PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans
Hodge, Charles, 1797–1878 · 193,921 words · 491 reading sections
ROMANS 2: 1—16. 47
works" means constancy in the performance of good works ; which is the meaning which our translation so well expresses. Glory, honour, and immortality, i. e. a glorious and honourable immortality, though the idea is much more forcibly expressed by the words as they stand in our version. (8) But unto them that are cont…
539 wordsSECTION 6248 ROMANS 2: 1— IG.
well as the Gentile is thus to be judged. The word first, here, may ex press either order or pre-eminence. According- to the former view the meaning is, 'This judgment shall begin with the Jew, and be extended to the Gentiles;' see ch. 1 : 16; according to the other, 'The Jew shall not only be punished as well as other…
580 wordsSECTION 63ROMANS 3 : 1—16. 49
which they have sinned. The word rendered perish^ from its opposi- tion to that used in the latter part of the verse, expresses the idea, ' be- ing condemned, shall be punished.' As many as have sinned in the law. In the law, i. e. subject to the law, as to be in the Jiesh, ch. 7 : 5. 8 ; 8, &c., is to be subject to th…
614 wordsSECTION 6450 ROMANS 2: 1—16.
viz. that those who have sinned under a law shall be condemned by it ; and vs. 14, 15, are the g-round of the assertion, that those who have sinned without a revelation shall yet be punished, because, though they have no law, they are a law unto themselves. (14) For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do hy nat…
594 wordsSECTION 65ROMANS 2: 1—16. 51
their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing, or eke excusing one another. The former of these clauses may mean either * their conscience bearing witness to this law written in their hearts, i. e. assenting to it, and confirming it ;' or, what is better suited to the force of the wo…
568 wordsSECTION 6652 ROMANS 2 : 1—16.
therefore adds, according to my gospel, which of course cannot mean that all men are to be judged by the gospel, whether they have heard it or not. This would be in direct contradiction to the principle which he had just been establishing, that men are to be judged by the light they seve- rally possess. The meaning is,…
121 wordsSECTION 67DOCTRINES.
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 are perverted, vl 1—16. 2. The refuge which men are always disposed to seek in their sup- posed advantages of ecclesiastical con…
379 wordsSECTION 68ROMANS 2: 17—29. 53
9. The moral sense is an original part of our constitution, and not the result of education, v. 14. 10. Jesus Christ, who is to sit in judgment upon the secrets of all men, must be possessed of infinite knowledge, and therefore be divine, V. 16.…
46 wordsSECTION 69REMARKS.
1. The deceitfulness of the human heart is strikingly exhibited in the different judgments which men pass upon themselves and others ; con- demning in others what they excuse in themselves. And it not unfre- quently happens that the most censorious are the most criminal, vs. 1, 3. 2. How does the goodness of God affec…
272 wordsSECTION 70CHAP. 2: 17—29.
*7Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, ^^and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law ; ^^and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, ^^an instructor of the …
166 wordsSECTION 7154 ROMANS 2: 17—29.
a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. ^OTj^gj-g fore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision T ^''And shall not un- circumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dos…
112 wordsSECTION 72ANALYSIS.
This section consists properly of two parts. The first, vs. 17 — 24, contains an application of the principles, laid down in the former sec- tion, to the case of the Jews. The second, vs. 25 — 29, is an exhibition 3f the nature and design of circumcision. The principal grounds of dependence on the part of the Jews were…
383 wordsSECTION 73COMMENTARY.
(17) Behold thou art aJew^ and restest in the law^ andmakest thy boasi of God. The main ground of confidence in the Jew was that he was ono of the eovenant people of God. To this, therefore, Paul first refers…
40 wordsSECTION 74ROMANS 2: 17— -29. 55
7%ou art called a Jew^ i. e. one of the people of God. The word Jew is evidently taken here in its religious rather than its civil or national sense ; it expresses the relation of the people to God rather than to other na- tions. A Jew, therefore, in opposition to a Gentile, was a member of the true church, a child of …
554 wordsSECTION 7556 ROMANS 2 : 17—29.
instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes. There is no trait of th« Jewish character more prominently exhibited than their self-confident superiority to others. Hence their desire to make proselytes, their end- less inculcation of the commands of men for the doctrines of God, their contempt of the Gentiles, &c. &c.…
563 wordsSECTION 76ROMANS 2: 17—29. 57
law, dishonourest thou God? &c. Another striking instance ot their not acting agreeably to their advantages, while making a boast of the law, and of their peculiar relation to God, as their God, and theirs only ; in- stead of acting worthily of this relation, they so acted, that the name of God was every day blasphemed…
573 wordsSECTION 7758 ROMANS 2 : 17—29.
present the nature of this rite in its true light, he reverses the statement of the previous verse. Circumcision cannot profit any one if the law is Droken ; and the want of it cannot invalidate the promise, if the law is kept. In other words circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the comma…
549 wordsSECTION 78ROMANS 2: 17—29. 59
•first p.ace, unrrecessary, and, in the second, not so well suited to the con- text, as nothing is said here of a spiritual circumcision, and as the law is too prominent a point in the advantages of the Jews to allow of the term which expresses it here, to be merged in a mere epithet. (28, 29) For he is not a Jew whic…
449 wordsSECTION 79DOCTRINES.
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 they were not on that account the more acceptable to God. Multitudes of Jewish converts were members of th…
100 wordsSECTION 8060 ROMANS 2: 17—29.
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 increases the certainty, necessity, and severity of punishment, withoutin itself increas- ing the power of resistance. It is, therefore, a great mistake to make knowled…
497 wordsSECTION 81ROMANS 3: 1—8. 61
baptism washed away sin. How large a part of nominal Christians rest all their hopes on the idea of the inherent efficacy of external rites ! v. 25, &c. 5. While it is one dangerous extreme to make religion consist in the ohservance of external ceremonies, it is another to undervalue them, when of divine appointment. …
136 wordsSECTION 82CONTENTS.
This chapter may be divided into three parts. The first contains ? brief statement and refutation of the Jewish objections to the apostle'a reasoning, vs. 1 — 8. The second, a confirmation of his doctrines from the testimony of Scripture ; and a formal drawing out and declaration of his conclusion, that, ' by the works…
80 wordsSECTION 83CHAP. 3 : 1—8.
^What advantage then hath the Jew 1 or what profit zs there of circum- cision ] 2]\/[^p}^ every way : chiefly, because that unto them were com- mitted the oracles of God. ^For what if some did not believe ? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? ^God forbid : yea, let God be true, but every man a li…
169 wordsSECTION 84ANALYSIS.
The first objection to Paul's reasoning here presented is, that according to his doctrine, the Jew has no advantage over the Gentile, v. 1. The apostle denies the correctness of this inference from what he had said,…
37 wordsSECTION 8562 ROMANS 3 : 1—8.
and admits that the Jews have great advantages over all other people, v 2. 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, v. 3. Paul, in an- swer, admits that the faithfulne…
146 wordsSECTION 86COMMENTARY.
(1) What advantage then hath the Jew ? or what profit is there of cir- cumcision ? The conclusion at which the apostle had arrived at the close of the preceding chapter was, that the Jews, as well as Gentiles, are to be judged according to their works and by their knowledge of the divine will ; and being thus judged, t…
417 wordsSECTION 87ROMANS 3 : 1—8. 63
is no objection to this rendering-, for Paul often fails to carry oat an arrangement with which he commences ; see 1 : 8. Unto them were com- mitted. The construction of this clause, in the original, is one which frequently occurs in Paul's epistles ; see 1 Cor. 9 : 17. Gal. 2 : 7. Titus 1:3. The oracles of God. The Gr…
598 wordsSECTION 8864 ROMANS 3: 1—8.
of the Jews, " All Israel hath a portion in eternal life." Justin Martyr says, " 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 …
558 wordsSECTION 89ROMANS 3 ; 1—8. 65
and confesses, " Against thee only have I sinned ; that thou mighiest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged," i. e. that thy rectitude, under all circumstances, might be seen and ac- knowledged. In this quotation Paul follows the Septuagint translation of Ps. 51:4. The Hebrew runs thus…
556 wordsSECTION 9066 ROMANS 3: 1-^.
men generally speak and act,' i. e. wickedly, 1 Cor. 3 : 3; or as intro- ducing an example or illustration from common life, 1 Cor. 9 : 8. Gal. 3:15; or, as in this instance, to intimate that the writer is not uttering his own sentiments. ' I am not speaking in the character of an inspired man, but as others are accust…
563 wordsSECTION 91ROMANS 3: 1—18. 67
(8) Jlnd not rather {as we he slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say) Let us do evil, that good may come ? whose damnation is just. The sense of this verse is obvious, though the grammatical construction of the original is irregular. One of the simplest and most common me- thods of resolving the passage,…
409 wordsSECTION 92DOCTRINES.
