The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 114

his natuml powers, mthont the gmce of Vere. 4, 11.-Now to him that worketh 11 God." Alfo!U,. following Meyer, BBytl t.hat the reward not reokoned of gn.oe, but of INl"T4 ,rd.p,ca 1s In oontrast to ,c11.,.a .,,.,.,{,µa., debt (literally, acoonU,ag to grace, but acaord- and thRt it "rt'fors to that department of our ing to the debt, i.e. aocording to what is b{,ing from "·hfoh spring works. in contrnst due). But to him that worketh not, but with that in which is the e:i.<>rcif!ll of fuit.h." believeth on him that jueti.11.eth the ungodly, Diflkulty is avoided if (as is the most his faith is reokoned for righteo11Blle1&. 'l'!Je natuml inferenoe from the best anthenti- expression, "him that worketh " ( .,.., lp-y11• cst<"<i reading) we take 1e....-a ,rd.p1<a in con- {'oµlv'I'), evidently means him tbat works nection mth n-r•pcr. or trpor,fropa., in the with 11, view to n reWBrd whioh he can olaim; sense of our forefather in the way of natural or, BS Luther explains it, "one who deru.s in desc<>nt, the question being put from the works; " or, 1\8 we might say with the SBme Je1rish standpoint ; anrl this in distinction signification, "the worker," (For 11, like use from the other oonception of descent from of the present participle, cf, Gal. v. 8, ,,.,; .Abraham, according to whioh ell the faithful r•p,.,..µvop.lv'I'-) So also in ver. 5, ,,.. µ:/, are ce.lled his children (of. oh. i. 8; ix. 3, 5, lp-ya(op.lvq, means one who does not so work. 8 : l Cor. L IS). Among the ancients Thus t.here is here no denie.l of the necessity Chryeoetom and Tbeophylaot take this view. of good works. It is the principle only of justi- For the import of £1,p~"""a" of. Luke i 80 fication that is in view. "Neqne enim fidelea ( ~p•~ X41''." rmpa: .,.'f 8•i) and Heb. ix. 12 vnlt esse ignavos; sed ta.ntum mercenaril\8 ( aia,vuiv AV'TfJ"'<TUI •11pd.,,£11os). esse vetat, qui a Deo quicque.m reposcant Ver. 2.-For if A.bra.ham was justified by quasi jnre de bi tum" (Ce.lvin), One view of works, he hath whereof to glory ; but not the meaning of .,.;; ip-ya(oµ,vcp is that it is before God. Many comment.a.tore te.ke this equivalent to .,.,;; lp-yifrp, being mee.nt e.s an verse to imply that, even if he tDaB justified illustration, thus: The workman's wage is by works, he still had no ground of glorying due to him, anrl not granted e.s 11, favour (so before G<>d, though he might have before Alford). But this notion does not snit the men. But the drift of the whole argument ... ,;; µ:/, ip-ya.t·oµ,vq, in the following verse. being to show that he was not justified by The strong word d<r•fJ11 (" ungodly") is not works at all, this interpretation c.a.n hardly to be understood 1\8 designating Abraham stand. "Not before God" must therefore himself, the proposition being a general one. have reference to the whole of the preceding Nor do,·s it imply that continued dcre{J.a11 sentence, in the sense, "It was not so in the is consistent witll justifiootion; only that sight of God." Before God (as appears from even the d"e/Ms a.re justified through faith the ten to be quoted) he had not whereof on their repentance and amendment (of. eh. to glory on the ground of being justifiecl by v. 6, Vlr~p d.trE/3"1v cl:1rlOa.ve). works, and therefore it follows that it wBS Vere. 6-8.-Even as David also describeth not by works that he WBS justified. the blessedness (>...-y.. ,,.b., p.a.1eap1crµo11. The Ver. 3.-Por what &a.ith the Scripture! noun means properly e. declaring blessed .A.bra.ham believed God, aud it was reckoned -beatitatis pr1edicatio-" Eloqnitur illud 1llltO him fur righteousness. This not.able beati prmconiam" (Bengel). We might text (Gen. xv. 6), declaring the ground of render, "David tells of the blessing on the Abraham's acceptance, is similarly quoted man," etc.) of the man unto whom God in the cognate pa.ssa.ge, Gal. iii 6. It has reckoneth (>,..o-yl(,,,.a.,, a.s before. Imputeth a peculiar cogency in the general argument in the .Authorized Version suggests the from being in connection with, e.nd with idea of n different word being used) reference to, one of the Divine promises to righteonmess ape.rt from works, saying, Abraham of e.n unnumbered seed; so that Blessed are they whose iniquities are for- it mav be understood with an extended given, and whose sins are oovered. Blessed application t.o those who were to inherit the iB the man to whom the Lord will not J,lessin~. u well e.s to the "father of the reckon (>,..o-y/"11,,.a.1, a.a before, and so faithful," and so decla.ring the principle throughout the whole passe.ge) sin (Ps. of jmtifica.tinn for all the " children of the xxxii. I, 2). The introduction of this promise." Furtlier, it would be pecnlia.rly testimony of David to the so.me principle tdling as addressed to the Jews, who ma.de of justific,1tion serves not only to explain such e. point of their descent from Abraham it further, but also to show that under the BB the root of e.11 their position of privilege Law too it continued to be recognized; and (cf. Pa. CV. 6; Isa. ili 8; li. 2; Matt. iii. by David himself, the typical king nnd !l: Luke iii. 8; John viii 89). 'l'he two pse.lmist under the legal dispensation. Dut Ei '..'IJifica.ut exprei:!Hions in it are br{",,.'""' tl,c, argument from Abraham ii not discon- (,J,,notiog faith, not works) and l>..O')'((f/Jf/ ,is. tiouoo, being resumc,cl in the noxt vorse, '.l'hEc whole phrase, thi, aJ)'lstle proceeds to nnd continued to the end o! the chapter. 11&)', implif!S that t!JEc reward spoken of wu If it bu said that these ver110s from Ps. xxxH. i,ot earuc,d, but gri.ntoo. do not in themaelves deolnro a goue;rol  mr. rv. 1-26,] THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. 109