents the first member of tho
comparison between Christ and Adam. The second contains
the proof of the position assumed in ver. 12, and embraces
vs. I-'}, 14, which are therefore subordinate to ver. 12. A<l<tm,
thcrefnrc, w a ti/pe of Christ. The third, embracing vs. 1 ") — 17,
is a commentary on this declaration, by which it is at once
illustrated and limited. The fourth, in vs. IS, 1!), resumes and
carries out the comparison commenced in ver. 12. Tho fifth
forms the conclusion of the chapter, and contains a statement
of the design and effect of the law, and of the results of the
gospel, suggested by the preceding comparison, vs. 20, 21.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 12, WJicrcfore, as ?>>/ one man sin entered into the

world, and death by s!n, &c. The force of o:a ro^ro, wherefore,

has already been pointed out, when speaking of the connection

of this passage with the preceding : ' It follows, from what has

15

226 ROMANS V. 12.

been said jf the method of justification, that as by one man all
became sinners, so by one are all constituted righteous.' This
passage, therefore, is the summation of all that has gone before.
As (ubffxef),) obviously indicates a comparison or parallel. There
is however no corresponding clause beginning with so, to com
plete the sentence. Examples of similar incomplete compari
sons may be found in Matt. xxv. 14, with (JUG-SO, and in 1 Tim.
i. 3, with xd&co^. It is however so obvious that the illustration
begun in this verse is resumed, and fully stated in vs. 18, 19,
that the vast majority of commentators agree that we must seek
in those verses the clause which answers to this verse. The
other explanations are unnecessary or unsatisfactory. 1. Some
say that this verse is complete in itself, 'As by one man sin
entered into the world, arid death by sin, so also death passed
on all men, because all sinned.' The two insuperable objections
to this explanation are, first, that it does violence to the words.
It makes the apostle say what he does not say. It makes xat
oi)T(o~, and so, to mean the same with O^JTCO xa.t, so also, which is
impossible. And secondly, it is inconsistent with the whole
design and argument of the passage. Instead of having a com
parison between Christ and Adam, the comparison would be
between Adam and other men : 'As he sinned and died, so they
sinned and died.' 2. Others say, that we find in the last clause
of ver. 1-4, in substance, although not in form, the apodosis of
this clause: 'As by one man sin entered into the world, so
Adam is the type of Christ.' But this is obviously inconsistent
with the wording and connection of the clause in vcr. 18.
3. De Wcttc proposes, after Cocceius, Eisner, and a few others,
to make the <JJG-ZD of this verse introduce not the first, but the
second member of the comparison, the first being to be supplied
in thought, or borrowed from what precedes : ' We receive right
eousness and life through Christ, as by one man sin entered into
the world;' or, 'Wherefore Christ stands in a relation to man
kind analogous to that of Adam, as by one man,' &c. But it is
plain that no reader could imagine that Paul intended so essen
tial a member of the comparison to be conjectured or framed
from the preceding discussion. He does not leave his readers
to supply one half of 'a sentence; he himself completes it in
ver. 18.

ROMANS V. 12. 227

By one man sin entered into the ivorld, oi ivoc dv&pcoTrou,)

x.r.X. These words clearly declare a causal relation between
the one man, Adam, and the entrance of sin into the world.
Benecke, who has revived the doctrine of the preexistence of
souls, supposes that Adam was the leader of the spirits who in
the preexistent state sinned, and were condemned to be born as
men. Adam was therefore the cause of sin entering into the
world, because he was the author of this ante-mundane apos
tasy. The Pelagian theory is, that Adam was the mere occa
sional cause of men becoming sinners. lie was the first sinner,
and others followed his example. Or, according to another
form of the same general idea, his sin was the occasion of (Jod's
giving men up to sin. There was no real connection, cither j
natural or judicial, between Adam's sin and the sint'uiiic^s of
his posterity; but God determined that if the first man sinned,
all other men should. This was a divine constitution, without
there being /iny causal connection between the two events.
Others again sav that. Adam was the eilicient cause of the sin-
fulness of his race. lie deteriorated either physically or morally
the nature which he transmitted to his posterity, lie was
therefore, in the same sense, the cause of the sinfulness of the
race, that a father who impairs his constitution is the cause of
the feebleness of his children. Others push this idea one step
farther, and sav that Adam was the race. He was not only a
man, but man. The whole race was in him. so that his act was
the act of humanity. It was as mm-h and as truly ours as his.
Others sav that the causal relation expressed bv th<-se words is

J ^

that which exists between sin and punishment. It was the
judicial cause or reason. All these views must come up at
every step in the interpretation of this whole passage, for the
explanation of each particular clause must be determined by
the nature of the relation which is assumed to exist between
Adam and his posterity. All that need be said here is, that
the choice between these several explanations is not determined
by the mere meaning of the words. All they assert is, that
Adam was the cause of all men becoming sinners ; but whether
he was the occasional, the efficient, or, so to speak, the judicial
cause, can only be determined by the nature of the case, the
anahgy of Scripture, and the context. One thing is clear —

228 ROMANS Y. 12.

J Adam was the cause of sin in a sense analogous to that in which
! Christ is the cause of righteousness.

Sin entered into the ivorld. It is hardly necessary to remark,
(that xoff/jtoz does not here mean the universe. Sin existed
jbefore the fall of Adam. It can only mean the world of man-
jkind. Sin entered the world ; it invaded the race. There is a
personification here of sin, as afterwards of death. Both are
represented as hostile and evil powers, which obtained dominion
over man. By the words eloyj}? s/c rov xoapoy, much more is
meant than that sin began to be in the world. It means that
the world, x6<r/jio$, mankind became sinners; because this clause
is explained by saying, all sinned. The entrance of sin is made
the ground of the universality of death, and therefore all were
involved in the sin whose entrance is mentioned. The word
a/tao-la means, 1. Actual sin, (fy^or^ua,) an individual act of
disobedience or want of conformity to the law of God. In
the plural form especially, d-tmo-cia means actual sin. Hence
the expressions, "this sin," "respect of persons is sin," &c.
2. Sinful principle or disposition; an immanent state of the
mind, as in Rom. vii. 8, 9, 17, 23. 3. Both ideas are united,
as when it is said, "the sting of death is sin," "an offering for
sin." This comprehensive sense of the word is perhaps the most
common. 4. It often means the guilt of sin as distinguished
from sin itself, as when it is said, "he shall bear his sin," or,
"the son shall not bear the sin of his father;" or when Christ
is said "to bear our sin," and, "to take away sin by the sacri
fice of himself," &c. In this passage, when it is said "sin
entered into the world," the meaning may be, actual sin com
menced its course, men began to sin. Or the meaiiino- is,
depravity, corruption of nature invaded the world, men became
corrupt. This is the interpretation given to the words by a
large class of commentators, ancient and modern. So Calvin,
" Istud peccare est corruptos esse et vitiatos. Ilia enim natu-
ralis pravitas, quam e matris utero afferimus, tametsi non it a,
cito fructus suos edit, pcccatum est coram Deo, ejus ultionem
meretur. Atque hoc est peccatum quod vocant originale." So
also Olshausen, who says it means habitus peccandi, that inward
principle of which individual sins are the expression or manifest
ation. Tholuck gives the same interpretation : a new, abiding

ROMANS Y. 12. 229

corrupting element, he says, was introduced into the organism
of the world. De Wette's explanation amounts to the same
thing: " Siinde als herrschende Macht, (sin as a ruling power
entered the world,) partly as a principle or disposition, which,
according to vii. 8, slumbers in every man's breast, and reveals
itself in the general conduct of men, and partly as a sinful
condition, such as Paul had described in the opening chapters
of this epistle." Riickert, Kollner, Bretschneider, and most
moderns, unite with the older expositors in this interpretation.-
Or 6L/jLa.(jria may here have the third signification mentioned!
above, and "sin entered into the world," mean that men became|
guilty, i. e. exposed to condemnation. The objection to these
several interpretations is, that each by itself is too limited. All
three, taken collectively, are correct. " Sin entered into the
world," means "men became sinners," or, as the apostle
expresses it in ver. 19, "they were constituted sinners." This
includes guilt, depravity, and actual transgression. " The sin-
fulness of that estate into which man fell, (that is, the sin
which Adarn brought upon the world,) consists in the guilt of
Adam's first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the
corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called
original sin ; together with all actual transgressions which pro
ceed from it."

And death ly sin; that is, death entered the world, men
became subject to death, oca TY^ 6.imoT:a^, % moans of sin.
Sin was the cause of death; not the mere occasional cause, not
the etlicient cause, but the ground or reason of its infliction.
This passage, therefore, teaches that death is a penal evil, and
not a consequence of the original constitution of man. Paul,
in 1 Cor. xv. 40 — 50, appears to teach a contrary doctrine, for
he there says that Adam's body, as formed from the earth, was
earthy, and therefore corruptible. It was flesh and blood, |
which cannot inherit the kingdom of God. It must be changed,
so that this corruptible put on incorruption, before we can be
fitted for immortality. These representations, however, are not
inconsistent. It is clear, from Gen. ii. IT, iii. 10, that had
Adam never sinned, he would never have died; but it does not
follow that he would never have been changed. Paul says of
believers, "we shall not all die, but we shall all be changed,'1

230 ROMANS V. 12.

1 Cor. xv. 51. The penal character of death, therefore, which is
so prominently presented in Scripture, or that death in the case
of every moral creature is assumed to be evidence of sin, is per
fectly consistent with what the apostle says of the aw pa (f»jyf/.6i>
(the natural body,) and of its unsuitablcness for an immortal
existence. It is plain that $<£varoc here includes the idea of
natural death, as it does in the original threatening made to
our first parents. In neither case, however, is this its whole
meaning. This is admitted by a majority of the modern com
mentators — not only by such writers as Tholuck, Olshausen,
and Philippi, but by others of a different class, as DC Wette,
iKollner, and Ruckert. That the death here spoken of includes
all penal evil, death spiritual and eternal, as well as the disso
lution of the body, is evident, 1. From the consideration that
it is said to be the consequence of sin. It must, therefore,
mean that death which the Scriptures elsewhere speak of as the
(consequence and punishment of transgression. 2. Because this
is the common and favourite term with the sacred writers, from
first to last, for the penal consequences of sin. Gen. ii. 17,
'"In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die," i. e.
thou shalt become subject to the punishment due to sin; Ezek.
xviii. 4, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die;" Rom. vi. 23,
"The wages of sin is death;" chap. viii. 13, "If ye live after
the flesh, ye shall die." Such passages are altogether too
numerous to be quoted, or even referred to ; see, as further
examples, Roni. i. 32, vii. 5, James i. 15, Rev. xx. 14, &c.
3. From the constant opposition between the terms life and
death, throughout the Scriptures ; the. former standing for the
^ rewards of the righteous, the latter for the punishment of the

wicked. Thus, in Gen. ii. 17. life was promised to our first
parents as the reward of obedience ; and death threatened as
the punishment of disobedience. See Deut. xxx. 15, " I have
set before thee life and death;" Jer. xxi. 8, Prov. xi. 11), Ps.
xxxvi. 9, Matt. xxv. 46, John iii. 15, 2 Cor. ii. 16, &c. 4. From
the opposition in this passage between the life which is by
Christ, and the death which is by Adam, vs. 15, 17, 21, * Sin
reigns unto death, grace reigns through righteousness unto
eternal life.' As, however, natural death is a part, and the
most obvious part of the penal evils of sin, it no doubt was

ROMANS V. 12. 231

prominent in the apostle's mind, as appears from vs. 13, 14.
Death, therefore, in this passage, means the evil, ami any evil
which is inflicted in punishment of sin.

And so death passed, on all 'tncn. That is, as death is the
necessary consequence of sin, death (or^///£j passed through,
reached to all men, because all sinned. Death is universal,
'^cau.se sin is universal. As Adam brought sin on all men, he
brought death on all. That this is the true interpretation of
this clause, or that y.al U'JTO>^ means demzufolge, consequently,
he nee it liappens, is admitted by almost all modern commenta
tors. As already remarked, the interpretation which assumes
that tut o%T(oz i's to be rendered s<> «!*<>, is entirely inadmissible,
1. Because it is inconsistent with their meaning. As it is impos
sible that and so should mean xn ^/x^, it is no less impossible
that '/v.c u'j~u)~ should mean the same as o'j~o) '/.</.:. Compare
vs. 18, 10, 1 Cor. xi. 12, xii. 12, xv. 22. This interpretation
therefore does violence to the language. 2. It is no le-s incon
sistent with the context. It is not Paul's design to teach the
inseparable connection between sin and death, by >aying. -Ax
Adam sinned, and therefore died, so also all die, because all
sin.' His purpose is to teach the connection between Adam's sin
and the death of all men: 'It was l>>/ one nian that men became
sinners, and hence all men die.' As all were involved in his
sin. all are involved in his death. •). The comparison carried
through this while paragraph is not. between Adam and his
posterity, but between Adam and Christ; and therefore xa.1
o'j7(o^ cannot possibly refer to the w<i~in at the beginning of
the verse, as lias been already shown.

For that all hace sintK'd, sc' (v ~n.^~i^ 7jii.fJ.OToy. The words
i(p <j) are rendered in the Vulgate, in yun, (in whom,) and are so
understood by many of the older interpreters, not only in the
[Romish Church, where the Vulgate is of authority, but also by
! many Calvinists and Arminians. The objections to this inter
pretation are, 1. It is not in accordance with the meaning of
the words as used elsewhere. It is inconsistent with the proper
force of Irrr (on, upon.) which is not equivalent with iv (in,)
and no less inconsistent with the use of l^ w in combination,
which, in 2 Cor. v. 4, means, as here, l>eenu>«'; in Philip, iii. 12,
for wldcli cause; and in Philip, iv. 10, for ivhich. In other

232 ROMANS V. 12.

/places where it occurs, it means on which, as a bed, Mark ii. 4.
jLuke v. 25, or as a place, Acts. vii. 33. 2. The proper mean-
'.ing of the words is, s~c TO'JTCU OZY, on account of tJtis, or that.
1 3. The structure of the sentence is opposed to this explanation.
The antecedent av&ptoTtoo is too far separated from the relative
w; almost the whole verse intervenes between them. 4. This
interpretation is altogether unnecessary. The ordinary and
natural force of the words expresses a perfectly good sense :
'All men die, because all sinned.' So Calvin, quandoquidem,
Luther, die'iveil, and all the moderns, except a few of the
Romanists. " Sin brought death, death has come on all, because
sin came on all; l<f>* w must therefore necessarily be taken as
a conjunction." PJdlippi.

As to the important words Travrsc yfjiaprou, rendered in our
version all have sinned, we find the several interpretations
already referred to as growing out of the different views of the
nature of man and of the plan of salvation. First, on the assump
tion that all sin consists in the voluntary transgression of known
law, and on the further assumption that one man cannot, in any
legitimate sense, be said to sin in another, a large class of com
mentators, from Pelagius down, say these words can only mean
that all have sinned in their own persons. Death has passed
on all men, because all have actually sinned personally. This
interpretation, although consistent with the signification of the
verb faimprdvcO) is, by the almost unanimous judgment of the
Church, utterly inadmissible. 1. It is inconsistent with the

! force of the tense. The aorist (rj/jtaprou) does not mean do sin,
nor have sinned, nor are accustomed to sin. It is the simple
historical tense, expressing momentary action in past time. All
i sinned, i. e. sinned in Adam, sinned through or by one man.
'" Omnes peccarunt, peccante Adamo." This is the literal,
j simple force of the words. 2. It is also incompatible with the
; design of this verse, to make yjuaorov refer to the personal sins
of men. As so often remarked, the design is to show that
Adam's sin, not our own, is the cause of death. 3. Verses
13, 14, are intended to prove what is asserted in ver. 12; but
fjiey do not prove that all men personally sin, but the very
reverse. 4. This interpretation destroys the analogy between
Adam and Christ. It would make the apostle teach, that as

ROMANS V. 12 233

all men die because they personally sin, so all men live because
they are personally and inherently righteous. This is contrary
not only to this whole passage, but to all Paul's teaching, and]
to the whole gospel. 5. This interpretation is not only thus'
inconsistent with the force of the tense in which the verb
htmo-d^to is here used, with the design of the verse, with the
apostle's argument, and the analogy between Christ and Adam,
but it makes the apostle assert what is not true. It is not true '
that all die because all personally sin; death is more exten
sive than personal transgression. This is a fact of experience,
and is asserted by the apostle in what follows. This interpre-j
tation, therefore, brings the sacred writer into conflict with thej
truth. Candid expositors admit this. They say Paul's argu
ment is founded on a false assumption, and proves nothing.
Even Mever, one of the most dignilied and able of the modern
German commentators, who often defends the sacred writers
from the aspersions of irreverent expositors, is obliged to admit
that in this case Paul for<>'ot himself, and teaches what is not
true. "The question," he says, "how Paul could write l^ w
rrrLrsc '^/MpTou (since all sinned,} when children die, although
they have not sinned, can only be answered by admitting that
he did not think of this necessary exception. For, on the one
hand, ~di/~=z must have the same extent of meaning as the pro- '
vious £:~ -<L-<j.^ d],')-ii<t)-(>')~, and on the other hand, the death of
innocent children is proof positive that death is not in all men
the consequence of individual >in ; and hence, moreover, the
whole doctrine that death is by divine constitution due to sin,
is overthrown." An interpretation which makes the apostlo)
teach what is not true, needs no further refutation.

A second large class of commentators, as they make &fjia/)Tla9t
in the former clause of the verse, to mean corruption, translate
ky w ~dvzz- 7j<moi:ov, because all are corrupt. Adam having!
denied his own nature by sin, that depraved nature was trans
mitted to all his posterity, and therefore all die because they
are thus inherently corrupt. We have already seen that this is
Calvin's interpretation of these words: "Nempe, inquit, quo-
niarn omnes peccavirnus. Porro istud peccare est corruptoa '
esse et vitiates." In this view several of the modern commenta
tors concur. According to this interpretation, the doctrine of

234 ROMANS V. 12

the apostle is, that the inherent, hereditary corruption of nature
: derived from Adam, is the ground or reason why all die. This
jis what is called mediate imputation ; or the doctrine that not
,jthe sin of Adam, but inherent depravity derived from him, is
lithe ground of the condemnation of his race. Although Calvin
gives this interpretation of the passage on which this theory is
founded, it is not to be inferred that he was an advocate of that
theory. lie frequently and clearly discriminates between inhe
rent depravity as a ground of condemnation and the sin of
Adam as distinct, and says that we are exposed to death, not
'solely for the one, but also for the other. He lived in a day
when the imputation of Adam's sin was made, by the theolo
gians of the Romish Church, so prominent as to leave inherent
depravity almost entirely out of view. The whole tendency of
the Reformers, therefore, was to go to the opposite extreme.
Every theology is a gradual growth. It cost the Church ages
:lof controversy, before the doctrines of the Trinity and of the
' Person of Christ were wrought out and definitively settled. In
like manner, the Theology of the Reformation was a growth.
It was not the reproduction of the theology of any class of the
schoolmen, nor of Augustin as a wdiole. It was the gathering
up and systematizing of the teachings of the Scriptures, arid of
the faith of the Church as founded on Scripture. That this
should be done without any admixture of foreign elements, or
as perfectly at the first attempt, as in the course of successive
subsequent efforts, wrould have been a miracle. That it was
done as perfectly as it was, is due, under God, to the fact that
the Reformers were men endowed with minds of the very highest
, order, and filled with the Spirit of Christ. Still it is only in
obedience to an established law, that the theology of the Re
formation appears in a purer form in the writers of the seven
teenth, than in those of the sixteenth century. We need not
then be surprised that inconsistencies appear in the writings of
Luther and Calvin, which are not reproduced in those of Hutter
or Turrettin.

In opposition to the interpretation which makes ^avrec
2j/mf>Tov mean all became corrupt, it is obvious to object, 1. That
it is contrary to the simple meaning of the words. In no case
has 8.[m()T<iva) the sense here assigned to it. 2. It supposes

ROMANS Y. 12. 235

that the corresponding phrase, " sin entered Into the world,"
means "men became depraved," which, as we have seen, is not
the true or adequate meaning. 8. It is inconsistent with the
apostle's argument. Verses 13, 14, are designed to prove, andf
do prove, that all men sinned in Adam : but do not prove, and
cannot be made to prove, that all men are inherently corrupt.
4. It vitiates the whole analogy between Christ and Adam, and
therefore saps the very foundation of the gospel. That doc
trine on which the hope of God's people, either implicitly or
explicitly, has ever been founded is, that the righteousness of
Christ as something out of themselves, something distinguished
from any act or subjective state of theirs, is the ground of their
justification. They know that there is nothing in them on
which thev dare for a moment rely, as the reason why (i«»d
should accept and pardon them. It is therefore the essential
part of the analogy between Christ and Adam, the very truth)
which the apostle designs to set forth, that the sin of Adam, as;l
distinguished from any act of ours, and from inherent corrup )r
tion as derived from him, is the ground of our condemnation./
If this be denied, then the other great truth must be denied,]
and our own subjective righteousness be made the ground off
our justification : which is to subvert the gospel, o. This inter-
pre:ation is inconsistent with the true meaning of vs. 1 "> — 1!),
and with the often repeated and explicit declaration of the
apostle, that the sin of Adam was the ground of our condemna
tion. Although, therefore, it is true that our nature was cor- ''•
rupted in Adam, and has been transmitted to us in a depraved;
state, yet that hereditary corruption is not here represented as
the ground of our condemnation, any more than the holiness/
which believers derive from Christ is the ground of their justi-j
fication.

A third class of interpreters, especially those of the later,
mystical school, understand the apostle to assert that all men
sinned actually in Adam ; that his act was not merely repre
sentatively or putatively their act, but theirs in the strict and!
proper sense of the term. He being not simply a man as one'
among many, but t/n- man in whom humanity was concentrated
as a generic life, his act as an act of that generic humanity wa.s
the act of all the individuals in whom human nature subse-

236 ROMANS V. 12.

quently developed itself. But, 1. In the first place, the pro*
position, "all men sinned actually in Adam," has no meaning.
To say that "in Adam all die," conveys a distinct idea; but to
say that "all actually expired in Adam," conveys no idea at
all. It has no sense. Even on the extrcrnest realistic assump
tion that humanity as such is an entity, the act of Adam was
not the act of all men. His act may have vitiated his generic
nature, not only for his own person, but for his posterity; but
this is a very different thing from his act being their act. His
sin was an intelligent act of self-determination; but an act of
rational self-determination is a personal act. Unless, there
fore, all men as persons existed in Adam, it is impossible that
they acted his act. To say that a man acted thousands of years
before his personality began, does not rise even to the dignity
of a contradiction ; it has no meaning at all. It is a monstrous
evil to make the Bible contradict the common sense and com
mon consciousness of men. This is to make God contradict
himself. 2, It is hardly necessary to add, that this interpreta
tion is inconsistent with the whole drift and design of ihe pas
sage, and with the often repeated assertion of the apostle, that
for the offence of one man (not of all men.) the judgment came
on all men to condemnation. If we all actually sinned in Adam,
so that his act was strictly ours, then we all obeyed in Christ,
and his righteousness and death were strictly our own acts ;
which again is not only unscriptural, but impossible.

The fourth class of interpreters, including commentators of
every grade of orthodoxy, agree in saying that what is meant
is, that all sinned in Adam as their head and representative.
( Such was the relation, natural and federal, between him and his
posterity, that his act was putatively their act. That is, it was
•the judicial ground or reason why death passed on all men. In
other words, they were regarded and treated as sinners on
account of his sin. In support of this interpretation, it may be
urged, 1. That it is the simple meaning of the words. It has
already been remarked, that the aorist y/y/orov does not mean
are sinful, or have sinned, but simply sinned. All sinned when
Adam sinned. They sinned in him. But the only possible
way in which all men can be said to have sinned in Adam, is
putatively. Hi? act, for some good and proper reason, was

ROMANS V. 12. 237

regarded as their act, just as the act of an agent is regarded asf
the act of his principal, or the act of a representative as that'
of his constituents. The act of the one legally binds the others.,
It is, in the eye of law and justice, their act. 2. This is sustained
by the analogy of Scripture. Paul says, "in Adam all died."j
This cannot possibly be understood to mean that all men ex
pired when Adam died. It can only mean that when Adam
incurred the sentence of death for himself, he incurred it also
for us. In like manner we arc said to die in Christ; we "were

crucified with him," we "rose with him," we are now " sitting

.
with him in heavenly places." All this obviously moans, that

as Christ was the head and representative of his people, all that
he did in that character, they are regarded as having done.
The rationalistic and the mystical interpretations of such pas
sages arc only different modes of philosophizing away the
meaning of Scripture — the one having what is called "common
sense," and the other pantheism, as its basis. •>. The common.
interpretation of this passage may, in another form, be shown
to lie in accordance with scriptural usage. As remarked above,
(\>ui.( >-'.<!. sometimes me;nis i/tri/f. and the phrase "sin entered
into the world." may mean men became guilty; and fafiaoTdvio
at times means in <'<>)itr<i<'t guilt; or, as Wahl in his Lexicon
defines it. pcccciti culpam sustineo; equivalent to 6.tw.riTcoXb$
xaTeffTd&TjV. ]f(> refers to the use of x-n, in (Jen. xliv. -}'2, a
passage which the LXX. renders jjuaftryxcbz ZfwtL'u; the Yul-
trate, pi'i'i-'iti reus ero; Luther, "will ich die Schuhl trairen;"
..ml the English, / .«/,//// /</-///• tin' llaine. So in (Jen. xliii. H,
Judah says to his father, "If I bring him not back, I will
bear the blame (literally. / //'/// ,v/>/) all my days." In 1 Kings I
i. 21, Bathsheba says to David, (according to the Hebrew.)
"land my son Solomon shall be sinners," where the LXX.
translates, Iff6/j.s&a i't'(l) '/-"-- 2-ukoficov o 'j'.o~ no'j d.iia.oTcoXot^
the sense of the passage being, as correctlv expressed in our
version, "land my son Solomon shall be counted offenders."
To sin, therefore, or to be a sinner may, in scriptural language, j
mean to be counted an nff'rinler, that is, be regarded and treated'
as such. When, therefore, the apostle says that all men sinned i
in Adam, it is in accordance not only with the nature of the 1
case, but with scriptural usage, to understand him to mean that '

238 ROMANS V. 12.

I we are regarded and treated as sinners on his account. His sin
was the reason why death came upon all men. Of course all
that is meant by this is the universally recognized distinction
between the signification and the sense of a word, //dvrsc
yuafjTov signifies "all sinned," and it can signify nothir.g else;
just as ;ra>z-£c d~£$«vov, 2 Cor. v. 15, signifies "all died." But
when you ask in what sense all died in Christ, or all sinned in
'Adam, the question is to be answered from the nature of the
.case and the analogy of Scripture. We did not all literally and
actually die in Christ, neither did we all actually sin in Adam.
The death of Christ, however, was legally and effectively our
death ; and the sin of Adam was legally and effectively our sin.
4. It is almost universally conceded that this 12th verse con-
' tains the first member of a comparison which, in vs. 18, 19, is
resumed and carried out. But in those verses it is distinctly
taught that 'judgment came on all men on account of the
/offence of one man.' This therefore is Paul's own interpreta
tion of what lie meant when he said "all sinned." They sinned
in Adam. His sin was regarded as theirs. 5. This interpreta
tion is demanded by the connection of this verse with those
immediately following. Verses 13, 14, introduced by for, aro
confessedly designed to prove the assertion of ver. 12. If that
assertion is, 'all men are regarded as sinners on account of
Adam,' the meaning and pertinency of these verses are clear.
But if ver. 12 asserts merely that all men are sinners, then
vs. 13, 14 must be regarded as proving that men were sinners
before the time of Moses — a point which no one denied, and no
one doubted, and which is here entirely foreign to the apostle's
object. Or if ravrsc ^««/>rov be made to mean all became cor
rupt, the objection still remains. The passage does not prove
what it is designed to prove. Verses 13, 14, therefore, present
insuperable difficulties, if we assign any other meaning than
that just given to ver. 12. 6. What ver. 12 is thus made to
assert, arid vs. 13, 14 to prove, is in vs. 15 — 19, assumed as
proved, and is employed in illustration of the great truth to be
established: "Foil IF through the offence of one many be
dead," ver. 15. But where is it said, or where proved, that the
many die for the offence of one, if not in ver. 12 and vs. 13, 14?
So h all the other verses. This idea, therefore, must be con-

ROMANS V. 12. 239

tainecl in vcr. 12, if any consistency is to bo maintained between
the several parts of the apostle's argument. 7. This interpre
tation is required by the whole scope of the passage and drift
of the argument. The scope of the passage, as shown above,,
is to illustrate the doctrine of justification on the ground of the'
righteousness of Christ, by a reference to the condemnation of
men for the sin of Adam. The analogy is destroyed, the very
point of the comparison fails, if anything in us be assumed as;
the ground of th° infliction of the penal evils of which the
apostle is here speaking. That we have corrupt natures, aixd]
are personally sinners, and therefore liable to other and further!
inflictions, is indeed true, but nothing to the point. In like
manner, it is true that we are sanctified by our union with
Christ, and thus fitted for heaven ; but these ideas are out of ,
place when speaking of justification. It is to illustrate that
doctrine, or the idea of imputed righteousness, that this whole
passage is devoted ; ami, therefore, the idea of i/n}mted xin must
be contained in the other part of the comparison, unless thet
whole be a failure. Not onlv does the scone of the passage

c- O >

demand this view, but it is only thus that the argument of the/
apostle can be consistently carried through. We die on account
of Adam's sin, ver. 12; this is true, because on no other ground
can the universality of <lt'<it1i be accounted for, vs. lo, 14. But
if we all die on Adam's account, how much more shall we live
on account ot Christ! ver. 1">. Adam indeed brings upon us the
evil inflicted for the first great violation of the covenant, but
Christ saves us from all our numberless sins, ver. 1(5. As,
therefore, for the offence of one we art1 condemned, so for the
righteousness of one we are justified, ver. IS. As on account
of the disobedience of one we are treated as sinners, so on
account oi the obedience of one we are treated as righteous,
ver. 11'. The inconsistency and confusion consequent upon
attempting to carry either of the other interpretations through,
must be obvious to any attentive reader of such attempts.
8. The doctrine which the verse thus explained teaches, is one
of the plainest truths of the Scriptures and of experience. Is
it not a revealed fact, above all contradiction, and sustained by
the whole history of the world, that the sin of Adam altered
the relation in which our race stood to God? Did not that sin

240 ROMANS V. 12.

of itself, and independently of anything in us, or done by us,
bring evil on the world? In other words, did we not fall when
Adam fell? The principle involved in this great transaction is
explicitly and frequently asserted in the word of God, and runs
through all the dispensations of his providence. lie solemnly
declares himself to be a God who "visits the iniquities of the
fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children,
unto the third and fourth generation." And so he does. The
curse of Canaan fell on his posterity; the Egyptians perished
for the sins of Pharaoh; the Moabites and Amalekites were
destroyed for the transgressions of their fathers; the leprosy
of Naaman was to cleave to Gchazi, and "to his seed for ever;"
the blood of all the prophets was exacted, says our Lord, of the
men of his generation. We must become not only infidels but
atheists, if we <tcny that God thus deals with men, not merely
as individuals, but as communities and on the principle of

limputation. The apostacy of our race in Adam, therefore, and
the imputation of his sin to his posterity, although the most
signal of the illustrations of this principle, is only one among

'thousands of a like kind. 9. The doctrine of the imputation
of Adam's sin, or that on account of that sin all men are
regarded and treated as sinners, was a common Jewish doctrine
at the time of the apostle, as well as at a later period. lie
employs the same mode of expression on the subject, which the
Jews were accustomed to use. They could not have failed,
therefore, to understand him as meaning to convey by these
expressions the ideas usually connected with them. And such,
therefore, if the apostle wished to be understood, must have
been his intention; see the Targum on Ruth iv. 22, "On
account of the counsel given to Eve (and her eating the fruit,)
all the inhabitants of the world were constituted guilty of
death." R. Moses of Trana, Beth Elohim, fol. 105, i. e. "With
the same sin with which Adam sinned, sinned the whole world."
Many such passages are to be found in the pages of Wetstein,
Schccttgen, Eisenmenger, Tholuck, and other collectors and
commentators. Meyer therefore admits that such was unde
niably the doctrine of the Jews. On this point, Knapp, in his
Tlieological Lectures (German edition, page 29,) says, '-'In the
Mosaic account of the fall, and in the Old Testament generally,

ROMANS V. 12. 241

the imputation of Adam's sin is not mentioned under the term
imputation, although the doctrine is contained therein." 'But
in the writings of the Talmudists and Rabbins, and earlier in
the Chaldee Paraphrases of the Old Testament, we find the fol
lowing position asserted in express words, ' that the descendants
of Adam would have been punished with death (of the body) on
account of his sin, although they themselves had committed no
sin.' ' On the next page he remarks, "We find this doctrine
most clearly in the New Testament, in Rom. v. 12, &c. The
moderr. philosophers and theologians found here much which
was inconsistent with their philosophical systems. Hence many
explained and refined on the passage, until the idea of imputa
tion was entirely excluded. They forgot, however, that Paul
used the very words and expressions in common use on this
subject at that time among the Jews, and that his immediate
readers could not have understood him otherwise than as teach
ing this doctrine." And he immediately goes on to show, that
unless we1 are determined to do violence to the words of the
apostle, we mu-t admit that he represents all men as subject to
death on account of the sin of Adam. This is a theologian who
did not himself admit the doctrine.

It may be well to remark, that this interpretation, so far
from being the offspring of theological prejudice, or fondness
for any special theory, is so obviously the true and simple1
meaning of the passage required by the context, that it lifts the
sanction of theologians of every grade and class of doctrine.
Calvinists, Arminians, Lutherans, and Rationalists, agree in its
support. Thus Storr, one of the most accurate of philological
interpreters, explain- the last words of the verse in the manner
stated above: '• l>y one man all are subject to death, because
all are regarded and treated as sinner^, i. e. because all lie
under the sentence of condemnation." The phrase, all have
sinnc.d, ver. 12, he says is equivalent to all arc constituted sin
ners, ver. ID; which latter expression he renders, "sie werden
als Sunder angesehen und behandelt," that is, they were
regarded and treated as sinners; see his Commentary on
Hebrews, pp. GoO, 040, &c. (Flatt renders these words in pre
cisely the same manner.) The Rationalist, Ammon, also con
siders the apostle as teaching, that on account of the sin of
10

2-12 ROMANS V. 12.

Adam all men arc subject to death; see Excursus C. to Koppe's
Commentary on the Epistle to the 'Romans. Zacharite, in his
Biblische Theologie, Vol. VI., p. 128, has an excellent exposi
tion of this whole passage. The question of the imputation of
Adam's sin, he says, is this, "whether God regarded the act
of Adam as the act of all men, or, which is the same thing,
whether he has subjected them all to punishment, on account
of this single act." This, he maintains, the apostle asserts and
proves. On this verse he remarks : " The question is not here
immediately about the propagation of a corrupted nature to all
men, and of the personal sins committed by all men, but of
universal guilt (Strafwurdig~keit, liability to punishment,) in the
sight of God, which has come upon all men; and which Paul,
in the sequel, does not rest on the personal sins of men, but
only on the offence of one man, Adam, ver. 16." Neither the
corruption of nature, nor the actual sins of men, and their
liability on account of them, is either questioned or denied, but
the simple statement is, that, on account of the sin of Adam, all
men are treated as sinners. Zacharioe, it must be remembered,
was not a Calvinist, but one of the modern and moderate theo
logians of Gottingcn. Whitby, the great advocate of Armini-
anism, says, on these words: "It is not true that death came
upon all men, for that, or because all have sinned. [He con
tends for the rendering, in whom.'] For the apostle directly
here asserts the contrary, viz. that the death, and the condem
nation to it, which befell all men, was for the sin of Adam only;
for here it is expressly said, that by the sin of one man many
died; that the sentence was from one, and by one man sinning
to condemnation; and that by the sin of one, death reigned by
one. Therefore, the apostle doth expressly teach us that this
death, this condemnation to it, came not upon us for the sin
of all, but only for the sin of one, i, e. of that one Adam, in
whom all men die, 1 Cor. xv. 22." Dr. Wordsworth, Canon of
Westminster, in his recent edition of the New Testament, says,
in his comment on this verse : " Observe the aorist tense,
yuuoToy, they all sinned; that is, at a particular time. And
when was that? Doubtless, at the fall. All men sinned in
Adam's sin. All fell in his fall." Philippi says: " We must
supply in thought to r^aoro^^ iv 'Aod/j., or more precisely,

ROMANS V. 13, 14. 243

Adamo pcccantt. <Non agitur do peccato singulorum,' says
Bengel, 'omnes pe:carunt, Adamo pcccante.' ' Such extracts
might be indefinitely multiplied from the most varied sources.
However tlic.se commentators may differ in other points, they
almost all agree in the general idea, which is the sum of the
whole passage, that the sin of Adam, and not their own indi
vidual actual transgressions, is the ground and reason of the
subjection of all men to the penal evils here spoken of. With
what plausibility can an interpretation, commanding the assent
of men so various, be ascribed to theory or philosophy, or love
of a particular the*.- logical system? May not its rejection with
more probability be attributed as is done by Knapp. to theo
logical prejudice? Certain it is, at least, that the objections
against it are almost exclusively of a philosophical or theologi
cal rather than of an exegetical or philological character.

YERSKS 13, 14. Fur until fJt<> luv, x//t WKX in t/ic. world, &c.
These verses are connected \>y for with ver. 1~, as introducing
the proof of the declaration that death had passed on all men,
on account of one man. The proof is this: the infliction of
penal evils implies the violation of law; the violation of the law
of Moses will not account for the universality of death, because
men died before that law was given. Neither is the violation
of the hnv of nature sunVient to explain the fact that all men
are subject to death, because even those die who have never
broken that law. As. therefore, death supposes transgression,
and neither the law of Moses nor the law of nature embraces
all the victims of death, it follows that men are subject to penal
evils on account of the sin of Adam. It is for the offence of
one that many die.

In order to the proper understanding of the apostle's argu
ment, it should be borne in mind that the term death stands for
penal evil ; not for this or that particular form of it, but for
any and every evil judicially inflicted for the support of law.
Paul's reasoning does not rest upon the mere fact that all men,
even infants, are subject to natural death ; for this might be
accounted for by the violation of the law of Moses, or of the
law of nature, or by their inherent native depravity. This
covers the whole ground, and may account for the universality
of natural death. But no one of these causes, nor all combined.

244 ROMANS V. 13, 14.

can account for the infliction of all the penal evils to which men
are subjected. The great fact in the apostle's mind was, that
God regards and treats all men, from the first moment of their
existence, as out of fellowship with himself, as having forfeited
his favour. Instead of entering into communion with them the
moment they begin to exist (as he did with Adam,) and forming
them by his Spirit in his own moral image, he regards them as
out of his favour, and withholds the influences of the Spirit.
Why is this ? Why does God thus deal with the human race ?
The fact that he does thus deal with them is not denied by any
except Pelagians. Why then is it ? Here is a form of death
which the violation of the law of Moses, the transgression of the
law of nature, the existence of innate depravity, separately 01
combined, are insufficient to account for. Its infliction is ante
cedent to them all ; and yet it is of all evils the essence and the
sum. Men begin to exist out of communion with God. This is
the fact which no sophistry can get out of the Bible or the his
tory of the world. Paul tells us why it is. It is because we
fell in Adam; it is for the one offence of ONE MAX that all thus
die. The covenant being formed with Adam, not only for him
self, but also for his posterity, (in other words, Adam having
been placed on trial, not for himself only, but also for his race,)
his act was, in virtue of this relation, regarded as our act; God
withdrew from us as he did from him ; in consequence of this
withdrawing, we begin to exist in moral darkness, destitute of a
disposition to delight in God, and prone to delight in ourselves
and the world. The sin of Adam, therefore, ruined us ; it was
the ground of the withdrawing of the divine favour from the
whole race ; and the intervention of the Son of God for our sal
vation is an act of pure, sovereign, and wonderful grace.

Whatever obscurity, therefore, rests upon this passage, arises
from taking the word death in the narrow sense in which it is
commonly used among men. If taken in its scriptural sense, the
whole argument is plain and conclusive. Let penal evil be sub
stituted for the word death, and the argument will stand thus:
'All men are subject to penal evils on account of one man; this
is the position to be proved, ver. 1:2. That such is the case is
evident, because the infliction of a penalty supposes the viola
tion of law. But such evil was inflicted before the giving of the

ROMANS V. 13, 14. 245

Mosaic law; it comes on men before the tiansgression of the
law of nature, or even the existence of inherent depravity; it
must therefore be for the offence of one man that judgment has
come upon all men to condemnation.' The wide sense in which
the sacred writers use the word death, accounts for the fact that
the dissolution of the body (which is one form of the manifesta
tion of the divine displeasure) is not only included in it, but is
often the prominent idea.

Until the law. The law here mentioned is evidently the law
of Moses. The word d^ot is properly rendered until, and not
during the continuance of, a sense which the particle has in
some passages. Until the law is immediately explained by the
words from Adam to Muses. Sin w<ts in the world, i. e. men
were sinners, and were so regarded and treated. Sin in nut
imputed^ that is, it is not laid to one's account, and punished.
See iv. S, --Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth
not iniquity;" and the familiar equivalent expressions, ''His
iniquity shall be upon him," Numb. xv. ol ; and, "lie shall
bear his iniquity." The word (s//<>j'£?:v/.') here used, occurs
nowhere else in any Greek writer, except in Philemon 18. The
common word for impute is Aoy^ow/.!. Wlien there is no law,
ftTj o>ro~ bopou, there not leimj l<uv. Sin is correlative of law.
If there is no law, there can be no sin, as Paul had already
taught, iv. 15. But if there is no sin without law, there can be
no imputation of sin. As, however, sin was imputed, as sin
was in the world, as men were sinners, and were so regarded
and treated before the law of Moses, it follows that there must
be some more comprehensive law in relation to which men were
sinners, and in virtue of which they were so regarded and
treated. The principle here advanced, and on which the apos
tle's argument rests is. that the infliction of penal evil implies
the violation of law. If men were sinners, and were treated as
such before the law of Moses, it is certain that there is some
other law, for the violation of which sin was imputed to them.

Instead of the interpretation just given, there are several
other methods of explaining this verse, which should be noticed.
Calvin, Luther, Be/a, and not a few of the modern commenta
tors, say that the clause, sin is not imputed when tJtere is no
law, means, men do not impute sin to themselves, i. e. do not

246 ROMANS V. 13, 14.

regard themselves as sinners ; do not feel their guilt, when there
is no law. To a certain extent, the sentiment thus expressed
is true. Paul, in a subsequent chapter, vii. 8, says, "Without
the law, sin was dead;" that is, unknown and disregarded. It
is true, that ignorance of the law renders the conscience torpid,
and that by the clear revelation of the law it is brought to life;
so that by the law is the knowledge of sin. If, however, by
law, is meant a written law, or a full and authenticated revela
tion of the will of Clod as a rule of duty, then it is only com
paratively speaking true, that without law ( i. e. such a law,) sin
is unknown or disregarded. There is another law, as Paul
teaches, ii. 14, 1 ">, written on the heart, in virtue of which men
feel themselves to be sinners, and know the righteous judgment
of God, by which they are exposed to death; see i. 82. The
objections, however, to this interpretation are decisive: 1. In
the first place, it is inconsistent with the meaning of the words
here used. "To impute sin" never means to lay sin to heart.
The imputation is always made from without, or by another, not
by the sinner himself. Tholuck, therefore, calls this interpreta
tion " a desperate shift." '• Xoch," ho says, " ist cine gewalt-
samc Hiilfe zu crwiihnen die Blanche dicsem Ausspruclic des
Apostcls /AI bringen gesucht baben. Sic baben dem eXXoyelv
eine anclerc I>edeutung beigelegt. Sie baben es in der Bedeu-
tung achtcn, Jt>h-k*i<.'Jit itclnneti genommen." 2. This interpre
tation proceeds on a wrong assumption of the thing to be
proved. It assumes that the apostle designs to prove that all
men are in themselves sinners, and for their personal guilt or
defilement, are exposed to death. But this, as has been shown,
leaves out of view the main idea of ver. 12. It is true, that all
men are sinners, either in the sense of actual transgressors, or
of having a depraved nature, and consequently are exposed to
death; but the specific assertion of ver. 12 is, that it was BY
OXE MAX death passed on all men. This, therefore, is the thing
to be proved, and not that all men are personally sinners. Of
course it is not denied that men are subject to death for their
own sins; but that is nothing to the point which the apostle has
in hand. His design is to show that there is a form of death,
or penal evil, to which men are subject, anterior to any personal
transgression or inherent corruption. 3. This interpretation

ROMANS V. 13, 14. 247

assumes that the apostle is answering an objection which has
no force, or refuting an opinion which no one entertained. It
supposes that the Jews held that the Gentiles, before the law
of Moses, were not sinners, whereas they regarded them as pre
eminently such. It makes the apostle reason thus : 'All men
are sinners. No,' objects the Jew, 'before Moses there was no
law, and therefore no sin. Yes,' replies Paul, 'they were sin
ners, although they were not aware of it.' P>ut as no human
being believed that men were not sinners before the giving of
the Mosaic law, as Paul himself had proved at length that the
whole world was guilty before God, as he had expressly taught
that the Gentiles, although they had no written law, were a law
unto themselves, and that they stood self-condemned in the pre
sence of God, it is unreasonable to suppose that the apostle
would stop to refute an objection which has not ioree enough to
be even a cavil. Paul had before laid down the principle
(iv. l'~>.) that where there is no law, then,- is no transgression,
which is only another form of saying, "sin is not imputed
when there is no law.'' ]>ut as sin was imputed before the law
of Moses, there must have been some other law, for the violation
of which men were condemned. It is that the apostle designs
to prove, and not that men were personally sinners; a fact, so
far as the heathen were concerned, no Jew denied.

Another interpretation, which is adopted by a large number
of commentators and theologians, supposes that the word death
is to be understood of natural death alone. The reasoning of
the apostle then is. 'As on account of the sin of one man. all
men are condemned to die, so on account of the righteousness
of one, all are made partakers of life,' ver. 12. The proof that
all are subject to death on account of the sin of Adam, is given
in vs. lo, 14: 'The infliction of the specific penalty of death,
supposes the violation of a law to which that particular penalty
was attached. This could not be the law of Moses, since those
die who never violated that law; and, in short, all men die,
although they have never broken any express command attended
by the sanction of death. The liability of all men, therefore, to
this specific form of evil, is to be traced not to their own indi
vidual character or conduct, but to the sin of Adam.' Some of
those who adopt this view of the passage, are consistent enough

248 ROMANS V. 13.

to carry it through, and make the life which is restored to all
by Christ, as here spoken of, to be nothing more than the life
of the body, i. e. the resurrection from the dead.* It will be
observed, that this interpretation is, as to its main principle,
identical with that presented above as correct. That is, it
assumes that ver. 12 teaches that God regarded the act of Adam
as the act of the whole race, or, in other words, that he sub
jected all men to punishment on account of his transgression.
And it makes vs. 18, 14, the proof that the subjection of all
men to the penal evil here specially in view, to be, not the cor
ruption of their nature, nor their own individual sins, but the
sin of Adam. It is, however, founded on two assumptions ; the
one of which is erroneous, and the other gratuitous. In the
first place, it assumes that the death here spoken of is mere
natural death, which, as shown above, is contrary fyoth to the
scriptural use of the term and to the immediate context. And,
secondly, it assumes that the violation of the law of nature
could not be justly followed by the death of the body, because
that particular form of evil was not threatened as the sanction
of that law. But this assumption is gratuitous, and would be
as well authorized if made in reference to any othci punishment
of such transgressions ; since no definite specific evil, as the
expression of the divine displeasure, was made known to those
who had no external revelation. Yet, as Paul says, Horn. i. 3'2,
the wicked heathen knew they were worthy of death, i. e. of the
effects of the divine displeasure. The particular manner of the
exhibition of that displeasure is a matter of indifference. It
need hardly be remarked, that it is not involved either in this
or the commonly received interpretation of this passage, that
men, before the time of Moses, were not punishable for their
own sins. While this is admitted and asserted by the apostle,
he proves that they were punished for Adam's sin. No one
feels that there is any inconsistency in asserting of the men of
this generation, that although responsible to God for their per
sonal transgressions, they are nevertheless born in a state
of spiritual death, as a punishment of the sin of our great
progenitor. The pains of child-birth do not cease to be part
of the penalty of the original transgression, although each
* See Whitby on this passage.

ROMANS V. 13. 249

suffering mother is burdened with the guilt of personal trans
gression.

As the effort to make these verses prove that all men are
actual sinner* fails of giving them any satisfactory sense, so
the interpretation which assumes that they are designed to
prove inherent, hereditary depravity, is no less untenable. If
i(f w ~d^-^ rjfJLapTov, in vcr. 12, means, • Death has passed on
all, because all are tainted ivitJi the hereditary corruption derived
from Adam,' then the argument in vs. lo, 14, must stand thus:
'All men are by nature corrupt, for as sin is not imputed when
there is no law, the death of all men cannot bo accounted for
on the ground of their actual sins; therefore, since those die
who have never sinned, as Adam did, against a positive law,
they must be subject to death for their innate depravity.' But,
so far as this argument assumes that men, before the time of
Moses, were not justly subject to death for their actual sins, it
is contrary to truth, and to the express teaching of the apostle.
Yet this is the form in which it is generally presented. And
if it only means that actual sin will not account for the absolute
universality of death, since those die who have never committed
any actual transgression, the argument is still defective. Innate
depravity being universal, may account for the universality of
natural death ; but thi^d-o^ includes much more than natural
death. What is to account for spiritual death'.'' Why are men
born dead in sin? This is the very tiling to be accounted for.
The fact is not its own solution. Paul's argument is, that they
are so born on account of Adam's sin. It is another objection
to this interpretation, that it destroys the analogy between
Christ and Adam, and therefore is inconsistent with the great
design of the whole passage. Paul's object is to show, that as
we are justified by the righteousness of Christ as something out
of ourselves, so we are condemned for the sin of Adam as some
thing out of ourselves. To make him teach that we are con
demned for our inherent depravity, to the exclusion of Adam's
sin, necessitates his teaching that we are justified for our inhe
rent goodness, which destroys all hope of heaven. There is no
interpretation of this passage consistent with the meaning of the
words, the nature of the argument, the design of the context,
and tho analogy of Scripture, but the one given above, as

250 ROMANS V. 14.

commonly received. Kollner complains that Paul's argument
is very confused. This he accounts for by assuming that the
apostle had two theories in his mind. The one, that men die
for their own sins ; the other, that they die for the sin of Adam.
His natural feelings led him to adopt the former, and he accord
ingly says, in vcr. 12, "Death passed on all men, because all
have sinned." But as the Jewish doctrine of his age, that men
were condemned for the sin of Adam, afforded such an admira
ble illustration of his doctrine of salvation through the merit

O

of Christ, the apostle, says Kollner, could not help availing
himself of it. Thus he has the two theories mixed up together,
asserting sometimes the one, and sometimes the other. To those
who reverence the Scriptures as the word of God, it is assuredly
a strong argument in favour of the common interpretation of
the passage, that it saves the sacred writer from such asper
sions. It is better to admit the doctrine of imputation, than to
make the apostle contradict himself.

VERSE 14. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses.
That is, men were subject to death before the law of Moses was
given, and consequently not on account of violating it. There
must be some other ground, therefore, of their exposure to
death. Neverthelesss, («//«,) the clause thus introduced stands
in opposition to the preceding clause, G'JX £//o^s?r^. That is,
1 although sin is not imputed when there is no law, nevertheless
death reigned from Adam to Moses.' Death reiyned* i. e. had
undisputed, rightful sway. Men were justly subject to his
power, and therefore were sinners.

Even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of
Adams transgression. Instead of connecting l~l rw buououarc,
as is usually done, with JJ.TJ ^ua^r/^auTe^, Chrysostorn connects
them with i^aaihuff^. The sense would then be, 'death
reigned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, even over
those who had not sinned.' That is, death reigned over those
who had not personally sinned, just as it reigned over Adam.
This interpretation is adopted by Bengcl, who says, " Quod
homines ante legcm mortui sunt, id accidit eis super similitudine
transarcssionis Adam, i. e. quia illorum eadem atque Adami
transgredientis ratio fuit : mortui sunt, propter alium reatum,
non propter eum, quern ipsi per se contraxere, id est, propter

ROMANS V. 14. 251

reatum ab Adamo contractum." Although the sense thus
expressed is good, and suited to the context, the construction
is evidently forced. It is much more natural to take the words
as they stand. Death reigned over a class of persons who had
not sinned as Adam had. The question is. What is the point
of dissimilarity to which the apostle here refers ? Some say it
is, that Adam violated a positive command to which the sanction
of death was expressly added, and that those referred to did
not. The principal objections to this interpretation are, 1. That
it destroys the distinction between the two classes of persons
here alluded to. It makes Paul, in effect, reason thus: 'Death
reigned over those who had not violated any positive law, even
over those who had not violated any positive law.' It is obvi
ous that the first clause of the verse describes a general class,
and the second clause, which is distinguished from the first by
the word crcn, only a portion of that class. All men who died
from Adam to Moses, died without violating a positive com
mand. The class, therefore, which is distinguished from them,
must be contrasted with Adam on some other ground than that
which is common to the whole. 2. This interpretation is incon
sistent with the context, because it involves us in all the diffi
culties specified above, attending the sense which it requires
us to put upon vs. 1-], 14, and their connection with ver. 12.
We mu<t suppose these verses designed to prove that all men
are sinners, which, as just shown, is at variance with the con
text, with the obvious meaning of ver. 12, with the scope of the
passage, and the drift of the argument. Or we must adopt the
interpretation of those who confine the word JcatJi to the dis
solution of the body, and make the apostle argue to show that
this particular evil is to be referred not to the personal sins of
men, but to the sin of Adam. Or we are driven to some other
unsatisfactory view of the passage. In short, these verses, when
the clause in question is thus explained, present insuperable
difficulties.

Others understand the difference between Adam and those
intended to be described in this clause, to be, that Adam sinned
personally and actually, the others did not. In favour of this
view it mav be argued, 1. That the words evidently admit of this
interpretation as naturally as of the other. Paul simply says

252 ROMANS V. 14.

the persons referred to did not sin as Adam did. Whether he
means that they did not sin at all ; that they were not sinners
in the ordinary sense of that term ; or that they had not sinned
against the same kind of law, depends on the context, and is
not determined by the mere form of expression. 2. If ver. 12
teaches that men are subject tQ death on account of the sin
of Adam, if this is the doctrine of the whole passage, and if,
as is admitted, vs. 13, 14 are designed to prove the assertion
of ver. 12, then is it necessary that the apostle should show
that death comes on those who have no personal or actual sins
to answer for. This he does : ' Death reigns not only over
those who have never broken any positive law, but even over
those who have never sinned as Adam did ; that is, who have
never in their own persons violated any law, by which their
exposure to death can be accounted for.' All the arguments,
therefore, which go to establish the interpretation given above
of ver. 12, or the correctness of the exhibition of the course
of the apostle's argument, and the design of the whole passage,
bear with all their force in support of the view here given of
this clause. The opposite interpretation, as was attempted to
be proved above, rests on a false exegesis of ver. 12, and a false
view of the context. Almost all the objections to this interpre
tation, being founded on misapprehension, are answered by the
mere statement of the case. The simple doctrine and argument
of the apostle is, that THERE ARE PENAL EVILS WHICH COME

UPON MEN ANTECEDENT TO ANY TRANSGRESSIONS OF THEIR
OWN; AND AS THE INFLICTION OF THESE EVILS IMPLIES A
VIOLATION OF LAW, IT FOLLOWS THAT THEY ARE REGARDED
AND TREATED AS SINNERS, ON THE GROUND OF THE DISOBEDI
ENCE OF ANOTHER. In other words, it Avas "by the offence
of one man that judgment cane on all men to condemnation."
It is of course not implied in thui statement or argument, that
men are not now, or were not from Adam to Moses, punishable
for their own sins, but simply that they are subject to penal
evils, which cannot be accounted for on the ground of their
personal transgressions, or their hereditary depravity. This
statement, which contains the whole doctrine of imputation, is so
obviously contained in the argument of the apostle, and stands
out so conspicuously in the Bible, and is so fully established by

ROMANS V. 14. 253

the history of the world, that it is frequently and freely ad
mitted by the great majority of commentators.

Who is a fifjiire of him that ivcts to e<rm<\ r:);:oc rov //.cV./ovro'.

Ila)' T'J~0^; (fljffW 6V.' W(7~£O lx£?VO£ 70?C ^ ft'jroD, /^/.TO.'J'c (L7I

((ro~jGtv d~o ~o~j ~'J/OM, '£-'oi'£v acreo^ daiaTO'j TO~J oca.

fJCOfflV ECffayrOsVTOZ, O'JTO) 7.O.'. 6 XpCffTO^ 70?C ^ C/VTOV. '/.</.'. 7 OTfZ

j dczaco~f>(r("fjGa.Gc, feyoys ~ooz?i,o~ oc/juoa'j^r^, ^'v u'.o. roD

ly^~f//.. '/.<;.: ct'j^iy^)~ ~o~j~o EC^ u.i<7o^ eknu. — Qhrysostom. '' I Low
a type'." he says: because fix he was the cau<e of tlie death
introduced by eating (the forbidden fruit.) to all who are of
him, although they did not eat of the tree; so a!><> Christ, to
those who are of him, though they have not wrought right
eousness, is become the procurer of the righteousness which,
by means of the cross, he graciously gives to us all; on this
account h'1 first and last m;ikes tin' one so prominent, continu
ally bringing it forward." This is an interesting passage
coming from a source so different from the Augustinian school
of theology. Every essential point of the common Calvinistic
interpretation is fully stated. Adam is the cause of death
coming on all, independently of any transgressions of their
own ; as Christ is the author of justification without our own
works. And flic /n<t>u/. in the one clause, are all who are of
Adam; and 1//c. tti<i>tt</. in the other, those who are of Christ.

The word rendered lit/if/-/'. rv,To~, from T'J~T(D (to xfri/cc,')
means a i>r!nt. or impression made by a blow; as in John
xx. 2~>, rov rvrrov 7(o's -f'j/.o)^, tin- }irint <>f tin' )i<(ifx. In a wider
sense it means a fitjin^' or fnnn. literally, as when spoken of an
image, Acts vii. 4;>, or figuratively when used of a doctrine,
Rom. vi. IT. More commonly in the Scriptures it means either
a model after which anything is to be made, lleb. viii. ~>, or an
example to lie followed, Philip, iii. 17, "as ye have us for an
example," '/j/.tt(o~ ^'/~-~z rvrrov '/]tm~. Besides these, so to speak
secular meanings, it has the religious sense of ti/or, a designed
prefiguration, or counterpart, either historically, as the pass-
over was a type or significant commemoration of the passing
over, by the destroying angel, of the habitations of the Hebrews
in Egypt; or prophetically, as the sacrifices of the Old Testa
ment were types of the great sacrifice of the Lamb of God. A

251 ROMANS V. 14.

typo, thcicforo, in the religious sense of the term, is not a mere
historical parallel or incidental resemblance between persons or
events, but a designed resemblance — the one being intended to
prefigure or to commemorate the other. It is in this sense that
Adam was the type of Christ. The resemblance between them
was not casual. It was predetermined, and entered into the
whole plan of God. As Adam was the head and representative
of his race, whose destiny was suspended on his conduct, so
Christ is the head and representative of his people. As the
sin of the one was the ground of our condemnation, so the
righteousness of the other is the ground of our justification.
This relation between Adam and the Messiah was recognized by
the Jews, who called their expected deliverer, linqzan t-sri. the
last Adam, as Paul also calls him in 1 Cor. xv. 4-5, b Zoyv-o^
Aod/jL. Adam was the type, rorj /^//ovroc, either of the Adam
who was to come, or simply of the one to come. The Old Testa
ment system was preparatory and prophetic. The people under
its influence were looking forward to the accomplishment of the
promises made to their father. The Messianic period on which
their hopes were fixed was called "the world or age to come," and
the Messiah himself was b Ipyppsvo^ b psttcov, the one coming*
As Paul commenced this section with the design of insti
tuting this comparison between Christ and Adam, and inter
rupted himself to prove, in vs. 13, 14, that Adam was really the
representative of his race, or that all men are subject to death
for his offence; and having, at the close of ver. 14, announced
the fact of this resemblance by calling Adam a type of Christ,
he again stops to limit and explain this declaration by pointing
out the real nature of the analogy. This he does principally
by showing, in vs. 15 — IT, the particulars in which the com-

* Fliilippi, Professor in the University at Rostock, one of the most recent as
he is one of the best of the German commentators, says, in a note to this pas
sage, "The Protestant Church had abundant scriptural authority as well as theo-
lo<ncal reasons for their doctrine of the imputatio peccati Adamitici ad culpam et
pcenam, and its consequent pcccatum originate, consisting in the habitus peccandi,
and hence involving guilt. It is one of the merits of Julius Mailer's work
(die Christliche Lelire von der Siinde,) that he rejects the modern doctrine,
that innate depravity or the corruption of nature in man, consequent on the
fall of Adam, is simply an evil, so that only voluntary assent thereto is pro
perly of the nature of sin."

ROMANS V. 15. 255

parison docs not hold. In verses 18, 19, which Kre a resump
tion of the sentiment of ver. 12, he states the grand point of
their agreement.

VERSE 15. Bat not as the offence, so also is the free gift. The
cases, although parallel, are not precisely alike. In the first
place, it is far more consistent with our views of the character
of God, that many should be benefitted by the merit of one
man, than that they should suffer for the sin of one. If the
latter has happened, MUCH MORE may we expect the former to
occur. The attentive reader of this passage will perceive con
stantly increasing evidence that the design of the apostle is not
to show that the blessings procured by Christ are greater than
the evils caused by Adam ; but to illustrate and confirm the
prominent doctrine of the epistle, that we are justified on tho
ground of the righteousness of Christ. This is obvious from the
sentiment of this verse, k If we die for the sin of Adam, much
more may we live through the righteousness of Christ.' But
not as the off>'n<'<\ occ. \7//" o'j% w^ TO xatod~7ci)/jia, o7jTu) xa> TO
ftafaffua, a singularly concise expression, which however the
context renders sufficiently plain. Ilo.<xL~T«)ti.a. from ~(J.<XJ~''.~TO)
(to fall,) means JalJ, and ydotafi.^ an act of <jrae<\ or gracious
gtft, which is explained bv ^ dcon^d in this verse, TO ocoor^ia in
ver. 1<J, and '/t 0(ooia TY^ or/j/.coa'r^-/^ (the (//ft of righteousness,)
in ver. 17. The meaning therefore is, that 'the fall is not like
the gracious restoration.' The reason why the one is not like
the other, is stated in what follows, so that 'fo.n has its appropri
ate force : ' They are not alike, fur if by the oil'cnce of one many
be dead.' The dative ~aoa.~Tcofjt.aT! expresses the ground or
reason. The offence of one was the ground or reason of the
many dying; and as deatli is a penalty, it must be the judicial
ground of their death, which is the very thing asserted in
ver. 12, and proved in vs. 1:>7 14. ^fanij be dead; the words
are o[ ~U)M>', o,~ii)(j.^<tv^ the many died, the aorist a~ldavov
cannot mean he dead. By tlte manij are intended nil mankind,
ol ~o/M)l and ~a>r£C being interchanged throughout the con
text. They arc,1 called the many, because they are many, and
for the sake of the antithesis to tlte one. The many died for
the offence of one ; the sentence of deatli passed on all for his
offence. The same idea is presented in 1 Cor. xv. 22.

256 ROMANS Y. 15.

It is here, therefore, expressly asserted that the sin of Adam
was the cause of all his posterity being subjected to death, that
is, to penal evil. But it may still be asked whether it was
the occasional or the immediate cause. That is, whether the
apostle means to say that the sin of Adam was the occasion of
all men being placed in such circumstances that they all sin,
and thus incur death ; or that by being the cause of the cor
ruption of their nature, it is thus indirectly the cause of their
condemnation; or whether he is to be understood as saying that
his sin is the direct judicial ground or reason for the infliction
of penal evil. It has been frequently said that this is all
theory, philosophy, system, &c. But any one may see that it
is a mere excgetical question — what is the meaning of a given
phrase? Does the dative here express the occasional cause, or
the ground or reason of the result attributed to the offence of
one man ? It is a mere question of fact ; the fact is all, and
there is neither theory nor philosophy involved in the matter.
If Paul says that the offence of one is the ground and reason
of the many being subject to death, he says all that the advo
cates of the doctrine of imputation say. That this is the strict
exegetical meaning of the passage, appears from the following
reasons : 1. That such may be the force and meaning of the
words as they here stand, no one can pretend to doubt. That
is, no one can deny that the dative case can express the ground
or reason as well as the occasion of a thing. 2. This interpre
tation is not only possible, and in strict accordance with the
meaning of the words, but it is demanded, in this connection,
by the plainest rules of exposition; because the sentiment
expressed by these words is confessedly the same as that taught
in those which follow ; and they, as will appear in the sequel,
will not bear the opposite interpretation. 3. It is demanded
by the whole design and drift of the passage. The very point
of the comparison is, that as the righteousness of Christ, and
not our own works, is the ground of our justification, so the
sin of Adam, antecedently to any sins of our own, is the
ground of the infliction of certain penal evils. If the latter
be denied, the very point of the analogy between Christ and
Adam i-s destroyed. 4. This interpretation is so plainly the
correct and natural one, that it is, as shown above, freely

ROMANS V. 16. 257

admitted by the most strenuous opponents of the iloctrine which
it teaches.

Much more the grace of God, and tl/e gift by grace, which is
by one man, hath abounded unto many. Had Paul been studi
ous of uniformity in the structure of his sentences, this clause
would have been differently worded : ' If by the offence of one
many die, much more by the free gift of one shall many live.'
The meaning is the same. The force of the passage lies in the
words mu'-li more. The idea is not that the grace is more,
abundant and efficacious than the offence and its consequences:
this idea is expressed in ver. iiO ; but, 'if the one dispensation
has occurred, much more may the other; if we die for one,
much more may we live by another.' The -O/MU ILU./MW does
not express a higher degree of efficacy, but of evidence or cer
tainty: ' If the one tiling lias happened, mwh more certainly
may the other be relied upon.' The first clause of the verse
may be thus interpreted, 'the grace of God, even the inft by
graee;' so that the latter phrase is explanatory of the former.
If they are to be distinguished, the first refers to the cause, viz.
the grace of God; and the second to the result, viz. the gift by
grace, i. e. the gracious or free gift, viz. the gift of righteous
ness, as explained in ver. 17. Wlti<:h /.v by one man, J>'SU9
Christ; that is. which comes to us through Christ. This free
gift i.i of course the opposite of what comes upon us for the
sake of Adam. Guilt and condemnation come from him; riirht-
eousnos and consequent acceptance from Jesus Christ. AYhat
is here called the free gift is. in ver. 17, called the gift of right
eousness. JIath abounded unf<> ni'im/^ z:~ TO\J' ro//o^c, unto ilie
many; that is. has been freely and abundantly bestowed on the
many. Whether the many, in this clause, is co-extensive
numerically with the many in the other, will be considered
under ver. 18.

VERSE It.). And not </* it ?/w* by one tJmf .sv/W'7,* xn /* tlte
gift, &c. This clause, as it stands in the original, and not as
by one that sinned, the gift, is obviously elliptical. Some word
corresponding to gift is to be supplied in the first member;

* Instead of «(«*gr»'<r*vTcf, the MSS. D. E. F. G. 26, the Latin and Syriao
versions read a^^rH^aTc,;. The common text is retained by most editors, even
by Lachnmnu.

17

l>58 ROMANS V. 16.

either offence, which is opposed to i\\Q free gift in the preceding
verse : or judgment, which occurs in the next clause. The
sense then is, ' The gift (of justification, see ver. IT) was not
like the sentence which came by one that sinned.' So Professor
Stuart, who very appositely renders and explains the whole
verse thus: "Yea, the [sentence] by one who sinned, is not like
the free gift ; for the sentence by reason of one [offence] was
unto condemnation [was a condemning sentence] ; but the free
gift [pardon] is of many offences, unto justification, i. e. is a
sentence of acquittal from condemnation." The point of this
verse is, that the sentence of condemnation which passed on all
men* for the sake of Adam, was for one offence, whereas we
are justified by Christ from many offences. Christ does much
more than remove the guilt and evils consequent on the sin
of Adam. This is the second particular in which the work
of Christ differs from that of Adam.

For the judgment was by one to condemnation. JR/j one, lg
ivnc, either by one man, or by one offence. As &fj.ator^(Tai>TO<;
is the true reading in the preceding clause, most modern com
mentators say that s^o^ must be masculine, by one man. The
antithesis, however, between ivoc and ~o/Moy is so obvious, that
it is more natural to supply ^atoa~T(otaa~o^, from the next clause,
as in Hebrew parallelisms, an ellipsis in the first member must
at times be supplied from the second. An example of this kind
Gesenius finds in Isa. xlviii. 11. Here the very object of the
apostle is to contrast the one offence for which we suffer through
Adnm. with the many offences from the guilt of which Christ
delivers us. Luther, Beza, Olshausen, Rothe, and others, take
li/oc as neuter, one offence. "A judgment to condemnation" is
a Hebraic or Hellenistic idiom, for a condemnatory judgment,
or sentence of condemnation, f The word */>///«, rendered judg
ment, properly means the decision or sentence of a judge, and

* The words all men are expressed in ver. 18, where this clause is repeated:
"By the offence of one, judgment came on all men to condemnation."

f See 1 Cor. xv. 45, 'The first Adam was made (th -±J%»v £Co-av) to a living
soul.' 'The last Adam to a quickening spirit.' Or the preposition («'?) may
express the grade or point to which anything reaches, and «? astraa^* be equi
valent to tlf ro jwrajigjWda/, a sentence unto condemnation; a decision which
went to the extent of condemning. So, in the next clause, th Jut*i*fMt, unto
Justification, a sentence by which men are justified. — See Wahl, p. 428.

ROMANS V. 16. 259

is nere to be taken in its usual and obvious signification. It is
then plainly stated that 4 a sentence of condemnation has passed
on all men on account of the one sin of Adam.' This is one
of the clauses which can hardly be forced into the meaning
that the sin of Adam was the occasion merely of men being
condemned, because it was the means of their being led into
sin. Here again we have a mere exegetical question to decide;
not a matter of theory or deduction, but simply of exposition.
What does the phrase <a sentence of condemnation by, or for
one offence,' in this connection, mean ? The common answer
to this question is, It means that the one offence was the ground
of the sentence. This answer, for the following reasons, appears
to be correct: 1. It is the simple and obvious meaning of the
terms. To say a sentence is for an offence, is, in ordinary lan
guage, to say that it is on account of the offence; and not that
the offence is the cause of something else, which is the ground
of the sentence. Who, uninfluenced by theological prejudice,
would imagine that the apostle, when he says that condemna
tion for the offence of one man lias passed on all men, means
that the sin of Adam was the occasion of our sins, on account
of which we arc condemned? The preposition (sx), here trans
lated by, expresses properly the idea of the origin of one thing
from another; and is, therefore, used to indicate almost any
relation in which a cause may stand to an effect. The logical
character of this relation depends, of course, on the nature of
the subject spoken of. In the phrases "faith is by hearing"
(I? u.xoy^,) chap. x. IT; "by fJii* cr</ft (I/. Ta'JTT^ r?t~ z<rl'a<7>.a~}
we have our wealth," .Acts xix. -->; "our sufficiency is o/* God"
(ix 7<)rj 6^00,) "2 Cor. iii. o; and a multitude of similar cases, the
general idea of causation is expressed, but its precise character
differs according to the nature of the subject. In the former
of these examples the word indicates the instrumental, in the
lattor the efficient cause. But when it is said that "a man is
not justified by works" (Ig ey/fwy,) Gal. ii. 10; that the purpose
of election "is not of works," Rom. ix. 11; that our salvation
is not "by works of righteousness (^ Zfrfcov raw iv oixatoaovfi)
which we have done," Tit. iii. 5; and in a hundred similar
examples, the preposition expresses the ground or reason. We
arc not elected, Dr justified, or saved on account of our works.

260 ROMANS V. 16.

In like manner, when it is said we are condemned fy/, or fot
the offence of one, and that we are justified for the righteous
ness of another, the meaning obviously is, that it is on account
of the offence we are condemned, and on account of the right
eousness we are justified. If it is true, therefore, as is so often
asserted, that the apostle here, and throughout this passage,
states the fact merely that the offence of Adam has led to our
condemnation, without explaining the mode in which it has pro
duced this result, it must be because language cannot express
the idea. The truth is, however, that when he says "the sen
tence was by one offence" (TO */>///« lz i>oc,) he expresses the
mode of our condemnation just as clearly as he denies one mode
of justification by saying it "is not by works;" and as he
affirms another by saying it is "by the righteousness of Christ."
2. This interpretation is not only the simple and natural mean
ing of the words in themselves considered, but is rendered
necessary by the context. We have, in this verse, the idea of
pardon on the one hand, which supposes that of condemnation
on the other. If the latter clause of the verse means, as is
admitted, that we are pardoned for many offences, the former
must mean that we are condemned for one. 3. The whole
force of the contrast lies in this very idea. The antithesis in
this verse is evidently between the one offence and the many
offences. To make Paul say that the offence of Adam was the
means of involving us in a multitude of crimes, from all of
which Christ saves us, is to make the evil and the benefit
exactly tantamount: 'Adam leads us into offences from which
Christ delivers us.' Here is no contrast and no superiority.
Paul, however, evidently means to assert that the evil from
which Christ saves us, is far greater than that which Adam has
brought upon us. According to the simple and natural inter
prctation of the verse, this idea is retained : 'Adam brought the
condemnation of one offence only; Christ saves us from that
of many.' 4. Add to these considerations the obvious meaning
of the corresponding clauses in the other verses, especially in
ver. 19, and the design of the apostle in the whole passage, so
often referred to, and it seems scarcely possible to resist the
evidence in favour of this view of the passage. 5. This inter
pretation is so clearly the correct one, that it is conceded

ROMANS V. 16. 261

oy commentators and theologians of every shade of doctrine.
"Justly indeed," says Koppc, "on account of one offence,
many are subjected to punishment; but by divine grace many
are freed from the punishment of many offences." His own
words are, '-Jure quidem unius delicti causa poenas subeunt
irulti; ex gratia vero divina a multorum poems liberantur
beanturque multi." Flatt says, " Ka-dxwua. setzt als nicht
iiothwendig eigene Verschuldung voraus, so wie das gegentheil
dexaicopa nicht eigene oMMOffhy voraussetzt. Urn cincr cinzi-
gen Siindc willen wurden allc dazu verurtheilt, den #dyaroc,
(vs. 15, 17,) zu leiden." That is, 'Condemnation does not
necessarily suppose personal transgression, any more than the
opposite, justification, presupposes personal righteousness. On
account of one single sin, all are condemned to suffer death.'
So Storr :• <; Dunmatio qua propter Adamum tenemur, unius
peccati causa damnatio est." 'The condemnation which we
suffer on account of Adam, is a condemnation on account of one
sin.' Whitby expresses the meaning thus: " The judgment was
by one sin to condemnation, we being all sentenced to death on
account of Au<mi s sin.

Tin', free i/t'ft is of many offences unto justification; that is,
the free irii't is justification. The free- gift, TO ok y/i.ntatia, the
act of grace is antithetical to xf>i/ia, the judgment; as the clauses
x<>(tta £:c -/.ardxo'tjLa and yfunaiuj. el- dixaia) pa, (sentence of con
demnation and gratuitous juxtijicalwn*} are opposed to each
other. The word ot/.acoj/ia is (i. o-) riglttcoas judgment; here,
as antitlietical to •/.a-dxo'ti.a, condemnation. It means justifica
tion, which is a righteous judgment, or decision of a judge,
pronouncing one to be just. This interpretation suits the signi
fication of the word, and is to be preferred to making it mean
righteousness, a sense which the word has in ver. 18, when
opposed to transgression, and interchanged with obedience.
This justification is Ix -O/JMV -aoa-Tcofidrcov, from many
offences. The relation indicated by Ix, in the first clause,
where it is said 'the sentence was e? ivo'c, for one offence,' is
slio-htlv different from what it is in the second clause, where it

G */ / /'

is said justification is Ix nottatv napaTCTOJpdTcov, jrom many
offences. That is, sin stands in a different relation to con
demnation from that which it sustains to justification; both,

262 ROMANS V. 17.

however, may be expressed by the same preposition Christ
has done far more than remove the curse pronounced en us for
the one sin of Adam; he procures our justification from our
own innumerable offences. This is the main idea presented in
this verse.

VERSE 17. For if l>y one mans offence, &c. The connection
of this verse, as indicated by for, is with vcr. 16: '\Ve are jus
tified by Christ not only from the guilt of Adam's first sin, but
from our own innumerable transgressions ; for if death reigned
over us for one offence, much more shall life reign through one
who is none other and no less than Jesus Christ.' It is doubt
ful, however, whether this verse is a mere amplification of the
idea of vcr. 15, which, in import and structure, it so much
resembles; or whether the stress is to be laid on the last clause,
reigning in life; so that the point of the difference between
Adam and Christ, as here indicated, is, Christ not only delivers
from death, but bestows eternal life; or, finally, whether the
emphasis is to be laid on the word receive. The idea would
then be, 'If we are thus subject to death for an offence, in
which we had no personal concern, how much more shall we be
saved by a righteousness which we voluntarily embrace.' This
appears to be Calvin's view, who says: " Ut miseria peccati
hsereditate potiaris, satis est esse hominem, residet enim in
carne ct sanguine; ut Christi justitia fruaris, fidelem esse
necessarium est, quia fide acquiritur ejus consortium." The
decision of these questions is not at all material to the general
interpretation of the passage. Both of the ideas contained in
the two latter views of the verse are probably to be included.
By one mans offence, T(p TO~J k^b^ ~aoa-i:co<.t<j~c, ly the offence
of the one (viz. Adam) death reiyncd, i. e. triumphed over all
men, by one. Here again the dative Ttaoa-Tojtmri has a causal
force, and the assertion of the apostle is, that the offence of
Adam was the cause of death coming on all men. His sin was
not the cause of death by any physical efficiency ; nor as the
mere occasion of leading men to incur by their own act the
Denalty of death ; nor by corrupting the nature of man, which
corruption is the ground of the inflicted curse; but, as is
asserted in the preceding verse, because his sin was the ground
of the judicial condemnation, TO xpipa e«V xardxpcfjia, which

ROMANS V. IT. 263

passed on all mankind. If that is so, much more, sa^s the
apostle, shall they which receive; be %alufidi>ovT£Z may he taken
Bubstantively, the receivers; or the present participle, those
receiving, is used to express the condition on which the enjoy
ment of the blessing is suspended. The abundance of grace,
the abounding grace, the grace which, in ver. 15, is said
(IxzpcffGZ'jffs} hath abounded towards us. This grace is the
unmerited love of God, which is the source of the gift of rigiit-
eousness, ocoo-.a r/j~ ocxatoff'ji/TjZ) i- e. righteousness is the i^ift
offered and received. That righteousness hero does not mean
holiness, is evident from the constant use of the word by Paul
in a different sense in this epistle; from the fact that it is
pardon, justification, justifying righteousness, not sanctification,
that Paul in the context represents as the blessing received
from Christ; and because it is in this verse opposed to the
reigning of death, or state of condemnation on account of the
offence of Adam. Professor Stuart, therefore, in aivordanco
with the great majority of commentators, very correctly states
the sentiment of the verse thus: "For it' all are in a Mate of
condemnation by reason of the offence of one1, much more; shall
those towards whom abundance of mercy and pardonin"- *Traco

v O O

are shown, be redeemed from a state of condemnation, and
advanced to a state of happiness." The general sentiment of
the verse is thus correctly exhibited; but some of the inoro
prominent terms do not appear to have their lull force assigned
to them. TiH'i/ tclii'-li receive tin' al>ii.n>lant grace, expresses
more than that this grace is manifested to them ; all such do
not reign in life. This plira.se evidently implies the voluntary
reception of the offered boon. The gift of righteousness, too. is
something more than pardoning grace. It is that which is
expressed in ver. lf>, by the free gift; and in ver. i»j, by the
free gift unto justification* It is, therefore, the gift of justifica
tion ; or what is but another method of stating the same idea,
it is the righteousness of Christ by which we are justified, since
the gift of justification includes the gift of Christ's righteous
ness. The meaning of the verse consequently is, ' If on account
of the offence of one man we are condemned, much more shall
those wrho receive the righteousness graciously offered to them
in the gospel, not only be delivered from condemnation, but

264 ROMANS V. 18.

also reign in life by one, Jesus Christ;' that is, be gloriously
exalted in the participation of that life of holiness and com
munion with God which is the end of our being.

By one, Jesus Christ. As it was by one man, antecedently
to any concurrence of our own, that we were brought into a
state of condemnation, so it is by one man, without any merit
of our own, that we are delivered from this state. If the one
event has happened, much more may we expect the other to
occur. If we are thus involved in the condemnation of a sin in
which we had no personal concern, much more shall we, who
voluntarily receive the gift of righteousness, be not only saved
from the consequences of the fall, but be made partakers of
eternal life.

VERSE 18. Therefore, as l>y the offence of one, judgment came
on all men to condemnation; even so, &c. The words doa. oov
(therefore) are the inferential particles so often used in Paul's
epistles, at the beginning of a sentence, contrary to the ordinary
classical usage — vii. 3, 25, viii. 12, ix. 16, £c. They frequently
serve to introduce a summation of what had previously been
said. The inference from the whole discussion, from the begin
ning of the epistle to ver. 12 of this chapter, is introduced in
that verse by oca TO~JTO, wherefore. It followed, from all the
apostle had said of the method of justification through Jesus
Christ, that there is a striking analogy between our fall in
Adam and our restoration in Christ. The carrying out of this
comparison was interrupted, in the first place, to prove, in
vs. lo, 14, the position assumed in ver. 12, that all men are
subject to death on account of the sin of Adam; and, in the
second place, to limit and explain the analogy asserted to exist
between Christ and Adam, at the close of ver. 14. This is
done in vs. 15 — 17. Having thus fortified and explained his
meaning, the apostle now states the case in full. The word
therefore, at the beginning of ver. 12, marks an inference
from the whole doctrine of the epistle; the corresponding
ivonls here are also strictly inferential. It had been proved
that we are justified by the righteousness of one man, and it
had also been proved that we are under condemnation for the
offence of one. Therefore, as we are condemned, even so are
we Justified.

ROMANS V. 18. 265

It will be remarked, from the manner in which they are
Di'inted, that the words judgment came, in the first clause of >
this verse, and the free gift cime, in the second, have nothing t
to answer to them in the original. That they are correctly and
necessarily supplied, is obvious from a reference to ver. 16,"
where these elliptical phrases occur in full. The construction
in the clauses (xpi/jLa) e^c xardxpefia and fydpefffjici) el^ dexaiaxrev
^to7^, is the same as in ver. 10. Judgment unto condemnation
is a sentence of condemnation, and the free gift unto justifica
tion is gratuitous justification. The sentence is said to be 3i
ii/6c TtapaxTcouaroz, through the offence of one, and the justifica
tion is oi l^oc otxatco/jiaToz, through the righteousness oj one.
In ver. 10, this word or/aUoim is rendered justification, because
it is there in antithesis to xardxpi/ia, condemnation; it is here
properly rendered righteousness, because it is in antithesis to
~an6.-Tu)u.a, offenee, and because what is here expressed by
dixaUotta, is in ver. IT expressed by u-axo'/j, obedience. This
explanation is consistent with the signification of the word
which means a righteous thin;/, whether it be an act, a judg
ment, or an ordinance. In Rev. xix. 8, ra ocxatco/mTa TOW
&f'uoi> is correctly rendered the righteousness of the saints.
Luther translates the word in the passage before us, gereeht~
iykeit, agreeing with our translators. Calvin renders it justiji-
catio, 'bv i\\Q justification of one.' In this interpretation many
of the modern commentators concur. The principal argument
for this explanation of the word is, that it is used in that sense
in ver. 10; but there, as just remarked, it is opposed to xard-
xit'.iM, condemnation, while here it is opposed to xaixi-rwtLa,
offence. As the word may mean either justification or right
eousness, that sense should be adopted which suits the immediate
context. Many of the older theologians render it satisfaction;
according to the Aristotelian definition, dtxaitofm TO kxav6pd-cQ[j.a
TO~J adtxYjimroz. This gives a good sense: 'By the satisfaction
of one, the free gift has come on all men unto justification of
life.' But this, although in accordance with the strict classical
use of the word, is not the sense in which it is used in the Bible,
and it is not so suitable to the context.

Instead of rendering oi li/oc napanrconaro^ by the offence of
one, and 3e hoz ocxacto/mToz, by the righteousness of one, a large

266 ROMANS V. 18.

class of commentators render them, 'by one offence,' and 4by
one righteousness.' This does not materially alter the sense,
and it is favoured by the absence of the article before ivoc- In
vs. 17, 19, it is roi) £vo'c, the one. In favour of the version in
our English translation, however, it may be urged: 1. That
Ivoc, throughout the whole context in vs. 12, 15, 17, 19, is
masculine, except in vcr. 16, where it is opposed to the neuter
7ro//fl5y. The omission of the article is sufficiently accounted
for from the fact that the one intended, viz. Adam, had been
before distinctly designated. 2. The comparison is between
Adam and Christ, rather than between the sin of the one and
the righteousness of the other. 3. The expression, one right
eousness, is awkward and unusual ; and if Ivoc dexaecb/jtaroz be
rendered one righteous act, then it is inappropriate, inasmuch as
we are not justified by one act of Christ, but by his whole life
of obedience and suffering. 4. The natural opposition between
one and all, requires e^o; to be masculine: 'It was by the
offence of one man that all men were condemned.'

That the apostle here again teaches that there is a causal
relation between the sin of Adam and the condemnation of his
race, cannot be denied. The only possible question is, What is
the nature of that relation, as expressed by did ? It was dt Ivoc
~aoa~Tc!)jmToz, '?>?/ the offence of one that judgment came upon
all men.' Does this mean that the offence of one was simply
the occasion of all being condemned, or that it was the ground
or reason of their condemnation ? It is of course admitted that
the proper force of ocd with the genitive is, l>y means of, and
with the accusative, on account of. As the genitive and not the
accusative is here used, it might seem that the apostle design
edly avoided saying that all were condemned (oca TO -aodTzrtoua
TOL* Ivo'c) on account of the offence of one. But there is no
necessity for departing from the ordinary force of the preposi
tion with the genitive, in order to justify the interpretation
given above. The relation of a means to an end, depends on
the nature of that means. To say that condemnation is through,
or by means of an offence, is to say that the offence is the
rational or judicial means, i. e. the ground of the condemnation.
No man doubts that when, in ver. 12, the apostle says, that
death was (oca rr^ 6\fj.o.priaz) by means of sin, he means that it

ROMANS V. 18. 267

was on account of sin. This is not a solitary case. In chap.
iii. 24, we are said to be justified (d'.a TY^ dxokjTpdjffscoz) through

the redemption of Christ, i. e. by means of the redemption ; but
the ransom paid by Christ, in being the means, was the ground
of our redemption. So in the familiar phrases, "through his
blood," Eph. i. 7, Col. i. 20; "through his death," Rom. v. 10,
Col. i. 22; "by his cross," Eph. ii. 1G ; "by the sacrifice of
himself," Heb. ix. 26; "through the offering of the body of
Jesus," and in many similar expressions the preposition retains
its proper force with the genitive, as indicating the means, and
yet the means, from the nature of the case, is the ground or
reason. Thus also, in this immediate connection, we have the
expressions, "fy/ the righteousness of one" all are justified, and
"by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." We
have, therefore, in this single passage, no less than three cases,
vs. 12, 18, 10, in which this preposition with the genitive indi
cates such a means to an end, as the ground or reason on
account of which M.miething is given or performed. All this is
surely suilicient to prove that it tnciy, in the case before us,
express the ground why the sentence of condemnation has
passed on all men. That such, in this connection, must be its
meaniiiLT, appears, 1. From the nature of the subject spoken of.
To sav that one man has been corrupted by another, may
indeed express very generally, that one was the cause of the
corruption of the other, without giving any informal ion as to the
mode in which the result was secured. But to say thai a man
was ju-tiiied by means of a good action, or that he was con
demned bv means of a bad one; or plainer still, in Raul's own
language, that a condemnatory sentence came upon him by
means of that action; according to all common rules of inter
pretation, naturally means that such action was the reason of
the sentence. 2. From the antithesis. If the phrase, " by the
righteousness of one all are justified," means, as is admitted,
that this righteousness is the ground of our justification, the
opposite clause, "by the offence of one all are condemned,"
must have a similar meaning. 3. The point of the comparison,
as frequently remarked before, lies in this very idea. The fact
that Adam's sin was the occasion of our sinning, and thus
incurring the Divine displeasure, is no illustration of the fact

268 ROMANS V. 18.

that Christ's righteousness, and not our own merit, is the ground

of our acceptance. There would be some plausibility in this

I interpretation, if it were the doctrine of the gospel that Christ's

j righteousness is the occasion of our becoming holy, and that on

I the ground of this personal holiness we are justified. But this

'< not being the case, the interpretation in question cannot be

adopted in consistency with the design of the apostle, or the

common rules of exposition. 4. This clause is nearly identical

! with the corresponding one of ver. 16, "the judgment was by

one (offence) to condemnation." But that clause, as shown

above, is made, almost by common consent, to mean that the

- offence was the ground of the condemnatory sentence. Such,

therefore, must be the meaning of the apostle in this verse;

I compare also vs. 15, 17, 19.

The second question of importance respecting this verse is,
I whether the all men of the second clause is co-extensive with
1 the all men of the first. Are the all who are justified for the
! righteousness of Christ, the all who are condemned for the sir.
of Adam ? In regard to this point, it may be remarked, in the
first place, that no inference can be fairly drawn in favour of an
affirmative answer to this question, from the mere universality
of the expression. Nothing is more familiar to the readers of
the Scriptures than that such universal terms are to be limited
by the nature of the subject or the context. Thus, John iii. 24,
it is said of Christ, "all men come to him;" John xii. 32, Christ
says, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." Thus
the expressions, "all the world should be taxed," "all Judea,"
"all Jerusalem," must, from the nature of the case, be limited.
In a multitude of cases, the words all, all things, mean the
all spoken of in the context, and not all, without exception;
see Eph. i. 10, Col. i. 20, 1 Cor. xv. 22, 51, 2 Cor. v. 14, &c.
2. This limitation is always implied when the Scriptures else
where speak of a necessary condition connected with the bless
ing to which all are said to attain. It is everywhere taught
that faith is necessary to justification; and, therefore, when it
is said "all are justified," it must mean all believers. 'By
him," says the apostle, "all that believe are justified from all
tilings," &c. Acts xiii. 39. 3. As if to prevent the possibility
of mistake, Paul, in ver. 17, says it is those who "receive the

ROMANS V. 18. 269

gift of righteousness" that reign in life. 4. Even the all men,
in the first clause, must be limited to those descended from
Adam "by ordinary generation." It is not absolutely all. The!
man Christ Jesus must be exceptcd. The plain meaning is, all
connected with Adam, and all connected with Christ. 5. A
reference to the similar passage in 1 Cor. xv. 22, confirms this
interpretation, "As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all bo
made alive ;" that is, shall be made partakers of a glorious resur
rection and of eternal life. Thus the original word (^coorcor^d w
(TOI<-M) and the context require the latter clause of that verso,
to be understood. The all there intended arc immediately called!
"they that are Christ's," ver. 2->. i. e. all connected with him,!
and not numerically the all that die in Adam. (j. This inter
pretation is necessary, because it is impossible, with any regard
to scriptural usage or truth, to carry the opposite interpretation i
through. In this whole passage there are two classes of per
sons spoken of — those connected with Adam, and those con
nected with Christ. Of the former, it is said "they die,"
ver. lo; "they are condemned,'' vs. 1<>, 18; "they are made
sinners," ver. 11), by the offence of one man. Of the latter it;
is said, that to them "the grace of (ilod and the gift by grace
hath abounded," ver. 1~>: that "they are freely justified from |
many offences," vs. l»i, IS; that '"they shall reign in life |
through Christ Jesus," ver. 17; that "they are regarded and

all men, of impenitent sinners and hardened reprobates, what '/
remains to be said of the people of (Jod'.' It is not possible so j
to eviscerate these declarations as to make them contain nothing
more than that the chance of salvation is offered to all men.
To sav that a man is justified, is not to say that he has the
opportunity of justifying himself; and to say that a man shall
reign in life, is not to say he may possibly be saved. Who ever
announces to a congregation of sinners, that they are all justi
fied, they are all constituted righteous, they all have the justifi
cation of life? The interpretation which requires all these
strong and plain declarations to be explained in a sense which
they confessedly have nowhere else in the Bible, and which
makes them mean hardly anything at all, is at variance with
every sound principle of construction. If the all in the latter)

270 ROMANS V. 19.

'part of the verse is co-extensive with the all in the former,
the passage of necessity teaches universal salvation; for it is
impossible that to be justified, constituted righteous, can mean
.simply that justification is offered to all men. The all who are
justified are saved. If therefore the all means all men, the
apostle teaches that all men are saved. And this is the use to
which many Universalists have put the passage. As, however,
not only the Scriptures generally, but Paul himself, distinctly
teach that all men are not to be saved, as in 2 Thess. i. 9, this
interpretation cannot be admitted by any who acknowledge the
inspiration of the Bible. It is moreover an unnatural interpre
tation, even if the attention be limited to this one passage ;
jbecause as death on account of Adam supposes union with
Adam, so life on account of Christ supposes union with Christ.
jit is all who are in Adam who are condemned for his offence,
and the all who are in Christ who are justified by his righteous
ness. The modern German commentators, even those who do
riot hesitate to differ from the apostle, admit this to be the
meaning of the passage. Thus Meyer says, Die /ravrsc fod-pco-
7:0: in the first clause, are die gesammtheit der Adams-genera
tion, and in the second clause, die gesammtheit der Christus-
generation. Philippi says, "The limitation of the -ckrsc
avftpto-ot is of necessity to be assumed. It can only mean all
who believe. . . . The apostle views, on the one hand, the gene
ration of those lost in Adam, and on the other, the generation
of those saved in Christ."

VERSE 19. For as by one mans disobedience many were made
fanners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
This verse presents the doctrine of the preceding one in a some
what different form. As in the doctrine of justification, there
are the two ideas of the ascription of righteousness, and treat
ing as righteous ; and in the doctrine of the fall, the ascription
of guilt (legal responsibility,) and the treating all men as guilty;
so either of these ideas is frequently presented more promi
nently than the other. In ver. 18, it is the latter, in each case,
which is made most conspicuous, and in ver. 19, the former. In
ver. 18, it is our being treated as sinners for the sin of Adam,
and our being treated as righteous for the righteousness of
Christ, that is most prominently presented. In ver. 19, on the

ROMANS V. 19. 271

contrary, it is our being regarded as sinners for the disobedience.
of Adam, and our being regarded as righteous for the obediences
of Christ, that are rendered most conspicuous. Hence, Paul
begins this verse with for: i We are treated as sinners for the
offence of Adaai, fur we arc regarded as sinners on his
account,' &c. Though the one idea seems thus to be the more
prominent in vcr. 18, and the other in ver. 11', yet it is only a
greater degree of prominency to the one, and not the exclusion
of the other, that is in either case intended.

BIJ one iiuuis dixoln-dienee. The disobedience here is evidently
the first transgression of Adam, spoken of in ver. 16, as tin', one
offt'tw. The obedience of Christ here stands for all his work
in satisfying the demands of the law: his obedience unto und
in death ; that by which the law was magnified and rendered
honourabb'. as well as satisfied. From its opposition to the,
disobedience <»f Adam, his obedience, strictly speaking, rather'
than his sufferings, seems to be the prominent idea. "Paulus'
unterschridet in dem Werke Chri.-ti diese beiden Momentc, das
Thun und das Leiden." Meander. kPuul distinguishes, in the
work of Christ, these two elements — doing and suffering.'
Gcwlt'c'ltte d'-r PjliHZiui'j, &c-? P- ;"^;'- ^u tne paragraph
which follows this statement, Neander presents the old distinc-l
tion l)etwci'ii the active ami passive obedience of Christ, veryi
nearlv in its ii-nai i-Tin. On p. ">4o, lie says, "Dies heiligc
Leben Chri-ti will (l<»tt als That der gan/en Menschheit -
betraehten." "(.Ind regards the holy life of Christ as the act
of all men.' The word.- the innnif. in both clauses of this verse,,.
are obviously equivalent to the nil of the corresponding t.-lausrsl
of ver. 1^. and arc to be explained in the same manner.

The words <L".<i<>T<t)/j,>''. xaTeffrdOr^av ot rro//o/, rendered "the
many were made sinners," properly mean, were set down in the
rank or category of sinners. Ka&lffTTjfJU never, in the New Tes
tament, means to make, in the sense of effecting, or causing a
person or thing, to be in its character or nature other than ifc
was before. KafJ-fffTdyai ~L^<L haaoTcoAov does not mean to make
one sinful, but to set him down as such, to regard or appoint
him to be of that class. Thus, when Christ is said to have been
"constituted the Son of God," he was not made Son, but
declared to be such: ^ Who constituted tliee a ruler or judge?"

272 ROMANS V. 19.

i. e. Who appointed thee to that office? So, "Whom his lord
made ruler." When, therefore, the apostle says, that the
many were (xaTeff-cd&ijffav) constituted sinners by the disobedi
ence of Adam, it cannot mean, that the many thereby were

! rendered sinful, but that his disobedience was the ground of
their being placed in the category of sinners. It constituted a
good and sufficient reason for so regarding and treating them.
The same remark applies, of course, to the other clause of this

(verse : dixcuoe xaTaff-ad-ijffovToe of ~oAAoi This cannot mean,
that by the obedience of one the many shall be made holy. It,
can only mean, that the obedience of Christ was the ground on

I which the many are to be placed in the category of the right
eous, i. e. shall be so regarded and treated. It is not our
personal righteousness which makes us righteous, but the
imputation of the obedience of Christ. And the sense in which
we are here declared to be sinners, is not that we are such per
sonally, (which indeed is true,) but by the imputation of Adam's
disobedience.

Of course the several interpretations above mentioned are
applied to this verse. 1. That the sin of Adam was the mere
occasion of other men becoming sinners ; whether this was by
the force of example, or by an unfavourable change in their
external circumstances, or in some other unexplained manner,
oeing left undecided. 2. That in virtue of community, or
numerical oneness of nature between Adam and his posterity,
his act was strictly their act, and made them sinners as it made
him a sinner. 3. That as the apostasy of Adam involved a
corruption of nature, that corruption was transmitted to his
descendants, by the general physical law of propagation.
4. That the sin of Adam was the judicial ground of the con
demnation of his race. They were by his sin constituted sin
ners in a legal or forensic sense ; as by the righteousness of
Christ we are constituted legally righteous.

That this last is the true interpretation, is plain, 1. Because
it is in accordance with usage. To make clean, to make unclean,
to make rif/hteous, to make guilty, are the constant expressions
for regarding and treating as clean, unclean, righteous, or un
righteous. 2. The expression, to make sin, and to make righteous
ness, occurring in a corresponding sense, illustrate and confirm

ROMANS V. 19. 273

this interpretation. Thus in 2 Cor. v. 21, Christ is said to be
''made sin," i. e. regarded and treated as a sinner, "that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him," i. e. that we
might be regarded and treated as righteous in the sight of God,
on his account. 3. The antithesis is here so plain as to be of
itself decisive. "To be made righteous" is, according to Pro
fessor Stuart, "to be justified, pardoned., regarded and treated
as righteous." With what show of consistency then can it
be denied that " to be made sinners," in the opposite clause,
means to be regarded and treated as sinners? If one part of
the verse speaks of justification, the other must speak of con
demnation. 4. As so often before remarked, the analogy
between the case of Adam and Christ requires this interpreta
tion. .It' the first clause means either that the disobedience of
Adam was the occasion of our committing sin, or that it was the
cause of <>ur becoming inherently corrupt, and on the ground of
these sins, or of this corruption, being condemned; then must
the other clause mean that the obedience of Christ is the cause
of our becoming holy, or performing good works, on the ground
of which we arc justified. .But this confessedly is not the mean-
in tr of the apostle. If then the same words, in the same con
nection, and the same grammatical construction, have the same
meaninir, the interpretation irivrn above must be correct. • >. The
design <>f the apostle to illustrate the great doctrine of the
cospel, that men, although in themselves ungodly, are regarded

O i '"" O «

and treated as righteous for Christ's sake, demands this inter
pretation. (>. This view of the passage, so obviously required
bv the usa ire of the words and the context, is as remarked
above on ver. l'>. adopted by commentators of every class, as
to theological opinion. See the passages there quoted. "The
mani] are here again all. who, from the opposition to the one,
are in this place, as in ver. lf>. denominated from their great
number. These have without exception become sinners (6.ij.ap-
rco/.o'. •/ji~-,n-nj}-ftaivs.} not in reference to their o\vn inward cor
ruption, of which Paul is not here speaking, but in reference to
their guilt (Strafwiirdigkeit) and actual punishment on account
of Adam's sin."* Even Flatt, whose general view of the pas
sage would lead to a different interpretation, gives, as a correct

* Zacliari*, J'iblische Theologie, Vol. II. p. 388.
18

'274 ROMANS V. 19.

exhibition of the meaning of the apostle, "As on account of the
disobedience of one the many are treated as sinners, so on
account of the obedience of one shall the many be treated as
righteous." Storr also renders the first clause, "They were
regarded and treated as sinners;" this, he says, must be its
meaning, from its opposition to the words "were constituted
righteous," which obviously express the idea of justification,
and also from the use of the word condemnation in the corres
ponding clause of ver. 18. These writers are referred to rather
than Calvinistic commentators, to show how entirely destitute
of foundation is the reproach, that the interpretation given
above is the result of theological prejudice.

. The meaning then of the whole passage is this : BY ONE MAN
j sin entered into the world, or men were brought to stand in the
I relation of sinners to God ; death consequently passed on all,
' because for the offence of that one man they were all regarded
' and treated as sinners. That this is really the case is plain,
' Localise the execution of the penalty of a law cannot be more
| extensive than its violation; and consequently, if all are subject
to penal evils, all are regarded as sinners in the sight of God.
This universality in the infliction of penal evil cannot be
accounted for on the ground of the violation of the law of
Moses, since men were subject to such evil before that law was
given ; nor yet on account of the violation of the more general
law written on the heart, since even they are subject to this
evil, who have never personally sinned at all. We must con
clude, therefore, that men are regarded and treated as sinners
' on account of the sin of Adam.

He is, therefore, a type of Christ. The cases, however, are
jnot entirely analogous ; for if it is consistent with the Divine
'character, that we should suffer for what Adam did, how much
' more may we expect to be made happy for what Christ has
done! Besides, we are condemned for one sin only, on Adam's
account ; whereas Christ saves us not only from the evils con
sequent on that transgression, but also from the punishment of
1 our own innumerable offences. Now, if for the offence of one,
; death thus triumphs over all, how much more shall they who
receive the grace of the gospel, not only be saved from evil, but
' rei°"n in life through Christ Jesus !

ROMANS V. 10. 275

Wherefore, as on account of one the condemnatory sentence
has passed on all the descendants of Adam, so on account of the
righteousness of one, gratuitous justification conies on all who
receive the grace of Christ ; for as on account of the disobedi
ence of one we are regarded as sinners, so on account of the
obedience of the other we are regarded as righteous.

It may be proper to add a few remarks on the preceding
interpretation of tliis whole section. 1. The first is, that the
evidence of its correctness is cumulative, and is therefore not
to be judged exclnsivelv bv what is said in favour of the view
presented of nny one of its parts. If it is jirnlaWc that ver. 12
asserts, -that all men became subject to death on account of one
man, this is rendered still plainer by the drift and force of
vs. lo, 14; it is rendered almost certain by ver. lo, where it is
asserted, that for the offence of one the many die; by ver. ll>,
where it is said that for out' offence all are condemned; by
ver. IT, which affirms again, that the ground of death's reigning
over all is to be found in this one offence; and it would appear
to be rnised almost bevond the reach of doubt by ver. IS, where
the words of ver. lo' are repeated, and the analogy with the
method of our justification is expressly asserted; and by ver. 10,
in which this same idea is reiterated in a form which seems to set
all efforts at misunderstanding or misinterpretation at defiance.

2. The force of a remark previously made may now be moro
fullv appreciated, viz. that the sentiment attributed to ver. 12,
after having been proved in vs. 1-5, 14. is ever after assumed as
the ground of illustrating the nature, and confirming the cer
tainty of our iustifieation. Thus, in ver. 1(>. F«R IF by the,
offence of one many be dead, &c.; and ver. IT, FOR IF by one
man's offence, etc.; in ver. IS, TIIKIIFFOKH AS by the offence of
one all are condemned, even *" by the righteousness of one all
are iustilied : and, finally, in ver. 10. FOI; AS by one man's dis
obedience, ivc.

3. In connection with these remarks, it should be remem
bered that the interpretation given to the several clauses in this
passage is the simple natural meaning of the words, as, with
scarcely an exception, is admitted. The objections relied upon
against it are almost exclusively of a theological, rather than a
philological or exegetical character. This interpretation, too,

276 ROMANS V. 19.

• is perfectly consistent with itself, harmonious with the design
: of the apostle, and illustrative of the point which he proposed
( to explain. If all these separate sources of proof be properly
/ considered and brought to bear, with their mutually sustaining
I force, on a candid mind, it can hardly fail to acknowledge that
' the commonly received view of this interesting portion of the
' word of God, is supported by an amount and force of evidence
' not easily overthrown or resisted.

4. This interpretation is old. It appears in the writings of
? the early Christian fathers ; it has the sanction, in its essential
I features, of the great body of the Reformers ; it has commanded
I the assent of men of all parties, and of every form of theolo-
; gical opinion. The modern Rationalist, certainly an impartial

witness, who considers it a melancholy proof of the apostle's
subjection to Jewish prejudices, unites with the devout and
humble Christian in its adoption. An interpretation which has
stood its ground so long and so firmly, and which has com
mended itself to minds so variously constituted, cannot be dis-
missed as a relic of a former age, or disparaged as the offspring
of theological speculation.

5. Neither of the opposite interpretations can be consistently
carried through. They are equally at variance with the design
of the apostle, and the drift of his argument. They render the
design and force of vs. 13, 14, cither nugatory or unintelligible.
They require the utmost violence to bo clone to the plainest
rules of exposition ; and the most unnatural interpretations to
be given to the most perspicuous and important declarations of
the apostle. Witness the assertion, that u receiving the abun
dance of grace and gift of righteousness," means to be brought
under a dispensation of mercy ; and that " to reign in life by
one, Jesus Christ," is to be brought under a dispensation of life.
Thus, too, " the free gift of justification of life has come upon all
men,'1 is made to mean that all are in a salvable state ; and " all
are constituted righteous," (i. e. li justified, pardoned, regarded
and treated as righteous,") is only to have the offer of pardon
made to all. These are but a tithe of the exegetical difficulties
attending the other interpretations of this passage, which make
the reception of either, the severest of all sacrifices to prejudice
or authority.

ROMANS V. 20. 277

VERSE 20. Moreover, tlie law entered, that the offence might
abound, &c. Paul, having shown that our justification was
effected without the intervention of either the moral or Mosaic
law, was naturally led to state the design and effect of the
renewed revelation of the one, and the superinduction of the
other. The law stands here for the whole of the Old Testament
economy, including the clear revelation of the moral law, andj
all the institutions connected with the former dispensation.
The main design and result of this dispensation, considered as
law, that is, apart from the evangelical import of many of its
parts, was ha ro 7:a(jd~rcotJLa TTAsovdfffl, that the offence majJtt
abound. The offence TO -aod-Tcoua is in the context used of
the specific offence of Adam. But it is hard to see how the
entrance of the law made the offence of Adam to abound, unless
the idea is, that its dire effects were rendered more abundant.
It is more probable that the apostle uses the word in a collective
sense; compare Gal. iii. 11). Agreeably to this view, the mean
ing of the clause is, that the great design of the law (in refer
ence to justification] is to produce the knowledge and conviction
of sin. Taking the word in its usual sense, the meaning is, that
the result of the introduction of the law was the increase of
sin. This result is to be attributed partly to the fact, that by
enlarging the knowledge of the rule of duty, responsibility was
proportionally increased, according to chap. iv. 15, and partly
to the consideration that the enmity of the heart is awakened,
by its operation, and transgressions actually multiplied, agree
ably to chap. vii. 8. Both views of the passage express anj
important truth, as the conviction of sin and its incidental!
increase are alike the result of the operation of the law. It
seems, however, more in accordance with the apostle's object,
and with the general, although not uniform force of the particle
(ha) rendered that, to consider the clause as expressing the
design, rather than the result simply of the giving of the law.
The word xaoeeffYjAd-ev does not mean simply entered, nor
entered between, that is, came between Adam and Christ. This
is indeed historically true, but it is not the meaning of the
word, and therefore not the idea which the apostle intended to
express. Nor docs the word mean here, as in Gal. ii. 4, entered
surreptitiously, "crept in unawares," for this is not true. It

278 ROMANS V. 21.

rather means entered thereto, i. e. as the same idea is expressed

ti Gal. iii. 19, "it was added." It was superinduced on a plan
heady laid, and for a subordinate, although necessary purpose.
t was not intended to give life, but to prepare men to receive
'Christ as the only source of righteousness and salvation.

But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. That

is, great as is the prevalence of sin, as seen and felt in the light

of God's holy law, yet over all this evil the grace of the gospel

has abounded. The gospel or the grace of God has proved

itself much more efficacious in the production of good, than sin

in the production of evil. This idea is illustrated in the follow

ing verse. The words ov and e/cel have a local force. Where,

i. e. in the sphere in which sin abounded ; there, in the same

sphere grace super abounded ; vTrepeTrepiaaeveiv is superlative,

and not comparative, and Trepicra-eveiv is stronger than 7r\eova-

ft'iz', as Trepia-abv is more than Tr\eov. The fact, therefore, of the

triumph of grace over sin, is expressed in the clearest manner.

YKUSE 21. That as sin hath reigned unto death, <tc. That,

\"va,in- order that, as expressing the divine purpose. The design

of God in permitting sin, and in allowing it to abound, was to

-•bring good out of evil ; to make it the occasion of the most

wonderful display of his glory and grace, so that the benefits

j of redemption should infinitely transcend the evils of the apos

tasy. iSln, reigned, ev TO) Oavdrtp, not unto, but in death, or

j through death. Death spiritual as well as temporal — evil in its

' widest sense, as the judicial consequence of sin, was the sphere

' in which the power or triumph of sin was manifested. Even so

might grace reign, (cosvrep — OVTW /cat,) as the one has happened,

so also the other. The one is in order to the other. Grace is

jthe unmerited love of God and its consequences. It reigns,

li. e. it is abundantly and effectively displayed, unto eternal life,

(et? farjv alwviov,) in securing as the result of its exercise, eter

nal life. This is done (Bta SIKCUOO-VVJJS) ly means of rigliteous-
ncss, and that righteousness is THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR
LOUD. As the triumph of sin over our race was through the
offence of Adam, so the triumph of grace is through the right
eousness of Christ. The construction of this passage, assumed
in the above interpretation, is to be preferred to that which con
nects &i/caiocrvvr}s ei9 &*}v ai&vLov, ' righteousness ivhich is unto

ROMANS V. 12—21. 279

eternal life, because the antithesis is not between death and
ri'/hteousness, but between death and life: 'Sin reigns in death,
grace reigns unto life.' That the benefits of redemption shall
far outweigh the evils of the fall, is here clearly asserted. This
we can in a measure comprehend, because, 1. The number of
the saved shall doubtless greatly exceed the number of the lost.
Since the half of mankind die in infancy, and, according to the
Protestant doctrine, arc heirs of salvation; ami since in the
future state of the Church the knowledge of the Lord is to
cover the earth, we have reason to believe that the lost shall'
bear to the saved no greater proportion than the inmates of a
prison do to the mass of the community. ~. Because the eter
nal Son of God, by his incarnation and mediation, exalts his
people to a far higher state of being than our race, if nnfailen,
could ever have attained, o. Because the benefits of redemp
tion are not to be confined to the human race. Christ is to be
admired in his saints. It is through the Church that the mani
fold wisdom of God is to be revealed, throughout all ages, to
principalities and powers. The redemption of man is to be the
great source of knowledge and blessedness to the intelligent 1
universe.

DOCTRINE.

I. The doctrine of imputation is clearly taught in this pas
sage. This doctrine does not include the idea of a mysterious!
identity of Adam and his race; nor that of a tran.-fer of the-
moral turpitude of his sin to his descendants. It does not teach
that his offence was personally or properly the sin of all men,
or that his act was. in any mysterious sense, the act of his pos-
teritv. Neither does it imply, in reference to the righteousness
of Christ, that his righteousness becomes personally and inhe
rently ours, or that his moral excellence is in any way trans- I
ferrcd from him to believers. The sin of Adam, therefore, is .j
no ground to us of remorse; and the righteousness of Christ is
no ground of self-complacency in those to whom it is imputed.
This doctrine merely teaches, that in virtue of the union, repre- »
sentative and natural, between Adam and his posterity, his sin
is the ground of their condemnation, that is, of their subjection {
to penal evils; and that in virtue of the union between Christ/

280 ROMANS V. 12—21.

jand his people, his righteousness is the ground of their justi
fication. This doctrine is taught almost in so many words in
'vs. 12, 15 — ID. It is so clearly stated, so often repeated or
(assumed, and so formally proved, that very few commentators
of any class fail to acknowledge, in one form or another, that it
is the doctrine of the apostle.

It would be easy to prove that the statement of the doctrine
just given is a correct exhibition of the form in which it was
held by the great body of the Reformed Churches and divines.
A few quotations from men of universally recognized authority,
as competent witnesses on this subject, must suffice. Turrettin
(T I tool. Elench. Quaest. IX., p. 678) says, "Imputation is either
of something foreign to us, or of something properly our own.
Sometimes that is imputed to us which is personally ours ; in
which sense God imputes to sinners their transgressions. Some
times that is imputed which is without us, and not performed
by ourselves; thus the righteousness of Christ is said to be
imputed to us, and our sins are imputed to him, although he
.has neither sin in himself, nor we righteousness. Here we
speak of the latter kind of imputation, not of the former,
because we are treating of a sin committed by Adam, not by
us." The ground of this imputation is the union between Adam
and his posterity. This union is not a mysterious identity of
person, but, 1. "Natural, as he is the father, and we are the
children. 2. Political and forensic, as he was the representa
tive head and chief of the whole human race. The foundation,
therefore, of imputation is not only the natural connection
which exists between us and Adam, since in that case all his
sins might be imputed to us, but mainly the moral and federal,
in virtue of which God entered into covenant with him as our
head." Again, "We are constituted sinners in Adam in the
'same way in which we are constituted righteous in Christ."
| Again, (Vol. II., p. 707,) to impute, he says, "is a forensic
I term, which is not to be understood physically of the infusion
of righteousness, but judicially and relatively." Imputation
j does not alter the moral character ; hence the same individual
• may, in different respects, be called both just and unjust: "For
j when reference is had to the inherent quality, he is called a
sinner and ungodly ; but when the external and forensic relation

ROMANS V. 12—21. 281

co Christ is regarded, he is pronounced just in Christ." "When?
God justifies us on account of the righteousness of Christ, his;
judgment is still according to truth; because he does not pro-,
nounce us just in ourselves subjectively, which would be false, j
but in another putatively and relatively." Tuckney, (Prcdee •
tiones, p. 234,) "We are counted righteous through Christ in
the same manner that we are counted guilty through Adam.
The latter is by imputation, therefore also the former." "We
are not so foolish or blasphemous as to say, or even to think,
that the imputed righteousness of Christ makes us formally and
subjectively righteous;" see further quotations from this writer
on chap. iv. 5. Owen (in his work on Justification^ p. 230)
says, "Things which are not our own originally, inherently,
may vet be imputed to us, ex justitia, by the rule of righteous
ness. And this may be done upon a double relation unto those
whose they are, 1. Federal. 2. Natural. Things done by one
may be imputed unto others, pro^tcr relationem foederalem,
because of a covenant relation between them. So the sin of
Adam was imputed unto all his posterity. And the ground
hereof is, that we stood in the same covenant with him who was
our head and representative." On page 242, he says, "This
imputation (of Christ's righteousness) is not the transmission or
transfusion of the righteousnos of another into them which are
to be justified, that they should become perfectly and inherently
righteous thereby. For it is impossible that the righteousness
of one should be transfused into another, to become- his sub
jectively and inherently.'' Again, page 3UT, "As we are made
guilty by Adam's actual sin, which is not inherent in us, but
only imputed to us; so are we made righteous by the righteous
ness of Christ, which is not inherent in us, but only imputed to
us." On page 408, he says, "Nothing is intended by the «
imputation of sin unto any, but the rendering them justly .
obnoxious unto the punishment due unto that sin. As the not I
imputing of sin is the freeing of men from being subject or i
liable to punishment." It is one of his standing declarations,
"To be alienee culpee reus, MAKES NO MAN A SINNEII." Knapp
(in his Lectures on Theology, sect. TOj says, in stating what the
doctrine of imputation is, "God's imputing the sin of our first
parents to their descendants, amounts to this : God punishes the

282 ROMANS V. 12—21.

descendants on account of the sin of their first parents." Tliis
he £jivcs as a mere historical statement of the nature of the
doctrine, and the form in which its advocates maintained it.
Zacharhe (Bib. Theologie, Vol. II., p. 394) says, "If God allows
the punishment which Adam incurred, to come on all his de
scendants, he imputes his sin to them all. And, in this sense.
Paul maintains that the sin of Adam is imputed to all, because
the punishment of the one offence of Adam has come upon all."
And Bretselmeider, as quoted above, on chap. iv. 8, when
stating the doctrine of the Reformers, as presented in the
various creeds published under their authority, says, that they
regarded justification, which includes the idea of imputation, as
a forensic or judicial act of God, by which the relation of man
to God, and not the man himself, was changed. And imputation
of righteousness they described as "that judgment of God,
according to which he treats us as though AVC had not sinned,
but had fulfilled the law, or as though the righteousness of
Christ was ours." This view of justification they constantly
maintained in opposition to the Papists, who regarded it as a
moral change, consisting in what they called the infusion of
righteousness.

Though this view of the nature of imputation, both of sin and
righteousness, is so familiar, yet as almost all the objections to
the doctrine are founded on the assumption that it proceeds on
the ground of a mysterious identity between Adam and his race
on the one hand, and Christ and his people on the other ; and
that it implies the transfer of the moral character of the acts
• imputed, it seemed necessary to present some small portion of
[the evidence which might be adduced, to show that the view
of the subject presented above is that which has always been
jheld by the great body of the Reformed Churches. The objec
tions urged against this doctrine at the present day, are pre-
, cisely the same which were urged by the Roman Catholics
against the Reformers; and the answers which we are obliged
' to repeat, are the same which the Reformers and their suc-
Jcessors gave to those with whom they had to contend.

It will be seen how large a portion of the objections are
answered by the mere statement of the doctrine. 1. It is
objected that this doctrine "contradicts the essential principles

ROMANS V. 12—21. 283

of moral consciousness. We never did, and never can feel
guilty of another's act, which was done without any knowledge
or concurrence of our own. We may just as well say we can
appropriate to ourselves, and make our own, the righteousness
of another, as his unrighteousness. But we can never, in either
case, even force ourselves into a consciousness that any act is
really our own, except one in which we have had a personal and
voluntary concern. A transfer of moral turpitude is just as
impossible as a transfer of souls; nor docs it lie within the
boundary of human effort, that we should repent of Adam's
sin." Prof. Stwrrt, p. 2o(J. Tins idea is repeated very fre
quently in his commentary on this passage, and the Ej-cursus,
IV. A. "To say Adams disobedience was the occasion, or
ground, or instrumental cause of all men becoming sinners, and
was thus an evil to them all, and to say that his disobedience
was y^/'x"//'///'/ f/n'i/'ft. is .-aying two very different things. I
see no wav in which this last assertion can ever be made out by
philology." Compare Mr. Barnes, p. ll'J. Profcs^r Stuart
further says, page 212, that if verse 12 speaks of the imputation
of Adam's sin. it could not be said men had not sinned after tho
likeness of Adam's transgression. " So far from this must it
be, that Adam's sin is their very sin, and the ground why death
reigns over them.'' Mr. Barnes says, page ll'J, "If the doc
trine of imputation be true, they not only //'/</ sinned after
the similitude of Adam's transgression, but had sinned th<- very
identical tin. It was precisely ///,v him. It was the very thin"-

o « O

itself." In like manner, on page 1*0, he says, " Hut if the doc
trine of the Scriptures was, that the entire righteousness of
Christ was set over to them, was really and truly theirs, and
was transferred to them in any sense, with what propriety could
the apostle say that God justified the ungodly?'' &c. "They
are eminently pure, and have a claim not of grace, but of debt,
to the very highest rewards of heaven." It will be at once
perceived that these and similar objections are all founded on a
misapprehension of the doctrine in question. They are all
directed again>t the ideas of identity of person, and transfer of
moral character, neither of which is, as we have seen, included
in it ; they are, moreover, not only inconsistent with the true
nature of the doctrine, but with the statements and arguments

284 ROMANS V. 12—21.

of these writers themselves. Thus Professor Stuart, page 230,
says, " That 'the son shall not die for the iniquity of the father,'
is as true as that ' the father shall not die for the iniquity of
the son;' as God has most fully declared in Ezek. xviii."
According to this view of the subject, "for the son to die for
the iniquity of the father," is to have the sin of the father
imputed to him, or laid to his charge. The ideas of personal
identity and transfer of moral character are necessarily excluded
from it, by its opponents themselves, who thus virtually admit
the irrelevancy of their previous objections. The fact is, that
imputation is never represented as affecting the moral charac
ter, but merely the relation of men to God and his law. To
impute sin is to regard and treat as a sinner; and to impute
righteousness is to regard and treat as righteous.

2. It is said that this doctrine is nothing but a theory, an
attempt to explain what the apostle does not explain, a philo
sophical speculation, &c. This again is a mistake. It is neither
a theory nor a philosophical speculation, but the statement of a
scriptural fact in scriptural language. Paul says, For the
offence of one man all men are condemned; and for the right
eousness of one all are regarded and treated as righteous. This
is the whole doctrine.

• ). It is asserted that the word impute is never used in the
Bible, in reference to reckoning or charging upon a man any
thing which is not strictly and properly his own. But this has
been shown to be incorrect; see chap. iv. 3. It is used twice
in chap, iv., of '"imputing righteousness" to those without
works, to the ungodly, &c. But if the objection were well
founded, it would be destitute of any force; for if the word
means so to ascribe an action to a man as to treat him as the
author of it, it would be correct and scriptural to say that the
sin or righteousness of one man is imputed to another, when
that sin or righteousness is made the ground of the condemna
tion or justification of any other than its personal authors.

4. It is denied that Adam was the representative of his pos
terity, because he is not so called in Scripture, and because a
representative supposes the consent of those for whom he acts.
' I Jut this is a mistake. It is rare that a representative is
' appointed by the choice of all on whom his acts are binding.

ROMANS V. 12—21. 285

This is the case in no country in the world; and nothing is
more common than for a parent or court to appoint a guardian
to act as the representative of a minor. If it is competent for
a parent to make sucli an appointment, it is surely proper in
God. It is a mere question of fact. If the Scriptures teach-
that Adam was on trial not for himself only, but also for hisj
posterity; if the race fell when he fell; then do they teach that
he was in fact and form their representative. That they do
teach the fact supposed, can scarcely be denied; it is asserted
as often as it is stated that the sin of Adam was the ground of
the condemnation of men.