1. The advantages of membership, even of 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…
119 wordsSECTION 9368 ROMANS 3: 9—20.
who live in it. God is faithful to his promises, but he never promises tc pardon the impenitently guilty, vs. 3, 4. 5. God will make the wrath of men to praise him. Their unrighteous- ness will commend his righteousness, without, on that account, making its condemnation less certain or less severe, vs. 5, 6. 6. Any d…
98 wordsSECTION 94REMARKS.
1. We should feel the peculiar responsibilities which rest upon us as the inhabitants of a Christian country, as the members of the Christian church, and possessors of the word of God ; as such, we enjoy advan- tages for which we shall have to render a strict account, vs. 1, 2. 2. It is a mark of genuine piety, to be …
351 wordsSECTION 95CHAP. 3: 9—20.
^What then 1 are we better than they ? No, in no wise : for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; ^®as it is written. There is none righteous, no, not one : ^Hhere is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. ^^They are all…
53 wordsSECTION 96ROMANS 3 : 9—20. 69
gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable ; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. ^^Their throat is an open sepulchre ; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: ^*whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: ^^their feet are swift to shed blood: ^^destru…
139 wordsSECTION 97ANALYSIS.
The apostle, having answered the objections to his argument in proof that the Jews, being sinners in the sight of God, are, as such, exposed to condemnation, draws, in v. 9, the obvious conclusion, that they have, as to the matter of justification, no pre-eminence over the Gentile. He con- firms his doctrine of the uni…
141 wordsSECTION 98COMMENTARY.
(9) What then ? are we better than they ? No, in no wise. * What then,' asks the apostle, 'is the conclusion from all this reasoning as to the moral state and character of the Jews and Gentiles 1 Are we Jews better off, or more favourably situated than they 1 By no means.' Our version of the word rendered are we better…
248 wordsSECTION 9970 ROMANS 3 : 9—20.
see 1 Cor. 15: 17. John 15: 22; compare such passages as Gal. 3: 10. Rom. 6: i4. 7: 14, &c. &c. Both ideas are here probably included, Paul had proved that all were sinners, that is, corrupt and exposed to condemnation. Verses 10 — 18 contain the confirmation of the truth of the universal sinfulness of men, by the tes…
553 wordsSECTION 100ROMANS 3: 9—20. 71
issue words as offensive and pestiferous as the tainted breath of an open grave ; or, what from the next clause may appear probable, ' their throat is always open, and ready to devour like the insatiable and insidious grave.' They injure by deceit and slander, which is the poison of asps. Their mouth is full of cursing…
567 wordsSECTION 10172 ROMANS 3 ; 9—20.
therefore, at which the apostle has arrived, the conclusion of his argn- ment, from consciousness, experience, and Scripture, is that the whole world is g-uilty before God, i. e. in his judgment or estimation. The luhole world must, in this connexion, include both Jews and Gentiles, because the preceding argument had r…
591 wordsSECTION 102ROMANS 3: 9—20. 73
God generally ; consequently this must be his meaning. 4. There is in fact no ground for the distinction in reference to this case ; because obe- dience to the divine command is always a moral act, whether that com- mand be z. positive one, or have its foundation in the reason and nature of things. 5. The whole context…
511 wordsSECTION 103DOCTRINES.
1. However men may differ among themselves as to individual character, as to outward circumstances, religious or social, when they appear at the bar of God, all stand on the same level. All are sinners, and, being sinners, are exposed to condemnation, v. 9.…
44 wordsSECTION 10474 ROMANS 3: 21—31.
2. The general declarations of the Scriptures descriptive of the charac- ter 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 recognise the descriptions of the human heart, given by profane writers a thousand…
336 wordsSECTION 105CHAP. 3: 21—31.
2*But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets ; ^^even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe : for there is no difference : ^^for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God ; 24being jus…
179 wordsSECTION 106ROMANS 3 : 21—31. 75
Yes, of the Gentiles also. s'^Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. ^^Do we then make void the law through faith ? God forbid : yea, we establish the law.…
38 wordsSECTION 107ANALYSIS.
