_THE JEW'S PREROGATIVE. NONE ARE JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW; BUT ALL BY FAITH._ _Anno Domini 58._ THE foregoing reasonings being contrary to the prejudices of the Jews, one of that nation is here introduced, objecting, if our being the children of Abraham, members of the church of God, and heirs of the... [ Continue Reading ]
_ROMANS 3:1_.— The Apostle, in the latter end of the foregoing chapter, has carried his argument to the utmost length. What remains is, to keep the Jew in temper, to fix his convictions, and to draw the general conclusion. He has shewn that the Jews were rather more wicked than the Gentiles, and sto... [ Continue Reading ]
MUCH EVERY WAY— St. Paul gives a list of the advantages which the Jew had over the Gentile, ch. Romans 9:4 but here mentions only one of them, which was most proper to his present purpose; and which is so remarkable and important a testimony to the divine inspiration of the Old Testament in general,... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR WHAT IF SOME DID NOT BELIEVE? &C.— This and the following verse are generally understood as a continuation and explication of the Apostle's answer in the second verse; whereby the sense of the third and fourth verses is generally embarrassed, as they will not admit of a connection with the secon... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT EVERY MAN A LIAR— _Though every man should be a liar._ For the next clause, see the note on Psalms 51:4. Dr. Taylor observes, that the Hebrew of that verse literally is, _that thou mayest be just in thy speaking, and clean_ [that is _clear_] _in thy judging._ The _speaking_ meant is, the word of... [ Continue Reading ]
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD— St. Paul hereby intends God's faithfulness in keeping his promise. This verse is the language of an unbelieving _Jew,_ and therefore in _his_ mouth God's righteousness, or fidelity to his promise, has relation only to the nation of the Jews, and their being still continued... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD FORBID!— This verse is the Apostle's answer to the Jews, which he crowds in while the Jew is going on with his observation. In reverence of the Divine Majesty, who is perfectly righteous, he qualifies the mere supposition for a moment of his being unrighteous (though this is proposed only for th... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR IF THE TRUTH OF GOD, &C.— The particle _for_ joins what follows in this verse, to _vengeance,_ or _wrath,_ in the fifth, and shews it to be a continuation of the objection begun there. But the whole eighth verse is the Apostle's answer, the true sense of which seems to be this: Says the Jew, "If... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT THEN?—ARE WE BETTER THAN THEY?— The Apostle having given the Jew leave to put in his objections, in reference to what would disgust him most,—the rejection of the Jews; and having given such answers as he thought proper at present,—now returns to the main point, namely, to prove that the Gentil... [ Continue Reading ]
AS IT IS WRITTEN— In these verses and quotations from Scripture, the Apostle is evidently giving a description of the general character and morals of the infidel Jews in his own time, when he wrote the Epistle; a description, which suits their case as exactly as the foregoing one of the degeneracy o... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LAW SAITH— It appears here, that this word _law_ sometimes signifies the Old Testament in general; for not one of the quotations above is taken from the Pentateuch. Instead of _that every mouth may be stopped,_ the original would be better rendered, _so that every mouth is stopped._ Instead of _... [ Continue Reading ]
BY THE DEEDS OF THE LAW— The _deeds_ or _works of the law_ here mentioned appear to be those in which both Jews and Gentiles were defective; and with regard to which every mouth was stopped, or on account of which no part of mankind could plead a right or worthiness to be admitted into the kingdom o... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT NOW, &C.— _But now a righteousness of God without law is discovered, being testified by the law and the prophets,_ (Romans 3:22.) _even the righteousness of God through faith_ in Jesus Christ, &c. See the note on chap. Romans 1:17. The question with the Apostle is, "Upon what footing do either J... [ Continue Reading ]
AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD— "They have failed of rendering him that glory which was so justly his due; and thereby have not only made themselves unworthy of the participation of glory and happiness with him, but stand exposed to his severe and dreadful displeasure.... [ Continue Reading ]
BY HIS GRACE— _Grace_ or _favour_ means that compassionate disposition of the divine nature, whereby God freely remits his right of punishment, and receives penitent sinners into favour on terms which he was not bound in justice to do. Concerning the true import of the words _redemption, propitiatio... [ Continue Reading ]
WHOM GOD HATH SET FORTH, &C.— See the note on Exodus 25:17. The Alexandrian copy omits the words δια πιστεως _by faith,_ which seems conformable to the sense of the Apostle here. He says that God hath set forth Christ to be the propitiatory in his blood: the atonement under the law was made by blood... [ Continue Reading ]
TO DECLARE, I SAY, &C.— "He has, I say, proposed his Son for a demonstration of his righteousness, or method of justifying; which now, in this present ever-memorable and signal time, is so wonderfullyillustrated in the great transactions of our own age; intended for this purpose, that he might be an... [ Continue Reading ]
WHERE IS BOASTING THEN?— _Where is glorying then?_ See on chap. Romans 2:17. What is here meant by _glorying,_ may be nearly determined by these two remarks: _First,_ this question must be different from that in Romans 3:9. _What then? are we better than they?—Secondly,_ the glorying here spoken of... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE WE CONCLUDE— This inference is drawn from the whole preceding argument. The Greek word Ανθρωπος, in the singular, without the article, frequently signifies _man, mankind,_or anyman whatsoever. And the Apostle's argument requires it should be taken in this general sense, so as to include al... [ Continue Reading ]
SEEING IT IS ONE GOD, &C.— _So that it is one God,_ the same eternal and unchangeable Jehovah, _who will justify,_ &c. Mr. Locke would render it, _seeing God is one;_ and suppose it an allusion to the prediction, Zechariah 14:9 that _the Lord shall be One, and his name One,_—fulfilled by the publica... [ Continue Reading ]
YEA, WE ESTABLISH THE LAW— Meaning, _through faith._ He did _not make void law through faith,_ but, on the contrary, _established law through faith._ Now this demonstrates that _law,_ in this chapter, is to be understood neither of the ceremonial law; nor of law in the rigorous sense, with the penal... [ Continue Reading ]