Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 1 · Section 3 · Subsection 43 – Subsection 45
43. Quest. v. 17. The iustice or righteousnes of God is reuealed: what iustice the Apostle meaneth.
1. There is a iustice of God, wherein he is righteous and iust in himselfe: as Psal. 11.7: The righteous Lord loueth righteousnes: but this the Apostle speaketh not of: the essentiall iustice of God is not communicated to vsus by faith. 2. There is a iustice distributiue in God, whereby he rendreth vntounto eueryevery man according to his works: Origen vnderstandeth this iustice of God: but this is not the iustice, whereby a man is iustified to saluation: for if the Lord should marke what is done amisse, no man should be able to abide it, Psal. 130.3. 3. The iustice of God signifieth his veritie and truth in keeping his promises: so Gorrham taketh it here: true it is, that God graciously performeth whatsoeuer is promised in Christ, but yet his merciemercy must goe before in promising. 4. Theodoret vnderstandeth the perfect iustice of Christ, whereby he satisfied the wrath of God for our sinnes, and accomplished our redemption: and this perfect iustice of Christ is reuealed in the Gospel: but the Apostle speaketh euidently of such iustice, whereby a man is iustified before God, which is not that perfect iustice inherent in Christ, but the applying thereof vntounto vsus by faith. 5. Therefore Chrysostomes exposition is the best, who Homil. 3. taketh this for that iustice, which is communicated and infused vntounto vsus by that iustice of Christ: and so Augustine vnderstandeth that iustice, not whereby God is iust in himselfe, seâ qua hominem induit, cum eum iustificat, but wherewith he endueth man; when he instifieth him, lib. de spirit. & liter. cap. 9. of this the Apostle speaketh, chap. 3.28. We conclude that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the Lawe. 6. But this iustice is not an habite infused into the mind, whereby a man is made apt to exercise good workes, as Pererius saith, that this iustice comprehendeth two things, remissionem peccatorum, the remission of sinnes, & animi rectitudinem, &c. and the vprightnesse of the minde, whereby it is now acceptable vntounto God, and is exercised in good workes: for the Apostle saith of this iustice of God, that it is Made manifest without the lawe, by the faith of Iesus, &c. c. 3.21. But this infused habite, which is charitie and the exercising of good workes, is not reuealed without the lawe: for the lawe requireth and commandeth charitie: This iustice then consisteth onelyonly in the remission of sinnes, and in imputing vntounto vsus the righteousnesse of Christ by faith, c.4.5. Blessed is the man, to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne, Pareus. 7. It is called the iustice of God, both because it is giuen vsus from God, not procured by our owne workes: and for that we thereby are made righteous, not before men, but in the sight of God, Tolet. 8. And this iustice is sometime called the righteousnes of God, Phil. 3.9. because he is the author thereof: sometime of Christ, he is our righteousnesse, 1. Cor. 1.30. because by his obedience we are iustified: sometime of faith, Philip. 3.9. because faith is the instrument whereby Christs righteousnesse is applyed vntounto vsus, Gryneus.
Quest. 44. Of the meaning of these words, v. 17. is reuealed from faith to faith.
1. Is reuealed. 1. Which sheweth a double preheminence of the Gospel: in respect of the matter: it sheweth such things, as cannot be otherwise knowne then by reuelation from God, whereas the lawe of the Iewes, and the Philosophie of the Gentiles treateth of common, and knowne things: and for the manner: that which was obscurely set forth in the law, is plainely declared in the Gospel, Pareus. 2. and it is so reuealed, that it is not onelyonly made knowne, but indeede exhibited, Beza. 3. And herein a difference also is shewed, that the Gospel is reuealed vntounto some, namely to such as beleeue, but not vntounto others: it is hid to them which are lost, 2. Cor. 4.3. Hyper.
