The writer of this article would strongly recommend a close, prayerful study of this epistle, as the groundwork of all scriptural knowledge. Well does he remember the benefit he derived, for nearly two years, in laying aside all other reading, and studying this epistle, with a few others, when young, about forty years ago.
We cannot be surprised that it should contain such solid foundation-truth, when we bear in mind that it was written to the assembly in the then metropolis of the whole world.
It is important, and really helpful, in reading any of the precious epistles or books of holy scripture, to observe the character and design of that book, and also the order and divisions in the same. The object the Spirit had in this epistle, then, was evidently to reveal the relationship of God to man, and man to God—the way God could be righteous in justifying man. Thus it is the foundation of all truth.
The careful reader will at once see the three divisions of the epistle. Chapters 1 to 8 reveal God, the Justifier; the gospel of God to Jews and Gentiles alike—the same grace to each. Chapters 9 to 11 show that God has not forgotten His promises to Israel, but that, at the appointed time, all shall be fulfilled to them as a nation. Chapters 7 to the end contain the perceptive part.
There is, however, a subdivision in the first eight chapters of great importance. Up to chapter 5:11 it is the question of justification from sins; then, on to the end of chapter 8, it is more the question of justification and deliverance from sin. We will now turn to chapter 1.
“Paul, a bond servant of Jesus Christ.” He was not a bondservant of any society or party, but of Jesus Christ. How few can follow Paul in these seven words, and yet how important it should be so, if service is to be acceptable to Christ! Have you thought of this as to the whole course of your life and service? It will make all the difference in the day of reward. “Called to be an apostle” should be, “an apostle by calling.” When the Lord Jesus called him, it was not that he might go to the other apostles, and be educated, or prepared, or ordained to be an apostle; no, he was constituted an apostle at once, and without any human authority whatever; he was called to act and preach as an apostle because he was one, not that he might be one. (Compare Acts 26:15-1915And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 16But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; 17Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, 18To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. 19Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: (Acts 26:15‑19); Gal. 1:10-1610For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. 11But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. 13For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: 14And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. 15But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, 16To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: (Galatians 1:10‑16).) Thus Paul was “separated unto the gospel of God.” Well did the Holy Ghost know how all this would be entirely reversed in that very Rome. Yes, this very first verse is of the utmost moment to us, if we would do the will of God. Remember, Paul had been an apostle for some time when the Holy Ghost separated him, and sent him to a special tour of service, with the approval of the elders, in Acts 13:1-41Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. (Acts 13:1‑4).
Here, then, we see Paul a bondservant of Jesus Christ, an apostle by calling, separated unto the gospel of God. Now this word, “separated,” goes a great way. Separated from the world, and from the law, from Judaism, unto the glorious good news of God. It is not the subject of the church in this epistle, but the gospel of God. The church was not the subject of promise, but the gospel was. (“Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures.”) Yes, the scriptures, from Gen. 3, contain abundant promises of the gospel of God, “ concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Every promise thus looked on to the seed, which is Christ. It will be well to lay hold of this. The gospel is not concerning our feelings or doings, but “concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” May that blessed One be ever the beginning and the end of the gospel of God which we preach!
There are just two parts, then, in the true gospel: the work accomplished by Jesus in the flesh; and His resurrection from the dead. “Which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh.” In Him, as Son of David, all promise was fulfilled. What a manifestation of the love of God—the Holy One to be made flesh, to become truly man—to come down from His own eternal glory into the midst of a fallen, guilty race, under sin and judgment, and in that state of sinless humanity to go on to the cross!—Himself all pure, and yet to be made sin, to bear its utmost judgment unto depth; yea, to go down into death itself, and deliver us from its rightful power—to be delivered for our iniquities. This we shall find to be one great theme of our epistle—the atoning death of Jesus, in its double aspect of propitiation and substitution. But though made man in the likeness of sinful flesh, yet not Himself in fallen humanity or sinful humanity—not Himself defiled. He was ever the Holy One of God, and was thus determined, or “declared the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”
Let us, then, behold the Son of God, pure and undefiled all along His path below; not only His blessed acts, but His nature, holy, according to the Spirit of holiness. Thus, though in the midst of evil, come there in love; for us entering in sympathy into all the sorrow sin has brought; and tempted from without in all points as we are, but in Himself, His holy nature was entirely apart from sin. All this was declared in that, having accomplished our redemption, God raised Him from among the dead. Personally death had no claim on Him—He could not be holden by it. Since He was according to the Spirit of holiness, God in righteousness must raise Him from among the dead, and receive Him to glory. He had glorified God in human nature, and as man He is bow raised from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness; and there is now in heaven the Man who has glorified God. It is well to be clear as to what He is in Himself, and then we shall better understand what He has done for us, and what He is for us raised from the dead. These truths we hope to notice more fully further on.
