414 ROMANS, EPISTLE TO THE
KOMANS, EPISTLE TO THE
the visit to Jerusalem, sliowiii}^ that at this period St. Paul was takin;,' particular pains both to secure unity within the Cluiroh ami, if it were possible, to win over the nation as a whole.*
We shouhl nut pass over the incidental reference in 15'" to St. Paul's jjower of working miracles. It is not known what event is referred to in 16* ; it can har<lly he the riot of Ac 19-^
7. Analysis. — (a) Introduction (1''").
1'"'. Extended fleeting.
1'"". Congratulations and personal notes, leading up to statement of the writer's Gentile apostleship and the theme of the Epistle — ' the righteous shall live by faith.'
(6) Riqhteou.incss (V'^-b).
J18-32 Kven the Gentiles mi^lit have known God, but they have not ; sin has followed ignorance, and God's anger is just.
2'"". God's judgment is universal and is only delayed in nieroy (n.h. vv.""", taking up the thought of I" and enijihasizing the similarity between .Jew and Gentile).
212-16 j^'Qt, the possession of the Law but the doing of it is the crucial question from the point of view of God's judgment.
217-29 Y)o the Jews keep the Law ? Certainly not. This suggests that we must look deeper to discover the true Jew and the true circumcision, which turn out to be spiritvial.
3'"*. Preliminary objections. What is the ad- vantage of the Jew (the answer is not given till chs. 9-11)? Man's disobedience does not invali- date God's promises, nor may this fact be made an e.vcuse for sin.
3^"-". Universal sinfulness proved by an appeal to Scripture, as it has already been proved by the appeal to e.xperience.
3-'"''. God's real method of salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ. It is connected with His death. This faith brings full forgiveness of sin and justi- fication ; it excludes all idea of personal merit and is essentially universal.
4'"^. The principle considered in relation to Abraham. He was justified by his faith, not by his actions, and that before the institution of circumcision. Nor did the promise come through the Law. His faith was shown by his acceptance of the promise of a son. The.se facts make him the father of all believers, of whatever race
/yy 11. 12. 16. 23ff. V
5'"^'. The results of this new righteousness by faith. It carries with it the assurance of present free access to God and the hope of final salvation, guaranteed by the love of God displayed in the death of Christ. The work of Christ stands in strong contrast with the eUects of Adam's fall
(VV.'2--'1).
(c) Sanctification (chs. 6-8).
6''". Our baptism is a death unto sin ; it there- fore implies a constant conflict against evil (some interpret this passage as implying that theoretic- ally at least the Christian cannot sin ; see § 8).
6i5_7s This truth illustrated by the double metaphors of emancipation from slavery and of marriage.
7'"-''. What, then, is the position of the Law ? It brings the occasion and the possibility of sin, though not itself sinful. To it is due the inward struggle in the self between good and evil (' flesh '), from which we are delivered by Christ (this section apparently refers not to the experience of the Christian but to that of the unregenerate man).
8'"". The work of tlie Spirit, bringing deliver- inoe from the 'flesh' (vv.'"'), the guarantee of
* On this point, which has an important bearing on the re- iabiiity of the view of St. Paul's character and policy presented n Acts, see A. Harnacli, Date of the Acts and of the Si/tioptic iospets, Eng. tr., London, 1911, pp. 64, 72 8.
bodily resurrection (vv."-"), of sonship and final glory.
gis-39 Tiie sorrows and yearnings of creation point forward to a future deliverance (vv. '"■-'"). In our present weakness we are sustained by the Spirit, and the certainty of God's linal purpose for us, a purpo.se which nothing can hinder.
(rf) The problem of the rejection of Israel (chs. 9-11).
9'"". The problem stated in its personal and general bearings.
96-13 Kroni the first there was a progressive selection and rejection ; the promise was not to all the actual descendants of Abraham.
9U-2S '['|,g principles of this selection rest on the will of God as Creator (Pharaoh, and the metaphor of the potter) ; against these the creature has no right of complaint. The OT shows that God's choice was to embrace Gentiles as well as Jews (vv.'--"-'-").
9*'-10-'. Israel chose the wrong way of attaining righteousness (9^°-10'), yet its attainment was near and easy. The univer.sal preaching of the gospel has brought to Israel both opiiortunity and warning.
ll'''". But after all the true Israel has always been a remnant, or small fraction, of the whole.
1111-36 Their very fall has the purpose of open- ing the way to the admission of the Gentiles. Yet they too must beware of presuming on their position (the olive tree) ; the rejection of the Jew is only temporary, till the final purpose is worked out. This is one of mercy to all, based on the methods of God's working, which are unfathomable by man.
(e) Practical exhortations (chs. 12-15").
12-13. Miscellaneous exhortations, centring round the idea of peace and unity, including sections on the right use of spiritual gifts and the attitude to the civil power.