Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ONE (Part XX)

Bible scholar Douglas Moo adds this comment: “It is vital if we are to understand Paul’s gospel and his urgency in preaching it to realize that natural revelation leads not to salvation but to the demonstration that God’s condemnation is just: people are ‘without excuse.’ That verdict stands over the people we meet every day just as much as over the people Paul rubbed shoulders with in the first century, and our urgency in communicating the gospel should be as great as Paul’s.”¹

And Jewish scholar David Stern shares his view of what Paul has said here: “If you do not know God, it is not God’s fault but yours. The characteristics of God that make His existence self-evident, His eternal power, and His divine nature, are known to you because God has made it plain to you. ‘The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork. Each day utters speech, and each night expresses knowledge.’² Therefore, ‘Only the fool has said in his heart, There is no God’³ — not meaning ‘No God exists,’ but ‘No God exists who actively concerns Himself with people’s thoughts and deeds and judges them.’ This is as close as the Bible comes to ‘proving the existence of God,’ for there is no reason why it should prove it. Rather, it takes effort for sinners to ignore God; defense mechanisms require active energy for their maintenance by people who in their wickedness keep suppressing the truth. Or, as the prophet put it centuries earlier, ‘Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.’⁴ In sum, since you already know enough to trust God and obey Him, you have no excuse for not doing so.”⁵

Verse 21: When they discovered there was a God, they refused to honor Him as God or even acknowledge His existence. Instead, they preferred the silly figments of their imagination. As a result, their foolish hearts were filled with even more ignorance.

After starting with the evidence of a Creator right before their eyes, Paul moves on to point out that many of the heathen nations had done the exact thing God warned His own children not to do: “Be careful when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon, and the stars—all the many things in the sky. Be careful that you are not tempted to worship and serve them.”⁶ Even the earliest patriarchs knew this was wrong. Said Job: “I was never foolish enough to worship the sun and the moon. This is also a sin that must be punished. If I had worshiped them, I would have been unfaithful to God All-Powerful.”⁷ And Paul’s point is, these things are there to direct those people who worship creation to start worshiping the Creator.

Paul shows that he was not convinced by those philosophers on Mars Hill in Athens knew the real and living God even though they had an altar to Him.⁸ The apostle John put it this way: “They will be judged by this fact: The Light came into the world. But they did not want Light. They wanted darkness to hide the evil things the were doing.”⁹ These people could not see what David saw: “My LORD, there is no God like you. No one can do the things that you have done.”¹⁰ But one day, all the world will hear these words: “Fear God and give Him praise. The time has come for God to judge all people. Worship God. He made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water.”¹¹

Making handmade objects to represent deities was not new. As a Jew, Paul knew it was an epidemic among his own ancestors. In the Old Testament, we read: “The people would not listen. They were very stubborn like their ancestors. Their ancestors did not trust in the Lord their God. They refused to follow His laws and the agreement He made with their ancestors. They would not listen to His warnings. They worshiped idols that were worth nothing and so they themselves became worth nothing.”¹²

By the time God called Isaiah to go preach to His people, things had only gotten worse: “All the work of idol-makers amounts to nothing; their precious productions profit no one. And it is a shame that the people who worship these idols don’t even see this or understand.”¹³ In fact, the LORD spoke to the prophet Jeremiah and pointed out a tradition that is still with us today, even among Christians: “They cut down a tree in the forest…They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over.”¹⁴ This is done as part of the celebration of Jesus’ birth. In some cases, the tree gets more attention than the One whose birth is supposedly being honored. There is nothing wrong with having a decorated tree in your living room at Christmas time, as long as you know you are using a heathen symbol to give honor to the new born King.

There is an interesting section in St. Augustine’s writings that deals with how the Jews were viewed by the Romans. He is quoting the Stoic philosopher Seneca who lived during the time of Christ and Paul. Augustine writes:

Seneca, among the other superstitions of civil theology, also found fault with the sacred things of the Jews, and especially the Sabbaths, affirming that they act uselessly in keeping those seventh days, whereby they lose through idleness about the seventh part of their life, and also many things which demand immediate attention are damaged…When he was speaking concerning those Jews, he [Seneca] said, “When, meanwhile, the customs of that most accursed nation have gained such strength that they have been now received in all lands, the conquered have given laws to the conquerors.” By these words he expresses his astonishment; and, not knowing what the providence of God was leading him to say, subjoins in plain words an opinion by which he showed what he thought about the meaning of those sacred institutions: “For,” he says, “those, however, know the cause of their rites, whilst the greater part of the people know not why they perform theirs.” But concerning the solemnities of the Jews, either why or how far they were instituted by divine authority, and afterwards, in due time, by the same authority taken away from the people of God, to whom the mystery of eternal life was revealed, we have both spoken elsewhere, especially when we were treating against the Manichaeans, and also intend to speak in this work in a more suitable place.¹⁵

No wonder the apostle Paul was so perturbed by what was happening around him, not only among the Greek and Barbarians but also among his fellow Jews. He was in no mood to simply dismiss their refusal to honor God as some small misdemeanor. To him, it mattered greatly because they were trying to replace the unseen God with objects of their own making. Not only that but attempting to infuse divine powers into these idols made of earthly materials. So he continues with his condemnation of such foolishness.

Several early church scholars had comments on this subject. One of them said: “Imagining that they could grasp God with their minds, they fell away from their natural instinct and worshiped creatures instead of the Creator.”¹⁶ And one bishop, known as a good pastor, had this point to make: “In the hearts of the Gentiles, the purest honoring of the one God was changed into the bloody worship of different gods.”¹⁷ Then, a lay member of the early church who was also a theologian adds this: “It is well known how Greek schools and Roman eloquence and the search of the whole world in the quest of the supreme good, with the most penetrating study and outstanding ability, accomplished nothing by their labor except to become “futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened.”¹⁸

The church Patriarch of Constantinople offers this insight from his day: “The pagans knew that there was a God, and it is clear that they did not receive judgment because of this. For it was not for want of knowledge that they were condemned, but the opposite. For each one glorified God in whatever sense they thought the god was that they served. Thus they corrupted the whole matter by their peculiar and mistaken ideas. They abandoned God’s way of knowing Him and preferred their own, falling into the deepest imbecility, outdoing themselves in their so-called wisdom by adding to their foolishness, descending to the worship of reptiles and inanimate objects.”¹⁹

Reformer Martin Luther has an interesting illustration to explain what Paul says the heathens did with what they could observe as evidence of a supreme God in the universe. He said it was a lot like a fool looking for some income by trying to find a job, but only to get credit for looking. Then, once an employer is found, shows no interest in accepting the job and earning the money. Luther put it this way: “Likewise the heathens, though they knew about God, were satisfied with and gloried in the mere knowledge about Him. But they put out of mind His worship, in particular, the inward dedication to God, whom they acknowledged.”²⁰

John Calvin comments on the fact that although mankind was seeing evidence of God, they refused to believe what they were seeing. He writes: “No idea can be formed of God without including His eternity, power, wisdom, goodness, truth, righteousness, and mercy. His eternity appears evident, because He is the maker of all things — His power, because He holds all things in His hand and continues their existence — His wisdom, because He has arranged things in such an exquisite order — His goodness, for there is no other cause than Himself, why He created all things, and no other reason, why He should be inspired to preserve them — His justice, because in His government He punishes the guilty and defends the innocent — His mercy, because He bears with so much patience the perversity of men — and His truth, because He is unchangeable. He then who has a right notion of God ought to give Him the praise due to His eternity, wisdom, goodness, and justice.”²¹

And Charles Hodge adds this thought: “We find throughout the Scriptures the idea of foolishness and sin, and wisdom and piety, intimately connected. In the language of the Bible, a fool is an impious man; the wise are the pious, [to] those who fear God; foolishness is sin; understanding is religion. The folly and darkness of which the apostle here speaks are therefore expressive of lack of divine knowledge, which is both the effect and cause of moral depravity.”²²

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ONE (Part XIX)

Verse 20: Since the creation of the universe His invisible qualities – both His eternal power and His divine nature – have been clearly evident, because they can be understood from what He has created. Therefore, they have no excuse.

