For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and to the Greek.

“And so in the passage where he says: "I am not ashamed of the gospel (of Christ): for it is the power of god unto salvation to every one that beheveth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek; for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith," he undoubtedly ascribes both the gospel and salvation to Him whom (in accordance with our heretic's own distinction) I have called the just God, not the good one.”

“"What sayest thou, O, Paul? When it were fitting to say, that I boast, and am proud, and luxuriate in it; thou sayest not this, but what is less than this, that thou art "not ashamed," which is not what we usually say of things very glorious. What then is this which he says, and why does he thus speak? while yet he exults over it more than over heaven. At least, in writing to the Galatians, he said, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Gal. vi. 14.) How then comes he here to say, not that I even glory, but that "I am not ashamed?" The Romans were most anxiously eager about the things of the world, owing to their riches, their empire, their victories; and their kings they reckoned to be equal to the gods, and so they even called them. And for this cause too, they worshipped them with temples and with altars and with sacrifices. Since then they were thus puffed up, but Paul was going to preach Jesus, who was thought to be the carpenter's son, who was brought up in Judea, and that in the house of a mean woman, who had no body guards, who was not encircled in wealth, but even died as a culprit with robbers, and endured many other inglorious things; and it was likely that they were concealing themselves as not as yet knowing any of the unspeakable and great things: for this reason he says, "I am not ashamed," having still to teach them not to be ashamed. For he knew that if they succeeded in this, they would speedily go on and come to glorying also: and do you then, if you hear any one saying, Dost thou worship the Crucified? be not ashamed, and do not look down, but luxuriate in it, be bright-faced at it, and with the eyes of a free man, and with uplifted look, take up your confession; and if he say again, Dost thou worship the Crucified? say in reply to him, Yes! and not the adulterer, not the insulter of his father, not the murderer of his children (for such be all the gods they have), but Him who by the Cross stopped the mouths of devils, and did away with their countless juggleries. For the Cross is for our sakes, being the work of unspeakable Love towards man, the sign of His great concern for us. And in addition to what has been said, since they were puffed up with great pomposity of speech and with their cloak of external wisdom, I, he means to say, bidding an entire farewell to these reasonings, come to preach the Cross, and am not ashamed because of it: "for it is the power of God to salvation." For since there is a power of God to chastisement also (for when He chastised the Egyptians, He said, "This is My great power,") (Joel ii. 25) and a power to destruction, (for, "fear Him," He says, "that is able to destroy both body and soul in hell"), (Matt. x. 28) for this cause he says, it is not these that I come to bring, the powers of chastisement and punishment, but those of salvation. What then? Did not the Gospel tell of these things also, namely, the account of hell, and that of the outer darkness, and of the venomous worm? And yet we know of these from no other source than the Gospel. In what sense then does he say, "the power of God unto salvation?" Attend only to what follows. "To every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." For it is not to all absolutely, but to them that receive it. For though thou be a Grecian (i.e. Heathen), and even one that has run into every kind of vice, though a Scythian, though a barbarian, though a very brute, and full of all irrationality, and burdened with the weights of endless sins, no sooner hast thou received the word concerning the Cross, and been baptized, than thou hast blotted out all these; and why says he here, "to the Jew first, and also to the Greek?" What meaneth this difference? and yet he has often said, "Neither circumcision is anything, nor uncircumcision" (1 Cor. vii. 19. see Gal. v. 6 and vi. 15); how then doth he here discriminate, setting the Jew before the Greek? Now why is this? seeing that by being first he does not therefore receive any more of the grace (for the same gift is bestowed both on this person and that,) but the "first" is an honor in order of time only. For he has no such advantage as that of receiving greater righteousness, but is only honored in respect of his receiving it first. Since in the case of those that are enlightened (you that are initiated know what is meant,) all run to the baptism, yet not all at the same hour, but one first and another second. Yet the first doth not receive more than the second, nor he than the person after him, but all enjoy the same gifts. The "first" then here is an honor in word, not a superiority in grace. Then after saying, "unto salvation," he enhances the gift further, by showing that it stayeth not at the present point, but proceedeth farther.”

