Rom 6:1

Rom 6: See Lesson, Baptism, at a.

WHAT SHALL WE SAY, THEN: “What shall we conclude?” (cp usages, in Rom 3:5; 4:1; 6:1; 7:7; 8:31; 9:14,30).

SHALL WE GO ON SINNING SO THAT GRACE MAY INCREASE?: This question is effectively answered in vv 2-14, and may be summarized: “No! because ‘dead men’ don’t sin!” The significance of baptism (a death and a burial, as well as a resurrection) shows that continuing in sin is precluded. The man of SIN died in the waters of baptism!

Augustine said that the doctrine of justification led to the maxim, “Love God and do whatever you please.” Because we have misunderstood one of the gospel’s most basic themes, Augustine’s statement looks to many like a license to indulge one’s sinful nature, but in reality it touches upon the motivation the Christian has for his actions. The person who has been justified by God’s grace has a new, higher, and nobler motivation for holiness than the shallow, hypocritical self-righteousness or fear that seems to motivate so many religious people today. The person who has truly been justified is truly PLEASED to do the Father’s will!

GO ON SINNING: “Continue” (AV), or “abide” in THE sin… The Gr “epimeno” sig to abide in something, as in a house (cp Acts 10:48; Phi 1:24) — thus alluding to the “domain” or “kingdom” of the personified Power of Sin (Rom 5:21…).

THAT GRACE MAY INCREASE: The philosophy of some in the first century (sometimes called the “Antinomians”, or those who were against law) was that sins are automatically discharged by the operation of divine grace. Today, the theory of “substitution” perpetuates the same fallacious idea. But sins are in no way automatically forgiven; there must be a change in the mind and life of the believer, a change which will render the whole idea of sin repugnant.

Rom 6:2

BY NO MEANS: The AV has “God forbid!” — although the name of God does not appear. A very powerful exclamation: “Let it not be!” Paul has already repudiated a similar suggestion in a somewhat different context (Rom 3:8). It is probable that in the past, as he taught justification, objections of this sort were raised from time to time by those who feared that his teaching opened the door to libertinism by encouraging indifference to the ethical demands of the law. If so, his answer is not something recently developed, but rather forged out in years of reflection under divine guidance.

WE DIED TO SIN: He does not say that sin is dead to the believer (but that the believer is dead to sin). Rom 7 is a sufficient refutation of the notion that the believer will never sin again! What Paul presents here is not the impossibility of committing a single sin, but the impossibility of continuing in a life dominated by sin.

LIVE IN IT ANY LONGER: Again, as in v 1, emphasizing the point: “Sin” is not just a single act, or even several acts — rather, it is a dominion where a man or woman might choose to live! The believer can never reach a place where he or she is free from even a single sinful act (and the blessing is in knowing that such acts can be forgiven, if sincerely repented of), but he or she must never choose to dwell or settle in a place where “King Sin” rules, and where sinning makes no difference!

Under normal conditions, we all live in the place (sinful nature) where sin is committed (see Rom 8:3), but in Christ we can make that same place a “beachhead” of an invading force, and the sphere of righteousness (see Rom 2:14,15; 8:13; 1Pe 2:24). In the normal state, we are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:15; Col 2:13; 1Ti 5:6), but in Christ we are called to be conformable unto his death (Phi 3:10), by (a) crucifying the lusts of the flesh that war against the demands of the Truth (Gal 5:24; Rom 8:13; Col 3:5; Gal 2:19-21), and (b) living unto Christ (Col 3:3; 2:20; 2Ti 2:11). In like manner, we may be spoken of as “citizens of heaven” (Phi 3:20), even whilst living in this world!

Rom 6:3

BAPTIZED: The Greek sig to be dipped, as a garment which is to be dyed, or a vessel to be submerged in water (Vine). Very clearly this points to total immersion or submersion of an object in a liquid.

INTO HIS DEATH: The metaphor of baptism is clearly used in a relational sense elsewhere, as in the case of the Israelites baptized into Moses by reason of the crossing of the Red Sea (1Co 10:2). They became united to him as never before, recognizing his leadership and their dependence on him. Union with Christ means union with him in his death. It is significant that although Jesus emphasized discipleship throughout his ministry, he did not speak of union with himself till he was on the verge of going to the cross (John 14-16).

Thus those who are baptized “into his death” become partakers of that death, both as to its general purpose (the denial of sin’s power) and its specific intent (the basis for the forgiveness of sins). The death of Christ was the final “sealing” of the life of self-sacrifice and repudiation of the flesh that he had lived out for 33 years. His literal death upon the cross was the final victory (“It is finished”). Our “death” in baptism is our physical demonstration of what we intend to do, in the same principle, for the rest of our lives, until the final victory is won in us as well (1Co 15:55). We must figuratively “crucify the lusts and passions of the flesh” (Gal 5:24; Heb 9:22), showing that we have left them behind in the “grave” of baptism.

“Baptism being the institution that affords scope for the obedience of faith, and obedience to the faith, can only be Scripturally and rightly observed by a true believer — a believer of ‘the truth as it is in Jesus.’ The religious use of water is of no efficacy to any other kind of subject. No invention can supply the lack of an intelligent belief of the gospel of the kingdom in the person to be baptized. He must be ‘dead to sin,’ that he may be ‘baptized into Christ’s death,’ who ‘died for sin once;’ for it is only the dead, in this sense, who are released or freed from sin (Rom 6:1,3,10,7).

“The quantity of water is not sufficient if the subject cannot be buried therein. In whatever place there are persons ‘ordained for eternal life,’ sufficient water will always be found. The quantity required is indicated by the word immersion, which is the English synonym for the Greek word ‘baptisma’. ‘We are buried with Christ,’ says Paul, ‘through the baptism into the death’ of Christ. The action of baptism is, therefore, a burial in water as a sign of burial with Christ; which signified burial no one can be the subject of who does not believe ‘the things of the name of Jesus Christ.’ The phrase used by Christ in his conversation with Nicodemus, indicates the quantity of water, and the action inseparable from baptism — ‘Except a man be born of water and spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’ To be born of anything is to emerge from that thing in which the subject of birth had been previously concealed. Hence, no one can be ‘born of water’ unless he had been covered with, or put out of sight, in water. The action of baptism is, therefore, clearly a burying in water, or immersion, and an emergence from it. This is a sign based upon the burial of Christ crucified for our offences, and his resurrection for our justification (Rom 4:25); and signifies that the subject, having Christ in him by faith (Eph 3:17), is crucified, dead, buried and risen together with him, to walk in newness of life” (Eur vol 3).

Rom 6:4

See VL, Christ’s resurrection, reality.

BURIED WITH HIM: Lit “together with him”. Burial is the “seal” of death; there can be no burial unless there is a death! The importance of burial is that it attests the reality of death (1Co 15:3,4). It expresses with finality the end of the old life governed by relationship with Adam. It also expresses the impossibility of a new life apart from divine action.

Since, in the absolute sense, Christ’s death was the only perfect “death” to sin, we MUST die and be buried “together with him” to have any part in what he has won! We cannot win it for ourselves! It may be truly said that God will save only ONE man — but that man will be a multitudinous man! Our baptism, then, saves us — but only by our identification with the “baptism” of Christ (Mar 10:38) — in which is comprehended his life, death to sin, burial, and resurrection to a new life. Our real life, therefore, is buried, or “hidden”, with Christ (Col 3:3).

JUST AS CHRIST WAS RAISED UP FROM THE DEAD: “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him: ‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay” (Acts 2:24-27; cp Psa 16:8-11). Christ was cursed by the Law (Gal 3:13) and he thus became dead to that Law, putting to death also the lusts and affections of the flesh within himself (Gal 5:24). The Law therefore had no hold over him, having been discharged, and Yahweh was therefore just and righteous in “raising” His Holy One from the dust, through His omnipotent creational power, to become His firstborn from among the dead, the beginning of His new creation (cp Col 1:15-18).

BY THE GLORY OF THE FATHER: Why should the resurrection of Christ be described as accomplished “through the glory of the Father?” It is because “glory” here has the meaning of power, as in the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:40).

The righteousness, or the glory of the Father, which was the power of salvation (Rom 1:16,17), was manifested (Rom 3:25) in His Son, and esp in his death to sin and his resurrection to glorified immortal life. Thus all initiative and prerogative rested with the Father, and by HIS power was Jesus brought forth to become the “firstborn” (cp 1Co 6:14; 2Co 13:4; Eph 1:20; Col 2:12). Yahweh is glorified when victory over sin and death is achieved (1Co 15:55-57).

WE TOO MAY LIVE A NEW LIFE: The expression “to live a new life” is literally (as the KJV) “to WALK in newness of life”, the walk being the evidence of the new type of life granted to the child of God.

Our newness of life is therefore paralleled with Christ’s resurrection, as our baptism is with his death. We commence with Christ the life of a new creation (2Co 5:17), starting off as “new-born babes” (1Pe 2:2).

“Newness of life supposes newness of heart. Walking in Scripture stands for the course and character of one’s life, which must be new. Walk by new rules, towards new ends, from new principles. Make new choices of direction. Choose new paths to walk in, new leaders to walk after, new companions to walk with. ‘Old things should pass away, and all things become new.’ Such a person is something he formerly was not, does things he did not. And this newness is to be alive to God through Christ. To converse with God, to have a regard for Him, a delight in Him, a concern for Him: This is to be alive to God. The love of God reigning in the heart is the life of the soul towards God. Christ is our spiritual life; there is no living to God but through him — through Christ as the Author and Maintainer of this life; through Christ as the Head from whom we receive vital influence; through Christ as the Root by which we derive sap and nourishment, and so live. In living to God, Christ is all in all” (Henry).

Rom 6:5

UNITED: Gr “symphuto” = lit, “fused together”, the idea being of growing together, as perhaps two plants, or two trees, planted together, and intertwining with one another as they grow. (For a like example, but with a very different kind of result, see the parable of the wheat and the tares: Mat 13:24-30,36-43.) The word may also suggest the grafting of one branch into a different kind of tree — as in Rom 11:17, etc: the believer has been “grafted into” Christ.

LIKE THIS IN HIS DEATH: Or, “in the likeness of his death”. “Likeness” = Gr “homoioma”: see Lesson, “Homoioma” (likeness).

“For if we have been united with him in a death like his [tou homoiomati tou thanatou autou], we shall certainly be united in a resurrection like his” (RSV). The question is: how does the believer “die” with Christ in being baptized? Obviously, not literally. So, is it a moral and spiritual “death” — a death to an old way of life (Eph 4:22-24)? Yes, of course. Is it — ALSO — some kind of “legal” death… a crossing over from a “state” of death to a “state” of life? This is what JT in Elpis Israel called the two “constitutions”: one of “sin” and the other of “righteousness” — a change of status in the sight of God. And yes, I think there is a sense in which this is true also.

WE WILL CERTAINLY ALSO BE UNITED WITH HIM IN HIS RESURRECTION: This could be true in two aspects: (1) rising up now, from the waters of baptism, to walk in a new life (as in v 4; cp Eph 2:6; Col 2:12; 3:1), and a new relationship with God; and (2) the future, literal resurrection to be made into his “likeness”, when he returns to this earth (as in 1Co 15). Although the context in Rom 6 seems to be stressing the first, the one phase ought not to be separated from the other: they naturally flow from the present to the future reality: if we walk in a “new life” now, then we will walk in a “new (eternal) life” THEN!

Rom 6:6

FOR WE KNOW…: And if they all did know, then why did Paul need to remind them? Because academic knowledge, tucked into the back of our minds, may fail to find any practical application n our lives.

OUR OLD SELF WAS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM: There is a great difference between realizing that “Christ was crucified for me”, and realizing that “I am crucified with Christ.” The one aspect brings us deliverance from sin’s condemnation, the other from sin’s power. Recognizing that we “have been crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20), we should, as Paul admonished in Rom 6:11, consider ourselves “to be dead indeed to sin.” We still have sinful tendencies within, but having died to them, sin no longer has dominion over us. We die to our selfish desires and pursuits. But believers must also think of themselves as “alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:11). We should do those things that please Him.

In some sense, then, the old man has been crucified; in another sense he may still claim attention. Since “man” has been used of Adam (Rom 5:12,17,19), it is possible that what has been crucified with Christ is our place in Adam, our position in the old creation, which is under the sway of sin and death. For the Christian, the old is gone; he belongs to the new creation order (2Co 5:17). Yet the old order seeks to dominate the believer, as Eph 4:22 implies and experience confirms. Though the seeming inconsistency between that passage and this is not easy to resolve, it may be that in his letter to the Ephesians Paul, while presupposing the supplanting of the old Adam, is desirous of exhorting his readers to refuse to live in terms of the old man and instead to live deliberately and consciously in the reality of the new creation. It is necessary to distinguish between the old creation — namely, our inheritance from Adam — and our old nature, or the flesh. The latter still persists in the life of the redeemed and can become a prey to the operation of sin unless countered by the powerful influence of the new life in Christ.

OLD SELF: Or “old man”: cp Eph 4:22; Col 3:9; Gal 5:24; 2Co 5:14. See Article, “Old man” and “new man”.

THE BODY OF SIN: The physical body, which is prone to sin — as was that of Jesus Christ himself (Rom 8:3; 2Co 5:21). Or, more esp, the word “soma” may sig a “slave” — in the sense that a slave was considered to have no rights of its own, but to be a mere “body” to be bought and sold. In Christ, the believer has been freed from his “slavery” to King Sin — he is no longer a “body” or a “slave” at all!

DONE AWAY WITH: Or “rendered powerless” (NIV mg). Gr “katargeo” = to make inactive. We are not called upon literally to destroy this body, but to render its ungodly lusts inoperative.

THAT WE SHOULD NO LONGER BE SLAVES TO SIN: That we should no longer be in servitude to “King Sin”. How can one serve habitually a DEAD “master” — that is, IF he is really dead?

Years ago when slavery was officially abolished in Jamaica, some of the slaves in the remote areas did not know of their freedom. Years after their release had been announced they still continued to serve their masters, oblivious to the fact that they were legally free. Their owners kept the news from the slaves as long as possible, hoping to extract every ounce of work from their captives. The slaves would not have had to put up with their drudgery — except for their ignorance of the facts.

Rom 6:7

Two things are happening here: the sinner is now DEAD to his sin, AND the “sin” (“King Sin”, the old master) has been put to death also! And the redeemed sinner has been raised up from the dead to live a new life, but “King Sin” has been buried with no hope of a new life.

In Christ, Law, sin and death have no longer any claims over the individual; he is no longer their “debtor” (Rom 8:12).

Rom 6:8

IF WE DIED WITH CHRIST: Lit, “dead together with Christ”. Ref the old man of the flesh (Col 3:3; Rom 6:11).

WE WILL ALSO LIVE WITH HIM: “Eternal life” must be lived, NOW, in “newness of life” (v 4), of it is to be lived in the future, in a new and glorified body: “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col 3:4).

Rom 6:9

A cardinal principal of the atonement: Christ was justified from all power of sin and death, and therefore “Death” has no more claim upon him. It was important for Paul to emphasize this truth, for the believer must have full confidence that the captain of his salvation will never again come under the power of sin and death. If he lacks that assurance, the teaching about union with Christ will be of little help to him.

HE CANNOT DIE AGAIN: “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Rev 1:18).

Rom 6:10

HE DIED TO SIN: Though bearing a sinful nature (Rom 8:3), he never committed sin, and thus he condemned “sin” “in the flesh” — that is, in his own flesh.

ONCE FOR ALL: The AV has, simply, “once”, but the Gr (ephapax) means, literally and emphatically, “once for all”! Once, being all that is required, and having perpetual validity. Unlike the High Priest who on the Day of Atonement offered up every year two sacrifices — one for himself and one for the people he represented — Christ made ONE sacrifice when he offered up himself ONCE (Heb 7:27). That offering was both for himself AND for all mankind, of whom he was the representative. “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb 10:10; cp Heb 9:12,26).

HE LIVES TO GOD: This contrasts with “died to sin”. Having gained the victory over the power of King Sin in his resurrection, ‘by the glory of the Father”, Christ now lives eternally in the service of his Father “as a priest FOREVER after the order of Melchizedek” (Heb 7:21-24).

Rom 6:11

COUNT: “Reckon” or “consider”: the sw used often in Rom 4.

DEAD TO SIN BUT ALIVE TO GOD: In the same way that Christ “lives to God” (v 10) must we also live, being “brought from death to life” (v 13). God assumes total sovereignty over the believer, who has been “bought with a price” (1Co 6:20).

IN CHRIST JESUS: Christ, the “head” (Col 1:18), is the medium by which we live to God: ” I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20; cp Phi 1:11).

Rom 6:12

DO NOT LET SIN REIGN IN YOUR MORTAL BODY: Paul continues the allegory of Rom 5: the two federal heads. ‘Do not let “Adam”, or “King Sin”, exercise kingly power (Gr “basileuo”) dominion in your natural body.’ “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules?” (Col 2:20).

OBEY: The word has as its root idea “listening” or “heeding.” If the body is kept mortified, it will have no ear for the subtle suggestions of evil.

ITS EVIL DESIRES: Cp Gal 5:24; Rom 7:5; Gal 5:16; Rom 8:13; 13:14; Eph 2:3; 4:22; 1Pe 1:14.

Rom 6:13

DO NOT OFFER: The word “yield” (AV) (Gr “paristemi”) means to place near for one’s service (as a soldier), or to present oneself to assist (as to a king). Sw Mat 26:53: “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once PUT AT MY DISPOSAL more than twelve legions of angels?”

THE PARTS OF YOUR BODY: Lit, “members” (Gr “melos”), or “limbs”, but by extension any part of the body, including its faculties, that is capable of performing an action.

INSTRUMENTS: Gr “hoplon” sig arms or weapons — continuing the allegory of the “soldier” (cf Rom 13:12; 2Co 6:7). ‘Do not enlist in King Sin’s army!’

BUT RATHER OFFER YOURSELVES TO GOD: But it is of course RIGHT AND PROPER to enlist in God’s spiritual “army”: Eph 6:13-17.

Rom 6:14

SIN SHALL NOT BE YOUR MASTER: Or “shall not lord it over you.” Cf v 12; 1Co 15:55-57.

YOU ARE NOT UNDER LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE: See Rom 5:20,21n; cp also Rom 6:15; 7:4; Gal 3:23. Divine grace, which is empowered by mercy, gains the victory over condemnation — which is energized by Law — the strength of King Sin.

