PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans
Hodge, Charles, 1797–1878 · 193,921 words · 491 reading sections
ROMANS 10: 11—21. 259
clamation of the gospel was now as free from all national or ecclesiasti- cal restrictions, as the instructions shed down upon all people by the heavens under which they dwell. Paul of course is not to be understood as quoting the psalmist as though the ancient prophet was speaking 5f the preaching of the gospel. He si…
549 wordsSECTION 362260 ROMANS 10; 11—21.
preted ia the ancient prophet. In the first verse of that chapter Isaiah says, that God will manifest himself to those " who were not called by his name ;" and in the second he gives the immediate reason of this turning unto the Gentiles, " I have stretched out my hand all the day to a rebellious people." This quotatio…
159 wordsSECTION 363DOCTRINES.
1. Christianity is, from its nature, adapted to be a universal religion There is nothing, as was the case with Judaism, which binds it to a par- ticular location or confines it to a particular people. All its duties may be performed, and all its blessings enjoyed, in every part of the world, and by every nation under h…
314 wordsSECTION 364REMARKS.
1. Christians should breathe the spirit of a universal religion. A reli- gion 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 ;…
42 wordsSECTION 365ROMANS 10: 11—21. 261
which proposes to all the same conditions 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…
504 wordsSECTION 366262 ROMANS 11 : 1—10.
been withdrawn from a people, they are long in being restored.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. 12.…
39 wordsSECTION 367CONTENTS.
This chapter consists of two parts, vs. 1 — 10, and 11 — 3G. 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 …
168 wordsSECTION 368CHAP. 11 : 1—10.
=^1 say then. Hath God cast away his people 1 God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. '^God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the Scripture saith of Elias 1 how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, ^Lord, they have killed …
250 wordsSECTION 369ANALYSIS.
The rejection of the Jews is not total, as is sufficiently manifest from the example of the apostle himself, to say nothing of others, v. 1. God had reserved a remnant faithful to himself, as was the case in the times of E lias, vs. 2 — i. That this remnant is saved, is a matter entirely of grace, vs. 5, 6. The real tr…
108 wordsSECTION 370COMMENTARY.
(1) I say then, hath God cast away his people ? God forbid^ &c. 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 Ps. 94 : 14, " The Lord will not cast off his people," it is not wonderful, that the doctrine of the rejection of the Jews, as taugh…
439 wordsSECTION 371264 ROMANS 11: 1—10.
ceding verse. ' The entire and final rejection of the Jews is inconsist- ent with the fact of their being' foreknown^ or chosen as God's peculiar people.' The second interpretation requires more stress to be laid upon the words which he foreknew^ as qualifying and distinguishing the pre- ceding phrase, his people. ' Go…
560 wordsSECTION 372ROMANS 11 : 1—10. 265
himself the only worshipper of the true God left; whereas, in fact, there were many who remained faithful. (4) But what saith the answer of God unto him P I have reservea to myself seven thousand men, &c. ; 1 Kings 19 : 18. Ansiuer of God, divine response or oracle ; see the use of the. corresponding verb, Heb. 12 : 2…
573 wordsSECTION 373206 ROMANS 11 : 1—10.
The latter part of this verse is simply the converse of the former. But if of works, then it is no more grace / otherwise work is no more work. If founded on any thing in us, it is not founded on the mere good plea- sure of God. If the one be affirmed, the other is denied. This latter clause is left out of so many of t…
596 wordsSECTION 374ROMANS 11: 1—10. 267
Paul cites in support of his present purpose. Tiiey are in part descrip- tive of what had occurred in the times of the prophet, and in part of what should occur in aftertimes, and are, therefore, quoted in reference to the character and conduct of the Jews in the days of Christ (see Matt. 13 : 14). The import of such c…
570 wordsSECTION 375268 ROMANS 11: 1—10.
Even if the psalm here quoted be considered as referring to the sor rows 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 imprecated on them as such, an…
181 wordsSECTION 376DOCTRINES.
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 apostasy of a church or community from God is not a certain test of the character of all the individuals of which it may be compos…
268 wordsSECTION 377REMARKS.
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 are some who retain their integrity, we should never despair of the church, nor be loo ready to make intercession agains Israel. The foun-…
49 wordsSECTION 378ROMANS 11; 11—36. 269
dation 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, are 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 sal…
341 wordsSECTION 379CHAP. 11: 11—36. •
*^I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall 1 God forbid : but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. ^^Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles ; how much more their fulness. ^^For I sp…
217 wordsSECTION 380270 ROMANS 11: 11—36.
broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear', ^^for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. ^^Behold therefore th'e goodness and severity of God : on them which fell, severity ; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness : otherwise thou a…
364 wordsSECTION 381ANALYSIS.
