Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 8 · Section 3 · Subsection 21 – Subsection 23
Quest. 21. How we are said to be heires, and what our inheritance is.
v. 7. If we be children, then also heires: 1. Chrysostome here well observeth the Apostles wisdome, who while he spake of heauie things, as what they should suffer, if they liued after the flesh, v. 13. passed it ouer quickly, but now treating of the priuiledges of the faithfull, and of the good things, which are giuen vntounto them, he amplyfieth his speach: that they are Sonnes, and not onelyonly so, but heires, and heires of great things euen of God, and ioynt heires with Christ.
2. Origen also here noteth, that the Apostle still ex consequentibus syllogismum nectit, doth frame a syllogisme by the consequents: as ye hauehave receiued the spirit of adoption, therefore ye are sonnes: if sonnes, ye are heires: for the servant expecteth a reward, the sonne looketh for the inheritance: and if heires then the heires of God, and heires of glorie.
3. But there is great difference betweene this inheritance, and the inheritances of men. 1. Origen noteth, that with men all sonnes are not inheritors, as Abraham gaue gifts vntounto his other sonnes, but left the inheritance to Izaak: but here all the sonnes of God are heires. 2. Haymo observeth, that here an inheritance is confirmed in the death of the father, but God dieth not: though now he seeme to be absent from vsus, and afterward when we are admitted to our inheritance, we shall see him as he is: gloss. ordinar. and yet Christ dying left vsus as an inheritance his peace: but this is most strange that here the heire must first die and be mortified, before he can come to the inheritance, whereas in the world, he dieth that leaueth the inheritance. 3. And among men the inheritance must be deuided into parts, if all the sonnes be heires: but here tota habetur à quolibet bono, the whole inheritance is enioyed of … one admitted thereunto, though not alike, but in degrees, Lyran.
4. …nd this our inheritance is not limited: as the Apostle saith, all things are yours, 1. Cor. 3.21. whether things present, or to come: for the present, Christ hath left vsus his peace: my peace I giuegive vntounto you: and he hath left vsus his Testament, as his will, that we should beleeue it: Haymo who further sheweth, how we shall be heires with Christ, both of his glorie, for when he appeareth we shall be like him, 1. Ioh. 3.3. and of his dominion and power: as he promiseth his Apostles, that they shall sit vponupon twelue seates, and iudge the twelue tribes of Israel, Matth. 19. And this prerogatiue shall not be giuen onelyonly to the Apostles, but euen the Saints shall iudge the world, as the Apostle sheweth, 1. Cor. 6.3. Par. This twofold inheritance of Christs glorie, and dominion is well touched by Origen, Christus non solum in partem haereditatis, sed etiam in consortium potentiae adducit, Christ doth bring vsus not only into a part of his inheritance, but into the fellowship of his power: But whereas Christ onelyonly is named to be heire, I will giuegive the nations for thine inheritance, Psal. 2. we must vnderstand, that he onelyonly is the naturall heire, beeing the onelyonly begotten sonne of God, but we are heires by adoption and grace, and so are admitted to be heires with Christ.
5. But here Chrysostom hath an harsh note, that the Iewes vnderunder the lawe were not heires, as our Sauiour saith, Matth. 8. that the children of the kingdome shall be cast out, whereas our Sauiour there speaketh of the hypocrites, and false worshippers among the Iewes, not generally of all: as there are also among Christians many hypocrites, and false children, that shall neuer be heires: And the Apostle in saying Galat. 4.1. The heire as long as he is a child differeth nothing from a seruant, &c. euidently sheweth, that euen the faithfull vnderunder the lawe were heires, though kept vnderunder the ceremonies and rudiments of the lawe for a time, as children that shall be heires, vnderunder tutors and gouernours.
Quest. 22. How these words are to be vnderstood, if so be yee suffer with him.
1. They which followe the Latine translation here, si tamen, &c. yet if, or if notwithstanding we suffer with him, doe thinke that our sufferings are the cause of our glorie afterward: so Stapleton and the Rhemists inferre, that as Christs passions were a cause of his glorie, so is it in his members: but the Apostle remooueth this conceit, inferring in the next verse, That the afflictions of this life are not worthie of the glorie, &c. but betweene the cause and the effect there is a worthinesse, and a due proportion: See further hereof among the controversies following.
2. Ambrose, whom Calvin and Beza followe, thinke this is required as a condition, that they which looke to be glorified, must first be partakers of Christs suffrings: and so our suffrings are necessarie as a condition, and the way wherein we should walke, and as a … of our obedience, not as a cause: this sense may safely be admitted: And here a difference is to be made between the legall conditions, and Euangelicall: for there 1. the condition require… was exactly to be performed, and a perfect obedience was required to satisfie the lawe: but in the Gospel our willingnesse and godly endeauour is accepted in Christ, though we come short of the precept. 2. there the reward could not be had without the condition performed: here (though if time and place serue, we must shewe our obedience) yet in some cases the promise is had without the condition, as the theefe vponupon the crosse was saued without any such condition of obedience. 3. the obedience of the lawe was exacted, as a cause of the reward propounded: but in the Gospell it is necessarie onelyonly as a fruit of our obedience: the cause is the merciemercy of God, and his gracious promises in Christ.
3. Chrysostome will hauehave the Apostle to reason here from the greater to the lesse, that if God did so much for vsus, when we had done nothing at all, much more will he reward vsus, if we suffer for him.
4. But here I subscribe rather to Pet. Martyr, who thinketh that the Apostle maketh mention here of the suffrings of the Saints, because they are argumenta & indicia, arguments and tokens, that they are the heires of God: for in their constant suffrings they hauehave experience of the power and goodnesse of God, whereby they are kept and preserued vntounto saluation: Pareus indifferently followeth this, and the second interpretation.
Quest. 23. How we are said to suffer together with Christ.
1. Not in compassion onelyonly toward the suffrings of Christ, but by imitation, in beeing partakers of the like afflictions, must we suffer with him, Erasmus.
2. Neither doe the Saints by the merit of their suffrings attaine vntounto the kingdome of heauen, as Christ did by his, as the Rhemists here note: but we must suffer with Christ onelyonly to shewe our obedience and conformitie to our head.
3. Nor yet is it enough to suffer, for many are punished for their euill doing, and there are that will endure much in the world vponupon vaine-glorie: but our suffrings must be for righteousnes sake, as Christs were.
4. And herein must our suffrings be like vntounto Christs: that as he yeelded himselfe to the death of the crosse, 1. both to shewe his obedience vntounto the will of God, 2. and to take away our sinne: so we likewise in our afflictions should shew our obedience, because so is the will of God, and that we thereby should seeke to mortifie sinne in vsus, Mart.
5. Now the passions of the Saints are of two sorts: they are either internall, in mortifying the lusts of the flesh, or externall in suffring persecution and trouble for Christs sake.
6. And as we suffer with Christ, when we beare the like rebukes for the truth as he did, so also Christ suffereth in vsus and together with vsus: the afflictions of his members he taketh to be his owne: as he said to Saul, why persecutest thou me?