PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans
Hodge, Charles, 1797–1878 · 193,921 words · 491 reading sections
ANALYSIS.
Paul, from the 21st verse of the preceding chapter, had been setting forth the gospel method of salvation. That this is the true method he…
25 wordsSECTION 12286 ROMANS 4: 1—17.
now proves, 1. From the fact that Abraham was justified by faith, vs. 1 — 5. That this was really the case he shows, first, because otherwise Abraham would have had ground of boasting-, even in the sight of God, V. 2 ; second, because the Scriptures expressly declare that he was justi- fied by faith, v. 3. V^erses 4, …
235 wordsSECTION 123COMMENTARY.
(1) What shall we then say that Ahrahavi^ our father as pertaining 1o the Jlesh, hath found ? The connexion of this verse with the preceding train of reasoning is obvious. Paul had taught that we are justified by faith ; as well in confirmation of this doctrine, as to anticipate an objec- tion from the Jew, he refers t…
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Paul says he 'has no confiden<je in the flesh,' and adds, "If any other man thinketh he hath whereof to glory in the flesh, I more." He then enumerates his Hebrew descent, his being a Pharisee, his blameless legal righteousness, as all included in this comprehensive expression. By the term, in this instance, is to be u…
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17, &c. &c. ; compare Job 19: 11. 33: 10, in the Hebrew. 3. It is used in the more general sense of purposing, devising, considering, think- ing, &c. 4. In strict connexion with its primary meaning, it signifies to impute, to set to one''s account ,- that is, to number among the things be- longing to a man, or chargeab…
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other interpretation than ' by means of faith in the blood of Christ as the ground of acceptance.' It lies in the nature of a sacrifice that the ofFer- ing is the ground of acceptance ; our confidence in it, or our faith, is the condition of its being accepted on our behalf. Faith therefore is the in- strumental, but n…
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tously, and therefore af. passages which speak of ^atuitous acceptance are in favour of the doctrine of justification by faith. Now to him that worketh, that is, either emphatically ' to him who does all that is required of him ;' or to 'him who seeks to be accepted on account of his works.' The former explanation is …
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he is justified gratuitously, even as David speaks of the blessedness of him whom, although destitute of merit, God regards and treats as right- eous. Descriheth the blessedness, i. e. pronounces blessed. To whom God imputeth righteousness without works, that is, whom God regards and treats as righteous, although he is…
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which any thing is said. This question has not direct reference to the persons to whom the offers of acceptance are applicable, as though it were equivalent to asking, 'Is this blessedness confined to the Jews, or may it be extended to the Gentiles also V because this is not the subject now in hand. It is the ground or…
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in our version, the meaning is, that the annunciation of the justification of Abraham before his circumcision, was with the design that he might be the father of uncircumcised believers. If the latter, the sense is, ' He was thus justified, hence he is,' &c. Either method suits the context; the latter seems, however, t…
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Jews which have some better bond of connexion with him than circum- cision merely. But, according to another interpretation, this verse includes both classes of his spiritual seed. ' He is the father of the cir- cumcision, and not of the circumcision only, but of those also who follow his faith which he had, being yet …
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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 gene- ral prosperity and Ijappiness. " To be heir of the world" would then mean to be prosperous and happy, in…
577 wordsSECTION 13390 ROMANS 4 : 1—17.
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, /ae7A is made void, and the promise ma…
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Calvin and others understand it as explaining the method in which the law works wrath, or calls down the displeasure of God. It is because sin, by the knowledge imparted by the law, is rendered less excusable, and deserving of severer punishment. Transgression is understood em- phatically for the contumacious violation…
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heved, even God ivho quickeneth the dead, &c. The orig-inal here is very difficult. The most probable explanation is that which resolves the sentence much in the same manner as in our own version, " Before God, in whom he believed," i. e. he is the father of us all, in the sight or estimation of that God in whom he bel…
299 wordsSECTION 136DOCTRINES.
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 good- ness in the sight of Go…
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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, v. 10. 7. As Abraham is the father of all believ…
474 wordsSECTION 138CHAP. 4 : 18—25.
*^Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken. So shall thy seed be. ^9And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb : ^^he staggered not at…
296 wordsSECTION 139COMMENTARY.
18) Who against hope believed in hope, that is, who against all appa- rent grouna of hope, confidently believed. In hope, with hope, or confi- dently. Acts 2 : 26. 1 Cor. 9 : 10, &c. &c. That he might become the father of many nations. This clause, as it stands in the Greek, may ex- press either the design with which h…
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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 numerous ; see vs. 13, 17. The expression in the text is a concise allusion to the various promises made to the ancient patria…
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last clause of the preceding one. He gave glory to God by being fully persuaded that he was able to perform his pronaise. The ground of Abraham's confidence, therefore, was not the nature of the thing promised, no]C,the facility of its attainment, but the divine character and attributes. (22) Therefore it was imputed …
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tified. The resurrection of Christ was necessary for our justification, inasmuch as it was the formal acceptance of his sufferings, as the expia- tion for our sins. Had he not risen we should be yet under condemna- tion, 1 Cor. 15 : 17. But as he rose from the dead, he was accepted of the Father, and appeared as the fi…
334 wordsSECTION 143REMARKS.
