Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 8 · Section 3 · Subsection 45 – Subsection 47
Quest. 45. Of the meaning of these words, v. 29. Those whom he knew before he also predestinate, &c.
1. They are deceiued, which here doe vnderstand this foreknowledge of God, of the foresight of their faith, which should beleeue: as Haymo, quos praesciuit credituros; &c. whom he foresaw should beleeue, them he predestinate: so also Osiander, with other Lutherans, who doe hold election to depend ex prouisa fide, of the foresight of faith: whereas faith is the fruit and effect of predestination, not the cause thereof: whereof more followeth to be handled among the controversies.
2. And as we make not Gods prescience here the cause of predestination, so neither with Caietane doe we make predestination the cause of Gods prescience: ratio quod sciat ill… fore, est quod volendo decrevit illa fore, the cause that God knoweth things to come, is because he willed and decreed them to be: and Origen before had the like conceit, in eo, quod futurum sit id, quod nondum est, in hoc voluntas magis est, quàm praescientia conditoris, in this, that, what yet is not, shall be, therein the will rather of the Creator, then his prescience is seene, &c. for in the order of nature, first the knowledge of a thing, which is in the vnderstanding, goeth before the determination and decree which is in the will.
3. Neither here doe we admit their distinction, who would hauehave the foreknowledge of God onelyonly to concerne the reprobate, and predestination the elect: and so they set praescites, they which are foreseene or foreknowne against the predestinate: for the Apostle here saith, that God predestinate whom he knewe before, then are not the wicked onelyonly said to be foreseene of God, but the elect also, Beza: nay, Origen well obserueth that in the Scripture, the wicked are not said to be foreseene of God at all, not that any thing can escape Gods knowledge, sed quia omne quod malum est, scientia eius & praescientia habetur indignum, but because whatsoeuer is euill is counted vnworthie of the knowledge or foreknowledge of God.
4. Some doe take this foreknowledge of God, pro verbo elegendi, for the word of electing, as 1. Pet. 1.2. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God, Calvin: but here election and foreknowledge are distinguished: foreknowledge goeth before election.
5. Wherefore by prescience here, we vnderstand not simply the foreknowledge of God, but his foreacknowledging, which is a knowledge with approbation: the word is not foreign, he knewe before, but foreign, praecognovit, he acknowledged before: in this sense it is said, The Lord knoweth who are his, 2. Timoth. 2.19. and Rom. 11.2. Hath God cast away his people, whom he knewe before, that is, loued, approoued, for they had no good workes which the Lord did foresee: thus Martyr, Bullinger, Pareus, with others: and Pererius, significat scientiam approbationis, it signifieth the knowledge of approbation: disput. 21. num. 100. wherein he crosseth the iudgement of his fellowe Iesuite Tolet, who denieth, that this word doth belong at all vntounto approbation and dilection, which are the acts of the will, but onelyonly vntounto the knowledge in the vnderstanding.
6. So then here the Apostle setteth sorth these three mysticall acts of the Blessed Trinitie before the world was created: the purpose of God, which is generall to saue some, and condemne others: then the foreknowledge and approbation of God, in electing of some, and refusing of others: thirdly, predestination, in appointing vntounto the elect, both the ende of eternall life, to the which he decreed to bring them, and in ordaining the way and means thorough faith in Christ to atchieue that ende, Gryneus.
Quest. 46. Wherein our conformitie to the image of Christ consisteth.
v. 29. To be made like to the image of his Sonne: 1. Caietans observation is somewhat curious, that in the originall, the word image is put in the genitiue, foreign, of the image, not to the image, to shewe that this our conformitie is not mediately referred to Christ, immediately to his image, but that we must directly imitate Christ, in bearing his similitude and image: for the Greeke construction of the word signifying, similitude, requireth a genetive case: and it is all one in effect, to say, conformes imaginis, as the Latine interpreter readeth, or conformes imagini, as Beza, likenesse of the image, or to the image.
2. Athanasius epist. ad Serapion: Basil lib. 5. cont. Eunom. doe take the spirit of God, to be the image of the Sonne: to the which image we are made conformable in holinesse and puritie.
