The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 14

mean "obedienl'8 ro f'R.ith," faith being re- •.• from God, the Father of us and of the gwded, not as OOUllll ejlfoiem, but 11s 11, com• Lord Jesus Ohrist," yet in Gnl11ti&ns, 1 e.nd m11,nding principle ex11,cting obedience to it• 2 Timothy, Rnd Titus, it is obviously in• self. 8o Meyer, who refers to p118s11,gos where Rdmiseible. And eTen without theso in• 11 genitive 11fter iltruiro¾i hM this me11ning: stances tho true manning would he.ve been 2 Cor. x. 5 ( kcur«nJ 'l"oii Xpurroii) ; 1 Pet. i. 22 prob&ble from ;,,,_;;,,, coming before '1110-00 (lllrair«nJ oriis &J..'1)8.!m); and also to Acts vi. 7 Xp1(1'ToO. If tho apostle had intended to (.'•rl,1rotH11· -rji ..-laT«). Tbe l&et of th~e express a rommon Fatherhood of God, ho qnotations would h11,ve been peculiarly 11p• would surely not h11,ve written, "Our Father po!!ire in BUpport of the interpretation oon• and Christ's," but rather, " Ohrist's e.nd tended for, were not ,,.,.,...,. •..,s in the text now ours" (of. John u. 17). hefore us an11,rthrous, so as to suggest ,ub- ,·emt,e faith, rather than "the faith delivered Vers. 8-17.-B. Introduction, in w1,ioh to the saints." as in Acts vi. 7. The ques- the wrller ezpresses hia strong interest in the tion ill, after 11,ll, ofno importance with regard .Roman Church, his long-cherished deaire to to the es..<oenti11,l idea intended to be con• "u;it it, and the ground, of this desire. veyed. 'Ev .,..;;,,., To,s re,,.,,.,,, seems to point especially to St. Paul's own apostleship (of. Ver. 8.-Firat, I thank my God through Acts :n:i.i. 21 ; Gil.I. i. 16; ii. 8, 9; Eph. iii. 1eaus Christ for you e.11, th11,t your faith is 1, 8), though, of course, the 11,postleship of spoken of (rather, procl,a,imed) in the whole all. wherever exercised, had a simil11,r world- world. We observe here, as in other Epistles, wide purpose. In using the expression here, St. Paul's w11,y of beginning with compli- he anticipates wh11,t he is about to BBy as to mentary la.ngu11,ge, e.nd expression of thank• his not shrinking from addressing even the fulness for the good he knew of in his Romans with e.uthority; his mission being readers. He thus intim11,t.es 11,t the outset t-0 a11 the nations. 'Tr•p .,-o;; ;,.,1,,,,11:ros ab.,-o;; his own good feeling towa.rds them, e.nd is best connected with "obedience of faith." predisposes them to te.ke in good pa.rt any The phrase is of frequent occurrence (cf. animadversions the.t may follow. "The A.cm v. 41; ix. 15; n. 26; x:ri. 13; also whole world" is_not, of course, to be tBken 2 TheSB. i 12). It is most usually ronnect.ed literally, bnt as e. phrase denoting general with the idea of suffering in behalf of Christ. notoriety. Simil11,rly in I These. i. 8, ,,, Ver. 6.-Among whom a.re ye also, called ,..,.,,.,.1 .,-&,rq,. .Asiy considerable number of ones af 181111B Christ; and therefore included converts in so important e. plBCe o.s Rome in my apostolic mission. Here the paren- would be likely to become notorious in Bll thetic passage ends, ver. 7 being the Christian circles, and even outside them sequence of ver. 1. might have e.lready begun to e.ttre.ot atten• Ver. 7.-To e.11 that be in ll.ome, beloved tion. at God, called to be sa.intl! ccf. ,o..,,.,-os .,... fo. Ver. 9.-l!'or God is my witness, whom I 'l""flAR, in ver. 1). Bengel's view, that by serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, ..,_.,.,.o,s B•oii are specially meant the Jew- that without oee.sing I me.ke mention of you ish Christians, as being " beloved for the in my prayers. A like solemn e.ssevemtion fathers' sakes" (eh. xi 28), and by KA7J-ro,s is me.de with a like intention (Phil. i. 8; cf. i.-ylois the Gilntile converts, is nut.enable. e.lso 2 Cor. xi. 31). It expresses the writer's Both phrases are e.pplicable to all. The earnestness, and is in plBoo for attestation of word iryloi, be it observed, is elsewhere used e. fa.et known only to himself e.nd God. The to denote all Christie.us, without implying word 7'.a.-rp•r,.. (" I serve"), when used in a eminenc.e in pell!Oil8.l holiness (cf. 1 Pet. ii religious sense, most usu11,Jly denotes "wor- 9. ;,,,_.u 3, . .. €8110s &-y,ov). Ore.ce to you ship," e.nd specifically the priestly services Bll.d peace from God our Father a.nd the Lord of the temple (Heb. viii. 6; ix. 9; x. 2: lena Chnat. The union, here e.nd else• xiii 10). St. Pa.nl's >,.ci.,-p•lci intended here where, of JesuB Christ with the Father e.s is not ceremonie.1 function, but e. spiritual imparting heavenly bleuiDg, implies his one (Iv .,-,; ,n,•6µ.,,..,-( /Ul11)-sn inward de• Deity no llB! than e.ny dogmatic statement votion of himself t.o God's service in pro- could do ; for it is surely impossible to con• claiming e.nd furthering "the gospel of his oeive the a.pestle thus eseocie.tiDg with the Son." A similar view of tlie essential Godhead one whom he regarded e.s a mere 11.A-rp.Ca. of Christie.ns is found in oh. xii. 1 : human being. The se.me form of bene- xv. 16; Phil. iii. 3: 2 Tim. i. 8; Heb. dicrum S. found e.t the beginning of e.ll St. iLH. Pe.ul'• Epi.llilell, a.nd there can be no donbt Ver. 10.-Alwa.yi (to be connected with that it.s me&DDg is 1111 given a.hove. For, 3•&µ.evos following, not, a.a in the Authorized thongn. here, in 1 e.nd 2 Corinthians, Ephe- Version, with the preceding µ.vd,w ,ro100µ.w) eie.IIJI, Philippiam, Colo1111ians, l and 2 Tha. in my prayen m&ldng reque■t, if by e.ny 118.loni&ns, e.nd Phil.emon. this collocation of means now e.t length (in some we.y Bt length w1.,rds might ollow the rc:ndering, "Grace: BOme dBy) I me.y be prospered to come unto Ott. r.1-82.] TBE EPISTLE OF PAUL ·ro THE ROMANS. 7