Why should law be injected here? Surely because under law sin increases (Rom 5:20; cf 1Co 15:56). The inference is that law lords it over its subjects. It condemns and brings them into virtual slavery. It faces them with their guilt and uses that guilt as a manacle to keep them in helpless subjection. But under grace there is liberty to live in accord with a higher principle — the resurrection life of the Lord himself.

UNDER GRACE: “It is worthy of attention that Christians are said to be UNDER grace. Usually grace indicates a principle of divine operation, a moving out in kindness and love to lift the sinful and unworthy to God. Occasionally it is used of the sphere of the believer’s life of privilege (Rom 5:2). But here in Rom 6:14 it appears as a disciplinary power, in line with the apostle’s effort to show that grace is not license (Rom 6:1…). Somewhat parallel is the word of Jesus to the weary and burdened, promising rest, but followed up with mention of his yoke (Mat 11:28-30). Related also is Paul’s reminder that God’s grace has appeared for the salvation of all, TRAINING us to live sober, upright, and godly lives (see Tit 2:11,12)” (EBC).

Rom 6:15

WHAT THEN?: That is, ‘What do we now conclude?’

SHALL WE SIN BECAUSE WE ARE NOT UNDER LAW BUT UNDER GRACE?: The first question, in v 1, related to the general dominion and constitution of “Sin” — where the believer should NOT live or reside! This question, in v 15, goes even further: no only should the believer not RESIDE when “Sin” rules, but neither should he even contemplate the SINGLE ACT of sin!

This question is answered in vv 16-23, which may be summarized: “No! because we have changed allegiances: we no longer serve the old king ‘Sin’; now we serve the new king — Christ and righteousness!”

BY NO MEANS: “God forbid” (KJV) or “Let it not be!” Very emphatic.

Rom 6:16

Examples of personification: riches (Mat 6:24); sin (Joh 8:34; Rom 5:21; 6:16); spirit (Joh 16:13); wisdom (Pro 3:13-15; 9:1); Israel (Jer 31:4,18); people of Christ (Eph 4:4,13; 5:23; Rev 19:7; 1Co 12:27; 2Co 11:2; Col 1:18,24).

DON’T YOU KNOW?: Of course they did. But Paul is appealing to his readers to examine a deep ethical truth as a rule for life with which they were not unfamiliar (cf expressions in Rom 6:3; 7:1; 1Co 3:16; 6:2,3,9,15,16,19).

SLAVES: Gr “doulos” mean, literally, slaves (see Rom 1:1n). This kind of servitude gave the master an absolute right over his slave, which was — strictly speaking — his property (cp Luk 17:9; Joh 8:34; 15:15).

SLAVES TO SIN, WHICH LEADS TO DEATH: Anticipating v 23. Cp also John 8:34: “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”

OR TO OBEDIENCE, WHICH LEADS TO RIGHTEOUSNESS: Whereas “sin” will automatically lead to “death” (as above), “obedience” will not automatically lead to “life” — since no man, except Christ, can be or has been perfectly obedient. But “obedience” WILL lead to an imputed righteousness, for those who in faith follow Christ.

Rom 6:17

YOU USED TO BE SLAVES TO SIN: You were once “bond-servants” under the dominion of “King Sin”…

YOU WHOLEHEARTEDLY OBEYED: “From the heart” (cp Rom 10:10) you have obeyed.” The “heart” here indicates the inward understanding (Rom 1:21; Mat 13:15), conscience (Acts 2:37), perception (Eph 4:18), reasoning (Mar 2:6y), and faith (Mar 11:23; Heb 3:12).

THE FORM OF DOCTRINE: “Form” is “tupos”, a pattern or mold — “a cast or frame into which molten material is poured so as to take its shape” (Vine). Bible “doctrine” or “teaching” is not an intellectual exercise; it is a means for the practical molding of character.

Rom 6:18

The “marketplace” or “agora” metaphor of Paul: “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Rom 6:17,18). Here “sin” is personified: “Sin” becomes the great ruler to whom all the world gives allegiance — a slave-owner who owns all men. “I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin” (Rom 7:14). In this metaphor Paul is recalling the words of Jesus: “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (Joh 8:34).

The figure of speech may be heightened as we imagine an eastern “agora” or bazaar — this marketplace was the meeting place of the ancient world; it was the center of commerce, entertainment, and social intercourse; it was the source of news and opinions. And always there was the slave-market, with its auction block. Approach that site in our minds, and the brutality, the callousness, and the fear wash over us. We imagine the smells and the sounds with revulsion — and our memories are stirred in like manner as when we see the old newsreels of Auschwitz… for our modern times have also seen their own particularly ugly forms of slavery.

Here, at the auction block, we see women destined to be slaves to the basest passions of men. And men, doomed to lifelong drudgery to satisfy the greed of their fellow men. Here are wasted, broken lives, dashed hopes, families soon to be torn apart forever.

The slave-market: parable of our world; fleshly, carnal, unspiritual — and sold as slaves to sin. Everyone who sins is a slave to sin. I sin; therefore I am a slave!

Into this scene comes a man who is obviously apart from others. Striding up to me, he speaks forcefully: “I have bought you; come, follow me.” There are no chains, no threats, no blows — just a simple command. And I follow him.

Right behind him, I walk through the milling and clamorous crowds, and then through the winding streets of the city, until we come to a beautiful house. “Here is where I live,” my new master tells me. “And here is your room.” It is lovely and wonderfully furnished. Never have I seen such a luxurious dwelling, and this will be my home!

The master excuses himself, but soon he is back. He has brought water, and he kneels to wash MY feet! I should be washing his feet! And he has brought me a new expensive garment. I can throw away my slave’s rags; I won’t need them any more. With healing oil he soothes the cruel wounds inflicted by my previous owner; and I know that they will never hurt again.

“Now you are as I am,” he says; “you are no longer a slave. This is my Father’s house, and you are one of His sons!”

A lifetime of fear and hate is washed away, miraculously, and in its place is the cry of a heart set free: “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir” (Gal 4:6,7).

Redemption from the slave-market was a concept that would particularly appeal to Paul’s converts, so many of whom were themselves slaves (Tit 2:9,10). They might not be able to hope for redemption from their mortal bondage, but they could rejoice in being redeemed from sin: “He who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman” (1Co 7:22). And they could live accordingly. In their hearts and minds they were already free from the worst slave-master. And soon their bodies would follow, and they would be truly and absolutely free!

Rom 6:19

I PUT THIS IN HUMAN TERMS: Cp Rom 3:5; Gal 3:15. It appears that Paul is restating his case in the simplest possible terms, and departing from the analogy of the previous verses.

WEAK IN YOUR NATURAL SELVES: Cf Rom 15:1; 1Co 2:14; 3:3.

IMPURITY AND EVER-INCREASING WICKEDNESS: There is a development here: “impurity” is a general unclean moral condition; this leads to the practice of sin… which in turns leads on, to more and more sinning. An ever-descending spiral — unless its power is broken.

RIGHTEOUSNESS LEADING TO HOLINESS: And, by contrast, here is the ever-ascending spiral: “righteousness” is the state in which the believer is placed through the redeeming work of the Lord Jesus Christ; this leads to a desire on the part of the one redeemed to serve his new master — so that, step by step, he develops, with the help of Christ, an ever-increasing sanctification.

Rom 6:21

THE THINGS YOU ARE NOW ASHAMED OF: The “unfruitful” works of “darkness” (Eph 5:11). The pleasures of sin “for (only) a season” (Heb 11:25). “Such were some of you” (1Co 6:11). There is absolutely no “harvest” from this direction — in contrast to v 22: “the benefit you REAP”!

THOSE THINGS RESULT IN DEATH: Their “end” (Gr “telos”: the final issue, or the end of a process) is death.

Rom 6:22

HOLINESS: Exo 28:36. Cp Psa 92:13,14; Gal 5:22-25; Eph 5:8-11; Phi 1:11.

Rom 6:23

V 23: In a fitting conclusion, Paul puts (a) God (and His mastery) over against sin, (b) gift over against wages, and (c) eternal life over against death. He crowns it all with the acknowledgment that the mediation of Christ Jesus our Lord accounts for the shift from the one camp to the other.

WAGES: The Gr “opsonia” means provision for one’s living expenses. In this case “King Sin” turns out to be a wretched paymaster, promising life but meting out death. Also, since in practice wages are paid not in a lump sum but regularly and periodically, death is not to be regarded merely as the final payment, but as that which already casts its dark shadow over life, a portent of the deeper darkness to come. Finally “opsonia” being a legal term, in contrast to “gift” (Gr “charisma”), there is here a further pitting of law over against grace. Man has “rights” only in relation to sin, and that is the “right” to die as a consequence. But when he throws himself on God without any claim of “rights”, he may receive salvation!

GIFT: A gift is contrasted with wages. Wages may be “earned”, but a gift cannot be earned, for it rests entirely on the unmerited favor of the benefactor. Eternal life will be the great, unearned gift of the King of Grace: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luk 12:32).

IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD: Christ is God’s mercy seat (Rom 3:25), the only meeting place between God and man. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6; cp 2Co 5:19; 1Ti 2:4,5).

Sin is represented as a king, a mighty monarch, a tyrannical prince; sinners are his subjects and vassals, his servants and soldiers, who fight under him, and for him, and all the wages they must expect from him is death. The word “wages” means “the hire of armies”, or the wages of soldiers for a whole year, so that it denotes wages that are due, and paid after a campaign is ended, and the service is over; and suggests, that when men have been all their days in the service of sin, and have fought under the banners of it, the wages they will earn, and the just reward, and correct payment that will be given them, will be death. King Sin has never been known to default on a payment yet. On the other hand, the “free gift” of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Both the wages and the gift are eternal — but the “gift” of God is just that — it cannot be earned — it can only be accepted by living through the very one who by his righteous life overcame and did away with King Sin!

Rom 10:1

A repetition of Paul’s point in Rom 9:1-5. Even though Paul has expounded Israel’s prophetically forecast rejection of God’s grace, he is yet careful to emphasize that he still has great yearning for Israel to enter into salvation. His desire for their salvation is reflected in his going to the Jews first (Acts 13:46; 18:5,6; cf Rom 1:16) and also in praying to God on their behalf.

Rom 10:2

THEY ARE ZEALOUS FOR GOD, BUT THEIR ZEAL IS NOT BASED ON KNOWLEDGE: Paul knew this, because he had earlier striven alongside them in the same spirit of zeal and in the same ignorance (Acts 8:3; 9:1; Gal 1:14; 4:17; Phi 3:6; 1Ti 1:13). They knew much of the Scriptures, but in one area they were terribly deficient… as he describes in v 3…

Rom 10:3

THEY DID NOT KNOW THE RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT COMES FROM GOD: They failed to accept what God had graciously provided in His Son: free and unmerited favor and blessing and forgiveness, through faith.

AND SOUGHT TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN: They sought to establish their own righteousness, by the works of the Law (Rom 9:31,32). See also Phi 3:6,9. Cp the boasting of the Pharisee in Luk 18:9-12.

THEY DID NOT SUBMIT TO GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS: It is by an attitude of faith that a man may subject himself before God: I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone” (Psa 71:16).

Rom 10:4

CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW SO THAT THERE MAY BE RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES: Those who believed in Christ Jesus as the means of God’s bestowal of righteousness saw the complete eclipse of law (any law, the definite article is not in the original) as a means to the attaining of righteousness for man.

END: Just as in English we speak of “the end of the matter” and use the expression “to the end that” — in the one expression “end” meaning conclusion or termination, and in the other, goal or purpose — the same dual possibility lies in the Greek word “telos”. The work of God in Christ both put an end to the Law, but it also fulfilled the goal or purpose of the Law, which was a “schoolmaster” or “guide” to point the way and to lead others to Christ (Gal 3:24)! In a similar vein, Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Mat 5:17). But in being fulfilled, in and through Christ, the Law — by necessity — came to its end or conclusion.

In Christ, the Law came to an end in the same way that the seed comes to an end in the new plant that springs up, or the bud comes to an end in the blossoming flower. “The new is in the old concealed; the old is in the new revealed.”

FOR EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES: “Paul adds a certain qualification to the statement about Christ as the end of the law for righteousness. He is that ‘for everyone who believes.’ This seems to suggest that the law is still applicable to those who do not believe. ‘Those who have not yet passed from the being-in-the-Law to the being-in-Christ, and those who allow themselves to be misled into exchanging the being-in-Christ for the being-under-the-Law, are under the Law and are made to feel its power’ (A Schweitzer)” (EB).

Rom 10:5

THE MAN WHO DOES THESE THINGS WILL LIVE BY THEM: Cit Lev 18:5. The LM does indeed seem to offer life to those who keep it blamelessly (Gal 3:10). But this is, just as clearly, impossible. However, if the Law were to be followed, in faith, recognizing that it pointed forward to the true righteousness of God revealed in Christ, then a man might “live” by them! For he would be keeping the Law, as best he was able, as a gesture of his faith in Yahweh Himself — and as a means of sustaining that faith; and it would be that faith, in God’s promises, that would ultimately save him — not his perfect obedience (which, as we know, was impossible).

Rom 10:6

Vv 6,7: In Christ, there is no need for us to do the impossible. In Christ, God has already done it for us!

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT IS BY FAITH: That is, the “spirit” of righteousness by faith, personified in Moses! (This is an extraordinary expression, since — to the devout Jew — Moses might better be described as “the righteousness that is by the Law”!)

Vv 6-8: Cit Deu 30:12-14. At first sight, the selection of this portion seems inappropriate, since neither ‘righteousness” nor “faith” can be found here, and there is heavy emphasis on doing, as in Lev 18:5. But the context helps us, for the passage presupposes a heart attitude of loving obedience (Deu 30:6-10) rather than a legalistic attempt to attain righteousness. The whole burden of the passage is to discourage the idea that the doing of God’s will means to aspire after something that is too difficult and out of reach. Actually, if the life is attuned to God, His will is as near as the mouth and heart (the mouth as the organ to repeat the word of God and turn it back to Him in prayer and praise, the heart as the source of desire to please Him).

DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ (THAT IS, TO BRING CHRIST DOWN): God has already sent His Son “from heaven” (cp John 6:50,51,58; 3:13).

Rom 10:7

‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE DEEP?’ (THAT IS, TO BRING CHRIST UP FROM THE DEAD): This has also been done already by God: raising His Son from the dead (Acts 17:31), thereby demonstrating the working of His mighty power (Eph 3:19,20; Rom 1:4).

Rom 10:8

THAT IS, THE WORD OF FAITH WE ARE PROCLAIMING: And so Paul asserts that he and the apostles were proclaiming the same “gospel” that Moses had: justification by faith.

Rom 10:9

IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH…: This contains no stipulation about law, no external ordinances. It requires an open declaration from the lips revealing a sincere belief within, and on this ground a man could be saved.

“JESUS IS LORD”… GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD: It is important to realize that v 9 is not intending to set out ALL that a man must believe for salvation. The matters mentioned are summary in character. Jesus is Lord because he is the Son of God, sent by God to be Saviour and King over all mankind (cp Phi 2:11); this was esp attested by the Father when He exalted him to His own right hand (Acts 2:33-36). To openly confess that Jesus is Lord is thus to acknowledge all that God purposed with His Son, both “the things of the Kingdom and the things of the Name” (Acts 8:12). To believe that God raised him from the dead is to acknowledge God’s seal upon him, for it was always upon the basis of his resurrection that the apostles proved that Jesus indeed was Christ (Acts 2:31,32,36; 13:35-38).

JESUS IS LORD: It was natural for the church to have a fundamental confession of this sort, since at the beginning it was Jewish-Christian in its composition and therefore had in its background the example of confession in Israel, “The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deu 6:4). The coming of Christ necessitated the enlargement of the confession to include Jesus as Lord: “For us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live” (1Co 8:6).

Rom 10:10

HEART… MOUTH: Clearly carried over from Deu 30:14 (v 8 here), and thus sym belief and confession. “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mat 12:34).

WITH YOUR HEART: See Lesson, Prov and the heart.

Rom 10:11

ANYONE WHO TRUSTS IN HIM WILL NEVER BE PUT TO SHAME: Cit Isa 28:16: Scripture indicates how faith can be transforming for one’s life, replacing fear and hesitation with bold confidence that rests on the sure promises of God. For this purpose Paul uses Isa 28:16 (cf the Rom 9:33).

HIM: “Him” here refers to the “sure foundation stone”, in the context of Isa 28, in contrast to the Temple itself or the Law! This in itself suggests that, in the days of Isaiah, it was understood that there was — and there would be — someone greater than the Temple and the Law, and that someone — as Paul knows — was, ultimately, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 10:12

FOR THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JEW AND GENTILE: This belief and its blessing is open to “anyone” — Jew and Gentile alike. Whatever “difference” there may be in the two groups in some respects, there is no difference when it comes to the need for Christ and the availability of his salvation (cf Rom 3:22).

THE SAME LORD IS LORD OF ALL AND RICHLY BLESSES ALL WHO CALL ON HIM: In Rom 3:30 Paul reasoned that because God is one there in only one means of salvation for all. Now, in a similar way, he argues that because Jesus is Lord, a title that implies that he is over all (both Jew and Gentile, eg Isa 49:6,7; Psa 22:7,8; Acts 10:36), then his riches must extend to all. The sense in which he is “rich” to all may be seen from Rom 2:4; 9:23; Eph 1:7.

Rom 10:13

EVERYONE: That is, all kinds (classes, or races) of men. Examples of “all” prob meaning “without distinction” rather than “without exception”: Joh 1:7,9; 3:26; 5:28; 8:2; 12:32; 13:35; 1Ti 2:1,2; 4:15; 5:20; 6:17; Heb 2:9.

WHO CALLS ON: This implies trust, or faith, in the One called upon.

THE NAME OF THE LORD: Jesus bears his Father’s Name and thus those who call upon him, call upon Yahweh — thus fulfilling the words of the prophet (Acts 2:21-38,39; 3:13).

SHALL BE SAVED: This is the end reached; it forcefully concludes the apostle’s argument, namely, Salvation by faith is an opportunity for ALL.

