Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 2 · Section 3 · Subsection 43
43. Quest. What vncircumcised the Apostle here speaketh of, whether such of the Gentiles as were conuerted to the faith, and what keeping of the law he meaneth.
1. Calvin thinketh, that the Apostle saying, v. 26. if the vncircumcision keepe the ordinances of the law, speaketh ex hypothesi, by way of supposition, if any such could be found, that did keepe the law, which no man could: so also Pareus. de obedientia plena loquitur, ad quam obligabat circumcisio, he speaketh of the full and perfect obedience of the law, vntounto the which circumcision did bind: and he speaketh ex hypothesi, by supposition, if the vncircumcision keepe. But it is euident, that the Apostle speaketh not by way of supposition, as of a thing impossible to be done, but supposing, if it were done: for then it would follow, that circumcision were not profitable at all, because he saith, circumcision is profitable, if thou keepe the lawe: if the Apostle should speake of the perfect keeping of the lawe, which is impossible, then all profitable vse is denied to circumcision: but he …ealed not so much detract from that holy institution of God: circumcision indeede did bind them to keepe the whole law: but it did profit them, if there were an endeauour in them, and care to keepe the lawe, though they perfectly keepe it not.
2. But Lyranus here hath a verie vnfound assertion, that the Apostle should here speake of such vncircumcised Gentiles, which did the workes of the Lawe, ex rationis naturalis dictamine, & erant Deo accepti, by the direction onelyonly of naturall reason, and were acceptable to God: which cannot be, that any not hauing faith by the light onelyonly of nature, should be accepted of God: for without faith it is impossible to please him, Heb. 11.6.
3. The interlinearie glosse hath an other exposition, by the ordinances of the law, vnderstanding, fidem Christi, the faith of Christ, whom the lawe did foretell should come for our iustification: but faith in Christ is no worke or ordinance of the lawe, for the Apostle concludeth, that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the lawe, Rom. 3.28. which were no good conclusion if faith in Christ were a worke of the lawe: yet I denie not, but the Apostle speaketh of such keeping of the lawe, as proceeded from faith.
4. Wherefore the Apostle here vnderstandeth such Gentiles as were conuerted to the faith, as Origen expoundeth, qui ex praeputio ad Christi fidem venerunt, which came vntounto the faith of Christ from vncircumcision: for the idolaters among the Gentiles, beeing not conuerted vntounto Christ, could not doe the workes of the lawe: fayling in the first commandement, which forbiddeth idolatrie: such faithfull therefore among the Gentiles are vnderstood, which had the knowledge of God, Faius. such as Iob was: and to fulfill or keep the lawe here, is taken pro legis seruandae studio, for the studie and endeauour to keepe the law, Faius. so also Gryneus, he saith in effect, si Ethnicus aliquis fidei obedientiam praestaret, if any Ethnicke or Gentile should performe the obedience of faith, he should condemne a Christian that onelyonly is baptized, and performeth not such obedience: But here it will be thus obiected on the contrarie.
1. Obiect. The Apostle saith, v. 27. If vncircumcision by nature keepe the lawe, shall it not iudge thee? the Apostle then meaneth those, which by the light of nature onelyonly keepe the lawe.
Answ. 1. Some doe thus expound, ex natura per gratiam reparata, by nature repaired by grace gloss, interlin, so also Gorrhan saith, that this keeping of the law is vnderstood to be by faith: which is of nature, preparative, by way of preparation, but of grace completive, by way of perfection: for the illumination of the soule is of grace, the consent is of the will reformed by grace. Contra. 1. It is an erroneous assertion, that faith is partly of nature, partly of grace: it is wholly the worke of the spirit, 1. Cor. 12.9. the will indeede consenteth, yet not by it owne naturall power: God, as Augustine saith, ex nolentibus vol…tes facit, of nilling, maketh vsus willing: and the will concurreth, not actively, in any good worke, or formally: but passiuely and materially, as not working but beeing wrought vponupon. 2. If nature should here be so taken, restoared by grace: there should be no difference in this behalfe betweene the Gentile and the Iewe: for euen the Iewe also by grace illuminating his nature was enabled to keepe the Lawe, though imperfectly: but the Apostle seemeth here to speake of somewhat peculiar to the vncircumcised Gentiles.
2. The Syriake interpreter in his annotations, thinketh that by nature is here onelyonly opposed, to the lawe, and the letter: not excluding all other helpes, beside nature, but onelyonly the helpe of the written law: but then, one that worketh by grace may be said to worke by nature: which are opposite the one to the other, c. 11.6. if by grace, then not of workes, that is naturally done without the helpe of grace.
3. Wherefore the words are thus rather to be placed, and that which is by nature vncircumcision, keeping the Lawe, as the words stand in the originall: not thus, vncircumcision, which by nature keepeth the lawe: as the Syrian translatour placeth them, so, by nature, must be ioyned to vncircumcision, not to keeping the lawe: and it is a description of the Gentiles, which hauehave vncircumcision by nature, Pareus.
2. Obiect. The words of the Apostle are, foreign, consummans, as the Latine interpreter readeth, perfecting the law; which phrase Origen thus distinguisheth, from the former word foreign, to keepe the lawe, which the Apostle vseth, v. 26. he that liueth according to the letter of the lawe is said to keepe it, but he that keepeth it according to the spirituall sense, is said to perfect or accomplish it. Contra. But Beza here well obserueth, that both these are here taken for one: that the perfect keeping of the lawe is not here opposed to the imperfect keeping, but the keeping and obseruing of the lawe, is set against the not hauing care to keepe it, but to rest onelyonly in the outward signe and ceremonie.