Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson VII)

Early church scholar Pelagius, a contemporary of St. Augustine’s, commenting on Paul’s reference to the term “right time,” writes: “Why did Christ die for us when He had no obligation to do so if it was not to manifest His love at a time when we were still weighed down with the burden of sin and vice? It was the right time, either because righteousness had virtually disappeared and we were weak, or because it was the end of time (time had run out).¹ Paul wants to point out that Christ died for the ungodly in order to commend the grace of Christ by considering His benefits and to show how much we, who have been undeservedly loved, ought to love Him, and so that we might see whether anything should be valued more highly than one who is so generous and holy. He neither valued His life above us ungodly people nor withheld the death that was obligatory for us.”²

Reformer John Calvin shares his understanding of this verse: “If Christ,” he says, “had mercy on the ungodly, if He reconciled enemies to His Father, if He has done this by virtue of His death, how much more will He save them when justified, and help those restored to favor keep what they received through His death, especially when the influence of His life is added to the virtue of His death.”³ In other words, if Christ Jesus had power even in death, how much more power does He possess being alive. The same can be said of believers. Since they were given the power to put their old carnal nature from Adam to death, how much more powerful will they be when their spiritual nature is made alive in Christ.

John Bengel writes that when our weakness had reached their height, then Christ died, at the time which God had predetermined, so that He died neither too soon nor too late, He was not held too long under death. Paul limits his expression and is unable here to speak of Christ’s death, without, at the same time, thinking of the wisdom of God, and of the resurrection of Christ. The question, why Christ did not come sooner, is not a frivolous one,⁴ just as the question, why the Law was not given sooner, is not a frivolous one (see verse 14).⁵

Revivalist Adam Clarke has much to say about what Paul is teaching here by following the structure of the verse. He writes: “I. They were without strength; in a weak, dying state: neither able to resist sin nor do any good: utterly devoid of power to extricate themselves from the misery of their situation. II. They were ungodly; without either the worship or knowledge of the true God; they had not God in them; and, consequently, were not partakers of the Divine nature: Satan lived in, ruled, and enslaved their hearts. III. They were sinners, aiming at happiness, but constantly missing the mark. And in missing the mark, they deviated from the right way; walked in the wrong way; trespassed in thus deviating; and, by breaking the commandments of God, not only missed the mark of happiness but exposed themselves to everlasting misery. IV. They were enemies, due to hatred, enmity, persons who hated God and holiness; and acted in continual hostility to both. What a degradation is here!”⁶

Robert Haldane states categorically that this verse introduces proof of God’s love for us. Having spoken of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, the Apostle here declares the evidence of this love. Haldane writes: “Though the Holy Ghost inspires our love to God, yet in doing so He shows us the grounds on which it rests or the reasons why it should exist. In making us love God, He makes us perceive the grounds on which we ought to love Him. This also shows us another important fact, namely, that the Holy Spirit works in His people according to their constitution or the nature that He has given them; and, in endowing us with proper feelings and affections, He discovers to us the proper objects towards which they ought to be excited. The word of God through the Spirit, both in conversion and growth of grace, acts according to the original constitution that God has been pleased to bestow on the Christians.”⁷

Albert Barnes notes: “This opens a new view of the subject, or it is a new argument to show that our hope will not make ashamed, or will not disappoint us. The first argument he had stated in the previous verse, that the Holy Spirit was given to us. The next, which he now states, is, that God had given the most ample proof that He would save us by giving His Son when we were sinners; and that He who had done so much for us when we were enemies, would not now fail us when we are His friends. He had performed the more difficult part of the work by reconciling us when we were enemies; He will not now forsake us, but will carry forward and complete what He has begun.”⁸

Barnes goes on to point out that this is important because although God never grows weak or weary, we do. On the subject of our being without strength, Barnes says: “The word used here asthenōnis usually applied to those who are sick and feeble, deprived of strength by disease.⁹ But it is also used in a moral sense, to denote inability or feebleness with regard to any undertaking or duty. Here it means that we were without strength ‘in regard to the case which the apostle was considering;’ that is, we had no power to devise a scheme of justification, to make an atonement, or to put away the wrath of God, etc. While all hope of man‘s being saved by any plan of his own was thus taken away; while he was thus lying exposed to divine justice, and dependent on the mere mercy of God; God provided a plan which met the case and secured his salvation. The remark of the Apostle here has reference only to the condition of the race before an atonement is made. It does not pertain to the question whether man has the strength to repent and to believe after an atonement is made, which is a very different inquiry.”¹⁰

Scholar Charles Hodge points this out to those who question what Paul is saying: “We are the object of God’s love, for Christ died for us. The gift of Christ to die on our behalf is everywhere in Scripture represented as the highest possible or conceivable proof of the love of God to sinners.¹¹ The objection that the Church doctrine represents the death of Christ as exciting or procuring the love of an unloving God is without the shadow of foundation. The Scriptures represent the love of God to sinners as independent of the work of Christ, and prior to it. He so loved us as to give His only begotten Son to reconcile our salvation with His justice.”¹² Hodge goes on to say: “If He loved us because we loved Him, He would love us only so long as we love Him, and on that condition; and then our salvation would depend on the constancy of our treacherous hearts. But as God loved us as sinners, as Christ died for us as ungodly, our salvation depends, as the Apostle argues, not on our loveliness, but on the constancy of the love of God.”¹³

In his sermon on this text, Charles Spurgeon says: “There was nothing good. We were ungodly, and we had no strength to mend ourselves or to be other than ungodly. The strength for reformation had all gone. The strength for regeneration we never had. We were without strength, and then Christ died for us – died for the ungodly. He did not regard us as saints, but as actually ungodly, when He died for our redemption. It was not man’s righteousness that brought Christ from heaven, but man’s sin, and the infinite compassion of God.”¹⁴

Then Frederic Godet offers this: “The incapacity of mankind for good, their moral sickness, arose from their separation from God, from their voluntary revolt against Him. This is what the Apostle brings out in the words: for ungodly ones, which indicate the positive side of human perversity. Their malady inspires disgust; their ungodliness attracts wrath. And it was when we were yet plunged into this repulsive state of impotence and ungodliness that the greatest proof of love was given us, in that Christ died for us.”¹⁵ To this, Charles Ellicott adds that the Greek lends itself to a more amplified rendition: “While we were yet in weakness [powerless to help ourselves], at the fitting time Christ died for (in behalf of, for the benefit of) the godless.” What a powerful gospel Paul had to preach to any self-righteous members of the church in Rome.

