In fact, juet retribution is essential to the e.postle's conception of the display of the righteousness of God; and the Di vine wrath has to him a real and awful mee.ning. Thus he by no means ignores or abates the force of what- ever is meant by the mp To aUv,av, and the 1(6.\au,c; al4tioc;, spoken of by our Lord (Matt. xxv. 41, 46) ; as to which expressions the question i11- Whe.t ie implied by the word a.I<Iw,os? One view, entertained by some, iq that, though euoh expressions as ~>..f0poc; a~vioc; (2 Thees. i. 9) and <iW To .,.,>..os a'll"w>..na (Phil. iii. 19) preclude hope of any restoration of the utterly lost, yet that their perdition may be reconciled with the idea. of the final triumph of universe.I good by mpposing euch lost ones to cease in the end to be as individual souls at all, like things hopelessly blighted which come to nothing. And it has been argued that such words as oM0poc; and cl'll"w>..t:ia in themselves suggest the idea. of final destruction rather than of endless suffering. Enough here to draw attention to this view, our purpose in this Commentary being not to dogma.tize on mysterious subjects which are evidently beyond our grasp, but rather to present conceptions of them that ma.y be considered tenable. 3. Predestinaticm. This Epistle having been a. principal battle-ground of the predeetina.rie.n controversy, and often regarded a.a a. stronghold of Calvinism, special attention ma.y be directed to the sections that bear a.pon this subject. These are especially eh. viii. 28-39 ; ix. 6-24; and, in a more general way, eh. iL, x., xi., ,throughout. In the exposition of these passages an honest attempt has been ma.de to view them a.part from the battle-field of controversy, eo as to get at their real meaning in view simply of their context, their apparent purpose, and the language used. It will be seen, among other things, that oh. ix., x., xi., though they have been used in support of theories of the absolute predestination of individuals to glory or damnation, do not really bear on individual predestination, but rather on the election of races of men to positions of privilege and favour; the present rejection of the race of Israel from the inheritance of the promises, and its prospect of restoration to favour, being in view throughout these chapters. In eh. viit, where the predestination to fine.I glory of such a.a a.re called to faith in Christ is undoubtedly spoken of, ell that need be here said is that in the Exposition an attempt has been ma.de to discover what the apostle really teaches, and his purpose in eo teaohing, on this mysterious subject, which is in its depths inscra.table. 4. La,w. One idea pervading the doctrinal part of the Epistle, and evidently deeply fixed in St. Paul's mind, is that of latD. What is often specifically meant, and what had probably suggested the whole idea to him, is the Law given from Mount Sinai; but he uses the word also in a wider sense, so as to denote generally requirement of obedience to a moral code, appealing to the ooneoienoe. We may suppose that he had long, even before his conversion, wondered how it was that the Law given through Moses, holy and Divine as he had ever esteemed and never ceased to esteem it, should have proved 110 inoperative for conversioll of the heart, nay, rvi INTRODUOTION TO
should seem rather t,o intensify the guilt of sin than to deliver from it. He had thru; been led to consider what the office a.nd purpose of the Law really was, e.nd henoe of le.w genera.Uy, as expressing the principle of exe.otion of obedienoe, under threat of punishment, to moral behests. And he found that all thR-t law in itself could do was t.o restrain from overt transgressions such persons as would not be restrained without it ; but the.t it had also e. further office in the economy of grace, viz. t.o define and bring out the sense of sin in the human conscience, e.nd so to prepare for the deliverance of redemption. This his view of the meaning and office of le.w it is impor- tant t.o keep in mind. As t.o the difference of meaning of c\ voµ.os and of voµ.os without the article, as used by St. Paul, see note on oh. ii. 13.
§ 10. 8t1llKABY OP 0oNTEN'l'L
L hmioDUCTOBY. Ch. i. 1-16. A. Sal,utation, with significant parenthesis. Oh. i. 1-7. B. Introduction, expressing the writer'■ motives and feelings towards thoee addressed. Ch. i. 8-16. ll l>oor&INAL. Ch. i. 17-x:i. 36. 0. ~ dod:ri'M of the right«>u.mesa of God, propounded, established, and explaiD.ed. Ch. i. 17-vili. 39. (1) All m.a.nkind liable t.o the wrath of God. Oh. i. 18-il. 29. (a) The heathen world in general Ch. i. 18--32. (b) Those also who judge others, not excepting the Jews. Ch. ii. 1-29. (2) Certain objections with regard t.o the Jews suggested and met. Oh. ili. 1-8. (3) The t.estimony of the Old Testament to universal sinfulness. Oh. iii, 9-20. ( 4) The right.eousne■s of God, manifested in Christ, and apprehended by faith, set forth as the sole remedy, available for all. Oh. ili. 21-31. (5) Abraham himself shown to have been j11Btified by faith, and not by works believers being his true heirs. Oh. iv. 1-25. (6) Results ~f the revelation of the righteoueness of God. Oh. v. 1-21. (a) On the coneciouenese and hopes oC believers. Oh. v. 1-11. (b) On the position of mankind before God. Oh. v. 12-21. (7) Moral results t.o believers.. Ch. vi._ I-viii 3~. .. (a) The obligation to holineBB of life. Oh. VL 1-vn. 6. (b) How Law prepares the soul for emancipation in Chri■t from the dominion of sin. Oh. vil. 7-25, (c) The blessed condition and aasured hope of them that are in Ohri■ t, and walk after the Spirit. Oh. viii. 1-39. D. The pre,ent po_situm and the prospedd of the Jewish nation with reference thereto. Cb. ix. 1-:x.i. 36. (1) Deep regret expressed Co\ the I_>reeent ex~!UBion of the Jewish nation from inheritance of the promU1es. Oh. lX, 1-6. (2) But it iB not inconmtent with- , (a) God's faithfulneu to his promiaeB. Oh. ix. 6-13. (b) H.iajuetice. Ch. ix. 14-24. (c) The word of prophecy. Ch. iL 25-29. (3) '!'he caUBe iB in tlie fault of the Jews themselve■• ~h. ix. 30-x. 2~. (4) They are not finally rejected, but, through the ca~mg of tho Gent1loa, will be brc,ught into the Church at last. Oh. XI, 1-36. THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE BOKANS. :JtVil