Paul begins the epistle with a reference to his apostleship. He was the servant of Jesus Christ, called an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God; that is, so to speak, his title. He served the Lord, and to this end he had been called and set apart in a special way; he was not amongst those who had followed the Lord on earth; he did not know Him thus. On the contrary, he had shown the most bitter enmity to the name of Jesus, and would have wished to root out this new doctrine—that is, faith in Jesus-from the midst of Israel, and to have punished all its adherents. This path was put a stop to by the Lord, who revealed Himself to him in the glory, and this very glory became the starting—point for Paul as to his service. It was the blessed proof that the work of reconciliation was accomplished, since He who had suffered for sins was now in the glory; and not only that, but the persecuted Christians were acknowledged by the Lord not merely as disciples, but as united to Him—the glorified Man, the Son of God in heaven. We see therefore that Paul was called in a special way, and also set apart in a special way. The revelation of the Lord in glory separated him first of all from Judaism, yet not in order that he should turn to Paganism; but, acknowledging Christ in divine glory, he was taken out “from amongst the people and the Gentiles” (Acts 26:1717Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, (Acts 26:17)) to be sent back into the world by the glorified Man, the Lord of glory, to proclaim an accomplished salvation, to give forgiveness of sins to all those who should believe in Jesus, and to deliver the Jews from the yoke of the law, From that time he knew no one after the flesh, not even the Lord Jesus; that is to say, he did not know Him as the carnally-minded Jews desired to have Him here on the earth, as Son of David, although fully recognizing that Christ had come as such, and that He had a perfect right to the title. But the Lord as Son of David had been rejected, and now all was pure grace, as well for the Jews as for the heathen, since the first had lost all right to the promises through their rejection of Him in whom they have their fulfillment. God will undoubtedly accomplish His purposes; but for the present moment all is pure grace through the risen Man, whom Paul had seen in glory. These points are clearly established further on.
For the better understanding of the epistle, it may be well to remark, that although Christ in glory was the starting-point and foundation of Paul’s ministry, still as to doctrine he does not in this epistle go further than the resurrection of the Lord. It is quite true that the position of the Lord in glory is supposed, and that the few verses which set before us the order of the counsels of God mention also the glorifying of the children of God; for it is part of His counsels that the elect should be conformed to the image of His Son. (Chapter 8:29,30) Nevertheless when the apostle speaks of the groundwork of salvation, how man is justified and saved, he goes no farther than the Lord’s resurrection; in fact what Christ has acquired for us is another thing from the answer to the question, How can a sinner be accepted by God, and how is he brought into the position of an heir of God?
In the epistle to the Romans we are brought precisely into this position of heirs, as having been made meet in Christ to stand before God, and to inherit with Christ as man according to righteousness, as quickened and accepted in Him before God; but there is only a brief mention even of the glory and the inheritance. As soon as Christ as man, gone down into death, had been raised, man was brought into an entirely new position, quickened in the power of the Spirit and of resurrection. The work which abolished sin had been accomplished; our sins had been borne and expiated in death; God had been glorified in the place where sin was; the strength of him who had the power of death had been annulled, as well as death itself. There was a new man on whom death had no power. I do not speak here of the Person of Christ, of what He was in His nature, but of the new standing as men, into which we are brought by the resurrection of the man Christ Jesus, of man in his new condition according to the counsels of God. It is there that we have the proof that the finished work of Christ is accepted according to the righteousness of God, as well as the pattern, not yet of the glory, but of the normal state of every believer in Christ. They are brought, so to speak, to the other side of death—Satan’s power, sin, and the judgment of God—because Christ has perfectly glorified Him; they stand in the favor of God in righteousness. Such is the bearing of the resurrection of Christ as the fundamental doctrine of this epistle, whilst His death is presented as the basis of His resurrection, and what gives to the latter its value— “Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again.”
Thus Paul was called and set apart from all men to preach the gospel of God, the good news of this work of His love. It had already been promised beforehand by the prophets in the Holy Scriptures, but now the proclamation of it was no longer a promise. We have, it is true, precious promises relative to our path in this world, but the gospel itself is not a promise. It is rather the fulfillment of the promises of God, inasmuch, at least, as these have to do with the Lord’s incarnation, His finished work, His resurrection (1 Peter 1:11,1211Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 12Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:11‑12)), and His being glorified, although this last point is not treated in the epistle to the Romans. It should be observed here that the “Holy Scriptures” are the promises of God, and that the prophets by whom they were delivered are prophets of God.
In what then does the gospel consist? It is “concerning His Son” (the Son of God), “Jesus Christ our Lord.” The Person of Christ is the primary object of the gospel; it announces His coming into the world. But here we have two things: First, the accomplishment of the promises, inasmuch as Christ is Son of David according to the flesh; secondly, He is “determined Son of God in power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Those are the two great accomplished facts which make the Lord’s coming into the world of value for man. The promises were fulfilled; the Son of David was there. The Jews would not receive Him, and thus lost the advantage of the promises. Still they had their accomplishment, inasmuch as the Lord has come. But then the power of God was revealed in the fact that the Lord, after being made subject unto death, was declared Son of God in resurrection. Although we have the strongest proof of the power of God in Christ’s resurrection, still we see already in the raising of Lazarus a manifestation of this divine power, as well as later on in the resurrection of all the saints. “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” (John 11:44When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. (John 11:4)) He was, and is, the resurrection and the life. The power of resurrection is the proof that He is the Son of God. This is not at all the fulfillment of promises, but the power of God manifesting itself there, where death had intervened as a consequence of sin.
(To be continued, D. V)