The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 100

God'f!. sight. That ie very true, says James, but let us be sure that we have a real faith. '!'here is no real faith except works go along with it. Thus James brings out 1w side of the truth: "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." It is the exa~eration of this latter truth that mainly divides the Roman Catholic Church from the t'rotest:.ant Church as a whole. This exaggeration was the immediate origin of the Reformation. Instead of teaching men to put their faith in Christ, the Church of Rome taught them to place their confidence in their own good works. By the performance of certain penances and mortifications merit wae laid up for them in heaven. By the payment of certain sums of money absolution was obtained for past sins. Clearly this was very far from being the teaching of Scripture. Then Martin Luther arose, and, in words that soon rang throughout all Europe, proclaimed the doctrine of justification by faith. It was time that a check should be placed on the progress of error; that men should be taught to rest their hopes of salvation no longer on a prieet, on works of merit, or on sums of money, but on the Lord Jesus Christ. On the other hand, the doctrine of justification by faith bas been so much insisted on that there has sometimes been a neglect of good works. This error has not been committed by any Protestant Church a.s a whole, in its formal teaching at any rate, for all the reformed Churches have insisted on the neoessity of good works and a holy life as the elidence and fruit of true faith. But there has been sometimes an undue attention to beliefs combined with an undue neglect of practice. It is a well-known fact that very often the persons who are most dogmatic in their assertion of certain doctrines, and most fierce in their denunciation of those who differ from them, are among the most irreligious and most godless persons in their parish. With them the belief is every- thing; the practice is nothing. But this is not Christianity. To believe certain doctrines is not true faith. If the life is not changed, it matters little what we believe. When a man says that he believes in Christ, meaning that he believes certain doctrines about him, and is confident that therefore he is justified and safe for ever, while at the same time he lives in the practice of sin, that man's justification is very doubtful. It is important to keep before us the twofold meaning and influence of the doctrine of justification. L TBB TEACHING OF Sr. PAUL. "A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law." We are to remember that Paul, in this Epistle, was writiug to a Church largely composed of Christians of a Jewish origin. Ju the Christian Church at Rome there was, consequently, a considerable tendency to magnify the importance of good work:&--& tendency which was fostered by Judaizing teachers. It is easy to see, from many expressions in the Epistle, that Paul has Jewish Christians largely in his mind. He speaks, for instance, of" Abraham our father;" he deals with positions which were peculia.rly Jewish-as, for instance, the necessity of circumcision, and the exclusion of the Gentiles from the Church of God. "Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not al.so of the Gentiles?" (ver. 29). It was natural, therefore, for the apostle to lay t,peeial emphasis on the necessity for faith in Christ. He wants to show that some- thing more than good works was needed for jnstifica.tion. Abraham, it is true, was a good man ; but the works he did would not have saved him, were it not for the faith that he exhibited. " Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteous- nesa.., We cannot be jwitified by our own deeds, says Paul, because our best deeds come far short of the standard of righteousness which the Law le.ye down. Our own deeds are powerless to justify us. We need the righteousness of Christ. If we take hold of that righteousness believingly, and trust in it, we are justified. We a.re ju11tified by faith is the clear teaching of the apostle. But does he therefore do away with good wo;b? Certainly not. Most forcibly he himself repudiates such an idea. " Do we then make void the Law through faith?" he asks (ver. 81). "God forbid: yeo, we establish the Law." That is to say, the necessity for good works, for holy life, is Btill &B great. as ever. So, also, in the sixth chapter he protests against the idea that any one who professed faith in Christ should continue in sin. If we are made free from the guilt of sin, because we have believed on Christ, then we have become the servants of righteoUBneu (eh. vL 18). In the eighth chapter he brings out ev<ln more fully the duty of holy life. We are not to res~ con!,cnt in the ~su~an~o ihat there i~ no cun- demw.tion to 111. There mWlt be active life. 'l'he spmt 1s hfo because of righLeous- .Qell• &lid through the Spirit we Ill.Wit mortify the deeds of tho body, Henco we see  on. m.1-81,] THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROM.ANS. 95