Paul now argues against those who might claim innocence by virtue of ignorance. In other words, I can’t see God so why should I believe He exists. It is equal to a person looking at a beautiful portrait and saying: I can’t believe a living being painted this, or watch a complex machine operate and say I don’t believe someone put this together, it formed all by itself.

Tertullian, one of the early church’s theologians, reveals his thinking our senses: “The objects which are touched by the mind are of a higher nature since they are more spiritual than those which are grasped by the senses. Since these are corporeal, any superiority they may display lies only in the ‘objects – e.g., as lofty ones contrasted with humble – [those], not in the ‘faculties’ of the intellect over against those in the] senses. For how can the intellect be considered sovereign above the senses, when it is these which educate it for the discovery of various truths? It is a fact that these truths are learned by means of palpable forms; in other words, invisible things are discovered by the help of visible ones, even as the apostle says [here] in his epistle.”¹

David was impressed to the point of wondering why God would be interested in any person who was not interested in Him.² Yet, Jesus said that because of God’s love and mercy: “He lets the sun rise for all people, whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong.”³ By doing this, God shows Himself to be a caring, benevolent deity. Yet, says Paul, those who refused to believe chose not to give God the honor, praise, and the acknowledgment He deserves.

Paul exclaimed to young Timothy: “Honor and glory to the King who rules forever. He cannot be destroyed and cannot be seen. Honor and glory forever and ever to the only God. Amen.”⁴ The writer of Hebrews said, this faith in the unseen, because of what was seen, affected Moses to the point where: “Moses left Egypt because he had faith. He was not afraid of Pharaoh’s anger. He continued strong as if he could see the God no one can see.”⁵ So why don’t these doubters see the truth in Isaiah’s challenge: “Look up to the skies. Who created all those stars? Who created all those “armies” in the sky? Who knows every star by name? He is very strong and powerful, so not one of these stars has ever gone missing.”⁶

One early church theologian makes this point: “The human mind, learning to know the hidden things from those which are manifest, may consider in spirit the greatness of the Maker from the greatness of His works, which it sees with the eyes of the mind.”⁷ Then, another early church scholar sees how God’s creation serves as a training tool for the soul: “You will find that the world was not devised at random or for no purpose, but to contribute to some useful end and to the great advantage of all beings. It is truly a training place for rational souls and a school for attaining the knowledge of God. Through visible and perceptible objects it provides guidance to the mind for the contemplation of the invisible.”⁸ And then an early Bishop of the church has this to say: “We can find it easy to understand, then, that the Creator of angels, dominions and powers is He who in a moment of His power made this great beauty of the world out of nothing, which did not itself have existence and gave substance to things or causes which did not themselves exist.”⁹

When Paul was in Athens speaking to the Areopagus council, he made this point to those who lived there that he saw numerous statutes and temples all around the city to many gods. Then, he goes on to describe the God he served: “He is the God who made the whole world and everything in it. He is the Lord of the land and the sky… He is the one who gives people life, breath, and everything else they need. He does not need any help from them. He has everything he needs… God wanted people to look for Him, and perhaps in searching all around for Him, they would find Him. But He is not far from any of us… It is through Him that we are able to live, to do what we do, and to be who we are. As your own poets have said, ‘We all come from Him.’ That’s right. We all come from God. So you must not think that He is like something people imagine or make.”¹⁰

Because of this, Paul left no room for anyone to have an excuse. Like some people today, they are willing to look at the universe with its complexity, order, and continuous energy and say that it all came into existence by accident, but when you try to convince them that this could also be true of an airplane or automobile, clock or computer, they just laugh at you. But Jesus made it clear: “If I had not come and spoken to the people of the world, they would not be guilty of sin. But now I have spoken to them. So they have no excuse for their sin.”¹¹

Reformer Martin Luther points to those the apostle Paul is addressing: “He judges the Romans and their wise men much more severely because they led the world through their political system, dominion, and philosophy. With that in mind, the text teaches us that ministers of the Gospel must admonish, first and above all, the rulers and thinkers of the people, not indeed in their own words coming from an erratic confused mind, but by means of the Gospel showing them how they act contrary to the divine Word and so sin.”¹² In other words, it is not up to the believer to prove there is a God, it is up to the atheist to prove there is no God. It’s hard for them to ignore the vast array of evidence, so they seek ways of guessing or surmising how it all came into being without a God.

John Calvin speaks of God’s invisible things: “God is in Himself invisible; but as His majesty shines forth in His works and in His creatures everywhere, men ought in these to acknowledge Him, for they clearly set forth their Maker: and for this reason the Apostle in his Epistle to the Hebrews says, that this world is a mirror or the representation of invisible things.¹³ He does not mention all the particulars which may be thought to belong to God; but he states, that we can arrive at the knowledge of his eternal power and divinity; for he who is the framer of all things, must necessarily be without beginning and from himself. When we arrive at this point, the divinity becomes known to us, which cannot exist except accompanied with all the attributes of a God, since they are all included under that idea.”¹⁴

Bible teacher H. A. Ironside sees a simple formula here. He writes: “As many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law. No principle could be sounder. Men are held responsible for what they know or might know if they would. They are not condemned for ignorance unless that ignorance is the result of the willful rejection of light. ‘Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.‘¹⁵”¹⁶ In other words, the evidence is there if people will just look at it, but some are so comfortable in their ignorance they don’t want to learn anything new.

Charles Hodge adds: “Though the revelation of God in His works is sufficient to render men inexcusable, it does not follow that it is sufficient to lead men, blinded by sin, to a saving knowledge of Himself. As Paul says of the law, that it was weak through the flesh, that is, insufficient on account of our corruption, so it may be said of the light of nature, that, although sufficient in itself as a revelation, it is not sufficient, considering the indisposition and inattention of men to [understand] divine things.”¹⁷

Charles Spurgeon adds to this by saying: “Men who never heard the gospel can see God in His works if they open their eyes. There is written upon the face of nature enough to condemn men if they do not turn to God. There is a gospel of the sea, and of the heavens, of the stars, and of the sun; and if men will not read it, they are guilty, for they are willfully ignorant of what they might know, and ought to know.”¹⁸

Albert Barnes uses Paul’s indictment of the philosophers in his day to admonish the people of his own day:¹⁹ “How true and fearful is this, respecting that great multitude in Christian lands who have the Bible, and who never read it; who are within the reach of the sanctuary, and never enter it; who are admonished by friends, and by the Providences of God, and who regard it not; and who look upon the heavens, and even yet see no proof of the eternal power and Godhead of Him who made them all! Nay, there are those who are apprised of the discoveries of modern astronomy, and who yet do not seem to reflect that all these glories are proof of the existence of an eternal God; and who live in ignorance of religion as really as the pagan, and in crimes as decided and malignant as disgraced the darkest ages of the world. For such there is no excuse, or shadow of excuse, to be offered in the day of doom. And there is no fact more melancholy in our history, and no one thing that more proves the stupidity of people, than this sad forgetfulness of Him that made the heavens, even amid all the wonders and glories that have come fresh from the hand of God, and that everywhere speak His praise.”²⁰

John Stott gives us this thought to consider: “There are degrees of the knowledge of God, and these phrases cannot possibly refer to the full knowledge of Him enjoyed by those who have been reconciled to Him through Christ. For what Paul says here is that through general revelation people can know God’s power, deity, and glory (not His saving grace through Christ) and that this knowledge is not enough to save them but rather to condemn them, because they do not live up to it. Instead, they suppress the truth by their wickedness, so that they are without excuse. It is against this willful human rebellion that God’s wrath is revealed.”²¹

I remember reading a quote that said: “Reputations are created every day and every minute.” It is attributed to a gentleman named Christopher Ruel. By making this statement, Mr. Ruel created his own reputation as a man who knows what he’s talking about.

