21 Because that, when they knew 32 Who, having known the jusGod, they have not glorified him as tice of God, did not understand God, or given thanks: but became that they, who do such things, are vain in their thoughts, and their worthy of death: and not only they that do them, but they also that foolish heart was darkened. consent to them that do them. CHAP. II. 22 For professing themselves to be wise they became fools. The Jews are censured. WHEREFORE thou art inex 23 And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God,into the like-Wusable, O man, whosoever ness of the image of a corruptible man, and of birds and of four-footed beasts and of creeping things. 24 Wherefore God gave them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness, to dishonour their own bodies among themselves : 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God delivered them up to shameful affections. For their women have changed the natural use, into that use which is against nature. thou art that judgest. For wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself. For thou dost the same things which thou judgest. 2 For we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against them that do such things. 3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them who do such things, and dost the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? 4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and patience, and long-suffering? knowest thou not that the benignity of God leadeth thee to penance? 5 But according to thy hardness and impenitent heart, thou treasurest up to thyself wrath, against the day of wrath and revelation of the just judgment of God. 27 And in like manner the men also, leaving the natural use of the women, have burned in their lusts one towards another,men with men working that which is filthy, and receiving in themselves the recompence which was due to their error. 7 To them indeed, who accord28 And as they liked not to have God in their knowledge; God de-ing to patience in good work, seek livered them up to a reprobatesense, glory and honour and incorruption, to do those things which are not eternal life : convenient, 29 Being filled with all iniquity, malice, fornication, avarice, wickedness, full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity, whisperers, 30 Detractors, hateful to God, contumelious, proud, haughty, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents. 31 Foolish, dissolute, without affection, without fidelity, without mercy. 6 Who will render to every man according to his works. 8 But to them that are contentious, and who obey not the truth, but give credit to iniquity, wrath and indignation. 9 Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek : 10 But glory and honour and peace to every one that worketh good, to the Jew first and also the Greek. Ver. 26. God delivered them up. Not by being the author of their sins, but by withdrawing his grace, and so permitting them, in punishment of their pride, to fall into those shame ful sing. 11 For there is no respect of you is blasphemed among the gen tiles, as it is written.) persons with God. 12 For whosoever have sinned without the law, shall perish without the law and whosoever have sinned in the law, shall be judged by the law. 25 Circumcision profiteth indeed if thou keep the law: but if thou be a transgressor of the law, thy cir cumcision is made uncircumcision. 26 If then the uncircumcised 13 For not the hearers of the keep the justices of the law: shall law, are just before God: but the not this uncircumcision be counted doers of the law shall be justified. for circumcision? 14 For when the gentiles who 27 And shall not that which by have not the law,do by nature those nature is uncircumcision, if it fulfil things that are of the law; these the law, judge thee, who by the having not the law, are a law to letter and circumcision art a transthemselves : gressor of the law? 15 Who shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness to them, and their thoughts between themselves accusing, or also defending one another, 16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men, by JESUS CHRIST, according to my gospel. 17 But if thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, 28 For it is not he is a Jew, that is so outwardly, nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh, 29 But he is a Jew that is one inwardly; and the circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter: whose praise is not of men, but of God. CHAP. III. The advantages of the Jews. WHAT advantage then hath the Jew, or what is the profit of WHA 18 And knowest his will, and ap-circumcision? provest the more profitable things, being instructed by the law, 2 Much every way. First indeed, because the words of God were 19 Art confident that thou thy-committed to them. self art a guide of the blind, a light 3 For what if some of them have of them that are in darkness, 20 An instructer of the foolish, a teacher of infants, having the form of knowledge and of truth in the law. 21 Thou therefore that teachest another, teachest not thyself: thou that preachest that men should not steal, stealest : 22 Thou that sayest, men should not commit adultery, committest adultery: Thou that abhorrest idols, committest sacrilege: 23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, by transgression of the law dishonourest God. 24 (For the name of God through not believed? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid. 4 But God is true: and every man a liar, as it is written: That thou mayest be justified in thy words, and mayest overcome when thou art judged. 5 But if our injustice commend the justice of God, what shall we say? is God unjust, who executeth wrath. 6 (I speak according to man.) God forbid; otherwise how shall God judge this world? 7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie,un Ver. 4. God only is essentially true. All men in their own capacity are liable to lies and errors: nevertheless God, who is the truth, will make good his promise of keeping his church in all truth. See St. John xvi. 13. to his glory, why am I also yet Judged as a sinner? 8 And not rather (as we are slandered, and as some affirm that we say) let us do evil, that there may come good? whose damnation is just 9 What then? Do we excel them? No, not so. For, we have charged both Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin : 10 As it is written: There is not any man just, 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 All have turned out of the way, they are become unprofitable together: there is none that doth good, there is not so much as one. 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre, with their tongues they have dealt deceitfully. The venom of asps is under their lips. 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet swift to shed blood. 16 Destruction and misery in their ways: 17 And the way of peace they have not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. 19 Now we know that what things soever the law speaketh, it speaketh to them that are in the law that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be made subject to God. 20 Because by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified before him. For by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now without the law the justice of God is made manifest; being witnessed by the law and the prophets. 22 Even the justice of God by faith of JESUS CHRIST, unto all and upon all them that believe in him: for there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned; and do need the glory of God. 24 Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in CHRIST JESUS, 25 Whom God hath proposed to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to the shewing of his justice, for the remission of former sins, 26 Through the forbearance of God, for the shewing of his justice in this time: that he himself may be just, and the justifier of him who is of the faith of JESUS CHRIST. 27 Where is then thy boasting? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we account a man to be justified by faith without the works of the law. 29 Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the gentiles? Yes, of the gentiles also. 30 For it is one God that justifieth eircumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith. 31 Do we then destroy the law through faith? God forbid but we establish the law. CHAP. IV. Abraham hath found, who is our father according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. Ver. 10. There is not any man just. By virtue either of the law of nature, or of the law of Moses, but only by faith and grace. Ver. 28. By faith, &c. The faith, to which the apostle here attributes man's justification, is not a presumptuous assurance of our being justified, but a firm and lively belief of all that God has revealed or promised: Heb. xi. A faith working through charity in Jesus Christ, Gal. v. 16. In short a faith which takes in hope, love, repentance, and the use of the sacra ments. And the works which he here excludes, are only the works of the law; that is such as are done by the law of nature, or that of Moses, antecedent to the faith of Christ : but by no means such as follow faith and proceed from it. Ver. 2. By works. Done by his own strength, without the grace of God, and faith in him, Ver. 2. Not before God. Whatever glory or applause such works might procure from men, they would be of no value in the sight of God." 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice. 4 Now to him, that worketh, the reward is not reckoned according to grace, but according to debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, yet believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reputed to justice according to the purpose of the grace of God. 6 As David also termeth the blessedness of a man, to whom God reputeth justice without works: Blessed are they, whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not imputed sin. 9 This blessedness then doth it remain in the circumcision only, or in the uncircumcision also? For we say that unto Abraham faith was reputed to justice. 10 How then was it reputed? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the justice of the faith which he had being uncircumcised that he might be the father of all them that believe being uncircumcised, that unto them also it may be reputed to justice: 12 And might be the father of circumcision, not to them only that are of the circumcision, but to them also that follow the steps of the faith that is in the uncircumcision of our father Abraham. 13 For not through the law was the promise to Abraham, or to his seed, that he should be heir of the world; but through the justice of faith. 