CHAPTER 1
\nRo 1:1\u201417. Introduction.
\n1. Paul\u2013(See on Ac 13:9).
\na servant of Jesus Christ\u2013The word here rendered \u201cservant\u201d means \u201cbond-servant,\u201d or one subject to the will and wholly at the disposal of another. In this sense it is applied to the disciples of Christ at large (1Co 7:21\u201423), as in the Old Testament to all the people of God (Is 66:14). But as, in addition to this, the prophets and kings of Israel were officially \u201cthe servants of the Lord\u201d (Jos 1:1; Ps 18:1, title), the apostles call themselves, in the same official sense, \u201cthe servants of Christ\u201d (as here, and Php 1:1; Jam 1:1; 2Pe 1:1; Jud 1:1), expressing such absolute subjection and devotion to the Lord Jesus as they would never have yielded to a mere creature. (See on Ro 1:7; Jn 5:22,23).
\ncalled to be an apostle\u2013when first he \u201csaw the Lord\u201d; the indispensable qualification for apostleship. (See on Ac 9:5; Ac 22:14; 1Co 9:1).
\nseparated unto the\u2013preaching of the
\ngospel\u2013neither so late as when \u201cthe Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul\u201d (Ac 13:2), nor so early as when \u201cseparated from his mother\u2019s womb\u201d (see on Ga 1:15). He was called at one and the same time to the faith and the apostleship of Christ (Ac 26:16\u201418).
\nof God\u2013that is, the Gospel of which God is the glorious Author. (So Ro 15:16; 1Th 2:2, 8, 9; 1Pe 4:17).
\n2. Which he had promised afore \u2026 in the holy scriptures\u2013Though the Roman Church was Gentile by nation (see on Ro 1:13), yet as it consisted mostly of proselytes to the Jewish faith (see on Introduction to this Epistle), they are here reminded that in embracing Christ they had not cast off, but only the more profoundly yielded themselves to, Moses and the prophets (Ac 13:32, 33).
\n3, 4. Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord\u2013the grand burden of this \u201cGospel of God.\u201d
\nmade of the seed of David\u2013as, according to \u201cthe holy scriptures,\u201d He behooved to be. (See on Mt 1:1).
\naccording to the flesh\u2013that is, in His human nature (compare Ro 9:5; Jn 1:14); implying, of course, that He had another nature, of which the apostle immediately proceeds to speak.
\n4. And declared\u2013literally, \u201cmarked off,\u201d \u201cdefined,\u201d \u201cdetermined,\u201d that is, \u201cshown,\u201d or \u201cproved.\u201d
\nto be the Son of God\u2013Observe how studiously the language changes here. He \u201cwas made [says the apostle] of the seed of David, according to the flesh\u201d (Ro 1:3); but He was not made, He was only \u201cdeclared [or proved] to be the Son of God.\u201d So Jn 1:1, 14, \u201cIn the beginning was the Word \u2026 and the Word was made flesh\u201d; and Is 9:6, \u201cUnto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.\u201d Thus the Sonship of Christ is in no proper sense a born relationship to the Father, as some, otherwise sound divines, conceive of it. By His birth in the flesh, that Sonship, which was essential and uncreated, merely effloresced into palpable manifestation. (See on Lu 1:35; Ac 13:32,33).
\nwith power\u2013This may either be connected with \u201cdeclared,\u201d and then the meaning will be \u201cpowerfully declared\u201d [Luther, Beza, Bengel, Fritzsche, Alford, &c.]; or (as in our version, and as we think rightly) with \u201cthe Son of God,\u201d and then the sense is, \u201cdeclared to be the Son of God\u201d in possession of that \u201cpower\u201d which belonged to Him as the only-begotten of the Father, no longer shrouded as in the days of His flesh, but \u201cby His resurrection from the dead\u201d gloriously displayed and henceforth to be for ever exerted in this nature of ours [Vulgate, Calvin, Hodge, Philippi, Mehring, &c.].
