Romans 1:8-16

Paul's Intention to Visit Rome.

Romans 1:8. Of the faith of the Romans the whole world hears: the Apostle thanks God for this, and names them constantly in his prayers. He invokes God as witness, for this is much to say about strangers; his service in the gospel makes him deeply interested in the Church of Rome. He has begged of God that he might have the good fortune to visit them; at last the hindrances are disappearing (Romans 1:13; cf. Romans 15:20).

Romans 1:11. He longs to impart to them some grace of the Spirit, some added strength; or rather, he anticipates a reciprocal encouragement. Here as elsewhere amongst the Gentiles, he would fain win fruit to his ministry.

Romans 1:14 f. The debt he owes on Christ's account to men of every race and condition, makes him eager to preach to you that are in Rome, i.e. to you Roman people.

Romans 1:16. To shrink from this would mean to be ashamed of the gospel, which he has proved to be God's power working for salvation to every one that believesto the Greek as well as the Jew. First is a doubtful reading (WH).

Romans 1:17. Not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is God's saving power, which operates by the revelation of God's righteousness: the efficacy of the message lies in the character of God who sends it. Paul's view of the Divine righteousness as identified with salvation, is based on Isaiah 45 f. (cf. Romans 1:2, also Romans 3:21). Righteousness, in the sense of Deutero-Isaiah, is no hard legality, contrasted as in men's narrow thoughts with goodness (Romans 5:7); it embraces the whole perfectness of Jehovah's character manifested in His dealings with Israel. Jehovah's fidelity to covenant, His fatherly regard for His people (Isaiah 45:10 f; Isaiah 63:16; Isaiah 64:8), are integral to this righteousness and make it, through the responsive trust they evoke, a power for salvation. In such righteousness the Gospel reveals God to mankind. The revelation operates in the sphere of faith: its apprehension starts from faith, and proceeds unto faith. On man's part faith is the Alpha and Omega of salvation, as righteousness is upon God's. The saying of Habakkuk 2:4 illustrates the vital power of faith, which is man's hold upon the character of God. In the light of the doctrine of Justification unfolded later, many find here a righteousness (in man) derived from God (cf. Php_3:9). But God's power, righteousness, anger, are interlinked in identical grammatical construction (Romans 1:16); to construe the central phrase differently is to dislocate the passage; in the third sentence the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men are emphatically contrasted with the righteousness of God (see Detached Note, ICC, p. 34).

The theme of Romans 1:16 f. is unfolded in Romans 1:18 to Romans 8:39: Romans 1:18 to Romans 3:20 sets forth the guilty and lost condition of mankind of the world at large, and the Jews in particular; Romans 3:21 to Romans 8:39, the saving intervention of God's righteousness, acting in Jesus Christ and realised universally through faith. The positive demonstration is supported by a negative proof, going to show that the law could not do (ch. 7) what the grace of Christ has triumphantly accomplished (ch. 8).