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, ch. 6 : I — 1 1 Besides, the objection in question is founded on a misapprehension of the eflfect and design of the law, and of the nature of sanctification. Deli- verance from the bondage of the law and from a legal spirit is essential tc holiness. When the Christian is delivered from this bondaje, he becomes the servant of God, and is brought under an influence which effectually secures his obedience, ch. 6 : 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 Christian, in order to be united to Christ and to bring forth fruit unto God, must first be freed from the law, ch. 7 : 1 — 6.
This necessity of deliverance from the law, does not arise from the fact that the law is evil, but from the nature of the case. The law is bu: 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 compla- cency in the excellence which it exhibits, but it cannot effectually secure the destruction of sin. This can only be done by the grace of Goa in Jesus Christ, ch. 7 : 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, called, and justified according to the divine purpose ; and they are the objects of the unchanging love of God, ch. 8: 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 aflfection, 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 doc- trine of the divine sovereignty is not inconsistent with the divine cha- racter 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 recompense of their sins, ch. 9 : 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, ch. 9 : 25—33. 10 : 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