Rom 10:14

HOW, THEN, CAN THEY CALL ON THE ONE THEY HAVE NOT BELIEVED IT?: Now the apostle turns from the responsibility of the seeker after salvation to emphasize the role that believers are intended to have in God’s plan for preaching the gospel. Calling on the Lord is meaningless apart from some assurance that He is worthy of confidence and trust, that He has something to offer that guilty sinners need. Calling on Him and trust in Him are two sides of the same coin. The verse suggests that calling on the Lord continues to be a mark of the believer, not simply the first step in the direction of establishing relationship to him (cf 1Co 1:2).

AND HOW CAN THEY BELIEVE IN THE ONE OF WHOM THEY HAVE NOT HEARD?: Paul proceeds to the second consideration in his closely reasoned argument, and it is this — that faith depends on knowledge. One must hear the gospel before he can be expected either to receive it or reject it.

AND HOW CAN THEY HEAR WITHOUT SOMEONE PREACHING TO THEM?: The KJV has “without a preacher” — which may be misleading, in that it implies (or it may be inferred therefrom) that there is a special office of preacher. This is of course not the case at all: all God’s children are (or should be) preachers!

Rom 10:15

AND HOW CAN THEY PREACH UNLESS THEY ARE SENT?: Preachers will not go forth unless they are sent. Is there any scriptural support that God intended to send forth preachers to all men? Yes! Isa 52:7.

THEY ARE SENT: To be “sent” suggests at least two things: that one operates under a higher authority and that his message does not originate with himself but is given him by the sending authority. The prophets were men who were sent in these two respects. So was the Lord Jesus (John 3:34; 7:16). So is the Christian in his witness-bearing capacity. The apostles received their commission from the risen Lord as he in turn had been sent by the Father (John 20:21). In addressing the Roman ecclesia, Paul was careful to state at the very beginning that he was called and set apart for the ministering of the gospel (Rom 1:1).

In the context of Isa 52, these preachers are being sent to all men! “The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of ALL THE NATIONS, AND ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH will see the salvation of our God… so will he sprinkle MANY NATIONS, and kings will shut their mouths because of him” (Isa 52:10,15).

THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS: Cit Isa 52:7: Paul appropriates the same words to himself: Rom 10:15 — where “feet of HIM” becomes “feet of THOSE”. Paul typically changes from singular to plural: Isa 49:6 / Act 13:47; Isa 49:8 / 2Co 6:1,2; Jos 1:5 / Heb 13:5,6. (Notice also the “our” in Rom 10:16.)

Rom 10:16

Vv 16,17: That is, ‘Who has given FAITH to our teaching? So then FAITH (sw) comes by teaching…’

Nevertheless, not all had welcomed his glad tidings and obeyed it. But this also had been predicted by Isaiah: “Lord, who has believed our message?” (Isa 53:1). What a change of atmosphere from Paul’s quotation of Isa 52:7 (v 15) to his quotation of Isa 53:1 (v 16)! The prophet foresaw a repudiation of the message about salvation through a suffering Servant. History has sustained prophecy: “Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1Co 1:23).

Rom 10:18

Cit Psa 19:4, which speaks of a universal extension of the gospel to all the world.

Rom 10:19

DID ISRAEL NOT UNDERSTAND?: There remains the possibility, however, that in spite of hearing the message, Israel has not understood it. So in all fairness this should be considered, for if it were true, it would be a mitigating factor in their situation. But the very form of the question in the original contains an implicit denial that Israel’s failure results from lack of understanding. At Pentecost Peter spoke of the ignorance of his countrymen as explaining the crucifixion. But as time went on, fewer and fewer Jews in proportion to the total population of the nation responded to the gospel. A hardened attitude set in. The precedent of the Jews who did respond to the gospel, instead of moving their fellow-Jews, only embittered them. Then, as the gospel spread abroad and was received by Gentiles in ever greater numbers, this served to antagonize them still further.

I WILL MAKE YOU ENVIOUS BY THOSE WHO ARE NOT A NATION; I WILL MAKE YOU ANGRY BY A NATION THAT HAS NO UNDERSTANDING: Cit Deu 32:21: Because of their lack of faith, and their idolatry, God would turn from Israel to the Gentiles. By the time Paul writes this, Gentile response to God and His Word had surpassed the response of Israel, so the quotation is apt and telling in its effect. Those who lacked special revelation and the moral and religious training God provided for Israel have proved more responsive than the chosen people.

I WILL MAKE YOU ANGRY: As indeed it did: Acts 17:4,5; 21:28; 22:21,22; 1Th 2:16.

This quotation from Deu 32:21 is again picked up in Rom 11:11,14. It echoes the “not-people” passages of Hosea in Rom 9:25,26.

Rom 10:20

Isaiah, in Isa 65:1, proclaimed daring words intending to boldly disturb the self-contented minds of the Jews. This thought is reminiscent of Rom 9:30.

Rom 10:21

Cit Isa 65:2. God is the one who is seeking, reaching out to His people continually with a plea that Israel return to Him in loving obedience, only to be rebuffed. So we may draw the conclusion that the spiritual condition of Israel does not come from a lack of opportunity to hear the gospel or a lack of understanding of its content, but must be traced to a stubborn and rebellious spirit such as cropped up in the days of Moses and the days of the prophets. It is the more grievous now because God has spoken His final word in His Son and has been rebuffed by those who should have been the most ready to respond.

Rom 2:1

Rom 2: The question is asked: How can justification take place without the works of the law, even though James says: ‘Faith without works is dead’? In answer, the apostle distinguishes between the law and faith, the letter and grace. “The ‘works of the law’ are works done without faith and grace, by the law, which forces them to be done through fear or the enticing promise of temporal advantages. But ‘works of faith’ are those done in the spirit of liberty, purely out of love to God. And they can be done only by those who are justified by faith… Paul does not say that faith is without its characteristic works, but that it justifies without the works of the law. Therefore justification does not require the works of the law; but it does require a living faith, which performs its works” (ML).

YOU, THEREFORE, HAVE NO EXCUSE…: The implication in the opening verse is that a Jewish listener, heartily endorsing the verdict rendered concerning the Gentiles, fails to realize his own plight. True judgment rests on the ability to discern the facts in a given case. If one is able to see the sin and hopelessness of the Gentile, he should logically be able to see himself as being in the same predicament. But he is so taken up with the faults of others that he does not consider his own failures (cf Mat 7:2,3). The charge that he who passes judgment does the same things he sees in others is enlarged in Rom 2:17-24.

WHO PASS JUDGMENT: Which is contrary to Christ’s commandments: Mat 7:1; Luk 6:37; Rom 14:3,10,13; 1Co 4:3,5.

“Hypocrisy is a real killer. Often it seems not nearly so obvious to the hypocrite themselves, yet others (and especially children and teenagers) can spot it a mile off. Hypocrisy happens when our word and actions don’t match. There are two ways we are shown in this chapter that warn us against having mismatched words and actions.

“The first is by passing judgement on someone else when we ourselves do the same thing. It is important to look at ourselves critically as we look at other people, because if we do that we will become much more humble and realize that we too, all too often, fall under the same condemnation as we dish out to them.

“The second concerns our teaching. Paul put it best: ‘You then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?’ Let us always be sure that our words and our actions go hand in hand so that God’s name is not blasphemed” (RP).

Rom 2:3

GOD’S JUDGMENT: Gr “krima” = the great and terrible “day of the LORD”, when Christ shall be the righteous judge of the world, on behalf of the Father (Act 17:31). Cp v 5n.

Rom 2:4

DO YOU SHOW CONTEMPT: “Kataphroneo”: the think lightly of. The KJV has “despisest”, but the Jew did not despise His God; he rather treated Him lightly, or disesteemed Him.

THE RICHES OF HIS KINDNESS: Cp “RICHES of his glory” (Rom 9:23), and “the depth of the RICHES of the wisdom and knowledge of God” (Rom 11:33).

The kindness, or goodness, of God is revealed in the Hope of Israel: the gospel of salvation. Isa 63:7 describes His goodness to a rebellious house of Israel.

TOLERANCE: Demonstrated in 400 years, more or less, of tolerance until the sin of the Amorites reached its full measure (Gen 15:16), and the 40 further years He waited while Israel filled up “the measure of the sin of your forefathers” (Mat 23:32).

But God’s tolerance, or forbearance, can actually produce a scornful attitude with his people Israel, as though that forbearance were but a confirmation of their security, if not a sign of weakness on God’s part. “Because sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the sons of men is fully set to do evil” (Ecc 8:11).

PATIENCE: “Macrothumia”, slowness in avenging wrongs. As in the time of Noah (1Pe 3:20).

LEADS YOU TOWARD REPENTANCE: God desires repentance and not (only) sacrifice (1Sa 15:22). Repentance (“metanoia”) sig a change, a reversal — the sorrow for sins committed in a secondary aspect of true “repentance”; there must be a desertion of the past way of life.

Rom 2:5

STUBBORNNESS: “Sklerotes”: callous, hard. Stubbornness was a natural characteristic of Israel (Isa 30:8,9). See Exo 14:12; Act 13:44-46.

UNREPENTANT: Gr “ametanoetos”: lit, without change (in ct v 4).

Hard-heartedness is first seen in Pharaoh (Exo 4:21; 7:3,13; 8:15,32; 9:12,34; 10:1,20,27; 11:10; 14:4,8). So when this description is used of anyone in Israel, it is very pointed: ‘You are being like the oppressing Egyptians from whom I have delivered you!’ Cp Deu 15:7; 2Ch 36:13; Psa 95:8; Isa 63:17; Mark 10:5; 16:14; John 12:40; Rom 2:5.

YOU ARE STORING UP: “Thesaurizo”, from a root meaning a “treasure” (cp AV translation). There is an intended irony: the only “treasure” such men and women will have is the wrath of God. The faithful, on the other hand, store up treasures of wisdom and spiritual riches (Mat 6:20).

WHEN HIS RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT WILL BE REVEALED: The theme of condemnation, running through Romans, and esp Rom 1:16 to Rom 3:20, is directed against the Judaizers. This condemnation falls upon all that cling to Law as a means of justification from sin; both Israel after the flesh and Israel after the Spirit.

The future day of judgment: 2Pe 3:7,10.

Rom 2:6

// Mat 16:24-28; Rev 22:12.

Rom 2:7

PERSISTENCE IN DOING GOOD: “All progress begins one step at a time. There is no sudden leap to greatness. Good work done little by little becomes a great work. The house of success is built brick by brick.

“You can do what you want to do, achieve what you want to achieve, attain any reasonable objective you may have in mind. Not all of a sudden, nor in one sweeping act of achievement. You will do it gradually, day by day and play by play. If you want to do it, if you work to do it, you will accomplish your goal over a sufficient period of time.

“Your big accomplishments will be a series of little accomplishments. Many strokes overthrow the tallest oak” (MT).

PERSISTENCE: Gr “hupomone”: a remaining under, hence a bearing up under hardship. Note the patience and persistence of Christ: 2Th 3:5; 1Th 1:3; Heb 12:1,2; Mat 24:13; Heb 10:36; Jam 5:7-11. Consider also Jam 5:11 and Heb 6:15.

Can one EARN eternal life? “At the very least, it is safe to say that [Paul] is not contradicting what he says later about the impossibility of having salvation by means of the works of the law (Rom 3:20). Far from teaching a system of salvation by works, the statement of v 7, rightly understood, teaches the opposite. ‘The reward of eternal life… is promised to those who do not regard their good works as an end in themselves, but see them as marks not of human achievement but of hope in God. Their trust is not in their good works, but in God, the only source of glory, honor, and incorruption’ (Barrett). Paul is simply portraying the motivation and the tenor of the life that will culminate in eternal fellowship with God… The good works the believer performs do not bring him salvation, but they attest the salvation he has received by faith (Rom 6:22), and therefore have an essential function (cf Eph 2:8-10)” (EBC).

Rom 2:8

REJECT: “Apeitheo”: to be disobedient: cp 1Pe 3:1; 4:17. The opposite of “peitheo”, to be persuaded or won over, signifying a habitual course of action. One who knows the Truth, but knowingly and willingly refuses to act upon it.

AND FOLLOW EVIL: Cp Rom 1:18.

WRATH AND ANGER: “Thumos” and “orge”: hot anger of passion, and a settled, lasting emotion.

Rom 2:9

TROUBLE: “Thlipsis”: affliction, a pressing or pressure, that which burdens the spirit. Hence the English “depression”. Cp 2Th 1:6.

DISTRESS: “Stenochoria”, lit narrowness of place. No possibility of escape.

DOES: Gr “prasso”, to practice or perform habitually: cp 1Jo 3:4,9; John 3:20,21; 5:29.

EVIL: Gr “kakos”, generically bad. It embraces every form of evil whether moral and physical, and denotes that which is useless, incapable or bad.

Rom 2:10

PEACE: “Eirene”: rest in ct to strife. As influenced by the Heb “shalom”, sig a state of health or wellbeing, a peace with God (Phi 4:6-9). Yahweh is the God of peace: Rom 15:33; 16:20p; 1Th 5:23; Heb 13:20.

FIRST FOR THE JEW, THEN FOR THE GENTILE: Cp Rom 1:16.

Rom 2:11

FOR GOD DOES NOT SHOW FAVORITISM: This is the truth that Peter learned in the Cornelius incident (Acts 10:34; see also 1Pe 1:17; Eph 6:9; Col 3:2; Jam 2:1). Paul explains this in the following verses.

Rom 2:12

“As many as have sinned (in disobeying the truth, v 8) outside covenant relationship, will perish when Christ comes. Their doom is sealed. But as many as have sinned in covenant relationship will be judged, for they have stood related to a possible reception of glory, honor and immortality” (CRom 29).

APART FROM LAW: Or “without law”: that is, those outside covenant relationship but possessing a knowledge of the Truth (cp v 8: “reject the truth”).

UNDER THE LAW: This is better than the KJV “in the law”. “Under” here points to those who came within the scope of the privileges, responsibilities and judgments of a Law.

Rom 2:13

Vv 13-15 are parenthetical. V 12 may be followed by v 16 for continuity of argument.

We have a reminder in Jam 1:22-24 of the ease with which the Jew could hear the law read and still go away without any effect on his life and conduct. Those who will be “declared righteous” are the doers of the law (v 13). This is the first occurrence in Romans of the important expression “be declared righteous”, which will be elaborated in Rom 3.

NOT THOSE WHO HEAR THE LAW: See Mat 7:15-21; Act 10:35; 1Jo 2:29; 3:7,10.

THOSE WHO OBEY THE LAW: See Jam 2:22-24.

Rom 2:14

DO BY NATURE: No one by nature is righteous (see Rom 1:18-32). This passage relates to CONVERTED Gentiles, whose minds have taken on the teaching of God. Such Gentiles keep God’s law, not by any outward show of formalism, but by a new nature which is begotten by the gospel which enlightened their consciences.

THEY ARE A LAW FOR THEMSELVES: That is, the law is a part of them. They are the embodiment of God’s law. Now, when they sin, their consciences can accuse and correct their actions (v 15). A believing Gentile, then, is more “righteous” than a natural Israelite because the former absorbs into his conscience the things which he hears, whereas the Israelite has paid no heed.

Rom 2:15

THEIR THOUGHTS NOW ACCUSING, NOW EVEN DEFENDING THEM: Their IMMEDIATE judge (the enlightened conscience) can inform them as to what their ULTIMATE judge will say about their actions — giving them an opportunity for self-correction before it is too late.

Rom 2:16

ON THE DAY WHEN GOD WILL JUDGE MEN’S SECRETS THROUGH JESUS CHRIST: “We commend to the serious consideration of everyone interested, the sobering fact that there is a day appointed when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, justifying the righteous and condemning the wicked. It is a fact that will encourage, strengthen, and sustain every person who, having been enlightened and joined the brotherhood of Christ, is working with a single eye, as seeing him who is invisible: and it is a fact that, vividly realized, will correct and purify those who, in a similar position, may be suffering themselves to be diverted from the path of truth and duty by considerations of a temporal nature. The record of the judgement seat is written now in the lives of those who will appear there” (XdmAst 87).

THE DAY: Psa 75:2; Ecc 12:14; Heb 9:27; 2Ti 4:1; Mat 12:36; Joh 12:48; 1Co 4:5.

SECRETS: 1Co 4:5; Ecc 12;14; Heb 4:13. Many an act that seems entirely praiseworthy to those who observe it may actually be wrongly motivated, and contrariwise some things that seem to men to merit stern disapproval may pass muster in this supreme court because the intention behind the deed was praiseworthy.

Rom 2:17

Vv 17-24: Here Paul begins to engage in dialogue with a representative Jew, and his razor-sharp irony is superb for its deftness. He proceeds to build up the Jew, citing his various distinctions and appearing to appreciate them (vv 17-20), only to swing abruptly into a frontal assault by exposing the inconsistency between his claims and his conduct (vv 21-24). The Jew was characterized by his reliance on the law, given by God through Moses. It came as the result of a relationship with God enjoyed by no other people. In Paul’s time some of the leaders of Judaism were making such extravagant statements about the law as to put it virtually in the place of God. Many Jews were trying to keep the law for its own sake, to honor the law rather than its giver. This tendency was even more developed after the fall of Jerusalem, when the law became the rallying point for a nation that had lost its holy city and its temple.

Paul concedes that the use of the law will bring knowledge of God’s will and a recognition of its superior teaching. But this is not all, for the Jew thinks that this advantage makes him superior to the Gentile. To paraphrase Paul: ‘You come to the Gentile and propose yourself as a guide for his blindness (when, as a matter of fact, as I have already shown, he has a light and a law as well as you). You come to the Gentile as though he were dumb and childish, giving you the whip hand, which you thoroughly relish. To you they are mere infants, knowing next to nothing.’ By employing terms actually used by the Jews for the Gentiles, one after the other, not once suggesting that the Gentile has anything to his credit, but invariably magnifying the Jew, Paul has succeeded in exposing Jewish pride and boasting as utterly ridiculous.

IF YOU CALL YOURSELF A JEW: With all the heritage and exclusiveness which that name carried.

IF YOU RELY ON THE LAW: “In the Law the Jew saw the Magna Carta which gave him his assurance of salvation” (Meyer).

AND BRAG ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD: As though that gave him an exclusive claim to His favor. Cp Deu 4:7; Psa 135:4; Isa 48:1; Jer 7:4.

Rom 2:18

APPROVE OF WHAT IS SUPERIOR: AV mg has “triest the things that differ”. Being able to discriminate between good and evil (cp Phi 1:10), they could intelligently reject the vain philosophy of the Greeks.