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 re- sources of God who has made the promise, v. 19. 2. It is as possible for faith to be strong when the thing promised is most improbable as when it is probable. Abraham's faith s…
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promised, commanded or threatened (unless of a strictly personal nature) although addressed originally to individuals, belongs to them only as re- presentatives of classes of men, and is designed for all of similar character and in similar circumstances, v. 23. 5. The two great truths of the gospel are, that Christ di…
122 wordsSECTION 145CONTENTS.
From verse 1 to 11 inclusive, the apostle deduces some of the more obvious and consolatory inferences from the doctrine of gratuitous justi- fication. From the 12th verse to the end, he illustrates his great princi- ple of the imputation of righteousness, or the regarding and treating " the many" as righteous, on accou…
72 wordsSECTION 146CHAP. 5: 1—11.
^Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: ^by v/hom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ^^nd. not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience ; %nd patience, exp…
208 wordsSECTION 147ANALYSIS.
The first consequence of justification by faith is, that we have peace with God, V. 1. The second, that we have ready access to his presence,…
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a sense of his present favour and assurance of future glory, v. 3. The third, that our afflictions, instead of being inconsistent with the divint favour, are made directly conducive to the confirmation of our hope ; tht Holy Spirit bearing witness to the fact that we am the objects of the love of God, vs. 3 — 5. The fo…
122 wordsSECTION 149COMMENTARY.
(1) Therefore being justified by faith, tue have peace with God, that is, we are reconciled to God. We are no longer the objects of the divine displeasure, his favour having been propitiated by the death of his Son, V. 10. As a consequence of this reconciliation, we have conscious peace with God, that is, we have neith…
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of favour;' which includes, of course, liberty of access to God. Where in lue stand, i. e. which we now possess or enjoy. Or the phrase may be taken in a forensic sense, as in Ps. 1 : 5. 130 : 3, 'In which state of grace we stand acquitted or justified.' The word wherein must refer to grace, the immediate antecedent, a…
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last seems most consistent with Paul's use of the word ; see 2 Cor. 2 : 9, "That I may know the proof (evidence) of you; whether ye be obe- dient," &c.; Phil. 2: 22, "Ye know the proof of him," &c. This sense suits the context also. ' Tribulation calls forth the exercise of pa- tience ; and the exercise of this patienc…
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appropriate time ; see Job 5 : 2G. Isa. 60 : 22. Mark 1:15. Gal. 4 : 4. Christ died for the ungodly. The preposition rendered for^ in such connexions, signifies not merely for the benefit of but in the place of. This appears to be its meaning in v. 7, which fixes its meaning here; compare Matt. 20 : 28, " To give his l…
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regarded for his sake as righteous, we shall he saved from wrath through him. He will not leave his work unfinished ; whom he justifies them he also glorifies. The word wrath^ of course, means the effects of wrath or punishment, those sufferings with which the divine displeasure visits sm ; Matt. 3 : 7. 1 Thess. 1 : 10…
599 wordsSECTION 154K
no ROMANS 5: 1—11. his favour and access to the Father, v. 18. 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 ad- mitted to exp…
641 wordsSECTION 155DOCTRINES.
1. Peace with God is the result of that system of religion alone, which, 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, v.…
388 wordsSECTION 156REMARKS.
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…
28 wordsSECTION 157112 ROMANS 3: 12—21.
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…
229 wordsSECTION 158CHAP. 5: 12—21.
^^Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned : ^^(for until the law sin was in the world : but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ^^Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the si…
276 wordsSECTION 159ANALYSIS.
1. Scope of the passage. The design of this section is the illustration of the doctrine of the justification of sinners on the ground of the right- eousness of Christ, by a reference to the 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 …
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source of illustration is the fall of all men in Adam, thepassage 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. v. 12. Before, however, carrying out the comparison, the apostle stops tc establish his position, that all men are regarde…
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As the law discloses, and even ag-gravates the dreadful triumphs of sin reigning, in union with death, over the human family, the gospel dis- plays the far more effectual and extensive triumphs of grace through Jesus Christ our Lord, v. 21. According to this view of the passage, it consists of five parts. The first, …
179 wordsSECTION 162COMMENTARY.