3. Origen referreth it to the soule of Christ, which was endued with all graces of the spirit, wherein consisteth our conformitie; to imitate those vertues and spirituall graces which were in Christ.
4. Theodoret placeth this conformitie in beeing made like vntounto the glorious bodie of Christ.
5. Chrysostome, Theophylact, herein will hauehave this conformitie to consist, because, that as be is the Sonne of God, so we are by grace the adopted sonnes of God: so also Lyranus, filiatio adoptiva est quaedam similitudo filationis naturalis, the adoptiue sonneship, is a similitude of the naturall sonneship of Christ.
6. But to speake more distnictly: this conformitie to the image of Christ, is not in the essence of the divine nature, but in diuine qualities and graces, in which sense S. Peter saith, we are partakers of the diuine nature, in fleeing the corruption which is in the world, 1. Pet. 1.4. that is, in holines and puritie we must be like vntounto God: This conformitie is either inchoate and begunne in this life, or perfect in the next: in this life, it is either a principall conformitie vntounto Christ in holines and righteousnesse, as Ephes. 4.23. We must put on the newe man, which after God is created in righteousnesse: or it is accidentall in beeing made partakers of Christs suffrings, 1. Pet. 4.13. our perfect conformitie in the next life, is to be made like vntounto Christ in glorie, 1. Ioh. 3.3. When he shall appeare, we shall be like him, Gryneus.
Quest. 47. How Christ is said to be foreign, the first borne among many brethren.
1. This is added by the Apostle, as a limitation of our conformitie vntounto Christ: though there be a likenes in vsus and a similitude vntounto Christ, yet not an equalitie, he still retaineth the dignitie of the first borne: so this conformitie vntounto Christ is not an authenticall proportion, in making vsus equall, but in a geometricall, reseruing the preheminence vntounto Christ the naturall Sonne of God.
2. Christ is called the first borne two wayes, first equivoce, improperly, as he is the Sonne of God by nature, but we are onelyonly sonnes by grace, and so we are sonnes as he is, but in the same kind: then vnivoce, more properly he is called the first borne as he is man, who hath receiued in his humane nature the plenitude and fulnesse of grace, and communicated it vntounto the faithfull, whom he vouchsafeth to call his brethren, Dominic. Sotus in hanc epist.
3. Haymo sheweth how Christ may be said to be vnigenitus, and primogenitus, the onelyonly begotten, and first begotten Sonne of God, both in his diuine and humane nature: in the diuine he is the onelyonly begotten, because he is onelyonly the sonne of God by nature, and so hath no brethren: he is also the first begotten, because he was ante omnem creaturam non factus sed natus, he was before euerie creature not made, but borne: and so S. Paul calleth him the first borne of euerie creature, Coloss. 1.15. As he is man, he was the onelyonly begotten Sonne of Marie, and the first begotten, because he first arose from the dead, first ascended into heauen: and so he is called the first borne of the dead, Coloss. 1.18.
4. Yet to speake more properly and distinctly, he is said to be the onelyonly begotten Sonne as he is God, and the first begotten as he is man, Chrysost. Theophyl.
5. Now herein consisted the prerogatiue of the first borne. 1. in the preheminence of birth, they were the first. 2. in their office and anthoritie, they were the rulers of the house after the father, and the Priests of the familie, before the Leviticall orders were established. 3. in their inheritance, they had a double part to the rest of their brethren, and they did keepe and nourish the familie, as Ioseph did who had Rubens birthright: So Christ is more excellent then his brethren. 1. in his nature, both diuine, wherein none of his brethen can partake with him, and humane, which he onelyonly tooke without sinne. 2. in his offices he exceedeth, beeing anointed both to be our Prophet, to reueale vntounto vsus his fathers will, and our Priest, in offring vp himselfe in sacrifice for vsus, and now in beeing the Mediator of our prayers, and our king in gouerning vsus by his holy spirit, and by the scepter of his word. 3. he also hath the preheminence in his glorious inheritance, he is glorified aboue all creatures, and is of all euen of the Angels adored: which glorie he imparteth vntounto his faithfull members in measure.