This is the kick off for a study that will work its way through the book of Romans. I don't claim that it will be quick, but I do intend that it should be throrough and will be conducted in the same manner as the Study on Psalms for those of you that follow it. Please pray the Lord use this to His glory, as I have, and that if I am imparted with any wisdom at all I will use it to the edification of my family in the least and to any others the Lord sees fit to lead to participate in this study.
Romans
Introduction:
¨
[…] it [appears] beyond all
controversy, that besides other excellencies, and those remarkable, this can
with truth be said of [Romans], and it is what can never be sufficiently
appreciated – that when anyone gains a knowledge of this Epistle, he has an
entrance opened to him to all the most hidden treasures of Scripture. John
Calvin
¨
[…] I grieve and am pained, that all people do not know [the apostle Paul],
as much as they ought to know him; but some are so far ignorant of him, as not
even to know for certainty the number of his Epistles. And this comes not of
incapacity, but of their not having the wish to be continually conversing with
this blessed man. For it is not through any natural readiness and sharpness of
wit that even I am acquainted with as much as I do know, if I do know anything,
but owing to a continual cleaving to the man, and an earnest affection towards
him. For, what belongs to men beloved, they who love them know above all
others; because they are interested in them… And so ye also, if ye be willing
to apply to the reading of him with a ready mind, will need no other aid. For
the word of Christ is true which saith, “Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it
shall be opened unto you.” (Matt. vii. 7.)… For from this it is that our
countless evils have arisen—from ignorance of the Scriptures; from this it is
that the plague of heresies has broken out; from this that there are negligent
lives; from this labors without advantage. For as men deprived of this daylight
would not walk aright, so they that look not to the gleaming of the Holy
Scriptures must needs be frequently and constantly sinning, in that they are
walking in the worst darkness. And that this fall not out, let us hold our eyes
open to the bright shining of the Apostle’s words; for this man’s tongue shone
forth above the sun, and he abounded more than all the rest in the word of
doctrine; for since he labored more abundantly than they, he also drew upon himself
a large measure of the Spirit’s grace. (1 Cor. xv. 10.)… [We] may see specially
in the soul of Paul, who having as it were become winged through love, went
continually round to all, abiding nowhere nor standing still… Let us too then,
in imitation of him, each one bring into order, if not the world, or not entire
cities and nations, yet at all events his own house, his wife, his children,
his friends, his neighbors. And let no one say to me, “I am unskilled and
unlearned:” nothing were less instructed than Peter, nothing more rude than
Paul, and this himself confessed, and was not ashamed to say, “though I be rude
in speech, yet not in knowledge.” (2 Cor. xi. 6.) Yet nevertheless this rude
one, and that unlearned man, overcame countless philosophers, stopped the
mouths of countless orators, and did all by their own ready mind and the grace
of God. What excuse then shall we have, if we are not equal to twenty names,
and are not even of service to them that live with us? This is but a pretence
and an excuse—for it is not want of learning or of instruction which hindereth
our teaching, but drowsiness and sleep. (Acts i. 15; ii. 41.) Let us then
having shaken off this sleep with all diligence cleave to our own members, that
we may even here enjoy much calm, by ordering in the fear of God them that are
akin to us, and hereafter may partake of countless blessings through the grace
and love of our Lord Jesus Christ towards man, through Whom, and with Whom, be
glory to the Father, with the Holy Ghost, now, and evermore, and to all ages.