“After the Apostle rendered the faithful Romans, to whom he was writing, well disposed toward himself by showing his affection for them, here he begins to instruct them concerning those things which pertain to the evangelical teaching, unto which he had foretold that he was set apart. And first he shows the power of the grace of the gospel; second, he exhorts to the carrying out of the works of this grace, in chapter twelve, at the words "I beseech you therefore." Concerning the first he does two things: first he sets forth what he intends, second he explains what he has proposed, at the words "for it is revealed." Concerning the first he does three things: first he sets forth the power of the grace of the gospel, second he explains it at the words "for the justice," third he confirms his explanation at the words "as it is written." He says therefore first: I am not ashamed of the gospel for this reason, that although, as it is said in 1 Corinthians 1:18, the word of the cross is indeed foolishness to those who perish, yet to us it is the power of God. For it is the power of God. This can be understood in two ways: in one way, because the power of God is manifested in the gospel, according to that word of Psalm 110:6: "He has declared to his people the power of his works"; in another way, because the gospel itself in itself contains the power of God, according to that word of Psalm 68:34: "He will give to his voice the voice of power." Concerning this power three things are to be considered. First indeed, to what this power extends, and this is designated when it is added, "unto salvation." James 1:21: "With meekness receive the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." This indeed comes about in three ways: in one way, insofar as through the word of the gospel sins are remitted; John 15:3: "Now you are clean because of the word which I have spoken to you." Second, insofar as through the gospel man attains sanctifying grace; John 17:17: "Sanctify them in truth. Your word is truth." Third, insofar as it leads to eternal life; John 6:69: "You have the words of eternal life." Second, by what manner the gospel confers salvation, namely through faith, which is designated when it says "to everyone that believeth." This happens in three ways: first through preaching; Mark, last chapter: "Preach the gospel to every creature; he who believes and is baptized shall be saved." Second through confession; below, 10:10: "with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Third through Scripture, whence also the written words of the gospel have a saving power, just as blessed Barnabas used to cure the sick by placing the gospel upon them. Yet superstitions of characters are to be avoided, because this is superstitious. Whence, Ezekiel 9:6, those were saved on whose foreheads was written the Tau, which is the sign of the cross. Third, to whom the gospel becomes unto salvation, namely both to Jews and to Gentiles. For God is not the God of the Jews only but also of the Gentiles, below, 3:29, and therefore he adds "to the Jew first, and to the Greek." By "Greek" he means every gentile, because from the Greeks the wisdom of the gentiles arose. But since below, 10:12, it is said "there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek," how then here "to the Jew first"? It must be said, therefore, that as regards the attaining of the end of salvation there is no distinction between them, for both obtain an equal reward, just as for labor even in the vineyard, both the first and the last received the same denarius, as is said in Matthew 20:1-16. But as regards the order of salvation the Jews are first, because to them the promises were made, as below, 3:2, and it is for their sake that the Gentiles were taken in, as if a branch of a wild olive were grafted onto a good olive tree, as below, 11:24. From them too our Savior was born. John 4:22: "Salvation is from the Jews." He then explains next how the gospel is unto salvation when he says, "for the justice of God is revealed therein from faith to faith." This indeed can be understood in two ways. In one way, of the justice by which God is just, according to that word of Psalm 10:8 (Hebrew numbering, i.e. 11:7): "The Lord is just, and he loves justice." And according to this, the sense is that the justice of God, namely by which he is just in keeping his promises, is revealed in it, namely in the man who believes the gospel, because he believes that God has fulfilled what he promised concerning the sending of Christ; and this "from faith," namely of God who promises, Psalm 144:13: "The Lord is faithful in all his words." "Unto faith," namely of the man who believes. Or, in another way, so that it be understood of the justice of God by which God justifies men. For the justice of men is called that by which men, by their own powers, presume to justify themselves, below, 10:3: "not knowing the justice of God, and seeking to establish their own, they are not subject to the justice of God." This justice indeed is revealed in the gospel, insofar as through the faith of the gospel men are justified at whatever time; whence he adds "from faith unto faith," that is, proceeding from the faith of the Old Testament into the faith of the New Testament, because by both men are justified and saved through the faith of Christ, since by the same faith they believed he would come by which we believe he has come; and therefore it is said in 2 Corinthians 4:13: "having the same spirit of faith, we believe, and therefore we speak also." Or it can be understood as from the faith of the preachers into the faith of the hearers, below, 10:14: "how shall they believe him of whom they have not heard?" Or from the faith of one article into the faith of another, because for justification the faith of all the articles is required. Revelation 1:3: "Blessed is he who reads and hears the words of this prophecy." In another way it can be understood as from present faith into future faith, that is, into the full vision of God, which indeed is called faith by reason of certain and firm knowledge, but this latter by reason of evangelical knowledge. 