5. It is said that the doctrine of imputation is inconsistent
with the first principles of justice. This objection is only of
force against the mistaken view given above. It lias no weight
against the true doctrine. It is on all hands admitted that the
sin of Adam involved the race in ruin. This is the whole diffi
culty. How is it to be reconciled with the divine character,
that the fate of unborn millions should depend on an act over
which they had not the slightest control, and in which they had
no agency ? This difficulty presses the opponents of the doc
trine more heavilv than its advocates. The former have no
advantage over the latter; not in the amount ot evil inflicted,
because thev make the evil directly inflicted on account of
Adam's sin much greater than the others do; not in the pro
vision made for the redemption of the race from this evil,
because both maintain that the work of Christ brings the oiler
of life to the whole race, while it infallibly secures the salvation
of a multitude which no man can number. The opinion of those
writers not onlv has no advantage over the common doctrine,
but it is encumbered with difficulties peculiar to itself. Jt
represents the race as being involved in ruin and condemnation,
without having the slightest probation. According to one view,
thev " are born with a- corrupt disposition, and with the loss
of righteousness, and subjection to pain and wo," by a mere
arbitrary appointment of God, and without a trial, either per
sonally, or by a representative. According to another view,
men are born without any such corrupt disposition, but in a
state of indifference, and are placed on their probation at the
verv first moment of moral agency, and under a constitution

286 ROMANS V. 12—21.

which infallibly secures their becoming sinners. According to
the realistic doctrine, revived by the modern speculative theo
logians of the school of Schleiermacher, humanity existed as a
generic life in Adam. The acts of that life were therefore the
acts of all the individuals to whom, in the development of the
race, the life itself was communicated. All men consequently
sinned in Adam, by an act of self-determination. They are
1 punished, therefore, not for Adam's act, but for their own ; not
i simplv for their innate depravity, nor for their personal acts
' unlv, but for the act which they committed thousands of years
aero, when their nature, i. e. their intelligence and will, were
determined to evil in the person of Adam. This is avowedly a
philosophical doctrine. This doctrine assumes the objective
roalit v of human nature as a generic life. It takes for granted
thai persons can act before they exist, or that actual sin can be
committed by an impersonal nature, which is a contradiction in
I terms, inasmuch as an intelligent, voluntary act is an act of a
person. If 'ire actually sinned in Adam, then we (as persons)
were then in conscious being. This doctrine is directly opposed
to Scripture, which expressly teaches that the sin of Adam, and
not our personal sin, was the original ground of condemnation ;
as the righteousness of Christ, and not our personal righteous
ness, is the ground of our justification. No less clearly does
the Bible condemn the other doctrines just mentioned. Paul
represents the evils which came on men on account of the
ofF<'m-o of Adam, as a condemnation; not as an arbitrary inflic
tion, nor as a merely natural consequence. We are bound to
acquiesce in the truth as taught in the Scriptures, and not to
introduce explanations and theories of our own. The denial
of this doctrine involves also the denial of the scriptural view
| of atonement and justification. It is essential to the scriptural
form of these doctrines, that the idea of legal substitution should
be retained. Christ bore our sins; our iniquities were laid upon
him, which, according to the true meaning of scriptural lan
guage, can ordy signify, that he bore the punishment of those
sins; not the same evils, indeed, either in kind or degree; but
still penal, because judicially inflicted for the support of law.
It matters little whether a debt be paid in gold or copper, pro
vided it is cancelled. And as a comparatively small quantity

ROMAXS V. 12—21. 287

of the former is of equal value with a great deal of the latter,
so the temporary sufferings of Christ are of more value for all
the purposes of punishment, than the eternal sufferings of all
mankind. It is then no objection to the scriptural doctrine of
sacrifice and atonement, that Christ did not suffer the same
kind or degree of evil, which those for whom he died must have
endured in their own persons. This idea of legal substitution
enters also into the scriptural view of justification. In justifi
cation, according to Paul's language, God imputes righteousness
to the ungodly. This righteousness is not their own; but they
arc regarded and treated as righteous on account of the obedi
ence of Chri.-t. That is, his righteousness is so laid to their
account, or imputed to them, that they are regarded and treated
as if it were their own ; or k'as if they had kept the law." This
is the great doctrine of the Reformation, Luther's arti>'it!us
stand* vel cadc.ntis ccclesice. The great question between the
Papists and Protestants was, whether men are justified on
account of inherent or imputed righteousness. For the latter,
the Protestants contended as for their lives, and for the life of
the Church. See the passages quoted above on chap. iv. 3, and
the Confessions of that period.*

* Apn]., art. 0, p. !>:!>;. M.-rita propitiatoris— - uliis donuntur imjwtutinnr
divma, ut p.-r ea, laa'piain prnpriis mentis justi repntentur, ut si <[uis amieu.s
pro amico solvit aes alienum, debitor alieno merito tanquam prnprio liberatur.

F. Concordance, art. :!, p. b'87. \-\ justificationem tria rei|uinmtur: gratia
Dei, meritum Chri-ti <-t fides, qua) hae.- ipsa Dei brneiicia amplertitur: .|u:i
ratiniic nobis Ch > />//j>ut</tur, uncle remissionem peccatorum, recon-

ciliati.uu'iii cum Di-o, a'loutinuoin in iilios Dei et h:rreilitatein vitae aeteriia?
consequinmr.

F. (\ III., p. G84. Fides non \>r -ptcrea justificat, rjuod ipsa tain l.onum opus,
tamque prreclara virtus -it, sed quia in promissione evanjiHii meritum Clu-isti
appreh'-ndil ct amplectitur, iilu-l eiuiu per fi.lem nobis api.licari <lebet, si eo ip.so
merito justiticari veliinus.

F. C. 111., p. 1)83. Christi justida nohia impufat.ur, unde remi.^.sif^nem pecca-
toruin consequiinur.

Bn-tsi'lini-idtT, I)";:., V-.l. If., p. 'J54, says that, according to the creeds of
the Reformation, justification "is that act of God in which he imputes to a man
the merit of Christ, and no longer regards and treats him as a sinner, but as
righteous.'' '-It is an act in which neither man nor God changes, but the man
is merely freed from guilt, and declared to be free from punishment, and hence
the relation only between God and man is altered." This, lie says, the sym
bolical books maintained, in opposition to the Romish Church, which makes
justification a moral change.

288 ROMANS V. 12-21.

G. As the term death is used for any and every evil judicially
inflicted as the punishment of sin, the amount and nature of the
evil not being expressed by the word, it is no part of the apos
tle's doctrine, that eternal misery is inflicted on any man for
the sin of Adam, irrespective of inherent depravity or actual
transgression. It is enough for all the purposes of his argu
ment, that this sin was the ground of the loss of the divine
favour, the withholding of divine influence, and the consequent
corruption of our nature. Turrettin, Theologia EU'tid., vol. i.,
pa ire 080 : u Puma quam peccatum Adami in nos accersit, vcl
estprivativa,VQ\positiva. Quoad primam dicimus Adami pee-
catum nobis imputari immediate ad poonani privativam,quiaest
causa privationis justit i;e originalis, et sic corruptioncm antece-
dere debet sultem ordine natura? : Bed quoad posteriorcm potest
dici imputari mediate quoad poenam positivam, quia isti po?nae
obnoxii non smnus, nisi postquam nati et corrupt! sumus."

7. It is said that it is inconsistent with the omniscience and
voracity of God, and consequently with his nature as God, that
he should regard and treat as sinners those who are not sinners,
lor those as righteous who are in fact unrighteous. God's judg-
(meuts are according to truth, and therefore must be determined
i by the real, subjective character of those whom they concern.
< This difficulty arises simply from the ambiguity of language.
'The words sinner, just, unjust, righteous, and unrighteous, in
! English, and the corresponding words in other languages, are
familiarly and properly used in two distinct senses. They
sometimes express moral character, and sometimes legal rela
tions. A man may therefore be just and unjust, righteous and
unrighteous at the same time. A criminal who has satisfied the
demands of justice, is just in the eye of the law; he cannot be
ao-ain or further punished for his offence, and is entitled to all
bis rights as a citizen, although morally unrighteous. The
i sinner, and every sinner whom God accepts or pronounces right
eous for the righteousness of Christ, feels himself to be in his
! own person most unrighteous. God's judgment, in pronouncing
him righteous, is none the less according to truth. He does not
pronounce the sinner subjectively righteous, which he is not,
j but forcnsically righteous, which he is, because Christ has
satisfied the demands of justice on his behalf. In like manner,

ROMANS V. 12—21. 2SO

when our blessed Lord, although he knew no sin, is said toj
have been made sin, it only means that he assumed the respon-'
sibility of meeting the requirements of the law in our place; sot
that his sufferings were not chastisements or calamities, 1m;
the nature of punishment. He was condemned for our sakes. i
as we are justified for his. It is no impeachment, therefore, j
of the omniscience or veracity of God, when he holds us as
guilty on account of Adam's sin, as he does not pronounce us!
morally criminal fur his offence, hut simply declares that for'
the ends of justice we are involved in his condemnation.

8. Perhaps the most operative of all objections against the
doctrine of imputation is founded on the assumption that moral
character must he self-originated. It is assumed that inhe
rent, hereditary depravity in man cannot have the nature of sin
and involve guilt, unless it is due to his own act. This princi
ple, however, is not only erroneous, hut contrary to the plainest
and most universally received doctrines of tin1 l>ible. Lt is the*
intuitive judgment of men that moral (jualities owe their charac
ter to their nature, and not to their origin. A holy being is
recognized as holy, whether his holiness be concreated, infused,
or self-originated. All Churches believe that Adam was created
holy; all Churches believe that holiness is the product of divine'
power in regeneration; and all Churches, that is. the Latin,
Lutheran, and Reformed, acknowledge that innate depravity is
truly sin, although anterior to anv act of self-determination on
our part to evil. It is not necessary, therefore, to assume that
if men are born in sin, their sinfulness is to be referred to
their personal act. It may, consistently with the common judg
ment of men, and with the faith of the Church universal, be a
penal consequence of the sin of Adam.

II. Whatever evil the Scriptures represent as coming upon
•is on account of Adam, they regard as penal: they call it
death, which is the general term by which any penal evil is
expressed. It is not however the doctrine of the Scriptures,
nor of the Reformed Churches, nor of our standards, that the
corruption of nature of which they speak, is any depravation
of the soul, or an essential attribute, or the infusion of any posi
tive evil. "Original sin," as the Confessions of the Reformers
maintain, " is not the substance of man, neither his soul nor
19

290 ROMANS V. 12—21.

[body; nor is it anything infused into his nature by Satan, as
;poison is mixed with wine; it is riot an essential attribute, but
jan accident,* i. e. something which does not exist of itself, an
incidental quality," &c. Brctselineider, vol. ii., p. 30. These
confessions teacli that original righteousness was lost, as a
punishment of Adam's sin, and by that defect, the tendency to
sin, or corrupt disposition, or corruption of nature is occa-
isioned.f Though they speak of original sin as being, first,
[negative, i. e. the loss of righteousness ; and secondly, positive,
'or corruption of nature ; yet by the latter, they state, is to be
understood, not the infusion of anything in itself sinful, but an
factual tendency or disposition to evil, resulting from the loss
»of righteousness. This is clearly expressed in the quotation
'just made. It is therefore in perfect consistency writh his own
views, and with those of the Protestant creeds, that President
Edwards teaches, in his book on Original Sin, "It is agreeable
to the sentiments of the best divines, that all sin comes from a
defective or privative cause," (p. 28;) and that he argues
against the idea of any evil quality being infused, implanted, or
wrought into our nature by any positive cause or influence
whatever, either of God or the creature, &c. With equal con
sistency and propriety, he goes on to state that "the absence
of positive good principles," and "the withholding of special
divine iniluence," and "the leaving of the common principles
of self-love, natural appetite, which were in man in innocence,"
are sufficient to account for all the corruption which appears
among men. Goodwin, one of the strictest Puritanical divines,
(vol. iii., p. 323,) has a distinct chapter to prove, "that there
is no necessity of asserting original sin to be a positive quality
in our souls, since the privation of righteousness is enough to
infect the soul with all that is evil." Yet he, in common with

* Aceidens: quod non per se subsistit, sed in aliqua substantia est et ab ea
discern! possit.

f F. Cuneor. I., p. 043: Etsi enira in Adamo et Heva natura initio pura,
bona et saueta creata cst; tamen per lapsum. peccaturu non eo modo ipsorum
Tiaturam invasit, ut Manichrei dixerunt — quiu potius cum seductione Satanse
per lapsum, justo Dei judicio (in poenam hominum) justitia concreata ^eu
originalis ami?sa esset, defectu illo, privatione sen spoliatione et vulneratione,
(quorum malorum Satan causa est) humana natura ita corrupta est, ut jam
natura, ana cum illo defectu et corruptioue, &c.

ROMANS V. 12—21. 291

the Reformers, represents original sin as having a positive as )
well as a negative side. This, however, results from the active |
nature of the soul. If there is no tendency to the love and
service of God, there is, from this very defect, a tendency to

self and sin. How larire a portion of the objections to the doc-

' . \\

trine of original sin is founded on the idea of its being an evilj/

positively infused into our nature, "as poison is mixed with|
wine," may be inferred from the exclamation of Professor
Stuart, in reference to the passage just quoted from President
Edwards. He says it is "a signal instance, indeed, of the
triumph of the spontaneous feelings of our nature over the
power of system!" It would seem from this, that he has no
objection to the doctrine as thus stated. And yet this is
the form in which, as we have ju.-t seen, it is presented in
the creeds of the Reformers, and the works of the "best
divines."

It will he at once perceived that all such questions as thel
following, proceed on an incorrect apprehension of the point at I
issue. It is often asked. If Adam's first sin is propagated to
us. why not all his other sins, and the HIIS of all our ancestors?
iNo one properly maintains that Adam's tirxf sin, his act of
eating the forbidden fruit, is propagated to anv one. This is a,1
sheer impossibility. We derive from Adam a nature destitute
of anv native tendency to the love and service of God: and
since the soul, from its nature, is filled as it were with suscep
tibilities, dispositions or tendencies to certain modes of acting,
or to objects out of itself, if destitute of the governing tendency
or disposition to holiness and God. it has. of course, a tendency
to self-gratification and sin. There is surely nothing incredible,
or inconceivable in the existence of a native tendency to delight
in God, any more than in the existence of a tendency or dis
position to delight in beauty, or social intercourse, or in our
own offspring. Men have still an innate sense of right and
wrong, a natural sense of justice, &c. Why then may not Adam
nave been created with an analogous tendency to delight in
God? And if this disposition presupposes a state of friendship
with his Maker, or if it is the result of special Divine influence,
why may not that influence be withheld as the expression of
God's displeasure for the apostasy and rebellion of man? This

292 ROMANS V. 12—21.

'is perfectly analogous to the dealings of God in his providence,

;and agreeable to the declarations of his word. lie abandons
sinners to themselves as a punishment of their transgressions ;
he withholds or withdraws blessings from children, in punish
ment, or as an expression of his displeasure, for the sins of their
parents. There is, therefore, nothing in this doctrine at vari
ance with the Divine character or conduct. On the contrary, it

, has in its support the whole tenor of his dealings with our race,

tfrom the beginning of the world. The objections, therefore,
founded on the supposed absurdity of the propagation of sin,
'ind especially of Adam's first sin, all rest on misapprehension

( of the doctrine in dispute.

Nor is the objection any better supported, that the doctrine
of corruption of nature makes God, from whom that nature
proceeds, the author of sin. Our nature is not corrupted by

' any positive act of God, or by the infusion, implanting, or
inworking of any habit or principle of sin ; God merely with-

;• holds judicially those influences which produced in Adam a
tendency or disposition to holiness; precisely as a monarch
often, from the purest and wisest motives, withholds favours
from the children of traitors or rebels, or bestows them upon
the children of patriots and public benefactors. There is in

• every human being a tendency to act upon the same principle.
We are all disposed to regard with less favour the children of
the wicked than the children of the good. If this principle is
recognized even in the ordinary dealings of Divine Providence,
we need not wonder at its being acted upon in that great trans-

I action which decided the fate of the world, as Adam was not on

j! trial for himself alone, but also for his posterity.

As little weight is due to the objection, that the law of pro
pagation does not secure the transmission of bodily defects, or
mental and moral peculiarities of parents to their children.
This objection supposes that the derivation of a corrupt nature
from Adam is resolved into this general law; whereas it is
uniformly represented as a peculiar case, founded on the repre
sentative character of Adam, and not to be accounted for by
this general law exclusively. It is constantly represented as
resulting from the judicial withholding of the influences of the
Holy Spirit from an apostate race. See the Confessions of the

ROMANS V. 12—21. 293

Reformers quoted above : Defectus et coneupiscentia suntpoence^
Apolgia I., p. 58. That the peculiarities, and especially that
the piety of parents, are not transmitted by the law of propa
gation, from parents to children, does not therefore present a
shadow of an objection to the common doctrine on this subject.
The notorious fact, however, that the mental and moral pecu
liarities of parents are transmitted to their children, frequently
and manifestly, though not with the uniformity of an established.
law, answers two important purposes. It shows that there is
nothing absurd, or out of analogy with God's dealing with men,
in the doctrine of hereditary depravity; and also, that the doc
trine is consistent with God's goodness and justice. For if,
under the administration of the divine Being, analogous facts
are daily occurring, it must be right and consistent with the
perfections of God.

The most common and plausible objection to this doctrine is,
that it is inconsistent with the nature of sin and holiness to
suppose that either one or the other can be innate, or that a
disposition or principle, which is not the result of choice, can
posse.-s a moral character. To this objection, President Edwards
answers, "In the first place, I think it a contradiction to the
nature ol things, as judged of by the common-sense of mankind.
It is agreeable to the sense of the minds of men in all n<j;es. not
only that the fruit or effect of a good choice is virtuous, but the
good choice itself, from which that effect proceeds; yea, and not
only so, but the antecedent good disposition, tempo-, or affec
tion of mind, from whence proceeds that good choice, is virtu
ous. This is the general notion, not that principles derive their
goodness from actions, but that actions derive their goodness
from the principles whence they proceed ; and so that the act
of choosing that which is good is no farther virtuous than it
proceeds from a good principle or virtuous disposition of mind,
which supposes that a virtuous disposition of mind may be
before a virtuous act of choice; and that, therefore, it is not
necessary that there should first be thought, reflection, and
choice, before there can be any virtuous disposition. If the
choice be first, before the existence of a good disposition of
heart, what signifies that choice? There can, according to our
natural notions, be no virtue in a choice which proceeds from

294 ROMANS V. 12—21.

no virtuous principle, but from mere self-love, ambition, or some
animal appetite." Original /Sin, p. 140. It is certainly accord
ing to the intuitive judgment of men, that innate dispositions
are amiable or unamiable, moral or immoral, according to their
nature ; and that their character does not depend on the mode
of their production. The parental instinct, pity, sympathy with
the happiness and sorrows of others, though founded in innate
principles of our nature, are universally regarded as amiable
attributes of the soul; and the opposite dispositions as the
reverse. In like manner, the sense of justice, hatred of cruelty
and oppression, though natural, are moral from their very
nature. And the universal disposition to prefer ourselves to
others, though the strongest of all the native tendencies of the
mind, is no less universally recognized as evil.

The opposite opinion, which denies the possibility of moral
dispositions prior to acts of choice, is irreconcilable with the
nature of virtue, and involves us in all the difficulties of the
doctrine, that indifference is necessary to the freedom of the
will and the morality of actions. If Adam was created neither
holy nor unholy, if it is not true that " God made man upright,"
but that he formed his own moral character, how is his choice
of God as the portion of his soul to be accounted for ? Or what
moral character could it have ? To say that the choice was
made from the desire of happiness, or the impulse of self-love,
affords no solution of the case; because it docs not account for
the nature of the choice. It assigns no reason why God, in
preference to any other object, was chosen. This desire could
only prompt to a choice, but could not determine the object.
If it be said that the choice was determined by the superior
excellence of God as a source of happiness, this supposes that
this excellence was, in the view of the mind, an object supremely
desirable ; but the desire of moral excellence is, from the nature
of the case, a moral or virtuous desire ; and if this determined
the choice, moral character existed prior to this determination
of the will, arid neither consisted in it, nor resulted from it.
On the other hand, if the choice was determined by no desire
of the object as a moral good, it could have no moral character.
How is it possible that the choice of an object which is made
from no regard for its excellence, should have any moral

ROMANS V. 12—21. 295

character? The choice, considered as an act of the mind,
derives its character entirely from the motive by which it is
determined. If the motive be desire for it as morally excel
lent, the choice is morally good, and is the evidence of an ante
cedent virtuous disposition of mind ; but if the motive be mere
self-love, the choice is neither good nor bad. There is no way,
on the theory in question, of accounting for this preference for
God, but by assuming the self-determining power of the will,
and supposing that the selection of one object, rather than
another, is made prior to the rise of the desire foi it as excel
lent, and consequently in a state of indifference.

This reasoning, though it applies to the origin of holiness, is
not applicable to the origin of sin ; and, therefore, the objection
that it siq^oses a sinful disposition to exi>t in Adam, prior to
his first transgression, is not valid. ]>ec;nise an act of disobedi
ence performed under the impulse of self-love, or of some animal
appetite, is sinful, it does not follow that an act of obedience,
performed under a similar impulse, and without any regard for
God or moral excellence, is virtuous.

Of all the facts ascertained by the history of the world, it
would seem to be among the plainest, that men are born desti
tute of a disposition to seek their chief good in God, and with a
disposition to make self-gratification the great end of their
being. Even reason, conscience, and natural affection, are le.-s
universal characteristics of our fallen race. For there are idiots
and moral monsters often to be met with ; but fora child of
Adam, uninfluenced by the special grace of God, to delight in
his Maker, as the portion of his soul, from the first dawn of his
moral bein«r, is absolutely without example among all the thou
sands of millions of men who have inhabited our world. If
experience can establish anything, it establishes the truth of the
scriptural declaration, "that which is born of the flesh is flesh."
It would seem no less plain, that this cannot be the original
and normal state of man; that human nature is not now what
it was when it proceeded from the hand of God. Every thing
else which God has made, answers the end of its being; but
human nature, since the fall, has uniformly worked badly: in
no one instance has it spontaneously turned to God as its chief
good. It cannot be believed that God thus made man ; that

296 ROMANS V. 12—21.

there has been no perversion of his faculties ; no loss of some
original and guiding disposition or tendency of his mind. It
cannot be credited that men are now what Adam was, when he
first opened his eyes on the wonders of creation and the glories
of God. Reason, Scripture, and experience, therefore, all
concur in support of the common doctrine of the Christian
world, that the race fell in Adam, lost their original rectitude,
and became prone to evil as the sparks fly upward.

This doctrine has so strong a witness in the religious experi
ence of Christians, that it is not wonderful that it has been
almost universally received. Individual opponents and objectors
have indeed appeared, from time to time; but it is believed that
no organized sect, bearing the Christian name, the Socinians
excepted, have ever discarded it from the articles of their faith.
It is so intimately connected with the doctrines of divine influ
ence and redemption, that they have almost uniformly been
held or rejected together. It has indeed often been said,
because the term original sin was first used by Augustine, that
the doctrine itself took its origin with him ; although perfectly
synonymous expressions occur so constantly in the writings of
the earlier Fathers. Equally destitute of foundation is the
assertion, so often made, that Augustine was driven to his views
on this subject by his controversy with Pelagius. He had
arrived at all the conclusions on which he ultimately rested, at
least ten years before any controversy on the subject.* He
was led to these results by the study of the Scriptures, and
by his own personal experience. His earlier views on the
intimately related doctrines of depravity, ability, dependence,
and grace, were all modified as he became more thoroughly
acquainted with the word of God, and with his own heart.
When lie passed what Neander calls the crisis of his religious
history, he saw clearly the depth of the evil which existed
within him, and had corresponding views of the necessity and
efficacy of the grace of God, by which alone this evil could be
removed.

With regard to Pelagius, the case was just the reverse. His
views of depravity being superficial, he had very high ideas of
the ability of man, and very low conceptions of the operations

* oleander's Gescliiclite der Christliclien Religion uud Kirche, ii., $ 3.

ROMANS V. 12—21. 297

of the Spirit of God. The latter, as the author just referred to
strikingly remarks, was the representative and champion of
uthe general, moral, and religious consciousness of men;" the
other, of '-the peculiar nature of Christian consciousness." A
doctrine which enters so much into the experience of all Christ
ians, and which has maintained its ground in all ages and
sections of the Church, must have its deep foundations in the
testimony of God, and the consciousness of men.

III. It is included in the doctrines already stated, that man
kind lii»ve had a fair probation in Adam, their head and repre
sentative, and that we are not to consider God as placing them
on their probation, in the very first dawn of their intellectual
and moral existence, and under circumstances (or "a divine
constitution") which secure the certainty of their sinning. Such
a probation could hardly deserve the name.

IV. It is also included in the doctrine of this portion of
Scripture, that mankind is an unit, in the sense in which an
armv, in distinction from a mob, is one; or as a nation, a com
munity, or a family, is one, in opposition to a mere fortuitous
collection of individuals, Hence the frequent and extensive
transfer of the responsibility and consequences of the acts of
the heads of these communities to their several members, and
from one member to others. This is a law which pervades the
whole moral government and providential dispensations of God.
We are not like the separate grains of wheat in a measure, but
links in a complicated chain. All influence the destiny of each,
and each iniluences the destiny of all.

V. The design of the apostle being to illustrate the nature
and to confirm the certainty of our justification, it is the leading
doctrine of this passage, that our acceptance with God is founded
neither on our faith nor our good Avorks, but on the obedience
or righteousness of Christ, which to us is a free "iiL This is

1 G

the fundamental doctrine of the gospel, vs. ]V,, 11).

VI. The dreadful evil of sin is best seen in the fall of Adam,
and in the cross of Christ. By the one offence of one man, what
a waste of ruin has been spread over the whole world! How far
beyond conception the misery that one act occasioned ! There
was no adequate remedy for this evil but the death of the Sou
of God, vs, 12,15,10, &c.

298 ROMANS V. 12—21.

VII. It is the prerogative of God to bring good out of evil,
and to make the good triumph over the evil. From the fall has
sprung redemption, and from redemption results which eternity
alone can disclose, vs. 20, 21.

REMARKS.

1. Every man should bow down before God, under the humi
liating consciousness that he is a member of an apostate race;
the son of a rebellious parent; born estranged from God, and
exposed to his displeasure, vs. 12, 15, 16, &c.

2. Every man should thankfully embrace the means provided
for his restoration to the Divine favour, viz. "the abundance of
grace and gift of righteousness," ver. 17.

3. Those that perish, perish not because the sin of Adam has
brought them under condemnation; nor because no adequate
provision has been made for their recovery; but because they
will not receive the offered mercy, ver. 17.

4. For those who refuse the proffered righteousness of Christ,
and insist on trusting to their own righteousness, the evil of sin
and God's determination to punish it, show there can be no rea
sonable hope; while, for those who humbly receive this gift,
there can be no rational ground of fear, ver. 15.

5. If, without personal participation in the sin of Adam, all
•men are subject to death, may we not hope that, without per-
j sonal acceptance of the righteousness of Christ, all who die in
I infancy are saved?

6. We should never yield to temptation on the ground that
the sin to which we are solicited appears to be a trifle, (merely
eating a forbidden fruit;) or that it is but for OXCE. Remember
the ONE offence of one man. How often has a man, or a family,
been ruined for ever by ONE sin ! ver. 12.

7. Our dependence on Jesus Christ is entire, and our obliga
tions to him are infinite. It is through his righteousness, with
out the shadoAV of merit on our own part, that we are justified.
lie alone was adequate to restore the ruins of the fall. From
those ruins he has built up a living temple, a habitation of God
through the Spirit.

8. We must experience the operation of the law, in producing
the knowledge and conviction of sin, in order to be prepared

ROMANS VI. 1—11. 299

for the appreciation and reception of the work of Christ. The
Church and the world were prepared, by the legal dispensation
of the Old Testament, for the gracious dispensation of the
New, ver. '20.

9. "\Vc should open our hearts to the large prospects of purity
and blessedness presented in the gospel ; the victory of grace
over sin and death, which is to be consummated in the triumph
of true religion, and in the eternal salvation of those multitudes
out of every tribe and kindred, which no man can number,
ver. 21.

CHAPTER VI.

CONTEXTS.

As the gospel reveals the only effectual method of justification,
so also it alone can secure the sanct iiication of men. To exhibit
this truth is the object of this and the following chapter. The
sixth is partly argumentative, and partly exhortatory. In
vs. 1 — 11, the apostle shows how unfounded is the objection,
that gratuitous justification leads to the indulgence of sin. In
vs. IL! — 2o, he exhorts Christians to live agreeably to the nature
and design of the gospel; and presents various considerations
adapted to secure their obedience to this exhortation.

ROMANS VI. 1—11.

ANALYSIS.

THE most common, the most plausible, and vet Ilie most
unfounded objection to tbe doctrine of just ideation bv faith, is,
that it allows men to live in sin that grace mav abound. This
object ion arises from ignorance of the doct rine in <juest ion, and
of the nature and means of sanct ill eat ion. It is so preposterous
in the eyes of ;ui enlightened believer, that Paul deals witli it
rather by exclamations at its absurdity, than with logical argu
ments. The main idea of this section is, that such is the nature

300 ROMANS VI. 1, 2.

of the believer's union with Christ, that his living in sin is not
merely an inconsistency, but a contradiction in terms, as much
60 as to speak of a live dead man, or a good bad one. Union
with Christ, being the only source of holiness, cannot be the
source of sin. In ver. 1, the apostle presents the objection. In
vcr. 2, he declares it to be unfounded, and exclaims at its
absurdity. In vs. 3, 4, he exhibits the true nature and design
of Christianity, as adapted and intended to produce newness of
life. In vs. 5 — 7, he shows that such is the nature of union
with Christ, that it is impossible for any one to share the benefits
of his death, without being conformed to his life. Such being
the case, he shows, vs. 8 — 11, that as Christ's death on account
of sin was for once, never to be repeated, and his life, a life
devoted to God; so our separation from sin is final, and our
life a life consecrated to God.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 1. What shall we say then? What inference is to be
drawn from the doctrine of the gratuitous acceptance of sinners,
or justification without works, by faith in the righteousness of
Christ?

{ Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? i. e. be
more conspicuously displayed. The form in which the objection
to the apostle's doctrine is here presented, is evidently borrowed
fi-om the close of the preceding chapter. Paul had there spoken
of the grace of the gospel being the more conspicuous and
abundant, in proportion to the evils which it removes. It is no
fair inference from the fact that God has brought so much good
out of the fall and sinfulness of men, that they may continue in
sin. Neither can it be inferred from the fact that he accepts
of sinners on the ground of the merit of Christ, instead of their
own, (which is one way in which grace abounds,) that they may
sin without restraint.

VERSE 2. God forbid, //.^ -fzvoiTo, let it not be. Paul's usual
mode of expressing denial and abhorrence. Such an inference
is not to be thought of. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live
any lonyer therein? The relative o'lrevsz is as usual causative,
and it stands first, for thf sake of emphasis; dxs&duojjieu does

ROMANS VI. 2. 301

not mean are dead, nor have died, but died. It refers to a spe
cific act in our past history: 'Since we died to sin, how can wel
still live in it?' The act which in its nature was a dying to sin, |
was our accepting of Christ as our Saviour. That act involves
in it not only a separation from sin, but a deadness to it. Xo
man can apply to Christ to be delivered from sin, in order that
he may live in it. Deliverance from sin, as offered by Christ,
and as accepted by the believer, is not mere deliverance from
its penalty, but from its power. We turn from sin to God when
we receive Christ as a Saviour. It is, therefore, as the apo>tle
argues, a contradiction in terms, to say that gratuitous justifica
tion is a license to sin, as much as to say that death is life, or
that dying to a thing is living in it. Instead of giving r/y
(Ltu/.oTta the usual force of the dative, to, or at if respects, sin,
Storr, Flatt, and many other commentators, say it sin mid be
understood as in v. 1">, xi. 20, on <i<\>ount <>f. ' How shall we,
who in Christ, died on <ii'<-<,unt of sin, i. e. who suffered vicari
ously its penalty, inasmuch as we were crucified in him, live
any longer therein?'

In favour of this interpretation, it is urged, 1. That this
phrase must express the same idea with the subsequent clauses,
buried with him, ver. 4; axnoc'mt<>d hi hi* <l<'(tt/i, ver. ~> ; d<'«<l
with Christ, ver. 8. 2. That it must have this meaning in
ver. 10, where it is said of Christ, In'. <licd unto *///. i. e. on
account of sin. >}. The other interpretation, 'How shall we,
who have renounced sin, live any longer therein?' it is said, is
not suited to the apostle's object; because it dors not give any
adequate answer to the objection presented in ver. 1. In order
to answer that objection, it was necessary to show not merely
that the believer had renounced sin, but that the doctrine of
gratuitous justification effectually secures this renunciation.
According to the second interpretation, this answer is plain and
conclusive: ' How shall we, who have died on account of sin,
live any longer therein? If we are regarded and treated by
God, in virtue of our union with Christ, and if we regard our
selves, as having suffered and died with him on account of sin,
we cannot but look upon it as hateful, and deserving of punish
ment.'

The objections to this interpretation, however, are serious.

302 ROMANS VI. 3.

1. It is not consistent with the common and familiar import of
the expression, to be dead to anything, which occurs frequently
in the New Testament; as Gal. ii. 19, "dead to the law;"
1 Pet. ii. 24, "dead to sins;" Rom. vii. 4; Col. ii. 20; Gal.
vi. 14, &c. In all cases the meaning is, to be free from. Sin
has lost its power over the believer, as sensible objects are not
able to affect the dead. 2. The opposite phrase, to live therein,
requires this interpretation. 3. The object of the apostle does
not require that a formal, argumentative answer should be sup
posed to commence in this verse. He simply denies the justice
of the inference from his doctrine, stated in ver. 1, and asks
how it is possible it should be correct. How can a Christian,
which is but another name for a holy man, live any longer in
sin?

VERSE 3. Know ye, not, that so many of us as ivere baptized
into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death? In this and the
following verse, AVC have something more in the form of argu
ment in answer to the objection in question. The apostle
reminds his readers, that the very design of Christianity was
to deliver men from sin; that every one who embraced it,
embraced it for that object; and, therefore, it was a contra
diction in terms to suppose that any should come to Christ to
be delivered from sin, in order that they might live in it. And,
besides this, it is clearly intimated that such is not only the
design of the gospel, and the object for which it is embraced by
all who cordially receive it, but also that the result or neces
sary effect of union with Christ is a participation in the benefits
of his death. Or Jcnoiv ye not, -/j d^oelTe, or are you ignorant?
If any doubt what is said in ver. 2, he must be ignorant of the
nature and design of baptism, and of the relation to Christ
which it involves. Ba-n'^cj s^ always means to baptize in
reference to. When it is said that the Hebrews were baptized
unto Moses, I Cor. x. 2; or when the apostle asks the Corinth
ians, 'Were ye baptized unto the name of Paul?' 1 Cor. i. 13;
or when we are said to be baptized unto Christ, the meaning is,
they were baptized in reference to Moses, Paul, or Christ ; i. e.
to be brought into union with them, as their disciples, or wor
shippers, as the case may be. In like manner, in the expression
baptized into his death, the preposition expresses the design and

ROMANS VI. 3. 303

the result. The meaning therefore is, 'we were baptized inf
order that we should die with him,' i. e. that we should be united!
to him in his death, and be partakers of its benefits. Thus,
"baptism unto repentance," Matt. iii. 11, is baptism in order to
repentance; ''baptism unto the remission of sins," Mark i. 4,.
that remission of sins maybe obtained; "baptized unto one
body,'' 1 Cor. xii. lo, i. e. that we might become one body, &c.!
Paul (toes not design to teach that the sacrament of baptism,
from any inherent virtue in the rite, or from any supernatural
power in him who administers it, or from any u^jj^J^jjV^t tend
ing Divine influence, always secures the regeneration of the
soul. This is contrary both to Scripture and experience. No
fact is more obvious than that thousands of the baptized are
unregenerate. It cannot be, therefore, that the apostle intends
to say, that all who are baptized are thereby savingly united to
Christ. It is not of the efficacy of baptism as an external rite,
that he assumes his readers are well informed: it is of the'
import and design of that sacrament, and the nature of the
union with Christ, of which baptism is the >ign and the seal.
It is the constant usage of Scripture to address professors as
believers, to predicate of them as professors what is true of
them only as believers. This is also the usage of common life.
We address a company of professing Christians as true Christ
ians; we call them brethren in Christ; we speak of them as
beloved of the Lord, partakers of the1 heavenly calling, and heirs
of eternal life. Baptism was the appointed mode of professing!!
faith in Christ, of avowing allegiance to him as the Son of God,:j
and acquiescence in his gospel. Those, therefore, who were
baptized, are assumed to believe what they professed, and to be
what they declared themselves to be. They are consequently
addressed as believers, as having embraced the gospel, as having
put on Christ, and as bein^;. in virtue of their baptism as an act
of faith, the children of God. When a man was baptized unto
Christ, he was baptized unto his death; he professed to regard
himself as being united to Christ, as dying when he died, as
bearing in him the penalty of sin, in order that he might be
reconciled to God, and live unto holiness. How could a man
who was sincere in receiving baptism, such being its design and
import, live in sin? The thing is impossible. The act of faith

304 ROMANS VI. 4.

implied and expressed in baptism, is receiving Christ as our
.sanctification as well as our righteousness. "Extra controver-
Isiam cst," says Calvin, " induere nos Christum in baptismo ; et
hue legc nos baptizari, ut unum cum ipso simus." Baptism,
therefore, as an act of faith, as the formal reception of Christ
•as our Saviour, brings us into intimate union with him: "For
as many as have been baptized unto Christ, have put on
Christ." Gal. iii. 27. And this baptism has special reference
to the death of Christ ; we are baptized unto his death. That
is, we arc united to him in death. His death becomes ours ;
ours as an expiation for sin, as the means of reconciliation with
God, and consequently as the means of our sanctification.
Although justification is the primary object of the death of
Christ, yet justification is in order to sanctification. lie died
that he might purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous
of good works. If such is the intimate connection between jus
tification and sanctification in the purpose of God in giving his
Son to die for us, there must be a like intimate connection
between them in the experience of the believer. The very act
of faith by which we receive Christ as the propitiation for sin,
is spiritually a death to sin. It is in its very nature a renun
ciation of every tiling which it was the design of Christ's death
to destroy. Every believer, therefore, is a saint. He renounces
sin in accepting Christ.

VERSE 4. Therefore we are buried with him bij baptism into
death. This is an inference from ver. 3, to confirm the proposi
tion in vcr. 2, viz. that those dead in sin cannot live therein.
Therefore, says the apostle, such being the nature of our union
with Christ, expressed in baptism, it follows, that those who are
baptized are buried with Christ; they are as effectually shut
out from the kingdom of Satan, as those who are in the grave
are shut out from the world. The words dta rorJ fia-Tia/jtaroz
e/C rov $avarov go together; by baptism unto death, i. e. by a
baptism which has reference to Christ's death, and by which we
are associated with him therein. We are buried with him, i. e.
we are cut off from the world in and with him. If the words
unto death are connected with we were buried, the sense would
be, we ivere buried unto death, i. e. we were buried so as to come
' into the power of death. But this is an incongruous idea, and

ROMANS VI. 4. 305

an unexampled form of expression. As in ver. 3, the apostle had
said c/c rov d-awcov a'j~orj ifa--iathlijL*v, there is no reason to
doubt that he here designs to speak of baptism unto dcatli.
Compare Col. ii. 12, "hurled with him in baptism." The same
idea is expressed in ver. 8, by saying "we are dead with him,"
and in ver. 5, "we are planted with him in the likeness of his
death." It is not necessary to assume that there is any refer-5
encc here to" thc_jmmcmon of ^ji^Tm!^ sfThmurh

itwere a burial. No such allu-i<>n can "BFTsupposed in the next
verse, where we arc said t» l»~ i>l<nitt''l with him. The reference
is not to the mode of baptism, but to its effect. Our baptism
unites us to Christa so that we died with him. and rose with him.
As he died to sin, so do we; as he rose to righteousness and
crlorv, so do we. The same doctrine concerning baptism, and
of the nature of union with Christ, therein expressed, is taught
in Gal. iii. 27, and Col. ii. 12.

That //'/;•<' //.<? <. 7//-/X/ //v/x raixfil ?//> fr»m tli? dead fy/ flic </l>n/
of tin" Faf/n'r'. I'l'Di HO ire alx<> xlmuld walk In ni'trnf** of //'ft'.
We die with (Jhrist, in order that we should live with him. AVo
share in his death, that we may be partakers of his life. Justi
fication is in order to sanctification. The two arc inseparable.
Tin-re can be no participation in Christ's life without a partici
pation in his death, and we cannot enjoy the benefits of his
death unless we are partakers of the power of his life. Wo
must be reconciled to God in order to be holy, and we cannot
be reconciled without thereby becoming holy. Ant inomiani.-
or the doctrine that the benefits of the atonement can be
enjoved without experiencing the renewing of the Holy Ghost,
is therefore contrary to the very nature and design of redemp
tion. As Christ died and rose airain literally, so his people die
and rise spiritually. As Christ's resurrection was the certain
consequence of his death, so is a holv life the certain con
sequence of our dving with Christ. There is not only an
analogy between Christ's literal death and resurrection, and the
spiritual death and resurrection of the believer, but there is a
causal relation between the two. The death and resurrection
of Christ render certain the justification and sanctification of
his people. Paul says Christ rose, ota r7^ oo^z TO~J 7/arooc,
by the glory of the Father. J6~a, glory, is the excellence
20

306 ROMANS VI. 5.

, of God, tlic sum of all his perfections, or anyone perfection
specially manifested. The exhibition, therefore, of God's holi
ness, or of his mercy, or of his power, is equally an exhibition
of his glory. Here the reference is to his omnipotence, which
was gloriously displayed in the resurrection of Christ. In
1 Cor. vi. 14, and 2 Cor. xiii. 4, it is said Christ was raised,
kx ou\,dtj.*ioz 6so~j, hy the poiver of God. In Col. i. 11, the
apostle refers the sanctincation of believers to the xocho- TY^
u<)=r^ fi-or), to the power of Jus glory. It is according to the
analogy of Scripture, that the same event is attributed at one
time to the efficiency of the Father, and at another to that of
the Son. Christ rose from the dead by his own power. He
had power to lay down Ins life, and he had power to take it
nirain. This is perfectly consistent with the apostle's declara
tion, that he was raised by the power of God. The three per
sons of the Trinity are one God. The efficiency of the Father
is also the efficiency of the Son. What the Father does, the
Son also does. That we should walk in newness of life, iv
M^or^t !>^C- The idea of purity is associated with that of
' newness in the word of God — a new heart, a new creature, the
' new man. Newness of life is a life that is new, compared with
! what is natural and original; and it is a holy life, springing
, from a new source. It is not we that live, but Christ that
livetli in us; and therefore our life is, in its manifestations,
' ' analogous to his. His people are like him.

VKKSK 5. For if ive have been planted together in the likeness
' of liis death, we shall he also in the likeness of his resurrection.
This is a confirmation of what precedes. We shall walk in
newness of life, if we arc partakers of Christ's death, for com
munity of death involves community of life. The general
meaning of the verse is plain, although there is doubt as to the
force of some of the words, and as to the construction. First,
as to the words. Calvin arid many others render ovfjupuroz
insitus, inserted, engrafted, as though it were derived from
(ftj~£'jw. it is, however, from (f'j(o, which means both to bear
and to grow. Hence aujjupuro^ sometimes means born with, in
the sense of innate; sometimes it expresses community of
origin, or nature, in the sense of cognate, congenial ; and some
times it is used in reference to things born or produced at the

ROMANS VI. 5. 307

same time. From the other meaning of the word <pju), come
the senses growing with, overgrown with. &c. In all cases there
is the idea of intimate union, and that is the idea which the
word vs here intended to express. As to the construction, so
far as the first clause of the verse is concerned, we may connect
ff'j/jL<f'jTos with bftouottari* we have grown tugctlier in death, i. e.
been united in a like death; or we may supply the words TW
Xntff-w. we have been united with Christ, as to, or by, simi-
laritv of death. The former, as it requires nothing to he sup
plied, is to be preferred. In the second clause, the word
bit.O!(!)-fJLT! may be supplied, as in our version : we shall be
(united) in the likenf** of hi* resurrection. But as a'j[JL(fi)Toz
mav be construed with the genitive as weil as the dative, many
commentators unite ff'jtic'JTu: r/~c avaaTaazcoz iobfiid-a^ we xltull
i_mrt(ikt'. <>f t/(e resurrection. The sense is the same: if united
in death, we shall be united in life: if we die with him, we .-hall
live with him. The future iaitttzfta does nut here express obli
gation, nor futurity. The reference is not to what is to happen
hereafter, but to the certain! v of sequence, or causal connection.
If the one thinur happt-ns, the other shall certair.ly follow. Thei
doctrine of this passage is not simply that the believer dies and
rises, ax Christ died and rose; that there is -in analogy between
his death and theirs; but. as before remarked, the main idea is.
the necessary eonneetion between the death and resurrection of
Christ and the death and resurrection of his people. Such is
the union between them and him, that his death and resurrec
tion render theirs a matter of necessity. The life or d<v
of a tree necessitates the life or death of the branches. Says''
Calvin, "Insitio, non tantuni exempli conformitatem designat,
sed arcanam conjunctionem per quam cum ipso coaluimus, ita
ut nos Spiritu suo veg<itans ejus virtutcm in nos transfundat.
Er«-o ut sureulus C()iuniunem habet vittc et mortis conditionem

o

cum arbore in quaui insertus est ; ita vine Christi non minus
quam et mortis purticipes nos essc consentaneum est." That
the resurrection here spoken of is a spiritual rising from the
dead, seems plain, both from what precedes and from what
follows. The whole discussion relates to sanctification, to the
necessary connection between the death of Christ as an atjne-
ment for sin, and the holiness of his people. Those who are

308 ROMANS VI. 6.

cleansed from tlio guilt of sin, arc cleansed also from its pollu
tion. Although this is obvious, yet all reference to the future
resurrection of the body is not to be excluded. In chap. viii. 11,
the apostle represents the quickening of our mortal bodies as a
necessary consequence of our union with Christ, and the indwell
ing of his Spirit. If, therefore, we are baptized unto the death
of Christ, united and conformed to him in his death, the sure
result will be, that we shall be conformed to him in a holy life
here, and in a life of glorious immortality of the soul and body
hereafter. All this is included in the life which flows to us
from Christ.

VERSE 6. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with
him, &c. What in the preceding verses is represented as the
consequence of our union with Christ as a matter of doctrine, is
here presented as a matter of experience. We are united to
Christ as our head and representative, so as to be partakers of
his death and resurrection, as a matter of law or of right.

jjWhat is thus done, as it were, out of ourselves, is attended by
an analogous spiritual experience. This knowing, i. e. expe-

,'j riencing this. Our inward experience agrees with this doctrinal
statement. Our old man, that is, our corrupt nature as opposed
to the new iiMin, or holy nature, which is the product of rege
neration, and the effect of our union with Christ. In Eph.
iv. 22, 24, we are exhorted to put oft* the old man, and to put
on the new man. Col. iii. 8, 9. The Scriptures everywhere
assert or assume the fall and native depravity of man. We are
born the children of wrath. We are aliens from the common
wealth of Israel, without God, and without hope. This is the
inward state and outward condition in which every man comes
into the world. Through the redemption that is in Christ, a

i radical change is effected; old things pass away, all things

I become new. The old man, the nature which is prior in the
order of time, as well as corrupt, is crucified, and a nature new
and holy is induced. The word man is used, because it is no
one disposition, tendency, or faculty that is changed, but the
man himself; the radical principle of his being, the self. Hence
Paul uses the pronoun I — "I am sold under sin;" "I cannot
do the things that I would." It is plain from this whole repre
sentation, that regeneration is not merely a change of acts, or

ROMANS VI. 6. 309

;f the affections in distinction from the understanding, but a
change of the whole man. Another thing is also plain, viz. that
such a radical change of nature cannot fail to manifest itself in
a holy walk and conversation. This is what Paul here insists
upon. To the believer who knows that the old man is crucified
with Christ, the objection that gratuitous justification leads to
licentiousness, is contradictory and absurd. The old man is
said to be crucified, not because the destruction of the principle
of sin is a slow and painful process, but because Christ's death
was by crucifixion, in which death we were associated, and
because it is from him, as crucified, the death of sin in us pro
ceeds. " Ilunc veterem hominem (licit es>e ailixum cruel Christi,
quia ejus virtute conficitur. Ac nominatim allusit ad crucem,
quo expressius iudicaret 11011 aliunde nos mortificari, quam ex
ejus mortis participatione."

That tltc body of sin iiii<jlit be destroyed. "'The body of sin"j;
is only another name for "the old man," or rather for its con-l
crete form. The design of our crucifixion with Christ is the
destruction of the old man, or the bodv of sin ; and the design

03

of the destnict.on of the inward power or principle of evil, is
our spiritual freedom. This latter idea, the apostle expresses
by saying, t/cil henceforth tee should not scree sin, i. e. be in
bondage to it. The service of sin is a dooXzia, a slavery, a state
from which we cannot free ourselves; a power which coerces
obedience in despite of the resistance of reason, conscience, and
as the apostle teaches, even of the will. It is a bondage from
which we can be delivered in no other way than by the death
of the inward principle of evil which possesses our nature, and
lies back of the will, beyond the reach of our power, and which
can be destroyed only by union with Christ in his death, who
died for this very purpose, that he might deliver us from the
bondage of corruption, and introduce us into the glorious liberty
of the sons of God. Compare John viii. o4 ; lieb. ii. 14 — 16.
Although the general sense of this verse is thus plain, there is
great diversity of opinion as to the precise meaning of the words
aa)[w. r^c (tfj.a.fjTiaZ) body of sin. 1. Some say it means the
sinful body, that is, the body which is the seat and source of
sin. But it is not the doctrine of the Bible, that sin has its
source in matter; it is spiritual in its nature and origin. The

310 ROMANS VI. 7.

body is not its source, but its instrument and slave. Moreover,
the design of Christ's death is never said to be to destroy the
body. 2. Others say that a Co ij.fi means the physical body, nor
as the source, but as the appurtenance of sin, as belon^ino- to
it, and ruled by it. But this is subject in part to the same
objection. 8. Others say that atotta means mass, "the mass
of sin." "Corpus peccati," says Calvin, "non carnem et ossa,
sed massain designat ; homo enim naturae pro-prise relictus massa
est ex peccato conflata." 4. Others assume that aatim has the
same sense as ad<>^ corrupt nature; so that "body of sin"
means our "sinful, carnal nature." This no doubt is the idea,
but it is not expressed by the word atona, which is not equiva
lent to ad()2. 5. Others take ocotm, in accordance with the
Rabinical use of the corresponding Hebrew word, to mean
essence, or substance; for which, however, there is no authority
from the usus loqucndi of the Scriptures. 6. Perhaps the most
satisfactory view is that of those who understand the phrase as
figurative. Sin is personified. It is something that has life, is
obeyed; that can be put to death. It is represented as a body,
or organism ; as having its members. Compare Col. iii. 5. In
Col. ii. 11, the apostle speaks of putting off "the body of the
sins of the flesh," by which he means the totality of our corrupt
nature. So here, "the body of sin," is sin considered as a
body, as something which can be crucified.

VERSE 7. For he t licit is dead is free from sin. The Greek
here is, b jao faod-avcov ozdr/auora! d~b r£c buaprlaz, for he
who has died is justified from sin. The particle ?dp, for, shows
that this verse is a confirmation of what precedes : ' The believer
(he who is by faith united to Christ in his death) cannot any
longer serve sin, for he who has died is justified from sin.' The
word d-o&avcov may be taken in a physical, a moral, or a mys
tical sense. If in a physical sense, then the meaning is, that
death frees from sin. This maybe understood in two ways:
first, on the theory that the body is the source of sin, death, or
freedom from the body, involves freedom from sin ; or, secondly,
death considered as a penalty, is the expiation of sin; so that
he who dies, is judicially free from sin. Some who adopt this
interpretation, suppose that the apostle sanctions the unscrip-
tural Jewish doctrine, (see Eisenmenger's Entdeckt. Judentlium,

ROMANS VI. 7. 311

II., p. 283,) that death is the full penalty of sin, and therefore
its expiation. Others say he is to be understood as speaking
only of sin or guilt in relation to human law: k Ho who has
died for his crime is free from guilt or further liability.' In
either way, the only relation which this verse, when understood
of physical death, can have to the apostle's argument, is that
of an illustration : 'As the man who has suffered for his crime
is freed from it, so he who is crucified with Christ is free from
sin. In cither case the power of sin is destroyed/ If the moral
sense of the word be adopted, then the meaning is either, ' he
who is spiritually dead is free from sin,' (which amounts to
saying, 'he that is holy is holy:') or, 'he who is spiritually
dead is justified from sin.' JJut this last sense is utterly
unsuited to the context, and implies that spiritual death, or
holiness, is the ground of justification ; which is contrary to all
Scripture, and especially to Paul's doctrine. The mystical sense
of the word is the only one consistent with the context. Tho
apostle has not been speaking of natural death, but of death
with Christ; of the believer being crucified with him. It is of
that he is now speaking. lie had just said that the believer
cannot continue to serve sin. lie here gives the reason: 1<>f
he who has died (with Christ) is justified, and therefore tVeo
from sin, free from its dominion. This is the great evangelical
truth which underlies the apostle's whol" doctrine of sanctifica-
tion. The natural reason assumes that acceptance with a holy
and just God must be founded on character, that men must bo
holy in order to be justified. The gospel reverses this, and
teaches that God accepts the ungodly; that we must be justi
fied in order to become holy. This is what Paul here assumes
as known to his readers. As justification is the necessary
means, and antecedent to holiness, he that is justified becomes
holy; he cannot live in sin. And he who is dead, i. e. with
Christ, (for it is only his death that secures justification,) is jus
tified from sin. To be justified from yin means to be delivered
from sin by justification. And that deliverance is twofold;
judicial deliverance from its penalty, and subjective deliverance
from its power. Both are secured by justification ; the former
directly, the other consequentially, as a necessary sequence.
Compare Gal. ii. 19, 20, vi. 14; Col. ii. 13, iii. 3; 1 Pet, iv. 1,

«H2 ROMANS VI. 8.

and other passages in which the sanctification of believers is

represented as secured by the death of Christ.

VERSES 8 — 11. These verses contain the application of the-
truth taught in the preceding passage: 'If we are dead with
Christ, we shall share in his life. If he lives, we shall live also.
As his life is perpetual, it secures the continued supplies of life/
to all his members. Death has no more any dominion over!
him. Having died unto, or on account of, sin once, he now ever\
lives to, and with God. His people, therefore, must be con
formed to him; dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God.'
This passage does not contain a mere comparison between the
literal death and resurrection of Christ, and the spiritual death
and resurrection of believers, but it exhibits the connection
between the deatli and life of the Redeemer and the sanctifica
tion of his people.

VERSE 8. AW, if we be dead with Christ, &c. If the truth,
stated in the preceding verses be admitted, viz. that our union
with Christ is such that his death secures our deliverance from
the penalty and power of sin, we believe we shall also live with
That is, we are sure that the consequences of his death
are not merely negative, i. e. not simply deliverance from evil,
moral and physical, but also a participation in his life. We
believe, i. e. we have a confidence, founded on the promise and
revealed purpose of God. It is not a conclusion of reason; it
is not simply a hope, a peradventure ; it is a faith, an assured
conviction that God, after having justified us through the blood
of Christ, will not leave us spiritually defiled. We shall live,
ff'j^vouzv, the future, referring not to what is to happen here
after, but to what is the certain consequence of our union with
Christ, If we are united mystically with Christ in his death,
we shall certainly live with him, i. e. we shall certainly partake
of his life. As, however, this life is a permanent and eternal
life, as it pertains to the body as well as to the soul, a partici
pation of his life now involves a participation of it, with all its
glorious consequences, for ever. To live with Christ, therefore,
includes two ideas; association with him, and similarity to him.
We partake of his life, and consequently our life is like his. |j
In like manner, since we die with him, we die as he died. So, I
too, when we are said to reign with him, to be glorified together, '!

ROMANS VI. 9. 313

both these ideas are included; see chap. viii. 17, and many
similar passages. The life here spoken of is that a eternal life"
which believers are said to possess even in this world ; see John
iii. 36", v. 24; and which is manifested here by devotion to God,
and hereafter in the purity and blessedness of heaven. It
includes, therefore, all the consequences of redemption. Wo
are not to consider the apostle as merely running a parallel
between the natural death and resurrection of Christ, and the
spiritual death and resurrection of his people, as has already
been remarked, but as showing that, in consequence of union to
him in his death, we must die an he died, and live <is he lives.
That is, that the effect of his dearth is to destroy the power of
Bin; and the result of his living is the communication and pre
servation of Divine life to all who are connected with him. This
being the case, the objection stated in ver. 1 of this chapter, is
seen to be entirely unfounded. This life of Christ, to which we
are conformed, is described in the following verses, lirst as per
petual, and secondly, as devoted unto God.

Vi-iKSK !). Knowing that C///vV/, />«•//>// r<iii«'<l from tin- <!>'<t<l,
diet/i no wow. Knowing sroorsc is either equal to -/JL'. mnu.'Liv,
and w<>. kn'Hi\ thus introducing a new idea, or it is causal,
because we know. The latter is to be preferred. We are sure
we shall be partakers of the life of Christ, because we know
that he lives, \\ere he not a living Saviour, if his life were not
perpetual, he could not be the source of life to his people in all
ages. The perpetuity of Christ's life, therefore, is presented,

1. As the ground of assurance of the perpctiiitv of the life of
believers. We shall partake of the life of Christ, i. e. of the
spiritual and eternal blessings of redemption, because he ever
lives to make intercession for us, and to grant us those supplies
of grace which we need; see chap. v. 10; John xiv. 1'J ; 1 Cor.
xv. 2o, &c. As death has no more dominion over him, there is
no ground of apprehension that our supplies of life will be cut
off. This verse, therefore, is introduced as the ground of the
declaration, "we shall live with him," at the close of ver. 8.

2. The perpetuity of the life of Christ is one of the points in
which our life is to be conformed to his. Christ dicth no more,
death hath no more dominion over him This repetition is for
the sake of emphasis. Christ's subjection to death was volun-

SH ROMANS VI. 10.

tary. It was not from a necessity of nature, nor from any
obligation to justice. He laid down his life of himself. He
voluntarily submitted to death for our sakes, and was the
master of death even in dying; and therefore he is, so to speak,
in no danger of ever being subject to its power. The object of
his voluntary submission to death having been accomplished, he
lives for evermore. This is more fully expressed in the follow
ing verse.

VERSE 10. For in that he died, lie died unto sin once, &c.
He can never die again, for in dying he died once for all. By
the one offering of himself, he has for ever perfected them that
are sanctified. The apostle, in the Epistle to the Hebrews,
while arguing to show the necessity of the death of Christ as a
sacrifice for sin. argues also to show that such was the efficacy
of that sacrifice, it need not, and cannot be repeated. Heb.
vii. 27, ix. 12, x. 10; 1 Pet. iii. 18.

In that he died, b dxe&fws; b may be taken absolutely, quod
attinet ad id, quod, as to that he died, so far as concerns his
dying; compare Gal. ii. 20; or the relative maybe taken as
the object, the death he died. Sec Winer, III., § 24. 4. 2. lie
died unto sin, r/j famoria d-sftavzu, so far as the words arc con
cerned, admits of different interpretations. It may mean, he
died/ur the destruction of sin; or, he died for its expiation, i. e.
on account of sin; or, in accordance with the force of the same
words in ver. 2, and the analogous expression, vsxpobz TTJ
brjiaffT'M, dead to sin, ver. 11, he died as to sin, was by death
freed from sin. In this last sense, although the words are the
same, the idea is very different in the two cases. The believer
dies to sin in one sense, Christ in another. In both cases the
idea of separation is expressed ; but in the case of the believer,
it is separation from personal, indwelling sin; in that of Christ,
it is separation from the burden of his people's sin, which he
bore upon the cross. The context and the argument favour this
last interpretation. Death has no more dominion over Christ,
for he died to sin ; by the one sacrifice of himself, he freed him
self from the burden of sin which he had voluntarily assumed.
The law is perfectly satisfied; it has no further penalty to
inflict. Of course the same truth or doctrine is expressed, if the
other expositions of the phrase be preferred. It is only a

ROMANS VI. 11. 315

question as to the form in which the same general truth is pre
sented. Christ's death was for the destruction of sin, for its
expiation ; and it was a deliverance from it, i. e. from the burden
of its imputed guilt. lie came the first time with sin; he is to
come the second time 'without sin, (without that burden.) unto
salvation. In that he Ureth, he lie nth unto God. This is said
in contrast to what precedes. lie died unto sin, he lives unto
God. So must the believer. Deatli must be followed by life;
the one is in order to the other. It is of course not implied that
our Lord's life on earth was not a living unto God, i. e. a living
having God for its end and object. The antithetical expression

O J I

is used simply to indicate the analogy between Christ and his
people. They must be freed from sin, and be devoted to God,
because their Lord and Saviour, in whose deatli and life they
share, died unto sin, and lives unto God. Many of the Fathers,
and some later interpreters, take -w OKU as equivalent to r/y
d'JsdtiZ'. Torj (:)zu~j^ fit/ tin1 ]><>ic<'r <>f (l<nL J)iit this is unsuited to
the connection. It is not the source of Christ's life, but tho
nature of it, as perpetual and holy, that the apostle would bring
into view. Olshausen says ~w &=<u means f<>r '/<"/, i. c. for
righteousness, as opposed to sin, in the first clause: uHe died
for the destruction of sin, he lives for the promotion of right
eousness.'' Uut this is unnecessary, and inconsistent with tho
context.

VERSI-: 11. 7v/A'v//v'.sv reckon //<' also yourselves t<> /»' d< nd
ind» .'d unto *//>. l>at alive unto Cn>d, «Jcc. What is true in itself,
should be true in their convictions and consciou>ness. If in
point of fact believers are partakers of the death and life of
Christ; if they die with him, and live with him, then they
should so regard themselves. They should receive this truth,
with all its consoling and sanctifying power, into their hearts,
and manifest it in their lives. So aho i/<>, O''JTCO y.a.l u/tztz, a
point may be placed after ufi-7^; so that the sense is, *» alxo are
y<>, as is dune by Griesbaeh and others. The simpler and more
common method is to read the words continuously: s» afxo
r('</<ir<! i/i' yourselves as dead to sin, \>i7.<>(nz, ~'// cLuaoTiOL ; not
reckon yourselves to le dead, as the word £?v/.', although found
in the common text, is omitted by almost all the critical editors,
on the authority of the oldest manuscripts, and the sense is

,16 ROMANS VI. 1—11.

complete without it; lopr£(7$ac T^d T,, means to regard one as
something. Believers are to look upon themselves in their true
light, viz. as dead to sin, freed from its penalty and dominion.
This is a freedom which belongs to them as believers, and there
fore the apostle adds, ev X{HGTW '/^<TOL>, not through, but in
Christ Jesus, that is, in virtue of union with him. These words
belong equally to both clauses of this verse. It is in Christ that
the believer is dead to sin, and alive to God. The old man is
crucified ; the new man, the soul as renewed, is imbued with a
new life, of which God is the object; which consists in fellow
ship with him, and which is manifested by devotion to his
service, and by obedience to his will. The words our Lord,
TW KuoUo fyjLcov, are not found in the best manuscripts.

DOCTRINE.

1. Truth cannot lead to unholiness. If a doctrine encourages
sin, it must be false, vs. 1, 2.

"2. There can be no greater contradiction and absurdity than
for one who lives in sin to claim to be a Christian, ver. 2.

3. Antinomianism is not only an error, it is a falsehood and
a slander. It pronounces valid the very objection against the
gospel which Paul pronounces a contradiction and absurdity,
and which he evidently regards as a fatal objection, were it well
founded, vs. 2 — 4, &c.

4. Baptism includes a profession of the religion taught by
him in whoso name we are baptized, and an obligation to obey
his laws, vs. 3, 4.

5. The grand design of Christianity is the destruction of sin.
When sincerely embraced, therefore, it is with a view to this
end, ver. 3.

6. The source of the believer's holiness is his union with
Christ, by which his reconciliation to God, and his participation
of the influences of the Holy Spirit are secured, vs. 4, 6.

7. The fact that Christ lives, renders it certain that his people
shall live in holiness here, and in glory hereafter, ver. 8.

8. The only proper evidence that we are partakers of the
benefits of the death and life of Christ, is our dying to sin, and
living to God, ver. 11.

ROMANS VI. 1—11. 317

9. The gospel, which teaches the only true method of justifi
cation, is the only system that can secure the sanctification of
men. This is not only the doctrine of this section, but it is the
leading truth of this and the following chapter.

REMARKS.

1 As the most prominent doctrinal truth of this passage is,
that the death of Christ secures the destruction of sin wherever
it secures its pardon; so the most obvious practical inference
is. that it is vain to hope for the latter benefit, unless we labour
for the full attainment of the former, vs. "2 — 11.

2. For a professing Christian to live in sin, is not only to
give positive evidence that he is not a real Christian, but it is
to misrepresent and slander the gospel of the grace of (lod, to
the dishonour of religion, and the injury of the souls of men,

8. Instead of holiness being in order to pardon, pardon is in
order to holiness. This is the mystery of evangelical morals,
ver. 4. \*c.

4. Th" only effectual method of gaining the victory over our
sins, is to live in communion with Jesus Christ; to regard his
death as securing the pardon of sin, as restoring us to the Divine
favour, and as procuring for us the influences of the Holy
Spirit. It is those who thus look to Christ not only for pardon,
but for holiness, that are successful in subduing sin; while tho
li'ij<tl!xt remains its slave, vs. t>. S.

f). It is a consolation to the believer to know, that if he has
evidence of being m»fv a Christian, he may be sure that he shall
live with Christ. As long and as surely as the head lives, so
long and so surely must all the members live, ver. 8, &e.

6. To be in Christ is the source of the Christian's life; to bo
like Christ is the sum of his excellence ; to be with Christ is
the fulness of his joy, vs. 2 — 11.

318 ROMANS VI. 12.

ROMANS VI. 12—23.

ANALYSIS.

PAUL having shown, in the preceding section, that union with
Christ secures not only the pardon, but the destruction of sin,
exhorts his brethren to live agreeably to the nature and design
of the gospel, vs. 12, 13. As an encouragement in their efforts
to resist their corruptions, he assures them that sin shall not
have dominion over them, because they are not under the law,
but under grace, ver. 14. This is another fundamental princi
ple in the doctrine of sanctification. Holiness is not attained,
and cannot be attained by those who, being under the law, are
still unreconciled to God. It is necessary that we should enjoy
his favour, in order to exercise towards him right affections.
This doctrine is not justly liable to the objection, that we may
sin with impunity if not under the law, ver. 15. The true
situation of the Christian is illustrated by a reference to the
relation between a servant and his master. Believers, before
conversion, were the servants of sin ; after it, they are the
servants of righteousness. Formerly they were under an influ
ence which secured their obedience to evil ; now they are undei
an influence which secures their obedience to good. The con
sequence of the former service was death; of the present, life.
The knowledge of these consequences tends to secure the con
tinued fidelity of the Christian to his new Master, vs. 16 — 23.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 12. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal
/>'."///, &c. This is a practical inference (o5v) from what pre
cedes. Since the believer is in fact united to Christ in his
death and life, he should live accordingly. The exhortation
contained in this and the following verse has a negative and
positive form — yield not to sin, but give yourselves up to
God — corresponding to the clauses, dead to sin, and alive unto
G-ud, in ver. 11. To reign signifies to exercise uncontrolled
authority. S;n, although mortified in the believer, is not

ROMANS VI. 12. 319

destroyed. Its power to injure remains after its dominion is
overthrown, The exhortation is, that we should not yield to
this dethroned adversary of Christ and the soul, but strenu
ously strive against its efforts to gain ascendency over us, and
to bring us again into bondage. Let not sin reign in your
mortal boJy. This is a difficult clause. 1. Mortal body may
be a periphrase for -you: ''Let not sin reign within you;' as
in the next verse, your members may stand for yourselves.
2. Others say that i>vrfi6- (mortal] is to be taken in the figura
tive sense in which j/s^o'c, dead, i. e. corrupt, is often used.
8. Others take awtta in the sense of <ra/^, corrupt nature,
including everything in man as fallen, which is not dm.- to the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Thus Calvin says, " Xuper
admonui voccm Corporis non pro came et cute et ossibus accipi,
sed pro tota hominis massa, ut ita loquar. Id certius colligere
licet ex pnesenti loco: quia alterum membrum, quod niux sub-
jiciet de corporis partibus, ad animiim quoque extenditur. Sic
autein crasse Paulas terrenum lioiuineni significat." lie savs
the word mortal is used, fciper contemptum, ut docean totam
houiinis naturam ad mortem et exitium inclinare." So also
Philippi, among the modern commentators, savs that here, as
as in Horn. viii. 10, 1-5, (where fti&a-uw ra^ ~(>d-Z!~ rov adttm-
TU^ is opposed to '/JI~<L (jdoxa ^7^,} au)[ta is the antithesis of
rr>£v////. the latter being the soul as pervaded bv the Spirit
of God, and the former our nature considered as corrupt. This,
however, i.- so contrary to the general usage of Scripture, that
the ordinary sense of the words is to be preferred. 1'aul does
riot teach that the body is the source of sin, nor its exclusive or
principal seat: but it is the organ of its manifestation. It H
that through which the dominion of sin is outwardly revealed.
The body is under the power of sin, and that power the apostle
would have us resist ; and on the other hand, the sensual appe
tites of the body tend to enslave the soul. Body and soul are
so united in a common life, that to say, 'Let not sin reign in
your mortal body,' and to say, 'Let not sin reign in you,'
amount to the same thing. When we speak of sin as dwelling
in the soul, we do not deny its relation to the body; so neither
does the apostle, when he speaks of sin dwelling in the body,
mean to deny its relation to the soul.

320 ROMANS VI. 13.

That ye should obey it (a^ny, i. e. sin,) in the lusts thereof..
(auro7}, viz. of the body.) We should not obey sin by yielding
to carnal appetites. The common text has here, ecz TO unaxo'j-
eiv a'jTTJ kv r«?c Ixtd-upicuz auTou. Knapp, Lachmann, and
other editors, adopt the simpler and better authenticated read
ing, £/c TO u-axo'jztv r«?c &7ri&v/jitcus a'JTOi), to obey its lusts, i. e.
the lusts of the body. "A man," says Olshauscn, "must
Always serve. There is no middle ground between the service
of sin and the service of God. We have justification completely,
or we have it not at all. Sanctification, as springing from a
living faith, and as the fruit of God's love to us, admits of
degrees, and may be more or less earnestly cultivated ; but this
determines, not our salvation, but only the measure of future
blessedness. No wisdom or caution," he adds, "can guard this
doctrine from misunderstanding, whether such misunderstand
ing arise unintentionally from the understanding, or designedly
from insincerity of heart. It nevertheless is the only way
which leads to God, in which the sincere and humble cannot
'err." "The key to the mystery," he goes on to say, "that the
doctrine of redemption, although not demanding good works,
produces them, is to be found in the fact that love excites love
and the desire for holiness. Hence obedience is no longer
slavish. We strive to obey, not in order to be saved or to
please God, but because God saves us without works or merit
of our own, whom, because he is reconciled in the Beloved, we
delight to serve."

VERSE 13. Neither yield ye your members, &c. Do not
permit sin to reign in you, nor yield your powers as its instru
ments. Neither yield, /r^os xapeffTdistTS. The word means to
place by, to present, (as an offering,) Luke ii. 22 ; Rom. xii. 1 ; to
give up to the power or service of, vs. 16, 19, &c. Your members,
either literally, members of the body, the eye, ear, hand, &c.,
or figuratively, your powers, whether of mind or body. The
choice between the literal and figurative interpretation depends
on the view taken of the preceding verse. If there acofia
(body) be understood literally, then your members can only
mean the members of the body ; but if mortal body is there a
periphrase for you, then your members must mean your facul
ties. The /uty (members) are the parts of which the

ROMANS VI. 14. 321

consists ; and therefore if the acoaa stands for the whole person,
the members must include all our powers, mental as well as cor
poreal. In vii. 5, Paul says that sin "dul work in our mem
bers;'' and in ver. 23, he speaks of "a law in his members."
In neither of those cases is the reference exclusively to the
body. As instruments of unrighteousness. That is, instru
ments which unrighteousness uses, or which are employed to
effect unrighteousness. The word orjji. is generic ; it is used in
the general sense of instruments, for the tackle of a ship, the
tools of an artisan, though most frequently for weapons. On
account of this general usage, and of Paul's own use of the
word in xiii. 1-, k' armour of light/' (- Cor. vi. V, ik armour of
righteousness." and "2 Cor. x. 4, "the weapons of our warfare/')
many prefer the restricted sense in this place. Our members
are regarded as weapons which sin uses to regain its dominion,
or the predominance of unrighteousness. The context, however,
does not favour the assumption of this allusion to a strife; and
therefore the general sense of instruments, or implements, is
more in keeping with the rest of the passage. />xf i/i Id your*
si'li'f.i x/if" '/"</; a//'/. ~a.(Hj.arflGv~z, />uf. c/< t/tc contrary, pre
sent yourselves, i. e. give yourselves up to God, not only your
several powers, but your very selves, a dedication which of
necessity involves that of each sepnrato faculty. In the first
clause of the verse the present tense, Tisotff-dvzrs, is used;
here it is the first aorist, present yourselues once for all. As
alive fro/a t//e dead, i. c. as those who having been dead, are
now alive. Having been quickened by the power of God,
raised from the death of sin and all its dreadful consequences,
they were bound to live unto God. AYho, having been restored
to life, would desire to return to the loathsomeness of the
grave? Awl, i. e. and especially, your members (i. e. xeptard-
vsr£, present your members) as instruments of righteousness to
God. Present all your powers to God, to be employed by him
as implements of righteousness ; that is, instruments by which
righteousness may be effected.

VERSE 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you, &c.

The future here is not to be understood as expressing either a

command or an exhortation, not only because the third, and

not the second person is used, but also because of the conncc-

21

322 ROMANS VI. 14.

tion, as indicated by for. We should yield ourselves to God,
for sin shall not have dominion, &c. It is not a hopeless strug-
gle in which the believer is engaged, but one in which victory
is certain. It is a joyful confidence which the apostle here
expresses, that the power of sin has been effectually broken,
and the triumph of holiness effectually secured by the work
of Christ. The ground of the confidence that sin shall not have
dominion, is to be found in the next clause: For ye are not
under the law, but under grace. By law here, is not to be
understood the Mosaic law. The sense is not, ' Sin shall
not have dominion over you, because the Mosaic law is abro-
o-ated.' The word is to be taken in its widest sense. It is the

t

rule of duty, that which binds the conscience as an expression
of the will of God. This is plain: 1. From the use of the word
through this epistle and other parts of the New Testament.
2. From the whole doctrine of redemption, which teaches that
the law from which we are delivered by the death of Christ, is
not simply the Mosaic law ; we are not merely delivered from
Judaism, but from the obligation of fulfilling the law of God as
the condition of salvation. 3. Deliverance from the Mosaic
law does not secure holiness. A man may cease to be a Jew,
and yet not be a new creature in Christ Jesus. 4. The anti
thesis between law arid grace shows that more than the law of
Moses is here intended. If free from the Mosaic law, they may
ptill be under some other law, and as little under grace as the
Pharisees. To be under the law is to be under the obligation to
fulfil the law of God as a rule of duty, as the condition of salva
tion. Whosoever is under the law in this sense, is under the
curse; for the law says, "Cursed is every one who continucth
not in all things written in the book of the law to do them." As
no man is free from sin, as no man can perfectly keep the com
mandments of God, every man who rests upon his personal
conformity to the law, as the ground of his acceptance with God,
must be condemned. We are not under the law in this sense,
but under grace ; that is, under a system of gratuitous justifica
tion. We are justified by grace, without works. We are not
under a legal dispensation, requiring personal conformity to the
law, and entire freedom from sin, past arid present, as the con
dition of our acceptance ; but we are under a gracious dispensa-

ROMANS VI. 15. 323

tion, according to which God dispenses pardon freely, and accepts
the sinner as a sinner, for Christ's sake, without works or merit
of his own. Whoever is under the law in the sense just ex
plained, is not only under condemnation, but he is of necessity
under a legal or slavish spirit. What he does, he does as a
slave, to escape punishment. But he who is under grace, who
is gratuitously accepted of God, and restored to his favour, is
under a filial spirit. The principle of obedience in him is love,
and not four. Here, as everywhere else in the Bible, it is
assumed that the favour of God is our life. We must be recon
ciled to him before we can be holy; we must feel that he loves
us before we can love him. Paul says it was the love of Christ
to him, that constrained him to live for Him who thus loved him
and gave Himself for him. The only hope therefore of sinners,
is in freedom from the law, freedom from its condemnation, free
dom from the obligation to fulfil it as the condition of accept
ance, and freedom from its spirit. Those who are thus free, who
renounce all dependence on their own merit or strength, who
accept the offer of justification as a free gift of God, and who
are assured that God {'or Christ's sake is reconciled to them,
are so united to Christ that they partake of his lii'e, and their
holiness here and salvation hereafter are rendered perfectly
certain.

VERSK 1-"). Wltat then? shall we, sin, be.eau*>> w<: are n»t
under tin' liw, but under grace? God forbid. Because works
are not the ground of our justification ; because we are justified
freelv bv his grace, are we at liberty to sin without fear ;md
without restraint? Does the doctrine of gratuitous salvation
give a license to the unrestrained indulgence of all evil? Such
has been the objection to the doctrines of grace in all ages.
And the fact that this objection was made to Paul's teachings,
proves that his doctrine is the same with that against which the
same objection is still urged. As the further consideration of
this difficulty is resumed in the following chapter, the apostle
here contents himself with a simple negation, arid a reference
to the constraining influence under which the freely pardoned
sinner is brought, which renders it as impossible for him to
serve sin, as it is for the slave of one man to be obedient to
another man. The slave must serve his own master.

324 ROMANS VI. 16.

VERSE 16. Know ye not, that to whom ye yidd yourselves
servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, &c.
4 Know ye not that those who obey sin are its slaves • hurried
on from one degrading service to another, until it works their
ruin ; but those who serve holiness are constrained, though
sweetly, to constancy and fidelity, until the glorious consum
mation of their course?' As a servant or slave is under an
influence which secures obedience to his master, so also, in
spiritual or moral relations, a man who serves sin is under an
influence which secures the continuance of his obedience, and
he who serves holiness is under an influence which effectually
secures the constancy of his service. This being the case, it is
not possible for the Christian or servant of holiness to be found
engaged in the service of sin. The language and the construc
tion are here nearly the same as in vcr. 13. Here, as there,
we have nspiffToiusTS in the sense of giving up to the power and
disposal of. Paul says, that those who give themselves up to
another as douAouc; e^ faaxoyu, slaves to obedience, are the doitAoe
of him whom they thus obey. It enters into the idea of slavery,
that the subjection is absolute and continued. The slave does
not obey his own will, but his master's. lie is subject not for
a time, but for life. He is under an influence which secures
obedience. This is as true in spiritual as in external relations.
He who serves sin is the slave of sin. He is under its power.
He cannot free himself from its dominion. He may hate his
bondage ; his reason and conscience may protest against it ; his
will may resist it ; but he is still constrained to obedience. This
is the doctrine of our Lord, as taught in John viii. 34 : u He that
committeth sin is the slave of sin." This remains true, although
this service is unto death: "The wages of sin is death." The
death intended is spiritual and eternal. It is the absolute loss
of the life of the soul, which consists in the favour and fellow
ship of God, and conformity to his image. What is true of sin
is true of holiness. He who by virtue of union with Christ is
made obedient to God, becomes, as Paul says, a ooD/oc bxctxoYjS,
a slave of obedience. Obedience (personified) is the master to
which he is now subject. He is not only bound to obey, but he
is made to obey in despite of the resistance of his still imper
fectly sanctified nature. He cannot but obey. The point of

ROMANS VI. IT. 325

analogy to which reference is here made, is the certainty of the
effect, and the constraining influence by which that effect is
secured. In the case both of sin and of holiness, obedience is
certain ; and it is rendered certain by a power superior to the
will of man. The great difference is, that in the one case this
subjection is abnormal and destructive, in the other it is normal
and beneficent. A wise man is free in being subject to his
reason. The more absolute and constant the authority of
reason, the more exalted and free is the soul. In like manner,
the more completely God reigns in us, the more completely we
are subject to his will, so much the more are we free ; that is,
so much the more do we act in accordance with the laws of our
nature and the end of our being. Servants of obedience unto
righteousness; otxatoa'jy/j must here be taken in its subjective
sense. It is inward righteousness, or holiness. And in this
sense it is eternal life, and therefore antithetical to l}d^a~o^,
which is spiritual and eternal death. The service of sin results
in death, the service of God results in righteousness; that is, in
our being right, completely conformed to the image of God, in
which the life of the soul consists.

VERSI-; IT. Hut God be thanked, that ye were the servants
if six; but i/e have obeyed from the, heart, &c. As it is the
apostle's object to show that believers cannot live in sin, inas
much as they have become the servants of another master, he
applies the general truth stated in the preceding verses more
directly to his immediate readers, and gives thanks that they,
being emancipated from their former bondage, are now bound
to a master whose service is perfect liberty. The expression in
the first member of this verse is somewhat unusual, although
the sense is plain: " God be thanked, that ye were the servants
of sin;" that is, that this slavery is past; or, 'God be thanked,
that ye, being the servants of sin, have obeyed,' &c.

Ye have obeyed from the heart; this obedience is voluntary
and sincere. They had not been passively transferred from
one master to another ; but the power of sin being broken, they
gladly renounced their bondage, and gave themselves unto God.
Ye obeyed, says the apostle, the form of doctrine which was
delivered to you. The T'J~O^ ucoayj^, the form of doctrine, may
mean the doctrine which is a T'J~O-, a model or standard to

326 ROMANS VI. 18.

which we should conform — sentiendi agendique norma et rcgula.
Calvin says it means "expressam justitioe imaginem, quam
cordibus nostris Christus insculpsit." Another explanation
assumes TUTZOZ to be equivalent to form, contents, or substance
of the doctrine. Compare p-ooytoat:; TTJZ fvwffscoz, ii. 20. The
former explanation is sustained by a reference to 2 Tim. i. 13,
where Paul speaks of a uTroruTicoact; uftatvovrcov Ibrajy, a form
of sound words; that is, sound words which are a pattern or
standard of faith. Compare Acts xxiii. 25 : ' Having written
an epistle containing this type,' i. e. form of words. By form
of doctrine is to be understood the Gospel, either in its limited
sense of the doctrine of gratuitous justification through Christ,
of which the apostle had been speaking ; or in its wider sense
of the whole doctrine of Christ as a rule both of faith and prac
tice. The former includes the latter. He who receives Christ
as priest, receives him as a Lord. He who comes to him for
justification, comes also for sanctification ; and therefore obedi
ence to the call to put our trust in Christ as our righteousness,
implies obedience to his whole revealed will. The words U7irr
ov Trapedo&^Te TU~OP otoayj^, may be resolved thus,
TUTTw dtou.yj^, ecz oi> Trapedoftyre, ye have obeyed the
type of doctrine to which ye have been delivered. That is, the
mould into which, as it were, ye have been cast ; as Beza says,
the gospel is regarded " quasi instar typi cujusdam, cu4 veluti
immittamur, ut ejus figurse conformemur." This last idea is
unnatural : £/c ov napedo&yrs is either equivalent to #c xaped-
6&Y] ujjTiU, which was delivered unto you, (see Winer, § 24. 2,)
or, to which ye were delivered, "cui divinitus traditi estis."
That is, to which ye were subjected. The intimation is, that
faith in the gospel is the gift of God, and obedience is our con
sequent act. "The passive (Kapedddyre,)" says Philippi, "indi
cates the passive relation of men to the work of regeneration,
of which his activity (bnrjxo'jGars) is the consequence, according
to the familiar dictum : Ita a Spiritu Dei agimur ut ipsi quoque
agamus."

VERSE 18. Being made free from sin, ye became the servants
of righteousness. This verse may be regarded as the conclusion
from what precedes, os being used for ow: 'Being freed then
from sin,' &c.; or it may be connected immediately with vcr. 17.

ROMANS VI. 19. 3:27

a comma instead of a period intervening: 'Ye havo obeyed tho
form of doctrine, having been freed," &c. The latter is better.
Freed by the grace of God from sin as a despotic master, ye
became the servants, sooy/w^rs, ye were made slaves to right
eousness. It was not license, but a change of masters, that
they had experienced. This being the case, it is impossible
they should serve sin; they have now another master. A
manumitted slave docs not continue subject to his former
master. "Absurdum cst, ut post manumissionem o^iis in servi-
tutis conditione maneat. Observandum, c^uoinodo nemo possit
justituc servire nisi Dei potentia ct beneiicio prius a peccati
tyranriide liberatus." Calvin. To the same effect our Lord
says: "If the Son make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
John viii. ol>. This subjection to righteousness is perfect
liberty. It is the subjection of the soul to God, reason, and
conscience, wherein true liberty consists. This being the case,
the apostle in the following verse explains the reason why ho
used a figure apparently so incongruous, in speaking of tho
relation of the believer to righteousness.

VKRSE 10. / speak after the manner of men, dvd-pcb-woi*
).k*((.o; I say what is human, i. e. common among men. Tho
only difference between this expression and tho more common
phrase, YJI.-" fcitiito-uy /5fo», is, that the former characterizes as
human the thing said, and the other the manner of saying it.
The idea in this case is the same. The apostlo means to say,
that he uses an illustration drawn from tho common relations
of men, to set forth the relation of the believer to God. Tho
slave is bound to serve his master; the obedience of the believer
to God is no less certain. The one is slavery, because the obe
dience is independent of the will, and coerced; the other is
perfect freedom, because rendered from the heart, and with full
consent of the will. Yet both are a ou'jhiu, so far as certainty
of obedience is concerned. This is the common and natural
interpretation of this clause. Others, however, take &vd-pa)7twov
in the sense in which it is used in 1 Cor. ix. '2'2. There it is
opposed to what is superhuman, beyond the strength of man to
bear : ' I demand only what is human. The obedience required
is, on account of the weakness of your flesh, only such as you
are able to render. For as ye served sin, so you can serve

328 ROMANS VI. 19.

righteousness. The one is as easy as the other. The one is
the measure of the other.' But this does violence to the con
nection. The wG-sfj — o'jTco do not refer to the measure of the
obedience, but to the change of masters: 'As ye served sin, so
now serve God.' Besides, the principle that the measure of
obedience is determined by our ability, is utterly at variance
with the word of God and the dictates of conscience. The
simple design of the apostle in this passing or parenthetical
remark is, to state the reason why he designated our new rela
tion to God a slavery. He used this illustration, he says, on
account of the weakness of their flesh; not intellectual weak
ness, but such as arose from the crdoz, their nature as corrupt.
It was their lack of spirituality which rendered such illustra
tions necessary. The ydf) (for) of the next clause refers to
vcr. 18: 'Being freed from sin, ye became the servants of
righteousness; for as ye yielded your members,' &c. Your
members, yourselves, your various faculties, with special refer
ence to their bodily organs as the outward, visible instruments
of evil. Ye yielded your members, ooD/a, bound. This is the
only passage in the New Testament in which &>D/oc is used as
an adjective. They yielded their members to uncleanness and
to iniquity, TTJ dxa&apfflqt. xae TTJ dvo/jtla. These two words
express the same thing under different aspects. Sin subjec
tively considered is pollution, a defilement of the soul; rela
tively to the law of God, it is dvopla, what is unlawful, what
fails of conformity to the law. In the next clause, unto
iniquity, the word is used in a wider sense. They gave them
selves up to iniquity, that is, to do evil ; e/c TT^ dwjuiav being
equivalent to e^ TO ~o>*cu avotiiay. Men give themselves up
to sin as a master, to do what the law forbids. The same
idea is expressed, if £/c rr^ dwfilav means, for the mani
festation of iniquity. So now yield your members as servants
to righteousness. Having been delivered from bondage to the
tyrant sin, ye should act as becomes your new relation, and
be obedient to your new master, even to him who hath bought
you with his blood. To righteousness, unto holiness, ect; byt-
afffiov, so as to be pure in heart and life. The proximate result
of obedience to God is inward conformity to the Divine image.
Compare 1 Thess. iii. 3, 4, 7.

ROMANS VI. 20—21. 329

VERSE 20. For when ye were tJte servants of sin, ye w^re free
from righteousness. This verse introduces a confirmation of
what precedes. The foregoing exhortation is enforced by the
consideration developed in vs. 21, 22, that the service of sin
is death. The particle fdto, therefore, is used in its common
sense, for, and not namely. Formerly, when the slaves of sin,
ye were iteud-epoe ~fj dtxatoa'jvfl, that is, either 'free in the esti
mation of righteousness,' ("An ille mllti liber, cui mulier impe-
rat?" Cicero;} or, what is more natural, as to righteousness;
so far as righteousness is concerned, ye were free. Righteous
ness had no power over you; your service was rendered to
another master. This is not to be understood ironically, as
though the apostle designed to refer to their former state as one
of freedom in their estimation. It is the simple statement of a
fact of experience. While the servants of sin, they did not and
could not serve righteousness. Here are two services, which is
to be preferred? This is the question which the apostle pre
sents for their consideration.

VEKSE 21. The sense of this verse depends mainly on the
pointing. It may be read thus : ' What fruit had ye then of
those things of which ye are now ashamed? (Answer, Xon<>,)
for the end of those things is death/ Or, 'What fruit had yo
then? (Answer, Such,} of which ye are now ashamed, for,' &c.
The choice between these interpretations is not very easy, and
accordingly commentators are about equally divided between
them. The Vulgate, the English version, Calvin, ])e/.a, Jiengel,
Meyer, Fritzshe, &c., adopt the former. Luther, Melanethon,
.Koppe, Tholuek, l)e Wette, Olshausen, &c., the latter. The
decision seems to depend principally on the meaning iriven to
the phrase, to I/or,1 fruit. If this means, to derive benefit, then
the sense is, 'What benefit did you derive from the things of
which you are now ashamed?' The natural answer is, 'None;
a course of conduct which ends in death can yield no benefit.'
This gives a pertinent sense: it is suited to ver. 22, where fruit
may also mean advantage; and especially it agrees best with
the words iy oF^, which otherwise must refer to xapxbu, (fruit
of which,) which is not natural. In favour of the second inter
pretation, however, it is urged that fruit is never in the New
Testament used of reward or emolument, but always of acts

330 ROMANS VI. 21.

The familiar illustration is that of a tree whose fruit is good or
bad according to its nature. According to this view, Paul
means to ask, 'What fruit did you then produce? Such,' he
answers, 'of which you are now ashamed.' Besides this general
use of the word (fruit,) it is urged that in vcr. 22, this is the
natural sense of the word : " Ye have your fruit unto holiness ;"
that is, 'Ye produce fruit which tends to holiness.' "This
figure," says Olshausen, "is the more significant, because it is
so directly opposed to that Pelagianism which is so congenial
with our fallen nature. The natural man, destitute of the
knowledge of God, of himself, and of sin, dreams that by his
own strength and efforts he can produce a form of virtue which
can stand before the bar of God. He does not know that of
necessity, arid by a law of his nature, he can only produce evil
fruit, just as a wild tree can produce only bitter fruit. Even
should he succeed in calling into exercise all the good he has in
the most perfect form, it is so destitute of love, and so cor
rupted by conceit, that it merits condemnation, as fully as
though the life were openly immoral. The beginning of truth,
of which holiness, (which is true liberty,) by a like organic
necessity and law of nature, is the fruit, is for man the
acknowledgment that death reigns in him, and that he must
be imbued with life." All this is true, and all this is really
involved in the familiar figure which our Lord uses to illus
trate the relation between the state of the heart and of the
outward life. But this does not seem to be the idea which
the apostle here intends to present. The phrase, xar>~bu
notelv, does indeed always mean to produce fruit, and figura
tively, to do good or evil ; but xao~bv e%sw, to have fruit,
means to have the advantage, or profit. Thus, in i. 13, Paul
says: "That I might have some fruit among you;" i. e. that
he might gain something, win some souls for Christ. If this
be the true meaning of the phrase here, then the former of the
two interpretations is to be preferred. What advantage had
you of the service of sin ? None ; for the end of those things,
the rs/oc, the final result of the service of sin, is death; not
physical death, but the death of the soul, final and hopeless
perdition. Such was their former condition; to this the con
trast is given in the next verse.

ROMANS VI. 22—23. 331

VERSE 22. But now, being made free from sin, £/.£'
^j/rcc d~b r£c duapriaz; having been emancipated from one
master, do'jXo)$si>TSZ ok TM Qiw, and become slaves to G-od, i. e.
being subject to his controlling influence by the power of his
Spirit, ye lave your fruit unto holiness; that is, the benefit or
effect derived from the service of God is holiness. Sanctifica-
tion is the proximate result of this new service. And the end
eternal life. The final issue of this service is complete salva
tion; the restoration of the soul to the favour and enjoyment
of God for ever. " Quemadmodum duplicem peccati finem ante
proposuit, ita mine justitiie. Peccatum in hac vita malre con-
scientiie tormenta affert, deinde aeternam mortem. Justitinc
proesentcin fructum coiiigimus, sanctificationem : in futurum,
speramus vitam aeternam."

VKRSE 2-3. For the wages of sin is deaf It; but the gift of (rod
is eternal life, tltrouglt Jesus Christ our Lord. The reason why
death is the result of sin is, that sin deserves death. Death is
due to it in justice. There is the same obligation in justice,
that sin should be followed by death, as that the labourer should
receive his wages. As it would be unjust, and therefore wrong,
to defraud the labourer of his stipulated reward, so it would
be unjust to allow sin to go unpunished. Those, there-fore, who
hope for pardon without an atonement, hope that God will in
the end prove unjust. The word oc/wv/a is, strict! v, the rations
of soldiers; in a wider sense, the same as (Vs~in.:ni)'.u., or tum^o^,
anything which is due as a matter of debt. Jint tin' gift of
Grod, TO os %dptff/m TO~J 6zo~j, the free, unmerited gift of God,
is eternal life. The connection between holiness and life is no
less certain than that between sin and death, but on different
grounds, ^in deserves death; holiness is itself the gift of God,
and is freely crowned with eternal life. The idea of merit is
everywhere and in every way excluded from the gospel method
of salvation. It is a system of grace, from the beginning to
the consummation. Through (rather in) Jesus Christ our
Lord. It is in Christ, as united to him, that we are made
partakers of eternal life. Jesus Christ and his gospel, then,
instead of being the ministers of sin — as the Jews, and since
them, the opponents of the doctrines of grace, confidently
asserted — effectually secure what the law never could accom-

332 ROMANS VI. 12—23.

plish, an obedience resulting in holiness here, and in eternal
life hereafter.

DOCTRINE.

1. The leading doctrine of this section, and of the whole
gospel, in reference to sanctification, is, that grace, instead of
leading to the indulgence of sin, is essential to the exercise
of holiness. So long as we are under the influence of a self-l
righteous or legal spirit, the motive and aim of all good works |
are wrong or defective. The motive is fear, or sonic merely
natural affection, and the aim, to merit the bestowment of good.
But when we accept of the gracious offers of the gospel, and
feel that our sins are gratuitously pardoned, a sense of the
divine love, shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit,
awakens all holy affections. The motive to obedience is now
love, and its aim the glory of God, ver. 14, &c.

2. Paul teaches that it is not only obligatory on Christians
to renounce the service of sin, but that, in point of fact, the
authority and power of their former master are destroyed, and
those of their new master experienced, whenever they embrace
the gospel. This is the very nature of the change. The charge,
therefore, that the gospel leads to the service of sin, is an
absurdity, vs. 15 — 18.

3. Religion is essentially active. It is the yielding up of our
selves, with all our powers, to God, and the actual employment
of them as instruments in doing good. Nothing can be at a
greater remove from this, than making religion a mere matter
of indolent profession, (a saying, Lord, Lord,) ver. 12, £c.

4. Both from the nature of things, and the appointment of
God, the wages of sin is death. It renders intercourse with
God, who is the fountain of life, impossible. It consists in the
exercise of feelings, in their own nature, inconsistent with hap
piness ; it constantly increases in malignity, and in power to
destroy the peace of the soul. Apart from these essential
tendencies, its relation to conscience and the justice of God,
renders the connection between sin and misery indissoluble, \
Salvation in sin is as much a contradiction, as happiness io1'
misery, vs. 21, 23.

ROMANS VI. 12—23. 33a

£. Eternal life is the GIFT of God. It does not, like eternal
death, flow, as a natural consequence, from anything in us.
With the holy angels, who have never lost the favour of God.
this may be the case. But the tendency of all that belongs to
us, is to death ; this must be counteracted ; those excellences,
in which life consists, and from which it flows, must be pro
duced, sustained, and strengthened by the constant, condescend
ing, and long-suffering grace of the Holy Spirit. The life thus
graciously produced, and graciously sustained, is at last gra
ciously crowned with eternal glory, vs. 22, 23.

REMARKS.

1. We should cultivate a sense of the Divine favour as a
means to holiness. We must cease to be slaves, before we can
be children. We must be free from the dominion of fear, before
we can be under the government of love. A self-righteous
spirit, therefore, is not more inconsistent witli reliance on the
righteousness of Christ, in order to justification, than it is with
the existence and progress of sanctification. A\ hatcvcr tends/
to destroy a sense of the Divine favour, must be inimical to
holiness. Hence the necessity of keeping a conscience void of'

' offence, and of maintaining uninterrupted our union with Christ-
las our sacrifice and advocate, ver. 14, etc.

2. Those Christians are under a great mistake, who suppose
that despondency is favourable to piety. Happiness is one of
the elements of life. Hope and joy are twin daughters of piety,
and cannot, without violence and injury, be separated from
their parent. To rejoice is as much a duty as it is a privilege,
ver. 14, &c.

3. Sinners are slaves. Sin reigns over them ; and all their
powers are delivered to this master as instruments of unright
eousness, lie secures obedience with infallible certainty ; his
bonds become stronger every day, and his wages are death.
From his tyranny and recompense there is no deliverance by
the law ; our only hope is in Jesus Christ our Lord, vs. 12,
13, 16, &c.

4. Christians are the servants of God. He reigns over them, J
}and all their powers are consecrated to him. He, too, secures ;!

334 ROMANS VII. 1—25

fidelity, and his bonds of love and duty become stronger every
day. His reward is eternal life, vs. 12, 13, 16, &c.

5. It is of God, that those who were once the servants of sin, "
become the servants of righteousness. To him, therefore, all
the praise and gratitude belong, ver. 17.

6. When a man is the slave of sin, he commonly thinks him-,
self free ; and when most degraded, is often the most proud.
When truly free, he feels himself most strongly bound to God;*:
and when most elevated, is most humble, vs. 20 — 22.

7. Self-abasement, or shame in view of his past life, is the
necessary result of those views of his duty and destiny, whichA
every Christian obtains when he becomes the servant of God, I
ver. 21.

CHAPTER VII.

CONTEXTS.

THE apostle, having shown in the preceding chapter that the
doctrines of grace do not give liberty to sin, but, on the con
trary, are productive of holiness, in this chapter first illustrates
and confirms his position, that we are not under the law, but
under grace, and shows the consequences of this change in our
relation to God. While under the law, we brought forth fruit
unto sin ; when under grace, we bring forth fruit unto right
eousness. This occupies the first section, vs. 1 — 6. The second,
vs. 7 — 25, contains an exhibition of the operation of the law,
derived from the apostle's own experience, and designed to
show its insufficiency to produce sanctification, as he had before
proved it to be insufficient for justification. This section con
sists of two parts, vs. 7 — 13, which exhibit the operation of
the law in producing conviction of sin ; arid vs. 14 — 25, which
show that in the inward conflict between sin and holiness, the
law cannot afford the believer any relief. His only hope of
victory is in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

ROMANS VII. 1. 335

ROMANS VII. 1—6.

ANALYSIS.

Tnis section is an illustration of the position assumed in
ver. 14 of the preceding chapter : we are not under law, but
under grace. Paul remarks, as a general fact, that the author
ity of laws is not perpetual, ver. 1. For example, the law of
marriage binds a wuinan to her husband only so long as he
lives. When he is dead, she is free from the obligation which
that law imposed, and is at liberty to marry another man,
vs. 2, 3. So we, being free from the law, which was our first
husband, are at liberty to marry another, even Christ. We are
freed from the law by the death of Christ, ver. 4. The fruit
of our first marriage was sin, ver. 5. The fruit of the second
is holiness, ver. <>.

The apparent confusion in this passage arises from the apos
tle's not carrying the figure regularly through. As a woman is
free from obligation to her husband by hia death, so we are free
from the law by //x death, is obviously the illustration intended.
Lut the apostle, out of respect probably to the feelings of his
readers, avoids saying the law is dead, but expresses the idea
that we are free from it, by saying, we are dead to the law by
the body of Christ. '* Cieterum ne<|uis conturbetur, quod inter
ee comparata membra non omnino respondent : pnemonendi
sumus, apostolum data opera Vv'luisse exigua, inversione deflec-
tere asperioris verbi invidiam. Debuerat dicere, ut online s-imi-
litudinem contexeret: Mulier post mortem viri soluta est a
conjiigii vinculo, Lex, (put locum habet mariti erga nos, m<:rtua
est nobis : ergo sumus ab ejus potestate liberi. Sed ne offend-
eret Judyeos verbi asperitate, si dixisset legem esse mortuam,
deflectione est usus, dicens nos legi esse niortuos." Calvin.

COMMENTARY.

VERST^ 1. Know ye. not, brethren, (for T spr.ak to them that
know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as
long as he liueth ? In the English version of the words '/j dfvo-
e?re, the particle /J, or, is overlooked. As that particle ia almost

336 ROMANS VII. 1.

always used in reference to the immediately preceding context,
Meyer and others insist on connecting this verse with vi. 23 :
'The gift of God is eternal life; or are ye ignorant.' That is,
you must recognize eternal life as a gift, unless ye are ignorant
that the law does not bind the dead. But this is evidently
forced. The idea which -q is used to recall, is that in vi. 14 :
"Ye are not under the law, but under grace." This is the
main idea in the whole context, and is that which the following
passage carries out and enforces. The thing to be proved is,
that we are not under the law. The proof is, that the law does
not bind the dead. But we are dead, therefore we are free from
the law. This idea, that the law binds a man only so long as he
lives, is presented as a general principle, and is then illustrated
by a specific example. That example is the law of marriage,
which ceases to bind the parties when one of them is dead. So
the law, as a covenant of works, ceases to bind us when death
has loosed its bonds. We are as free as the woman whose hus
band is dead. " Sit generalis propositio," says Calvin, ulegem
non in alium finem latam esse hominibus, quarn ut proesentein
vitam moderetur : apud mortuos nullum ei supercsse locum.
Cui postea hypothesin subjiciet, nos illi esse mortuos in Christ!
corpore." Brethren; a mode of address applicable to all
believers. He speaks to his spiritual brethren, and not to the
Jewish converts alone, his brethren according to the flesh. For
I speak to them that knoiv the law. That is, I speak to you as
to persons who know the law ; not, I speak to those among you
who know the law. lie docs not distinguish one class of his
readers from another. That would require the participle in the
dative, ro?c fev(0ffxou0evt to the Jcnowers, as opposed to those
among them who did not know. He assumes that all his read
ers were fully cognizant of the principle, that the law has
dominion over a man so long as he Uveth. What law does the
apostle here refer to it? It may be understood of law without
any restriction. Law, all laws, (in the aspect in which they are
contemplated,) bind a man only so long as he lives. Or, it may
mean specifically the Mosaic law ; or, more definitely still, the
marriage law. There is no reason for these limitations. The
proposition is a jrcneral one ; though the application is doubt
less to the law of which he had been speaking, and specially to

ROMANS VII. 1. 337

the law referred to in vi. 14, from which he says we are now
free. That certainly is not the Mosaic law considered as a tran
sient economy, or as a system of religious rites ar.d ceremonies
designed for one people, and for a limited period. It is the
Mosaic law considered as a revelation of the moral law, which
is holy, just, and good, and which says, ''Thou shalt not
covet." He illustrates the mode of our deliverance from that
law, as a covenant of works, by a reference to the admitted
fact, that law has no dominion over the dead.

The original leaves it doubtful whether the last clause of the
verse is to be rendered "as long as Jte lives," or '%as long as it
lives." The decision of this point depends on the context. In
favo-ur of the latter, it may be said, 1. That it is bettor suited
to the apostle's design, which is to show that the law is dead or
abrogated. 2. That in verse G (according to the common read
ing) the law is spoken of as being dead. 3. And, especially,
that in vs. 2, 3, the woman is said to be free from the law, not
by her own, but by her husband's death; which would seem to
require that, in the other part of the comparison, the husband
(i. e. the law) should be represented as dying, and not the wife,
that is, those bound by the law. But, on the other hand, it
must be admitted that t/tc l<tw //>vx, and t//>> l<i/n th'rx, are very
unusual modes of expression, and perfectly unexampled in
Paul's writings, if the doubtful case in ver. 6 be excepted,
2. This interpretation is inconsistent with ver. '2. It is not the
law that dies: '-The woman is bound to her husband as long ;H
he liveth; but if the husband be dead," &c. 3. Throughout the
passage it is said that we are dead to the law (ver. 4,) delivered
from the law (ver. 0.) and not that the law is dead. The com
mon interpretation, therefore, is to be preferred: 'The law has
dominion as long and no longer than the person lives, to whom
it has respect. For example, the law of marriage ceases to be
binding when one of the parties is dead.' Instead of under
standing the words, as long as lie liveth, of the natural or phy
sical life, as is done by the great body of interpreters, Philippi
and others say the meaning is, 'That the law binds a man so
long as his natural, corrupt, unregerierated life continues. When
the old man is crucified, he is free from the law.' We have
here, he says, the same idea as is expressed above, vi. 7, * lie
22

338 ROMANS VII. 2—3.

that dieth is justified from sin.' This interpretation is not only
unnatural, but it necessitates a forced allegorical interpretation
of the following verses.

VERSE 2. For the woman which Jiath a husband, yo^r] u~av-
dooz, viro subject a, married, answering to JTIPI* tins, Num.
v. 29. Is bound by the law to her living husband, rw ^Co^it
da dp!, i. e. to her husband while living. But if her husband be
dead, she is freed from the law of her husband. Is freed from,
xarijof'fjTo.1 d~6 is an expression which never occurs in common
Greek. The same idiom is found in ver. 6 of this chapter, and
in Gal. v. 4. Ka~o.(r{€iv means to invalidate, to render void.
The idea is, that the relation to her husband is broken off, and
she is free. Law of her husband means law relating to her
husband. The phrase is analogous to those often used in the
Old Testament — "law of the sacrifice;" "law of leprosy;"
"law of defilement." According to the common interpretation
of this verse, ?dp (for) introduces a confirmatory illustration :
'Law is not of perpetual obligation; for example, a married
woman is free from the law which bound her to her husband, by
his death.' There is of course a slight incongruity between the
illustration and the form in which the principle is stated in the
first verse. There it is said that the law has dominion over a
man so long as he lives. The illustration is, that a wife is free
(not when she (lies) when her husband dies. For this and other
reasons, many interpreters do not regard this verse as present
ing an example, but as an allegory. Those who take this view,
give different explanations. After Augustin, Melancthon, Beza,
and others, say: 'The husband is our corrupt nature, (vis ilia
nativa, as Beza calls it, ciens in nobis affectiones peccatorum ;)
the wife is the soul, or our members. When, therefore, the
corrupt nature (or old man) dies, the soul is free from that hus
band, and is at liberty to marry another.' Others, with much
more regard to the context, say that the wife is the Church,
the husband the law ; so Origen, Chrysostom, Olshausen, Phi-
lippi, &c. This is indeed the application which the apostle
makes in the following verses, but it is not what is said in
vs. 2. 3. Here we have only an example, illustrating the truth
of the assertion in ver. 1.

VERSE 3 is an amplification and confirmation of what is said

ROMANS VII. 4. 339

in ver. 2 : That a woman is bound by the law to her husbana as
long as he lives, is plain, because she is called an adulteress if
she marries another man while her husband lives. And that
she is free from that law when he dies, is plain, because she is
in that case no adulteress, though she be married to another
man. She shall be called* yjr/j /tariffs!, authoritatively and
solemnly declared to be. Xftr^ucrci'sw (from /(""£w/) is literally
to transact business, and specially the business of the state, to
give decisions, or decrees ; and specially in the Xew Testament,
to utter divine responses, OTCiculct ed<'t'e, divinitus admonere; see
Matt. ii. 12, 22; Luke ii. 20; Acts x. 22; lleb. via. 5, xi. 7.
Compare Hum. xi. 4.

VKHSI-; 4. W/n'r<-f»rc, nu/ brethren, //<' also hcfre become dead
to the law by the body of Christ. As the woman is free from
the law bv the death of her husband, so i/e (thn ('/.'/.I £//.c?c) are
freed from the law by the death of Christ. This is the applica,-
tii/n made by the apostle of the illustration contained in vs. 2, 3.
The law is our first husband ; we were bound to satisfy its
demands. Jiut the law being dead, (i. e. fulfilled in Christ.) we
are free irom the obligation of obedience to it as the condition
of justification, and are at liberty to accept the gospel. " Lex
vclut mantus fuit," savs Calvin. ;'sub eujus jugo detinemur,
donee mortua est. Post legis mortem Chri>tus nos assumpsit,
id est, a lege soltitos adjunxit sibi. Enro Chi'isto e mortuis
suscitato copulati adhaerere ei soli debemus: attjuc lit aeterna
est Christ! vita post resurrectionem, ita posthac nullum futurum
est divortium." Instead of saying. The law is dead, as the con
sistency of the figure would demand, the apostle expresses the
same idea by saying, Ye are dead to the law, or rather, are
slain, put to death, e$6cvttrw$^r£. This form of expression is
probably used because the death of Christ, in which we died,
wa> an act of violence, lie was put to death, and we in him.
To be slain to the law, means to be freed from the law by death.
Death, indeed, not our own, but ours vicariously, as we were
crucified in Christ, who died on the cross in our behalf, and in
our stead. It is therefore added, ly tlu1 l><>di/ <>f Christ, i. e. by
his body as slain, lie redeemed us from the law by death ; "by

v J J

being a curse," Gal. iii. 13; "by his blood," Eph. i. 7, ii. 13;
" by his fl?sh," Eph. ii. 15; "by the cross," Eph. ii. 16; "by

340 ROMANS VII. 4.

the body of his flesh," Col. i. 22. These are all equivalent
expressions. They all teach the same doctrine, that Christ
bore our sins upon the tree ; that his sufferings and death were
a satisfaction to justice, and, being so intended and accepted,
they effect our deliverance from the penalty of the law. We
arc therefore free from it. Although the law continues ever
more to bind us as rational creatures, it no longer prescribes
the conditions of our salvation. It is no longer necessary that
we should atone for our own sins, or work out a righteousness
such as the law demands. Christ has done that for us. We
are thus freed from the law, that we should be married to
another, ecz ?b Y&sad-cu, as expressing the design. The proxi
mate design of our freedom from the law, is our union with
Christ; and the design of our union with Christ is, that we
should bring forth fruit unto God, that is, that we should be
holy. Here, therefore, as in the preceding chapter, the apostle
teaches that the law cannot sanctify ; that it is necessary we
should be delivered from its bondage, and be reconciled to God,
before we can be holy. lie to Avhom we are thus united, is said
to be he who is raised from the d-ead. As Christ is spoken of,
or referred to as having died, it was appropriate to refer to him
as now living. It is to the living and life-giving Son of God
that we are united by faith and the indwelling of the Spirit ; and
therefore it is that we are no longer barren or unfruitful, but
are made to bring forth fruit unto God. u Sed ultra progreditur
apostolus," says Calvin, "nempe solutum fuisse legis vinculum,
non ut nostro arbitrio vivamus, sicuti mulier vidua sui juris est,
dum in coelibatu degit; sed alteri marito nos jam esse devinc-
tos : imo de maim (ut aiunt) in manum a lege ad Christum
nos transiisse."

It need hardly be remarked, that the law of which the apos
tie is here speaking, is not the Mosaic law considered as the
Old Testament economy. It is not the doctrine of this or of
similar passages, that Christ has merely delivered us from the
yoke of Jewish institutions, in order that we may embrace the
simpler and more spiritual dispensation of the gospel. The law
of which he speaks, is the law which says, "The man that
doeth these things shall live by them," x. 5; Gal. iii. 10; that
is, which requires perfect obedience as the condition of accept-

ROMANS VII. 4. 341

ancc. It is that which says, "Thou shalt not covet," ver. 7;
without which sin is dead, ver. 8 ; which is holy, just and good,
ver. 12; which is spiritual, ver. 14, &c. It is that law hy whose
works the Gentiles cannot be justified, chap. iii. 20; from whose
curse Christ has redeemed not the Jews only, but also the Gen
tiles, Gal. iii. 13, 14. It is plain, therefore, that Paul here
means by the law, the will of God, as a rule of duty, no matter
how revealed. From this law, as prescribing the terms of our
acceptance with God, Christ has delivered us. It is the legal
system which says, "Do this arid live," that Christ has abo
lished, and introduced another, which says, fc-He that believes
shall be saved." Since, however, as remarked above (chap,
vi. 14,) the Old Testament economy, including the Mosaic insti
tutions, was the form in which the law, as la\v, was ever present
to the minds of the apostle and his readers; and since deliver
ance from the1 legal system, as such, involved deliverance from
that economy, it is not wonderful that reference to that dis
pensation should often be made; or that Paul should at times
express the idea of deliverance from the law, as such, by terms
which would i»oem to express only deliverance from the particu
lar form in which it was so familiar to his readers. So, too, in
the epistle to the Galatians, we find him constantly speaking of
a return to Judaism as a renunciation of the method of gratui
tous justification, and a recurrence to a reliance on the right
eousness of works. The reason of this is obvious. The Old
Testament dispensation, apart from its evangelical import, which
lay, like a secondary sense, beneath the cover of its institutions,
was but a reenactment of the legal system. To make, however,
as is so often done, the whole meaning of the apostle to be, that
we are freed from the Jewish law, is not only inconsistent in
this place with the context, arid irreconcilable with many
express declarations of Scripture, but destructive of the whole
evangelical character of the doctrine. How small a part of the
redemption of Christ is deliverance from the Mosaic institutions!
How slight the consolation to a soul, sensible of its exposure to
the wrath of God, to be told that the law of Moses no longer
condemns us ! How void of truth and meaning the doctrine,
that deliverance from the law is necessary to holiness, if the law
means the Jewish economy merely

342 ROMANS VII. 5.

VERSE 5. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sm,
whwh were ly the laiv, &c. The apostle having, in ver. 4, stated
that believers are freed from the law by the death of Christ, in
this and the following verse, shows the necessity and the con
sequences of this change: 'We have been thus freed, because
formerly, when under the law, we brought forth fruit unto
death ; but now, being free from the law, we are devoted to the
service of God.' The force of for, at the beginning of this
verse, is therefore obvious. The former legal state of believers
is here described by saying, they were in the flesh. In the
language of Scripture, the word flesh expresses, in such con
nections, one or the other of two ideas, or both conjointly.
First, a state of moral corruption, as in chap. viii. 8, " Those
that arc in the flesh;" secondly, a carnal state, i. e. a state in
which men are subject to external rites, ceremonies, and com
mands ; or more generally, a legal state, inasmuch as among
the Jews, that state was one of subjection to such external
rites. Gal. iii. 3, " Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made
perfect by the flesh?" Compare Gal. iv. 9, where the expression
"weak and beggarly elements" is substituted for the phrase
"the flesh;" see Horn. iv. 1. In the present case, both ideas
appear to be included. The meaning is, ' when in your unre-
nenewed and legal state.' The opposite condition is described
(ver. G) as a state of freedom from the law ; which, of course,
shows that the second of the two ideas mentioned above was
prominent in the apostle's mind when he used the words "in
the flesh." In vi. 14, the apostle says, " Sin shall not have
dominion over you, for ye are not under the law;" and here, in
the exposition of that passage, he shows why it is that while
under the law, sin does have dominion. It is because, while in
that state of condemnation and alienation from God, the effect
of the law is to produce sin. He says the Tratty/mTa rcov fyap-
TUOV are oca rorj ^6p.oo. This does not mean that the passions
of sin (i. e. which manifest themselves in sinful acts) are simply
made known by the law, but they are by it, that is, produced
by it. The word r.adr^iara literally means what is suffered,
afflictions; here it is used in a secondary sense for passions,
(motions, in the sense of emotions, feelings.) These two mean
ings of the word are nearly allied, inasmuch as in passion, or

ROMANS VII. 6. 343

feeling, the soul is rather the subject than the agent These
sinful feelings, aroused by the law, the apostle says i^rr^lro,
wrought, (the word is here, as everywhere else in the New Tes
tament, used in an active sense,) in our members; i. e. in us,
not merely in our bodily members, but in all our faculties,
whether of soul or body. To bring forth fruit; s/c ro '/M.<>-O-
(fooYjGa:, as expressing the result, not the design. The effect
of the excitement of sinful feeling by the law. was the produc
tion of fruit unto death; TW $avaTw, as opposed to ~(o Hs<u of
the preceding verse. Death is personified. lie is represented
as a master, to whom our works arc rendered. They belong to
him. Death, in other words, is the consequence or end secured
by our sins. The wages of sin is death. The consequence <>f
sinning is, that we die. The death here meant is no more mere
physical death than in vi. -o. It is that death which the law
of God threatens as the punishment of sin.

VERSE 6. But now, (y'j^l os< opposed to o'r£ of yer. o.) i. e.
since our conversion, -we were freed fr»m tlie l«w; xarfjOfq-
iJYjfi.z^ d~i> Ttrj wn<>\j* (the same idiom as in ver. -.) I low were
we thus freed from the law? By death. If d~o$6ci<o'vroc, found
in the common text, is the true reading. (t/i<it //">'ini/ <//n/.) then
it is by the death (i. e. the abrogation or satisfaction) of the law
that we are thus freed, even as the woman is freed by the death
of her husband. Hut if, as all modern editors airree, d;ro$6cv6y-
TSC (>('<' having died} is the true reading, then it is bv our own
vicarious death in Christ, our having died with him whose death
is a satisfaction to the law, that we are thus delivered. This is
in accordance with ver. 4, where it is said ?/v died to the law.
The apostle says we di<'d (ru'jr(ij) £> w xa-ziynn-iia.* (to that) Ly
which we were bound. The law held us under its authority,
and, as it were, in bondage; from which bondage we have been
redeemed by death. So tltut, the consequence of this freedom
from the law is, we. serve (God) in ni'fvni-xx <>f tin- ,S/>//vV, and not
(sin) in the old new of the letter. That is, we serve God in a
new and holy state due to the Spirit, which the Spirit has pro
duced, and not sin in, or according to, the old and corrupt state
under the law. ^'icnefts of the Spirit is that new state of mind
of which the Holy Ghost is the author. Oldtwss of the letter is
that old state of which the law is the source, in so far as it was

344 ROMANS VII. 1—6.

a state of condemnation and enmity to God. That U^sit/jta here
is the Holy Spirit, and not the human soul as renewed by the
Spirit, may be inferred from the general usage of the New Tes
tament, and from such parallel passages as Gal. iii. 3, 2 Cor.
iii. 6, in both of which xvsu/jta means the Gospel as the revela
tion and organ of the Spirit. In the latter passage, the apostle
says, "the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life." There, as
here, the letter, rpd/t/jta, is what is written. The law is so desig
nated because the decalogue, its most important part, was origi
nally written on stone, and because the whole law, as revealed
to the Jews, was written in the Scriptures, or writings. It was
therefore something external, as opposed to what was inward
and spiritual. Luther's version of this passage gives the sense
in a few words: "Als dass wir dienen iin neuen Wesen des
Geistes, und nicht im alten Wesen des Buchstaben." Believers
then are free from the law, by the death of Christ. They are
no longer under the old covenant, which said, "Do this and
live;" but are introduced into a new and gracious state, in
which they are accepted, not for what they do, but for what
has been done for them. Instead of having the legal and
slavish spirit which arose from their condition under the law,
they have the feelings of children.

DOCTRINE.

1. The leading doctrine of this section is that taught in
ver. 14 of the preceding chapter, viz. that believers are not
under a legal system; and that the consequence of their free
dom is not the indulgence of sin, but the service of God, ver. 4.

2. This deliverance from the law is not effected by setting
the law aside, or by disregarding its demands ; but by those
demands being satisfied in the person of Christ, ver. 4, chap.
x. 4.

3. As far as we are concerned, redemption is in order to
holiness. We are delivered from the law, that we may be
united to Christ ; and we are united to Christ, that we may
bring forth fruit unto God, ver. 4, &c.

4. Legal or self-righteous strivings after holiness can never
be successful. The relation in which they place the soul to

ROMANS VII. 1—6. 345

God is. from its nature, productive of evil, and not of holy
feelings, ver. 5.

5. Actual freedom from the bondage and penalty of the law
is always attended and manifested by a filial temper and obedi
ence, ver. 6.

6. The doctrine concerning marriage, which is here inci
dentally taught, or rather which is assumed as known to Jews
and Christians, is, that the marriage contract can only be dis
solved by death. The only exception to this rule is given by
Christ, Matt. v. 32 ; unless indeed Paul, in 1 Cor. vii. 15,
recognizes wilful and final desertion as a sufficient ground of
divorce, vs. 2, 3.

REMARKS.

1. As the only way in which we can obtain deliverance from
the law is by the death of Christ, the exercise of faith in him
is essential to holiness. When we lose our confidence in Christ,
we fall under the power of the law, and relapse into sin.
Evervthing depends, therefore, upon our maintaining our union
with Christ. ''Without me, ye can do nothing/' ver. 4.

2. The only evidence of union with Christ is bringing forth
fruit unto God, ver. 4.

3. As deliverance from the penalty of the law is in order to
holiness, it is vain to expect that deliverance, except with a
view to the end for which it is granted, ver. 4.

4. Conversion is a great change ; sensible to him that expe
riences it, and visible to others. It is a change from a legal
and slavish state, to one of filial confidence* manifesting itself
by the renunciation of the service of sin, and by devotion to the
service of God, ver. 6.

5. A contract so lasting as that of marriage, and of which
the consequences are so important, should not be entered into
lightly, but in the fear of God, vs. 2, 3.

6. The practice, common in many Protestant countries of
Europe, and in many States of this Union, of granting divorces
on the ground of cruel treatment or 'incompatibility of temper,'
is in direct contravention of the doctrines and precepts of the
Bible on this subject, vs. 2, 3

346 ROMANS VII. 7.

ROMANS VII. 7—13.

ANALYSIS.

