Romans 1, Paul's introduction. When Paul wrote his letter to the Romans in about AD 56, he had never yet visited the church in Rome. Nevertheless, he loved the brothers and sisters in Rome dearly and prayed for them untiringly. Chapter 1 of Romans consists of two parts. In the first part, Paul greets the Romans and expresses his longing to see them in person. In the second part, Paul eases into his great argument.
In the event you have not read the introductory chapter, "What Romans is all about," I urge you to do so now. Unless you have first read that chapter, you will have difficulty following the rest of the discussion in this commentary. Paul a slave and an apostle. Romans 1:1-2. Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle separated for the gospel of God. It may seem strange that Paul begins his letter by calling himself a slave of Jesus Christ.
After all, Paul had previously told the Galatians, "You are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." However, in Galatians, Paul is speaking about slavery under the law of Moses; Christ has freed us from that bondage. Ambrosiaster writes, "By calling himself a slave of Jesus Christ, Paul showed himself to be free of the law and serving a new master." So in Romans, Paul points to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
He wants to make it clear at the beginning of his letter that freedom from the law does not mean freedom from serving Christ, nor does it mean freedom from Christ's commandments. Paul had told the Corinthians, "He who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman.
Similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave." Again he says, "He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again." Chrysostom writes, "There is a servitude that is from faith." Of this servitude, Paul says, "But God be thanked that although you had been the servants of sin, you have obeyed from the heart that form of teaching that was delivered to you." Romans 6:17.
Paul considers this to be the greatest title of dignity, saying, "A slave of Jesus Christ." Thankfully, slavery to Christ is not like human slavery, for Christ tells us, "My yoke is kind, and my burden is light." Origen adds, "Being a slave of Christ is nobler than any liberty." Paul did not appoint himself to be an apostle, but rather Jesus called him to this ministry.
Jesus had told the disciple Ananias, "Paul is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings and the children of Israel." As Paul had explained to the Galatians, God had separated him to this ministry from the time of his birth, when it was the good pleasure of God.
"He separated me from my mother's womb and called me through his grace to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles." Although God foreknew how he would eventually use Paul, he did not actually issue the call of apostleship until many years after Paul's birth. It is important to recognize that God's choosing of Paul from his mother's womb was not something arbitrary; rather, it was based on his foreknowledge of how Paul would respond to grace.
Origen writes, "Paul was chosen neither by chance nor because he possessed a different nature. Rather, he himself stated that the reason he was chosen lay within himself and with God, who knows all things before they happen." Origen continues, "God foreknew that Paul would work harder for the gospel than all the others. God knew that Paul would preach the gospel of Christ despite hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness, perils from robbers, perils from waters, and perils at sea.
He knew that Paul would realize it would be woe unto him if he did not preach the gospel. God also foreknew that Paul would discipline his body and bring it into subjection, lest after preaching to others, he himself would be rejected. Knowing all these things in advance and similar things, God set Paul apart from his mother's womb for these reasons.
If, as the heretics think, Paul had been chosen by fate or because he possessed a special nature from God, then Paul would have never feared that he would be rejected if he did not discipline his body. The word gospel means good news or glad tidings; that is truly what it is. It announces salvation to all humans through the grace of God.
Chrysostom writes, "Paul calls it the glad tidings of God, to cheer his hearers at the very beginning, for he did not come with tidings that would make someone sad." To be sure, many of Paul's Jewish readers were slow to recognize that the gospel was good news to them. That is because the gospel puts the Jews and Gentiles on equal footing. For that reason, Paul devotes much of Romans to explaining to the Jews that they did not lose anything with the coming of Christ; they gained.
The gospel is good news for both Jews and Gentiles. Chapter 1:2. Which he had promised beforehand by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. Chrysostom writes, "Since the Jews had accused the gospel of being something novel, Paul shows it is older than the Greeks and that it was foretold in the prophets." Throughout Romans, Paul provides many examples of how the law and the prophets foretold the coming of the gospel.
For example, Isaiah prophesied, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'" Jesus, Son of David and Son of God. Romans 1:3-4. Concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
Cyprian comments, "Although Jesus had been the Son of God from the beginning, he had to be begotten again according to the flesh." Paul mentions Christ's lineage from David to emphasize his Jewishness and to tie Christ in with the Old Testament promises to King David. Theodoret writes, "In his true nature, Jesus was begotten from God before all eternity.