Baptist preacher Octavius Winslow makes this statement: “The Word of God, the only rule of faith and duty, distinctly and invariably represents the death of Jesus as a sacrifice, and the special and gracious design of that sacrifice, an Atonement for sin. If this is denied, how are we to interpret the following remarkable passages? ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes, we are healed.’¹⁶ ‘The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.’¹⁷ Verse 6. ‘This is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’¹⁸ ‘When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.‘¹⁹”²⁰ Jewish New Testament scholar David Stern follows the same line as Winslow, and makes this point: “At the right time²¹ the Messiah died on behalf of ungodly people when they had no one else who could save them from the wrath to come.”²²

Methodist preacher Joseph Benson shares his thoughts on this subject: “How can we now doubt God’s love, since when we were without strength – Either to think, will, or do anything good; were utterly incapable of making any atonement for our transgressions, or of delivering ourselves from the depth of guilt and misery into which we were plunged; in due time – Neither too soon nor too late, but at that very point of time which the wisdom of God knew to be more proper than any other; Christ died for the ungodly – For the sake, and instead of, such as were enemies to God,²³ and could not merit any favor from Him: that is, for Jews and Gentiles, when they were all under sin. Christ not only died to set an example, or to procure the power for us to follow it, but to atone for our sins.”²⁴

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson VI)

Scottish Bible scholar Robert Haldane shares his insights on why hope should never be the cause of ridicule: “This may mean either that hope will not be disappointed, or that hope will not allow us to be ashamed of its object. Various passages speak of the believer as not being put to shame on the day of final judgment. The expression here is generally interpreted to signify that hope will not be disappointed, but will receive the object of its anticipation. This is an important truth; yet the Apostle may rather be understood as speaking of the usual effect of hope as exemplified in the life of a Christian; and that it is not the future effect of hope in believers, but its present effect, as it is the present effect. Besides, the primary signification of the word in the original is, not to disappoint, but to shame, put to shame, or make ashamed. Paul here evidently speaks of hope as a general principle, which, in every instance, and on all subjects, has this effect ascribed to it. It is its nature, with regard to everything which is its object, to destroy shame, and excite to an open affirmation, and even glorying in it, though it may be a thing of which others may be ashamed, and which is ridiculed by the world.”¹

But then Haldane goes on to say this about love being imputed to our hearts: “It is the Holy Ghost who pours out into the heart of the believer a sense of the love of God for him, fully convincing him of it, and witnessing this love to his spirit.² Here we see that everything in us that is good is the effect of the Spirit of God. Man possesses by nature no holy disposition. The lowest degree of true humility, and godly sorrow for sin, and a sense of the love of God, and consequently our love to God, are not to be found in any of the children of Adam till they are enlightened by the Spirit through the knowledge of the Gospel, nor can they be maintained for one moment in the soul without His sacred influence. Though sinners should hear ten thousand times of the love of God in the gift of His Son, they are never properly affected by it, till the Holy Spirit enters into their hearts, and until love to Him is produced by the truth through the Spirit. Here also we may see the distinct work of the Holy Spirit in the economy of redemption. Each of the persons of the Godhead sustains a peculiar office in the salvation of sinners, and it is the office of the Spirit to convert and sanctify those for whom Christ died.”³

Albert Barnes offers his thoughts on why hope will never make someone feel ashamed: “This hope [we have in God through Christ] will not disappoint, or deceive. When we hope for an object which we do not obtain, we are conscious of disappointment; perhaps sometimes of a feeling of shame. But the Apostle says that the Christian hope is such that it will be fulfilled; it will not disappoint; what we hope for we shall certainly obtain.⁴ The expression used here is probably taken from Psalm 22:4-5; ‘Our fathers trusted in You, and You saved them. They cried to You and were set free. They trusted in You and were not shamed.’”⁵

Jewish scholar David Stern comments on the hope that comes with faith in God’s plan of salvation: “This hope does not let us down, literally, ‘… make us ashamed,’⁶ as we would be if we had a false hope; because God’s love for us (v. 8) has already been poured out in our hearts through the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit), who is fully God,⁷ and has been given to us in fulfillment of a different promise,⁸ and thus guarantees that God will also keep this present promise to resurrect us. For additional assurance that God will keep his promises and not let our hope be disappointed.⁹”¹⁰

One thing that many Christians seem to overlook is the fact that when God’s love was diffused into our hearts and minds, it was not solely meant to be used to love Him, but that it was made available for us to love each other. So often we depend on human love to keep fellowship and harmony between us and other believers. That’s why it fails so often. God’s unconditional love was given to us to use as a source of power not only to hold on to Him but to hold fast to each other. Charles Spurgeon explains it this way: “If you have the Holy Ghost given to you, then the love of God fills your nature like a sweet perfume. As when the woman broke the alabaster box, and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment, so, when the Spirit of God comes and brings the broken alabaster of the Savior’s sacrifice, and we feel the love of God poured out among us, what a delightful perfume that is!”¹¹

In one of his sermons, Octavius Winslow was speaking about the work of the Holy Spirit making the soul come alive before conversion so that it could accept the call of God. In consideration of the real nature of the spiritual change, Winslow says it involves passing from death to life,¹² becoming a new creature,¹³ with a divine nature,¹⁴ through the new birth,¹⁵ that turns us from darkness to light,¹⁶ and changes enmity to love.”¹⁷ This is only possible, says Winslow, because the love of God is imputed to our hearts¹⁸.¹⁹

Verse 6: Christ died for us when we were unable to save ourselves. We were sinning against God, but at exactly the right time Christ died for us.

The question here is: Why did Jesus have to die in order to save us? I remember reading about a 24-year-old US Marine named Kyle Carpenter who while serving in Afghanistan in 2010 pounced on a grenade that landed on the rooftop where he and his comrades were positioned in order to save them from being killed. He lost his right eye, suffered a shattered jaw and broke his arm. As a result, he received the Medal of Honor. In the same way, Jesus went to the cross to suffer and die in order to shield sinners from the coming punishment for sin. By willingly giving His life, He made it possible for all those who believe in Him to escape the sentence of death they were living under while at war with God. Sinners can not save themselves. Jesus is the only Savior. In a way, God the Father gave Him heaven’s Medal of Honor by raising Him from death to live forever in heaven by His side. Therefore, all who accept His death for their salvation, receive all the benefits of Christ’s resurrection, they too will go and live with Him and the Father forever. What a champion we have in Jesus.

Such lovingkindness on God’s part and His love for Jerusalem had already been expressed back in Ezekiel’s day. Here is the touching story: “Jerusalem, on the day you were born, there was no one to cut your umbilical cord. No one put salt on you and washed you to make you clean. No one wrapped you in a blanket. No one felt sorry for you or took care of you. On the day you were born, your parents threw you out into the field because no one wanted you. Then I passed by. I saw you lying there, kicking in the blood. You were covered with blood, but I said, ‘Please live!’ Yes, you were covered with blood, but I said, ‘Please live!’ I helped you grow like a plant in the field. You grew and grew.”²⁰

In a similar fashion, that’s how God saw us as we lay wallowing in sin’s quagmire, unable to free ourselves. He wanted us to live. So He sent His Son to rescue us by paying the ransom price demanded by the law. This was Paul’s message to the believers in Ephesus: “In the past, you were spiritually dead because of your sins and the things you did against God. Yes, in the past your lives were full of those sins. You lived the way the world lives, following the ruler of the evil powers that are above the earth… But God is rich in mercy, and He loved us very much. We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against Him. But He gave us new life together with Christ… Yes, it is because we are a part of Christ Jesus that God raised us from death and seated us together with Him in the heavenly places. God did this so that His kindness to us who belong to Christ Jesus would clearly show for all time to come the amazing richness of His grace.”²¹

This was not an accident, it was a divine plan already designed before the world was created. God is a God of action, not reaction. Paul made this clear to the believers in Galatia: “When the right time came, God sent His Son, who was born from a woman and lived under the law. God did this so that He could buy the freedom of those who were under the law. God’s purpose was to make us His children.”²² And to show that Christ’s sacrifice, death, and resurrection was a well-thought out plan, the writer of Hebrews explains: “If Christ had to offer Himself many times, He would have needed to suffer many times since the time the world was made. But He came to offer Himself only once. And that once is enough for all time.”²³

It was also God’s choice, not something He was forced into just to protect His work of creation. Paul told the Thessalonians: “God chooses not to make us suffer His anger. God chose to have us experience salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus died for us so that we can live together with Him.”²⁴ But in order for Him to carry this out, He had His Son die for us while we were still living in sin. That’s what makes God’s plan of salvation so irreplaceable and unmatchable by anything mankind can devise or imagine.