PAUL, having shown that we must bo delivered ft >m the law,
in order to our justification (chapters iii. iv.,) and that this
freedom was no less necessary in order to sanctification (chap,
vi., chap. vii. 1 — 6,) comes now to explain more fully than ho
had previously done, what are the use and effect of the law.
This is the object of the residue of this chapter. The apostle
shows, first, vs. 7 — 13, that the law produces conviction of sin,
agreeably to his declaration in chap. iii. 20 ; and, secondly,
vs. 14 — 25, that it enlightens the believer's conscience, but
cannot destroy the dominion of sin. This section, therefore,
may be advantageously divided into two parts. Paul introduces
the subject, as is usual with him, by means of an idea intimately
associated with the preceding discussion. He had been insisting
on the necessity of deliverance from the law. Why ? Because
it is evil? No; but because it cannot produce holiness. It can
produce only the knowledge and the sense of sin ; which are the
constituents of genuine conviction. These two effects are attri
buted to the operation of the law, in vs. 7, 8. These ideas are
amplified in vs. 9 — -11. The inference is drawn in ver. 12, that
the law is good; and in ver. 18, that the evil which it incident
ally produces is to be attributed to sin, the exceeding turpitude
of which becomes thus the more apparent.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 7. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Far from
it, &c. The apostle asks whether it is to be inferred, either
from the general doctrine of the preceding section, respecting
the necessity of deliverance from the law, or from the special
declaration made in ver. 5, respecting the law producing sin,
that the lawr was itself evil ? lie answers, By no means ; and
shows, in the next verse, that the effect ascribed to the law, in
ver. 5, is merely incidental. Is the law sin? means either, Is
the law evil? or is it the cause of sin? see Micah i. 5, '^amaria
is the sin of Jacob.' The former is best suited to the context,

ROMANS VII. 7. 34?

because Pau] admits that the law is incidentally productive of
sin. The two ideas, however, may be united, as by Calvin,
'•An peccatum sic generet, ut illi imputari ejus culpa debeat;"
T)OCS the law so produce sin, as that the fault is to be imputed to
the law itself ? God forbid, IJLTJ ^ewco; let it not be thought
that the law is to blame. On the eontrary (a//a,) so far from
the law being evil, it is the source, and the only source of
the knowledge of sin. I had nut known sin, but by the law.
Where there is no knowledge of the law, there can be no con
sciousness of sin ; for sin is want of conformity to the law. If,
therefore, the standard of right is not known, there can be no
apprehension of our want of conformity to it. Bv the law here,
is to be understood the moral law, however revealed. It is not
the law of Moses, so far as that law was peculiar and national,
but only so far as it contained the rule of duty. It is not the
experience of men, as determined by their relation to tlio
Mosaic dispensation, but their experience as determined by
their relation to the moral law, that is here depicted. But in
what sense does Paul here use the pronoun J .' That he does
not speak for himself only; that it is not anvthinix in his own
individual experience, peculiar to himself, is obvious from the
whole context, and is almost universally admitted. But if ho
speaks representatively, whom does he represent, whose experi
ence under the operation of the law is here detailed? (rrotins
says, that he represents the Jewish people, and sets forth their
experience before and after the introduction of the law of
Moses. This opinion was adopted bv Lock*-, .Estins, and
recently by Beiehe. Others say that lie speaks out of the
common consciousness of men. k"Dus I'fto, repnesentirte sub
ject," says Meyer, "ist der Mensch iiberhaupt, in seiner rein
menschlichen und natUrlichen Verfassung." The experience
detailed is that of the natural or unrenewed man throughout.
This view is the one generally adopted bv modern commenta
tors. Others again say, that Paul is here speaking as a Christ
ian ; he is giving his own religious experience of the operation
of the law, as that experience is common to all true believers.
This does not necessarily suppose that the preliminary exercises,
as detailed in vs. 7 — 13, are peculiar to the renewed. There is
a "law work,'* a work of conviction which, in its apparent

348 ROMANS VII. 7.

characteristics, is common to the renewed and the unrencwed.
Many are truly and deeply convinced of sin ; many experience
all that the law in itself can produce, who are never regene
rated. Nevertheless, the experience here exhibited is the expe
rience of every renewed man. It sets forth the work of the law
first in the work of conviction, vs. 7 — 13, and afterwards in
reference to the holy life of the Christian. This is the Augus-
tinian view of the bearing of this passage adopted by the
Lutherans and Reformed, and still held by the great body of
evangelical Christians.

I had not known sin. There are two kinds of knowledge.
The one has for its object mere logical relations, and is a matter
of the intellect; the other has for its object both the logical
relations and the qualities, moral or otherwise, of the thing
known, arid is a matter of the feelings as well as of the intel
lect. The kind of knowledge of which the apostle speaks is not
mere intellectual cognition, but also conviction. It includes the
consciousness of guilt and pollution. The law awakened in him
the knowledge of his own state and character. He felt himself
to be a sinner ; and by a sinner is to be understood not merely
a transgressor, but one in whom sin dwells. It was the cor
ruption of his nature which was revealed to the apostle by the
operation of the law. This sense of the word apaoria in this
context is almost universally admitted. "Die Si/jtapTca," says
Meyer, "ist das prineipe der Stlnde im Mensclien (1. v. 8. 9. 11.
13. 14.), (lessen wir erst durch das Gesctz uns bewusst werden,
und welches olme das Gcsetz unbewusst geblieben ware." That
is, "The h.fj.apria is the principle of sin in men, of which we
become conscious through the law, and of which we would with
out the law have remained unconscious." So De TVette, Tho-
luck, Riickert, Kollner, Olshausen, and Philippi, among the
modern commentators, as well as the older doctrinal expositors.

For I had not known lust, except the law had said, T/tou shalt
not covet. This may be understood as merely an illustration of
the preceding declaration : ' I had not known sin but by the
law. For example, I had not known lust, except the law had
Bziid, Thou shalt not covet.' According to this view, there is
no difference between sin and lust, afiaoria and i-(&u/jila, except
that the latter is specific, and the former general. Lust falls

ROMANS VII. 8. 349

under the general category of sin. But according to this inter
pretation, neither hiiap-ria nor £;'vct»v (sin nor know) receives the
full force which the connection requires. This clause, there
fore, is not simply an illustration, but a confirmation of the
preceding : ' I had not known sin, but by the law ; for I had
not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.'
That is, ' From the consciousness of desire striving against the
law, arose the conviction of the principle of sin within me.'
Desire revealed as evil by the law, itself revealed the evil
source whence it springs. The word i~t&t)fi.ia. means simply
earnest desire, and the verb l~i$'jus(o is to desire earnestly. It
depends on the context whether the desire be good or bad,
whether it is directed towards what is lawful or what is forbid
den. In the tenth commandment, here quoted, the meaning is,
Thou shalt not desire to have (i. e. thou shalt not covet) that
which belongs to another. The point of the apostle's argument
is, that his knowledge of sin is due to the law, because without
the law he would not have known that mere desire is evil, and
because these evil desires revealed the hidden source of sin in
his nature.

VEKSI-: 8. But sin, talcing occasion ly tlte commandment,
u'rowjlit in )>!<' all tmnun'r <>f concupiscence. This verse is not
logically connected with the preceding. It is rather coordinate
with it, and is a virtual, or rather, an additional answer to tho
question, Is the law evil'.'' To this question Paul replies, Xo ;
on the contrary, it leads to the knowledge of sin. And hence
he add-. It is not evil in itself, although incidentally the cause
of sin in u<. By x/x, in this case, cannot be understood actual
sin. It must mean indwelling sin, or corruption of nature;
sin as the principle or source of action, and not as an act.
tl<"Afj.OLf)Ti(i non potest esse hoc loco pt'<'<-atat)i ipsuni," says
Koppe, " sed ipsa potius prava et ad peccandum prodivis indo-
les, vitiosa hominis natura, vitiositas ipsa." To the same effect,
Olshausen: "Aus der allgemeincn siindhaften natur des Men-
schen geht die l~t&u fj.ia, prava concupisccntia, als erste Ausse-
rung hervor und dann folgt erst die That." That is, from sin
immanent in our nature, comes first desire, and then the act.
Thus Kollner says, " Ixeftu/jtiav, so von duaoTca vcrschieden,
dass diese das gleichsam iin Menschen ruhende siindliche

350 ROMANS VII. 8.

Princip bezciclmet, £7x&L)/j.f'a aber die im einzelnen Falle
wirksame bose Lust, ganz eigentlich die Begierde, die dann
zunaehst zur S'dnde in concreto fiirht." Such is plainly the
meaning of the apostle. There is a principle of sin, a corrup
tion of nature which lies back of all conscious voluntary exer
cises, to which they owe their origin. 'Eittd-ofiia, feeling, the
first form in which sin is revealed in the consciousness, springs
from 6,/tapria. This is a truth of great importance. According
to the theology and religious conviction of the apostle, sin can
be predicated not only of acts, but also of inward states.

Sin taking occasion, dyop/utyVj opportunity or advantage, by
the commandment, i. e. the command, "Thou shalt not covet."
A part is taken for the whole. This special precept (iuroArj)
stands, by way of illustration, for the whole law. The words
dtd. TYjZ ivro/^c, by the commandment., may be taken with the
preceding clause, 'taking advantage of the commandment.' In
favour of this construction is the position of the words, and, as
is supposed, the of a\jr7^ in ver. 11, which, it is said, cor
responds to these words in this verse. This is the construction
which is adopted by our translators, and by many commenta
tors. Others prefer connecting the words in question with what
follows — "by the commandment wrought in me." In favour
of this is the fact, that the main idea of the passage is thus
brought out. The apostle designs to show how the law, although
good in itself, produced evil: 4 Sin wrought by it.' Besides, the
phrase acoou.r^ Aa/jifidvsev ex, or Ttapd, or drro, is common, but
with did it never occurs: ucd is not the appropriate preposition;
whereas xarspfd^zad-at oto. is perfectly appropriate. Wrought
in me all manner of concupiscence, xaaav iirc^ofjiiav^ every (evil)
desire.

For ivitliout the law sin (ivas) dead. This is designed as a
confirmation of the preceding declaration. This confirmation
is drawn either from a fact of Paul's personal experience, or
from an universally admitted truth. If the former, then wo
must supply was: ' Sin is excited by the law, for without the
law sin was dead ;' i. e. I was not aware of its existence. If the
latter, then is is to be supplied: 'Without the law sin is dead.'
This is an undisputed fact: 'Where there is no law there is no
sin ; and where is no knowledge of law there is no knowledge

ROMANS VII. 9. 351

of sin. The latter view best suits the context. To say that a
thing is dead, is to say that it is inactive, unproductive, and
unobserved. All this may be said of sin prior to the operation
of the law. It is comparatively inoperative and unknown, until
aroused and brought to light by the law. There are two effects
of the law included in this declaration — the excitement of evil
passions, and the discovery of them. Calvin makes the latter
much the more prominent: uAd cognitionem prcecipue refero,
acsi dictum furet : Detexit in me omncm concupiscentiam ; (|iux3
dum lateret, quodammodo nulla esse videbatur." Dut the con
text, and the analogous declarations in the .succeeding verses,
seem to require the former to be considered as the more impor
tant. The la\v then is not evil, but it produces the conviction
of sin, by teaching us what sin is, ver. 7, ami bv making us
conscious of the existence and power (A' this evil in our own
hearts, ver. 8. " hhe dem Menschen ein i>nno- entweder von
aussen gegeben wird, odcr in ihm selbst sich entwickelt, so ist
die Sundhaftigkcit /war in ihm, als Anlaire, aber sie ist todt,
d. h. sie ist ihm noch nieht zum Bewusstseyn u;okommen, weil
noch kcin Widerstreit /wisclicn seiner SUndhafti^keit uiul
einein Gebote in ihm ontstehen konnte." L'xt< ri J;<//r/«'</>-/fF
Pauli, p 'I-). Such is certainly the experience of Christians.
They live at ease. Conscience is at rest. They think them
selves to be as good as can be reasonably required of them
They have no adequate conception of the power or heinou-ness
of the evil within them. Sin lies, as it were, dead, as the torpid
serpent, until the operation of the law rouses it from its slum
bers, and reveals its character.

VKRSK !>. Fur 1 was <iUre without tin' liw once, &c. The
meaning of this clause is necessarily determined by what pre
cedes. If by sin being dead means its lying unnoticed and
unknown, then by />»-i>i:/ n/ii'<>, Paul must mean that state of
security and comparative exemption from the turbulence or
manifestation of sin in his heart, which he then experienced.
lie fancied himself in a happy and desirable condition. lie had
no dread of punishment, no painful consciousness of sin. But
when the commandment came, i. e. came to his knowledge, wras
revealed to him in its authority and in the extent and spiritu
ality of its demands, sin revived; i. e. it was roused from its

352 ROMANS VII. 10.

torpor. It was revealed in his consciousness by its greater
activity ; so that the increase of his knowledge of sin was due
to an increase in its activity. And I died. As by being alive
was meant being at ease in a fancied state of security and good
ness, being dead must mean just the opposite, viz. a state of
misery arising from a sense of danger and the consciousness
of guilt. This interpretation is recommended not only by its
agreement with the whole context, but also from its accordance
with the common experience of Christians. Every believer can
adopt the language of the apostle. He can say he was alive
without the law ; he was secure and free from any painful con
sciousness of sin ; but when the commandment came, when he
was brought to see how holy and how broad is the law of God,
sin was aroused and revealed, and all his fancied security and
goodness disappeared. He was bowed down under the con
viction of his desert of death as a penalty, and under the power
of spiritual death in his soul. " Mors pcccati," says Calvin,
"vita est hominis; rursum vita pcccati mors hominis."

The questions, however — When was Paul, or those in whose
name he speaks, without the law ? In what sense was he then
alive? What is meant by the commandment coming? In what
sense did sin revive ? and, What does Paul mean when he says,
he died ? — are all answered by different commentators in differ
ent ways, according to their different views of the context and
of the design of the argument. Grotius and others say, that
beino- without the law designates the ante-Mosaic period of the
Jewish history, when the people lived in comparative innocence ;
the law came when it was promulgated from Mount Sinai, and
under its discipline they became worse and worse, or at least
sin was rendered more and more active among them. Others
say, that Paul was without the law in his childhood, when
he was in a state of childish innocence ; but when he came to
years of discretion, and the law was revealed within him, then
}ie died— then he fell under the power of sin. These interpre
tations give a much lower sense than the one above-mentioned,
and are not in keeping with the grand design of the passage.

VERSE 10. And the commandment which ivas unto life, I
found to be unto death. The law was designed and adapted to
secure life, but became in fact the cause of death. Life and

ROMANS VII. 11. 353

death, as hero opposed, are figurative terms. Life includes tho
ideas of happiness and holiness. The law was designed to make
men happy and holy. Death, on the other hand, includes the
ideas of misery and sin. The law became, through no fault of
its own, the means of rendering the apostle miserable and
sinful. How vain therefore is it to expect salvation from the
law, since all the law does, in its operation on the unrcnewed
heart, is t<> condemn and to awaken opposition! It cannot
change the nature of man. ]>y the law is the knowledge of
sin, iii. 20; it produces "the motions of sin,'' ver. 5; it "works
all manner of concupiscence," ver. S : it revives sin, ver. (J ; it
seduces into sin, ver. 11. JIow then can it save? IIo\v mise
rable and deluded are those who have only a leiral religion!

ft/ CT •""

A KKSK 1 1. /'>/• x//<, tnJi'uii/ oi'i'tfxio/i l>i/ tli<' commandment)
deceived nn>, <mJ Li/ It xl,->r //t<>. The law is the cause of death,
ver. in. f,,r by it sin deceived and slew me. The two ideas
before insisted upon are again here presented — viz. the law, so
far from giving life, is the source of death, spiritual and penal;
and yet the fault is not in the law, but in sin. i. e, in <>nr own
corrupt nature. Here, as in ver. S, two constructions are pos
sible. \\ e may say, 'Sin took occasion by the1 commandment;'
or, ; Sin taking occasion, bv the commandment deceived me.'
For reasons mentioned above, ver. S, the latter is to he pre
ferred: Sin deceived me, z'^-dr^frz. The ix is intensive : • It
completely deceived me, or disappointed my expectations.'
How? l>y leading the apostle to expect one1 thinir, while ho
experienced another. lie expected life, and found death. lie
expected happiness, and found misery; he looked for holiness,
and found increased corruption. He fancied that by the law
all these desirable ends could be secured, when its operation
was discovered to produce the directly opposite effects. Sin
therefore deceived by the commandment, and by it slew him,
instead of its being to him the source of holiness and blessed
ness. The reference is not to the promised joys of sin, which
always mock the expectation and disappoint the hopes, but
rather to the utter failure of the law to do what he expected
from it. Such is the experience of every believer, in the
ordinary progress of his inward life. He first turns to the
law, to his own righteousness and strength, but he soon finds
23

354 ROMANS VII. 12, 13.

that all the law can do is only to aggravate his guilt and
misery,

VERSE 12. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment
holy, just, and good. This is the conclusion from the preceding
exhibition. The law is not evil, ver. 5. Sin is the true source
of all the evil which incidentally flows from the law. In itself
the law is holy, (i. e. the whole law,) and the commandment,
i. e. the specific command, "Thou shalt not covet," is holy,
just, and good. That is, it is in every aspect what it should be.
It is in every way excellent. It is holy as the revelation of the
holiness of God ; it is in its own nature right, and it is good,
i. e. excellent. In the next verse all these attributes are sum
med up in one, TO a-fadov, goodness. Hence this is probably
the generic term of which the others are the species. "Lex
•ipsa," says Calvin, " et quicquid lege praccipitur, id totum sanc
tum est, ergo summa dignitate reverendum; justum, ergo nullius
injustitias insimulandum ; bonum, ergo omni vitio purum ac
vacuum."

VERSE 13. Was then that which is good made death unto me ?
God forbid. In order to prevent the possibility of misconcep
tion, the apostle again vindicates the law. To ouv ayadbv,
kiwi -fsfoys frdvoxoz, Has the good become death to me ? Grod
forbid. \\)JM, on the contrary, ~/j cLiiattria (l;iol fijo^ &dvaro^)
sin (has become death to me.) Not the law, but sin is the cause
of death. And it is made so, ha (fawj &/jtap-la, o:a TO>J d.fa$oi)
{w> •/.</- zo'fa^otjihrj d-dvarov, in order that it may appear sin,
working in me death by means of good. The true character of
gin, as sin, is revealed by its making even that which is in
itself good, the means of evil. In order that it might become
exceeding sin fid by the commandment. God has so ordered it,
that the sinfulness of sin is brought out by the operation of the
law. Such is the design of the law, so far as the salvation of
sinners is concerned. It does not prescribe the conditions
of salvation. We arc not obliged to be sinless ; in other words,
we are not obliged to fulfil the demands of the law, in order to
be saved. Neither is the law the means of sanctification. It
cannot make us holy. On the contrary, its operation is to
excite and exasperate sin ; to render its power more dreadful
ind destructive, so that instead of being the source of life, it is

ROMANS VII. T— 13. S55

the instrument of death. By it we are slain. The construction
of this passage, given above, is that which the words demand,
and which almost all modern commentators adopt. Calvin,
Luther, the English translators, and many others, make dittan-ia
the subject of xarBo-fa^o^s^ ('/]>) taken as a verb: Sin wrought
death. The sense thus expressed is good; but this construction
does violence to the words, as it converts a participle into a
verb.

DOCTRINE.

1. The law, although it cannot secure either the justification,
or sanctification of men, performs an essential part in the
economy of salvation. It enlightens conscience, and secures its
verdict against a multitude of evils, which we should not other
wise have recognized as sins. It arouses sin, incrcasim: its
power, and making it, both in itself and in our consciousness,
exceedingly sinful. It therefore produces that state of mind
which is a necessary preparation for the reeeptiou of the
gospel, vs. 7, <S.

'2. Conviction of sin, that is, an adequate knowledge of its
nature, and a, sense of its power over us, is an indispensable
part of evangelical religion. Before the irospel can be embraced
as a means of deliverance from sin. we must feel that we are
involved in corruption and mi-cry, ver. 0.

3. The law of (Jod is a transcript of his own nature — holy,
just, and good. The clearer our views of its extent and excel
lence, the deeper will be our sense of our own unworthiness,
vs. 9, l±

4. Sin is exceedingly sinful. Its turpitude is manifested by
the fact, that the exhibition of holiness rouses it into opposi
tion ; and that the holy law itself is made incidentally to
increase its virulence and power, ver. 13.

5. Sin is very deadly. It extracts death from the means of
life, and cannot exist unattended by misery, vs. 10 — 13.

REMARKS.

1. How miserable the condition of those whose religion is all
law ! vs. T— 13.

2. Though the law cannot save us, it must prepare us for

356 ROMANS VII. 14—25.

salvation. It should, therefore, be carefully and faithfully
preached, both in its extent and authority, vs. 7, 8.

3. It must be wrong and productive of evil, so to describe
the nature of evangelical religion as to make the impression
that it is a mere change in the main object of pursuit — the
choice of one source of happiness in preference to another. It
is a return to God, through Jesus Christ, for the purpose of
being delivered from sin, and devoted to his service. Its first
step is the conviction that we are sinners, and, as such, dead,
i. e. helpless, corrupt, and miserable, vs. 7, IB.

4. Nothing is more inconsistent with true religion than self-
complacency. Because the more holy we are, the clearer our
views of God's law; and the clearer our views of the law, the
deeper our sense of sin, and, consequently, the greater must be
our humility, vs. 12, 13.

5. If our religious experience does not correspond with that
of the people of God, as detailed in the Scriptures, we cannot
be true Christians. Unless we have felt as Paul felt, we have
not the religion of Paul, and cannot expect to share his reward,
YS. 7_13.

ROMANS VII. 14—25.

ANALYSIS.

THE apostle, having exhibited the operation of the law in
producing conviction of sin, comes now to show its effect on the
mind of the believer. It cannot secure his sanctification. The
cause of this inability is not in the evil nature of the law, which
is spiritual, ver. 14, but in the power of indwelling sin; "I am
carnal," says the apostle, "sold under sin," ver. 14. As this
is not only a strong, but an ambiguous expression, Paul imme
diately explains his meaning. He does not intend to say that
lie was given up to the willing service of sin ; but that he was
in the condition of a slave, whose acts are not always the
evidence of his inclination. His will may be one way, but his
master may direct him another. So it is with the believer. He
does what he hates, and omits to do what he approves, ver. 15.

ROMANS VII. 14. 357

This is a description of slavery, and a clear explanation of what
is intended by the expression "sold under sin." There are two
obvious inferences to be drawn from this fact. The one is, that
the believer, while denying the sufficiency of the law, and main
taining the necessity of deliverance from it, bears an inward
testimony to its excellence. He feels and admits that the law
is good, ver. 16; for it is the law which he approves, and the
transgression of it he hates, as stated in the preceding verse.
The second inference is, that acts thus performed are not the
true criterion of character: "Now then, it is no more I that do
it, but sin that dwelleth in me," ver. IT. The acts of a slave
are indeed his own acts ; but not being performed with the full
assent and consent of his soul, they are not fair tests of the real
state of his feelings. The propriety and truth of this repre
sentation of the state of the believer, and of the influence of the
law, is reasserted and confirmed in vs. 18 — -0. The law pre
sents duty clearly: the heart and conscience of the believer
assent to its excellence; but what can the law do in destroying
the power of our inward corruptions? These evil principles
remain, so fur as the law is concerned, in full force. The
authoritative declaration that a thing must not be done, does
not destroy the inclination to do it.

Tin? result, therefore, is, that notwithstanding the assent of
the mind to the excellence of the law, the power of sin remains,
so that when we would do good, evil is present with us, ver. 21.
We delight in the law after the inward man, but this does not
destroy the power of sin in our members, vs. 22, 2o. This
inward conflict the law can never end. It only makes us sensi
ble of our helpless and degraded condition, ver. '24 ; and drives
us to seek victory, whence alone it can be obtained, i. e. as the
gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord, ver. 25.

COMMENTARY.

VKKSK 14. For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am
carnal, sold under sin. The connection between this verse and
the preceding passage seems to be this : It had been asserted
in ver. 5, that the law was incidentally the cause of sin.
This result, however, was no reflection on the law ; for it was

353 ROMANS VII. 14.

holy, just, and good, vcr. 12. As the fact that the law excites
gin is consistent with its being good, so is also the fact that it
cannot destroy the power of sin. The law indeed is spiritual,
but we are carnal. The fault is again in us. The ?•«/; thug
introduces the confirmation of the whole preceding argument.
If the connection is with ver. 13, the sense is substantially the
same: 'Sin, and not the law, works death; for the law is
spiritual, but I am carnal.' The apostle says, ocoarw rdo,
"for we know/' It is among Christians an acknowledged and
obvious truth, that the law is spiritual. This is probably the
reason that in this case he uses the plural tee instead of the
singular /, which occurs everywhere else in this connection.
Semler, indeed, and others, to preserve uniformity, proposes to
read oloa [j.kv fdp, 1 know indeed, instead of we know. But
then there would be no os corresponding to the {JLZV. The If to
os is opposed to vo/^oc, and not to lf(t> in oloa. The apostle
would have said, 'The law indeed is spiritual, but I am carnal,'
and not, 'I indeed know,' &c. The common division of the
words is therefore almost universally adopted.

The law is said to be spiritual, not because it pertains to our
spirits, reaching, as Bcza says, to the interior man, ("mentem
et interiorem hominem respicit;") much less because it is rea
sonable, or in accordance with the T^JUU as the higher faculty
of our nature; nor because it was given by inspiration of the
Spirit; but as expressing its nature. It is spiritual in the
sense of being Divine, or as partaking of the nature of the Holy
Spirit, its divine Author. This epithet includes, therefore, all
that was before expressed, by saying that the law is holy, just,
and good. But I am carnal. The word in the common text is
aapKLKos. Griesbach, Lachmaun, and Tisehendorf, on the author
ity of the older manuscripts, and of the Fathers, read o-dptcwos.
The difference between these words, (when they are distin
guished,) is, that the former expresses the nature, the Litter the
sul (stance out of which a thing is made ; so that a-cipicivos means
made of flesh, fleshy, corpulent. This is agreeable to the analogy
of words in ivos, \l6ivos, made of stone ; %v\ivo*, made of wood.
This, however, is not an uniform rule, as avOp^-jrivo^ means hu
man. In 2 Cor. iii. 3, the word <rdpicLvos is used in its strict sense,
where, ev rr\a^l KapSla? crapKivais (in tables of the heart made

ROMANS VII. 14. 359

of flesh,) it is opposed to iv ~)MZ± /r&Wc (tables made of stone.)
Even if ado'/.tisoz, in this case, is the true rending, it must have
the same sense as the more common word ffufxexoz, which, for
internal reasons, the majority of commentators prefer. As
spiritual expresses the nature of the law, so carnal must express
the nature, and not the material. I am carnal means I am
under the power of the flesh. And by jlc*It is meant not the
body, not our sensuous nature merely, but our whole nature as
fallen and corrupt. It includes all that belongs to men, apart
from the Holy Spirit. In the language of the Xew Testament,
the xv&JuaTfxol) spiritual, are those who arc under the control
of the Spirit of God; and the aair/r/.oi are those who are under
the control of their own nature. As, however, even in the
renewed, this control of the Spirit is never perfect, as the flesh
even in them retains much of its original power, they are
forced to acknowledge that they too are carnal. There is no
believer, however advanced in holiness, who cannot adopt the
language here used by the apostle. In 1 Cor. iii. 3, in
addressing believers, lie says, "Are ye not carnal?" In the
imperfection of human language the same word must be taken
in different senses. Sometimes carnal means entirely or
exclusively under the control of the flesh. It designates those
in whom the flesh is the only principle of art ion. At other
times it has a modified sense, and is applicable to those who,
although under the dominion of the Spirit, are still polluted
and influenced by the flesh. It is the same with all similar
words. When we speak of 'saints and sinners' we do not
mean that saints, such as they are in this world, are not
sinners. And thus when the Scriptures classify men as -isZ'jtiaTe-
xoi and frapxrxo'., spiritual and <-ani<il, thev do not mean to
teach that the spiritual are not carnal. It is, therefore, only
by giving the words here used their extreme sense, a sense
inconsistent with the context, that they can be regarded as
inapplicable to the regenerated. The mystical writers, such as
Olshauseri, in accordance with the theory which so many of
them adopt, that man consists of three subjects or substances,
body, soul, and spirit, (red/to., (ft'Jffi arid rri^v/yy/, say that by
ffdftz, in such connections, we are to understand das gauze
seelische Leben, the entire psychical life, which only, and not

360 ROMANS VII. 14.

the ;rv£y/./ft, (the spirit or higher element of our nature,) is
in man the seat of sin. In angels, on the contrary, the
xvs^/jLa itself is the seat of sin, and they therefore are incapable
of redemption. And in man, when sin invades the /rvsu/^a,
(spirit) then comes the sin against the Holy Ghost, and
redemption becomes impossible. This is only a refined or
mystical rationalism, as r.\<zrj[j.a is only another name for
reason, and the conflict in man is reduced to the struggle
between sense and reason, and redemption consists in giving
the higher powers of our nature ascendency over the lower.
According to the Scriptures, the whole of our fallen nature is
the seat of sin, and our subjective redemption from its power
is effected, not by making reason predominant, but by the
indwelling of the Holy Ghost. The conflicting elements are
not sense and reason, the anima and animus; but the flesh
and spirit, the human and divine, what we derive from Adam
and what we obtain through Christ. " That which is born
of the flesh is flesh; that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
John iii. G.

The sense in which Paul says he was carnal, is explained by
saying he was sold under sin, i. e. sold so as to be under the
power of sin. This, of course, is an ambiguous expression.
To say that a 'man is sold unto sin' may mean, as in 1 Kings
xxi. 20, and 2 Kings xvii. IT, that he is given up to its service.
Sin is that which he has deliberately chosen for a master, and
to which he is devoted. In this sense of the phrase it is
equivalent to what is said of the unreneAVcd in the preceding
chapter, that they are the doljXot TY^ 6./jiaf)Ttaz, the slaves of sin.
From this kind of bondage believers are redeemed, vi. 22.
But there is another kind of bondage. A man may be
subject to a power which, of himself, he cannot effectually
resist; against which he may and does struggle, and from which
he earnestly desires to be free; but which, notwithstanding all
his efforts, still asserts its authority. This is precisely the
bondage t<> sin of which every believer is conscious. He
feels that there is a law in his members bringing him into
subjection to the law of sin; that his distrust of God, his hard
ness of heart, his love of the world and of self, his pride, in
short his indwelling sin, is a real power from which he longs

ROMANS VII. 15. 361

to be free, against which he struggles, but from which ho
cannot emancipate himself. This is the kind of bondage of
which the apostle here speaks, as is plain from the following
verses, as well as from the whole context and from the analogy
of Scripture.

VERSE 15. For that ivhich I do, I allow not, &c. This is
an explanation and confirmation of the preceding declaration.
4 1 am sold under sin, for that which I do, I allow not, £c.'
The word pwaxco rendered I allow, properly signifies, / know,
and as it is used in different senses in the Scriptures, its mean
ing in this case is a matter of doubt. Retaining its ordinary
sense, the word may be used here as in the common phrase, 'I
know not what I do,' expressive of the absence of a calm and
deliberate purpose, and of the violence of the impulse under
which one acts. Inscius et invitus facio, qiuxj facio. Or the
ineanini: mav be, that what is done, is done thoughtlessly. Non
cum pleno mentis proposito. Morns. This view is a very com
mon one, expressed in different forms. u The sinful decision
occurs not by rational self-determination, and, therefore, not
with the full consciousness with which we should act." De
Wctte. To the same effect Meyer, 'the act occurs without the
consciousness of its moral character, in a state of bondage of
the practical reason, as a slave acts without a consciousness of
the nature or design of what he does.' Or, 'I do not do it
knowingly, because 1 know it to be right.' This comes very
near the old interpretation according to which, to know means
to approve. See l)s. i. 6, "The Lord knoweth the ways of the
righteous." With regard to moral objects, knowledge is not
mere cognition. It is the apprehension of the moral quality,
and involves of necessity approbation or disapprobation. Hence
the pious are described in Scripture as those ''who know God,"
or "the knowers of his name." Ps. ix. 10, xxxvi. 10, llosea
viii. '2. What the apostle, therefore, here says, is, 'what 1 per
form, i. e.j what 1 actually carry out into action, (xa.TZp?d.ro pat,)
I approve not, i. e., I do not recognize as right and good.'

For what I would, that do 1 not ; but what I hate, that do I.
This is a further description of this state of bondage. As tho
expressions what I ivould, and what I hate, are in antithesis,
the former must mean what I love or delight in. This use of

362 ROMANS VII. 15.

the Greek work ($e/o>) is accommodated to the corresponding
Hebrew term, and occurs several times in the New Testament.
Matt, xxvii. 43, "Let him deliver him, if he will have him
(ec 'd-eht afaov), i. e. if he delight in him;" Matt. ix. 13,
xii. 7, Ileb. x. 5, 8, and Ps. xxi. 9, xxxix. 7, in the Septua-
gint. The word ivill, therefore, does not express so much a
mere determination of the mind, as a state of the feelings and
judgment. '"What I love and approve, that I omit; what I
hate and disapprove, that I do.' This may not be philosophi
cal, though it is perfectly correct language. It is the language
of common life, which, as it proceeds from the common con
sciousness of men, is often a better indication of what that
consciousness teaches, than the language of the schools. Philo
sophers themselves, however, at times speak in the same simple
language of nature. Epictetus, Enchirid. 1. ii. c. 26, has a
form of expression almost identical with that of the apostle ;
6 d.u.apTdva)V — o JJLSV fistee, o'j TTO^S?, xal o /j.y fistse ~oiCc. The
language of the apostle, in this passage, expresses a fact of
consciousness, with which every Christian is familiar. Whether
the conflict here described is that which, in a greater or less
degree, exists in every man, between the natural authoritative
sense of right and wrong, and his corrupt inclinations ; or
whether it is peculiar to the Christian, must be decided by
considerations drawn from the whole description, and from the
connection of this passage with the preceding and succeeding
portions of the a [jostle's discourse. It is enough to remark
here, that every Christian can adopt the language of this verse,
Pride, coldness, slotlifulness, and other feelings which he dis
approves and hates, are, day by day, reasserting their power
over him. He struggles against their influence, groans beneath
their bondage, longs to be filled with meekness, humility, and
all other fruits of the love of God, but finds he can neither of
himself, nor by the aid of the law, effect his freedom from what
lie hates, or the full performance of what lie desires and ap
proves. Every evening witnesses his penitent confession of his
degrading bondage, his sense of utter helplessness, and his
longing desire for aid from above. He is a slave looking and
longing for liberty.

Two consequences flow from this representation of the experi-

ROMANS VII. 16, IT. £63

ence of the Christian. First, the fault is felt and acknowledged,
to be his own ; the law is not to be blamed, ver. 16. Second, this
state of feeling is consistent with his being a Christian, ver. 17.

VERSE 16. If then I do that which I would -not, I consent
unto the law that it is good. Paul here asserts that his acting
contrary to the law was no evidence that he thought the law
evil; for what he did, he disapproved. But to disapprove and
condemn what the law forbids, is to assent to the excellence of
the law. There is a constant feeling of self-disapprobation,
and a sense of the excellence of the law, in the Christian's
mind. He is, therefore, never disposed to blame the extent or
severity of the law, but admits the fault to be in him-elf. /
consent to, o'jn^-^u.^ I speak with, 1 say the same thing which
the law says, when it pronounces itself good. There is no
conflict between the law and the believer; it is between the
law and what the believer himself condemns.

VERSE 17. 2fotv then it is no more I that do it, lut xin tl>at
dwelleth in rue. Xow then* j/ui/r os, that is. under these cir
cumstances, or, this being the case. Or the meaning may bo
but now, i. e. since I became a Christian. The former ex
planation is to be preferred on account of the connetion of this
verse with ver. lo, from which this passage is an inference
'If the ease be so, that I am sold under sin and am its
unwilling slave; if I do what I disapprove, and lail to accom
plish what 1 love; it is clear that it is not properly and fully I
that d<> it, my real self; my better feelings or renovated nature
is opposed to what the law forbids.' Ego quidem in utrooue,
sed magis ego in eo, <|iiod approbabam, quam in eo ([nod in mo
improbabam. Augustine, Confess. Lib. viii. ch. o. This is
not said as an exculpation, but to exhibit the extent and power
of indwelling sin, which it is bevond our own power, and
beyond the power of the law, to eradicate or effectually control.
This feeling of helplessness is not only consistent with a
sense and acknowledgment of accountability, but is always
found united with genuine self-condemnation and penitence.
There are, in general, few stronger indications of ignorance of
the power and evil of sin, than the confident assertion of our
ability to resist and subdue it. Paul groaned beneath its
bondage, as if held in the loathsome embrace of a k> body of

364 ROMANS VII. 18—20.

death." The apostle's object, therefore, is not to apologize for
sin, but to show that the experience detailed in ver. 15, is con
sistent with his being a Christian. 'If it is true that 1 really
approve and love the law, and desire to be conformed to it, I
am no longer the willing slave of sin; to the depth and power
of the original evil is to be attributed the fact that I am not
entirely delivered from its influence.' This is obviously con
nected with the main object of the whole passage. For if sin
remains and exerts its power, notwithstanding our disappro
bation, and in despite of all our efforts, it is clear that we
must look for deliverance to something out of ourselves, and
that the mere preceptive power of the law cannot remove
the evil.

VERSES 18, 19, 20. These verses contain an amplification
and confirmation of the sentiment of the preceding verses.
They re-assert the existence, and explain the nature of the
inward struggle of which the apostle had been speaking. 'I
am unable to come up to the requirements of the law, not
because they are unreasonable, but because I am corrupt;
there is no good in me. I can approve and delight in the
exhibitions of holiness made by the law, but full conformity to
its demands is more than I can attain. It is not I, therefore,
my real and lasting self, but this intrusive tyrant dwelling
within me, that disobeys the law.' This strong and expressive
language, though susceptible of a literal interpretation, which
would make it teach not only error but nonsense, is still per
fectly perspicuous and correct, because accurately descriptive
of the common feelings of men. Paul frequently employs
similar modes of expression. When speaking of his apostolic
labours, he says, "Yet not I. but the grace of God, which was
with me," 1 Cor. xv. 10. And in Gal. ii. 20, he says, "I live,
vet not I, but Christ livcth in me." As no one supposes
that the labours and life here spoken of were not the labours
and life of the apostle, or that they did not constitute and
express his moral character ; so no Christian supposes that the
greatness and power of his sin frees him from its responsibility,
even when he expresses his helpless misery by saying, with the
apostle, u It is not I, but sin that dwelleth in me." This
doctrine of sin as indwelling is irreconcilable with the assurop-

ROMANS VII. 18. 365

tion that sin consists exclusively in acts of the will, or even in
the widest sense of the terms, in voluntary action. An in
dwelling act is a solecism. Sin, in this, as in so many other
places of Scripture, is presented as an abiding state of the -,
mind, a disposition or principle, manifesting itself in acts. It
is this that gives sin its power. We have measurably power
over our acts, but over our immanent principles we have no
direct control. They master us and not we them. Herein
consists our bondage to sin. And as the power of an in
dwelling principle is increased by exercise, so the strength of
sin is increased by every voluntary evil act. No act is iso
lated. "Nothing," says Olshausen, "is more dangerous than
the erroneous opinion that an evil act can stand alone, or that
a man can commit one sin and then stop. All evil is con
catenated, and every sin increases the power of the indwelling
corruption in a fearful progression, until, sooner than the
sinner dreams of, his head swims, und he is plunged into the
abyss.''

VEUSK IS. For I knnw tlxit in me, lliat i*, in >»>/ flwh,
there dwelleth no good tiling, cVc. The fun refers to the pre-
cedhi'j; clause, '••sin dwelleth in me," which what follows con
firms. 'Sin dwells in me, for in my ilesh there dwelleth no
good thinjr;' literally, good docs n»t dwll. Paul is hero
explaining how it is that there is such a contradiction between
his better principles and his conduct, as just described. The
reason is, that in himself, he was entirely depraved, "In me,
that is, in my ilesh, there dwelleth no good thing." As Paul
is here speaking of himself, he limits the declaration that there-
was no good in him. In its full sense, as he was a renewed
man, this could not be true; lie therefore adds, "in my ilesh."
Agreeably to the explanation given above, vcr. 14, these words
evidently mean, 'in my nature considered apart from Divine
influence,' i. e. 'in me viewed independently of the effects pro
duced by the Spirit of God.' This is Paul's common use of the
VQ\\\ flesh. As he ascribes all excellence in man to the Holy
Spirit, in men, when destitute of that Spirit, there is "no good
thing." To be "in the ilesh," is to be unrcnewed, and under
the government of our own depraved nature; to be "in the
Spirit," is to be under the guidance of the Holy Ghost;

366 ROMANS VII. 19.

ch. viii. 8, 9. So too, in Scripture language, a natura. man is
a depraved man ; and a spiritual man is one that is renewed ;
1 Cor. ii. 14, 15. It need hardly be remarked that in the
flesh cannot here mean in the body. Paul does not mean to
say that in his body there was no good thing, as though the
body were the seat of sin in man, and that exclusively. He
frequently uses the phrase ivories of the flesh, in reference to
sins which have no connection with the body, as envy, pride,
seditions, heresies, &c., Gal. v. 19, 20.

For to will is present tuith me, but to perform that which
is good, I find not. This again is connected by ?ap with what
precedes. ' Good does not dwell in me, for though I have the
wili to do right, I have not the performance.' To dshiv
napdxetral [we, not will as a faculty, but (TO -d-sAsev) as an ao^
The purpose or desire is present, i. e. I have it; but the per
formance of the good 1 find not; ob% edplffxa) is equivalent to
o?j -aodxzirai is not present. I have the one but not the other.
Instead of the common text as given above, Griesbach and
Lachmann, on the authority of the Alexandrian manuscript,
read simply o'j, omitting efylcr/a), (I find.) The sense is the
same, for in that case irapaxstrat must be understood. ' The
one is present, the other is not (present).' The common
reading is generally preferred, as the omission is easily ac
counted for.

VEHSE 19. .For the good that I would, I do not; but the
evil that I loould not, that I do. A confirmation of what goes
before. ' I do not find good present with me, for the good I
would I do not.' This is a repetition, nearly in the same
words, of what is said in ver. 15. Paul reasserts that he was
unable to act up to his purposes and desires. For example, he
doubtless desired to love God with all his heart, and at all
times, but constantly was his love colder, and less operative
than the law demands. This verse is, therefore, but an ampli
fication of the last clause of ver. 18. / would (frsXcj,) means
either I approve or love, as in ver. 15 ; or, I purpose, as in
7er. 18. The numerous passages* quoted by commentators in

* The following are a few examples of this kind selected from the multitude
collected by Grotius and Wetstein.
Quid est hoc, LucMi, quod nos alio tendentes alio trahit, et eo, unde recedere

ROMANS VII. 20. 307

illustration of this and the preceding verses, though they may
serve to throw light upon the language, are expressive of
feelings very different from those of the apostle. When an
impenitent man says 'he is sorry for his sins/ he may express
the real state of his feelings ; and yet the import of this
language is very different from what it is in the mouth of a man
truly contrite. The word sorrow expresses a multitude of very
different feelings. Thus, also, when wicked men say they
approve the good while they pursue the wrong, their appro
bation is something very different from Paul's approbation
of the law of God. And when Seneca calls the gods to
witness, 'that what he wills, he does not will,' he too expresses
something far short of what the language of the apostle con
veys. This must IK- so, if there is any such thing as experi
mental or evangelical religion; that is, if there is any dif
ference between the sorrow for sin and desire of good in
the mind of a true Christian, and in the unrenewed and
willing votaries of sin in whom conscience is not entirely
obliterated.

VKRSK 20. X<>w if I do tltat I ivouhl not, it is no more I
that do it, lut sin t/tdt dwelleth ui me. The same conclusion
from the same premises as in vcr. IT. 'The things which I do,
when contrary to the characteristic desires and purposes of my
heart, are to be considered as the acts of a slave. They are
indeed my own acts, but not being performed with the full and
joyful purpose of the heart, are not to be regarded as a fair
criterion of character.'

cupimus, ropcllit? Quid colluotatur cum animo nostro, nee permittit nolns
quidquam semel vi-llc '. Eluctuamus inter varia consilia, nihil libere volumus,
irihil absolute', niliil semper. — Seneca, Ep. 1T>.

Sed trahit invituai nova vis, aliudque cupido, mens aliud suadet. Video
meliora probnqao, deteriora sequor. — OnV/, Metam. vii. 11).

Vos testor, onines eoelite.*, hoe quod volo, me nolle. — Stt/rrn, Ilippol. v. <if)i.

Errel yap u auapTuvuv o:i OeAej aij.apTa.vfii>, a\\a KaropOwffai, 5f?A.oi> on, o ulv 9e\fi,
ov Trrne?, /ecu u a •/ <)t\fi, Troie?. — Arridn's Epict. ii. 20. " Since the sinner does not
wish to err, but to act conx>ctly, it is plain that what he wills he does not and
what lie wills not he does."

MavS'aVa) u.vi, 'ji'JL yy ~v u.k)J& )c«*cc,

Quus: St x^t'.TfH!,' T-"y luZv &:VKVJ^.O.TUI. — Euripides, Medea, v. 1077.

"I know indeed that what 1 am about to do is evil;

But passiou ia too strong for my purposes."

ROMANS VII. 21.

VERSE 21. I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil
is present with me. This verse has been subjected to a greater
variety of interpretations than any other in the chapter, or
perhaps in the whole epistle. The construction in the original
is doubtful; and besides this difficulty, there is no little uncer
tainty as to the sense in which the word law is to be here
taken. The question is, whether Paul means the law of God,
of which he has been speaking throughout the chapter, or
whether he uses the word in a new sense, for a rule, course, or
law of action. Our translators have assumed the latter. If
the former sense of the word be preferred, the passage may be
thus interpreted. 4 1 find, therefore, that to me wishing to do
good, evil (the law as the cause of evil) is present with me.'
See Koppe. This is very unnatural. Or thus, 1 1 find, there
fore, that to me wishing to act according to the law, i. e. to do
good, evil is present with me.'* Or, as Tholuck explains it, 'I
find, therefore, that while I would do the law, (i. e. good), evil is
present.' Then TOV v6tj.ov depends on Tcotetv, (willing to do the
law) and TO xa/.6v is in apposition with rbv votiov. The law is
the good which the apostle desired to do. But in the context,
the phrase r.oiftv TOV wpov does not occur, and the passage as
thus explained is awkward and unnatural. Besides TO xalov
would be entirely superfluous as TOU VO/JLOV needs no explana
tion. The considerations in favour of the second explanation
of the word law appear to be decisive. 1. The other interpre
tation does not afford a sense suited to the context, as appears
from Paul's own explanation of his meaning in the following
verses. 4I find,' he says, 'this law, that while wishing to do
good, I do evil,' vcr. 21; that is, 'I find that while I delight in
the law of God, after the inward man, there is another law in
my members which causes me to sin.' vs. 22, 23. Here it is
evident, that the apostle means to explain what he intended by
saying in ver. 21, that he found or experienced a law which
caused him to act contrary to his better judgment and desires.
2. Having used the word law by itself for the Divine law
throughout the chapter, he, for the first time, in ver. 22, calls

* Knapp's Prolusio in locum, Rom. vii. 21, in his Scripta Varii Argument!.
The several interpretations of the passage are given and discussed by that
writer.

ROMANS VII. 22. 369

it "the law of God," to mark the distinction between the law
intended in vcr. 21, and that intended in vcr. 22. ':). This
sense of the word is not unusual ; it occurs repeatedly in the
immediately succeeding verses.

But admitting that wtwz is taken here in the sense of con-
trolliiiir principle or inward necessity, the construction of the
passage is still doubtful. Tw &S/.OISTI itj.oi may depend on
euoivxto, I fiml in inc. The construction is then regular: 'I
find in myself willing to do good the law, that evil is pre
sent with me.' so Meyer; or, as "\\iner (§ (k>, 4.) proposes,
"Invenio hanc legem (normam) volenti niihi honcstum facere,
ut mihi," c\.c. And l>eza : " Comperio igitur volenti mihi
facere bonuin hanc legem esse impositum, <[ii<>d mihi malum
adjaceat." Most commentators, however, assume a trajection
of the particle or?, placing it liefore the first, instead of the
second clause of the verse: 'I find this law, t/i>(f (or.') tome
willing to do good, evil is present with me:' instead of, "I lind
this law to me willing to do good, thnt (or/) evil is present.'
The Kn^lish version as>umes this trajection. The sense is the
same: and if it can he elicited without altering the position of
the words, no such alteration should he made. Paul's experi
ence had taught him. that while wishing to do good, he was
still subject to evil, and from this subjection nothing but the
grace of God could deliver him. 'Fins experience is common to
all believers. "Fideles," savs Calvin, "duni ad bonuin mtun-
tur, (jiiandam in se tyrannicam legem reperire, ipiia eonini
medullis et ossibus inlixa est vitiositas legi Dei adversa et
repugnans."

VKKSH 22. For I delta/it in tin' her of fJod after ih<> imrctnl
man. This is both an explanation and confirmation of what
precedes. The inward conflict referred to in ver. 21, is here
stated more fully. Paul had said that although he purposed
to do good evil was present with him: '/'//'I delight in the
law of God after the inner man: but I find a law in my mem
bers bringing me into captivity to the law of sin.' / delight in
the hue, (T'jy/jOot/.a: ]'<}.<> T(U ^outo. I rr/Vmr with; not however
with others, to whom the context suggests and allows no refer
ence, but intus, a pud aninnuti meunt. As we say, to rejoice
with the whole heart. Compare awutda, 1 am conscious, i. e., I
24

370 ROMANS VII. 22,

know with myself. As the apostle recognised in the new man
two conflicting principles, he speaks as though there were
within him two persons, both represented by I. The one is I,
i. e. my flesh; the other is I, i. e. my inner man. By the inner
man is to be understood the "new man;" either the renewed
principle in itself considered, or the soul considered or viewed
as renewed. That this is the true meaning of the phrase is
evident: 1. From its origin. It is a term descriptive of excel
lence. As the soul is better than the body, so the inner man
is better than the outward man. When the contrast is simply
between the external and internal, then the inner man means
the soul ; but when the contrast is, as here, between two con
flicting principles within the soul, then by the inward man must
be meant the higher or better principle within us. That this
higher principle is not any natural faculty, anything belonging
to us in our unrenewed state, is plain from what is predicated
of this inner man. Everything is said of it that can be said
of what is characteristic of the true children of God. 2. This
interpretation is confirmed by a comparison with those passages
where the same phrase occurs. In 2 Cor. iv. 10, and Eph
iii. 16, by "inward man" is meant the soul as renewed. It is
equivalent to the inner, or divine life, which is daily renewed
or strengthened by the communications of the Spirit. 3. The
analogous phrases, "the new man," as opposed to the "old
man." Horn. vi. G, Eph. iv. 22, Col. iii. 9, and "hidden man of
the heart," 1 Pet. iii. 14, serve to illustrate and confirm this
interpretation. As "the new man" is the soul as made new,
so "the inward man," of which the same things are predicated,
means the renewed nature, or nature1 as renewed. 4. The use
of the terms "inward man," "law of the mind," "the Spirit,"
"the spiritual man," as opposed to "the law in the members,"
"the old man," "the flesh," "the natural man," shows that
the former all indicate the soul as regenerated, or as the seat
of the Spirit's influences, and the latter the soul as unrenewed.
o. The decision of the question as to what is here meant by
the "inward man," depends on what is elsewhere taught in
the Scriptures concerning the natural state of man. If men,
since the fall, are only partially depraved; if sin affects only
our lower faculties, leaving the reason undisturbed in its

ROMANS VII. 23. 371

original purity, then by the "inward man," we must under
stand our rational, as opposed to our sensuous nature. But
if the Bible teaches that the whole man is defiled by sin,
and that the principle of spiritual life is something superna
tural, then it follows that the conflict here depicted is not that
between sense and reason, but that between the new and old
man, the soul as renewed and indwelling sin. ''Interior igitur
homo," says Calvin, " non anima simplicitcr dicitur, sed spiri-
tualis ejus pars, qiue a Deo regenerate est : membrorum yoca-
biilum residiiaiii alterain purtem significat. 2sam ut anima est
pars excL-llentior homiuis, corpus inferior; ita spiritus superior
est carne. Ilac ergo ratione, qiiia Spiritus locum aniline tenet
in lioiniue, caro autein, id est corrupta et vitiata anima, corpo-
ris, ille interioris hoinims, h;ec membrorum nomeii obtinet."
So also Melanctlion says, tk Interior liomo significat homincm,
quatenus renovatus est Spiritu sancto." And Luther's mar
ginal note is, " Inwendiger .Menscli lieisst bier der (Jeist aus
Gnadeii geboren, wclcher in den Ileiligeu strcitet wider den
uusserlichen, das.- ist, Yernunft, Sinn und alles was Xatur am
Menschen ist." And this conflict between the llesh and Spirit,
lie says, in his preface to this epistle, "continues in us so long
as we live, in some more, and in others less, according as the
one or the other principle is the stronger. ~\ et the whole man
is both flesh and Spirit, and contends with himself until lie is
completely spiritual."

VKIISK ~:>. lint I *<'<• anntlu-r l<t>c in niy ///''////^rx, \c. / see,
as though looking into his own soul, and observing the princi
ples there in conflict. B'-.-ides kkthe inward man," or principle
of the divine life, there was '-[mother law" not merely a//ov,
another numericallv, but s'r£//o^, anothei' in kind, one that is
hetero^enous, of a different nature. This e\ il principle is called
a law, because of its permanency and its controlling power.
It is not a transient act or mutable purpose, but a law, some
thing independent of the will which defies and controls it. In
my mi'mtK')'*, i. e. in me. It is equivalent to "in my flesh,"
ver. 18. Warrinrj ayainst the law of mind. It is not only
passively antagonistic, but it is a constantly active principle,
warrinir, i. e. endeavouring to overcome and destroy the law
of nuj mind. '0 ^6/w^ TU~J vooc /wji is n°t the law of which

372 ROMANS VII. 23.

my mind is the author, but which pertains to my higher nature.
As the one law is in the members, or flesh, the other is the
mind ; voD^, not the reason, nor the affections, but the higher
or renewed nature. It is antithetical to ado^, and as the latter
does not mean the body, nor simply our sensuous nature, but
our nature considered as corrupt, so the former does not mean
the soul, nor the reason, but our nature as renewed. " The law
of the mind" is evidently only another designation for "the
inward man." It was not the apostle's mind, his rational
nature, which strove against the law in his members ; but it
was his mind or rational nature as a Christian, and therefore,
as such, the dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit. It is not the
reason of the natural man, but the illuminated reason of the
spiritual man, of which the apostle here speaks. Bringing me
into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members,. The
principle of evil is not only active, but it is conquering. It
takes the soul captive. So that it is, in the sense of ver. 14,
the slave of sin. Not its willing servant, but its miserable,
helpless victim. This does not mean that sin always triumphs
in act, but simply that it is a power from which the soul cannot
free itself. It remains, and wars, in. spite of all that we can
do. The law of sin is only a descriptive designation of that
other law mentioned in the preceding clause. They arc not
two laws. The law in the members, which was against the law
of the mind, is a law of sin, i. e. it is sin considered as a law,
or controlling power. It is the same as " indwelling sin,"
ifj otxoiHja ei> ifwl kimo-ia. In my members, i. e. in me, as what
is here expressed by in role (osteal JLO'J, is before expressed by
iv k/jtol. It is only a modification of the old anti-Augustinian
interpretation, when Olshausen represents, according to his
anthropology, man as composed of three parts, the ^usy/ia,
f'^y^i and acoii.a, or voD^, ^/^, and ffdttz. The </"J%'j he makes
the real centre of our personality. By the voD^ we are in com
munion with the spiritual world, by the ad.oz with the material
world. The ^r/fh therefore, is the battle-field of the vtyj^ and
0v/^~. By itself the </>i>%'j cannot free itself from the dominion
or power of the ffdnz, and therefore needs redemption, the
effect of which is to give the higher principle of our nature the
ascendency. The conflict is, from first to last, a natural one.

ROMANS VII. 24. 373

It is only a struggle between the good principle in man which
has survived the fall, with the disorder introduced into his
nature by the apostacy.

VERSE 24. 0 wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me
from the body of this death ? The burden of indwelling sin
was a load which the apostle could neither cast off nor bear.
He co ild only groan under its pressure, and long for deliver
ance bv a power greater than his. TaAai~co[)Oz, (nearly allied
to ra/ji-ziwoz^ from T/.dto and -£?/>«, much tried,) wretched,
Rev. iii 17, where it is connected with s/ss^o'c, compare James
v. 1, iv. 9. Who shall deliver me/ this is the expression, not
of despair, but of earnest desire of help from without and
above hi'.nself. t% Xon q merit," says Calvin, "a quo sit libcr-
andus, quasi dubitans ut increduli, qui non teiicnt unicum csse
liberator-Mil : sed vox est anhelantis et prope fatiscentis, quia
non satis pnescntem opem videat." That from which the
apostle d.'sired to be delivered is the bod// of tlilx death, r/c [*s
f)'j(j •'(/.: Ix ~orj (7(t')fM7o^ ~urj fiavd'cou TO'JTO'J. The demonstra
tive TQ'JWL) may he referre(l either to <Jiotta-u~, tltix body of
death, or to ^/varov, body of thi* death. It is not unusual,
especially in Hebrew, for the demonstrative and possessive pro
nouns t.) be connected with the noun governed, when they
reallv qualify the iroverning noun; as "idols of his silver," for
his silver idols; '•mountains of my holiness," for my holy
mountains. If this explanation he here adopted, then the
meaning is, this body which is subject to death, i. e., this mor
tal body. Then what the apostle longed for was death. He
longed to have the strife over, which he knew was to last so
long as he continued in the body. Hut this is inconsistent,
both with what precedes and with what follows. It was the
;'law in his members," k> the law of sin," which pressed on him
is a grievous burden. And the victory for which he gives
thanks is not freedom from the body, but deliverance from siri.
To avoid these difficulties, death may be taken in the sense of
spiritual death, and therefore including the idea of sin. ''This
body of death." would then mean, this body which is the scat
of death, in which spiritual death i. e. reigns. It is, however,
more natural to take the words as they stand, and connect
TO'jTou with Oa^d-u'j, this death. Then the body of this death

374 ROMANS VII. 25.

may mean the natural or material body, whl^h belongs or per
tains to the death of which he had been speaking. This agrees
nearly with the interpretation last mentioned. "This supposes
that the body is the seat of sin — ; who shall deliver me from
this death which reigns in the body?' It is not, however,
Paul's doctrine that the body is evil, or that it is the scat or
source of sin. It is the soul which is depraved, and which
contaminates the body, and perverts it to unholy use. It is,
therefore, better to take Gcotm (body) in a figurative sense.
Sin is spoken of figuratively in the context as a man, is "the
old man," as having members, and, in vi. G, as a body, "the
body of sin." The meaning, therefore, is, 'Who wik deliver
me from the burden of this death?' or, 'this deadly weight.'
Calvin explains it thus : " Corpus mortis vocat massan: peccati
vel congericm, ex qua totus homo confiatus est." The body
under which the apostle groaned was mortifcra pccca:i massa.
This exclamation is evidently from a burdened heart. It is
spoken out of the writer's own consciousness, and shows that
although the apostle represents a class, he himself bcbnged to
that class. It is his own experience as a Christian to which
he gives utterance.

VERSE 25. The burden of sin being the great evil under
which the apostle and all other believers labour, from which no
efficacy of the law, and no efforts of their own can deliver
them, their case would be entirely hopeless but for help from
on high. " Sin shall not have dominion over you," is the lan
guage of the grace of God in the gospel. The conflict which
the believer sustains is not to result in the victory of sin, but
in the triumph of grace. In view of this certain and glorious
result, Paul exclaims, / thank God through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Thns is evidently the expression of a strong and sudden
emotion of gratitude. As, however, his object is" to illustrate
the operation of the law, it would be foreign to his purpose to
expatiate on a deliverance effected by a different power ; he,
therefore, does not follow up the idea suggested by this excla
mation, but immediately returns to the point in hand. Instead
of the common text ^aoearco rc7j fhw, I thank God, many
editors prefer the reading ydoc; TW &ew, thanks be to God.
Some manuscripts have f; %dotz rorj ttsou. Then this verse

ROMANS VII. 25. 375

would be an answer to the preceding. < Who shall deliver me
from this burden of sin?' Ans. 'The grace of God.' For
this reading, however, there is little authority, external or
internal. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul does not
only render thanks to God through the mediation of Christ,
but the great blessing of deliverance for which he gives thanks,
is received through the Lord Jesus Christ. lie does for us
what neither the law nor our own powers could effect. lie is
the only Redeemer from sin.

So then, doa OL>V, wherefore. The inference is not from the
immediately preceding expression of thanks. 'Jesus Christ is
my deliverer, u'/i<>r<'f«re I myself,' &c. But this is an unnatural
combination. The main idea of the whole passage, the subject
winch the apostle laboured to have understood, is the impo
tence of the law — the impossibility of obtaining deliverance
from sin through its influence or agency. The in Terence is,
therefore, from the whole preceding discussion, especially from
what is said fmm ver. 14 onward. The conclusion to which
the apostle had arrived is here brieily summed up. lie
remained, and so far as the law Is concerned, must remain
under the power of sin. 'With the mind I serve the law of
God, but with the flesh the law of sin.' Deliverance from (lie
power of sin the law cannot accomplish. / /////*, •//'. a'jro- ly«').
The a-j-o- here is either antithetical, placing the lyd) in oppo
sition to some expressed or implied, or it is explanatory.
If the former, the opposition is to i'mi //<7<i:j \<ica~o7j I <il,n<'
icithnnt tin' aid of <_'hri*t. So Mayer and others. IJut the
idea thus expressed is not in accordance with the context.
Paul had not been teaching what his unrenewed, unaided
nature could accomplish, but what was the operation of the
law, even on the renewed man. The a'jToz is simplv explana
tory, / niywlf, and no other, i. e. the same ./,}/</ of which he
had spoken all along. It is very plain, from the use of this
expression, that the preceding paragraph is an exhibition of
his own experience. All that is there said, is summarily here
said emphatically in his own person. 'I myself. I, Paul, with
my mind serve the law of G<><1, but with the flesh the law of
sin.' The antithesis is between \>ol and aa<rtl; the one explains
the other. As mt.nz is not the body, nor the sensuous nature,

076 ROMANS VII. 14—25.

but indwelling sin, ver. 18, so vo5c is not the mind as opposed
to the body, nor reason as opposed to the sensual passions, but
the higher, renewed principle, as opposed to the law in the
members, or indwelling corruption. This interpretation is sus
tained by the use of the word in the preceding verses. Paul
served the law of God, in so far as he assented to the law that
it is good, as he delighted in it, and strove to be conformed to
it. He served the law of sin, that is, sin considered as a law
or inward power, so far as, in despite of all his efforts, he was
still under its influence, and was thereby hindered from living
in that constant fellowship with God, and conformity to his
will, that he earnestly desired.

Having gone through the exposition of this passage, it is
time to pause, and ask, Of whom has Paul been speaking, of a
renewed or imrenewcd man ? Few questions of this kind have
been more frequently canvassed, or more intimately associated
with the doctrinal views of different classes of theologians.
The history of the interpretation of the latter part of this
chapter, is one of the most interesting sections of the doctrinal
history of the Church. A brief outline of this history may be
found in the Dissertation of Knapp, before referred to, and
somewhat more extended in the Commentary of Tholuck. It
appears that during the first three centuries, the Fathers were
generally agreed in considering the passage as descriptive of
the experience of one yet under the law. Even Augustine at
first concurred in the correctness of this view. But as a deeper
insight into his own heart, and a more thorough investigation
of the Scriptures, led to the modification of his opinions on so
many other points, they produced a change on this subject also.
This general alteration of his doctrinal views cannot be attri
buted to his controversy with Pelagius, because it took place
Ion"" before that controversy commenced. It is to be ascribed
to his religious experience, and his study of the word of God.

The writers of the middle ages, in general, agreed with the
later views of Augustine on this, as on other subjects. At the
time of the Reformation, the original diversity of opinion on
this point, and on all others connected with it, soon became
manifested. Erasmus, Socinus, and others, revived the opinion

ROMANS VII. 14—25. 3TT

of the Greek Fathers; while Luther, Calvin, Mclancthon,
Beza, &c., adhered to the opposite interpretation. At a later
period, when the controversy with the Remonstrants occurred,
it commenced with a discussion of the interpretation of this
chapter. The first writings of Arminius, in which he broached
his peculiar opinions, were lectures on this passage. All his
associates and successors, as Grotius, Episcopius, Limborch, &c.,
adopted the same view of the subject. As a general rule,
Arminian writers have been found on one side of this question,
and Calvinistic authors on the other. This is indeed the natural
result of their different views of the scriptural doctrine of the
natural state of man. Most of the former class, going much
farther than Arminius himself ever went — either denying that
the corruption consequent on the fall is such as to destroy the
power of men to conform themselves to the law ot God, or
maintaining that this power, if lost, is restored by those opera
tions of the IIolv Spirit which are common to all — found no
difficult v in considering the expressions, "I consent to" and
"delight in the law of God after the inward man," as tho
lanirua^e of a person yet in his natural state. On the other
hand, those who held the doctrine of total depravity, and of
the consequent inability of sinners, and who rejected the doc
trine of "common ^raee," could not reconcile with these
opinions the strong laiiiMiaire here used bv the apostle.

Although this has been the general course of opinion on this
subject, some of the most evangelical men, especially on the
continent of Europe, have agreed with Erasmus in Ins view
of this passage. This was the case with Francke, Bengel, &e.,
of a previous age; and with Knapp, Flatt, Tholuck, &e., of our
own day; not to mention the distinguished writers of England
and our own country, who have adopted the same1 view. There
is nothing, therefore, in this opinion, which implies the denial
or disregard of any of the fundamental principles of evangelical
religion. Still, that the view of the passage which so long pre
vailed in the Church, and which has been generally adopted by
evangelical men, is the correct one, seems evident from the fol
lowing considerations.

I. The onus probandi is certainly on the other side. When
the apostle uses not only the first person, but the present tense,

378 ROMANS VII. 14—25.

and says, "I consent to the law that it is good," "I delight in
the law of God," "I see another law in my members warring
against the law of my mind," &c., those who deny that he
means himself, even though he says I myself, or refuse to
acknowledge that this language expresses his feelings while
writing, are surely bound to let the contrary very clearly be
seen. Appearances arc certainly against them. It should be
remembered that Paul uses this language, not once or twice,
but uniformly through the whole passage, and that too with an
ardour of feeling indicative of language coming directly from
the heart, and expressing its most joyful or painful experience.
This is a consideration which cannot be argumentatively exhi
bited, but it must impress every attentive and susceptible
reader. To suppose that the apostle is personating another,
either, as Grotius* supposes, the Jew first before the giving of
the law, and then after it; or as Erasmus thinks, a Gentile
without the law, as opposed to a Jew under it ; or as is more
commonly supposed, an ordinary individual under the influence
of a knowledge of the law, is to suppose him to do what he
does nowhere else in any of his writings, and what Is entirely
foreign to his whole spirit and manner. Instead of thus sinking
himself in another, he can hardly prevent his own individual
feelings from mingling with, and moulding the very statement
of objections to his own reasoning: see chap. iii. 3 — 8. One
great difficulty in explaining his epistles, arises from this very
source. It is hard to tell at times what is his language, and
what that of an objector. If any one will examine the passages
in which Paul is supposed to mean another, when he uses the
first person, he will see how far short they come of affording
any parallel to the case supposed in this chapter. f In many
of them he undoubtedly means himself, as in 1 Cor. iii. 5,
iv. 3, &c.; in others the language is, in one sense, expressive
of the apostle's real sentiments, and is only perverted by the
objector, as in 1 Cor. vi. 12; while in others the personation
of another is only for a single sentence. Nothino- analogous to

v O O

* /V/o, id est, genus Israeliticum cum vixit ante legem — in Aegypto scilicet.
Sec his comment on ver. 9.

f The passages referred to by Knapp are 1 Cor. iii. 5, iv. 3, &c.; vi. 12;
x 29, 30; xiii. 11, 12; xiv. 14, 15; Gal. ii. 18—21.

ROMANS VII. 14—25. 379

tliis passage is to be found in all his writings, if indeed lie is
not here pouring out the feelings of his own heart.

II. There is no necessity for denying that Paul here speaks
of himself, and describes the exereises of a renewed man.
There is not an expression, from beginning to the end of this
section, which the holiest man may not and must not adopt.
This has been shown in the commentary. The strongest
declarations, as, for example, "I am carnal, and sold under
sin,'1 admit, indeed, by themselves, of an interpretation incon
sistent with even ordinary morality; but, as explained by the
apostle, and limited by the context, they express nothing more
than every believer experiences. What Christian docs not feel
that he is carnal? Alas, how different is he from the spirits
of the just made perfect! How cheerfully does he recognise
his obligation to love <;.,d with all the heart, and yet how con
stantly does the tendency to self and the world, the law in his
members, war against the purer and better law of his mind, and
bring him into subjection to sin! If, indeed, it were true, as
has been asserted, that the person here described ''succumbs to
sin IN EVERY IXSTAXCE of contest"* the description would be
inapplicable not to the Christian only, but to any other than
the most immoral of men. It is rare indeed, even in the
natural conflict between reason and passion, or conscience and
corrupt inclination, that the better principle does not succeed,
not once merely, but often. There is, however in"

o

even approaching to the implication of such a sentiment in the
whole passage. Paul merely asserts that the believer is, and
ever remains in this life, imperfectly sanctified ; that sin con
tinues to dwell within him; that he never comes up to the- lull
requisitions of the law, however anxiously lie may desire it.
Often as he subdues one spiritual foe. another rises in a differ
ent form; so that lie cannot do the things that he would; that
is, cannot be perfectly conformed in heart and life to the image
of God.

It must have been in a moment of forgetfulncss, that such a,
man as Tholuck could quote with approbation the assertion of
Dr. A. Clarke: "This opinion has most pitifully and shame
fully, nut only lowered the standard of Christianity, but

* Professor Stuart, p. 5-58.

380 ROMANS VII. 14—25.

destroyed Its influence and disgraced its character." What
lamentable blindness to notorious facts does such language
evince ! From the days of Job and David to the present hour,
the holiest men have been the most ready to acknowledge and
deplore the existence and power of indwelling sin. Without
appealing to individual illustrations of the truth of this remark,
look at masses of men, at Augustinians and Pelagians, Calvin-
ists and Remonstrants : in all ages the strictest doctrines and
the sternest morals have been found united. It is not those
who have most exalted human ability, that have most advan
tageously exhibited the fruits of its power. It has been rather
those who, with the lowest views of themselves, and the highest
apprehensions of the efficacy of the grace of God, have been
able to adopt the language of Paul, " What I would, that do I
not;" and who, looking away from themselves to him through
whom thev can do all things, have shown the Divine strength
manifested in their weakness.

III. While there is nothing in the sentiments of this passage
which a true Christian may not adopt, there is much which
cannot be asserted by any unrenewed man. As far as this
point is concerned, the decision depends, of course, on the cor
rect interpretation of the several expressions employed by the
apostle. 1. What is the true meaning of the phrases "inward
man" and "law of the mind," when opposed to "the flesh" and
"the law in the members'"? The sense of these expressions is
to be determined by their use in other passages ; or if they do
not elsewhere occur, by the meaning attached to those which
are obviously substituted for them. As from the similarity
of the passages, it can hardly be questioned, that what Paul
here calls "the inward man" and "law of the mind," he, in
Gal. v. 17, and elsewhere, calls "the Spirit;" it is plain that
lie intends, by these terms, to designate the soul considered as
renewed, in opposition to the "ilesh," or the soul considered
as destitute of Divine influence. '2. It is not in accordance
with the scriptural representation of the wicked, to describe
them as consenting to the law of God; as hating sin, and
*tniLrirlinu; against it; groaning under it as a tyrant's yoke;
us delighting in the law of God, i. e. in holiness: doing all this,
not as men, but as men viewed in a particular aspect as to the

ROMANS VII. 14—25. 381

inward or new man. This is not the scriptural representation
of the natural man, who does not receive the things of the
Spirit of God, and cannot know them, 1 Cor. ii. 14. On the
contrary, the carnal mind is enmity against God and his law.
They therefore who are in the flesh, that is, who have this
carnal mind, hate and oppose the law, Horn. viii. 7, 8. The
expressions here used by the apostle, are such as, throughout
the Scriptures, are used to describe the exercises of the pious,
"whose delight is in the law of the Lord, Ps. i. '2. o. Not
only do these particular expressions show that the writer is a
true Christian, but the whole conflict here described is such
as is peculiar to the sincere believer. There is, indeed, in
the natural man. something very analogous to this, when his
conscience is enlightened, and bis better feelings come into
collision with the strong inclination to evil which dwells in bis
mind. But this struggle is very far In-low that which the
apostle here describes. The true nature of this conflict seems
to be ascertained beyond dispute, by the parallel passage in
Gal. v. IT, already referred to. It cannot be denied, that to
possess the Spirit is, in scriptural language, a characteristic
mark of a true Christian. - But ye are not in the flesh, but in
the spirit, if so be the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any
man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Rom.
viii. !'. Those, therefore, who have that Spirit, are Christians.
This being the case, it will not be doubted that the passage in
Galatians, in which the spirit is represented as warring a"-:iin^t
the flesh, and the fie>h against the spirit, is descriptive of the
experience of the true believer. Hut the conflict there described
is identical with that of which the same apostle speaks in this
chapter. This is evident, not merely from the fact that one
of the antagonist principles is, in both cases, called flesh, but
because the description is nearly in the same words. L, conse
quence of the opposition of the flesh and spirit, Paul tells the
Galatians they cannot do the things that they would ; and he
says here of himself, that in consequence of the opposition
between the flesh and the law of his mind, what he would he
did not. The same conflict and the same bondage arc described
m each case; and if the one be descriptive of the exercises of a
true Christian, the other must be so also.

382 ROMANS VII. 14—25.

IV. The context, or the connection of this passage with the
preceding and succeeding chapters, is in favour of the common
interpretation. The contrary is, indeed, strongly asserted by
those who take the opposite view of the passage. Tholuck
seems to admit that, were it not for the context, the whole of
the latter part of the chapter might well be understood of the
believer : see his remarks on ver. 14. And Professor Stuart
says, u I repeat the remark, that the question is not, whether
what is here said miyht be applied to Christians; but whether,
from the tenor of the context, it appears to have been the
intention of the writer that it should be so applied. This prin
ciple cannot fail to settle the question concerning such an
application." P. 558. It may be proper to pause and remark,
that such statements involve a renunciation of the arguments
derived from the inapplicability to the real Christian, of what
is here said. Everything is here admitted to be in itself appli
cable to him, did but the context allow it to be so applied. Yet
every one is aware that no argument is more frequently and
strongly urged against the common interpretation, than that
the description here given is, in its very nature, unsuitable to
Christian experience. On the same page which contains the
passage just quoted, Professor Stuart says, "As, however, there
is no denying the truth of these and the like declarations,* and
no receding from them, nor explaining them away as meaning
less than habitual victory over sin; so it follows, that when
vs. 14 — 25 are applied to Christian experience, they are
wrongly applied. The person represented in these verses,
succumbs to sin IN EVERY INSTANCE of contest." This is cer
tainly an argument against applying the passage in question to
the Christian, founded on the assumption that it is, from its
nature, entirely inapplicable. And the argument is perfectly
conclusive, if the meaning of the passage be what is here stated.
But it is believed that this is very far from being its true mean
ing, as shown above. This argument, however, it appears, is
not insisted upon ; everything is made to depend upon the
context.

Many distinguished commentators, as Alfonso Turrettin,
Knapp, Tholuck, Flatt, and Stuart, consider this chapter, from

* 'He who loveth Christ, keepeth his commandments,' &c.

ROMANS VII. 14—25. 383

ver. T to the end, as a commentary upon vcr. 5, in which verse
the state of those who are in "the flesh" is spoken of; and the
first part of the next chapter as a commentary on ver. (J, which
speaks of those who are no longer under the law. Accord
ingly, vs. 7 — -5 are descriptive of the exercises of a man yet
under the law; and viii. 1 — IT, of those of a man under the
gospel, or of a believer. It is said that the two passages are in
direct antithesis; the one describes the state of a captive to
sin, vii. 2o, and the other the state of one who is delivered
from sin, viii. '2. This is certainly ingenious and plausible, but
is founded on a twofold misapprehension; first, as to the nature
of this captivity to sin, or the real meaning of the former
passage, vii. 14 — - "> ; and, secondly, as to the correct inter
pretation of the latter passage, or viii. 4 — IT. If vii. 14 — -5
reallv describes such a captivity as these authors suppose, in
which the individual spoken of "succumbs to sin in every
instance, " there i>, of course, an end of this question, and that
too without any appeal to the context for support. I>ut, on the
other hand, if it describes no sueh state', but, as Tholuck and
Professor Stuart admit, contains nothing which mi/jJtt not be
said of the Christian, the whole; force of the argument is gone;
verses T — 2~> are no longer necessarily a comment on ver. ->,
nor viii. 1 — IT on ver. (J. The antithesis of course ceases, if
the interpretation, to which it owes its existence', be abandoned.
The matter, after all, therefore1, is made to depend on the1 cor
rect exposition of the passage (vs. 14 — -~>) itself. A particular
interpretation cannot first be assumed, in order to make out the
antithesis; and then the1 antithesis be assumed, to justify the
interpretation. This would be reasoning in a circle. In the
second place, this view of the context is founded, as is believed,
on an erroneous exegesis of viii. 1 — IT. The first part o( tnat
chapter is not so intimately connected with the latter part of
this; nor is it designed to .-how that the Christian is delivered
from "the hvw of sin and death'' in Jits ruonlnTx. For the
grounds of this statement, the reader is referred to the com
mentary on the passage in question. Even if the reverse were
the fact, still, unless it can be previously shown that vs. 14 — '25
of this chapter describe the state of a man under the law, there
is no ground for the assumption of such an antithesis between

384 ROMANS VII. 14—25.

the two passages as is supposed in the view of the context
stated above. Both passages might describe the same indivi
dual under different aspects ; the one exhibiting the operation
of the law, and the other that of the gospel on the renewed
mind. But if the exposition given below of viii. 1 — IT, is
correct, there is not a shadow of foundation for the argument
derived from the context against the common interpretation
of vii. 14—25.

The wdiole tenor of the apostle's argument, from the begin
ning of the epistle to the close of this chapter, is not only con
sistent with the common interpretation, but seems absolutely to
demand it. His great object in the first eight chapters, is to
show that the whole work of the sinner's salvation, his justifica
tion and sanctification, are not of the law, but of grace; that
legal obedience can never secure the one, nor legal efforts the
other. Accordingly, in the first five chapters, he shows that
we are justified by faith, without the works of the law: in the
sixth, that this doctrine of gratuitous justification, instead of
leading to licentiousness, presents the only certain and effectual
means of sanctification. In the beginning of the seventh
chapter, he shows that the believer is really thus free from the
law, and is now under grace ; and that while under the law he
brought forth fruit unto sin, but being under grace, he now
brings forth fruit unto God. The question here arises, Why is
the holy, just, and good law thus impotent? Is it because it is
evil ? Far from it ; the reason lies in our own corruption.
Then, to show how this is, arid why the objective and authorita
tive exhibition of truth cannot sanctify, the apostle proceeds to
show how it actually operates on the depraved mind. In the
first place, it enlightens conscience, and, in the second, it
rouses the opposition of the corrupt heart. These are the two
elements of conviction of sin ; a knowledge of its nature, and a
sense of its power over ourselves. Hence the feeling of self-
condemnation, of helplessness and misery. Thus the law slays.
This is one portion of its effect, but not the wrhole ; for, even
after the heart is renewed, as it is but imperfectly sanctified,
the law is still unable to promote holiness. The reason here
again is not that the law is evil, but that we are carnal, ver. 14.
Indwelling sin, as the apostle calls it, is the cause why the law

ROMANS VII. 14—25. 385

cannot effect the sanctification even of the believer. It pre
sents, indeed, the form of beauty, and the soul delights in it
after the inward man; but the corrupt affections, which turn
to self and the world, are still there : these the law cannot
destroy. But though the law cannot do this, it shall eventually
be done. Thanks to God, through Jesus Christ, our case is not
hopeless !

The apostle's object would have been but half attained, had
he not thus exhibited the effect of the law upon the believer's
mind, and demonstrated that a sense of legal bondage was not
necessary to the Christian, arid could not secure his sanctifica
tion. Having done this, his object is accomplished. The eighth
chapter, therefore, is not so intimately connected with the
seventh. It does not commence with an inference from the
discussion in vs. 7 — -5, but from the whole preceding exhibi
tion. k> There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them that
are in Christ Jesus." Why'.' Because they are sanctified? No;
but because they are not under the law. This is the main
point, from first to last. They are delivered from that law,
which, however good in itself, can onlv produce sin and death,
ver. '1. In view of this insufficiency of the law, God, having
sent his Son as a, sacrifice for sin. lias delivered them from it,
by condemning sin in him, and has thus secured the justification
of believers. Through him they sati>fy the demands of the law,
and their salvation is rendered certain. This, however, implies
that they do not live after the fle>h, but after the Spirit, agree
ably to the doctrine of the sixth chapter; for salvation in sin is
a contradiction in terms.

There is. therefore, no such antithesis between the seventh
and eighth chapters, as the opposite interpretation supposes.
It is not the design of the latter to show that men are delivered
from indwelling sin; or that the conflict between the "law in
the members" and u the law of the mind," between the flesh
and Spirit, ceases when men embrace the gospel. Hut it shows
that this consummation is secured to all who are in Christ, lo
all who do riot deliberately and of choice walk after the flesh,
and make it their guide and master. In virtue of deliverance
from the law, and introduction into a state of grace, the believer
has not only his acceptance with God, but his final deliverance

386 ROMANS VII. 14—25.

from sin secured. Sin shall not triumph in those who have th«
Spirit of Christ, and who, by that Spirit, mortify the deeds of
the body.

If, then, the context is altogether favourable to the ordinary
interpretation; if the passage is accurately descriptive of
Christian experience, and analogous to other inspired accounts
of the exercises of the renewed heart ; if not merely particular
expressions, but the whole tenor of the discourse, is inconsistent
with the scriptural account of the natural man; and if Paul, in
the use of the first person and the present tense, cannot, with
out violence, be considered otherwise than as expressing his
own feelings while writing, we have abundant reason to rest
satisfied with the obvious sense of the passage.

DOCTRIXE.

1. No man is perfectly sanctified in this life. At least, Paul
was not, according to his own confession, when he wrote this
passage., vs. 14 — 2o.

2. The law is spiritual, that is, perfect, deriving its character
from its author, the Spirit of God. It is, therefore, the unerr
ing standard of duty, and the source of moral light or know
ledge. It should, therefore, be everywhere known and studied,
and faithfully applied as the rule of judgment for our own
conduct, and that of others. Evangelical doctrines, therefore,
which teach the necessity of freedom from the law as a cove
nant of works, i. e. as prescribing the terms of our justification
before God, derogate neither from its excellence nor its author
ity. It is left to do its proper work in the economy of redemp
tion ; to convince of sin, and be a guide to duty, vcr. 14, &c.

3. The mere presentation of truth, apart from the influ
ences of the Spirit, can neither renew nor sanctify the heart,
ver. 14, &c.

4. Inability is consistent with responsibility. " To perform
that which is good I find not," that is, I cannot, ver. 18; Gal.
v. IT. As the Scriptures constantly recognise the truth of
these two things, so are they constantly united in Christian
experience. Every one feels that he cannot do the things that
he would, yet is sensible that he is to blame for not doing them.

ROMANS VII. 14—25. 387

Let any man test his power by the requisition to love God per
fectly at all times. Alas ! how entire our inability ; yet how
deep our self-loathing and self-condemnation !

5. The emotions arid affections do not obey a determination
of the will, vs. 10, 18, 10, 21. A change of purpose, therefore,
is not a change of heart.

6. The Christian's victory over sin cannot be achieved by
the strength of his resolutions, nor by the plainness and force
of moral motives, nor by any resources within himself. lie
looks to Jesus Christ, and conquers in his strength. In other
words, the victory is not obtained in the way of nature, but of
grace, vs. 14 — 25.

REMARKS.

1. As the believer's life is a constant conflict, those who do
not struggle against sin, arid endeavour to subdue it, are riot
true Christians, vs. 14 — 25.

2. The person here described hates sin, ver. 15; acknow
ledges and delights in the spirituality of the divine law,
vs. 1<>, 22; he considers his corruption a dreadful burden, from
which he earnestly desires to be delivered, ver. 24. These are
exercises of genuine piety, and should be applied as tests of
character.

3. It is an evidence of an unrcnewed heart to express or feel
opposition to the law of (Jod. as though it were too strict; or
to be disposed to throw oft' the blame of our want of conformity
to the divine will from ourselves upon the law. as unreasonable.
The renewed man condemns himself, and justifies (Jod, even
while he confesses and mourns his inability to conform to the
divine requisitions, vs. 14 — 25.

4. The strength and extent of the corruption of our nature
are seen from its influence over the best of men, and from its
retaining more or less of its power, under all circumstances, to
the end of life, ver. 25.

5. This corruption, although its power is acknowledged, "so
far from being regarded as an excuse or palliation for our indi
vidual offences, is recognised as the greatest aggravation of our
guilt. To say, with the feelings of the apostle, "I am carnal,"

388 ROMANS VIII. 1—39.

is to utter the strongest language of self-condemnation and self-
abhorrence, vs. 14 — 25.

6. Although the believer is never perfectly sanctified in this
life, his aim and efforts are ever onward ; and the experience
of the power of indwelling sin teaches him the value of heaven,
and prepares him for the enjoyment of it, vs. 14 — 25.

CHAPTER VIII.

CONTENTS.

PAUL had now finished his exhibition of the plan of salvation.
He had shown that we are justified gratuitously, that is, by
faith in Jesus Christ, without the works of the law. He had
proved that, so far from this freedom from the law leading to
the indulgence of sin, it is necessary to our sanctifieation,
because the law is as inadequate to the production of holiness
in the sinner, as it is to secure pardon or acceptance with God.
That such is the insufficiency of the law, he proved by exhibit
ing its operation both on the renewed and unrenewed mind.
Having accomplished all this, he leaves, in the chapter before
us, the field of logical argument, and enters on the new and
more elevated sphere of joyous exultation. As, however,
there is always warmth of feeling in the apostle's argument,
so also is there generally logical arrangement in his highest
triumphs.

His theme here is the security of believers. The salvation
of those who have renounced the law, and accepted the gracious
offers of the gospel, is shown to be absolutely certain. The
whole chapter is a series of arguments, most beautifully
arranged, in support of this one point. They are all traced
back to the great source of hope and security, the unmerited
and unchanging love of God in Christ Jesus. The proposition
is contained in the first verse. There is no condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus : they shall never be condemned
or perish.

ROMANS VIII. 1—11. 389

1. Because they are delivered from the law ; all its demands
being fulfilled in them by the mission and sacrifice of Christ,
vs. 1 — 4. 2. Because their salvation is actually begun in the
regeneration and sanctification of their hearts by the Holy
Spirit. Those who have the Spirit of Christ have the Spirit
of life, vs. 5 — 11. 3. Not only is their salvation begun, but
they are the children of God, and if children, they are heirs,
vs. 12 — 17. 4. The afflictions which they may be called to
endure, are not inconsistent with this filial relation to God,
because they are utterly insignificant in comparison with the
glory that shall be revealed in them ; and under these afflictions
they are sustained both by hope and the intercessions of the
Holy Spirit, vs. 18 — 28. o. Because they are predestinated
to the attainment of eternal life; of which predestination their
present sanctification or effectual calling is the result, and
therefore the evidence, vs. 28 — 30. G. Because God has given
his Son to die for them, and thereby to secure their justifica
tion and salvation, vs. 31 — 34. 7. Because the love of God is
infinite and unchangeable; from which nothing can separate
us, vs. 3-5 — 30. Thus from the proximate cause of salvation,
or the indwelling of the Spirit, does the apostle rise with ever-
increasing confidence, to the great source and fountain of all,
in the love of God.*

Although, according to this view of the chapter, it is one
whole, it may, for the sake of convenience, be divided into
three sections.

ROMANS VIII. 1—11.

ANALYSIS.

Tins section contains the development of the first two of the
apostle's arguments in favour of the position, that those who
are in Christ Jesus shall never be condemned. The immediate
reason is assigned in the second verse — they are delivered from
the law. For, in view of the insufficiency of the law, God sent

* The same general view of the design of this chapter, and of the course of
the apostle's argument, is given in the analysis of this epistle, by Stephen
de Brais.

390 ROMANS VIII. 1.

forth his Son as a sacrifice for sin, vcr. 3 ; and thus secured
the justification of all believers, vcr. 4. Being thus delivered
from the law, they walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit,
and this possession of the Spirit is incipient salvation: because
the carnal mind, which, of course, all who are in the flesh pos
sess, is death ; whereas a mind under the government of the
Spirit is life and peace. Such is the very nature of the case.
Holiness is salvation, vs. 5 — 7. The reason that death is the
necessary consequence of being carnally minded, is the essen
tial opposition between such a state of mind and God. Hence,
those who have this state of mind are the objects of the Divine
displeasure, vs. 7, 8. As, however, believers are not under the
government of the flesh, but of the Spirit, their salvation is
secured, even to the resurrection of the body. For if the Spirit
of Him who raised up Jesus from the dead, dwell in them, he
shall also quicken their mortal bodies, vs. 9 — 11.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 1. There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus. It is a matter of considerable
importance to the understanding of this chapter, to decide what
is its precise relation to the preceding part of the epistle. The
word therefore indicates that what follows is an inference ; but
from what ? From the conclusion of the seventh chapter, or
from the Avhole previous discussion ? The latter seems to be
the only correct view of the context ; because the fact that
there is no condemnation to believers, is no fair inference from
what is said at the close of the preceding chapter. Paul does
not mean to say, as Luther and others explain vcr. 1, that
there is nothing worthy of condemnation in the Christian,
because with his mind he serves the law of God. Nor does he
mean, at least in the first few verses, to argue that believers
shall not be condemned, because they are freed from the
dominion of sin. But the inference, in the first verse, is the
legitimate conclusion of all that Paul had previously estab
lished. Believers shall be saved, because they are not under
the law, but under grace, which is the main point in all that
Paul has yet said. There is, therefore, now, i. e. under these

ROMANS VIII. 1. 391

circumstances, viz. the circumstances set forth in the previous
part of the epistle. The decision of the question as to the con
nection depends on the view taken of the apostle's argument.
If he argues that believers are not liable to condemnation,
because with the mind they serve the law of God, then the con
nection is with what immediately precedes. But if his argu
ment is, that those in Christ are not exposed to condemnation,
notwithstanding their imperfect sanctification, because Christ
has died as a sacrifice for their sins, then the connection is
with the main argument of the epistle. Since men, being sin
ners, cannot be justified by works ; since by the obedience of
one man, Jesus Christ, the many are made righteous; and since
through him, and not through the law. deliverance from the
subjective power of sin is effected, therefore it follows that
there is no condemnation to those who are in him.

There is no condemnation, o'josi^ xardxotu.fs.j does not mean
niliil dcimnatione dignum (nothing worth v <>f condemnation,) as
Erasmus and many others render it, but there /.s no condemna
tion. Those who are in Christ are not exposed to condemnation.
And this a^ain is not to be understood as descriptive of their

<- 1

present state merely, but of their permanent position. They
are placed beyond the reach of condemnation. They shall
never be condemned. The meaning of a proposition is often
best understood by the arguments by which it is sustained. It
is so in this case. The whole chapter is a proof of the safety
of believers, of their security not only from present condemna
tion, but from future perdition. Nothing shall ever separate
them from the love of God, is the triumphant conclusion to
which the apostle arrives. Those to whom there is and never
can be any condemnation, are described, first as to their rela
tion to Christ, and secondly as to their character. The first
assigns the reason of their security, the second enables us to
determine to whom that security belongs. First, they are in
Christ. In what sense? This must be determined, not so much
from the force of the words, as from the teachings of Scripture.
1. They arc in him federally, as all men were in Adam, 1 Cor.
xv. 22, Rom. v. 12 — 21. 2. They are in him vitally, as the
branch is in the vine, John xv. 1 — T; or, as the head and mem
bers of the body are in vital union, 1 Cor. xii. 27, Eph. i. 23.

392 ROMANS VIII. 2.

This union arises from the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, 1 Cor.
xii. 13, vi. 15, 19. 3. They are in him by faith, Eph. iii. 17,
Gal. iii. 26, 27. It is not in virtue of any one of these bonds
of union exclusively, but in virtue of them all (so far as adults
are concerned,) that there is no condemnation to those who are
in Christ Jesus. It follows from the nature of this union, that
it must transform the character of those who are its subjects.
If, therefore, any man is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature,
2 Cor. v. 17, John xv. 4, Phil. iii. 19, Col. ii. 6, 1 John ii. 5,
iii. G. As the union includes the bodies of believers, as well as
their souls, 1 Cor. vi. 15 — 19, so this transforming power will
ultimately extend to the former as well as to the latter, Rom.
viii. 10, 11. In this verse, (according to the common text,) the
transforming power of this union with Christ is expressed by
saying, that those who are in him, walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit. To walk means to regulate the inward and
outward life. It includes, therefore, the determination of the
judgments, the feelings, the purposes, as well as the external
conduct. The controlling principle in believers is not the flesh,
i. e. the corrupt nature, but the Holy Spirit who dwells in
them, as the source of knowledge, of holiness, of strength, of
peace and love. They are not aacr/c/oi governed by the #«/><-,
but -vs'j/jLaT'xo! governed by the Spirit. The only evidence
therefore to ourselves, or to others, of our being in Christ, is
this subjection of the whole life to the control of his Spirit, so
that we discern and believe the truth, 1 Cor. ii. 14 — 16, and
are governed by it. When the word ~^zrJ[J.a is not only without
the article, and opposed to odpz, it may be understood of the
Spirit as the principle of life in the believer, and in that view
be equivalent to the new man, or the renewed principle. This
is the view adopted by many as the meaning of the word in this
passage. This clause, however, is of doubtful authority. It
occurs in ver. 4, and may by a transcriber have been trans
ferred to this place. The whole clause is omitted in the major
ity of the uncial MSS., and by the great body of modern critics.
The Litter clause only is omitted in the MSS. A. D. in the Vul
gate, and by Chrysostom, which reading is adopted by Bengel.
VERSE 2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, &c.
This verse assigns the reason why there is no condemnation to

ROMANS VIII. 2. 393

those who arc in Christ, as is evident from the use of for, with
which the verse commences.

The law of the Spirit is here opposed to the law of sin and
death, mentioned in the other clause of the verse. The inter
pretation of the one phrase, therefore, must decide that of the
other. There are three different views which may be taken
of the verse. 1. The word law may be used here as it is in
vs. 21, 23, of chap, vii., for a directing poiver ; and Spirit, by
metonymy, for that which the Spirit produces, i. c. sanctified
affections; and the words of life may mean, producing life.
The sense would then be, ' The power of the renewed principle
which tends to life, has delivered me from the power of sin
which tends to death.' In other words, 'The law of the mind
has delivered me from the law of sin which is in the members.'
So Beza and many others. 2. The word law is taken in nearly
the same sense ; but Spirit of life is understood to mean the
Holy Spirit, considered as the author of life. The sense then
is, 'The power of the life-giving Spirit has delivered me from
the dominion of the law of sin and death in mv members.' So
Calvin, and others: " Legem. Spiritus improprie vocat Dei
Spiritum, qui animas nostras Christi sanguine aspergit, non
tantum ut a peccati labe emundet quoad reatum; sed in vennn
puritatem sanctificet." The objection to this interpretation,
that it seems to refer our freedom from condemnation to our
regeneration, he proposes to meet by saying that Paul does not
state the cause, but the method of our deliverance from guilt:
"Negat Paulus externa legis doctrina id nos consequi, sed dum
Spiritu Dei renovamur, simul etiam justificari gratuita venia, no
peccati maledictio in nos amplius recumbat. Perindc ergo valet
hacc sentia acsi dixisset Paulus, regenerationis gratiam ab
imputatione justitirc nunquam disjungi." 3. According to the
third view, the law of the Spirit of life is the gospel, i. e. the
law of which the life-giving Spirit is the author. Of course,
the other member of the verse, instead of describing the corrupt
principle in men, means the law of God, which, as Paul had
taught in chap, vii., is incidentally the cause of sin and death.
The sense of the passage then is, ' The gospel has delivered me
from the law.' So Witsius, &c.

This last seems decidedly to be preferred, for the following

394 ROMANS VIII. 2.

reasons : 1. Although the two former interpretations are con
sistent with Paul's use of the word law, neither of them so well
suits the context, because neither assigns the reason why
believers are not exposed to condemnation. Paul asserts that
those who are in Christ are restored to the divine favour.
Why? Because they are sanctified? No; but because they
have been freed from the law and its demands, and introduced
into a state of grace. 2. It is not true that believers are deli
vered from the law of sin in their members. If the terms law
of the Spirit, and law of sin, are to be understood of the good
and evil principle in the Christian, how can it be said that by
the former he is, in this life, delivered from the latter? This
would be in direct contradiction to chap. vii. and to experience.
3. The terms here used may naturally be so understood, because
the word law, in its general sense, as rule, is applicable and is
applied to the gospel, Horn. iii. 27, especially when standing
in antithesis to the law of works. The gospel is called the law
of the Spirit, because he is its author: see the phrase "minis
tration of the Spirit," 2 Cor. iii. 8. In the other member of
the verse the law is called the law of sin and death, because
productive of sin and death. This is no more than what Paul
had said expressly of the law in the preceding chapter, vs. 5,
13, &c. Arid in 2 Cor. iii. G, the law is said to kill : it is called
the dtfJLXowa TO~J d-a^d-rou, (the ministration of death,) and the
deaxowa r^c xaTaxplffscoz, (ministration of condemnation.) There
the same contrast between the dcaxovia rorj fravdrou and the
otazoi'la Torj Ttusv/jiaTOZ is presented, as here between the I*O/JLOZ
rorj frai<d-oi> and the i'O/w- TOIJ x^eu/mToz. 4. This interpreta
tion alone assigns an adequate ground for the declaration of the
preceding verse. That declaration, the result of all that Paul
had yet proved, is that believers, and believers only, are per
fectly safe; and the reason assigned is the sum of all the argu
ment from the commencement of the epistle. They are not
under the law, but under grace ; the law of the Spirit has freed
them from the old law of works. 5. The next verse favours,
if it does not absolutely demand, this interpretation. It gives
the reason why believers are thus freed from the law, viz. it
was insufficient for their salvation, " it was weak through the
flesh." 0. The use of the aorist '/jfeu&epcoas, which shows that

ROMANS VIII. 3. 395

the freedom spoken of is an accomplished fact, confirms this
interpretation. Deliverance from the law of sin in the members
is a gradual process; deliverance from the law is effected once
for all ; and with regard to the believer, it is a fact accom
plished.

The words kv Xowrw, in Christ, may be connected with the
immediately preceding words T?^ !>'^C, the life which is in
Christ; or with u ±6tiu~ x.r./., the law of the Spirit which is in
Christ. As, however, the connecting article (r/^ or o,) which
is necessary at least definitely to indicate either of those con
structions, is wanting, the words in (question are generally con
nected with the following verb, //c^V^/werc, in Cltrist //W(/ me;
that is, it was in him, and therefore through him, that this
deliverance was effected. The meaning of this verse, therefore,
in connection with the preceding, is, k There is no condemnation
to those who are in Christ, because they have been freed in
him by the gospel of the life-giving Spirit, from that law which,
although good in itself, is, through our corruption, the source
of sin and death.' J>eing thus free from the curse of the law,
and from the obligation to fulfil its demands, as the condition
of life, and consequently freed from a legal spirit, their
sins are gratuitously pardoned for Christ's sake; thev are
made partakers of the Spirit of God, are transformed more and
more into his image, and God is pledged to preserve them unto
eternal life.

VERSK :}. This verse is connected with the preceding l>v the
particle ]-<>.<>, fur. • We are delivered from the law, for the law
could not effect our salvation.' The words TO iw'j^</-ov Tur)
lofwj maybe rendered either, the i//i}>ot<'>tc// ,,f the bur, or what
2S impossible t<> the law. The choice between these renderings
depends on the grammatical structure of the passage. First,
TO aow/roi/ may be taken as the accusative, arid the preposition
di<\ be supplied, on account of the imjtnteney of lite hue; or,
secondly, it may be taken as the accusative absolute, as to the
impotency of the law, i. e. in view of its impotency; or, thirdly,
it may be taken as the nominative, and in apposition with the
following clause. The sense would then be, w The impossibility
of the law — God condemned sin ;' i. e. the condemnation of sin
is what is impossible to the law. This is the view commonly

396 ROMANS VIII. 3.

adopted, especially by those who understand the apostle to be
speaking of sanctification, and who therefore take condemned
sin to mean destroyed sin. As, however, that clause does not
mean to destroy sin, but judicially to condemn it, the first
clause cannot strictly be in apposition with it. The law could
condemn sin. What it cannot do is to free us either from its
guilt or power. It can neither justify nor sanctify. On this
account, the second exposition of the first clause of the verse
just mentioned, is to be preferred: 'In view of the impotcncy
of the law, God sent his Son,' &c. This insufficiency of the
law, as the apostle had taught in the preceding chapters, is not
due to any imperfection of the law itself. It is holy, just, and
good. It requires nothing more than is right. If men could
comply with its righteous demands, the law would pronounce
them just. If they wore free from the infection of sin, "the
form of truth and knowledge in the law," the perfect exhibition
which it makes of the will of God, would avail to maintain and
advance them in holiness. But as they are already under sin,
under its guilt and power, the law is entirely impotent to their
justification or sanctification. The apostle therefore says, that
the law is impotent, Iv w, became that (see Heb. ii. 18) it is
weak through the flesh, ota r£c aaoy.bz, i. e. through our cor
ruption. It is our being depraved that renders the law weak,
or impotent to s.avc God sending (or having sent 77=7^'^)
his own /Vow, rov ko.oTo7} vfov. The term Son here evidently
designates the eternal personal Son. He was from eternity,
and in virtue of his Divine nature, and not in virtue either of
his miraculous birth, or his exaltation, the Son of God. The
greatness of the work to be accomplished, and the greatness of
the love of God impelling him to our redemption, are strongly
exhibited in these words. It was not a creature, even the most
exalted, whom God sent on this mission, but his own Son, one
with him in essence and glory.

Two things are further stated concerning this mission of the
Son of God. First, the form under which he appeared in the
world; and, secondly, the object for which he was sent. As to
the form in which he appeared, it was in the likeness of sinful
flexh. It was not simply lv ffanxl (in the flesh,} clothed in our
nature ; for that might have been said, had he appeared in the

ROMANS VIII. 3. 397

glorious, impassive nature of Adam before the fall. Much less
was it in iv aarjxt h-tm^'a- (in sinful flesh,} for that would
imply that his human nature was denied, contrary to II eb.
iv. 15, and to all Scripture; but it was iv btw>co(m-c aaozbz
huapriaz, (in the likeness of sinful flesJt.) that is. in a nature
like to our sinful nature, but not itself sinful. Christ took our
physically dilapidated nature, subject to the infirmities which
sin had brought into it. lie was therefore susceptible of pain,
and weariness, and sorrow. lie could be touched with a sense
of our infirmities. lie was tempted in all points as we arc. lie
is therefore a merciful and trustworthy High Priest. The
object for which God sent his Son, clothed in this feeble, suffer
ing nature of ours, is expressed by xu: -?<>> fin(i.n-[(i.~* (<m<! for
sin.) This may mean cither on account <f ,v/>?, whether for its
expiation or its removal, being undetermined; or it ni;iv bo
understood in a sacrificial sense. Christ was sent for the expia
tion of sin, or as a sacrifice for sin. 1. In favour of tin's is the
usus loquendi, as 77=^; d.tiapria^ is so often used in this sense:
see Num. viii. 8, Ps. xl. 7, (in the LXX. 30(5.) Lev. vi. :2f>, 3D,
Ileb. x. <!, 8, 18, xiii. 11. Thus also in Gal. i. 4, Christ is said
to have given himself ~in\ rW//*r.'<vji/ ^tuny, for, i. e. as a sacri
fice for, our *z ??,<?. 2. The analogy of Scripture, as it is so
abundantly taught in the word of God, is that Christ was sent to
make expiation for sin, to wash away sin, to offer himself unto
God as ;i sacrifice for sin. When, therefore, it is said that he
was sent for sin, or gave himself for our sins, the implication is
almost unavoidable that the meaning is, he was sent as a sacri
fice for sin. 3. The immediate context demands this interpre
tation ; for the effect ascribed to this sending Christ for sin, is
that which is due to a sacrifice or expiation. What the law
could not do, was to reconcile us unto God. It was in view of
the impotency of the law to effect the salvation of sinners, that
God sent his Son to make expiation for their offences, and thus
bring them back to himself. He thus condemned sin in the
flesh; that is, he condemned it in the flesh, or nature, which his
Son had assumed. Christ took upon himself our nature, in
order to expiate the guilt of that nature. The expiation must
be made in the nature which had sinned. As Christ, the
apostle tells us, Heb. ii. 14— 18, did not undertake the redemp-

398 ROMANS VIII. 3.

tion of angels, he did not assume their nature, but took part in
flesh and blood. That the words xarexpe^s rrp b.au.o~io.v (he
condemned sin,) docs not mean that he destroyed sin, but that
he punished it, visited it with the penalty of the law, is evident.

1. Because xardxpeva) never means to destroy, but always means
to condemn. It is perfectly arbitrary, therefore, to depart
from the ordinary meaning of the word in this particular place.

2. The sacrifice of Christ was the condemnation of sin. That
is, he bore our sins. He was made a curse, in the sense that
he endured the curse due to sin. His sufferings were penal, as
they were judicially inflicted in satisfaction of justice. The
proximate design and effect of a sacrifice is expiation, and not
reformation or inward purification. When therefore the apostle
speaks, as he here does, of what God did by sending his Son
as a sacrifice for sin, lie must be understood to speak of the
sacrificial effect of his death. 3. The context requires this
interpretation. The argument of the apostle is, that there is
no xaTdptfJLO. (condemnation) to us, because God -/arsor^s (con
demned) sin in Christ. The other interpretation supposes him.
to say, that there is no condemnation to us, because sin is
destroyed in us. That is, we are justified on the ground of our
own inherent goodness or freedom from sin. But this is con
trary to the Scriptures, and to the faith of the Church. u Clare
affirmat Paulus," says Calvin, "ideo expiata fuisse peccata
Christi morte, quia Legi impossibile erat, justitiam nobis con-
ferre." The apostle, he adds, teaches, " Legem nihil prorsus
habere momenti ad conferendam justitiam. Yides ergo, nos
penitus excludi ab operum justitia: ideoquc ad Christi justi
tiam nos confugere, quia in nobis nulla esse potcst. Quod
scitu in primis necessarium cst ; quia Christi justitia nonquam,
vestiemur, nisi prius certo noverimus, propriae justitiic nihil nos
habere." In saying, however, that the proximate object and
effect of a sacrifice is to expiate sin, and therefore that sin is
thereby condemned and not destroyed, it is not forgotten that
propitiation is the end of expiation; that our sins arc atoned
for by the blood of Christ, in order to our being restored to his
image and favour. Justification is not on account of, or on the
ground of sanctification, but it is in order to it ; and therefore
the two arc inseparable. The justified are always sanctified.

ROMANS VIII. 4. 399

And therefore, so far as the meaning is concerned, there is no
objection to saying, that the condemnation of sin of which the
apostle here speaks, includes the idea of its extirpation or
destruction as a necessary consequence. But it is nevertheless
important, not only to a due understanding of his argument,
but also to the integrity of scriptural doctrine, to remember
that the condemation of sin in the person of Christ, expresses
its expiation by his blood, and not the destruction of its power
in us. It is Christ as the substitute of sinners, bearing the
curse for them, that is here presented to our view. This even
Olshausen admits, who says, "'The conclusion of this verse
expresses in the most decisive1 terms the vicarious (stellvertre-
tenden) atoning death of the Saviour."

VKIISI-: 4. Th<tt. tin1 ri<ilit('<>u*n<'iM <>f tlu' late ni)<jlit be fulfilled
in ?*x. \c. This verse expresses the design of (_I.»d in sending
liis Son, and in condemning sin in the flesh. He did thus con
demn it, "i'su. in order t/mt the righteousness of the law might
be fulfilled. The meaning, therefore, of this passage is deter
mined bv the view taken of ver. o. If that verse means, that
God, by sendin:: his Son, destroyed sin in us, then of course this
verse must mean, 'He destroyed sin, in order that we should
fulfil the law;' i. e. that we should be holy. J>ut if \er. o is
understood of the1 sacrificial death of Christ, and of the con
demnation of sin in him as the substitute of sinners, then this
verse must be u;idrr>t'iod of justification, and not of sanctifica-
tion. He condemned sin, in order that the demands of the law
miu'ht be satisfied. This is the view of the passage given even
by the majoritv of the early Fathers, and by almost all evan
gelical interpreters, including the Reformers. l- Qui intelligunt
Spiritu Christi renoyatos legem implere, commentuiu a sensu
Pauli penitus alienum afierunt ; neque enim eo usque proficiunt
fideles, quumdia peregrinantur in mundo, ut justificatio legis in
illis plena sit, vel integra. Frgo hoc ad veniam refer re nreesse
cst ; quia, dum nobis accepta fertur Christi obedientia, legi
satisfaction cst, ut pro justis censeamur." That this is the true
meaning of the passage appears not only from the connection
and the course of the argument, but also from the following
considerations: 1. It is consistent with the strict and natural
meaning of the words. The word ocxaiw/JLa, hero used, means,

400 ROMANS VIII. 4.

first, something righteous, and then, second, something declared
to be righteous and obligatory, an ordinance or precept ; and,
third, a righteous decision, a just judgment, as when in Rom.
i. 29, the heathen are said to know the ocxaico/m, the righteous
judgment of God ; and, fourth, the act of declaring righteous,
justification. In this sense oexaUo/jia is antithetical to xardxpt/m.
The dfxalco/jLa rorj W/JLOU, therefore, may mean, the righteous
requirement of the law, that which satisfies its demands. In
strict accordance therefore with the sense of the words, we may
explain the passage to mean, 'that the demands of the law
might be satisfied in us.' That is, that we might be justified.
Christ was condemned, that to us there might be no condemna
tion, lie was made sin, that we might be made righteousness,
2 Cor. v. 21. Or, if we take or/acco/m in the sense of (Recht-
fertigungsurtheil) a declaration of righteousness, an act of justi
fication, the same idea is expressed : ' Sin was condemned in
Christ, in order that the sentence of justification might be ful
filled, or carried into effect in us.' This is the explanation
which Eckermann, Kollner, Philippi, and other modern inter
preters adopt. 2. The analogy of Scripture. To make this
passage teach the doctrine of subjective justification, that we
are freed from condemnation or delivered from the lawr by our
inward sanctification, is to contradict the plain teaching of the
Bible, and the whole drift and argument of this epistle.
3. The concluding clause of the verse, (who walk not after the
flesh, &c.) demands the interpretation given above. In the
other view of the passage, the latter clause is altogether unne
cessary. Why should Paul say, that Christ died in order that
they should be holy wrho are holy, i. e. those who walk not after
the flesh ? On the other hand, the second clause of the verse
is specially pertinent, if the first treats of justification. The
benefits of Christ's death are experienced only by those who
walk not after the flesh. The gospel is not antinomian. Those
only are justified who are also sanctified. Holiness is the fruit
and evidence of reconciliation with God. There is no con
demnation to those who walk after the Spirit; and the right
eousness of the law is fulfilled by those who walk after the
Spirit. In both cases, the latter clause is designed to describe
the class of persons who are entitled to appropriate to them-

ROMANS VIII. 5. 401

selves the promise of justification in Christ. 4. Finally, as
intimated in the above quotation from Calvin, it is not true that
the righteousness of the law, in the sense of complete obedience,
is fulfilled in believers. The interpretation which makes the
apostle say, that we are delivered from the law by the work of
Christ, in order that the complete obedience which the law
demands might be rendered by us, supposes what all Scripture
and experience contradicts. For an exposition of the last
clause of the verse, see ver. 1.

VERSE 5. For they that arc after the flesh do mind the things
of tlie flesh. The immediate object of this and the following
verse is to justify the necessity of limiting the blessings of
Christ's death, to those who walk not after the ilesh, but after
the Spirit. The /or, therefore, connects this verse, not with
the main idea, but with the last clause of the preceding. Men
must be holy, because sin is death, whereas holiness is life and
peace. The necessity of spirituality, therefore, lies in the very
nature of things.

Titey who are after tJ/e flesh, those irlin are in the flesh,
the carnal, are expressions of like import, and describe those
who are governed by the flesh, or by their nature considered
as corrupt. The corresponding series, ////// u:ho are after the
^ nil' it, tc lit) are in tiie Spirit, tin' xjiiritiial* deseribe those who
are under the government of the II<>!v (Jhost. Of the former
class it is said they mind the tliinas <>f tin1 flrxh, of the latter,
they tiiind the things <>f t/te Spirit. The word c/io^il.^ is de
rived from cr/'^, which is used for the seat of all mental affec
tions and faculties, and therefore (:<>()^i«) has a wide meaning.
It expresses any form of mental activity, any exorcise of the
intellect, will, or affections. Tltey rnind, ((ppowjmv,) therefore,
means, they make the object of attention, desire, and pursuit.
T/te tilings (if the jlexh. are the objects on which their hearts are
set, and to which their lives are devoted. Things of the flesh
are not merely sensual things, but all things which do not
belong to the category of the things of the Spirit. Compare
Matt. xvi. 23, orj c<>o\,~.1~ ~ii. ~o~i (~hor>, thou savourest not the
things of Crod. Phil. iii. 10, ol ra k-l-fxa <f(toi,orj\,-z~. Col.
iii. 2, &c. The English word wind is used with much the
same latitude. The idea evidently is, that the objects of atten-
26

402 ROMANS VIII. 6.

tion, desire, and pursuit, to the carnal, are corrupt and worldly ;
while to the spiritual, they are the things which the Spirit pro
poses and approves.

VERSE 6. For to be carnally minded is death. The f&p
heroes by many taken as a mere particle of transition, equiva
lent to but. 'But to be carnally minded is death.' The utter
incompatibility between the indulgence of sin and a state of
salvation is thus clearly expressed. It is impossible that justi
fication should be disconnected with sanctification, because a
sinful and carnal state of mind ig death. It is better, however,
to take fd() in its usual sense of for. The connection may then
be with ver. 4, so that verses 5 and 6 arc coordinate, ver. 6
presenting an additional reason why believers do not walk after
the flesh. They do not thus walk, for to do so is death. Or,
the connection is with ver. 5. Justification is limited to the
holy, for to live after the flesh is death. The phrase (fowr^ia
r^c 0v.f>x6z is substantially of the same import with ^oovslv ra
TTjZ aafjzoz, the minding the things of the flesh. It is thus
active in its signification. It is, however, more in accordance
with the proper signification of the word to understand it as
expressing a state of the mind. This is implied in the English
version, to be carnally minded. The idea is not merely that
the actual seeking the things of the flesh leads to death ; but
that a carnal state of mind, which reveals itself in the desire
and pursuit of carnal objects, is death. And by death is of
course meant spiritual death, the absence and the opposite of
spiritual life. It includes alienation from God, unholiness,
and misery. On the other hand, the <pp6vr/fj.a rorj xv&jftaTOZ is
that state of mind which is produced by the Spirit, and which
reveals itself in the desire and pursuit of the things of the
Spirit. This state of mind is life and peace. Therein consists
the true life and blessedness of the soul. This being the case,
there can be no such thing as salvation in sin ; no possibility
of justification without sanctification. If partakers of the
benefits of Christ's death, we arc partakers of his life. If we
died with him, we live with him. This is pertinent to the
apostle's main object in this chapter, which is to show that
believers never can be condemned. They arc not only de
livered from the law, and justified by the blood of Christ, but

ROMANS VIII. 7. 403

they are partakers of his life. They have the <f>p6vy/j.a rou
7ivz'JfJ.a.TOZi which is life and peace.

VERSE 7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against Crod.
This is the reason why the (fpovr^ua r^c aa<r/.o~ is death. It is
in its nature opposed to God, who is the life of the soul. His
favour is life, and therefore opposition to him is death. The
carnal mind is enmity to God, for it is not subject to the law
of God. The law of God, however, is the revelation of his
nature, and therefore opposition to the law, is opposition to
God. This opposition on the part of the carnal mind is not
casual, occasional, or in virtue of a mere purpose. It arises out
of its very nature. It is not only not subject to the law of God,
but it cannot le. It has no ability to change itself. ()thenvi>e
it would not be death. It is precisely because of this utter
impotencv of the carnal mind, or unrenewed heart, to change
its own nature, that it involves the hopelessness which the word
deatii implies. Compare 1 Cor. ii. 14, where the same truth is
asserted: "The natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God — neither can he know them." "JViv cnnit potest.
En," says Calvin, Miberi arbitrii facultas, quam satis evehere
sophistic noqueunt. Certe Paulus disertis verbis hie ailirmat
quod ipsi pleno ore detestantur, nobis esse impossible subjicere
legis obedientiic. . . . I'rocul igitur sit a Christiano pectore ilia de
arbitrii libertate gentilis philosophia. Si-rvum pcccati se quis-
que, ut re vcra est, agnoscat, quo per Christi gratiam manu
missus liberetur; alia libertate prosus stultum est gloriari."
To the same effect the modern German commentators, whether
mystic, rationalistic, or evangelical. l'No man." says Olshau-
6cn, '-can free himself from himself:" "Von sich selbst karin
eich keiner selbst losmachen, es muss cine hohere Liebe kom-
men, die ilm meha anzieht, als sein Ich." "The will itself is
fallen away from God," says Baumgarten-Crusius. And the
evangelical Philippi says: "This verse is a strong argument
against the doctrine of the so-called Ubcrum arlitrium of the
natural man. For this carnal state of mind, which cannot sub
ject itself to the will of God, is not produced by any act of
man's will, nor can it be removed by any such act ; it consti
tutes, according to the apostle's doctrine, the original nature
of man in its present or fallen state."

404 ROMANS VIII. 8, 9.

VERSE 8. The necessary consequence of this opposition of a
mind governed by the flesh, towards God, is that those who are
in this state are the objects of the divine displeasure. So then
they that are in the flesh cannot please Grod. To be in the
flesh, as before remarked, is to be under the government of
the flesh, or corrupt nature, to be destitute of the grace of God,
It is an expression applied to all unrenewecl persons, as those
who are not in the flesh are in the Spirit.

Cannot please Grod. 'Apsaxsev rtnl generally means to be
pleasing, or acceptable to any one ; Matt. xiv. G, 1 Cor. vii. 32,
Gal. i. 10, 1 Thess. ii. 15. Not to be pleasing to God, is to be
the objects of his displeasure. Enmity towards God (Z-jfd-pa sec
6sov) has as its necessary consequence, subjection to the enmity
of God, (l^d-pa 0soD.) The apostle's immediate purpose is to
show, that to be carnally minded is death. It must be so, for
it is enmity towards God. But those who hate God are the
objects of his displeasure; and to bo the objects of the wrath
of God, is perdition. Surely, then, to be carnally minded is
death. In vs. 9 — 11, the apostle applies to his readers what
he had just said, and shows how it is that ((fob^im ro5
Ttve'jfjLaTOz,) to be spiritually minded, is life and peace.

VERSE 9. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit,
i. e. ye are not carnal, but spiritual. The Spirit, so to speak,
is the element in which you live. Such the Roman Christians
were by profession and by repute, for their faith was spoken
of throughout the world. Their real character, however, was
not determined either by their professions or their reputation.
The apostle therefore adds, if so be the Spirit of Grod dwell in
you. This is the only decisive test. Every other bond of union
with Christ is of no avail without this. We may be members
of his Church, and united to him by being included in the
number of his people, yet unless we are partakers of that vital
union which arises from the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, we
are his only in name. Our version gives ei'-sp (if so be) its
ordinary and proper sense. "AT^o," says Hermann ad Viger,
§ 310, "usurpatur de re, quiB esse sumitur, sed in incerto relin-
quitur, utrum jure an injuria sumatur; ei'fs autem de re, quse
jure sumta creditur." Sometimes, however, ei'-sp has the same
force as el'^s (since); as, 2 Thess. i. 6, ^seeing it is a righteous

ROMANS VIII. 10. 405

thing with God." The ordinary sense of the particle, however,
is better suited to this passage. The Spirit of God is every
where ; yet he is said to dwell wherever he specially and per
manently manifests his presence. Thus he is said to dwell in
heaven: he dwelt of old in the temple; he now dwells in the
Church, which is a habitation of God through the Spirit, Eph.
ii. '2'2 ; and he dwells in each individual believer whose body is
a temple of the Holy Ghost, 1 Cor. vi. 1(J. Compare John xiv. 19,
1 Cor. iii. 10, '2 Cor. vi. 10, 2 Tim. i. 10, &c. JVow if any man
have not the Spirit of Christ. It is obvious that the Spirit of
Christ is identical with the Spirit of God. The one expression
is nterchanged with the other : fc If the Spirit of God dwell in
you, you are true Christians; for if the Spirit of Christ be not
in you, you are none of his.' This is the reasoning of the
ajx)stle. "Spirit of Christ," therefore, can no more mean the
temper or disposition of Christ, than "Spirit of God" can mean
the disposition of God. Uoth expressions designate the Holy
Glrjst, the third person in the adorable Trinity. The Holy
Spirit is els ,vhere called the Spirit of Christ, Gal. iv. 1(J, Phil.
i. ll>, 1 Pet. i. 11. Whatever the genitive expresses in the one
case, it does in the other, lie is of the Spirit of Christ in the
sane sense in which he is the Spirit of God. In other words,
the Spirit stands in the same relation to the second, that he
docs to the first person of the Trinity. This was one of the
po'nts of controversy between the Greek and Latin Churches;
the latter insisting on inserting in that clause of the Creed
which speaks of the procession of the Holy Ghost, the words
"filioque," (and from the Xnn.) For this the gratitude of all
Christians is due to the Latin Church, as it vindicates the full
equality of the Son witli the Father. Xo clearer assertion, and
no higher exhibition of the Godhead of the Son can be con
ceived, than that which presents him as the source and the
possessor of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit proceeds from, and
belongs to him, and by him is given to whomsoever he wills.
John i. oo, xv. _!(), xvi. 7, Luke xxiv. 2'-', kc.

VERSE 10. And if, or rather, but if, (s: or) Christ be in you.
'If a man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his; but
if Christ be in him, he is partaker of his life.' From this inter
change of expression it is plain that to say that the Spirit of

406 ROMANS VIII. 10.

Christ dwells in us, and to say that Christ dwells in us, is the
same thing. And as the former phrase is interchanged with
Spirit of God, and that again elsewhere with God, it follows,
that to say, God dwells in us, the Spirit of God dwells in us.
Christ dwells in us, and the Spirit of Christ dwells in us, are
only different ways of expressing the same thing. " Qui Spi-
ritum habet, Christum habct; qui Christum litibct, Deum
habet." Bcngel. This scriptural usage finds its explanation in
the doctrine of the Trinity. While there is one only, the living
and true God; yet as there arc three persons in the Godhead,
and as these three are the same in substance, it follows, that
where the Father is, there the Son is, and where the Son is,
there is the Spirit. Hence our Lord says, "If any man love
me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and
we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Johi
xiv. 23. And the apostle John says, ""Whosoever shall confess
that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in
God." 1 John iii. 15. "I and my Father," says Christ, "are
one." He therefore who hath the Son, hath the Father a'so.
There is another familiar scriptural usage illustrated in this
verse. Christ is properly an official designation of the Thean-
thropos, as the anointed Prophet, Priest, and King of his
people. It is however used as a personal designation, and is
applied to our Lord, as well in reference to his human as to his
divine nature. Hence the Bible says indifferently, Christ died,
and that he created all things. In this and other passages,
therefore, when Christ is said to dwell in us, it is not Christ as
man, nor Christ as the Thcanthropos, but Christ as God.
Compare 2 Cor. xiii. 5, " Knowr ye not that Jesus Christ is in
you." His indwelling in his people is as much a function of
his divine nature, as his creating and upholding all things by
the word of his power.