YOU ARE INSTRUCTED BY THE LAW: “Katecheo”, orally instructed, taught by word of mouth. By the constant reading and hearing of the law in the synagogues (and some homes) the Jew was more familiar with its contents.

Rom 2:19

A GUIDE TO THE BLIND: But it was not always so (Mat 15:14), and of course that was the point!

A LIGHT: Psa 119:105; Isa 49:6,9,10.

Rom 2:20

A TEACHER OF INFANTS: Those young in understanding (1Co 3:1; Heb 5:13; 1Pe 2:2). But, again, this is ironic!

THE EMBODIMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND TRUTH: But if the Jew failed to see Christ in the words of Scripture, then he would have only the FORM of godliness whilst denying the POWER (2Ti 3:5).

Rom 2:21

Vv 21-24: Abruptly the shadow-boxing turns aggressive and the blows become lethal as the Jew is confronted by the disparity between what he teaches others as the will of God and his own manner of life. The thrust loses nothing of its forthrightness by being posed in a series of questions, for the effect is to turn the complacent Jew back on himself to search his own soul.

The indictment is summarized by the general charge of breaking the very law the Jew boasts of (v 23). In fact, the failure is so notorious that even non-Israelites notice the discrepancy. At this point Paul introduces a quotation from Isa 52:5. God has been obliged to chasten his disobedient people by permitting them to go into captivity, where their captors make sport of their God who was apparently unable to prevent their deportation (cf Eze 36:20,21). But there also the fault lay not with God but with his people who had refused to take His law seriously.

YOU, THEN, WHO TEACH OTHERS, DO YOU NOT TEACH YOURSELF?: Thus showing, by your own actions, your hypocrisy: Mat 7:3; 23:3.

DO YOU STEAL?: By withholding from God what was rightfully His (Mal 1:8; 3:8; Mar 11:17).

Rom 2:22

DO YOU COMMIT ADULTERY?: The Jew was so quick to seek out and condemn the adulterous woman (John 8:3-11), and yet he could secretly (Mat 5:27,28) and hard-heartedly (Mat 19:8) commit with impunity the same offence (Mat 5:31,32).

DO YOU ROB TEMPLES: “A cognate of the same word occurs in Acts 19:37, where it covers sacrilege in the general sense of desecrating sacred things. But in this passage in Romans a precise, strong contrast is intended. The Jew who has been taught to abhor idols is charged with laying hands on them for the sake of profit. This may sound inconceivable, but if the robbery was directed at the offerings brought to the idol, this was tantamount to robbing the idol and thereby desecrating the temple. Ancient temples were repositories of treasure and were therefore a source of temptation to the avaricious (cf Jos Ant 4:207)” (EBC).

Rom 2:23

A statement of summary to the previous verses. ” ‘How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the LORD,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what kind of wisdom do they have?” (Jer 8:8,9).

Rom 2:24

Paul quotes from Isa 52:5, where, on account of Israel’s continual sins against Yahweh’s Law, the nations were caused to blaspheme Israel’s God. David’s sin against Uriah brought the same result: “By doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt — or blaspheme!” (2Sa 12:14).

Rom 2:25

“Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law” (Gal 5:3).

BUT IF YOU BREAK THE LAW: And ALL did! Rom 3:23.

AS THOUGH YOU HAD NOT BEEN CIRCUMCISED: Because cursed by the very law that established circumcision (Gen 17:14).

Rom 2:26

“Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts” (1Co 7:19). “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Gal 5:6). “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation” (Gal 6:15). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2Co 5:17).

Rom 2:29

CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART: Cf Deu 10:16; 30:6; Jer 4:4; 9:25,26.

PRAISE: The word Jew, coming from the Heb “Judah”, sig “praise” (Gen 49:8). But the Jew loved the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:43). To them circumcision was the occasion for glorying in their own flesh (Gal 6:12,13)… in direct contrast to the principle of the gospel of Christ: “so that no one may boast before him” (1Co 1:29).

Author: Paul.

Time: AD 57.

Summary: Paul first demonstrates that Jews and Gentiles alike are sinners in the eyes of God and therefore worthy of death. That is the “bad news” that gives power to the “good news” (Rom 1:16,17), in which Paul explains that Jesus Christ is able to provide a covering for our sins. Further, he shows that Israel too, though presently in a state of unbelief, has a place in God’s plan of redemption. The letter concludes with an appeal to the readers to work out their Christian faith in practical ways.

Key verses: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:23-24).

“An epistle which, for sublimity and truth of sentiment, for brevity and strength of expression, for regularity in its structure, and, above all, for the unspeakable importance of the discoveries it contains, stands unrivalled by any mere human composition, and as far exceeds the most celebrated productions of the learned Greeks and Romans, as the shining of the sun exceeds the twinkling of the stars.”

Outline

1. Introduction: Rom 1:1-17

2. The unrighteousness of all mankind: Rom 1:16–3:20

a) Gentiles: Rom 1:18-32 b) Jews: Rom 2:1-3:8 c) Summary: all people: Rom 3:9-20

3. Righteousness imputed: justification: Rom 3:21–5:21

1. Through Christ: Rom 3:21-26
2. Received by faith: Rom 3:27–4:25
3. The fruits of righteousness: Rom 5:1-11
4. Summary: man’s righteousness contrasted with God’s gift: Rom 5:12-21

4. Righteousness imparted: sanctification: Rom 6-8

a) Freedom from sin’s tyranny: Rom 6 b) Freedom from the law’s condemnation: Rom 7 c) Life in the power of the Holy Spirit: Rom 8

5. The problem of the rejection of Israel: Rom 9-11

a) The justice and cause of the rejection: Rom 9:1-10:21 b) The restoration of Israel: Rom 11

6. The gospel in practice: Rom 12:1–15:13

a) In the body — the church: Rom 12 b) In the world: Rom 13 c) Among weak and strong Christians: Rom 14:1–15:13

7. Conclusion and greetings: Rom 15:14–16:27

See Lesson, Rom, outline by chapter

Rom 1:1

See Lesson, Paul the man.

See Lesson, Paul’s ecclesial letters.

“It is not historical scholarship which is wanted for the understanding of Paul, and neither is it the insight of genius. It is despair. Paul did not preach for scholars, not even for philosophers; he preached for sinners. He had no gospel except for men whose mouths were stopped, and who were standing condemned at the bar of God” (Denney, “Christian Doctrine of Reconciliation”).

SERVANT: “Doulos” = bond-slaves. This description emphasizes submission and dependence on their Lord. It is not a technical reference to a specific office, but characterizes their willing service of Christ, their divine Master. The same designation appears in the letters of James, 2 Peter, and Jude.

Man’s slave becomes free in Christ, and a freeman (like Paul) becomes Christ’s slave (1Co 7:22).

The use of the term “slaves” also suggests the “redemptive” work of God in Christ: the Israelites were “slaves” in Egypt, who were “bought” or “redeemed” out of their slavery to become the “purchased possession” of the Father (Exo 15:16). (See Lesson, Redemption.)

CALLED TO BE AN APOSTLE: As the twelve were called (Mar 1:17), and apostles (Luk 6:13), so Paul was “sent” by Christ (Acts 26:17).

SET APART: From his mother’s womb (Gal 1:15), by conversion (Acts 9:15), and by a specific call (Acts 13:2).

FOR: A positive call, not a negative one! He was not set apart from all that was evil, at least not specifically so. He was set apart UNTO that which was positive: the work of the gospel. As a Pharisee he had been set apart to a life of strict observance of Jewish law and custom. Now his life work is to further the gospel, the good news that God has for man.

Rom 1:2

The gospel was not some new thing: it was a renewal and restatement of the OT hope (cp Acts 23:6; 24:15; 26:6,7; 28:20; Rom 15:4).

Rom 1:3

WHO AS TO HIS HUMAN NATURE: The AV is better: “according to the flesh.”

A DESCENDANT OF DAVID: And thus the heir and the fulfillment of God’s promises to David: 2Sa 7:12-16; Isa 9:6,7; Acts 2:30,31; 13:22,23; Luk 1:30-34.

Rom 1:4

SPIRIT OF HOLINESS: A unique expression generally regarded as a Semitism conveying the same concept as “Holy Spirit”. There may be a suggestion here that Jesus, anointed and sustained by the Holy Spirit in the days of his flesh, was acknowledged by the fact of resurrection to have successfully endured the tests and trials of his earthly life, having been obedient even to death.

Or, poss, “a spirit of holiness”, as ref to character of Christ. Cp other usages: ie, “a spirit of fear” (2Ti 1:7), “a spirit of meekness” (1Co 4:21).

WITH POWER: “With power” may belong with “declared”, but may with greater warrant be joined with “Son of God”, indicating the new quality of life Jesus had after his resurrection (Phi 3:10; Col 1:29).

BY HIS RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD: By resurrection he has become a life-giving spirit (1Co 15:45). His rising was indeed “from the dead”. But Paul says more, namely, “of the dead”, suggesting that Christ is the forerunner of others in this transformation (cf 1Co 15:20,21). See VL, Christ’s resurrection, reality.

OUR LORD: Appropriately, Jesus Christ is now described as “our Lord”. Though the title was fitting during his earthly ministry, it attained more frequent use and greater meaning following the resurrection (Acts 2:36; 10:36).

Rom 1:5

THROUGH HIM AND FOR HIS NAME’S SAKE… TO CALL PEOPLE FROM AMONG ALL THE GENTILES: It was the purpose of Yahweh to take out of the nations a people FOR HIS NAME: Act 15:14-17; Phi 2:9,10. This purpose was manifested in His Son as an individual (2Co 5:19; John 17:6,11,26), then in the “Body of Christ” (Rev 14:1; 1Th 1:1; 2Co 6:16), and finally in all the world (1Co 15:28; Num 14:21).

WE RECEIVED GRACE AND APOSTLESHIP: It was by the grace of God that Paul was called to be an apostle (v 1). Grace was the cause and source of his apostleship.

TO THE OBEDIENCE THAT COMES FROM FAITH: The desired response to the gospel message is “obedience that comes from faith”. (For obedience, see Rom 15:18; 16:26 and for faith, Rom 1:16,17; 10:17.)

Rom 1:6

Vv 6,7: Paul’s readers were not called, as he was, to apostleship; they were called “to belong to Jesus Christ” (v 6) and to be “saints” (v 7), the common term designating believers. This term has almost the same force as the expression Paul uses for himself — “set apart” (v 1).

Rom 1:7

SAINTS: Gr “hagios”, the holy ones! (Always appears in the plural in the NT: no individual is spoken of as a “saint”, singular; but all believers are “saints”, collectively, in Christ!) As God “set apart” or “sanctified” or “made holy” His people in Egypt (Exo 13:2; Lev 11:44), so NT believers were “made holy” in Christ.

All believers are “saints” through their spiritual union with Christ, a fact Paul often expressed by the phrase “in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1,2; Eph 2:6,10,13; 3:6) or “in Christ” (Rom 12:5; 2Co 5:17). This use of the term emphasizes not so much personal holiness, though the believer’s conduct should correspond increasingly to his standing (2Co 7:1; 2Th 5:23), but the objective “set apart” status each believer possesses because of the grace conferred upon him or her through Christ.

GRACE: “Charis” — a gift or favor — any and all of God’s blessings and gifts to men. “Grace” in some contexts refers to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but the word means much more than that. Grace is the favorable attention, care, and comfort from God toward us. To know grace is to come within the scope of His glorious light — to be accepted as part of His chosen family, constantly overshadowed by His angelic protection.

This grace is extended without partiality to everyone who, in truth, yields himself entirely to Him — this means placing himself in His hands, allowing His word to work in him. We must allow the Truth to overshadow and dominate everything in our lives — endeavoring to give our all to Him, holding nothing back, in hope of the day when we will be “filled with the fullness of God”. Just holding certain beliefs, attending the meetings of believers and being technically ‘in the Truth’ is not enough to guarantee God’s grace. We must be receptive to Him and be moved to activity. Then and only then may we enter into the glory of the grace of God.

PEACE: Peace is the basic blessing we all need most. It only comes through the grace and mercy of God. Peace is an impervious mental shield against all fear and disquiet. Peace is perfect, relaxed harmony and tranquility of mind. Peace is primarily “peace with God” — “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1).

To have peace with God makes all other conflict harmless and unimportant. It can only come with complete, undivided dedication to one supreme object of life, for peace is essentially oneness. It is not freedom from external conflict: that is not important. It is freedom from internal conflict. Jesus said, just before the terrible suffering of his crucifixion: “Peace I leave with you: my peace I give unto you… In the world ye shall have tribulation; but in me ye shall have peace… Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

And Paul, chained and in prison for the sake of the glorious gospel tells the Philippian brethren to take everything to God in prayer, and he assures them that in so doing — “The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ” (Phi 4:7).

FROM GOD OUR FATHER AND FROM THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: The true order from which all blessings flow. All gifts come from God. But the greatest gift of God to man is the hope of eternal life which was first revealed in Christ — “the firstfruits… ” (1Co 15:23) — and then offered to us as well, through Christ, our Saviour, mediator, and Lord.

Rom 1:8

First of all, Paul must express his thanks to God for his readers. This was customary, and he omitted an expression of thanks only in writing the Galatians. His thanksgiving for the Roman believers is based on their faith (cf Eph 1:15,16; Col 1:3,4; 1Th 1:3).

ALL OVER THE WORLD: The “kosmos” = the whole (ecclesial) world (cp 1Th 1:8).

Rom 1:9

GOD… IS MY WITNESS: Cp 2Co 1:23; Phi 1:8.

SERVE: “Latreuo” = to serve as a worshiper, in joy — not as a slave or bond-servant, in obligation.

WITH MY WHOLE HEART: “With my spirit” (pneuma). That is, with the heart and mind, and not just in physical, outward obedience: cp John 4:23; Phi 3:3.

I REMEMBER YOU: “In my prayers” (v 10): cp Eph 1:16; Phi 1:3,4; Col 1:9.

Rom 1:10

IN MY PRAYERS AT ALL TIMES: But why should Paul find it necessary to summon God as his witness that he had been faithful in praying for the Roman believers? There are two reasons. For one thing, he had been praying “constantly” (v 9). The Greek word denotes “repeatedly”, meaning that there is no great length of time between prayers. This seems almost too much to expect of a man who did not know most of these people. Furthermore, as he will tell his readers later (Rom 15:25), he is about to leave for Jerusalem, and this could give the appearance of his not putting the Roman believers first in his plans. Here, as elsewhere, when Paul calls God as his witness (v 9), it is because the thing he is claiming seems difficult to believe.

Rom 1:11

I LONG TO SEE YOU: “Long” is Gr “epipotheo”, earnest desire. The sw in 2Co 5:2 expresses his desire for immortality, as though to see the Lord was no more his desire than to see them! Cp sw Phi 1:8.

SOME SPIRITUAL GIFT: By “spiritual gift” we are probably not to understand something charismatic (the purpose, “to make you strong”, is not favorable to such a view), since Paul does not specify any particular gift and avoids the plural (ct 1Co 12:1). The word of God, its teaching, exhortation, encouragement (see v 12), comfort: these are all examples of the sort of spiritual “gift” which the apostle might impart.

Rom 1:12

But no sooner has this sentiment (v 11) been expressed than it is halfway recalled, being revised because it seems to suggest that blessing will flow only one way, from Paul to the believers. So he alters his language to make room for mutual encouragement and upbuilding. Faith is basically the same, wherever it be found, but to see it at work in one individual after another, in various ways, adds zest to Christian fellowship. Paul himself needed this, as much as did they.

Rom 1:13

I PLANNED MANY TIMES TO COME TO YOU: “I have been longing for many years to see you” (Rom 15:23).

BUT HAVE BEEN PREVENTED FROM DOING SO: “This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you” (Rom 15:22), because of other preaching work — that is, because Paul went where the Holy Spirit led him (cp Acts 16:7). There is no intimation of external opposition as in the case of the Thessalonians (1Th 2:18), so we are left with the supposition that his work in the East had involved him so completely that he did not see his way clear to break away for the projected trip to Rome.

IN ORDER THAT I MIGHT HAVE A HARVEST AMONG YOU: “Fruit bearing” might take two forms: (1) new converts to the gospel “among the other Gentiles”, and (2) development of spiritual character and qualities among those who already believed (cp Gal 5:22,23; Rom 6:22).

Rom 1:14

I AM OBLIGATED: Paul was urged on in his work by an overwhelming sense of duty and responsibility. This perhaps would first be incited by feelings of guilt from his earlier life — where as a zealous young Pharisee he ignorantly suppressed the Truth, finally persecuting and slaying the Christians. Being forgiven this, Paul knew that he could never repay the Lord for such kindness, and thus saw himself as a permanent debtor to him whose blood he had once helped to spill (Act 9;14).

NON-GREEKS: Gr “barbaroi”. In classical and even in early Hellenistic times, the Greeks were prone to include the Latins among the “barbarians”. But by the time of Paul this was no longer the case. The Romans had become the caretakers of Hellenic civilization. This being so, it is probable that in using “barbarians” Paul had in mind the territory beyond Rome to the West, where he hoped to go. At the same time, when v 15 is taken into account, it should be granted that he would not have to look beyond Rome itself with its diverse population to find representatives of both groups.

THE WISE AND THE FOOLISH: The “wise” are not being equated with the Greeks, for this would mean that all non-Greeks are being dubbed “foolish”, which would be unwarranted. The wise are perishing in the midst of their worldly wisdom (1Co 1:18-21), and the foolish in their abject simplicity. Both need the gospel.

Rom 1:15

How heartwarming is the apostle’s attitude toward his obligation! Instead of considering it a burden he must bear, a duty he must carry out, he is “eager” to fulfill it. If one has the finest intellectual and formal preparation for preaching but is lacking in zeal, he cannot hope for much success. The call to preach and the need for the message together constitute the preacher’s compelling incentive to proclaim the message of salvation.

Rom 1:16

I AM NOT ASHAMED: Having confessed his fervent desire to preach the gospel at Rome, Paul goes on to give a reason for his zeal. He has no sense of reserve about his mission. He does not in any way consider his task unworthy or one that will prove to be illusory. He is ready to challenge the philosophies and religions in Rome that vie for the attention of men, because he knows on the basis of his experience in the East that God’s power at work in the proclamation of the good news is able to transform lives. See Paul’s exhortations to Timothy (2Ti 1:6), where he sets himself forth as an example (2Ti 1:12).