Jewish scholars had long ago tried to demonstrate a similar replacement of the first sinner Adam with the first priest Aaron. We read in their writings: “The appointment of Aaron was a long delayed part of the rehabilitation of the first human being, Adam and his son Kayin (Cain), who had sinned and been expelled from the Garden of Eden on that account. Their sin would have been reason enough for the whole universe that G-d had created to be destroyed, something that would have happened had G-d in His mercy not foreseen that Aaron and his sons during seven consecutive days reminiscent of the seven days of creation would endeavor to complete the rehabilitation process begun after Adam had repented his colossal error.”²⁵ But when writing to the leaders of the church in Rome, Paul put that idea to rest by showing that what Christ did to redeem God’s creation was above and beyond anything Aaron and his sons were able to do. Furthermore, the writer of Hebrews tells us that Christ also became our high priest in the heavenly tabernacle,²⁶ a place Aaron was never allowed to enter to minister.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson V)

French theologian Frederic Godet makes this claim concerning the power of Christian hope: “When, finally, the believer has experienced the divine force with which faith fills him in the midst of suffering, he feels his hope rise. Nothing which can happen him in the future any longer frightens him. The prospect of glory opens up to him nearer and more brilliant. How many Christians have declared that they never knew the gladness of faith, or lively hope, till they gained it by means of tribulation! With this word ‘hope’ the Apostle has returned to the end of verse 2; and as there are deceitful hopes, he adds that the one of which he speaks (the hope of glory, verse 2) runs no risk of being proven wrong by circumstances.”¹

And Charles Ellicott writes that experience is the quality of being tried and proven. He says: “The result of patient endurance is to test, confirm, and refine the better elements of faith. Out of this, in its turn, grows hope. Hope began and ends the circle. It is the knowledge of what is in store for him that, in the first instance, urges the Christian to endure; and that endurance gives him the steady, calm assurance no longer of the novice but of the veteran.”²

Verse 5: And this hope will never let us down. We know this because God has poured out His love to fill our hearts through the Holy Spirit He gave us.

So hope, then, cannot disappoint because it is based on faith and trust in God. And as long as God is alive, hope will be alive. This certainly was Paul’s assurance to the Philippians: “I am full of hope and feel sure I will not have any reason to be ashamed. I am certain I will continue to have the same boldness to speak freely that I always have. I will let God use my life to bring more honor to Christ.”³

Therefore, it is quite understandable that Paul was able to say to the Thessalonians: “We pray that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father will comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. God loved us and gave us through His grace a wonderful hope and comfort that has no end.”⁴

Paul was so sure of his faith, trust, and hope in God, that he told young Timothy: “I know the One I have put my trust in. And I am sure that He is able to protect what I have put into His care until that Day.⁵”⁶ And Paul was able to say that because, as he says here to the Romans, God put that assurance in his heart and mind by filling him with His Holy Spirit. In his commentary on this verse, early English Methodist preacher Joseph Benson says: “As a Spirit of wisdom and revelation, the Holy Spirit enables us to discern God’s love for us; and as a Spirit of holiness and comfort, He enables us to delight ourselves daily in Him, though for the present He appoints us trials which may seem rigorous and severe.”⁷

In writing to the Corinthians, Paul points this out by telling them that God is the one who makes you strong in Christ. God is also the One who chose us for His work. He put His mark on us to show that we are His. Yes, He filled us with His Spirit.⁸ And because of His Spirit residing in us, we are given the privilege of calling Him Father by a special and endearing term. Paul uses the Aramaic word, “Abba,” which in today’s English would be the same as “Daddy.”⁹ But we were endowed with the Holy Spirit for more than that. As good and obedient children we are to do the will of our Heavenly Father, and Paul says that such actions are the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit working in us.¹⁰

Having the Holy Spirit as a positive force within them was so important to the Apostle Paul, that he wrote to the Ephesians: “I ask the Father with His great glory to give you the power to be strong in your spirits. He will give you that strength through His Spirit. I pray that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. I pray that your life will be strong in love and be built on love.”¹¹ And that is why he later warned them not to cause the Holy Spirit to grieve by being uncooperative and disobedience to the Spirit’s will.¹²

So, for the Apostle Paul, it was never a case of asking, “Where is God when I need Him?” but to know with certainty that He is always with us, during good times and bad. That’s why, when troubles do come we should not feel ashamed, or think that He wasn’t watching. Certainly, Paul was aware of what David said in his song: “Our ancestors trusted You. Yes, they trusted You, and You saved them. They called to You for help and escaped their enemies. They trusted You and were not disappointed!”¹³

Here is the message God sent to His people through the prophet Jeremiah: “Those who trust in the Lord will be blessed. They know that the Lord will do what He says. They will be strong like trees planted near a stream that send out roots to the water. They have nothing to fear when the days get hot. Their leaves are always green. They never worry, even in a year that has no rain. They always produce fruit.”¹⁴ This fruit for the Christian believer, is the fruit of the Spirit that Paul talked about in his letter to the Galatians.¹⁵

Early church scholar Pelagius makes this point: “The hope of things to come casts out all confusion. This is why the man who is dismayed by Christ’s warnings lacks hope. The greatness of God’s benefits arouses in us greatness of love, which does not know fear or dismay because it is complete.¹⁶ We also learn how God loves us, because He has not only forgiven us our sins through the death of His Son but also given us the Holy Spirit, who already shows us the glory of things to come.”¹⁷

Then, medieval church scholar Bede had this to say: “The Law was indeed given through Moses, and there it was determined by a heavenly rule what was to be done and what was to be avoided, but what it commanded was completed only by the grace of Christ. On the one hand, that law was able to point out sin, teaching justice, and showing transgressors what they are charged with. On the other hand, the grace of Christ, poured out in the hearts of the faithful through the spirit of charity, brings it about that what the law commanded may be fulfilled.”¹⁸

On this subject, John Calvin writes: “It therefore appears, that the Lord tries us by adversities for this end, — that our salvation may thereby be gradually advanced. Those evils then cannot render us miserable, which do in a manner promote our happiness. And thus is proved what he had said, that the godly have reasons for glorying in the midst of their afflictions.”¹⁹ He goes on to say: “Seeing all things must serve the will of the Creator, who, according to His paternal favor towards us, overrules all the trials of the cross for our salvation, this knowledge of divine love towards us is instilled into our hearts by the Spirit of God; for the good things which God has prepared for His servants are hid from the ears and the eyes and the minds of men, and the Spirit alone is He who can reveal them.”²⁰

John Bengel states that hope affords us the greatest reason to have blessed assurance, and will not deceive us; hope will become fact. That’s because God’s love for us is the ground of our hope; for it is an everlasting love. That’s why even when afflictions seem to overwhelm us, we do not cease to perceive God’s love towards us; which is a much richer consolation than prosperity would be. The reason for this perception in our hearts is because it indicates that the Holy Spirit Himself is in the believer’s heart. Therefore, the reason He is there in the present, is to provide the security of our future.²¹

Adam Clarke makes this point: “A hope that is not rationally founded will have its expectation cut off; and then shame and confusion will be the portion of its possessor. But our hope is of a different kind; it is founded on the goodness and truth of God; and our religious experience shows us that we have not misapplied it; nor exercised it on wrong or improper objects.”²² He goes on to explain: “This love is the spring of all our actions; it is the motive of our obedience; the principle through which we love God, we love Him because He first loved us; and we love Him with a love worthy of Himself, because it springs from Him: it is His own; and every flame that rises from this pure and vigorous fire must be pleasing in His sight: it consumes what is unholy; refines every passion and appetite; sublimes the whole, and assimilates all to itself.”²³