And if Christ (be) in you, the body is dead because of sin, &c.
As this verse is antithetical to the preceding, as should be ren
dered but: 'If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is
none of his ; but if Christ be in you, although the body must

«/ O v

die on account of sin, the spirit shall live because of righteous
ness.' The Spirit is the source of life, and wherever lie dwells,
there is life.

ROMANS VIII. 10. 407

The body indeed is dead, TO fi.si> ccoaa vsxpbv. That
here is to be taken in its literal sense is plain, because such is
the proper meaning of the word. It is rarely, if at all, used in
the figurative sense in which aan~ (flesh) so often occurs. This
interpretation also is required by the antithesis between body
and spirit, in this verse. The context also demands this view
of the passage, both because of the reference to the resurrec
tion of Christ, which was of course literal, and because in the
next verse we have the phrase "mortal bodies,'' which does not
admit of a figurative interpretation. The sense also afforded
by the literal meaning of the word is so natural, and so suited
to the context, as to preclude the necessity of seeking for any
other. In this view the majority of commentators concur.
Others, however, understand by awna, the corrupt nature, or
the whole nature of man, his soul and body, as distinguished
from the Spirit as the principle of divine life. The word i<zxobi>
is made to mean ^-.^I'/niDai^n^. ]»<t t<> d'nth, mortified; and oc
anji.n-'ji:^, an <«-<-<>unt <>f .*///, is made equivalent to r/ htmoTia,
as to sin. This evidently does unnecessary violence to the
literal meaninur of the words. The body is dead in the sense
that it is not onlv obnoxious to death, but as it is already the
seat of death. It includes in it the principle of decay. This
necessity of dvinir is <>n </<-<-«i/t>f <>f *///. It is not inconsistent
with the perfection of the redemption of Christ, that its benefits
are not received in their fulness the moment we believe. We
remain subject to the pains, the sorrows, the trials of life, and
the necessity of dving, although partakers of the life of which
lie is the author. That life which is imparted in regeneration,
is gradually developed until it has its full consummation at the
resurrection.

The spirit is life lerauxe of ri^liteousn^ss. By spirit here,
is not to be understood the Holy Spirit, but the human spirit,
because it stands opposed to //<;</// in the former clause. The
body is dead, but the spirit is life. It should not therefore be
printed with a capital S, as in the ordinary copies of the Eng
lish version. The sense in which the spirit is life, is antithetical
to that in which the body is dead. As the body is infected with
a principle of decay which renders its dissolution inevitable, so
the soul, in which the Holy Spirit dwells, is possessed of a

408 ROMANS VIII. 11.

principle of life which secures its immortal and blessed exist
ence. Because of righteousness; dtxatoff'juy, as opposed to
&/jtator:a, must be taken in its subjective sense. It is inward
righteousness or holiness, of which the apostle here speaks, and
not our justifying righteousness. It is because the Holy Ghost,
as dwelling in believers, is the source of holiness, that he is the
source of life. The life of which he is the author, is the life
of God in the soul, and is at once the necessary condition and
the effect of the enjoyment of his fellowship and favour. We
shall continue in the enjoyment of the life just spoken of,
because the principles of this new and immortal existence are
implanted within us. Regeneration is the commencement of
eternal life. The present possession of the Spirit is an earnest
of the unsearchable riches of Christ, Eph. i. 14. In this view
the verse is directly connected with the main object of the
chapter, viz. the security of all who are in Christ Jesus. To
such there is no condemnation, because they have been freed
from the law which condemned them to death ; and because the
work of salvation is already begun in them. They have eternal
life. John vi. 47.

VERSE 11. Bat if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from
the dead dwell in you. Such periphrases for Crod as that which
this verse contains, are very common with the apostle, (see
Horn. iv. -4, tVc..) and are peculiarly appropriate when the force
of the argument in some measure rests on the fact to which the
descriptive phrase refers. Because God had raised up Christ,
there was ground of confidence that he would raise his people
up also. Two ideas may be included in this part of the verse:
first, that the very possession of that Spirit, which is the source
of life, is a pledge and security that our bodies shall rise again ;
because it would be unseemly that anything thus honoured by
the Spirit, should remain under the dominion of death; and,
secondly, that the resurrection of Christ secures the resurrec
tion of those that are his, according to Paul's doctrine in
1 Cor. xv. 23. The argument of the apostle is, that the same
Spirit which was in Christ, and raised him from the dead,
dwells in us, even in our bodies, (1 Cor. vi. 19,) and will
assuredly raise us up.

lie that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken

ROMANS VIII. 11. 409

your mortal bodies. This clause cannot, -with any regard to
usa<re or the context, be understood of a moral resurrection, or
deliverance from sin, as it is explained by Calvin and many
others. See the analogous passage, '2 Cor. iv. 14. The apostle
designs to show that the life which we derive from Christ, shall
ultimately effect a complete triumph over death. It is true that
our present bodies must die, but they are not to continue under
the power of death. The same Spirit which raised Christ's
body from the grave, shall also quicken our mortal bodies.
The word is not I'j'zcoz'ii but ^ojorro^rT^, which imports more
than a mere restoration of life. It is used only of believers. It
expresses the idea of the communication of that life of which
Christ is the author and the source. And this life, so far as
the bodv is concerned, secures its conformity to the glorious
body of the risen Son of God.

By his Spirit that <ltvrUi-tIt In )/<>u, or, as it must be rendered
according to another reading, tv On ai-munt of //is Spirit that
dwelleth in //<>". For the reading otv. TO z^or/.a'j^ <L')~U'J ~^i'ju.(L,
Wetstein quotes the MSS. I). F. F. G. and many of the more
modern MSS., together with the Syriac and Latin versions,
and several of the .Fathers. This reading is adopted by Eras
mus, Stephens, Mill, Bengel, Griesbach, and Knapp. For the
reading ota rov ^vo^xoDvroc, *.r./., Mre quoted the MSS. A. 10.
2-. -j4. :>S. ;jl)ei the editions of Colinajus, .He/a, tlie Compluten-
sian, and many of the Fathers. Lachmann and Tischendorf
retain the common text. This passage is of interest, as the
reading k\,owyj\,-oz w;ls strenuously insisted mi in the Macedo
nian controversy respecting the personality of the Holy Ghost.
The orthodox Fathers contended, that as the genitive was
found in the most ancient copies of the Scriptures then extant,
it should be retained. If the dead are raised by the Holy
Ghost, then the Holy Ghost is of the same essence with the
Father and the Son, to whom, elsewhere, the resurrection of
the dead is referred. This argument is valid, and, other things
being equal, is a good reason for retaining the common text.
The sense, however, is in either case substantially the same.
According to the former, the meaning is, that the resurrection
of believers will be effected by the power of the Spirit of God;

410 ROMANS VIII. 11.

and according to the latter, that the indwelling of the Spirit is
the ground or reason why the bodies of believers should not
be left in the grave. The internal evidence is decidedly in
favour of the former reading : 1. Because Paul uses precisely
these words elsewhere, "By the Holy Spirit," &c., 1 Tim.
i. 14, &c. 2. Because throughout the Scriptures in the Old
and New Testaments, what God does in nature or grace, he is
said to do by his Spirit. Passages are too numerous and too
familiar to be cited. 8. Because the Jews seem to have
referred the resurrection of the body specially to the Holy
Ghost.* As the external authorities are nearly equally divided,
the case must be considered doubtful. If the latter reading be
adapted, this clause would then answer to the phrase, on account
of righteousness , in the preceding verse. ' On account of the
indwelling of the Spirit,' expressing the same general idea
under another form. Our souls shall live in happiness and
glory, because they are renewed ; and our bodies too shall be
raised up in glory, because they are the temples of the Holy
Ghost. In the widest sense then it is true, that to be in the
Spirit, is to be secure of life and peace.

It will be remarked, that in this verse, arid elsewhere, God
is said to have raised up Christ from the dead, whereas, in
John x. IT, 18, the Saviour claims for himself the power of
resuming his life. So here (according to the common reading)
we are said to be raised up by the Holy Spirit ; in John vi. 40,
Christ says of the believer, "/will raise him up at the last
day;" and in 2 Cor. iv. 14, and in many other places, the
resurrection of believers is ascribed to God. These passages
belon^ to that numerous class of texts, in which the same

O '

work is attributed to the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit, and which, in connection with other sources of proof,
show conclusively that "these three are one;" and that the
persons of the Adorable Trinity concur in all works ad
extra.

* Wetstein quotes such passages as the following, from the Jewish writers:
"Tempore future Spiritus meus vivificabit vos." "Spiritus Sanctus est
causa resurrectionis mortuorum," £c.

ROMANS VIII. 1—11. 411

DOCTRINE.

1. As the former part of this chapter is an inference from
the previous discussion, and presents a summary of the ureat
truths already taught, we find here united the leading doctrines
of the first portion of the epistle. For example, justification is
by faith, ver. 1; believers are not under the law, ver. 2; the
law is insufficient for our justification; God has accomplished
that object by the sacrifice of his Son. vs. o, 4; and this bless
ing is never disconnected with a. holy life, ver. 4.

2. The final salvation of those who are really united to
Christ, and who show the reality of their union by good works,
is secure. This is the doctrine of the whole chapter. This
section contains two of the apostle's arguments in its support.
1. They are free from the law which condemned them to death,
vs. 2 — 4. 2. They are partakers of that Spirit which is the,
author and earnest of eternal life, vs. "> — 11.

3. Jesus Christ is truly divine. He is "Cod's own Son,"
i. e. partaker of his nature. The Holy Ghost is his Spirit, and
he dwells in all believers, vs. :], 11.

4. Jesus Christ is truly a man. He came in the likeness of
men, ver. 3.

5. Christ was a sacrifice for sin, and his sufferings were
penal, i. e. they were judicially inflicted in .support of the law.
' God punished sin in him,' ver. '•}.

(!. The justification of believers involves a fulfilling of the
law; its demands are not set aside, ver. 4.

7. Everything in the Bible is opposed to antinomianism.
Paul teaches that justification and sanct ifical ion cannot be dis
joined. No one is, or can be in the favour of God, who lives
after the flesh, vs. ,"> — 11.

8. The necessity of holiness arises out of the very nature of
things. Sin is death, whereas holiness is life and peace. God
has made the connection between sin and misery, holiness ;iud
happiness, necessary and immutable, ver. G. The fact that
holy men suffer, and that even the perfect Saviour was a man
of sorrows, is not inconsistent with this doctrine. Such suffer
ings never proceed from holiness. On the contrary, the Divine
Spirit was, and is a wellspring within of joy and peace, to all

412 ROMANS VIII. 1—11.

who arc sanctified. In itself considered, therefore, moral
purity is essentially connected with happiness, as cause and
effect.

1>. All unrcnewcd men, that is, all " who are in the flesh,"
arc at once the enemies of God, and the objects of his dis
pleasure. Their habitual and characteristic state of mind, that
state which every man has who is not " in the Spirit," is
enmity to God, and consequently is the object of his disappro
bation, vs. 6, 8.

10. The Holy Ghost is the source of all good in man. Those
who arc destitute of his influences, arc not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be ; for no man can call Jesus Lord,
that is, can really recognise his authority, but by the Holy
Ghost, vs. 5—8.

11. Death, and the other evils to which believers are
exposed, arc on account of sin, vcr. 10. They are no longer,
however, the evidences of God's displeasure, but of his parental
love, Heb. xii. 6.

12. The redemption of Christ extends to the bodies as well
as the souls of his people, vcr. 11.

REMARKS.

1. There can be no safety, no holiness, and no happiness to
those who arc out of Christ. No safety, because all such are
under the condemnation of the law, vs. 1 —3 ; no holiness,
because only such as are united to Christ have the Spirit of
Christ, vcr. 0; and no happiness, because " to be carnally
minded is death," vcr. 6. Hence those who are in Christ,
should be very humble, seeing they are nothing, and lie is
everything ; very grateful, and very holy. And those who are
out of Christ, should at once go to him, that they may attain
safetv, holiness, and happiness.

2. The liberty wherewith Christ has made his people free, is
a liberty from the law and from sin, vs. 2, 5. A legal spirit,
and an unholy life, are alike inconsistent with the Christian
character.

3. Believers should be joyful and confident, for the law is
fulfilled; its demands arc satisfied as respects them. Who then
can condemn, if God has justified ? ver. 4.

ROMANS VIII. 12—28. 413

4. There can be no rational or scriptural hope without holi
ness, and every tendency to separate the evidence of the divine
favour from the evidence of true piety, is anti-Christian and
destructive, vs. 4 — 8.

5. The bent of the thoughts, affections, and pursuits, is the
only decisive test of character. "They who arc after the flesh
do mind the tilings of the flesh," <fcc., ver. 5.

6. It is therefore a sure mark of hypocrisy, if a man who pro
fesses to be a Christian, still minds earthly things, that is, has his
affections and efforts supremely directed towards worldly objects.

7. We may as well attempt to wring pleasure out of pain,
as to unite the indulgence of sin with the enjoyment of happi
ness, vs. 0, 7.

8. How blinded must those be, who, although at enmity witli
God, and the objects of his displeasure, are sensible neither of
their guilt nor danger! vs. 7, 8.

0. The great distinction of a true Christian, is the indwell
ing of the Holy Spirit. Hence his dignity, holiness, and hap
piness, vs. 1' — 1 1.

10. If the Spirit of God dwells in the Christian, how careful
should he be, lest anything in his thoughts or feelings would be
offensive to this divine guest!

11. Christians are bound to reverence their bodies, and pre
serve them from all defilement, because they are the members
of Christ, and the temples of the Holy Ghost, ver. 11.

ROMANS VIII. li>— 2S.

ANALYSIS.

Tin? section* contains two additional arguments in .support
of the great theme of the chapter — the safety of all who are in

* It was remarked above, that the division of this chapter into sections is
merely arbitrary. For, although there are several very distinct topics intro
duced, yet the whole is intimately interwoven and made to bear on one point.
In passing, too, from one argument to another, the apostle does it so naturally,
that there is no abruptness of transition. The connection, therefore, between
the last verse of the preceding section and the first verse of this, and between
the last of this and the first of the following, is exceedingly intimate. It is
only for the sake of convenient resting places for review, that the division
is made.

414 ROMANS VIII. 12—28.

Christ. The first is derived from their adoption, vs. 12 — 17,
and the second from the fact that they are sustained by hope,
and aided by the Spirit, under all their trials ; so that every
thing eventually works together for their good, vs. 18 — 28.

Paul had just shown that believers were distinguished by the
indwelling of the Spirit. Hence he infers the obligation to live
according to the Spirit, and to mortify the deeds of the body,
ver. 12. If they did this, they should live, ver. 13. Not only
because, as previously argued, the Spirit is the source of life,
but also because all who are led by the Spirit are the children
of God. This is a new ground of security, ver. 14. The reality
of their adoption is proved, first, by their own filial feelings;
as God's relation and feelings towards us are always the coun
terpart of ours towards him, ver. 15. Secondly, by the testi
mony of the Spirit itself with our spirits, ver. 1G. If children,
the inference is plain that believers shall be saved, for they are
heirs. Salvation follows adoption, as, among men, heirship does
sonship. They are joint heirs with Jesus Christ, ver. 17.

It is nowise inconsistent with their filial relation to God, nor
with their safety, that believers are allowed to suffer in this
world : 1. Because these sufferings are comparatively insignifi
cant, vs. 18 — 23. 2. Because they are sustained by hope.
3. Because the Spirit itself intercedes for them. In amplifying
the first of these considerations, the comparative insignificancy
of the sufferings of this present state, the apostle presents in
contrast the unspeakable blessedness and glory which are in
reserve for believers, ver. 18. To elevate our conceptions of
this glory, he represents: 1. The whole creation as looking and
longing for its full manifestation, ver. 19, &c. 2. All those who
have now a foretaste of this blessedness, or the first fruits of
the Spirit, as joining in this sense of present wretchedness, and
earnest desire of the future good, ver. 23.

These afflictions, then, are not only thus comparatively light
in themselves, but they are made still more tolerable by the
constant and elevating anticipation of the future inheritance
of the saints, vs. 24, 25. And not only so, but the Spirit
also sustains us by his intercessions, thus securing for us

*/ O

all the good we need, vs. 26 — 28. The salvation, then, of
believers is secure, notwithstanding their sufferings, inasmuch

ROMANS VIII. 12, 13. 415

as they are children, and are sustained and aided by the Holy
Spirit.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 12. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the
flesh, to lire- after the flesh. We have here an example of what
the rhetoricians call //teiusis, where less is said than is intended.
So far from being debtors to the ilesh, the very reverse is the
case. This passage is an inference from the exhibition of the
nature and tendency of the flesh, or the carnal mind, as hostile
to God, and destructive to ourselves, vs. 5, 8. As this is its
nature, and believers are no longer in the ilesh, but in the
Spirit, thev are under the strongest obligations not to live after
the one, but after the other. We are debtor*; uc^/.STa: inttkv.
We are the debtors, not of the Ilesh, but, as the implication is,
of the Spirit. Of the t\vo controlling principles, the ilesh and
the Spirit, our obligation is not to the former, but to the latter.
To lice <tf(<T tin1 /A'*//; Torj '/,<J~<L (Ki.nyjL "'/^. r.l. he genitive is,
here, either the genitive of design, * in order that we should live
after the ilesh;' or it depends on oyseASTCte, agreeably to the
formula, oc'c-'/c'r^c ^!L- ~'^'- ~^°C, J tun debt"/' to untie one for
something. The sense would then bo, ' We do not owe the ilesh
a carnal life.' The former explanation is the simpler and more
natural.

VKKsro 13. The necessity of thus living is enforced by a
repetition of the sentiment of ver. »i. T«> live after the iloh is
death; to live after the Spirit is life. F»r if t/e lice after the
flesh, ye shall die; 1,nt if ye thrnn.jh t/>e Spirit, &c. The
neces>itv of holiness, therefore, is absolute. No matter what
professions we mnv make, or what hopes we may indulge, justi
fication, or the manifestation of the divine favour, is never
separated from sam-tiiication. Ye shall die; //J/./srs fatod-vq-
axzw, ye are about to die; death to you is inevitable. Compare
Matt. iv. 24, 1 Thess. iii. 4, James ii. 12. The death here spoken
of, as appears from the whole context, and from the nature of
the life with which it is contrasted, cannot be the death of the
body, either sob'lv or mainly. It is spiritual death, in the com
prehensive scriptural sense of that term, which includes all the
penal consequences of sin here and hereafter, chap. vi. 21, viii. 6,

416 ROMANS VIII. 14.

Gal. vi. 8. But if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of
the body, ye shall live. The use of the word mortify, to put to
death or destroy, seems to have been suggested by the context.
'Ye shall die, unless ye put to death the deeds of the body;'
see Col. iii. 5. The destruction of sin is a slow and painful
process.

Deeds of the body.*' It is commonly said that body is here
equivalent to flesh, and therefore signifies corruption. But it
is very much to be doubted whether the word ever has this
sense in the New Testament. The passages commonly quoted
in its behalf, Horn. vi. 6, vii. 24, viii. 10, 13, are very far from
being decisive. If the common reading, therefore, is to be
retained, (see note,) it is better to take the word in its literal
and usual sense. The deeds of the body is then a metonymical
expression for sinful deeds in general ; a part being put for the
whole. Deeds performed by the body, being the deeds which
the body, as the organ of sin, performs.

The destruction of sin is to be effected through the Spirit,
which does not mean the renewed feelings of the heart, but, as
uniformly throughout the passage, the Holy Spirit which dwells
in believers : see ver. 14, where this Spirit is called " Spirit of
God." Ye shall live, that is, enjoy the life of which the
Spirit is the author; including therefore holiness, happiness,
and eternal glory.

VERSE 14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of G-od, they
are the sons of God. This is the reason why all such shall live ;
that is, a new argument is thus introduced in support of the
leading doctrine of the chapter. Believers shall enjoy eternal
life, not only because they have the Spirit of life, but because
they are the sons of God. To be led by the Spirit, and to walk
after the Spirit, present the same idea, viz. to be under the
government of the Spirit, under two different aspects, Gal.
v. 18, 2 Pet. i. 21. The former phrase refers to the constant
and effectual influence of the Holy Ghost in regulating the
thoughts, feelings, and conduct of believers. Are the sons of

* Instead of ov^/estTo?, D. E. F, G., the Vulgate and many of the early writers
have o-it^Kj'?, which Bengel and Griesbach approve. Although this reading looks
like a gloss, it has much in its favour from the weight of these MSS., and the
usual mode of speaking of this apostle.

ROMANS VIII. 15. 41T

God. The term son, in such connections, expresses mainly one
or the other of three ideas,, and sometimes all of them united.
1. Similarity of disposition, character, or nature ; Matt. v. 9, 45,
"That ye may be the children (Gr. sons) of your Father which
is in heaven." So, too, " sons of Abraham" are those who are
like Abraham; and " children of the devil" are those who are
like the devil. 2. Objects of peculiar affection. Rom. ix. 20,
Those who were not my people, "shall be called the sons of the
living God;" 2 Cor. vi. 18. "Ye shall be my sons and daugh
ters, saith the Lord Almighty." So frequently elsewhere.
3. Those who have a title to some peculiar dignity or advan
tage. Thus the "sons of Abraham" are those who are heirs
with Abraham of the same promise. Gal. iii. 8, se<{., John i. 12,
1 John iii. 2, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall be," &c. The term may
indeed express anv one of the various relations in which child
ren stand to their parents, as derived from them, dependent on
them, &c. The above, however, are the most common of its
meanings. In this passage, the first and third ideas appear
specially intended : ' Believers shall live, because they are the
peculiar objects of the divine affection, and are heirs of his
kingdom,' vs. 15, 1<5. That those who are led by the Spirit are
reallv the sons of God, appears from their own filial feedings,
arid from the testimony of the Spirit. The indwelling of the
Spirit of (rod raises those in whom he dwells, into the state of
sons of God. By regeneration, or new birth, they are born into
a higher life ; are made partakers, as the apostle Peter says,
of the divine nature; and are thus, through and in Christ, t-he
source of their new life, the objects of the divine love, and the
heirs of his kingdom.

VERSE 15. .For //<' Jmr<> not rccciccd tlu' spirit of bondage
again to fear, lid t/c 1iav<'. received the fyurit of adoption, &c.
That is, 'The Holy Spirit, which you have received, does not
produce a slavish and anxious state of mind, such as those
experience who arc under the law; but it produces the filial
feelings of affection, reverence, and confidence, and enables us,
out of the fulness of our hearts, to call God our Father.'

The phrase, the spirit of bondage, may mean a feeling or
eense of bondage, as "spirit of meekness," 1 Cor. iv. 21, may

97

418 ROMANS VIII. 15.

mean meekness itself; and "spirit of fear," 2 Tim. i. 7, fear
itself. This use of the word spirit is not uncommon. Or it may
mean the Holy Spirit as the author of bondage: 'Believers
have not received a Spirit which produces slavish feelings, but
the reverse.' The context is decidedly in favour of this view:
because Paul has been speaking of the Holy Spirit as dwelling
in Christians. This Spirit is that which they have received,
and is the author of their characteristic feelings. In the wwds
again to fear, there is an evident allusion to the state of
believers prior to the reception of the Spirit. It was a state
of bondage in which they feared, i. e. were governed by a
slavish and anxious apprehension of punishment. In this state
are all unconverted men, whether Jews or Gentiles, because
they arc all under the law, or the bondage of a legal system.

Spirit of adoption; the Spirit that produces the feelings
which children have. The Spirit is so called because he adopts.
It is by him we are made the sons of God, and his indwelling,
as it produces the character of sons, so it is the pledge or
assurance of sonship, and of final salvation, Eph. i. 14. The
contrast here presented between the xi/zit/m oo'j/s/^c and the
7rv£y«tt utottiffiaz, is parallel to that between ooMoe and u>oi, in
Gal. lii. 28 — 20, iv. 1 — 8. Those who are unrenewed, and
under the law, are dou^ot, slaves; they are under the dominion
of servile fear, and they have no right to the inheritance.
Those who are in Christ by faith and the indwelling of his
Spirit, are sons, both in their inward state and feelings, and in
their title to everlasting life. The interpretation followed by
Luther, who renders XV&IUJL vlothmaz, " ein kindlichcr Geist,''
makes spirit, here, mean disposition, feeling, and the genitive
(ulod-z0ia~) thr genitive of the source: "the disposition which
flows from adoption or sonship." But this is not only incon
sistent with the context, but with such passages as Gal. iv. 6,
where what is here called the Spirit of adoption, is said to be
the Spirit of the Son of God, which God sends forth into our
hearts. .By wliicli we cry, Abba, Father, i. e. which enables us
to address God as our Father. "Clamor," says Bengcl, " scrmo
veliemens, cum desederio, fiducia, fide, constantia." Abba is
the Syriac and Chaldee .form of the Hebrew word for father,
and therefore was to the apostle the most familiar term. As

ROMANS VIII. 16. 419

such it would, doubtless, more naturally and fully express his
filial feeling towards God, than the foreign Greek word. It is
rare, indeed, that any other than our mother tongue becomes
so inwoven with our thoughts arid feelings, as to come up spon
taneously when our hearts are overflowing. Hence, expressions
'of tenderness arc the last words of their native language which
foreigners give up; and in times of excitement, and even deli
rium, they are sure to come back. Paul, therefore', chose to
call God his Father, in his own familiar tongue. Having used
the one word, however, the Greek of course became necessary
for those to whom he was writing. The repetition of two syno-
nyrncs may, however, be employed to give fuller utterance to
his feeling. This is Grotius's idea: ulmitatur pueroniiii patri-
btis blandientiurn voces. Mo< est blandientium n-petere voces
easdem." It is a very common opinion that Paul used both
words, to intimate that all distinction between different nations
was now done away. " Significat. enim I'aulus, it;i mine per
totum mundum publicatam esse Dei inisericonliam, ut promi.-cue
linguis omnibus invocetur: quemadmodurn Augiistinus ob>ervat.
Ergo inter omnes gentes consensiim exprimere voluit." (.\dcin.
The former explanation serins more natural and satisfactory.

A MUSK TO. Tin'. Spirit itxetf Le<u'elJi 'fitness with our spirit,
that inc. are t/te c/ti/ilrrn »f (J,,,7. 'Not onlv do our own filial
feelings towards God prove that we are his children, but the
Holy Spirit itself conveys to our souls the assurance of this
delightful fact.'

The Spirit itself (V/vro TO rrvcv^/, and not T<> a'jTu ~^-J>tuL,
which would mean, t//e same xpirit) is, of course, the Holy
Spirit. 1. Because of the obvious distinction between it and
our spirit. '2. Because of the use of the word throughout the
passage, o. Because of the analogy to other texts, Avhich can
not be otherwise explained. Gal. iv. (5, '-(iod hath sent forth
the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father;"
Rom. v. 5, " The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by
the Holy Ghost given unto us," \e,

Bt'cireth witness with our spirit, (j'jrifj.aoT'jos' T(u -^s'j/ifh!
fjiw»; that is, 'beareth witness, together with our own filial
feelings, to our spirit.' Although it is very common for com
pound verbs to have the same force with the simple ones, yet,

420 ROMANS VIII. IT.

in this case, the context requires the force of the preposition to
be retained, as two distinct sources of confidence are here men
tioned, one in ver. 15, the other in this verse. Beareth witness
to, means confirms or assures. i The Spirit of God produces in
our spirit the assurance that we are the children of God.' How
this is done we cannot fully understand, any more than we can
understand the mode in which he produces any other effect in
our mind. The fact is clearly asserted here, as well as in other
passages. Sec Rom. v. 5, where the conviction that we are the
objects of the love of God, is said to be produced uby the Holy
Ghost which is given unto us." See 2 Cor. i. 22, v. 5, Eph. i. 13,
iv. 30 ; and in 1 Cor. ii. 4, 5, 1 John ii. 20, 27, and other pas
sages, the conviction of the truth of the gospel is, in like man
ner, attributed to the Holy Spirit. From this passage it is
clear that there is a scriptural foundation for the assurance of
salvation. Those who have filial feelings towards God, who
love him, and believe that he loves them, and to whom the
Spirit witnesses that they are the children of God, cannot
doubt that they are indeed his children. And if children, they
know they are heirs, as the apostle teaches in the following
verse.

VERSE 17. And if children, then heirs; lietrs of God, and
joint heirs with (J/in'st, &c. This is the inference from our
adoption, in favour of the great theme of the chapter, the safety
of believers. If the children of God, they shall become par
takers of the inheritance of the saints in light. The words to
inherit, heirs, and inheritance, are all of them used in a general
sense in the Scriptures, in reference to the secure possession
of any good, without regard to the mode in which that pos
session is obtained. They are favourite terms with the sacred
writers, because possession by inheritance was much more
secure than that obtained by purchase, or by any other method.
There are three ideas included in these words, accessory to that
which constitutes their prominent meaning — the right, the cer
tainty, and the unalienable character of the possession. Hence,
when the apostle says, believers are the heirs of God, he means
to recognise their title, in and through the Redeemer, to the
promised good, as well as the certainty and security of the pos
session. "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed,

ROMANS VIII. IT. 421

and heirs according to the promise," Gal. iii. 29. In Gal. iv. 7,
we have the same argument as in the passage before us,
"Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a
son, then an heir of God through Christ;'' see Col. iii. 24,
Ileb. ix. 15, Eph. i. 14, &c. Joint heirs with Christ. These
words are intended to designate the inheritance which believers
are to receive. It is not any possession in this world, but it is
that good of which Christ himself is the recipient ; we are to be
partakers of his inheritance. This idea is frequently presented
in the Scriptures. ''Enter ye into the joy of your Lord,"
Matt. xxv. 21; "That ye may eat and drink at my table in my
kingdom," Luke xxii. 80; "To him that overcometh will I
grant to sit with me in my throne/' &c., Ilev. iii. 21, and in
many other places.

If so l>c tint we suffrr with him* that w<' inmj le <dx<> glorified
together. Those suffer with Christ who suffer as he did, and for
his sake. They are thus partakers of the sufferings of Christ.
We suffer as Christ suffered, not only when we are subject to
the contradi'-lioii of sinners, but in the ordinary sorrows of life
in which he, the man of sorrows, so largely shared. We are
said to suffer with Christ, "i\,a, in order that we may be glorified
together. That is, the design of God in the affliction of his
people, is not to satisfy the demands of justice, but to prepare
them to participate in his ^lory. To creatures in a state ot
sin, suffering is the necessary condition of exaltation. It is the
rcfininir process through which they must pass, 1 Pet. i. G, 7.
The union of believers with Christ, in suffering as well as in
glory, is what he and his apostles taught them to expect. l> If
any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross and follow me, Matt. xvi. 24; "If we be dead with
him, we shall also live with him. If we suffer, we shall also
reign with him,11 2 Tim. ii. 11, 12. The blessedness of the
future state is always represented as exalted: it is a glory,
something that will elevate us in the rank of beings ; enlarging,
purifying, and ennobling all our faculties. To this state we are
to attain "through much tribulation," i. e. attain it as Christ
did. And this is what the apostle here intends to say, and not
that the participation of Christ's glory is a reward for our
having suffered with him.

422 ROMANS VIII. 18, 19.

VERSE 18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared, &c. 'If children, then
heirs; for I do not think our present sufferings inconsistent
with our being either the children or the heirs of God:
1. Because they are comparatively insignificant, vs. 18 — 23;
and, 2. Because we are sustained under them, vs. 24 — 28.'
Without much altering the sense, the for may be considered as
referring to the last clause of the preceding verse : ' We shall
be glorified with Christ, for these present afflictions are not
worthy of thought.' In 2 Cor. iv. 17, Paul speaks much in the
same manner of the lightness of the afflictions of this life in
comparison with the glory that shall be revealed in us. A\ e are
not only the recipients of a great favour, but the subjects in
which a great display of the divine glory is to be made to
others, Eph. iii. 10. It is a revelation of glory in us; see Col.
iii. 4, 1 John iii. 2. Not worth?/, o'jx dzea, not of like weight.
* Aztov T'JI<OZ, what outweighs anything. Here, instead of the
genitive, TTOOC is used — Not weighty in reference to, or in com
parison with. As the glory so outweighs the suffering, the idea
of merit, whether of condignity or of congruity, is of necessity
excluded. It is altogether foreign to the context. For it is
not the ground on which eternal life is bestowed, but the great
ness of the glory that the saints are to inherit, which the
apostle designs to illustrate. "Neque enim," says Calvin,
" dignitatem utriusque confert apostolus, sed gravitatcm crucis
tantum elevat comparatione magnitudinis gloria!, idque ad con-
firmandos patientia fidclium animos."

The apostle, fired with the thought of the future glory of
the saints, pours forth the splendid passage which follows,
(vs. 19 — 28,) in which he represents the whole creation groan
ing under its present degradation, and looking and longing for
the revelation of this glory, as the end and consummation of its
existence.

VERSE 19. For the earnest expectation of the creature, &c.
This verse is evidently designed to confirm the assertion con
tained in the preceding verse. As, however, it is there asserted
that the glory to be revealed in us is great, that it is certain,
and that it is future, which of these points does the apostle
here, and in what follows, design to establish ? Some say, that

ROMANS VIII. 19. 423

in the preceding clause, TY^
[jLSMo'jffay is the emphatic word. The glory is future, for it is
an object of expectation. We are saved only in hope. Others
again say, that the main idea is that this glory is about to be,
i. e. ccrtainl v shall be revealed, agreeably to the special force
of the word /ts/.Azcy. But the main idea of ver. "M obviously is,
that this future irlorv transcends immeasurably the suffering of

e_, ^ *-

this present state. All that follows tends to illustrate and
enforce that idea. Tin' enriK'tt expectation^ d~ozaoaoo%!a, from
xapauoxzly, erccto capita prospicere, to look for with the head
erect. The d~o is intensive; so that d~oxapadoxifJi is earnest or
persistent expectation. It is an expectation that waits the time
out, that never fails until the object is attained. The object
of this earnest expectation is, tin'- manifestation <>f tin1 .^///x of
God. That is, the time when they shall be manifested in their
true character and glory as his sons. u Beloved, now are we
the sons of <iod; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:
but we know that when lie shall appear, we shall be like him.''
1 John in. '1. The subject of this expectation is the *r.'<7.'C, the.
creation. As this word signifies, first, the act of creating, and
then, anv individual created thing, or all creatures collectively,
its meaning in anv particular place must be determined bv the
context. In this passage it has been made to mean: 1. The
whole rational and irrational creation, including anuvls, and
all things else, animate and inanimate. "2. The whole world,
excluding angels, but inclusive of the irrational animals.
8. The whole material creation, in a popular sense, as we say,
all nature. 4. The whole human race. ~>. The heathen world,
as distinguished from believers. (.>. The body of believers.
The choice between these several interpretations must be deter
mined by what is predicated of the xrifr.^ in this immediate
connection, and by the analogy of Scripture. Unless the
Bible elsewhere speaks of angels as the subjects of redemption,
they cannot be here included, especially as they, as a class, are
not subject to corruption. How far irrational animals are
included, is more doubtful. The prophetic representations of
the Messianic period set forth not only inanimate nature, tha
deserts, mountains, and forests, as rejoicing in the new order
of things, but also the beasts of the field; and therefore thcio

424 ROMANS VIII. 19.

is scriptural ground for including them under the comprehen
sive words of the apostle. That xriffiz here, is to be taken, not
as meaning the whole human family, nor the heathen world,
nor all rational creatures, but the whole creation with which we
are immediately connected — the earth, and all its tribes of
beings, man exceptcd — is the opinion of the great majority
of commentators of all ages. It is supported by the following
considerations : 1. In the first place, the words T.u.oa f] xTtfftz,
tit a whok creation, arc so comprehensive, that nothing should
be excluded which the nature of the subject and the context do
not show cannot be embraced within their scope. It has
already been remarked, that as Paul is speaking of the benefits
of redemption, no class of creatures not included in some way
in that redemption, can be here intended. "While the good
angels are, according to the Scriptures, not only deeply inter
ested in this great work, 1 Pet. i. 12, but receive through it the
clearest manifestation of the manifold wisdom of God, Eph. ii.7,
yet they are not in such a sense partakers of the redemption
of Christ as this passage supposes. They are not burdened
with the consequences of man's apostacy, nor can they be repre
sented as longing for deliverance from that burden. Angels,
therefore, must be excluded from "the whole creation" here
intended. 2. In the second place, as the apostle clearly dis
tinguishes between the x-tfftz and believers, the latter cannot be
included in the former. 'Not only,' he says, 'the xrlfftz, but
we believers groan within ourselves,' &c. 3. Neither can "the
creature" mean the race of mankind as distinguished from
Christians. Hammond, Locke, Semler, Ammon, and others,
may be quoted in favour of this interpretation. Wctstein
expresses the same view briefly and plausibly thus : " Genus
Immanum dividitur in eos, qui jam Christo nomen dederunt,
quique primitive vocantur hie et Jac. i. 18, et reliquos, qui
nondum Christo nomen dederunt, qui vocantur creatura, vid.
Marc. xvi. 15. Et Judsei sentiunt onus legis suoe : gentes
reliquae tcnebnis suas palpant, prsedicatione evangelii tanquam
e somno excitatae ; ubique magna rerum convertio expectatur."
To this, however, it may be objected:

(a) It cannot be said of the world of mankind, that they
have an earnest expectation and desire for the manifestation

ROMANS VIII. 19. 425

of the sons of God. The common longing after immortality, to
which reference is made in defence of the application of this
verse to men in general, is very far from coming up to the
force of the passage. u The manifestation of the sons of God"
is a definite scriptural event, just as much as the second advent
of Christ. It can, therefore, no more be said that the world
longs for the one event than for the other. Yet had the apostle
said the whole creation was longing for the second advent of
the Son of God, can any one imagine he meant they were
merely sighing after immortality? lie evidently intends, that
the creature is looking forward, with earnest expectation, to
that great scriptural event which, from the beginning, lias been
held up as the great object of hope, viz. the consummation of
the Redeemer's kingdom.

(b) It cannot be said, in its full and proper force, that man
kind were brought into their present state, not by their own act,
or "willingly," but by the act and power of God. The obvious
meaning of ver. '20 seems to be, that the fact that the creature
was subjected to its present state, not by itself, but bv God, is
the reason, at once, why it longs for deliverance, and may hope
to obtain it. Such exculpatory declarations respecting men,
are not in keeping with the scriptural mode of speaking either
of the conduct or condition of the world.

(c) A still greater difficulty is found in reconciling this inter
pretation with ver. -1. How can it be said of mankind, as a
whole, that they are to be delivered from the bondage of cor
ruption, and made partakers of the glorious liberty of the
children of God? And, especially, how can this be said to
occur at the time of the manifestation of the sons of God,
i. e. at the time of the second advent, the resurrection day,
when the consummation of the Redeemer's kingdom is to take
place? According to the description here given, the whole
creation is to groan under its bondage until the day of redemp
tion, and then it also is to be delivered. This description can,
in no satisfactory sense, be applied to mankind, as distinguished
from the people of God.

(d) This interpretation does not suit the spirit of the context
or drift of the passage. The apostle is represented as saying,
in substance, "The very nature and condition of the human

426 ROMANS VIII. 19.

race point to a future state : they declare that this is an imper
fect, frail, dying, unhappy state; that man does not and cannot
attain the end of his being here; and even Christians, sup
ported as they are by the earnest of future glory, still find
themselves obliged to sympathize with others in these sufferings,
sorrows, and deferred hopes."* But how feeble and attenuated
is all this, compared to the glowing sentiments of the apostle !
His object is not to show that this state is one of frailty and
sorrow, and that Christians must feel this as well as others.
On the contrary, he wishes to show that the sufferings of this
state are utterly insignificant in comparison with the future
glory of the sons of God. And then to prove how great this
glory is, he says, the whole creation, with outstretched neck, has
been longing for its manifestation from the beginning of the
world ; groaning not so much under present evil as from the
desire for future good.

As therefore the angels, the human race, and believers as a
class, must be excluded, what remains but the creation, in the
popular sense of that word — the earth, with all it contains,
animate and inanimate, man excepted? With believers, the
whole creation, in this sense, is represented as being burdened,
and longing for deliverance. The refutation of the other inter
pretations shuts us up to the adoption of this. It is, moreover,
consistent with the context and the analogy of Scripture. As
the object of the apostle is to impress upon believers the great
ness of the glory of which they are to be the subjects, he repre
sents the whole creation as longing for its manifestation. There
is nothing in this unnatural, unusual, or unscriptural. On the
contrary, it is in the highest degree beautiful and effective, and
at the same time in strict accordance with the manner of the
sacred writers. How common is it to represent the whole
creation as a sentient being, rejoicing in God's favour, trem
bling at his anger, speaking aloud his praise, &c. How often
too is it represented as sympathizing in the joy of the people
of God ! "The mountains and hills shall break forth before
you into singing, and all the trees of the fields shall clap their
hands." Isa. Iv. 12. It may be objected, that such passages
are poetical ; but so is this. It is not written in metre, but it

* Professor Stuart's Commentary on Romans, p. 340.

ROMANS VIII. 19. 427

is poetical in the highest degree. There is, therefore, nothing
in the strong figurative language of ver. 19, either inappro
priate to the apostle's object, or inconsistent with the manner
of the sacred writers.

It may also with the strictest propriety be said, that the irra
tional creation was subjected to vanity, not willingly, but bv
the authority of God. It shared in the penalty of the fall—
"Cursed is the earth for thy sake." Gen. viii. 17. And it is
said still to suffer for the sins of its inhabitant-;: "Therefore
hath the curse devoured the earth." Isa. xxh. (.1 ; "How loner
shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every fit-Id wither, for
the wickedness of them that dwell therein ?" Jer. xii. 4. This
is a common mode- of representation in the Scriptures. How
far the face of nature was affected, or the spontaneous fruitful-
ness of the earth changed by the curse, it is vain to ask. It is
sufficient that the irrational creation was made subject to a
frail, dying, miserable state, by the act of God (not by' its own.)
in punishment of the sins of men. This is the representation
of the Scriptures, and this is the declaration of Paul. While
this is true of the irrational creation, it is not true of mankind.
Thi> principal point in the description of the apostle is. that
tins subjection of the creature to the bondage of corrupt ion is
not final or hopeless, but the whole creation is to share in the
glorious liberty of the children of God. This also is in perfect
accordance with the scriptural mode of representation on this
subject, Nothing is more familiar to the readers of the Old
Testam-nt, than the idea that the whole face of the world is to
be clothed in new beauty when the Messiah appears: "The
wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them ; and
the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the roe." &c. Isa.
xxxv. 1, xxix. IT. xxxii. lo, 1C. "The wolf also shall dwell
with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and
the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together; and a
little child shall lead them." Isa. xi. (]. Such passages are too
numerous to be cited. The apostle Peter, speaking of the
second advent, says the present state of things shall be changed,
the heavens shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat: "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look
for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteous-

428 ROMANS VIII. 19.

ness," 2 Pet. ill. 7 — 13. "And I saw a new heaven and a new
earth; for the first heavens and the first earth were passed
away," llcv. xxi. 1; see Ileb. xii. 26, 27. It is common, there
fore, to describe the advent of the Messiah as attended with a
great and glorious change of the external world. Whether this
is intended merely as an exornation, as is doubtless the case
with many of the prophetic passages of the Old Testament; or
whether it is really didactic, and teaches the doctrine of the
restoration of the earth to more than its pristine beauty, which
seems to be the meaning of some of the New Testament pas
sages, is perfectly immaterial to our present purpose. It is
enough that the sacred writers describe the consummation of
the Redeemer's kingdom as attended with the palinyanezia of
the whole creation. This is all Paul docs ; whether poetically
or didactically, is too broad a question to be here entered upon.
In further confirmation of this interpretation it may be
remarked, that this doctrine of the renewal of the external
world, derived from the language of the prophets, was a com
mon doctrine among the Jews. Abundant evidence of this fact
may be seen in Eisenmenger's Entdccldcs Judentlmm (Judaism
Revealed,) particularly in chapter fifteenth of the second part.
The following passages are a specimen of the manner in which
the Jewish writers speak on this subject: " Hereafter, when
the sin of men is removed, the earth, which God cursed on
account of that sin, will return to its former state and blessed
ness, as it was before the sin of men," p. 828. "At this time
the whole creation shall be changed for the better, and return
to the perfection and purity which it had in the time of the first
man, before sin was." See this latter ([notation, and others of
a similar import, in Tholuck. In the early Christian Church,
this opinion was prevalent, and was the germ whence the extra
vagances of the Millenarians arose. Almost all such errors
contain a portion of truth, to which they arc indebted for their
origin and extension. The vagaries, therefore, of the early
heretics, and the still grosser follies of the Talmudical writers
on this subject, furnish presumptive and confirmatory evidence
that the sacred writers did teach a doctrine, or at least employed
a mode of speaking of the future condition of the external
world, which easily accounts for these errors.

ROMANS VIII. 20. 429

The objections to this view of the passage are inconclusive.
1. It is objected that it would require us to understand all such
passages as speak of a latter day of glory, literally, and believe
that the house of God is to stand on the top of the moun
tains, &c. But this is a mistake. When it is said, "The
heavens declare the glory of God," we do not understand the
words literally, although we understand them as speaking of
the visible heavens. "2. Neither are the prophetic descriptions
of the state of the world at the time of the second advent,
explained literally, even when understood didactically, that is,
as teaching that there is to be a great and glorious change in
the condition of the world. But even this, as remarked above,
is not necessary to make good the common interpretation. It
is sufficient that Paul, after the manner of the other sacred
writers, describes the external world as sympathizing with the
righteous, and participating in the glories of the Messiah's
reign. If this be a poetic exaggeration in the one case, it may
be in the other. Again, it is objected that the common inter
pretation is not suited to the design of the passage. But this
objection is founded <>n a misapprehension of that design. The
apostle does not intend to confirm our assurance of the truth
of future glory, but to exalt our conceptions of its ureatness.
Finally, it is said to be very unnatural, that Paul should repre
sent the external world as longing for a. better state, and
Christians doing the same, and the world of mankind be left
unnoticed. But this is not unnatural if the apostle's design be
as just stated.

There appears, therefore, to be no valid objection airain^t
supposing the apostle, in this beautiful passage, to brimr into
strong contrast with our present light and momentary afflic
tions, the permanent and glorious blessedness of our future
state; and, in order to exalt our conceptions of its great nes<,
to represent the whole creation, now groaning beneath the con
sequences of the fall, as anxiously waiting for the long expected
day of redemption.

VERSE '20. For the creature, was made, subject to vanity, £c.
In this verse there are three reasons expressed or implied why
the creature thus waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.
The first is, that it is now subject to vanity. 2. That this sub-

430 ROMANS VIII. 20.

jection was not voluntary, but imposed by God. 3. That ib
was never designed to be final. The creature was subjected,
(u-£TO.~tf, historical aorist : the fact referred to occurred at the
fall, when the curse fell on the earth.) To vanity, fj.arac6rrjTc.
This word expresses either physical frailty or worthlessness, or
moral corruption. Here it is the former; in Eph. iv. 17,
2 Pet. ii. 18, it is the latter. The two ideas, however, are in
the Scriptures nearly related. The idea here expressed is anti
thetical to that expressed by the word glory. It includes,
therefore, all that distinguishes the present condition of the
creature from its original state, and from the glorious future in
reserve for it. TVhat is expressed by /^ara/or^c, is in ver. 21
expressed by ifO-ouu.^, corruption. AY hat the apostle here says
of the creature, was familiar to his Jewish readers. Their
Rabbis taught that: " Quamvis create fucrint res perfects, cum
primus homo peccaret, corruptae tamcn sunt, et non redibunt
ad conoTiium statum suum, donee veniat Pharcz," i. c. Messias.
See Ei*i>nmen<j<'r. This subjection of the creature, the apostlo
says, was not !xoD<7«, not willingly, not of its own choice. It
was neither by the voluntary act of the creature, nor in accord
ance with its own inclination. The inanimate creature was a
passive sufferer, sharing in the curse which fell on man for his
apostacy. But />// reason of him who hath subjected. d/,/,a (on
the contrary) o>a rov ujrora-avrr/, on account, i. e. in accordance
with the will of Him who rendered it subject. It was the will of
God, not of the creature, Avhich caused the creature to be subject
to vanity. AYliile this can be said with the strictest propriety,
of the material and irrational creation, it cannot properly be
said of sinners. Their subjection to the bondage of corruption
was by their own voluntary act, or by the voluntary act of their
divinely constituted head and representative. The subjection
of the creature to vanity, however, was not final and hopeless;
it was e-' IX-idc. These words may be connected cither with
b-£T(fyy or with b-otdzav-a: 'the creature was subjected in
hope;' or, 'on account of him subjecting it in hope.' In either
case the sense is the same. The subjection was not a hopeless
one. .By giving fcra/-/? a middle sense, and connecting eV
k)~io> therewith, we have the beautiful idea, that the creature
submitted to the yoke of bondage in hope of ultimate deliver-

ROMANS VIII. 21. 431

ance. "Subjecit so jugo, hac tamen spe, ut ct ipsa libcretur
tandem ab eo." Koppc. " Obedientiae cxcmplum," says Calvin,
"in creaturis omnibus proponit, ct cam addit ex spe nasci, quia
hinc soli et lun.xj, stellisque omnibus ad assiduum cursum alacri-
tas ; Line terrne ad fructus gignendos sedulitas obsequii, hinc
aeris indefessa agitatio, Line aquis ad fluxum promptus vigor,
quia Deus suas quibusque partes injunxit; ncc tantuiu praeciso
impcrio quid fieri vellet, sed spem renovationis intus simul
indidit."

VEKSE 21. Because tie creature itself also shall be delivered
from the buivlcje of corrupt ion, ^c. Tins verse, according to
our version, assigns tlie reason why tlic subjection of tlie crea
ture was not hopeless. TLis reason is, tliat tlie creature was
to sliare in tlie glorious redemption. Tlie particle on, however,
rendered bcraion^ may be rendered that* and tlie verse then
indicates the object of tlie Lope just spoken of. Tlie subjection
%vas with the Lope tlmt tlie creature should be delivered. In
either way tlie sense is nearly tlie same. Tin- creature itxelf
also, is another of the forms of expression which show that Paul
speaks of the creation in a, sense which does not embrace the
children of (lod. Bondage of corruption, i. e. bondage to cor
ruption — the state of frailty and degradation spoken of above,

Delivered, or liberated into the liberty, is an elliptical form
of expression for "delivered and introduced into the liberty.'
Libeiiif <->f 'jl'.ii'if* as the words literally mean, or <jl<>ri<mx ///»/•///,
refer to that liberty which consists in, or is connected with the
glory which is the end and consummation of the work of
redemption, This word is often used for the whole of the
results of the work of Christ, as far as his people are con
cerned; (see ver. 1S.J The creature then is to be partaker in
some way, according to its nature, of the glories in reserve for
the sons of God. '••Purro non intclligit, consortes ojusdem
gloriyc fore creaturas cum filiis Dei, sed suo modo melioris
status fore socias : quia Deus simul cum humano gencre orbern
*mnc collapsum in integrum restituet. Quails vero futura sit
integritas ilia tarn in pecudibus quam in plantis et metallis,
curiosius inquirere nequo expcdit, ncque fas est. Quia prae-
cipua pars corruptions est interitus : Quaerunt arguti, sed
parum sobrii homines, an imiuortale futuruni sit omne anima-

432 ROMANS VIII. 22, 23.

Hum genus : his speculationibus si frenum laxetur, quorsum
tandem nos abripient? Ilac ergo sirnplici doctrina content!
simus, tale fore temperamentum, et tarn concinnum ordinem, ut
niliil vel dcforme vel fluxum appareat." Calvin.

VERSE 22. For ive know that the ivliole creation groanetli
and travaileth in pain together until now. This verse is a repe
tition and confirmation of the preceding sentiment : fc The crea
ture is subject to vanity, and longs for deliverance ; for we
see, from universal and long continued experience, the whole
creation groaning and travailing in pain.' It is, however, as
Calvin remarks, the pains of birth, and not of death. After
sorrow comes the joy of a new existence. The word together
may have reference to the whole creation which groans together,
all its parts uniting and sympathizing ; or it may refer to the
sons of God, ' For the whole creation groans together with the
sons of God.' On account of the following verse, in which
Christians are specially introduced as joining with the whole
creation in this sense of present misery and desire of future
good, the former method of understanding the passage seems
preferable. Until now, from the beginning until the present
time. The creature has always been looking forward to the
day of redemption. "Particula Ilactenus, vel ad hunc usque
diem, ad levandum diuturni languoris taedium pertinet. Nam
si tot soeculis durarunt in suo gemitu creature, quam inexcusa-
bilis erit nostra mollities vel ignavia, si in brevi umbratilis vitne
curriculo deficimus?" Calvin.

VERSE 23. And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the
first fruits of the Spirit, <fcc. 'Not only does the whole crea
tion thus groan, but we ourselves, we Christians, who have a
foretaste of heavenly bliss, the first fruits of the glorious inhe
ritance, we groan within ourselves, and long for the consum
mation of glory.' The first fruits was that portion of the
productions of the earth which was offered to God. From the
nature of the case, they contained the evidence and assurance
of the whole harvest being secured. The idea, therefore, of an
earnest or pledge is included in the phrase, as well as that of
priority. This is the general if not constant use of the word in
the New Testament. Thus Christ is called "the first fruits of
them that slept," 1 Cor. xv. 20, not merely because he rose

ROMANS VIII. 23. 433

first, but also because his resurrection was a pledge of the
resurrection of his people. See Horn. xi. 16, xvi. o, 1 Cor. x\ i. 15,
James i. 18. In all these places, both ideas may be, and pro
bably ought to be retained. In the passages before us, what is
here called the first fruits of the Spirit, is elsewhere called the
earnest of the Spirit, Epli. i. 14, &c. The phrases, the, Spirit
which is the first fruits^ and the. Spirit which /* ftn earnest, are
therefore synonymous. The Spirit is the first fruits of the full
inheritance of the saints in light. The expression in the text,
therefore, is descriptive of all Christians, and not of any par
ticular class of them; that is, it is not to be confined to those
who first received the influences of the Spirit, or were first
Converted.

The interpretation iriven above, of this clause, is the one most
commonly received, and the most natural. There is, however,
great diversity in the MSS. as to the text, although the sense
is substantially the same, whichever of the various readings be
adopted. The common text is: ou /jLOirOi* or. a/./'/ '/.</.'. <i:j~a\ ~-iv
l~</.i>yyv ~o') r^i'itu/.-D' iyj^-i'. x</.>. /,//£?;" '/.'JTUZ £^ t^/.vro?^
G~Vsn.^nu:)Vs. This mav mean, -.Not onlv (the x~{<7:~.) but they
having the first fruits of the Spirit, and we our.-elvos irroan,' Me.
A distinction is thus made between those who have the first
fruits of the Spirit, and those meant by we. ourselves. Those
who adopt this interpretation suppose that Paul intended by
«v, either himself individually, or himself and the other apos
tles. This view of the passage, however, is not the natural
one, even assuming the correctness of the common text; and is
impossible, if the true reading be 'ittt='i~ auroi, as found in the
MSS. I). I'. G., and adopted hv many critics. The (j:j-m in
the first clause, and the 'f^izl* >/Oro:. refer to the same class of
persons, and indicate the subject of the verb (1-1^(^011.1^. It is
more doubtful what force should be given to the participle
iy^crs-i'. As the article is omitted, most commentators render
it, 'although having.' "Even we groan, although having the
present influences and support of the Spirit.' In our version,
and by Calvin. Be/a, and Benirel, it is rendered as though the
article was used, of svovrsc, even i/'e tej/o h/ive, i. e. the possessors
of. This is more pertinent, as tin- apostle's object is to desig
nate the class intended by we. The article in such cases is not
28

434 ROMANS VIII. 23.

always used, (see ver. 1,) according to the common text. In
the phrase a-aoyj} roi) nv&j[j.aTO<;, the genitive may be taken as
the genitivus partivus. In favour of this is the signification of
the word, and its ordinary use. In such expressions as " first
fruits of the corn and of the wine," "of the dead," and others
of a like kind, the genitive indicates that of which the first
fruits are a part. This gives a good sense here. Believers now
possess and now enjoy, in the indwelling of the Spirit, a pre-
libation of what they are to receive hereafter — a part of the
full measure of divine influence in reserve for them. Still the
analogy of Scripture is in favour of taking the genitive as the
genitive of apposition. The Holy Spirit is the d-apyyj; or as
it is said in Epli. i. 14, 2 Cor. i. 22, v. 5, dofwfay, the earnest
of the Spirit. The inheritance of the saints in light, is that of
which the Spirit is the first fruits and the earnest.

Even we ourselves groan ivitltin ourselves, ev kauroiz, as
expressing the internal load by which the believer is now
oppressed. Waiting for the adoption, olod-zatay without the
article; 'waiting for adoption.' There is a sense in which
believers are now the sons of God and partakers of adoption.
But the full enjoyment of their blessedness as the children of
God, the time when they shall be recognised as vlot, and enter
upon their inheritance as such, is still future. Here Christians
are in the condition of i^'-r% minor children; their introduc
tion into the state of ulol, in the sense of adult sons entitled to
their inheritance, is their ulod-saia, for which they now wait,
(d.mxd£y6fjL£vot^ with patient, but earnest desire. What, there
fore, in the foregoing verse is expressed by "the manifestation
of the sons of God," is here expressed by the single word
"adoption." Even the redemption of the hod//. The redemp
tion of the body is not so in apposition with the adoption, that
the two phrases are equivalent. The adoption includes far
more than the redemption of the body. But the latter event is
to be coincident with the former, and is included in it, as one
of its most prominent parts. Both expressions, therefore,
designate the same period: 'We wait for the time when we
shall be fully recognised as the children of God, i. e. for the
time when our vile bodies shall be fashioned like unto the <*lori-

O

ous body of the Son of God.' How much stress Paul laid upon

ROMANS VIII. 24, 25. 435

the redemption of the body, is evident not only from this pas
sage, and that in Philip, iii. 21, just quoted, but also from the
whole of 1 Cor. xv., especially the latter part of the chapter.
The time of the resurrection of the body, or the manifestation
of the sons of God, is the time of the second advent of Jesus
Christ. See 1 Cor. xv. 2-J. "Christ the first fruits; afterwards
they that are Christ's, at his coming." 1 Thess. iv. 1(>, "For
the Lord, himself shall descend from heaven with a shout; and
the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are
alive," cV'c. This is the period towards which all eyes and all
hearts have been directed, among those who have had the first
fruits of the Spirit, since the fall of Adam : and for which the
whole creation groaneth and is in travail even until now.

Vl-:usj;s 24, 2">. The apostle, intending to show that the pre
sent aillictions of believers are not inconsistent with their be-in"1

o

the children of (lod, and are therefore no ground of discourage
ment, refers not onlv to then' comparative insignificance, but
also to the necessitv whieh there is, from the nature of the rase,
for these sufferings: 'Salvation, in its fulness, is not a present
good, but a matter of hope, and of course future; and if future,
it follows that we must wait for it in patient and jo v fid expecta
tion.' \\hile. therefore, waitincj for salvation is necessarv, from
the nature of the case, the nature of the blessing waited for,
converts expectation into desire, and enables us patiently to
endure all present evils.

/•'///• We arc, .v It',,/ f,// Itnjn', 77; ~fi\[t l't~'.ni k<TCO$7j/UV. At tllC

close of the preceding verse, Paul had spoken of believers as
w/itini/ f»r t/tr tnluj'fi'i/1. They thus wait, because salvation is
not a present good, but a future one. A\ e are saved in hope,
i. e. in prospect. The dative (k).r.~f.o:} does not in this case
express the means by which anything is done, but the condition
or circumstances in which it is, or the way and manner in which
it occurs. It is therefore analogous to our forms of expression,
we Jttn'c a tliinij in expectation < r f>ronj><'ct. Salvation is a bless
ing we have in hope, not in possession: if it be the one, ^t
cannot be the other, sitifc Jmjn' tlmt /* m.'cn in not Itnjn-. It lies
in the nature of hope, that its object must be future. The word
hope is here used objectively for tin- tlitmj Jtop<'d for, as in Col.
i. 5, ""The hope that is laid up for you in heaven; Ileb. vi. 18,

436 ROMANS VIII. 25, 26.

Eph. i. 18, &c. The latter clause of the verse, for what a
man seeth, why doth he yet hope for, is only a confirmation of
the previous declaration, that it lies in the nature of hope to
have reference to the future. "This passage," says Olshauscn,
" is specially important for determining the true nature of hope,
It stands opposed to JAS-EW. seeing — which supposes the object
to be externally present. It is, however, no less opposed to the
entire absence of its object. It is, on the contrary, the inward
possession of the things hoped for, so far as they are spiritual,
A man can believe, and hope for eternal things, only so far as
they are inwardly present to him. Therefore it is that Chris
tian hope is something so exalted. It is the daughter of expe
rience, (Rom. v. 4,) and maketh not ashamed. It is the sister
of faith and love. Good wishes, desires, and longings, are not
hope, because they lo not involve the real possession of the
things longed for."

VERSE 25. But if ive hope for that we see not, £c. That is,
'If hope has reference to the unseen and the future, then, as
salvation is a matter of hope, it is a matter to be waited for.'
It results, therefore, from the nature of the plan of redemption,
that the full fruition of its blessing should not be obtained at
once, but that through much tribulation believers should enter
into the kingdom; consequently, their being called upon to
suffer is not at all inconsistent with their being sons and heirs.
TJien do we with patience watt for it; oi u-ouoy/^, with con
stancy, or firmness, which includes the idea of patience, as its
consequence. There is something more implied in these words
than that salvation, because unseen, must be waited for. This,
no doubt, from the connection, is the main idea ; but we not
only wait, but we wait with patience, or constancy. There is
something in the very expectation of future good, and especially
of such good, the glory that shall be revealed in us, to produce
not only patient but even joyful endurance of all present suffer
ing. " Spes ista," says Grotius, "non infructuosa est in nobis,
ggregiam virtutem opcratur, malorum fortem tolerationem."

VERSE 26. Not only does hope thus cheer and support the
suffering believer, but likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirm
ities. Likewise, literally, in the same way. As hope sustains,
so, in the same manner, the Spirit does also. Not that the

ROMANS VIII. 26. 437

mode of assistance is the same, but simply as the one does, so
also does the other. In this case at least, therefore, the word
thus rendered is equivalent to moreover. The translation
likewise suits the context exactly. Helputli, the word a^o^it-
/jjLiifaz'tai, means to take hold of any thing with another, to
take part in his burden or work, and thus to aid. Compare
Luke x. 40. It is, therefore, peculiarly expressive and appro
priate. It represents the condescending Spirit as taking upon
himself, as it were, a portion of our sorrows to relieve us of
their pressure. " Magna est vis Graeci verbi ao^a^TcXa^dvead-a^
quod scilicet partcs oneris quo nostril innrmitas gravatur, ad so
recipiens Spiritus non modo auxiliatur nobis et succurrit, sed
perinde nos sublevat ucsi ipse nobiscum onus subiret." — Calvin.
Our infirmities* is the appropriate rendering of the original,
which expresses the idea both of weakness and suffering. Ileb.
iv. 1 "), '• We have not an hi^h priest which cannot be touched
with a feeling of our infirmities;" '1 Cor. xii. ">, u I will not
glory, l)iit in mine infirmities."

For ire know not what we should pray for as we ought;
lut the Spirit, &C. What we know not is: TO 7.' rrpozeugco/ie&a
xatii) oil. The article TO belongs to the whole clause, as in
Luke ix. 40; Acts iv. :>!, and after.— TF^r, :M. :}. This is
said as an illustration and confirmation of the previous general
declaration: it is an example of the way in which the Spirit
aids us. k lie helpeth our infirmities, for he teaches us how to
pray, dictatiiiLT to us our supplications,' «N:c. The necessity for
this aid arises from our ignorance; we know not what to pray
for. We cannot, tell what is really best for us. Heathen
philosophers gave this as a reason why men ought not to
pray It How miserable their condition when compared to
ours! Instead of our ignorance putting a seal upon our lips,
and leaving our hearts to break, the Spirit gives our desires a
language heard and understood of <Iod. As we know not how
to pray, the Spirit teaches us. This idea the apostle expresses
by saying, the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us. The

* For T*7c C*<r&tvti*i(. the singular T;V uo-3-svgi'* is rea-1 l>y MSS. A. C. D. 10, 23,
31, -'57, 47, sui'l the Syri;ic ami Latin versions. Lachmann lias the singular.

f Diojrenes, L. VIII. 'J. Pythagoras tin \£ &%&&** ^«g ixvr~v' tfw
TO evA<t>tc,v. — Wetstein.

438 ROMANS VIII. 26.

simple verb (lvru>r%dua>), rendered he maketh intercession, pro
perly means to meet, then to approach any one to make suppli
cation, Acts xxv. 24. This supplication may be against any
one, Rom. xi. 2, or for him, v. 34; Ileb. vii. 25. Hence, to
intercede for, is to act the part of advocate in behalf of any
one. This Christ is said to do for us in the last two passages
cited, as well as in Ileb. ix. 24, 1 John ii. 1, and John xiv. 16,
for Christ calls the Holy Spirit "another advocate," i. e.
another than himself. This office is ascribed to the Spirit in
the last passage quoted in John xiv. 26, xv. 26, and xvi. 7, as
well as in the passage before us. As the Spirit is thus said, in
the general, to do for us what an advocate did for his client, so
he does also what it was the special duty of the advocate to
perform, i. e., to dictate to his clients what they ought to say,
how they should present their cause.* In this sense the pre
sent passage is to be understood. We do not know how to
pray, but the Spirit teaches us. All true prayer is due to the
influence of the Spirit, who not only guides us in the selection
of the objects for which to pray, but also gives us the appro
priate desires, and works within us that faith without which
our prayers are of no avail. We are not to suppose that the
Spirit itself prays, or utters the inarticulate groans of which
the apostle here speaks. He is said to do what he causes us
to do. " Interpellare autem dicitur Spiritus Dei," says Cal
vin; "nonquod ipsc re vera suppliciter scad prccanduni vel
gemendum demittat, sed quod in animis nostris excitet ea vota,
quibus nos sollicitari convenit; deinde corda nostra sic afficiat
ut suo ardore in coelum penetrent." Nevertheless, far more is
meant than that the Spirit teaches us to pray, as one man may
teach another. And more is meant than that, by a mere ab
extra influence, certain desires and feelings are awakened in
our hearts. The Spirit dwells in the believer as a principle of
life. In our consciousness there is no difference between our
own acting and those of the Spirit. There is, however, a
concursus, a joint agency of the divine and human in all holy
exercises, and more especially in those emotions, desires, and

* See Knapp's Dissertation De Spiritu Sancto et Christo Paracletis, p. 114,
*f his Scripta Varii Argument!. Or the translation of that Dissertation in
the Biblical Repertory, Vol. I. p. 234.

ROMANS VIII. 27. 439

aspirations which we are unable to clothe in words. The
<TrcV6c;-«^c d/tt/jyro.'C may mean with unutterable or unuttered
groaning*. The former is not only more forcible, but it is
more in accordance with the experience arid language of men.
It is common to speak of emotions too big for utterance, and
we all know what that means. The analogy of scripture is
also in favour of this view. The Bible speaks of God's
unspeakable gift, 2 Cor. xii. 4, of door^a fur^ta-a* ' words
which cannot be uttered;' and of 'a joy that is unspeakable/

VERSE 27. Although these desires are not, and cannot bo
uttered, the eye of IIiu> who searches the heart can read and
understand them. And (rather, but) lie who searcJteth the
hearts. To search the heart is the prerogative of God, as it
implies omniscience. As no man knoweth the things of a man,
but the spirit of man that is in him, to read the unexpressed
emotions of the soul must be the work of Him to whose eyes
all things are naked. UI the Lord, search the heart, I try the
reins.'' Jer. xvii. 10, Ps. cxxxix. 7, (,). Kev. ii. 28. Know-
eth the muid of the fytirit. By ctiny^ua 7<>rj -^^'jimro::, is
meant the meaning, intention of the Spirit, what he means by
those unutterable groanings. ]>y Spirit must be here under
stood, as the context requires, the Holy Spirit. It is that
Spirit who intercedes for the saints and in them, and who is
expressly distinguished from the soul in which he dwells. God
is said to know the mind of the Spirit. As the word to know
is so often used with the implication of the idea of approval,
this may mean, God recognises or approves of the mind of the
Spirit. " Ilic verbi nonse," says Calvin, u adnotanda est pro-
prietas ; significat enim, Dcum non riovos et insolentes illos
Spiritus affectus non animadvertere, vel tan<|iiam absurdos
rejicere; sed agnoscere, ct simul benignc excipere ut agnitos
sibi et probatos." If this be the meaning of the word, then
the following ore is causal, and introduces the reason why God
thus approves of the mind of the Spirit. It is because the
Spirit maketh intercession for the saints x«r« tj=ov according to
G-od, i. c., agreeably to his will. The desires produced by the
Spirit of God himself are, of course, agreeable to the will of
God, and secure of being approved and answered. This is the

440 ROMANS VIII. 28.

great consolation and support of believers. They know not
either what is best for themselves or agreeable to the will of
God; but the Holy Spirit dictates those petitions and excites
those desires which are consistent with the divine purposes,
and which are directed towards the blessings best suited to our
wants. Such prayers are always answered. "And this is
the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing
according to his will, he heareth us," 1 John v. 7. But if
olds is to be taken in its ordinary sense, then on is explicative.
' God knows that the Spirit,' &c. Those who adopt this view
generally render xaru 6zov towards Gf-od, i. e., before God.
'The Spirit intercedes before God for the saints.' In favour
of this interpretation of the passage, it is urged that this is the
proper place of the word olds ; and as to the clause xara 0zbv,
it is said, God's knowing the mind of the Spirit, does not
depend on its being according to his will. He would know it
whether in accordance with his will or not. This difficulty,
however, does not exist if olds means ' he recognises and
approves.' It is making the verse say comparatively little, if
it is made to mean simply ' that the Searcher of hearts knows
that the Spirit intercedes in his presence (or toward him) for
the saints.' The interpretation adopted by our translators,
therefore, is to be preferred. It is more to the apostle's pur
pose if he assigns the reason why God receives the unutterable
desires and longings of the heart as true prayer. This indeed
is a consolation to believers.

VERSE 28. And we Iznow all tilings work together for good to
them that love Grod, &c. This may be regarded as virtually,
though not formally, an inference from what Paul had taught
concerning afflictions. As they are comparatively insignificant,
as they call forth the exercises of hope, and give occasion for
the kind interposition of the Holy Spirit, far from being incon
sistent with our salvation, they contribute to our good. It
seems, however, more natural to consider the apostle as pre
senting the consideration contained in this verse, as an addi
tional reason why the afflictions of this life are not inconsistent
writh our being the sons of God. These afflictions are real
blessings. AH tilings, as is usually the case with such general
expressions, is to be limited to the things spoken of in the

ROMANS VIII. 28. 441

context, i. e., the sufferings of the present time. See 1 Cor.
ii. 15, where the spiritual man is said to understand " all
things;" Col. i. 20, where Christ is said to reconcile "all
things unto God;" and Eph. i. 10, with many other similar
passages. Of course it is not intended that other events,
besides afflictions, do not work together for the good of Chris
tians, but merely that the apostle is here speaking of the suf
ferings of believers. " Tenendum est, Paulum non nisi de rebus
adversis lo<|ui : acsi dixisset Divinitus sic temperari quaecumjue
sanctis aceidunt, ut, quod inundus noxium esse putat, exitus
utile esse demonstret. Nam tametsi verum est, quod ait
August inns, peccata quoque sua, ordinante Dei providentia,
sanctis adeo noii nocere, ut potius eorum saluti inserviant: ad
hunc tameii locum non pertinet, ubi de cruce agitur." — Calvin.
Those to whom afflictions are a real blessing are described,
first, as t/toxe ivlio lure G<>d ; and secondly, as those tclio are
called according t<> liis purpose. The former of these clauses
describes the character of the persons intended, the// lure God,
which is a comprehensive expression for all the exercises of
genuine religion. The latter clause declare> a fact, with regard
to all such, which has a most important bearing on the apostle's
great object in this chapter, tln'i/ (ire e<dlcd af.wrdhuj to his
pHi'poKi'. The word <-<dl<'d, as remarked above, (i. 7,) is never,
in the epistles of the New Testament, applied to those who arc
the recipients of the mere external-invitation of the gospel. It
always means effectually called, i. e., it is always applied to
those who are really brought to accept of the blessings to which
they are invited. 1 Cor. i. 24, "'.But to those who are called,"
i. e., to true Christians. Jude 1, k' To those who are sanctified
by G<>d the Father, and are preserved in Jesus Christ, and
called," 1 Cor. i. 2, &c. The word is, therefore, often equiva
lent with chosen, as in the phrase "'called an apostle," 1 Cor.
i. 1, Horn. i. 1; and "called of Jesus Christ," Rom. i. 6.
And thus in the Old Testament, "Hearken unto me, () Jacob,
and Israel my called," Isa. xlviii. 12; see Isa. xlii. 0, xlix. 1,
li. '2. Those who love God, therefore, are those whom he hath
chosen and called by his grace to a participation of the
Redeemer's kingdom. This call is not according to the merits
of men, but according to the divine purpose. "Who hath

442 ROMANS VIII. 12—28.

saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to
our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." 2 Tim.
i. 9, Eph. i. 11, Rom. ix. 11. The design of the apostle, in
the introduction of this clause, seems to have been twofold.
First, to show, according to his usual manner, that the fact
that some men love God is to be attributed to his sovereign
grace, and not to themselves; and, secondly, that if men are
called, according to the eternal purpose of God, their salvation
is secure. By this latter idea, this clause is associated with
the passage that follows, and with the general object of the
chapter. That the calling of men docs secure their salvation,
is proved in verses 29, 30.

DOCTRINE.

1. True Christians are the sons of God, objects of his affec
tion, partakers of his moral nature, and heirs of his kingdom,
ver. 14.

2. The relation of God to us is necessarily the counterpart
of ours to him. If we feel as friends to him, he feels as a
friend towards us ; if our sentiments are filial, his are parental,
vcr. 15.

3. God, who is every where present and active, manifests
his presence, and communicates with his creatures in a manner
accordant with their nature, although in a way that is inscruta
ble, ver. 1C.

4. Assurance of salvation has a twofold foundation, the
experience of those affections which are the evidences of true
piety, and the witness of the Holy Spirit. The latter can never
be separated from the former ; for the Spirit can never testify
to what is not the truth. lie can never assure an enemy that
he is a child of God, ver. 16.

5. Union with Christ is the source of all our blessings of
justification and sanctification, as taught in the previous chap
ters, and of salvation, as taught in this, ver. 17.

6. Afflictions are not inconsistent with the divine favour, nor
•yith our being the sons of God, vs. 18 — 25.

7. The future glory of the saints must be inconceivably great,

ROMANS VIII. 12—28. 443

TO an s

if the whole creation, from the beginning of the world
and longs for its manifestation, vs. 19 — 23.

8. The curse consequent on the fall has affected the state of
the external world. The consummation of the work of redemp
tion may be attended with its regeneration, vs. 2U — 22.

9. The present influences of the Spirit are first fruits of the
inheritance of the saints; the same in kind with the blessings
of the future state, though less in degree. They are a pledge
of future blessedness, and always produce an earnest lon<Tin<»-for
the fruition of the full inheritance, ver. 23.

10. As, fur wise reasons, salvation is not immediately conse
quent on regeneration, hope, which is the joyful expectation
of future good, becomes the duty, solace, and support of the
Christian, vs. 24, 25.

11. The Holy Spirit is our Paraclete (John xiv. 10) or advo
cate, we are his clients, we know not how to plead our own
cause, but lie dictates to us what we ought to sav. This office
of the Spirit ought to be recognised, and gratefully acknow
ledged, ver. 20.

12. Prayer, to be acceptable, must be according to the will
of God, and it always is so when it is dictated or excited by the
Holy Spirit, ver. 27.

13. All events are under the control of God; and even the
greatest afflictions are productive of good to those who love
him, ver. 2s.

14. Tin- calling or conversion of men, involving so manv of
their free acts, is a matter of divine purpose, and it occurs in
consequence of its being so, ver. 28.

REMARKS.

1. If God, by his Spirit, condescends to dwell in us. it is our
highest duty to allow ourselves to be governed or led by him,
vs. 12, 13.

2. It is a contradiction in terms to profess to be the sons of
God, if destitute of the filial feelings of confidence, affection,
and reverence, ver. 15.

3. A spirit of fear, so far from being an evidence of piety,
is an evidence of the contrary. The filial spirit is the genuine
spirit of religion, ver. 15.

4. Assurance of hope is not fanatical, but is an attainment

444 ROMANS VIII. 12—28.

which every Christian should make. If the witness of men is
received, the witness of God is greater. As the manifestation
of God's love to us is made in exciting our love towards him,
so the testimony of his Spirit with ours, that we are the sons
of God, is made when our filial feelings are in lively exercise,
ver. 16.

5. Christians ought neither to expect nor wish to escape suf
fering with Christ, if they are to be partakers of his glory.
The former is a preparation for the latter, ver. 17.

6. The afflictions of this life, though in themselves not joyous
but grievous, are worthy of little regard in comparison with the
glory that shall be revealed in us. To bear these trials
properly, we should regard them as part of the heritage of the
sons of God, ver. 18.

7. As the present state of things is one of bondage to cor
ruption, as there is a dreadful pressure of sin and misery on the
whole creation, we should not regard the world as our home,
but desire deliverance from this bondage, and introduction into
the liberty of the children of God, vs. 19 — 22.

8. It is characteristic of genuine piety to have exalted con
ceptions of future blessedness, and earnest longings after it.
Those, therefore, who are contented with the world and indif
ferent about heaven, can hardly possess the first fruits of the
Spirit, ver. 23.

9. Hope and patience are always united. If we have a well-
founded hope of heaven, then do we with patience and fortitude
wait for it. This believing resignation and joyful expectation
of the promises, are peculiarly pleasing in the sight of God and
honourable to religion, vs. 24, 25.

10. How wonderful the condescension of the Holy Spirit I
How great his kindness in teaching us, as a parent his children,
how to pray and what to pray for! How abundant the conso
lation thus afforded to the pious in the assurance that their
prayers shall be heard, vs. 26, 27.

11. Those who are in Christ, who love God, may repose in
perfect security beneath the shadow of his wings. All things
shall work together for their good, because all things are under
the control of Him who has called them to the possession of
eternal life according to his own purpose, ver. 28.

ROMANS VIII. 29. 445

ROMANS VIII. 29—39.

ANALYSIS.

Tins section contains the exhibition of two additional argu
ments in favour of the safety of believers. The first of these
is founded on the decree or purpose of God, vs. 29 — 30; and
the second on his infinite and unchanging love, vs. 31 — 39.
In his description of those with regard to whom all things shall
work together for good, Paul had just said that they are
such who are called or converted in execution of a previous
purpose of God, ver. 28. If this is the case, the salvation of
believers is secure, because the plan on which God acts is con
nected in all its parts ; whom he foreknows, he predestinates,
calls, justifies, and glorifies. Those, therefore, who are called,
shall certainly bo saved, vs. 29, 30. Secondly, if God is for
us, who can be against us? If God so loved us as to give his
Son for us, lie will certainly save us, vs. 31, 32. This love has
already secured our justification, and has made abundant pro
vision for the supply of all our wants, vs. 33, 34.

The triumphant eonclu>i<>n from all these arguments, that
nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ, but that we
shall be more than conquerors over all enemies and difficulties,
is given in vs. 35 — 39.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 29. For whom lie did foreknow, J/<> also did prc<l<'s~
tinati1, tVc. The connection of this verse with the preceding,
and the force of fur, appears from what has already been said.
Believers are called in accordance with a settled plan and
purpose of God, fur whom he calls he had previously predes
tinated : and as all the several steps or stages of our salvation
are included in this plan of the unchanging God, if we are pre
destinated and called, we shall be justified and glorified. Or
the connecting idea is this: All things must work together for
good to those who love God, for the plan of God cannot fail ;
those whom he has called into this state of reconciliation, whom

446 ROMANS VIII. 29.

he has made to love him, he will assuredly bring to the glory
prepared for his people.

Whom lie did foreknow. As the words to know and fore-
knoic are used in three different senses, applicable to the present
passage, there is considerable diversity of opinion which should
be preferred. The word may express prescience simply,
according to its literal meaning; or, as to know is often to
approve and love, it may express the idea of peculiar affection
in this case; or it may mean to select or determine upon.
Among those who adopt one or the other of these general views,
there is still a great diversity as to the manner in which they
understand the passage. These opinions are too numerous to
be here recited.

As the literal meaning of the word to foreknow gives no
adequate sense, inasmuch as all men are the objects of the
divine prescience, whereas the apostle evidently designed to
express bv the word something that could be asserted only of a
particular class; those who adopt this meaning here supply
something to make the sense complete. Who lie foreknew
would repent and believe, or who would not resist his divine
inflneiKH'i or some such idea. There are two objections to this
manner of explaining the passage, 1. The addition of this
clause is entirely gratuitous; and, if unnecessary, it is, of course,
improper. There is no such thing said, and, therefore, it
should not be assumed, without necessity, to be implied. 2. It
is in direct contradiction to the apostle's doctrine. It makes
the ground of our calling and election to be something in us,
our works; whereas Paul says that such is not the ground of
our beiii<r chosen. uWho hath called us not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, &c.,"
2 Tim. i. 9, and Rom. ix. 11, where the contrary doctrine is not
only asserted, but proved and defended. To say that faith as
distinguished from works is what is foreseen, and constitutes
the ground of election, does not help the matter. For faith is
a work or act, and it is the gift of God, the result or effect of
lection, and therefore not its ground.

The second and third interpretations do not essentially differ.
The one is but a modification of the other; for whom God
peculiarly loves, he does thereby distinguish from others, which

e

T

ROMANS VIII. 29. 447

is in itself a selecting or choosing of them from among others.
The usage of the word is favourable to either modification of
this general idea of preferring. u The people which he fore
knew," i. e., loved or selected, Rom. xi. 2; u "Who verily was
foreordained (Gr. foreknown), i. e. fixed upon, chosen before
the foundation of the world," 1 Peter i. 20, 2 Tim. ii. 19,
John x. 14, 1">: see also Acts ii. 23, 1 Peter i. 2. The idea
therefore, obviously is, that those whom God peculiarly loved,
and by thus loving, distinguished or selected from the rest of
mankind; or to express both ideas in one word, those whom he
elected lie predestined, kc.

It is evident, on the one hand, that xpofvcoatz expresses
something more than the prescience of which all men and all
events are the objects, and, on the other, something different
from the -tiooinati.o- (predestination) expressed by the following
word : ""Whom he foreknew, them he also predestinated." The
predestination fallows, and is grounded on the foreknowledge.
The foreknowledge therefore expresses the act of cognition or
recognition, the fixing, so to speak, the mind upon, which
involves the idea of selection. If we look over a number of
objects with the view of selecting some of them for a definite
purpose, the first act is to iix the mind on some to the neglect
of the others, and the second is to destine them to the proposed
end. So God is represented as looking on the fallen mas- oi'
men, and fixing on some whom he predestines to salvation.
This is the ~<>tiyi,(!)fT!~, the foreknowledge, of which the apostle
here speaks. It is the knowing, fixing upon, or selecting those
who are to be predestinated to be conformed to the image of
the Son of God. Even De Wette says, Der J>cgrifV der unbe-
dingten Gnadenwhal Hegt bier klar vor, (the idea of sovereign
election is here clearly presented.)

11>' ((/,•«> did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of /</*• >s'"/<. To predestinate is to destine or appoint before
hand, as the original word is used in Acts iv. 2S, tkTo do
Whatsoever thy hand and counsel determined before to be
done;" "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children," Eph. i. 5; "Being predestinated according to the
purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of his
own will," Eph. i. 11. In all the cases in which this pre-

448 ROMANS VIII. 29.

destination is spoken of, the idea is distinctly recognised, that
the ground of the choice which it implies is not in us. We are
chosen in Christ, or according to the free purpose of God, &c.
This is a /ore-ordination, a determination which existed in
the divine mind long prior to the occurrence of the event,
even before the foundation of the world, Eph. i. 4; so that
the occurrences in time arc the manifestations of the eternal
purpose of God, and the execution of the plan of which they
form a part.

The end to which those whom God has chosen are pre
destined, is conformity to the image of his Son., i. e., that they
might be like his Son in character and destiny. He hath,
chosen us "that we should be holy and without blame before
him," Eph. i. 4, iv. 24. "He hath predestined us to the
adoption, i. e., to the state of sons, Eph. i. 5. "As we have
borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image
of the heavenly," 1 Cor. xv. 49; see Phil. iii. 21, 1 John iii. 2.
The words 0Ufj.fjL6p<f>oi)£ r^c eixovoc TGI) ulorj OL&TOU, express not
only the general idea that believers are to be like Christ, but
Aiore definitely, that what Christ is we are to be ; as He is yfoc
we are y?or; as He was Iv uofxry $eo~j we are to be o'j[j.<ion(foc;
as He assumed our nature, and thereby purified and exalted it,
we are to partake of that purity and glory. We are to have
the same ftooff^ (form) as the eixcbv of Christ has — resemble him
as the image answers to the original. As Paul, in verse 17, had
spoken of our suffering with Christ, and in the subsequent pas
sage was principally employed in showing that though in this
respect we must be like Christ, it was not inconsistent with our
being sons and heirs, so here, when we are said to be conformed
to the image of Christ, the idea of our bearing the same cross
is not to be excluded. We are to be like our Saviour in moral
character, in our present sufferings and future glory. As this
conformity to Christ includes our moral likeness to him, and as
this embraces all that is good in us, it is clear that no supposed
excellence originating from our own resources, can be the
ground of our being chosen as God's people, since this excel
lence is included in the end to which we are predestined. " I
remark here in passing," says Olshausen, "that according to
Paul's doctrine, there is a praedestinatio sanctorum in the strict

ROMANS VIII. 30. 449

sense of the word; that is, that God does not foreknow those
who by their own decision will become holy, but he himself
creates that decision in them. In r.oo^^axT/^c^ the divine
knowledge, and in 7:000 ni^cv the divine will, (both of which
are included in the ~OO$S(T{Z>} ai'e expressed."

That he mi<jJtt be the first-born amonj many brethren. This
clause may express the design, or merely the result of what
had just been said. "God predestinated IH to be sons, in order
that Christ might be,' &c., or ' He made us his sons, hence
Christ is,' ^c. The former is on every account to be preferred.
It is not merely an unintended result, but the great end con
templated in the predestination of God's people. That end is
the glory and exaltation of Christ. The purpose of God in the
salvation of men, was not mainly that men should be holy and
happy, but that through their holiness and happiness his glory,
in the person of the Son, should be displayed, in the ages to
come, to principalities and powers. Christ, therefore, is the
central point in the history of the universe. His glory, as the
glory of God in the highest form of its manifestation, is the
great end of creation and redemption. And this end, the
apostle teaches, is accomplished l»y making him the jirxt-I»>rn
amon</ many brethren, that is, bv causing him to stand as the
first-born, the head and chief, among and over that countless
multitude who through him are made the sons of God. u Igi-
tur," savs Calvin, u sicut primogenitus familiae nomen sustmet;
ita Christus in sublinii gradu locatur, non modo in honore emi-
neat inter fideles, sed etiam ut communi fraternitatis nota sub
se omnes coutineat."

YKRSK • ><). JA//v^vy, ?rho)n he did predestinate, them In' aho
called. 'Those whom he had thus foreordained to be conformed
to the image of his Sou in moral character, in suffering, and in
future glory, he effectually calls, i. e., leads by the external
invitation of the gospel, and by the efficacious operation of his
grace, to the end to which they are destined. That the calling
here spoken of is not the mere external call of the gospel, is
evident both from the usage of the word, and from the neces
sity of the case; see 1 Cor. i. 9, " God is faithful by whom ye
were called to the fellowship of his Son," i. e., effectually
brought into union with him. In the same chapter, ver. 24,
29

450 ROMANS VIII. 30.

" To those which are called, Christ the power of God," &a
The called are here expressly distinguished from the rejecters
of the external invitation. 1 Cor. vii. 15, 18, in which chap
ter calling is repeatedly put for effectual conversion, "Is any
man called, being a servant," &c. ILeb. ix. 15, "That they
which are called may receive the promise of eternal inheri
tance." Rom. ix. 12, Eph. iv. 4, 1 Thess. ii. 12, and many
similar passages. This use of the word, thus common in the
New Testament, is obviously necessary here, because the apos
tle is speaking of a call which is peculiar to those who are
finally saved. Whom he calls he justifies and glorifies ; see
verse 28.

Whom lie called, tlicin lie also justified ; and whom he justi
fied, them he also glorified. The aorist here used may express
the idea of frequency. Whom he calls, he is wont to justify;
and whom he is wont to justify, is he accustomed to glorify.
So that the meaning is the same as though the present tense
had been used, 'Whom he calls, he justifies,' &c.; see James
i. 11, 1 Peter i. 24, where the same tense is rendered as the
present, " The grass withereth, arid the flower thereof falleth
away." Or, as this use of the aorist is doubtful, or at least
unusual, that tense is employed, because Paul is speaking of
that God, who sees the end from the beginning, and in whose
decree arid purpose all future events are comprehended and
fixed: so that in predestinating us, he at the same time, in
effect, called, justified, and glorified us, as all these were
included in his purpose.

The justification here spoken of, is doubtless that of which
the apostle has been speaking throughout the epistle, the
regarding and treating sinners as just, for the sake of the
righteousness of Christ. The blessings of grace are never
separated from each other. Election, calling, justification, and
salvation arc indissolubly united ; and, therefore, he who has
clear evidence of his being called, has the same evidence of his
election and final salvation. This is the very idea the apostle
means to present for the consolation and encouragement of
believers. They have no cause for despondency if the children
of God, and called according to his purpose, because nothing
can prevent their final salvation.

ROMANS VIII. 31. 451

VERSE 31. Wltat shall we say to these things? That is,
what is the inference from what has hitherto been said? If
Crod l>e for us, if he has delivered us from the law of sin and
death, if he has renewed us by his Spirit which dwells within
us, if he recognises us as his children and his heirs, and has
predestinated us to holiness and glory, who can be against us?
If God's love has led to all the good just specified, what have
we to fear for the future? He who spared not his own Son,
will freelv Lrive us all things. This verse shows clearly what
has been the apostle's object from the beginning of the chapter.
lie wished to demonstrate that to those who accede to the plan
of salvation which he taught, i. e., to those who arc in Christ
Jesus, there is no ground of apprehension; their final salvation
is fully secured. The conclusion of the chapter is a recapitu
lation of all his former arguments, or rather the reduction of
them to one, which comprehends them all in their fullest force;
GOD is FOR rs. lie, as our Judge, i> satisfied; as our Father,
lie loves us; as the supreme and almighty Controller of events,
who works all things after the counsel of his own will, he has
determined, to save us; and as that Being, whose love is as
unchanging as it is infinite, he allows nothing to separate his
children from himself.

It has been objected, that if Paul had intended to teach these
doctrines, lie w<>uld have said that apostacy and sin cannot
interfere with the salvation of believers. l>ut what is salvation,
but deliverance from the guilt and power of sin? It is, there
fore, included in the very purpose and promise of salvation,
that its objects shall be preserved from apo^tacy and deadly
sins. This is the end and essence of salvation. And, there
fore, to make Paul argue that God will save us if we do not
apostatize, is to make him say, those shall be saved who are
not lost. According to the apostle's doctrine, holiness is so
essential and prominent a part of salvation, that it is not so
much a means to an end as the very end itself. It is that to
which we are predestinated and called, and therefore if the
promise of salvation does not include the promise of holiness,
it includes nothing. Hence, to ask whether, if one of the
called should apostatize and live in sin, he would still be saved,
is to ask, whether he will be saved if he is not saved. Nor can

452 ROMANS VIII. 32.

these doctrines be perverted to licentiousness without a com
plete denial of their nature. For they not only represent sin
and salvation as two things which ought not to be united, but
as utterly irreconcilable and contradictory.

VERSE 82. lie that spared 'not his own Son, &c. That
ground of confidence and security which includes all others, is
the love of God ; and that exhibition of divine love which sur
passes and secures all others, is the gift of HIS OWN Sox. Paul
having spoken of Christians as being God's sons by adoption,
was led to designate Christ as his own peculiar Son, in a sense
in which, neither angels (Hob. i. 5) nor men can be so called.
That this is the moaning of the phrase is evident, 1. Because
tills is its proper force ; own Son being opposed to adopted
sons. An antithesis, expressed or implied, is always involved
in the use of the word 10:0$, see Acts ii. 0, Rum. xi. 24, xiv. 4,
Tit. i. 12. The Jews, we are told, took up stones to stone our
Lord, because Tjj.reoa. i'otov s/sj'c rw thov, thus making himself
equal with God. Christ is in such a sense the Son of God,
that he is of one nature with him, the same in substance, equal
in power and glory. 2. Because the context requires it, as
Paul had spoken of those who were sons in a different sense
just before. 3. Because this apostle, and the other sacred
writers, designate Christ as Son of God in the highest sense, as
partaker of the divine nature ; see Horn. i. 4.

But delivered him up for us all. He was delivered up to
death; see Gal. i. 4, Rom. iv. 25, Isa. liii. 6, xxxviii. lo (in
the LXX.,) and Matt. x. 21. For us all; not merely fur our
benefit, but in our place. This idea, however, is not expressed
by the peculiar force of the preposition u~eo, but is implied
from the nature of the case. The benefit secured by a sacri
fice is secured by substitution. It is offered for the benefit of
the offender because it is offered in his place. There is no
restriction or limitation to be put on the word all in this
verse, other than which the context and the analogy of Scrip
ture imposes. God, says Paul, gave up his Son for us all ;
whether he means all rational creatures, or all men, or all
those whom he determined thereby to redeem, and whom he
had foreknown and predestinated to eternal life, depends on
what the Scripture elsewhere teaches on the subject.

ROMANS VIII. 33. 453

How shall lie not also (xal) with him freely give us all things.
If God has done the greater, he will not leave the less undone.
The gift of Christ includes all other gifts. If God so loved us
as to give his Son for us, he will certainly give the Holy Spirit
to render that gift effect mil. This is presented as a ground of
confidence. The believer is assured of salvation, not because
he is assured of his own constancy, but .simply because he is
assured of the immutability of the divine love, and lie is assured
of its immutability because he is assured of its greatness. Infi
nite love cannot change. A love which spared not the eternal
Son of God, but freely gave him up, cannot fail of its object.
" Christus noil nudus aut inanis ad nos missus est ; sed coeles-
tibus omnibus tliesauris refertus, ne quid cum possidentibus ad
plenam felicitatem desit." (1<drin.

VERSE :>;}. WIn> tltall /<>// <ui// tltin</ t<> tJ/e cJufri/c "/ f /<;</'*
elect? This and the following verse show how fully the
security of believers is provided for by the plan of redemp
tion. AVhat is it the\ have to fear under the- government of a
just and pov.'i-rful God? There is nothing to be dreaded but
sin; if that be pardoned and removed, there is nothing left
to fear. In the strongest manner possible, the apostle declares
that the sins of believers are pardoned, and shows the1 ground
on which that pardon rests. To them, therefore, there can be
neither a disquieting accusation nor condemnation. Wli<> <'<ni
/</// <t)iif tltimj.' r.'C i^'/ju.iffn ; the word £*;•'*'//£?:> means in jus
viH'ure, to summon before the bar of justice. The question is
in the form of a challenge, and implies the strongest con
fidence that no accuser against God's elect can appear. If
the law of God be satisfied, "the strength of sin," its con
demning power, is destroyed. Even conscience, though it
upbraids, does not terrify. It produces the ingenuous sorrow
of children, and not the despairing angui.-h of the convict,
because it sees that all the ends of punishment are fully
answered in the death of Christ, who bore our sins in his own
body on the tree.

G-od's elect, i. c. those whom God has chosen ; see ver. 29.
The word elect is sometimes used in a secondary sense for
beloved, which idea is implied in its literal sense, as those
chosen are those who are peculiarly beloved. This sense may

454 ROMANS VIII. 33.

be given to it in 1 Peter ii. 4, " elect and precious" may be
beloved and precious. And so in a multitude of cases it were
optional with a writer to say chosen or beloved, as the one
implies the other. But this does not prove that chosen means
beloved., or that the idea of choice is to be excluded from the
idea of the word. The elect arc those whom God has chosen
out of the world to be the members of his family or kingdom ;
just as under the Old Testament the Hebrews, whom lie had
chosen to be his peculiar people, were his elect. Men may
dispute as to what the elect are chosen to, and why some are
chosen and not others. But there seems to be no ground for
dispute whether "the elect" mean the chosen. This passage,
however, proves that those who are elect, and whose election
has become recognised, are in a state in which they are free
from condemnation. No one can lay any thing to their
charge. The demands of justice as regards them have been
satisfied. This is not true of those who are chosen merely to
church privileges. There is an election, therefore, unto grace
and salvation. The elect are safe. This is the grand theme
of this jubilant chapter.

It is God who justifieth, 6eoz b dtxatwv. Editors and com
mentators are about equally divided on the question whether
this and the following clauses should be taken interrogatively or
affirmatively. If the former, the idea is, that as God is the
being against whom we have sinned, and who alone has the
administration of justice in his hands, if he does not accuse
there can be no accuser. Who shall lay any thing against the
elect of God ? Shall God, who justifies them ? In favour of
this view is the fact, that the questions in vcr. 32, arid also in
ver. 35, are answered by questions, and hence the questions in
vs. 33, 34, are most naturally so answered. Nevertheless, the
impossibility of any accusation being sustained against the elect
of God, is better expressed by the affirmation. It is God who
is their justifier. If he justifies, who can condemn? Besides,
according to the current representation of Scripture, God is
the judge, not the accuser. To justify, is to declare the claims
of justice satisfied. If God, the supreme judge, makes this
declaration, it must be true, and it must stop every mouth.
Ko rational creature, no enlightened conscience, can call for the

ROMANS VIII. 34. 455

punishment of those whom God justifies. If justice is not
satisfied, there can be no justification, no peace of conscience,
no security cither for salvation or for the moral government of
God. The Bible knows nothing of mere pardon. There can
be no pardon except on the ground of satisfaction of justice. It
is by declaring a man just, (that is, that justice in relation to
him is satisfied,) that he is freed from the penalty of the law,
and restored to the favour of God.

VERSE 34. Who is he that condemnetli? i. e., no one can
condemn. In support of this assertion there are, in this verse,
four conclusive reasons presented; the death of Christ, his
resurrection, his exaltation, and his intercession. It is Christ
that died. ]>y his death, as an atonement for our sins, all
ground of condemnation is removed. The death of Christ
could not be a proof that the believer cannot be condemned,
unless his death removed the ground of condemnation: and it
could not remove the ground of condemnation, unless it satisfied
the demands of justice. His death, therefore, was a satisfac
tion, and not merely an exhibition of love, or a didactic symbol
meant to impress some moral truth. .JY<f. r<if/n-r. tlmt /* mv/t
aijuhi. Tlie resurrection of Christ, as the evidence of the
sacrifice of his death being accepted, and of the validity of all
his claims, is a much more decisive proof of the security of all
who trust in him, than his death could be. See on chap. i. 4,
iv. 25, Acts xvii. 31, 1 Cor. xv. IT, \c.

Who /x eren af the ri<//tf Jimi>l <>t' G<><1, i. e., is associated
with God in his universal dominion. Psalm ex. 1, '"Sit thou on
my right hand," i. e., share my throne; Kpli. i. :20, Jfcv. iii. '21.
"As I also overcame and am set down with mv Father in his
throne." lleb. i. 3, "Who sat down at the right hand of the
majesty on high." From these and other passages in their
connection, it is evident that Christ is exalted to universal
dominion, all power in heaven and earth is given into his
hands. Jf this is the case, how great the security it affords
the believer! lie who is engaged to effect his salvation is the
Director of all events and of all worlds.

Who also maketh intercession for us, i. e., who acts as our
advocate, pleads our cause before God, presents those consid
erations which secure for us pardon and the continued supply

456 ROMANS VIII. 35.

of the divine grace; see on ver. 2(3, Heb. vii. 25, ix. 24, 1 John
ii. 1. Christ, as seated at the right hand of God, and invested
with universal dominion, is able to save ; his interceding for us
is the evidence that he is willing to save — willing not only in
the sense of being disposed to, but in the sense of purposing.
lie intends to save those who put their trust in him, and there
fore in their behalf he presents before God the merit of his
mediatorial work, and urges their salvation as the reward pro
mised him in the covenant of redemption. He is our patron,
in the Roman sense of the word, one who undertakes our case;
an advocate, whom the Father heareth always. How complete,
then, the security of those for whom he pleads!* Of course
this language is figurative ; the meaning is, that Christ con
tinues since his resurrection and exaltation to secure for his
people the benefits of his death, every thing comes from God
through him, and for his sake.

VERSE 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
This is the last step in the climax of the apostle's argument;
the very summit of the mount of confidence, whence he looks
down on his enemies as powerless, and forward and upward
with full assurance of a final and abundant triumph. No one
can accuse, no one can condemn, no one can separate us from
the love of Christ. This last assurance gives permanency to
the value of the other two.

The love of Christ is clearly Christ's love towards us, and
not ours towards him. Paul is speaking of the great love of
God towards us as manifested in the gift of his Son, and of the
love of Christ as exhibited in his dying, rising, and interceding
for us. This love, which is so great, he says is unchangeable.
Besides, the apostle's object in the whole chapter is to console
and confirm the confidence of believers. The interpretation
just mentioned is not in accordance with this object, It is no
ground of confidence to assert, or even to feel, that we will
never forsake Christ, but it is the strongest ground of assurance

' "Porro hanc Intercessionem carnali scnsxi ne metriamur: Non enim cogi-
tandus cst supplcx, flexis genibus, manibus exparisis Patrem deprecari : scd
quia apparet ipse assidue cum morte et resurrectione sua, quae vice sunt
aeternae intercessionis, et vivae orationis efficaciam habent, ut Patrem nobis
concilient, atque exorabilem reddant, merito dicitur intercedere." Calvin.

ROMANS VIII. 3G. 457

to be convinced that his love will never change. And, more
over, verse 39 requires this interpretation; for there Paul
expresses the same sentiment in language which cannot be
misunderstood. "No creature," he says, "shall be able to
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus."
This is evidently God's love towards us. The great difficulty
with many Christians is that they cannot persuade themselves
that Christ (or God) loves them; and the reason why they
cannot feel confident of the love of God, is, that they know
they do not deserve his love, on the contrary, that they are in
the highest degree unlovely. How can the iniinitely pure God
love those who are deiiled with sin, who are proud, selfish, dis
contented, ungrateful, disobedient? This, indeed, is hard to
believe. ]>ut it is the very tiling we are required to believe,
not only as the condition of peace and hope, but as the condi
tion of salvation. If our hope of God's mercy and love is
founded on our own goodness or attractiveness, it is ;i {also
hope. AVe must believe that his love is gratuitous, mysterious,
without any known or conceivable cause, certainly without the
cause of loveliness in its object; that it is, in short, what it is
so often declared to be in the Jiible, analogous to the love of a
parent for bis child. A father's or mother's love is indepen
dent of the attractiveness of its object, and often in spite of its
deformity.

Shall trilmlatinu* or (.lixtrcss, or )n'rwuti<>n, &c. This is
mcrelv an amplification of the preceding idea. Nothing shall
separate us from the love of Christ, neither tribulation, nor
distress, nor persecution, &c. That is, whatever we may be
called upon to suffer in this life, nothing can deprive us of the
love of him who died for us, and who now lives to plead our
cause in heaven; and, therefore, these afllictions, and all other
difficulties, are enemies we may despise. " Sicut eiiim nebulae
quamvis liquidum solis conspectum obscurent, non tamen ejus
fulirore in totuni nos privant: sic Deus in rebus adversis per
caliginem emittit gratiae suae radios, nequa tentatio despera-
tione nos obruat : imo fides nostra promissionibus Dei tanquam
alis fulta sursum in coelos per media obstacula perietrare debet."
Calvin.

VERSE 36. As it is written, for tliy sake we are Idlhd all the

458 ROMANS VIII. 37—39.

day long, &c. A quotation from Psalm xliv. 22, agreeably to
the Scptuagint translation. The previous verse of course
implied that believers should be exposed to many afflictions,
to famine, nakedness, and the sword ; this, Paul would say, is
in accordance with the experience of the pious in all ages. We
suffer, as it is recorded of the Old Testament saints, that the/
suffered.

VERSE 37. Nay, in all these tilings we are more titan con
querors, &c. This verse is connected with the 35th. 4 So far
from these afflictions separating us from the love of Christ,
they arc more than conquered.' That is, they are not only
deprived of all power to do us harm, they minister to our good,
they swell the glory of our victory. Through him that loved
us. The triumph which the apostle looked for was not to be
effected by his own strength or perseverance, but by the grace
and power of the Redeemer. 1 Cor. xv. 10, Gal. ii. 20, Philip.
iv. 13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthen-
eth me."

VERSES 38, 39. In these verses the confidence of the apostle
is expressed in the strongest language. lie heaps words
together in the effort to set forth fully the absolute inability of
all created things, separately or united, to frustrate the pur
pose of God, or to turn away his love from those whom he has
determined to save.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, &c. It is
somewhat doubtful how far the apostle intended to express
distinct ideas by the several words here used. The enumera
tion is by some considered as expressing the general idea that
nothing in the universe can injure believers, the detail being
designed merely as amplification. This, however, is not very
probable. The former view is to be preferred. Neither death.
That is, though cut off in this world, their connection with
Christ is not thereby destroyed. " They shall never perish,
neither shall any pluck them out of my hand," John x. 28.
Nor life, neither its blandishments nor its trials. "Whether
we live, we live unto the Lord, or whether we die, we die unto
the Lord. So that living or dying we are the Lord's." Rom.
xiv. 8.

Nor angels, nor principalities, nor poivers. Principalities

ROMANS VIII. 39. 459

and powers arc by many understood here to refer to the
authorities of this world as distinguished from angels. But to
this it maybe objected, that Paul frequently uses these terms in
connection to designate the different orders of spiritual beings,

Eph. i. 21, Col. i. 10; and secondly, that corresponding terms

.

were in common use among the Jews in this sense. It is
probable, from the nature of the passage, that this clause is to
be taken generally, without any specific reference to either irood
or bad angels as such. 'No superhuman power, no anirel, how
ever mighty, shall ever be able to separate us from the love of
God.' Neither tilings present, nor tilings to <-oine. .Nothing in.
this life, nor in the future; no present or future event, <S:c.

VERSE 39. Nor height, nor depth. These words have been
very variously explained. That interpretation which seems, on
the whole, most consistent with scriptural usa^e ami the con
text, is that which makes the terms equivalent to /intern and
earth. 'Nothing in heaven or earth :' see Eph. iv. 8, Isa. vii. 11,
"Ask it either in the depth or the height above," &c., cVc. Xor
an;'/ other creature. Although the preceding enumeration had
been so minute, the apostle, as if to prevent despondeiicv having
the possibility of a foothold, adds this all-comprchcndim: speci
fication, no created tlthii/ shall be able to separate us from the
love of God. This love of (lod, which is declared to he thus
unchangeable, is extended towards us onlv on account of our
connection with Christ, and therefore the apostle adds, which
is in Christ Jesus our Lord; see Eph. i. li, '1 Tim. i. 9.

DOCTRIXE.

1. God chooses certain individuals and predestinates them to
eternal life. The ground of this choice is his own sovereign
pleasure; the end to which the elect are predestinated, is con
formity to Jesus Christ, both in character and destiny, yer. 29.

2. Those who are thus chosen shall certainly be saved
vcr. 80.

3. The only evidence of election is effectual calling, that is,
the production of holiness. And the only evidence of the
genuineness of this call and the certainty of our pesevcrancc,
is a patient continuance in well doing, vs. 29, 30.

460 ROMANS VIII. 29—39.

4. The love of God, and not human merit or power, is the
proper ground of confidence. This love is infinitely great, as
is manifested by the gift of God's own Son; and it is unchange
able, as the apostle strongly asserts, vs. 31 — 39.

5. The gift of Christ is not the result of the mere general
love of God to the human family, but also of special love to his
own people, ver. 32.

0. Hope of pardon and eternal life should rest on the death,
the resurrection, universal dominion, and intercession of the
Son of God, ver. 34.

7. Trials and afflictions of every kind have been the portion
of the people of God in all ages; as they cannot destroy the
love of Christ towards us, they ought not to shake our love
to Avar ds him, ver. 35.

8. The whole universe, with all that it contains, as far as it
is good, is the friend and ally of the Christian; as far as it is
evil, it is a more than conquered foe, vs. 35 — 39.

9. The love of God, infinite arid unchangeable as it is, is
manifested to sinners only through Jesus Christ our Lord,
ver. 39.

REMARKS.

1. The plan of redemption, while it leaves no room for
despondency, affords no pretence for presumption. Those
whom God loves he loves unchangeably ; but it is not on the
ground of their peculiar excellence, nor can this love be
extended towards those who live in sin, vs. 29 — 39.

2. As there is a beautiful harmony and necessary connection
between the several doctrines of grace, between election, pre
destination, calling, justification, and glorification, so must there
be a like harmony in the character of the Christian. He
cannot experience the joy and confidence flowing from his
election, without the humility which the consideration of its
being gratuitous must produce ; nor can he have the peace of
one who is justified, without the holiness of one who is called,
vs. 29, 30.

3. As Christ is the first born or head among many brethren,
all true Christians must love him supremely, and each other as

ROMANS VIII. 29—39. 4G1

members of the same family. Unless we have this love, we
do not belong to this sacred brotherhood, ver. 29.

4. If the love of God is so great and constant, it is a great
sin to distrust or doubt it, vs. 30 — 39.

5. Believers need not be concerned if they are condemned
by the world, since God justifies them, vs. 33, 34.

6. If God spared not his own Son, in order to effect our
salvation, what sacrifice on our part can be considered great, as
a return for such love, or as a means of securing the salvation
of others, ver. 32.

7. The true method to drive away despondency, is believing
apprehensions of the scriptural grounds of hope, viz., the love
of God, the death of Christ, his resurrection, his universal
dominion and his intercession, ver. 34.

8. Though the whole universe were encamped against the
solitary Christian, he would still come off more than conqueror,
vs. 35—39.

9. Afflictions and trials are not to be fled from or avoided,
but overcome, ver. 37.

10. All strength to endure and to conquer comes to us
through him that loved us. Without him we can do nothing,
ver. 37.

11. How wonderful, how glorious, how secure is the gospel!
Those who are in Christ Jesus are as secure as the love of (lod,
the merit, power, and intercession of Christ can make them.
They are hedged around with mercv. They {ire enclosed in the
arms of everlasting love. "Now unto Him that is able to keep
us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence
of his glory with exceeding joy; to the only wise God our
Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now
and for ever. Anien!'

462 ROMANS IX.

CHAPTER IX.

WITH the eighth chapter, the discussion of the plan of salva
tion, and of its immediate consequences, was brought to a close.
The consideration of the calling of the Gentiles, and the
rejection of the Jews, commences with the ninth, and extends
to the end of the eleventh. Paul, in the first place, shows
that God may consistently reject the Jews, and extend the
blessings of the Messiah's reign to the Gentiles, ix. 1 — 24;
and in the second place, that he has already declared that such
was his purpose, vs. 25 — 29. Agreeably to these prophetic
declarations, the apostle announces that the Jews were cast off
and the Gentiles called; the former having refused submission
to the righteousness of faith, and the latter having been
obedient, vs. 30 — 33. In the tenth chapter, Paul shows the
necessity of this rejection of the ancient people of God, and
vindicates the propriety of extending the invitation of the
gospel to the heathen, in accordance with the predictions of
the prophets. In the eleventh, he teaches that this rejection
of the Jews was neither total nor final. It was not total, inas
much as many Jews of that generation believed, and it was not
final, as the period approached when the great body of that
nation should acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, and be rein-
grafted into their own olive tree. So that we have in this and
the following chapters, 1st. Paul's lamentation over the rejec
tion of the Jews, ix. 1 — 5. 2d. The proof that God had the
right to deal thus witli his ancient people, ix. 6 — 20. 3d. The
proof that the guilt of this rejection was on the Jews them
selves, ix. 30 — 33, and x. 1 — 21. 4th. The consolation which
the promises and revealed purposes of God afford in view of
this sad event.

COXTEXTS.

In entering on the discussion of the question of the rejection
of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles, the apostle assures
his brethren of his love for them, and of his respect for their
national privileges, vs. 1 — 5. That his doctrine on this subject

ROMANS IX. 1—5. 463

true, he argues, 1. Because it was not inconsistent with
the promises of God, who is perfectly sovereign in the distribu
tion of his favours, vs. 6 — 24. And secondly, because it was
distinctly predicted in their own Scriptures, vs. 25 — 29. The
conclusion from this reasoning is stated in vs. 20 — 33. The
Jews are rejected for their unbelief, and the Gentiles admitted
to the Messiah's kingdom.

ROMANS IX. 1—5.

ANALYSIS.

As the subject about to be discussed was of all others the
most painful and offensive to his Jewish brethren, the apostle
approaches it with the greatest caution, lie solemnly assures
them that he was grieved at heart on their account; and that
his love for them was ardent and disinterested, verses 1 — 3.
Their peculiar privileges he acknowledged and respected. Th«y
were highly distinguished by nil the advantages connected with
the Old Testament dispensation, and, above all, by the fact
that the Messiah was, according to the flesh, a Jew, verses 4, 5.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 1. I x<i>/ the truth in Chrixt, J lie not, &c. There are
three wavs in which the words in Christ^ or liy Christ^ may
here be understood. 1. They may be considered as part of the
formula of an <>;ith, / (swear) by Glu'ixt, I xjn'iik tin' truth. .But
in oaths the preposition ~IH')~, and not k^, is used. In a few
cases, indeed, where a verb of swearing is used, the latter lire-
position occurs, but not otherwise. In addition to this objec
tion, it may be urged that no instance occurs of Paul's appeal
ing to Christ in the form of an oath. The case which looks
most like such an appeal is 1 Tim. v. 21, "I charge thee before
God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels," &c.
But it is evident from the mention of the angels, that this is
not of the nature of an oath. Paul merely wishes to urge
Timothy to act as in the presence of God, Christ, and angels.
This interpretation, therefore, is not to be approved. 2. The
words in Christ may be connected with the pronoun /. '/ in

464 ROMANS IX. 1, 2.

Christ,' i. e., as a Christian, or, 'In the consciousness of my
union with Christ, I declare,' &c. So the words are used in a
multitude of cases, "You in Christ," "I in Christ," "We in
Christ," being equivalent to you, /, or we, as Christians, i. e.,
considered as united to Christ. See 1 Cor. i. 20, " Of whom
are ye in Christ," i. e., 'By whom ye are Christians, or united
to Christ;' Horn. xvi. 3, 7, 9, 1 Cor. iii. 1, and frequently
elsewhere. 3. The words may be used adverbially, and be
translated after a Christian manner. This also is a frequent
use of this and analogous phrases. See 1 Cor. vii. 39, "Only
in the Lord," i. e., only after a religious manner, in the Lord
being equivalent with in a manner becoming ', or suited to the
Lord. Horn. xvi. 22, "I salute you in the Lord." Philip, ii.
29, "Receive him, therefore, in the Lord;" Eph. vi. 1, Col.
iii. 18. The sense of the passage is much the same, whether
we adopt the one or the other of the last two modes of expla
nation. Paul means to say that he speaks in a solemn and
religious manner, as a Christian, conscious of his intimate rela
tion to Christ.

I say the truth, and lie not. This mode of assertion, first
affirmatively, and then negatively, is common in the Scriptures.
"Thou shalt die, and not live," Isaiah xxxviii. 1. "He con
fessed, and denied not," John i. 20. There is generally some
thing emphatic in this mode of speaking. It was a solemn and
formal assertion of his integrity which Paul here designed to
make. My conscience also bearing me witness; aofipaprupoua^,
my conscience bearing witness with my words. In the Holy
G-host. These words are not to be taken as an oath, nor are
they to be connected with the subject of ou ^suootmc, '/,
instructed, or influenced by the Holy Ghost, lie not;" but
rather with ffo^/jtaprupoucr^, his conscience bore this testimony
guided by the Holy Spirit, Spiritu Sancto duce et moderators,
as Bcza expresses it.

VERSE 2. That I have great heaviness, &c. This it is which
Paul so solemnly asserts. He was not an indifferent spectator
of the sorrow, temporal and spiritual, which was about to come
on his countrymen. All their peculiar national advantages,
and the blessings of the Messiah's kingdom which they had
wickedly rejected, were to be taken away; they were, there-

ROMANS IX. 3. 465

fore, left without hope, either for this world or the next. The
consideration of their condition filled the apostle with great and
constant heaviness. The sincerity and strength of this sorrow
for them he asserts in the strongest terms in the next verse.

VERSE 3. For I could wish that myself were accursed from
Christ for my brethren, &c. The word anathema (Attic ai>d-
$rtim, Hellenistic dva$£//«,) means any tiling consecrated to
God, TO dvaTe&efjtevov T(L> (Jew, as JSuidas explains it. The
Attic form of the word occurs in the New Testament only in
Luke xxi. 5. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word to
which it answers occurs very frequently, and probably the root
originally meant to cut off', to separate. Hence, the substantive
derived from it, meant something separated or consecrated. In
usage, however, it was applied only to such things as could not
be redeemed,* and which, when possessed of life, were to be
put to death. It is evident from the passages quoted in the
margin, that the word usually designates a person or thing set
apart to destruction on religious grounds; something accursed.

In the New Testament the; use of the (I reek word is very
nearly the same. The only passages in which it occurs, besides
the one before us, are the following; Acts xxiii. 14, uWe have
bound ourselves under a great curse, (we have placed ourselves
under an anathema,) that we will eat nothing until we have
slain Paul." The meaning of this passage evidently is, 'We
have imprecated on ourselves the curse of God, or we have

* Levit. xxvii. 28, k2'.\ " No devoted thing that a man shall devote unto the
Lord of all that ha hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his posses
sion, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted tiling ( ~-r; uva3--uj-) is most
holy unto the Lord. None devoted, which shall be devoted from among men,
Bhall be redeemed, but shall surely be put to death."

Dent. vii. L'O, "Neither shah thou bring an abomination into thy house, lest
thou be (i cursed tinny (uv«c-s«*) like it, but thou shalt utterly detest it. and
utterly abhor it; for it is a cur>ed thing." The sacred writer is here speak
ing of the images, &C., of the heathen, which were devoted to destruction.

Joshua vi. 17, -'.And the city shall be (Vvuo-swx) accursed, even it and all that
is therein, to the Lord," &c. Verse 18, "And ye. in anywise keep yourselves
from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of
the accursed thing, and mnke the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it."

1 Sam. xv. 21, "And the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief
of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, &c. la Hebrew, simply

HMJ °f which the words in italics are a paraphrase.

30

466 ROMANS IX. 3.

called upon him to consider us as anathema.* 1 Cor. xii. 3,
"No man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed
(anathema);" 1 Cor. xvi. 22, "Let him be anathema mara-
natha;" Gal. i. 8, 9, "Let him be accursed (anathema)." In
all these cases it is clear that the word is applied to those who
were regarded as deservedly exposed, or devoted to the curse
of God. In this sense it was used by the early Christian
writers, and from them passed into the use of the church. "Let
him be anathema," being the constant formula of pronouncing
any one, in the judgment of the church, exposed to the divine
malediction.

Among the later Jews, this word, or the corresponding
Hebrew term, was used in reference to the seccnd of the three
degrees into which they divided excommunication (see Buxtorf's
Rabbinical Lexicon.) But no analogous use of the word occurs
in the Bible. Such being the meaning of this word in the
Scriptures, its application in this case by the apostle admits of
various explanations. The most common interpretations of the
passage are the following.

As those men or animals pronounced anathema in the Old
Testament were to be put to death, many consider the apostle
as having that idea in his mind, and meaning nothing more
than 'I could wish to die for my brethren,' &c. But the
objections to this interpretation are serious. Even in the Old
Testament the word expresses something more than the idea
of devotion to death. An anathema was a person devoted to
death as accursed; see the passages quoted above. And in the
New Testament this latter idea is always the prominent one.

The connection is also unfavourable to this interpretation.
The phrase is, " accursed from Christ.'" How are the words
from Christ to be explained ? Some say they should be ren
dered Itj Christ. 'I could wish myself devoted to death by
Christ.' But this is an unusual use of the preposition (0.7:0)
which our version correctly renders from; and the whole
expression is, besides, unusual and unnatural. Others, there
fore, say that the passage should be rendered thus : ' I could
wish from Christ, that I might be devoted to death/ But this,
too. is an unusual and forced construction.

Others think that Paul has reference here to the Jewish

ROMANS IX. 3. 467

use of the word, and means only that he would be willing to be
cut off from the church, or excommunicated. In this view the
word Christ is commonly taken for the body of Christ, or the
church. But, in the first place, this is not a scriptural use of
the word anathema, and is clearly inapplicable to the other
cases in which it is used by the apostle ; and, in the second
place, it gives a very inadequate sense. Excommunication
from the church would not be a great evil in the eyes of the
Jews.

Others rentier the verb which, in our version, is translated
'I could wish,' I did wish. The sense would then be, 'I have
great sorrow on account of my brethren, because I can sympa
thize in their feelings, for I myself once wished to be accursed
from Christ on their account.' Hut, in the first place, had
Paul intended to express this idea, he would have used the
uorist, the common tense of narration, and not the imperfect.*
2. It i.s no objection to the common translation, that the imper
fect indicative, instead of some form of the optative, is here
used, and that, too, without an optative particle, see Acts xxv.
22. -). This interpretation does not give a sense pertinent to
the apostle's object. He is not expressing what was his state
of mind formerly, but what it was when writing. It was no
proof of his love for his brethren that he once felt as they
then did, but the highest imaginable, if the ordinary interpre
tation be adopted. 4. The language will hardly admit of this
interpretation. No Jew would express his hatred of Christ,
and his indifference to the favours which he offered, by saying
he wished himself accursed from Christ. Paul never so wished
himself before his conversion, for this supposes that he recog
nised the power of Christ to inilict on him the imprecated curse,
and that his displeasure was regarded as a great evil.