1 Corinthians 13:12: "We see now through a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face." He proves this explanation, moreover, when he adds, "as it is written, but my just man liveth by faith." This indeed is taken according to the text of the Septuagint. For in our text, which follows the Hebrew truth, it is said, "the just man liveth by his faith." Now he is called "my just man," namely, one justified by me and reckoned just before me, below, 4:2: "for if Abraham was justified by the works of the law, he has glory, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice." Whence from this it is added, "he liveth by faith," namely by the life of grace. Galatians 2:20: "but that I now live in the flesh, I live in the faith of the Son of God." Now four things must be considered here concerning faith. First indeed, what faith is. For it implies a certain assent with certainty, to that which is not seen, arising from the will, because no one believes except willingly, as Augustine says. And according to this, the believer differs from the doubter, who assents to neither side; he also differs from the one who holds an opinion, who assents to one side, not with certainty but with fear of the other; he also differs from the one who has knowledge, who assents through certainty by the necessity of reason. And according to this, faith is a mean between knowledge and opinion. Second, it must be considered whether faith is a virtue. And it is manifest that it is not a virtue if it is taken for that which is believed, according to that saying, "the Catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity." But if it is taken for the habit by which we believe, then sometimes it is a virtue, sometimes not. For a virtue is the principle of a perfect act. Now an act which depends on two principles cannot be perfect if the perfection proper to either of the principles is lacking: just as horsemanship cannot be perfect if either the horse does not go well, or the rider does not know how to guide the horse. Now the act of faith, which is to believe, depends on the intellect and on the will moving the intellect to assent; whence the act of faith will be perfect if the will is perfected through the habit of charity and the intellect through the habit of faith, but not if the habit of charity is lacking; and therefore faith formed by charity is a virtue, but unformed faith is not. Third, it must be considered that the very same habit of faith, in number, which was unformed without charity, becomes a virtue when charity comes; because, since charity is outside the essence of faith, its substance is not changed by charity's coming and going. Fourth, it must be considered that just as the body lives by the soul with natural life, so the soul lives by God with the life of grace. Now God first dwells in the soul through faith, Ephesians 3:17: "that Christ may dwell through faith in your hearts." Yet this indwelling is not perfect unless faith is formed by charity, which unites us to God by the bond of perfection, as is said in Colossians 3:14. And therefore, what is said here, "he liveth by faith," is to be understood of faith formed by charity. Then, when he says, "for the wrath of God is revealed," he proves what he had said, namely that the power of the grace of the gospel is unto salvation for all men. And first he shows that it is necessary unto salvation; second, that it is efficacious or sufficient, in chapter five, at the words "being justified therefore by faith." Concerning the first he does two things. First he shows that the power of the grace of the gospel is necessary unto salvation for the gentiles, because namely the wisdom in which they trusted could not save them; second he shows that it was necessary for the Jews, because namely circumcision and the law and the other things in which they trusted did not bring them salvation, chapter two, at the words "wherefore thou art inexcusable." Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets forth what he intends; second he explains what he has proposed, at the words "because that which is known of God." Now he sets forth three things. First indeed the penalty, saying: rightly do I say that in it the justice of God is revealed, for the wrath of God is revealed in it, that is, his vengeance, which is called the wrath of God by a likeness to men who are angry and who seek vengeance outside themselves. Yet God inflicts vengeance out of the tranquility of his mind. Wisdom 12:18: "But thou, our Lord, judgest with tranquility." And concerning this wrath of God it is said in John 3:36: "he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Now this is said because certain philosophers used to say that punishments for sins do not come from God, contrary to what is said in Psalm 93:10: "he who chastises the nations, shall he not rebuke?" Whence it is added "from