THE GOSPEL: See v 1.

POWER OF GOD FOR THE SALVATION: The Greek word for “power” (‘dynamis’) has sometimes elicited the reaction that the gospel is dynamite! This is quite out of place, for the emphasis is not on blowing false religions out of the way or blasting a trail of success for the true faith, or even on delivering people from habits they have been unable to shake off. Paul himself goes on to explain in what sense “power” is to be understood. The stress falls not on its mode of operation but on its intrinsic efficacy. It offers something not to be found anywhere else — a righteousness from God.

Closer at hand is the linkage between power and salvation. Judaism was prone to think of the law as power, but this is not affirmed in Scripture. As for salvation, the OT is clear in its teaching that whether it is conceived of physically as deliverance (Exo 14:13) or spiritually (Psa 51:12), it comes from the LORD. This is maintained in the NT as well, and is affirmed in Paul’s statement that the gospel is “the power of God” for salvation. So if the apostle permits himself to say that if he himself saves anyone (1Co 9:22), it is only in the sense that he is Christ’s representative who is able to point out the way to his fellowmen.

Paul elsewhere writes of those who profess the name of Christ, but deny the “power” of the gospel (2Ti 3:5) — that is, they reject the transforming power of the Bible’s message (Col 3:10; 1Co 1:4; Eph 3:6,7,20).

SALVATION: Salvation is a broad concept. It includes the forgiveness of sins, but involves much more, because its basic meaning is soundness or wholeness. It promises the restoration of all that sin has marred or destroyed. It is the general term that unites in itself the particular aspects of truth suggested by justification, reconciliation, sanctification, and redemption. But its efficacy depends on man’s willingness to receive the message.

FIRST FOR THE JEW, THEN FOR THE GENTILE: To the Jew first, that is, in point of national precedence and privilege (Rom 3:1,2). God, after having dealt in a special way with the Jew in OT days and having followed this by sending his Son to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, could not pass by this people. To them was given the first opportunity to receive the Lord Jesus, both during his ministry John 1:11) and in the Christian era (Acts 1:8; 3:26). Paul himself followed this pattern (Acts 13:45, 46:28:25,28).

The opportunity of salvation was first to the Jew (John 4:22), but tribulation is also to Israel first, for their rejection of Yahweh’s ways (Rom 2:9,10). Israel has turned their back to Him, yet because of the promises Yahweh has made to the patriarchs concerning His people, He will never forsake them (1Sa 12:22; Jer 31:37; Hos 14:4). Paul expounds this principle at length in Rom 11.

Rom 1:17

A RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD: The reason given is that this salvation discloses “a righteousness from God.” Paul is dependent here on the OT (Isa 46:12,13; 61:10). God’s “righteousness” does not mean simply a sinless character; that is of course true, but it is here beside the point. In the Hebrew tradition, God’s “righteousness” is the way He acts, and the absolute faithfulness with which He remembers and maintains His covenants of promise to man. Such an idea was quite foreign to Greek thought. Clearly, the character of God is involved in the sense that what He does and provides must be in keeping with His nature (Rom 3:26). But just as clearly, the expression must go beyond this to include the activity of God. The gospel would not be the good news if it simply disclosed the righteous character of God. Such a message would scarcely demand faith. In view of man’s sinful state, it could well create fear. But if salvation as God provides it and offers it is fully in keeping with His righteous character, then it has integrity. If it satisfies God, man can be content with it — for it is not only right; it is the ONLY right!

This verse is prelude to Rom 3:21-25, where Paul, dealing with the sacrifice of Christ, shows that God’s righteousness is demonstrated in setting forth His Son as a covering, or mercy seat, for sins. Thus God may be seen to be at the same righteous and merciful: righteous in His character and promises, and merciful in providing a way for sinful man to find his way back to Him.

In Phi 3:9, Paul contrasts his pre-Christian state, in which he had a righteousness based on observance of the law, with his present situation, in which he rests on a righteousness which is of (from) God, based on faith. In summary, God’s righteousness in this context, while it has an implied reference to his character, stresses divine provision. What this entails will be unfolded by Paul in due course. Paul had already taught that Christ was the medium for the bringing of righteousness from God to sinful man (1Co 1:30; 2Co 5:21).

BY FAITH FROM FIRST TO LAST: Or, better, as AV and NIV mg: “from faith to faith”. More literally, “out of” faith “unto” faith. A recognition of the righteousness of God (in His character, AND His plan) springs “out of” faith, once it has heard the word of God (Rom 10:17). This righteousness is made available “through” faith in Jesus Christ (ie Rom 3:22). And thus is begun, and continued, a life of faith — so that the initial act of faith, in belief and baptism, leads “unto” a deeper and more lasting faith in daily life. And thus “the righteous will LIVE by faith!” (Hab 2:4). Or, as James puts it, “You see that his [Abraham’s] faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did” (Jam 2:22).

The central affirmation of Habakkuk is the last part of Hab 2:4: ‘the righteous will live by his faith.’ There are three key words in this affirmation: righteous, live, and faith. It is interesting that in the three places where this verse is quoted in the NT, in each case a different word receives the emphasis: (1) In Rom 1:17, the emphasis is on ‘righteous.’ Paul’s concern in Romans was with the righteousness of God and how people can obtain it. (2) In Gal 3:11, the emphasis is on ‘faith.’ Paul contrasted salvation by works and salvation by faith in Galatians. (3) And in Heb 10:38, the emphasis is on ‘live.’ The writer to the Hebrews stressed the importance of living by faith as a way of life rather than turning back to Judaism and living by the Law.

Thus we can see that this statement is packed with meaning. In fact, many people believe that this verse expresses the central theme of the entire Bible.

This verse may be amplified thusly: “The righteous (ie, those who are justified and declared righteous by God — being absolved of their sins) shall live (ie, NOW, in their daily lives of faith, and in the FUTURE, in the day of resurrection and glory) by their faith (ie, by acknowledging their utter dependence upon the LORD).”

Rom 1:18

Vv 18-32: Instead of plunging at once into an exposition of the gospel, Paul launches into a lengthy exposure of the sinfulness of man. The “good news” must be preceded by the “bad news”; else, who would know how “good” the “good news” was!? This is sound procedure, for until men are persuaded of their lost condition they are not likely to be concerned about deliverance. So Paul undertakes to demonstrate in the human situation a grievous lack of the righteousness God requires.

Vv 18,32: These two verses are joined together in thought, and vv 19-31 are parenthetical. Vv 19,20 explain and qualify v 18, while vv 21-31 describe the abominable degradation that followed the rejection of God.

THE WRATH OF GOD: “Wrath” = “orge”, meaning “a slowly developing of heat and fire until it consumes”.

REVEALED: “Apokalupto” = to uncover, unveil. In v 17 the “righteousness” of God was revealed, and now here the “wrath” of God is likewise revealed.

GODLESSNESS: “Asebeia”: the opposite of “eusebeia”; related to the mind: a lack of reverence, an impiety that arrays man against God, not simply in terms of neglect but also of rebellion

WICKEDNESS: “Adikia”: unrighteous ACTIONS; injustice, relating to man’s conduct toward his fellows. The two together (godlessness and wickedness) serve to denote the failure of mankind in terms of the requirements of the two tables of the Decalogue. No distinction is made here between Jews and Gentiles, since “men” is broad enough to include the human race. These are the very areas in which the prophets found fault with Israel. But as the thought unfolds, the culprit appears much more sharply in terms of Gentiles than of Jews.

WHO SUPPRESS THE TRUTH: Whenever the truth starts to exert itself and makes them feel uneasy in their moral nature, they hold it down, or suppress it. Some drown its voice by rushing into their immoralities; others strangle the disturbing voice by argument and by denial.

THE TRUTH: Gr “alethia”: “The manifested, veritable essence of the matter”, or the very existence of God Himself.

Rom 1:19

PLAIN: Gr “phaneros” = open to sight.

Rom 1:20

“A simple consideration of the activities in which the power of the universe is engaged provides satisfactory witness of the working of God; for we are led to contemplate the wide range of ordered operations, each directed to its own end, and duly controlled within that end. We observe, in spite of human ignorance in so many details, how operations coordinate, and represent one magnificent harmony of purpose for beneficent ends. Every example of design would be pertinent. We shall content ourselves with citing just one obvious case which all can observe and admire. We refer to a common flowering plant. It usually begins from a seed planted in the ground. This sends out roots growing downwards and a shoot growing upwards into the air. From the shoot come leaves and flowers, and these flowers comprise a fascinating combination of contrivances for the production of fertile seeds, with which not only the earth with its supply of nourishment through the roots is associated, but also the sun and rain and air and insects play their part in so marvelous and admirable a manner as to compel an acknowledgment of the working of God. Wisdom must recognize in these ordained processes which produce and preserve each species the compelling evidence of eternal power infallibly guided by God Himself. Eternal power and Godhead are thus seen from things that are made” (WW, Xdn 113: 424,425).

“Tell a man that man’s most intricate computer ‘just happened’ by a heap of nuts and bolts falling into a pile yesterday, and he’ll say you are mad; and he will be right. Tell a man that a worm’s brain (which is infinitely more intricate and wonderful than man’s most advanced computer) ‘just happened’ by a few bits of nothing falling together one hundred billion years or so ago, and he’ll say you are an educated modern scientist; and he will be right again. Tell him that, if he can believe that, he is ‘safely’ over the hump out of rationality and reality into evolutionary fantasy and superstition… ‘His eternal power and divinity are clearly seen from the Creation of the world, by the things that are made, so that they are WITHOUT EXCUSE.’ That’s God’s viewpoint, and it’s preeminently reasonable” (GVG).

See Lesson, Unknown God.

Rom 1:21

NOR GAVE THANKS TO HIM: “Thanks” is Gr “charis”, that which causes joy. Not only had men refused to glorify Yahweh, having had a knowledge of Him, but they were not even thankful for the fact that He had provided a way of approach to Him.

THEIR THINKING BECAME FUTILE: Cp the men of Noah’s day: Gen 6:5; 8:21. The suggestion is that mythology and idolatry grew out of man’s insistent need to recognize some power in the universe greater than himself, coupled with his refusal to give God the place of supremacy. He had to make a substitution. It is highly suggestive that the verb “to become futile” yields a noun form that was used for idols (Acts 14:15). Idols are unreal and unprofitable, and their service can only lead to futility and further estrangement from the true and living God. Cp Daniel’s rebuke of Belshazzar (Dan 5:23).

THEIR FOOLISH HEARTS: Cp Psa 14:1.

DARKENED: Darkness is the absence of light, and can only be remedied by an application of light: cp Joh 1:5,9; 8:12; 12:36,46.

Rom 1:23

Man is constitutionally a worshiper. If he gives up God, then he will take something else. Paul shows the folly of this (Acts 17:29-31). Note the degrading order of objects worshiped. And so man got so low that eventually “God gave them over” (v 24).

Language particularly suited to Jews, contrasting what they were (“wise”, v 22; the “glory” of God) with what they have become (“fools”, v 22; “exchanged” for “images”).

This abandonment of God in favor of inferior objects of worship is traced in a descending scale. “Mortal man” is the first substitution. The Creator is forsaken in preference for the creature. Scripture shows us the deification of man in the case of Nebuchadnezzar. The colossus that appeared in his dream was interpreted by Daniel as pointing to the king himself so far as the head of gold was concerned (Dan 2:38). Wasting no time, the monarch erected an immense statue of gold and compelled his subjects to prostrate themselves before it (Dan 3:1). In Paul’s day the cult of Caesar had spread throughout the empire. Before long, Caesar and Christ would be competing for the homage of society. In modern times the western world has outgrown crass idolatry, but humanism has subtly injected the worship of man without the trappings. God is quietly ruled out and man is placed on the throne.

The next stage is worship of the animal kingdom. V 23 owes its wording largely to Psa 106:20. The immediate context refers to the sin of Israel in making a calf at Horeb and bowing down to this molten image. Paul makes one change in the text of the psalm, which reads: “And they changed their glory for the likeness of an ox that eats grass.” To the psalmist God is the glory of the Israelites. Paul seems to make the glory of God his spirituality, in contrast to any attempt to express his excellence in physical terms. God’s majesty may well be included here. Whereas Paul is dealing with a characteristic sin of paganism, he resorts to OT history for an illustration. God did not and could not condone idolatry in the people He had chosen. His judgment fell heavily when there was no repentance, even to the point of desolation and deportation from the land he had given Israel.

According to the prophetic word, the worship of man and beast will merge during the Last Days: “If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number” (Rev 13:18).

Rom 1:24

GOD GAVE THEM OVER: This becomes a refrain (vv 24,26,28). For a nuance of the term, see 1Co 5:5; 1Ti 1:20. The same expression is used of God’s judgment on Israel for idolatry (Acts 7:42). In our passage the reference is principally to Gentiles (Israel was largely purged of this sin by means of the captivity in Babylon). We are not told how this giving over was implemented, but most likely we are to think of it in negative terms — ie, that God simply took his hands off and let willful rejection of himself produce its ugly results in human life. There is no suggestion here of direct intervention such as was granted to Israel by sending prophets to plead with God’s people concerning their unfaithfulness.

SEXUAL IMPURITY: “Uncleanness” in AV: Gr “akatharsia”, a moral condition: Eph 4:18,19; 1Th 2:3. Not “simple” sexual immorality, but ritual immorality: a ref to cultic prostitution, as in Corinthian temple/brothels, and elsewhere in the Roman Empire. Also borrowed from the Canaanite peoples in OT times. Why? Because it was part of the process by which “they exchanged the truth of God for a lie” — ie, false gods (v 25)!

DEGRADING: “Atimazo”: disgrace, reproach, insult: cp Mar 12:4; Luk 20:11.

Rom 1:25

A LIE: Better, “THE lie”: a false religion, accepted in place of the worship of the true God.

AND WORSHIPED AND SERVED CREATED THINGS RATHER THAN THE CREATOR: To substitute the worship of a creature for the Creator is the height of perversity and folly, meriting the retribution mentioned (cp 2Ti 3:4). Today’s worldly pleasures are a parallel, as they are designed to serve the creature — hence “creature comforts”!

Rom 1:26

Vv 26,27: See Lesson, Homosexuality.

Rom 1:27

INDECENT: “Askeemosune”: cp 1Co 7:36; 12:23; 13:5; Rev 16:15.

Rom 1:28

DEPRAVED: The word “adokimos” is translated “reprobate” (Rom 1:28; 2Co 13:5-7, 2Ti 3:8; Tit 1:16), “castaway” (1Co 9:27), and “rejected” (Heb 6:8). It is used to describe a counterfeit coin, deficient as to weight or quality of metal. It is also used, figuratively, to describe a cowardly soldier who fails the test of battle; a candidate rejected for office; and a stone rejected by the builders. In each case, that which is “reprobate” has promised something by its outward appearance that it cannot deliver! It has, perhaps, a “name to live”, but it is dead — like clouds that promise rain, but give none; like stars in the heavens that appear fixed, but prove to be “wandering stars”, or meteors.

WHAT OUGHT NOT TO BE DONE: What is “not fitting” (RSV), or “not becoming” (Roth).

Rom 1:29

EVERY KIND OF WICKEDNESS: Scholars have found it difficult to detect any satisfactory classification in the long list of offenses included here, which only confirms the fact that sin is irrational in itself and disorderly in its effects.

In fact, there are 22 kinds of wickedness — the same as the letters in the Hebrew alphabet! Sins “from A to Z”!

GREED: “Pleonexia”: a desire for more. It can be either a desire for good or evil. Here, of course, it is evil. In 1Co 12:31, it is that which is good. Associated with wickedness in Mar 7:22; and compared with idolatry in Col 3:5.

DEPRAVITY: “Maliciousness” (AV): “kakia”, a comprehensive term for all evil, esp immorality (cp 1Pe 2:1), the vicious disposition and desires, rather than the active exercise of them.

ENVY: “Phthonos”, jealousy: cp Mat 27:18.

STRIFE: Debate, rivalry, contention.

GOSSIPS: “Psithristes”: liars, secret slanderers.

Rom 1:30

SLANDERERS: “Katalalos”: open slanderers (cp “whisperers” in AV, v 29).

Rom 1:32

BUT ALSO APPROVE OF THOSE WHO PRACTICE THEM: To deliberately pursue a wrong course is bad, but to find delight in others doing the same things is the ultimate in moral corruption.

Rom 3:1

WHAT ADVANTAGE, THEN, IS THERE IN BEING A JEW?: That is, in light of Rom 2:28,29.

CIRCUMCISION: Referring, still, to the just previous verses.

Rom 3:2

MUCH IN EVERY WAY!: A manifold advantage, made explicit by “first of all”. There seems no doubt that this suggests an enumeration, but Paul proceeds no further than his first point. The reader is kept waiting a long time for any resumption, but eventually the full list is provided (Rom 9:4,5).

THEY HAVE BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH THE VERY WORDS OF GOD: The Jews have been made the custodians of the Word of God (Deu 4:5-8; Psa 147:19,20). And so salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22); they should have been a “light” to the Gentiles (Rom 2:17-20).

Rom 3:3

WHAT IF SOME DID NOT HAVE FAITH?: To be “entrusted” (v 2) with the divine oracles obviously means more than to be the recipient of them. Actually it means more even than to be the custodian and transmitter of them. What is called for is faith and obedience. And it is just at this point that the Jew failed. Paul has already dealt sufficiently with Jewish failure in terms of the law, but here he deals with it in terms of God’s revealed purpose.

He is considerate in saving that “some did not have faith”. In 1Co 10:1 he says that some became idolaters, some murmured, etc. Actually, only two men of the Exodus generation pleased God and were permitted to enter the promised land. Paul is recognizing the concept of the faithful remnant in Israel.

DID NOT HAVE FAITH: Is the rendering “did not have faith” (“did not believe”: AV) acceptable here, or should one regard the RSV translation, “were unfaithful”, as preferable? The problem is to determine which fits better with the contrasting term, “God’s faithfulness”. The revelation of God summons both man both to faith (in its promissory character) and to faithfulness (in its exhortational aspect).

WILL THEIR LACK OF FAITH NULLIFY GOD’S FAITHFULNESS?: Because some in Israel failed (actually, only a few did NOT fail!), shall God withdraw His promises and be proved “unfaithful” because of them? Of course not.

Rom 3:4

NOT AT ALL!: “God forbid” (KJV). “Let it not be so.” The word for “God” is not in the original.