\naccording to the spirit of holiness\u2013If \u201caccording to the flesh\u201d means here, \u201cin His human nature,\u201d this uncommon expression must mean \u201cin His other nature,\u201d which we have seen to be that \u201cof the Son of God\u201d\u2013an eternal, uncreated nature. This is here styled the \u201cspirit,\u201d as an impalpable and immaterial nature (Jn 4:24), and \u201cthe spirit of holiness,\u201d probably in absolute contrast with that \u201clikeness, of sinful flesh\u201d which He assumed. One is apt to wonder that if this be the meaning, it was not expressed more simply. But if the apostle had said \u201cHe was declared to be the Son of God according to the Holy Spirit,\u201d the reader would have thought he meant \u201cthe Holy Ghost\u201d; and it seems to have been just to avoid this misapprehension that he used the rare expression, \u201cthe spirit of holiness.\u201d
\n5. By whom\u2013as the ordained channel.
\nwe have received grace\u2013the whole \u201cgrace that bringeth salvation\u201d (Tit 2:11).
\nand apostleship\u2013for the publication of that \u201cgrace,\u201d and the organization of as many as receive it into churches of visible discipleship. (We prefer thus taking them as two distinct things, and not, with some good interpreters, as one\u2013\u201cthe grace of apostleship\u201d).
\nfor obedience to the faith\u2013rather, \u201cfor the obedience of faith\u201d\u2013that is, in order to men\u2019s yielding themselves to the belief of God\u2019s saving message, which is the highest of all obedience.
\nfor his name\u2013that He might be glorified.
\n6. Among whom are ye also\u2013that is, along with others; for the apostle ascribes nothing special to the Church of Rome (compare 1Co 14:36) [Bengel].
\nthe called\u2013(See on Ro 8:30).
\nof Christ Jesus\u2013that is, either called \u201cby Him\u201d (Jn 5:25), or the called \u201cbelonging to Him\u201d; \u201cChrist\u2019s called ones.\u201d Perhaps this latter sense is best supported, but one hardly knows which to prefer.
\n7. beloved of God\u2013(Compare De 33:12; Col 3:12).
\nGrace, &c.\u2013(See on Jn 1:14).
\nand peace\u2013the peace which Christ made through the blood of His cross (Col 1:20), and which reflects into the believing bosom \u201cthe peace of God which passeth all understanding\u201d (Php 4:7).
\nfrom God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ\u2013\u201cNothing speaks more decisively for the divinity of Christ than these juxtapositions of Christ with the eternal God, which run through the whole language of Scripture, and the derivation of purely divine influences from Him also. The name of no man can be placed by the side of the Almighty. He only, in whom the Word of the Father who is Himself God became flesh, may be named beside Him; for men are commanded to honor Him even as they honor the Father (Jn 5:23)\u201d [Olshausen].
\n8. your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world\u2013This was quite practicable through the frequent visits paid to the capital from all the provinces; and the apostle, having an eye to the influence they would exercise upon others, as well as their own blessedness, given thanks for such faith to \u201chis God through Jesus Christ,\u201d as being the source, according to his theology of faith, as of all grace in men.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CHAPTER 1 Ro 1:1\u201417. Introduction. 1. Paul\u2013(See on Ac 13:9). a servant of Jesus Christ\u2013The word here rendered \u201cservant\u201d means \u201cbond-servant,\u201d or one subject to the will and wholly at the disposal of another. In this sense it is applied to the disciples of Christ at large (1Co 7:21\u201423), as in the Old Testament to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"twitterCardType":"","cardImageID":0,"cardImage":"","cardTitle":"","cardDesc":"","cardImageAlt":"","cardPlayer":"","cardPlayerWidth":0,"cardPlayerHeight":0,"cardPlayerStream":"","cardPlayerCodec":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/purposedriven.ca\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/purposedriven.ca\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/purposedriven.ca\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purposedriven.ca\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purposedriven.ca\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10386"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/purposedriven.ca\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10386\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/purposedriven.ca\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purposedriven.ca\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purposedriven.ca\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}