Reputation is described as the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or something. But it is also understood that while reputations are created, they must continue to perform as advertised in order to gain value. The more you repeat something, the more people will begin to expect that of you. If it’s good, then the value of your reputation grows. If it’s unacceptable, then the value of your reputation plunges until it’s not worth a penny.

We are told that reputation plays a central role in human societies. Empirical and theoretical work indicates that a good reputation is valuable in that it increases one’s expected payoff in the future. That’s because reputation is a rough measurement of how much the community trusts you; it is earned by convincing your peers that you know what you’re talking about. So, the more your reputation grows in value, the more privileges you gain.

Here are some thoughts from an article I read in Psychology Today. The value of a good reputation begins by knowing that by not always accepting our own answer to everything it increases the value of our reputation. The benefits of a good reputation will earn us trust, faith, belief, confidence, and assurance. People will begin to believe in us as a person of our word. Acknowledging mistakes and a willingness to learn will also increase people’s tendency to put stock in our character.

Remember this, we may have influence over our reputation, but we will never have full control of it. We should consider it a more valuable asset than our job, house, car, or money. We may have what we feel is a healthy self-esteem and, therefore, we have no interest in what others think of us. Keep this in mind: A good reputation can be used as an instrument for not only maintaining our self-esteem but to help us navigate through daily life, a good thing for smoothing out our journey over bumpy roads. But a bad reputation may cause doors to be slammed in our face and thereby destroying any confidence we have in ourselves.¹ Think of it this way: you may start your reputation but others will build it. What really counts is what you give them as material to construct your reputation in their eyes. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

CONGRATULATIONS IF YOU WERE BORN IN THE 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s or early 80’s!!!

I read this humorous article and thought you’d get a kick out of it too.

Many of you born in these decades survived being born to mothers who didn’t drink smoothies or eat nothing but yogurt while they carried us around in their wombs. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a tin, sardines from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes. Then after surviving that trauma, your baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints. You had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when you rode your bikes, you had no helmets, not to mention, the risks you took hitchhiking.

As children, you would ride in cars with no seatbelts or airbags. Sliding around on the backseat of a van or in the luggage space of a station wagon was always great fun. You drank water from the garden hose and not from a filtered water pitcher. You shared one soft drink with four friends and not one of them actually died from doing this. You ate chocolate cakes, white bread, and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but you weren’t overweight because…… YOU WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE RUNNING AROUND!

You would leave home in the morning and play outside all day, as long as you were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach you all day on a cell phone. And yet you felt safe. You would spend hours building your go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out you forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, you learned to solve the problem. You did not have Playstations, Nintendo’s, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 999 channels on cable TV, no videotape or CD movies, no surround sound, no text messaging, no laptop computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms. And when you did something you were told not to do or sassed your parents, you received a spanking and it wasn’t called child abuse.

BUT YOU HAD FRIENDS, and you went over to their house or they came over to yours so you could go down to the park and play! You fell out of trees, got cuts, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. You played with worms (well most boys did) and mud pies (as girls did), and the dirt on your hands was digested easily. You made up games with sticks and balls to play in the street, and although you were told it would happen, you didn’t poke out any eyes. You rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them to come out and play! You would play games where some would win and some would lose. No one got a trophy just for being there. You didn’t go to classes to learn how to deal with disappointment, it was part of life. The idea of a parent having to bail you out of jail if you broke the law was a rarity. They actually took the side of the law! These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, and inventors in the world! The past 50 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas your generation. You had freedom, failure, success, and responsibility, and you learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL! So congratulations, if YOU are one of them!

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ONE (Part XVIII)

Paul is not shy in revealing those things that can bring on condemnation and punishment. The first is godlessness. The Greek word Paul uses here, asebeia, means, “lacking in something.” It comes from a root word that defines, “being destitute of reverential awe.” And since the thing lacking relates to God, it refers to the total lack of reverence and respect for anything having to do with God. That includes His existence, power, rulership, laws, will, and purpose. This then spawns irreverence and disrespect for His Word. But even more sinister is that it disregards any need for God’s love, mercy, grace, and kindness, because no use is seen for them. Man determines his own destiny, therefore, God is given no say or sway over what man wants to do or be.

The second reason for condemnation and punishment is immorality. This means not having the ethics or morals to guide a person’s thoughts, intentions, and deeds. The Greek word that Paul uses suggests having no moral qualities, which leads to being evil in character. So it is easy to understand why Paul can say that such people refuse to accept the truth about their condition even though it has been made undeniably clear to them. It is like a person standing in a court of law, being shown a videotape of them actually committing a crime, yet refusing to accept it as any incriminating evidence of their desire or intent against the law.

Jesus used His own parable to illustrate such people when He told this story about servants who were told to always be ready to open the door when their master returned, even if it meant sleeping by the door. So His disciples asked what would happen to the servant who disregarded those orders. Jesus said: “That servant knew what his master wanted him to do. But he did not make himself ready or try to do what his master wanted, that servant will be punished severely!”¹

When Nicodemus came to get instructions from Jesus on the Kingdom of Heaven, John preached a sermon about that encounter and said: “People who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. But people who do not believe are already judged, because they have not believed in God’s only Son. They are judged by this fact: The light has come into the world. But they did not want light. They wanted darkness, because they were doing evil things. Everyone who does evil hates the light. They will not come to the light, because the light will expose all the bad things they have done.”²

The apostle Paul encountered this kind of conviction when he stood before Governor Felix and told him about what it means to believe in Jesus being the Christ. Luke tells us: “Felix became afraid when Paul spoke about things like doing right, self-control, and the judgment that will come in the future. He said, ‘Go away now. When I have more time, I will call for you.’”³ Later Paul would write the believers in Thessalonica: “The Man of Evil will use every kind of immorality to fool those who are lost. They are lost because they refused to love the truth and be saved.”⁴ It is like a person who sees a sign that says, “Bridge Out!” and yet keeps on driving because they believe the sign was put there to keep them from having the pleasure of going the route they want to take. Or, when they see a, “Do Not Enter” sign. They see this as a ploy to make them take a longer route instead of a shorter and faster route to their intended destination. To use the title of a popular song years ago, they want to sing, “I did it my way.” The apostle John must have felt a certain sense of frustration when he had to write these words about the Living Word: “He came to the world that was His own. But His own people refused to accept Him.”⁵

One of the early patriarchs of the eastern Greek church has this to say: “Generally speaking there are two main types of sin—discord with God and discord with one’s neighbor. Paul mentions them both, putting discord with God first because it is the greater sin, and calling it ‘ungodliness.’ He then mentions the second kind of discord, the one with one’s neighbor, calling it ‘unethical behavior.’ He even states that our entire race has rightly come under judgment, saying that they have suppressed the truth in unethical behavior. Nor can they claim to be ignorant, for knowing the truth, they perverted it.… And outlining their sins, Paul lists the one against God first, saying that they had clear and plain knowledge about God because God had revealed Himself to them.”⁶

And early church commentator Ambrosiaster adds this: “The knowledge of God is plain from the structure of the world. For God, who by nature is invisible, may be known even from things which are visible. For His work is made in such a way that it reveals its Maker by its very visibility, so that what is concealed may be known by looking at what is revealed.⁷ This is revealed so that everyone might believe that He is God, who made this cosmos, which was impossible for anyone else to do.”⁸