Joseph Benson says this hope is the fruit of faith, patience, and experience, namely, the full assurance of hope. Therefore, such hope will not shame or confuse us with disappointment, but we shall certainly obtain the right things hoped for. Benson writes: “We know it cannot shame or disappoint us because we have already within ourselves the very beginning of that heaven to which it aspires. For the love of God — That is, love to God, arising from a manifestation of His love to us, even that love which constitutes us at once both holy and happy, and is therefore an earnest of our future inheritance in our hearts; that love, in the perfection of which the blessedness of that celestial world consists; is shed abroad, is poured out; into our hearts, by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us — The efficient cause of all these present blessings, and the earnest of those to come. As a Spirit of wisdom and revelation, the Holy Ghost enables us to discern God’s love to us; and as a Spirit of holiness and consolation, he enables us to delight ourselves daily in him, though for the present he appoint us trials which may seem rigorous and severe.”²⁴

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson IV)

Verse 3b-4: Why are we content with our troubles? Because we know that these troubles make us more patient. And this patience is proof that we are strong. And this proof gives us hope.

Just in case the leaders of the church in Rome did not get the point, Paul reiterates that all of the troubles and trials that come from standing strong in the faith against all the winds of opposition from Satan and the world is beneficial to the believer. This idea did not start with the Apostle Paul. Jesus made this clear in His Sermon on the Mount.¹ Therefore, the disciples were not afraid to testify about Jesus being the Messiah and thought it a privilege and honor to suffer for His sake.²

In fact, the Apostle Paul was inspired to talk about his sufferings for the cause of Christ.³ And when things became almost unbearable for him, he went to God in prayer, and the Lord answered him this way: “My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by My power.”⁴ Therefore, Paul was able to tell the Ephesians: “I ask you not to be discouraged because of what is happening to me. My sufferings are for your benefit – for your honor and glory.”⁵ That’s why he encouraged the Philippians: “God has also given you the honor of suffering for Christ.”⁶ As such, he motivated them by saying: “Your faith makes you give your lives as a sacrifice in serving God.”⁷

Paul was not alone in emphasizing this theme of dealing appropriately with trials, and tribulations when they come rather than running away. The Apostle James shared a similar message: “My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering.”⁸ James goes on to say, that letting patience work in a believer’s favor will result in their becoming more mature and on their way to becoming what God wants them to be. Also, the Apostle Peter, who knew firsthand want it meant to be confronted for his faith and association with Jesus, tells his readers that they may suffer for doing right. And if that happens, they have God’s blessing. So don’t be afraid and let it worry you when people make you suffer.⁹

Paul points out that it all works together for our good because it makes us more patient, and this patience is proof that we are strong, and this proof then gives us hope. The prophet Isaiah offered this motivational truth: “Young men may grow tired and weary, even the fittest may stumble and fall; but those who hope in Adonai will renew their strength, they will soar aloft as with eagles’ wings; when they are running they won’t grow weary, when they are walking they won’t get tired.”¹⁰ That’s why Paul told the Corinthians: “We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We often don’t know what to do, but we don’t give up. We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed.”¹¹ That’s because faith and trust keep hope alive.

Several early church scholars offer their insights. For instance, Clement of Alexandria has this to say about endurance and hope: “Endurance is directed toward future hope. Hope is directed toward the reward and restitution of hope.”¹² Then Ambrosiaster comments on strength through testing: “It is clear that if endurance is of the quality we have said, our character will be quite strong. That there should be hope in someone who has been tried and tested is perfectly reasonable. One who is thus made worthy is sure to receive a reward in the kingdom of God.”¹³ And Chrysostom speaks about how character gives power to hope: “Endurance produces character, which contributes in some measure to the things which are to come because it gives power to the hope which is within us. Nothing encourages a man to hope for blessing more than the strength of a good character. No one who has led a good life worries about the future.… Does our good really lie in hope? Yes, but not in human hopes, which often vanish and leave only embarrassment behind. Our hope is in God and is therefore sure and immovable.”¹⁴

In response to Paul’s teaching that Christians accept trials and persecution as a resource for producing patience, Reformer John Calvin had this to say: “This is not the natural effect of tribulation; for we see that a great portion of mankind are thereby incited to murmur against God, and even to curse His name. But when that inward meekness, which is infused by the Spirit of God, and the consolation, which is conveyed by the same Spirit, succeed in place of our stubbornness, then tribulations become the means of generating patience; yes, those tribulations, which in the unregenerate can produce nothing but indignation and clamorous discontent.”¹⁵ He then goes on to say: “According then to the present passage, we then only make advances in patience as we ought, when we regard it as having been continued to us by God’s power, and thus entertain hope as to the future, that God’s favor, which has ever aided us in our necessities, will never be lacking for us. Hence he adds on, that from temporary relief arises hope. It might make us ungrateful for the benefits received except the recollection of them confirms our hope as to what is to come.”¹⁶

John Bengel says that while tribulations throughout life seem to deliver us up to death, not to glory, yet not only are they not unfavorable to hope, but they actually aid it. However, while tribulation develops patience in the believer, for the unbeliever the result is impatience and apostasy. Bengel also points out that patience is not learned without adversity; it characterizes a mind not only promptly, but also makes it robust enough to endure. And once patience has been developed, a person’s hope is also strengthened.¹⁷

On this same subject, Adam Clarke makes the point that endurance under trials, without sustaining loss or deterioration, is a metaphor taken from refining metals. Says Clarke: “We do not speak thus from any sudden raptures [euphoria], or extraordinary sensations we may have of spiritual joy: for we find that the tribulations through which we pass are the means of exercising and increasing our patience, our meek toleration of injuries received, or persecutions experienced, on account of the Gospel.”¹⁸ He then concludes: “For we thus calculate, that He who has supported us in the past will support us in those which may yet come; and as we have received so much spiritual profiting by means of the sufferings through which we have already passed, we may profit equally by those which are yet to come: and this hope prevents us from dreading coming trials; we receive them as means of grace, and find that all things work together for good to them that love God.”¹⁹

Robert Haldane explains: “The Greek word translated [by the KJV as] ‘experience’ signifies trial or proof. Here it means proof; for trial may detect a hypocrite as well as manifest a saint. But proof implies that the trial has proved the genuineness of the tried person, and also of the faithfulness and support of God, which will enable us to overcome every difficulty. And proof produces hope. That is, when the genuineness of our profession is manifested by being proved, our hope of enjoying the glory promised to the genuine people of God is confirmed. Hope is here introduced a second time. This should be carefully noted. At first, as we have seen, it springs solely from a view of the mediation and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here; it acquires a new force, from the proof the believer has of the reality of his union with the Savior, by his being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ. Thus the ‘good hope through grace’ must be produced solely by faith, and confirmed, not produced, by the fruits of faith.”²⁰

Albert Barnes writes about the process by which tribulations produce patience: “The effect of afflictions on the minds of Christians is to make them patient. Sinners are irritated and troubled by them; they complain, and become more and more obstinate and rebellious. They have no sources of consolation; they deem God [to be] a hard Master; they become fretful and rebellions just in proportion to the depth and continuance of their trials. But in the mind of a Christian, who regards his Father‘s hand in it; who sees that he deserves no mercy; who has confidence in the wisdom and goodness of God; who feels that it is necessary for his own good to be afflicted; and who experiences its happy, subduing, and mild effect in restraining his sinful passions, and in weaning him from the world the effect is to produce patience. Accordingly, it will usually be found that those Christians who are longest and most severely afflicted are the most patient. Year after year of suffering produces increased peace and calmness of soul; and at the end of his course the Christian is more willing to be afflicted, and bears his afflictions more calmly, than at the beginning. He who on earth was most afflicted was the most patient of all sufferers; and not less patient when he was ‘led as a lamb to the slaughter,’²¹ than when He experienced the first trial in His great work.”²²

In his sermon on this text, Charles Spurgeon reiterates the point made by Calvin how tribulation is not known to produce patience. He says: “Tribulation works impatience, and impatience misses the fruit of experience and sours into hopelessness. Ask many who have buried a dear child, or have lost their wealth, or have suffered pain in their body, and they will tell you that the natural result of affliction is to produce irritation against Providence, rebellion against God, questioning, unbelief, irritability, and all sorts of evils. But what a wonderful alteration takes place when the heart is renewed by the Holy Spirit! Then, but not till then, tribulation works patience.”²³ He then shares a personal anecdote: “I have seen some persons, who were called experienced Christians, in whom it seemed to me that experience had worked despair; for their faces were always very long and very sad, and their speech was as sorrowful as it well could be. But here I find that true Christian experience works hope – a hope that makes us unashamed.”²⁴

I recently read a story about a man who had a dream. He saw a large crowd of people gathered in front of a fence. And on the opposite side of the fence to the left stood a creature that looked like the devil, and on the right stood Jesus. He heard Satan call out for anyone who wanted what he had to offer, and a person from the crowd jumped over the fence and went to him. Then Jesus called out for anyone who wanted to come and follow Him. Sure enough, someone jumped over the fence and joined Him.

This went on until there was only one person left on the other side of the fence where the crowd had been standing. Both Satan and Jesus called out to that person. Finally, the person jumped up on the fence and then just sat down. After awhile, Satan turned and led his large group off in the direction of loud music and bright lights. Jesus, meanwhile, led his small group in the opposite direction toward what looked like a field filled with thorn bushes and barriers.

This left the last person sitting on the fence alone. Thinking they had been forgotten, the person was trying to decide what to do. Just then Satan came back and appeared to be looking for something he had left behind. The man called out, “Have you lost something?” Satan looked straight at him and replied, “Not really, I was looking for you. Come with me.” The man replied, “But I’m still sitting on the fence. I haven’t decided yet who to follow.” Satan said, “Oh yes you have. You see, I own the fence.” “Whoever is not with me is against me.” – Jesus: Matthew 12:30.

BE CAREFUL WHO YOU’RE AIMING AT

I read a story of something that happened to a seminary student, and even though it never happened to me I believe it could have taken place. I read that a young student named Arlene attended a seminary class given by a teacher who was known for his elaborate object lessons. On this particular day, when she entered the room she saw a large target on the wall, and on a nearby table were many darts.

The professor told the students to take a piece of paper and draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry, and he would allow them to throw darts at the person’s picture to get the anger out of their system. One of Arlene’s friends drew a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend drew a picture of his mean older brother. Arlene drew a picture of a former friend who had betrayed her, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on the face. Arlene was pleased with the overall effect she had achieved.

The class lined up and began throwing darts. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that they went through their picture, through the target, and into the wall. Arlene was eager to get her turn. The former friend had gone behind her back and revealed secrets they had shared, which brought her a lot of embarrassment and shame. But just as she was ready to take her turn, the professor ended the object lesson because class time had run out. Arlene was so disappointed and walked back to her desk with disgust because she didn’t have a chance to throw any darts at her target.

Then, before dismissing the class, the professor removed the target from the wall. To everyone’s surprise and disbelief, underneath the target was a picture of Jesus. A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered His face, and His eyes were pierced. As they all sat there dumbfounded, the professor quietly picked up his Bible and began to read these words: “In as much as you have done this to the least of these my brethren, you have done it to Me.”¹ Needless to say, no further comments were necessary. Tears filled eyes of the students as they began to leave the classroom while looking back at the scarred and tattered face of Christ.

You may have never thrown real darts at a picture of someone you despise because of what they said or did to you. But the Bible says that our words are like poison darts,² and they can injure and even be fatal to those we throw them at. So just like what happened to Arlene, each time you are tempted to throw such darts, instead of seeing the face of your former friend or enemy, see the face of Christ who died for their sins too. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson III)

Early church scholar Origen has this commentary on our access to grace: “How we have access to grace through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior Himself tells us ‘I am the door,’¹ and ‘No one comes to the Father except by me.’² … This door is the truth, and hypocrites cannot enter in by the door of truth. Again, this door is righteousness, and the unrighteous cannot enter in by it. The Door Himself says: ‘Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.’³ So neither the ill-natured nor the proud can enter in by the door of humility and gentleness. Therefore, anyone who wants to have access to the grace of God which according to the word of the Apostle comes through our Lord Jesus Christ and in which Paul and those like him claim to stand.”

Origen goes on to say: “Why does Paul talk about the hope of glory and not just about the glory itself? After all, Moses saw the glory of God, and so did the people of Israel when God’s house was built. But this glory, which was visible, the Apostle Paul dared to claim would pass away… whereas the hope here is of a glory which will never pass away. It is the glory mentioned in Hebrews in connection with Christ: ‘He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature.’⁴”⁵

I like what Basil the Great had to say about dealing with our troubles: “For those who are well prepared, tribulations are like certain foods and exercises for athletes which lead the contestant on to the inheritance of glory. When we are reviled, we bless; maligned, we entreat; ill-treated, we give thanks; afflicted, we glory in our afflictions.”⁶ And Pelagius adds his encouragement: “We glory not only in the hope of glory but also in sufferings which are most beneficial, being mindful of the greatness of the reward.⁷ We should desire to suffer something for the Lord’s name so that when sufferings come to an end we may obtain an eternal reward for them. For when we consider the reward, we cannot possibly begrudge the effort needed to be worthy of the reward.”⁸

John Calvin observes: “Rightly then does Paul set before our eyes in Christ a sure pledge of God’s favor, that he might more easily draw us away from every confidence in works. And as he teaches us by the word ‘access’, that salvation begins with Christ, he excludes those preparations by which foolish men imagine that they can anticipate God’s mercy.”⁹ Calvin then goes on to say: “The reason that the hope of a future life exists and dares to exult, is this, — because we rest on God’s favor as on a sure foundation.”¹⁰ And it is this sure foundation that allows the believer to meet tribulations with a smile. In Calvin’s mind, this does not mean that believers go out in search of persecution. Rather, “They regard that whatever they bear is dispensed to them for good by the hand of a most indulgent Father, they are justly said to glory: for whenever salvation is promoted, there is every reason for glorying.”¹¹

John Bengel says here that Paul is contrasting the past with the present. Justification is access to grace; peace is the state of continuance in grace, which removes the hostility between man and God. That’s why Paul in his salutations usually joins grace and peace in his greeting. That’s because believers now have a standing with God and so they can rejoice in the hope that they will share in God’s glory.¹²

Adam Clarke sees this: “We are not only indebted to our Lord Jesus Christ for the free and full pardon which we have received, but our continuance in a justified state depends upon His gracious influence in our hearts, and His intercession before the throne of God… It was only through Christ that we could at first approach God; and it is only through Him that the privilege is continued to us. And this access to God, or introduction to the Divine presence, is to be considered as a lasting privilege… But we glory in tribulations also – All the sufferings we endure for the testimony of our Lord are so sanctified to us by His grace, that they become powerful instruments of increasing our happiness.”¹³

