ADDRESS, INTRODUCTION, AND THEME Chapter 1 contains two distinct parts: Romans 1:1-17 form the introductory portion of the Epistle; Romans 1:18-32 give the proof that the Gentiles need the gospel from the fact of their sinfulness exposing them to the wrath of God. (This statement is the first half o... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:1. PAUL. See _Gen. Introd._, § 1, and Acts throughout. A SERVANT OF JESUS CHRIST. The word ‘servant' here means ‘bondman,' expressing the fact that Paul personally belonged to Jesus Christ, rather than the idea of service in His behalf. Another word conveys the latter sense. Any unpleasan... [ Continue Reading ]
_ADDRESS AND GREETING_ The Apostle conforms to the usage of his time, beginning his letters with his own name, followed by a designation of the persons addressed, to which a greeting is added. But he usually describes himself as related to Jesus Christ, indicates the character of those he addresses... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:2. WHICH HE PROMISED BEFOREHAND. The parenthesis is unnecessary, for the whole passage is closely connected. It must be God's gospel, for He had already promised it, and this thought would have force with the Gentile Christians as well as the Jews. Moreover it serves to emphasize the sacred... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:3. CONCERNING HIS BON. The punctuation of the E. V. connects this with the word ‘gospel' (Romans 1:1), but it may be joined with Romans 1:2: God's previous promise in the Old Testament was concerning His Son. That promise was fulfilled in the gospel. In any case it is fairly implied that th... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:4. WHO WAS INSTALLED, or, ‘declared,' THE SON OF GOD.' The clause is strictly parallel with ‘who was born.'(The word ‘and' as well as the phrase ‘to be ‘are interpolated in the E. V.) The word translated ‘declared' has been much discussed. It first meant, to bound, define, determine, etc. I... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:5. THROUGH WHOM, _i.e.,_ ‘Jesus Christ our Lord,' which should immediately precede. The two verses should be separated only by a comma. Everywhere Paul speaks of himself as called by God to be an Apostle (comp. Romans 1:1), but called through Jesus Christ, who had spoken to him on the way t... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:6. AMONG WHOM ARE YE ALSO. To prepare for the address he says that his mission for the glory of Christ's name is to them also; they are included among those for whom he received his apostleship. CALLED OF JESUS CHRIST. They were not called by Jesus Christ but called to tie His, since the... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:7. TO ALL THAT ARE IN ROME. This is the address proper, indicating the recipients of the letter. The Christians at Rome, of whatever nationality, are viewed as one community, though not addressed as a ‘church.' The city was so large that they may have worshipped in various domestic congrega... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:8. FIRST OF ALL. Some find the second thought in Romans 1:10, or Romans 1:13; others translate ‘chiefly.' As the absence of ‘secondly' suggests a slight emphasis, we render as above (comp. chap. Romans 3:2). I THANK MY GOD. (See introductory note). ‘The Apostle pursues the natural course o... [ Continue Reading ]
_Introduction_, _Giving the Occasion of the Epistle_. After the full and formal address and greeting, the Apostle, as usual, begins with thanksgiving on behalf of the Christians addressed. (In Galatians a rebuke takes the place of the thanksgiving.) Here Paul gives thanks, and that through Jesus Chr... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:9. FOR. This introduces a solemn proof of his thanksgiving. GOD IS MY WITNESS. Such appeals to God are not uncommon in Paul's writings. God only could know what his habit in secret prayer was. The fact was important, since he had labored so widely and yet not visited them. This might seem... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:10. MAKING REQUEST. How unceasingly he remembers them is evident from this constant petition, the purport of which is next expressed. IF HAPLY, etc. Instead of saying, ‘that I may come,' the Apostle uses this conditional form, which indicates both his earnest desire and his submission of... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:12. THAT IS, etc. ‘By this modifying explanation, subjoined with humility, and expressed in a delicate complimentary manner, Paul guards himself, in the presence of a church to which he was still a stranger, from the possible appearance of presumption and of forming too low an estimate of t... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:13. BUT I WOULD NOT HAVE YOU IGNORANT (comp). chap. Romans 11:25). The phrase lays stress on what is said. The progress of thought is natural. Paul had expressed his prayerful longing to see them (Romans 1:9-12), he now tells them that this longing had not been inactive; it had frequently l... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:14. The striking order of the original is reproduced in the emended rendering: Both to Greeks and to Barbarians; both to wise and to unwise, I am debtor. I AM DEBTOR. ‘Paul regards the divine obligation of office, received through Christ (Romans 1:5), as the undertaking of a _debt,_ which... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:15. So, in accordance with this position of debtor (Romans 1:14). Other explanations are less satisfactory. AS MUCH AS IN ME IS, or,' as far as in me lies.' The phrase is a strong one, as if to say: ‘As far as it depends on me, I am anxious to come and preach to you, but my will is subjec... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Theme of the Epistle._ Paul is ready to preach at Rome also, because he is not ashamed of the gospel; and he is not ashamed of the gospel, because of its character (Romans 1:16). The whole Epistle, to the end of chap. 11, is an expansion of the latter part of Romans 1:16. The gospel is to ‘ _ev... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:16. For I am not ashamed. This gives the reason for his being ready to preach at Rome also (Romans 1:15), and forms an easy transition to the statement which follows. Rome, the metropolis of the heathen world, with all its pride of power, presented a field, where, if anywhere, one might be... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:17. FOR. The proof of Romans 1:16, especially of the assertion that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, THEREIN; in the gospel. GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS. The word ‘righteous,' so frequent in the Old Testament, is used of conformity to law, equivalent to holy, perfect. It is applied... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:18. FOR. Direct proof of Romans 1:17: the righteousness from God is revealed by faith, _for_ other revelations are of God's wrath. (See note above.) GOD'S WRATH. (The article is wanting here, as in Romans 1:16-17; but the translation ‘a wrath of God,' is altogether unnecessary.) This phras... [ Continue Reading ]