The common interpretation, and that which seems most
natural, is, ' I am grieved at heart for my brethren, for I could
wish myself accursed from Christ, that is, I could be willing to
be regarded and treated as anathema, a thing accursed, for
their sr,kes.'| That this interpretation suits the force and

* That is, itl^uui-v .T;T£ instead of H-j^juav.—Noesselt.

f Sensus est: optabam Judaeoi-um miseriam in mcum caput conferre, et
illorum loco esse. Judaei, fidcjm repudiautes, eraiit anathema a Christo. —

468 ROMANS IX. 3.

meaning of the words, and is agreeable to the context, must,
on all hands, be admitted. The only objection to it is of a
theological kind. It is said to be inconsistent with the apostle's
character to wish that he should be accursed from Christ. But
to this it may be answered, 1. Paul does not say that he did
deliberately and actually entertain such a wish. The expres
sion is evidently hypothetical and conditional, 4 1 could wish,
were the thing allowable, possible, or proper.' So far from
saying he actually desired to be thus separated from Christ, he
impliedly says the very reverse. ' I could wish it, were it not
wrong ; or, did it not involve my being unholy as well as mise
rable, but as such is the case, the desire cannot be entertained.'
This is the proper force of the imperfect indicative when thus
used ; it implies the presence of a condition which is known to
be impossible. Speaking of the use of the imperfect ifioMpjv
in Acts xxv. 22, Dr. Alexander says: "Most interpreters, and
especially the most exact philologists of modern times, explain
the Greek verb, like the similar imperfect used by Paul in
Rom. ix. 2, as the indirect expression of a present wish, ren
dered correctly in the English version. The nice distinction
in Greek usage, as explained by these authorities, is that the
present tense would have represented the result as dependent
on the speaker's will (as in Rom. i. 13, 16, 19, 1 Cor. xvi. 7,
1 Tim. ii. 8) ; the imperfect with the qualifying particle di>
would have meant, 1 could wish (but I do not) ; whereas this
precise form is expressive of an actual and present wish, but
subject to the will of others, 'I could wish, if it were proper, or
if you have no objection.'* 2. Even if the words expressed
more than they actually do, and the apostle were to be under
stood as saying that he wished to be cut off from Christ, yet,
from the nature of the passage, it could fairly be understood
as meaning nothing more than that he was willing to suffer the

* Buttmann's Larger Grammar, by Professor Robinson, p. 187. Matthiae,
sect. 508, 509. And Winer's Grammar, p. 233, who thus translates the pas
sage before us: "Vellem ego (si fieri posset): ich wiinschte (wenn es nur
nicht unmo'glich ware)." Tholuck says: " Ths indicative of the imperfect
expresses exactly the impossibility of that for which one wishes, on which
account it is not, properly speaking, really wished at all. The optative admits
the possibility of the thing wished for, and the present supposes the certainty
of it."

ROMANS IX. 4. 469

utmost misery for the sake of his brethren. The difficulty
arises from pressing the words too far, making them express
definite ideas, instead of strong and indistinct emotions. The
general idea is, that he considered himself as nothing, and his
happiness as a matter of no moment compared with the salva
tion of his brethren.* Brethren according to the Jlcah. Paul
had two classes of brethren ; those who were with him the
children of God in Christ; these he calls brethren in the Lord,
Philip, i. 14, holy brethren, &c. The others were those who
belonged to the family of Abraham. These lie calls brethren
after the flesh, that is, in virtue of natural descent from the
same parent. Philemon he addresses as his brother xat ev ffapxi
xa.e £^ K'jit'iw, loth in the flesh and in the Lord. The .Bible
recognises the validity and rightness of all the constitutional
principles and impulses of our nature. It therefore approves
of parental and filial affection, and, as is plain from this and
other passages, of peculiar love for the people of our own race
and country.

VERSK 4. The object of the apostle in the introduction to
this chapter, contained in the first five verses, is to assure the
Jews of his love and of his respect for their peculiar privileges.
The declaration of his love he had just made; his respect for
their advantages is expressed in the enumeration of them con
tained in this verse. Who are Israelites, i. e., the peculiar
people of God. This includes all the privileges which are
afterwards mentioned. The word J*r<ii:l means one who con
tend* irith God, or a prince with G»d. Hosea xii. 3, u He
took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength
he had power with God." As it was given to Jacob as an
expression of God's peculiar favour, Gen. xxxii. 2<S, its appli
cation to his descendants implied that they too were the
favourites of God. To whom pert aineth the adoption. As Paul
is speaking here of the external or natural Israel, the adoption

* Utrum privationom duntaxat omnis boni, ct dcstructionem vel annihila-
tionem smi, iui etinm perpessionem omnis inali, eainque ct in corpore et in
anirna, et sempiternam, optaret, aut in ipso voti illius paroxysmo intellectui
BUO observantem habuerit, quid scit, an Paulus ipse interrogatus definiret?
Certc illud K<;O penitus apud ilium in pausa erat: tantuui aiios, honoris divini
causa, spcctabat. — Benyel.

470 ROMANS IX. 4.

or sonsJtip which pertained to them, as such, must be external
also, and is very different from that which he had spoken of in
the preceding chapter. They were the sons of God, i. e., the
objects of his peculiar favour, selected from the nations of the
earth to be the recipients of peculiar blessings, and to stand in
a peculiar relation to God. Exod. iv. 22, " Thou shalt say
unto Pharaoh, Israel is my son, even my first-born;" Deut.
xiv. 1, "Ye are the children of the Lord your God;" Jer. xxxi.
9, "I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born." As
the whole Old Testament economy was a type and shadow of
the blessings of the New, so the sonship of the Israelites was
an adumbration of the sonship of believers. That of the for
mer was in itself, and as common to all the Jews, only the
peculiar relation which they sustained to God as partakers of
the blessings of the theocracy. The latter, common to all the
true children of God under any dispensation, is that relation
in which we stand to God in virtue of regeneration, the indwell
ing of the Holy Spirit, and adoption into the household of
God.

And the glory. These words are variously explained. They
may be connected with the preceding, as explanatory of the
adoption, or as qualifying it, and the two words be equivalent
to glorious adoption. But as every other specification in this
verse is to be taken separately, so should this be. .Others
understand it, of the dignity and distinction of the theocratical
people. It was their glory to be the people of God. In the
Old Testament, however, that symbolical manifestation of tho
divine presence which filled the tabernacle and rested over the
ark, is called the glory of the Lord. Exod. xl. 34, "A cloud
covered the tent of the congregation; and the glory of the
Lord filled the tabernacle;" Exod. xxix. 43, "There will I
meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be
sanctified by my glory;" Lev. xvi. 2, "I will appear in the
cloud upon the mercy-seat;" 1 Kings viii. 11, "The glory of
the Lord had filled the house of the Lord;" 2 Chron. v. 14,
llaggai ii. 7, Rev. xv. 8. By the Jews this symbol was called
the tihekinah, i. e., the presence of God. Besides this, the
manifestation of God's presence in general is called his glory ;
Isa. vi. 4, "The whole earth is full of his glory," &c. &It is

ROMANS IX. 5. 471

probable, therefore, that Paul intended by this word to refer to
the fact that God dwelt in a peculiar manner among the Jews,
and in various ways manifested his presence, as one of their
peculiar privileges.

The covenant*. The plural is used because God at various
times entered into covenant with the Jews and their fore
fathers; by which he secured to them innumerable blessings
and privileges; see Gal. iii. 10, IT, Eph. ii. 1'2. The giving
of the law, (yj wrw&zff'M) the le<ji*l«ti'>n. The word is some
times used for the law itxelf (see the Lexicons); it may here be
taken strictly, that giving of the law, i. e., the solemn and glo
rious annunciation of the divine will from Mount Sinai. The
former is the most probable; because the possession ot the law
was the grand distinction of the Jews, and one on which they
peculiarly relied; see chap. ii. IT. The service means the
whole ritual, the pompous and impressive religious service of
the tabernacle and temple. The ji/'oirtixes relate, no doubt,
specially to the promises of Christ and his kingdom. This was
the i^reat inheritance of the nation. This was the constant
subject of gratulation and object of hope. See Gal. iii. 1»>,
" Xow to Abraham and his seed were the promises made;" ver.
21 " Is the law against the promises of G<>d':'' So in other
places the word pronnxex is used specially for the predictions
in reference to the great redemption, Acts xxvi. <>.

VKKSK f>. Who*,- are fh<' father*, and of whom, "* concerning
the fl'xh, Chri*t came, «Su'. The descent of the .lews from men
so hiirhlv favoured of God as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was
justly regarded as a great distinction. And of whom. The
and here shows that -whom refers, not to the fathers, but to the
Israelites, to whom pertained the adoption, the law, the service,
arid of whom Christ came. This was the great honour of the
Jewish race. For this they were separated as a peculiar peo
ple, and preserved amidst all their afflictions. As it was true,
however, only in one sense, that Christ was descended from the
Israelites, and as there was another view of his person, accord
ing to which he was infinitely exalted above them and all other
men, the apostle (qualifies his declaration by saying as Concern
ing the flesh. The word flesh is used so often for human nature
in its present state, or for men, that the phrase as to the flesh,

472 ROMANS IX. 5.

in such connections, evidently means in as far as he was a man,
or as to Jus human nature, chap. i. 3. In like manner, when
it is said Christ was manifested or came in the flesh, it means,
he came in our nature, 1 Tim. iii. 16, 1 John iv. 2, &c.

Who is over all, Grod blessed for ever. Amen. There is but
one interpretation of this important passage which can, with
the least regard to the rules of construction, be maintained.
The words 6 wv are equivalent here to o'c IffTt, as in John i. 18,
xii. 17, 2 Cor. xi. 31. Over all, i. e., over all things, not over
all persons. The xdvrcov is neuter, and not masculine; see
Acts x. 37, 1 Cor. xv. 28. It is supremacy over the universe
which is here expressed, and therefore this language precludes
the possibility of 6teoc being taken in any subordinate sense.
In the Greek fathers, 6 e-l Trdvrcov 0soc is the constantly
recurring designation of the supreme God. So exalted is its
import, that some of them used it only in reference to the
Father, who, being the first Person in the Trinity, was, they
say, alone as a person, God over all. It is not the relation of
the persons of the Trinity, however, which is here brought into
view, but simply the true and supreme divinity of our Lord.
Paul evidently declares that Christ, who, he had just said, was,
as to his human nature, or as a man, descended from the Israel
ites, is, in another respect, the supreme God, or God over all,
and blessed for ever. That this is the meaning of the passage,
is evident from the following arguments: 1. The relative who
must agree with the nearest antecedent. There is no other
subject in the context sufficiently prominent to make a depar
ture from this ordinary rule, in this case, even plausible. " Of
whom Christ came, who is," &c. Who is? Certainly Christ,
for he alone is spoken of. 2. The context requires this inter
pretation, because, as Paul was speaking of Christ, it would be
very unnatural thus suddenly to change the subject, and break
out into a doxology to God. Frequently as the pious feelings
of the apostle led him to use such exclamations of praise, he
never does it except when God is the immediate subject of dis
course. See chap. i. 25, "Who worship and serve the creature
more than the Creator, who is blessed for evermore;" Gal. i. 5.
2. Cor. xi. 31. Besides, it was the very object of the apostle
to set forth the great honour to the Jews of having Christ born

ROMANS IX. 5. 473

among them, and this, of course, would lead to his presenting
the dignity of the Redeemer in the strongest light. For the
greater he was, the greater the honour to those of whose race
he came. 3. The antithesis, which is evidently implied be
tween the two clauses of the verse, is in favour of this interpre
tation. Christ, according to the flesh, was an Israelite, but,
according to his higher nature, the supreme God. On any
other interpretation there is nothing to answer to the 70 x«7«
ffdoxa. These words are used in distinct reference, and for the
sake of the clause who is over all. VHiy not simply say, "of
whom Christ came"? This would have expressed every thing,
had not the apostle designed to bring into view the divine
nature. ] laving, however, the purpose to exalt Christ, in
order to present in the highest form the honour conferred on
the Jewish race in giving the Messiah to the world, he limits
the first clause. It was only as to tin' jlc*/i that Christ was
descended from the patriarchs; as to his higher nature1, he was
the supreme God. See the strikingly analogous passage in
chap. i. o, 4, where Christ is said, according to one nature, to
be the Son of David, according to the other, the Son of God.
4. No other interpretation is at all consistent with the gram
matical construction, or the relative position of the words.
One proposed by Erasmus is to place a full stop after the
words Christ came, and make all the rest of the verse refer to
(Iod. The passage would then read thus: "Of whom, as con
cerning the Jlesh, Christ came. (Iod blessed for ever. Amen."
But this is not only opposed by the reasons already urged, that
such doxologies suppose God to be the immediate, subject of
discourse, or are preceded by some particle which breaks the
connection, and shows plainly what the reference is, c^c. ; but,
apart from these objections, no such doxology occurs in all the
Bible. That is, the uniform expression is, "blessed be God,"
and never u God be blessed.''* The word M<wd always
stands first, and the word Grod after it with the article. Often
as such cases occur in the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures, there

* In the Greek version of the Old Testament, the constant form of the
doxology is «yxi>»Tsc '- ©«?, or uteymx wyi; o Ow'f, never the reverse. And so
in Hebrew, always {-p^i '•'lSl

474 ROMANS IX. 5.

is, it is believed, no case of the contrary arrangement. In
Psalm Ixviii. 20 (Septuagint Ixvii. 19), the only apparent
exception, the first clause is probably not a doxology, but a
gimple affirmation, as in the old Latin version, Dominus Deus
benedietus est. In the Hebrew it is, as in all other cases,
Blessed be the Lord, and so in our version of that Psalm. See
also Ps. xxxi. 21, Ixxii. 18, 19, xli. 13, Ixviii. 35, Ixxxix.
52, Gen. ix. 26T Exod. xviii. 10, and a multitude of other ex
amples. In all these and similar passages, the expression is
blessed be God, or blessed be the Lord, and never God blessed,
or Lord blessed. This being the case, it is altogether incredi
ble that Paul, whose ear must have been perfectly familiar
with this constantly recurring formula of praise, should, in
this solitary instance, have departed from the established
usage. This passage, therefore, cannot be considered as a
doxology, or an ascription of praise to God, and rendered
God be blessed, but must be taken as a declaration, who is
blessed; see chap. i. 25, "The Creator, who is blessed for
ever." 2 Cor. xi. 31, "The God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who is blessed for evermore." See Matt. xxi. 9,
Luke i. 08, 2 Cor. i. 3, Eph. i. 3, 1 Pet, i. 3 ; in these arid
all other cases, where, as here, the copula is omitted, it is
eu/o^oroc 6 0so^. Where the relative and verb are used, then
it is not an exclamation but an affirmation, as Rom. i. 25 : rbv
xriaa^ra, oc £0~w s'J/op^roc £^C ro'j£ aiwvaz. ' Air^y. 2 Cor.
xi. 31: 6 $£oc xac T:arr/to — b wv £i<Aopj?roc etz rob^ alwvaz; and
here, Xpt(jrb^, b d>v k~l T.a^i tov Oeb^, ey/o^rcc ecz roi>z o.lco^a^.
'Afjiijv. To separate this passage from the class to which it
obviously belongs, and to make it a solitary exception, is to do
violence to the text. A second method of pointing the verse,
also, proposed by Erasmus, and followed by many others, is to
place the pause after the word all. The verse would then read,
" Of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over
all. God be blessed for ever." This avoids some of the diffi
culties specified above, but it is subject to all the others. It
breaks unnaturally the connection, and makes a doxology out
of a form of expression which, in the Scriptures, as just stated,
is never so used. 5. There is no reason for thus torturing the
text to make it speak a different language from that commonly

ROMANS IX. 5. 475

ascribed to it; because the sense afforded, according to the
common interpretation, is scriptural, and in perfect accordance
with other declarations of this apostle. Titus i. 3, "According
to the commandment of God our Saviour." '"Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
(even) our Saviour Jesus Christ," Titus ii. 13; see Phil. ii. G,
Col. ii. 9, &c., &c.

Over all is equivalent to most Idyll, supreme. The same
words occur in Eph. iv. G, "One God, who is above all." This
passage, therefore, shows that Christ is God in the highest
sense of the word. Amen is a Hebrew word signifying true.
It is used as in the Xew Testament often adverbially, and is ren
dered verily; or, at the close of a sentence, as expressing desire,
let it le. or merely approbation. It does not, therefore, neces
sarily imply that the clause to which it is attached contains a
wish. It is used here, as in Horn. i. 2o, for giving a solemn
assent to what has been said. "• God who is blessed for ever,
Amen." 'To this declaration we say, Amen. It is true.'

DOCTRIXE.

1. The Holy Ghost is ever present with the souls of the
people of God. He enlightens the judgment and guides the
conscience, so that the true and humble Christian often has an
assurance of his sincerity, and of the correctness of what he
says or does, above what the powers of nature can bestow,
ver. 1.

2. There is no limit to the sacrifice which one man may make
for the benefit of others, except that which his duty to God
imposes, ver. 3.

3. Paul does not teach that we should be willing to be
damned for the glory of God. 1. His very language implies
that such a wi>h would be improper. For in the ardour of his
disinterested affection, he does not himself entertain or express
the wish, but merely says, in effect, that were it proper or pos
sible, he would be willing to perish for the sake of his brethren.
2. If it is wrong to do evil that good may come, how can it be
right to wish to be evil that good may come? 3. There seems
to be a contradiction involved in the very terms of the wish.
Can one love God so much as to wish to hate him? Can he be

476 ROMANS IX. 1—5.

so good as to desire to be bad ? We must be willing to give up
houses and lands, parents and brethren, and our life also, for
Christ and his kingdom, but we are never required to give up
holiness for his sake, for this would be a contradiction.

4. It is, in itself, a great blessing to belong to the external
people of God, and to enjoy all the privileges consequent on
this relation, ver. 4.

5. Jesus Christ is at once man and God over all, blessed for
ever. Paul asserts this doctrine in language too plain to be
misunderstood, ver. 5.

REMARKS.

1. Whatever we say or do, should be said or done as in
Christ, i. e., in a Christian manner, ver. 1.

2. If we can view, unmoved, the perishing condition of our
fellow-men, or are unwilling to make sacrifices for their benefit,
we are very different from Paul, and from Him who wept
over Jerusalem, and died for our good upon Mount Calvary,
vs. 2, 3.

3. Though we may belong to the true Church, and enjoy all
its privileges, we may still be cast away. Our external relation
to the people of God cannot secure our salvation, ver. 4.

4. A pious parentage is a great distinction and blessing, and
should be felt and acknowledged as such, ver. 5.

5. If Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, if he has a nature
like our own, how intimate the union between him and his
people ; how tender the relation ; how unspeakable the honour
done to human nature in having it thus exalted ! If Jesus
Christ is God over all, and blessed for ever, how profound
should be our reverence, how unreserved our obedience, and
how entire and joyful our confidence ! ver. 5.

6. These five verses, the introduction to the three following
chapters, teach us a lesson which we have before had occasion
to notice. Fidelity does not require that we should make the
truth as offensive as possible. On the contrary, we are bound
to endeavour, as Paul did, to allay all opposing or inimical
feelings in the minds of those whom we address, and to allow
the truth, unimpeded by the exhibition of any thing offensive
on our part, to do its work upon the heart and conscience.

ROMANS IX. 6—24. 477

ROMANS IX. 6—24.

ANALYSIS.

THE apostle now approaches the subject which he had in
view, the rejection of the Jews and the calling of the Gentiles.
That God had determined to cast off his ancient covenant
people, as such, and to extend the call of the gospel indis
criminately to all men, is the point which the apostle is about
to establish. lie does this by showing, in the first place, that
God is perfectly free thus to act, vs. (J — 24, and in the second,
that he had declared in the prophets that such was his inten
tion, vs. 25 — ->3.

That God was at liberty to reject the Jews and to call the
Gentiles, Paul argues, 1. J>y showing that the promises which
he had made, and by which he had graciously bound himself,
were riot made to the natural descendants of Abraham as such,
but to his spiritual seed. This is plain from the case of Ishmael
and Isaac ; both were the children of Abraham, yet one was
taken and the other left. And also from the case of Esau and
Jacob. Though children of the same parents, and born at one
birth, yet "Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated," is the
language of God respecting them, vs. (J — 13. 2. I>y showing
that God is perfectly sovereign in the distribution of his
favours ; that he is determined neither by the external rela
tions, nor by the personal character of men, in the selection of
the objects of his mercy. This is proved by the examples just
referred to ; by the choice of Isaac instead of Ishmael, and
especially by that of Jacob instead of Esau. In this case the
choice was made and announced before the birth of the children,
that it might be seen that it was not according to works, but
according to the sovereign purpose of God, vs. 6 — 13.

Against this doctrine of the divine sovereignty, there are two
obvious objections, which have been urged in every age of the
world, and which the apostle here explicitly states and answers.
The first is, that it is unjust in God thus to choose one, and
reject another, at his mere good pleasure, ver. 14. To this
Paul gives two answers: 1. God claims the prerogative of

478 ROMANS IX. 6.

sovereign mercy; saying, "I will have inercy on whom I will
have mercy," vs. 15, 16. 2. He exercises this right, as is
evident from the case of Pharaoh, with regard to whom he says,
"For this same purpose have I raised thee up," vs. IT, 18.
The second objection is, that if this doctrine be true, it destroys
the responsibility of men, ver. 11). To this also Paul gives a
twofold answer: 1. The very urging of an objection against a
prerogative which God claims in his word, and exercises in his
providence, is an irreverent contending with our Maker, espe
cially as the right in question necessarily arises out of the rela
tion between men and God as creatures and Creator, vs. 20, 21.
2. There is nothing in the exercise of this sovereignty incon
sistent with either justice or mercy. God only punishes the
wicked for their sins, while he extends undeserved mercy to the
objects of his grace. There is no injustice done to one wicked
man in the pardon of another, especially as there are the
highest objects to be accomplished both in the punishment of
the vessels of wrath, and the pardon of the vessels of mercy.
God docs nothing more than exercise a right inherent in
sovereignty, viz., that of dispensing pardon at his pleasure,

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 6. It has already been remarked, (chap. iii. 3.) that
it was a common opinion among the Jews, that the promises
of God being made to Abraham and to his seed, all his natural
descendants, sealed, as such, by the rite of circumcision, would
certainly inherit the blessings of the Messiah's reign. It was
enough for them, therefore, to be able to say, " We have Abra
ham to our father." This being the case, it was obvious that it
would at once be presented as a fatal objection to the apostle's
doctrine of the rejection of the Jews, that it was inconsistent
with the promises of God. Paul, therefore, without even dis
tinctly announcing the position which he intended to maintain,
removes this preliminary objection. It is indeed peculiarly
worthy of remark, as characteristic of the apostle's tenderness
and caution, that he does not at all formally declare the truth
which he labours in this chapter to establish. lie does not tell
the Jews at once they were to be cast off; but begins by pro-

ROMANS IX. 6. 479

fessing liis affection for them, and his sorrow for their destiny ;
thus simply, by implication, informing them that they were not
to be admitted to the Messiah's kingdom. When lie has shown
that this rejection involved no failure on the part of God in
keeping his promises, and was consistent with his justice and
mercy, he more distinctly announces that, agreeably to the pre
dictions of their own prophets, they were no longer the peculiar-
people of God. The remark, therefore, which Calvin makes on
ver. ~, is applicable to the whole introductory part of the
chapter. 2son caret artificio, quod orationem ita abscidit,
nondum exprimeiis qua, de re loquatur; noiidum eiiim oppor-
tunum erat, interitum gentis Judaicae aperte exprimere. In
vs. -, •>, in which he professed his sorrow for his brethren and his
readiness to suffer for them, it was, of course, implied that they
were no longer to be the peculiar people ot God, heirs of the
promises, ,Ve., \c. This, Paul shows, involves no failure on
the part of the divine promises. AV ax though t/n' -irord of
Grod hath takrn none r//v<-f, £c. That is, "I say notliing which
implies that the word of God has failed.' The simplest expla
nation of the words o'j% olus ok or.', is, not <ix that^ i. C., I say no
such tliinir as that. It is thus an elliptical phrase for o'j ro?ov
ok /£j'oj, 0:0 or:, non tale* (r//co,) quale (lioc est) excidisse ect.
Winer, § iI'J. 5. Other.- give u:j% ulo^ ok followed by o~c, the
force of d'r£ oiov 7£ followed by an infinitive, vi/., it v'x not
possible. This, however, is not only contrary to usage, but to
the context. 1'aul does not intend to say that it is impossible
the promise should fail, but simply that his doetrino did not
conflict with the promise. God had not bound himself never
to cast oil' the Jews; and therefore what the apostle taught
concernini: their rejection did not involve the failure of the
word of God. Meyer, who generally defends the apostle from
the charge of violating Greek usage, assumes that he here con
founds t\\o forms of expression, oO^ wov ix~er;Ttoxs.v and u'j% OT:
lx-£-T(Dz-y. lie agrees, however, with the explanation quoted
above from Winer. The word of God means any thing which
God has spoken, and here, from the connection, the promise
made to Abraham, including the promise of salvation through
Jesus Christ. Hath taken none effect, literally, hath fallen,
i. c., failed. "It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than

480 ROMANS IX. 7.

one tittle of the law to fail," literally, to fall, Luke, xvi. 17.
So this word is used frequently. The reason why the rejection
cf the Jews involved no failure on the part of the divine pro
mise, is, that the promise was not addressed to the mere natural
descendants of Abraham. For they are not all Israel which are
of Israel, i. e., all the natural descendants of the patriarch are
not the true people of God, to whom alone the promises
properly belong. The word Israel may refer either to Jacob or
to the people. 'All descended from the patriarch Jacob
called Israel, are not the true people of God;' or, 'all belong
ing to the external Israel are not the true Israel;' i. e., all who
are in the (visible) Church do not belong to the true Church.
The sense is the same, but the former explanation is the
more natural. In the following verse the apostle distinguishes
between the natural and spiritual seed of Abraham, as here he
distinguishes between the two classes of the descendants of
Israel.

VERSE 7. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are
they all children. In this and the following verses the senti
ment is confirmed, that natural descent from Abraham does not
secure a portion in the promised inheritance. The language of
this verse is, from tke context, perfectly intelligible. The seed,
or natural descendants of Abraham, are not all his children in
the true sense of the term; i. e., like him in faith, and heirs of
his promise. So in Gal. iii. 7, Paul says, "They which are of
faith, the same are the children of Abraham." This verse is
part of the sentence begun in the preceding verse. It pre
sents the same idea in a different form. 'All the descend
ants of Israel are not the true Israel, neither are all the
seed of Abraham his (true, or spiritual) children.' Children,
viz., of Abraham. Others supply roi) Oeov, "the seed of Abra
ham are not all children of God." This is true, but it is not
what the apostle here says. His object is to show that the
promises made to the children of Abraham were not made to
his natural descendants as such.

But in Isaac shall thy seed be called. As the word rendered
called sometimes means to choose, Isa. xlviii. 12, xlix. 1, the
meaning of the phrase may be 'In Isaac shall thy seed be
chosen.' <I will select him as the recipient of the blessings

ROMANS IX. 8. 481

promised to you.' 2. To be called is often equivalent to to be,
to be regarded, as Isa. Ixii. 4, "Thou shalt not be called deso
late," i. c., thou shalt not be desolate. Hence, in this case, the
text may mean, 'In Isaac shall thy seed be,' i. e., he shall he
thy seed. Or. 3. ' After Isaac shall thy seed be called,' they
shall derive their name from him. Shall be tunned, i. e., shall he
so regarded and recognised. 'Not all the children of Abraham
were made the heirs* uf his blessings, but Isaac was selected by
the sovereign will of God to be the recipient of the promise.'
This is the general meaning of the passage ; but here, as before,
it may bo understood either of the individual Isaac, or of his
descendants. 'Isaac shall be to thee for a seed;' or, 'Through
Isaac shall a seed be to thee.' The former is the more con
sistent with the context, because Paul's immediate1 object is to
show that natural descent from Abraham did not make a man
one of his true seed. Ishmael was a son of Abraham as well as
Isaac, but the latter onlv was, in the spiritual sense of the
term, his seed. The Greek here answers exactlv to the
original Hebrew, ' Fn Isaac a seed shall be called to tlu'e, or for
thee.' That is, 'Isaac (not Ishmael) shall be to thee a son and
heir.' God therefore is sovereign in the distribution of his
favours. As he rejected Ishmael notwithstanding his natural

<J

descent from Abraham, so he may reject the Jews, although
they also had Abraham as a father.

VERSE s. That is, they n-hi-h are the rhildren of the Jlexh,
tin1*'- are n<>t. tin- r/n'/a'ren <>f (/<"/. Tin- simplest, view of this
verse would seem to be, to regard it as an explanation of the
historical argument contained in the preceding verse. "The
Scriptures declare that Isaac, in preference to I-hmael, was
selected to be the true seed and heir of Abraham, that z'x, or
thix jirftres, that it is not the children of the llesh that are
regarded as the children of God, iSic.' This suits the immedi
ate object of the apostle, which is to show that God, according
to his good pleasure, chooses one and rejects another, and that
he is not bound to make the children of Abraham, as such, the
heirs of his promise. It is very common, however, to consider
this passage as analogous to that in Gal. iv. 22 — -11 ; and to
regard the apostle as unfolding the analogy between the history
of Isaac and Ishmael, and that of the spiritual and natural
31

482 ROMANS IX. 8.

children of Abraham; Isaac being the symbol of the former,
and Ishmael of the latter. As Ishmael, "who was born after
the flesh, (Gal. iv. 23,) i. e., according to the ordinary course
of nature, was rejected, so also are the children of the flesh;
and as Isaac, who was born "by promise," i. e., in virtue of
the promised interference of God, was made the heir, so also
are they heirs, who in like manner are the children of the
promise, that is, who are the children of God, not by their
natural birth, but by his special and effectual grace. The
point of comparison, then, between Isaac and believers is, that
both are born, or become the children of God, riot in virtue of
ordinary birth, but in virtue of the special interposition of God.
In favour of this view is certainly the strikingly analogous
passage referred to in Galatians, and also the purport of the
next verse. Besides this, if Paul meant to say nothing more
in this and the following verse, than that it appears from the
choice of Isaac that God is free to select one from among the
descendants of Abraham and to reject another, these verses
would differ too little from what he had already said in vs. 6, 7.
It is best, therefore, to consider this passage as designed to
point out an instructive analogy between the case of Isaac and
the true children of God; he was born in virtue of a special
divine interposition, so now, those who are the real children of
God, are born not after the flesh, but by his special grace.

The children of the promise. This expression admits of
various explanations. 1. Many take it as meaning merely
the promised children, as child of promise is equivalent to
child which is promised. But this evidently does not suit the
application of the phrase to believers as made here, and in Gal.
iv. 28. 2. It may mean, according to a common force of the
genitive, children in virtue of a promise. This suits the con
text exactly. It assigns to the genitive iTzaffstiaz in this
clause the same force that (japxo^ has in the preceding. Isaac
was born not after the ordinary course of nature, but in virtue
of a divine promise. See Gal. iv. 23, where the expressions born
after the flesh, and born by promise, are opposed to each other.
It is, of course, implied in the phrase children in virtue of a
promise, that it is by a special interposition that they become
children, and this is the sense in which Paul applies the expres-

ROMANS IX. 9. 483

sion to believers generally. In Gal. iv. 28, he says, u We, as
Isaac was, are the children of promise." Believers, therefore,
are children of the promise in the same sense as Isaac. The
birth of Isaac was xa~a ;::/£?>««, supernatural; believers also
are the children of God in virtue of a spiritual or supernatural
birth. This is the main idea, although not the full meaning.
The children of promise are those to whom the promise belongs.
This is what the apostle has specially in view in the passage in
Galatians. He there desires to show that believers are the
true children of Abraham, and heirs of the promise made to
the father of the faithful. This idea, therefore, is not to be
excluded even here. Isaac was not only born in virtue of a
promise, but was, on that account, heir of the promised bless
ing. The former, however, as just stated, is the prominent
idea, as appears from the folh.wing verse. Conip. John i. 13.
"Who are born not of blood, nor of the will of the ilesli, nor of
the will of man, but of God." This idea seems to bo included
in the apostle's use of the expression. Gal. iv. :!S? k>No\v we,
brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise'," and iii.
21', " Ye ar<' Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the pro
mise;'' see, too, Gal. iii. 18, 22, Kom. iv. .1(1, "To the end the
promise might be sure to all the seed." Though this idea
seems to have been in the apostle's mind, the second expla
nation is most in accordance with the context. Arc counted
fur t//<: X'w/, i. e., are regarded and treated as such. ""^Not the
natural descendants of Abraham are the children of God, but
those who are born again by his special interposition, arc re
garded and treated as his true children." »See the same form
of expression in (Jen. xxxi. 15.

V EltSK 1*. For t/ttx iv tin' trord of prointxe, at this time will
I come, and Surah xlndl hare a x<>n. Literallv, (the word of)
the promise is this word. This verse is evidently designed to
show the propriety, and to explain the force of the phrase
children of the pro),/;**'. Laar \\as so calb-d because God said
at this time. I will come, iS:c. This is not oidy a prediction and
promise that Isaac should be born, but also a declaration that
it should be in consequence of God's coining, i. e., of the spe
cial manifestation of his power; as, in scriptural language, God
is said to come, wherever he specially manifests his presence

484 ROMANS IX. 10.

or power, John xiv. 23, Luke i. 08, &c. The apostle does
not follow exactly the Hebrew or the Septuagint. He gives
the substance of Gen. xviii. 10? and xviii. 14. The words
rrn Mi at the living time, either tempore vivente, i. e., rede-
unte, or, the time being, i. e., the current time, are rendered by
the LXX. and the apostle, xara rov xaepbv ro^rov, at this season.
That is, when this season of the year returns again.

VERSE 10. And not only (this); but when Rebecca had con
ceived Inj one, (even) ly our father Isaac. Not only does the
case of Isaac and Ishmael prove that the choice of God does
not depend on natural descent, but on the sovereign will of
God, but that of Rebecca evinces the same truth still more
clearly. In the former case, it might be supposed that Isaac
was chosen because he was the son of Sarah, a free woman, and
the legitimate wife of Abraham, whereas Ishmael was the son
of a maid-servant. In the choice between Jacob and Esau,
there is no room for any such supposition. They had the same
father, the same mother, and were born at one birth. Here,
assuredly, the choice was sovereign. The original is here ellip
tical, something must be supplied to complete the sense. On
the principle that an ellipsis should, if possible, be supplied
from the immediate context, Winer, Meyer, and others, supply
the ellipsis thus : ' Not only did Sarah receive a promise of a
son, but Rebecca also.' In this view the construction of the
passage is regular; otherwise, an irregularity, or change of
grammatical construction, must be assumed in ver. 12. 'Not
only Rebecca — it was said to her.' To this however, it is
objected, first, that the promise was not made to Sarah, but to
Abraham ; and secondly, that no promise was made to Rebecca.
Others, therefore, prefer supplying simply, did this happen.
That is, not only was Isaac chosen instead of Ishmael, although
both were the sons of Abraham, but also Rebecca. Then we
must either assume a grammatical irregularity, or the nomina
tive (Rebecca) must be taken absolutely; or we can supply
some such phrase as, Rebecca also proves this, i. e., the sove
reignty of God in election. These questions do not affect the
sense of the passage. The apostle proceeds with his historical
proof that God, according to his own good pleasure, does choose

ROMANS IX. 11. 485

one and reject another. He has therefore the right to cast off
the Jews.

VERSE 11. For the children being not yet born, neither
having done any good or evil, &c. The force of for is clear by
a reference to the preceding verse, and the object of the
apostle. 'Not only does the case of Isaac and Ishmael evince
the sovereignty of God, but that of Rebecca, and her children
does the same, in a still more striking manner, for the decision
between her children was made previously to their birth, for the
very purpose of showing that it was not made on the ground
of works, but of the sovereign pleasure of God.' This is an
example which cannot be evaded. ^\ ith regard to Lshmael, it
might be supposed that either the circumstances of his birth, or
his personal character, was the ground of his rejection; but
with regard to Esau neither of these suppositions can be made.
The circumstances of his birth were identical with those of his
favoured brother, and the choice was made before either had
done any thing good or evil. The case of Ishmael was, indeed,
sufficient to prove that having Abraham for a father was not
enough to secure the inheritance of the promise, but it could
not prove the entire sovereignty of the act of election on the
part of God, as is so fully done by that of Jacob and Esau.
This passage shows clearly that the design of the apostle is not
simply to show that natural descent from Abraham was a title
to Messianic bles>ings. but that works also were excluded; that
the choice of God was sovereign.

Ncitlicr luiruxj dune good ur /•/•//. The design of the intro
duction of these words is expressly stated in the next clause.
It was to show that the ground of choice was not in them, but
in God; and this is the main point in regard to the doctrine
of election, whether the choice be to the privileges of the
external theocracy, or to the spiritual and eternal blessings of
the kingdom of Christ.

That t/ie purpose of God, according to election, might stand.
This is the reason why the choice was made prior to birth.
The original here admits of various interpretations, which, how
ever, do not materially alter the sense. The word rendered
purpose, is that which was used in the previous chapter, ver. 28,
and means here, as there, a determination of the will, and of

486 ROMANS IX. 11.

itself expresses the idea of its being sovereign, i. e., of having its
ground in the divine mind and not in its objects. Hence, in
2 Tim. i. 9, it is said, "Who hath called us not according to
our works, but according to his own purpose, £c., see Eph.
i. 11, iii. 11. The words (xar lyJ.off^) according to election, are
designed to fix more definitely the nature of this purpose. The
word election often means the act of choice itself, as 1 Thess.
i. 4, "Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God." In
this sense, the clause means, 'the purpose of God in reference
to election, or in relation to this choice.' This view of the
passage is perfectly consistent with the context. The choice
was made prior to birth, in order that the true nature of the
purpose of God in reference to it might appear. It is objected
to this interpretation that the IxAo-ff (election) follows the
Ttpo&soez (the purpose) and not the reverse. This does not
amount to much. It relates merely to the order of conception.
We can conceive of God's electing some to eternal life, and
then purposing to save them, as well as his purposing to save
them and then electing them. The real meaning is expressed
by giving xar IzAoffv an adjective force, the electing purpose,
electivum Dei propositum, as Bcngel renders it. Others give
ixXoffj here the sense of free choice, or free will. ' The purpose
according to free choice, for, free or sovereign purpose.' Many
commentators adopt this view of the passage. This is, perhaps,
the most common interpretation. But as the word does not
occur in this sense in the New Testament, the former mode of
explanation is perhaps to be preferred. Should stand, i. e.,
should be established and recognised in its true character, that
is, that it might be seen it was not of works, but of him that
calleth. This purpose of God, in reference to election, or the
choice itself, is not of works, i. e., does not depend on works,
but on him that calleth. It is not to be traced to works as its
source. That is, as plainly as language can express the idea,
the ground of the choice is not in those chosen, but in God who
chooses. In the same sense our justification is said to be " not
of works," Gal. ii. 16, and often; i. e., is not on the ground of
works; see Rom. xi. 6, 2 Tim. i. 9. The language of the
apostle in this verse, and the nature of his argument, are so
perfectly plain, that there is little diversity of opinion as to his

ROMANS IX. 11. 487

general meaning. It is almost uniformly admitted that he here
teaches that the election spoken of is perfectly sovereign, that
the ground on which the choice is made is not in men, but in
God. Commentators of every class unite in admitting that the
apostle does here teach the sovereignty of God in election.
Undo sensus totius loci sic constituitur ; ut appareret, quicquid
Deus decernit, libere eum deeernere nun propter hominis
meritum, sed pro sua decernentis voluntate. — Koppe. Ut
berievola Dei voluntas maneret, ut 411:10 non a merit is cujus
quam pendeat, sed benefactore ipso. — Noeszelt. Das der
Kathschluss Gottcs fest stehe, als ein soldier, der nidit abhange
von mensddiclien Verdiensten, sondern von dem gnadigen oder
freien Willen Gottes. cThat the decree of God might stand
firm, as one which depended not on human merit, but the
gracious or free will of God.' — F/atf. And even Tholuck
makes Paul argue thus, "Das.s wie Gott, ohne Anrechte anzuer-
kennen, die iiu>sere Theokratie und mancherlei Yortheile
libertrug wem er wollte, er so aueh jet/t die innere dem
iibortragt, oder den darein eingehen liisst welchen er will."
'That as God, without recognising any claims, committed the
external theocracy and manifold advantages to whom he pleased,
so also now he commits the internal to whom he will, or allows
whom he will to enter it.' To the same effect Meyer says, '• Er
wollte niimlich dadurch fur immer festsetzen, dass sein zufolge
einer Auswahl unter den Menschen eintretender Beschluss, mit
dem Messianischen Jleile zu beglucken, unabhiingig sei von
menschlichen Leistungen, und nur von seinem, des zum Me.-si-
asheil IJeruf'cnden. eigenen Willen dependire." 7//.s tl<-siijn //v/x
to cstablixli, <>n<'e for all, (the principle) tltnt Itis j>ur]ntM in
reference tot/te choice of those wJto ^crre to eafiT the Messiah's
kinf/iloWi u'<is independent of human eondwt, and -was deter
mined by the will of him who calls.

The opposers of the doctrine of personal election endeavour
to escape the force of this passage, by saying that the choice of
which the apostle speaks, is not to eternal life, but to the ex
ternal advantages of the theocracy; and that it was riot so much
individuals as nations or communities which were chosen or
rejected. With regard to this latter objection, it may be
answered, 1. That the language quoted by the apostle from the

488 ROMANS IX. 12.

Old Testament is there applied to the individuals, Jacob and
Esau ; and that Jacob, as an individual, was chosen in preference
to his brother ; and that Paul's whole argument turns on this
very point. 2. That the choice of nations involves and con
sists in the choice of individuals; and that the same objections
obviously lie against the choice in the one case as in the other.
With regard to the former objection, that the choice here spoken
of is to the external theocracy arid not to eternal life, it may
be answered, 1. Admitting this to be the case, how is the diffi
culty relieved? Is there any more objection to God's choosing
men to a great than to a small blessing, on the ground of his
own good pleasure? The foundation of the objection is not the
character of the blessings we arc chosen to inherit, but the
sovereign nature of the choice. Of course it is not met by
making these blessings either greater or less. 2. A choice to
the blessings of the theocracy, i. e., of a knowledge and worship
of the true God, involved, in a multitude of cases at least, a
choice to eternal life ; as a choice to the means is a choice to
the end. And it is only so far as these advantages were a
means to this end, that their value was worth consideration.
3. The whole design and argument of the apostle show that the
objection is destitute of force. The object of the whole epistle
is to exhibit the method of obtaining access to the Messiah's
kingdom. The design here is to show that God is at liberty to
choose whom he pleases to be the recipients of the blessings of
this kingdom, and that he was not confined in his choice to the
descendants of Abraham. His argument is derived from the
historical facts recorded in the Old Testament. As God chose
Isaac in preference to Lshmael, and Jacob in preference to
Esau, not on the ground of their works, but of his own good
pleasure, so now he chooses whom he will to a participation of
the blessings of the kingdom of Christ: these blessings are
pardon, purity, and eternal life, &c., &c. That such is the
apostle's argument and doctrine, becomes, if possible, still more
plain, from his refutation of the objections urged against it,
which are precisely the objections which have ever been urged
against the doctrine of election.

VERSE 12. It was said to her, the elder shall serve the
younger. These words are to be connected with the 10th verse,

ROMANS IX. 12. 489

according to our version, in this manner, "Not only this, but
Rebecca also, when she had conceived, &c., it was said to her,
&c." According to this view, although the construction is
irregular, the sense is sufficiently obvious. As it was said to
Rebecca that the elder of her sons should serve the younger,
prior to the birth of either, it is evident that the choice between
them was not on account of their works. It has been said that
this declaration relates not to Jacob and Esau personally, but
to their posterity, 1. Because in Gen. xxv. 2o, whence the
quotation is made, it is said, "Two nations are within thy womb,
and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and
the elder shall serve the younger. -. Because Esau did not
personally serve Jacob, although the descendants of the one
were subjected to those of the other. It is no doubt true that
the prediction contained in this pas-age lias reference not only
to the relative standing of Jacob and Esau as individuals, but
also to that of their descendants. It may even be allowed that
the latter was principally intended in the annunciation to
Rebecca. But it is too clear to be denied, 1. that this distinc
tion between the two races presupposed and included a distinc
tion between the individuals. Jacob was made the special heir
to his father Isaac, obtained as an individual the birth-right and
the blessing, and Ksau as an individual was cast oft. 'The one,
therefore, was personally preferred to the other. '2. In Paul's
application of this event to his argument, the distinction
between the two as individuals, was the very thing referred to.
This is plain from the llth verse, in which he says, a The
children being not yet born, neither having done any good or
evil, tic." It is, therefore, the nature of the choice between the
children that is the point designed to be presented. As to the
objection that Esau never personally served Jacob, it is founded
on the mere literal sense of the words. E>au did acknowledge
his inferiority to Jacob, and was in fact postponed to him on
various occasions. The main idea, however, is that Esau for
feited his birthright. Jacob was preferred to his elder brother,
and constituted head of the theocracy. In a spiritual or reli
gious sense, and therefore in the highest sense, or in reference
to the highest interests, Esau was placed below Jacob, as much
as Ishmael was below Isaac. This is the real spirit of the

490 ROMANS IX. 13.

passage. This prophecy, as is the case with all similar predic*
tions, had various stages of fulfilment. The relation between
the two brothers during life ; the loss of the birthright blessing
and promises on the part of Esau; the temporary subjugation
of his descendants to the Israelites under David, their final and
complete subjection under the Maccabees; and especially their
exclusion from the peculiar privileges of the people of God,
through all the early periods of their history, are all included,
Compare the prediction of the subjection of Ham to his
brethren; and of Japheth's dwelling in the tents of Shem,
Gen. ix. 25— 27.

VERSE 13. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated. These words are quoted from Malachi i. 2, 3,
wThere the prophet is reproving the Jews for their ingratitude.
As a proof of his peculiar favour, God refers to his preference
for t'hem from the first, "Was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith
the Lord; yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, &c." This
passage, as well as the one quoted in ver. 12, and just referred
to, relates to the descendants of Jacob and Esau, and to the
individuals themselves ; the favour shown to the posterity of the
one, and withheld from that of the other, being founded on the
distinction originally made between the two brothers. The
meaning, therefore, is, that God preferred one to the other, or
chose one instead of the other. As this is the idea meant to
be expressed, it is evident that in this case the word hate means
to love less, to regard and treat ivith less favour. Thus in
Gen. xxix. 33, Leah says, she was hated by her husband ; while
in the preceding verse, the same idea is expressed by saying,
"Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah," Matt. viii. 21, Luke
xiv. 26; "If a man come to me and hate not his father and
mother, &c." John xii. 25. The quotation from the prophet
may be considered either as designed in confirmation of the
declaration that the elder should serve the younger ; or it may
be connected in sense with the close of the llth, ' God is sove
reign in the distribution of his favours, as it is written, Jacob
have I loved, and Esau have I hated;' the distinction made
between* these two individuals being cited as an illustration and
confirmation of the apostle's doctrine.

The doctrine of the preceding verses is, that God is per-

ROMANS IX. 14, 15. 491

fectly sovereign in the distribution of his favours, that the
ground of his selecting one and rejecting another is not
their works, but his own good pleasure. To this doctrine
there are two plausible objections ; first, it is not consistent
with the divine justice, ver. 14; second, it is incompatible with
human responsibility, ver. 19. To the former the apostle
answers, first, God claims distinctly in his word this prerogative,
ver. 15; and secondly, he obviously exercises it, as is seen in the
dispensations of his providence, ver. IT. Here again the sense is
BO plain that commentators of all classes agree in their inter
pretations. Thus Meyer says, " God does not act unjustly in his
sovereign choice; since he claims for himself in the Scriptures
the liberty to favour or to harden, whom he will."

VERSE 14. What sJiall we sny then* in tJtere unrighteousness
with God! G<>d fttrlid. The apostle, according to his usual
manner, proposes the objection to his own doctrine in the form
of a question, denies its validity, and immediately subjoins his
reason; see Ivom. iii. 5, Gal. iii. '21. The obvious objection
here presented is, that it is unjust in God, thus, according to
his own purpose, to choose one and reject another. This Paul
denies, and supports his denial by an appeal, in the fi"st place,
to Scripture, and the second, to experience. It will be
remarked that these arguments of the apostle are founded on
two assumptions. The first is, that the Scriptures are the word
of God; and the second, that what God actually does cannot
be unrighteous. Consequently any objection which can be
shown, to militate against either an express declaration of
Scripture, or an obvious fact in providence, is fairly answered.
And if, as is almost always the case, when it militates against
the one, it can be shown to militate against the other, the
answer is doubly ratified.

VERSE 1">. For God saith to Moses, I will have merry on
wliom / will have mercy, and 1 icill have compassion on whom
I will /tare compassion. The connection and argument are
obvious. ' It is not unjust in God to exercise his sovereignty
in the distribution of his mercies, for he expressly claims the
right.' The passage quoted is from the account of the solemn
interview of Moses with God. In answer to the prayer of the
prophet for his people and for himself, God answered, " I will

492 ROMANS IX. 16.

proclaim my name before thee, and will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious, &c." Exodus xxxiii. 19 v It is, therefore, a
formal declaration of a divine prerogative. The form of expres
sion / will do wJiat I will, or I do what I do, is here, as in
Ezek. xvi. 23, 2 Sam. xv. 20, designed to convey the idea that
it rests entirely with the agent to act or not, at his pleasure.
The ground of decision is in himself. In the connection of

o

this verse with the former, therefore, it is obvious that Paul
quotes this declaration to prove that God claims the sovereignty
which he had attributed to him. In order to avoid the force
of this passage, many deny that it expresses the sentiment of
the apostle. They consider this and the following verses as
the objections of a Jewish fatalist, a mode of interpretation so
obviously inconsistent with the context, and even the proper
force of the words, that it is mentioned only to show how hard
it is to close the eyes against the doctrine which the apostle so
clearly teaches. Gottes Erbarmen und Iluld sci lediglich von
scincrn eigenenen unumschranten Willcn abhlingig ; auf wen
cimnul sein Erbarmen gerichtet sei, dem werde er's erweiscn. —
Meyer. God's mercy and favour depend solely on his own
sovereign will, he will manifest that mere?/ towards him to whom
it has been once directed. Tittmann, in his Synon. in N. T.,
says that the difference between otxrsipety and £/ss?v is, that the
former denotes the feeling experienced in view of the sufferings
of others, and the latter the desire to relieve them. The differ
ence is very much the same as that between our words com
passion and mercy.

VERSE 16. So then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him
that runneth, &c. If the ground of the decision or choice of
the objects of mercy be in God, as asserted in ver. 15, then
that it is not in man, is a conclusion which flows of course from
the previous declarations. The word it refers to the result con
templated in the context, viz., the attainment of the divine
favour, or more definitely, admission into the Messiah's king
dom. This result, when attained, is to be attributed not to the
wishes or efforts of man, but to the mercy of God. That one,
therefore, is taken, and another left, that one is introduced into
this kingdom and another not, is to be referred to the fact
asserted in the preceding verse, that " God will have mercy on

ROMANS IX. IT. 493

whom he will have mercy." This seems plainly to have been
the apostle's meaning. It is said, however, that the efforts here
declared to be vain are those of the self-righteous; that Paul
intends to say that the Jews, by the works of the law, could
not attain the favour of God, &c. But no such sentiment is
expressed by the apostle ; it is all supplied by the commentator.
The sentiment, moreover, is not only not expressed, but it is in
direct contradiction to the language and design of the apostle.
lie says the ground of choice, or of admission into the kingdom
of Christ, is not in us; this interpretation says it is in us.
Paul says it is in God; this interpretation says, it is not in
God. It is neither the will nor the efforts of men which deter
mines their admission into Christ's kingdom. It depends on
the sovereign will of God. Neque in voluntate nostra, neque
in coriatu csse situm, ut inter electos censeamur : sed totum id
divinae bonitatis, quac nee volentes, nee conantes, ae ne cogit-
antes (juidi'in ultro assumit. — (.Wr/.v. This is not an interpre
tation peculiar to Augiistiniaiis. It is, as has been shown, the
view of the passage adopted by commentators of every shade
of doctrine. Also ist's (niimlich Gottes Erbarmen und Iluld
zu empfangen) nicht von dem wollcnden noch von dem Laufen-
den abhiingig, sondern von dem barmherzig scienden Gotte. —
Meyer.

YKRSK 17. Fur tin' Scripture xaith unto Pharaoh, &c. The
connection of this verse is with the 14th, rather than with the
one immediately preceding. Paul is still engaged in answering
the objection proposed in the 14th verse. There is no injustice
with God, because he saith to Moses, kl will have mercy, &c.'
ver. 15, and because the Scripture saith to Pharaoh, for this
purpose, i!s:c. ver. IT. His second answer to the objection is,
that God, in point of fact, does exercise this sovereignty, as is
evident from the case of Pharaoh. Pharaoh was no worse than
many other men who have obtained mercy; yet God, for wise
and benevolent reasons, withheld from him the saving influences
of his grace, and gave him up to his own wicked heart, so
that he became more and more hardened, until he was finally
destroyed. God did nothing to Pharaoh beyond his strict
deserts. lie did not make him wicked ; he only forbore to
make him good, by the exertion of special and altogether un-

494 ROMANS IX. IT.

merited grace. The reason, therefore, of Pharaoh's being left
to perish, while others were saved, was not that he was worse
than others, but because God has mercy on whom he will have
mercy ; it was because, among the criminals at his bar, he
pardons one and not another, as seems good in his sight. He,
therefore, who is pardoned, cannot say it was because I was
better than others; while he who is condemned must ac
knowledge that he receives nothing more than the just recom
pense of his sins. In order to establish his doctrine of
the divine sovereignty, Paul had cited from Scripture the
declaration that God shows mercy to whom he will; he
now cites an example to show that he punishes whom he will.
Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up. This is
what God said to Pharaoh, as recorded in Exod. ix. 16. The
meaning of the declaration may be variously explained. In the
Old Testament, the Hebrew word used in the passage quoted,
means literally, I have caused thee to stand. This is understood
by some as meaning, I have called thee into existence. 2. By
others, I have preserved thee. 3. By others, I have raised
thee up as king. 4. By others, I have placed and continued
thee in tliy post. Either of these interpretations admits of
being defended on philological grounds more or less satis
factory. The first is sufficiently suitable to the word used by
the apostle, but does not agree so well with the original. The
Hebrew word n£3>, in Hiphil, is used not only in the literal
sense, to cause to stand, but also in the sense, to continue, to
preserve, as in 1 Kings xv. 4, and also to appoint (to office).
The LXX. (changing the person) have, in Exod. ix. 16, dis-
r/jorfir^, equivalent to vivus servatus es, thou hast ~been kept
alive. Paul renders the Hebrew l^rjetpd at, which answers to
the use of the word in Nehem. vi. 7, " Thou hast appointed
(caused to appear) prophets; and Dan. xi. 11, "The king of
the south shall set forth a great multitude." In no case, how
ever, is the Hebrew word used for calling into existence in the
sense of creating. For the second, it may be urged that verbs
in the form (Hiphil) used in the passage quoted, signify fre
quently the continuance of a thing in the state which the
simple form of the verb expresses. Thus the verb meaning to
live, in this form, signifies to preserve alive, Gen. vi. 19, 20,

ROMANS IX. 18. 495

xix. 19, &c. Besides, the particular word used in Exod. ix. 16,
signifies to preserve, to cause to continue, in 1 Kings XT. 4,
2 Chron. ix. 8, Prov. xxix. 4, &c. The third interpretation is

too definite, and supplies an idea not in the text. The fourth,
which is only a modification of the second, is perhaps the
nearest to the apostle's intention. * For this purpose have I
raised thee up, and placed thee where thou art ; and instead
of cutting thee off at once, have so long endured thy obstinacy
and wickedness.' It is not the design of Pharaoh's creation that
is here asserted; but the end for which God determined his
appearance and position in the history of the world. Xor does
the apostle refer Pharaoh's wickedness to God as its author,
but his appearance at that period, the form in which the evil of
his heart developed itself, and the circumstances attending its
manifestation, were all determined by the providence of God.
and ordered for the promotion of his infinitely wise and bene
volent purposes.

That I mil/lit nhot'.' my p<iiv<T -in th<'e, and that in if n<nn*'
might In- declared in all t/t<' earth. This is the reason why
God dealt with Pharaoh in the manner described. It was not
that he was worse than others, but that God might be glorified.
This is precisely the principle on which all punishment is
inflicted. It is that the true character of the divine lawgiver
should be known. This is of all objects, when God is con
cerned, the highest and most important; in itself the most
worthy, and in its roults the most beneficent. The ground,
therefore, on which 1'haraoh was made an object of the divine
justice, or the reason why the law was in his case allowed to
take its course, is not to be sought in any peculiarity of his
character or conduct in comparison with those of others, but in
the sovereign pleasure of God. This result of the argument
Paul formally states in the next verse.

YERSK IS. TAov/c/yv hatlt he inercij on idiom he will, hare
mercy, and wlmm he will he, hardeneth. This is the conclusion,
not merely from the preceding verse, but from the whole
passage, vs. 14 — 17. This perfect sovereignty in the selection
of the objects of his mercy and of his judgment, Paul had
attributed to God in ver. 11, and, in the subsequent verses,
Lad proved that he claims and exercised it, both in reference

496 ROMANS IX. 18.

to the recipients of his favour, ver. 15, and the objects of
his wrath, ver. 15. The doctrine, therefore, is fully estab
lished.

The latter clause of this verse, whom he will he hardeneth,
admits of various explanations. The word may be taken either
in its ordinary meaning, or it may be understood in its second
ary sense. According to the latter view, it means to treat
harshly, to punish. This interpretation, it must be admitted,
is peculiarly suited to the context, < He hath mercy on whom
he will, arid he punishes whom he will.' Nor is it entirely
destitute of philological support. In Job xxxix. 16, it is said
of the ostrich, "she treateth hardly her young." But, on the
other hand, it is liable to serious objections. 1. It is certain
that it is a very unusual sense of the word, and opposed to the
meaning in which it frequently occurs. There should be very
strong reasons for departing from the usual meaning of an
expression so common in the Scriptures. 2. It is inconsistent
with those passages in the Old Testament which speak of the
hardening of Pharaoh's heart. 3. It removes no difficulty; for
•what, according to the usual sense of the word, is here said, is
frequently said elsewhere.

1. The common sense of the word is, therefore, doubtless, to
be preferred, whom he will he hardens. This is by many under
stood to express a direct and positive influence of God on the
soul in rendering it obdurate. But, in the first place, this inter
pretation is by no means necessary, as will presently be shown;
and, in the second, it can hardly be reconciled with our ideas
of the divine character.

2. Others think that this phrase is to be explained by a
reference to that scriptural usage, according to which God is
said to do whatever indirectly and incidentally results from his
agency ; on the same principle that a father is said to ruin his
children, or a master his servants, or that Christ is said to
produce wars and divisions. Thus, Isa. vi. 10, the prophet is
commanded to make the heart of the people fat. and their ears
heavy, and shut their eyes, &c., as though to him were to be
ascribed the incidental effects of his preaching. In the same
way the gospel is the cause of death (not of misery only, but of
insensibility also,) to those who hear and disregard it.

ROMANS IX. 18. 497

3. Nearly allied to this mode of explanation is that which
rests on the assumption that God is said to do what he permits
to be done, Keferen.ee is made to such passages as the follow
ing. 2 Sam. xii. 11, "I will give thy wives unto thy neigh
bour/' i. e., I will permit him to take them. 2 Sam. xvi. 10,
"The Lord hath said unto him, curse David." .Isa. Ixiii. 17,
"0 Lord, whv hast thou caused us to err from thy ways, and
hardened our hearts from thy fear." Deut. ii. -><X "For the
Lord thy God hardened his spirit, (Silion's,) that he might
deliver him into thy hand." 1 Kings xi. 23, ''The Lord
stirred up another adversary." l)s. cv. 2~>, fc'Ile turned their
hearts to hate his people." In 2 Sam. xxiv. 1, God is said to
have moved David to number the people; but in 1 Chron.
xxi. 1, Satan is <aid to have provoked David to number Israel.
From these and similar passages, it is evident that it is a
familiar scriptural usage, to a>orihe to God effects which he
allows in his wisdom to come to pass. Jleiiee, almost every
thing is. at times, spoken of as if it was produced by divine
aircncv. although, in a multitude of other phiees, these same
results are referred, as in some of the examples cited above, to
their immediate authors. .According to this mode of representa
tion, God is understood as merelv permitting Pharaoh to harden
his own heart, as the result i.- often expressly referred to Pha
raoh himself, Exod. viii. L~>, ->-, &(•.

4. .But there seems to be more expressed by the language of
the text than mere permission, because it is evidently a puni
tive act that is here intended, and because this view does not
suit the other passage- in which (Iod is said to give sinners up
to the evil of their own hearts, Kom. i. 24, 28. It is probable,
therefore, that the judicial abandonment of men "to a repro
bate mind,'' a punitive withdrawing of the influences of his
Holy Spirit, and the giving them up to the uncounteracted
operation of the hardening or perverting influences by which
they are surrounded, are all expressed by the language of the
apostle. In this God does no more than what he constantly
threatens to do, or which the Scriptures declare he actually
docs, in the case of those who forsake him; and. nothing more
than every righteous parent does in reference to a reprobate
son. This, in connection with the principle referred to above,

32

ROMANS IX. 19.

fin No. 2,) seems as much as can fairly be considered as in
cluded in the expressions. De Wette here wisely says, that we
are to exclude, on the one hand, the idea that God merely
permits evil, and on the other, that he is its author, and to hold
fast the doctrine, that evil is from man, and that God orders
and directs it, and that to punishment. It is to be remembered
that the hardening of the sinner's heart is itself punitive. It
supposes evil, and is its punishment. As a ruined constitution
is at once the inevitable consequence and the punishment of
intemperance, so insensibility, obduracy of conscience, and
blindness of mind, are the penal consequences of a course of sin,
and become themselves the just ground of further punishment,
because they are in their own nature evil. This we instinc
tively recognise as true in our moral judgments of men. A
man whom a long course of crime has rendered perfectly
callous, is, on account of his callousness, justly the object of
execration and abhorrence. It is therefore not only a doctrine
of Scripture (Rom. i. 24) that sin is the punishment of sin, but a
fact of experience. Satis est, says Augustine, (Ad Sixtum Ep.,)
interim Christiano ex fide adhuc viventi, et nondum cernenti
quod perfectum est, scd ex parte scienti, nosse vel credere quod
ncminem Deus liberet nisi gratuita miseracordia per Dominuni
nostrum Jesus Christum, et neminem damnet nisi aequisima
veritate per eundem D omnium nostrum Jesum Christum.
Cur autem ilium potius quam ilium liberet aut non liberet,
scrutetur qui potcst judiciorum ejus tarn magnum profundum,
— verumtamen caveat praecipitium. The Lutheran Church,
after the days of Luther, endeavoured to find a middle ground
between the Augustinian and the semi-Pelagian doctrine. In
the Form of Concord it is taught that the choice of the vessels
of mercy is to be referred to the good pleasure of God, but the
passing by of the non-elect is to be referred to their voluntary
resistance of his offered grace. Election is founded, according
to this view, on the sovereignty of God, but preterition on the
foresight of impenitence. This, however, seems to involve a
contradiction; for if faith be the gift of God, the purpose to
give it only to some, involves the purpose not to give it to
others. Besides, it is the very object of the apostle in the
whole context to teach the sovereignty of God in dealing with

ROMANS IX. 19. 409

the vessels of wrath. This Olshausen admits. " This refer
ence," he says, " to the foreknowledge of God, although not
unfounded so far as evil is concerned, tends rather to pervert
than to elucidate the passage, inasmuch as the precise object of
the apostle is to render prominent the sovereignty of the divine
will."

VERSE 19. Thou wilt then say unto ?/?<?, why doth he yet find
fault? for who hath resisted his will- This is the second
leading objection to the apostle's doctrine. If it be true, as he
had just taught, that the destiny of men is in the hands of God,
if it is not of him who willeth, or of him that runneth, but of
God that showeth mercy, what can we do? If the fact that
one believes and is saved, and another remains impenitent and
is lost, depends on God. how can we be blamed? Can we resist
his will? It will at once be perceived that this plausible and
formidable objection to the apostle's doctrine is precisely the
one which is commonly and confidently urged against the doc
trine of election. There would be no room either for this
objection, or for that contained in the 14th verse, if Paul had
merely said that God chooses those whom he foresees would
repei.it and believe; or that the ground of distinction was in the
different conduct of men. It is very evident, therefore, that he
taught no such doctrine. How easy and obvious an answer to
the charge of injustice would it have been to say, God chooses
one and rejects another according to their works. But teach
ing as he does the sovereignty of God in the selection of the
subjects of his grace and of the objects of his wrath, declaring
as he does so plainly, that the destinv of men is determined
by his sovereign pleasure, the objection (how can he vet find
fault?) is plausible and natural. To this objection the apostle
gives two answers: 1. That it springs from ignorance of the
true relation between God and men as Creator and creatures,
and of the nature and extent of the divine authority over us,
vs. 20, 21 : 2. That there is nothing in his doctrine inconsistent
with the divine perfections; since he does not make men
wicked, but from the mass of wicked men, he pardons one and
punishes another, for the wisest and most benevolent reasons,
vs °-> -K>>

Vo* ^- *- 1 ^O •

Why doth he yet find fault? If God hardens us, why does

500 KOMANS IX. 20.

lie blame us for being hard. Gross as is this perversion of the
apostle's doctrine on the part of the objector, Paul at first
rebukes the spirit in which it is made, before he shows it to bo
unfounded. It is not the doctrine of the Bible, that God first
makes men wicked, and then punishes them for their wicked
ness. The Scriptures only assert, what we see and know to be
true, that God permits men, in the exercise of their own free
agency, to sin, and then punishes them for their sins, and in
proportion to their guilt. He acts towards them as a perfectly
righteous judge, so that no one can justly complain of his deal
ings. This strictness in the administration of justice, is, how
ever, perfectly consistent with the sovereignty of God in deter
mining whom he will save, and whom he will permit to suffer
the just recompense of their deeds. Who hath resisted, rather,
who resists, i. e., who can resist. The perfect di/vjteor^xs (as
effT^xsi/) is present; see xiii. 2. His will, i. e., his purpose,

VERSE 20. Nay, but, 0 man, who art thou that repliest
against Grod? Shall the thing formed, &c. In these words we
have both a reproof and an answer. The reproof is directed
against the irreverent spirit, whence such cavils always arise.
After the clear proof given in the preceding verses, that God
claims this sovereignty in his word, and exercises it in his
providence, it argues great want of reverence for God, to assert
that this claim involves the grossest injustice. It is very
common with the sacred writers, and with Christ himself, when
questions or cavils are presented, to direct their answers more
to the feeling which the question indicated, than to the question
itself. Tholuck refers, in illustration of this remark, to John
iii. 3, Matt. viii. 19, 20, 22, xix. 10, xxii. 29. But in this case,
besides this reproof of presumption in attempting to call our
Maker to account, instead of considering that the mere fact
that God claims any thing as his right, is evidence enough that
it is just, there is a direct answer to the difficulty. The objec
tion is founded on ignorance or misapprehension of the true
relation between God and his sinful creatures. It supposes that
he is under obligation to extend his grace to all. Whereas he
is under obligation to none. All are sinners, and have forfeited
every claim to his mercy ; it is, therefore, the prerogative of

ROMANS IX. 21. 501

God to spare one and not another; to make one vessel to
honour, and another to dishonour. lie, as their sovereign
Creator, has the same right over them that a potter has over
the clay. It is to be borne in mind, that Paul does not here
speak of the right of God over his creatures as creatures, but
as sinful creatures, as he himself clearly intimates in the next
verses. It is the cavil of a sinful creature against his Creator,
that he is answering ; and he does it by showing that God is
under no obligation to give his grace to any, but is as sovereign,
as the potter in fashioning the clay. -^Vtf'/, but, 0 man,
/^si/o^j's. This particle is often used in replies, and is partly
concessive and partly corrective, as in Luke xi. -8, where it is
rendered, yea, rather, in Horn. x. 18, yes, verily. It may here,
a~s elsewhere, have an ironical force. Sometimes it is strongly
affirmative, as in Phil. iii. H, and at others, introduces, as here,
a strong negation or repudiation of what had been said.

Khali t/ie thin<j formed nay to him that formed it, Why hast
thou made me t/iux.' See Isaiah xlv. 9. In this clause Paul
presents ma'iily the idea of God's right, and in the subsequent
verses lie shows that nothing unjust is included in the right
here claimed. AVe are at his mercy ; audit is the height of
irreverence and folly for us to call him to account for the
manner in which he may see fit to dispose of us.

VERSI-; 21. Hath not the potter power orer tJ/e elay, out of the
same lum/> to ma/c<' one vessvl* &c., A:c. The word i-o'jfj'.a ren
dered pn/rrr, means also authority and ri<jht. In this case it
means, t/n' lawful power or riyht ; he not only can do it, but he
has a perfect right to do it; see the use of the Greek word in
Matt. xxi. 2o, 1 Cor. viii. H, and frequently elsewhere. This
verso is merely an illustration of the idea contained in the last
clause of the preceding. The Creator has a perfect right to
dispose of his creatures as he sees fit. From the very idea of
a creature, it can have no claim on the Creator; whether it
exists at all, or how, or where, from the nature of the case,
must depend on him, and be at his sovereign disposal. The
illustration of this truth which follows, is peculiarly appropriate.
When the potter takes a piece of clay into his hands, and
approaches the wheel, how entirely does it rest with himself to
determine the form that clay shall take,, and the use to which

502 ROMANS IX. 22, 23.

it shall be destined ? Can any thing be more unreasonable,
than that the clay, supposing it endued with intelligence, should
complain that the form given it was not so comely, or the use
to whicli it was destined not so honourable, as those which fell
to the lot of a different portion of the* same mass? Are not
these points on which the potter has a most perfect right to
decide for himself, and regarding which the thing formed can
have no right to complain or question ? And so it is with God ;
the mass of fallen men are in his hands, and it is his right to
dispose of them at pleasure ; to make all vessels unto honour,
or all unto dishonour, or some to one and some to the other.
These are points on which, from the nature of the relation, we
have no right to question or complain. The illustration here
employed occurs elsewhere in Scripture, as in Isa. Ixiv. 8,
"But now, 0 Lord, them art our Father; we are the clay, and
them art our Potter; and we all are the work of thy hands."
Sec also Isa. xxix. 16, and Jer. xviii. 3 — 6, " Then I went down
to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the
wheels. And the vessel which he made of clay was marred in
the hands of the potter; so he made it again another vessel, as
seemed good to the potter to make it. 0 house of Israel,
cannot I do with you as this potter ? saith the Lord. Behold,
as clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in my hand, 0 house
of Israel." In the sovereignty here asserted, it is God as
moral governor, and not God as creator, who is brought to
view. It is not the right of God to create sinful beings in
order to punish them, but his right to deal with sinful beings
according to his good pleasure, that is here, and elsewhere
asserted. He pardons or punishes as he sees fit.

VERSES 22, 23. But what if dod. willing to show his wrath,
and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction; and that he might
make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy,
which he had afore prepared unto glory, even us, &c. ? These
verses contain Paul's second answer to the difficulty presented
in the 19th verse. He had shown in vs. 20, 21, that in virtue
of his relation to men as his sinful creatures, God is at perfect
liberty to dispose of them at his pleasure, pardoning one and
punishing another, as seerneth good in his sight. He now shows

ROMANS IX. 22, 23. 503

that in the exercise of this right there is nothing unreasonable
or unjust, nothing of which his creatures have the least right
to complain. The punishment of the wicked is not an arbitrary
act, having no object but to make them miserable; it is
designed to manifest the displeasure of God against sin, and to
make known his true character. On the other hand, the salva
tion of the righteous is designed to display the riches of his
grace. Both in the punishment of the one class and the salva
tion of the other, most important and benevolent ends are to be
answered. And since for these ends it was necessary that
some should be punished, while others mi.irht lie pardoned, as
all are equally undeserving, it results iVom the nature of the
case that the decision between the vessels of wrath and the
vessels of mercy must be left to God. The apostle would,
moreover, have it remarked, that even in the necessary punish
ment of the wicked, God does not proceed with any undue
severity, but, on the contrary, deals with them with the greatest
long-suffering and tenderness. Such seems to be the general
purport and object of these difficult verses.

The attentive reader will perceive, that even with the inser
tion of the word wlidt^ which has nothing to answer to it in the
original, and with a sign of interrogation at the end of ver. 24,
the construction of the passage in our version remains unirram-
matical and the sense incomplete. As the difficult v exists in
the Greek text, and not merely in our translation, the explana
tions which have been proposed are verv numerous. Manv of
these are presented and canvassed by Tholuck and Wolf, par
ticularly the latter. There' are three views taken of the con
nection, which are the most plau-ible. 1. The two verses are
considered as both referring to the rejection of the wicked, for
which ver. 22 assigns one reason, and ver. 23 another. 'What
if God, willing to show his wrath, endured with much lonjr-suf-
fering the vessels of wrath, so that also he might make known the
riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, £c.' The treatment
of the wicked was not only to display the divine displeasure
against sin, but also, by contrast, his mercy towards his people.*

* So, among others, Calvin, who translates verse 23 thus, Ut notas quoque
faceret divitias gloriae suae in vasa misericordiae, quae praeparavit in gloriam.
And in his comment he remarks, Est autem secunda- ratio quae gloriam Dei in

504 ROMANS IX. 22, 23.

But, in order to make the two verses cohere in this way, it is
necessary to transpose the words at the beginning of the 23d
verse, and read that also, instead of and that, which alters the
sense materially, while for such a transposition there is no
authority. Besides this, it makes ver. 23 too subordinate to
ver. 22 ; that is, it makes God's dealings towards the vessels of
mercy merely an incidental topic, instead of having equal
prominence with his treatment of the vessels of wrath. From
the context we are led to expect a vindication of his course, not
only in the destruction of the latter, but in the salvation of the
former.

2. A second explanation is to make the second clause of ver.
22 and the beginning of ver. 23 depend on the first words of
ver. 22. 'God willing to show his wrath and make his power
known, and (willing) that the riches of his glory should be
known, &c.' This gives a good sense, though the construction
is suddenly, and rather violently, changed at the beginning of
ver. 23, "that he might make known," being substituted for
the infinitive, "to make known."

3. Tholuck makes ver. 24 parallel with ver. 23, and explains
the passage thus, ' God, willing to manifest his wrath, bore with
the vessels of wrath ; and that he might make known his mercy,
called us, &c.' This gives a very good sense, but assumes the
construction to be irregular to a very unusual degree. Though
the second method be somewhat irregular, it seems, on the
whole, the least objectionable, and gives a sense obviously con
sistent with the context. The meaning of the apostle is suffi
ciently plain. He asks a question ec os, but if. 4 What can
be said if God, to manifest his justice, bears with the vessels of
wrath, and to manifest his grace prepares the vessels of mercy?'
There is nothing in this inconsistent with the character of God,
or the rights of his creatures.

reproborum interitu manifestat; quod ex eo luculentius divinae bonitatis erga
electos amplitude confirmatur.

Much in the same way Winer explains the passage, connecting the xx/ iva.
of ver. 23, immediately with the verb wiyx.iv of ver. 22, " Wenn Gott beschliess-
end mit aller Langmuth die Gefasse seines Zornes trug * * auch in der
Absicht, den Reichthum * * zuerkennen zu geben." "If God willing * * *
bore with all long-suffering the vessels of wrath * * * * also with the view
to make known the riches, &c." Gram. p. 443.

ROMANS IX. 22, 23. 505

The two objects which Paul here specifies as designed to be
answered by the punishment of the wicked, are the manifesta
tion of the wrath of G-od, and the exhibition of his power.
The word wrath is used here as in chap. i. 18, for the divine
displeasure against sin, the calm and holy disapprobation of
evil, joined with the determination to punish those who com
mit it.* The power of God is conspicuously displayed in the
destruction of the wicked, no matter how mighty or numerous
they may be. Though the inherent ill-desert of sin must ever
be regarded as the primary ground of the infliction of punish
ment, a ground which would remain in full force, were no bene
ficial results anticipated from the misery of the wicked, yet
God has so ordered his government that the evils which sinners
incur shall result in the manifestation of his character, and the
consequent promotion of the holiness and happiness of his intel
ligent creatures throughout eternity.

God treats the wicked, not as a severe judge, but with much
long suffering. The expression vessels <>f irrdth, no doubt sug
gests itself from the illustration of the potter used in the pre
ceding verse ; though the term vessel is used not unfrequently
in reference to men, Acts ix. lf>, 1 Peter iii. 7. l^eascls of
wrath, i. e., vessels to receive wrath, or which are destined to
be the objects of wrath. This is a modification of the expres
sion in ver. 21, ax?ju~ £/~ arr///'/:/, /vxx<7 unto dislmnnur.

Fitted to destruction, xatY^orfff/is^a £/- <\-ti)\=u&. This phrase
admits of two interpretations. Tin; passive participle may bo
taken as a verbal adjective, fit for destruction. This leaves
undetermined the agency by which this fitness was effected.
Comp. '2 Cor. x. 10, 1 Peter i. 8. In favour of this view is the
change of expression adopted in ver. 2o. Of the vessels of
wrath, it is simply said that they arc lit for destruction ; hut of
the vessels of mercy, that God prepares them for glory. Why
this change, if the apostle did not intend to intimate that the
agency of ( Jod is very different in the one case from what it is in
the other '.' Besides, as it is the object of the writer to vindicate
the justice of God in these dispensations, it is specially perti
nent to represent the vessels of wrath as lit for destruction in

* Ira Dei non, perturbatio animi ejus est, sed judicium quo irrogatur poena
peccato. August. De Civit. Dei, 1. 15, c. 35.

506 ROMANS IX. 22, 23.

the sense of deserving it. The other interpretation assumes
that the reference is to God, and that 7.o.To.f)Ti<ju.iva. has its full
participial force ; prepared (by God) for destruction. This is
adopted not only by the majority of Augustinians, but also by
many Lutherans and Neologists. This sense they say is de
manded by the context. God is compared to a potter, who
prepares one vessel to honour, and another to dishonour. So
God prepares some for wrath, and some ftfr mercy. This,
however, is not to be understood in a supralapsarian sense.
God does not create men in order to destroy them. The pre
paration intended is that illustrated in the case of Pharaoh.
God did not make him wicked and obdurate ; but as a punish
ment for his sin, he so dealt with him that the evil of his nature
revealed itself in a form, and under circumstances, which made
him a fit object of the punitive justice of God. The dealings
of God as a sovereign arc often, by the Jewish writers, spoken
of in the same terms as those here used; see Moed Katon,
fol. 9, 1. Exiit filia vocis, dixitque eis; vos omnes ordinati
estis ad vitam scculi futuri. Megilla, fol. 12, 2. Memuchan,
Esther i. 14, i. e., Hainan. Cur vocatur nomen ejus Memucan?
quia ordinatus est ad poenas. .R. Bechai in Pentateuch, fol.
132. Gentes ordinatac ad gchenriam; Israel vero ad vitam.
Fol. 220, 4, Duas istas gentes vocat Salomo duas filias, dicitque
ad gehennam ordinatas esse. Bechoroth, fol. 8, 2. R. Joseph
docuit, hi sunt Persae, qui preparati sunt in gehennam. Wet-
stein on Acts xiii. 48.

VERSE 23. And that lie, mialit make known the riches of
his glory, &c. The grammatical construction of this clause, as
before remarked, is doubtful. The Iva Yviopiorj may depend on
'^y£?-*£y, he bore with the vessels of wrath in order that he
might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of
mercy ; or, they may be connected with xaTypreff/jLeva, vessels
prepared for destruction, in order that he might make known, &c.
Or, we must assume that ?va fuajplffj] is used for the infinitive,
arid that this clause is coordinate with the preceding. i AYhat
if God, to manifest his wrath, bears with the wicked, and to
make known his mercy, prepares others for glory.' The vessels
of merey, i. e., those destined to mercy. The riches of, i. e.,
the abundance or greatness of, his glory. The glory refers to

ROMANS IX. 24. 507

the divine majesty or excellence which is glorious, that is, the
proper object of admiration. It may be used of the divine per
fection in general, or for any of the divine attributes in particu
lar, for his power, as Horn. vi. 4, or his mercy, in Eph. iii. 16.
Here it should be taken in its comprehensive sense, although
from its opposition to the word wrath, the reference is specially
to the mercy of God. That is the attribute most conspicuously
displayed in the salvation of sinners.

Which he had afore prepared, -rtor^oiimazy. This word is
used both in the sense of preparing beforehand, and of predes
tining. Many prefer the latter sense here ; -whom he had pre
destined to glory. Comp. Eph. ii. 10. But the context is in
favour of the ordinary meaning of the word. God, as the pot
ter, prepares or fashions the vessels of mercy unto <jtory. The
word ylory here evidently refers to the glorious state of exist
ence for which God is preparing his people, and in hope of
which they now rejoice, v. '2.

VERSE '24. Even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews
only, but alto of the Gentiles. We are the vessels of his
mercy, even we whom he hath called, i. e., effectually intro
duced by his Spirit into the kingdom of Christ; see chap. viii.
28, 30. The use of the masculine relative at-, although tho
antecedent (jy.i'j-^ s/.sou^ is neuter, may be explained as a con-
structio ad sensum, or better as a case of attraction ; u7j~ taking
the gender of the following ^na^. Winer, § ()•'!, 1. How
naturally does the apostle here return to the main subject of
discussion! How skilfully is the conclusion brought out at
which he has continually aimed ! God chose Isaac in prefer
ence to Ishmael, Jacob in preference to Esau; it is a preroga
tive which he claims and exercises, of selecting from a 1110110- the
guilty family of men, whom he pleases as the objects of his
mercy, and leaving whom he pleases to perish in their sins,
unrestricted in his choice by the descent or previous conduct
of the individuals. He has mercy upon whom he will have
mercy. He calls men, therefore, from among the Gentiles and
from among the Jews indiscriminately. This is the conclusion at
which the apostle aimed. The Gentiles are admitted into the
Messiah's kingdom, vs. 25, 2G ; and the great body of the Jews
are excluded, ver. 27. This conclusion he confirms by explicit

508 ROMANS IX. 6—24.

declarations of Scripture. Ex disputatione, quam hactcnus de
libcrtate divinae clcctionis habuit, duo consequebantur : nompe
Dei gratiam non ita inclusam esse in populo Judaico, ut non ad
alias quoque nationes emanare, et in orbcm universum effundere
ee posset : deinde ne sic quidem alligatam csse Judaeis, ut ad
omnes Abrahae filios secundum carnem sine exceptione pcrvc-
niat. — Calvin.

DOCTRINE.

1. No external circumstance, no descent from pious parents,
no connection with the true church, can secure admission for
men into the kingdom of Christ, vs. G — 12.

2. Paul teaches clearly the doctrine of the personal election
of men to eternal life, an election founded not on works, but on
the good pleasure of God. The choice is to eternal life, and
not to external privileges merely. 1. Because the very point
to be illustrated and established through this and the two fol
io win"1 chapters, is the free admission of men into the Messiah's
kingdom, and its spiritual and eternal blessings, 2. Because
the language of the apostle seems of itself to preclude the other
idea, in vs. 15, 10, and especially in ver. 18, "Therefore he
hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardeneth."
This is not applicable to the reception of men to a state of
peculiar external privileges or their rejection from it. 3. The
case of Pharaoh is not an illustration of the refusal to admit
some men to peculiar privileges. 4. The choice is between the
vessels of mercy and vessels of wrath ; vessels of mercy chosen
unto glory, not unto church privileges, and vessels of wrath
who were to be made the examples of God's displeasure against
sin. 5. The character of the objections to the apostle's doc
trine shows that such was the nature of the choice. If this
election is to eternal life, it is, of course, a choice of individu
als, and not of communities, because communities, as such, do
not inherit eternal life. This is still further proved by the
cases of Isaac and Ishmael, and Jacob and Esau, between
whom, as individuals, the choice was made. From the illustra
tion derived from the case of Pharaoh. From the objections
presented in vs. 14, 19. From the answer to these objections
in vs. 15, 16, 20, 23, especially from the passage just referred

ROMANS IX. 6—24. 509

to, which speaks of the vessels of mercy prepared unto glory ;
which cannot be applied to nations or communities. This elec
tion is sovereign, i. c., is founded on the good pleasure of God,
and not on any thing in its objects. 1. Because this is express
ly asserted. The choice between Jacob and Esau was made
prior to birth, that it might be seen that it was not founded on
works, but on the good pleasure of God, vcr. 11. The same is
clearly stated in ver. 1(J, "It is not of him that willeth or of
him that runneth, but of God that showeth merry:" and also
in vcr. 18, "Therefore he hath mercy on whom he will, tfcc."
The decision rests with God. 2. Because otherwise there
would be no shadow of objection to the doctrine. I low could
men say it was unjust if God chose one and rejected another
according to their works? And how could any one object, as
in ver. 1!>, 'that as the will of God could not be resisted, men
were not to be blamed,' if the decision in question did not
depend on the sovereign will of God? How easy for the
apostle to have answered the objector, 'You are mistaken, the
choice is not of God; lie does not choose whom he will, but those
who IK- sees will choose him. It is not his will, but man's that
decides the point.' Paul does not thus answer. lie vindicates
the doctrine of the divine sovereignty. The fact, therefore,
that Paul had to answer the same objections which are now
constantly urged against the doctrine of election, goes far to
show that that doctrine was his. •>. That the election is
sovereign, is taught elsewhere in Scripture. In - Tim. i. {>, it
is said to bo " not according to our works, but according to his
own purpose and grace." Kpli. i. .">, it is said to lie k- accordinir
to the good pleasure ol his will." i. e.. his sovereign pleasure.
4. This view alone harmonises with the doctrine, that all good
thoughts and right purposes and feelings proceed from God,
which is clearly taught in the Scriptures. For if the purpose
not to resist 'common grace,' is a right purpose, it is of God,
and. of course, it is of him that one man forms it, and another
does not. o. This doctrine is alone consistent with Christian
experience. "Why was I made to hear thy voice?" No
Christian answers this question by saying, because 1 was better
than others.

3. The two leading objections against the doctrine of election,

510 ROMANS IX. 6—24.

viz., that it is inconsistent with the divine character, and incom
patible with human responsibility, are answered by the apostle.
It cannot be unjust, because God claims and exercises the right
of sovereign choice. It is not inconsistent with human respon
sibility, because God does not make men wicked. Though, as
their Sovereign, he has a right to dispose of wicked men as he
pleases. He can, of the same corrupt mass, choose one to
honour, and the other to dishonour, vs. 14 — 23.

4. Scripture must ever be consistent with itself. The rejec
tion of the Jews could not be inconsistent with any of God's
promises, ver. G.

5. The true children of God become such in virtue of a
divine promise, or by the special exercise of his grace. They
are born not of the will of the flesh, but of God, ver. 8.

6. Though children prior to birth do neither good nor evil,
yet they may be naturally depraved. They neither hunger
nor thirst, yet hunger and thirst are natural appetites. They
exercise neither love nor anger, yet these are natural passions.
They know probably neither joy nor sorrow, yet are these
natural emotions, ver. 11.

7. The manifestation of the divine perfections is the last and
highest end of all things, vs. 17, 22, 23.

8. The fact that the destiny of men is in the hands of God
(that it is riot of him that willeth, or him that runneth,) is not
inconsistent with the necessity of the use of means. The fact
that the character of the harvest depends on the sovereign
pleasure of God, does not render the labour of the husbandman
of no account. The same God who says, "I will have mercy
on whom I will," says also, "Work out your salvation with
fear and trembling." The sovereignty of God and the neces
sity of human efforts are both clearly taught in the Scriptures.
At times the former, as in this chapter, at times the latter doc
trine is most insisted upon. Neither should be forgotten or
neglected, as both combine to produce the right impression on
the mind, and to lead us to God in the way of his own appoint
ment, ver. 16.

9. Men, considered as the objects of election, are regarded as
fallen. It is from the corrupt mass that God chooses one
Vessel to honour and one to dishonour, vs. 22, 23.

ROMANS IX. 6—24. 611

10. The judicial abandonment of men to their own ways, the
giving them up to work out their own destruction, is a righteous
though dreadful doom, vs. 18, 22, also chap. i. 24, 26.

REMARKS.

1. If descent from Abraham, participation in all the privi
leges of the theocracy, the true and only church, failed to
secure for the Jews the favour of God, how foolish the expecta
tion of those who rely on outward ordinances and church-rela
tions as the ground of their acceptance, vs. 6 — 13.

2. The doctrine of the sovereignty of God in the choice of
the objects of his mercy should produce, 1. The most profound
humility in those who are called according to his purpose.
They are constrained to say, "Not unto us, not unto us, but
unto thy name be all the glory." 2. The liveliest gratitude,
that we, though so unworthy, should from eternity have been
selected as the objects in which God displays '' the riches of
his gh>rv." •). Confidence and peace, under all circumstances,
because the purpose of God does not change ; whom he has
predestinated, them he also calls, justifies, and glorifies.
4. Diligence in the discharge of all duty, to make our calling
and election sure. That is, to make it evident to ourselves and
others, that we are the called and chosen of God. We should
ever remember that election is to holiness, and consequently to
live in sin, is to invalidate every claim to be considered as one
of "God's elect."

3. As God is the immutable standard of right and truth, the
proper method to answer objections against the doctrines we
profess, is to appeal to what God says, and to what he docs.
Any objection that can be shown to be inconsistent with any
declaration of Scripture, or with any fact in providence, is suffi
ciently answered, vs. 15, IT.

4. It should, therefore, be assumed as a first principle, that
God cannot do wrong. If he does a thing, it must be right.
And it is much safer for us, corrupt and blinded mortals, thus
to argue, than to pursue the opposite course, and maintain that
God does not and cannot do so and so, because in our judgment
it would be wrong, vs. 15 — l(.b

5. All cavilling against God is wicked. It is inconsistent

512 .ROMANS IX. 6—24.

with our relation to him as our Creator. It is a manifestation
of self-ignorance, and of irreverence toward God, ver. 20.

6. What proof of piety is there in believing our own eyes,
or in receiving the deductions of our own reasoning ? But to
confide in God, when clouds and darkness are round about him;
to be sure that what he does is right, and that what he says is
true, when we cannot see how either the one or the other can
be, this is acceptable in his sight. And to this trial he
subjects all his people, vs. 20 — 24.

7. If the manifestation of the divine glory is the highest
end of God in creation, providence, and redemption, it is the
end for which we should live and be willing to die. To substi
tute any other end, as our own glory and advantage, is folly,
sin, and self-destruction, vs. 17, 22, 23.

8. The fact that God says to some men, "Let them alone;"
that "he gives them up to a reprobate mind;" that he with
holds from them, in punishment of their sins, the influences of
his Spirit, should fill all the impenitent with alarm. It should
lead them to obey at once his voice, lest he swear in his wrath
that they shall never enter into his rest, vs. 17, 18.

9. We and all things else arc in the hands of God. lie
worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. The Lord
reigns, let the earth rejoice, vs. 14 — 24.

110MAXS IX. 25—33.

ANALYSTS.

THE conclusion at which the apostle had arrived in the pre
ceding section, was, that God is at liberty to select the objects
of his mercy, indiscriminately, from among the Gentiles and
Jews. This conclusion he now confirms by the declarations of
the Old Testament, according to which it is clear, 1. That
those were to be included in the kingdom of God, who origi
nally were considered as aliens, vs. 25, 26 ; and 2. That, as to
the Israelites, only a small portion should attain to the blessings
of the Messiah's reign, and of course, the mere being a Jew by
birth was no security of salvation, vs. 27 — 29. The inference

ROMANS IX. 25. 513

from all this is, that the Gentiles are called, and the Jews, as
Jews, are rejected, vs. 30, 31. The reason of this rejection is
that they would not submit to the terms of salvation presented
in the gospel, ver. 32. As it had been long before predicted,
they rejected their Messiah, taking offence at him, seeing
in him no form or comeliness that they should desire him,
ver. 33.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 25. The first part of the general conclusion, contained
in the 24th verso, is, that the Gentiles are eligible to the bless
ings of Christ's kingdom. This the apostle confirms by two
passages from the prophecies of Hosea, which express the
genera] sentiment, that those who, under the old economy,
were not regarded as the people of God, should hereafter
(i. e., under the Messiah) become his people. The first passage
cited is from Hosea ii. 23, which in our version is, k> I will have
mercy on her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to
tJ/oti ->r]i t'-1i were not my people, tbou art my people." The
Hebrew, however, admits of the rendering given by the apostle,
as the word translated to h«>'<' nieroj may signify to love. The
difficulty with, regard to this passage is, that in Hosea it evi
dently has reference not to the heathen, but to the ten tribes.
"\Vhereas, Paul refers it to the Gentiles, as is also done by Peter,
1 Peter ii. 1<). This difficulty is sometimes gotten over by
giving a different view of the apostle's object in the citation,
and making it refer to the restoration of the Jews. .Hut this
interpretation is obviously at variance with the context. It is
more satisfactory to say, that the ten tribes were in a heathen
ish state, relapsed into idolatry, and, therefore, what was said
of them, is of course applicable to others in like circumstances,
or of like character. What amounts to much the same thing,
the sentiment of the prophet is to be taken generally, 'those
who were excluded from the theocracy, who were regarded and
treated as aliens, were hereafter to be treated as the people of
God.' In this view, it is perfectly applicable to the apostle's
object, which was to convince the Jews, that the blessings of
Christ's kingdom were not to be confined within the pale of the
Old Testament economy, or limited to those who, in their
33

514 ROMANS IX. 26, 27, 28.

external relations, were considered the people of God ; on the
contrary, those who, according to the rules of that economy,
were not the people of God, should hereafter become such.
This method of interpreting and applying Scripture is both
common and correct. A general truth, stated in reference to a
particular class of persons, is to be considered as intended to
apply to all those whose character and circumstances are the
same, though the form or words of the original enunciation may
not be applicable to all embraced within the scope of the general
sentiment. Thus what is said of one class of heathen, as such,
is applicable to all others, and what is said of one portion of
aliens from the Old Testament covenant, may properly be
referred to others.

VERSE 26. And it shall come to pass, that in the place ivJiere
it was said to them. Ye are not my people, &c. This quotation
is more strictly conformed to the Hebrew than the preceding.
It is from Hosea i. 10. The sentiment is the same as before.
The combination of two or more disconnected passages in one
quotation, is riot unusual in the New Testament, and was a
common practice with the Jewish Rabbins, who, as Surenhusius
says, Interdum plura loca sacrae Scripturae in unum contrahi
solent ad efficaciorem rei demonstrationem. In the place where,
Iv TW TOTTOJ ov, is by many understood of Palestine. The pro
phet predicts the ten tribes should be restored, and that they
should be again recognised as part of the people of God in the
very place where they had been regarded as apostates and out
casts. Others think that the apostle refers to the church,
in coetu Christianorum, ubi diu dubitatum est, an recte Gen
tiles reciperentur, ibi appellabantur filii Dei. — Fritzsche. Much
the most common and natural explanation is, that the reference
is indefinitely to the heathen world. Wherever, in every
place, where the people had been regarded as aliens, they
should be called the children of God. That is, those formerly
not his people, should become his people.

VERSES 27, 28. The second part of the apostle's conclusion,
ver. 24, is, that the Jews, as such, were not to be included in
the kingdom of Christ, which, of course, is implied in all those
predictions which speak of them as in general cut off and
rejected. Two such passages Paul quotes from Isaiah. The

ROMANS IX. 27, 28. 515

first is from Isaiah x. 22, 23. Thowjh the number of the chil
dren of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be
saved, for he will finish the work and cut it short in righteous
ness: because a short work will the Lord 'make in the earth.
This passage is nearer the LXX. translation than to the Hebrew.
The general sense is the same in both, and also in the apostle's
version, k However numerous the children of Israel might be,
onlv a .small portion of them should eseape the judgments of
God.' This being the case, it is evident that the mere being a
Jew was never considered sufficient to secure the divine
favour. The portion of the prophecy contained in ver. 27 is
the principal point, 'Only a few of the Jews were to be saved/
What is contained in ver. 2-S is an amplification, or states the
converse of the preceding proposition. " Must of the- Jews
should be cut off'.' The passage in Isaiah, therefore, is strictly
applicable to the apostle's object.*

Our version of ver. 2-S is consistent with the original."}" But
it mav also he rendered, •• lie will execute and determine on
the judgment with righteousness, for a judgment determined on,
will the Lord execute in the earth." The word (//^-ov) ren
dered work in our version, means properly a word, something
spoken, and may refer to a promi**', or threatening, according to
the context. Here of course a threatening is intended; the
judgment threatened by the prophet in the context. The word
(<ryi/T£/(0^) rendered Jie. will Jiniish* means bringing to an end,
and here perhaps, e.reenfinf/ at once, bringing to an end speedily.
And the term (ff'j^rsf^w^) translated ruffing x/turt, may mean
deciding upon. See Dan. ix. 24, " Seventy weeks <//v deter
mined (auiszTfjrj&rjGav) upon my people." But the ordinary

* Sed quia M <le sno temporc vaticinatus cst propheta; videndnni, quomodo
ad institutmn suuna Paulus rite accommodet. Sieautem debet: Ouniu Dorninus
vellet o captivitate Babylonica populum suuiu liberare, ex imrnensa ilia multi-
tucline ad paucissimos modo liherationis s\iae benefioium pervenire voluit ; qui
excidii reliquiae merito dici possent prat' numeroso illo populo quern in exilio
perire sinebat. Jam re.stitutio ilia carnalis verani ecclesiae Dei instanra-
tionein figuravit, quae in Chri>to pcragitur, iino ejus duntaxat fuit exordium.
Quod ergo tune accidit, multo certius nunc adimpleri convenit in ipso libera-
tionis progressu et complemento. — Calvin.

f Calvin translates it much in the same way, Sermonem enim consummans
et abbrevians, quonian sermonem abbreviatum faciet Douiiuus in terra.

516 ROMANS IX. 29.

sense of the word is in favour of our version, and so is the con
text.* If it were allowable to take the same word in different
senses in the same passage, the verse might be rendered thus,
'For he will execute the judgment, and accomplish it speedily,
for the judgment determined upon will the Lord execute in
the earth/ This same word is used in one of these senses,
Dan. ix. 24, and in the other in vcr. 20 of the same chapter.
See, too, an analogous example in 1 Cor. iii. 17, " If any man
((p&£if)si) defile the temple of God, him will God (qd-sps!)
destroy." Here the same word is rendered correctly, first
defile, and then destroy. We may, therefore, render the
last clause of the verse either as in our version, or as given
above.

VERSE 29. The second passage quoted by the apostle is from
Ls;i. i. 9, Except the Lord of hosts had left us a seed, we had
been as Sodom, been made like unto Gomorrah. The object of
this quotation is the same as that of the preceding, viz., to
show that being Israelites was not enough to secure either
exemption from divine judgments or the enjoyment of God's
favour. The passage is perfectly in point, for although the
prophet is speaking of the national judgments which the people
had brought upon themselves by their sins, and by which they
were well nigh cut off entirely, yet it was necessarily involved
in the destruction of the people for their idolatry and other
crimes, that they perished from the kingdom of God. Of
course the passage strictly proves what Paul designed to estab
lish, viz., that the Jews, as Jews, were as much exposed to God's
judgments as others, and consequently could lay no special
claim to admission into the kingdom of heaven.

Paul here again follows the Septuagint. The only difference,
however, is, that the Greek version has (creep pa) a seed, instead
of a remnant, as it is in the Hebrew. The sense is precisely
the same. The Hebrew word means that which remains; and
seed, as used in this passage, means the seed reserved
for sowing. The figure, therefore, is striking and beautiful.
Lord of Hosts is a frequent designation for the Supreme God
in the Old Testament. As the word host is used in reference

* See Koppe and Wetstein for a satisfactory exhibition of the usus loquendi
as to this word.

ROMANS IX. 30. 517

to any multitude arranged in order, as of men in an army,
of angels, of the stars, or of all the heavenly bodies, including
the sun and moon, so the expression Lord of hosts, may mean
Lord of armies, Lord of angels, or Lord of heaven, or of the
universe as a marshalled host; see 1 Kings xxii. 19, "I saw
the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven
standing by him;" 2 Chron. xviii. 11, Ps. ciii. -1, Ps. cxlviii. 2,
'•Praise ye him, all his angels, praise ye him, all his hosts."
In other passages, the reference is, •with equal distinctness,
to the stars, Jer. xxxiii. 22, Deut. iv. 19, and frequently. It
is most probable, therefore, that God is called Lord of hosts
in reference to his Lordship over the whole heavens, and all
that they contain, Lord of hosts being equivalent to Lord of
the universe.

VKRSE 30. Having proved that God was free to call the
Gentiles as well as the Jews into Ins kingdom, and that it had
been predicted that the great body of the Jews were to be
rejected, he conies now to >tatc the immediate ground of this
rejection. ll'/idt xhaU ice ,sv/ty then / This may mean either,
* What is the inference from the preceding discussion?' and the
answer follows, "The conclusion is, the Gentiles are called and
the Jews rejected;' or, 'What shall we say, or object to the
fact that the Gentiles arc accepted,' \c., &c. So Flatt and
others. Put the former explanation is better suited to the
context, especially to ver. 32, and to the apostle's common use
of this expression; see ver. 1.4, chap. vii. T, viii. 31.

Tlmt ili.f Gr entiles ir/drj/ followed not <ifter righteousness^
hare attained., A:c. The inference is, that what to all human
probability was the most unlikely to occur, has actually taken,
place. The Gentiles, sunk in carelessness and sin, have attain
ed the favour of God, while the Jews, to whom religion was a
business, have utterly failed. Why is this? The reason is
given in ver. 32; it was because the Jews would not submit to
be saved on the terms which God proposed, but insisted on
reaching heaven in their own wav. To follow after righteous
ness^ is to press forward towards it as towards the prize in a
race, Phil. iii. 14. Righteousness , dtmcoa'jvr), uniformly in
Paul's writings, means either an attribute, as when we ascribe
righteousness to God; or, what constitutes righteousness, i. e.,

518 ROMANS IX. 31.

that which satisfies the demands of justice or of the law, as
when God is said to impute righteousness. That is, he ascribes
to men, or sets to their account, that which constitutes them
righteous in the sight of the law. Sometimes, however, the
word includes by implication, the consequences of possessing
this righteousness. This is the case in this passage. Those
who sought after righteousness, sought to be regarded arid
treated as righteous in the sight of God; that is, they sought
after justification. This, however, does not imply that or/Mfocnj^
signifies justification. It means righteousness, the possession of
which secures justification. Justification is a declarative act of
God; righteousness is the ground on which that declaration is
made.

Even the righteousness which is of faith, i. e., even that
righteousness which is attained by faith. Throughout this
verse, the word righteousness, as expressing the sum of the di
vine requisitions, that which fulfils the law retains its meaning.
'The Gentiles did not s-eek this righteousness, yet they attained
it; not that righteousness which is of the law, but that which
is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God by
faith,' Phil. iii. 9. They obtained that which satisfied the
demands of the law, and was acceptable in the sight of God.

VERSE 31. What the Gentiles thus attained, the Jews
failed to secure. The former he had described as "not follow
ing after righteousness ;" the latter he characterizes as those
who follow after the law of righteousness. The expression laiv
of righteousness may be variously explained. Law may be
taken in its general sense of rule, as in chap. iii. 27, and else
where. The meaning would then be, 'They followed after,
i. e., they attended diligently to, the rule which they thought
would lead to their attaining righteousness or being justified,
but they did not attain unto that rule which actually leads to
such results.' Law of Righteousness is, then, norma juxta quam
Deus justificat. This is the interpretation of Calvin, Calovius,
Bengel, and many others. Or, 2. The word law may be
redundant, and Paul may mean to say nothing more than that
'The Jews sought righteousness or justification, but did not
attain it,' This, no doubt, is the substance, though it may not
be the precise form of the thought. 3. Law of righteousness

ROMANS IX. 32, 33. 519

is often understood here as equivalent to righteousness which is
of the laiv. This, however, is rather forced, and not very con
sistent with the latter clause of the verse, "Have not attained
to the law of righteousness," which can hardly be so inter
preted. Meyer, Tholuck, and others, take the phrase law of
righteousness in both parts of the verse in what they call an
ideal sense. The Jews strove to realize the justifying law,
i. e., to attain that standard which secured their justification.
It is more common to take the words as referring to the Mosaic
and moral law, as revealed in the Scriptures, in the former part
of the verse, and in the latter, the law of faith. "The Jews
made the Mosaic law, (the law of works,) the object of their
zeal, ius the means of attaining righteousness, and therefore did
not attain to that law (the law of faith, Horn, iii. 27,) which
really secures righteousness.' They were zealous to attain
righteousness, but failed. Why? The answer is given in the
next verse.

YEKSK o2. Jlcranxe tliey wit'/hf if not l>/ f<ntl^ out, '/*• it
were, fit/ tli- works of tin' law. In other words, they would not
submit to the method of justification proposed by (lod, which
was alone suitable for sinners, and persisted in trust ing to their
own imperfect works. The reason why one man believes and
is saved, rather than another, is to be sought in the sovereign
grace of God, according to Paul's doctrine in the proeeding
part of this chapter, and chap. viii. 2S, '1 Tim. i. (>, &c.; but
the ground of the rejection and condemnation of men is always
in themselves. The vessels of wrath which are destroyed, arc
destroyed <>n account of their sins. No man, therefore, can
throw the blame of his perdition on any other than himself.
This verse, consequently, is very far from being inconsistent
with the doctrine of the divine sovereignty as taught above.
The force of the word rendered «x it wv/v, may be explained
by paraphrasing the clause thus, 'as though thev supposed it
could be obtained by the works of the law.' See '2 Cor. iii. 5,
ii. 7, 'They sought it as (being) of the works of the law.' For
tltey stumbled at that stumbling -stone. That is, they did as it
had been predicted they would do, they took offence at the
Messiah and at the plan of salvation which he came to reveal.

VERSE 33. What it was they stumbled at, the apostle

520 ROMANS IX. 33.

declares in this verse, and shows that the rejection of the
Messiah by the Jews was predicted in the Old Testament.
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling-stone, and a
rock of offence; and whosoever believeth on him shall not be
ashamed. This passage is apparently made up of two, one
occurring in Isa. xxviii. 16, the other in Isa. viii. 14. In both
of these passages mention is made of a stone, but the predicates
of this stone, as given in the latter passage, are transferred to
the other, and those there mentioned omitted. This method of
quoting Scripture is common among all writers, especially where
the several passages quoted and merged into each other, refer
to the same subject. It is obvious that the writers of the New
Testament are very free in their mode of quoting from the Old,
giving the sense, as they, being inspired by the same Spirit,
could do authoritatively, without binding themselves strictly to
the words. The former of the two passages here referred to
stands thus in our version, " Behold, I lay in Zion for a foun
dation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure
foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste," which is
according to the Hebrew. The other passage, Isa. viii. 14, is,
"And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling
and a rock of offence to both houses of Israel."

Isaiah xxviii. is a prophecy against those who had various
false grounds of confidence, and who desired a league with
Egypt as a defence against the attacks of the Assyrians. God
says, he has laid a much more secure foundation for his church
than any such confederacy, even a precious, tried corner stone ;
those who confided to it should never be confounded. The pro
phets, constantly filled with the expectation of the Messiah,
and, in general, ignorant of the time of his advent, were accus
tomed, on every threatened danger, to comfort the people by
the assurance that the efforts of their enemies could not pre
vail, because the Messiah was to come. Until his advent, they
could not, as a people, be destroyed, and when he came, there
should be a glorious restoration of all things; see Isa. vii.
14 — 16, and elsewhere. There is, therefore, no force in the
objection, that the advent of Christ was an event too remote to
be available to the consolation of the people, when threatened
with the immediate invasion of their enemies. This passage

ROMANS IX. 33. 521

is properly quoted by the apostle, because it was intended
originally to apply to Christ. The sacred writers of the
New Testament so understood and explain it; see 1 Peter
ii. 6, Matt. xxi. 42, Acts iv. 11 ; compare also Ps. cxviii. 22,
1 Cor. iii. 11, Epli. ii. 20, and other passages, in which Christ
is spoken of as the foundation or corner stone of his church.
The same interpretation of the passage was given by the
ancient Jews-*

The other passage, Isa. viii. 14, is of much the same charac
ter. God exhorts the people not to be afraid of the combina
tion between Syria and Ephrairn. The Lord of hosts was to
be feared and trusted, he would be a refuge to those who con
fided in him, but a stone of stumbling and rock of offence to all
others. This passage, too, as appears from a comparison of
the one previously cited witli Ps. cxviii. 22, and the quotation
and application of them by the New Testament writers, refers
to Christ. AYhat is said in the Old Testament of Jehovah, the
inspired penmen of the New do not hesitate to refer to the
Saviour; compare John xii. 41, Isa. vi. 1, Ileb. i. 10, 11, Ps.
cii. 25, 1 Cor. x. (,», Exod. xvii. 2, 7. When God, therefore,
declared that he should be a sanctuary to one class of the peo
ple, and a rock of o Hence to another, he meant that he, in the
person of his Son, as the Immanuel, would thus be confided in
bv some, but rejected and despised by others. The whole
spirit, opinions, and expectations of the Jews were adverse to
the person, character, and doctrines of the Redeemer, lie
was, therefore, to them a stumbling-block, as he was to others
fooli.-hness. They could not recognise him as their fondly
anticipated Messiah, nor consent to enter the kingdom of
heaven on the terms which he prescribed. In them, therefore,
were fulfilled the ancient prophecies, which spoke of their rejec
tion of Christ, and consequent excision from the people of God.

DOCTRINE.

1. Exclusion from the pale of any visible church does not of
itself imply that men are without the reach of divine mercy,
vs. 25, 20.

* Martini Pugio Fidci, Lib. II. cap. 5, p. 3-12, and the passages quoted by
EosenmQllcr and Geseuius on Isa. xxviii. 16.

522 ROMANS IX. 25—33.

2. As the world has hitherto existed, only a small portion of
the nominal members of the Church, or of the professors of the
true religion, has been the real people of God, vs. 27, 28, 29,

3. Error is often a greater obstacle to the salvation of men
than carelessness or vice. Christ said that publicans and har
lots would enter the kingdom of God before the Pharisees. In
like manner the thoughtless and sensual Gentiles were more
susceptible of impression from the gospel, and were more fre
quently converted to Christ, than the Jews, who were wedded
to erroneous views of the plan of salvation, vs. 30, 31.

4. Agreeably to the declarations of the previous portion of
this chapter, and the uniform tenor of Scripture, the ground of
the distinction between the saved and the lost, is to be found
not in men, but in God. He has mercy on whom he will have
mercy. But the ground of the condemnation of men is always
in themselves. That God gave his saving grace to more Gen
tiles than Jews, in the early ages of the Church, must be refer
red to his sovereign pleasure ; but that the Jews were cut off
and perished, is to be referred to their own unbelief. In like
manner, every sinner must look into his own heart and conduct
for the ground of his condemnation, and never to any secret
purpose of God, ver. 32.

5. Christ crucified has ever been either foolishness or an
offence to unrenewed men. Hence, right views of the Saviour's
character, and cordial approbation of the plan of salvation
through him, are characteristic of those "who are called;"
i. e., they are evidences of a renewed heart, ver. 33.

REMARKS.

1. The consideration that God has extended to us, who were
not his people, all the privileges and blessings of his children,
should be a constant subject of gratitude, vs. 25, 26.

2. If only a remnant of the Jewish Church, God's own peo
ple, were saved, how careful and solicitous should all professors
of religion be, that their faith and hope be well founded, vs.
27—29.

3. Let no man think error in doctrine a slight practical evil.
No road to perdition has ever been more thronged than that of
false doctrine. Error is a shield over the conscience, and a
bandage over the eyes, vs. 30, 31.

ROMANS X. 523

4. No form of error is more destructive than that which leads
to self-dependence; either reliance on our own powers, or on our
own merit, ver. 32.

5. To criminate God, and excuse ourselves, is always an
evidence of ignorance and depravity, ver. 32.

G. Christ declared those blessed who were not offended at
him. If our hearts are right in the sight of God, Jesus Christ
is to us at once the object of supreme affection, and the sole
ground of confidence, ver. 33.

7. The gospel produced at first the same effects as those we
now witness. It had the sumo obstacles to surmount; and it
was received or rejected by the same classes of men then as
now. Its history, therefore, is replete with practical instruc
tion.

CHAPTER X.

CONTEXTS.

THE object of this chapter, as of the preceding and of the
one which follows, is to set forth the truth in reference to the
rejection of the Jews as the peculiar people of God, and the
extension to all nations of the offers of salvation. The first
verses are again, as those at the beginning of elm p. i\-., intro
ductory and conciliatory, setting forth the ground of the rejec
tion of the Jews, vs. 1 — 4. The next section contains an
exhibition of the terms of salvation, designed to show that they

were as accessible to the Gentiles as the Jews, vs. f> 10. The

plan of salvation being adapted to all, and God being the God
of all, the gospel should be preached to all, vs. 11 — 17. The
truth here taught (the calling of the Gentiles, &c.,) was pre
dicted clearly in the Old Testament, vs. 18 — 21.

ROMANS X. 1—10.

ANALYSIS.

\Vlin his usual tenderness, the apostle assures his brethren
of his solicitude for their welfare, and of his proper appreciation

524 ROMANS X. 1, 2.

of their character, vs. 1, 2. The difficulty was, that they would
not submit to the plan of salvation proposed in the gospel, and,
therefore, they rejected the Saviour. This was the true ground
of their excision from the people of God, vs. 3, 4. The method
of justification, on which the Jews insisted, was legal, and from
its nature must be confined to themselves, or to those who
would consent to become Jews. Its terms, when properly
understood, were perfectly impracticable, ver. 5. But the
gospel method of salvation prescribes no such severe terms, it
simply requires cordial faith and open profession, vs. 6 — 10.
This, he shows, in the next verses, is the doctrine of the Scrip
tures, and from it he infers the applicability of this plan to all
men, Gentiles as well as Jews.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 1. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for
Israel is, that they might be saved.* As the truth which Paul
was to reiterate in the ears of the Jew was, of all others, to
them the most offensive, he endeavours to allay their enmity,
first, by assuring them of his affection, and secondly, by avoid
ing all exaggeration in the statement of their case. The- word
Eudoxia means either good pleasure, sovereign purpose, Matt. xi.
26, Luke ii. 14, 2 Thess. i. 11, Eph. i. 5, 9, or benevolence,
kind feeling, or desire, as in Phil. i. 15. The latter sense best
suits this passage. Paul meant to assure his brethren accord
ing to the flesh, that all his feelings towards them were kind,
and that he earnestly desired their salvation. He had no
pleasure in contemplating the evils which impended over them,
his earnest desire and prayer was (ere ff&Typiav) that they might
be saved; literally to salvation, as expressing the end or object
towards which his wishes and prayers tend; see chap. vi. 22,
Gal. iii. 17, and frequent examples elsewhere of this use of the
preposition ere-

VERSE 2. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of
Crod. So far from desiring to exaggerate the evil of their con-

* Hinc videmus, quanta sollicitudine sanctus vir offensionibus obyiarit.
Adhuc enim, ut temperet quicquid erat accerbitatis in exponenda Judaeorum
rejectione, suam, ut prius, erga eos benevolentiam testatur, et earn ab effectu
comprobat, quod sibi eorum salus curae esset coram Domino. — Calvin.

ROMANS X. 3. 525

duct, the apostle, as was his uniform manner, endeavoured to
bring every thing commendable and exculpatory fully into view.
The word for, has here its appropriate force, as it introduces
the ground or reason of the preceding declaration. CI desire
their salvation, for they themselves are far from being uncon
cerned as to divine things.' Zeal of God may mean very great
zeal, as cedars of God mean great cedars, according to a com
mon Hebrew idiom; or zeal of 'which God is the object; the
latter explanation is to be preferred. John ii. IT, " The zeal
of thy house hath eaten me up.'' Acts xxi. 22, "Zealous of
the law." Acts xxii. 8, "Zealous of God." Gal. i. 14, &c.,
&c. The Jews had great zeal about God, but it was wrong as
to its object, and of consequence wrong in its moral qualities.
Zeal, when rightly directed, however ardent, is humble and
amiable. ~\\ hen its object is evil, it is proud, censorious, and
cruel. Hence, the importance of its being properlv guided,
not merely to prevent the waste of feeling and effort, but prin
cipally to prevent its evil effects on ourselves and others. Hut
not according to knoivledge. Commentators notice that Paul
uses the word i-c{\,w(j>~. The Jews had '(\,MCII~ (knowledge),
what they lacked was e-q^om^. correct knowledge and appre
ciation. Their knowledge was neither enlightened nor wise;
neither right as to its objects, nor correct in its character. The
former idea is here principally intended. The Jews were zeal
ous about their law, the traditions of their fathers, and the
establishment of their own merit. How natural! v would a zeal
for such objects make men place religion in the observance.1 of
external rites; and be connected with pride, consoriousness, and
a persecuting spirit. In so far. however, as this zeal was a zeal
about God, it was preferable to indifference, and is, therefore,
mentioned by the apostle with qualified commendation.

VEKSE •]. For the// being ignorant of God'x r/t/hfeousncss,
and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not.
&c. The grand mistake of the Jews was about the method
of justification. Ignorance on this point implied ignorance of
the character of God, of the requirements of the law, and of
themselves. It was, therefore, arid is, and must ever continue
to be a vital point. Those who err essentially here, err fatally;
and those who are right here, cannot be wrong us to other

526 ROMANS X. 3.

necessary truths. Their own righteousness, ryv idiav dixaio-
G'jvry, which Theophylact correctly interprets. Try s^ loftou edicov
xac TiOvcov xaToofioujuev/jv. The phrase righteousness of Grod,
admits here, as in other parts of the epistle, of various inter
pretations. 1. It may mean the divine holiness or general
moral perfection of God. In this way the passage would mean,
4 Being ignorant of the perfection or holiness of God, and, of
course, of the extent of his demands, and going about to estab
lish their own excellence, &c.' This gives a good sense, but it
is not consistent with the use of the expression righteousness of
Grod, in other similar passages, as chap. i. 17, iii. 21, £c. And,
secondly, it requires the phrase to be taken in two different
senses in the same verse,' for the last clause, 'Have not sub<
mitted themselves to the righteousness of God,' cannot mean,
'They have not submitted to the divine holiness.' 2. The term
may mean that righteousness of which God is the author, that
which he approves and accepts. This interpretation is, in this
case, peculiarly appropriate, from the opposition of the two
expressions, righteousness of Grod and their oiun righteousness.
' Being ignorant of that righteousness w^hich God has provided,
and which he bestows, and endeavouring to establish their own,
they refused to accept of his.' The sense here is perfectly
good, and the interpretation may be carried through the verse,
being applicable to the last clause as well as to the others. A
comparison of this passage with Phil. iii. 9, "Not having my
own righteousness, but the righteousness which is of God," is
also in favour of this interpretation. For there the phrase
the righteousness which is of Grod, can only mean that which he
gives, and with this phrase the expression the righteousness
of Grod, in this verse, seems to be synonymous.* 3. Thirdly,
Some interpreters take righteousness in the sense of justifica
tion, "justification of God" being taken as equivalent to
' Crod's method of justification.'' 'Being ignorant of God's
method of justification, and going about to establish their

* Judaei habuere et liabent zelum sine scientia, nos contra, proh dolor,
scientiam sine zelo. — Flacius, quoted by Bcngel. Melius est vel claudicare in
via, quani extra viam strenue currere, ut ait Augustinus. Si religiosi esse
volumus, meminerimus verum esse, quod Lactantius docet, earn demum veram
esse religionein quae conjuncta est cum Dei verbo.— Calvin.

ROMANS X. 4. 527

own, they have not submitted themselves to the method which X
he has proposed.' The cause of the rejection of the Jews was
their rejection of the method of salvation through a crucified
Redeemer, and their persisting in confiding in their own merits
and advantages as the ground of their acceptance with God.
Although this is the meaning of the passage, it is not the sense
of the words. Righteousness does not signify justification. It
is that on which the sentence of justification is founded. Those
who have righteousness, either personal and inherent, or
imputed, are justified. As we have no righteousness of our
own, nothing that we have done or experienced, nothing per
sonal or subjective, that can answer the demands of the law, we
can be justified only through the righteousness of God, imputed
to us and received by faith.

VERSK 4. For Christ /.s the end of the law for righteousness
to every one that Iclieveth. The precise connection of this verso
with the preceding, depends on the view taken of its meaning.
The general import of the passage is sufficiently obvious, but its
exact sense is not so easy to determine, on account of the am
biguity of tin- word (rs/.oc) translated e)t<1. The word may
signify, 1. The object to which an// thing li'ailx. Christ is, in
this sense, the end of the law, inasmuch as the law was a
schoolmaster to lead us to him, Gal. iii. 24; and as all its types
and prophecies pointed to him, u They were a shadow of things
to come, but the body i> of Christ,'' Col. ii. IT, Ileb. ix. 9.
The meaning and connection of the passage would then be.
'The Jews erred in seeking justification from the law, fur the
law was designed, not to afford justification, but to lead them to
Christ, in order that they might be justified.' To Christ all
its portions tended, he was the object of its types and the
subject of its predictions, and its precepts and penalty urge the
soul to him as the only refuge. So Calvin, Dengel, and the
majority of commentator.-.

* Indicat lejris prsieposterurn intcrpretcm essc, qui per cjus opera justifil
carl quaerit, quoniam in hoc lex data est, quo nos ad aliam justitiam
maim duceret. lino (piicquid doceat lex, 4uicquid praecipiat, quicquid pro-
mittat semper Christum habet pro scopo; ergo iu ipsuni dirigendae sunt omnes
partes. — Calvin.

Lex hominem urget, donee is ad Christum confugit. Turn ipsa dicit: asylum
es nactus, dcsino tc pwrsequi, sapis, salvus vs. — Bengel.

528 ROMANS X. 4.

2. The word may be taken in the sense of completion or
fulfilment. Then Christ is the end of the law, because he
fulfils all its requisitions, all its types and ceremonies, and
satisfies its preceptive and penal demands. See Matt. v. 17,
" Think not I am come to destroy the law or the prophets, I
am not come to destroy, but to fulfil;" and Rom. viii. 4. The
philological ground for this interpretation is slight. 1. Tim.
i. 5, is compared with Rom. xiii. 10, in order to prove that the
word (TS).O^) here translated end, is equivalent to the word
(ntypco[j.a) which is there (Rom. xiii. 10) rendered fulfilling.
The sense, according to this interpretation, is scriptural, but is
not consistent with the meaning of the word.

3. We may take the word in its more ordinary sense of end
or termination, and understand it metonymically for he who
terminates or £>uts cm end to. The meaning and connection
would then be, ' The Jews mistake the true method of justifica
tion, because they seek it from the law, whereas Christ has
abolished the law, in order that all who believe may be justified.'
Compare Epli. ii. 15, "Having abolished in his flesh the
enmity, even the law of commandments;" Col. ii. 4, "Blotting
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, &c,"
Gal. iii. 10, 12, Rom. vi. 14, vii. 4, 6, and the general drift of
the former part of the epistle. In sense, this interpretation
amounts the same with the preceding, though it differs from it
in form. Christ has abolished the law, not by destroying, but
by fulfilling it. He has abolished the law as a rule of justifica
tion, or covenant of works, and the whole Mosaic economy
having met its completion in him, has by him been brought to
an end. In Luke xvi. 16, it is said, " The law and the prophets
were until John;" then, in one sense, they ceased, or came to
an end. When Christ came, the old legal system was abolished,
and a new era commenced. The same idea is presented in
Gal. iii. 23, "Before faith came we were kept under the law,"
but when Christ appeared, declaring, "Believe and thou shalt be
saved," we were no longer und erthat bondage. The doctrine is
clearly taught in Scripture, that those who are out of Christ
are under the law, subject to its demands and exposed to its
penalty. His coming and work have put an end to its authority,
we are no longer under the law, but under grace, Rom. vi. 14;

ROMANS X. 5. 529

we are no longer under the system which says, Do this, and
live; but under that which says, Believe, and thou shalt be
saved. This abrogation of the law, however, is not by setting
it aside, but bv fulfilling its demands. It is because Christ is
the ful filler of the law, that he is the end of it. It is the latter
truth which the apostle here asserts. The word law is obvi
ously here used in its prevalent sense throughout this epistle,
for the whole rule of duty prescribed to man, including for the
Jews the whole of the Mosaic institutions. That laiv is
intended which has been fulfilled, satisfied, or abrogated by
Jesus Christ. For righteousness to every one tJc.it believeth.
The general meaning of this clause, in this connection, is, 'So
that, or, in order that, every believer may be justified:' Christ
has abolished the law, ?j/« dexouco&fj ~'/c o 7ir,(j~i')wv Irr" aurw, in
in order that every believer may attain righteousness, which is
unattainable l>v the law. The law is abolished by Christ, not
as a rule of life, but as a covenant prescribing the condition
of life. The wav in which this idea is arrived at, however, may
be variously explained. 1. The preposition (s/c) rendered for,
rnav be rendered as to, as it relat<'$ to. "Christ is the end of
the law, as it relates to righteousness.' 2. Jt may be under
stood of the effect or result, and be resolved into the verbal
construction with that, or so that : 'Christ is the end. \c., that
righteousness is to every believer; or so that, every believer is
justified.' •>. It may point out the end or olji'vt. "Christ
has abolished the law in order that every one that believes, &c.'
The last is the correct explanation. The Jews, then, did not
submit to the righteousness of (lod, that is, to the righteous
ness which he had provided, for they did not submit to Christ,
who is the end of the law. lie has abolished the law, in order
that every one that believes may be justified.