Robert Haldane explains how believers have access to grace as well as peace: “The one is distinguished from the other. In what, then, do they differ? Peace denotes a particular blessing. Grace implies general blessings, among which peace and all other privileges are included. And as they are justified by means of faith, and have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, so likewise it is through Him that they enter into this state of grace; for it is through Him they have access by one Spirit to the Father, by that new and living way which He has consecrated for them through the veil;¹⁴ that is to say, His flesh. They have access to a mercyseat, to which they are invited to come freely; and boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Jesus — boldness to come to the throne of grace, and enter into the holiest by His blood. And as it is by Him they enter into this state of grace, so by Him they stand in it, accepted before God;¹⁵ secured, according to His everlasting covenant, that they shall not be cast down; but that they are fixed in this state of perfect acceptance, conferred by sovereign grace, brought into it by unchangeable love, and kept in it by the power of a faithful God. ‘They shall be My people, and I will be their God.’ ‘I will not turn away from them to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me.’¹⁶”¹⁷

Albert Barnes talks about the hope and glory of God we have access to by faith in His grace that causes us to rejoice. He writes: “Hope is a complex emotion made up of a desire for an object; and an expectation of obtaining it. Where either of these is lacking, there is no hope. Where they are mingled in improper proportions, there is no peace. But where the desire of obtaining an object is accompanied with an expectation of obtaining it, in proportion to that desire, there exists that peaceful, happy state of mind which we call hope And the Apostle here implies that the Christian has an earnest desire for that glory; and that he has a confident expectation of obtaining it… The word “glory” usually means splendor, magnificence, honor; and the Apostle here refers to that honor and dignity which will be conferred on the redeemed when they are raised up to the full honors of redemption; when they shall triumph in the completion of the work: and be freed from sin, and pain, and tears, and permitted to participate in the full splendors that shall encompass the throne of God in the heavens.”¹⁸

Charles Hodge gives his exegesis on this access we have to God. He writes: “This verse has been given different interpretations. According to one view, it introduces a new and higher benefit than peace with God, as the consequence of our justification: ‘We not only have peace, but access (to God), and joyful confidence of salvation.’ Besides other objections to this interpretation, it overlooks the difference between ‘we have’ and ‘we have had,’ rendering both, ‘we have’: ‘We have peace,’ and ‘we have had’ access. This clause, therefore, instead of indicating an additional and higher blessing than the peace spoken of in verse 1, expresses the basis for that peace: ‘We have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom also we have had access into this grace.’”¹⁹ He continues to say that considering distress and persecution for Christ’s sake is not irrational or fanatical. He writes: “Christians do not glory in suffering, as such, or for its own sake, but as the Bible teaches: 1. Because they consider it an honor to suffer for Christ. 2. Because they rejoice in being the occasion of manifesting his power in their support and deliverance; and, 3. Because suffering is made the means of their own sanctification and preparation for usefulness here, and for heaven hereafter.”²⁰

Charles Spurgeon wonders if this first verse does not say it all. He answers: “Oh, no! there is more to follow. When you get a hold of one golden link of the blessed chain of grace, it pulls up another, and then another, and then another: ‘By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand.’ We are not only at peace with God, but we are permitted to draw near to Him, we have access to Him, we have access to His favor, to His grace. We may come to God when we will; for He is reconciled to us, and we are reconciled to Him, so we may now think of Him with joy and gladness.”²¹

Spurgeon goes on to say: “This is a golden staircase, justification brings peace, and peace brings access into this grace wherein we are established; and then comes the joy of hope, and that hope fixes its eye on nothing less than the glory of God. Grace is the stepping-stone to glory; and they who are justified by faith shall in due time be glorified by love. So we ascend this golden ladder, from faith to peace, from peace to access with God, and from this to joy by the way of hope. Happy people, who know this blessed way of climbing out of the sorrows of the present into the glory that shall be revealed!”²²

Jewish writer David Stern makes this point: “Let us continue to have shalom (peace, integrity, wholeness, health) with God. The textual evidence favors this reading, but some manuscripts read, ‘We have’ [or: ‘We continue to have’] shalom with God. This descriptive statement is true, but the exhortation fits the context better; for v. 2 exhorts us to boast about the hope of experiencing God’s glory (instead of coming short of it,²³ when we are resurrected. Boasting about oneself²⁴ is excluded;²⁵ the proper content of boasting is God’s work through Yeshua the Messiah.²⁶”²⁷ In other words, seeing all that God went through and all that Christ endured to bring us this peace through grace, let us focus our praise on them instead of bragging about ourselves.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson II)

American theologian Barnes goes on to say that the effect of this plan when the sinner embraces it, it is to produce peace in his own mind. He experiences peace; peace which the world cannot give, and which the world cannot take away.¹ Usually, in the work of conversion to God, this peace is the first evidence that is felt through a change of heart. Before, the sinner was agitated and troubled. But suddenly, peace and calmness are felt, which was before unknown. The alarm subsides; the heart is calm; the fears die away, like the waves of the ocean after a storm. A sweet tranquility visits the heart – a pure shining light, like the sunbeams that break through the opening clouds after a tempest. The views, the feelings, the desires are changed; and the bosom that was just before filled with agitation and alarm, that regarded God as its enemy, is now at peace with Him.²

Henry Alford states: “The whole passage is declaring the consequences that flow from justification by faith, and does not exhort, but asserts. Nor, would it seem, does the place for exhortation arrive until these consequences have been in the fullest and freest manner realized, – indeed so fully and freely. Being, therefore, justified (‘having been justified:’—it is a past act to the Christian, not like sanctification, an abiding and increasing work) by (as the ground of) faith, let us (believers in Christ) have peace (‘reconciliation;’ the opposite of anger, see Romans 5:9) with (‘in regard to,’) God through (by means of) our Lord Jesus Christ. With regard to the nature of this peace, it is equal to a state of reconciliation, ‘no more condemnation,’ per Romans 8:1.”³

And Charles Hodge shares his understanding: “Paul says this peace is the result of justification by faith. He who relies on his works for justification can have no peace. He can neither remove the displeasure of God nor quiet the apprehension of punishment. Peace is not the result of mere gratuitous forgiveness, but of justification, of a reconciliation founded upon atonement. The enlightened conscience is never satisfied until it sees that God can be just in justifying the ungodly; that sin has been punished, the justice of God satisfied, His law honored and vindicated. It is when he thus sees justice and mercy embracing each other, that the believer has that peace which passes all understanding;⁴ that sweet quiet of the soul in which deep humility, in view of personal unworthiness, is mingled with the warmest gratitude to that Savior by whose blood God’s justice has been satisfied, and conscience appeased. Hence Paul says we have this peace through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not through ourselves in any way, neither by our own merit nor our own efforts. It is all of grace. It is all through Jesus Christ.”⁵

Preacher Charles Spurgeon said: “It is a matter of present possession and present enjoyment. Whatever tribulation there may be in the world, ‘we have peace with God.’ Blessed be God for that glorious fact! We may not have peace with all men, though we would seek to have that; but “we have peace with God.”⁶ Then Frederic Godet adds: “The meaning of Rom 5:1 is as follows: Since, then, we have obtained by means of faith our sentence of justification from God, we find ourselves transferred relatively to Him into a state of peace, which henceforth displaces in our minds the fear of wrath.”⁷