Reformer John Calvin comments on what mankind should know about God: “Paul thus designates what would be wise of us to know about God; and he means all that belongs to the setting forth of the glory of the Lord, or…, whatever ought to move and excite us to glorify God. And by this expression he intimates, that God in His greatness can by no means be fully comprehended by us, and that there are certain limits within which men ought to confine themselves, inasmuch as God accommodates to our small capacities what He testifies of Himself. Insane then are all they who seek to know by themselves what God is: for the Spirit, the Teacher of perfect wisdom, does not in vain invite our attention to what may be known; and by what means this is known, He immediately explains. By saying, that God has made it manifest, he [Paul] means, that man was created to be a spectator of this formed world, and that eyes were given him, that he might, by looking at so beautiful a picture, be led up to the Author Himself.”⁹

H. A. Ironside makes another point: “The heathens are without excuse. Paganism and idolatry are not steps in human evolution as man advances from slime to divinity. Heathenism is a declension, not an upward reach. The great pagan nations once knew more than they do now. The knowledge of God brought through the flood was disseminated throughout the ancient world. Back of all the great idolatrous systems is pure monotheism. But men could not stand this intimate knowledge of God for it made them uncomfortable in their sins; so a host of lesser deities and divinities were invented as go-betweens, and eventually the knowledge of the true God was entirely lost. But even today creation is His constant witness: ‘That which may be known of God is manifest to them; for God has showed it to them.’ This orderly universe with its succession of the seasons and the mathematical accuracy of the movements of the heavenly bodies bears testimony to the Divine Mind. The stars in their courses proclaim the great Creator’s power.”¹⁰

As far as how God’s indignation is revealed, Charles Hodge has this to say: “A thing is said to be revealed, when it becomes known from its effects. It is thus that the thoughts of the heart, the arm of the Lord, and wrath of God are said to be ‘revealed.’ It is not necessary therefore to infer from the use of this word, that the apostle meant to intimate that the purpose of God to punish sin was made known by any special revelation. That purpose is manifested in various ways; by the actual punishment of sin, by the inherent tendency of moral evil to produce misery, by the voice of conscience. Nor do the words ‘from heaven’ imply any extraordinary mode of communication. They are added because God dwells in heaven whence all exhibitions of His character and purposes are said to proceed. It is however implied in the whole form of expression, that this revelation is clear and certain. Men know the righteous judgment of God; they know that those who commit sin are worthy of death. As this is an ultimate truth, existing in every man’s consciousness, it is properly assumed, and made the basis of the apostle’s argument.”¹¹

Adam Clarke shares important thoughts: “Dr. John Taylor of Norwich¹² paraphrases this and the following verse thus: “Although the Gentiles had no written revelation, yet what may be known of God is everywhere manifest among them, God having made a clear discovery of Himself to them. For His being and perfections, invisible to our bodily eyes, have been, ever since the creation of the world, evident to be seen, if attentively considered, in the visible beauty, order, and operations observable in the constitution and parts of the universe; especially His eternal power and universal dominion and providence: so that they cannot plead ignorance in excuse of their idolatry and wickedness.”¹³

Bible scholar John Stott presents an interesting dialogue to explain Paul’s reasoning in these verses:

[Q: Why do you feel so assured about your mission, Paul?]

Paul: Because I am not ashamed of the gospel (v. 16a).

Q: Why not, Paul?

Paul: Because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (v. 16b).

Q: How so, Paul?

Paul: Because in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, that is, God’s way of justifying sinners (v. 17).

Q: But why is this necessary, Paul?

Paul: Because the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness (v. 18).

Q: But how have people suppressed the truth, Paul?

Paul: Because what may be known about God is plain to them … For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities … have been clearly seen … (vv. 19–20).¹⁴

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ONE (Part XVII)

Charles Spurgeon has an inspiring homily on this subject: “The gospel tells us about this living by faith, this believing, this receiving righteousness through believing, and not through working. This is the sweet story of the cross, of which Paul was not ashamed. It is through faith that a man becomes just, for otherwise, before the law of God he is convicted of being unjust: being justified by faith, he is enrolled among the just ones. It is through faith that he is at first quickened and breathes the air of heaven, for by nature he was dead in trespasses and sins. As it is by faith that we come out from the world and begin to tread the heavenly road, so it must be by faith that we walk all the journey through. Till we lay down this veil of flesh, till the angel of death shall rend the curtain and we shall see [Him] face to face, let us not hope to walk by sight or sense, but only by faith in the living God.”¹

Then, Albert Barnes takes note of the difference between God’s righteousness and man’s righteousness. He writes: “The plan of God was to arrive at it [righteousness] by faith. Here the two schemes differ; and the great design of this Epistle is to show that man cannot be justified on his own plan, to wit, by works; and that the plan of God is the only way, and a wise and glorious way of making man just in the eye of the Law. No small part of the perplexity usually attending this subject will be avoided if it is remembered that the discussion in this Epistle pertains to the question, ‘how can mortal man be just with God?’ The apostle shows that it cannot be by works; and that it ‘can be’ by faith. This latter is what he calls the ‘righteousness of God’ which is revealed in the gospel.”²

John Stott offers a helpful interpretation of the quote from Habakkuk 2:4. He says: “The prophet had complained that God intended to raise up the ruthless Babylonians to punish Israel. How could He use the wicked to judge the wicked? Habakkuk was told that whereas the proud Babylonians would fall, the righteous Israelite would live by his faith, that is, in the context, by his humble, steadfast trust in God.”³ This has led many scholars to take the word “faith” here not only to mean faith in God and His Word, but the faith needed to remain faithful.

Douglas Moo also has an excellent section in his commentary on this discussion of righteousness and justification by faith in the writings of Paul that is much too long to include here, but as far as its vital role he has this to say: “Justification by faith is the anthropological reflex of Paul’s basic conviction that what God has done in Christ for sinful human beings is entirely a matter of grace (see especially 3:24; 4:1-8, 16).”⁴ In that sense, it is beyond the control and approval of man. Only God can justify, and He will only justify those drawn to Him by the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul must have sensed the same confusion that would occur among those to whom he is writing in Rome, so he adds this explanation of how man’s efforts at righteousness had turned into unrighteousness:

Verse 18-19: We see God’s indignation sent from heaven against the ungodliness and unethical behavior of mankind who water down the truth about God. It’s not that they are truly ignorant about God because He has made His indignation plain for them to see.

Up until now, Paul has shown the positive side in his introduction of the Good News. But it would be absurd if God offered a plan of redemption and salvation if there was nothing to be redeemed and saved from. Why would the Gospel need any power if there was nothing that needed to be broken so people could be freed? That would be like a game where you could win a, “Get out of jail free” card, but there is no jail. Jail represents a form of punishment for wrongdoing. So with this verse, Paul develops his view of why mankind was in such dire need of salvation.

After establishing such a broad and sound foundation, it is interesting to see what he will now construct on this foundation of spiritual knowledge. We will discover that it is equally necessary for the Gentile and the Jew to recognize the same Jesus as their true Messiah. In the case of the Gentiles, it would require giving up their pagan habits and idolatry and taking hold of the plan offered to them by God to join the family of God. With the Jews, it would demand that they stop the impossible task of following the Law under the old agreement and accept the grace of God through Christ under the new agreement. In both cases, it would take faith.

Reformist Martin Luther makes this observation: “Here the Apostle begins to show that all men live in sin and folly, in order that they may realize that their wisdom and righteousness are in vain and they need the righteousness of Christ. This He illustrates, first of all, by describing the moral condition of the heathen.”⁵ In other words, the negative results that ensue after the sinful habits of sinners clearly show how abominable they are in God’s sight. That in itself should be a witness to them that there is a God, and that He loves what is right and despises what is wrong.