ArKRjK f>. For J/'^v.v dcscribeth tJf righteousness which is of
the lair. That is, concerning the righteousness which is of
the law, Moses thus writes. In the last clause of the pre
ceding verse it was clearly intimated that faith was the con
dition of salvation under the gospel. ' To every one, without
distinction, that believeth, is justification secured.' On this
the apostle connects his description and contrast of the two
methods of justification, the one by works and the other by
34

530 ROMANS X. 6, 7.

faith, with the design of showing that the former is in its
nature impracticable, while the other is reasonable and easy,
and adapted to all classes of men, Jews and Gentiles, and
should therefore be offered to all.

The righteousness which is of the law. The word righteous
ness has here its common and proper meaning. It is that
which constitutes a man righteous, which meets the demands
of the law, or satisfies the claims of justice. The man who is
righteous, or who possesses righteousness, cannot be condemned.
The apostle in his whole argument proceeds on the assumption
that God is just; that he does and must demand righteousness
in those whom he justifies. There are but two possible ways in
which this righteousness can be obtained — by works, or by
faith. We must either have a righteousness of our own, or
receive and trust in a righteousness which is not our own, but
which has been wrought out for us, and presented to us, as the
ground of our acceptance with God. The quotation is from
Lev. xviii. o, "The man that doeth those things shall live by
them." Those things are the things prescribed in the law. It
is the clear doctrine of the Scriptures, that obedience to the
law, to secure justification, must be perfect. For it is said,
" Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things written
in the book of the law to do them;" and, he that offendeth in
one point, is guilty of all. It is not necessary that a man who
commits murder should also steal, in order to bring him under
the penalty of the law. The legal system, then, which
demanded obedience, required perfect obedience. Those, and
those only, who were thus free from sin, should live, i. e., shall
enjoy that life which belongs to him as a rational and immortal
being. It is a life which includes the whole man, soul and
body, and the whole course of his existence, in this world and
in that which is to come. Zr^era: ex mente Judaeorum inter-
pretatur de vita aeterna, ut Tar gum, Levit. xviii. 4. The
Jewish writers also well remark, that Moses says, Qui fecerit
ea homo; non dicitur, Sacerdos, Levita, Israelita, sed homo; ut
discas, etiam gentilem, si proselytus fiat, et det legi operam,
intelligi. See Wetstein.

VERSES 6, 7. But the righteousness which is of faith speak-
eth on this ivise, Say not, &c. Moses says one thing; the

ROMANS X. 6, 7. 531

righteousness of faith says another thing, The same kind of
personification occurs in Gal. iii. 23, 2«3. The phrase righteous
ness of faith, or as it is here, which is of faith , admits of differ
ent interpretations, if we limit ourselves to the mere force of
the words. Righteousness of fait L may mean that righteous
ness which consists in faith; or, which ilows from faith, (i. c.,
that inward excellence which faith produces) ; or, the righteous
ness which is received by faith. This last is the only interpre
tation consistent with the context, or with the analogy of
Scripture. The righteousness which consists in faith, or which
ilows from faitli, is our own righteousness. It is as true and
proper! v our own as any righteousness of works on which
Pharisees relied. Besides, it is the whole doctrine of the
apostle and of the gospel, that it is Christ's righteousness, his
obedience, blood, or death, which is the ground of our accept
ance with. (Iod, and which it receives and rests upon.

It is clearly implied in that verse that the attainment of

justification, bv a method which prescribed perfect obedience.
»' «.

is for -infill men impossible. It is the object of this and the
succeeding verses, t<> declare that the go.-pel requires no such
impossibilities; it neither requires us to scale the heavens, nor
to fathom the great abvss; it demands only cordial faitli and
open profession. In expressing these ideas the apostle skilfully
avails himself of the language of Moses, Dent. xxx. 10—14. It
is clear that the expressions used by the ancient lawgiver were
a familiar modi1 of saving that a thing could not be done. The
passage referred to is the following, " For this command which
I command thee this day. it is not hidden from thee, neither is
it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who
shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may
hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou
shouldest sav, AVho shall go over the sea for us, and bring it
unto us, that we mav hear it, and do it? l»ut the word is very
nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou may-
est do it." The obvious import of this passage is, that the
knowledge of the will of God had been made perfectly accessi
ble, no one was required to do what was impossible;; neither to
ascend to heaven, nor to pass the boundless sea, in order to
attain it; it was neither hidden, nor afar off, but obvious and

532 ROMANS X. 6, 7.

at hand. Without directly citing this passage, Paul uses nearly
the same language to express the same idea. The expressions
here used seem to have become proverbial among the Jews.
To be "high," or "afar off," was to be unattainable; Ps.
cxxxix. 6, Prov. xxiv. 7. "To ascend to heaven," or "to go
down to hell," was to do what was impossible, Amos ix. 2, Ps.
cxxxix. 8, 9. As the sea was to the ancients impassable, it is
easy to understand how the question, 'Who can pass over the
sea?' was tantamount to 'Who can ascend up into heaven?*
Among the later Jews the same mode of expressions not unfre-
quently occur. Bava Mezia, f. 94, 1. Si quis dixerit mulieri,
si adscenderis in firmamentum, aut descenderis in abyssum, eris
mihi dcsponsata, hacc conditio frustranea est. — Wetstein.

Instead of using the expression, 'Who shall go over the sea
for us?' Paul uses the equivalent phrase, 'Who shall descend
into the deep?' as more pertinent to his object. The word
(dftuffffov) rendered deep, is the same which elsewhere is render
ed abyss, and properly means, without bottom, bottomless, and,
therefore, is often applied to the sea as fathomless, Gen. i. 2,
vii. 11 (in the Septuagint), and also to the great cavern beneath
the earth, which, in the figurative language of the Scriptures,
is spoken of as the abode of the dead, and which is often
opposed to heaven. Job xxviii. 24, " The abyss says it is not
in me;" compare the enumeration of things in heaven, things
in earth, and things under the earth, in Phil. ii. 10, and else
where ; see also Gen. xlix. 25, God "shall bless tliec with the
blessings of heaven above, blessings of the abyss which lieth
under." In the New Testament, with the exception of this
passage, it is always used for the abode of fallen spirits and
lost souls, Luke viii. 31, Rev. xvii. 8, xx. 1, and frequently in
that book, where it is appropriately rendered the bottomless pit.
The expression is, therefore, equivalent to that which is com
monly rendered hell in our version. Psalm cxxxix. 8, " If I
make my bed in hell." Amos x. 2, "Though they dig into
hell," &c., and was no doubt chosen by the apostle, as more
suitable to the reference to the resurrection of Christ, with
which he meant to connect it, than the expression used by
Moses in the same general sense, " Who shall pass over the
sea?"

ROMANS X. 6, 7. 533

Paul connects each of the questions, virtually borrowed from
the OKI Testament, with a comment designed to apply them
more directly to the point which he had in view. Say not, Who
shall ascend into heaven? that is, to bring Christ down, &c.
The precise intent of these comments, however, may be differ
ently understood. 1. The words that is, may be taken as
equivalent to namely * or to wit, and the apostle's comment be
connected, as an explanatory substitute, with the questions,
'Say not who shall ascend into heaven': to wit, to bring Christ
down; or who shall descend into the deep'.' to bring him up
again from the dead. The sense would then be, 'The plan of
salvation by faith does not require us to do what cannot be
done, and which is now unnecessary; it does not require us to
provide a Saviour, to bring him from heaven, or to raise him
from the dead; a Saviour has been provided, and we are now
only required to believe, «fcc.' 2. The words that is, may be
taken as equivalent to the fuller expression, that is to say, 'To
ask who shall ascend into heaven?' is as much as to ask, "\\lio
shall bring Christ down from above? And to ask, '"Who shall
descend into the deep? is as much as to ask, who shall bring
Christ airain from the dead?' The comments of the apostle
mav, therefore, be regarded as a reproof of the want of faith
implied in such questions, and the passage may be thus under
stood. Do not reject the gospel. Say not in thy heart that
no one can ascend to heaven, as the gospel says Christ has
done; and no man can descend into the abyss and thence
return, as is said of Christ. The incarnation of the Son of
God, and his ascension to heaven, are not impossibilities, which
would justify unbelief. The doctrines of the gospel are plain
and simple.

Instead of regarding the apostle as intending to state gener
ally the nature of the method of justification by faith, many
suppose that it is his object to encourage and support a
desponding and anxious inquirer. 'Do not despairingly inquire
who shalf point out the way of life? No one, either from
heaven or from the deep, will come to teach me the way.
Speak not thus, for Christ has come from heaven, and arisen
from the dead for your salvation, and no other Saviour is

534 ROMANS X. 6, 7.

required.'* But this view does not seem to harmonize with the
spirit of the context.

It has been questioned whether Paul meant, in this passage,

merely to allude to the language of Moses in Deut. xxx. 10 14,

or whether he is to be understood as quoting it in such a
manner as to imply that the ancient prophet was describing the
method of justification by faith. This latter view is taken by
Calvin, De Brais, and many others. They suppose that in the
passage quoted in the 5th verse from Lcvit. xviii. 5, Moses
describes the legal method of justification, but that here he has
reference to salvation by faith. This is, no doubt, possible.
For in Deut. xxx. 10, &c., the context shows that the passage
may be understood of the whole system of instruction given by
Moses ; a system which included in it, under its various types
and prophecies, an exhibition of the true method of salvation.
Moses, therefore, might say with regard to his own law, that it
set before the people the way of eternal life, that they had now
no need to inquire who should procure this knowledge for
them from a distance, for it was near them, even in their hearts
and in their mouths. But, on the other hand, it is very clear
that this interpretation is by no means necessary. Paul does
not say, 'Moses describes the righteousness which is of faith
in this wise,' as immediately above he had said of the righteous
ness which is of the law. There is nothing in the language of
the apostle to require us to understand him as quoting Moses
in proof of his own doctrine. It is, indeed, more in accordance
with the spirit of the passage, to consider him as merely
expressing his own ideas in scriptural language, as in ver. 19
of this chapter, and frequently elsewhere. 'Moses teaches us
that the legal method of justification requires perfect obedience;
but the righteousness which is by faith, requires no such impos
sibility, it demands only cordial faith and open profession.
The modern interpreters who understand the apostle as
quoting the language of Moses to prove the true nature of the
gospel, differ among themselves. Meyer and most other advo
cates of this view of the context, assume that Paul departs
entirely from the historical meaning of the original text, and

* See Knapp's Diatribe in Locum Rom. x. 4 — 11, £c.. p. 543 of his Scripts,
Varii Argument!.

ROMANS X. 8. 535

gives it a sense foreign to the intention of the sacred writer.
Others, as Olshausen, suppose him to give its true spiritual
sense. The passage in Deuteronomy is, in this view, strictly
Messianic. It describes, in contrast with the inexorable
demand of obedience made by the law. the spiritual power of
the future dispensation. All this, however, retpiires unneces
sary violence done both to the passage in Deuteronomy and to
the language of the apostle. In tins very chapter, ver. 18, we
have another clear example of Paul's mode of expressing his
own ideas in the language of the Scriptures. This is done
without hesitation by every preaeher of the go-pel. The
apostle, therefore, is not to be understood as saying. Moses
describes the righteousness of the law in one way, and the
righteousness of faith in another way; but he contrasts what
Moses says of the law with what the gospel savs.

According to the interpretation given above, it is assumed
the design of this passage is to present the simplicity and suita
bleness of the gospel method of salvation, which requires only
faith and confession, in opposition to the strict demands of the
law, which it is as impossible for us to satisfy as it is to scale
the heavens. According to the other view, mentioned above,
the design of the apostle was to rebuke the unbelief of the
Jews. They were not to regard the resurrection and ascension
of Christ as impossible. .Hut the whole context shows that the
purpose of the apostle is to contrast the legal and the gospel
method of salvation — to show that the one is impracticable, the
the other easy. l>y works of the law no ilcsli living can bo
justified; whereas, whosoever simply calls on the name of the
Lord shall be saved.

VERSE 8. l>ut what saith it? The word i* nif/h thee, crcn
in tin/ mouth and in t/t// heart, that is, the imrd nf faith which

<J O . i

we preach. As the expressions to be hidden, to be far off,
imply that the thing to which they refer is inaccessible or diffi
cult, so to be near, to be in the mouth and in tJ/e heart, mean to
be accessible, easy, and familiar. They are frequently thus
used; see Joshua i. 8, ''This law shall not depart out of thy
mouth," i. e., it shall be constantly familiar to thee ; Exod.
xiii. 9, "That the law maybe in thy mouth;" Ps. xxxvii. 31,
xl. 8, The meaning of this passage then is, ' The gospel,

536 ROMANS X. 9.

instead of directing us to ascend into heaven, or to go down
to the abyss, tells us the thing required is simple and easy.
Believe with thy heart and thou shalt be saved.' The word is
nigh thee, i. e., the doctrine or truth contemplated, and by im
plication, what that doctrine demands. Paul, therefore, repre
sents the gospel as speaking of itself. The method of justifi
cation by faith says, c The word is near thee, in thy mouth, i. e.,
the word or doctrine of faith is thus easy and familiar.' This
is Paul's own explanation. The expression word of faith, may
mean the word or doctrine concerning faith, or the ivord to
which faith is due, which should be believed. In either
case, it is the gospel, or doctrine of justification, which is here
intended.

VERSE 9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, &c. The connection of this verse with the preceding
may be explained by making the last clause of ver. 8 a paren
thesis, and connecting this immediately with the first clause.
' It says, the word is nigh thee ; it says, that if thou shalt
confess and believe, thou shalt be saved.' According to this
view, this verse is still a part of what the gospel is represented
as saying. Perhaps, however, it is better to consider this verse
as Paul's own language, and an explanation of the "word of
faith" just spoken of. 6 The thing is near and easy, to wit, the
word of faith which we preach, that if thou wilt confess, &c.'
The two requisites for salvation mentioned in this verse are
confession and faith. They are mentioned in their natural
order ; as confession is the fruit and external evidence of faith.
So in 2 Peter i. 13, calling is placed before election, because
the former is the evidence of the latter. The thing to be con
fessed is that Jesus Christ is Lord. That is, we must openly
recognise his authority to the full extent in which he is Lord;
acknowledge that he is exalted above all principality and
powers, that angels are made subject to him, that all power in
heaven and earth is committed unto him , and of course that
he is our Lord. This confession, therefore, includes in it an
acknowledgment of Christ's universal sovereignty, and a
sincere recognition of his authority over us. To confess Christ
as Lord, is to acknowledge him as the Messiah, recognised as
euch of God, and invested with all the power and prerogatives

ROMANS X. 10. 537

of the Mediatorial throne. This acknowledgment is conse
quently often put for a recognition of Christ in all his offices.
1 Cor. xii. 3, "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but
by the Holy Ghost." Phil. ii. 11, ''Every tongue shall confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord." 'To preach the Lord Jesus,' or
' that Jesus is the Lord,' Acts xi. 20, is to preach him as the
Saviour in all his fulness. Horn. xiv. i>, ''For to this end
Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord
both of the dead and of the living." The necessity of a public
confession of Christ unto salvation is frequently asserted in the
Scriptures. Matt. x. 32, "Whosoever, therefore, shall confess
me before men, him will I confess also before my Father
which is in heaven." Luke xii. 8, 1 John iv. 15, "Whosoever
shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in
him, and he in God."

Tht1 second requisite is faith. The truth to be believed is
that God hath raised Christ from the dead. That is, we must
believe that by the resurrection of Christ, God has publicly
acknowledged him to be all that he claimed to be, and has
publicly accepted of all that he came to perform. He has
recognised him as his Son and the Saviour of the world, and
has accepted of his blood as a sacrifice for sin. See Kom.
iv. L!,J, i. 4, Acts xiii. :>2. 33, 1 Peter i. 3—5, 1 Cor. xv. 14,
et seq. Acts xvii. 31, "Whereof he hath given assurance unto
all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. To
believe, therefore, that God has raised Christ from the dead,
involves the belief that Christ is all that he claimed to be,
and that he has accomplished all that he came to perform.
In tluj heart. Faith is very far from being a merely specula
tive exercise. When moral or religious truth is its object, it is
always attended by the exercise of the affections. The word
heart, however, is not to be taken in its limited sense, for the
seat of the affections. It means the whole soul, or inner man.
Confession is an outward act, faith is an act of the mind in the
wide sense of that word. It includes the understanding and
the affections. Saving faith is not mere intellectual assent,
but a cordial receiving and resting on Christ alone for sal
vation.

YEKSE 10. For with the heart man lelieveth unto righteous-

538 ROMANS X. 1—10.

ness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
This is the reason why faith and confession are alone necessary
unto salvation ; because he who believes with the heart is justi
fied, and he who openly confesses Christ shall be saved. That
is, such is the doctrine of Scripture, as the apostle proves in the
subsequent verse. Here, as in the passages referred to above,
in which confession is connected with salvation, it is evident
that it must be not only open but sincere. It is not a mere
saying, Lord, Lord, but a cordial acknowledgment of him,
before men, as our Lord and Redeemer. Unto righteousness,
i. e., so that we may become righteous. The word righteousness
has two senses, answering to the two aspects of sin, guilt and
moral depravity. According to the former sense, it is that
which satisfies justice ; in the latter, it is conformity to the
precepts of the law. A man, therefore, may be righteous and
yet unholy. Were this not so, there could be no salvation for
sinners. If God cannot justify, or, pronounce righteous, the
ungodly, how could we be justified ? Here, as generally, where
the subject of justification is discussed in the Bible, righteous
ness has its forensic, as distinguished from its moral, sense.
And when Paul says, "With the heart man believeth unto
righteousness," he expresses the relation of faith, not to our
sanctification, but to justification. Unto salvation is equiva
lent to saying 'that we may be saved.' The preposition ren
dered unto, expressing here the effect or result. Acts x. 4,
Heb. vi. 8. By faith we secure an interest in the righteousness
of Christ, and by confessing him before men, we secure the per
formance of his promise that he will confess us before the angels
of God. Caeterum viderint quid respondeant Paulo, qui nobis
hodie imaginariam quandam fidem fastuose jactant, quae secreto
cordis contenta, confessione oris, veluti re supervacanea et inani,
supcrsedeat. Nimis enim nugatorium est, asserere ignem esse,
ubi riihil sit flammae neque caloris. — Calvin.

DOCTRINE.

1. Zeal, to be either acceptable to God or useful to men, must
not only be right as to its ultimate, but also as to its immediate
objects. It must not only be about God, but about the things
which are well pleasing in his sight. The Pharisees, and other

ROMANS X. 1—10. 589

early Jewish persecutors of Christians, really thought they were
doing God service when they were so exceedingly zealous for
the traditions of their fathers. The moral character of their
zeal and its effects were determined by the immediate objects
towards which it was directed, ver. 2.

2. The doctrine of justification, or method of securing the
pardon of sin and acceptance with God, is the cardinal doctrine
in the religion of sinners. The main point is, whether the
ground of pardon and acceptance be in ourselves or in another,
whether the righteousness on which we depend be of ourselves
or of God, ver. 3.

3. Ignorance of the divine character and requirements is at
the foundation of all ill-directed efforts for the attainment of
salvation, and of all false hopes of heaven, ver. 3.

4. The first and immediate duty of the sinner is to submit to
the righteousness of God; to renounce all dependence on his
own merit, and cordially to embrace the offers of reconciliation
proposed in the gospel, ver. 3.

o. Unbelief, or the refusal to submit to God's plan of salva
tion, is the immediate ground of the condemnation or rejection
of those who perish under the sound of the gospel, ver. 3.

<J. Christ is every thing in the religion of the true believer.
He fulfils, and by fulfilling abolishes the law, by whose demands
the sinner was weighed down in despair; and his merit secures
the justification of every one that confides in him, ver. 4.

7. Christ is the end of the law, whether moral or ceremo
nial. To him both, as a schoolmaster, lead. In him all their
demands are satisfied, and all their types and shadows are
answered, ver. 4.

8. The legal method of justification is, for sinners, as
impracticable as climbing up into heaven or going down into
the abyss, vs. 5 — 7.

J). The demands of the gospel are both simple arid intellio-i-
ble. The sincere acceptance of the proffered righteousness of
God, and the open acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as Lord,
vs. (> — !».

10. The public profession of religion or confession of Christ
is an indispensable duty. That is, in order to salvation, we
must not only secretly believe, but also openly acknowledge

540 ROMANS X. 1—10.

that Jesus is our prophet, priest, and king. Though faith and
confession are both necessary, they are not necessary on the
same grounds, nor to the same degree. The former is necessary
as a means to an end, as without faith we can have no part in
the justifying righteousness of Christ ; the latter as a duty, the
performance of which circumstances may render impracticable.
In like manner Christ declares baptism, as the appointed means
of confession, to be necessary, Mark xvi. 16 ; not, however, as
a sine qua non, but as a command, the obligation of which pro
vidential dispensations may remove, as in the case of the thief
on the cross, ver. 9.

11. Faith is not the mere assent of the mind to the truth of
certain propositions. It is a cordial persuasion of the truth,
founded on the experience of its power or the spiritual percep
tion of its nature, and on the divine testimony. Faith is, there
fore, a moral exercise. Men believe with the heart, in the
ordinary scriptural meaning of that word. And no faith, which
does not proceed from the heart, is connected with justification,
ver. 10.

REMARKS.

1. If we really desire the salvation of men, we shall pray for
it, ver. 1.

2. No practical mistake is more common or more dangerous
than to suppose that all zeal about God and religion is neces
sarily a godly zeal. Some of the very worst forms of human
character have been exhibited by men zealous for God and his
service; as, for example, the persecutors both in the Jewish
and Christian churches. Zeal should be according to know
ledge, i. e., directed towards proper objects. Its true charac
ter is easily ascertained by noticing its effects, whether it
produces self-righteousness or humility, censoriousness or char
ity; whether it leads to self-denial or to self-gratulation and
praise ; and whether it manifests itself in prayer and effort, or
in loud talking and boasting, ver. 2.

3. We should be very careful what doctrines we hold and
teach on the subject of justification. lie who is wrong here,
ruins his own soul ; and if he teaches any other than the
scriptural method of justification, he ruins the souls of others,
ver. 3.

ROMANS X. 11—21. 541

4. A sinner is never safe, do what else he may, until he has
submitted to God's method of justification.

5. As every thing in the Bible leads us to Christ, we should
suspect every doctrine, system, or theory which has a contrary
tendency. That view of religion cannot be correct which docs
not make Christ the most prominent object, ver. 4.

6. How obvious and infatuated is tiie folly of the multitude
in every age, country, and church, who, in one form or
another, are endeavouring to work out a righteousness of their
own, instead of submitting to the righteousness of God. They
are endeavouring to climb up to heaven, or to descend into the
abyss, vs. 5 — 7.

7. The conduct of unbelievers is perfectly inexcusable, who
reject the simple, easy, and gracious offers of the gospel, which
requires only faith and confession, vs. N — !>.

8. Those who are ashamed or afraid to acknowledge Christ
before men, cannot expect to be saved. The want of courage
to confess, is decisive evidence of the want of heart to believe,
vs. 9, 10.

11OMAXS X. 11—21.

ANALYSIS.

THE object of the apostle in the preceding comparison and
contrast of the two methods of justification, was to show that
the gospel method was. from its nature, adapted to all men;
and that if suited to all it should be preached to all. In
ver. 11 the ([notation from the Old Testament proves two
points. 1. That faith is the condition of acceptance; and
2. That it matters not whether the individual be a Jew or
Gentile, if lie only believes. For there is really no difference,
as to this point, between the two classes ; God is equally gra
cious to both, as is proved by the express declarations of
Scripture, vs. 12, 13. If, then, the method of salvation be
thus adapted to all, and God is equally the God of the Gen
tiles and of the Jews, then, to accomplish his purpose, the
gospel must be preached to all men, because faith comcth by
hearing, ver. 14 — 17. Both the fact of the extension of the

542 ROMANS X. 11, 12.

gospel to the Gentiles, and the disobedience of the great part
of the Jews, were clearly predicted in the writings of the Old
Testament, vs. 18—21.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 11. For the Scripture saith^ Whosoever believeth on
him shall not be ashamed. This passage is cited in support of
the doctrine just taught, that faith alone is necessary to salva
tion. There are clearly two points established by the quota
tion ; the first is, the universal applicability of this method of
salvation ; WHOSOEVER, whether Jew or Gentile, believes, &c. ;
and the second is, that it is faith which is the means of securing
the divine favour ; whosoever BELIEVES on him shall not be
ashamed. The passage, therefore, is peculiarly adapted to the
apostle's object; which was not merely to exhibit the true
nature of the plan of redemption, but mainly to show the
propriety of its extension to the Gentiles. The passage
quoted is Isa. xxviii. 16, referred to at the close of the pre
ceding chapter. We must not only believe Christ, but believe
upon him. The language of Paul is, ?rac b TztoTeucov In ol>rw,
H((TTZ>j£u ixi Tew, to trust upon any one. That is, it expresses
confiding reliance on its object. It is all important to know
what the Bible teaches, both as to the object and nature of
saving faith. That object is Christ, and saving faith is trust.
He is so complete a Saviour as to be able to save all who come
unto God by him ; and therefore whosoever believeth on him
shall not be ashamed. Hoc monosyllabon, says Bengel, 7ia$
(omnis), toto mundo pretiosus, propositum, ver. 11, ita repetitur,
ver. 12 et 13, et ita confirmatur ulterius, vs. 14, 15, ut non
modo significet, quicumque invocaret, salvum fore; sed, Deum
velle, se invocari ab omnibus salutariter.

VERSE 12. For there is no difference between the Jew and
the G-reek, &c. This verse is evidently connected logically
with the whosoever of ver. 12, ' Whosoever believes shall be
saved, for there is no difference between the Jew and Gentile/
That is, there is no difference in their relation to the law or to
God. They are alike sinners, and are to be judged by pre
cisely the same principles, (see chap. iii. 22); and conse
quently, if saved at all, are to be saved in precisely the same

ROMANS X. 1'2. 543

way. Far the same Lord over all, is rich unto all who call upon
him. This is the reason why there is no difference between the
two classes. Their relation to God is the same. They are
equally his creatures, and his mercy towards them is the same.
It is doubtful whether this clause is to be understood of Christ
or of God. If the latter, the general meaning is what has just
been stated. If the former, then the design is to declare that
the same Saviour is ready and able to save all. In favour of
this latter, which is perhaps the most common view of the
passage, it may be urged that Christ is the person referred to
in the preceding verse; and secondly, that he is so commonly
called Lord in the New Testament. But, on the other hand,
the Lord in the next verse refers to God; and secondly, we
have the same sentiment, in the same general connection, in
chap. iii. 2!'. 30, w'ls he the God of the Jews only V &c. It is
the same God which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and
the uncircumcision through faith." The name Lord over all,
in this connection, means 'one and the same Lord is over all/
All are equally under his dominion, and may, therefore,
equally hope in his mercy. As good reasons may be assigned
for both interpretations, commentators are nearly equally
divided on the question whether the immediate reference be t<>
Christ or to God. Doctrinally, it matters little which view In-
preferred. Faith in God is faith in Christ, for Christ is God.
This is the irreat truth to be acknowledged. The condition of
salvation, under the gospel, is the invocation of Christ as God.
The analogy of Scripture, therefore, as well as the context, is
in favour of the immediate reference of xitpeo? to Christ. The
words is rfr/t, may be either a concise expression for is rich in
mercy, or they may mean is abundant in resources. He is suf
ficiently rich to supply the wants of all ; whosoever, therefore,
believes in him shall be saved.

Unto all who call u^on him, i. e., who invoke him, or
worship him, agreeably to the frequent use of the phrase in the
Old and New Testament, Gen. iv. 2G, xii. 8, Isa. Ixiv. G, Acts
ii. 21, ix. 14, xxii. !<;, 1 Cor i. 2, 2 Tim. ii. 22. This religious
invocation of God implied, of course, the exercise of faith in
him ; and, therefore, it amounts to the same thing whether it is
said, 'Whosoever believes,' or, ' Whosoever calls on the name

544 ROMANS X. 13.

of the Lord, shall be saved. This being the case, the passage
quoted from Joel, in the next verse, is equivalent to that cited
from Isaiah, in verse 11. The meaning, then, of this verse is,
k That God has proposed the same terms of salvation to all men,
Jews and Gentiles, because he is equally the God of both, and
his mercy is free and sufficient for all.'

VERSE 13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved. As this verse is not introduced by the
usual form of quotation from the Old Testament, as it is ivritten,
or as the Scripture, or the prophet saith, it is not absolutely
necessary to consider it as a direct citation, intended as an
argument from Scripture, (compare ver. 11.) Yet, as the
passage is in itself so pertinent, it is probable that the apostle
intended to confirm his declaration, that the mercy of God
should be extended to every one who called upon him, by
showing that the ancient prophets had held the same language.
The prophet Joel, after predicting the dreadful calamities which
were about to come upon the people, foretold, in the usual
manner of the ancient messengers of God, that subsequent to
those judgments should come a time of great and general
blessedness. This happy period was ever characterized as one
in which true religion should prevail, and the stream of divine
truth and love, no longer confined to the narrow channel of the
Jewish people, should overflow all nations. Thus Joel says,
"It shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit
upon all flesh, &c., and whosoever shall call upon the name
of the Lord shall be delivered," Joel ii. 28, 32. WHOSOEVER,
therefore, betakes himself to God as his refuge, and calls upon
him, in the exercise of faith, as his God, shall be saved, whether
Gentile or Jew, (sec 1 Cor. i. 2.) The prophecy in Joel has
direct reference to the Messianic period, and therefore the Lord,
who was to be invoked, who was to be looked to, and be called
upon for salvation, is the Messiah. All, whosoever, without
any limitation as to family or nation, who call on him, shall be
saved. This is Paul's doctrine, and the doctrine, with one
accord, of all the holy men who spake of old, as the Spirit gave
them utterance. This being the case, how utterly preposterous
and wicked the attempt to confine the offers of salvation to the
Jewish people, or to question the necessity of the extension of

ROMANS X. 14, 15. 54*

the gospel through the whole world. Thus naturally arid beau
tifully does the apostle pass from the nature of the plan of
mercy, and its suitableness to all men, to the subject princi
pally in view, the calling of the Gentiles, or the duty of
preaching the gospel to all people.

VERSES 14, 15. How then shall they call on him in ivhom
they have not believed.' and how shall they believe in him of
whom they have not heard.- etc., &c. Paul considered it as
involved in what he had already said, and especially in the
predictions of the ancient prophets, that it was the will of God
that all men should call upon him. This being the case, he
argues to prove that it was his will that the gospel should be
preached to all. As invocation implies faith, as faith implies
knowledge, knowledge instruction, and instruction an instructor,
so it is plain that if God would have all men to call upon him,
lie designed preachers to be sent to all, whose proclamation of
niercv bcini: heard, might be believed, and being believed,
illicit lead men to call on him and be saved. This is agreeable
to the prediction of Isaiah, who foretold that the advent of
the preachers of the gospel should lie hailed with great and
universal joy. According to this, which is the common and
most natural \ie\v of the passage, it is an argument founded on
the principle, that if God wills the end, he wills also the means;
if he would have' the Gentiles saved, according to the predic
tions of his prophets, he would have the gospel preached to
them. u Qui vult finem, vult etiam media. Dens vult ut homines
invoeent ipsum salutariter. Ergo vult ut credant. Ergo vult
lit audiant. Ergo vult ut habeant pracdicatores. Itaque prae-
dicatores misit." — Jlemjfl. Calvin's view of the object of the
pa>sai:e is the same, but his idea of the nature of the argument
is very different. He supposes the apostle to reason thus.
The Gentiles actually call upon God; but invocation implies
faith, faith hearing, hearing preaching, and preaching a divine
mission. If, therefore, the Gentiles have actually received arid
obeyed the gospel, it is proof enough that God designed it to
be sent to them. This interpretation is ingenious, arid affords a
good sense ; but it is founded on an assumption which the Jew
would be slow to admit, that the Gentile was an acceptable
worshipper of God. If he admitted this, he admitted every
35

546 ROMANS X. 15, 16.

thing and the argument becomes unnecessary. According to
De Wette, Meyer, and others, the design of the apostle is to
show the necessity of divine messengers in order to ground
thereon a reproof of disobedience to that message. The whole
context, however, shows, that he is not here assigning the
reasons for the rejection of the Jews, but vindicating the pro
priety of preaching to the Gentiles. God had predicted that
the Gentiles should be saved ; he had provided a method of sal
vation adapted to all men; he had declared that whosoever
called upon the name of the Lord should be saved ; from which
it follows, that it is his will that they should hear of him whom
they were required to invoke.

VERSE 15. As it is written, How beautiful are the feet
of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings
of good things. The word here rendered preach the gospel,
is the same as that immediately afterwards translated, bring
glad tidings. The word gospel, therefore, must be taken in
its original meaning, good news, the good news of peace. The
passage in Isa. lii. 7, which the apostle faithfully, as to the
meaning, follows, has reference to the Messiah's kingdom.
It is one of those numerous prophetic declarations, which
announce in general terms the coming deliverance of the
Church, a deliverance which embraced, at the first stage of
its accomplishment, the restoration from the Babylonish cap
tivity. This, however, so far from being the blessing princi
pally intended, derived all its value from being introductory
to that more glorious deliverance to be effected by the
Redeemer. How beautiful the feet, of course means, how
delightful the approach. The bearing of this passage on the
object of the apostle is sufficiently obvious. lie had proved
that the gospel should be preached to all men, and refers
to the declaration of the ancient prophet, which spoke of the
joy with which the advent of the messengers of mercy should
be hailed.

VERSE 16. But they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah
saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? This verse may be
viewed as an objection to the apostle's doctrine, confirmed by
the quotation of a passage from Isaiah. ' You say the gospel
ought to be preached to all men, but if God had intended

ROMANS X. 17. 547

that it should be preached to them, they would obey it ; which
they have not done.' This view of the passage would have
some plausibility if Calvin's representation of Paul's argument
were correct. Did the apostle reason from the fact that the
Gentiles believed that it was God's intention they should have
the gospel preached to them, it would be very natural to object,
that as only a few have obeyed, it was evidently not designed
for them. But even on the supposition of the correctness of
this view of the argument, this interpretation of vcr. 1G is
barely possible, for the ((notation from Isaiah cannot be under
stood otherwise than as the language of the apostle, or as
intended to confirm what he himself had said. There is no
necessity for the assumption that this verse is the language of
an objection. Paul had said that the preaching of the gospel
to all men, whether Jews or Gentiles, was according to the will
of God. This is true aJtJiou</Ji (a/Mi) all have not obeyed.
This disobedience was foreseen and predicted, for Isaiah saith,
Lord, who hath believed our report? The complaint of the
prophet was not confined to the men of his generation. It had
reference mainly to the general rejection of the gospel, especi
ally by the theocratical people. Christ came to his own, and
his own received him not. And this was predicted of old. Our
report, or message. The word is dxurr literally the faculty or
act of hearing; then, metonymically, what is heard, i. e., a
message, preaching, or teaching. The message of the prophet
concerning the servant of the Lord, and what he was to do and
stiller for his people, as recorded in Isa. liii., it was predicted
would be believed by the great majority of those to whom it
was addressed.

VERSE 17. So then faith (cometh) hy hearing, an'l hear hi ^
Inj the word <>f God. The passage in Isaiah speaks of an dxor^
a message, something addressed to the ear. The design of that
message was that men should believe. They were required to
receive and rest upon it as true. Without it, there could be
no ground of faith; nothing on which faith could rest. There
fore faith is from hearing. It is receiving the message as true.
But this message is by the word or command of God. It is
therefore a sure foundation of faith. And as all men are
required to believe, the message should be sent to all, and the

548 ROMANS X. 18.

divine command on which it rests, must include an injunction
to make the proclamation universal. Thus the two ideas pre
sented in the context, viz., the necessity of knowledge to faith,
and the purpose of God to extend that knowledge to the Gen
tiles, are both confirmed in this verse. The above is the common
interpretation of this passage. It assumes that p^/j.a BSOIJ is to
be taken in the sense of command of God, whereas it commonly
means the word or message of God. If this sense be retained
here, then dxoy must mean the act of hearing. 4 Faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing supposes something to be heard, a
/>^,u«, or word of God.' In Luke v. 5, Heb. xi. 3, (compare
Hcb. i. 3,) pYj/jta 6sou means God's (or the Lord's) command.
There is no necessity, therefore, for giving ay.oy a different
sense here from that which it must have in the preceding
verse.

VERSE 18. But I say, .Rave they not heard? Yes, verily,
their sound went into all the earth, &c. The concise and abrupt
mariner of argument and expression in this and the verses
which precede and follow, renders the apostle's meaning some
what doubtful. This verse is frequently considered as referring
to the Jews, and designed to show that their want of faith could
not be excused on the ground of wrant of knowledge. The sense
of the passage would then be, ;As faith cometh by hearing,
have not the Jews heard ? Have they not had the opportunity
of believing ? Yes, indeed, for the gospel has been proclaimed
far and wide.' So Koppe, Flatt, Tholuck, Meyer, Philippi, &c.
But there are several objections to this view of the passage.
In the first place, it is not in harmony with the context.
Paul is not speaking now of the rejection of the Jews, or the
grounds of it, but of the calling of the Gentiles. 2. If the
16th verse refers to the Gentiles, "They have not all obeyed
the gospel," and therefore this verse, "Have they not heard?"
cannot, without any intimation of change, be naturally referred
to a different subject. 3. In the following verse, where the
Jews are really intended, they are distinctly mentioned, "Did
not Israel know?"

Paul's object in the whole context is to vindicate the pro
priety of extending the gospel call to all nations. This he had
beautifully done in vs. 14, 15, by showing that preaching was

ROMANS X. 18. 549

a necessary means of accomplishing the clearly revealed will of
God, that men of all nations should participate in his grace.
'True, indeed, as had been foretold, the merciful offers of the
gospel were not universally accepted, ver. 16, but still faith
cometh by hearing, and therefore the gospel should be widely
preached," ver. 17. Well, has not this been done? has not the
ano-el of mercy broke loose from his long confinement within
the pale of the Jewish Church, and flown through the heavens
with the proclamation of love?' ver. 18. This verse, therefore,
is to be considered as a strong declaration that what Paul had
proved ought to be done, had in fact been accomplished. The
middle wall of partition had been broken down, the gospel of
salvation, the religion of God, was free from its trammels, the
offers of mercy were as wide and general as the proclamation
of the heavens. This idea the apostle beautifully and appo
sitely expresses in the sublime language of Psalm xix., "The
heavens declare the glory of God, day unto day uttereth speech,
there is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard,
their line is £one through all the earth, arid their words to the
end of the world." The last verse contains the words used by
the apostle. His object in using the words of the Psalmist was,
no doubt, to convey more clearly and alfectingly to the minds
of his hearers the idea that the proclamation of the gospel was
now as free from all national or ecclesiastical restrictions, as
the instructions shed down upon all people by the heavens
under which they dwell. Paul, of course, is not to be under
stood as quoting the Psalmist as though the ancient prophet
was speaking of the preaching of the gospel. He simply uses
scriptural language to express his own ideas, as is done involun
tarily almost by every preacher in every sermon.* It is, how
ever, nevertheless true, as Hengstenberg remarks in his Christ-
ology, that "The universal revelation of God in nature, was a

* Calvin's view of this passage is peculiar— Quacrit, an Deus nunquam ante
gentes vocem suain .liroxit, ct doctoris officio functus sit crga totum mundum.
— Accipio igitur ejus citatiunem in proprio et germano prophetae scnsu, ut tale
sit argumentum: Deus jam ab initio mundi suam gentihus divinitatem mam-
festaret, et si non hominum praedicatioue, creaturarum tamen suarum testi-
monio.— Apparet ergo, Duminum etiam pro eo tempore, quo foederis sui gra-
*tiam in Israele continebat, non tamen ita sui notitiam gentibus subduxisse,
quin aliquam semper illis scintillain accenderet.

550 ROMANS X. 19.

providential prediction of the universal proclamation of the
gospel. If the former was not fortuitous, but founded in the
nature of God, so must the latter be. The manifestation of God
in nature, is, for all his creatures to whom it is made, a pledge
of their participation in the clearer and higher revelations."

It will be perceived that the apostle says, " Their sound has
gone, £c.," whereas in the 19th Psalm it is, u Their line is
gone." Paul follows the Septuagint, which, instead of giving
the literal sense of the Hebrew word, gives correctly its figura
tive meaning. The word signifies a line, then a musical cliord,
and then, metonymically, sound.

VERSE 19. But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses
saitli, I iv ill provoke you to jealousy, &c. Another passage
difficult from its conciseness. The difficulty is to ascertain
what the question refers to. Did not Israel know what? The
gospel? or, The calling of the Gentiles and their own rejection?
The latter seems, for two reasons, the decidedly preferable
interpretation. 1. The question is most naturally understood
as referring to the main subject under discussion, which is, as
frequently remarked, the calling of the Gentiles and rejection
of the Jews. 2. The question is explained by the quotations
which follow. ' Does not Israel know what Moses and Isaiah
so plainly teach?' viz., that a people who were no people,
should be preferred to Israel; while the latter were to be
regarded as disobedient and gainsaying. According to the
other interpretation, the meaning of the apostle is, ' Docs not
Israel know the gospel? Have not the people of God been
instructed? If, therefore, as wTas predicted, they are super,
seded by the heathen, it must be their own fault.' Calvin
thinks there is an evident contrast between this and the pre^
ceding verse. 4If even the heathen have had some knowledge
of God, how is it with Israel, the favoured people of God? &c.'
But this whole interpretation, as intimated above, is incon
sistent with the drift of the context, and the spirit of the
passages quoted from the Old Testament.

First Moses says, I will provoke you to jealousy by them
that are no people, &c. The word first seems evidently to be
used in reference to Isaiah, who is quoted afterward, and should
not be connected, as it is by many, with Israel. 'Did not

ROMANS X. 20, 21. 551

Israel first learn the gospel? &c.' So Storr, Flatt, &c. Better
in the ordinary way, 'First Moses, and then Isaiah, say, £c.'
The passage quoted from Moses is Dout. xxxii. 21. In that
chapter the sacred writer recounts the mercies of God, and the
ingratitude and rebellion of the people. In ver. 21 lie warns
them, that as they had provoked him to jealousy by that which
is not God, he would provoke them to jealousy by them that
are no people. That is, as they forsook him and made choice
of another god, so he would reject them and make choice of
another people. The passage, therefore, plainly enough inti
mates that the Jews were in no such sense the people of God,
as to interfere with their being cast off and others called.

VERSES 20, 21. Jiut Esaias /* wry loll, and saitJt, &c.
That is, according to a very common Hebrew construction,
in which one verb qualifies another adverbially, saitJt. very
plainly or openly. Plain as the passage in Deuteronomy is,
it is not so clear and pointed as that now referred to, Isaiah
Ixv. 1, 2.

Paul follows the Septuagint version of the passage, merely
transposing the clauses. The sense is accurately expressed.
'I am sought of them that asked not for me, I am found of them
that sought me not,' is the literal version of the Hebrew, as
given in our translation. The apostle quotes arid applies the
passage in the sense in which it is to be interpreted in the
ancient prophet. In the first verse of that chapter Isaiah says,
that God will manifest himself to those uwho were not called
by his name;" and in the second, he gives the immediate
reason of this turning unto the Gentiles. k' I have stretched out
my hand all the day to a rebellious people." This quotation,
therefore, confirms both the great dm-trines taught in this
chapter; the Jews were no longer the exclusive or peculiar
people of God, and the blessings of the Messiah's kingdom were
thrown wide open to all mankind. With regard to Israel, the
language of God is peculiarly strong and tender. All day long
I have stretched forth my hands. The stretching forth the
hands is the gesture of invitation, and even supplication. God
has extended wide his arms, and urged men frequently and
long to return to his love ; and it is only those who refuse,
that he finally rejects.

552 ROMANS X. 11—21.

DOCTRINE.

1. Christianity is, from its nature, adapted to be an universal
religion. There is nothing, as was the case with Judaism^
which binds it to a particular location, or confines it to a par
ticular people. All its duties may be performed, and all its
blessings enjoyed, in every part of the world, and by every
nation under heaven, vs. 11 — 13.

2. The relation of men to God, and his to them, is not
determined by any national or ecclesiastical connection. He
deals with all, on the same general principles, and is ready to
save all who call upon him, ver. 12.

3. WHOSOEVER will, may take of the water of life. The
essential conditions of salvation have in every age been the
same. Even under the Old Testament dispensation, God
accepted all who sincerely invoked his name, ver. 13.

4. The preaching of the gospel is the great means of salva
tion, and it is the will of God that it should be extended to all
people, vs. 14, 15.

5. As invocation implies faith, and faith requires knowledge,
and knowledge instruction, and instruction teachers, and
teachers a mission, it is evident not only that God wills that
teachers should be sent to all those whom he is willing to save,
when they call upon him, but that all parts of this divinely
connected chain of causes and effects are necessary to the end
proposed, viz., the salvation of men. It is, therefore, as
incumbent on those who have the power, to send the gospel
abroad, as it is on those to whom it is sent, to receive it,
vs. 14, 15.

6. As the rudiments of the tree are in the seed, so all the
elements of the New Testament doctrines are in the Old. The
Christian dispensation is the explanation, fulfilment, and de-
velopement of the Jewish, vs. 11, 13, 15.

REMARKS.

1. Christians should breathe the spirit of an universal religion.
A religion which regards all men as brethren, which looks on
God, not as the God of this nation, or of that church, but as
the God and Father of all, which proposes to all the same con-

ROMANS X. 10, 11—21. 553

ditions of acceptance, and which opens equally to all the same
boundless and unsearchable blessings, vs. 11 — 13.

2. It must be very offensive to God, who looks on all men
with equal favour, (except as moral conduct makes a difference,)
to observe how one class of mortals looks down upon another,
on account of some merely adventitious difference of rank,
colour, external circumstances, or social or eccle-siastical con
nection, vcr. 12.

3. How will the remembrance of the simplicity and reasona
bleness of the plan of salvation, and the readiness of God to
accept of all who call upon him, overwhelm those who perish
from beneath the sound of the gospel ! vcr. 13.

4. It is the first and most pressing duty of the church to
cause all men to hear the gospel. The solemn question, implied
in the lanu'uaire of the apostle, HOW CAN THEY BELIEVE WITH
OUT A PREACHER? should sound day and night in the ears of the
churches, vs. 14, 15.

5. "How can they preach except they be sent?" The
failure of the whole must result from the failure of any one of
the parts of the system of means. How long, alas! has the
failure been in the very first step. Preachers have not been
sent, and if not sent, how could men hear, believe, or call upon
God? vs. 14, 15.

6. If u faith comes by hearing," how great is the value of a-
stated ministry 1 llow obvious the duty to establish, sustain,
and attend upon it! vcr. IT.

T. The gospel's want of success, or the fact that few believe
our report, is only a reason for its wider extension. The more
who hear, the more will be saved, even should it be but a small
proportion of the whole, vcr. 10.

8. How delightful will be the time when literally the sound
of the gospel shall be as extensively diffused as the declaration
which the heavens, in their circuit, make of the glory of God !

ver. 18.

9. The blessings of a covenant relation to God are the un-
alicnable right of no people and of no church, but can be pre
served only by fidelity on the part of men to the covenant
itself, ver. 19.

10. God is often found by those who apparently are the

554 ROMANS XI.

farthest from him, while he remains undiscovered by those who
think themselves always in his presence, ver. 20.

11. God's dealings, even with reprobate sinners, are full of
tenderness and compassion. All the day long he extends the
arms of his mercy, even to the disobedient and the gainsaying.
This will be felt and acknowledged at last by all who perish, to
the glory of God's forbearance, and to their own confusion and
self-condemnation, ver. 21.

12. Communities and individuals should beware how they
slight the mercies of God, and especially how they turn a deaf
ear to the invitations of the gospel. For when the blessings
of a church relation have once been withdrawn from a people,
they are long in being restored. Witness the Jewish and the
fallen Christian churches. And when God ceases to urge
on the disobedient sinner the offers of mercy, his destiny is
sealed, v. 21.

CHAPTER XI.

CONTENTS.

THIS chapter consists of two parts, vs. 1—10, and 11—36.
In the former the apostle teaches that the rejection of the Jews
was not total. There was a remnant, and perhaps a much
larger remnant than many might suppose, excepted, although
the mass of the nation, agreeably to the predictions of the
prophets, was cast off, vs. 1 — 10. In the latter, he shows that
this rejection is not final. In the first place, the restoration of
the Jews is a desirable and probable event, vs. 11 — 24. In the
second, it is one which God has determined to bring to pass,
vs. 25 — 32. The chapter closes with a sublime declaration of
the unsearchable wisdom of God, manifested in all his dealings
with men, vs. 33 — 36. In the consideration of the great doc
trinal truths taught in this chapter, Paul intersperses many
practical remarks, designed to give these truths their proper
influence both on the Jews and Gentiles, especially the latter.

ROMANS XL 1—10. 555

ROMANS XI. 1—10.
ANALYSIS.

THE rejection of the Jews is not total, as is sufficiently mani
fest from the example of the apostle himself, to say nothing of
others, vcr. 1. God had reserved a remnant faithful to him
self, as was the case in the times of Elias, vs. '2 — 4. That this
remnant is saved, is a matter entirely of grace, vs. 5, 6. The
real truth of the case is, that Israel, as a nation, is excluded
from the kingdom of Christ, but the chosen ones are admitted
to its blessings, ver. 7. This rejection of the greater part of
the Jews, their own Scriptures had predicted, vs. 8

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 1. I say, then, ).S?M ot'v, I ask, then, i. e., Is it to bo

inferred from what I have said, that God hath rejected his
people ? When we consider how many promises are made to
the Jewish nation, as God's peculiar people; and how often it
is said, as in Psalm xciv. 14, u The Lord will not cast oft' his
people," it is not surprising that the doctrine of the rejection
of the Jews, as taught in the preceding chapters, was regarded
as inconsistent with the word of G<>d. Paul removes this diffi
culty, first by sli owing that the rejection of the Jews was
neither total nor final ; and secondly, by proving that the
promises in question had reference, not to the Jewish nation as
such, but to the elect, or, the spiritual Israel. The Word
ebroW.ro stands at the beginning of the sentence, to show that
it is emphatic. Has God utterly (i. e., totally and finally)
rejected his people? This Paul denies. lie had not asserted
any thing of the kind. The rejection of the Jews as a nation,
was consistent with all that God had promised to their fathers.
Those promises did not secure the salvation of all Jews, or
of the Jews as a nation. And the doctrine which he had
inculcated did not involve the rejection of all Jews. In proof,
he adds, For I also am an Israelite. Paul had not taught his
own rejection. The fact that he claimed for himself, and for

556 ROMANS XL 2.

all who with him believed on Christ, a part in the Messiah's
kingdom, made it clear that he did not teach the rejection of
all Israel. De Wette, and Meyer, in opposition to almost
common consent, give a different view of the apostle's language.
They understand him as repudiating the idea of the univer
sal rejection of the Jews, as inconsistent with his patriotic
feeling. For I also am an Israelite. How can a Jew believe
that God has cast off his people ? But the context is clearly in
favour of the common interpretation. The apostle goes on to
show that a general apostacy did not involve an entire rejec
tion. The nation, as a nation, had before turned to idols, and
yet a remnant had remained faithful. And so it was now.
Of the seed of Abraham, and of the tribe of Benjamin, see
Phil. iii. 5. Paul was a Jew by descent from Abraham, and
not merely a proselyte; and he was of one of the most favoured
tribes. Judah and Benjamin, especially after the exile, were
the chief representatives of the theocratical people.

VERSE 2. G-od hath not cast away his people which he fore-
Jcneio. This verse admits of two interpretations. The words
Ms people, may be understood, as in the preceding verse, as
meaning the Jewish nation, and the clause wMcli he foreknew,
as, by implication, assigning the reason for the declaration that
God had not cast them off. The clause, according to this view,
is little more than a repetition of the sentiment of the preceding
verse. ' It is not to be inferred from what I have said of the
rejection of the Jews, that God has cast away all his chosen
people. Multitudes are excepted now, as in the days of Elias.'
The second interpretation requires more stress to be laid upon
the words which he foreknew, as qualifying and distinguishing
the preceding phrase, his people. * God has indeed rejected his
external people, the Jewish nation as such, but he has not cast
away his people whom he foreknew.' According to this view,
Ms people means his elect, his spiritual people, or the true
Israel. This interpretation seems decidedly preferable, 1. Be
cause it is precisely the distinction which Paul had made, and
made for the same purpose, in chap. ix. 6 — 8, * The rejection of
the external Israel does not invalidate the promises of God,
because those promises did not contemplate the natural seed as
such, but the spiritual Israel. So, now, when I say that the

ROMANS XI. 2. 557

external Israel is rejected, it does not imply that the true chosen
Israel, to whom the promises pertained, is cast away.' 2. Be
cause this is apparently Paul's own explanation in the sequel.
The mass of the nation were cast away, but " a remnant,
according to the election of grace," were reserved, vcr. 5.
Israel, as such, Paul says in vcr. T, failed of admission to the
Messiah's kingdom, "but the election hath obtained it." It is,
therefore, evident that the people which Grod foreknew, and
which were not cast off, is "the remnant" spoken of in vcr. 5,
arid "the election" mentioned in vcr. 7. 3. Because the illus
tration borrowed from the Old Testament best suits this inter
pretation. In the days of Ellas, God rejected the great body
of the people; but reserved to himself a remnant, chosen in
sovereign grace. The distinction, therefore, in both cases, is
between the external and the chosen people.

Which he foreknew. On the different senses of the word
rendered he foreknew, see chap. viii. 21*. Compare Rom. vii.
IT,, -2 Tim. ii. 1<>, 1 Cor. viii. 0, (ial. iv. <», Prov. xii. 10,
Ps. ci. 4, 1 Thess. v. 12, .Matt. vii. 32. In foreknowledge, as
thus used, is involved something more than simple prescience,
of which all persons and all events are the objects. The
people whom God foreknew, were a people distinguished by
that foreknowledge from all other people. All are not Israel
who are of Israel. 0<>d knows those who are his, and in the
midst of general apostacy. preserves and saves those whom he
thus foreknows as his own. Even Luther gives this view of
the passage. w'Es ist nicht alles Gottes volk, was Gottes volk
lieisset ; darum win! nicht alles verstossen, ob der mchero
Theil auch verstossen wird." And Olshausen says, t%Y<>m sicht-
baren geht er aber welter, auf den unsichtbaren Kern des
volkes Gottes iiber. . . . Offenbar kann Pa-ulns liier nicht von
bloss die YAH' Kirchc ubergetretenen Juden /neinen, die waren
kenntlich, sondern die jedem menschlichen Auge unbekannten,
die den verborgencn Schatz der Treue und Aufrichtigkcit ibnen
selbct unbewusst im Ilerzen trugen. Diese vcrhalten sich zur
Masse des Yolks, wie im Individuum die Rcste des gottlichen
Eberibildes zum alten Menschen ; odcr wie im wiedergebornen
der unentwickelte, oft von der Slinde zuriickgcdrangte neue
Merisch zu dein ilim um^ebenden sundlichen Menschen. "\Vie

558 ROMANS XI. 3, 4.

dicser stcrbcn muss, damit jener herrsche, so muss auch daa
hljJLfjia frci gemacht werden von der frcmden Schale, in der er
wohnt, urn sich ausbreiten zu kbnncn. Imrner 1st es das
eigentliche Volk (9, 6 if.) auf das alle Verheisungen gehen, wie
der unsclicinbaro neue Mensch in dem ungeschlachtigen alien
Menschen allcin der wahre Mensch 1st."

Wot ye not what the Scripture saith of Elias? ev '////#, in
Elias, i. c., in the section which treats of Ellas, or which is
designated by his name. Another example of this method of
referring to Scripture is found in Mark xii. 26, "In the bush
God spake unto him;'' i. e., in the section which treats of the
burning bush. This method of quotation is common with the
Rabbins, Surenh. p. 493, and occurs in the classic writers.
How lie maJccth intercession to Crod against Israel; evTUf-
%dv£ev means to approach or draw near to any one, either bnep,
in behalf of, or xu~d, against. The latter form occurs here
and in 1 Mace. x. 60.

VERSE 3. Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged
doiun thine altars, and I am left alone, &c. 1 Kings xix. 10.
Paul gives the sense, and nearly the words of the original. The
event referred to was the great defection from the true religion,
and the murder of the prophets of God, under the reign of
Ahab. The point of the analogy to which the apostle refers,
is, that although then, as now, the defection was apparently
entire, yet many unknown of men remained faithful, and escaped
the doom visited on the nation as such. As the law allowed
only one altar, and that at Jerusalem, it has been asked, How
the prophet could speak of digging down the altars of God, as
though there were many? To this it is commonly answered,
that the probability is, that after the defection of the ten
tribes, many altars to the true God were erected in secret
places, by those who adhered to the religion of their fathers,
and which, as access to Jerusalem was impossible, were
then tolerated by the prophets, and the destruction of which,
out of hatred to the true religion, was evidence of apostacy
from God.

VERSE 4. But what saith the answer of Grod unto him f I
have reserved to myself seven thousand men, &c. 1 Kings xix.
18. Here again the apostle gives the sense of the original,

ROMANS XI 5. 559

with slight variations both from the Hebrew and Greek. In
the LXX., the future xarah'upw is used where Paul has the
aorist, xa-ih-Tov. Paul also inserts the pronoun (k/2aoT<p\
which is neither in the Greek nor Hebrew. "I have reserved
for myself;" i. e., as my own peculiar people. In Kings, God
threatens the general destruction of the people, but promises to
reserve seven thousand, who had not gone after false gods. No
special stress is to be laid on the number seven, as the whole
design of the apostle is to show that national destruction does
not involve the destruction of the true people of God. He
always has an invisible church within the visible; and the
destruction or dispersion of the latter does not affect the for
mer. Answer of God yj^tia-iaub^ divine response, or oracle.
The verb %I"''/?M~ '-"<'> occurs in Ileb. xii. -5, xi. 7. Matt
Luke ii. 2<>, Arts x. --. Those who remained faithful in the
time of Elias. were those who had not bowed the knee to Baal.
Baal signifies lord, ruler, and is used as the designation of a.
Phoenician deity. Among the Chaldeans he was called Bel, or
Belus. He was regarded as the generative, controlling princi
ple, of which the sun or the planet of Jupiter was the symbol,
and to the people the direct object of worship. With him was
associated a female deity, AsJttarotJt, the Greek Astarte, called
queen of heaven, the moon. But as Baal was also associated
with the planet Jupiter, so was Ashtaroth with Venus. In thii
passage the feminine article is used before Baal, 77} HdaL
This is explained by our interpreters, by supposing that e/xoV,
image, is omitted. 'lUit this is unsatisfactory, not only because
if such ellipsis occurred, the expression would properly be, TTJ
roi) Hard: but also because in the LXX. and the Apocrypha,
Baal has repeatedly the feminine article. Zeph. i. 4, IIos. 11. 8,
1 Sam. vii. 4. Some say this is done in the way of contempt,
as with the Rabbins the feminine form is sometimes thus used.
There is, however, no special indication of any such purpose in
those cases where the feminine article occurs. It is more satis
factory to asume that, at least with the later Hebrews, both the
active generative principle in nature, and the passive, or birth-
giving principle, was expressed by the same word; so that Baal
was really androgyne, both male and female.

VERSE 5. Even so then at this present time also there is a

560 ROMANS XI. 6.

remnant according to the election of grace. As in the days of
Elias, there was a number which, although small in comparison
with the whole nation, was still much greater than appeared to
human eyes who remained faithful, so at the present time,
amidst the general defection of the Jews, and their consequent
rejection as a people, there is a remnant, (h'c/n/jta, what is left,
answering to XUTSACTZOU in ver. 4,) according to the election of
grace; that is, graciously chosen. The election was gracious,
not merely in the sense of kind, but gratuitous, sovereign, riot
founded on the merits of the persons chosen, but the good
pleasure of God. This explanation of the term is given by the
apostle himself in the next verse. Remnant according to the
gracious election is equivalent to remnant gratuitously chosen;
see chap. ix. 11, and vs. 21, 24 of this chapter. Paul, there
fore, designs to teach that the rejection of the Jews was not
total, because there was a number whom God had chosen, who
remained faithful, and constituted the true Israel or elected
people, to whom the promises were made. As in the days of
Elias, the number of those who had not bowed the knee to
Baal was far greater than the prophet believed it to be, so the
number of those who acknowledged Christ as the Messiah, in
the times of the apostle, was much larger probably than is
generally supposed. The apostle James speaks of many
myriads (TLOCKU pjocddzz), Acts xxi. 20, of believing Jews.

VERSE 6. And if by grace, then it is no more of works;
otherwise grace is no more grace. This verse is an exegctical
comment on the last clause of the preceding one. If the elec
tion spoken of be of grace, it is not founded on wrorks, for the
two things are incompatible. It evidently wras, in the apostle's
view, a matter of importance that the entire freeness of the
election of men to the enjoyment of the blessings of the Mes
siah's kingdom, should be steadily kept in view. He would
not otherwise have stopped in the midst of his discourse to
insist so much on this idea. This verse serves to illustrate
several declarations of the apostle in the preceding chapter.
For example, ver. 11, in which, as here, men are said to be
chosen in a sovereign manner, and not according to their
works. It is obvious that foreseen works are as much excluded
as any other. For a choice founded upon the foresight of good

ROMANS XL 7. 561

works, is as really made on account of works as any choice can
be, and, consequently, is not of grace, in the sense asserted by
the apostle. In the second place, the choice which is here
declared to be so entirely gratuitous, is a choice to the kingdom
of Christ. This is evident from the whole context, and espe
cially from vcr. 7. It was from this kingdom and all its spirit
ual and eternal blessings that the Jews, as a bodv, were reject
ed, arid to which "the remnant according to the election of
grace" was admitted. The election, therefore, spoken of in the
ninth chapter, is not to external privileges merely.

The latter part of this verse is simply the converse of the
former. But if of works, then it in no more grace; othenvisc
work is no more work. If founded on any tiling in us, it is not
founded on the mere good pleasure of God. If the one be
affirmed, the other is denied. This clause is omitted in the
uncial MSS. A. C. D. K. F. G.. and in several of the ancient
versions, and by all the Latin fathers. On these grounds it is
rejected as a gloss by Erasmus, Grotius, AVctstein, Griesbach,
and the later editors. It is found, however, in the MS. B.,
and in the Syriac version, both of which are important author
ities, and is retained by .He /a and Hengcl, and defended by
Fritzsehe, Tholuck, and others. The internal evidence, and a
comparison with similar passages, as Rom. iv. 4, Eph. ii. 8, 9,
are in its favour.

AVERSE 7. Wliat then ? Israel hath not obtained that which
he seeketh for : hut the election hath obtained it, &c. tiee/ceth,
l~c*7tTs.1 expresses earnest seeking, and the use of the present
tense indicates the persistency of the search. The Jews zeal
ous and perseveringly sought after righteousness. They failed,
however, as the apostle says, because they sought it by works.
This verse is by many pointed differently, and read thus,
"What then? Hath not Israel obtained that which he seek
eth for? nay, but the election have," &c. The sense is not
materially different. The apostle evidently designs to state
the result of all he had just been saying. Israel, as a body,
have not attained the blessing which they sought, but the
chosen portion of them have. The rejection, therefore, is not
total, and the promises of God made of old to Israel, which
contemplated his spiritual people, have not been broken. It is
36

562 ROMANS XL 8.

clear, from the whole discourse, that the blessing sought by the
Jews was justification, acceptance with God, and admission into
his kingdom; see chap. x. 3, ix. 30, 31. This it is which they
failed to attain, and to which the election were admitted. It
was not, therefore, external advantages merely which the
apostle had in view. The election means those elected ; as the
circumcision means those who are circumcised. The election,
i. c., reliquiae ejus populi, quas per gratiam suam Dens
eligit.

And the rest were blinded. The verb (ino)po)drjaav) rendered
were blinded, properly means in its ground form, to harden, to
render insensible, and is so translated in our version, Mark vi.
52, viii. IT, John xii. 40. In 2 Cor. iii. 14, the only other
place in which it occurs in the New Testament, it is rendered as
it is here. It is used in reference to the eyes in the Septuagint,
Job xvii. 7, "My eyes are dim by reason of sorrow." Either
rendering, therefore, is admissible, though the former is pre
ferable, as more in accordance with the usual meaning of the
word, and with Paul's language in the previous chapters. And
the rest were hardened, that is, were insensible to the truth and
excellence of the gospel, and, therefore, disregarded its offers
and its claims. This xwftcowz affected the understanding as
well as the heart. It was both blindness and obduracy. The
passive form here used, may express simply the idea that they
became hard, or the reference may be to the judicial act of God,
see ix. 18. They were hardened by God, i. e., abandoned by
him to the hardness of their own hearts.

VERSE 8. According as it is ivritten, Crod hath given them
the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, ears that they
should not hear. This passage, as is the case with ix. 33, is
composed of several passages found in the Old Testament. In
Isa. vi. 9, it is said, "Hear ye indeed, but understand not; see
ye indeed, but perceive not:" ver. 10, "Lest they see with
their eyes, and hear with their ears." Deut. xxix. 4, "Yet
the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to
see, and ears to hear, unto this day." Isa. xxix. 10, "For the
Lord hath poured upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath
closed your eyes." The spirit, and to some extent, the
language of these passages, Paul cites in support of his argu-

ROMANS XI. 9, 10. 5G3

ment. They are in part descriptive of what had occurred in
the times of the prophets, and in part prophetic of what should
hereafter occur, and are therefore applicable to the character
and conduct of the Jews during the apostolic age. See Matt.
xiii., xiv. The design of such citations frequently is to show
that what was fulfilled partially in former times, was more per
fectly accomplished at a subsequent period. The Jews had
often before been hardened, but at no former period were the
people so blinded, hardened, and reprobate, as when they
rejected the Son of God, and put him to an open shame. It
had often been predicted that such should be their state when
the Messiah came. The punitive character of the evils here
threatened, cannot escape the reader's notice. This blindness
and hardness were not mere calamities, nor were they simply
the natural effects of the sins of the people. They were puni
tive inflictions. They are SO denounced. God says, 1 will
give you eves that see not. Jt is a dreadful thing to fall into
the hands of the living God. The strokes uf his justice blind,
bewilder, and harden the soul. The words even unto this day,
mav, as hv our translators, be connected with the last words
of the preceding verse, ' The rest were blinded even unto this
day.' Or they may be considered as a part of the quotation,
as they occur in Deut. xxix. 4.

VERSES !», in. And I>avid saith, Let their table be made a
snare, and a trap, &c. This Psalm (Ixix.) is referred to David
in the heading prefixed to it, and the propriety of the reference
to him as its author is confirmed both by external and internal
evidence. See ITengstenb erg's Commentary on tlie Psalms.
No portion of the Old Testament Scriptures is more frequently
referred to, as descriptive of our Lord's sufferings, than the
Psalms Ixix. and xxii. There is nothing in this Psalm which
forbids its being considered as a prophetic lamentation of the
Messiah over his afflictions, and a denunciation of God's judg
ments upon his enemies. Arerse 0, "The zeal of thy house
hath eaten me up," and ver. 21, u They gave me vinegar to
drink," are elsewhere quoted and applied to Christ. Viewed
in this light, the Psalm is directly applicable to the apostle's
object, as it contains a prediction of the judgments which should
befall the enemies of Christ. Let their table be, is only another

564 KOMANS XI. 1—10.

and a more forcible way of saying, their table shall be. Isa,
xlvii. 5, u Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, 0
daughter of the Chaldeans," for 'Thou shalt sit, &c/ And
so in a multitude of cases in the prophetic writings. In the
Psalm, indeed, the future form in the Hebrew is used, though
it is correctly rendered by the Septuagint and in our version
as the imperative, in these passages. The judgments here de
nounced are expressed in figurative language. The sense is,
their blessings shall become a curse; blindness and weakness,
hardness of heart and misery shall come upon them. This last
idea is forcibly expressed by a reference to the dimness of
vision, and decrepitude of old age ; as the vigour and activity
of youth are the common figure for expressing the results of
God's favour.

Even if the Psalm here quoted be considered as referring
to the sorrows and the enemies of the sacred writer himself,
and not to those of Christ, it would still be pertinent to the
apostle's object. The enemies of the Psalmist were the
enemies of God ; the evils imprecated upon them were impre
cated on them as such, and not as enemies of the writer. These
denunciations are not the expression of the desire of private
revenge, but of the just and certain judgments of God. And
as the Psalmist declared how the enemies of God should be
treated, how dim their eyes should become, and how their
strength should be broken, so, Paul says, it actually occurs.
David said, let them be so treated, and we find them, says the
apostle, suffering these very judgments. Paul, therefore, in
teaching that the great body of the Jews, the rejectors and
crucifiers of the Son of God, were blinded arid cast away, taught
nothing more than had already been experienced in various
portions of their history, and predicted in their prophets.

DOCTRINE.

1. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
The people whom God had chosen for himself, he preserved
amidst the general defection of their countrymen, vs. 1, 2.

2. The apparent apostacy of a church or community from
God, is not a certain test of the character of all the individuals
of which it may be composed. In the midst of idolatrous

ROMANS XI. 1—10. 565

Israel, there were many who had not bowed the knee unto
Baal. Denunciations, therefore, should not be made too
general, vs. 2 — 4.

3. The fidelity of men in times of general declension is not
to be ascribed to themselves, but to the grace of God. Every
remnant of faithful men, is a remnant according to the election
of grace. That is, they are faithful, because graciously elected,
ver. 5.

4. Election is not founded on works, nor on any thing in its
objects, but on the sovereign pleasure of God; and it is not to
church privileges merely, but to all the blessings of Christ's
kingdom, vs. U, T.

5. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth.
Israel, with all their zeal for the attainment of salvation, were
not successful, while those whom God had chosen attained the
blessing, ver. 7.

(j. Those who forsake God, are forsaken by God. In
leaving him, they leave the source of light, feeling, and happi
ness, ver. 7.

7. AVhen men are forsaken of God all their powers are use
less, and all their blessings become curses. Having eyes, they
see not, and their table is a snare, vs. 8 — 10.

REMARKS.

1. As in the times of the greatest defection, there are some
who remain faithful, and as in the midst of apparently apostate
communities, there arc some who retain their integrity, we
should never despair of the church, nor be too ready to make
intercession against Israel. The foundation of God standeth
sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his,
vs. 1—4.

2. Those only are safe whom the Lord keeps. Those who
do not bow the knee to Baal, arc a remnant according to the
election of grace, and not according to the firmness of their
own purposes, vs. 5, 6.

3. All seeking after salvation is worse than useless, unless
properly directed. Those who are endeavouring to work out a
righteousness of their own, or to secure the favour of God in
any way by their own doings, are beating the air. Success is

566 ROMANS XI. 11—36.

to be obtained only by submission to the righteousness of God,
ver. 7.

4. As the fact that any attain the blessing of God is to bo
attributed to their election, there is no room for self-compla
cency or pride ; and where these feelings exist and are cher
ished in reference to this subject, they are evidence that we are
not of the number of God's chosen, ver. 7.

5. Men should feel and acknowledge that they arc- in the
hands of God ; that, as sinners, they have forfeited all claim to
his favour, and lost the power to obtain it. To act persever-
ingly as though either of these truths were not so, is to set our
selves in opposition to God and his plan of mercy, and is the
very course to provoke him to send on us the spirit of slumber.
This is precisely what the Jews did, vs. 7, 8.

6. Men are commonly ruined by the things in which they
put their trust or take most delight, The whole Mosaic system,
with its rites and ceremonies, was the ground of confidence
and boasting to the Jews, and it was the cause of their destruc
tion. So, in our day, those who take refuge in some ecclesias
tical organization instead of Christ, will find what they ex
pected would prove their salvation, to be their ruin. So, too,
all misimproved or perverted blessings are made the severest
curses, vs*. 9, 10.

ROMANS XL 11—36.

ANALYSIS.

As the rejection of the Jews was not total, so neither is it
final. They have not so fallen as to be hopelessly prostrated.
First, God did not design to cast away his people entirely, but,
by their rejection, in the first place, to facilitate the progress of
the gospel among the Gentiles, and ultimately to make the con
version of the Gentiles the means of converting the Jews, ver.
11. The latter event is in itself desirable and probable.
1. Because if the rejection of the Jews has been a source of
blessing, much more will their restoration be the means of good,
vs. 12, 15. (The verses 13, 14, are a passing remark on the
motive which influenced the apostle in preaching to the Gen-

ROMANS XL 11. 567

tiles.) 2. Because it was included and contemplated in the
original election of the Jewish nation. If the root be holy, so
are the branches, ver. 16.

The breaking off and rejection of some of the original
branches, and the introduction of others of a different origin,
is not inconsistent with this doctrine ; and should lead the Gen
tiles to exercise humility and fear, and not boasting or exulta
tion, vs. 17—22. As the rejection of the Jews was a punish
ment of their unbelief, and not the expression of God's ultimate
purpose respecting them, it is, as intimated in ver. 16, more
probable that God should restore the Jews, than that he should
have called the Gentiles, vs. 23, 24.

This event, thus desirable and probable, God has determined
to accomplish, vs. 25, 26. The restoration of the Jews to the
privileges of God's people is included in the ancient predictions
and promises made respecting them, vs. 26, 27. Though now,
therefore, they are treated as enemies, they shall hereafter be
treated as friends, ver. 28. For the purposes of God do not
alter; as his covenant contemplated the restoration of his
ancient people, that event cannot fail to come to pass, ver. 29.
The plan of God, therefore, contemplated the calling of the
Gentiles, the temporary rejection and final restoration of the
Jews, vs. 30 — 32.

How adorable the wisdom of God manifested in the plan and
conduct of the work of redemption ! Of him. through him, and
to him, are all things ; to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
YS. 33—36.

COM MK XT A MY.

VERSE 11. I say then, Hare they stiunlM that they should
fall? God forlid, &c. This verse begins with the same
formula as the first verse of the chapter, and for the same
reason. As there the apostle wished to have it understood that
the rejection of God's ancient people was not entire, so here he
teaches that this rejection is not final. That this is the mean
ing of the verse seems evident, 1. From the comparative force
of the words stumble and/aH. As the latter is a much stronger
term than the former, it seems plain that Paul designed it
should here be taken emphatically, as expressing irrevocable

568 ROMANS XL 11.

ruin, in opposition to that which is temporary. The Jews have
stumbled, but they are not prostrated. 2. From the context;
all that follows being designed to prove that the fall of the
Jews was not final. This is indeed intimated in this very verse,
in which it is implied that the conversion of the Gentiles would
lead to the ultimate conversion of the Jews. The word (Trea-wa-w)
rendered should fall, is used here as elsewhere to mean, should
perish, become miserable, Ilcb. iv. 11. The particle iva, that,
here as usually, expresses design. Have the Jews stumbled,
in order that they should fall ? There are two views, however,
as to the meaning of the passage. The first is that just men
tioned, Was it the design of God, in permitting the stumbling
of the Jews, that they should finally perish ? In other words,
Was their rejection designed to be a permanent casting them
out of the kingdom of Christ? This view is sustained by the
whole subsequent discussion, in which the apostle proves that
the Jews, as a nation, are to be converted. The other inter
pretation assumes that the apostle means to say, that the
design of God in the rejection of the Jews, was not so much
their punishment, as to facilitate the calling of the Gentiles.
' Has God caused or allowed them to stumble, for the sake of
punishing them, or simply that they should fall ? By no means,
but,' &c. This interpretation, although it is suited to the verse,
considered separately, is not so agreeable to the context, and
the design of the apostle. It is not his object in what follows,
to prove that God had not cast off his people for the simple
purpose of causing them to suffer, but to show that their rejec
tion was not final.

But through their fall salvation has come unto the Crentiles.
The stumbling of the Jews was not attended with the result of
their utter and final ruin, but was the occasion of facilitating
the progress of the gospel among the Gentiles. It was, there-
there, not designed to lead to the former, but to the latter
result. From this very design it is probable that they shall be
finally restored, because the natural effect of the conversion of
the Gentiles is to provoke the emulation of the Jews. That
the rejection of the gospel on the part of the Jews was the
means of its wider and more rapid spread among the Gentiles,
seems to clearly intimated in several passages of the New

ROMANS XI. 11. 569

Testament. "It was necessary," Paul says to the Jews, "that
the word of God should first have been spoken to you ; but
seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of
eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles." Acts xiii. 46. And
in Acts xxviii. 28, after saying that the prophecy of Isaiah was
fulfilled in their unbelief, he adds, "Be it known therefore unto
you, that the salvation of God is sent unto them." Compare
Isa. xlix. 4 — 6. The Jews, even those who were professors of
Christianity, were, in the first place, very slow to allow the
gospel to be preached to the Gentiles; and in the second, they
appear almost uniformly to have desired to clog the gospel with
the ceremonial observances of the law. This was one of the
greatest hinderances to the progress of the cause of Christ
during the apostolic age, and would, in all human probability,
have been a thousand-fold greater, had the Jews, as a nation,
embraced the Christian faith. On both these accounts, the
rejection of the -Jews was incidentally a means of facilitating
the progress of the gospel. Besides this, the punishment which
befell them on account of their unbelief, involving the destruc
tion of their nation and pn\ver, of course prevented their being
able to forbid the general preaching of the gospel, which they
earnestlv desired to do. 1 Thess. ii. 1.5, 16, "They please not
God, and are contrary to all men; forbidding us to preach to
the Gentiles, that they might be saved."

For to provoke them to jealousy. As the result and design
of the rejection of the Jews was the salvation of the Gentiles,
so the conversion of the latter was designed to bring about the
restoration of the former. The Gentiles are saved in order to
provoke the Jews to jealousy. That is, this is one of the many
benevolent purposes which God designed to accomplish by that
event. This last clause serves to explain the meaning of the
apostle in the former part of the verse. lie shows that the
rejection of the Jews was not intended to result in their being
finally cast away, but to secure the more rapid progress of the
gospel among the heathen, in order that their conversion might
react upon the Jews, and be the means of bringing all, at last,
within the fold of the Redeemer. To provoke to jealousy,
xaoa^hoffae, to excite emulation; i. e., to stimulate to follow.
The word is not to be taken in a bad sense, notwithstanding

570 ROMANS XI. 12.

the napd. All the apostle intended to saj was, that he hoped
the conversion of the Gentiles would be the means of excitino-

O

the Jews to seek salvation in the gospel.

VERSE 12. Now, if the fall of them be the riches of the world,
and the diminishing of them the riches of the G-entiles, how
much more their fulness ? Although there is considerable diffi
culty in fixing the precise sense of the several clauses of this
verse, its general meaning seems sufficiently obvious. i If the
rejection of the Jews has been the occasion of so much good to
the world, how much more may be expected from their restora
tion?' In this view it bears directly upon the apostle's object,
which, in the first place, is to show that the restoration of the
Jews is a probable and desirable event. There is in the verse
a two-fold annunciation of the same idea. In the first, the sen
tence is incomplete. l If the fall of them be the riches of the
world, lioiv much more their recovery ? if their diminishing, how
much more their fulness?' The principal difficulty in this pas
sage results from the ambiguity of the words (ft-T^ua and
TJcffOcowL] rendered diminishing and fulness. The former may
mean fewness or inferiority, a condition worse than that of
others, or ^oorse than a former one. Those who adopt the
former of these senses, understand the verse thus : ' If the few
Jews, who have been converted, have been such an advantage
to the Gentiles, how much more will the great multitude of
them, when brought to Christ, be a source of blessing.' But
to this interpretation it may be objected, 1. The word has
rarely, if ever, the meaning here assigned to it. Passow gives
it no such signification in his Lexicon. The cognate verb sig
nifies, I am inferior in strength or condition to any one. 2 Peter
ii. 19, 2 Cor. xii. 13. The adjective means inferior, ivorse :
1 Cor. xi. 17, "Ye come together not for the better, but for
the worse." The only place in which the word here used
occurs elsewhere in the New Testament, is 1 Cor. vi. 7, " There
is utterly a fault among you," or as it might be rendered, 'It
is an injury to you.' Such too is the meaning of the word in
the Old Testament: Isa. xxxi. 8, "His young men shall be
discomfitted," which expresses the sense of the original; and
so does the Septuagint, which employs the word used by the
apostle, 4 His young men shall be brought into an inferior con-

ROMANS XI. 12. 571

dition,' i. e., shall be conquered. 2. This interpretation does
not suit the context. Paul does not say that the conversion
of the few Jews who had become Christians, had been the occa
sion of good to the Gentiles, but the rejection of the great body
of the nation. 8. It does not at all suit the first clause of the
verse. The fall of them, answers to and explains the diminish
ing of them. As the former clause cannot receive the interpre
tation objected to, neither can the latter. Tholuck and others
take '/j'T^aa in a moral sense; their fault, so as to correspond
with -(J.od.-'totm. But this would make the two clauses of the
verse tautological, and destroy the antithesis between /,'rr^tf
and -j.r'jfttotLfJ., as the latter cannot mean, their goodness. The
sense is clear and good if we give 7^-r^ia its natural meaning;
their wor^ estate, or /oxx. The .lews lost their peculiar privi-
le<res and blessings, and their loss was the riches of the Gen
tiles. It enriched them by being the means of transferring to
them the treasures of the gospel.

The word ~/j oon.fj. has various senses in the New Testament.
It properly means that wltli irhi<-h anything /* Jillf<L as in tho
frequent phrase, th<' fulnexs of tin' earth, or of the ,s<v/, &c. So
fulness of the (foiUica<L all that is in God, the plenitude of
Deity. John i. ID, "Of his fulness have all we received;"
Eph. iii. !•*, "That ye might be filled with all the fulness of
God." It also means the complement or supplement of any
thing, the rematni/Kj part : see Matt. ix. U>. So in Kph. i. 33,
the church may be called the fulnrss of Christ, because lie is
the head, the church the residue, or complement, by which tho
mystical body is completed. Of these several meanings, Storr
selects the last, and explains the verse thus : i If the ruin of
the unbelieving Jews has been a source of blessing to the Gen
tiles, how much more shall the remaining portion of the nation,
i. e., those converted to Christianity, be the means of good.'
But, 1. This interpretation destroys the obvious antithesis of
the sentence; "the remaining part" docs not answer to the
word rendered ruin, as it obviously should do. 2. It is not m
accordance with the context, which is not designed so much to
set forth the usefulness of the Jews then converted, as to
declare the blessings likely to be consequent on the final con
version of the whole nation. 3. A comparison of this, with the

572 ROMANS XI. 13.

15th verse, is unfavourable to this interpretation. These verses
evidently express the same idea, and therefore illustrate each
other. ' If the casting away of them be the occasion of recon
ciling the world, what will the receiving of them be ?' &c.
Vcr. 15. Retaining the sense, complement, the passage admits
of a different interpretation from that given by Storr. The
Jewish nation are the ntyrxoti.^ the complement, that which
completes the whole number of the people of God. A rent, or
loss had occurred by their rejection; they were, however, the
complement by which that loss was to be made good. This is
evidently forced.

The common interpretation, therefore, is to be preferred :
'If the injury or ruin of the Jews has been the occasion of good
to the Gentiles, how much more shall their full restoration or
blessedness be?' 1. This agrees with the antithesis, 'If the
fall, then the recovery; if the ruin, then the blessedness,' &c.
2. It suits the context, and the design of the apostle. 3. It is
in strict accordance with the obviously parallel passage in the
15th verse, just quoted. The remark of Thomas Aquinas is
of great weight : " Bonum cst potentius ad utilitatem inferen-
dam, quam inalum, sed raalum Judrerorum gentilibus magnam
utilitatem contulit, ergo multo majorem confert mundo eorum
bonum." The xtypaifjia of the Gentiles is, therefore, that which
fills them, and renders their blessedness full. The word is thus
retained in its ordinary sense.

VERSE 13. For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am
the apostle to the G- entiles. This and the following verse con
tain a transient remark relating to the apostle's own feelings
and mode of acting in reference to the subject in hand. Ilis
readers were not to suppose, that because he was the apostle to
the Gentiles, his labours had no reference to the Jews, or that
he was unconcerned about their salvation. This passage is
therefore connected with the last clause of the preceding verse,
in which Paul had said that the conversion of the Gentiles was
adapted and designed to bring about the restoration of the
Jews. These two events, instead of being at all inconsistent,
were intimately related, so that both ought to be kept con
stantly in view, and all efforts to promote the former had a
bearing on the accomplishment of the latter. This being the

ROMANS XI. 14. 573

case, the Gentiles ought to consider the restoration of the Jews
as in no respect inimical to their interests, but as on every
account most desirable. Paul therefore says, that what he had
just stated in reference to the effect on the Jews, of the con
version of the Gentiles, he designed specially for the latter.
He wished them to consider that fact, as it would prevent any
unkind feelings towards the Jews. lie had the better right
thus to speak, as to him, especially, " the gospel of the uncir-
cumcision had been committed." He himself, in all he did to
secure the salvation of the Gentiles, or to render his office suc
cessful, had an eye to the conversion of the Jews. The word
(oo~d^(tj) rendered / magnify, means, first, to praise, to estimate
and speak highly of a tJiin<j ; secondly, to render </lori»i/x. as
chap. viii. 30, k* Whom lie justifies, them he also glorifies;" and
so in a multitude of cases. Either sense of the word suits this
passage. The latter, however, is much better adapted to the
following verse, and therefore is to be preferred: '1 endeavour
to render my office glorious by bringing as many Gentiles as
possible into the Redeemer's kingdom; it' so be it may provoke
and arouse my countrymen.' His magnifying his office con
sisted in the faithful discharge of its duties ; and in thus labour
ing assiduously for the salvation of the Gentiles, he aimed also
at the salvation of the Jews. "Sic gentcs alloquitur: Quum
sim vobis peculiariter destinatus apostolus ideoque salutem
restrain milii commissam singular] quodam studio debeam pro-
curare, et quasi rebus omnibus omi<sis unum illud agere: officio
tameri meo fideliter fungar, si quos e mea gente Christo lucri-
fecero : idquc erit in glnriam ministerii inei, atquc adeo in
vestrum bonum." Calvin. The object of the apostle, therefore,
in these verses, is to declare that he always acted under the
influence of the truth announced at the close of the 12th verse.
He endeavoured to make the conversion of the Gentiles a means
of good to the Jews.

VERSE 14. If lij any means I may provoke to emulation them
which are my flesh, and might save some of them. This is tho
reason (of course one among many) why Paul desired the con
version of the Gentiles. If the two events, the salvation of
both classes, were intimately related, there was no ground of
ill feeling on either part. The Gentiles need not fear that the

£.± ROMANS XL 15.

restoration of the Jews would be injurious to them, as though
the happiness of one class were incompatible with that of the
other.

VERSE 15. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling
of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from
the dead.- Although Paul here returns to the sentiment of the
12th verse, this passage is logically connected with the pre
ceding. The apostle had said, that even in labouring for the
Gentiles, he had in view the salvation of the Jews; for if their
rejection had occasioned so much good, how desirable must be
their restoration. If the casting away of them be the recon
ciling of the world. The reconciliation here spoken of is that
which Paul so fully describes in Eph. ii. 11 — 22. A reconcilia
tion by which those who were aliens and strangers have been
brought nigh; reconciled at once to the church, the common
wealth of Israel, and to God himself, " by the blood of Christ."
This event has been facilitated, as remarked above, by the
rejection of the Jews; what will the restoration of the Jews
then be, but life from the dead? That is, it will be a most
glorious event ; as though a new world had risen, not only glo
rious in itself, but in the highest degree beneficial to the Gen
tiles. DC Brais and many others suppose that the apostle
refers to the future declension of the Gentile church, from
which the restoration of the Jews shall be the means of arous
ing them. Of such an allusion, however, there is no intimation
in the text. The most common and natural interpretation is
that which considers the latter clause as merely a figurative
expression of a joyful and desirable event. The conversion of
the Jews will be attended with the most glorious consequences
for the whole world.

Not only in the Scriptures, but also in profane literature, the
transition from a state of depression and misery, to one of pros
perity, is expressed by the natural figure of passing from death
to life. The Old Testament prophets represented the glorious
condition of the theocracy, consequent on the coming of Christ,
in contrast with its previous condition, as a rising from the
dead. This interpretation of the passage before us, is adopted
by many of the best commentators, ancient and modern. There
are, however, two other views presented. According to some,

ROMANS XL 15. 5T5

the life here spoken of is strictly spiritual life, and the dead
from which it springs are the spiritually dead. The meaning
would then be, that the conversion of the Jews would be the
occasion, or the means, of awakening many of the Gentiles to
spiritual life. This idea, however, is included in the former
interpretation, because the summa felicitas, the state of great
prosperity which the church is to enjoy when the Jews are
restored, is a religious prosperity. It supposes the conversion
of great multitudes of men, and the general spread and power
of the gospel. But this does not justify us in confmino- the
words to this spiritual sense. The latter clause, according to
this view, expresses no more than the former clause. Tlie
reconciliation of t/tc world, implies, of course, the conversion of
multitudes of men, and the prevalence of true religion. The
Itfe from t/ie dead, is more than this. It is not only a greater
measure of the former blessing, but a glorious and happy con
dition therewith connected, and consequent thereon. The other
view of the passage is that given by Chrysostom, and adopted
by many of the !>e>t modern commentators, as Tholuck (in his
second edition.) J)0 Wette. Meyer, and others. It assumes that
Z<'>7, s* i>zxu(M (life from the dead,) refers to the resurrection
of the dead. The idea is, that the conversion of the Jews is
the condition precedent of that great event. When the Jews
are converted, then comes the resurrection and the consumma
tion of Christ s kingdom. But nowhere else in Scripture is the
literal resurrection expressed by the words ^i»rt Ix \,zyjnl)u.
Jlad Paul intended a reference to the resurrection, no reason
can be assigned why he did not employ the; established and
familiar words, u.\,(j.<j-afK~ Ix ^s/o^v. If he meant the resurrec
tion, why did he not say so? Why use a general phrase, which
is elsewhere used to express another idea? Besides this, it is
not according to the analogy of Scripture, that the resurrection
of the dead, and the change in those who shall be then alive,
(1 Cor. xv. ol, 1 Thess. iv. 14 — 18,) are to be immediate, con
sequent on the conversion of the Jews. The resurrection is
not to occur until k-the end." A new state of things, a new
mode of existence, is to be then introduced. Flesh and blood,
i. e., our bodies as now organized, (the awoa (pyfctxov^ cannot
inherit tho kingdom of God. They are not suited for the state

576 ROMANS XI. 16.

of being which is to follow the resurrection. If, therefore, the
world is to continue after the conversion of the Jews, that event
will not inaugurate the resurrection.

VERSE 16. For if the first-fruits he holy, the lump is also
holy; and if the root be holy, so also are the branches. Under
two striking and appropriate figures, the apostle expresses the
general idea, l If one portion of the Jewish people is holy, so
also is the other.' With regard to this interesting passage, the
first point to be settled is the allusion in the figurative expres
sion in the first clause. The Jews were commanded to offer a
certain portion of all the productions of the earth to God, as
an expression of gratitude and acknowledgment of depend
ence. This offering, called the first-fruits, was to be made,
first, from the productions in their natural state (Ex. xxiii. 19 ;)
and, secondly, from the meal, wine, oil, and dough, as prepared
for use. Num. xv. 20, " Of the first of your dough ye shall
give unto the Lord a heave-offering in all your generations;"
Neh. x. 37, Deut. xviii. 14. If the allusion of the apostle is
to the former of these offerings, then the first-fruits must refer
to a portion of the harvest or vintage presented to God, and the
lump to the residue of the grain or grapes. If the allusion be
to the second, then the first-fruits mean the portion of dough
offered to God, and the lump the residue of the mass. The
latter is undoubtedly most consistent with the meaning of the
word ((f'jfta/jLa) used by the apostle, which can hardly be under
stood as referring to heaps of grain, or other productions of the
earth. In either case, however, the purport of the illustration
is the same.

A second question is, Who are intended by the first-fruits
and the root, and by the lump and the branches, in these two
figures ? With respect to this question, the following are the
most common and plausible answers: 1. The first-fruits are
understood to mean the Jews first converted to the Christian
faith, who became, as it were, the root of the Christian church.
According to this view of the passage, the apostle designs to
say, < Since the first converts to the gospel were Jews, it is
evident that the nation, as such, is not cast off by God ; as a
portion of them is holy (or have been accepted of God,) so may
the residue be.' 2. By the first-fruits and the root, may be

ROMANS XL 16. 577

understood the patriarchs, the forefathers of the Jews ; and by
the lump and the branches, the residue of the nation, or the
Jews as a people. That this latter is the true meaning of the
passage seems very evident: 1. Because this interpretation
alone preserves the propriety of the figure. How can the
unconverted Jews or the Jewish nation be called the branches
of the portion that became followers of Christ ? The Gentile
Christians might be so called, but not the Jewish people, as
such. On the other hand, nothing is more natural than to call
the ancestors the root, and their descendants the branches.

2. This interpretation best suits the design of the apostle. lie
wishes to show that the conversion of the Jews, which he had
declared to be so desirable for the Gentiles, was a probable
event. He proves this hv referring to the relation of their
ancestors to God. If they were the peculiar people of God,
their descendants may be regarded as his also, since the cove
nant was not with Abraham only, but also with his seed.

3. This is the apostle's own explanation in ver. -8, where the
unconverted Jews, or Hebrew nation, as such, are said to be
"beloved for the father's sake.'' 4. This interpretation alone
can be consistently carried through the following verses. The
Gentile Christians are not said (ver. IT) to be grafted into the
stock of the converted Jews, but as branches with them they
are united to a common stock. And the stock into which the
branches, now broken off, are to be again grafted, is not the
Jewish part of the Christian church, but the original family or
household of God.

The word (#j'.'o~) rendered /Wy, which properly means clean,
is used in two general senses in the Scriptures: 1. Consecrated;
2. Pure. In the former of these, it is applied, times without
number, in the Old Testament, to persons, places, and things
considered as peculiarly devoted to the service of God. So the
whole Jewish people, without reference to their moral charac
ter, are called a holy people. So, too, the temple, tabernacle,
and all their contents, were called holy, &c. The use of the
word in this sense, in reference to places and things, is not
unfrequent in the New Testament. Matt. iv. 5, where Jerusa
lem is called the "holy city;" see Matt. vii. 6, xxiv. 15, xxvii.
53, and often. It is, however, rarely so used in relation to
37

578 ROMANS XI. 17.

persons. In the vast majority of instances, when thus applied,
it means, morally pure; yet, in some cases, it signifies, devoted
to God. Luke ii. 23, "Every male that openeth the womb
shall be called holy unto the Lord." Perhaps, too, in the
expressions, "the holy prophets," Luke i. 70, and "holy apos
tles," Eph. iii. 5, the reference is rather to their relation to
God, as persons devoted to his service, than to their moral cha
racter. In 1 Cor. vii. 14, the children of professing Christians
are called "holy," not in reference to their moral condition,
but their relation to the church. In like manner, in this pas
sage, the Jews, as a people, arc called holy, because peculiarly
consecrated to God, separated from the rest of the world for
his service.*

The connection of this verse with the preceding, its import
and bearing on the apostle's object are therefore clear. The
restoration of the Jews, which will be attended with such bene
ficial results for the whole world, is to be expected, because of
their peculiar relation to God as his chosen people. God, in
selecting the Hebrew patriarchs, and setting them apart for his
service, had reference to their descendants, as well as to them
selves ; and designed that the Jews, as a people, should, to the
latest generations, be specially devoted to himself. They stand
now, therefore, and ever have stood, in a relation to God which
no other nation ever has sustained; and, in consequence of this
relation, their restoration to the divine favour is an event in
itself probable, and one, which Paul afterwards teaches (ver.
25.) God has determined to accomplish.

VERSES 17 — 24. The object of these verses is to make such
an application of the truths which Paul had just taught as
should prevent any feeling of exultation or triumph of the Gen
tile Christians over the Jews. It is true that the Jews have
been partially rejected from the church of God; that the Gen
tiles have been introduced into it ; and that the Jews are ulti
mately to be restored. These things, however, afford no ground

* Non est mirum, si in patre sue Jutkei sanctificati sint. Nihil hie erit
difficultatis, si sanctitatem intelligas nihil esse aliud, quam spiritualem gene
ris cobilitatem, et earn quidem non propriam naturae, sed quae ex foedere
manabat. . . . Electi populi dignitas, proprie loquendo, supernaturale privi-
legium est. — Calvin.

ROMANS XL 17. 579

of boasting to the Gentiles, but rather cause of thankfulness
tnd caution. Paul illustrates these truths by a very appropri
ate figure.

VERSE 17. And if some of the branches be broken off, and
ihou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, &c.
The words *v o.it-ul.' may refer to the branches in general,
arid be rendered as in our version, amonij them; or they may
refer to the rejected branches, and be rendered, in their place.
' Some of the branches have been broken off, and jou have been
inserted in their place.' The purport of the passage is plain.
Some of the Jews were broken off and rejected; the Gentiles,
though apparent! v little susceptible of such a blessing, were
introduced into the church, and made to partake of all its pecu
liar and precious privileges. The Jewish church is compared
to the olive tree, one of the most durable, productive, and
valuable of the productions of the earth, because it was highly
favoured, and therefore valued in the sight of God. The Gen
tiles are compared to the wild olive, one <>f the most worthless
of trees, to express the degradation of their state, considered
as estranged, from God. As it is customary to engraft good
scions on inferior stocks, the nature of the product being deter
mined by the graft, and not the root, it has hern thought that
the illustration of the apostle is not very apposite. But the
difficulty mav result from pressing the comparison too far. The
idea may be simply this, 'As the scion of one tree is engrafted
into another, and has no independent life, but derives all its
vigour from the root, so the Gentiles are introduced among the
people of God, not to confer but to receive good.' It is how
ever said, on the authority of ancient writers and of modern
travellers, to have been not unusual to graft the wild on the
cultivated olive.* Even if this were so, it would not be perti
nent to the apostle's object. He does not mean to say, that the
graft imparts life and vigour to the root, but the very reverse.
There is no necessity for departing from the common view.

* COLUMELLA dc Re rustica, V. 9. Solent terebrari olcne lactoo, in foramen
talea viridis oleastri demittitur, et sic velut inita arbor foccundo semine fer-
tilior exstat.

PALLADIUS de Re rustica, XIV. 53. Foccundat sterilis pinguis oleaster
olivas, et quae non novit munera ferre docet.

580 ROMANS XI. 18—20.

The Gentiles are saved by their introduction into that church
of which the patriarchs were the root.

It is plain from this verse, that the root in this passage can
not be the early converts from among the Jews, but the ancient
covenant people of God. The ancient theocracy was merged
in the kingdom of Christ. The latter is but an enlargement
and elevation of the former. There has, therefore, never been
other than one family of God on earth, existing under different
institutions, and enjoying different degrees of light and favour.
This family was composed, of old, of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, and their descendants. At the advent, its name and
circumstances were changed; many of its old members were
cast out, and others introduced, but it is the same family still.
Or, to return to the apostle's illustration, it is the same tree,
some of the branches only beincr changed.

*j O O '

VERSE 18. Boast not thyself against the branches; xara-
xau^do/jLou means, to boast against, in the sense of glorying over
any one. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the
root thee. A concise expression, for, If thou boast, (i. e., art
disposed to do it.) consider that thou bearest not the root, &c.
The Gentiles had been brought into fellowship with the patri
archs, not the patriarchs with them. Salvation was from the
Jews. The truth that the Jews were the channel of blessings

O

to the Gentiles, and riot the reverse, was adapted to prevent all
ungenerous and self-confident exultation of the latter over the
former.

VERSE 10. You ivill say then, The branches were broken off,
that I might be grafted in. The apostle guards against a fur
ther ground of self-complacency on the part of the Gentiles.
Although forced to admit that the root bore him, and not he
the root, yet he might pride himself on the fact, that the
branches were broken off, and he put in their place. To this it
is answered, that the Gentiles are not authorized to infer, from
the fact that the Jews were rejected, and they chosen, that this
occurred on the ground of their being in themselves better than
the Jews. The true reason of this dispensation is assigned in
the next verse.

VERSE 20. Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, &c.
The fact that they were broken off is admitted, but the infer-

ROMANS XL 21, 22. 581

ence drawn by the Gentiles is denied. It was not for any
personal considerations that the one was rejected and the other
chosen. The Jews were rejected because they rejected the
Saviour, and the only tenure by which the advantages of a
covenant relation to God can be retained is faith. The Gen
tiles will not be secure, because Gentiles, any more than the
Jews were safe, because Jews. Instead, therefore, of being
high-minded, they should fear.

VERSE 21. If Grod spared not the natural branches, take
heed lest he also spare not thee. The clause, /JLTJXCOZ o'jos ak
(fsiff^rcu, must depend on something understood. Our trans
lators supply ^/cf-srs, take heed; others, ^o/?oy//or, I fear.
The Gentile has even more reason to fear than the Jew had.
It was in itself far more probable that God would spare a
people so lung connected with him in the most peculiar manner,
than that he should spare those who had no such claims on his
mercy. The idea intended to be expressed by this verse pro
bably is, that the Jews, from their relation to God, were more
likely to be spared than the Gentiles, inasmuch as God is
accustomed to bear long with the recipients of his mercy, before
he casts them oft"; even as a father bears long with a son,
before he discards him and adopts another.

VERSE 22. J>e/told, therefore, the goodness and severity of
Grod: on them which fell, severity; but on thee, goodness.
Instead of the accusatives (\-u~o uiav and ^o^oror^ra, Lach-
mann and Tischendorf read a-oroitia and ft^crcbrrfi. If this
reading be adopted, icrri^ must be supplied. 'Towards the one
class there is severity, towards the other kindness.' The effect
which the consideration of these dispensations of God should
produce, is gratitude and fear. Gratitude, in view of the favour
which we Gentiles have received, and fear lest we should be cut
off; for our security does not depend upon our now enjoying
the blessings of the church of God, but is dependent on our
continuing in the divine yoodncss or favour, (Rom. iii. 4, Titus
iii. 4,) that is, on our doing nothing to forfeit that favour; its
continuance being suspended on the condition of our fidelity.
If thou continue in (his) goodness, eai< i~t/jisii<7jZ TTJ XprjffTOTTjTe,
is sometimes explained to mean, if thou continue in goodness,
i. o., in being good, according to the analogy of the following

582 ROMANS XI. 23.

clause, IJ.TI eTttpsivoMJi TYJ axtoria, if they continue not in unbe
lief. But this is inconsistent with the context. The jj^arorr^
spoken of, is the goodness or love of God. Compare Acts
xni. 43, Tipoanevecv -crt yu.(>t~t rorj 6zorj, to remain in the grace
of God. "Otherwise thou also shalt be cut off," k~st xae oi>
IxxoTTijaft since, in that case, (i. c., if thou continuest not in his
goodness,) thou also shalt be cut off; ixxo-^ar^ second future
indicative passive. There is nothing in this language incon
sistent with the doctrine of the final perseverance of believers,
even supposing the passage to refer to individuals; for it is
very common to speak thus hypothetically, and say that an
event cannot, or will not come to pass, unless the requisite
means are employed, when the occurrence of the event had
been rendered certain by the previous purpose and promise of
God; see Acts xxvii. 31. The foundation of all such state
ments is the simple truth, that He who purposes the end, pur
poses also the means ; and he brings about the end by securing
the use of the means. And when rational agents are concerned,
he secures the use of the means by rational considerations pre
sented to their minds, and rendered effectual by his grace, when
the end contemplated is good. This passage, however, has no
legitimate bearing on this subject, Paul is not speaking of the
connection of individual believers with Christ, which lie had
abundantly taught in chap. viii. and elsewhere, to be indissolu
ble, but of the relation of communities to the church and its
various privileges. There is no promise or covenant on the
part of God, securing to the Gentiles the enjoyment of these
blessings through all generations, any more than there was any
such promise to protect the Jews from the consequences of their
unbelief. The continuance of these favours depends on the
conduct of each successive generation. Paul therefore says to
the Gentile, that he must continue in the divine favour, u other
wise thou also shalt be cut off."

VERSE 23. And they also, if they bide not in unbelief, shall
be graffed in, £c. The principle which the apostle had just
stated as applicable to the Gentiles, is applicable also to the
Jews. Neither one nor the other, simply because Jew or Gen
tile, is either retained in the church or excluded from it. As
the one continues in thia relation to God, only on condition of

ROMANS XI. 24. 583

faith, so the other is excluded by his unbelief alone. Nothing
but unbelief prevents the Jews being brought back, "for God
is able to graff them in again."* That is, not merely has God
the power to accomplish this result, but the difficulty or impedi
ment is not in him, but solely in themselves. There is no
inexorable purpose in the divine mind, nor any insuperable
obstacle in the circumstances of the case, which forbids their
restoration; on the contrary, the event is, in itself considered,
far more probable than the calling of the Gentiles.

VERSE '24. For if thou ivert cut out of the- olice-tree which is
wild by nature, and wert yralYcd contrary to nature into a </or>d
olive-tree; how much more, &C. The connection indicated by
fan (for,) is not with the preceding clause, Gr<>d /* alle to graff
them in cu/aiti, because what follows does not prove the power
of God to restore the Jews to their ancient privileges, but that
their restoration is a probable event. The connection, there
fore, is with the main idea in the context, as expressed in
ver. 23, fctThev shall be (/raffed in." This maybe expected,
he savs, fur, &c. The Gentiles were of the wild olive, having
no natural connection with the tree into which they were
graffed. The Jews were its natural branches. In itself con
sidered, therefore, their reunion with their native stalk was
more probable than the grafting in of the Gentiles. The oppo
sition, however, between yjj-<i. C''><T.^ and ~<i.<>u. cvrrrv, do^s not
refer to any natural fitness of the Jews, as a race, for the true
religion, in opposition to the unsuitableness of the Gentiles.
According to the Scriptures, there is no difference, so far as
their relation to God is concerned, between the different races
of men, since all have sinned. They are all alike unfit for the
service and enjoyment of God, and alike unable to save them
selves. And, on the other hand, they are alike susceptible of
the salvation of the gospel, which is adapted to all classes of
men. The words in question are used only to preserve the
figure of a tree and its branches. The simple meaning, there
fore, of this verse is, that the future restoration of the Jews is,

* Frigidum apud homines profanos argumentum hoc foret. ... At quia
fideles quoties Dei potentiam nominari audiunt, quasi praisens opus intuen-
tur, hauc rationem satis putavit valere, ad percellendas eorum mentes. —
Calvin.

584 ROMANS XI. 25.

in itself, a more probable event than the introduction of the
Gentiles into the church of God. This, of course, supposes
that God regarded the Jews, on account of their relation to
him, with peculiar favour, and that there is still something in
their relation to the ancient servants of God, and his covenant
with them, which causes them to be regarded with special
interest. As men look upon the children of their early friends
with kinder feelings than on the children of strangers, God
refers to this fact to make us sensible that he still retains pur
poses of peculiar mercy towards his ancient people. The
restoration of this people, therefore, to the blessings of the
church of God, is far from being an improbable event.

VERSE 2<3. For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of
this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits, that
blindness in part has happened unto Israel, until the fulness
of the Grentiles be come in. Although the interpretations given
of tins and the following verses are very numerous, they are all
modifications of one or the other of the two following general
views of the passage. 1. Many understand the apostle as not
predicting any remarkable future conversion of the Jewish
nation, but merely declaring that the hardening or blinding of
the nation, was not such as to prevent many Jews entering the
Christian church, as long as the Gentiles continued to come in.
Thus all the true Israel, embracing Jews as well as Gentiles,
should ultimately be saved. 2. The second general view sup
poses the apostle, on the contrary, to predict a great and gene
ral conversion of the Jewish people, which should take place
when the fulness of the Gentiles had been brought in, and that
then, and not till then, those prophecies should be fully accom
plished which speak of the salvation of Israel. The former of
these views was presented, in different forms, by the great body
of the authors who lived about the time of the Reformation ;
who were led by the extravagancies of the Millenarians, who
built much on this passage, to explain away its prophetic
character almost entirely.* Olshausen, in order to show the

* Wolfiug, in his Curae, gives an account of the authors who discuss the
meaning of this and the following verses, as Calovius in Bibliis Illustratis;
Buddeus in Institutio Theol. Dog., p. 672. Wolfius himself says, " Contextus
suadet credere, Paulum id hie tantum agere, ut conversi e Gentilibus non

ROMANS XL 25. 585

hostile feeling entertained by the Reformers towards the Jews,
quotes a passage from Luther, which does not admit of trans
lation : "Em jiidisch Herz ist so stoch-stein-eisen-teufelhart,
das mit keiner Weise zu bewegen ist ;— es siiul junge Teufel zur
Holle verdammt, diese Teufelskinder zu bekehren ist unmbg-
lich, wie etliche solchen Wahn sclibpfcn aus der Epistel an die
Rbmer."

The second view has been the one generally received in every
age of the church, with the exception of the period just referred
to. That it is the correct interpretation, appears evident for
the following reasons : 1. The whole context and drift of the
apostle's discourse is in its favour. In the preceding part of
the chapter, Paul, in the plainest terms, had taught that the
conversion of the Jews was a probable event, and that it would
be in the highest degree beneficial and glorious for the whole
world. This idea is presented in various forms; and practical
lessons are deduced from it in such a way as to show that ho
contemplated something more than merely the silent addition
of a few Israelites to the church during successive ages. 2. It
is evident that Paul meant to say, that the .lews were to be
restored in the sense in which they were then rejected. They
were then rejected not merely as individuals, but as a commu
nity, and therefore are to be restored as a community; see
vs. 11, 15. How can the latter passage (ver. 15.) especially,
be understood of the conversion of the small number of Jews
which, from age to age, have joined the Christian Church?
This surely has not been as "life from the dead," for the whole
world. 8. It is plain from this and other parts of the dis
course, that Paul refers to a great event; something which
should attract universal attention. 4. In accordance with this
idea, is the manner of introducing this verse, I would not lave
you ignorant, brethren; see 1 Cor. x. 1, xii. 1, and elsewhere.
Paul uses this form of address when he wishes to rouse the
attention of his readers to something specially important.
5. The gradual conversion of a few Jews is no mystery, in the
scriptural sense of the word. The word fjojffnjpeov, secret, is

existiment, Juilans omnem spem ad Christum in posterum perveniendi prse-
cisam esse, sed ita potius statuant, ipsis non minus ceteris Gentilibus, nondum
converts, viarn patere, qua ad Christum perducantur."

586 ROMANS XI. 25.

not generally used, in the New Testament, in the sense of tho
word mystery. It means simply, what is hidden, or unknown ;
whether because it is an unrevealed purpose of God; or
because it is future ; or because it is covered up in parables or
symbols, (as the mystery of the seven candlesticks, Rev. i. 20 ;)
or because it lies beyond the reach of the human mind, Eph.
v. 32. It is only in the last-mentioned case that pjaryptov
answers to our word mystery. Whatever needs an a~oxaAo(p^,
to become an object of knowledge, is a piHrrfpeov. It is there
fore used in reference to all the doctrines of the gospel which
are not the truths of reason, but matters of divine revelation ;
Rom. xvi. 25, 1 Cor. ii. 7, iv. 1, Eph. vi. 19, &c. Hence minis
ters are called stewards of the mysteries (i. e., of the revela
tions) of God. It is also used of some one doctrine, considered
as previously unknown and undiscoverable by human reason,
however simple and intelligible in its own nature. Thus, the
fact that the Gentiles should be admitted into the church of
God, Paul calls a mystery, Eph. i. 9, iii. 4. Any future event,
therefore, which could be known only by divine revelation, is a
mystery. The fact that all should not die, though all should
be changed, was a mystery, 1 Cor. xv. 51. In like manner,
here, when Paul says, "I would not, brethren, have you igno
rant of this mystery," he means to say, that the event to which
he referred, was one which, depending on no secondary cause,
but on the divine purpose, could be known only by divine reve
lation. This description is certainly far more suitable to the
annunciation of a prophecy, than to the statement of a fact
which might have been confidently inferred from what God had
already revealed. 6. The words, all Israel, in the next verse,
cannot, as the first interpretation mentioned above would
require, be understood of the spiritual Israel; because the
word is just before used in a different sense, " blindness in part
has happened unto Israel." This blindness is to continue until
a certain time, when it is to be removed, and then all Israel is
to be saved. It is plain, that Israel in these cases must be
understood as referring to the same class of persons. This is
also clear from the opposition between the terms Israel and
Gentile. 7. The words (d%pez ou,) correctly rendered in our
version, until, cannot, so consistently with usage, be translated,

ROMANS XL 25. 58T

as long as, or so that, followed as they are here by the aorist
subjunctive; see Rev. xv. 8, xvii. 17: compare Hob. iii. 13.
8. The following verses seem to require this interpretation.
The result contemplated is one which shall be a full accomplish
ment of those prophecies which predicted the salvation of the
Jews. The reason given in vs. 28, 29, for the event to which
Paul refers, is the unchangeableness of God's purposes and
covenant. Having once taken the Jews into special connection
with himself, he never intended to cast them off for ever. The
apostle sums up his discourse by saying, 'As the Gentiles were
formerly unbelieving, and yet obtained mercy, so the Jews who
now disbelieve, shall hereafter be brought in ; and thus God
will have mercy on all, both Jews and Gentiles.' From all
these considerations, it seems obvious that Paul intended here
to predict that the time would come when the Jews, as a body,
should be converted unto the Lord; compare 2 Cor. iii. 10.
The prediction contained in this verse is to be explained by the
context. The rejection of the Jews at the time of Christ, did
not involve the perdition of every individual of that nation.
Thousands, and even myriads, believed and were saved. So the
restoration here foretold is not to be understood as including
every individual of the Jewish people, but simply that there is
to be a national restoration.

Li'st. /jc sit null he wise in your own conceit*. This is given
as the reason why the apostle wished the Gentiles to know and
consider the event which he was about to announce. This
clause mav mean either, 'Lest ye proudly imagine that your
own ideas of the destiny of the Jews arc correct;' or, 'Lest ye
be proud and elated, as though you were better and more
highly favoured than the Jews.' The former is perhaps most
in accordance with the literal meaning of the words Uv ka'Jtolz
(pfx'mfjLo: ;) see Prov. iii. 7.

Blindness in part, i. e., partial blindness ; partial as to its
extent and continuance. Because not all the Jews were thus
blinded, nor was the nation to remain blind for ever. The
words d~b /isoo'j- arc not to be connected with -wttcofftz, nor
with T(IJ laoar^; but with fi?o\>zv. 'Blindness has partially
happened to Israel.' The reference, however, is not to the
decree, but to the continuance of this blindness. It is not final

588 ROMANS XI. 25.

and hopeless ; it is only for a time. The word (^(o
rendered blindness, is more correctly rendered, in Mark
iii. 5, hardness; compare Eph. iv. 16; see ver. 7, and chap,
ix. 18.

Until the fulness of the Crentiles be come in. Until, (typcc ou9
marks the terminus ad quern. This blindness of Israel is to
continue until something else happened. There were to be, and
have been numerous conversions to Christianity from among the
Jews, in every age since the advent; but their national conver
sion is not to occur until the heathen are converted. What,
however, is definitely meant by the TrXypaifJia TCOV Id-vcov, it is
not easy to determine. The question is not to be decided by
the mere signification of the words. In whatever way they may
be explained, the general idea is the same. The xtfpco/jia of
the Gentiles may mean, that which makes the Gentiles, as to
number, full. Or, according to others, the Gentiles themselves
are the ntypco/jta, i. e., the complement; they make full the
vacancy left by the rejection of the Jews. Or, as is commonly
assumed, xtypcDjuta is be taken in a secondary sense, for multi
tude. Compare Gen. xlviii. 19: "Multitude (literally fulness)
of nations;" and Isa. xxxi. 4, "Multitude (fulness) of shep
herds." This does not mean the totality of the Gentiles. It is
not Paul's doctrine, that all Gentiles who ever lived are to be
introduced into the kingdom of Christ. Nor does it mean, that
all the Gentiles who may be alive when the Jews are converted,
shall be true Christians. All that can be safely inferred from
this language is, that the Gentiles, as a body, the mass of the
Gentile world, will be converted before the restoration of the
Jews, as a nation. Much will remain to be accomplished after
that event; and in the accomplishment of what shall then
remain to be done, the Jews are to have a prominent agency.
Their conversion will be as life from the dead to the church.
Wo must remember, that Paul is here speaking as a prophet,
iv O.T:OXO.A'J^EC, 1 Cor. xiv. 6, and therefore his language must be
interpreted by the rules of prophetic interpretation. Prophecy
is riot proleptic history. It is not designed to give us the know
ledge of the future which history gives us of the past. Great
events are foretold ; but the mode of their occurrence, their
details, and their consequences, can only be learned by the

ROMANS XL 26. 589

event. It is in the retrospect that the foreshadowing of the
future is seen to be miraculous and divine.

VERSE 26. And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written.
Israel, here, from the context, must mean the Jewish people,
and all Israel, the whole nation. The Jews, as a people, arc
now rejected; as a people, they are to be restored. As their
rejection, although national, did not include the rejection of
every individual; so their restoration, although in like manner
national, need not be assumed to include the salvation of every
individual Jew. 11^ ^ lao'ir^ is not therefore to be here under
stood to mean, all the true people of (lod, as Augustin, Calvin,
and rnanv others explain it : nor all the elect Jews, i. e., all that
part of the nation which constitute "the remnant according to
the election of grace;" but the whole nation, as a nation.

In support of what he had said, the apostle appeals to the
Old Testament prophecies. It is probable that here, as else
where, he does not intend to refer exclusively to any one predic
tion, but to irive the general sense of many specific declarations
of the ancient prophets. Isa. lix. 20, 21, xxvii. 0, Jer. xxxi.

31 :}4^ l>s. xiv. 7, are the passages which seem to have been

immediately before the apostle's mind, and to have given colour
to his language. In Isa. lix. 20, it is said, "The Redeemer
shall come to /ion, and unto them that turn from transgression
in Jacob." Instead of Ix Zid^, out of /Aon, the LXX. have
£•/£/£:, -KO^. for the sake of Z ion, the English version, to Zion.
In Ps. xiv. 7, it is, out of Zion. The latter part of the verse, as
given bv Paul, does not agree with the Hebrew, which is cor
rectly rendered in our version, "To such as turn from trans
gression (literally, to the eonverts of transgression) in Jacob."
Paul follows the LXX., xa: a-ufrrnifz: aazfeiaz 'i"o V^r^9,
and shall turn iniquity from Jacob. In Isa. xxvii. 0, the phrase
is, "the iniquity of Jacob shall be purged." The general idea
expressed in these passages is, "The God, the deliverer, shall
come for the salvation of Jacob," i. e., of the Jews. And this
is all that Paul desired to establish by these ancient prophecies.
The apostle teaches, that the deliverance promised of old, and
to which the prophet Isaiah referred in the passage above cited,
included much more than the conversion of the comparatively
few Jews who believed in Christ at the advent. The full

590 ROMANS XI. 27, 28.

accomplishment of the promise, that he should turn away
ungodliness from Jacob, contemplated the conversion of the
whole nation, as such, to the Lord. We are, of course, bound
to receive the apostle's interpretation as correct; and there is
the less difficulty in this, as there is nothing in the original
passage at all incompatible with it, and as it accords with the
nature of God's covenant with his ancient people.

VERSE 27. For this is my covenant unto them; aZ-y WJTOK; ^
-an £twrj dta&yxy, this for them is the covenant which proceeds
from me. In the Hebrew it is simply, my covenant; so that
7-jj.n l/wrj is for the genitive. See, however, Winer, iii., § 30.
The pronoun C&TT,, this, is to be referred to what follows; this
is my covenant, (or«y, when,) that I will take away their sins.
The demonstrative pronoun may be followed, and its reference
determined, by rW, John xvii. 3; idv, 1 John ii. 3; and as in
this case, and in 1 John v. 2, by orav. The quotation in this
verse, as that in ver. 26, is not from any one place. The words,
This is my covenant with them, occur in Isa. lix. 21; the clause,
When I shall take away their sins, is from Isa. xxvii. 9, as ren
dered by the LXX., who give the sense of the Hebrew, "Their
iniquity shall be purged;" or, literally, to take away his sin.
All the apostle intended to prove, is proved by the language of
the prophets. The covenant of God with his ancient people
secured, after their apostacy and consequent banishment in
Babylon, and their dispersion over the earth, and their rejec
tion of Christ, the ultimate purging away of their sin, and their
restoration, as a nation, to the Messiah's kingdom. This
national conversion is also predicted in Zech. xii. 10, and in
many other passages of the Old Testament.

VERSE 28. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for
your sakes ; but as touching the election, they are beloved for the
fathers' sakes. In this and the few following verses, the apostle
sums up what he had previously taught. The Jews, he says,
were now, as far as the gospel was concerned, regarded and
treated as enemies, for the benefit of the Gentiles; but, in
reference to the election, they were still regarded as the pecu
liar people of God, on account of their connection with the
patriarchs. They are enemies, whether of the gospel, of the
apostle, or of God, is not expressed, and therefore depends on

ROMANS XI. 29. 591

the context. Each view of the clause has its advocates. The
last is the correct one, because they are enemies to him, by
whom, on one account, they are beloved. The word £%&f>oi may
be taken actively or passively ; see v. 10. They arc inimical
to God, or they are regarded and treated as enemies by him.
The latter best suits the context. They are now aliens from
their own covenant of promise.

As concerning the gospel, y.o~a TO luafrshov, tha* is, the
gospel is the occasion of their being regarded as enemies. This
is explained by a reference to vs. 11, 1>1 By their punishment
the progress of the gospel has been facilitated among the Gen
tiles ; and therefore the apostle says, it is for your sake* they
are thus treated. On the other hand, %a-a us ~r,v ixioftv, as
it regards the election, or the covenant of God, they are still
regarded with peculiar favour, because descended from those
patriarchs to whom and tu whose seed the promises were made.
This is but expressing in a different form the idea which the
apostle had previously presented, viz., that the covenant made,
with Abraham was inconsistent with the final rejection of the
Jews, as a people. God foresaw and predicted their temporary
defection and rejection from his kingdom, but never contem
plated their being for ever excluded; see vs. 1(3, 25 — 27.
" Paulus autmn docet, ita (JiuUeos) fuisse ad tempus Dei provi
dent ia. exciocatos, ut via evangelic ad gentes sterneretur: cixnc-
ruin non esse in perpetuum a Dei gratia exclusos. Fatetur
ergo — Deum nun esse immemorem foederis, quod cum patribus
coruin pepiirit. et <juo testa! us cst, se ;eterno eonsilio gcntem
illani dilcctionc complex am esse. ' Calvin.