(12) Wherefore, as hy one rtian sin entered into the world, and death hy sin, &c. The force of wherefore has already been pointed out, when speaking of the connexion of this passage with the preceding. ' It fol« lows from what had been said of the method of justification, that as by- one man,' &c. It indicates the poin…
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This is rendered, if possible, still more obvious by the constant contrast or comparison, through the whole passage, of Adam and Christ ; hy one man came sin ; hy one man came righteousness ; hy the offence of one came death ; 6y the righteousness of the other came life ; &c.&c. That Adam was the cause of sin and death…
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punishment of the wicked. Thus, in Gen. 2 : 17, life was promised to our first parents as the reward of obedience ; and death threatened as the punishment of disobedience. See Deut. 30 : 15, " I have set before thee life and death;" Jer. 21 : 8. Prov. 11 : 19. Ps. 36: 9. Matt. 25: 46. John 3:15. 2 Cor. 2 : 16, &c. &c. …
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meaning is, ' As Adam was the cause or occasion of men becoming sinners, so death passed on all, since all have, in consequence of his obe- dience, been led into sin.' The objections to this interpretation will be presented in the sequel, in the form of arguments in favour of another view of the passage. According to t…
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14, to prove, is assumed as proved in vs. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. 5. This interpretation is required by the scope of the passage and the drift of the apostle's argument. The scope of the passage is to illustrate the doctrine of justification on the ground of the righteousness of Christ, by a refer- ence to the condemnation…
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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 argument, 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 judicial…
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even the existence of inherent depravity; it must, therefore, be for the oifence of one man that judgment has come upon all men to condemna- tion.' 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 manifestation of the divine d…
564 wordsSECTION 169122 ROMANS 5: 12—21.
are sinners, which is altogether at variance with the context, with tlie meaning of v. 12, with the scope of the passage and drift of the argu- ment. Or we must adopt the interpretation of those who confine the word death to mean the dissolution of the body, and who make the apos- tle argue that men do not incur this p…
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JVho was a figure of him that was to covie. The word translated figure means properly a print., or impression of any thing, John 20 : 25, where it is used of the print of the nails ; then more generally an image, model, likeness, type. The simple meaning, is that Adam was like Christ. Him that luas to come, i. e. the M…
588 wordsSECTION 171124 ROMANS 5: 12—21.
of the offence of the one many die. The dative, which is the case in which the word for offence here occurs, is used very frequently to express the ground or reason of a thing. Rom. 11 : 20, " Because of unbelief they were broken off," &c. Many, or rather the many, evidently means the multitude, the mass, the whole rac…
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demnation come from him; righteousness and consequent acceptance from Jesus Christ. What is here called the free gift is, in v. 17, called the gift of righteousness. Hath abounded unto many ,- that is, has been freely and abundantly bestowed on many. Whether the many in this clause is coextensive numerically with the m…
576 wordsSECTION 173126 ROMANS 5: 12—21.
on account of the righteousness we are justified. The expression " the sentence was by one offence" teaches as clearly the mode of condemna- tion, as the mode of justification is taught by saying " it is not by works," but " by the righteousness of Christ." 2. This interpretation is not only the simple and natural mean…
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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.' The decision of these questions is not at all material to the general interpretation of the passage. Both of the ideas contained in …
572 wordsSECTION 175128 ROMANS 5: 12—21.
voluntarily receive the gift of righteousness, be not only saved from the consequences of the fall, but be made partakers of eternal life. (18) Therefore^ as by the offence of one judgment came on all men to condemnation; even so, &c. The words rendered therefore mark the re- sumption of the comparison commenced in v.…
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with the latter, the ground or reason for which it is done. As the geni- tive is used here and in the following verse, it may be argued that Paul does not mean to say that the offence of Adam was the ground of our condemnation, but that it was the occasion of it merely ; or, in general terms, the cause of it, without i…
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merit, is the ground of our acceptance. There would be some plausi- bility in this interpretation, if it were the doctrine of the gospel that Christ's righteousness is the occasion of our becoming holy, and that on the ground of this personal holiness we are justified. But this not being the case, the interpretation in…
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regard to scriptural usage or truth, to carry the opposite interpretation through. In this whole passage there are two classes of persons spoken of, those connected with Adam and those connected with Christ. Of the former it is said, " they die," v. 15 ; " they are condemned," vs. 16, 18 ; "they are made sinners," v. 1…
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the other in v. 19, 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. By one manh disobedience. The disobedience here is evidently the first transgression of Adam, spoken of in v. 16, as ike one offence. The obedience of Christ here stands fo…
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ing of the apostle. If then the same words, in the same connexion, and the same grammatical construction, must have the same meaning, the interpretation given above must be correct. 5. The design of the apos- tle to illustrate the great doctrine of the gospel, that men, although in themselves ungodly, are regarded and …
556 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.