heaven," because they believed that his providence was occupied with heavenly things, in such a way that it did not extend to earthly things. Job 22:14: "he walks about the poles of heaven, and does not consider our affairs." But, as it is said in Psalm 101:20 (i.e. 102:19), "the Lord hath looked down from heaven upon the earth." Or it is said "from heaven" to show their iniquity, because they ought especially from the greatness of the heavens to have understood the power of the creator. Job 20:27: "the heavens shall reveal his iniquity." Or "from heaven," of the one who is to come to judgment. Acts 1:11: "as you have seen him ascending into heaven, so shall he come." Second, he sets down the fault for which the penalty is inflicted. And first indeed the fault which is committed against God, when he adds "against all ungodliness." For just as piety is called the worship which is rendered to God as to the highest parent, so ungodliness is called the sin which is against divine worship. Ezekiel 18:28 (Vulgate numbering): "the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him." Second, he sets down the fault which is committed toward man, when he says "and injustice." For justice is that by which men come together and share with one another by reason. Job 35:8: "thy justice shall help the son of man." Third, he sets down the knowledge which they had of him, when he adds, "of those men who detain the truth of God," that is, the true knowledge of God, "in injustice," as if held captive. For the true knowledge of God, as far as it is in itself, leads men to good, but it is bound, as if detained in captivity, by the affection of injustice, through which, as Psalm 11:1 (i.e. 12:1) says, "truths are diminished from the sons of men." Then, when he says "because that which is known," he explains what he has proposed, though in reverse order. For first he grants that the wise among the gentiles knew the truth about God; second, he shows that ungodliness and injustice were in them, at the words "so that they are inexcusable"; third, that they incurred the wrath of God, at the words "who, when they knew the justice of God." Concerning the first he does three things. First, what they knew about God; second, he shows from whom they received this kind of knowledge, at the words "for God hath manifested it to them"; third, he shows by what manner, at the words "for the invisible things." He says therefore first: rightly do I say that they detained the truth of God, for there was in them, as regards a certain measure, a true knowledge of God, because "that which is known of God," that is, what is knowable about God by man through reason, "is manifest in them," that is, it is manifest to them from that which is in them, that is, from an intrinsic light. It must be known, therefore, that something concerning God is altogether unknown to man in this life, namely what God is. Whence Paul also found at Athens an altar inscribed: "To the unknown God." And this is so because man's knowledge begins from those things which are connatural to him, namely sensible creatures, which are not proportioned to represent the divine essence. Nevertheless man can, from creatures of this kind, know God in three ways, as Dionysius says in the book On the Divine Names. In one way indeed through causality. For since creatures of this kind are defectible and mutable, they must necessarily be traced back to some immovable and perfect principle. And according to this it is known concerning God that he is. Second, by way of excellence. For not all things are traced back to the first principle as to a proper and univocal cause, as when a man begets a man, but as to a common and surpassing cause. And from this it is known that he is above all things. Third, by way of negation. For if he is a surpassing cause, none of the things which are in creatures can belong properly to him, just as neither is a celestial body properly said to be heavy or light or hot or cold. And according to this we say that God is immovable and infinite and whatever else is said of this kind. Now they had this kind of knowledge through the light of reason implanted in them. Psalm 4:6: "Many say, who showeth us good things? The light of thy countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us." Then, when he says "God hath manifested it to them," he shows by what author this kind of knowledge was manifested to them, and he says that "God hath manifested it to them," according to that saying of Job 35:11: "he teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth." Here it must be considered that one man manifests something to another by unfolding his own conception through certain external signs, for instance through speech or writing, but God manifests something to man in two ways. In one way, by pouring in an interior light, through which man knows, Psalm 42:3: "send forth thy light and thy truth." In another way, by setting forth the exterior signs of his own wisdom, namely sensible creatures. Ecclesiasticus 1:10: "he poured her out," namely wisdom, "upon all his works." Thus, therefore, God manifested it to them, either by pouring in light interiorly, or by setting forth visible creatures exteriorly, in which, as in a certain book, the knowledge of God might be read. Then, when he says "for the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world," etc., he shows by what manner they received this kind of knowledge. Here, first it must be considered what these things are, which they knew