From this Holy One raised from the dead Paul had “received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name.” It is important to notice this; whatever he was as an apostle, it was all grace received. Did not the Lord shine across his path, in pure, free favor, at the very moment he was mad—yea, exceeding mad—against Christ? Did He not call him, and make him His chosen apostle to the Gentiles at once, in free, unmerited favor? Is it not the same in principle in every case? Whatever service we may have for Christ, is it not the same grace, the same free favor? Thus the apostle looked upon the saints at Rome. The same grace had been shown to them. “Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ.” Thus grace shines out in all its fullness. He who met Saul on his way to Damascus, even Jesus Christ as Lord, bad also called every believer in Rome. “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called saints: Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The two little words introduced by the translators, “called to be saints,” completely changes the meaning of this important scripture, and has been the cause of serious mistakes in the question of holiness. It is the same word as is used in the first verse, “called an apostle;” or, “an apostle by calling.” As the word, saint, means holy one, so the words mean, “holy ones by calling.” Not called to seek to attain to holiness—the common mistake—but just as Paul was constituted an apostle by the Lord who called him, so all believers in Rome were constituted holy ones by calling. This was the ground on which they were exhorted to walk in accordance with what they were. Every believer is a saint by calling, holy by calling. He is born of God, partaker of the divine nature, which is holy. By new birth he is holy. He is dead with Christ, risen in Christ—yea, Christ who has passed through death, and is the resurrection and the life, is his life. “He that hath the Son, hath life.” Now, if he has the life of the Holy One of God, that life of which he is now a partaker is as holy as it is eternal. All believers have eternal life, therefore all believers have a holy life. To seek by any means to attain to one or the other for acceptance, is to totally misunderstand our calling and high privileges.
All scripture bears out this truth. The exhortation to be holy is on this principle: “As obedient children.... as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation: because it is written, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” (1 Pet. 1:1414As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: (1 Peter 1:14).) Yes, it is because they are begotten again unto a lively hope: kept by the power of God, because they are born of God; as children, having purified their souls in obeying the truth. In a word, as they were holy by calling and nature, and having the Holy Ghost, they were to give all diligence to be holy in life and conversation.
John brings out the holiness of the new nature as born of God. He that is born of God does not practice sin. In each epistle the holy calling will be found first, and holy walk, as the result, follows. (Compare 1 Thess. 1:11Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:1), with chap. v. 23.) It is important to notice the place the word has, applied by the Holy Ghost, both as to the new birth, and also in practical holiness. “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth.” (Jas. 1:1818Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18).) “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” How sad it is in this day to see all this sot aside, and men by thousands seeking to be holy by sacraments and ceremonies; and not only they, but many who write and teach on holiness entirely overlook what every Christian is constituted by calling and new birth, and the indwelling of the Spirit. There is no doubt this is the cause of great weakness and mistake and low walk.
Let us not lightly pass over those other precious words: “Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” What a change from Judaism!—the free favor of God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and peace to all the beloved of God in Rome. Do our souls enter into this? Instead of law justly requiring perfect obedience from man, now we have perfect peace with God, on the principle of free, unmerited favor. Israel, if faithful, could only have known God as Jehovah; we know Him as Father. We shall see in this epistle how His grace and peace can flow out to us unhindered in perfect righteousness.
As this epistle reveals the ground of a sinner’s standing before God, we notice that the first thing for which the apostle gives thanks to God, through Jesus Christ, for them all, is this: “Your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.” Thus faith has the first place. Beloved reader, is your faith well known, or is it doubtful whether you really believe God? This is the first point, to be settled; all will follow in order after that. We shall find that if you believe God, then you can say, “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Can you with confidence say so? Then drink of that stream of grace and peace ever flowing from. God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.