Then Charles Ellicott puts it this way: “This opening has a wonderful beauty which centers on the Christian idea of peace. After all the gloomy retrospect which fills the preceding chapters, the clouds break, and light steals gently over the scene. Nor is it merely the subsidence of storm, but an ardent and eager hope that now awakens, and looks forward to a glorious future.”⁸ Ellicott goes on to say that peace is the state of reconciliation with God, with all that blissful sense of composure and harmony which flows from such a condition. ‘Peace’ is the extraordinary legacy bequeathed by Jesus to His disciples;⁹ it is also the word used, with profound significance, after miracles of healing, accompanied with forgiveness.¹⁰

Jewish commentator David Stern offers this on peace with God: “Let us continue to have shalom (peace, integrity, wholeness, health) with God. The textual evidence favors this reading, but some manuscripts read, ‘We have [or: “We continue to have”] shalom with God.’ This descriptive statement is true, but the exhortation fits the context better; for v. 2 exhorts us to boast about the hope of experiencing God’s glory (instead of coming short of it, 3:23) when we are resurrected, and v. 3 exhorts us to boast in our present troubles (see 8:18), because by a roundabout route (verses 3– 4) they lead to the same hope as in v. 2. Boasting about oneself (1:22, 2:17–21) is excluded (3:27, 4:2); the proper content of boasting is God’s work through Yeshua the Messiah.¹¹”¹²

Verses 2-3a: Through our faith, Christ has brought us into that blessing of God’s grace that we now enjoy. And we are very happy because of the hope we have of sharing God’s exultation. And we are also happy with the troubles we have.

Paul extends the motif where faith now opens the door for us to receive God’s grace. This means that something no person deserves nor can they provide on their own is given to them out of the generosity of God’s heart. Does this mean that God feels sorry for the sinner and bends the rules to accommodate their shortcomings? No! It means that His Son paid a great price to redeem those who were enslaved in sin. So, when they come to Him for salvation His plea to God on their behalf is answered with a “Yes.” All because of God’s love for His Son and what His Son was willing to do for sinners.

Paul shared this truth with the Ephesians: “Yes, through Christ we all have the right to come to the Father by one Spirit.”¹³ He goes on to tell them: “In Christ, we come before God with freedom and without fear. We can do this because of our faith in Christ.”¹⁴ And the writer of Hebrews paints us a beautiful picture to appreciate: “And so, brothers and sisters, we are completely free to enter the Most Holy Place. We can do this without fear because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus. We enter through a new way that Jesus opened for us. It is a living way that leads through the curtain – Christ’s body.”¹⁵ So it is clear, there is no other Spirit that can guide us and no other way to receive God’s forgiveness through grace than by way of Jesus Christ.

This grace and peace that comes from God through Jesus Christ to our hearts and minds are not given in passing to be used and then disposed of. Paul points this out to the Galatians: “We have freedom now because Christ made us free. So stand strong in that freedom. Don’t go back into slavery again.”¹⁶ Then he tells the Corinthians: “Now, brothers and sisters, I want you to remember the Good News I told you. You received that Good News message, and you continue to base your life on it.”¹⁷ And to the Ephesians, he says: “You need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.”¹⁸

Then Paul says that all of this will bring us joy. In my book: Transforming Love, I define “joy” as “Love that is Excited.”¹⁹ We see this in the patriarch Job’s expression of hope and faith while he is going through the trial of his life. He exclaimed: “I know that there is someone to defend me and that He lives! And in the end, He will stand here on earth and defend me.”²⁰ And David sang about this: “So my heart and soul will be very happy. Even my body will live in safety because you will not leave me in the place of death.”²¹ And he expressed his gratitude for that blessed assurance in his prayer: “I have done only what is right so I will see your face. And seeing you, I will be fully satisfied.”²²

That future hope of joy in God’s glory should produce joy in the present. The possibility for us to experience joy while going through trials and tribulations does not result merely from going through these difficulties for Christ’s sake. Rather, we do so with the assurance that we go through such hardships knowing that one day we will stand and rejoice in God’s glory because He will alleviate any future suffering for all eternity. That may be hard for some to accept because it does not give instant relief to present pain and grief. So look at it this way: any woman who has gone through rigorous exercise and dieting knows the joy that comes when she goes from dress size 12 to 6. Any man who has gone through the same thing knows the proud moment when he buys a size 32 belt to replace the size 44 he’s been using for years. In fact, they both can now see what shoes they’re wearing! Was it worth it? Just ask them. The same goes for when we all get to heaven. Find someone up there who suffered greatly because of their faith in Christ and ask them if they think it was worth it.

Then Paul takes a cue from the Psalmist Asaph who in his song of praise says: “You lead me and give me good advice, and later you will lead me to glory.”²³ And the Apostle Paul lays this out for the believers in Corinth: “The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And our faces are not covered. We all show the Lord’s glory, and we are being changed to be like Him. This change in us brings more and more glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”²⁴ So rather than living for Christ being seen through the eyes of the law as a burden that we cannot carry, it should be viewed as a celebration of freedom because Christ bore that burden and that leads to rejoicing in the Lord day after day after day.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER FIVE (Lesson I) 

Verse 1: Having been made right with God because of our faith, we now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul leaves no doubt that reconciliation with God can only be achieved through faith. No matter how good a person may claim to be, they can never do more with their good works, than what Christ Jesus did on the cross. Paul knew that the Scriptures said: “Look at the proud: inwardly he is not living right, but those who do live right will attain life through trusting faithfulness.”¹ Jesus also made it clear that faith must be activated: “Yes, indeed! I tell you that whoever hears what I am saying and trusts the One who sent me has eternal life.”² So it is no surprise that Paul went out on his missionary journey with this message: “Brothers, understand what we are telling you. You can have forgiveness of your sins through this Jesus. The Law of Moses can not free you from your sins. But you can be made right with God if you believe in Jesus.”³

This opening verse provides a connection between what the Apostle Paul said in the first four chapters and what he will present in these next three chapters. The knowledge of having such a secure faith in a faithful Savior becomes the basis for peace in one’s heart that all is well with their soul. But peace is more than a feeling, it is the opposite of enmity. When peace is negotiated between warring nations of this world, it is merely an agreement to cease hostilities and curtail the fighting. It separates enemies by way of mutual consent in order to harness their aggression. It establishes a “no man’s land” to keep them apart. In some communities, contentious residents attempt to establish peace with a neighbor by building a fence, or simply ignoring them, leaving them alone and not speaking to them. But the peace that God gives encompasses us, but most of all fills us. His love also draws us to Him in harmony; not separating us to maintain order. In my book on Transforming Love, I describe peace as, “Love that is Secure.”⁴

We don’t have to fight for God’s peace; it is ours through Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace. In other words, the peace that Christ came to give all who believe, does not keep individuals boxed up and stacked neatly side by side to make things look orderly. Rather, He came to free us from those boxes designed to keep our anger, hate, and enmity in check. We are made a new creation where our spiritual nature is now ruled by the One who sits on the throne of our heart. Paul described it to the believers in Philippi this way: “Then God’s shalom, passing all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with the Messiah Yeshua.”⁵ Therefore, peace is the result of faith. It is more than just agreeing to certain rules that hold’s off God’s judgment, it is trusting those rules God’s issued by living in obedience to what He says we should do.⁶

Several early church scholars give their views on what Paul is teaching here. Ambrosiaster shares his thoughts: “Faith gives us peace with God, not the law. For it reconciles us to God by taking away those sins which had made us God’s enemies. And because the Lord Jesus is the minister of this grace, it is through Him that we have peace with God. Faith is greater than the law because the law is our doing, whereas faith belongs to God. Furthermore, the law is concerned with our present life, whereas faith is concerned with eternal life. But whoever does not think this way about Christ, as he ought to, will not be able to obtain the rewards of faith, because he does not hold the truth in faith.”⁷