LET GOD BE TRUE, AND EVERY MAN A LIAR: That is, “even IF every man were a liar, still God would be true!” Cp Psa 116:11.

AS IT IS WRITTEN: Paul now quotes from Psa 51:4 to draw into the argument a notable experience of David: the psalm is written as a memorial to his penitent acknowledgment of his sin re Bathsheba. After being chastened for his sin and refusal to confess it for a long period, David was ready to admit that God was in the right and he was in the wrong.

Rom 3:5

BUT IF OUR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS BRINGS OUT GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS MORE CLEARLY: Because of the sharp contrast between the two.

WHAT SHALL WE SAY? THAT GOD IS UNJUST IN BRINGING HIS WRATH ON US?: Is it not possible (so the question might go) that since human failure can bring out more sharply the righteousness of God, the Almighty ought to be grateful for this service and soften the judgment that would otherwise be due the offender? The question is one a Jew might well resort to in line with his thought that God would go easy on His covenant people. The mention of wrath ties in with Rom 2:8,9.

I AM USING A HUMAN ARGUMENT: Lit, “I speak as a man.” “It constitutes an apology for a statement which, but for the apology, would be too bold, almost blasphemous” (Daube, cited in EBC). Paul’s explanatory statement is due to his having permitted himself to use the word “unjust” about God, even though it is not his own assertion. If that were so, that is, if God were unjust, He would not be qualified to judge the world. There is no attempt to establish His qualifications, since the readers, at least, are not in doubt on a point of this sort about which Scripture is so clear.

Rom 3:6

CERTAINLY NOT!: Sw v 4.

IF IT WERE SO, HOW COULD GOD JUDGE THE WORLD?: This would be the natural conclusion to the argument (v 5). But of course, it was a self-evident truth, that “God is judge”, and no one else! He is the only Judge of Jew AND Gentile (Gen 18:25; Deu 32:36; Psa 50:1-6; 149:5-9; 1Pe 3:17,18.

Rom 3:7

As if to say, ‘Then surely God must be more responsible for my “lie” than I am! So why should He condemn me? I am mere clay in His hands.’

Rom 3:8

LET US DO EVIL THAT GOOD MAY RESULT: The same basic argument as in Rom 6:1: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?”

THEIR CONDEMNATION IS DESERVED: As if to say, ‘This is so obviously ludicrous that it merits no other response!’ Paul will not deal with slanderers who refuse to reason on logical principles in the word of God.

Rom 3:9

Vv 9-19: In proving that both Jews and Gentiles are “under sin” (v 9), Paul brings to bear the witness of Scripture. He gathers together a number of passages from the Psalms and Isaiah. None are righteous; all are departed from the way. Vv 10-12 are from Psa 14:1-3 / Psa 53:1-3; v 13 from Psa 5:9; 140:3; v 14 from Psa 10:7; vv 15-17 from Isa 59:7,8; and v 18 from Psa 36:1. The verses are clearly selected from those that apply to Jews, under the covenant, so that their import cannot be sloughed off on the really “wicked” Gentiles only!

Throat (v 13), tongue (v 13), lips (v 13), and mouth (v 14) trace the stages of speech. Finally the feet (v 15) and the eyes (v 18) get into the act also. But serpent-like speech (Gen 3:1) is clearly the foundation and source of all wickedness. From the speech of that subtle denizen of Eden has sprung, indirectly, all sin. His throat was an “open sepulchre” (Rom 3:13). His tongue, the “little member” full of boasting, brought on the defilement of the whole bodies of both Adam and Eve (Jam 3:5,6). The great fire of corruption was kindled by his words, and human nature was changed for the worse. Now it can rightly be said of all mankind that “the poison of asps is under their lips” (Rom 3:13)!

WHAT SHALL WE CONCLUDE THEN? ARE WE ANY BETTER?: ‘Do we, the Jews, have a higher moral excellence than the Gentiles?’

JEWS AND GENTILES ALIKE ARE ALL UNDER SIN: That is, “under (judgment for) sin”. To be under sin is to be under its sway and condemnation. Thus Paul summarizes his argument in Rom 2.

It is noteworthy that in his discussion of sin up to this point Paul does not charge the Jew with the death of Christ as he does in 1Th 2:15. He could have included the Gentile also (cf Acts 4:27,28) and made this a clinching factor in the case against mankind, but he did not. Perhaps this is because few Jews and still fewer Gentiles were involved in effecting the death of the Lord Jesus. Paul is basing his case on a much wider sampling of human character and conduct. The specific episode of Calvary is not needed to make the verdict certain.

Rom 3:10

Vv 10-18: However, there is another argument waiting to be brought into play to seal the verdict. It is the testimony of Scripture. Writing to those who are for the most part Gentiles, Paul does not set down Scripture first and then work from that as a base for exposition (which is the method used in Hebrews), but he uses only a minimum of reference to the OT to substantiate what he has established. Leaving Scripture to the conclusion of the argument is calculated to increase the respect of the Gentile for it as being able to depict man’s condition accurately and faithfully. Both Jews and early Christians were in the habit of drawing up collections of Scripture passages relating to various topics in order to use them as proof texts for instruction or argumentation. It is not known whether the present collection, taken mostly from the Psalms, is the work of Paul or whether he is utilizing something previously formulated.

Vv 10-12: Citing Psa 14:1-3: the “fool” why denies God “in his heart”.

“Our guilt is great because our sins are exceedingly numerous. It is not merely outward acts of unkindness and dishonesty with which we are chargeable. Our habitual and characteristic state of mind is evil in the sight of God.

“Our pride and indifference to His will and to the welfare of others and our loving the creature more than the Creator are continuous violations of His holy law. We have never been or done what that law requires us to be and to do. We have never had delight in that fixed purpose to do the will and promote the glory of God. We are always sinners; we are at all times and under all circumstances in opposition to God.

“If we have never loved Him supremely, if we have never made it our purpose to do His will, if we have never made His glory the end of our actions, then our lives have been an unbroken series of transgressions. Our sins are not to be numbered by the conscious violations of duty; they are as numerous as the moments of our existence” (CH).

Rom 3:11

// Pro 2:9,10; Psa 69:32; Isa 8:19; Mat 13:14,15.

Rom 3:12

TURNED AWAY: Like a stray sheep that had forgotten its master’s voice (Psa 119:176; Isa 53:6). Israel had left the Shepherd’s path of righteousness (Psa 23:3).

Rom 3:13

Vv 10-12 (Psa 14:1-3) deal with man’s inner thoughts, which are wicked altogether. Now Paul begins to work outward: throat, tongue, lips, mouth, feet, etc. Man’s entire being is adversely affected by sin. His whole nature is permeated with it.

THEIR THROATS ARE OPEN GRAVES: Cit Psa 5:9: men speaking falsehoods (Psa 5:6), thus discharging the malodorous stench of flesh through their corrupt mouths. “Whited sepulchres, full of dead men’s bones” (Mat 23:27).

THEIR TONGUES PRACTICE DECEIT: Cp Jam 3:5,6; Isa 59:3.

THE POISON OF VIPERS IS ON THEIR LIPS: Cit Psa 140:3: the metaphor of a serpent’s forked tongue under which is a deadly poison. All sin started from the serpent’s lie in Eden: that which comes out of a man’s heart defiles him (Mat 15:10-20). The tongue is full of deadly poison (Jam 3:8).

Rom 3:14

THEIR MOUTHS ARE FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS: Cit Psa 10:7. The bitterness of deceit, lying and hypocrisy (Mat 23:27; Psa 59:12; Jam 3:10).

Rom 3:15

Vv 15-17: Cit Isa 59:7,8: the wicked nation of Israel. Isaiah seems to be quoting Pro 1:11,16 in turn (cp also Pro 6:17,18).

Rom 3:16

In their wake they leave ruined lives, the abominable manifestation of the evil heart within. In this world of wickedness, human relations suffer, because society can be no better than those who constitute it.

Rom 3:17

THE WAY OF PEACE THEY DO NOT KNOW: In the context of Isa 59:8 is Isa 57:19-21: ” ‘Peace, peace, to those far and near,’ says the LORD. ‘And I will heal them.’ But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. ‘There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked’.”

Rom 3:18

THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES: Cit Psa 36:1. No regard or reverence for the character, authority and honor of Yahweh.

Rom 3:19

SO THAT EVERY MOUTH MAY BE SILENCED: Building on the thought of Psa 63:11: “The mouths of liars will be silenced.” Also cp Eze 16:60-63; Job 5:15; Psa 107:42.

When human achievement is measured against what God requires, there is no place for pride or boasting but only for silence that lends consent to the verdict of guilty. In the various Biblical scenes of judgment, the silence of those who are being judged is a notable feature (eg, Rev 20:11-14). Questions may be raised for the sake of clarification of the reason for the verdict (Mat 25:41-46), but when the explanation is given, no appeal is attempted. The Judge of all the earth does right (Gen 18:25).

THE WHOLE WORLD HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD: Paul says all the world has been “charged” (v 9) in the court of divine justice. First charged, and now convicted. “Through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful” (Rom 7:13).

“How can Jewish failure in terms of what Scripture requires lead to the involvement of the remainder of the human race? Two possibilities come to mind. One is that the Jewish nation is being regarded as a test case for all peoples. If given the same privileges enjoyed by Israel, the rest would likewise have failed. Their human nature is no different from that of the sons of Abraham. Another possibility, which is the more likely explanation, is that the failure of the non-Jews is so patent that it is not a debatable subject; it can be taken for granted as already established (Rom 1:18-32). Once it has been determined that the record of the Jew is no better, then judgment is seen as universally warranted” (EBC).

Rom 3:20

NO ONE WILL BE DECLARED RIGHTEOUS IN HIS SIGHT BY OBSERVING THE LAW: Cit Psa 143:2: “Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.”

BY OBSERVING THE LAW: For the first time in Romans we encounter the expression “by works of law” (cf v 28) which has such prominence in Galatians (Gal 2:16; 3:2,5,10).

THROUGH THE LAW WE BECOME CONSCIOUS OF SIN: “The law was added so that the trespass might increase” (Rom 5:20). Cp also Gal 3:19-25. The practical result of working seriously with the law is to “become conscious of sin” (cf also Rom 7:7-11). How startling it is to contemplate the fact that the best revelation man has apart from Christ only deepens his awareness of failure. The law itself loudly proclaims his need for the gospel.

Rom 3:21

Vv 21-31: Having shown that all men, on account of their possession of the weakness of flesh, stand condemned on a basis of law before God — where then is man’s justification? On what basis is salvation made possible? Only at the “mercy seat”, or “sacrifice for atonement” in Christ Jesus. Salvation is dependent upon a clear understanding and a dedicated application of the principles contained in these verses.

BUT NOW: Paul is not only stressing an enormously significant point in time (as in 2Ti 1:10: “But it has NOW been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel”), but also a major turning point in his thesis. What went before (Rom 1:18–3:20) was the “bad news”; what follows is the “good news”!

A RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD… HAS BEEN MADE KNOWN: Only God possesses inherent righteousness. If man is to possess righteousness (that is, to be declared justified, or righteous), it can only be by the special means made known (or “manifested”: “phaneroo”) by God. There are only two ways this might be achieved: (1) by vindication, as completely righteous in oneself — which could only be for Christ himself (John 8:46; 16:10; 1Pe 2:22; Rom 1:4); and (2) by forgiveness of sins, acquittal, and reconciliation — which is the path open to everyone else: through the covering name of Christ (Isa 53:11; 1Co 1:30). This comes through faith: the acknowledging of sinfulness and the plea for forgiveness. The following verses amplify this statement.

APART FROM LAW: The Law of Moses can do nothing to save any man; it cannot produce righteousness; it can only highlight sin (v 20).

TO WHICH THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS TESTIFY: “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow” (1Pe 1:10,11). See also Acts 26:22,23; Mic 6:5-8; Luk 24:27,44; John 5:46; Heb 10:15-17.

This observation prepares the reader for the recital of God’s dealings with Abraham and David as outlined in Rom 4.

Rom 3:22

FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST: That is, as the context makes plain, nothing less than an explicit understanding of and faith in the principles of sacrifice exhibited in God’s Anointed Son.

Rom 3:23

FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD: Like an arrow aimed at the target of God’s “glory”, which — even with the best efforts of the archer — falls dismally short.

But why “glory”? Perhaps because it refers to the name or character of God, to be impressed upon man. This ever-present deprivation is depicted in the restriction of the divine glory to the holy of holies in the tabernacle, and the denial of the right of access to the people except through the high priest once a year. God’s glory is the majesty of His holy person. To be cut off from this fellowship is the great loss occasioned by sin.

Rom 3:24

FREELY: The Gr word “dorean”, translated “without a cause” in Joh 15:25, also appears in Rom 3:24: “being justified freely by his grace”. As gratuitous as was their hatred for Christ, just so was his love for them!

God finds no reason, no basis, in the sinner for declaring him righteous. He must find the cause in Himself. This truth goes naturally with the observation that justification is offered by God’s grace.

REDEMPTION: “Apolutrosis” = to be bought away from. See Lesson, Redemption.

Rom 3:25

GOD PRESENTED: “Some would object to the rendering ‘presented’ on the ground that a public exhibition of the person of Jesus has something almost theatrical about it, and that for this reason the alternative rendering ‘purposed’ (literally, ‘set before himself’) might be preferred. However, there are words in the passage that express manifestation: ‘made known’ (v 21) and ‘demonstrate’ (vv 25,26); so the objection is unwarranted. Also it should be pointed out that the emphasis on faith (v 25) suggests that the real force in ‘presented’ is not so much the actual exhibition of Christ on the cross as in the proclamation of the gospel that makes his saving work central” (EBC).

A SACRIFICE FOR ATONEMENT: Gr “hilasterion”, the mercy seat. The LXX uses this word for the mercy seat in Lev 16:14; Exo 25:27; cp Heb 9:5. God has marked out His Son ahead of time to be a “mercy seat”, and set the principle in operation in the tabernacle in Israel. It was His “meeting place” with man (Exo 25:22), “above the mercy seat, between the cherubim”. At the very heart of the tabernacle, the mercy seat represented the fusion of God and man, the “crossing point” between the two. In the real fulfillment of this typical “mercy seat”, “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ” (2Co 5:19).

” ‘The mercy-seat is no longer kept in the sacred seclusion of the most holy place: it is brought out into the midst of the rough and tumble of the world and set up before the eyes of hostile, contemptuous, or indifferent crowds’ (Manson). Indeed, Christ has become the meeting place of God and man where the mercy of God is available because of the sacrifice of the Son” (EBC).

THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BLOOD: This translation suggests that the believer’s faith is to be placed in the blood of Christ, and the sequence of terms favors this. However, it has been pointed out that there is no example of Paul’s calling for faith in a thing rather than a person. Perhaps with a comma between “faith”, and “in”, we might understand that “in his blood” is intended to modify “the sacrifice” itself!

TO DEMONSTRATE HIS JUSTICE: To exhibit, for all mankind to see, His righteous character.

IN HIS FORBEARANCE HE HAD LEFT THE SINS COMMITTED BEFOREHAND UNPUNISHED: Lit, he had “passed over” those sins committed in earlier times. “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance — now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant” (Heb 9:15).

Rom 3:26

AT THE PRESENT TIME: Not just for “sins committed beforehand” (v 25), but for sins from this point forward.

Rom 3:27

WHERE, THEN, IS BOASTING?: The conclusion to the question to the Jew in Rom 2:23. See 1Co 1:29-31; Jer 9:23,24.

Rom 3:28

A MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH: Whether Jew or Gentile (Rom 4:5,16; 5:1,2; Gal 3:8-11).

APART FROM OBSERVING THE LAW: “The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, ‘The man who does these things will live by them’ ” (Gal 3:12; cit Lev 18:5).

Rom 3:29

Thus Paul is qualifying the “man” of v 28: that “man” includes both Jews and Gentiles.

Rom 3:30

SINCE THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD: …He must have a single, unified principle by which He is approached, and by which He may save men (cp Deu 6:4).

WHO WILL JUSTIFY THE CIRCUMCISED BY FAITH: The Jew would be justified “out of” (Gr “ek”) faith.

AND THE UNCIRCUMCISED THROUGH THAT SAME FAITH: And the Gentile would be justified “through” (Gr “dia”: by means of). Starting from outside the Law, and the faith it taught, the Gentile needed to pass THROUGH the law/faith continuum on his way to righteousness. Cp Gal 3:7-9.

Rom 3:31

DO WE, THEN, NULLIFY THE LAW BY THIS FAITH?: Paul now corrects the false accusation made against him in v 8.

NOT AT ALL!: Cp vv 4,6.

RATHER, WE UPHOLD THE LAW: The Law was holy, just, and good (Rom 7:12), but it was introduced so that sin might become exceedingly sinful (Rom 7:13), and that all the world might appear guilty before God (Rom 3:19,20). Christ was sent to “fulfill the law” (Mat 5:17), and to “fulfill all righteousness” (Mat 3:15). Thus the Law stood as a memorial to God’s righteousness — to which man, by his own strength, could never attain. So it was only by the principle of justification by faith (Rom 1:17) that man could attain the righteousness of God.

Rom 4:1

OUR FOREFATHER: Abraham is not the “father’ of faithless Jews: see John 8:33-41. He is, however, the “father” of faithful Gentiles (v 16)!

Rom 4:2

IF ABRAHAM WAS JUSTIFIED BY WORKS…: In other words, if Abraham had been pronounced righteous because of his perfect obedience…

TO BOAST ABOUT: Cp Rom 3:27.

Rom 4:3

ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD…: Cit Gen 15:6. To “believe” is to rely on, intelligently: cp Rom 1:16,17. Abraham was completely dependent upon God to fulfill His promises (vv 16-22); out of his personal weakness, therefore, came faith (cp 2Co 12:10).

The nature of Abraham’s faith was essentially the same as that of the NT believer despite the difference in time. (Abraham looked forward to something God would do, whereas the Christian looks back to what God has provided in Christ.) In each case, too, the object of faith is the same, implicit in the promise to Abraham, explicit in the gospel? Abraham trusted in a promise that pointed to Christ (John 8:56; Gal 3:16)!

Rom 4:4

No amount of works, by themselves, can “earn” salvation (cp Rom 6:23). It is quite true to say that Abraham DID something. But what he DID, in its very nature, excluded any works as a basis whereby he might earn righteousness himself. The history of Abraham reveals a man walking by faith rather than sight, showing that he was guided and brought to his desired destination by an external agency (Heb 11:8). He was in no position to provide for himself what he needed!

