The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 311

Christian land, make light of the blessings of the gospel, resist its invitat1one and eet at naught its counsele.-O. H. I. ' Vere. 1-11.-The freenea, of Balvation. The apostle's heart yeal'Il8 for hie people. For he recognizes their sincerity in much of their grievous mistakin.,.0 of the ways of God. They had zeal for God, though the zeal w11.11 unreasonable and irreli<:rioll8. Unreasonable; for how can man make himself jll8t before God, guilty and sinfnt°aa he is? and why should the Jew think that, if this were poBBible, only one small portion of the race should be suffered to work out its righteousness? Irreligious• for instead oft.he humility as regards one's self, ans the charity aa regards others, which are two essentials of the life in God, there was a proud self-aBBertiveness, and a narrow bigotry. They must learn that God's favour is by grace (vers. 5-11), and for all (vera. 12-21). We have here-the freeness of salvation. I. THE ERROR OF THE JEws. 1. Ignoramoo. "Of God's righteousness." That is, of the fact that the justification of a sinner can only come of God's free grace. Surely their Law might have taught them this: negatively, for it should have made them realize their own utter imperfectness and impotence; positively, for had they not read (Gen. xv. 6) that Abraham was counted righteous through faith in God? and (Hab. ii. 4) that all just ones shall live by faith? 2. Self-sufficiency. "Seeking to establish their own." That is (see GJdet), as a monument, raised, not to God's glory, but to show forth their own achievements. Here was the pride of man, which must be brought down before any way can be made towards God (Matt. v. 3). 3. Disobedi.ena. " Did not subject themselves." For the very faith whereby we receive God's free forgiveness is an act of submission, an abnegating of our false pride, a yielding to a way which is higher and better than our own (see eh, i. 5 ; vi. 17). 4. Fro.stration of the very pur- port of their own Law. "For Christ is the End of the Law." All was designed to lead to him ; the holy commands were to make them know their guilt and weakness, and crave for pardon and grace ; the sacrifices and ceremonies were at once to stamp the fact of sin more deeply into their consciousness, and to give them a glimmering hope of propitiation and purifying. To Christ all these things directly and indirectly tended ; but the veil was on their eyes, that they "should not look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away" (2 Cor. iii. 13). II. THE TR)JTII OF Goo. 1. " The righteousness which is of the Law" was, that it ehould be done by man's efforts, conjoined with the grace of God. For, according to God's intent, grace was with the giving of the Law: pardon, for realized imperfection; help, for realized frailty; the coming of Christ, as the end of all its precepts and ceremonial. But if man would ignore this element of grace, there was nothing for him but a penect fulfilling of an impossible righteousness I Doing it, he should live by it. They tried; the world bas tried: the end thereof is death I 2. "The righteousness which is of faith" bath taught us better things. (1) Not the severe effort of the soul, by ecstatic oontemplation, to attain to communion with Heaven : the Buddhist, the Christian mystic. For Heaven has come down to earth; we have but to confess the Sonship of Jesus, au.d live a life in him who has hallowed all life. (Consider the lnc~rnation, and the gift of the Spirit, as illustrating" the Word is nigh thee.") So," the trivial round," etc. (2) Not the painful anguish of the soul, as by a crucifixion, to make atonement for its guilt : the devotee, the ascetic. For the atoaement is made, and, to testify its completeness, he has risen from the dead. We have but to believe this in our heart, and then, "there is now no condemnation." Yes, the faith which works by love: accepting with all our heart the free forgiveness which is through Christ's death, and acknowledging him with our whole life as our true Lord and King. So no shame, but perfect liberty and perfect love.-T. F. L. Vere. 12-21.-The universality of the gospel. The favour of God is free. But the apostle has nlrendy indicated nnother antncronisru to the ignorant zenl of his pe,,ple : the favour of God, being free, is free for all (vers. 4, 11). As Godet says, "Paul has justified the mntter of his preac~iug, snlvnt1on by grace; he. now j_nstifi~s its exten- sion." Ho bore sots forth the umversality of the gospel 1\9 evident lrom 1t.s very free- ness, ns o.ntioipated by tho Law, ns consistent with tho exclusion of Israel from. ite ble~sedness, 3!0 THE EPISTLE OF !'AUL TO THE ROMANS. [cm. x. 1-21.