Then, early church pulpiteer Chrysostom preaches: “What does it mean to have peace? Some say that it means we should not fall out with one another because of disagreements over the law. But it seems to me that he is speaking much more about our current behavior.… Paul means here that we should stop sinning and not go back to the way we used to live, for that is to make war with God. How is this possible? Paul says that not only is it possible, it is also reasonable. For if God reconciled us to Himself when we were in open warfare with Him, it is surely reasonable that we should be able to remain in a state of reconciliation.”⁸

Early church scholar Pelagius states: “Paul has discussed the point that nobody is justified by works, but all are justified by faith, and he has proven this by the example of Abraham, of whom the Jews claim to be the only children. He has also explained why neither race nor circumcision makes people children of Abraham but only faith because Abraham was initially justified by faith alone. Now, having concluded this argument, Paul urges both Jews and Gentiles to live at peace, because no one is saved by his own merit, but everyone is saved in the same way, by God’s grace.”⁹

Bishop Theodoret of Cyr follows with this: “Faith has given you forgiveness of sins and made you spotless and righteous by the washing of regeneration. Therefore, you ought to keep the peace by which you have been united with God. For when you were still enemies, the only begotten Son of God reconciled you by taking on human flesh and putting sin to death in it.”¹⁰ However, Origen sees this from a different perspective: “If you ask me how a righteous man can have peace when he is attacked by the devil, who conquers his wars of temptation, I would say that such a man has greater peace than anyone else.… For the Apostle says that we have peace with God knowing full well that war against the devil is a guarantee of peace with God. We shall have even greater peace with God if we continue our active hostility toward the devil and fight against the vices of the flesh. For the Apostle James says: ‘Resist the devil and he will flee from you; draw near to God and he will draw near to you.’¹¹ You see that James too felt that he was getting closer to God by resisting the devil.”¹²

Reformer John Calvin comments on the peace a believer finds in God through reconciliation. He writes: “Peace means tranquility of conscience, which arises from this, — that it feels itself to be reconciled to God… Peace with God is opposed to the dead security of the flesh, and for this reason, — because the first thing is, that everyone should become awakened as to the account he must render of his life; and no one can stand boldly before God, but he who relies reconciliation by grace; for as long as He is God, all must otherwise tremble in awe [of Him]. And this is the strongest of proofs, that our opponents do nothing with their meaningless idle-talk when they ascribe righteousness to works; for this conclusion of Paul is derived from this fact, — that miserable souls always tremble, except they repose on the grace of Christ.”¹³

John Bengel says that the term “being justified by faith,” sums up what precedes in Chapter 4. He points to justification as mentioned in 4:25. Therefore, Paul can go on to say we now have peace and rejoice because we are no longer fear His wrath, 5:9, because we are no longer enemies of God, 5:10. Bengel says this is the principal topic of chapters 5-8. Bengel also points out that Paul frequently joins peace with grace, because God by grace embraces us in peace.¹⁴

Revivalist Adam Clarke has a similar view: “Before, while sinners, we were in a state of enmity with God, which was sufficiently proved by our rebellion against his authority, and our transgression of his laws; but now, being reconciled, we have peace with God. Before, while under a sense of the guilt of sin, we had nothing but terror and dismay in our own consciences; now, having our sin forgiven, we have peace in our hearts, feeling that all our guilt is taken away. Peace is generally the first-fruits of our justification.”¹⁵

Robert Haldane speaks to the phrase, “justified by faith.” He states: “This expression is concise; faith must be understood as inclusive of its object. This is very usual in all cases where the thing difficultly expressed is frequently spoken of, and therefore sufficiently explained by the precise expression. It is not by faith, abstractly considered, that we are justified, nor even by faith in everything that God reveals. It is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Even this phrase itself, namely, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is still cryptic and supposes the knowledge of what is to be believed with respect to Christ. It is not believing in His existence, but believing on Him as revealed in the Scriptures, in His person and work. In the same manner, as we have the phrase, ‘justified by faith,’ we have the phrase, justified by the blood of Christ. As, in the former case, faith implies its object, so, in the latter, it is implied that we are justified by faith in the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ justifies by being the object of belief and of trust.”¹⁶ In other words, faith must have an object, and that object must have the solution for that which is believed in or hoped for.

Albert Barnes notes that the sinner regards God as his enemy. He trembles when he thinks of His Law; fears His judgments; is alarmed when he thinks of hell. His bosom is a stranger to peace. This has been felt in all lands, alike under the thunders of the Law of Sinai among the Jews; in the pagan world; and in lands where the gospel is preached. It is the effect of an alarmed and troubled conscience. However, the plan of salvation by Christ reveals God as willing to be reconciled. He is ready to pardon and to be at peace. If the sinner repents and believes, God can now consistently forgive him, and admit him to favor. It is, therefore, a plan by which the mind of God and of the sinner can become reconciled, or united in feeling and in purpose. The obstacles on the part of God to reconciliation, arising from His justice and Law, have been removed, and He is now willing to make peace. The obstacles on the part of the sinner, arising from his sin, his rebellion, and his conscious guilt, may be taken away, and he can now regard God as his friend.¹⁷

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

SUMMARY OF CHAPTER FOUR

The Apostle Paul was looking for someone that both the Jews and Gentiles respected, to show how getting right with God does not come by way of performing certain good works or participating in certain rites or rituals. In considering the justification of Abraham, Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 where it is stated that Abraham’s faith was accounted to him for righteousness (1-3). Abraham trusted in God, not in his own works, and through such faith experienced the justice (forgiveness) expressed by David in Psalms 31:1,2 (4-8).

To demonstrate further that God’s righteousness by faith is offered to both Jew and Gentile, Paul continues to us Abraham as an example. He reminds them that Abraham’s faith was accounted for righteousness before receiving circumcision, which was in itself a seal of the righteousness of the faith, and prior to the giving of the Law which Jews pointed to as the basis for their righteousness. Thus, before there were Israelites and Jews before the Ten Commandments were given, Abraham, who came from the land of Chaldea, was chosen to be the spiritual father of all who believe, whether circumcised or not.

More than once Paul reminds them that the promise that Abraham was to be “a father of many nations” was given in response to his faith, not through some law. God did this so that the promise of all who believe becoming the children of God would be according to grace and sure to those who have the same kind of faith as Abraham.

Finally, having illustrated that by the nature of Abraham’s obedient faith, he assured both the Jews and the Gentiles in the Church at Rome that those who have the same kind faith in God who raised Jesus will find their faith accounted to them for righteousness in the same way.

So as the lesson ended we conclude this summary. It would be hard for anyone to say that such a plan for the redemption, calling, justification, salvation, and glorification of sinful mankind from being slaves of the devil into becoming children of God could ever exist in man’s imagination. It makes no sense when sifted through human logic. And why the eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God of the universe would pick out a speck of dust in His universe called Earth, and populate it with a new species apart from the angels and heavenly beings that already existed just so that He could show His virtues of love, grace, and mercy, is above and beyond all mankind’s creative thinking. But that was on purpose. God did not want us to accept His plan because it made sense to us, but because it would require faith in His message that it was the only way people could live forever with Him, His Son, and His Spirit in heavenly places. May He increase our faith to trust Him more and believe that what He says is valid for eternity and will surely come to pass.

WE WILL BEGIN CHAPTER FIVE, LESSON ONE, WEDNESDAY, JULY 5TH

Hope and pray you will continue this study with us.