Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

Romans 2:29

Romans 2:29. Who is one inwardly; in his secret inner life.

And circumcision is that of the heart, etc. The E. V. preserves the parallelism, which is not so marked, however, in the original. The difficult construction of the original has led to other renderings: ‘And circumcision is of the heart,' etc.; ‘And circumcision of the heart is (resides, rests) in the spirit,' etc. The sense remains substantially the same. Circumcision of the heart is demanded in the Old Testament. (See references). The same principle applies to baptism, the sign and seal of regeneration.

In the spirit, not in the letter. The ‘letter' refers to the command, viewed as a written form, which required outward circumcision. But various explanations have been given of ‘spirit.' (1.) The Holy Spirit, through whose power true circumcision takes place. This is the preferable sense, agreeing with chap. Romans 7:6. (The exact reference is to the indwelling Holy Spirit. See Excursus under chap. 7) (2.) The human spirit. Objectionable, since unless the human spirit is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, it does not form a proper contrast with ‘letter.' (3.) Other views, the true spirit of the law, the true spirit of the Jew, etc. All these give to ‘spirit' an unusual sense. Observe: Paul does not make an absolute antagonism between letter and spirit. He does not object to the rite which the ‘letter' commanded. The Holy Spirit caused the ‘letter' to be written; even in the indefinite sense so often given to spirit, there is no opposition, since we reach a knowledge of the spirit of a command through the letter. Most objectionable is the use of this qualified antithesis to make an antagonism between the literal and spiritual sense of Scripture.

Whose praise, etc. Either the praise of true Judaism and true circumcision, or, of the true Jew. The former is more grammatical. ‘This praise is the holy satisfaction of God (His being well pleased). as He has so often declared it to the righteous in the Scriptures. Observe how perfectly analogous Romans 2:28-29, in the tenor of thought, are to the idea of the invisible church' (Meyer). The whole section is a declaration that religious privilege (from birth, knowledge, ritual observances) increases the guilt of those whose morality does not correspond. This position does not detract from, but rather enhances our estimate of these privileges. ‘What a remarkable parallelism, that of this whole passage with the declaration of Jesus (Matthew 8:11-12): “ Many shall come from the east and the west,” etc. Yet there is nothing whatever to indicate that Paul has imitated. The same truth has created for itself in each case an original form' (Godet). Here is the warrant for the Protestant distinction between the visible and the invisible church, and also between the church and the kingdom of God.

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Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

Romans 2:29

Old Testament

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