Yet he also made himself the Son of David, for he took his human nature from the seed of David." Since Paul had mentioned David, it was necessary that he should add, "according to the flesh." Otherwise, Christ might be thought to be the Son of David by nature. According to the Spirit of holiness. Paul refers to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of holiness. What is holiness?
Clement of Alexandria declares, "Holiness means complete pureness of mind, deeds, thoughts, and words." Through the indwelling of the Spirit of holiness, God enables us to be holy as well. Clement writes further, "The word holy sums up all duties toward God and the entire course of life we are to follow." In more recent centuries, men and women of God have written much about holiness. John Wesley sums it up as follows: "In a word, holiness is having the mind that was in Christ, and walking as Christ walked." J.C.
Ryle observes, "Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find his mind described in Scripture. It is the habit of agreeing in God's judgment, hating what he hates, loving what he loves, and measuring everything in this world by the standard of his word." This is the very place where Paul desires to lead us throughout Romans. By the resurrection from the dead, obviously Christ did not become the Son of God through his resurrection, for he has always been the Son of God.
Rather, his resurrection made his divinity clear to his disciples and to all future believers. Theodoret writes, "Before the cross and his death, our Lord Christ did not seem to be divine, not only to the other Jews but even to the apostles themselves, for they were misled by his perfect humanity. But after his resurrection and ascension to heaven, all the faithful knew that he is divine and that he is the only begotten Son of God." Obedience to the faith. Romans 1:5-6.
By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all the Gentiles, for his name. Once again, Paul acknowledges that his apostleship was a gift from God through God's loving kindness. Chrysostom writes, "See the candor of this servant. He wishes nothing to be his own but all his masters. And indeed, it was the Holy Spirit who gave Paul this office, for the Spirit had said, 'Separate to me Paul and Barnabas.'" Acts 13:2.
Paul is saying, "It is not we who have achieved this office for ourselves that we should become apostles. This office was not allotted to us because we have toiled and labored for it. Rather, we received it by grace. The attainment was a gift from above." The same could be said of salvation. We were not saved because we have toiled and labored for it. Rather, it is a gift from God. For obedience to the faith.
Paul says, "We have received grace for obedience to the faith." So, at the very beginning of his letter, Paul wants his readers to understand there is no conflict between grace and obedience, nor between faith and obedience. Like Paul, we all receive grace so that we can be obedient to the faith. If we are walking in genuine Christian faith, we will obey Christ's teachings.
Although we often associate Romans with the word grace, the need for obedience is spoken of more in Romans than in any other New Testament book. Origen writes, "By means of the grace preached by the apostles, men obey God through faith." Clement of Alexandria adds, "A person is faithful if he keeps what is entrusted to him without violating it.
And we are entrusted with the utterances about God, the divine words, that is, the commandments." Speaking of the patriarchs, prophets, and martyrs, Clement again writes, "The faith they possessed was firm, for it was followed by works of faith." By calling attention to the fact that he was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles, Paul emphasizes that the church in Rome is rightfully included in his ministry.
Theodoret writes, "Paul is saying that the Romans are part of these Gentile nations whose ministry has been entrusted to him. He says, in effect, 'Do not think that I am usurping what belongs to another. Do not think that I am seizing fields allotted to someone else. For the Lord has made me the minister of all the Gentiles.'" Paul is also reminding the Jews that Christ specifically called him to bring the faith to the Gentiles. In other words, the Gentiles did not creep into the church through the back door.
Rather, Jesus specifically invited them in. Chapter 1:6. Among whom you also are the called ones of Jesus Christ. When Paul wrote his letter, Rome was the largest city in the world, and it was probably the largest city ever built up to that time. The Romans referred to their city as the capital of the world. However, this fact did not give the Christians in Rome any special standing.
That is why Paul says, "Among whom you also are the called ones." In other words, the Christians in Rome constitute only part of the called ones around the world. Chrysostom remarks, "Notice how the mind of Paul is free from all flattery. The Romans were figuratively seated upon the summit of the whole world. Yet when writing to them, Paul attaches no more importance to them than to any other nation, for he numbers them with the Scythians and Thracians." Paul greets the Romans. Romans 1:7.