14 For if they who are of the law, be heirs; faith is made void, the promise is made of no effect. 15 For the law worketh wrath. For where there is no law; neither is there transgression. 16 Therefore is it of faith, that according to grace the promise might be firm to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. 17 (As it is written: I have made thee a father of many nations) before God, whom he believed, who quickeneth the dead; and calleth those things that are not, as those that are. 18 Who against hope believed in hope; that he might be made the father of many nations, according to that which was said to him: So shall thy seed be. 19 And he was not weak in faith; Ver. 3. Reputed, &c. By God, who reputeth nothing otherwise than it is. However, we may gather from this word, that when we are justified, our justification proceedeth from God's free grace and bounty, and not from any efficacy which any act of ours could have of its own nature, abstracting from God's grace. Ver. 4. To him that worketh, viz. As of his own fund, or by his own strength. Such a one, says the apostle, challenges his reward as a debt, due to his own performances: whereas he who worketh not, that is, who presumeth not upon any works done by his own strength: but seeking justice through faith and grace, is freely justified by God's grace. Ver. 7. Covered, &c. This covering, and not imputing, means that our sins are quite blotted out by the blood of the lamb, who taketh away the sins of the world: So that we are no longer to be charged with them, because they are no more. Ver. 9. In the circumcision, &c. That is, is it only for the Jews that are circumcised? No, says the apostle, but also for the uncircumcised gentiles; who by faith and grace may come to justice; as Abraham did before he was circumcised. Ver. 14. Be heirs. That is, if they alone who follow the ceremonies of the law be heirs of the blessings promised to Abraham; then that faith which was so much praised in him, will be found to be of little value. And the very promise will be made void, by which he was promised to be the father, not of the Jews only, but of all nations of believers. Ver. 15. The law worketh wrath. The law, abstracting from faith and grace, worketh wrath occasionally, by being an occasion of many transgressions, which provoke God's wrath. neither did he consider his own body now dead, whereas he was almost an hundred years old, nor the dead womb of Sara. 20 In the promise also of God he staggered not by distrust; but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God: 21 Most fully knowing that whatsoever he has promised, he is able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was reputed to him unto justice. 23 Now it is not written only for him, that it was reputed to him unto justice, 24 But also for us, to whom it shall be reputed, if we believe in him that raised up JESUS CHRIST our Lord from the dead, 25 Who was delivered up for our sins, and rose again for our justification. CHAP. V. The grounds we have for hope in Christ. Braith let us peace with God EING justified therefore by through our Lord JESUS CHRIST. 2 By whom also we have access through faith into this grace, wherein we stand, and glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God." 3 And not only so; but we glory also in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience : 4 And patience trial; and trial hope. 5 And hope confoundeth not: because the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost who is given to us. 6 For why did Christ, when as yet we were weak, according to the time, die for the ungodly? 7 For scarce for a just man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man some one would dare to die. rity towards us: pecause when as yet we were sinners, according to the time, 9 Christ died for us: much more therefore being now justified by his blood, shall we be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son: much more being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 And not only so: but also we glory in God, through our Lord JESUS CHRIST, by whom we have now received reconciliation. 12 Wherefore as by one man sin entered into this world, and by sin death: and so death passed upon all men in whom all have sinned. 13 For until the law sin was in the world but sin was not imputed, when the law was not. 14 But death reigned from Adam unto Moses, even over them also who have not sinned after the simiwho is a figure of him who was to litude of the transgression of Adam, come. 15 But not as the offence, so also the gift. For if by the offence of one many died much more the grace of God and the gift, by the grace of one man JESUS CHRIST, hath abounded unto many. 16 And not as it was by one sin, so also is the gift. For judgment indeed was by one unto condemnation: but grace is of many offences, unto justification. 17 For if by one man's offence death reigned through one: much more they who receive abundance of grace, and of the gift, and of justice, shall reign in life through one JESUS CHRIST. 18 Therefore as by the offence of 8 But God commendeth his cha-one, unto all men to condemnation: Ver. 12. By one man. Adam, from whom we all contracted original sin. Ver. 13. Not imputed, i. e. Men knew not, or made no account of sin: neither was it imputed to them in the manner it was afterwards, when they transgressed the known written law of God. |