John Calvin speaks about the revelation of God’s displeasure from heaven against those who misinterpret the Gospel. Calvin writes: “Paul reasons now… that there is no righteousness except what is conferred, or comes through the gospel; for he shows that without this all men are condemned: by it alone there is salvation to be found. And he brings, as the first proof of condemnation, the fact, — that though the structure of the world, and the most beautiful arrangement of the elements, ought to have induced man to glorify God, yet no one discharged his proper duty: it hence appears that all were guilty of blasphemy, and of wicked and atrocious ingratitude.”⁶

John Bengel ties what Isaiah is quoted by Paul as saying here with what Isaiah said in verse 19. To this degree then, Israel did not sin in ignorance, but knowingly. By showing glory to them, they should have praised Him in thanksgiving. Furthermore, they should have rendered thanks to Him for His benefits in keeping them under His care as He led them out of Egypt and through the wilderness. But instead of glorifying Him, they became vain in their own glory. Bengel goes on to say: “The heart, which through these vanities had become foolish, became too dark, losing the truth entirely.”⁷

H. A. Ironside remarks: “We have seen that the gospel reveals the righteousness of God. The apostle now proceeds to show the need for such a revelation, and piles proof upon proof, evidence upon evidence, and scripture upon scripture to demonstrate the solemn fact that man has no righteousness of his own, but is both by nature and practice utterly unsuited to a God of infinite holiness whose throne is established on righteousness…. In a masterly way, he brings the whole world into court and shows that condemnation rests upon all because all have sinned. Mankind is guilty, hopelessly so, and can do nothing to retrieve his condition. If God has no righteousness for him his case is ended.”⁸

Charles Hodge adds his thoughts to this: “The wrath of God is His punitive justice, His determination to punish sin. The passion which is called anger or wrath, and which is always mixed more or less with malignity in the human breast, is of course infinitely removed from what the word imports when used in reference to God. Yet as anger in man leads to the infliction of evil on its object, the word is, agreeably, to a principle which pervades the Scriptures, applied to the calm and undeviating purpose of the Divine mind, which secures the connection between sin and misery, with the same general uniformity that any other law in the physical or moral government of God operates.”⁹

Then Charles Spurgeon has this to say: “Those last words may be read, ‘Who hold down the truth in unrighteousness.’ They will not let the truth work upon their hearts; they will not allow it to operate in their minds, but they try to make it an excuse for their sin. Is there anybody here who is holding down the truth to prevent it entering his heart? I fear that there are some such persons, who have come here for years, and the truth has pricked them, troubled them, made them lie awake at night; but they are holding it down, like one who grasps a wild animal by the ears, and holds it down for fear it should bite him. Oh, sirs, when you are afraid of the truth, you may well be afraid of hell! When you and the truth quarrel, you had better end your fighting soon, for you will have the worst of it if you do not yield.”¹⁰

Albert Barnes also employs a comparison between man’s admiration for ethical law and divine law. He writes: “We admire the character of a ruler who is opposed to all crime in the community, and who expresses those feelings in the laws. And the more he is opposed to vice and crime, the more we admire his character and his laws; then why shall we be not equally pleased with God, who is opposed to all crime in all parts of the universe, and who determines to express it in the proper way for the sake of preserving order and promoting peace?”¹¹

Douglas Moo makes this point: “Truth in the NT is not simply something to which one must give mental assent; it is something to be done, to be obeyed. When people act sinfully, rebelling against God’s just rule, they fail to embrace the truth and so suppress it. In this case, as Meyer says, they ‘do not let it develop itself into power and influence on their religious knowledge and moral condition.’¹²”¹³

The phrase in our text: “who withhold the truth about God,” is rendered in the KJV as: “who hold the truth in unrighteousness.” Methodist theologian Adam Clarke writes this: “In what sense could it be said that the heathen held the truth in unrighteousness when they really didn’t have the truth? Some think this refers to the conduct of their best philosophers, such as Socrates, Plato, Seneca, etc., who knew much more of the Divine nature than they thought safe or prudent to explore; and who acted in many things contrary to the light which they enjoyed. Others think this to be spoken of the Gentiles in general, who either did know or might have known, much of God from the works of creation, as the apostle intimates in the following verses. But German Protestant theologian Ernst Friedrich Karl Rosenmüller and some others contend that the word “katechō” here does not signify to hold, but to hinder; and that the place should be translated, who through maliciousness hinder the truth; i.e. prevent it from taking hold of their hearts, and from governing their conduct.”

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ONE (Part XVI)

Now we look at the context in which this message of the “Just” living by faith was delivered. In Habakkuk, this phrase is used at the end of God’s answer to Habakkuk’s complaint about those things that were going on in Israel in contrast to what was going on with Israel’s enemies. God says: “Write down what I will show you. Write it clearly on a sign so that the message will be easy to read by a runner. This message is about a special time in the future. This message is about the end, and it will come true. Just be patient and wait for it. That time will come; it will not be late.”¹ Then God tells Habakkuk: “This message cannot help those who refuse to listen to it, but those who are good [the Just] will live because they believe it.”²

So, in what context does Paul use this phrase? Paul had just written: “I am proud of the Gospel because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes—to save the Jews first, and now to save those who are not Jews. The Gospel shows how God makes people right with Himself. God’s way of making people right begins and ends with faith.” In other words, the end times that were spoken of in Habakkuk had now come. Therefore, says Paul, “The one who is right with God [the Just] will by faith live forever.”³

Paul repeats this same phrase in his letter to the Galatians. There, he is talking about how the Jews expect to be saved by works instead of grace. He writes: “People who depend on following the law to make them right are under a curse. As the Scriptures say, ‘They must do everything that is written in the law. If they do not always obey, they are under a curse.’⁴ So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by the law. The Scriptures say, ‘The one who is right with God [the Just]will by faith live forever.’⁵”⁶ So again, Paul states that remaining true to one’s confession of faith in Christ as Savior will be the power that guarantees eternal life.

Finally, this phrase is repeated in the Message to the Hebrews. This gives us even more reason to believe that Paul wrote this message to scattered Jews who had become followers of Christ. There, he is speaking about keeping one’s courage and patience in their struggle while living under persecution and suffering. He writes: “Don’t lose the courage that you had in the past. Your courage will be rewarded richly. You must be patient. After you have done what God wants, you will get what He promised you. He says, ‘Very soon now, the one who is coming will come and will not be late. The person who is right with me [the Just] will live by trusting in me. But I will not be pleased with the one who turns back in fear.’⁷”⁸ So, from the first mention to the last the context reveals that every believer must stick to their confession, conviction, and crusade of living for Christ in this world no matter what the cost.

