Paul to the Saints at Rome
Verse 1. “Paul, a servant (or slave) of Jesus Christ.” Wonderful grace of God, that called, and made captive in the chains of love, such a man. A sincere man walking before, and serving God from his forefathers with a pure conscience; “touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless,” yet the open, avowed enemy of Christ, till God opened his eyes to see himself. After that he wrote. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am the chief,” and in the same chapter (1 Tim. 1:12, 1312And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. (1 Timothy 1:12‑13)) wrote of himself, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me power, that He has counted me faithful, appointing to ministry him who before was a blasphemer and persecutor, and an insolent, overbearing man.” (New Trans.) Wonderful change!
It was the Lord that spoke to him, and showed Himself to him; then he saw the road on which he was traveling was the broad road that leads to destruction. He was an Apostle by calling, separated; taken out from the Jews and from the Gentiles to tell out to them the gospel of God. “To open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins, and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in Me.” Acts 26:1818To 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. (Acts 26:18).
Verse 2 tells us that the prophets wrote of God’s promise to send this glad tidings. This is parenthetical.
Verse 3. “Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord,” how important to notice this. It is God telling out the glories of His Son. In the story we shall find how He made propitiation for sin, and declared righteousness of God and grace to sinners; but above all, the person of the Son is seen, as heir to the throne of David according to the flesh, marked out as Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by resurrection of the dead. He could say, “I am the resurrection and the life,” and then call Lazarus from among the dead. He is our Lord, and it was His power in grace that gave Paul his grace and apostleship to preach in His name, for the obedience of faith among all nations; and those called ones in Rome were some of them. They were saints by God’s calling. The words to be lead to a wrong thought here. All believers are at once made saints. They belong to Christ, and not to the world. His death and resurrection place them on new ground. Christ is Son of God in resurrection. In this, God’s approval is stamped upon His person and His work.
Then the Apostle sends grace and peace to them from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 8. He begins with “thanking God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world,” and he says, “God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you in my prayers;” and he desires that the way might be opened that he could come to them by the will of God. He longed to see them, to impart some spiritual benefit to them, and to establish them in the truth, that he and they might be comforted together by their mutual faith. He wanted them to know that he oftentimes purposed to come to them (but was hindered); to have some fruit among them also, even as he had among other Gentiles.
Verse 14. He counted himself a debtor to all kinds of men, and as far as it depended on him, to preach the good news to them who were in Rome also. What a true servant, serving with his spirit in the glad tidings of God! He was not ashamed of the gospel, for he knew it was the power of God to salvation, to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. The righteousness of God is revealed therein, on the principle of faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
How blessed indeed to the sinner convinced of his lost condition, to see God’s righteousness declared in that Christ died for sin, and now grace flows out to sinners who believe in Him. He can say,
“And now, a righteousness divine
Is all my glory, all my trust,
Nor will I fear since that is mine,
While Thou dost live, and God is just.”
All is settled, Christ is risen; God has approved of the sacrifice. We are as believers in Him. Here we see that no flesh can be justified in God’s sight for, “The just shall live by faith.” It is faith that makes them out as the just. “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness” (Gen. 15:66And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6); Rom. 4:33For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. (Romans 4:3)).
After this introduction, we are led to see that the righteousness of God must deal with the unrighteousness of men, and the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.
God made man upright, but man has sought out many inventions, and now we see the down grade from innocence to the depths of sin’s degradation traversed by man, till he becomes lower in his lusts than the brute beast.
Verses 19, 20. God’s power and wisdom were seen in creation telling of His supremacy, so that man was inexcusable. Up to the flood, the knowledge of the true God was seen in man. After the flood, idolatry perverted this knowledge, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and beasts, and creeping things. Then God gave them up to their vile lusts. It is terrible to think what more we, as sinners, were capable of, who knowing the righteous judgment of God, and that they who do these things are worthy of death, not only practice them, but have delight in them that do them.
Can such a creature be improved? No, but God has found a way whereby He can save, and bring them to Himself, and make those, who are saved, companions for His Son.
May the Lord give us the attentive heart to meditate on His grace, and to receive what He would communicate to us.