VKIISI-: 21*. F»r the ////'/* ami calffn;/ of <1<><1 arc without
repent<uice ; ra %apicrfJ,aTa KCLI /} /C\J)CTK« the gilts ol God in gene
ral, and spcciallv the calling of God. Compare ^lark xvi. 7.
God is not a man, that lie should change. I hiving chosen the
.Jews as his people, the purpose which he had in view in that
choice can never ho altered; and as it was his purpose that
they should ever remain his people, their future restoration to
liisfavourand kingdom is certain. Having previously explained
the nature of God's covenant with his ancient people, Paul
infers from the divine character, that it will ho fully accom
plished. Callwy is equivalent to election, as appears from the

592 ROMANS XI. 30, 31.

context, the one word being substituted for the other, and also
from the use of the cognate terms, (see chap. viii. 28, i. 7, &c.,
&c.) The general proposition of the apostle, therefore, is, that
the purposes of God are unchangeable ; and, consequently,
those whom God has chosen for any special benefit cannot fail
to attain it. The persons whom he hath chosen to eternal life
shall certainly be saved ; and the people whom he chooses to be
his peculiar people, as the Jews were ckosen in Abraham, must
for ever remain his people. The purpose once formed, and the
promise once given, never can be changed. As in the whole
context Paul is speaking, not of individuals, but of the rejec
tion and restoration of the Jews as a body, it is evident that
the calling and election which he here has in view, are such as
pertain to the Jews as a nation, and not such as contemplate
the salvation of individuals.

VERSES 30, 31. For as ye in times past have not believed
God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief; even
so, &c. These verses contain a repetition and confirmation of
the previous sentiment. The cases of the Gentiles and Jews
arc very nearly parallel. Formerly the Gentiles were disbe
lieving, yet the unbelief of the Jews became the occasion of
their obtaining mercy; so now, though the Jews are dis
obedient, the mercy shown to the Gentiles is to be the means
of their obtaining mercy. As the gospel came from the Jews
to the Gentiles, so is it to return from the Gentiles to the Jews.
Paul had before stated how the unbelief of the Israelites was
instrumental in promoting the salvation of other nations, and
how the conversion of the Gentiles was to re-act upon the Jews.

It is in confirmation of what had just been said, that the
apostle introduces what follows by yap, for. For as ye in time
past have not believed. Ye, of course referring to the Gentiles.
In times past, i. e., before the coming of Christ. Have not
believed Grod, r^^dr^ai^ TOJ 0sw, disobeyed G-od. According
to the Scriptures, however, faith is an act of obedience, and
unbelief is disobedience. Hence the to obey often means to
believe or confide in. That is, the same act may be expressed
by either word. Thus in Ileb. v. 9, Christ is said to be the
author of salvation to all those who obey him. In the New
Testament anzi&ziy and dTrei&eia are always used to express

ROMANS XL 32. 593

disobedience to the truth; that is, the act of rejecting the
truth. It is not, therefore, moral disobedience in general that
is here referred to, but unbelief. Have obtained mercy through
their unbelief, -% TO-JTCOV drtzc&da. The dative has here a
causal force. The unbelief of the Jews was, as an historical
fact, the occasion of the gospel's being extended to the Gen
tiles, So have these also not believed, that through your mercy
they may also obtain mercy, oitraj xai oi>ro.' j,vv •/J;r£/$jj0i#v rip
&fjtST£f>w £/££?, l^fi. xat a'JToi e fey ft toff:. The translation given
of this clause in the English version, supposes that l^a is
out of its proper place, and should stand before TW iwz-sotej £/££:,
that through your mercy they may obtain mercy. In the Greek
these words are connected with ^rrs.'V^rtv/x' and accordingly in
the Vulgate they are rendered, "ita et isti mine noil credide-
runt in vestram misericordiam." And Luther translates,
" And these now have not cliosen to believe the mercy which
you have accepted or experienced/' Calvin: "Si mine in-
creduli facti sunt, oo quod adept! estis misericordiam," (because
ye have obtained mercy.) Lachmann, in his edition of the
Greek Testament, adopts the same construction, putting a
comma after £/££r. The parallelism of the verse, and the
obvious antithesis between lies: and d~st&sla, (your mere)/ and
their unbelief.^ demand the other mode of explanation. This
trajection of the particle c*a is not unusual. For the sake of
emphasis, some clause or word is placed before, when its
logical position would be after the particle. Sec - Cor. ii. 4,

A KKSI: '}'2. For God hath concluded all in unbelief;
ttC? in a literal or local sense, means, to sltut up together in a
place; and metaphorically, to deliver over to the power of.
Here the idea is, that God, in the dispensation of his provi
dence and grace, has so ordered things, that all, Gentiles and
Jews, first the one, and then the other, should reveal their true
character as sinners, and stand out in history confessed as
unbelievers. For examples of a similar form of expression, see
Ps. xxxi. 8, "Thou hast shut me up (ffouexfetffaz) into the
hands of the enemy;" Ps. Lxxviii. 50, "He gave their life over
(<7L»v£'x/£f<7£v) to the pestilence." Compare Gal. iii. 22. In
none of these cases is the word used simply declaratively,

ou
OO

594 ROMANS XI. 83—36.

" God declared them to be unbelievers." Nor is mere permis
sion all that is expressed. God's efficiency or control is
directly asserted. God gave the Psalmist into the hands of
his enemy, and he gave up first the Gentiles and then the
Jews, unto unbelief. The agency of God in giving men up to
sin is punitive ; it is consistent with their liberty and responsi
bility, and with his own holiness. lie does not cause their sin,
but he so orders his dispensations, that their sinfulness is
revealed, and the mode of its manifestation determined. It
seems also to enter into the design of the apostle to show
that God had dealt alike with Gentile and Jew. They stood
on the same ground. Both were dependent on sovereign
mercy. Both had sunk into a state from which the grace
of God alone could save them. As all were equally miserable
and helpless, God determined to have mercy upon all, and
to bring all, Jews as well as Gentiles, into the fold of Christ.

VERSES 3-3 — 30. The apostle having finished his exhibition
of the plan of redemption, having presented clearly the doc
trine of justification, sanctification, the certainty of salvation
to all believers, election, the calling of the Gentiles, the present
rejection and final restoration of the Jews, in view of all the
wonders and all the glories of the divine dealings with men,
pours forth this sublime and affecting tribute to the wisdom,
goodness, and sovereignty of God. Few passages, even in the
Scriptures, are to be compared with this, in the force with
which it presents the idea that God is all, and man is nothing.
It is supposed by many that these verses have reference to the
doctrines taught in the immediate context ; and that it is the
wisdom of God, as displayed in the calling of men, Gentiles
and Jews, which Paul here contemplates. Others restrict
them still further to the display of the mercy of God, of which
the apostle had just been speaking. But the passage should
be applied to that to which it is most naturally applicable.
The question is, what called forth these admiring views of the
dispensations of God? The truth that he would ultimately
restore his ancient people ? or the whole exhibition of the
economy of redemption ? As the passage occurs at the close
of this exhibition, as it expresses precisely the feelings which it
might be expected to produce, and as there is nothing to restrict

ROMANS XI. 33. 595

it to tlic immediate context, it is most natural to consider it as
referring to all that the apostle had hitherto taught.

The principal ideas presented in this passage are, 1. The
incomprehensible character and infinite excellence of the divine
nature and dispensations, ver. 33. '2. God's entire independ
ence of man, vs. 34, 35. 3. His comprehending all things
within himself; being the source, the means, and the end of
all, ver. 35.

VERSE 33. 0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God ! How unsearchable are his judgments, and
his ways past finding out. There are two methods of interpret
ing these words. First, the three genitives, -/jr'jro'j, arociaz,
fi<(i}<T'(i)Z* in;17 stand in the same relation to ^a/><<. () the
deptli of the riches, and of the wisdom, and of the knowledge
of God. Or ~)>U'JTO'J may qualify .^/'//oc, O the depth of the
riches, (the inexhaustible, or inconceivable, depth) both of the
wisdom and knowledge of God. So far as eommentators are
concerned, they are about equally divided as to these explana
tions. If the former method be adopted, riches may be under
stood to refer specially to the mercy or goodness of God, ~, 4,
10, 12; O)1, to his resources in general. ' How inconceivable
are the resources of God,' i. e., his plenitude of perfections and
of means. If the latter, then it refers simply to the inconceiv
able-ness of God's wisdom and knowledge. As, however, the
grace of God is not only prominently presented throughout the
epistle, but is specially referred to as an object of admiration
in these verses, the former explanation is on the whole to be
preferred. Although it is not probable that, in such a pas
sage, every word was designed to be taken in a very precise
and definite sense, yet it is likely I hat Paul meant to express
different ideas by the terms window and knowledge, because
both are so wonderfully displayed in the work of redemption,
of which he had been speaking. All-comprehending know
ledge, which surveyed all the subjects of this work, all the
necessities and circumstances of their being, all the means
requisite for the accomplishment of the divine purpose, and all
the results of those means from the beginning to the end.
Infinite wisdom, in selecting arid adapting the means to the
object in view, in the ordering of the whole scheme of creation,

596 ROMANS XI. 34, 35.

providence and redemption, so that the glory of God, and the
happiness of his creatures are, and are to be, so wonderfully
promoted. His judgments, ra xpl/jtara «i>roi>, may be under
stood in the wide sense, his decisions, i. e., his purposes, or
decrees; or in the more restricted and proper sense, his judicial
decisions, his judgments concerning men ; or it may refer to his
providential judgments or dispensations, and be perfectly par
allel with al O'.ool aiiroy, his ways. As of old, the ruler was
also the judge — to judge often means to rule — and the same
word is used for the decisions of the judge and the decrees or
ordinances of the ruler. In this case, however, as Paul dis
tinguishes between wisdom and knowledge, so it is better to
retain the shade of distinction between Judgments and ways.
The former are duegspewyra, incapable of being investigated as
to their grounds or reasons ; the latter are dysz>%uaffroit impos
sible to trace, (from fyvoz, footprint.) We can only wonder and
adore. We can never understand. And it is well that it is so.
What can be understood must be limited. What is fully com
prehended no longer exercises, excites, or enlarges. It is
because God is infinite in his being, and incomprehensible in
his judgments and in his ways, that he is an inexhaustible
source of knowledge and blessedness.

VERSE 34. For who hath known the mind of the Lord? ory
who hath been his counsellor? This verse is designed to con
firm what is said in vcr. 33. These clauses may be taken as
synonymous, or the first may refer to God's judgments, and the
second, to his ways. Who hath known what God designed to
do, and the reasons of his decrees ? and, Who hath counselled
him as to the mode of their execution ? In his purposes and
his dispensations he is equally and perfectly independent,
infinitely exalted above the supervision or direction of his
creatures.

VERSE 35. Or ivho hath first given to him, and it shall be
recompensed to him again? This is not to be confined to
giving counsel or knowledge to God, but expresses the general
idea that the creature can do nothing to place God under obli
gation. It will be at once perceived how appropriate is this
thought, in reference to the doctrines which Paul had been
teaching. Men are justified, not on the ground of their own

ROMANS XI. 36. 597

merit, but of the merit of Christ; they are sanctified, not by
the power of their own good purposes, and the strength of their
own will, but by the Spirit of God; they are chosen and called
to eternal life, not on the ground of anything in them, but
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will. God, therefore, is the Alpha and
the Omega of salvation. The creature has neither merit nor
power. °IIis hopes must rest on sovereign mercy alone. There
is a correspondence between the several clauses in these verses.
'Who hath given to God,' refers to the plenitude and sove
reignty of his grace, (the ,3a#oc rJo'jroo); 'Who hath known
the mind of the Lord?' to his unsearchable knowledge; and
'Who hath been his counsellor?' to his infinite wisdom. This
was remarked long ago. Thus Theodoret says: ra Tola

TO uw rc zT'f° ''°^ '/'<J!>'U'J {' 'i

u'J~ xcu

Oil<TV.~o'/j(Tz.T(/.l ~<>0~ TOV ~/.U'JTOl>.

YEKSK 3U. For of him, and through him, and to Urn, are all
tJiinyx; to whom be glory for ever. Amen. The reason why
m;ui can lay God under no obligation, is, that God is himself all
and in all ;" the source, the means, and the end. By him all
things are; through his power, wisdom, and goodness, all things
are directed and governed; and to him, as their last end, all
things tend. The prepositions Ix, OM, ere, here used, indicate
that God is the source, the constantly working cause, and end
of all tilings. Among the fathers, it was a common opinion
that the apostle hud reference to the Trinity, and intended in
these words to indicate the relation of all things to the several
persons of the Godhead. All things are of the Father, through
the Son, and to the Spirit, So Tholuck and Olshausen. To
this, however, it is objected, that such reference is not
demanded by the context, and that the Spirit's relation to
what is out of himself is expressed by Iv, not by ere. Compare
Eph. iv. G. It is God as God, the Godhead, and not the
persons of the Trinity in their distinct relations, that is here
brought into view. When Paul asks, Who hath first given to
God? the answer is, No one, for of him, through him, and to
him, are ill things. It is for the display of his character every

598 ROMANS XI. 11—36.

thing exists, and is directed, as the highest and noblest of all
possible objects. Creatures are as nothing, less than vanity
and nothing in comparison with God. Human knowledge,
power, and virtue, are mere glimmering reflections from the
brightness of the divine glory. That system of religion, there
fore, is best in accordance with the character of God, the
nature of man, and the end of the universe, in which all things
are of, through, and to God ; and which most effectually leads
men to say, NOT UNTO us, BUT UNTO THY NAME BE ALL THE
GLORY !

Such is the appropriate conclusion of the doctrinal portion of
this wonderful epistle; in which more fully and clearly than in
any other portion of the word of God, the plan of salvation is
presented and defended. Here are the doctrines of grace;
doctrines on which the pious in all ages and nations have rested
their hopes of heaven, though they may have had compara
tively obscure intimations of their nature. The leading prin
ciple of all is, that God is the source of all good ; that in fallen
man there is neither merit nor ability; that salvation, conse
quently, is all of grace, as well sanctification as pardon, as well
election as eternal glory. For of him, and through him, and
to him, are all things ; to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

DOCTRINE.

1. There is to be a general conversion of the Jews, concern
ing which the apostle teaches us, 1. That it is to be in some
way consequent on the conversion of the Gentiles, vs. 11 — 31.
2. That it will be attended with the most important and
desirable results for the rest of the world, vs. 12, 15. 3. That
it is to take place after the fulness of the Gentiles is brought
in ; that is, after the conversion of multitudes of the Gentiles,
(how many, who can tell?) ver. 25. Nothing is said of this
restoration being sudden, or effected by miracle, or consequent
on the second advent, or as attended by a restoration of the
Jews to their own land. These particulars have all been added
by some commentators, either from their own imagination, or
from their views of other portions of the Scriptures. They are
not taught by the apostle. On the contrary, it is through the
mercy shoivn to the Gentiles, according to Paul, that the Jews

ROMANS XL 11—36. 599

are to be brought in, which implies that the former are to be
instrumental in the restoration of the latter. And he every
where teaches, that within the church the distinction between
Jew and Gentile ceases. In Christ there is neither Jew nor
Greek, Barbarian nor Scythian, bond nor free, Col. iii. 11; all
classes arc merged in one, as was the case under the direction
of the apostles in the first ages of the church.

2. The church of God is the same in all ages and under all
dispensations. It is the society of the true people of God,
together with their children. To this society the ancient
patriarchs and their posterity belonged; into this society, at
the time of Christ, other nations were admitted, and the great
body of the Jews were cast out, and into this same community
the ancient people of (rod are to be again received. In every
stage of its progress, the church is the same. The olive-tree
is one, though the branches are numerous, and sometimes
changed, vs. IT — "24.

3. The web of Providence is wonderfully woven. Good and
evil are made with i-qual certainly, under the government of
infinite wisdom and benevolence, to result in the promotion
of God's gracious and glorious designs. The wicked unbelief
and consequent rejection of the Jews, are made the means
of facilitating the conversion of the Gentiles; the holy faith
and obedience of the Gentiles, arc to be the means of the
restoration of the Jews, vs. 11, 31.

4. All orirani/ed communities, civil and ecclesiastical, have a,
common responsibility, a moral personality in the sight of God,
and are dealt with accordingly, rewarded or punished according
to their conduct, as such. As their organized existence is con
fined to this world, so must the retributive dispensations of God
respecting them be. Witness the rejection, dispersion, and
sufferings^ of the Jews, as a national punishment for their
natJonat rejection of the Messiah. Witness the state of all
the eastern churches broken off from the olive-tree for the
unbelief of former generations. Their fathers sinned, and their
children's children, to the third and fourth generation, suffer
the penalty, as they share in the guilt, vs. 11-

5. The security of every individual Christian is suspended
on his continuing in faith and holy obedience; which is indeed

600 ROMANS XI. 11—36.

rendered certain by the purpose and promise of God. In like
manner, the security of every civil and ecclesiastical society, in
the enjoyment of its peculiar advantages, is suspended on its
fidelity as such, for which fidelity there is no special promise
with regard to any country or any church, vs. 20 — 24.

6. God does sometimes enter into covenant with communities,
as such. Thus he has covenanted with the whole human
race that the world shall not be again destroyed by a deluge,
and that the seasons shall continue to succeed each other, in
regular order, until the end of time. Thus he covenanted with
the Jews to be a God to them and to their seed for ever, and
that they should be to him a people. This, it seems, is a per
petual covenant, which continues in force until the present day,
and which renders certain the restoration of the Jews to the
privileges of the church of God, vs. 16, 28, 29.

7. It is the radical principle of the Bible, and consequently
of all true religion, that God is all and in all ; that of him, and
through him, and to him, are all things. It is the tendency of
all truth to exalt God, and to humble the creature ; and it is
characteristic of true piety to feel that all good comes from
God, and to desire that all glory should be given to God,
vs. 33—36.

REMARKS.

1. The mutual relation between the Christian church and the
Jews should produce in the minds of all the followers of Christ,

1. A deep sense of our obligations to the Jews as the people
through whom the true religion has been preserved, and the
blessings of divine truth extended to all nations, vs. 17, 18.

2. Sincere compassion for them, because their rejection and
misery have been the means of reconciling the world to God,
I. c., of extending the gospel of reconciliation among men,
vs. 11, 12, 15. 3. The banishment of all feelings of contempt
towards them, or exultation over them, vs. 18, 20. 4. An
earnest desire, prompting to prayer and effort, for their restora
tion, as an event fraught with blessings to them and to all the
world, and one which God has determined to bring to pass,
vs. 12, 15, 25, &c.

2. The dealings of God with his ancient people should,

ROMANS XL 11—30. 601

con-

moreover, teach us, 1. That we have no security for the
tinuance of our privileges but constant fidelity, ver. 20.
2. That, consequently, instead of being proud and self-con
fident, we should be humble and cautious, vs. 20, 21. 3. That
God will probably not bear with us as long as he bore with the
Jews, ver. 21. 4. That if for our unbelief we are cast out of
the church, our punishment will probably be more severe.
There is no special covenant securing the restoration of any
apostate branch of the Christian church, vs. 21, 24, with 1G,
27—29.

3. It is a great blessing to be connected with those who are
in covenant with God. The promise is "to thco and thy seed
after thee." "The Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God,
which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him
and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations," Deut.
vii. 9. The blessing of Abraham reaches, in some of its
precious consequences, to the Jews of this and every coming
age, vs. 10, 27—29.

4. The destiny of our children and our children's children is
suspended, in a great measure, on our fidelity. "God is a jeal
ous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate him."
What words of woe for unborn thousands, were those, "His
blood bo on us and on our children !" As the -Tews of the pre
sent age are suffering the consequences of the unbelief of their
fathers, and the nominal Christians of the eastern churches
suffer for the apostacy of previous generations, so will our
children perish, if we, for our unbelief as a church and nation,
are cast off from God, vs. 1(J — 24.

5. As the restoration of the Jews is not only a most desirable
event, but one which God has determined to accomplish, Chris
tians should keep it constantly in view even in their labours for
the conversion of the Gentiles. This Paul did, vs. 13, 14.
Every effort to hasten the accession of the fulness of the Gen
tiles is so much done towards the restoration of Israel, ver. 25.

G. Christians should not feel as though they were isolated
beings, as if each one need be concerned for himself alone,
having no joint responsibility with the community to which he
belongs. God will deal with our church and country as a

602 ROMANS XII. 1.

whole, and visit our sins upon those who are to come after us.
We should feel, therefore, that we are one body, members one
of another, having common interests and responsibilities. We
ought to weep over the sins of the community to which we
belong, as being in one sense, and in many of their conse
quences, our sins, vs. 11 — 24.

7. As the gifts and calling of God are without repentance,
those to whom he has given the Holy Spirit, and has called
unto holiness, may rejoice in the certainty of the continuance
of these blessings, ver. 29.

8. Does the contemplation of the work of redemption, and
the remembrance of our own experience, lead us to sympathize
with the apostle in his adoring admiration of the wisdom and
goodness of God, and feel that, as it regards our salvation,
everything is of him, and through him, and to him ? vs. 33 — 36.

9. As it is the tendency and result of all correct views of
Christian doctrine to produce the feelings expressed by the
apostle at the close of this chapter, those views cannot be scrip
tural which have a contrary tendency ; or which lead us to
ascribe, in any form, our salvation to our own merit or power,
vs. 33—36.

CHAPTER XII.

CONTENTS.

THIS chapter consists of two parts. The first, vs. 1 — 8, treats
of piety towards God, and the proper estimation and use of the
various gifts and offices employed or exercised in the church.
The second, vs. 9 — 21, relates to love and its various manifes
tations towards different classes of men.

ROMANS XII. 1—8.

ANALYSIS.

As the apostle had concluded the doctrinal portion of the
epistle with the preceding chapter, in accordance with his'

ROMANS XII. 1. 603

almost uniform practice, he deduces from his doctrines import
ant practical lessons. The first deduction from the exhibition
which he had made of the mercy of God in the redemption of
men, is that they should devote themselves to him as a living
sacrifice, and be conformed to his will and not to the manners
of the world, vs. 1, 2. The second is, that they snould bo
humble, and not allow the diversity of their gifts to destroy the
sense of their unity as one body in Christ, vs. 3 — 5. These
various gifts were to be exercised, not for selfish purposes, but
in a manner consistent with their nature and design; diligently,
disinterestedly, and kindly, vs. (J — 8.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 1. / beseech you, therefore, brethren, lij tJ/e mercies
of God, &c. As the sum of all that Paul had said of the justi
fication, sanctification, and salvation of men is, that these
results are to be attributed not to human merit nor to human
efforts, but to the mercy of God, he brings the whole discussion
to bear as a motive for devotion to God. Whatever <jratitude
the soul feels for pardon, purity, and the sure prospect of eter
nal life, is called forth to secure its consecration to that God
who is the author of all these mercies.

That )je prevent your bodies a Urine/ sacrifice, holy, accept
able unto God. All the expressions of this clause seem to
have an obvious reference to the services of the Old Testament
economy. Under that dispensation, animals free from blemish
were presented and devoted to God; under the new dispensa
tion a nobler and more spiritual service is to be rendered; not
the oblation of animals, but the consecration of ourselves. The
expression, your bodies, is perhaps nearly equivalent to your
selves; yet Paul probably used it with design, not only because
it was appropriate to the figure, but because he wished to ren
der the idea prominent, that the whole man, body as well as
soul, was to be devoted to the service of God. "Ye are bought
with a price ; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your
spirit, which are God's." 1 Cor. vi. 20. The apostle carries
the figure out : the sacrifice is to be living, holy and acceptable.
The first of these epithets is generally considered as intended
to express the contrast between the sacrifice here intended, and

604 ROMANS XII. 1.

the victims which were placed lifeless upon the altar; thus
believers, in 1 Peter ii. 5, are called "living stones," in oppo
sition to the senseless materials employed in a literal building.
We are to present fruaiav ^cocra^, a sacrifice that lives. "Abomi-
nabilc est, cadaver offere." — Bengel The word living, how
ever, may mean perpetual, lasting, never neglected ; as in the
phrases, "living bread," John vi. 51, 'bread which never
looses its power;' "living hope," 1 Peter i. 3, 'hope which
never fails;' "living waters," "a living way," &c. ; (see
Wahl's Lexicon, under the word £dco.) The sacrifice then
which we are to make is not a transient service, like the obla
tion of a victim, which was in a few moments consumed upon
the altar, but it is a living or perpetual sacrifice never to be
neglected or recalled. The epithet holy has probably direct
reference to the frequent use of a nearly corresponding word
(5^.-) in the Hebrew scriptures, which, when applied to sacri
fices, is commonly rendered without blemish. The word holy is
then in this case equivalent to immaculate, i. e., free from those
defects which, would cause an offering to be rejected. The
term acceptable is here used in the same sense as the phrase
"for a sweet smelling savour," Eph. v. 2, Phil. iv. 18, Lev. i. 9,
i. e., grateful, well-pleasing ; a sacrifice in which God delights.
Tw 6=.w is to be connected with ebdtsffrov and not with

Your reasonable service. There is doubt as to the gram
matical construction of this clause. The most natural and
simple explanation is to consider it in apposition with the pre
ceding member of the sentence, as has been done by our trans
lators, who supply the words which is. This consecration of
ourselves to God, which the apostle requires, is a reasonable
service. The word laTpsca does not mean an offering, but
worship. It is not the thing offered that is said to be reason
able in the sense of, endowed with reason, but the nature of the
service. It is rendered by the mind. The word (/.oftxrjv) ren
dered reasonable, is indeed variously explained. The simplest
interpretation is that which takes the word in its natural sense,
viz., pertaining to the mind; it is a mental or spiritual service,
in opposition to ceremonial and external observances. Com
pare the phrase (toftxbv ?dXa\ 'milk suited, or pertaining to

ROMANS XII. 2. 605

the mind.' 1 Peter ii. 2. Others understand these words as
expressing the difference between the sacrifices under the
Christian dispensation and those under the Old. Formerly
animals destitute of reason (a/cr/a 'coo) were offered unto God,
but now men possessed of a rational soul. But this interpreta
tion is neither so well suited to the meaning of the word, nor
does it cive a sense so consistent with the context ; compare
1 Peter ii. 5.

VERSE 2. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye

transformed by tJte reneunny of your mind, &c. Xot only is

God to be worshipped in spirit and in truth, as required in the

preceding verse, but there must be a corresponding holiness of

life. This idea is expressed in the manner most common with

the sacred writers. Regarding men universally as corrupted

and devoted to sin, the icorld is with them equivalent to the

wicked; to be conformed to the world, therefore, is to be like

unrenewed men in temper and in life. The word accurately

rendered conformed, expresses strongly the idea of similarity

in character and manners; and that rendered transformed

expresses with equal strength the opposite idea. Thin world.

The origin of this term, as used in the New Testament, is no

doubt to be sought in the mode of expression so common

among the Jews, who were accustomed to distinguish between

the times before, and the times under the Messiah, by calling

the former period this world, or thi* aye, (ntn t'r") and the

latter, the world, or <i</e to euine (xzn tr,"). The former phrase

thus naturally came to designate those who were without, and

the latter those who were wit bin the kingdom of Christ; they

arc equivalent to the expressions the world and the church ;

the mass of mankind and the people of God; compare 1 Cor.

ii. 8, Eph. ii. 2, 2 Cor. iv. 4, Luke xx. :-tf, lleb. ii. 5, vi. 5.

There is, therefore, no necessity for supposing, as is done by

many commentators, that the apostle has any special reference,

in the use of this word, to the Jewish dispensation; as though his

meaning were, ' Be not conformed to the Jewish opinions and

forms of worship, but be transformed and accommodated to the

new spiritual economy under which ye are placed.' The word

(o.lcov) here used, and the equivalent term (xoff/wc) commonly

translated world, are so frequently used for the mass of man-

606 ROMANS XII. 3.

kind, considered in opposition to the people of God, that there
can be no good reason for departing from the common interpre
tation, especially as the sense which it affords is so good in
itself, and so well suited to the context.

By the renewing of your mind. This phrase is intended to
be explanatory of the preceding. The transformation to which
Christians are exhorted, is not a mere external change, but one
which results from a change of heart, an entire alteration of
the state of the mind. The word voDc, mind, is used as it is
here, frequently in the New Testament, Rom. i. 28, Eph. iv. 17,
23, Col. ii. 18, &c. In all these and in similar cases, it does not
differ from the word heart, i. e., in its wide sense for the
whole soul.

That ye may be able to prove wJiat is that good and acceptable
and perfect will of Grod. The logical relation of this clause to
the preceding is doubtful, as the original (e<V TO ooxtpdZetv)
admits of its being regarded as expressing either the design or
the result of the change just spoken of. Our translators have
adopted the former view, 'Ye are renewed, in order that ye
may be able to prove, &c.' The other, however, gives an
equally good sense, 'Ye are renewed so that ye prove, &c.;'
such is the effect of the change in question. The word ren
dered to prove, signifies also to approve; the sense of this
passage, therefore, may be either, 'that ye may try or prove
what is acceptable to God,' i. e., decide upon or ascertain what
is right; or, 'that ye may approve what is good, £c.' The
words good, acceptable, and perfect, are by many considered as
predicates of the word will As, however, the expression
'acceptable will of God' is unnatural and unusual, the majority
of modern commentators, after Erasmus, take them as substan-
4 that ye may approve what is good, acceptable, and
perfect, viz., the will of God.' The last phrase is then in appo
sition with the others. The design and result then of that great
change of which Paul speaks, is, that Christians should know,
delight in, and practise, whatever is good and acceptable to
God; compare Eph. v. 10, 17, Phil. iv. 8.

VERSE 3. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to
every man that is among you, not to think of himself more
Uglily than he ought to think, &c. The apostle connects with

ROMANS XII. 3. 607

the general exhortation contained in the preceding verses, and
founds upon it, an exhortation to special Christian virtues.
The first virtue which he enjoins upon believers is modesty or
humility. This has reference specially to the officers of the
church, or at least to the recipients of spiritual gifts. It is
very evident from 1 Cor. xii. and xiv., that these gifts were
coveted and exercised by many of the early Christians for the
purpose of self-exaltation. They, therefore, desired not those
which were most useful, but those which were most attractive;
and some were puffed up, while others were envious and dis
contented. This evil the apostle forcibly and beautifully
reproved in the chapters referred to, in the same manner that
he does here, and much more at length. lie showed his
readers that these gifts were all gratuitous, and were, therefore,
occasions of gratitude, but not grounds of boasting. llo
reminds his readers that the design for which these gifts were
bestowed, was the edification of the church, and not the exalta
tion of the receiver: that, however diversified in their nature,
they were all manifestations of one and the same Spirit, and
were as necessary to a perfect whole as the several members
of the bodv, with their various offices, to a perfect man.
Having one Spirit, and constituting one body, any exaltation
of one over the other \vas as unnatural as the eye or ear dis
regarding and despising the hand or the foot. As this
tendency to abuse their official and spiritual distinctions waa
not confined to the Corinthian Christians, we find the apostle,
in this passage, giving substantially the same instructions to the
Romans.

Through the f/race given unto me. The word grace in this
clause is by many understood to mean the apostolic office,
which Paul elsewhere speaks of as a great favour. " Tantun-
dem valent ejus verba acsi dixisset: Xon loquor a me ipso, sed
legatus Dei. quae mihi mandata ille injunxit, ad vos perfero.
Gratiam (ut prius) vocat apostolatum, quo Dei bonitatem in co
commendet, ac simul iimuat, se nori irrupisse propria temeritate,
sed Dei vocatione assumptum." — Calvin. Compare chap. i. 5,
xv. 15, Eph. ii. 2, 8. But this is too limited; the word
probably includes all the favour of God towards him, not
merely in conferring on him the office of an apostle, but in

608 ROMANS XI. 3.

bestowing all the gifts of the Spirit, ordinary and extraordinary,
•which qualified him for his duties, and gave authority to his
instructions. Through, oea, i. e., on account of, or out of
regard to.

Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to
think. The word to think is an inadequate translation of the
Greek, (<ppove?v9) inasmuch as the latter includes the idea of the
exercise of the affections as well as of the intellect; see
chap. viii. 5, Col. iii. 2, Phil. iii. 19. To think of one-self too
highly, is to be puffed up with an idea of our own importance
and superiority.

But to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every
man the measure of faith. There is in the first member of this
clause a beautiful paranomasia in the original (coo^elu e^
TO auxpQov&v) which is lost in a translation. The word ren
dered soberly properly means to be of a sane mind; and then
to be moderate or temperate. Paul speaks of one who overesti
mates or praises himself as being beside himself; and of him
who is modest and humble as being of a sane mind, i. e., as
making a proper estimate of himself. "For whether we be
beside ourselves, it is to God ; or whether we be sober, it is for
your cause," 2 Cor. v. 13, i. e., 'If we commend ourselves, it
is that God may be honoured; and if we act modestly and
abstain from self-commendation, it is that you may be bene-
fiited.' To think soberly, therefore, is to form and manifest a
right estimate of ourselves, arid of our gifts. A right estimate
can never be other than a very humble one, since, whatever
there is of good in us is not of ourselves, but of God.

The expression measure or proportion of faith, is variously
explained. Faith may be taken in its usual sense, and the
meaning of the clause be, 'Let every one think of himself
according to the degree of faith or confidence in God which has
been imparted to him, and not as though he had more than he
really possesses.' Or faith may be taken for what is believed,
or for knowledge of divine truth, and the sense be, 'according
to the degree of knowledge which he has attained.' Or it may
be taken for that wldeh is confided to any, and be equivalent
to gift. The sense then is, 'Let every one think of himself
according to the nature or character of the gifts which he has

ROMANS XII. 4, 5. 609

received." This is perhaps the most generally received inter
pretation, although it is arrived at in different ways; many
considering the word faith here as used metonymically for its
effects, viz., for the various (papier para) graces, ordinary and
extraordinary, of which it is the cause. This general sense is
well suited to the context, as the following verses, containing a
specification of the gifts of prophesying, teaching, ruling, &c.,
appear to be an amplification of this clause. The first men
tioned interpretation is, however, most in accordance with the
usual meaning of ~>(T~!~.

VERSES 4, o. For as we have many members in one body,
and all members have not the same office; so we, £c. In these
verses we have the same comparison that occurs more at length
in 1 Cor. xii., and for the same purpose. The object of the
apostle is in both cases the same. lie designs to show that the
diversity of offices and gifts among Christians, so far from
being inconsistent with their union as one body in Christ, is
necessary to the perfection arid usefulness of that body. It
would be as unreasonable for all Christians to have the same
gifts, as for all the members of the human frame to have the
same office. This comparison is peculiarly beautiful and appro
priate ; because it not only clearly illustrates the particular
point intended, but at the same time brings into view the
important truth that the real union of Christians results from
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as the union of the several
members of the body is the result of their being all animated
and actuated by one soul. Nothing can present in a clearer
light the duty of Christian fellowship, or the sinfulness of divi
sions and envyings among the members of Christ's body, than
the apostle's comparison. 'Believers, though many, arc one
body in Christ, and every one members one of another.' 01
~o/M)i ev acofid Itrrisv. We, the many, are one body. In one
respect we are many, in another we arc one. Just as the body
is many as to its members, and one in their organic connection.
Believers are one body, i. e., a living organic whole, not in
virtue of any external organization, but in Christ, i. e., in
virtue of their common union with him. And as this union with
Christ is not merely external, or by profession, or by unity of
opinion and sentiment only, but vital, arising from the indwell-
39

610 ROMANS XII. 6.

ing of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Christ, so, the apostle
adds, the union of believers one with another, is also a vita?
union. They are 6 xaF £$ a//^'/wv psty, every one members one
of another. The relation of believers to each other is far more
intimate than that between the members of any external organi
zation, whether civil or ecclesiastical. It is analogous to the
mutual relation of the members of the same body, animated by
one soul, b tap s?c for b xaF eva, in the sense of e?c exourTos,
is a solecism occurring only in the later Greek.

VERSE 6. Having therefore gifts differing according to the
grace given unto us, &c. In this and the following verses we
have the application of the preceding comparison to the special
object in view. 'If Christians are all members of the same
body, having different offices and gifts, instead of being puffed
up one above another, and instead of envying and opposing
each other, they should severally discharge their respective
duties diligently and humbly for the good of the whole, and not
for their own advantage.' It is a common opinion that the
apostle, in specifying the various gifts to which he refers, meant
to arrange them under the two heads si prophesying and admin
istering ; or that he specifies the duties of two classes of officers,
the prophets and deacons (dedxo^oe). To the former would then
belong prophesying, teaching, exhortation ; to the latter, min
istering, giving, ruling, showing mercy. This view of the pas
sage, which is adopted by De Brais, Koppe, and others, requires
that the terms prophet and deacon should be taken in their
widest sense. Both arc indeed frequently used with great
latitude ; the former being applied to any one who speaks as
the mouth of God, or the explainer of his will ; and the latter
to any ministerial officer in the church, 1 Cor. iii. o, Eph. iii. 7,
Col. i. 7, 23, &c. Although this interpretation is -consistent
with the usage of the words, and in some measure simplifies the
passage, yet it is by no means necessary. There is no appear
ance of such a systematic arrangement ; on the contrary, Paul
seems to refer without any order to the various duties which the
officers and even private members of the church were called
upon to perform. The construction in the original is not
entirely regular, and, therefore, has been variously explained.
There is no interpretation more natural than that adopted by

ROMANS XII. 6. 611

our translators, who, considering the passage as elliptical, have
supplied in the several specifications the phrases which in each
case the sense requires. Instead of beginning a new sentence
with vcr. 6, many commentators connect e^oi/rsc with Zap& in
ver. 5, and make the following accusatives depend on it. The
whole passage is then regarded as declarative, and not exhorta
tive. 'We are one body having gifts, prophecy according to
the proportion of faith ; or the gift of ministering, in the minis
try, he that teacheth, in teaching,' <fcc. It is plain, however,
that this requires a very forced interpretation to be given to the
several terms here used. Jtazo^ia docs not in the same clause
mean first the gift, and then the exercise of the gift; much less
can iv r/7 -anwM^zt* £> oLT/or^r.', &C., indicate the sphere within
which the gifts mentioned are exercised. Others retaining the
exhortatory character of the passage, still connect lyy^-^ with
ver. 5. kWe are having gifts, whether prophecy or ministry,
let us me them uritjht.'' On the whole, the simplest method 13
to begin a new sentence with £/ovrsc, and supply the necessary
verb in the several clauses, as is done in our version, and by
Olshauscn, Fritzsche, IMiillipi. Comp. 1 Peter iv. 11, it r^c
/«/£?, ujz /<Y-'"- V^r) (sc. Aa/.ecTco). c^c.

Ilavinfj therefore f/iffa difterimj <«-<'orJi)if/ to the grace given
unto ?<x, i. e., as there are in the one body various offices and
gifts, let every one act in a manner consistent with the nature
arid design of the particular gift which he has received. Whe
ther propJo'r//, let us pr.ophesy ao-ord/'n;/ to the- proportion of
faith. The first gift specified is that of propln^-if, with regard
to the precise nature of which there is no little diversity of
opinion. The original and proper meaning of the Hebrew
word rendered prophet in the Old Testament, is interpreter, one
who explains or delivers the will of another. And to this idea
the Greek term also answers. It matters little whether the
will or purpose of God which the prophets were called upon to
deliver, had reference to present duty or to future events.
They derived their Hebrew name not from predicting what was
to come to pass, which was but a small part of their duty, but
from beiris tho interpreters of God, men who spoke in his name.
AVe accordingly find the term prophet applied to all classes of
religious teachers under the old dispensation. Of Abraham it

612 ROMANS XII. 6.

is said, " He is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee and thou
shalt live," Gen. xx. 7. The name is often applied to Moses
as the great interpreter of the will of God to the Hebrews,
Deut. xviii. 18; arid the writers of the historical books are also
constantly so called. The passage in Exod. vii. 1, is peculiarly
interesting, as it clearly exhibits the proper meaning of this
word. "And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made
thee a god to Pharaoh ; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy
prophet," i. e. he shall be thy interpreter. In chap. iv. 16, it
is said, "He shall be a mouth to thee;" and of Jeremiah, God
says? "Thou shalt be my mouth," Jer. xv. 19; compare Deut,
xviii. 18. Any one, therefore, who acted as the mouth of God,
no matter what was the nature of the communication, was a
prophet. And this is also the sense of the word in the New
Testament;* it is applied to any one employed to deliver a
divine message, Matt. x. 41, xiii. 57, Luke iv. 24, vii. 2G — 29,
" What went ye out to see ? A prophet ? yea, I say unto you,
and much more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is
written, Behold I send my messenger, &c." John iv. 19,
" Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet," i. e., an inspired
man. Acts xv. 82, "And Judas and Silas, being prophets,
also themselves exhorted the brethren and confirmed them."
1 Cor. xii. 28, " God hath set in the church, first, apostles;
secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers; £c." 1 Cor. xiv.
29 — 32, " Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the
other judge. If anything be revealed to another that sitteth
by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one
by one, that all may learn and all may be comforted. For the
spirits of the prophets are subjects to the prophets." "If any
man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual (inspired), let
him acknowledge, &e." From these and numerous similar pas-

* In common Greek, also, this is the meaning of the word. The udyn; was
the immediate receiver of the divine influence, and declarer of the oracles, and
the Tgo4>»T»f was the interpreter. Hence pwo-^v TT^QYITCU the interpreters of the
Muses. These two words, however, pavm and jrgs<?j>T;>f, are frequently used
indiscriminately, the latter being applied to any person who spoke under a
divine influence. As poets were supposed to speak under a certain kind of
inspiration, they too were called prophets. Paul used the word in this sense
when he wrote to Titus, Tit. i. 12, "A prophet of their own said, the Cretans
are always liars," &c.

ROMANS XII. 6. 613

sages, it appears that the prophets in the Christian church
were men who spoke under the immediate influence of the
Spirit of God, and delivered some divine communication rela
ting to doctrinal truths, to present duty, to future events, &c.,
as the case might be.* The point of distinction between them
and the apostles, considered as religious teachers, appears to
have been that the inspiration of the apostles was abiding, they
were the infallible and authoritative messengers of Christ;
whereas the inspiration of the prophets was occasional and
transient. The latter differed from the teachers (oeodffxcdot),
inasmuch as these were not necessarily inspired, but taught to
others what they themselves had learned from the Scriptures, or
from inspired men.

Agreeably to this view of the office of the prophets, we find
the sacred writers speaking of the gift of prophecy as consist
ing in the communication of divine truth by the Spirit of God,
intended for instruction, exhortation, or consolation. "Though
I have the </fft of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and
all knowledge," 1 Cor. xii. 2; "He that prophesieth speaketh
unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort," 1 Cor
xiv. 4 ; " If all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth
not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all,
&c." ver. 24.

The srift of which Paul here speaks, is not, therefore, the
faculty of predicting future events, but that of immediate occa
sional inspiration, leading the recipient to deliver, as the mouth
of God, the particular communication which he had received,
whether designed for instruction, exhortation, or comfort. The
apostle required that those who enjoyed this gift should exer-

* ripc^'™. vates, i. e., vir divinus, qui afflatu divino gaudot et cui numen
retegit, quae antea incognita crant, maxirne ad religionem pertiuentia. — Wahl.

Sunt qui prophelinm intclligunt divinaudi facultatem, quae circa cvangelii
primordia in ecclesia vigcbat. . . . Ego vero cos Bequi malo, qui latius extend-
unt hoc nomen ad peculiare revelationis dorium, ut quis dextre ac perite in
voluritate Dei enarranda munus interpretis obeat. — Calvin.

On the nature of the office of prophet, see Koppe's Excursus III., appended
to his Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians; and Winer's Realworter-
buch, under the word Propheten. Both these treatises are rationalistic, yet
both 'contain the materials for a fair examination of the subject. See also
Neander on the Planting of the Christian Church, Vol. L

614 ROMANS XII. 6.

cise it according to the proportion of faith. This clause admits
of different interpretations. The word (dvo.Aoria) rendered
proportion, may mean either proportion, or measure, rule,
standard. Classic usage is rather in favour of the former of
these meanings. The latter, however, is necessarily included
in the former ; and the word is defined by Hesychius, measure,
canon, or rule. The choice between the two meanings of the
word must depend on the sense given to the word faith, and on
the context. Faith may here mean inward confidence or
belief; or it may mean the gift received, i. e. that which is
confided (TO KsxeffTSUftsvov); or, finally, that which is believed,
truths divinely revealed. If the first of these three senses be
adopted, the passage means, 'Let him prophesy according to
his internal convictions; that is, he must not exceed in his
communication what he honestly believes to have been divinely
communicated, or allow himself to be carried away by enthu
siasm, to deliver, as from God, what is really nothing but his
own thoughts.' If the second sense (of TT/^C) be preferred,
the clause then means, 'Let him prophesy according to the
proportion of the gifts which he has received ; i. e. let every
one speak according to the degree and nature of the divine
influence, or the particular revelation imparted to him.' If,
however, faith here means, as it does in so many other places,
the object of faith, or the truths to be believed, (see Gal. i. 23,
iii. 25, vi. 10, Eph. iv. 5, 2 Thess. iii. 5, &c.,) then according
to the proportion signifies, agreeably to to the rule or standard;
and the apostle's direction to the prophets is, that in all their
communications they are to conform to the rule of faith, and
not contradict those doctrines which had been delivered by men
whose inspiration had been established by indubitable evidence
In favour of this view of the passage is the frequent use of the
•word faith in the sense thus assigned to it. The ordinary sub-
jective sense of the word does not suit the passage. The
amount or strength of faith does not determine either the
extent to which the gift of prophecy is enjoyed, or the manner
in which it is exercised. There were prophets who had no
saving faith at all; just as many performed miracles, who were
not the true disciples of Christ. "In that day," says our Lord,
" many shall say unto me, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied

ROMANS XII. 6. 615

in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils ? nnd in thy
name done miny wonderful works? To whom lie will say, I
never knew you." The second sense given to rr/or^c, that which
is confided to any one, i. e. a gift, is without any authority.
The objective sense of the word, although denied by many of
the strict philological interpreters, is nevertheless well estab
lished by such expressions, "obedience to the faith," "doer of
faith," "faith once delivered to the saints," and is perfectly
familiar in ecclesiastical usage. 2. The fact that similar direc
tions respecting those who consider themselves prophets or
inspired persons, occur in other passages. Thus Paul says,
"If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let
him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the
commandments of the Lord;" 1 Cor. xiv. o7. This was the
standard; and no man had a right to consider himself inspired,
or to require others so to regard him. who did not conform
himself to the instructions of men whose inspiration was beyond
doubt. Thus too the apostle John commands Christians,
"Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they bo
of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the
world," 1 John iv. 1. And the standard by which these pro
phets were to be tried, he gives in ver. <j : "We are of God:
he that knoweth God, heareth us ; and he that is not of God,
heareth not us. Hereby we know the spirit of truth and tha
spirit of error." It was obviously necessary that Christians,
in the a^e of immediate inspiration, should have some means
of discriminating between those who were really under the
influence of the Spirit of God, and those who were either
enthusiasts or deceivers. And the test to which the apostles
directed them was rational, and easily applied. There were
inspired men to whose divine mission and authority God had
borne abundant testimony by "signs and wonder, and divers
miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit." As God cannot con
tradict himself, it follows that anything inconsistent with the
teachings of these men, though proceeding from one claiming
to be a prophet, must be false, and the pretension of its author
to inspiration unfounded. Accordingly, the apostle directed
that while one prophet spoke, the others were to judge, i. e.
decide whether he spoke according to the analogy of faith ; and

616 ROMANS XII. T.

whether his inspiration was real, imaginary, or feigned. 3. This
interpretation is also perfectly suitable to the context. Paul,
after giving the general direction contained in the preceding
verses, as to the light in which the gifts of the Spirit were to
be viewed, and the manner in which they were to be used, in
this and the following verses, gives special directions with
respect to particular gifts. Those who thought themselves
prophets should be careful to speak nothing but truth, to con
form to the standard ; those who ministered should devote
themselves to their appropriate duties, &c.

VERSE 7. Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or lie
that teacheth, on teaching. The terms minister and ministry
(dtdxuisoz and diaxovia, deacon and deaconship,) are used in the
New Testament both in a general and a restricted sense. In
the former, they are employed in reference to all classes of
ecclesiastical officers, even the apostles ; see 1 Cor. iii. 5, 2 Cor.
vi. 4, Eph. iii. T, vi. 21, Col. i. 7, 23, 1 Tim. iv. 6, Acts i. IT,
25, xx. 24, Rom. xi. 13, 1 Cor. xii. 5, 2 Cor. iv. 1, &c. In the
latter, they are used in reference to a particular class of
officers, to whom were committed the management of the exter
nal affairs of the church, the care of the poor, attention to the
sick, &c.; see Acts vi. 1—3, Phil. i. 1, 1 Tim. iii. 8—13, &c.
It is doubtful in which of these senses the latter of the above-
mentioned words is here used by the apostle, most probably in
the restricted sense. The apostle exhorts different classes of
officers to attend to their own peculiar vocation, and to exercise
their own gifts, without intruding into the sphere of others, or
envying their superior endowments. The deacons, therefore,
were to attend to the poor and the sick, and not attempt to
exercise the office of teachers. Luther, and many others, give
the words their wide sense, " Hat jcmand em Amt, so warte
er des Amtes :" If a man lias an office, let him attend to it.
But this would render unnecessary the specifications which
follow. The apostle, in this context, refers to definite ecclesi
astical offices in connection with ordinary Christian duties.
That is, he exhorts both church officers and private Chris
tians.

He that teacheth, on teaching. Teachers are elsewhere
expressly distinguished from prophets, 1 Cor. xii. 28, 29 : " God

ROMANS XII. 8. C17

hath set some in the church; first, apostles; secondarily, pro-
phets ; thirdly, teachers. Are all apostles ? are all prophets ?
are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?" And in this
passage they are not to be confounded, nor is teaching to be
regarded, in this place, as one part of prophesying. As
remarked above on ver. 6, the teachers were distinguished from
prophets, inasmuch as the former were not necessarily inspired,
and were a regular and permanent class of officers. Those who
had the gift of prophecy, were to exercise it aright ; those who
were called to the office of deacons, were to devote themselves
to their appropriate duties ; and those who had the gift of
teaching, were to teach.

VEHSE 8. He that exhorteth, on exhortation. The word
(-aouxatico) here used, means to invite, exhort, and to comfort.
Our translators have probably selected the most appropriate
sense. Teaching is addressed to the understanding ; exhorta
tion, to the conscience and feelings. There was probably no
distinct class of officers called exhorters, as distinguished from
teachers; but as the apostle is speaking of gifts as well as
officers, (both are included in the word ^afnofmra,} his direc
tion is, that he who had the gift of teaching, should teach ; and
that he who had a gift for exhortation, should be content to

exhort.

He that f/iveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth,
with diligence; he that shoiveth mercy, with cheerfulness. These
directions have reference to the manner in which the duties of
church officers and of private Christians ought to be performed.
In this connection, the former no doubt are principally, though
not exclusively intended. It is a common opinion, that giving,
ruling, showing mercy, (6 fi—ao>ou'j(;, b -oocordn^o-, 6 iha>v,)
refer to different functions of the deaconate. But not only the
use of iJLzraoido'JZ instead of dmowo'jz— the former properly
meaning giving (what is one's own,) and the latter, distribut
ing is opposed to this view, but the whole exhortation, which

refers with er^ual, or greater propriety, to the state of mind
and the manner in which the private duties of Christiun fellow
ship are be performed. There seems to be no good reason for
the restriction of the directions here given to either class,
officers or private members, exclusively. He that giveth, with

618 ROMANS XII. 8.

simplicity, faboTyTi, singleness of mind. This direction, con
sidered in reference to the deacons, whom, no doubt, Paul
included in his exhortation, contemplates their duty of impart-
ing or distributing to the necessity of the saints. This duty,
by whomsoever performed, is to be done with simplicity, i. e.,
with purity of motive, free from all improper designs. This
same word is rendered singleness of heart, in Eph. vi. 5, Col.
iii, 22, and occurs in the same sense, in the phrase, "simplicity
and godly sincerity," 2 Cor. i. 12. Considered in reference to
private Christians, this clause may be rendered, he that giveth,
with liberality; see 2 Cor. viii. 2, ix. 11, 13.

He that ruleth, with diligence. Here again the right dis
charge of ecclesiastical duties is principally intended; 1 Thess,
v. 12, "We beseech you, brethren, to know (esteem, love) them
that are over you in the Lord;" 1 Tim. v. 17, "The elders
that rule well." There is considerable diversity of opinion as
to the explanation to be here given to b npolardfjisvoz. The
word properly means, one who is placed over, who presides, or
rules. It is, however, used in a more restricted sense, for a
patron, one who befriends others, and especially strangers.
Hence in xvi. 2, Phoebe is called a TT^oardr^, a patroness, one
who befriended strangers. As what precedes and what follows,
giving and showing mercy, relates to acts of kindness, the one
to the poor, the other to the sick, so this word, it is urged,
should be understood of showing kindness to strangers. There
is certainly force in this consideration. But as there is very
slight foundation for the ascription of this meaning to the
word in the New Testament, and as it is elsewhere used in its
ordinary sense, (see 1 Thess. v. 13, comp. 1 Tim. vi. 17,) it is
commonly understood of rulers. Some take it in reference to
rulers in general, civil or ecclesiastical ; others, of church-
rulers or elders ; others, specifically of the forestaer, or pastor,
or bishop of the congregation. The objection against this
restricted reference to the presiding officer of a church, is the
introduction of the term in the enumeration of ordinary Chris
tian duties. lie that gives, he that acts as pastor, he that
shows mercy, is rather an incongruous association. It is more
common, therefore, to understand xpolffTdfjLsyoz, of any one who
exercises authority in the church. Those who were called to

ROMANS XII. 1—8. 619

exercise the office of ruler, were required to do it (*y
with diligence, i. e. with attention and zeal. This is opposed
to inertness and carelessness. The government of the church,
in correcting abuses, preventing disorders, and in the adminis-,
tration of discipline, calls for constant vigilance and fidelity.
"ITpO((7Td/j.si<o'jz tametsi proprie nuncupat eos, quibus mandata
erat ecclesire gubernatio (erant autem illi seniores, qui aliis
prseibant ac moderabantur, vitoeque censuram exercebant,) quod
autem de illis die-it extend! in universum ad praefecturas omne
genus potest. Neque enim aut parva ab iis solicitude requiri-
tur, qui omnium securitati consulere, aut parva sedulitas ab
iis, qui pro salute omnium noctcs diesque excubare debent."
Calvin.

lie that showeth mere?/, with cheerfulness, (IXapbrr^, hilarity.)
As the former direction (lie that givcth, with simplicity) liad
reference to the care of the poor, this relates to the care of the
sick and afflicted. These were the two great departments of
the deacons' duties. The former was to be discharged with
honesty, this with cheerfulness; not as a matter of constraint,
but with alacrity and kindness. On this, the value of any ser
vice rendered to the children of sorrow mainly depends.

DOCTRINE.

1. The great principle, that truth is in order to holiness,
which is so frequently taught in the Scriptures, is plainly
implied in this passage. All the doctrines of justification,
grace, election, and final salvation, taught in the preceding
part of the epistle, are made the foundation for the practical
duties enjoined in this, ver. 1.

2. The first great duty of redeemed sinners is the dedication
of themselves to God. This consecration must be entire, of the
body as well as the soul; it must be constant, and according to
his will, ver. 1.

3. Regeneration is a renewing of the mind, evincing itself
in a transformation of the whole character, and leading to the
knowledge and approbation of whatever is acceptable to God,
ver. 2.

4. God is the giver of all good, of honours and offices as
well as of talents and graces ; and in the distribution of his

620 ROMANS XII. 1—8.

favours he renders to every man according to his own will,
vs. 3, 6.

5. Christians are one body in Christ. This unity is not only
consistent with great diversity of gifts, but necessarily implies
it; as the body is one from the union of various members,
designed for the performance of various functions, vs. 4, 5.

6. The different offices of the church are of divine appoint-
men and are designed for the benefit of the whole body, and
not for the advantage of those who hold them, vs. 6 — 8.

REMARKS.

1. The effect produced upon us by the mercies of God, in
redemption, and in his providence, affords an excellent criterion
of character. If they lead us to devote ourselves to his service,
they produce the effect for which they were designed, and we
may conclude that we are of the number of his children. But
if they produce indifference to duty, and cherish the idea that
we arc the special favourites of heaven, or that we may sin with
impunity, it is an evidence that our hearts are not right in the
sight of God, ver. 1.

2. While Christians should remember that the service which
they are called upon to render is a rational service, pertaining
to the soul, they should not suppose that it consists merely in
the secret exercises of the heart. The whole man and the
whole life must be actively and constantly devoted to God,
ver. 1.

3. Those professors of religion who are conformed to the
•world, cannot have experienced that renewing of the mind
•which produces a transformation of character, ver. 2.

4. Self-conceit and ambition are the besetting sins of men
entrusted with power, or highly gifted in any respect, as dis
content and envy are those to which persons of inferior station
or gifts are most exposed. These evil feelings, so offensive to
God, would be subdued, if men would properly lay to heart,
that peculiar advantages are bestowed according to the divine
pleasure ; that they are designed to advance the glory of God,
and the good of his church, and not the honour or emolument
of those who receive them ; and that very frequently those
which are least attractive in the sight of men, are the most

ROMANS XII. 1—8. 621

important in the sight of God. It is here as in the human
frame ; not the most comely parts are the most valuable, but
those which are the least so. The vital parts of our system
never attract the praise of men, and are never the source of
vanity or pride, vcr. 3.

5. As Christians are one body in Christ, they should feel
their mutual dependence and their common interest in their
Head, from whom life, intelligence, enjoyment, and every good
comes. They should sympathize in each other's joys and sor
rows ; the hand should not envy the eye, nor the eye despise
the foot. How can they, who are destitute of this common
feeling with their fellow Christians, be partakers of that Spirit
by which true believers are constituted really and not merely
nominally one? vs. 4, 5.

6. Real honour consists in doing well what God calls us to
do, and not in the possession of high offices or great talents,
vs. 6—8.

7. No man's usefulness is increased by going out of his
sphere. It is a great mistake to suppose because one pos
session or employment may, in itself considered, afford better
opportunity of doing good than another, that therefore any
or every man would be more useful in the one than in the
other. The highest improvement of the individual, and the
greatest good of the whole, are best secured by each being
and doing what God sees fit to determine. If all were the
same member, where were the body? 'God is riot the author
of confusion, but of order, in all the churches of the saints,'
vs. (J— 8.

8. No amount of learning, no superiority of talent, nor even
the pretension to inspiration, can justify a departure from the
analogy of faith, i. e., from the truths taught by men to whose
inspiration God has borne witness. All teachers must be
brought to this standard; and even if an angel from heaven
should teach anything contrary to the Scriptures, he should be
regarded as anathema, Gal. i. 8. It is a matter of constant
gratitude that we have such a standard whereby to try the
spirits whether they be of God. Ministers of Christ should
see to it, that they do not incur the curse which Paul denounces
on those who preach another gospel, ver. 6.

622 ROMANS XII. 9.

9. Private Christians, and especially ecclesiastical officers,
arc required to discharge their respective duties with singleness
of heart, and in the exercise of those virtues which the peculiar
nature of their vocation may demand, vs. 6 — 8.

ROMANS XII. 9—21.

ANALYSIS.

HAYING treated of those duties which belong more especially
to the officers of the church, the apostle exhorts his readers
generally to the exercise of various Christian virtues. There
is no logical arrangement observed in this part of the chapter,
except that the general exhortation to love precedes the pre
cepts which relate to those exercises which are, for the most
part, but different manifestations of this primary grace. The
love of the Christian must be sincere, and lead to the avoiding
of evil, and the pursuit of good, ver. 9. It must produce
brotherly affection and humility, ver. 10; diligence and devo^
tion, ver. 11; resignation, patience, and prayer, ver. 12;
charity and hospitality, ver. 13; forgiveness of injuries, ver.
14; sympathy with the joys and sorrows of others, ver. 15;
concord and lowliness of mind, ver. 16 ; and a constant endea
vour to return good for evil, vs. 17 — 21.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 9. Let love be without dissimulation, or, Love is with
out hypocrisy, i. e., sincere, not hypocritical, and not consisting
in words merely. The love intended in this verse, is probably
love to all men, and not to Christians exclusively, as in ver. 10,
brotherly affection is particularly specified. Much less is love
to God the idea meant to be expressed.

Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. There
is a number of participles following this verse, to which our
translators supply the imperative of the substantive verb ; ' be
abhorring,' 'be kindly affectioned,' &c. Others connect them
all with eOAo^eZrs in ver. 14; 'abhorring evil,' 'being kindly
affectioned,' 'bless those,' &c. But these participles do not

ROMANS XII. 10. 623

express what should qualify, or characterize, the act of blessing
our persecutors; 'hating,' Moving the brethren,' 'bless your
enemies,' &c. It is more natural to assume that the apostle
departs slightly from the regular construction, and writes as
though, in ver 9, he had said, fc(d-a~s avj-o7<>>-coz, a-oorjfo-
wrel x.r.L Compare 2 Cor. i. 7, and Hob. xiii. 5, afeldp-
?>jpoz o TOO-OZ (for, dvddp-funot xsfK-arzirs,} doxo'J/i^oe ro?c
napoofftv. ' This is the explanation given by Fhilippi and others.
Tlie words rendered to abhor (a-oarj?s«>) and to <-l<>ave to (*«/-
Uotmt] are peculiarly forcible, and express the highest degree
of hatred on the one hand, and of persevering devotion on the
other. The latter word, in the active form, properly means, to
glue, and in the middle, to attach ones self to any person or
thing. The words eril and good, in this passage, may be under
stood of moral good and evil; and the exhortation be considered
as a general direction to hate the one and love the other. But
the great majority of commentators, out of regard to the con
text, take the terms in a restricted sense, making the former
mean injurious, and the latter kind. The sense of the whole
verse would then be, ' Let love be sincere ; strive to avoid what
is injurious to others, and earnestly endeavour to do whatever
is kind and useful.' As the words themselves admit of either
of these interpretations, the choice between them depends upon
the context. The latter is, on this ground, perhaps to be pre
ferred.

VERSE 10. Be ldn<V>i affectioned one to another with brotherly
love, in honour prrf-rrhi''/ one another. 'As to brotherly love,
be kindly afiVetioncd one towards another.' This exhortation
seems to have special reference to Christians. The word
(cf.'/oVooroc) used by the apostle, expresses properly the
strong natural affection between parents and children (aioprf),
but is applied also to tender affection of any kind. Here, no
doubt, the idea is, that Christians should love each other with
the same sincerity and tenderness as if they were the nearest
relatives.

In honour preferring one another. This passage, thus trans
lated, cannot be understood otherwise than as an exhortation
to humility ; and such is the interp rotation generally given to
it. But the. word (xporffdaOai) rendered to prefer, never occurs

624 ROMANS XII. 11.

in that sense elsewhere. It means properly, to go before, to
lead; and then, figuratively, to set an example. And the word
translated honour, may mean deference, respect, and even kind
ness, (obscrvantia et omnia humanitatis officia quae aliis debe-
mus. Schleusner.) The sense of the clause may then be, 'as
to respect and kindness (Tcfjtfj) going before each other, or
setting an example one to another.' This interpretation, which
is given by most of the recent commentators, is not only better
suited to the meaning of the words, but also to the context.
The Vulgate translates, " Honore invicem proevenientes ;" and
Luther, " Eincr komme dem Andern mit Ehrererbietung zu vor."
It is not only an injunction of politeness, but that in all acts of
respect and kindness, we should take the lead. Instead of wait
ing for others to honour us, we should be beforehand with them
in the manifestation of respect.

VERSE 11. Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serv
ing the Lord. The love to which the apostle exhorts his readers
is not inactive or cold ; on the contrary, it manifests itself in
diligence, zeal, and devotion to God. The word rendered busi
ness (ffTioudij) properly means haste, activity. It is the effect or
outward manifestation of zeal. The exhortation has not the
reference which our version would naturally suggest, viz., to
the active performance of our several vocations ; it refers
rather to religious activity: 'As to activity or diligence, do not
grow weary or be indolent ; on the contrary, be fervent in
spirit.' The word spirit is by many understood of the Holy
Spirit ; it most naturally refers to the mind ; compare Acts
xviii. 25, where it is said of Apollos, "being fervent in spirit
(i. e., zealous,) he spake and taught diligently." This clause,
therefore, stands in opposition to the preceding. Instead of
being inactive, we should be zealous.

Serving the Lord, i. e., doing service to the Lord; influenced
in cur activity and zeal by a desire to serve Christ. This
member of the sentence thus understood, describes the motive
from which zeal and diligence should proceed. Compare Eph.
vi. 5 — 8, especially the expressions, as unto Christ, as the
servants of Christ, as to the Lord, &c.; and Col. iii. 22, 23.
Instead of serving the Lord, there is another reading, accord
ing to which the passage must be rendered, serving the

ROMANS XII. 12, 13. 625

time,* (tempori servientes. Calvin.) i. e., making the most of
every opportunity, (see Eph. v. 16 ;) or, as others understand
it, < adapting your conduct to circumstances.' Zeal is to be
tempered with prudence. The common text is the best authen
ticated, and is generally adopted. The zeal which the apostle
recommends is zeal for Christ, and not for our own advancement
or interests.

VERSE 12. Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; con
tinuing instant in prayer. These exhortations refer to nearly
related duties: Christians are to be joyful, patient, and prayer
ful. However adverse their circumstances, hope, patience, and
prayer are not only duties, but the richest sources of consola
tion and support. 'Rejoicing on account of hope, or in the
joyful expectation of future good.' This hope of salvation is
the most effectual means of producing patience under present
afflictions; for if we feel "that the .sufferings of this present
time arc not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall
be revealed in us," it will not be difficult to bear them patiently.
Intercourse with God, however, is necessary to the exercise of
this and all other virtues, and therefore the apostle immediately
adds, continuing inxfant in prayer. The original could hardly
be better translated; as the Greek term (xpoffxaprspea), utt<'.n-
tus sum ret) expresses the idea of perseverance and ardour in
the prosecution of any object. There are no attributes of
acceptable prayer more frequently presented in the Scriptures
than those here referred to, viz.. perseverance and fervour,
which, from their nature, imply faith in the ability and wil-
linirness of God to grant us needed good, Acts i. 14, vi. 4,
Eph. vi. 18, &c.

VERSE 13. Distributing to the necessity of sanifs ; aiven to
hospitality. These virtues are the immediate fruits of the love
enjoined in vs. 0, 10. The word rendered to distribute (xotva>-
v£(o) signifies, intransitively, to become a partaker tvith; and,
transitively, to cause others to partake with us, to communicate

* K*/g;o, instead of «v?/». is read only in the MSS. D. F. G. All the other
MSS., and the Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, and Syriac versions, have
«/£/». Mill and Gviesbach prefer the former; but Wctstcin, Bengel, Knapp,
Lachmann, the latter. This diversity of reading is not surprising, as Kft WJtf
a frequent contraction both for «/g<'» and **/g(3.

40

626 ROMANS XII. 14.

to. It is commonly followed by a dative of the person to whom
the communication is made, Gal. vi. 6. In this case the con
struction may be the same as in the preceding verses, 'as to the
necessity of the saints, be communicative;' or, < give to the
necessity of the saints.' The transitive meaning of xotvcoveco is
by many denied, and is, at least, infrequent. It is, therefore,
commonly taken here in its ordinary sense : ' Taking part in
the necessities of the saints ; regard them as your own.'
Believers are xoevcovol in every thing, because they are all mem
bers of the body of Christ. The members of the same body
have the same interests, feelings, and destiny. The joy or
sorrow of one member, is the joy or sorrow of all the others.
The necessities of one are, or should be, a common burden.
As intimately connected with this injunction, the apostle adds,
given to hospitality, as our translators aptly render the stron^
expression of the original. The phrase is <f-do]szz>av o^ovrsc,
following after hospitality; sectantes, ut hospites rion modo
admittatis, sed quaeratis. The value which the early Chris
tians placed upon the virtue of hospitality is plain, from Paul's
enumerating it among the requisite qualifications of a bishop,
Titus i. 8. During times of persecution, and before the gene
ral institution of houses of entertainment, there was peculiar
necessity for Christians to entertain strangers. As such houses
are still rarely to be met with in the East, this duty continues
to be there regarded as one of the most sacred character.

VERSE 14. Bless them which persecute you; bless, and curse
not. The exercise of love, and the discharge of the duties of
benevolence, are not to be confined to the saints, or people
of God ; but the same spirit is to be manifested towards our
enemies. The word (sy/o^cy) rendered to Hess, signifies both
to pray for good to any one, and to do good. Here, from the
context, the former meaning is to be preferred, as it is opposed
to cursing, which signifies to imprecate evil on any one. The
command therefore is, that, so far from wishing or praying that
evil may overtake our persecutors and enemies, we must sin
cerely desire and pray for their good. It is not sufficient to
avoid returning evil for evil, nor even to banish vindictive
feelings ; we must be able sincerely to desire their happiness.
How hard this is for corrupt human nature, every one who is

ROMANS XII. 15, 10. C27

acquainted with his own heart well knows. Yet this is the
standard of Christian temper and character exhibited in the
Scriptures, Matt. v. 44. " Ardua res est, fatcor, et naturae
hominis penitus contraria ; sed nihil tarn ardimm, quod lion
virtute Dei superetur, quae nobis nunquam deerit, modo ne
ipsam invocarc negligamus. Et quanqam vix unum reperias
qui tantos in lege Dei progressus fecerit, ut pricceptum istud
irnpleat; nemo -tamen fil'mm Dei jactare se potest, aut Christian!
nomine gloriari, qui non animum istum ex parte induerit, et
cum affectu adverso quotidie pugnet. Dixi hoc osso ditlicilius
quam remittere vindictam, ubi quis laisus i'uerit. Quidam eniin
licet maims contineant, nequc etiani agentur nocendi libidine,
cuperent tamen aliunde hostibiis snis accidere cladein vel daia-
num. Deus autem verbo suo non tantem maims coercet a male-
ficiis, sed amarulentos quoque ail'ectus in animis domat ; neque
id modo, sed etiam vult de eunun salute esse sollicitos qui nos
injuste vcxando sibi exitium accersunt." Cah'in.

YKRSK !;">. Rejoice with tJnrm that do rejoiee, an<1 weep with
them that weep. Love produces not only the forgiveness of
enemies, but a general sympathy in the joys and sorrows of our
fellow men, and especially of our Fellow Christians. The dis
position here enjoined is the very opposite of a selfish indiffer
ence to any interests but our own. The gospel requires that
we should feel and act under the impression that all men are
brethren; that we have a common nature, a common Father,
and a common destiny. How lovely is genuine sympathy!
How much like Christ is the man who feels the sorrows arid
joys of others, as though they were his own!

VERSK 1(3. B<>. of the same in hid one towards another; mind
not hiifh tfnn</8i but eornl'x<'<'n<l to men of low estate. Be not
wise in //our own conceits. The phrase (TO «7.vro ypovelv) used
by the apostle expresses the general idea of concord, unanimity,
whether of opinion or feeling depends on the context; see
2 Cor. xiii. 11, Phil. ii. 2, Rom. xv. 5. Here the latter idea is
the prominent one. 'Be of the same mind,' i. e.. be united in
feeling, interests, and object, let there be no discord or disagree
ment. This idea is then amplified in the following clauses ; do
not be aspiring, but be humble. Ambition and contempt for
lowly persons or pursuits, are the states of mind most incon-

628 ROMANS XII. 16.

sistent with that union of heart by which all Christians should
ta united. •' Quocirca illud TO aorb non intelligo idem quod
alii de nobis sentiunt, scd idem quod nos de nobis ipsi sentimus,
vel quod alios de nobis sentire postulamus." De Brais. Eras
mus and others understand this clause to mean, 'Think of
others as well as you do of yourselves,' (nemo putet alium se
minorem.) But this gives too restricted a sense, and is no
better suited to the context than the common interpretation
given above. The command is, that we should be united;
feeling towards others as we wonld have them feel towards us.
Mind not high things, i. e., do not aspire after them, do not
desire and seek them ; see the use of the Greek word here em
ployed in chap. viii. 5, Col. iii. 2, (~a auo epo^s.) But con-
descend to men of low estate. The general idea expressed by
these two clauses is obviously this, cBe not high-minded, but
humble.' The precise meaning of the latter clause, however, is
a matter of much doubt, The word (owa-dyco) rendered con
descend properly means, in the passive or middle voice, to allow
ones self to be carried along with others, i. e., influenced by
them, as in Gal. ii. 13, "Insomuch as Barnabas also was
(allowed himself to be) carried away with their dissimula
tion." And 2 Peter iii. 7, "Beware lest ye also, being led
away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stead
fastness." " With the dative of a person, o^o-o^iadu.i means to
be carried along with him ; with the dative of a thing, it means to
be carried along by it." Phili-ppi. If r«~£^o?c be here taken
as masculine, one sense is, allow yourselves to be carried along
with the lowly, i. e., to associate with them, and share their
condition. If it be taken as neuter, to correspond with the
ra u^/A in the first clause, then the meaning is, allow your
selves to be carried along together by lowly things ; i. e., instead
of being concerned about high things, let lowly things occupy
and control you. So Calvin: "Non arroganter de vobis sen-
ticntcs, sed humilibus vos accommodantcs. Vocem humilibm
in neutro genere accipio, ut antithesis ita compleatur. Hie
ergo darnnatur ambitio, et quae sub magnanimitatis nomine se
insinuat animi elatio : siquidem praecipua fidelium virtus mode-
ratio est, vel potius submissio, quae honorcm semper malit aliig
3edere quam praeripere." Most modern commentators concur

ROMANS XII. 17. 629

in this view of the passage. In either way the general sense is
the same. The thing forbidden is ambition; the thing enjoined
is lowliness of mind.

Be not wise in your own conceit. This precept is intimately
connected with the preceding, since ambition and contempt for
lowly persons and pursuits generally arise from overweening
self-estimation. No species of pride is more insidious or more
injurious than the pride of intellect, or a fancied superiority to
those around us. which leads to a contempt of their opinions,
and a confident reliance upon ourselves. The temper which
the gospel requires is that of a little child, docile, diffident, and
humble; see chap. xi. 25, Prov. iii. 7, Isa. vii. 21.

VERSE 17. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide
tilings honest in the si;/ht of < til men. Paul having, in the pre-
cedinrr verses, enjoined the duties of love, condescension, ;uid
kindness towards all men, comes, in this and the following
passages, to forbid the indulgence of a contrary disposition,
especially of a spirit of retaliation and revenge. The general
direction in the first clause is, not to retaliate; which is but a
lower exercise of the virtue afterward enjoined in the command
to "overcome evil with good."

Provide things honest in the sif/ht of all men. Our transla
tion of this clause is not very happy, as it suggests an idea
foreign to the meaning of the original. Paul does not mean to
direct us to make provision for ourselves or families in an
honest manner, which is probably the sense commonly attached
to the passage by the English reader, but to act in such a
manner as to command the confidence and good opinion of men.
In this view, the connection of this with the preceding member
of the verse is obvious. k We must not recompense evil for
evil, but act in such a way as to commend ourselves to the con
sciences of all men.' There should not, therefore, be a period
after the word evil, since this clause assigns a motive for the
discharge of the duty enjoined in the first. The word (~(to^o-
Eifffrat) rendered to provide, signifies also to attend to, to care
for. The sense then is, ' Do not resent injuries, having regard
to the good opinion of men/ i. e., let a regard to the honour of
religion and your own character prevent the returning of evil for
evil? Thus ^Paul (2 Cor. viii. 20, 21) says of himself that he

630 ROMANS XII. 18, 19.

wished others to be associated .with him in the distribution jf the
alms of the church, "having regard for what was right, (xpovo-
o'j/jtsuo! y.aAa,) not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the
sight of men." " Summa est, dandam sedulo esse operam, ut
nostra intcgritate omnes aedificentur. Ut eniin necessaria est
nobis conscientiae innocentia coram Deo; ita famae integritas
apud homines non est negligenda. Nam si Dcum in bonis nostris
operibus glorificari convenit, tantundem dec-edit ejus gloriae,
ubi nihil laude dignum in nobis homines conspiciunt." Calvin.
In Proverbs iii. 4, we have the same exhortation, nearly in the
same words as given in the LXX. : irpovooi) xaAa I^CO~LOI> xupiou
nai avtypcbntov.

VERSE 18. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live
peaceably with all men. The retaliation of injuries necessarily
leads to contention and strife, while peace is the natural result
of a forgiving disposition. The command in this verse, there
fore, is naturally connected with that contained in ver. 17. So
far from resenting every offence, we should do all we can to live
at peace with all men. As the preservation of peace is not
always within our control, Paul limits his command by saying,
if it be possible, so far as lieth in you, TO lz uu.cov, as to ivhati*
of you. The cause of conflict must not arise from you. Your
duty is to preserve peace. From the wickedness of others, this
is often impossible ; and Paul's own example shows that he was
far from thinking that either truth or principle was to be sacri
ficed for the preservation of peace. His whole life was an
active and ardent contention against error and sin. The pre
cept, however, is plain, and the duty important. As far as it
can be done consistently with higher obligations and more
important interests, we must endeavour to promote peace, and
for this end avoid giving offence and avenging injuries. Gro-
tius well expresses the meaning of this verse : u Omnium amici
este, si fieri potest; si non potest utrimque, certe ex vestra
parte amici este."

VERSE 19. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves; but rather
give place unto wrath, &c. This is a repetition and amplifica
tion of the previous injunction, not to recompense evil for evil.
There are three interpretations of the phrase give place unto
wrath, which deserve to be mentioned. According to the first,

ROMANS XII. 20. 631

the wrath here intended is that of the injured party, and to give
place to, is made to signify, to allow to pass, i. e., let it go, do
not cherish or indulge it. But this is in direct contradiction to
the common and proper meaning of the phrase in question,
which signifies, give free scope to; and no example of a con
trary usage is adduced. In Latin, the phrase, dare spatium
irae, is frequently used in the sense of deferring the indulgence
of anirer, Diving it space or time to cool. But tpatium in these
cases has reference to time, temporis spatium, a sense in which
the Greek TO-O- is not used. The second interpretation refers
the wratli to the injurer. The meaning then is, ' Do not avenge
yourselves, but rather yield (cedite irae) or submit to the anger
of your enemies.' This is consistent with the literal meaning
of "the phrase to give place, i. e., to get out of the way; and
Schoettgeri says that the Jewish writers use the corresponding
Hebrew phrase (:rp<: VT:) in the sense of avoiding; of this
usage, however, there is no example in the Uible. It is cer
tainly contrary to the uniform scriptural usage of the expres
sion, which is never employed to convey this idea, but uniformly
means, as just stated, to give room to, to allow free exercise to
any person or thing; see Eph. iv. 27, "Neither give place to
the devil." The third interpretation, therefore, according to
which it is the wrath of God that is here intended, is tho
only one consistent with the meaning of the phrase or with
the context. 'Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, leave
that matter to God.' Stand out of the way. Give scope to
;he wrath of God. It is his prerogative to punish. Tho
passage, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, with the Lord, is
quoted from Deut, xxxii. 35, and is obviously cited to show the
propriety of the command to leave vengeance to God, and not
attempt to take it into our own hands. This does not imply a
desire that the divine vengeance should overtake our enemies,
but simply that we should not usurp the prerogative of God as
the avenger.

VERSE 20. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if
he thirst, give him drink, &c. That is, instead of avenging our-
selves by returning evil for evil, we must return good for evil.
The expressions,/^ him and give him drink, we obviously
not to be confined to their literal meaning, nor even to the dis-

632 ROMANS XII. 20.

charge of the common offices of humanity ; they are figurative
expressions for all the duties of benevolence. It is not enough,
therefore, that we preserve an enemy from perishing; we must
treat him with all affection arid kindness.

For in so doing tltou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.
This whole verse is taken from Prov. xxv. 21, 22, "If thirte
enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty,
give him water to drink : for thou shalt heap coals of fire upon
his head, and the Lord shall reward thee." The common and
natural meaning of the expression, to heap coals of fire upon
any one, is to inflict the greatest pain upon him, to punish him
most severely; see Ps. cxl. 10, "Let burning coals fall upon
them;" Ps. xi. G, "Upon the wicked he shall rain coals (D^ns
for fi^ris), fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest;"
Ezek. x. 2, 4 Esdr. xvi. 52, "Let not the wicked deny that he
has sinned, for coals of fire shall burn upon the head of him
who denies that he has sinned against the Lord God." The
most probable explanation of this figurative expression is, that
the allusion is to the lightning or fire from heaven, which is the
symbol of the divine vengeance. To rain fire upon any one, is
to visit him with the severest and surest destruction. This
explanation is much more natural than to suppose the allusion
is to the practice of throwing fire-brands upon the heads of the
besiegers of a city, or to the fusing of metals.

There are three leading interpretations of this interesting
clause. The first, which is perhaps the oldest, and very gene
rally received, is, that Paul means to say that our enemies will
be much more severely punished if we leave them in the hands
of God, than if we undertake to avenge ourselves. ' Treat your
enemy kindly, for in so doing you secure his being punished by
God in the severest manner/ The revolting character of this
interpretation, which every one must feel, is mitigated by the
remark, that the enemy is not to be thus treated from any
wish or intention of drawing down the divine wrath upon him ;
it is only meant that such will be the consequence. But this
remark does not meet the difficulty. This clause is so con
nected with the preceding, that it must be understood as assign
ing the motive or reason for the discharge of the duty enjoined:
'Treat thine enemy kindly, for in so doing/ £c. The second

ROMANS XII. 21. 033

interpretation is, that by heaping coals of fire on his head, is
meant, you will cause him pain, i. e., the pain of remorse and
shame. So Tholuck, and many other commentators. The
third, which seems much the most simple and natural, is, 'for
in so'doing, you will take the most effectual method of subduing
him.' To heap coals of fire on any one, is a punishment which
no one can bear; he must yield to it, Kindness is no less
effectual; the most malignant enemy cannot always withstand
it. The' true and Christian method, therefore, to subdue an
enemy is, to " overcome evil with good." This interpretation,
which suits so well the whole context, seems to be rendered
necessary by the following verse, which is a repetition of ^tho
previous injunctions in plainer and more general terrns.^ The
sentiment which the verse thus explained expresses, is also
more in harmony with the spirit of the gospel.
et prcedarum est. Optimum autem vincendi rationem sapientis-
sime docet Salomo (Prov. xxv. 21) jubens nos esurientibus
inimicis cibum, sitientibus potum prsebere : quiu beneficiis eos
devincicntes fortius superabimus, quam qui hostem a vallo et
mocnibus flammis superjectis arcent et repellunt." J)e Brais.

Amono; the numerous striking classical illustrations of the
sentiment of this verse, quoted by Wetstein, are the following:
Ju*tiniis, XL 12, 8, "Tune Darius se ratus vere victum, cum
post pnulia etiam beneficiis ab hoste superaretur." Ccesar ap.
Cic. ad Attic-urn, IX. b?, ullaec nova sit ratio vincendi, ut
misericordia nos muniamus, id quemadmodum fieri possit, non-
nulla mi in mentem veniunt, et inulta reperiri possunt." Scn^d
do Beneficiis, VII. ol, u Vincit malos pertinax bonitas, ncc quis-
quam tain duri infestique adversus diligenda animi est, ut etiam
vi victus bonos non ainet." 32, "Ingratus est— liuic i]>si bene-
ficium dabo itcrum, et tanquam bonus agricola cura cultuque
sterilitatem soli vincam." De Ira, II. 32, "Non enim ut in
beneficiis honestum est merita meritis repensare, ita injurias
injuriis; illic vinci turpe est, hie vincere."

VERSE 21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with
good. It is only by disconnecting this verse from the preceding,
and considering it as nearly independent of it, that any plausi
bility can be given to the first interpretation mentioned above,
of ver. 20. That it is not thus independent of it, almost every

634 ROMANS XII. 9—21,

reader must feel. 'We are not to conquer evil by evif, but to
treat our enemies with kindness. Thus we shall most effectually
subdue them. Do not therefore allow yourself to be overcome
of evil (i. e., to be provoked to the indulgence of a spirit of
retaliation,) but overcome evil with good; subdue your enemies
by kindness, not by injuries.'

DOCTRINE.

1. Love is the fulfilling of the law; it leads to the avoiding
of every thing injurious to our neighbour, and to sedulous
attention to every thing adapted to promote his welfare,
ver. 9.

2. The relation in which Christians stand to each other, is
that of members of the same family. As, however, it is not a
relation constituted by birth, nor secured by the adoption of a
name, there is no evidence of its existence but that which con
sists in the exercise of that 'brotherly affection' (that spiritual
arofrff) which brethren in Christ feel for each other, ver. 10.

3. lleligion is the soul of morality, without which it is but a
lovely corpse. Our moral duties we must perform as "serving
the Lord." The religious affections and emotions do not super
sede those of a simply benevolent or social character, but mingle
with them, and elevate all social and relative duties into acts of
religion arid genuine morality, ver. 11.

4. The source of our life is in God; without intercourse with
him, therefore, we cannot derive those supplies of grace which
are requisite to preserve the spirit of piety in our hearts, and
to send a vital influence through the various duties and avoca
tions of life. Hence the absolute necessity of being " instant
in prayer," ver. 12.

5. God has made of one blood all men that dwell upon the
face of the earth. There is in this fact of a common origin,
and the possession of a common nature, a sufficient ground for
the inculcation of an universal sympathy with all our fellow
men. As he is no true Christian who is destitute of a genuine
sympathy for his fellow Christians, so he is very far from being
a man such as God approves, who does not "rejoice with them
that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep," ver. 15.

6. A wrong estimate of ourselves is a fruitful source of evil,

ROMANS XII. 9—21. G35

Viewed in relation to God, and in our own absolute insignifi
cance, we have little reason to be wise or important in our own
conceits. A proper self-knowledge will preserve us from pride,
ambition, and contempt of others, ver. 1*3.

7. Abstaining from evil is but one half of duty. It is not
enough to avoid imprecating evil upon our enemies; we must
sincerely desire and pray for their welfare. Nor is it sufficient
not to recompense evil for evil; we must return good for evil,
vs. 17—21.

8. The prerogatives of judgment and vengeance belong to
God, we have no right, therefore, to arrogate them to ourselves,
except in those cases in which, for his glory and the good of
society, he has given us authority. All condemnation of others
for self-gratification, and all private revenge is inconsistent with
the gospel, vs. 11 — 21.

REMARKS.

1. Christians should never forget that faith without works is
dead. It is not more important to believe what God has
revealed, than to do what he has commanded. A faith, there
fore, which does not produce love, kindness, sympathy, hu
mility, the forgiveness of injuries, &c., can do us little good,
vs. (J— 21.

2. It is peculiarly characteristic of the spirit of the gospel
that it turns the heart towards others, and away from our own
interests. Self is not the Christian's centre; men are loved
because they are men, Christians because they are Christians;
the former with sincere sympathy and benevolence, the latter
with brotherly affection. The happiness and feelings of others,
the gospel teaches us to consult in small, as well as in great
matters, anticipating each other in all acts of kindness and
attention, vs. 9 — 13.

3. The benevolence of the gospel is active and religious; it
leads to constant efforts, and is imbued with a spirit of piety,
ver. 11.

4. We must remember that without Christ we can do
nothing; that it is not we that live, but Christ that liveth in us.
If, therefore, we attempt to discharge the duties here enjoined
apart from him, we shall be as a branch severed from the vine ;

636 ROMANS XII. 9—21.

and unless we are " instant in prayer," this union with Christ
cannot be kept up, ver. 12.

5. Alms-giving and hospitality, in some ages of the church,
have been unduly exalted, as though they were the whole of
benevolence, and the greater part of piety. While we avoid
this extreme, we should remember that we are stewards of
God, and that " Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his
brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion
from him, hath not the love of God dwelling in him," ver. 13.
1 John iii. 17.

6. One of the most beautiful exhibitions of the character of
our Saviour was afforded by his conduct under persecution.
"He was led as a lamb to the slaughter;" "when he was
reviled, he reviled not again ; when he suffered, he threatened
not." Even martyrs dying for the truth have not always been
able to avoid the prediction of evil to their persecutors ; so
much easier is it to abstain from recompensing evil for evil, than
really to love and pray for the good of our enemies. This,
however, is Christian duty, such is the spirit of the gospel.
Just so far, therefore, as we find our hearts indisposed to bless
those who curse us, or inclined to indulge even a secret satis
faction when evil comes upon them, are we unchristian in our
temper, vs. 19 — 21.

7. Nothing is so powerful as goodness ; it is the most effica
cious means to subdue enemies, and put down opposition. Men
whose minds can withstand argument, and whose hearts rebel
against threats, are not proof against the persuasive influence
of unfeigned love ; there is, therefore, no more important col
lateral reason for being good, than that it increases our power
to do good, vs. 20 — 21.

ROMANS XIII. 1. G37

CHAPTER XIII.

CONTENTS.

THE chapter treats mainly of our political duties. From ver«
1 to ver. 7 inclusive, the apostle enforces the duties which we
owe to civil magistrates. From ver. 8 to ver. 10, he refers to
the more general obligations under which Christians are placed,
but still with special reference to their civil and social relations.
From ver. 11 tc the end of the chapter, he enjoins un exem
plary arid holy deportment.

ROMANS XIII. 1—14.

ANALYSIS.

THE duty of obedience to those in authority is enforced,

1. l>y the consideration that civil government is a divine insti
tution, and, therefore, resistance to magistrates in the exercise
of their lawful authority is disobedience to (iod. vs. 1, 2.

2. From the end or design of their appointment, which is to
promote the good of society, to be a terror to evil doers, and a
praise to them that do well', vs. :*», 4. 3. Because such subjec
tion is a moral, as well as civil duty, ver. 5. On these grounds
the payment of tribute or taxes, and general deference, are to
be cheerfully rendered, vs. 6, 7.

Christian? are bound not only to be obedient to those in
authority, but also to perform all social and relative duties,
especially that of love, which includes and secures the obser
vance of all others, vs. 8 — 10. A pure and exemplary life as
members of society is enforced by the consideration that the
night is far spent and that the day is at hand, that the time of
suffering and trial is nearly over, and that of deliverance ap
proaching, vs. 11 — 14.

COMMENTARY

VERSE 1. Let every soul be subject to tie liicflier powers.
The expression every soul is often used as equivalent to every

638 ROMANS XIII. 1.

one; it is at times, however, emphatic, and such is probably the
case in this passage. By higher powers are most commonly
and naturally understood those in authority, without reference
to their grade of office, or their character. We are to be
subject not only to the supreme magistrates, but to all who
have authority over us. The abstract word powers or authori
ties (l^oualcc) is used for those who are invested with power,
Luke xii. 11, Eph. i. 21, iii. 10, &c., &c. The word (dnsps^coJ)
rendered higher, is applied to any one who, in dignity and
authority, excels us. In 1 Peter ii. 13, it is applied to the
king as supreme, i. e., superior to all other magistrates. But
here one class of magistrates is not brought into comparison
with another, but they are spoken of as being over other men
who are not in office. It is a very unnatural interpretation
which makes this word refer to the character of the magistrates,
as though the sense were, 'Be subject to good magistrates/
This is contrary to the usage of the term, and inconsistent with
the context. Obedience is not enjoined on the ground of the
personal merit of those in authority, but on the ground of their
official station.

There was peculiar necessity, during the apostolic age, for
inculcating the duty of obedience to civil magistrates. This
necessity arose in part from the fact that a large portion of the
converts to Christianity had been Jews, and were peculiarly
indisposed to submit to the heathen authorities. This indispo
sition (as far as it was peculiar) arose from the prevailing
impression among them, that this subjection was unlawful, or
at least highly derogatory to their character as the people of
God, who had so long lived under a theocracy. In Deut.
xvii. 15, it is said, "Thou shalt in any wise set him king over
thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose; one from among
thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee ; thou shalt not set
a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother." It was a
question, therefore, constantly agitated among them, "Is it
lawful to pay tribute unto Crcsar, or not?" A question which
the great majority were at least secretly inclined to answer in
the negative. Another source of the restlessness of the Jews
under a foreign yoke, was the idea which they entertained of
the nature of the Messiah's kingdom. As they expected a tern-

ROMANS XIII. 1. 639

•

poral Prince, whose kingdom should be of this world, they were
ready to rise in rebellion at the call of every one who cried, u I
am Christ." The history of the Jews at this period shows how
great was the effect produced by these and similar causes, on
their feelings towards the Roman government. They were con
tinually breaking out into tumults, which led to their expulsion
from Rome.* and, finally, to the utter destruction of Jerusalem.
It is therefore not a matter of surprise, that converts from
among such a people should need the injunction. " Be subject
to the higher powers." Besides the effect of their previous
opinions and feelings, there is something in the character of
Christianity itself, and in the incidental results of the excite
ment which it occasions, to account for the repugnance of many
of the early Christians to submit to their civil rulers. They
wrested, no doubt, the doctrine of Christian liberty, as they did
other doctrines, to suit their own inclinations. This result,
however, is to be attributed not to religion, but to the improper
feelings of those into whose minds the form of truth, without its
full power, had been received.

For there /.<? -no potver hut of Crod; and the powers that be are
ordained of God. (ft fdn kaTev kzo'jtria s! [JLTJ <l~o $soi>. This
is a very comprehensive proposition. All authority is of God.
No man has any rightful power over other men, which is not
derived from God. All human power is delegated and minis
terial. This is true of parents, of magistrates, and of church
officers. This, however, is not all the passage means. It not
only asserts that all government (izo'jtria, authority) is (d~() $soy)
derived from God, but that every magistrate is of God ; that is,
his authority is jure dirino. The word Izwala is evidently, in
this connection, used in a concrete SCMISC. This is plain from
the use of the word in the other clauses of the verse. " The
higher powers," and "the powers that be," are concrete terms,
meaning those invested with power. Compare vs. 3, 4, where
"rulers" and "ministers" are substituted for the abstract
*' powers." The doctrine here taught is the ground of the
injunction contained in the first clause of the verse. We are

* Suetonfus, Claud. 25, says, "Judceos impulsore Chresto ae-sidue tumulltt-
^Claudius) Roma expulit;" see Acts xviii. 2.

640 ROMANS XIII. 2.

to obey magistrates, because they derive their authority from
God. Not only is human government a divine institution, but
the form in which that government exists, and the persons by
whom its functions are exercised, are determined by his pro
vidence. All magistrates of whatever grade are to be regarded
as acting by divine appointment; not that God designates
the individuals, but that it being his will that there should be
magistrates, every person, who is in point of fact clothed with
authority, is to be regarded as having a claim to obedience,
founded on the will of God. In like manner, the authority
of parents over their children, of husbands over their wives,
of masters over their servants, is of God's ordination. There »
is no limitation to the injunction in this verse, so far as the!
objects of obedience are concerned, although there is as tpf
the extent of the obedience itself. That is, we are to obey alii) >
who are in actual authority over us, whether their authority bej-
''legitimate or usurped, whether they are just or unjust. The''
actual reigning emperor was to be obeyed by the Roman Chris- '
tians, whatever they might think as to his title to the sceptre.
But if he transcended his authority, and required them to wor
ship idols, they were to obey God rather than man. This is
the limitation to all human authority. Whenever obedience to
man is inconsistent with obedience to God, then disobedience
becomes a duty.

, VERSE 2. Whoso, therefore, resisteth the power, resisteth the
ordinance of G-od. This is an obvious inference from the
r*tu doctrine of the preceding verse. If it is the will of God that
there should be civil government, and persons appointed to
' exercise authority over others, it is plain that to resist such
persons in the exercise of their lawful authority is an act of
disobedience to God.

^ And they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

This also is an obvious conclusion from the preceding. If dis-

:)dience is a sin, it will be punished. The word (xplua) ren-

damnation, means simply sentence, judicial decision;

ther favourable or adverse, depends on the context. Here

s plain it means a sentence of condemnation. He shall be

iemned, and, by implication, punished. As the word

ation is by modern usage restricted to the final and eternal

ROMANS XIII. 3. 641

condemnation of the wicked, it is unsuitcd to this passnije and
some others in which it occurs in our version; see 1 Cor. xi. 29.
Pan) does not refer to the punishment which the civil magis
trate may inflict; for he is speaking of disobedience to those in
authority as a sin against God, which he will punish.

It is clear that this passage (vs. 1, 2) is applicable to men -
living under every form of government, monarchical, aristo-
cratical, or democratical, in all their various modifications.
Those who are in authority are to be obeyed within their
sphere, no matter how or by whom appointed. It is the cuvae
kgovfficu, the powers that le, the de facto government, that is to
be regarded as, for the time being, ordained of God. It was to
Paul a matter of little importance whether the Koman emperor
was appointed by the senate, the army, or the people ; whether
the assumption of the imperial authority by C;esar was just or
unjust, or whether his successors had a legitimate claim to the
throne or not. It was his object to lay down the simple prin
ciple, that magistrates are to be obeyed. The extent of this
obedience is to be determined from the nature of the case.
They arc to be obeyed as magistrates, in the exercise of their
lawful authority. When Paul commands wives to obey their
husbands, they are required to obey them as husbands, not as
masters, nor as kings; children are to obey their parents as
parents, not as sovereigns; arid so in every other case. This
passage, therefore, affords a very slight foundation for the doc
trine of passive obedience.

VERSE 3. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to
evil. This verse is not to be connected with the second, but
with the first, as it assigns an additional reason for the duty
there enjoined. Magistrates are to be obeyed, for such is the
will of God, and because they are appointed to repress evil and
to promote good. There is a ground, therefore, in the very
nature of their office, why they should not be resisted.

Wilt tliou then not be afraid of the power? do that which 19
good, and thou shall have praise of the same. That is, govern
ment is not an evil to be feared, except by evil doers. As the
magistrates are appointed for the punishment of evil, the way
to avoid suffering from their authority is not to resist it, but
to do that which is good. Paul is speaking of the legitimate
41

642 ROMANS XIII. 4, 5.

design of government, not of the abuse of power by wicked
men.

VERSE 4. For he is the minister of God for thee for good, &c.
This whole verse is but an amplification of the preceding.
4 Government is a benevolent institution of God, designed for
the benefit of men ; and, therefore, should be respected and
obeyed. As it has, however, the rightful authority to punish,
it is to be feared by those that do evil.' For good, i. e., to
secure or promote your welfare. Magistrates or rulers are not
appointed for their own honour or advantage, but for the benefit
of society, and, therefore, while those in subjection are on this
account to obey them, they themselves are taught, what those
in power are so apt to forget, that they are the servants of the
people as well as the servants of God, and that the welfare of
society is the only legitimate object which they as rulers are at
liberty to pursue.

But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth
not the sword in vain; a revenger to execute wrath (s/c oprfv,
i. e., for the purpose of punishment) upon him that docth evil.
As one part of the design of government is to protect the good,
so the other is to punish the wicked. The existence of this
delegated authority is, therefore, a reason why men should
abstain from the commission of evil. He beareth not the sword
in vain, i. e., it is not in vain that he is invested with authority
to punish. The reference is not to the dagger worn by the
Roman emperors as a sign of office, as /jtd%atpa in the New Tes
tament always means sword, which of old was the symbol of
authority, and specially of the right of life and death. As the
common method of inflicting capital punishment was by decapi
tation with a sword, that instrument is mentioned as the symbol
of the right of punishment, and, as many infer from this
passage, of the right of capital punishment. "Insignis locus
ad jus gladii comprobandum ; nain si Dominus magistratum
armando gladii quoque usum illi mandavit, quoties sontes
capitali poL-ria vindicat, exercendo Dei ultionem, ejus mandatia
obsequitur. Contendunt igitur curn Deo qui sanguinem nocen-
tium hominum effundi nefas esse putant." Calvin.

VERSE 5. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for
wrath, but also for conscience' sake. That is, subjection to

ROMANS XIII. 6. 643

magistrates is not only a civil duty enforced by penal statutes,
but also a religious duty, and part of our obedience to God.
For wrath, i. e., from fear of punishment. For conscience' sake,
i. e., out of regard to God, from conscientious motives. In like
manner, Paul "enforces all relative and social duties on religious
grounds. Children are to obey their parents, because it is
right in the sight of God; and servants are to be obedient to
their master, as unto Christ, doing the will of God from the
heart, Eph. vi. 1, 5, 6.

VERSE 6. Fur, for this cause, pay ye tribute also. This verse
may be connected, by the words (oca r^ro) rendered for this
cause, with the preceding, thus, 'Wherefore (i. e., for conscience
sake,") ve should pay tribute also.' But it is better to consider
this clause as containing an inference from the foregoing exhi
bition of the nature and design of civil government: 'Since
government is constituted for the benefit of society, for the
punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of those that do
well, ye should cheerfully pay the contributions requisite for its
support.'

For thei/ are the ministers of Gml, attending continually on
this vert/ thiny. This clause introduces another reason for the
payment of tribute. T/K'i/, not the tax-gatherers, but oi
doyMTS', the rulers, to whom the tribute is due. Magistrates
are' not onlv appointed for the public good, but they are the
ministers of (lod, and consequently it is his will that we should
contribute whatever is necessary to enable them to discharge
their duty. The word (tet-vutrfoi) rendered ministers, means
public servants, men appointed for any public work, civil or
religious. Amonir the Greek democratical states, especially at
Athens, those persons were particularly so called, who were
required to perform some public service at their own expense.
It is used in Scripture in a general sense, for servants or minis
ters, Kom. xv. 10, Ileb. i. 7, viii. 2. The words ei- O-'JTO TO^TO,
to this very tliiny, may refer to tax-gathering. The magistrates
are divinely commissioned, or authorized to collect tribute.
This is necessary to the support of government ; and govern
ment being a divine institution, God, in ordaining the end, has
thereby ordained the means. It is because magistrates, in the
collection of taxes, act as the faiuutfoi feoit, the executive

644 ROMANS XIII. 7, 8.

officers of G-od, that we are bound to pay them. Others make
the a?JTO rorJTO refer to the hiTouofia, or service of God, which
is implied in magistrates being called fccTO'jfrfoL 'They are tha
ministers of God attending constantly to their ministry.' The
former interpretation is the more consistent with the context.

VERSE 7. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom
tribute; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to
ivhom honour. ' Such being the will of God? and such the
benevolent design of civil government, render to magistrates
(and to all others) what properly belongs to them, whether
pecuniary contribution, reverence, or honour/ The word all
seems, from the context, to have special reference to all in
authority, though it is not necessary to confine it to such per
sons exclusively. The word ((fo^o-) tribute is applied properly "
to land and capitation tax ; and (rs),o^) to the imposts levied on
merchandise. The words (<^6,9oc) fear, and (T^/^) honour, are
generally considered in this connection as differing only in
degree ; the former expressing the reverence to superiors, the
latter the respect to equals.

VERSE 8. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another, &c, <\
That is, acquit yourselves of all obligations, except love, which
is a debt that must remain ever due. This is the common, and'
considering the context, which abounds with commands, the
most natural interpretation of this passage. Others, however,
take the verb (otpsttsTs) as in the indicative, instead of the
imperative mood, and understand the passage thus: 'Ye owej
no man any thing but love (which includes all other duties,) for
he that loves another fulfils the law.' This gives a good sense,
when this verse is taken by itself; but viewed in connection
with those which precede and follow, the common interpretation
is much more natural. | Besides, "the indicative would require J
ojbdsui oudev, and not p^d^l tj.^dsu. The use of the subjective
negative shows that a command is intended." Meyer. The
idea which a cursory reader might be disposed to attach tof
these words, in considering them as a direction not to contract;!
pecuniary debts, is not properly expressed by them; although!
the prohibition, in its spirit, includes the incurring of such|
obligations, when we have not the certain prospect of discharg-j
ing them. The command, however, is, 'Acquit yourselves of'

ROMANS XIII. 9—11. 645

i all obligations, tribute, custom, fear, honour, or whatever else

•you maj- owe, but remember that the debt of love is still

^unpaid, and always must remain so; for love includes all duty,

since he that loves another fulfils the law.'* He that loveth

another hath fulfilled (TTSTrtyfxuxs) the law. It is already done.

That is, all the law contemplated, in its specifi.c commands

relating to our social duties, is attained when we love our

neighbour as ourselves.

VERSE 9. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou
shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false
witness,^ Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other com
mandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely,
Thou shalt love tliy neighbour as thyself. This verse is evidently
a confirmation of the declaration at the close of the preceding
one, that love includes all our social duties. This is further
confirmed in the following verse.

VERSE 10. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour, therefore
love is the fulfilling of the law. That is, as love delights in the
happiness of its object, it effectually prevents us from injuring
those we lovvi, and, consequently, leads us to fulfil all the law
requires, because the law requires nothing which is not con
ducive to the best interests of our fellow-men, lie, therefore,
who loves his neighbour with the same sincerity that he loves
himself, and consequently treats him as he would wish, under
similar circumstances, to be treated by him, will fulfil all that
the law enjoins; hence the whole law is comprehended in this
one command, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

VERSE 11. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high
time to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than,
wlien we believed. From this verse to the end of the chapter,

* Amare; debitum immortale. Si amabitis, nil debitis nam amor implet
legem. Amare, libertas est. — Bengel. Argute et eleganter dictum: dilectio-
nis debitum et semper solvitur et semper manet. — Wetstcin.

A grateful mind,

By owing owes not, and still pays, at once
Indebted and discharged. — Milton's Paradise Lost, IV. 55.
f The words w ^J'.jucf^ru^a-tf; are omitted in the MSS. A. D. E. F. G. 1, 2, 29,
34, 36, 38, 39, 41, 43, 46, 47, 52, and in the Syriac version. They are rejected
In the Cornplutensian edition, and in those of Mill, Bengel, Griesbach, Knapp,
and Lachmana.

646 ROMANS XIII. 11.

Paul exhorts his readers to discharge the duties alreadv
enjoined, and urges on them to live a holy and exemplary life.
The consideration by which this exhortation is enforced, is,
that the night is far spent, and that the day is at hand, the
time of deliverance is fast approaching. The words (xat TOUTO)
rendered and that, are by many considered as elliptical, and
the word (ro^Zrs) do is supplied ; 'And this do.' The demon
strative pronoun, however, is frequently used to mark the
importance of the connection between two circumstances for
the case in hand, (Passow, Vol. II. p. 319.) and is, therefore,
often equivalent to the phrases, and indeed, the more, &c. So
in this case, ' We must discharge our various duties, and that
knowing,' &c., i. e., 'the rather, because we know,' &c.; com
pare Ileb. xi. 12, 1 Cor. vi. 6, Eph. ii. 8. Knoiving the
time, i. e., considering the nature and character of the period
in which we now live. The original word (xatrioz) does not
mean time in the general sense, but a portion of time considered
as appropiate, as fixed, as short, &c. Paul immediately explains
himself by adding, that now it is high time to awake out of
sleep; it was the proper time to arouse themselves from their
slumbers, and, shaking off all slothfulness, to address them
selves earnestly to work. For now rs our salvation nearer than
when we believed. This is the reason why it is time to be up
and active, salvation is at hand. There are three leading inter
pretations of this clause. The first is, that it means that the
time of salvation, or special favour to the Gentiles, and of the
destruction of the Jews, was fast approaching. So Hammond,
Whitby, and many others. But for this there is no foundation
in the simple meaning of the words, nor in the context. Paul
evidently refers to something of more general and permanent
interest than the overthrow of the Jewish nation, and the con
sequent freedom of the Gentile converts from their persecutions.
The night that was far spent, was not the night of sorrow
arising from Jewish bigotry; and the day that was at hand
was something brighter and better than deliverance from its
power. A second interpretation very generally received of late
is, that the reference is to the second advent of Christ. It is
assumed that the early Christians, and even the inspired apos
tles, were under the constant impression that Christ was to

ROMANS XIII. 11. 647

appear in person for the establishment of his kingdom, before
that generation passed away. This assumption is founded on
such passages as the following: Phil. iv. 5, "The Lord is at
hand;" 1 Thess. iv. 17, "We that are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air;"
1 Cor. xv. 51, "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed," &c. With regard to this point, we may remark,

1. That neither the early Christians nor the apostles knew
when the second advent of Christ was to take place. " But
of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, nor the angels of
heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were,
so shall the coming of the Son of man be," Matt. xxiv. 3(J, 37,
"They (the apostles) asked of him, saying. Lord, wilt thou at
this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And lie said unto
them, It is riot for you to know the times or the seasons which
the Father hath put in his own power," Acts i. G, 7. "But of
the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no need that 1 write
unto you; for ye yourselves know perfectly that the day of the
Lord so cometh as a thief in the night," 1 Thess. v. 1, 2.

2. Though they knew not when it was to be, they knew that it
was not to happen immediately, nor until a great apostacv had
occurred. "Now we beseech you, brethren, by (or concerning)
the coming of the Lord Jesus, and our gathering together to
him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind . . . as that the day
of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by anv means:
for that da?/ shall not come, except there come a falling away
first, and that man of sin be revealed," &c., 2 Thess. ii. 1 — 3;
and vcr. 5, "Remember ye not, that when I was yet with you,
I told you these things?" Besides this distinct assertion, that
the second advent of Christ was not to occur before the revela
tion of the man of sin, there are several other predictions in the
writings of Paul, which necessarily imply his knowledge of the
fact, that the day of judgment was not immediately at hand,
1 Tim. iv. 1 — 5, Rom. xi. 25. The numerous prophecies of the
Old Testament relating to the future conversion of the Jews,
and various other events, were known to the apostles, and pre
cluded the possibility of their believing that the world was to
come to an end before those prophecies were fulfilled 3. We
are not to understand the expressions, day of the Lord, llie

613 ROMANS XIII. 11.

appearing of CJirist, the coming of the Son of man, in all cases
in the same way. The day of the Lord is a very familiar
expression in the Scriptures to designate any time of the
special manifestation of the divine presence, either for judg
ment or mercy ; see Ezek. xiii. 5, Joel i. 15, Isa. ii. 12, xiii. 6, 9.
So also God or Christ is said to come to any person or place,
when he makes any remarkable exhibition of his power or
grace. Hence the Son of man was to come for the destruction
of Jerusalem, before the people of that generation all perished ;
and the summons of death is sometimes represented as the
coming of Christ to judge the soul. What is the meaning of
such expressions must be determined by the context, in each
particular case. 4. It cannot, therefore, be inferred from such
declarations as " the day of the Lord is at hand ;" " the coming
of the Lord draweth nigh;" "the judge is at the door," &c.,
that those who made them supposed that the second advent and
final judgment were to take place immediately. They expressly
assert the contrary, as has just been shown. 5. The situation
of the early Christians was, in this respect, similar to ours.
They believed that Christ was to appear the second time with
out sin unto salvation ; but when this advent was to take place,
they did not know. They looked and longed for the appearing
of the great God their Saviour, as we do now ; and the prospect
of this event operated upon them as it should do upon us, as a
constant motive to watchfulness and diligence, that we may be
found of him in peace. There is nothing, therefore, in the
Scriptures, nor in this immediate context, which requires us to
suppose that Paul intended to say that the time of the second
advent was at hand, when he tells his readers that their salva
tion was nearer than when they believed.

The third and most common, as well as the most natural inter
pretation of this passage is, that Paul meant simply to remind
them that the time of deliverance wras near ; that the difficulties
and sins with which they had to contend, would soon be dis
persed as the shades and mists of night before the rising day.
The salvation, therefore, here intended, is the consummation of
the work of Christ in their deliverance from this present evil
world, and introduction into the purity and blessedness of
heaven. Eternity is just at hand, is the solemn consideratioD

ROMANS XIII. 12, 13. 649

that Paul urges on his readers as a motive for devotion and
diligence.

VERSE 12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us
therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the
armour of light. The general sentiment of this verse is very
obvious. Night or darkness is the common emblem of sin and
sorrow; day or light, that of knowledge, purity, and happiness.
The meaning of the first clause therefore is, that the time of
sin and sorrow is nearly over, that of holiness and happiness is
at hand. The particular form and application of this general
sentiment depends, however, on the interpretation given to the
preceding verse. If that verse refers to the destruction of Jeru
salem, then Paul means to say, that the night of persecution
was nearly gone, and the day of peace and prosperity to the
Gentile churches was at hand. But if ver. 11 refers to final
salvation, then this verse means, that the sins and sorrows of
this life will soon be over, and the day of eternal blessedness is
about to dawn. The latter view is to be preferred.

Paul continues this beautiful figure through the verse. There
fore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the
armour of light. That is, let us renounce those things which
need to be concealed, and clothe ourselves with those which arc
suited to the light. The works of darkness are those works
which men are accustomed to commit in the dark, or which suit
the dark; and armour of light means those virtues and good
deeds which men are not ashamed of, because they will bear to
be seen. Paul probably used the word (orr///) armour, instead
of works, because these virtues constitute the offensive and
defensive weapons with which we are here to contend against
sin and evil; see Eph. vi. 11. The words d~on'#£<7#ar and
Iw'jzat'JfjL! suggest the idea of clothing. V>TC are to cast off one
set of garments, and to put on another. The clothes which
belong to the night are to be cast aside, and we are to array
ourselves in those suited to the day.

VERSE 13. Let us walk honestly as in the day: not in rioting
and drunkenness; not in chambering and wantonness; not in
strife and envying. This verse is an amplification of the pre
ceding, stating some of those works of darkness which we are
to put off; as ver. 14 states what is the armour o-f light which

650 ROMANS XIII. 14.

we are to put on. The word (e&fffflfJidv&G) rendered honestly,
means becomingly, properly. There are three classes of sins
specified in this verse, to each of which two words are appro
priated, viz., intemperance, impurity, and discord. Rioting and
drunkenness belong to the first. The word (XCOJULOZ) appropri
ately rendered rioting, is used both in reference to the disor
derly religious festivals kept in honour of Bacchus, and to the
common boisterous carousing of intemperate young men, (see
Passow, Vol. I., p. 924.) The words chambering and wanton
ness, include all kinds of uncleanriess ; and strife and envying,
all kinds of unholy emulation and discord.

VERSE 14. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Clirist, i. e., be as
he was. To put on Christ, signifies to be intimately united to
him, so that he, and not we, may appear, Gal. iii. 27: 'Let not
your own evil deeds be seen, (i. e., do not commit such,) but let
what Christ was, appear in all your conduct, as effectually as
if clothed with the garment of his virtues.'

And make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts theieof.
That is, let it not be your care to gratify the flesh. ByyZ«?s7i,
in this passage, is perhaps generally understood the body; so
that the prohibition is confined to the vicious indulgence of the
sensual appetites. But there seems to be no sufficient reason
for this restriction. As the word is constantly used by Paul
for whatever is corrupt, and in the preceding verse the sins of
envy and contention are specially mentioned, it may be under
stood more generally, ' Do not indulge the desires of your cor
rupt nature.'

DOCTRINE.

1. Civil government is a divine institution, i. e., it is the
will of God that it should exist, and be respected and obeyed,
ver. 2.

2. While 'government is of God, the form is of men.' God
has never enjoined any one form obligatory on all communi
ties ; but has simply laid down certain principles, applicable to
rulers and subjects, under every form in which governments
exist, vs. 1 — 7.

3. The obedience which the Scriptures command us to render
to our rulers is not unlimited ; there are cases in which disobe
dience is a duty. This is evident, first, from the very nature

ROMANS XIII. 1—14. 651

of the case. The command to obey magistrates is, from its
nature, a command to obey them as magistrates in the exercise
of their rightful authority. They are not to be obeyed as
priests or as parents, but as civil rulers. No one doubts that
the precept, "Children, obey your parents in all things," is a'
command to obey them in the exercise of their rightful parental
authority, and imposes no obligation to implicit and passive
obedience. A parent who should claim the power of a sove
reign over his children, would have no right to their obedience.
The case is still plainer with regard to the command, "Wives,
submit to your own husbands." Secondly, from the fact that
the same inspired men who enjoin, in such general terms,
obedience to rulers, themselves uniformly and openly disobeyed
them whenever their commands were inconsistent with other
and higher obligations. " We ought to obey God rather than
men," was the principle which the early Christians avowed, and
on which they acted. They disobeyed the Jewish and heathen
authorities, whenever they required them to do anything con
trary to the will of God. There are cases, therefore, in which
disobedience is a duty. How far the rightful authority of rulers
extends, the precise point at which the obligation to obedience
ceases, must often be a difficult question ; and each case must
be decided on its own merits. The same difficulty exists in
fixing the limits of the authority of parents over their children,
husbands over their wives, masters over their servants. This,
however, is a theoretical rather than a practical difficulty. The
genera! principles on which the question in regard to any given
case is to be decided are sufficiently plain. No command to do
anything morally wrong can be binding; nor can any which
transcends the rightful authority of the power whence it eman
ates. What that rightful authority is, must be determined by
the institutions and laws of the land, or from prescription and
usage, or from the nature and design of the office with which
the magistrate is invested. The right of deciding on all these
points, and determining where the obligation to obedience
ceases, and the duty of resistance begins, must, from the
nature of the case, rest with the subject, and not with the ruler.
The apostles and early Christians decided this point for them
selves, and did not leave the decision with the Jewish or Roman

652 ROMANS XIII. 1—14.

authorities. Like all other questions of duty, it is to be decided
on our responsibility to God and our fellow-men, vs. 1 — 7.

4. The design of civil government is not to promote the
advantage of rulers, but of the ruled. They are ordained and
invested with authority, to be a terror to evil doers, and a
praise to them that do well. They are the ministers of God
for this end, and are appointed for "this very thing." On this
ground our obligation to obedience rests, and the obligation
ceases when this design is systematically, constantly, and noto
riously disregarded. Where unfaithfulness on the part of the
government exists, or where the form of it is incompatible with
the design of its institution, the governed must have a right to
remedy the evil. But they cannot have the moral right to
remedy one evil, by the production of a greater. And, there
fore, as there are few greater evils than instability and uncer
tainty in governments, the cases in which revolutions are
justifiable must be exceedingly rare, vs. 3 — 7.

5. The proper sphere of civil government is the civil and
social relations of men, and their temporal welfare ; conscience,
and of course religion, are beyond its jurisdiction, except so far
as the best interests of civil society are necessarily connected
•with them. What extent of ground this exception covers, ever
has been, and probably will ever remain a matter of dispute.
Still it is to be remembered, that it is an exception ; religion
and morality, as such, are not within the legitimate sphere of
the civil authority. To justify the interference of the civil
government, therefore, in any given case, with these important
subjects, an exception must be made out. It must be shown
that an opinion or a religion is not only false, but that its pre
valence is incompatible with the rights of those members of the
community who are not embraced within its communion, before
the civil authority can be authorized to interfere for its sup
pression. It is then to be suppressed, not as a religion, but as
a public nuisance. God has ordained civil government for the
promotion of the welfare of men as members of the same civil
society; and parental government, and the instruction and dis
cipline of the church, for their moral and religious improve
ment. And the less interference there is between these two
great institutions, in the promotion of their respective objects,

ROMANS XIII. 1—14. 653

the better. We do not find in the New Testament any com
mands addressed to magistrates with regard to the suppression
of heresies or the support of the truth ; nor, on the other hand,
do we meet with any directions to the church to interfere with
matters pertaining to the civil government, vs. 3 — 6.

6. The discharge of all the social and civil duties of life is to
the Christian a matter of religious obligation, vs. 5 — 7.

REMARKS.

1. The Christian religion is adapted to all states of society
and all forms of civil government. As the Spirit of God, when
it enters any human heart, leaves unmolested what is peculiar
to its individual character, as far as it is innocent, and effects
the reformation of what is evil, not by violence, but by a sweetly
constraining influence; so the religion of Christ, when it enters
any community of men, does not assail their form of govern
ment, whether despotic or free ; and if there is anything in
their institutions inconsistent with its spirit, it is changed by
its silent operation on the heart and conscience, rather than by
direct denunciation. It lias thus, without rebellion or violent
convulsions, curbed the exercise of despotic power, and wrought
the abolition of slavery throughout the greater part of Christen
dom, vs. 1 — 14.

2. The gospel is equally hostile to tyranny and anarchy. It
teaches rulers that they are ministers of God for the public
good; and it teaches subjects to be obedient to magistrates, not
only for fear, but also for conscience' sake, ver. 5.

3. God is to be recognised as ordering the affairs of civil
society: "lie rcmoveth kings, and he scttcth up kings;" by
him "kings reign, and princes decree justice." It is enough,
therefore, to secure the obedience of the Christian, that, in the
providence of God, he finds the power of government lodged in
certain hands. The early Christians would have been in con
stant perplexity, had it been incumbent on them, amidst the
frequent poisonings and assassinations of the imperial palace,
the tumults of the pretorian guards, and the proclamation by
contending armies of rival candidates, to decide on the individual
who had de jure the power of the sword, before they could con
scientiously obey, vs. 1 — 5.

654 ROMANS XIV. 1—23.

4. When rulers become a terror to the good, and a praise to
them that do evil, they may still be tolerated and obeyed, not
however, of right, but because the remedy may be worse than
the disease, vs. 3, 4.

5. Did genuine Christian love prevail, it would secure the
right discharge, not only of the duties of rulers towards their
subjects, and of subjects towards their rulers, but of all the rela
tive social duties of life ; for he that loveth another fulfilleth the
law, vs. 7, 8.

6. The nearness of eternity should operate on all Christiana
as a motive to purity and dcvotedness to God. The night is
far spent, the day is at hand ; now is our salvation nearer than
when we believed, vs. 13, 14.

7. All Christian duty is included in putting on the Lord
Jesus ; in being like him, having that similarity of temper and
conduct which results from being intimately united to him by
the Holy Spirit, ver. 14.

CHAPTER XIV.

CONTENTS.

As in chapter xii., Paul had insisted principally upon moral
and religious duties, and in chapter xiii., on those of a political
character, he here treats particularly of the duties of church
members towards each other, in relation to matters not binding
on the conscience. There are two points specially presented:
the first is the manner in which scrupulous Christians, who
make conscience of matters of indifference, are to be treated,
y- 1 — 12; and the second, the manner in which those who are
strong in faith should use their Christian liberty, vs. 13 — 23.

ROMANS XIV. 1—23.

ANALYSIS.

SCRUPULOUS Christians, whose consciences are weak, are to
be kindly received, and not harshly condemned, ver. 1. This
direction the apostle enforces in reference to those who were

ROMANS XIV. 1—23. 655

scrupulous as to eating particular kinds of food, and the pro
priety of neglecting the sacred days appointed in the law of
Moses. Such persons are not to be condemned: 1. Because
this weakness is not inconsistent with piety; notwithstanding
their doubts on these points, God has received them, ver. 3.
2. Because one Christian has no right to judge another, (except
where Christ has expressly authorized it, and given him the
rule of judgment ;) to his own master he stands or falls, ver. 4.
o. Because such harsh treatment is unnecessary ; God can and
will preserve such persons, notwithstanding their feebleness,
ver. 4. 4. Because they act religiously, or out of regard to
God, in this matter; and, therefore, live according to the great
Christian principle, that no man liveth to himself, and no man
dieth to himself, but whether he lives or dies, belongs to God,
vs. G — 0. On these grounds we should abstain from condemn
ing or treating contemptuously our weaker brethren, remember
ing that we are all to stand before the judgment-seat of Christ,
vs. 10—13.

As to the use of Christian liberty, the apostle teaches that
it is not to be given up or denied; that is, we aie not to make
things sinful which are in themselves indifferent, ver. 14. Hut
it does not follow, that because a thing is not wrong in itself,
it is right {'or us to indulge in it. Our liberty is to be asserted;
but it is to be exercised in such a way as not to injure others.
We must not put a stumbling-block in our brother's way,
ver. 12. This consideration of others, in the use of our liberty,
is enforced : 1. From the great law of love. Il is inconsistent
with Christian charity, for our own gratification, to injure a
brother for whom Christ died, ver. 15. '2. From a regard to
the honour of religion. We must not cause that which is good
to be evil spoken of, ver. llj. o. From the consideration that
religion does not consist in such things, vs. IT, FS. 4. Because
we are bound to promote the peace and edification of the
church, ver. F.*. 5. Though the things in question may be in
themselves indifferent, it is morally wrong to indulge in them
to the injury of others, vs. 2U, 21. 0. The course enjoined by
the apostle requires no concession of principle, or adoption of
error. We can retain our full belief of the indifference of things
which God has not pronounced sinful; but those who have not

656 ROMANS XIY. 1.

our faith, cannot act upon it, and therefore should not be
encouraged so to do, vs. 22, 23.