about God. And he sets down three. First indeed "the invisible things of him," by which is understood the essence of God, which, as has been said, cannot be seen by us. John 1:18: "no man hath seen God at any time," namely through essence, while living this mortal life. 1 Timothy 1:17: "to the king of ages, immortal, invisible." Now he says "invisible things" in the plural because the essence of God is not known to us according to what it is, namely as it is one in itself. Thus it will be known to us in our homeland, and then "the Lord shall be one, and his name one," as is said in Zechariah, last chapter. But it is manifest to us through certain likenesses found in creatures, which participate in a manifold way in that which is one in God, and according to this our intellect considers the unity of the divine essence under the aspect of goodness, wisdom, power, and the like, which in God are one. He called these therefore "the invisible things of God," because that one thing which corresponds in God to these names, or aspects, is not seen by us. Hebrews 11:3: "that from things invisible, invisible things might be made." Another thing, moreover, which is known about God is "his power," according to which things proceed from him as from a principle; Psalm 146:5 (i.e. 147:5): "great is the Lord, and great is his power." Now the philosophers knew that this power was everlasting, whence it is said "his eternal power also." The third thing known is what he calls "and divinity," to which pertains the fact that they knew God as the ultimate end, toward which all things tend. For the divine good is called the common good which is participated in by all; for this reason he said rather "divinity," which signifies participation, than "deity," which signifies the essence of God. Colossians 2:9: "and in him dwelleth all the fullness of the divinity." Now these three are referred to the three aforesaid ways of knowing. For the invisible things of God are known by way of negation; the eternal power, by way of causality; the divinity, by way of excellence. Second, it must be considered by what medium they knew those things, which is designated when he says "by the things that are made." For just as art is manifested through the works of the artisan, so also the wisdom of God is manifested through creatures. Wisdom 13:5: "for by the greatness of the beauty and of the creature, the creator of them may be known so as to be seen." Third, he shows how through these things God is known, when he says "being understood, are clearly seen." For God can be known by the intellect, not by sense or imagination, which do not transcend bodily things; but "God is a spirit," as is said in John 4:24; Isaiah 52:13: "behold, my servant shall understand." Fourth, it can be designated from what, in this manner, God is known, when he says "from the creation of the world." By this, in one way, "creature" can be understood as man, Mark, last chapter: "preach the gospel to every creature," either because of the excellence of man, who in the order of nature is less than the angels but excels among the lower creatures, according to that saying of Psalm 8:6: "thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, thou hast subjected all things under his feet, sheep and oxen," etc.; or because he communicates with every creature: for he has being in common with stones, life in common with trees, sensation in common with animals, understanding in common with the angels, as Gregory says. In another way it can be understood of universal creation. For no creature, by its own natural powers, can see the essence of God in itself. Whence also of the Seraphim it is said in Isaiah 6:2 that "with two wings they covered their face." But, just as man understands God through visible creatures, so the angel does so through the fact that he understands his own essence. Now "from the creature of the world" can be understood in another way, not as the created thing itself but as the creation of things, as if it were said: from the creation of the world. And then it can be arranged in two ways. In one way, that it be understood that the invisible things of God are understood through the things that are made from the creation of the world, not only through the things that are made in the time of grace. In another way, that it be understood that from the creation of the world men began to know God through the things that are made. Job 36:25: "all men see him." Now the Gloss says that by "the invisible things of God" is understood the person of the Father. 1 Timothy, last chapter: "whom no man among men hath seen," etc. By "the eternal power," the person of the Son, according to that saying of 1 Corinthians 1:24: "Christ, the power of God." By "the divinity," the person of the Holy Spirit, to whom goodness is appropriated. Not that the philosophers, by the guidance of reason, were able to arrive, through the things that are made, at knowledge of the persons as to their proper characteristics, which do not signify a relation of a cause to creatures, but according to what is appropriated. Yet they are said to have fallen short in the third sign, that is, in the Holy Spirit, because they did not posit anything to correspond to the Holy Spirit, just as they posited something to correspond to the Father, namely the first principle itself, and something to correspond to the Son, namely the first created mind, which they called the paternal intellect, as Macrobius says in his book on the Dream of Scipio.”