2. From faith to faith. 1. Origen and Chrysostome, doe thus expound, ex fide veteris Testamenti in fidem noui, from the faith of the Old Testament, to the faith of the Newe. 2. Ambrose, ex fide promittentis Dei in fidem hominis credentis, from the faith of God promising, to the faith of man beleeuing: so also Aretius, Gualter. Martyr. 3. Augustine, ex fide praedicantium in fidem audientium, from the faith of the preachers, to the faith of the hearers, 4. Anselme, from the faith of one article, to the faith of the rest: but it can be no true faith, vnlesse it beleeue all the articles. 5. Theodoret, ex fide praesentium, in fidem futuruum, from the faith of things present, to the faith of things to come, as of the resurrection, life euerlasting: But vnlesse these things be soundly beleeued, there can be no faith at all. 6. ex fide informi, in fidem formatam, from an imperfect faith without charitie vntounto a perfect faith: but the Apostle speaketh not at all of any such dead faith without charitie, for that faith cannot iustifie. 7. There remaine then these two expositions, that this be vnderstood rather of the encrease of faith: we must proceede from faith beginning, to faith increasing:: as the like phrase is vsed, Psal. 84.7. they goe from strength to strength, Beza; Hyper. Gualter. and Iohn 1.16. Of his fulnesse hauehave we all receiued grace for grace. Thus Clemens Alexandrin. expoundeth, stronsat. 3. Apostolus vnicam tantum fidem annuntiat, … but of one faith, which by encreasing commeth to perfection. 8. And this meaning it hath withall: from faith to faith, to signifie, that altogether by faith man is iustified, and onelyonly by faith, Pareus, Faius, so also Thomas, nulle tempore cuiquam, nisi per fidem salus conti…, that at no time saluation was attained vntounto by any but by faith.
3. And by faith here is not vnderstood, 1. either obedience of life, to liue as God hath commanded: for faith is here opposed to workes: 2. nor yet a bare and naked assent vntounto the Gospel that it is true: for such an historicall faith euen the deuills hauehave. 3. but it is taken for a full assurance, and confidence of the heart, Heb. 10.22. Let vsus drawe neere with a true heart, foreign, in the assurance of faith: by such a faith are we iustified, Beza, Pareus.
Quest. 45. Whether the Apostle doth rightly cite this place out of the Prophet, The iust by faith shall liue, for the words.
1. Obiect. The Hebrewe word vsed by the Prophet, Habuc. 2.4. is beomunatho, in his truth or integritie, but the Apostle translateth it, faith. Answ. The Septuag. doe translate this word by the Greeke word foreign, faith, and so the Hebrewe word cemunah, signifieth not onelyonly truth, integritie, but faith.
2. Obiect. In the originall it is by his faith, which notwithstanding the Septuag. doe thus interpret, foreign, by my faith: the reason whereof Hierome coniectureth to be this, they might mistake the letter vau, for iod, which onelyonly differ in the length: now Synomachus readeth, foreign, by his faith, according to the Hebrewe: But S. Paul neither here, nor Galat. 3.11. doth translate the Hebrewe pronoune: but translateth onelyonly, the iust liueth by faith: to this it may be answered, 1. Hierome saith, non erat ei cura de vorbis, cum sensus esset in tuto, he had no care of the words, retaining the sense. 2. And beside, loquens eodem spiritu, quo Prophetae, sensum sumit, speaking by the same spirit, that the Prophets spake by, he taketh the sense, vsing his owne words, gloss. ordinar. 3. These pronounes are easily vnderstood in the Greeke tongue, though they be not expressed, Beza: 4. And without the pronoune, the place as the the Apostle alleadgeth, is sufficient to prooue his purpose, that the iust liueth by faith, Pareus.
3. But the Latine translator here readeth amisse, vivit, liueth, in the present tense, whereas it is put in the future, in the originall, foreign, shall liue.
4. And the order of the words is to be considered: the iust by faith shall liue, not the iust shall liue by faith, for this reading presupposeth, that first he is iust, and then liueth by faith: whereas he is first iust by faith, before he can liue vntounto God, Mart. Faius, Innius in Paral.
5. And here by the way a slip of Chrysostoms may be noted, who directly nameth in his commentary the Prophet Zephanie, whereas this testimonie is taken from Habacuke: which may be obserued, to shewe that those auncient fathers, though they were excellent men, yet were but men, and might sometime forget themselues: As Ambrose handling that place a little before, to the Iewe first, thinketh, that the Iewes were so called of Iudas Macchabeus. whereas long before they were called by that name, as is euident, 2. king. 25. Ierem. 40. Esther 1.3. Mart. This is no note, to derogate from the credit of the fathers: but to shew a difference between their writings and the holy Scriptures: which are free from the least error of forgetfulnesse.