Early church bishop Theodoret has an interesting commentary on this verse: “The righteousness of God is not revealed to everyone but only to those with the eyes of faith. For the holy apostle teaches us that God foresaw this for us from the beginning and predicted it through the prophets, and even before the prophets, had it hidden in His secret will. Paul quoted Habakkuk for the benefit of the Jews because he wanted to teach them not to cling to the provisions of the law but to follow the prophets. For many centuries before they had predicted that one day there would be salvation by faith alone. Then departing from his admonition to the Jews, he accuses everyone else of having brazenly departed from the natural law which the Creator had placed in them. For when God made them, He did not allow them to live like beasts but honored them with reason and gave them the ability to know the difference between good and evil. Those who lived righteous lives before the time of Moses confirm this by their witness.”⁹

On this same subject, Martin Luther speaks to a problem in his day on how the church understood and taught the imparting of righteousness: “God’s righteousness is that by which we become worthy of His great salvation, or through which alone we are righteous before Him. Human teachers set forth and inculcate the righteousness of men, that is, who is righteous, or how a person becomes righteous. Both in his own eyes and those of others. Only the Gospel reveals the righteousness of God, that is, who is righteous or how a person become righteous before God, namely, alone by faith, which trusts the Word of God.”¹⁰

In light of what Luther says, think of this illustration: Imagine a towering mountain, like Mt. Everest, and let’s call it Mt. Righteousness. From the beginning, people tried to climb this mountain because it was said that whosoever reached the top would find the fountain of everlasting life. Yet, no one, not one, was able to make it to the top. Then comes a man sent from God who is able to make it to the top. Not only that, but He clearly marks the path for others to follow. Yet, they insist on doing it their way, following their own path, so that they will owe nothing to Him for their success. Such is the case with the righteousness of God. Only Christ was able to achieve it, and only by following His path can anyone reach that pinnacle. There is no other way.

John Calvin speaks about the righteousness of God by saying: “Now this righteousness, which is the groundwork of our salvation, is revealed in the gospel: hence the gospel is said to be the power of God unto salvation. Thus he reasons from the cause to the effect. Notice further, how extraordinary and valuable a treasure God bestows on us through the gospel, even the communication of His own righteousness. I take the righteousness of God to mean, that which is approved before His tribunal; as that, on the contrary, is usually called the righteousness of men, which is by men counted and supposed to be righteousness, though it be only vapor. Paul, however, I doubt not, alludes to the many prophecies in which the Spirit makes known everywhere the righteousness of God in the future kingdom of Christ.”¹¹

John Bengel (1687-1752), the father of modern biblical scholarship, has much to say about this subject of the righteousness of God and man. In Bengel’s mind, God’s righteousness is how He acts and what He does through grace and mercy to justify His saving the sinner while He is clearly condemning the sin in their lives. This then is what is called, “justification.” Therefore, any righteousness a believer may have is a derivative of God’s righteousness, by which a person (through the gift of God, See Matthew 6:33) becomes righteous and lives righteously. And laying hold of that righteousness is done by receiving and accepting Jesus Christ, through faith, as their Lord and Savior (see Romans 3:21-22). So it is not man who originated and designed righteousness, it is God who reveals and bestows it, approves and crowns it (See 2 Peter 1:1) on those He calls and chooses. This then makes it easier to see the difference between God’s righteousness and man’s righteousness.¹²

Bible scholar and teacher H. A. Ironside gives us this to think about: “This gospel had been demonstratively proven to be the divine dynamic bringing deliverance to all who put faith in it, whether the religious Jew or the cultured Greek. It was the power of God and the wisdom of God unto salvation. It met every need of the mind, the conscience, and the heart of man, for in it the righteousness of God was revealed faith-wise. This I take to be the real meaning of the somewhat difficult expression translated ‘from faith to faith.’ It is really ‘out of faith unto faith.’ That is, on the principle of faith to those who have faith. In other words, it is not a doctrine of salvation by works, but a proclamation of salvation entirely on the faith principle. This had been declared to Habakkuk long centuries before when God said to the troubled prophet, ‘The just shall live by faith‘.”¹³

Charles Hodge has much to say on the subject of being right with of God, but here is a part of what he says: “The reason why the gospel has the effectiveness ascribed to it in the preceding verse, is not because of its pure morality, or because it reveals and confirms a future state of retribution, but because the righteousness of God is therein revealed. As this is one of those expressions which are employed to convey ideas peculiar to the gospel, its meaning is to be learned not merely from the signification of the words, but from parallel passages, and from the explanations given in the gospel itself of the whole subject to which it relates. That ‘justice’ cannot here be understood of a divine attribute, such as rectitude, justice, goodness, or veracity, is obvious, because it is a ‘righteousness which is by faith’, i.e., attained by faith, of which the apostle speaks. Besides, it is elsewhere said to be without law,¹⁴ to be a gift,¹⁵ not to be our own,¹⁶ to be from God.¹⁷ These and similar forms of expression are inconsistent with the assumption that the apostle is speaking of a divine attribute. The righteousness of God, therefore, must mean either the righteousness of which God is the author, or which he approves.”¹⁸

Adam Clarke also has a very interesting comment on the term “righteousness.” He writes: “There are few words in the sacred writings which are taken in a greater variety of acceptations than the word ‘tsedakah‘ in Hebrew, and ‘dikaiosynē’ in Greek, both of which we generally translate as ‘righteousness.’ Our English word was originally ‘rightwiseness,’ from the Anglo-Saxon justice, right, and to know; and thus the righteous man was a person who was allowed to understand the claims of justice and right, and who, knowing them, acted according to their dictates. Such a man is thoroughly wise; he aims at the attainment of the best end by the use of the best means. This is a true definition of wisdom, and the righteous man is he that knows most and acts best. The Hebrew ‘tsadak,’ in its ideal meaning, contains the notion of a beam or scales in equipoise, what we call ‘even balance;’ and it is well-known that in all the personifications of Justice, both ancient and modern, she is represented as a beautiful female with a bandage on her eyes, and a beam and scales in her hand, so perfectly poised that neither end preponderates. The Greek word ‘dikaiosynē’ has been derived from ‘dikazo’ to divide; and hence justice because it is the property of this virtue to divide to each his due… Both the noun ‘dikaiosynē’ and the verb ‘dikaioō’ (justify), have a great variety of meaning in the New Testament; but they are all reducible to this original idea, acting according to the requisitions of justice or right.”¹⁹

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ONE (Part XV)

We also read what one early church patriarch had to say about the power of the Gospel: “Those who objected to the Christian gospel ridiculed it, mocking it because of its absurdity. For there is nothing more ridiculous than the word of someone who preaches that the Son of God was born and brought up by Jews, who rejects neither the cross nor death, who says moreover not only that Christ rose from the dead but that He ascended to heaven as Lord of all, that He will raise everyone else from the dead, and other things the apostles preached. The pagans mocked these things and ridiculed them, thinking that they would make the apostles shut up. Therefore, St. Paul feeling obliged to reply to this opinion of the apostles, began his teaching thus: ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel.’”¹

In reference to the power of the Gospel, Martin Luther has this to say: “The Gospel is called the power of God in contradistinction to the power of man. The latter is the ability by which he, according to his carnal opinion, obtains salvation by his own strength, and performs the things which are of the flesh. But this ability God by the Cross of Christ, has utterly declared null and void, and He now gives us His own power by which the spiritual is empowered unto salvation.”² So the word “power” is the important term here. In Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, he describes the usage of the word dynamis here in the same sense as the power to heal diseases. In other words, “the power to make things happen.”