COMMENTARY.

VEKSE 1. .777m that is weak in faith receive, but not to doubt
ful disputations. This verse contains the general direction
that weak and scrupulous brethren are to be kindly received,
and not harshly condemned. Who these weak brethren were,
and what was the nature of their scruples, is matter of doubt.
Some say they were Jewish converts, who held to the continued
obligation of the ceremonial law. But to this it is objected,
that they abstained from all flesh (ver. 2,) and refused to drink
wine (ver. 21 ;) things not prohibited in the law of Moses.
Othors think they were persons who scrupled about the use of
such flesh only as had been offered in sacrifice to idols, and
of the wine employed in libation to false gods. But for this
limitation there is no ground in the context. Eichhorn, Ein-
leitung III. p. 222, supposes that they were the advocates, of
Gentile birth, of the ascetic school of the new Pythagorean
philosophy, which had begun to prevail among the heathen,
and probably to a certain extent among the Jews. But it is
plain that they held to the continued authority of the Jewish
law, which converts from among the heathen would not be
likely to do. The most probable opinion is, that they were a
scrupulous class of Jewish Christians; perhaps of the school of
the Essencs, who were more strict and abstemious than the
Mosaic ceremonial required. Asceticism, as a form of self-right
eousness and will-worship, was one of the earliest, most exten
sive and persistent heresies in the church. But there is nothing
inconsistent with the assumption that the weak brethren here
spoken of were scrupulous Jewish Christians. Josephus says,
that some of the Jews at Rome lived on fruits exclusively, from
fear of eating something unclean. Weak in faith, i. e., weak as
to faith (xiffrst.) Faith here means, persuasion of the truth; a
man may have a strong persuasion as to certain truths, and a
very weak one as to others. Some of the early Christians were,
no doubt, fully convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, and yet
felt great doubts whether the distinction between clean and
unclean meats was entirely done away. This was certainly a

ROMANS XIV, 2. 657

great defect of Christian character, and arose from the want
of an intelligent and firm conviction of the gratuitous nature
of justification, and of the spirituality of the gospel. Since,
however, this weakness was not inconsistent with sincere devo
tion to Christ, such persons were to be received. The word
(itooafaftfidyofjiai) rendered receive, has the general signification^
to take to one-self; and this is its meaning here: 'Him that is
weak in faith, take to yourselves as a Christian brother, treat
him kindly;' see Acts xxviii. 2. Rom. xv. 7, Philemon vs.
15, 17.

There is much more doubt as to the meaning of the words (it^
ere oeaxcfia?!^ dea)>oftattM\>) translated not to doubtful disputations.
The former of the two important words of this clause means, the
faculty of discrimination, \ Cor. xiii. 10; the act of discerning,
Ileb. v. 14, and then, dijudication, judgment. It is said also to
signify doubt or inward conflict; see the use of the verb in chap.
iv. 2>>. Jt is taken in this souse in our version, not to tlte doubt
fulness of Jix[>utex, riot for the purpose of doubtful disputation.
That is, not so as to give rise to disputes on doubtful matters.
Luther (mid verwirret die (Jrwisscn nicht.) and many others
take d:v.'/<>'.<7£^ in the sense of doubt ^ and refer the dtaAoftcr/we
to the weak brethren: 'Not so as to awaken doubts of thought,
i. e., scruples.' Although the verb o'.(/.-/j>:^ico. in the passive,
often means to hesitate or doubt, the noun o'.(/.zii'.fn~ is not used
in that sense, cither in the classics or in the Xrw Testament.
It is therefore better to take the word in its ordinary sense,
which gives a. meaning to the passage suited to the context, not
to the judging of thoughts; i. e., not presuming to sit in judg
ment on the opinions of your brethren. Grotius: " Non
sumentes vobis dijudicandas ipsorum cogitationes." This is
the injunction which is enforced in the following verses.

VERSE 2. For one bcUevetli lie may eat all things: another,
who is weak, eateth herbs — o~ tt.kv ~'.(7~^'jit ^f/j's?v ;ravr# docs
not mean, one believeth he may eat all things; much less, he
that believeth eats all things, but, one has confidence to eat all
things. Instead of oc //£v being followed by oc oz, one cats
all things, another eats herbs, Paul says, b os d.vd^ow, he who
is weak eateth herbs. This is an illustration of the weakness
of faith to which the apostle refers in ver. 1. It was a scrupu-
42

658 ROMANS XIV. 3.

lousness about the use of things considered as unclean, And with
regard to sacred days, ver. 5. There were two sources whence
the early Christian church was disturbed by the question about
meats. The first, and by far the most important, was the
natural prejudices of the Jewish converts. It is not a matter
of surprise that, educated as they had been in a strict regard
for the Mosaic law, they found it difficult to enter at once into
the full liberty of the gospel, and disencumber their consciences
of all their early opinions. Even the apostles were slow in
shaking them off; and the church in Jerusalem seems to have
long continued in the observance of a great part of the ceremo
nial law. These scruples were not confined to the use of meats
pronounced unclean in the Old Testament, but, as appears from
the Epistles to the Corinthians, extended to partaking of any-
thing which had been offered to an idol; and, in these latter
scruples, some even of the Gentile converts may have joined.
The second source of trouble on this subject was less prevalent
and less excusable. It was the influence of the mystic ascetic
philosophy of the East, which had developed itself among the
Jews, in the peculiar opinions of the Essenes, and which, among
the Christian churches, particularly those of Asia Minor, pro
duced the evils which Paul describes in his Epistles to the
Colossians (chap. ii. 10—23,) and to Timothy (1 Tim. iv. 1—8,)
and which subsequently gave rise to all the errors of Gnosti
cism. There is no satisfactory evidence that the persons to
whom Paul refers in this passage were under the influence of
this philosophy. The fact that they abstained from all meat,
as seems to be intimated in this verse, may have arisen from
the constant apprehension of eating meat which, after having
been presented in sacrifice, was sold in the market-place, or
which had in some other way been rendered unclean. Every
thing in the context is consistent with the supposition that
Jewish scruples were the source of the difficulty; and as these
were by far the most common cause, no other need be here
assumed.

VERSE 3. Let not him that eateth despise 1dm that eateth not;
and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God
hath received him. There is mutual forbearance to be exercised
in relation to this subject. The strong are riot to despise the

ROMANS XIV. 4. 659

weak as superstitious and imbecile; nor the weak to condemn
those who disregard their scruples. Points of indifference are
not to be allowed to disturb the harmony of Christian fellow
ship. For Crod Jtatk received him; i. e., God has recognised
him as a Christian, and received him into his kingdom. This
reason is not designed to enforce merely the latter of the two
duties here enjoined, but is applied to both. As God does not
make eating or not eating certain kinds of food a condition of
acceptance, Christians ought not to allou it to interfere with
their communion as brethren. The Jewish converts were per
haps quite as much disposed to condemn the Gentile Christians,
as the latter were to despise the Christian Jews; Paul there
fore frames his admonition so as to reach both classes. It
appears, however, from the first verse, and from the whole con
text, that the Gentiles were principally intended.

VERSE 4. Wlio art ikon that jmlj^t another man s servant?
to his own master he xtan<lsth or faUcth. If God has not made
the point in question a term of communion, we have no right to
make it a ground of condemnation. We have no right to exer
cise the oilice of judge over the servant of another. This is the
eccond reason for mutual forbearance with regard to such mat
ters as divided the Jewish and Gentile converts. It cannot fail
to be remarked how differently the apostle speaks of the same
things under different circumstances. lie who circumcised!
Timothy, who conformed in many things to the law of Moses,
and to the Jews became a Jew, and who here exhorts Christians
to regard their external observances as matters of indifference,
resisted to the uttermost, as soon as these things were urged as
matters of importance, or were insisted upon as necessary to
acceptance with God. He would not allow Titus to be circum
cised, nor give place even for an hour to false brethren, who
had come in privily to act as spies. Gal. ii. 3, 5. He warned
the Galatians, that if they were circumcised, Christ would profit
them nothing; that they renounced the whole method of gra
tuitous justification, and forfeited its blessings, if they sought
acceptance on any such terms. How liberal and how faithful
was the apostle! He would concede every thing, and become
all things to all men, where principle was not at stake; but
when it was, he would concede nothing for a moment. AV hat

660 ROMANS XIV. 5.

/might be safely granted, if asked and given as a matter cf
/indifference, became a fatal apostacy when demanded as a
smatter of necessity or a condition of salvation.

To his own master he standeth or falleth, i. e., it belongs to
his own master to decide his case, to acquit or to condemn.
These terms are often used in this judicial sense, Ps. i. 5,
Ixxvi. 7, Luke xxi. 36, Rev. vi. 17. Yea, he shall be holden
up: for God is able to make him stand; i. e., he shall stand, or
be accepted, for God has the right and the will to make him
stand, that is, to acquit and save him. This clause seems
designed to urge a further reason for forbearance and kindness
towards those who differ from us on matters of indifference.
However weak a man's faith may be, if he is a Christian, he
should be recognised and treated as such ; for his weakness is
not inconsistent with his acceptance with God, and therefore is
no ground or necessity for our proceeding against him with
severity. The objects of discipline are the reformation of
offenders and the purification of the church ; but neither of
these objects requires the condemnation of those brethren
whom God has received. " God is able to make him stand;"
he has not only the power, but the disposition and determina
tion. Compare chap. xi. 23, "For God is able to graft them
in again." The interpretation given above, according to which
standing and falling are understood judicially, is the one com
monly adopted. It is however objected, that justifying, causing
to stand in judgment, is not an act of power, but of grace. On
this ground, standing and falling are taken to refer to continu
ing or falling away from the Christian life. God is able, not
withstanding their weakness, to cause his feeble children to
persevere. But this is against the context. The thing con
demned is unrighteous judgments. The brethren are not
responsible to each other, or to the church, for their scruples.
God is the Lord of the conscience. To him they must answer.
Before him they stand or fall.

VERSE 5. One man esteemeth one day above another; another
esteemeth every day alike. Kn>.vz> -qnknu.v ~a<> -fjusfiav (s&ai,}
judges one day (to be) before another, (i. e., better;) xftivse ~<1aav
fjfJLSpav (Cwfu fjuJnai/) to be a day, and nothing mere. He has
the same judgment (or estimation) of every day. As the law

ROMANS XIV. 6. 661

of Moses not only made a distinction between meats as clean
and unclean, but also prescribed the observance of certain days
as religious festivals, the Jewish converts were as scrupulous
with regard to this latter point as the former. Some Chris
tians, therefore, thought it incumbent on them to observe these
days ; others were of a contrary opinion. Both were to be tole
rated. The veneration of these days was a weakness ; but still
it was not a vital matter, and therefore should not be allowed
to disturb the harmony of Christian intercourse, or the peace
of the church. It is obvious from the context, and from such
parallel passages as Gal. iv. 10, "Ye observe days, and months,!
and times, and years," and Col. ii. 1G, "Let no man judge you
in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new
moon, or of Sabbath days," that Paul has reference to the
Jewish festivals, and therefore his language cannot properly be
applied to the Christian Sabbath. The sentiment of the pas
sage is this, ' One man observes the Jewish festivals, another
man does not.' Such we know was the fact in the apostolic I
church, even among those who agreed in the observance of the *
first day of de week.

Let every man be fully persuaded in his oivn mind. The
principle which the apostle enforces in reference to this case, is
the same as that which he enjoined in relation to the other,
viz., that one man should not be forced to act according to
another man's conscience, but every one should be satisfied
in his own mind, and be careful not to do what he thought
wrong.

VERSE G. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the
Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth
not regard it. lie that eateth, eateth to the Lord, &c. That is,
both parties are actuated by religious motives in what they do;
they regulate their conduct by a regard to the will of God, and
therefore, although some, from weakness or ignorance, may err
as to the rule of duty, they are not to be despised or cast cut
as evil. The strong should not contemn the scrupulous, nor the
scrupulous be censorious towards the strong. This is a fourth
argument in favour of the mutual forbearance enjoined in the
first verse, lie that eateth, eateth to the Lord; for he giveth
God thanks, &c. That is, he who disregards the Mosaic dis-

662 ROMANS XIV. 7, 8.

tinction between clean and unclean meats, and uses in liscrirai-
nately the common articles of food, acts religiously in so doing,
as is evident from his giving God thanks, lie could not delibe
rately thank God for what he supposed God had forbidden him
to use. In like manner, he that abstains from certain meats,
does it religiously, for he also giveth thanks to God; which
implies that he regards himself as acting agreeably to the divine
will. The Lord is he who died and rose again, that he might be
Lord both of the living and the dead. It is to him the believer
is responsible, as to the Lord of his inner life.

VERSE 7. For none of us livetli to himself, and no man dieth
to himself; ka>j7w> in dependence on himself. This verse is an
amplification and confirmation of the preceding. The principle
on which both the classes of persons just referred to acted, is a
true Christian principle. No Christian considers himself as his
own master, or at liberty to regulate his conduct according to
his own will, or for his own ends ; he is the servant of Christ,
and therefore endeavours to live according to his will and for
his glory. They, therefore, who act on this principle, are to be
regarded and treated as true Christians, although they may
differ as to what the will of God, in particular cases, requires.
No man dieth to himself, i. e., death as well as life must be left
in the hands of God, to be directed by his will and for his glory.
The sentiment is, ' We are entirely his, having no authority
over our life or death.'

VERSE 8. For whether ive live, we live unto the Lord; or
whetlier we die, ive die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore,
or die, we are the Lords. The same sentiment as in the pre
ceding verse, rather more fully and explicitly stated. In ver. 7,
Paul had stated, negatively, that the Christian docs not live
according to his own will, or for his own pleasure; he here
states, affirmatively, that he does live according to the will of
Christ, and for his glory. This being the case, he is a true
Christian ; he belongs to Christ, and should be so recognised
and treated. It is very obvious, especially from the following
verse, which speaks of death and resurrection, that Christ is
intended by the word Lord, in this verse. It is for Christ, and
in subjection to his will, that every Christian endeavours to
regulate his heart, his conscience, arid his life. This is the

ROMANS XIV. 9. 663

profoundcst homage the creature can render to his Creator;
and as it is the service which the Scriptures require us tc
render to the Redeemer, it of necessity supposes that Christ is
God. This is rendered still plainer by the interchange, through
out the passage (vs. 6 — 9,) of the terms Lord and God: 'lie
that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks. We
live unto the Lord; we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ
died and rose, that he might be the Lord,' &C. It is clear that,
to the apostle's mind, the idea that Christ is Cod was perfectly
familiar. Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
We are not our own, but Christ's, 1 Cor. vi. IT'. This right
of possession, and the consequent duty of devotion and obedi
ence, are not founded on creation, but on redemption. We are
Christ's, because he has bought us with a price.

VERSE 9. For to this end Christ both di<'d, and rose, and
revived,* that he ml;/ht be the Lord both of the dead and living.
The dominion which Christ, as Mediator or Redeemer, exercises
over his people, ami which they gladly recognise, is therefore
referred to his death and resurrection. J5y his death lie pur
chased them for his own. and by his resurrection he attained to
that exalted station which he now occupies as Lord over all,
and received those gifts which enable him to exercise as Medi
ator this universal dominion. The exaltation and dominion of
Christ are frequently represented in the Scriptures as the
reward of his sufferings : "Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name;
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow," &c. Phil,
ii. 8, 9. This authority of Christ over his people is not con
fined to this world, but extends beyond the grave, lie is Lord
both of the dead and the living.

* The common text reads *-// i.^r'-.^n K.-JI ^virrn *** i.v;£»rfv; most corrected
editions real H.ZI uTr&w* m ^-.^-.v: and some omit K.-J.I he 1'ore I'.jrld^vs The
words **< ..vimi are omitted in the MSS. A. C., in the Coptic, Ethiopia, Syriac,
and Armenian versions, and by many of the Fathers. They are rejected by
Erasmus, Benpjel, Schmidt. Knapp, Lachrnann, arid others. The words **}
uvt^o-w are omitted by some few MSS. and Fathers: K.-JU l?.vw are read in MSS.
A. C. and in forty-four others. They are adopted in the Complutensian edi
tion, and in cho.-^ of Mi.l, Bengel, Wetstein, Griesbach, Knapp, Lachmann, &o.
These diversities do not materially affect the sense. The words U«O-T» aud
uv'.faTw have very much the appearance of explanatory glosses.

CG4 ROMANS XIV. 10, 11.

VERSE 10. But why dost thou judge tJiy brother? or why
dost thou set at naught thy brother ? for we shall all stand
before the judgment-seat of Christ.* In this and the following
verses, to the 18th, Paul applies his previous reasoning to the
case in hand. If a man is our brother, if God has received him,
if he acts from a sincere desire to do the divine will, he should
not be condemned, though he may think certain things right
which we think wrong ; nor should he be despised if he tram
mels his conscience with unnecessary scruples. The former of
these clauses relates to scrupulous Jewish Christians ; the latter
to the Gentile converts. The last member of the verse applies
to both classes. As we are all to stand before the judgment-
seat of Christ, as he is our sole and final judge, we should not
usurp his prerogative, or presume to condemn those whom he
has received.

VERSE 11. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every
knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess. This
quotation is from Isa. xlv. 23, "I have sworn by myself, the
word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not
return, that unto me every knee shall bow, and every tongue
shall swear." The apostle, it will be perceived, docs not adhere
to the words of the passage which he quotes, but contents him
self with giving the sense. As I live, being the form of an
oath, is a correct exhibition of the meaning of the phrase, I
have sworn by myself. And since, to swear by any being, is to
recognise his po\ver and authority over us, the expressions,
every tongue shall sivear, and every tongue shall confess, are of
similar import. Both indeed are parallel to the clause, every
knee shall bow, and are but different forms of expressing the
general idea that every one shall submit to God, i. e., recognise
his authority as God, the supreme ruler and judge. The apostle
evidently considers the recognition of the authority of Christ as
being tantamount to submission to God, and he applies without
hesitation the declarations of the Old Testament in relation to

* Instead of ^.TTOU, at the close of this verse, the MSS. A. D. E. F. G. read
&iyj, which is adupted by Mill, Lachmann, and Tischendorf. The common
reading is supported by the great majority of the MSS., most of the ancient
versions, an 1 almost all the Fathers. It is therefore retained bv most critical
editors.

ROMANS XIV. 12, 13. 665

the universal dominion of Jehovah, in proof of the Redeemer's
sovereignty. In Paul's estimation, therefore, Jesus Christ was
God. This is so obvious, that commentators of all classes
recognise the force of the argument hence deduced for the
divinity of Christ. Luther says: " So muss Christus rechter
Gott sein, well solches vor seinem Richterstuhl geschehen."
Calvin: "Est etiarn insignis locus ad stabiliendam fidem mos-
tram de asterna Christi divinitate." Bengcl: "Christus est
Deus, nam dicitur Dominus et Deus. Ipse est, cui vivimua et
morimur. Ipse jurat per se ipsum." Even Koppe says, " Quae
Jes. xlv. 23, de Jehova dicuntur, cadem ad Christum transfem
ab apostolo, non est mirandum, cum hunc illi artissimc conjunc-
tum cogitandum esse, perpetua sit turn Jiuhtorum, quoties-
cunque°de Messia loquuntur, turn imprimis Pauli ct Joams
sententia." This verse may be considered as intended to con
firm the truth of the declaration at the close of the one preced
ing < We shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ;
for it is written, To me every knee shall bow.' And this seems
the natural relation of the passage. Calvin understands tin
verse, however, as designed to enforce humble submission to the
judgment of Christ: 4 We should not judge others, since we are
to be judged by Christ; and to his judgment we must humbly
bow the knee.' This is indeed clearly implied; but it is rather
an accessory idea, than the special design of the passage.

VEKSE 12. So then every one of us shall give account of him
self to God. 'As, therefore, God is the supreme judge, and we
are to render our account to him, we should await his decision,
and not presume to act the part of judge over our brethren.'

VERSE 13. Let us not therefore jinlje one another any more;
but ju.fye this rather, that no man put a stumbling-block or an
occasion to fall in his brothers ivaij. After drawing the con
clusion from the preceding discussion, that we should leave the
office of judging in the hands of God, the apostle introduce:
the second leading topic of the chapter, viz., the manner m
which Christian liberty is to be exercised. He teaches that
it is not enough that twe are persuaded a certain course is, in
itself considered, right, in order to authorize us to pursue it.
We must be careful that we do not injure others in the use of
our liberty. The word (xpiw) rendered judge, means also, t*

G66 ROMANS XIV. 14, 15.

determine, to make up ones mind. Paul uses it first in the
one sense, and then in the other: 'Do not judge one another,
but determine to avoid giving offence.' The words (-poffxo/jt/jta
and ffxdvdalov) rendered a stumbling -block and an occasion to
fall, do not differ in their meaning; the latter is simply exe-
getical of the former.

VERSE 14. / know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus,
that there is nothing unclean of itself ; but to him that esteemeth
anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 'The distinction
between clean and unclean meats is no longer valid. So far the
Gentile converts are right. But they should remember that
those who consider the law of the Old Testament on this subject
as still binding, cannot, with a good conscience, disregard it.
The strong should not, therefore, do anything which would be
likely to lead such persons to violate their own sense of duty.'
I know and am persuaded by (in) the Lord Jesus, i. e., this
knowledge and persuasion I owe to the Lord Jesus; it is not an
opinion founded on my own reasonings, but a knowledge derived
from divine revelation. That there is nothing unclean of itself.
The word (xoivo~) rendered unclean, has this sense only in Hel
lenistic Greek. It means common, and as opposed to (a^o-)
holy, (i. e., separated for some special or sacred use,) it signifies
impure; see Acts x. 14, 28, Mark vii. 2, &c. But to him that
esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean; i. e.,
though not unclean in itself, it ought not to be used by those
who regard its use as unlawful. But, EI p/j, which seems here
to be used in the sense of d//a; compare Matt. xii. 4, Gal. i. 19.
The ordinary sense of except may, however, be retained, by
restricting the reference to a part of the preceding clause:
'Nothing is unclean, except to him who esteems it to be
unclean.' The simple principle here taught is, that it is wrong
for any man to violate his own sense of duty. This being the
case, those Jewish converts who believed the distinction between
clean and unclean meats to be still in force, would commit sin
in disregarding it; and, therefore, should not be induced to act
contrary to their consciences.

VERSE 15. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now
walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for
whom Christ died. Instead of ds, but, which is found in the

ROMANS XIV. 10. 667

common text, Griesbach, Lachmann, and Tischendorf, on tlio
authority of the majority of the Uncial MSS., read rdt>, for.
As this verse, however, does not assign a reason for the princi
ple asserted in vcr. 14, but does introduce a limitation to the
practical application of that principle, the majority of com
mentators and editors retain the common text. The senso
obviously is, 'Though the thing is right in itself, yet if indul
gence in it be injurious to our Christian brethren, that indul
gence is a violation of the law of love.' This is the first
consideration which the apostle urges, to enforce the exhorta
tion not to put a stumbling-block in our brother's way. The
word (/y/T£?r«f,) is grieved, may mean is injured. Either sense
suits the context: 'If thy brother, emboldened bv thy example,
is led to do what he thinks wrong, and is thus rendered misera
ble,' (fcc. Or, 'If thy brother, by thy example, is injured (by
being led into sin,) thou walkest uncharitably.' This use of the
word, however, is foreign to the New Testament. It is a moral
grievance of which the apostle speaks, a wounding of the con
science. Destroy not (/ty d~6)Ju£.) These words have been
variously explained. The meaning may be, 'Avoid every thing
which lias a tendency to lead him to destruction.'' So I)e Brais,
Bengcl, Tholuck, St nari, and manv others. ( )r. w Do not injure
him, or render him miserable.' So Klsner, Konpo. Flatt. \Vahl,
and others. There is no material difference between these two
interpretations. The former is more consistent with the com
mon meaning of the original word, from whieh there is no
necessity to depart. Believers ( 1 he elect ) are constantly spoken
ol as in danger of perdition. They are saved only, ii they con
tinue steadfast unto the end. If tliey apostatize, they perish.
If the Scriptures tell the people of (Jod what is the tendency
of their sins, as to themselves, they may tell them what is the
tendency of such sins as to others. Saints are preserved, not
in despite of apostasv, but from apostasy. ' If thy brother bo
aggrieved, thou doest wronu1 , do not grieve or injure him.'
F >r trim)) C/trixt difd. This consideration lias peculiar force.
k If rhrist so loved him as to die for him, how base in you not
to submit to the smallest self-denial for his welfare.'

VKRSK 1(5. L<>t n<;t //onr </<>o</ l^ ,-^H .<yWf<'» of; that is, 'Do
not so use your liberty, which is good and valuable, as to make

C63 ROMANS XIV. 17.

it the occasion of evil, arid so liable to censure.' Thus Calvin
and moist other commentators. This supposes that the exhorta
tion here given is addressed to the strong in faith. The b/jicov,
however, may include both classes, and the exhortation extend
to the weak as well as to the good. Your good, that special
good which belongs to you as Christians, viz.. the gospel. This
view is taken by Melancthon, and most of the later commenta
tors, "Loedunt utrique evangclium cum rixantur de rebus non
necessariis. Ita fit ut imperiti abhorreant ab evangelic cum
videtur parere discordias."

VERSE 17. For the kingdom of Grod is not meat and drink;
but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Grhost. This
is a new reason for forbearance. No principle of duty is sacri
ficed; nothing essential to religion is disregarded, for religion
does not consist in external observances, but in the inward
graces of the Spirit. It has already been remarked (ver. 4,)
that with all his desire of peace, no one was more firm and
unyielding, when any dereliction of Christian principle was
required of him, than the apostle. But the case under con
sideration is very different. There is no sin in abstaining from

«/ O

certain meats, and therefore, if the good of others require this
abstinence, we are bound to exercise it. The phrase, kingdom
of Grod, almost uniformly signifies the kingdom of the Messiah,
under some one of its aspects, as consisting of all professing
Christians, of all his own people, of glorified believers, or as
existing in the heart. It is the spiritual theocracy. The theoc
racy of the Old Testament was ceremonial and ritual ; that of
the New is inward and spiritual. Christianity, as we should
Bay, does not consist in things external. Meat and drink,
or rather, eating (fifuofftz) and drinking (xoatz.) The distinction
between these words and fi<>Cotj.a and TtotJta, is constantly
observed in Paul's epistles. Righteousness, peace, and joy in
the Holy Crhost. These words are to be taken in their scrip
tural sense. Paul does not mean to say, that Christianity con
sists in morality; that the man who is just, peaceful, and
cheerful, is a true Christian. This would be to contradict the
whole argument of this epistle. The righteousness, peace, and
joy intended, are those of which the Holy Spirit is the author.
Righteousness is that which enables us to stand before God,

ROMANS XIV. 18, 10. 6G9

because it satisfies the demands of the law. It is the righteous.
ness of faith, both objective and subjective; peace is the con
cord between God and the soul, between reason and conscience,
between the heart and our fellow-men. And the joy is the joy
of salvation; that joy which only those who are in the fellow
ship of the Holy Ghost ever can experience.

VERSE 18. For he that in these things serveth Christ, is
acceptable to Grod and approved of men. This verse is a con
firmation of the preceding. These spiritual graces constitute
the essential part of religion ; for he that experiences and exer
cises these virtues, is regarded by God as a true Christian, and
must commend himself as such to the consciences of his fellow-
men. Where these things;, therefore, are found, difference of
opinion or practice in reference to unessential points, should
not be allowed to disturb the harmony of Christian intercourse.
It is to be observed, that the exercise of the virtues here spoken
of, is represented by the apostle as a service rendered to Christ;
"he that in these things serveth Christ," &c., which implies
that Christ has authority over the heart and conscience.
Instead of ev TO'JTOIZ, many of the oldest MSS. read sv TOUTW,
referring to /rvs-W/r.' : 'lie that in the Holy Spirit serveth
Christ.' This reading is adopted by Lachmann, Tischendorf,
and many others. The external authorities, however, in favour
of the common text, are of much weight, and the context seems
to demand it.

VERSE ID. Let us therefore follow after the things which
make for peace, and things where1)!/ one may edify another.
That is, let us earnestly endeavour to promote peace and
mutual edification. The t/tiuf/s wliich make for peace, is equi
valent to pcaee itself (r« TY^ tl<>r/yr^=z'.<>r/y^;} and things
wherewith one may edify another, is mutual edification (r« r/Jc
oixodo/jL7jZ=ocxodorfli>.') This verse is not an inference from the
immediately preceding, as though the meaning were, 'Since-
peace is so acceptable to God, therefore let us cultivate it;' but
rather from the whole passage: 'Since Christian love, the
example of Christ, the comparative insignificance of the matters
in dispute, the honour of the truth, the nature of real religion,
all conspire to urge us to mutual forbearance, let us endeavour
to promote peace and mutual edification.'

6TO ROMANS XIV. 20.

VERSE 20. For meat destroy not the work of God. Thia
clause is, by De Brais and many other commentators, con
sidered as a repetition of ver. 15. "Destroy not him with thy
meat, for whom Christ died." The work of God then means a
Christian brother; see Eph. ii. 10. Others refer the passage
to the immediately preceding verses, in which the nature of
true religion is exhibited. The work of God, in that case, is
piety, and the exhortation is, 'Do not, for the sake of indul
gence in certain kinds of food, injure the cause of true religion,
i. e., pull not down what God is building up.' The figurative
expression used by the apostle /JLTJ xa-rdX'js, pull not down,
carries out the figure involved in the preceding verse. Be
lievers arc to be edified, i. e., built up. They are the building
of God, which is not to be dilapidated or injured by our want
of love, or consideration for the weakness of our brethren.

All things (i. e., all kinds of food) are pure; lut it is evil
(xaxov, not merely hurtful, but sin, evil in a moral sense) for
that man that eateth with offence. This last clause admits of
two interpretations. It may mean, It is sinful to eat in such a
way as to cause others to offend. The sin intended is that of
one strong in faith who so uses his liberty as to injure his
weaker brethren. This is the view commonly taken of the
passage, and it agrees with the general drift of the context,
and especially with the following verse, where causing a brother
to stumble is the sin agcinst which wre are cautioned. A com
parison, however, of this verse with ver. 14, where much the
same sentiment is expressed, leads many interpreters to a dif
ferent view of the passage. In ver. 14 it is said, ' Nothing is
common of itself, but to him that estecrneth any thing to be
unclean, to him it is unclean;' and here, 'All things are pure,
but it is evil to him who eateth with offence.' To eat with
offence, and, to eat what we esteem impure, are synonymous
expressions. If this is so, then the sin referred to is that which
the weak commit, who act against their own conscience. But
throughout the whole context, to offend, to cause to stumble,
offence, are used, not of a man's causing himself to offend his
own conscience, but of one man's so acting as to cause others
to stumble. And as this idea is insisted upon in the following
verse, Uic common interpretation is to be preferred.

ROMANS XIY. 21. 671

VERSE 21. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drinlc wine,
ncr any thing iclicri-by tliy brother stumbh'th, or is offended, or
is made weak. That is, abstaining from flesh, wine, or any
thing else which is injurious to our brethren, is right, i. e.,
morally obligatory; (xatou, id quod rectum et probum est.) The
words stumbletli, offended, made weak, do not, in this con
nection, diil'er much from each other. Calvin supposes they
differ in force, the- first being stronger than the second, and the
second than the third. The sense then is, ' AVc should abstain
from every thing whereby our brother is cast down, or even
offended, or in the slightest degree injured.' This, however,
is urging the terms beyond their natural import. It is very
common with the- apostle to use several nearly synonymous
words for the sake of expressing one idea strongly. The last
two words (-/t ffxairda/.iZ£7(U "ft (i.cstl-^ii} are indeed omitted in some
few manuscripts and versions, but in too few seriou>ly to impair
their authority. Mill is almost the only editor of standing
who rejects them.

There is an ellipsis in the middle clause of this verse which
has been variously supplied. 'Xor to drink wine, nor to (drink)
any tiling;' others, "nor to (do) any thing whereb'v, &c.' Ac
cording to the first method of supplying the ellipsis, the mean
ing is, • \Ve should not drink wine, nor any other intoxicating
drink, when our doing so is injurious to others.' Hut the latter
method is more natural and forcible, and includes the other,
4 We should do nothing which injures others.' The ground on
which some of the earlv Christians thought it incumbent on
them to abstain from wine, was not any general ascetic prin
ciple, but because they feared they might be led to use wine
which had been offered to the gods; to which they had the
same objection as to meat which had been presented in sacrifice.
" Augustinus do moribus Manichaeorum, II. 14, Eo tenipore,
([iio haec scribebat apostolus, multa immoliticia caro in macello
vendebatur. Et quia vino et'am libabatur Diis gentilium, multi
fratres infirnii<>res. <|iii etiam rebus his venalibus utebantur,
penitus a carnibus se et vino cohibere maluerunt, o.uam vel
nescientes incidere in earn, quani putabaut, cum idolis com-
municationem." Wt'tstein.

672 ROMANS XIV. 22.

VERSE 22. Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God.
Happy is he that condemncth not himself in that which he
alloweth. Paul presents in this verse, more distinctly than he
had before done, the idea that he required no concession of
principle or renunciation of truth. He did not wish them to
believe a thing to be sinful which was not sinful, or to
trammel their own consciences with the scruples of their weaker
brethren. He simply required them to use their liberty in a
considerate and charitable manner. He, therefore, here says,
"Hast thou faith? (i. e., a firm persuasion, e. g., of the lawful
ness of al\ kinds of meat,) it is well, do not renounce it, but
retain it, and use it piously, as in the sight of God.' Instead
of reading the first clause interrogatively, Hast thou faith ? it
may be read, Thou hast faith. It is then presented in the
form of an objection, which a Gentile convert might be disposed
to make to the direction of the apostle to accommodate his
conduct to the scruples of others. 4 Thou hast faith, thou
mayest say; well, have it, I do not call upon thee to renounce
it.' By faith here seems clearly to be understood the faith of
which Paul had been speaking in the context ; a faith which
some Christians had, and others had not, viz., a firm belief
"that there is nothing (no meat) unclean of itself." Have it
to thyself, (xo.ro. csau-rov £££,) keep it to yourself. There are
two ideas included in this phrase. The first is, keep it pri
vately, i. e., do not parade it, or make it a point to show that
you are above the weak scruples of your brethren ; and the
second is, that this faith or firm conviction is not to be
renounced, but retained, for it is founded on the truth. Before
Grod, i. e., in the sight of God. As God sees and recognises it,
it need not be exhibited before men. It is to be cherished in
our hearts, and used in a manner acceptable to God. Being
right in itself, it is to be piously, and not ostentatiously or
injuriously paraded and employed.

JBlessed is he that condemneth not himself in that which he
alloweth. That is, blessed is the man that has a good con
science ; who does not allow himself to do what he secretly
condemns. The faith, therefore, of which the apostle had
spoken, is a great blessing. It is a source of great happiness
to be sure that what we do is right, and, therefore, the firm

ROMANS XIV. 23. 6TS

conviction to which some Christians had attained, was not to be
undervalued or renounced. Compare chap. i. 28, 1 Cor. xvi. 3,
for a similar use of the word (oox:ttd~to) here employed. This
interpretation seems better suited to the context, and to the
force of the words, than another which is also frequently given,
'Blessed is the man who docs not condemn himself, i. e., give
occasion to others to censure him for the use which he makes
of his liberty.' This gives indeed a good sense, but it does not
adhere so closely to the meaning of the text, nor does it so well
agree with what follows.

VEKSK '2-\. But he that donlfeth is damned if he eat, because
he eateth not of faith; for whatsoever is not of fnith la .v/?i.
That is, however sure a man may be that what he does is right,
he cannot expect others to act on his faith. If a man thinks a
thing to be wrong, to him it is wrong. lie, therefore, who is
uncertain whether God has commanded him to abstain from
certain meats, and who notwithstanding indulges in them, evi
dently sins; he brings himself under condemnation. Because
whatever is not of faith is sin; i. e., whatever we do which wo
are not certain is right, to us is wrong. The sentiment of this
verse, therefore, is nearly the same as of ver. 14. "To him that
esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean." There
is evidently a sinful disregard of the divine authority on the
part of a man who does any thing which he supposes (Jod has
forbidden, or which he is not certain he has allowed. The
principle of morals contained in this verse is so obvious, that
it occurs frequently in the writings of ancient philosophers.
Cicero de Ofliciis, lib. 1, c. 0. Quodcirca bene praecipiunt, qui
vetant quidquam agere, quod dubites. aequum sit, an iniquum.
Aequitas eniin lucet ipsa per se : dubitatio cogitationem sig-
nificat injuriae. This passage has an obvious bearing on the
design of the apostle. He wished to convince the stronger
Christians that it was unreasonable in them to expect their
weaker brethren to act according to their faith; and that it
was sinful in them so to use their liberty as to induce these
scrupulous Christians to violate their own consciences.*

* The three verses which, in the common text, occur at the close of chapter
yvi,, are found at the close of this chapter in the MSS. A, and in all those
written in small letters on Wetstein's catalogue, from 1 to 55, except 13, 15,

43

674 ROMANS XIV. 1—23.

DOCTRINE.

1. The fellowship of the saints is not to be broken for unes
sential matters; in other words, we have no right to make any
thing a condition of Christian communion which is compatible
with piety. Paul evidently argues on the principle that if a
man is a true Christian, he should be recognised and treated as
such. If God has received him, we should receive him,
vs. 1—12.

2. The true criterion of a Christian character is found in the
governing purpose of the life. lie that lives unto the Lord,
i, e., he who makes the will of Christ the rule of his conduct,
and the glory of Christ his constant object, is a true Christian,
although from weakness or ignorance he may sometimes mistake
the rule of duty, and consider certain things obligatory which
Christ has never commanded, vs. 6 — 8.

3. Jesus Christ must be truly God, 1. Because he is the Lord,

10, 25, 27, 28, 50, 53, (two of these, 27, 53, do not contain this epistle, and
25, 28, are here defective.) To these are to be added many others examined
by later editors, making one hundred and seven MSS. in which the passage
occurs at tne close of this chapter. Of the versions, only the later Syriac,
Sclavonic, ami Arab'c, assign it this position; with which, however, most of
the Greek father? coincide. Beza, (in his 1st and 2d editions,) Grotius,
Mill, Hammond, Wetstein, Griesbach, consider the passage to belong to this
chapter.

On the other hand, the MSS. C. D. E., and several of the codd. minusc., the
early Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopia, and Vulgate versions, and the Latin fathers,
place the contested verses at the close of chapter xvi. This location is adopted
in the Complutensian edition, by Erasmus, Stephens, Beza, (in his 3d, 4th,
*nd 5th editions,) Bengel, Koppc, Knapp, Lachmann, and others.

These verses are left out in both places in the MSS F. G. 57, 07, 68, 69, 70.
And are found in both places in A. 17, and in the Armenian version. The
weight due to the early versions in deciding such a question, is obviously very
great; and as these versions all coincide with the received text and some of
the oldest MSS. in placing the passage at the close of the epistle, that is most
probably its proper place. The doxology which those verses contain, so evi
dently breaks the intimate connection between the close of the 14th chapter
and the beginning of the 15th, that it is only by assuming with Sender that the
epistle properly terminates here, or with Tholuck and others that Paul, after
having closed with a doxology, begins anew on the same topic, that the
presence of the passage in this place can be accounted for. But both these
assumptions are unauthorized, and that of Semler destitute of the least plausi
bility. — See Koppe's Excursus II. to this epistle.

ROMANS XIV. 1—23. 675

according to whose will and for whose glory we arc to live, vs.
6 — 8. 2. Because he exercises an universal dominion over the
liv:ng and the dead, vor. 9. 3. Because he is the final judge
of all men, ver. 10. 4. Because passages of the Old Testament
which are spoken of Jehovah, are by the apostle applied to
Christ, ver. 11. o. Because, throughout this passage, Paul
speaks of God and Christ indiscriminately, in a manner which
shows that he regarded Christ as God. To live unto Christ is
to live unto God; to stand before the judgment-seat of Christ
is to give ;in account unto God; to submit to Christ is to bow
the knee to Jehovah.

4. The gospel does not make religion to consist in external
observances. "Meat commendeth us not to God; for neither
if we cat are we the better; neither if we eat not are we the
worse." vs. 0. 7.

5. Though a thing may be lawful, it is not always expedient.
The use of the liberty which every Christian enjovs under the
gospel, is to be regulated by the law of love; hence it is often
morally wrong to do what, in itself considered, may be innocent,
vs. 15, 20, 21.

0. It is a great error in morals, and a great practical evil, to
make that -infill which is in {'act innocent. Christian love never
requires this or any other sacrifice of truth. Paul would not
consent, for the sake of avoiding offence, that eating all kinds

of food, even what had been ottered to idols, or disregarding

r~ o

sacred festivals of human appointment, should be made a sin;
he strenuously and openly maintained the reverse. lie repre
sents those who thought differently, as weak in faith, as bein"

i 7 O

under an error, from which more knowledge and more piety
would free them. Concession to their weakness he enjoins on
a principle perfectly consistent with the assertion of the truth,
and with the preservation of Christian liberty, vs. lo — 2-3.

7. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. It is wrong to do any
thing which we think to be wrong. The converse of this pro
position, however, is not true. It i> not always right to do what
we think to be right. Paul, before his conversion, thought it
right to persecute Christians; the Jews thought they did God
service when they cast the disciples of the Saviour out of the
synigogue. The cases, therefore, are not parallel. When we

676 ROMANS XIV. 1—23.

do what we think God has forbidden, we are evidently guilty
of disobedience or contempt of the divine authority. But when
we do what we think he has required, we may act under a cul
pable mistake ; or, although we may have the judgment that
the act in itself is right, our motives for doing it may be very
wicked. The state of mind under which Paul and other Jews
persecuted the early Christians, was evil, though the persecu
tion itself they regarded as a duty. It is impossible that a man
should have right motives for doing a wrong action ; for the
very mistake as to what is right, vitiates the motives. The
mistake implies a wrong state of mind ; and, on the other hand,
the misapprehension of truth produces a wrong state of mind.
There may, therefore, be a very sinful zeal for God and reli
gion (see Rom. x. 2 ;) and no man will be able to plead at the
bar of judgment, his good intention as an excuse for evil con
duct, ver. 23.

REMARKS.

1. Christians should not allow any thing to alienate them
from their brethren, who afford credible evidence that they are
the servants of God. Owing to ignorance, early prejudice,
weakness of faith, and other causes, there may and must exist
a diversity of opinion and practice on minor points of duty.
But this diversity is no sufficient reason for rejecting from
Christian fellowship any member of the family of Christ. It
is, however, one thing to recognise a man as a Christian, and
another to recognise him as a suitable minister of a church,
organized on a particular form of government and system of
doctrines, vs. 1 — 12.

2. A denunciatory or censorious spirit is hostile to the spirit
of the gospel. It is an encroachment on the prerogatives of the
only Judge of the heart and conscience : it blinds the mind to
moral distinctions, and prevents the discernment between mat
ters unessential and those vitally important ; and it leads us to
forget our own accountableness, and to overlook our own faults,
in our zeal to denounce those of others, vs. 4 — 10.

3. It is sinful to indulge contempt for those whom we suppose
to be our inferiors, vs. 3, 10.

4. Christians should remember that, living or dying, they
are the Lord's. This imposes the obligation to observe his will

KOMANS XIV. 1—23. 677

and to seek his glory; and it affords the assurance that the
Lord will provide for all their wants. This peculiar propriety
in his own people, Christ has obtained by his death and resur
rection, vs. 8, 9.

5. We should stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has
made us free, and not allow our consciences to be brought under
the yoke of bondage to human opinions. There is a strong ten
dency in men to treat, as matters of conscience, things which
God has never enjoined. Wherever this disposition has been
indulged or submitted to, it has resulted in bringing one class
of men under the most degrading bondage to another ; and
in the still more serious evil of leading them to disregard the
authority of God. Multitudes who would be shocked at the
thought of eating meat on Friday, commit the greatest moral
offences without the slightest compunction. It is, therefore, of
great importance to keep the conscience free; under no subjec
tion but to truth and God. This is necessary, not only on
account of its influence on our own moral feelings, but also
because nothing but truth can really do good. To advocate
even a goo<\ cause with bad arguments does great harm, by
exciting unnecessary opposition; by making good men, who
oppose the arguments, appear to oppose the truth ; by intro
ducing a false standard of duty; by failing to enlist the support
of an enlightened conscience, and by the necessary forfeiture
of the confidence of the intelligent and well informed. The
cause of benevolence, therefore, instead of being promoted, is
injured by all exaggerations, erroneous statements, and false
principles, on the part of its advocates, vs. 14, 122.

6. It is obviously incumbent on every man to endeavour to
obtain and promote right views of duty, not only for his own
sake, but for the sake of others. It is often necessary to assert
our Christian liberty at the expense of incurring censure, and
offending even good men, in order that right principles of duty
may be preserved. Our Saviour consented to be regarded as a
Sabbath-breaker, and even "a wine-bibber and friend of publi
cans and sinners;" but wisdom was justified of her children.
Christ did not in these cases see fit to accommodate his conduct
to the rule of duty set up, and conscientiously regarded as cor
rect by those around him. He saw that more good would arise

678 ROMANS XIV. 1—23.

from a practical disregard of the false opinions of the Jews, as
to the manner in which the Sabbath was to be kept, and as to
the degree of intercourse which was allowed with wicked men,
than from concession to their prejudices. Enlightened benevo
lence often requires a similar course of conduct, and a similar
exercise of self-denial on the part of his disciples.

7. While Christian liberty is to be maintained, and right
principles of duty inculcated, every concession consistent with
truth and good morals should be made for the sake of peace
and the welfare of others. It is important, however, that the
duty of making such concessions should be placed on the right
ground, and be urged in a right spirit, not as a thing to be
demanded, but as that which the law of love requires. In this
way success is more certain and more extensive, and the con
comitant results are all good. It may at times be a difficult
practical question, whether most good would result from com
pliance with the prejudices of others, or from disregarding
them. But where there is a sincere desire to do right, and a
willingness to sacrifice our own inclinations for the good of
others, connected with prayer for divine direction, there can be
little danger of serious mistake. Evil is much more likely to
arise from a disregard of the opinions and the welfare of our
brethren, and from a reliance on our oAvn judgment, than from
any course requiring self-denial, vs. 13, 15, 20, 21.

8. Conscience, or a sense of duty, is not the only, and
perhaps not the most important principle to be appealed to in
support of benevolent enterprises. It comes in aid, and gives
its sanction to all other right motives, but we find the sacred
writers appealing most frequently to the benevolent and pious
feelings; to the example of Christ; to a sense of our obligations
to him; to the mutual relation of Christians, and their common
connection with the Redeemer, &c., as motives to self-denial
arid devotedncss, vs. 15, 21.

9. As the religion of the gospel consists in the inward graces
of the Holy Spirit, all who have these graces should be recog
nised as genuine Christians; being acceptable to God, they
should be loved and cherished by his people, notwithstanding
their weakness or errors, vs. 17, 18.

10. The peace and edification of the church are to be sought

ROMANS XV. 1—13. 679

at all sacrifices except those of truth and duty; and the work
of God is not to be destroyed or injured for the sake of any
personal or party interests, vs. 19, 20.

11. An enlightened conscience is a great blessing; it secures
the liberty of the soul from bondage to the opinions of men,
and from the self-inflicted pains of a scrupulous and morbid
state of moral feeling; it promotes the right exercise of nil the
virtuous affections, and the right discharge of all relative
duties, ver. 2£,

CHAPTER XV.

CONTENTS.

Tins chapter consists of two parts. In the former, vs. 1 — 13,
the apostle enforces the duty urged in the preceding chapter,
by considerations derived principally from the example of
Christ. In the latter part, vs. 14 — o-], we have the conclusion
of the whole discussion, in which he speaks of his confidence in
the Roman Christians, of his motives in writing to them, of liis
apostolical ollice and labours, and of IPS purpose1 to visit Roma
after i'uliilling his ministry for the saints at Jerusalem.

ROMANS XV. 1—13.

ANALYSIS.

The first verse of this chapter is a conclusion from the whole*
of the preceding. On the grounds there presented, Paul
repeats the command that the strong should bear with the in
firmities of the weak, arid that instead of selfishly regarding
their own interests merely, they should endeavour to promote
the welfare of their brethren, vs. 1, 2. This duty he enforces
by the conduct of Christ, who has set us an example of perfect
disinterestedness, as what he suffered was not for himself, ver. 3.
This and similar facts and sentiments recorded in the Scripture

680 ROMANS XV. 1, 2.

are intended for our admonition, and should be applied for that
purpose, ver. 4. The apostle prays that God would bestow on
them that harmony and unanimity which he had urged them to
cultivate, vs. 5, 6. lie repeats the exhortation that they should
receive one another, even as Christ had received them, ver. 7.
He shows how Christ had received them, and united Jews and
Gentiles in one body, vs. 8 — 13.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 1. We then that are strong ought to tear the infirmi
ties of the weak, and not to please ourselves. The separation of
this passage from the preceding chapter is obviously unhappy,
as there is no change in the subject. 'As the points of differ
ence are not essential, as the law of love, the example of Christ,
and the honour of religion require concession, we that are fully
persuaded of the indifference of those things about which our
weaker brethren are so scrupulous, ought to accommodate our
selves to their opinions, and not act with a view to our own
gratification merely.' We that are strong, (douarol^) strong in
reference to the subject of discourse, i. e., faith, especially faith
in the Christian doctrine of the lawfulness of all kinds of food,
and the abrogation of the Mosaic law. Ought to bear, i. e.,
ought to tolerate, (^aff-rd^sev.) The infirmities, ra aad^iJLara,
that is, the prejudices, errors, and faults which arise from weak
ness of faith. Compare 1 Cor. ix. 20 — 22, where the apostle illus
trates this command by stating how he himself acted in relation
to this subject. And not to please ourselves; we are not to do
every thing which we may have a right to do, and make our
own gratification the rule by which we exercise our Christian
liberty. " Significat non oportere studium suum dirigere ad
satisfactionem sibi, quemadmodum solent, qui proprio judicio
contenti alios secure negligunt." Calvin.

VERSE 2. Let each one of us please his neighbour, for his
good for edification. The principle which is stated negatively
at the close of the preceding verse, is here stated affirmatively.
We are not to please ourselves, but others ; the law of love is
to regulate our conduct ; we are not simply to ask what is right
in itself, or what is agreeable, but also what is benevolent and
pleasing to our brethren. The object which we should have in

ROMANS XV. 3. GS1

view in accommodating ourselves to others, however, is their
good. Fur good to edification most probably means with a
view to his good so that he may be edified. The latter words,
to edification, are, therefore, explanatory of the former; the
good we should contemplate is their religious improvement;
which is the sense in which Paul frequently uses the word
(or/odour,) edification; chap. xiv. 1(J, 2 Cor, x. 8, Eph. iv.
12, 29. It is not, therefore, a weak compliance with the
wishes of others, to which Paul exhorts us, but to the exercise
of an enlightened benevolence; to such compliances as have the
de-sign and tendency to promote the spiritual welfare of our
neighbour.

VERSE 3. For even Christ pleased not himself, Int as it is
'written, T/te reproaches of them that reproached theefell on me.
4i"or even Christ, so infinitely exalted above all Christians, was
perfectly disinterested and condescending.' The example of
Christ is constantly held up, not merely as a model, but a
motive. The disinterestedness of Christ is here illustrated by
a reference to the fact that he suffered not for himself, but for
the glory of God. The sorrow which he felt was not on account
of his own privations and injuries, but zeal for God's service
consumed him, and it was the dishonour which was cast on God
that broke his heart. The simple point to be illustrated is
the disinterestedness of Christ, the fact that he did not please
himself. And this is most afFectingly done by saying, in the
language of the Psalmist, (Ps. Ixix. 10,) "The zeal of thy
house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that
reproached thee are fallen upon me;" that is, such was my
zeal for thee, that the reproaches cast on thee I felt as if
directed against myself. This Psalm is so frequently quoted
and applied to Christ in the Xew Testament, that it must be
considered as directly prophetical. Compare John ii. 17, xv.
25, xix. 28, Acts i. 20.*

* Quod si regnet ir, nobis Christus, ut in fidelibus suis rcgnare e\im necesse
est, hie qunqiie census in animis nostris vigebit, ut quicquid derogat Dei glories
nun aliter nus excruciet, quaiu si in nobis resident. Eantnunc, quibus summa
votnrum est, inaximos honores apud eos adipisci qui probris omnibus Dei no men.
afficiunt, Christum pedibus conculcant, evangelium ipsius et contumeliose lace-
rant, et gladio flammaque persequuntur. Non est'sane tutum ab iis tantopere
hononm, a quibus non uiodo coutenmitur Chriatus, sed contumeliose etiara
Uactatuj:. — Calvir*

682 ROMANS XV. 4, 5.

VERSE 4. For ivhatsoever things were ivritten aforetime were
written for our learning, that we, through patience and com
fort of the Scriptures might have hope. The object of this
verse is not so much to show the propriety of applying
the passage quoted from the Psalms to Christ, as to show that
the facts recorded in the Scriptures are designed for our
instruction. The character of Christ is there portrayed that
we may follow his example and imbibe his spirit. The xpo in
xnozrttdffrj has its proper temporal sense; before us, before our
time. The reference is to the whole of the Old Testament
Scriptures, and assumes, as the New Testament writers always
assume or assert, that the Scriptures are the word of God, holy
men of old writing as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
God had an immediate design in the Scriptures being just what
they are ; and that design was the sanctificatiori and salvation
of men. The words, through patience and consolation of the
/Scriptures, may be taken together, and mean, 'through that
patience and consolation which the Scriptures produce;' or the
words through patience may be disconnected from the word
Scriptures, and the sense be, 'that we through patience, and
through the consolation of the Scriptures,' &c. The former
method is the most commonly adopted, and is the most natural.*
Might have hope. This may mean, that the design of the divine
instructions is to prevent all despondency, to sustain us under
our present trials ; or the sense is, that they are intended to
secure the attainment of the great object of our hopes, the
blessedness of heaven. Either interpretation of the word hope
is consistent with usage, and gives a good sense. The former
is more natural.

VERSE 5. Now the Gf-od of patience and consolation grant
you to be like minded one towards another, according to Jesus
Christ. ' May God, who is the author of patience and consola
tion, grant,' &c. Here the graces, which in the preceding verse
are ascribed to the Scriptures, are attributed to God as their

* The MSS. A. C. 1, 29, 30, 34, 36, 38, 39, 41, 43, 47, redd J,i before <m
tro£*x\fotus, which would render the second mode of explaining the passage
etated iu the text the more probable. The Complutensian edition, JJengel,
and Lachmann, adopt this reading, though the preponderance of evidence is
greatly against it.

ROMANS XV. 6. 683

author, because he produces them by his Spirit, through the
instrumentality of the truth. The patience, fao/wwj, of which
the apostle speaks, is the calm and steadfast endurance of suf
fering, of which the consolation, Kapaxtfae;, afforded by the
Scriptures, is the source. This resignation of the Christian is
very different from stoicism, as Calvin beautifully remarks:
"Patieiitia fidcliura non est ilia durities, quam prsecipiunt phi-
losophi: sed ea mansuetudo, qua nos libenter Deo subjicimus,
dum gust us bonitatis ejus paternique amoris dulcia omnia nobis
reddit. Ea spem in nobis alit ac sustinet, nc deiiciat." Luther
says: "Scriptura quidem docet, scd gratia donat, quod ilia
docet." External teaching is not enough; we need the inward
teaching of the Holy Spirit to enable us to receive and conform
to the truths and precepts of the word. Hence Paul prays
that God would give his readers the patience, consolation,
and hope which they are bound to exercise and enjoy. Paul
prays that God would grant them that concord and unanimity
which he had so strongly exhorted them to cherish. Tho
expression (TO «0ro (rr<>o^£~.v,) to be like minded, does not here
refer to unanimity of opinion, but to harmony of feeling; seo
chap. viii. 5, xii. 3. According to Jesus Christ, i. e., agreea
bly to the example and command of Christ; in a Christian
manner. It is, therefore, to a Christian union that he exhorts
them.

VERSE G. That ye mnif with cne mind and until one month
glorify G-od, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This
harmony and fellowship among Christians is necessary, in order
that they may glorify God aright. To honour God effectually
and properly, there must be no unnecessary dissensions among
his people. God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
means either that God who is the Father of the Lord Jesus, or
the God and Father of Christ. This expression occurs fre
quently in the New Testament; see 2 Cor. i. 3, xi. 31, Eph.
i. 3, 1 Pet. i. 3. Most commonly the genitive TOL> x'joeov is
assumed to belong equally to the two preceding nouns, God
and Father. Many of the later commentators restrict it to the
latter, and explain xai as exegetical: 'God, who is the Father
of the Lord Jesus Christ.' In favour of this explanation, refer
ence is made to such passages as 1 Cor. xv. 24, Eph. v. 20, and

684 ROMANS XV. 7, 8.

others, in which 6 $soc %al xarijp occur without the genitive
roD xuptoy x.T.A.

VERSE 7. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also
received us,* to the glory of Grod. Wherefore, i. e., in order that
with one heart they may glorify God. This cannot be done,
unless they are united in the bonds of Christian fellowship.
The word (7ipoffXafj.^dvea&s) receive, has the same sense here
that it has in chap. xiv. 1 : ' Take one another to yourselves,
treat one another kindly, even as Christ has kindly taken us to
himself;' >roo^£/la(3sro, sibi sociavit. The words, to the glory of
Grod, may be connected with the first or second clause, or with
both: 'Receive ye one another, that God may be glorified;'
or, 'as Christ has received us in order that God might be glori
fied;' or, if referred to both clauses, the idea is, 'as the glory
of God was illustrated and promoted by Christ's reception of
us, so also will it be exhibited by our kind treatment of each
other.' The first method seems most consistent with the con
text, as the object of the apostle is to enforce the duty of mutual
forbearance among Christians, for which he suggests two mo
tives, the kindness of Christ towards us, and the promotion of
the divine glory. If instead of "received us" the true reading
is, received you," the sense and point of the passage is materi
ally altered. Paul must then be considered as exhorting the
Gentile converts to forbearance towards their Jewish brethren,
on the ground that Christ had received them, though aliens,
into the commonwealth of Israel.

VERSE 8. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the
circumcision for the truth of G-od, to confirm the promises made
unto the fathers. This verse follows as a confirmation or illus
tration of the preceding. Now I say, i. e., this I mean. The
apostle intends to show how it was that Christ had received
those to whom he wrote. He had come to minister to the Jews,
ver. 8, and also to cause the Gentiles to glorify God, ver. 9.
The expression, minister, or servant, of the circumcision, means

* For fan?, vpZe is read in the MSS. A. C. D. (ex emendatione,) E. F. G. 1,
21, 23, 29, 30, 37, 38, 39, 43, 52, 61, in both the Sjriac, in the Coptic, Gothic,
Latin, and Armenian versions, and in several of the Fathers. It is adopted in
the Complutensian edition, and in those of Griesbach, Mill, Knapp, Lachmann,
and Tischendorf.

ROMANS XY. 9. 685

a minister sent to the Jews, as 'apostle of the Gentiles,' means
1 an apostle sent to the Gentiles.' For the truth of God, i. e.,
to maintain the truth of God in the accomplishment of the pro
mises made to the fathers, as is immediately added. The truth
of God is his veracity or fidelity. Christ had exhibited the
greatest condescension and kindness in coming, not as a Lord
or ruler, but as an humble minister to the Jews, to accomplish
the gracious promises of God. As this kindness was not con
fined to them, but as the Gentiles also were received into his
kingdom, and united with the Jews on equal terms, this exam
ple of Christ furnishes the strongest motives for the cultivation
of mutual affection and unanimity.

VERSE 0. And that the- Gentiles mi;/ Jit glorify God for his
mere//. Mijht glorify, dozdaw. have glorified. The effect is
considered as accomplished. The apostle's language is, as
usual, concise. There are two consequences of the work of
Christ which he here presents; the one, that the truth of God
has been vindicated by the fulfilment of the promises made to
the Jews; and the other, that the Gentiles have been led to
praise God for his mercy. The grammatical connection of this
sentence with the preceding \$ not very clear. The most pro
bable explanation is that which makes (dozdaai) glorify depend
upon (/.?','('}) I say, in ver. 8: 'I say that Jesus Christ became
a minister to the Jews, and J say the Gentiles have glorified
God:' it was thus ho ?vr//v</ both. Calvin supplies os?v, and
translates, u The Gentiles ou<jht to glorify God for his mercy;"
which is not necessary, and does not so well suit the context.
The mercy for which the Gentiles were to praise God, is obvi
ously the great mercy of being received into the kingdom of
Christ, and made partakers of all its blessings.

As it is written, I will confess to thee among the Gentiles,
and sing unto thy name, Ps. xviii. 49. In this and the follow
ing quotations from the Old Testament, the idea is more or less
distinctly expressed, that true religion was to be extended to
the Gentiles; and they therefore all include the promise of the
extension of the Redeemer's kingdom to them, as well as to the
Jews. In Psalm xviii. 49, David is the speaker. It is he that
says: "I will praise thee among the Gentiles." lie is contem
plated as surrounded by Gentiles giving thanks unto God, which

686 ROMANS XV. 10—12.

implies that they were the worshippers of God. Our version
renders Igo/jtoAofyeo/jiae, I will confess, make acknowledgment
to thee. The word in itself may mean, to acknowledge the
truth, or sin, or God's mercies ; and therefore it is properly
rendered, at times, to give thanks, or to praise, which is an
acknowledgment of God's goodness.

VERSE 10. And again, Rejoice ye G-entiles with his people.
This passage is commonly considered as quoted from Deut.
xxxii. 43, where it is found in the Septuagint precisely as it
stands here. The Hebrew admits of three interpretations,
without altering the text. It may mean, ' Praise his people, ye
Gentiles;' or, 'Rejoice, ye tribes, his people;' or, 'Rejoice,
ye Gentiles, (rejoice,) his people.' Hcngensbenlerg on Ps.
xviii. 50, adopts the last mentioned explanation of the passage
in Deuteronomy. The English version brings the Hebrew into
coincidence with the LXX. by supplying with: 'Rejoice, ye
Gentiles, ivith his people.' And this is probably the true sense.
As the sacred writer (in Deut. xviii.) is not speaking of the
blessing of the Jews being extended to the Gentiles, but seems
rather, in the whole context, to be denouncing vengeance on
them as the enemies of God's people, Calvin and others refer
this citation to Ps. Ixvii. 3, 5, where the sentiment is clearly
expressed, though not in precisely the same words.

VERSE 11. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye G-entiles; and
laud him, all ye people. This passage is from Ps. cxvii. 1, and
Strictly to the apostle's purpose.

VERSE 12. And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root
of Jesse, and lie that shall rise to rule over the G-entiles; in him
shall the trcntiles trust, Isa. xi. 1, 10. This is an explicit pre
diction of the dominion of the Messiah over other nations
besides the Jews. Here again the apostle follows the Septua
gint, giving, however, the sense of the original Hebrew. The
promise of the prophet is, that from the decayed and fallen
house of David, one should arise, whose dominion should
embrace all nations, and in whom Gentiles as well as Jews
should trust. In the fulfilment of this prophecy Christ came,
and preached salvation to those who were near and to those
who were far off. As both classes had been thus kindly received
by the condescending Saviour, and united into one community,

ROMANS XV. 14—33. 687

they should recognise and love each other as brethren, laying
aside all censoriousness and contempt, neither judging nor
despising one another.

VERSE 13. J\W then the Grod of hope fill you with all joy
and peace, in believing, that ye may abound in hope through the
power of the Holy Crhost. All joy means all possible joy. Paul
here, as in ver. 5, concludes by praying that God would grant
them the excellencies which it was their duty to possess. Thus
constantly arid intimately are the ideas of accountableness and
dependence connected in the sacred Scriptures. We are to
work out our own salvation, because it is God that worketh in
us both to will and to do, according to his good pleasure. The
Grod of lt»i><>, i. e., God who is the author of that hope which it
was predicted men should exercise in the root and offspring of
Jesse.

Fill ymi with all joy and peace in believinrj, i. e., fill you with
that joy and concord among yourselves, as well as peace <>t con
science and peace towards God, which are the results of genuine
faith. That >je tuny abound in //<>/»'. The consequence of the
enjovment of the blessings, and of the exercise of the graces
just referred to, would be an increase in the strength and joy-
fulness of their hope; through the p<>//'er of the //"/// Crhost9
through whom all good is given and all good exercised.

11OMAXS XV. 14—33.

AX A LYSIS.

THE apostle, in the conclusion of his epistle, assures tho
Romans of his confidence in them, and that his motive for
writing was not so much a belief of their peculiar deficiency,
as the desire of putting them in mind of those things which
they alreadv knew, vs. 14, 15. This he was the rather entitled
to do on account of his apostolic office, conferred upon him by
divine appointment, and confirmed by the signs and wonders,
and abundant success with which God had crowned his minis
try, vs. 15, 10. lie had sufficient ground of confidence in this
respect, in the results of his own labours, without at all encroach
ing upon what belonged to others; for he had made it a rule

688 ROMANS XV. 14.

not to preach where others had proclaimed the gospel, but to
go to places where Christ was previously unknown, vs. 17 — 21.
His labours had been such as hitherto to prevent the execution
of his purpose to visit Rome. Now, however, he hoped to have
that pleasure, on his way to Spain, as soon as he had accom
plished his mission to Jerusalem, with the contributions of the
Christians in Macedonia and Achaia, for the poor saints in
Judea, vs. 22 — 28. Having accomplished this service, he hoped
to visit Home in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of
Christ. In the mean time he begs an interest in their prayers,
and commends them to the grace of God, vs. 29 — 33.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 14. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my
brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all know
ledge, able also to admonish one another.* Paul, with his
wonted modesty and mildness, apologises, as it were, for the
plainness and ardour of his Exhortations. They were given
from no want of confidence in the Roman Christians, and they
were not an unwarrantable assumption of authority on his part.
The former of these ideas he presents in this verse, and the
latter in the next. I also myself, i. e., I of myself, without the
testimony of others. Paul had himself such knowledge of the
leading members of the church of Rome, that he did not need
to be informed by others of their true character. That ye also
are fall of goodness, i. e., of kind and conciliatory feelings; or,
taking a.fa$ct)0'jy7] in its wider sense, full of virtue, or excel
lence. Filled, with all knowledge, i. e., abundantly instructed
on these subjects, so as to be able to instruct or admonish each
other. It was, therefore, no want of confidence in their dispo
sition or ability to discharge their duties, that led him to write
to them ; his real motive he states in the next verse. They
were able, voL»^£rs?v, to put in mind, to bring the truth seasona
bly to bear on the mind and conscience. It does not refer
exclusively to the correction of faults, or to reproof for trans-

* For cixxjiAiv?, each other, axxcuc, others, is read in the MSS. 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 14,
15. 17, 18, 20, 23, 29, 32, 35, 38, 43, 40, 48, 52, 54, 62, 63; in the Syriac ver
sion, and by many of the Greek Fathers. The Complutensian editors, Beza,
Wetstein, and Griesbach, adopt this reading.

ROMANS XY. 15, 16. 689

gression. "Duae monitoris praccipuse sunt dotes, humamtaa
quae ct illius animum ad juvandos consilio suo fratres inclinet,
et vultum verbaque comitate tempcrct : et consilii dexteritas,
sive prudentia, quae et auctoritatcm illi concilict, ut prodesse
queat auditoribus, ad quos dirigit scrmoncm. Nihil enim magis
contrariuni fraternis monitionibus, quam malignitas et arrogan-
tia, quae facit ut errantes fastuose conteinnamus, et ludibrio
hahcre malhnus, quam corrigere." Calvin.

VERSE 15. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more
boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of
the grace f/ it-en to me of God. It was rather to remind than to
instruct them, that the apostle wrote thus freely. The words
(d-o u.i<n)'jz) in some sort, are intended to qualify the words
more boldly, 'I have written somewhat too boldly.' How
striking the hlandness and humility of the great apostle! The
preceding exhortations and instructions, for which he thus
apologises, are full of affection and heavenly wisdom. What a
reproof is this for the arrogant and denunciatory addresses
which so often are given by men who think they have Paul for
an example! These words, (in some sort,) however, may bo
connected with I have written; the sense would .then be, 'I
have written in part (i. e., in some parts of my epistle) very
boldly.' The former method seems the more natural. When a
man acts the part of a monitor, he should not only perform the
duty properlv, but he should, on sonic- ground, have a right to
assume this office. Paul therefore says, that he reminded tho
Romans of their duty, because he was entitled to do so in
virtue of his apostolical character; because of the grace given
to me. of God. Grace here, as appears from the context,
signifies the apostleship which Paul represents as a favour; see
chap i. 5.

VERSE 10. That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to
the Gentiles; hcro>j<>fo^ er;- ra Zfiw, a minister /or, or, in refer
ence to the Gentiles. This is the explanation of the yraee
given to him of God; it was the favour of being a minister of
Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. Compare Eph. iii. 1, "Unto me,
who am the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should
preach, among the Gentiles, the unsearchable riches of Christ/'
The word (hrcoupro^ rendered minister, means a public officer
44

690 ROMANS XV. 16.

or servant; see chap. xiii. 6, where it is applied to the cml
magistrate. It is, however, very frequently used (as is also
the corresponding verb) of those who exercised the office of a
priest, Dcut. x. 8, Hcb. x. 11. As the whole of this verse is
figurative, Paul no doubt had this force of the word in his
mind, when he called himself a minister, a sacred officer of
Jesus Christ; not a priest, in the proper sense of the term, for
the ministers of the gospel are never so called in the New Tes
tament, but merely in a figurative sense. The sacrifice which
they offer are the people, whom they are instrumental in
bringing unto God.

Ministering the gospel of Grod, that the offering up of the
Grentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified ~by the Holy Crhost.
This is the apostle's explanation of the preceding clause. 'He
was appointed a minister of Christ to administer, or to act the
part of a priest in reference to the gospel, that is, to present
the Gentiles as a holy sacrifice to God.' Paul, therefore, no
more calls himself a priest in the strict sense of the term, than
he calls the Gentiles a sacrifice in the literal meaning of that
word. The expression, (Ispoopfoui^Ta TO wafflhov) rendered
ministering the gospel, is peculiar, and has been variously
explained. Erasmus translates it sacrifieans evangelium, 'pre
senting the gospel as a sacrifice;' Calvin, consecrans evan
gelium, which he explains, 'performing the sacred mysteries of
the gospel.' The general meaning of the phrase probably is,
'acting the part of a priest in reference to the gospel.' Com
pare Mace. iv. 7, 8, f spouse, w TOU vopov.

The sense is the same, if the word (ebaffeJieov) gospel be
made to depend on a word understood, and the whole sentence
be resolved thus, ' That I should be a preacher of the gospel
(s/C TO ^al JJLS, xypuaaovra TO e'j) to the Gentiles, a ministering
priest (i. e., a minister acting the part of a priest) of Jesus
Christ,' WaJtl's Claris, p. 740. Paul thus acted the part of a
priest that the offering of the Crentiles might be acceptable.
The word (itpoffpopd) offering sometimes means the act of obla
tion, sometimes the thing offered. Our translators have taken
it here in the former sense; but this is not so suitable to the
figure or the context. It was not Paul's act that was to be
acceptable, or which was 'sanctified by the Holy Spirit.' The

ROMANS XV. 17. 69J

latter sense of the word, therefore, is to be preferred; and
the meaning is, 'That the Gentiles, as a sacrifice, might be
acceptable;' see chap. xii. 1, Phil. ii. 17, 2 Tim. iv. 6. Being

sanctified by tlie Holy Ghost. As the sacrifices were purified
by water and other means, when prepared for the altar, so
we are made fit for the service of God, rendered holy or
acceptable, by the influences of the Holy Spirit. This is an
idea which Paul never omits; when speaking of the success of
bis labours, or of the efficacy of the gospel, he is careful that
this success should not be ascribed to the instruments, but to
the real author. In this beautiful passage we see the nature
of the only priesthood which belongs to the Christian ministry.
Tt is not their office to make atonement for sin, or to offer a
propitiatory sacrifice to God, but by the preaching of the
gospel to bring men, by the influence of the Holy Spirit, to
offer themselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to
God. Tt is well worthy of remark, that amidst the rumerous
designations of the ministers of the gospel in the New Testa
ment, intended to set forth the nature of their office, they are
never officially called priests. This is the only passage in
which the term is even figuratively applied to them, and that
under circumstances which render its misapprehension impos
sible. They are not mediators between God and man; they do
not offer propitiatory sacrifices. Their only priesthood, as
Theophvlaek says, is the preaching of the gospel, (a7^ jao /we
hmw'r^ TO xa-frijiuzu TO £'jarrs/,>ov,) and their offerings are
redeemed and sanctified men, saved by their instrumentality.
uEt sane hoc est Christian! pastoris saccrdotium, homines in
cvangclii obedientiam subigendo veluti Deo immolare ; non
autem, quod superciliose hactenus Tapistae jactarunt, oblatione
Christi homines recouciliare Deo. Neque tamen ecclesiasticos
pastores simpliciter hie vocat sacerdotes, tanquam perpetuo
titulo ; sed quurn dignitatem efficaciamque ministerii vellet com-
mendare Paulus, hac metaphora per occasionem usus est."

Calvin.

VERSE 17. / have therefore whereof to glory through Jesus
Christ in those things which pertain to God. That is, 'seeing
I have received this office of God, and am appointed a minister
of the gospel to tbe Gentiles, I have (xwffiffev) confidence and

ROMANS XV. 18, 19.

rejoicing.' As, in the previous verses, Paul had asserted his
divine appointment as an apostle, he shows, in this and the fol
lowing verses, that the assertion was well founded, as God had
crowned his labours with success, and sealed his ministry with
signs and wonders. He, therefore, was entitled, as a minister
of God, to exhort and admonish his brethren with the boldness
and authority which he had used in this epistle. This boasting,
however, he had only in or through Jesus Christ, all was to be
attributed to him ; and it was in reference to things pertaining
to G-od, i. e., the preaching and success of the gospel, not to
his personal advantages or worldly distinctions. There is
another interpretation of the latter part of this verse, which
also gives a good sense. CI have therefore ground of boasting,
(i. e., I have) offerings for God, viz., Gentile converts.' (The
words TO. -oo- TOV ttsov are understood as synonymous with the
word ^itoatfond of the preceding verse, -fwasi^sy/Js^ra being
supplied.) The common view of the passage, however, is more
simple and natural.

VERSES 18, 19. In these verses the apostle explains more
fully what he had intended by saying he gloried, or exulted. It
was that God had borne abundant testimony to his claims as a
divinely commissioned preacher of the gospel; so that he had
no need to refer to what others had done ; he was satisfied to
rest his claims on the results of his own labours and the testi
mony of God. For I will not dare to speak of any of those
things which Christ hath not wrought ly me. That "is, 'I will
not claim the credit due to others, or appeal to results which I
have not been instrumental in effecting.' According to another
view, the meaning is, ' I will not speak of anything as the
ground of boasting which Christ has not done by me.' The
contrast implied, therefore, is not between what he had done
and what others had accomplished, but between himself and
Christ. He would not glory in the flesh, or in any thing per
taining to himself, but only in Christ, and in what he had
accomplished. The conversion of the Gentiles was Christ's
work, not Paul's; and therefore Paul could glory in it without
self-exaltation. It is to be remarked that the apostle repre
sents himself as merely an instrument in the hands of Christ for
the conversion of men ; the real efficiency he ascribes to the

ROMANS XV. 19. 693

Redeemer. This passage, therefore, exhibits evidence that
Paul regarded Christ as still exercising a controlling agency
over the souls of men, and rendering effectual the labours of his
faithful ministers. Such power the sacred writers never attri
bute to any being but God. To make the Gentiles obedient,
i. e., to the gospel; compare chap. i. 5, where the same form
of expression occurs. The obedience of which Paul speaks is
the sincere obedience of the heart and life. This result he says
Christ effected, through his instrumentality, Inj word and deed,
not merely by truth, but also by that operation which Christ
employed to render the truth effectual. It was not only by the
truth as presented in the word, but also by the effectual inward
operation of his power, that Christ converted men to the
faith.

VKRSE 19. Through mighty sit'/ns and wonders, ly the. power
of the Spirit of God, i. e., by miracles, and by the influences
of the IIolv Ghost. The Greek is, £v d'J^dfjise <jr^[j.s,ia)V x<d
T£C)d.T(.ov, z^ o'jKi.u.ic ~i>s.'jiw~o~ Siftou, that is, by the power of
(i. e., which comes from) signs i^ud wonders, and, the power
which flows from the Holy Spirit. It was thus Christ rendered
the labours of 1'aul successful. Jle produced conviction, or the
obedience of faith, in the minds of the Gentiles, partly by
miracles, partly and mainly by the inward working of the
Holy Ghost. That Christ thus exercises divine power both in
the external world and in the hearts of men, clearly proves that
he is a divine person. Sit/us and wonders are the constantly
recurring words to designate those external events which are
produced, not by the operation of second causes, but by the
immediate efficiency of God. They are called siyns because
evidences of the exercise of God's power and proofs of the
truth of his declarations, and wonder? because of the effect
which they produce on the minds of men. This passage is,
therefore, analogous to that in 1 Cor. ii. 4, "My speech and
preaching was not in the enticing words of man's wisdom, but
in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." That is, he
relied for success not on his own skill or eloquence, but on the
powerful demonstration of the Spirit. This demonstration of
the Spirit consisted partly in the miracles which he enabled
the first preachers of the gospel to perform, and partly in the

694 KOMANS XV. 20, 21.

influence with which he attended the truth to the hearts
and consciences of those that believed; see Gal. iii. 2 — 5,
Heb. ii. 4.

So that from Jerusalem, and round about unfo It^rricum,
I have fall?/ preached the gospel of Christ. Round aboKt, xae
wjyMjj, in a circle,. Jerusalem was the centre around which
Paul prosecuted his labours. He means to say, that through
out a most extensive region I have successfully preached the
gospel. God had given his seal to Paul's apostleship, by
making him so abundantly useful. I have fully preached,
expresses, no doubt, the sense of the original, (-s-tyfiwxsisau TO
euaffskou,) to bring the gospel (i. e., the preaching of it) to an
end, to accomplish it thoroughly ; see Col. i. 25. In this wide
circuit had the apostle preached, founding churches, and
advancing the Redeemer's kingdom with such evidence of the
divine cooperation, as to leave no ground of doubt that he was
a divinely appointed minister of Christ.

VERSES 20, 21. In further confirmation of this point., Paul
states that he had not acted the part of a pastor merely, but of
an apostle, or founder of the church, disseminating the gospel
where it was before unknown, so that the evidence of his apos
tleship might be undeniable; compare 1 Cor. ix. 2, "If I be
not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you; for the
seal of my apostleship are ye in the Lord;" and 2 Cor. iii. 2, 3,
Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ
was named, lest I should build on another man's foundation;
that is, ;I have been desirous of not preaching where Christ
was before known, but in such a way as to accomplish the pre
diction that those who had not heard should understand.'
0doTejy.£iff&ai, so to prosecute- an object as to place one's honour
in it. The motive which influenced him in taking this
course, was lest he should build upon another man s founda
tion. This may mean either, lest I should appropriate to
myself the result of other men's labours ; or, lest I should act
the part not of an apostle, (to which I was called,) but of a
simple pastor.

VERSE 21. But, as it is ivritten, To whom he was not spoken
of, they shall see; and they that have not heard shall under
stand. That is, I acted in the spirit of the prediction, that

ROMANS XY. 22—24. 695

Christ should be preached where he had not been known. It
had been foretold in Isa. lii. 15, that Christ should be preached
to the Gentiles, and to those who had never heard of his name;
it was in accordance with this prediction that Paul acted.
There is, however, no objection to considering this passage as
merely an expression, in borrowed language, of the apostle's
own ideas; the meaning then is, k I endeavoured to preach the
gospel not where Christ was named, but to cause those to see
to whom he had not been announced, and those to understand
who had not heard.' This is in accordance with the apostle's
manner of using the language of the Old Testament; see chap.
x. 15, 18. lUit as, in this case, the passage cited is clearly J»
prediction, the first method of explanation should probably be
preferred. A result of this method of interweaving passages
from the Old Testament, is often, as in this case and ver. o, a
want of grammatical coherence between the different members
of the sentence; see 1 Cor. ii. 9.

A' ERSE -'2. For whieli cause also I have, la-n '//tack hindered
from coniui'j t<> you. That is, his desire to make Christ known
where he had not been named, hud long prevented his intended
journev to Home. where he knew the gospel had already been
preached. M tu ti, '.a. ro/./.a. plerumque, in mo.-t cases. The
pressure of the constant calls to preach the gospel where he
then was, was the principal reason why he had deferred so h>ng
visiting IJonie. Hindered from eo>nin</, lissxo-To/r/jU TOL> sA&eiv,
the genitive following verbs signifying to Inmli-r.

VERSE 2-j. I>ut now having no more ///<(<•>' In t/«'K<' j)artx, and
having a </r<'at </rx//v these many y<'<irx to <;omc unto you, e^cc.
Great '/r.s-//r, £^~o/>:V/v, summum desiderium. The expression,
having no more place (it'rtxi~t TO~OU Zyj.u>.} in this connection,
would seem obviously to mean, "having no longer a place in
these parts where Christ is not known.' This idea is included
in the declaration that he had fully preached the gospel in all
that region. Others take the word (rorrov) rendered place, to
signify occasion, opportunity, 'Having no longer an opportunity
of preaching here;' see Acts xxv. 10, Ileb. xii. 17.

VERSE 24. Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will
come to you; for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be
brought on my wa^ thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat

696 ROMANS XV. 25—27.

filled with your company. Whensoever (we lav for d>c #v,) as
soon as; 'As soon as I take my journey,' &c. The words in the
original, corresponding to I will come unto you, for are omitted
in many MSS.* The sense is complete without them: 'As soon
as I take my journey into Spain, I hope to see you on my way.'
If the word for be retained, the passage must be differently
pointed : ' Having a great desire to see you, as soon as I go to
Spain, (for I hope on my way to see you, £c.,) but now I go to
Jerusalem.' Spain, the common Greek name for the great
Pyrenian Peninsula, was '/,?£/>/«, although 2'-aWa was also
used. The Romans called it c '' laxavia. Whether Paul ever
accomplished his purpose of visiting Spain, is a matter of doubt.
There is no historical record of his having done so, either in the
New Testament, or in the early ecclesiastical writers ; though
most of those writers seem to have taken it for granted. His
whole plan was probably deranged by the occurrences at Jeru
salem, which led to his long imprisonment at Cesarea, and his
being sent in bonds to Rome. To be brought on my way. The
original word means, in the active voice, to attend any one on
a journey for some distance, as an expression of kindness and
respect; and also to make provision for his journey; see Acts
xv. 3, xx. 38, 1 Cor. xvi. 6, 2 Cor. i. 16.

VERSE 25. But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the
taints, i. e., to supply the wants of the saints, distributing to
them the contributions of the churches; see Ileb. vi. 10; com
pare also Matt. viii. 15, Mark i. 31, Luke iv. 39. The word
deaxot/eat is used for any kind of service. The present partici
ple is used to imply that the journey itself was a part of the
service Paul rendered to the saints at Jerusalem.

VERSES 26, 27. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and
Achaia to make a contribution for the poor saints which are at
Jerusalem. To make a contribution, xowcjoviav r^a xocijffaa&cu,
to bring about a communion, or participation. That is, to cause
the poor in Jerusalem to partake of the abundance of the breth
ren in Achaia. In this way the ordinary intransitive sense of

* The MSS. A. C. D. E. F. G. the Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopia, and Latin ver
sions, some of the Greek, and most of the Latin Fathers, omit JAei/Vs^*/ ny*
vftiis, and most of these authorities omit yd^. Mill, Griesbach, and Kuapp,
omit both; Lach inarm retains yd.

ROMANS XV. 28, 29. 697

the word xo&cowa is retained. Compare, however, 2 Cor. ix. 13,
and Heb. xiii. 16. where the transitive sense of the word is com
monly preferred. Having mentioned this fact, the apostle
immediately seizes the opportunity of showing the reasonable
ness and duty of making these contributions. This he does in
such a way as not to detract from the credit due to the Grecian
churches, while he shows that it was but a matter of justice to
act as they had done. It hath pleased them verily; and their
debtors they are; i. e., 'It pleased them, I say (rd,,, redor-
diendce orationi inservit,) they did it voluntarily, yet it was but
reasonable they should do it.' The ground of this statement is
immediately added: For if the Gentiles have been made par-
takers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to
them in carnal things. 'If the Gentiles have received the
greater good from the Jews, they may well be expected to con
tribute the lesser.' The word (/.-t'^jn^a^) rendered to minis
ter, may have the general sense of serviny; or it may be used
with some allusion to the service being a sacred ditty, a kind
of offering which is acceptable to God. "Nee dubito, quin
significet Paulus sacrificii speciem esse, quum de suo cjrogant
fi doles ad ei:estatem fratrum levandam. Sic enim pcrsolvunt
quod debent caritatis otlicium, ut Deo simul hostium grati odom
oil'erant: sed proprie hoc loco ad illud iiiutuiini jus compensa
tionis respexit." Cah'in. This, however, is not ver\ probable,
as the expression is, hwjirfiaa! ^oroZc, to minister to them.
The ht'u'jn^ia was rendered to the brethren, not to God.

YEKSI: 28. When therefore 1 have done this, and sealed unto
them this fruit, I 'will come by you into Spain. The word sealed
appears here to be used figuratively, k When I have safely deli
vered this fruit to them;' compare 2 Kings xxii. 4, "Go up
to Ililkiah, the high priest, and sum (seal, a^dfitrov,) the
silver," &c. Commentators compare the use of the Latin words
(.onsianare, consiynatio, and of the English word consiyn.

VERSE 29. And I am sure that when 1 come unto you, I
shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel* of Christ.

* The words T«5 «i*}>sx/s» TOV are omitted in the MSS. A. C. D. F. G. 67, in
the Coptic and Ethiopic versions, and by some of the Latin Fathers. Mill,
GriesKieh, Lachmann, Tischendorf, and others, leave them out. The sensa
remains the same: "I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of Christ."

698 ROMANS XV. 30, 31.

The fulness of the blessing, means the abundant blessing, Paul
was persuaded that God, who had so richly crowned his labours
in other places, would cause his visit to Rome to be attended by
those abundant blessings which the gospel of Christ is adapted
to produce. He had, in chap. i. 11, expressed his desire to visit
the Roman Christians, that he might impart unto them some
spiritual gift, to the end that they might be established.

VERSE 30. Now I beseech you, brethren, for our Lord Jesus
Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive
together with me in your prayers to God for me. As the apos
tle was not immediately to see them, and knew that he would,
in the meantime, be exposed to many dangers, he earnestly
begged them to aid him with their prayers. He enforces this
request by the tenderest considerations ; for our Lord Jesus
Christ's sake, i. e., out of regard to the Lord Jesus; 'whatever
regard you have for him, and whatever desire to see his cause
prosper, in which I am engaged, let it induce you to pray for
me.' And for the love of the Spirit, i. e., 'for that love of which
the Holy Spirit is the author, and by which he binds the hearts
of Christians together, I beseech you,' &c. He appeals, there
fore, not only to their love of Christ, but to their love for him
self as a fellow Christian. That ye strive together with me
(auvafcoMaaadai pot,} i. e., 'that ye aid me in my conflict, by
taking part in it.' This they were to do by their prayers.

VERSE 31. That I may be delivered from them that do not
believe in Judea. There are three objects for which he particu
larly wished them to pray; his safety, the successful issue of
his mission, and that lie might come to them with joy. How
much reason Paul had to dread the violence of the unbelieving
Jews is evident from the history given of this visit to Jerusa
lem, in the Acts of the Apostles. They endeavoured to destroy
his life, accused him to the Roman governor, and effected his
imprisonment for two years in Cesarea, whence he was sent in
chains to Rome. Nor were his apprehensions confined to the
unbelieving Jews; he knew that even the Christians there, from
their narrow-minded prejudices against him as a preacher to
the Gentiles, and as the advocate of the liberty of Christians
from the yoke of the Mosaic law, were greatly embittered
against him. lie, therefore, begs the R.oman believers to pray

ROMANS XV. 32, 33. 699

that the service which (he had) for Jerusalem might be accepted
of the saints. The words service ivhich I have, &c., (>) dcaxowa
fjLOU jj ere 'hpouffatf/JL) means the contribution ivhich I carry to
Jerusalem; see the use of this word (deaxoua) in 2 Cor. viii. 4,
ix. 1, 13. The ordinary sense of oraxov/a, service, however,
may be retained. Paul desired that the work of love on which
he was to go to Jerusalem might be favourably received by the
Christians of that city. Paul laboured for those whom he
knew regarded him with little favour; he calls them saints,
recognises their Christian character, notwithstanding their
unkindness, and urges his brethren to pray that they might be
willing to accept of kindness at his hands.

VERSE 32. That I may come unto yon with joy ly the will
of God, and that I may with you be refreshed. These words
may depend upon the former part of the preceding verse, 'Pray
that I may come;' or, upon the latter part, 'Pray that I may
be delivered from the Jews, and my contributions be accepted,
so that I may come with joy, &c.' By the ivill of God, i. e.,
by the permission and favour of God. Instead of 6>£oD, the-
MS. B. has /\>jw<>>j V^K^; D.* E. F. G. the Italic version, read
Xin(j-u~j ' h^o'j; most editors, however, retain the common text.
Paul seemed to look forward to his interview with the Chris
tians at Rome, as a season of relief from conflict and labour.
In Jerusalem he was beset by unbelieving Jews, and liarrasscd
by Judaizin^ Christians; in most other places he was burdened
with the care of the churches; but at Rome, which he looked
upon as a resting-place, rather than a field of labour, he hoped
to gather strength for the prosecution of his apostolic labours
in still more distant lands.

VERSE 33. Noiv the peace of God be with you all As he
begncd them to pray for him, so he prays for them. It is
a prayer of one petition; so full of meaning, however, that
no other need be added. The peace of God, that peace which
God gives, includes all the mercies necessary for the perfect
blessedness of the soul.

DOCTRINE.

1. The, sacred Scriptures are designed for men in all ages of
the world, and are the great source of religious knowledge and
consolation, ver. 4.

700 ROMANS XY. 1—33.

2. The moral excellences which we are justly required to
attain, and the consolations which we are commanded to seek
in the use of appropriate means, are still the gifts of God.
There is, therefore, no inconsistency between the doctrines of
free agency and dependence, vs. 5, 13.

3. Those are to be received and treated as Christians whom
Christ himself has received. Men have no right to make terms
of communion which Christ has not made, ver. 7.

4. There is no distinction, under the gospel, between the Jew
and Gentile ; Christ has received both classes upon the same
terms and to the same privileges, vs. 8 — 12.

5. The quotation of the predictions of the Old Testament by
the sacred writers of the New, and the application of them in
proof of their doctrines, involves an acknowledgment of the
divine authority of the ancient prophets. And as these pre
dictions are quoted from the volume which the Jews recognise
as their Bible, or the word of God, it is evident that the apos
tles believed in the inspiration of all the books included in the
sacred canon by the Jews, vs. 9 — 12.

6. Christian ministers are not priests, i. e., they are not
appointed to "offer gifts and sacrifices for sins." It is no part
of their work to make atonement for the people; this Christ
has done by the one offering up of himself, whereby he has for
ever perfected them that are sanctified, ver. 16. A priest,
according to the Scriptures, is one appointed for men who have
not liberty of access to God, to draw nigh to him in their
behalf, and to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sin. In this
sense Christ is our only Priest. The priesthood of believers
consists in their having (through Christ) liberty of access unto
God, and offering themselves and their services as a living
(Sacrifice unto him. In one aspect, the fundamental error of
the church of Rome is the doctrine that Christian ministers are
priests. This assumes that sinners cannot come to God through
Christ, and that it is only through the intervention of the
priests men can be made partakers of the benefits of redemp
tion. This is to put the keys of heaven into the hands of
priests. It is to turn men from Christ to those who cannot
gave.

7. The truth of the gospel has been confirmed by God, by

ROMANS XV. 1—33. 701

signs and wonders, and by the power of the Holy Ghost.
Infidelity, therefore, is a disbelief of the testimony of God.
When God has given satisfactory evidence of the mission of his
servants, the sin of unbelief is not relieved by the denial that
the evidence is satisfactory. If the gospel is true, therefore,
infidelity will be found not merely to be a mistake, but a crime,
vcr. 19."

8. The success of a minister in winning souls to Christ may
be fairly appealed to as evidence that he preaches the truth.
It is, when clearly ascertained, as decisive an evidence as the
performance of a miracle; because it is as really the result of a
divine agency. This, however, like all other evidence, to bo
of any value, must be carefully examined and faithfully applied.
The success may be real, and the evidence decisive, but it may
be applied improperly. The same man may preach (and doubt
less every uninspired man does preach) both truth and error;
G"d mav sanction and bless the truth, and men may appeal to
this blessing in support of the error. This is often done. Suc
cess therefore is of itself a very difficult test for us to apply,
and must over be held subject to the authority of tbe Scrip
tures. Nothing can prove that to be true which the Bible pro
nounces to be false, vs. IS, 111.

0. Prayer (and even intercessory prayer) has a real and
important efficacy; not merely in its influence on the mind of
him who offers it, but also in securing the blessings for which
we pray. Paul directed the Roman Christians to pray for tho
exercise of the divine providence in protecting him from danger,
and for the Ilolv Spirit to influence the minds of the brethren
in Jerusalem. This he would not have done, were such peti
tions of no avail, vs. 30, 31.

REMARKS.

1. The duty of a disinterested and kind regard to others, in
the exercise of our Christian liberty, is one of the leading topics
of this, as it is of the preceding chapter, vs. 1 — 13.

2. The desire to please others should be wisely directed, and
spring from right motives. We should not please them to their
own injury, nor from the wish to secure their favour; but for
their good, that they may be edified, ver. 2.

702 ROMANS XV. 1—33.

3. The character and conduct of Jesus Christ are at once the
most perfect model of excellence and the most persuasive motive
to obedience. The dignity of his person, the greatness of his
condescension, the severity of his sufferings, the fervour of his
love towards us, all combine to render his example effective in
humbling us, in view of our own short-comings, and in exciting
us to walk even as he walked, vs. 4 — 13.

4. We should constantly resort to the Scriptures for instruc
tion and consolation. They were written for this purpose; and
We have no right to expect these blessings unless we use the
means appointed for their attainment. As God, however, by
the power of the Holy Ghost, works all good in us, we should
rely neither on the excellence of the means, nor the vigour and
diligence of our own exertions, but on his blessing, which is to
be sought by prayer, vs. 4, 5, 13.

5. The dissensions of Christians are dishonourable to God.
They must be of one mind, i. e., sincerely and affectionately
united, if they would glorify their Father in heaven, vs. 5-— 7.

6. A monitor or instructor should be full of goodness and
knowledge. The human heart resists censoriousness, pride, and
ill feeling, in an admonisher; and is thrown into such a state,
by the exhibition of these evil dispositions, that the truth is
little likely to do it any good. As oil poured on water smooths
its surface, and renders it transparent, so does kindness calm
the minds of men, and prepare them for the ready entrance
of the truth. Besides these qualifications, he who admonishes
others should be entitled thus to act. It is not necessary that
this title should rest on his official station; but there should
be superiority of some kind — of age, excellence, or know
ledge — to give his admonitions due effect. Paul's peculiar
modesty, humility, and mildness, should serve as an example
to us, vs. 14, 15.

7. We should be careful not to build improperly on another
man's foundation. Pastors and teachers must of course preach
Christ where he had before been known ; but they should not
appropriate to themselves the results of the labours of others,
or boast of things which Christ has not wrought by them. The
man who reaps the harvest, is not always he who sowed the
seed. One plants, and another waters, but God giveth the

ROMANS XVI. 1. 703

increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither
he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase, vs. 19, 20.

8. It is the duty of those who have the means, to contribute
to the necessities of others, and especially to the wants of those
from whom they themselves have received good, vs. 26, 27.

9. The fact that men are prejudiced against us, is no reason
why we should not do them good. The Jewish Christians were
ready to denounce Paul, and to cast out his name as evil ; yet
he collected contributions for them, and was very solicitous that
they should accept of his services, ver. 31.

10. Danger is neither to be courted nor fled from; but
encountered with humble trust in God, ver. 31.

11. We should pray for others in such a way as really to
enter into their trials and conflicts; and believe that our
prayers, when sincere, are a real and great assistance to them.
It is a irreat blessing to have an interest in the prayers of the
righteous.

CIIAPTEll XVI.

CONTENTS.

IN this concluding chapter, Paul first commends to the church
at Koine the deaconess Phebe. vs. 1, 2. He then sends his
salutations to manv members of the church, and other Chris
tians who were then at Home, vs. 3 — ll>. He earnestly exhorts
his brethren to avoid those who cause contentions; and after
commending their obedience, he prays for God's blessing upon
them, vs. IT — 21. Salutations from the apostle's companions,
vs. 22 — 24. The concluding doxology, vs. 25 — 27.

ROMANS XVI. 1—27.

COMMENTARY.

VERSE 1. I commend unto you Phebe our sister, wJdsJi is a
servant of the church which is at Cenchrea. Phebe, from
Phoebus, (Apollo.) The early Christians retained their names,
although they were derived from the names of false gods,

704 ROMANS XVI. 2.

because they had lost all religious significance and reference,
In like manner we retain the use of the names of the davs of
the week, without ever thinking of their derivation. Corinth,
being situated on a narrow isthmus, had two ports, one towards
Europe, and the other towards Asia. The latter was called
Cenchrea, where a church had been organized, of which Phebe
was a servant (r)<raxovoc,) i. e., deaconess. It appears that in the
apostolic church, elderly females were selected to attend upon
the poor and sick of their own sex. Many ecclesiastical writers
suppose there were two classes of these female officers; the one
(Ttpsfffi'JTedsz, corresponding in some measure in their duties to
the elders,) having the oversight of the conduct of the younger
female Christians ; and the other, whose duty was to attend to
the sick and the poor. See Suicer's Thesaurus, under the
•word o.'ttxovoc ; Bingham's Ecclesiastical Antiquities, 11, 12;
Augusti's Denkwiirdigkeiten der christl. Archaologie.

VERSE 2. That ye receive her in the Lord. The words in
the Lord, may be connected either with receive, 'receive her in
a religious manner, and from religious motives;' or with the
pronoun, her in the Lord, her as a Christian. The apostle
presents two considerations to enforce this exhortation ; first,
regard for their Christian character; and, secondly, the service
which Phebe had rendered to others. As becometh saints; this
expression at once describes the manner in which they ought to
receive her, and suggests the motive for so doing. The words
d-lioz TCOV o.'f'.cov may mean, ' as it becomes Christians to receive
their brethren,' or, ' sicut sanctos excipi oportet, as saints ought
to be received.' In the former case, aflcov (saints) are those
who received, and in the latter, those who are received. And
that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you.
They were not only to receive her with courtesy and affection,
but to aid her in any way in which she required their assistance.
The words (sv w dv TTpdf/iaTt) in whatsoever business, are to be
taken very generally, in whatever matter, or in whatever
respect. For she hath been a succourer of many, and of
myself also. The word (jipoGrdrcz) succourer, means a pat
roness, a benefactor; it is a highly honorable title. As she had
so frequently aided others, it was but reasonable that she
should be assisted.

ROMANS XVI. 3—5. Y05

VERSE 3. Salute Prise ilia* and Aquila, my helpers in Clirist
Jesu-s, i. e., my fello\v labourers in the promotion of the gospel.
Prise ilia is the diminutive form of Prisca; compare Livia and
Livilla, Drusa and Drusilla, Qainta and Quintilla, Secunda and
Secundilla. G-rotius. Aquila and Priscilla are mentioned in
Acts xviii. 2, as having left Rome in consequence of the edict
of Claudius. After remaining at Ephcsus a long time, it
seems that they had returned to Rome, and were there when
Paul wrote this letter; Acts xviii. IS, 20, 1 Cor. xvi. 19,

2 Tim. iv. 19.

VERSE 4. Who have for my life laid down their own necks,
i. e., they exposed themselves to imminent peril to save me.
On what occasion this was done, is not recorded. Unto whom
not only I (/ice tltanks* Init aho (ill the churches of the Grcntiles.
Their courageous and disinterested conduct must liave heen
generally known, and called forth the grateful acknowledg
ments of all the churches interested ill the preservation of a life
so precious as that of the apostle.

YKIISK 5. Tlie church that is in their house. These words
(yjj.l r/v yj/.T oty.uv u.'j-u>y ixx/^ffif^) are understood, by many of
the Greek and modern commentators, to mean their Christian
family; so Calvin, Flatt, Koppe, Tholuck, &c. The most
common and natural interpretation is, 'the church which is
accustomed to assemble in their house;' see 1 Cor. xvi. 10,
where this same expression occurs in reference to Aquila and
Priscilla. It is probable that, f'r<;m his occupation as tent-
maker, he had better accommodations for the meetings of the
church than most other Christians.

Salute my well l>«lored E[>en<>tus, who is the first-fruits of
Achaia''} unto Christ. This passage is not irreconcileable with
1 Cor. xvi. 15, ''Ye know the household of Stephanas, that it
is the first-fruits of Achaia;" for Epenetus may have belonged

* Instead of rigiVj«xx*v, rig/**** is read in the MSS. A. C. D. E. F. G., and
in many codd. minusc; and tins reading is adopted in the editions of Bengel,
Mill, Wetstein, Griet-bach, Knapp, Luchmann.

f A^C is read in MSS. A. C. D. E. F. G. 6, G7; and in the Coptic, Ethiopic,
and Latin versions. Mill, Bengel, Griesbach, Knapp, and Lachmann, adopt
that reading.

45

706 ROMANS XVI. 6, 7.

to this family. So many of the oldest MSS. and versions, how-
ever, read Asia, instead of Achaia, in this verse, that the great
majority of editors have adopted that reading. This, of course,
removes even the appearance of contradiction.

VERSES 6, 7. Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour upon
us. Salute Andronicus and Junta, my 'kinsmen and my fellow-
prisoners. Instead of e?z $><, some of the older MSS. read
ere &/MZ, and others ev bi£y. The common text is, however,
retained in the latest editions, and is better suited to the con
text, as the assiduous service of Mary, rendered to the apostle,
is a more natural reason of his salutation, than that she had
been serviceable to the Roman Christians. It is very doubtful
whether Junia be the name of a man or of a woman, as the
form in which it occurs (VoyWa^) admits of either explanation.
If a man's name, it is Junias; if a woman's, it is Junia. It is
commonly taken as a female name, and the person intended is
supposed to have been the wife or sister of Andronicus. My
kinsmen, i. e., relatives, and not merely of the same nation; at
least there seems no sufficient reason for taking the word in
this latter general sense. Fellow-prisoners. Paul, in 2 Cor.
xi. 23, when enumerating his labours, says, "In stripes above
measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft," &c. lie was,
often in bonds, (Clemens Komanus, in his Epistle to the Cor
inthians, sect. 5, says seven times,) he may, therefore, have
had numerous fellow-prisoners. Who are of note among the
apostles; Irdar^wt Jv ru?c arotfro/A'c. This may mean either
they were distinguished apostles, or they were highly respected
by the apostles. The latter is most probably the correct inter
pretation ; because the word apostle, unless connected with some
other word, as in the phrase, "messengers (apostles) of the
churches," is very rarely, if ever, applied in the New Testament
to any other than the original messengers of Jesus Christ. It
is never used in Paul's writings, except in its strict official
sense. The word has a fixed meaning, from which we should
not depart without special reason. Besides, the article (Iv rol$
AxoffToAoez,) among the apostles, seems to point out the definite
well-known class of persons almost exclusively so called. The
passage is so understood by Koppe (maana corum fama est
apud apostolos,) Flatt, Bloomfield, Meyer, Philippi, and the

ROMANS XVI. 8—15. 707

majority of commentators. Who also were in Christ before me^
i. o., who were Christians before me.

VERSES 8 — 15. My beloved in the Lord. The preposition in
(sv,) here, as frequently elsewhere, points out the relation or
respect in which the word to which it refers is to he under
stood ; brother beloved, both in the flesh and in the Lord (Phile
mon, ver. 10.) both in reference to our external relations, and
our relation to the Lord. And thus in the following, ver. 0, our
helper in Christ, i. e., as it regards Christ; ver. 10, approved
in Chrixt, i. e., in his relation to Christ; an approved or tried
Christian ; ver. 12, who l<il>»ur in tJi" Lord; and. c-hi-h lilnurcd
rnneh in the Lord, i. e., who, a< it regards the Lord, laboured
much; it was a Christian or religious service. The names,
Tn/]d/ena, Triiploxt. and /V/Wx, ;ire all fVniinine. The hist is
commonly supposed to indicate the native country of the person
who bore it, as it was not unusual to name persons from the
place of their origin, as M'i(^f. Siir!<(, Lf/dia. Audn'<f. &c.; such
names, however, soon became common, and were given without
anv reference to the birth-[d:ice of those who received them.
Chosen in tin' L<>r<L i. e., not one chosen, by the Lord; chosen^
(i. e., {\]>proved. precious; see 1 Peter ii. 4.) in his relation to
the Lord, as a Christian. It is not merely elect in Christ, that
is, chosen to eternal life, for this could be said of every Chris
tian ; but Rufus is here dc.-ignated as a chosen man, as a dis-
tiniruishiMl Christian. It is worth noticing, that at Koine, as at
Corinth, few of the irreat or learned seem to have been called.
These salutations are all addressed to men not distinguished
for their rank or ofhYial diirn.itv. MyliiK. ns quoted by Calov,
savs: 'vXotanda hie fidolium 5>torum conditio: nemo hie nomi-
natur consul, nemo qu;v4st«»r aut dictator insignitur, minirne
omnium episcopatuum et cardinalatuum dignitate hie perso-
nant: sed operaruin, laboruni, ca]>tivitate titulis pleriqne
notantur. Ita vernm etiam in llomana ecclesia fuit olim,
quod apostolus scribit, iu:n multi potentes. non multi nobiles,
scd stulta muTidi electa sunt a Deo. Papatus autem CiXisarei,
oualis adjuvanto diabolo, in pcrniciem religionis, posteris
saeculis I\omre involuit, no umbra quidem apostolorum aetate
istic fuit: taiitum abeat, ut ille originein ab apostolis ipsia
traxerit."

708 ROMANS XVI. 16, 17.

VERSE 16. Salute one another with a hoh kiss. Reference
to this custom is made also in 1 Cor. xvi. 20, 1 Thcss. v. 26,

origin,

1 Peter v. 14. It is supposed to have been of oriental
and continued for a long time in the early churches ;* after
prayer, and especially before the celebration of the Lord's
Supper, the brethren saluting in this way the brethren, and the
sisters the sisters. This salutation was expressive of mutual
affection and equality before God.

VERSE 17. Noiv 1 beseech you, brethren, mark them, loliich
cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye
have learned, and avoid them. While he urges them to the
kind reception of all faithful ministers and Christians, he
enjoins upon them to have nothing to do with those who cause
divisions and offences. There were probably two evils in the
apostle's mind when he wrote this passage; the divisions occa
sioned by erroneous doctrines, and the offences or scandals
occasioned by the evil conduct of the false teachers. Almost
all the forms of error which distracted the early church, were
intimately connected with practical evils of a moral character.
This was the case to a certain extent with the Judaizers; who
not only disturbed the church by insisting on the observance
of the Mosaic law, but also pressed some of their doctrines to
an immoral extreme; see 1 Cor. v. 1 — 5. It was still more
obviously the case with those errorists, infected with a false
philosophy, who are described in Col. ii. 10 — 23, 1 Tim.
iv- 1 — 8. These evils were equally opposed to the doctrines
taught by the apostle. Those who caused these dissensions,
Paul commands Christians, first, to mark (0%o-£yJ) i. e., to
notice carefully, and not allow them to pursue their corrupting

* Justin Apol. II., a^HKiv; ^i\;',u^n C.yrr-J?:y.&* 7ry.W7ap.mt <v~l tv^.t; 'After

prayers we salute one another with a kiss.' Tertulliun de Oratiuiie: "Qaae
oratio cum divortio sancti osculi Integra? Quern omnino oflicium facientera
impedit pax? Quale sacrificium sine pace receditur?" By peace, is here
intended the kiss of peace, for he had before said, "Cum fratribus snbtrahant
osculum pacis, quod est signaculum orationis." In the Apostolic Constitu
tions, it is said (L. 2, c. 57,) "Then let the men apart, and the women apart,
salute each other with a kiss in the Lord." Or/yen says, on this verse,
" From this passage the custom was delivered to the churches, that after
pr.'\voM the brethren should salute one another with a kiss/' — See Grotius
and Whitby.

ROMANS XVI. 18, 19. 709

course unheeded ; and, secondly, to avoid, i. e., to break off
connection with them.

VERSE 18. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus
Christ, but their own belly; and by good ivords and fair speeches
deceive the hearts of the simple. These men are to he avoided,
because they are wicked and injurious. The description here
given is applicable, in a great degree, to errorists in all ages.
They arc not actuated by zeal for the Lord Jesus; they are
selfish, if not sensual; and they are plausible and deceitful.
Compare Phil. iii. 18, 19, 2 Tim. iii. 5, 6. The words
(yox0T0^oj'/« and £v/oj'r«, bland iloquentia ct assentatio} rendered
good ivords and/'///' speeches, do not in this connection materi
ally differ. Tliev express that plausible and flattering address
by which false teachers are wont to secure an influence over the
simple. The word (ax'/.'/o^} simple, signifies not merely inno-
ccnt, but -uiiu'ftry, he who is liable to deception. (Prov. xiv.
15, dxaxo~ r.'T7£'>£.' ~aiT! ).ofu), t/te simple believes every thing.')

Vi-:UiSE I-1. For your obedience, is come abroad unto all men,
(Sec. This clause admits of two interpretations; the word obc,-
dienee may express cither their (Jn-diencc, to tin' gospel, their
faith, (see chap. i. S.) or their obedient disposition, their readi
ness to follow the in.-t ructions of their religious teachers. If
the former meaning be adopted, the sense of the passage is
this, 'Ye ought to be on your guard against these false
teachers, for since your character is so high, your faith being
every where spoken of, it would be a great disgrace and evil to
be led astray by them.' If the latter meaning be taken, the
sense is, "It is the more necessary that you should be on your
guard against these false teachers, because your ready obedience
to your divine teachers is so great and generally known. This,
in itself, is commendable, but I would that you joined prudence
with your docility.' This hitter view is, on account of the
concluding part of the yerse, most probably the correct one;
see 2 Cor. x. 0, Phil. v. 21.

I am glad, thcn-fure, on your behalf; but yet I would have
t/ou wise unto t//«t wliieli is good, and simple concerning evil.
That is, 'Simplicity (an unsuspecting docility) is indeed good;
but I would have you not only simple, but prudent. You must

710 ROMANS XVI. 20—24.

not only avoid doing evil, but be careful that you do not suffer
evil. Grotius' explanation is peculiarly happy, ita prudentes
ut non fallamini; ita boniut non fallatis; 'too good to deceive,
too wise to be deceived.' The word (dxepaeoz from a et xepdco)
simple, means unmixed, pure, and then harmless. 'Wise as to
^e/c) go°cl» but simple as to evil;' or, 'wise so that good may
result, and simple so that evil may not be done.' This
latter is probably the meaning. Paul would have them so
wise as to know how to take care of themselves; and yet
harmless.

VERSE 20. And the Crod of peace shall bruise /Satan under
your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with
you. Amen. As the evils produced by the false teachers were
divisions and scandals, the apostle, in giving them the assurance
of the effectual aid of God, calls him the Crod of peace, i. e.,
God who is the author of peace in the comprehensive scriptural
sense of that term. Shall bruise is not a prayer, but a consola
tory declaration that Satan should be trodden under foot. As
Satan is constantly represented as " working in the children of
disobedience," the evil done by thorn is sometimes referred to
him as the instigator, and sometimes to the immediate agents
who are his willing instruments. The fjrace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be witli yon. This is a prayer for the favour and aid of
Christ, and of course is an act of worship, and a recognition of
the Saviour's divinity.

VERSE 21 — 24. These verses contain the salutations of the
apostle's companions to the Roman Christians, and a repetition
of the prayer just mentioned. I Tertius, who wrote this epistle,
salute you in the Lord. Tertius was Paul's amanuensis. The
apostle seldom wrote his epistles with his own hand; hence he
refers to the fact of having himself written the letter to the
Galatians as something unusual; Gal. vi. 11, "Ye see how large
a letter I have written unto you with my own hand." In order
to authenticate his epistles, he generally wrote himself the salu
tation or benediction at the close; 1 Cor. xvi. 21, "The salu
tation of me Paul, with mine own hand ;" 2 Thess. iii. 17, " The
salutation of Paul with mine own hand; which is the token in
every epistle: so I write." Gains mine host, and of the whole

ROMANS XVI. 25—27. 711

church, i. e., Gaius, who not only entertains trie, but Christians
generally; or, in whose house the congregation is accustomed
to assemble. Erastus the chamberlain of the city, (otxowiwz)
the treasurer of the city, the quaestor.

VERSES 25, 27. These verses contain the concluding dox-
ology. Noiv to him that is of power to establish you according
to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the
revelation of the mystery, &c. As the apostle interweaves with
his doxology a description and eulogium of the gospel, he ren
ders the sentence so long and complicated that the regular
grammatical construction is broken. There is nothing to rrovcrn
the words (TW d'jvaiisaji) to him that is of power. The words
be glory for ever, (which are repeated at the end in connection
with <v) are, therefore, most probably to be supplied. To him
tJ,,tt /.v all> to establish you, i. e., to render you firm and con
stant, to keep you from falling. Ac<'<>r<linf/ to mu anKpeL The
word (x(/~(L) according to. may be variously explained. It may
be rendered, 'establish you in my gospel;' but this the proper
meaning of the words will hardly allow; or, ngreealh/ to my
<jo*[H'L in such a manner as the gospel requires; or, t//r<>u>/J/,
i. e., by means of my gospel. The second interpretation is
perhaps the best. And the pr<'<t<-ltin</ of J> *//x Christ. This
may mean either 'Christ's preaching,' or, 'the preaching con
cerning Christ;' either interpretation irives a i^ood sense, the
gospel being both a proclamation by Christ, and concerning
Christ. The apostle d \vells upon this idea, and is led into a
description and commendation of the <_rospel. Aecorditig to the
revelation of the mystery. These words maybe considered as
co-ordinate with the preceding clause; the sense then is, 'Who
is able to establish you agreeably to (or through) my irospel,
agreeably to (through) the revelation of the mystery. &<•.' It
is. however, more common to consider this clause as subordinate
and descriptive. 'The gospel is a revelation of the mystery
which had been hid for ages.' The word mystery, according to
the common scriptural sense of the term, docs not mean some
thing obscure or incomprehensible, but simply something pre
viously unknown and undiscoverable by human reason, and
which, if known at all, must be known by a revelation from

712 ROMANS XVI. 26.

God. In this sense the gospel is called a mystery, or " the
wisdom of God in a mystery, that is, a hidden wisdom." which
the v,rise of this world could not discover, but which God has
revealed by his Spirit, 1 Cor. ii. 7—10, iv. 1, Eph. vi. 19, Col.
i. 25 — 27, ii. 2, &c. In the same sense any particular doctrine,
as the calling of the Gentiles, Eph. iii. 4 — 6 ; the restoration
of the Jews, Rom. xi. 25 ; the change of the bodies of living
believers at the last day, 1 Cor. xv. 51; is called a mystery,
because a matter of divine revelation. According to this
passage, Paul speaks of the gospel as something "which had
been kept secret since the world began;" (%pbvot$ alcovioi^)
i. e., hidden from eternity in the divine mind. It is not a
system of human philosophy, or the result of human investiga
tion, but it is a revelation of the purpose of God. Paul often
presents the idea that the plan of redemption was formed from
eternity, and is such as no eye could discover, and no heart
conceive, 1 Cor. ii. 7 — 0, Col. i. 26.

YKRSE 26. But is noiv made manifest, and by the Scrip
tures of the prophets; that is, 'this gospel or mystery, hidden
from eternity, is now revealed ; not now for the first time
indeed, since there are so many intimations of it in the prophe
cies of the Old Testament.' It is evident that the apostle adds
the words and by the Scriptures of the prophets, to avoid
having it supposed that he overlooked the fact that the plan of
redemption was taught in the Old Testament; compare chap,
i. 2, iii. 21. According to the command of the everlasting Grod,
that is, this gospel is now made manifest by command of God.
Paul probably uses the expression, everlasting (accoviou) God,
because he had just before said that the gospel was hid from
eternity. 'It is now revealed by that eternal Being in whose
mind the wonderful plan was formed, and by whom alone it
could be revealed.' Made known to all nations for the obedience
of the faith. 'Made known among (Vc, see Mark xiii. 10,
Luke xxiv. 47) all nations.' For the obedience of faith, i. e.,
that they should become obedient to the faith ; see chap. i. 5.
This gospel, so long concealed, or but partially revealed in the
ancient prophets, is now, by the command of God, to be made
known among all nations.

ROMANS XVI. 27. 713

VERSE 27. To the only wise Grod be glory through Jesus
Christ for ever, Amen. There is an ambiguity in the original
which is not retained in our version. ' To the only wise God,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever.' The con
struction adopted by our translators is perhaps the one most
generally approved. 'To him that is able to establish you, to
the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be glory.' In this
case the relative o>, to whom, in verse 27, is pleonastic. Others
explain the passage thus, 'To the only wise God, made known
through Jesus Christ, to whom (i. e., Christ) be glory for ever.'
The simplest construction is, 'To the only wise God, through
Jesus Christ, to him, I say, be glory for ever.' As Paul often
calls the gospel the "wisdom of God," in contrast with the
wisdom of men, he here, when speaking of the plan of redemp
tion as the product of the divine mind, and intended for all
nations, addresses his praises to its author as the ONLY WISE
GOD, as that Ueing whose wisdom is so wonderfully displayed
in the gospel and in all his other works, that he alone can bo
considered truly wise.

REMARKS.

1. It is the duty of Christians to receive kindly their
brethren, and to aid them in every way within their power, and
to do this from religious motives and in a religious manner, as
becometh saints, vs. 1, 2.

2. The social relations in which Christians stand to each
other as relatives, countrymen, friends, should not be allowed
to give character to their feelings and conduct to the exclusion
of the more important relation which they bear to Christ. It
is as friends, helpers, fellow-labourers in the Lord, that they
are to be recognised; they are to be received in the Lord;
our common connection with Christ is ever to be borne in
mind, and made to modify all our feelings and conduct,
vs. 3—12.

3. From the beginning females have taken an active and
important part in the promotion of the gospel. They seem,
more than others, to have contributed to Christ of their sub
stance. They were his most faithful attendants, " last at the

714 ROMANS XVI. 1—27.

cross, and first at the sepulchre." Phebe was a servant of
the chuvch, a succourer of Paul, and of many others; Try-
phena, Tryphosa, and Persis, laboured much in the Lord, vs. 1,
2, 3, 6, 12.

4. It does not follow, because a custom prevailed in the early
churches, and received the sanction of the apostles, that we are
obliged to follow it. These customs often arose out of local
circumstances and previous habits, or were merely conventional
modes of expressing certain feelings, and were never intended
to be made universally obligatory. As it was common in the
East, (and is so, to a great extent, at present, not only there,
but on the continent of Europe,) to express affection and con
fidence by 'the kiss of peace,' Paul exhorts the Roman Chris
tians to salute one another with a holy kiss; i. e., to manifest
their Christian love to each other, according to the mode to
which they were accustomed. The exercise and manifesta
tion of the feeling, but not the mode of its expression, are
obligatory on us. This is but one example ; there are many
other things connected with the manner of conducting public
worship, and with the administration of baptism and the
Lord's Supper, common in the apostolic churches, which have
^one out of use. Christianity is a living principle, and was
never intended to be confined to one unvarying set of forms,
ver. 10.

5. It is the duty of Christians to be constantly watchful over
the peace and purity of the church, and not to allow those who
cause divisions and scandals, by departing from the true doc
trines, to pursue their course unnoticed. With all such we
should break off every connection which either sanctions their
opinions and conduct, or gives them facilities for effecting
evil, ver. 17.

6. Ealse teachers have ever abounded in the church. All
the apostles were called upon earnestly to oppose them. Wit
ness the epistles of Paul, John, Peter, and James. No one of
the apostolical epistles is silent on this subject. Good men
may indeed hold erroneous doctrines ; but the false teachers,
the promoters of heresy and divisions, as a class, are character
ized by Paul as not influenced by a desire to serve Christ, but

ROMANS XVI. 1—27. 715

as selfish in their aims, and plausible, flattering, and deceitful
in their conduct, ver. 18.

7. Christians should unite the harmlessness of the dove with
the wisdom of the serpent. They should be careful neither to
cause divisions or scandals themselves, nor allow others to
deceive and beguile them into evil, ver. 10.

8. However much the church may be distracted and troubled,
error and its advocates cannot finally prevail. Satan is a con
quered enemy with a lengthened chain; God will ultimately
bruise him under the feet of his people, ver. 20.

9. The stability which the church and every Christian should
maintain, is a steadfastness, not in forms or matters of human
authority, but in the gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ.
Cod alone is able thus to make his people stand; and, there
fore, we should look to him, and depend upon him for our own
preservation and the preservation of the church; and ascribe to
him, and not to ourselves, all glory and thanks, vs. 25, 27.

10. The gospel is a mystery, i. e., a system of truth beyond
the power of the human mind to discover, which God has
revealed for our faith and obedience. It was formed from cter-
nilv in the divine mind, revealed by the prophets and apostles,
and the preaching of Jesus Christ; and is, by the command of
God, to be made known to all nations, vs. 25, '2(>.

11. God alone is wise. He charges his angels with folly;
and the wisdom of men is foolishness with him. To God, there
fore, the profoundest reverence and the most implicit submis
sion are due. Men should not presume to call in question uhat
he has revealed, or consider themselves competent to sit in
iud<mient on the truth of his declarations or the wisdom of

J o

his plans. To GOD ONLY WISE, BE GLORY, THROUGH JESUS
CHRIST, FOR EVER. Amen.

The subscriptions to this and the other epistles were not added by the
gacred writers, but appended by some later and unknown persons. This ia
evident, 1. Because it cannot be supposed that the apostles would thus for
mally state (as in this case) what those to whom their letters were addressed
must have already known. The Romans had no need to be informed that, this
epistle was sent by Phebe, if she actually delivered it to them. 2. They are

7165 9 4 "'13

ROMANS.

frequently incorrect, and at times contradict the statements made in the epis
tles to which they are appended. Thus the subscription to the first Epistle to
the Corinthians, states that it was written from Philippi, whereas Paul, chap,
xvi. 8, speaks of himself as being in Ephesus when he was writing. 3. They
are either left out entirely by the oldest and best manuscripts and versions, or
appear in very different forms. In the present case many MSS. have no sub
scription at all ; others simply, "To the Romans;" others, "To the Romans,
•written from Corinth;" others, "Written to the Romans from Corinth, by
Phebe," &c. These subscriptions, therefore, are of no other authority than
as evidence of the opinion which prevailed to a certain extent, at an early
date, as to the origin of the epistles to which they are attached. Unless con
firmed from other sources, they cannot be relied upon.

THE END.

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