“Paul here enters upon a large discourse of justification, in the latter part of this chapter laying down his thesis, and, in order to the proof of it, describing the deplorable condition of the Gentile world. His transition is very handsome, and like an orator: he was ready to preach the gospel at Rome, though a place where the gospel was run down by those that called themselves the wits; for, saith he, I am not ashamed of it, Rom 1:16. There is a great deal in the gospel which such a man as Paul might be tempted to be ashamed of, especially that he whose gospel it is was a man hanged upon a tree, that the doctrine of it was plain, had little in it to set it off among scholars, the professors of it were mean and despised, and every where spoken against; yet Paul was not ashamed to own it. I reckon him a Christian indeed that is neither ashamed of the gospel nor a shame to it. The reason of this bold profession, taken from the nature and excellency of the gospel, introduces his dissertation. I. The proposition, Rom 1:16, Rom 1:17. The excellency of the gospel lies in this, that it reveals to us, 1. The salvation of believers as the end: It is the power of God unto salvation. Paul is not ashamed of the gospel, how mean and contemptible soever it may appear to a carnal eye; for the power of God works by it the salvation of all that believe; it shows us the way of salvation (Act 16:17), and is the great charter by which salvation is conveyed and made over to us. But, (1.) It is through the power of God; without that power the gospel is but a dead letter; the revelation of the gospel is the revelation of the arm of the Lord (Isa 53:1), as power went along with the word of Christ to heal diseases. (2.) It is to those, and those only, that believe. Believing interests us in the gospel salvation; to others it is hidden. The medicine prepared will not cure the patient if it be not taken. - To the Jew first. The lost sheep of the house of Israel had the first offer made them, both by Christ and his apostles. You first (Act 3:26), but upon their refusal the apostles turned to the Gentiles, Act 13:46. Jews and Gentiles now stand upon the same level, both equally miserable without a Saviour, and both equally welcome to the Saviour, Col 3:11. Such doctrine as this was surprising to the Jews, who had hitherto been the peculiar people, and had looked with scorn upon the Gentile world; but the long-expected Messiah proves a light to enlighten the Gentiles, as well as the glory of his people Israel. 2. The justification of believers as the way (Rom 1:17): For therein, that is, in this gospel, which Paul so much triumphs in, is the righteousness of God revealed. Our misery and ruin being the product and consequent of our iniquity, that which will show us the way of salvation must needs show us the way of justification, and this the gospel does. The gospel makes known a righteousness. While God is a just and holy God, and we are guilty sinners, it is necessary we should have a righteousness wherein to appear before him; and, blessed be God, there is such a righteousness brought in by Messiah the prince (Dan 9:24) and revealed in the gospel; a righteousness, that is, a gracious method of reconciliation and acceptance, notwithstanding the guilt of our sins. This evangelical righteousness, (1.) Is called the righteousness of God; it is of God's appointing, of God's approving and accepting. It is so called to cut off all pretensions to a righteousness resulting from the merit of our own works. It is the righteousness of Christ, who is God, resulting from a satisfaction of infinite value. (2.) It is said to be from faith to faith, from the faithfulness of God revealing to the faith of man receiving (so some); from the faith of dependence upon God, and dealing with him immediately, as Adam before the fall, to the faith of dependence upon a Mediator, and so dealing with God (so others); from the first faith, by which we are put into a justified state, to after faith, by which we live, and are continued in that state: and the faith that justifies us is no less than our taking Christ for our Saviour, and becoming true Christians, according to the tenour of the baptismal covenant; from faith engrafting us into Christ, to faith deriving virtue from him as our root: both implied in the next words, The just shall live by faith. Just by faith, there is faith justifying us; live by faith, there is faith maintaining us; and so there is a righteousness from faith to faith. Faith is all in all, both in the beginning and progress of a Christian life. It is not from faith to works, as if faith put us into a justified state, and then works preserved and maintained us in it, but it is all along from faith to faith, as Co2 3:18, from glory to glory; it is increasing, continuing, persevering faith, faith pressing forward, and getting ground of unbelief. To show that this is no novel upstart doctrine, he quotes for it that famous scripture in the Old Testament, so often mentioned in the New (Hab 2:4): The just shall live by faith. Being justified by faith he shall live by it both the life of grace and of glory. The prophet there had placed himself upon the watch-tower, expecting some extraordinary discoveries (Rom 1:1), and the discovery was of the certainty of the appearance of the promised Messiah in the fulness of time, not withstanding seeming delays. This is there called the vision, by way of eminence, as elsewhere the promise; and while that time is coming, as well as when it has come, the just shall live by faith. Thus is the evangelical righteousness from faith to faith - from Old Testament faith in a Christ to come to New Testament faith in a Christ already come. II. The proof of this proposition, that both Jews and Gentiles stand in need of a righteousness wherein to appear before God, and that neither the one nor the other have nay of their own to plead. Justification must be either by faith or works. It cannot be by works, which he proves at large by describing the works both of Jews and Gentiles; and therefore he concludes it must be by faith, Rom 3:20, Rom 3:28. The apostle, like a skilful surgeon, before he applies the plaster, searches the wound - endeavours first to convince of guilt and wrath, and then to show the way of salvation. This makes the gospel the more welcome. We must first see the righteousness of God condemning, and then the righteousness of God justifying will appear worthy of all acceptation. In general (Rom 1:18), the wrath of God is revealed. The light of nature and the light of the law reveal the wrath of God from sin to sin. It is well for us that the gospel reveals the justifying righteousness of God from faith to faith. The antithesis is observable. Here is, 1. The sinfulness of man described; he reduceth it to two heads, ungodliness and unrighteousness; ungodliness against the laws of the first table, unrighteousness against those of the second. 2. The cause of that sinfulness, and that is, holding the truth in unrighteousness. Some communes notitae, some ideas they had of the being of God, and of the difference of good and evil; but they held them in unrighteousness, that is, they knew and professed them in a consistency with their wicked courses. They held the truth as a captive or prisoner, that it should not influence them, as otherwise it would. An unrighteous wicked heart is the dungeon in which many a good truth is detained and buried. Holding fast the form of sound words in faith and love is the root of all religion (Ti2 1:13), but holding it fast in unrighteousness is the root of all sin. 3. The displeasure of God against it: The wrath of God is revealed from heaven; not only in the written word, which is given by inspiration of God (the Gentiles had not that), but in the providences of God, his judgments executed upon sinners, which do not spring out of the dust, or fall out by chance, nor are they to be ascribed to second causes, but they are a revelation from heaven. Or wrath from heaven is revealed; it is not the wrath of a man like ourselves, but wrath from heaven, therefore the more terrible and the more unavoidable.”

“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ,.... The reason why he was so ready and willing to preach it, even where he ran the greatest risk of his character and life, was, because it was "the Gospel of Christ" he preached, and he was not ashamed of it. This supposes that some were, though the apostle was not, ashamed of the Gospel; as all such are who hide and conceal it, who have abilities to preach it, and do not: or who preach, but not the Gospel; or who preach the Gospel only in part, who own that in private, they will not preach in public, and use ambiguous words, of doubtful signification, to cover themselves; who blend the Gospel with their own inventions, seek to please men, and live upon popular applause, regard their own interest, and not Christ's, and cannot bear the reproach of his Gospel. It expresses, that the apostle was not ashamed of it; that is, to preach it, which he did fully and faithfully, plainly and consistently, openly and publicly, and boldly, in the face of all opposition: and it designs more than is expressed, as that he had the utmost value for it, and esteemed it his highest honour that he was employed in preaching it: his reasons for this were, because it was "the Gospel of Christ"; which Christ himself preached, which he had learnt by revelation from him, and of which he was the sum and substance: and because it is the power of God; not essentially, but declaratively; as the power of God is seen in making men ministers of it, in the doctrines held forth in it, in the manner in which it was spread in the world, in the opposition it met with, in the continuance and increase of it notwithstanding the power and cunning of men, and in the shortness of time, in which so much good was done by it in the several parts of the world: it is the power of God organically or instrumentally; as it is a means made use of by God in quickening dead sinners, enlightening blind eyes, unstopping deaf ears, softening hard hearts, and making of enemies friends; to which add, the manner in which all this is done, suddenly, secretly, effectually, and by love, and not force: the extent of this power is, unto salvation; the Gospel is a declaration and revelation of salvation by Christ, and is a means of directing and encouraging souls to lay hold upon it. The persons to whom it is so, are in general, everyone that believeth: this does not suppose that faith gives the Gospel its virtue and efficacy; but is only descriptive of the persons to whom the Gospel, attended with the power and grace of God, is eventually efficacious: and particularly it was so, to the Jew first; who as they had formerly the advantage of the Gentiles, much every way, through the peculiar privileges which were conferred on them; so the Gospel was first preached to them by Christ and his disciples; and even when it was ordered to be carried into the Gentile world, it was to begin with them, and became effectual for the salvation of many of them: and also to the Greek; to the Gentile; for after the Jews had rejected it, as many being called by it as Jehovah thought fit, at that time, it was preached to the Gentiles with great success; which was the mystery hid from ages and generations past, but now made manifest.”