1. THE SINFULNESS OF THE GENTILES. This fearful yet truthful description of the moral decay of the Gentile world is not introduced abruptly. In Romans 1:17 the Apostle had declared that righteousness from God was revealed by faith; he now proves this (and thus the position of Romans 1:16) by the fac... [ Continue Reading ]
DOCTRINAL PART. 1. UNIVERSAL NEED. Having asserted that the gospel is God's power unto salvation to every one that believeth, whether Jew or Greek, the Apostle proceeds to show that all men are sinners, and therefore can be saved only by this method. He first (1.) describes the sinfulness of the Ge... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:19. BECAUSE. Here begins the statement _why_ God's wrath was revealed, which is also a proof that they hold back the truth in unrighteousness. ‘If they did so out of ignorance, they would be excusable: but they do not do so out of ignorance, and _therefore_ God's wrath is manifested against... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:20. FOR THE INVISIBLE THINGS OF GOD. Some of His attributes, as explained afterwards. SINCE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD. ‘From,' while literally correct, may be misunderstood as referring to the means of clearly seeing. BEING PERCEIVED, etc. The mode of clearly seeing the invisible attrib... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:21. BECAUSE. The fact which renders them inexcusable is now stated. THOUGH KNOWING GOD. Although they had the knowledge indicated in Romans 1:20. DID NOT GLORIFY HIM AS GOD. What worship they rendered was not in accordance with the knowledge they had. ‘Glorify' refers to praising God fo... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:22. PROFESSING THEMSELVES TO BE WISE. While, not because they professed themselves to be wise. This has reference, not to heathen philosophers, but to the conceit of wisdom which lay back of heathenism itself. THEY BECAME FOOL. Their folly was manifested in their idolatry. ‘For heathenism... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:23. AND CHANGED. Comp. the strikingly similar passage, Psalms 106:20. ‘Exchanged' is the meaning, as in Romans 1:25, where, however, a stronger word is used. THE GLORY, etc. God's majesty, perfection, etc., made known as stated in Romans 1:19-21. INCORRUPTIBLE; introduced to mark the fo... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:24. WHEREFORE. Having shown that the heathen had the truth and held it back in unrighteousness, the Apostle now shows _how_ God's wrath was displayed: generally in giving them up to uncleanness (Romans 1:24-25), and specially to unnatural sensuality (Romans 1:26-27), as well as to other vic... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:25. BEING SUCH AS, or, ‘since they were such as.' Here the Apostle reverts to the reason for the punishment. EXCHANGED. A stronger phrase than that in Romans 1:23. THE TRUTH OF GOD. The truth or reality of God, the true Divine essence, practically the same as ‘the true God.' The latter... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:26. FOR THIS CAUSE; namely, because of the apostasy described in Romans 1:25. But as that passage repeats in another form the thought of Romans 1:23, so this verse takes up anew the thought of Romans 1:24. The uncleanness to which the heathen were given up took a special and aggravated form... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:27. THE MEN; lit., ‘males.' The vice of sodomy was very prevalent in the ancient world. The description here is more intense, corresponding with the prevalence and intensity of the immorality. RECEIVING IN THEMSELVES; in their own persons. ‘The unseemliness' points to something well known... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:28. AND EVEN AS. This is not equivalent to ‘because,' but marks the correspondence between the sin and its punishment. Having chosen out the most glaring form of vice, the Apostle enumerates others which formed part of the punishment. Here, as throughout, he reverts to the reason they were... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:29. BEING FILLED WITH ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. This is a general statement, the specifications follow. (Comp. similar catalogues of sins; noted in marg. references to this verse.) Various ingenious attempts have been made at classifying the list; but the Apostle seems to have had in mind rhetor... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:30. BACKBITERS; open slanderers, or calumniators. HATEFUL TO GOD; or, as in the E. V., ‘haters of God.' The former sense is the classical one; the latter is supposed to be more in accordance with the Biblical view of God. ‘Leaving the word in its strict signification, _hated of God,_ we r... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:31. In this verse adjectives take the place of the substantives previously used. The long catalogue is thus varied. WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING; the same word as ‘senseless' (E. V. ‘foolish'), Romans 1:21. COVENANT BREAKERS. In the original there is another play upon the sound of the words. ... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 1:32. WHO; or, as in Romans 1:25, ‘being such as.' This verse adds to the description of vices a deeper degree of immorality; showing how entirely the heathen are ‘without excuse' (Romans 1:20; chap. Romans 2:1). KNOWING. A stronger word than that in Romans 1:21. Their conscience gave such... [ Continue Reading ]