Reformist John Calvin offers this comment about Paul not being ashamed of the Gospel he preached: “This is an anticipation of an objection; for he declares beforehand, that he cared not for the taunts of the ungodly; and he thus provides a way for himself, by which he proceeds to pronounce a eulogy on the value of the gospel, that it might not appear contemptible to the Romans. He indeed intimates that it was contemptible in the eyes of the world; and he does this by saying, that he was not ashamed of it. And thus he prepares them for bearing the reproach of the cross of Christ, lest they should esteem the gospel of less value by finding it exposed to the scoffs and reproaches of the ungodly; and, on the other hand, he shows how valuable it was to the faithful. If in the first place, the power of God ought to be extolled by us, that power shines forth in the gospel; if again, the goodness of God deserves to be sought and loved by us, the gospel is a display of His goodness. It ought then to be reverenced and honored since veneration is due to God’s power; and as it avails to our salvation, it ought to be loved by us.”³

Charles Hodge offers this definitive exhortation: “We have here the two great doctrines set forth in this epistle. First, salvation is by faith; and secondly, it is universally applicable, to the Greek as well as to the Jew. The faith of which the apostle here speaks includes a firm persuasion of the truth and a reliance or trust on the object of faith. Sometimes the one, sometimes the other of these ideas is expressed by the word, and very often both are united. The meaning of the term is not to be determined so much by philosophical analysis as by scriptural usage. For the question is not what is the abstract nature of the act of believing, philosophically considered, but what act or state of mind is expressed by the words ‘believing’ and ‘faith’ in the various constructions in which they occur. It is rare indeed that the state of mind expressed by any word is so simple as not to admit of being resolved into various elements… So also with the word faith, the exercise which it expresses includes a perception of its object and its qualities, that is, it includes knowledge; secondly, an assent of the mind to the truth of the thing believed, and very often a reliance or trust on the object of faith. Assent is therefore but one of the elements of saving faith, that is, it is but one of the constituents of that state of mind which, in a multitude of cases, is in the Bible expressed by the word. And as the great object of interest to Christians is not a philosophical definition of a word, but a knowledge of the sense in which it is used in the word of God, we must recur to the usage of the Scriptures themselves to determine what that faith is which is connected with salvation.”⁴

Adam Clarke gives his commentary on Paul being unashamed of the Gospel: “This text is best illustrated by Isaiah,⁵ quoted later by the apostle: ‘As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”’⁶ That is, they will neither be confounded nor disappointed of their hope… 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.”⁷

Charles Spurgeon adds his homiletical commentary here: “Many other people were ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It was too simple; it had not enough of mystery about it; it had not enough of worldly wisdom about it. Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,” and then gives his reason for not being ashamed of it. At this day, is not the gospel in itself the rod of Jehovah’s strength? Is it not the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes? And does not our beloved apostle constantly insist upon it, that it is not with wisdom of words, nor with fineness of speech, lest the excellency of the power should not be of God, but of man; and lest man’s faith should stand in the wisdom of man, and not in the power of the Most High?”⁸

Albert Barnes continues this thought on the effect of this power to offer and complete salvation: “The apostle commences his discussion with one of the important doctrines of the Christian religion, the final preservation of the saints. He is not defending the gospel for any temporary object, or with any temporary hope. He looks through the system and sees in it a plan for the complete and eternal recovery of all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. When he says it is the power of God unto salvation, he means that it is the power of God for the attainment of salvation. This is the end or the design of this exertion of power.”⁹

John Stott gives us his impression: “I once heard James Stewart of Edinburgh, in a sermon on this text, make the perceptive comment that ‘there’s no sense in declaring that you’re not ashamed of something unless you’ve been tempted to feel ashamed of it’. And without doubt, Paul knew this temptation. He told the Corinthians that he came to them ‘in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.’ He knew that the message of the cross was ‘foolishness’ to some and ‘a stumbling-block’ to others because it undermines self-righteousness and challenges self-indulgence. So whenever the gospel is faithfully preached, it arouses opposition, often contempt, and sometimes ridicule.”¹⁰

During the years I worked in the Philippians I met a lady with a beautiful, powerful, and anointed voice named Maricris Bermont who became my favorite singer (next to my mom). At a Philippine Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship in Manila, I heard her sing this song for the first time, and it thrilled my heart and soul each and every time she sang it after that. The final chorus to the song goes:

That’s why I am not ashamed of the gospel

The gospel of Jesus Christ

No, I am not afraid to be counted

But I’m willing to give my life

See I’m ready to be

All He wants me to be

Give up the wrong for the right

No, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ

No, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ

I’ve got too much behind me

To let this world blind me

To some, He’s just a name

But to me, He’s my everything

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ

No, I am not ashamed of the gospel

Oh, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Verse 17: The Gospel shows how God reconciles people to Himself. God’s way of making people right begins and ends with faith. As the Scriptures say, “The one who is right with God will live by faith forever.”¹¹

Now Paul adds more to his exposition on the Good News and what it contains and is able to do. First, he said it had to power to save. Now he says it has the power to reconcile. But this is not a one-way street. God offers, but mankind must accept; God reaches out, but mankind must take hold. This is done by faith. Here Paul quotes a phrase that had already become a mantra among the Jews. It first appears in the text of Habakkuk: “The just shall live by faith.”¹² The Jewish Bible renders it: “The righteous will attain life through trusting faithfulness.” And the Aramaic Version reads: “But the righteous will live by his faith.”

So we see two key words here in understanding what the prophet Habakkuk had to say and how the apostle Paul understood it. The first is the word “Just.” The Hebrew word tsaddiyq in Habakkuk means one who does what is right, not only according to the law, but also in harmony with their morals, ethics, and virtues, especially to their neighbors and strangers. The Greek word dikaios means the same thing. This describes someone who is virtuous in keeping the commands of God and being fair in their judgment when dealing with others.

The second is the word “Faith.” The Hebrew word “’emuwnah” refers to firmness, fidelity, steadfastness, and steadiness in fulfilling one’s promises. The Greek word “pistis” is defined as conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it. Today, the word “trust” may fit the context better than faith. When put together, we see that this phrase complies completely with what Jesus said was the two greatest commandments a believer must have and follow: “[Faith] You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And [being Just], Love your neighbor as yourself.”¹³

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER ONE (Part XIV)

This apostle to the non-Jews had the same attitude that we find in the prophet Isaiah. After he saw the glory of the LORD, and one of the Seraph’s took a hot coal from the altar and touched Isaiah’s lips, he heard the LORD calling out desperately: “Who can I send? Who will go for us?” So without hesitation, Isaiah responded immediately: “Here I am. Send me!”¹ Paul would share that same passion for the Corinthians: “It’s not my work of telling the Good News that gives me any reason to boast. That is my duty—something I must do. If I don’t tell people the Good News, I am in real trouble. If I did it because it was my own choice, I would deserve to be paid. But I have no choice. I must tell the Good News. So I am only doing the duty that was given to me.”² Here Paul gives a clear signal that when someone receives a calling they should constantly be reminded, they are not in it for themselves but they are in it for the One who called them. That’s why Paul could endure his inconveniences, persecutions, rejections, beatings, imprisonment, and shipwreck, to exclaim quite assuredly: “I can do everything God asks me to do with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.”³

This means that Paul’s sense of duty was not a formality. He was compassionate about spreading the Gospel to all who would hear, especially those who had never heard the name Messiah before. As far as he was concerned, he had everything to gain and nothing to lose. All that he had accomplished as a compliant Jew and Pharisee was now thrown aside to put on the apron of a servant of Christ. He told the believers in Philippi: “At one time all these things were important to me. But because of Christ, I decided that they are now worth nothing. Not only these things but now I think that all things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Christ, I lost all these things, and now I know that they are all worthless trash. All I want now is Christ.”⁴

Early church preacher Chrysostom has this to say about Paul’s testimony of faithfulness: “What a noble soul Paul was! Having taken on himself a task full of such great danger, a voyage across the sea, temptations, intrigues, uprisings—for it was likely that one who was going to address so great a city, which was under the tyranny of ungodliness, should undergo temptations thick as snowflakes. He lost his life in this way, cut down by a tyrant. Yet still, he was ready to undergo great troubles. In fact, he was enthusiastic even in travail, even as one in haste. He was in a constant state of preparation.”⁵ The most recent candidate nominated for approval to the United States Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch, said in his acceptance speech: “A judge who likes every result he reaches is very likely a bad judge.” Meaning, we are all susceptible to misjudging situations, and such should be taken as learning curves, not failures.