“I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ - This text is best illustrated by Isa 28:16; Isa 49:23, quoted by the apostle, Rom 10:11 : For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him, shall not be ashamed; i.e. they shall neither be confounded, nor disappointed of their hope. The Jews, by not believing on Jesus Christ, by not receiving him as the promised Messiah, but trusting in others, have been disappointed, ashamed, and confounded, from that time to the present day. Their expectation is cut off; and, while rejecting Christ, and expecting another Messiah, they have continued under the displeasure of God, and are ashamed of their confidence. On the other hand, those who have believed on Christ have, in and through him, all the blessings of which the prophets spoke; every promise of God being yea and amen through him. Paul, as a Jew, believed on Christ Jesus; and in believing he had life through his name; through him he enjoyed an abundance of grace; so that, being filled with that happiness which an indwelling Christ produces, he could cheerfully say, I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. And why? Because he felt it to be the power of God to the salvation of his believing soul. This appears to be the true sense of this passage, and this interpretation acquires additional strength from the consideration that St. Paul is here most evidently addressing himself to the Jews. It is the power of God unto salvation - δυναμις γαρ θεου εστιν· The almighty power of God accompanies this preaching to the souls of them that believe; and the consequence is, they are saved; and what but the power of God can save a fallen, sinful soul? To the Jew first - Not only the Jews have the first offer of this Gospel, but they have the greatest need of it; being so deeply fallen, and having sinned against such glorious privileges, they are much more culpable than the Gentiles, who never had the light of a Divine revelation. And also to the Greek - Though the salvation of God has hitherto been apparently confined to the Jewish people, yet it shall be so no longer, for the Gospel of Christ is sent to the Gentiles as well as the Jews; God having put no difference between them; and Jesus Christ having tasted death for Every man.”

“For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one; that is, it brings powerful helps to all, both Gentiles and Jews, in order to their salvation. — To the Jew first, inasmuch as the gospel is to be first preached to the Jews. (Witham) — The promises of salvation were first made to the Jews. Jesus Christ preached to the Jews only, and forbad his disciples, during his life-time, to preach to any other nation. And after his resurrection, when they had full powers to preach every where, they did not turn to the Gentiles, till the Jews had refused to hear them. A miracle was necessary to determine St. Peter to communicate the gospel to the uncircumcised; and St. Paul, in every place, first addressed himself to the Jew, and then to the Gentile. The apostle here sweetly endeavours, in an indirect manner, to silence the presumption of the Romans, who seemed to raise themselves above the Jews, and believed they had merited the grace of vocation to the faith. (Calmet)”

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel--(The words, "of Christ," which follow here, are not found in the oldest and best manuscripts). This language implies that it required some courage to bring to "the mistress of the world" what "to the Jews was a stumbling-block and to the Greeks foolishness" (Co1 1:23). But its inherent glory, as God's life-giving message to a dying world, so filled his soul, that, like his blessed Master, he "despised the shame." for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth--Here and in Rom 1:17 the apostle announces the great theme of his ensuing argument; SALVATION, the one overwhelming necessity of perishing men; this revealed IN THE GOSPEL MESSAGE; and that message so owned and honored of God as to carry, in the proclamation of it, GOD'S OWN POWER TO SAVE EVERY SOUL THAT EMBRACES IT, Greek and Barbarian, wise and unwise alike.”