Amen. Chrysostom¨ The chief design of this epistle is to set in a clear light the doctrine of justification: showing against the Gentiles, that it is not by the light of nature, and works done in obedience to that, and against the Jews, that it was not by the law of Moses, and the deeds of that; which he clearly evinces, by observing the sinful and wretched estate both of Jews and Gentiles: but that it is by the righteousness of Christ imputed through the grace of God, and received by faith; the effects of which are peace and joy in the soul, and holiness in the life and conversation: he gives an account of the justified ones, as that they are not without sin, which he illustrates by his own experience and case; and yet are possessed of various privileges, as freedom from condemnation, the blessing of adoption, and a right to the heavenly inheritance; he treats in it concerning predestination, the calling of the Gentiles, and the rejection of the Jews; and exhorts to the various duties incumbent on the saints, with respect to one another, and to the world, to duties of a moral and civil nature, and the use of things indifferent. John Gill
¨ The epistle consists of three parts. The first, which includes the first eight chapters, is occupied in the discussion of the doctrine of justification and its consequences. The second, embracing chapters 9 – 11, treats of the calling of the Gentiles, the rejection and future conversion of the Jews. The third consists of practical exhortations and salutations to the Christians at
¨ […] I think it must be evident to every reader of common discernment and attention, that Paul is laboring through all this epistle, “to fix on the minds of the Christians to whom he addresses himself, a deep sense of the excellency of the Gospel, and to engage them to act in a manner agreeable to their profession of it.” Philip Doddridge
I will not add much to the already well covered introduction to this book. What I will say is that the reason behind this study is that, as Calvin pointed out, we may have a deeper understanding of the word of God, and as Chrysostom said, we may have a deeper heart for God and for His people. Everything we do as Christians should be geared towards growing in grace and piety to the glory of God. We should be striving to learn the doctrines left to us in the Bible and we should be striving to be more mature Christians. To that end, just as the book of Psalms has been an integral part of any explosion of true piety, I trust that this book will act in like manner and lead us all to live more pious lives.
1:1
Note: The book starts with Paul declaring his name and there is some controversy over how this name came into being. One theory is that it happened when he converted Sergius in Acts 13:7, 9; for this is where we see it first mentioned. Others think that it had reference to stature; Paulus meaning little in Latin. Others think that it took place at his conversion, much like Abram became Abraham. But with the exception of Chrysostom, who favors the last of those possibilities, every one of the other eight commentaries I have favor that Paul had two names as was common in the time. Saul then was his Jewish name and Paul would’ve been his name as a Roman citizen. Calvin opines that the most likely reason that Paul used the Roman version was “because in the churches to which he wrote, it was more known and more common, more acceptable in the
Another brief consideration here is the word which then immediately follows his name: “a servant.” Some translations have this in English as “bondservant’ rather than simply servant which makes it akin to “slave.” Now the Greek word used here is doulos which can be translated into English as slave, this much is true. William Hendriksen explains the problem with that when he says, “[…] with the concept of slave we generally associate such ideas as involuntary service, forced subjection, and (frequently) harsh treatment, many have, probably correctly, concluded that “slave” is not the best English equivalent in this context.” David Brown well covers this topic and shows very well that the word left on its own is indeed identified with slavery, there is no way around it. But he then goes on to explain how it was a willing privilege that the first Christians would’ve identified themselves as such. He says, “Among the earliest Christians, indeed, so great was felt to be the honor and privilege of standing in such a relation to Christ, that it absorbed every repulsive association attaching to the word that expressed it…” In the end Hendriksen summarizes the meaning and context which tells us that Paul is willingly surrendering himself completely to his Master Christ.
“[…] a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle…”
¨ He signalizes himself with these distinctions for the purpose of securing more authority to his doctrine…; first, by asserting his call to Apostleship; and secondly, by showing that his call was not connected with the Church of Rome: for it was of great importance that he should be deemed an apostle through God’s call… The meaning is this,– that Paul was a servant of Christ, not any kind of servant, but an apostle, and that by the call of God, and not by presumptuous intrusion. John Calvin
¨ Paul… was an apostle in the richest sense of the term. His apostleship was the same as that of the Twelve… Paul even stresses the fact that the risen Savior had appeared to him just as truly as He had appeared to Cephas. That same Savior had assigned to him a task so broad and universal that his entire life was henceforth to be occupied with it… The characteristics of full apostleship… were as follows: In the first place, the apostles have been chosen, called, sent forth by Christ Himself. They have received their commission directly from Him. Secondly, they are qualified for their tasks by Jesus, and have been ear-and-eye witnesses of His words and deeds; specifically they are witnesses of His resurrection… Thirdly, they have been endowed in a special measure with the Holy Spirit, and it is the Holy Spirit who leads them into all truth… Fourthly, God blesses their work, confirming its value by means of signs and miracles, and giving them much fruit upon their labors… Fifthly, their office is not restricted to a local church, neither does it extend over a short period of time; on the contrary, it is for the entire church and for life. William Hendriksen
¨ It has… been properly remarked, that as the expression, servant of Christ, implies implicit obedience and subjection, it supposes the Divine authority of the Redeemer. That is, we find the apostle denying that he was the servant of men, rejecting all human authority as it regards matters of faith and duty, and yet professing the most absolute subjection of conscience and reason to the authority of Christ. Charles Hodge
¨ […] Paul, who, though once a bitter persecutor, hath now the honor to style himself a servant of Jesus Christ; whose property he humbly professes himself to be, and glories in it, as his highest happiness, to be absolutely at the command and disposal of such a Master. Philip Doddridge
“[…] separated to the gospel of God.”