To all in Rome who are beloved of God, called saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. To all in Rome who are beloved of God. Paul is not addressing his letter to everyone who lived in Rome, but only to those who are beloved of God. Called saints. Beginning with the Geneva Bible, most English translations have translated this passage as called to be saints. However, the words to be do not appear in the Greek.
By adding the words to be, it gives the impression that being a saint is merely a goal for Christians to seek. However, Paul equates being a Christian with already being a saint. That is why he addresses most of his epistles to the saints in various congregations. It is common today to hear a Christian refer to himself as a sinner saved by grace. That is perhaps an apt description of us at the time of our initial conversion. However, Paul does not address his letter to the sinners in Rome, but to the saints.
The word saint means holy one. As Peter admonishes, "Just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all your behavior, because it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" Because Paul is addressing the saints in Rome, it means he is writing to Christians who have already been saved. Therefore, the epistle to the Romans is not a treatise on how to get saved, even though Paul explains much about salvation in his letter. Grace to you and peace.
This is Paul's standard greeting in nearly all his letters. The most common meaning of the Greek word, charis, is favor or goodwill. Paul is calling for God's favor and peace to be upon the Roman Christians.
His pronouncement of God's peace on them calls to mind Jesus's instructions to his disciples when he was sending them out to preach, "Into whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house.'" Theodoret writes, "Paul first invokes God's grace on them, because it was by this that these believers obtained salvation. And he next invokes peace, by which he indicates the full establishment of virtue.
For only the person who has embraced the way of the gospel has peace with God, seeking ever to serve him in all things. From God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." These words are also a formula commonly used by Paul. Later in this epistle, Paul applies the title of God to Jesus when he is speaking about Jesus alone. However, when Paul speaks about both the Father and the Son together, he always reserves the title of God for the Father, and he designates Jesus by the title Lord.
This is a matter of headship within the Trinity, not a matter of degrees of divinity. Jesus and the Father are both equally divine, and they both are of the same substance. The outstanding faith of the Roman Christians. Romans 1:8. Chapter 1:8. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. Theophylact comments, "This is an introduction worthy of the soul of Paul, from which we also learn to give thanks.
We not only give thanks for our own blessings, but for those of our neighbor as well. This is love." Paul knew that many of the Jewish Christians in Rome would not find his message in Romans easy to receive. Furthermore, in the last part of his letter, Paul gives exhortations to both the Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome. So, Paul wisely begins by praising the church in Rome for their outstanding faith.
He wants them to know that he is not writing to rebuke or discourage them, but to build them up and to help them grasp the joy and beauty of the gospel. This made it easier for them to receive his exhortations later in his letter. No doubt the Roman Christians were amazed to hear that their faith was being talked about throughout the known Roman world. That is one of the greatest compliments that any church could receive. Furthermore, as Origen points out, the word cosmos can also mean the entire universe.
After all, the angels too were aware of the faith of the Roman Christians and rejoiced in their faith. What an example those Roman Christians set for us. The kingdom invades Rome. The fact that there was a large faithful church in Rome demonstrated that the kingdom of God had invaded mighty Rome itself.
As Origen writes, "The Christ of God shows his superiority to all rulers by entering into their various provinces and summoning men out of them to be subject to himself." Christ had entered Rome, the capital of the world, and had transformed many of its citizens into subjects of his kingdom. This could never have been accomplished without the power of God. Imagine convincing the haughty Romans to give their allegiance to a crucified Jew.
Chrysostom points to the many obstacles the first evangelist to the Romans had to overcome. He writes, "The Roman people were told to worship the crucified one, a man who had lived in Judea." Not only that, but the teachers who brought the gospel also preached the need to live a humble, disciplined life. Yet they were proclaiming this to the Romans who were used to luxury and who were focused on the things of this world. Not only that, but those who proclaimed the gospel to them were merely poor and ordinary men.
They were not men of reputation. They came from parents with no family standing. Remarkably, none of those things hindered the spread of the gospel. The power of the crucified one is so great that he can carry his gospel to every place. Paul's desire to see the Romans and.