Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 2 · Section 3 · Subsection 25 – Subsection 26
25. Quest. Of the occasion of these words, v. 13. The hearers of the law are not righteous before God, but the doers shall be iustified.
1. Some take this to be a new argument to conuince the Iewes, that they could not be iustified by the law, because the keeping and fulfilling of the law is required to make one iust, which no man can doe: and so consequently beeing not iustified by the law, they must seeke to be iustified by faith. Calv. Pareus. But as yet the Apostle is not entred into that matter, to prooue iustification by faith, and not by the law: he hetherto laboureth to conuince both Iewes and Gentiles, that they are vnderunder sinne.
2. Some take this to be the order: that the Apostle prooueth both Iewes and Gentiles to be equall, both quo ad naturam, in nature, for God hath no respect of persons, v. 11. they are all alike by nature: and quoad poenam, in their punishment they are equall, the one shall perish without the law, the other shall be iudged by the law, v. 12. then quoad culpam, they are equall in the fault, because neither of them are doers of the law. Gorrhaen.
3. Some thinke, that here the Apostle meeteth with an obiection of the Iewes, who seeing the Apostle to equalize them with the Gentiles, might hauehave obiected, that they had the law, and so had not the Gentiles: the Apostle then answereth, that this did not helpe them, because they were hearers onelyonly of the law, and not doers. Martyr. Gryneus.
4. Tolet thinketh, that this sentence is brought in as a probation of the 10. verse, the glorie shall be to eueryevery one that doth good: otherwise that part should be passed ouer without proofe: and so he thinketh this clause not specially to be meant of the Iewes, but of the Gentiles also, because it is said, the doers shall be iustified, which was common both to the Iewes and Gentiles, not the hearers and doers, which was proper to the Iewes, who had the law written, which was read vntounto them, and they heard it: Faius also thinketh this to be a proofe of the tenth verse.
Contra. 1. But if S. Paul should prooue here, that glorie shall be to euerie one that doth good, and he immediately inferreth, that the Gentiles doe by nature the things of the lawe, it would follow that by nature they might doe good, and so by their naturall workes obtaine glorie, which is not to be admitted. 2. that part concerning glorie to them which did good, had not so much neede of proofe, as the other, because there were verie fewe found among the Gentiles, that did such good workes, as should be recompensed with glorie and honour: and the Apostles principall intendment, is to conclude both Iewes and Gentiles to be vnderunder sinne. 3. and further that the Apostle speaketh of the written lawe here, it is euident, because that onelyonly was heard: neither needed he againe to repeate, hearers of the lawe, and doers, it beeing mentioned before.
5. Wherefore, this rather is the coherence of this verse: that whereas S. Paul in the former verse, had shewed first the Gentiles without the lawe, and the Iewes vnderunder the lawe, to be sinners: he prooueth the latter part first: that the Iewes should be iudged by the law, because as long as they were hearers, and not doers, it could not helpe them, they should not thereby be approoued and iustified: and in the next verses following, he sheweth how the Gentiles should perish without the law, because although they had not the written law, yet they had the lawe of nature imprinted in them, which guided them to doe some things agreeable to the lawe, and so made them inexcusable. And thus this whole disputation of the Apostle hangeth well together, Bucer. Aretius.
Quest. 26. Of the meaning of these words, Not the hearers of the Lawe, &c. but the doers shall be iustified, ver. 13.
1. There are two kind of hearers: some onelyonly heare with the eare, but vnderstand not: Matth. 13.13. they hearing heare not, neither doe vnderstand: and there is an hearing ioyned with vnderstanding, v. 15. least they should heare with their eares, and vnderstand with their hearts: of the first kind of hearing speaketh the Apostle here.
2. Doers of the lawe: the lawe is fulfilled two wayes: one is in supposition, that if a man could by his owne strength keepe the lawe, he should thereby be iustified: there is another fulfilling, which is by the perfect obedience of Christ, imputed to vsus by faith: whereof the Apostle speaketh, Philip. 3.9. Not hauing mine owne righteousnesse, which is of the lawe, but that which is thorough the faith of Christ: of these the Apostle speaketh here, that in part doe themselues liue according to the lawe, and shewe their faith by their fruits, supplying that which is wanting in them by the obedience of Christ by faith.
3. There are two kinds of iustification: one is verily and indeede before God, which is by faith in Christ, Rom. 3.26. the other is in the opinion of men, Luk. 16.15. Ye are they which iustifie your selues before men: of the former the Apostle speaketh here, Gryneus. see further for the exposition of this place, controv. 7. following.