Rom 4:5

THE WICKED: The word “asebes” is used generally of mankind being universally under the dominion of sin. The condition of Abraham before his calling by God. Where faith is not exercised, man remains ungodly, and therefore exposed to the wrath of God (Rom 5:6).

OT law required the judge to condemn the wicked and justify the righteous (Deu 25:1), but where God is both Judge and Savior the wicked have an opportunity denied to them in human reckoning. The prophetic word anticipated this result through the work of the Servant (Isa 53:5,6,11). In saying that God justifies the ungodly, the text is not singling out Abraham as the sinner par excellence but rather is pointing to the type of man who is desperately in need of justification, which actually embraces all (cf Rom 5:6), including Abraham.

CREDITED: Whatever is “reckoned” (or counted) to a person, cannot have been his originally and naturally. Viewed from the divine viewpoint, Abraham was destitute of a personal righteousness. Because of Abraham’s faith, and a recognition of his own helplessness, Abraham received a gift from God: something “credited” to his account!

Rom 4:6

Vv 6-8: Cit Psa 32:1,2 (for background, see also Psa 51 and 2Sa 12:1-6). Blessing involves the forgiveness of sins, and has to do with eternal life and the inheritance of the promises to Abraham.

DAVID: Selected for this example because he was guilty of a crime for which the Law provided no release or sacrifice (Psa 51:16).

In the case of Abraham, righteousness was credited to him, apart from works, on the basis of faith. In the case of David obviously no good work is involved, but on the contrary, sin has been committed. So the far-reaching nature of justification is seen to still greater advantage. Since David was actually already a justified man, known as the man after God’s own heart, thus it may be seen that sin in the life of a believer does not cancel justification. God is able to forgive. His gifts are irrevocable (Rom 11:29). At the same time, God showed his displeasure regarding David’s sin, severely chastening him until the sin had been fully confessed. Even afterward, his sins produced havoc in his family. David suffered the humiliation of the revolt led by Absalom. Yet God did not withdraw His favor and support.

THE BLESSEDNESS: Or “happiness”. Notice how the Psalms begin with the “blessing” or “happiness” of the man who commits no sin (Psa 1), and then come — after a bit — to the “blessing” or “happiness” of the man whose sin is forgiven, or covered.

APART FROM WORKS: AV has “without works”: Paul is not counseling man to AVOID doing good works, but rather stating that — no matter how many good works one might do — they would never be enough to EARN salvation.

Rom 4:7

Forgiveness is granted after full confession is made, resulting in peace of mind (John 14:27; Acts 10:36; Rom 3:17; 5:1; 8:6; 1Co 7:15; Phi 4:7), but not always free of mental conflict (Rom 16:20). This is not the same as condoning sin (1Co 14:33).

Rom 4:8

WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NEVER COUNT AGAINST HIM: It is treated as the cancellation of a debt.

Rom 4:9

In other words, was circumcision a prerequisite for the receiving of forgiveness of sins?

BLESSEDNESS: In this context, sig forgiveness of sins (vv 6-8).

Rom 4:10

IT WAS NOT AFTER, BUT BEFORE!: At least 13 years before his circumcision (Gen 17:1,2,4,25). “We cannot doubt that circumcision was delayed in order to teach the believing Gentiles of future ages that they may claim Abraham as their father, and the righteousness of faith as their inheritance” (Beet). It could even be said that the Gentile has first claim on the patriarch, who was just like himself when justified.

Rom 4:11

SEAL: “Sphragis” = the impression of a seal, a distinctive mark, a token. The “seal” is an endorsement of something that already exists. An approval of a previous condition.

THE FATHER OF ALL WHO BELIEVE…: Whether circumcised (Jew) or not (Gentile). Abraham’s sons are those who are energized by the same principles of life as he was: Luk 19:9; Joh 8:39.

BUT HAVE NOT BEEN CIRCUMCISED: Circumcision is the endorsement of a previously existing faith, which is the more important factor (Gal 6:15). Therefore a mark in the flesh is irrelevant to one who is circumcised in heart and in mind (Rom 2:29), and has no confidence in the flesh (Phi 3:3,11). Ct Deu 10:16; 30:16 with Exo 6:12,30; Lev 26:41; Jer 6:10; 9:26; and cp 1Co 7:18,19.

Rom 4:12

ALSO THE FATHER OF THE CIRCUMCISED…: Abraham means “father of a great multitude”, which includes both Jews and Gentiles (Gen 12:3; Gal 3:8,9).

WHO ALSO WALK IN THE FOOTSTEPS…: Their deeds indicate the character of faith (Jam 2:14,17). Ritual must be matched by performance (Jam 4:17).

FAITH: Trust and confidence in all that God has promised: vv 20-25.

BEFORE HE WAS CIRCUMCISED: By Jewish reckoning, even their “father” Abraham was a “Gentile” at this time! Abraham lived in the land of promise 25 years before his circumcision (Gen 12:4; 17:1). His promised “fatherhood” (Gen 17:6) preceded his circumcision.

Rom 4:13

NOT THROUGH THE LAW: Abraham was “justified” approx 400 years before the Law was given, through Moses. The Law only condemned man for his failure to obey it perfectly (Rom 3:20). Cp Gal 3:17,18.

HIS OFFSPRING: The seed of Abraham, ie those who have the faith of their “father” Abraham, are also heirs with Christ (Gal 3:25-29).

HEIR: One to whom property has been assigned, but who has not yet actually received it. Cp Heb 1:2; Jam 2:5. Christ is heir: (a) of universal domain (Gen 1:26,28; Psa 8:4-8; Heb 2:6-8); (b) of the Land of promise, as son of Abraham (Gen 22:16-18; Heb 2:16; Rom 4:13; Gal 3:29); (c) heir to the Throne, as son of David (Mat 1:1-6; Luk 1:30-33); and (d) heir of all things, as son of God (Heb 1:1,2; Acts 10:36).

THE WORLD: Gr “kosmos”, the order or arrangement of things: in this case, the nations of the earth (Gen 17:4-6). The whole “world”, not just Canaan, will be the inheritance of the righteous: Matt 5:5. Cp the “blessing of Abraham”: Gal 3:8,9.

BUT THROUGH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT COMES BY FAITH: Faith implies trust in another, not in oneself. God accepts us as righteous on the basis of our trust (full persuasion) in Him (see Rom 4:3; 3:21,22). The covenant was one of grace, not like a contract of today where each contractor receives equally as he is given. Cp Gen 15:6; 17:2,3 — where Abraham is prostrated as an expression of his inability to stand in the presence of God.

Rom 4:14

Vv 14-17: “If life is earned by keeping the law, neither promise nor faith enter in… By law comes knowledge of sin and consciousness of guilt and liability to punishment. Under law, sinning man comes under wrath. And man cannot keep the law; so law works wrath upon all. Therefore the apostle concludes, ‘For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace.’ Because of the impossibility of it being by law, if the promise and the inheritance are received at all, it must be by grace, operative through faith. And so it is. And so the promise is secure to all the seed; secure alike to the believing Jew, the seed who lived under the law, and the believing Gentile. This is involved in the promise that Abraham was made the father of MANY nations. If inheritance were of law, he could only be the father of those under law. Since law could give no title, the promise then would not be ‘sure’ to any. But the purpose of God, who made the promise, is sure. Abraham is appointed the father of many nations by God; in the sight of God — ‘before God’ — he was such then. ‘I have made thee a father’, said God to him, when there was as yet no seed, and Abraham and Sarah were old. But God, who could, and did, quicken ‘dead’ but believing Abraham and Sarah, so that a child was born of her past age, called those things which then had no existence as though they already had come into being (v 17)” (CRom).

Faith is useless (ie having no value) if the promise can be obtained by works of law, and if so, then the promises to Abraham are void (or powerless). As soon as the inheritance of God’s promises is made conditional upon perfect obedience, then the promises have been effectively nullified.

Rom 4:15

LAW BRINGS WRATH: In trying to be justified by obedience to Law, one must keep every detail of that Law. But human beings will always fail, and thus bring upon themselves divine wrath. However, faith calls forth divine love, which mercifully provides a covering for sins (Rom 3:19,20,27).

TRANSGRESSION: Gr “parabasis”, lit a stepping over. Always implies a breaking of law, esp the Law of Moses: cp Rom 2:23; Heb 2:2; 9:15. It is used of the prohibition in Eden (Rom 5:14; 1Ti 2:14).

Rom 4:16

BY FAITH… BY GRACE: “Faith” expresses the believer’s need, and “grace” expresses God’s answer to that need! The fulfillment of the promise is not according to man’s merit but according to Yahweh’s unmerited favor. Thus promise, faith, and grace are set in contrast to Law, works, and merit.

ALL ABRAHAM’S OFFSPRING: Gentiles, as well as Jews, taken from many nations (Gen 17:5; Mal 3:16,17; Acts 15:14). The multitudinous seed of Christ (Gal 3:29).

Rom 4:17

THE GOD WHO GIVES LIFE TO THE DEAD: Both spiritually dead (Eph 2:5) and physically dead (1Co 15:45). This relates also to the barrenness of Sarah (Gen 17:16,17). The prerogative and power for this belongs to Yahweh alone, for it is an act requiring almighty power (Deu 32:39; 1Sa 2:6; 2Ki 5:7; Psa 68:20).

AND CALLS THINGS THAT RE NOT AS THOUGH THEY WERE: An unconditional promise of God has no doubt as to its fulfillment. It is so sure of being done that future things are spoken of as in the present and past tense (Luke 1:51-55; 20:36-38; 2Ti 1:9,10). There is therefore no doubt that it will come to pass. The primary application of this principle was to Isaac.

“The word ‘calls’ in this case does not mean to describe or designate, but rather ‘summon,’ perhaps ‘call into being.’ It may be used in this sense for his creative activity (see Isa 48:13, NEB). Isaac was real in the thought and purpose of God before he was begotten” (EBC).

Rom 4:18

AGAINST ALL HOPE: Lit, “beyond hope”, that is, where the laws or course of nature left no room for hope. After making the original promise (Gen 15:5), God waited until it was physically impossible for this couple to have children. Then he repeated His pledge (Gen 17:5). Abraham’s act of faith was essentially the same as on the previous occasion, but meanwhile circumstances had made the fulfillment of the promise impossible apart from supernatural intervention. He was shut up to God and was able to rest his faith there.

IN HOPE BELIEVED: “Hope” is “elpis”: (a) the happy anticipation of something good (Tit 1:2; 1Pe 1:21); (b) the ground upon which hope is based (Acts 16:19; Col 1:27); and (c) the object upon which hope is fixed (1Ti 1:1). Cp Paul’s use of “hope” in Rom 5:2,4,5; 8:20,24; 12:12; 15:4,13.

JUST AS IT WAS SAID TO HIM: Here the “hope” is defined: it is “what God said”! The “hope” was in God, and there it might safely rest — no matter how unlikely, humanly speaking, the fulfillment seemed — for nothing is too difficult for Him to accomplish, if it be according to His will!

SO SHALL YOUR OFFSPRING BE: Cit Gen 15:5: the object of the hope was the provision of a “seed” to Abraham.

Rom 4:19

WITHOUT WEAKENING IN HIS FAITH: Cp Rom 8:3; 2Co 13:3. Man has no strength or power of his own, and strength of faith is really a confession of weakness of physical or mental or moral abilities! In Abraham’s case he lacked the ability to produce his own seed.

HE FACED THE FACT: The KJV has “considered NOT”, but the better mss omit the “not”. Abraham DID consider the evidence, but he was not swayed by it!

SARAH’S WOMB WAS ALSO DEAD: Abraham’s impotency was due to his old age (100 years), but Sarah had never been able to bear children, even in her youth.

“Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged’ ” (Deu 31:7,8). No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1Co 10:13).

Rom 4:20

HE DID NOT WAVER: Cp Mat 21:21; Mark 11:23.

THROUGH UNBELIEF: If Abraham had disbelieved, he would have rejected not so much Yahweh’s promise, as Yahweh Himself, and His ability to direct history (cp 1Sa 8:1,3-9).

THE PROMISE OF GOD: Which was irrevocable (Rom 11:29). The fact that God had promised it was its own assurance.

WAS STRENGTHENED IN HIS FAITH: Not so much “strong in faith”, but strengthened to hold on to his faith — a faith which he held in his own weakness! “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2Co 12:9,10). “He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him to serve you. Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you — unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test” (2Co 13:3-6).

AND GAVE GLORY TO GOD: Cf Rom 1:21,23. The credit for what happened to Abraham belonged only to God, and human boasting was excluded.

Rom 4:21

BEING FULLY PERSUADED: “That spontaneity and liberality of soul which unhindered by obstacles grasps promises of God and His ability to perform them” (Vine).

Rom 4:22

And so Paul returns to his original quotation, Gen 15:6, in v 3.

CREDITED: Or “reckoned”: vv 3,6,8,11. To put something to one’s account, either in his favor or what he must be answerable for. See 2Co 5:19; Gal 3:6; Jam 2:23.

Rom 4:23

NOT FOR HIM ALONE: The OT scriptures are not merely a record of facts, but they are designed for the guidance of all believers: For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom 15:4). Abraham’s life is recorded as an example of the state of mind expected in his spiritual offspring.

Rom 4:24

Righteousness is available to any and all — on the basis of their faith in God!

HIM WHO RAISED JESUS OUR LORD FROM THE DEAD: Our belief in resurrection is the same as Abraham’s faith in Isaac’s birth, which was “life from the dead” (the dead body of Abraham, and the dead womb of Sarah). Abraham further demonstrated this same faith in offering that same son Isaac (Gen 22; Jam 2:21), because he believed that God would raise him up from the dead (Heb 11:19). The risen Christ is a confirmation of what Abraham hoped to see (v 17). As we have a partial fulfillment of the promise (Rom 15:8), our faith should be even stronger than his. Christ’s resurrection (a) demonstrates Yahweh’s almighty power (1Pe 1:21; Eph 1:19,20), and (b) is the cornerstone of gospel truth (1Co 15:4,12-18).

Rom 4:25

DELIVERED OVER TO DEATH: “Deliver” is the Gr “paradidomi”, to hand over or deliver up: see Rom 8:32; 1:24,26,28.

FOR OUR SINS: This is the meaning of Rom 3:9-23.

RAISED TO LIFE: “Egeiro” = to excite, arouse, or waken, restore to health. Christ was “rebuilt” on an eternal basis. His resurrection to eternal life is proof of the efficacy of his sacrifice. It is with this resurrected Lord that we must identify ourselves (Rom 6:4,5).

FOR OUR JUSTIFICATION: The basis of our justification has been laid in the death of Christ; all that remained was the necessity on God’s part to raise him from the dead to effect our justification. “Beyond question, the statement owes much to Isa 53, where in LXX the Servant is pictured as delivered up on account of the sins of the many. Justification appears in the Hebrew text of that chapter (v 11). Moreover, the resurrection, though not stated in so many words, is implied in vv 10,12” (EBC).

Act 27:1

Description of weather in Mediterranean: Xd 119:376.

JULIUS: This centurion, mentioned half a dozen times in Acts 27, and once in Acts 28:16 (according to some mss but not in others), was the man put in charge of Paul the prisoner when he was sent to Rome after his appeal to Caesar. Julius was presumably his family name. There is no certainty that he was a Roman citizen. Soldiers in Palestine were not members of the legionary forces but rather auxiliary troops recruited from the provincial subjects. Julius treated Paul kindly (Acts 27:3) and spared his life when his soldiers counseled killing him prior to the shipwreck (Acts 27:42,43). There is some possibility that this man (and some of the others) became believers (Phi 1:12-14).

THE IMPERIAL REGIMENT: The emperor’s bodyguard, or a diplomatic corps.

Act 27:2

ADRAMYTTIUM: A seaport in Mysia of the Roman province of Asia.

A SHIP: With 276 passengers, one of the largest ships afloat at this time (Xd 119:376).

ARISTARCHUS: A Macedonian from Thessalonica (Acts 19:29; 27:2), probably of Jewish ancestry (Col 4:10,11), who accompanied Paul on his third missionary journey. He is with Paul when he writes to the ecclesia at Colosse and to Philemon, who was also at Colosse.

Act 27:3

Paul seems to have developed a relationship of trust with Julius, all in one day.

Act 27:4

THE WINDS WERE AGAINST US: In summer the winds blow regularly and strong from the north and the west (HistGeo 44).

Act 27:5

MYRA: A city in Lycia on the south coast of Asia Minor, where Paul transferred to a grain ship from Alexandria on his voyage to Rome (Acts 27:5). Myra was located two miles from the sea on a navigable river.

LYCIA: This Roman province occupied the sw tip of Asia Minor. A rather mountainous region, its chief importance lay in its harbors, of which two are mentioned in the NT. Paul touched at Patara in the course of his last journey to Jerusalem, where he changed ships, presumably to make faster time (Acts 21:1,2). Later, on his journey to Rome as a prisoner, his ship touched at Myra and there he was transferred to a grain ship bound for Italy (Acts 27:5.6). Lycia became Roman territory in 188 BC, but was not organized into a Roman province until Claudius ordered it in AD 43.

Act 27:8

// Psa 107:23-30: “their desired haven”.

Act 27:9

FAST: Or “Day of Atonement”. In October the regular northern and western winds became erratic, and travel was not as predictable (HistGeo 44).

PAUL WARNED THEM: The Day of Atonement was a time of warning, and soul-searching and repentance!

Act 27:10

Paul was a man of prudence, not tempting providence: “We should not test the Lord” (1Co 10:9).

Act 27:12

THE HARBOR WAS UNSUITABLE TO WINTER IN: The “fair havens” (v 8) of Christ are not pleasant to the flesh; and many seek to leave their “confines”.

Act 27:14

“NORTHEASTER”: AV has “Euroclydon” (Acts 27:14): From “euros” (east wind) and “kludon” (to billow or dash over, as a wave of the sea). It was a violent wind which frequently arose in the Cretan waters, swooping down from the mountains in strong gusts, or squalls. It is still common that tempestuous winds from the east, south, and ne agitate the Mediterranean.

Act 27:17

SYRTIS: “The quicksands” of the AV is transliterated “the Syrtis” in other versions: a tempest from the Gulf of Sidra, on the coast of Africa southwest of Crete.