¨ […] the choosing for the gospel…, expresses the end as well as the use of the Apostleship; for he intended briefly to show for what purpose he was called to that function. John Calvin
¨ As the testimony which the apostles were to bear related to all that Jesus had taught them, it was by preaching the gospel that they discharged their duty as witnesses… it is an explanation of his apostolic office, and in the further assertion of his divine commission that Paul adds, separated unto the gospel of God… It is obvious, therefore, that the apostle here refers to his appointment by God to his office… Paul’s designation to office was neither of man, nor by man. The words, unto the gospel, expresses the object to which he was devoted when thus separated from the mass of his brethren; it was to preach the gospel. Charles Hodge
¨ He calls it ‘the gospel of God” here, because in the next two verses he was going to speak more immediately of what God had to do with it. David Brown
Personal Summary:
If we are to give a cursory read to this first verse in the book of Romans it would appear to have little or no meaning. But as we look a little deeper into it quite a bit stands out to us. There are two things I would like to specifically talk about, 1) the office of Apostle, and 2) being a servant of Christ.
For the first consideration I think it important to understand what the office is and to whom it was assigned. I won’t spend any time reiterating what was previously said, but if you had missed it above then please go back and read what William Hendriksen says and what all of the other commentaries agree with. Sufficient for what I wish to say, though, is that this was a special office where these men received their commission, or ordination, directly from Christ Himself. This is important to us today because they are a plethora of men (and even women) running around calling themselves apostles, with the approval of their denominations and local churches, and they do so with zero merit. I am not even talking about false religions such as the Mormons who apply whatever sounds good to them with no biblical authority at all. Within the scope of what calls itself evangelical Christianity there are many that are running around trying to apply this title either to themselves or to others within their ranks. It is a false title, one that cannot be biblically justified, and will never carry the authority or weight of those that were ordained to fill this office by Christ Himself. They are not able to even fulfill the minimum qualifications for the office. Whether this is done through woeful ignorance or through deliberate deception I cannot say. But I think, and this is merely my opinion for what it’s worth, they are trying to accomplish the exact same thing Paul was when he stated his legitimate claim to the office. They are trying to elevate themselves to a special position where Paul was merely qualifying that our Lord had actually placed him in that special position. One was blessed abundantly and one leads souls to ruin. We must be on our guard for these men that would desire that we think more highly of them than we should and understand that the office of apostle will never be fulfilled again.
For the latter consideration we see the heart of the apostle Paul. He had a servant’s heart. First and foremost he was a servant to our Lord and second to those he was called to serve. We must have this same heart. We must follow the lead of Paul and of the first Christians. Remember David Brown said of them, “Among the earliest Christians, indeed, so great was felt to be the honor and privilege of standing in such a relation to Christ, that it absorbed every repulsive association attaching to the word that expressed it…” They happily and willingly identified themselves as servants, slaves, of Jesus Christ. It was an honor for them to do so. But in this age where men spend more time seeking autonomy from God than submitting to Him, this is a brutal concept that is an affront to many of us. Submission in any form is ultimately frowned upon, yet alone slavery which requires complete submission; yet, this is exactly what we are called to. Christ said in Jn. 14:15 if you love me, keep my commandments. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for interpretation. We are to submit ourselves to Him entirely. Furthermore, it is not the burden our sinful hearts have imagined it to be. Christ who demands utter and complete submission also said in Matt.
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