/is 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 co…
203 wordsSECTION 382ROMANS 11: 11—36. 271
was a punishment of their unbelief, and not the expression of God's ulti- mate purpose respecting them, it is, as intimated in v. 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 ac- complish, vs…
190 wordsSECTION 383COMMENTARY.
(11) I sai/, then, have they stumbled that they should fall? God for hid, &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 reje…
351 wordsSECTION 384272 ROMANS 11: 11— 3G.
of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles," Acts 13 : 46. And in Acts 28 : 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." For to provoke them to jealousy. As the result and design of the rejectio…
583 wordsSECTION 385ROMANS 11: 11—36. 273
by which the mystical body is completed. Of these several meanings, that which best suits this passage is, fulness of blessings, or full bless- edness; i. e. their restoration to the full enjoyment of all their former privileges. ' If the loss or ruin of the Jews has been the occasion of good to the Gentiles, how much …
557 wordsSECTION 386274 ROMANS 11: 11—36.
what shall the receiving of them he but life from the dead? Although Paul here returns to the sentiment of the 12th verse, this passage is logi- cally connected with the preceding. 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 occasio…
590 wordsSECTION 387ROMANS 11: 11—36. 275
people. God, in selecting the Hebrew patriarchs and setting them apart for his service, had reference to their descendants as well as to themselves, 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…
554 wordsSECTION 388276 ROMANS 11: 11— .30.
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 being changed. (18) Boast not thyself against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. The truth which the apostle had just taught, that the Jews were the c…
561 wordsSECTION 389ROMANS 11: 11—36. 277
(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 Gentile, is either retained in the church, or excluded from it. As the one continues …
574 wordsSECTION 390278 ROMANS 11: 11—36.
* Lest ye proudly imagine that your own ideas of the destiny of the Jews are 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 wdth the literal meaning of the words ; see Proverbs 3:7. Blindness in part, i. e. parti…
555 wordsSECTION 391ROMANS 11: 11—36. 279
the converts of transgressions. But even according to the present text, the passage contains the general meaning which the apostle attributes to it. ' The Goel, the deliverer, should come for the salvation of Zion.' The apostle informs us that the deliverance vi^hich God promised to effect, and which is spoken of by t…
571 wordsSECTION 392280 ROMANS 11 : 11—36.
among the Gentiles ; and, therefore, the apostle says, it is for your sa/ces they are thus treated. On the other hand, 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 to whose seed the promises were made. This is but ex…
554 wordsSECTION 393ROMANS 11: 11—36. 281
(32) For God hath concluded all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. The word rendered hath concluded, means hath deliver^ ed over to the power of. Ps. 31 : 8, "Thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy ;" Ps. 78 : 50, " He gave their life over to the pestilence." In both these cases the Septuagint…
590 wordsSECTION 394282 ROMANS 11: 11—36.
and the happiness of his creatures are, and are to be, wonderfully pro- moted. His judgments are unsearchable. That is, his decisions, pur- poses, or decrees. Ps. 119: 75. In this sense this clause differs from the following. The plans and purposes of God are unsearchable, and his ways, his methods of executing" them, …
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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 1) v. 25. Nothing is said of this restoration being sudden, or effected …
542 wordsSECTION 396284 ROMANS 11: 11—36.
civil and ecclesiastical society, in the enjoyment of its peculiar advan tages, 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 to the…
554 wordsSECTION 397ROMANS 11: 11—36. 285
some of its precious consequences, to the Jews of this and every coming age, vs. 16, 27—39. ' 4. The destiny of our children and our children's children is suspended, in a great measure, on our fidelity. " God is a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth gene- ra…
466 wordsSECTION 398CONTENTS.
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 manifestations towards different classes of men.…
51 wordsSECTION 399CHAP. 12: 1—8.
*I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye pre- sent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, ^^nd be not conformed to this world : but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and per…
342 wordsSECTION 400COMMENTARY.