Having proved that justification, on the ground of legal obedience or personal merit, is for all men impossible, Paul proceeds to unfold the me- thod 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 jus- tification is made. 3. Its obje…
224 wordsSECTION 108COMMENTARY.
(21) But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, &c. Having demonstrated that no flesh could be justified by the deeds of the lav/ in the sight o1^ God, the apostle proceeds to show how the sinner can be justified. With regard to this point, he teaches, in this verse, 1. That the righteousness which…
246 wordsSECTION 10976 ROMANS 3: 21—31.
another, already taught indeed hoth in the law and prophets, a method which is not legal (without law), i. e. not on the condition 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 given on eh. 1:17, the second interpretat…
589 wordsSECTION 110ROMANS 3: 21—31. 77
an^ upon do not here express different ideas, any more than those ren- dered by and through, in v. SO. The repetition expresses intensity. ' This righteousness is revealed or comes unto all, even all, absolutely all, vv^ithout distinction of name or nation.' The only limitation is the exer- cise of faith. It is unto al…
586 wordsSECTION 11178 ROMANS 3 : 21—31.
dent from the fact that Christ is uniformly presented as a Redeemer, not in the character of a teacher, but of a priest, a sacrifice, propitiation, &c. Comp. Eph. 1 : 7. Heb. 9 : 15. Col. 1 : 14. 1 Tim. 2 : 6. Matt. 20 ; 28. That is in Christ Jesus, i. e. which is by him, as the preposition here rendered in means in p…
557 wordsSECTION 112ROMANS 3: 21—31. 79
sented in the word 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. 3: 10, 11; it was designed "to purify unto himself a people zealous of good works," Tit. 2: 14j to break down the distinction between the J…
575 wordsSECTION 11380 ROMANS 3: 21—31.
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 and pardoned sin from the beginning. This is the most na- tural and satisfactory interpretation of the passage. The word rendered remission more strictly means preterm…
546 wordsSECTION 114ROMANS 3 ; 21—31. 81
righteousness of God just spoken of. It depends, in sense, upon the first clause of the 25th verse, ' Whom God hath set forth as a propitiatory- sacrifice, in order that he might be just in the justification of those that believe.' It is obvious, therefore, that this clause expresses more defi- nitely the idea intended…
578 wordsSECTION 11582 ROMANS 3: 21—31.
Rom. 15 : 17. Either sense suits this passage. It may mean all boast- ing is prevented, or all ground of boasting is excluded. Paul means to say that the result of the gospel plan of salvation is to prevent all self-ap- probation, self-gratulation,and exaltation on.the part of the sinner. He is presented as despoiled o…
574 wordsSECTION 116ROMANS 3: 21—31. 83
and joy. We Gentiles may now look up to heaven, and confidently say " Thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and though Israel acknowledge us not." The expressions ' by faith,' and ' through faith,' evidently do not diffei in their meaning, as Paul uses them indiscriminately, sometimes the one, as in 1…
332 wordsSECTION 117DOCTRINES.
1. The evangelical doctrine of justification by faith is the doctrine of the Old no less than of the New Testament, v. 21. 2. Justification is pronouncing one to be just, and treating him accord- mgly, on the ground that the demands of the law have been satisfied concerning him, vs. 24, 25, 26. 3. The ground of justi…
193 wordsSECTION 11884 ROMANS 3: 21—31.
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 satisfaction, v. 26. 7. All true doctrine tends to humble men and to exalt God; and all true religion is characterized by humility and reverence, v. 27…
507 wordsSECTION 119CONTENTS.
Tric object 01 this chapter is to confirm the doctrine of justification »y faith. It is divicfed into two parts. The first, from v. 1 to 17 inclu- eive, contains the argumentative portion. The second, v. 18 to 25, is an illustration of the faith of Abraham.…
47 wordsSECTION 120CHAP. 4: 1—17.
*What shall we then say that Abraham, our father as pertaining to the flesh, hath found 1 ^For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory ; but not before God. ^F^or what saith the Scripture 1 Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. *Now to him that worketh is the reward n…
405 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical edition (1851). Text from OCR of an original Internet Archive scan; OCR may contain recognition errors.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.