Act 27:19

THE SHIP’S TACKLE: Sail-cloth tied by ropes, prob thrown overboard to act as a brake.

Act 27:21

YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN MY ADVICE: Not an unkind ‘I told you so!’, but a renewed encouragement to them to listen to Paul’s advice.

Act 27:22

KEEP UP YOUR COURAGE: Paul’s face stood firm in the face of a seemingly hopeless situation (2Th 1:4; Heb 11:6; 13:7). He saw the providence of God in events which might otherwise seem mere chance (Phi 1:12; Rom 8:28).

NOT ONE OF YOU WILL BE LOST: V 44.

Act 27:23

Vv 23,24: An angel strengthened Paul as the shipwreck was approaching. An angel strengthened Christ in the garden of Gethsemane, just before his death (Luk 22:43).

Paul, a man of prayer: 1Th 5:7; 1Ti 2:8.

Act 27:24

Power of faith and intercession of others: Mat 8:13; 9:32; 15:28; 17:14-18; Luk 8:50; Joh 4:49; Jos 6:17; Gen 7:1; 18:25-33; 19:12; Act 27:24.

Act 27:27

SENSED THEY WERE APPROACHING LAND: “The long talk of the Lord’s coming will end in the event itself, and that end is close upon us, though how close we cannot exactly say. The great prophetic periods are nearly all elapsed; and the tokens are visible on every hand to the eyes able to see, but the exact place in the latter-day programme at which the Lord appears to His house is unknown. We are like a ship at the end of a long voyage. We have travelled the great ocean for many months, letting the months stand for centuries that have passed since Christ’s departure. We know by the general reckonings that we are not far from land; and our conclusion on this head is confirmed by the altered appearance of the sea, the shallowness of the soundings, the landmists on the horizon, and certain other tokens in the shape of birds, seaweed, etc. but exactly how many miles we are from port, we do not know. We know we are sufficiently near that the pilots may come in sight at any moment” (RR).

Act 27:30

The sailors attempt to abandon the passengers — including the Roman soldiers!

Act 27:31

Whereas the centurion who was travelling with and guarding Paul starts the trip trusting the captain more than Paul (Acts 27:9-11), he ends up having great respect for Paul (Acts 27:31-32,42-43; 28:16). Cp this with the centurion who guarded Christ on the cross and ended up having great respect for him (Mat 27:54), although initially the soldiers were very disrespectful of him (Mat 27:27-31).

Paul was vigilant, recognizing that prayer is efficacious only if men also use the means they have at hand to make it so: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong” (1Co 16:13). “So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled” (1Th 5:6).

Act 27:33

Vv 33-36: On the fourteenth night Paul “took bread, and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all: and when he had broken it he began to eat… and they also took some meat.” Jesus on the fourteenth night, which was the passover, “took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave it to them” (Luk 22:19).

Paul was practical: ‘You need to eat something.’ Cp 1Ti 4:4-8; 5:23.

Act 27:34

NOT ONE OF YOU WILL LOSE A SINGLE HAIR FROM HIS HEAD: A phrase descriptive of long life: Luk 12:7; 21:18; Mat 10:30; Acts 27:34; 1Sa 14:45; 2Sa 14:11.

Act 27:38

THEY LIGHTENED THE SHIP…: They heed Paul’s prophecy (v 22), realizing the ship itself is doomed.

Practical lesson: is there something we need to throw “overboard”?

Act 27:39

WHEN DAYLIGHT CAME: “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Rom 13:12).

THEY DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE LAND: “Principles are like stars, constant and comprehensive, but not local or particular. The pilot with only local knowledge may guide the ship through the well-known channel and into the old port, but a knowledge of the stars is necessary when sailing in unknown seas. If a pilot should mistake a foreign port for the one he knows and attempt to guide the vessel according to the old rules he will bring it to disaster. Ships of various kinds have been wrecked through such mistaken confidence. Oftentimes men have ignored principles and have applied the lessons learned in former years to circumstances that are totally different. They have even quoted the words of former leaders in a manner that would horrify such leaders could they rise from their graves and witness the application” (PrPr 1).

Act 27:43

Every NT ref shows centurions in a good light: Luk 7:1-10; 23:47; Act 10:1,2; 22:25,26; 23:17,18; 27:43.

“You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions” (Heb 10:34).

Act 25:1

Act 25: “After two years of miserable waiting in the Caesarea prison, and with the change of authority from Felix to Festus, the apostle Paul faces another trial. It is to be a dramatic moment, as Paul appeals to the highest court in the empire. [1] Paul’s appeal to Caesar: vv 1-12). [2] Agrippa desires to hear Paul’s case: vv 13-22. [3] Before Agrippa, Bernice and Festus: vv 23-27. [4] Paul’s defence before Agrippa: 26:1-32.

“The chronology suggests that these events were about AD 59-60 in Caesarea. Porcius Festus died in AD 62. Paul was then about 53-54 years old. The drama of the times is recorded in Act 25:10. His appearance at Caesar’s judgment commenced at Caesarea (how appropriate, for Festus represented Caesar!). The literal text has ‘I am standing…’ He was already standing, and would continue to stand before Caesar until, at the last, judgment would be given. That would require him ultimately to appear in Rome” (GEM).

Act 25:2

THE JEWISH LEADERS: Quite possibly the whole of the Sanhedrin.

Act 25:4

The shrewd Festus sees through their subterfuge.

Act 25:7

WHICH THEY COULD NOT PROVE: That’s the problem, when you have no witnesses nor evidence!

Act 25:9

FESTUS, WISHING TO DO THE JEWS A FAVOR: Thus Festus could diplomatically get rid of his problem — and keep the powerful Sanhedrin happy.

Act 25:11

I APPEAL TO CAESAR!: This was the solemn and guaranteed right of any Roman citizen: to appeal to the highest court in the world. Evidently, Paul now feels this is the only way he can reach Rome.

Act 25:13

AGRIPPA: The only son of Agrippa I and Cypros, he was the last of the royal Herodian line. Marcus Julius Agrippa, as he was named, received a royal education at Rome in the palace of the emperor. Being only 17 when his father died in AD 44, he was considered too young to rule over the difficult kingdom of the Jews. Claudius sent Cuspius Fadus as procurator and thus restored the land of the Jews to a Roman province. In the meantime, the youth was useful to his countrymen at Rome through his influence at the court.

When his uncle, Herod of Chalcis, died (AD 48), Claudius conferred on Agrippa the little province of Chalcis with the oversight of the temple and the right to appoint the high priest. This latter right he exercised from time to time down to AD 66, but his impulsive appointments offended the Jews. Agrippa continued to reside in Rome, for the most part at least, until AD 53, when Claudius, in exchange for Chalcis, bestowed on him the larger tetrarchies which had formerly been held by Lysanias and Herod Philip. Later, Nero added important parts of Galilee and Perea, including Tiberias, Tarichea, and the lands belonging to them. The title of king was permitted.

Agrippa’s private life was blighted by scandal. His sister Bernice, widow of Herod of Chalcis, moved to his house in AD 48 and soon had the weak man in her control. Their incestuous relationship was commonly discussed in Rome as well as among the Jews. To stop the report, Bernice married Polemon of Cilicia, but soon returned to her brother and apparently resumed the old relations.

The public policy of his reign reflected complete dependence upon Rome. He provided auxiliary troops in the Parthian campaign of AD 54. When the new procurator Festus arrived in Palestine, he and Bernice hastened with great pomp to offer him a welcome (Acts 25:13,23). His coins, almost without exception, bore the names and images of the reigning emperor (Nero, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian). He seems to have been more of a visitor at Jerusalem than a resident. His gestures toward Jewish law were less extravagant than his father’s and proved less convincing to the people.

However, Agrippa did seek to keep on good terms with Judaism. His brothers-in-law, Azizus of Emesa and Polemon of Cilicia, were required to be circumcised. Questions of law were put by the king directly or indirectly to Rabbi Elieser. Even Bernice took a vow in Jerusalem, shaving her head and going barefoot. But the general, undisguised mood was one of indifference. Rather than please the Jews by quick condemnation of Paul, as his father would likely have done, he indulged his curiosity with a hearing (Acts 26:1). Then admitting the force of Paul’s argument, he straightway dismissed it (Acts 26:28). His interest was in external matters. He imported wood from Lebanon to support the temple when its foundations began to sink, allowed the psalm-singing Levites to wear the linen garments of the priests, and paved Jerusalem with marble. But he had no reputation for personal piety.

When in AD 66 the revolution broke out, Agrippa earnestly warned the nation against revolt. When the peace party was defeated, Agrippa stood unflinchingly loyal to Rome, even though much of his territory joined the rebellion. He entertained the Roman general Vespasian magnificently in Caesarea Philippi, fought on the Roman side, was wounded at the siege of Gamala, became a companion of Titus (to whom the war had been entrusted), and almost certainly joined in the festive celebration at Caesarea Philippi to rejoice over the destruction of the Jews in the war. His loyalty to Rome was rewarded by additions to his territory. But he and Bernice resided in Rome, where he died in the reign of Trajan in AD 100 without heir. His Kingdom was undoubtedly incorporated in the province of Syria.

BERNICE: The oldest daughter of Herod Agrippa I (Jos Ant 18:5:4). She was born in AD 28 and was early married to Marcus, the son of Alexander (Jos Ant 19:5:1). After his death, Bernice was given by Agrippa to his brother Herod, king of Chalcis. To this union two sons were born (Jos Ant 18:5:4). When Herod of Chalcis died in AD 48, she “lived a widow a long while” and was assumed to have been involved in incestuous relations with her brother Agrippa II (Jos Ant 20:7:3) with whom she appears in the book of Acts 25:13,23; 26:30. “She persuaded Polemo, who was king of Cilicia, to be circumcised and to marry her” (Jos Ant 20:7:3), but soon left him and returned to her brother. Eventually she came into contact with the Roman rulers Vespasian and Titus, to both of whom she became a mistress, according to the historian Tacitus. She was famous as a great beauty, but infamous as an unchaste harlot.

Act 25:15

CONDEMNED: Gr “dike” = a decision in a court case, but only one of its four NT occurrences carries precisely that meaning — the chief priest pressing Festus for a decision against Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 25:15). In the other instances the ref is to God’s judgment against wickedness — Sodom and Gomorrah suffering the “vengeance” of eternal fire (Jude 1:7), the enemies of the faithful being “punished” (suffering judgment) with everlasting destruction from the Lord’s presence (2Th 1:9), and the pagan assessment of Paul with a viper fastening on his wrist: “vengeance (of the gods) suffers him not to live” (Acts 28:4).

Act 25:19

RELIGION: Note, of course, that Agrippa was nominally Jewish.

Act 25:23

This was not, strictly speaking, a trial — since Festus and Herod Agrippa lacked the necessary authority — but more in the nature of an entertainment.

AGRIPPA AND BERNICE CAME WITH GREAT POMP: These two children of the first Herod Agrippa displayed their pride and pomp in the very city where their father had been ignominiously eaten by worms because he failed to give glory to God (Act 12:23).

Act 26:1

Act 26: “When Paul appeared before Agrippa, he pleaded: (a) A changed life: vv 4-7. (b) An appeal to reason: v 8. (c) The renowned persecutor: vv 9-12. (d) A witness for Christ: vv 13-20. (e) The record of the persecuted: vv 21-23. (f) The Interruption as Paul appeals to Agrippa: vv 24-29. Here is displayed the fervency of the great apostle for the things of the Truth, notwithstanding that it brought indictment by his contemporaries, lies from his enemies, and intimidation from the authorities. Paul continued his service to his Master, and will ultimately find himself vindicated before all his opponents. What a grand association we are privileged to enjoy with such a high and spiritual man!” (GEM).

Paul did not need to defend himself, since he had already appealed to Caesar and thus was out of their hands. But this was an opportunity to preach to them, and Paul seized it. Cp Christ’s words in Act 9:15: “This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.”

Act 26:4

EVER SINCE I WAS A CHILD: From his earliest years, Saul of Tarsus had been marked out for special office and honors.

Act 26:5

A LONG TIME: “Anothen” = either “from the top” (ie beginning) or “again”. Is this a correct translation? Or did Paul mean that Jews from the highest rank (ie, “from above”) knew him as full of promise?

RELIGION: “Threskeia”: ceremonies of worship. Occurs also in Col 2:18; Jam 2:16,17.

Act 26:6

Promises concerning Abraham: Gen 12:1-3; 13:14-18; David: 2Sa 7:12-14; restoration of Israel: Ezek 37, etc. The Kingdom will be set up on earth: Lord’s prayer: Mat 6:10; Dan 2:35,44; Isa 2:2-4.

Act 26:8

See VL, Christ’s resurrection, reality.

THE DEAD: Plural: ref to saints in Christ.

Act 26:9

Vv 9-18: Paul’s amazing conversion argues for a miraculous and divinely-established conviction.

Act 26:10

I CAST MY VOTE AGAINST THEM: Literally, “I paid down a pebble (psephon) against them.” Paul is referring to the black pebble of guilt or condemnation, in contrast to the white pebble of innocence or acquittal — which is referred to in Rev 2:17: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.”

“It was the custom, in the days of the Apostles, to vote in judicial trials with either a white or black pebble; the former for acquittal and the latter for condemnation, From this ancient custom there has arisen the saying that one has been ‘black-balled’… A white stone was also the symbol of victory in the Grecian games. Thus, in the Apocalypse the white stone represents victory and acquittal at the Judgement Seat” (ApEp).

Act 26:14

In this chapter Paul reveals details of his conversion experience on the road to Damascus which were not mentioned in the historical account of Acts 9: “We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads’ ” (Acts 26:14).

This last statement of the Lord is very interesting; its meaning turns on the precise definitions of two words: (1) “Kick” is “laktizo”: literally, it means “to lift up the heel”: the Greek word occurs only here and Acts 9:5. (The Acts 9:5 word occurs only in KJV, but not NIV and other translations: it is probably an interpolation, or borrowing, from Acts 26:14.) (2) “Goads” is literally “pricks” (Greek “kentron”: a point, a sting). It occurs elsewhere in NT: 1Co 15:55,56; Rev 9:10.

Thus, taken together, the statement might be translated: “It is hard for you to lift up your heel against the sting of the serpent!” Now this may be seen as an obvious allusion to Gen 3:15. The Pharisee Saul of Tarsus, zealous for the Law, had sought to conquer the sin-power through personal effort, but inevitably he failed — as all men must! Only the Lord Jesus Christ could successfully destroy the serpent-power of sin (Gen 3:15), either for himself or for others!

Such an allusion, from Christ, implies that the young man Saul must have felt, for some time, an uneasiness in attacking Christianity — having realized that he had not been able to, nor could he ever by his own strength, resist the power of sin successfully… but that this man Jesus had done what he could not.

‘How long, Saul, will you resist my appeal to repent of your own pride and self-righteousness, and find true peace in me?’

Act 26:16

A WITNESS OF WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN OF ME: Did Paul know Jesus during his ministry? Consider the qualifications of an apostle: to have seen Jesus in the flesh (Act 1:21,22).

Act 26:18

// Isa 29:18; 32:3; 35:5; 42:7; 43:8; and Isa 9:2; 49:6; 60:1-3.

SATAN: In this context, sig: (a) idols: 1Th 1:6-10); (b) ignorance, vanity, and lusts: Eph 4:17-20.

Act 26:19

I WAS NOT DISOBEDIENT: “It is a mistake to hamper the question of duty with any secondary consideration whatever. The time has not come for the saints to keep the world right. It has to be made right before even keeping it right can be in question. The position of the saints is that of sojourners on trial for eternal life. God will take care that their probation is not interfered with by murder and violence before the time. The matter is His. We are in His hands: so is all the world. We need not therefore be distressed by thoughts of what will be the effect of any course required by Christ. He will take care that His work comes out right at last. The simple and only question for us, is that which Paul put near Damascus: ‘Lord, what wouldst Thou have me to do?’ We may not do what involves disobedience to Him” (XdmAst 305).

Act 26:21

THAT IS WHY: That is, because I accorded the Gentiles equal treatment with the Jews.

Act 26:22

See VL, Christ’s resurrection, reality.

Act 26:23

AS THE FIRST TO RISE FROM THE DEAD: Thus giving proof of his divine Sonship: Rom 1:4.

Act 26:25

Vv 25,26: ‘I would expect you, Festus, to be confused… but the king here understands what I am talking about!’

Act 26:28

DO YOU THINK THAT IN SUCH A SHORT TIME YOU CAN PERSUADE ME TO BE A CHRISTIAN?: “Paul’s direct question embarrassed Agrippa. He had his reputation to maintain before Festus and the other dignitaries. Whatever he may have thought about Paul’s message personally, he was too worldly-wise to commit himself in public to what others thought was madness. So he parried Paul’s question with his own clever, though rather inane, one: ‘Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?’ The adjective ‘oligos’ often has reference to quantity and here could mean ‘with such few words’ or ‘with such a brief argument.’ But it is also used with the preposition ‘en’ (‘in’) to denote duration. And this is how NIV rightly translates it here — ‘in such a short time’ (so also RSV and TEV). The KJV’s translation of Agrippa’s reply to Paul, ‘ALMOST thou persuadest me to be a Christian’, has become one of the famous quotations in history. Countless sermons have been preached on it and a gospel hymn inspired by it. Nevertheless, it is not what Agrippa said, nor is the KJV’s translation of v 29 what Paul said” (EBC).

CHRISTIAN: This is the Greek name for a follower of Jesus Christ. The Jews called them “Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5).

Act 26:29

“Courageous, faithful, and wonderful words… they testified that Paul that saw beyond his trials to the glorious reality of the kingdom of God… He was more illustrious than any of his judges in that court, wiser than the greatest of them, and for all his poverty, in possession of riches such as they would never attain” (SB 14:95).

Act 26:30

THE KING ROSE: Herod, seemingly embarrassed and afraid of further discussion with Paul, abruptly terminates the “entertainment”. The would-be judge had found himself in the witness box!

Act 26:31

THIS MAN IS NOT DOING ANYTHING THAT DESERVES DEATH OR IMPRISONMENT: This counsel, probably sent to Rome along with Paul, would aid him in receiving a better hearing and more lenient treatment.

Act 26:32

“Not guilty!” The verdict of Agrippa (here), Lysias (Acts 23:29), and Festus (Acts 25:25). How would this opinion be known? By a public announcement?