(1) / beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, &c. As the sum of all that Paul had said of the justification, sanctification,…
24 wordsSECTION 401ROMANS 12 : 1—8. 287
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 grati- tude the soul feels for pardon, purity, and the sure prospect of eternal life, is called forth to se…
559 wordsSECTION 40228& ROMANS 12: 1—8.
tion to ceremonial and external observances. Compare the phrase * milk suited, or pertaining to the mind,' 1 Pet. 2 : 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 were offered unto God,…
569 wordsSECTION 403ROMANS 12: 1—8. 289
of the word will. As, however, the expression ' acceptable will of God' is unnatural and unusual, the majority of modern commentators take them as substantives; 'that ye may approve what is good, acceptable and perfect, viz. the will of God.' The last phrase is then in apposition with the others. The design and result …
550 wordsSECTION 404290 ROMANS 12: 1--8.
right estimate of ourselves, and 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 b…
565 wordsSECTION 405ROMANS 12: 1—8. 891.
our translators, who, considering the passage as elliptical, have supplied in the several specifications the phrases vi^hich in each case the sense requires. Havings therefore, gifts differing according to the grace given unto «s, i. e. as there are in the one body various offices and gifts, let every- one act in a ma…
555 wordsSECTION 406292 ROMANS 12: 1—8.
however, is necessarily included in the former ; and the word is defined by Hesychius, measure, canon, or rule. The choice between the two niean- ings 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. …
588 wordsSECTION 407ROMANS 12: 1—8. 293
endowments. The deacons, therefore, were to attend to the poor and the sick, and not attempt to exercise the office of teachers. Ht that teacheth, on teaching. Teachers are elsewhere expressly- distinguished from prophets, 1 Cor. 12 : 28, 29, " God hath set some in the church ; first, apostles ; secondarily, prophets …
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charged with honesty, this with cheerfulness ; not as a matter of con straint, but with alacrity and kindness. On this the value of any service rendered to the children of sorrow mainly depends.…
33 wordsSECTION 409DOCTRINES.
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…
245 wordsSECTION 410REMARKS.
1. The effisct 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 result foi which they were designed, and we may-conclude that we are of the num- ber of his children. But if they…
206 wordsSECTION 411ROMANS 12: 1—8. 295
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 good of his church, and not…
518 wordsSECTION 412CHAP. 12 : 9—21.
^Lct love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil : cleave to that which is good. ^^Be kindly affectioned one to another with bro therly love ; in honour preferring one another ; *^not slothful in business fervent in spirit ; serving- the Lord; ^^j-ejoicing in hope; patient in tri- bulation; continuing insta…
202 wordsSECTION 413ANALYSIS.
Having 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 precepts which…
153 wordsSECTION 414COMMENTARY.
(9) Let love he without dissimulation, i. e. sincere, not hypocritical, and not consisting in words merely. The love here intended is proba- bly love to all men, and not to Christians exclusively, as in v. 10 hro< therly affection is particularly specified. Much less is love to God the idea meant to be expressed. Abho…
107 wordsSECTION 415ROMANS 12: 9—21. 297
anJ, in the middle, to attach one's self to any person or thing. The words evil and good, in this passage, may he understood 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 context, take th…
553 wordsSECTION 416298 ROMANS 12: 9—21.
tence, thus understood, describes the motive from which zeal and dili- gence should proceed. Compare Eph. 6: 5 — 8, especially the expres- sions as unto Christ, as ike servants of Christy as to the Lord, &c. ; and Col. 3 : 22, 23. (12) Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer. These exho…
545 wordsSECTION 417ROMANS 12: 9—21. S99
which signifies to imprecate evil on any one. The command, therefore, is that, so far from wishing or praying that evil may overtake our perse- cutors and enemies, we must sincerely desire and pray for their good. (15) Rejoice with them that do rejoice^ and weep with them that weep. Love produces not only the forgiven…
571 wordsSECTION 418300 ROMANS 12: 9—^21.
them.' The words rendered to men of loiv estate admit of being- taken as neuter, and translated lowly things. This would well suit the former part of the sentence, ' Mind not high things, but condescend to humble affairs, i. e. be humble.' But this interpretation is not consistent with the usage of the Greek terms. The…
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siders, however, as a result not always to be attained, for he says, if it be possible live peaceably with all men. (19) Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves ; hut rather give place unto wrath, &c. This is a repetition and amplification of the previous injunc- tion, not to recompense evil for evil. There are three in…
589 wordsSECTION 420302 ROMANS 12: 9—21.
suppose the allusion is to the practice of throwing firebrands upon the heads of the besiegers of a city, or to the fusing of metals. Paul does not mean to say, ' Treat your enemy kindly, for in so doing you will secure his being punished by God in the severest maaner.' His meaning is, ' Treat your enemy kindly, for in…
237 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.