Preacher Charles Spurgeon makes this point: “He had preached the gospel throughout a great part of Asia, he had crossed over into Europe, he had proclaimed the Word through Greece; and if ever an opportunity should occur for him to get to the capital of the world, whatever might be the danger to which he would be exposed, he was prepared to go. He was ready to go anywhere for Jesus, anywhere to preach the gospel, anywhere to win a soul, anywhere to comfort the people of God. I do not suppose that Paul guessed that he would be sent to Rome at the government expense, but he was. The Roman Empire had to find a ship for him, and a proper escort for him, too; and he entered the city as an ambassador in bonds. When our hearts are set on a thing, and we pray for it, God may grant us the blessing; but, it may be, in a way that we never looked for.”⁶

Albert Barnes hears Paul saying, as he reaches a crescendo at the end of this first section of his letter: “’I am prepared to preach among you, and to show the power of the gospel, even in the splendid metropolis of the world.’ He was not deterred by any fear; nor was he indifferent to their welfare; but he was under God’s direction. and as far as He gave him the opportunity, he was ready to make known to them the gospel, as he had done at Antioch, Ephesus, Athens, and Corinth. This closes the introduction or preface to the Epistle. Having shown his deep interest in their welfare, he proceeds in the next verse to state to them the great doctrines of that gospel which he was desirous of proclaiming to them.”⁷

John Stott makes these points about the Greek text: “The NIV, ‘I am bound, and the RSV, ‘I am under obligation’ should properly be translated ‘I am [a] debtor’ (AV).”⁸ The question is why did Paul feel indebted to the believers in Rome? Stott says the answer is because Jesus Christ had entrusted him with the Gospel for them and he would be remiss if he did not pass it on to them. In other words, he is in indebted to them for Jesus’ sake. When taken in that sense, it should make every believer feel indebted to God after having been given the truth of the Gospel to share with those around them.⁹ And that feeling of indebtedness should never be satisfied until the believer actively witnesses to everyone the Holy Spirit leads to them or those He leads them to, about the good news of Jesus Christ. To say that Jesus would be pleased is an understatement. As Stott concludes: “We are debtors to the world, even though we are not apostles. If the gospel has come to us (which it has), we have no liberty to keep it to ourselves. Nobody may claim a monopoly of the gospel. Good news is for sharing. We are under obligation to make it known to others.”¹⁰

Verse 16: For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes – to save the Jews first, and now to save those who are not Jews.

This verse must be viewed in context to gain a fuller understanding of what Paul announces here about His commitment to the Gospel. First, in verses 11-12 Paul tells the Roman believers that he has long desired to come to Rome to meet them and teach about spiritual gifts so that both he and they will be encouraged to remain faithful. Then in verse 13, the apostle admits that things kept getting in the way but that he still hadn’t given up. And, in verses 14-15, he talks about how indebted he feels to all races and classes of people that they should hear the gospel preached to them, especially those in Rome. So that raises the question, why did he feel so purpose-driven? Why was he so insistent on delivering his message about the Gospel of Christ to them? Because he was not ashamed to preach the message of salvation through Christ to everyone who believes. I used to paraphrase this verse to read: “For I am proud of the Gospel of Christ…” Paul showed his allegiance to the Gospel during the time he traveled preaching the Gospel around Asia Minor and Greece. As he told the Corinthians: “This is the message we tell everyone: Christ was killed on a cross. This message is a problem for Jews, and to other people it is nonsense. But Christ is God’s power and wisdom to the people God has chosen, both Jews and Greeks.”¹¹

It should be noted that Paul refers to the power of the Gospel to liberate. “Power” was Rome’s big claim. They had political power, military power, and economic power. Today we hear echoes of the same applied to groups and countries: such as “people power,” “super power.” We can add to this: “money power,” “voting power,” etc. But even as it was in the days of the apostles, the Gospel of Christ is still the only power today that can set people free from the bondage of sin. No wonder the apostle wanted to come to this empire city and show what real power looked like, and that was the power of the Good News.

When it came to proclaiming what God says is the right thing to share, even David was not bashful about telling everyone. He writes: “I told the good news of victory to the people in the great assembly. And, Lord, you know that I will never stop telling that good news. I told about the good things you did. I did not hide these things in my heart. I spoke of how you can be trusted to save us.”¹² And another Psalmist had this to say: “I will tell people how good you are. I will tell about all the times you saved me – too many times to count.”¹³ One Psalmist went so far as to say: “I will discuss your instructions with kings, and no one will embarrass me.”¹⁴

Paul grew up in this Jewish culture where God’s Word was respected and revered. So it’s not hard to imagine that when he was given the Gospel directly through God’s Son, his esteem and awe for the Word would be enhanced. And little did Paul know at this time, how he would, in fact, do what the Psalmist said, be willing to tell kings about what he was given from above. And since Paul received his revelation from Christ, he was determined to do what Jesus said: “Don’t be ashamed of me and my teaching. If that happens, I will be ashamed of you when I come with the glory of my Father and the holy angels.”¹⁵

Then Paul gives his reason why he was so proud of the Good News he carried to every place the Holy Spirit led him. He defines it clearly: “It is God’s method of saving everyone who believes in what they are hearing.” The prophet Isaiah said it was God’s way of revealing how strong His arm is to save.¹⁶ And Jeremiah was told by God: “Isn’t my word like fire, like a hammer shattering rocks?”¹⁷ So Paul had no trouble telling the Corinthians: “The teaching about the cross seems foolish to those who are lost. But to us who are saved, it is the power of God.”¹⁸ So for Paul, the dynamo producing the power in the Gospel was that the Messiah had come to deliver. It had the power to draw; the power to break the chains of sin and set sinners free; the power to sanctify believers for God’s use, and the power to inspire them to give their all for the One who gave His all for them.

Early church scholar Pelagius had this point to make: “This is subtly intended to censure the pagans who, although they do not hesitate to believe that their god Jupiter turned himself into irrational animals and inanimate gold all for the sake of his monstrous lust, think that we Christians should be ashamed to believe that our Lord was crucified in the flesh he assumed, in order to save his image.… At the same time Paul is also bearing in mind those heretics who think that the crucifixion is something unworthy of God, not realizing that nothing is more fitting for the Creator than to care for the salvation of His creatures, particularly as He could not suffer any loss to His own nature, which is not subject to corruption. There is no power greater than the one which overcame death and restored to man the life he had lost,¹⁹ even if this seems like a weakness to an unbeliever.”²⁰

SOMETHING TO PIN ON YOUR WALL

Free people, remember this maxim: We may acquire liberty, but it is never recovered if it is once lost.¹ This was written in 1772 by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a Swiss philosopher whose political philosophy influenced the Enlightenment movement in France and throughout Europe.

Rousseau’s words certainly made it across the ocean to the Colonies in the New World because in a letter from John Adams to his wife Abigail on July 7, 1775, Adams wrote: “Our consolation must be this, my dear, that cities may be rebuilt, and a people reduced to poverty may acquire fresh property: But a Constitution of Government once changed from freedom, can never be restored. Liberty once lost is lost forever. When the people once surrender their share in the legislature, and their right of defending the limitations upon the Government, and of resisting every encroachment upon them, they can never regain it.”

What makes these words of Rousseau so pertinent and apropos to our modern day, is what he wrote before stating this maxim. He said: “I’m not denying that there are times in the history of states when. . . .violence and revolutions jolt the populace into remembering the past, so that the state, set on fire by civil wars, is so to speak born again from its ashes, and with a renewed vigor of youth springs from the jaws of death… But such events are rare; they are exceptions, always to be explained in terms of the particular constitution of the exceptional state. They can’t even happen twice to the same people… when the civic spring has wound down. Then disturbances can destroy it, but revolutions can’t rebuild it: it needs a master, not a liberator. Free people, remember this maxim: We may acquire liberty, but it is never recovered if it is once lost.”

This should give us all something to seriously think about. – Dr. Robert R Seyda