Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 3 · Section 3 · Subsection 30 – Subsection 31
Quest. 26. Of the meaning of these words, The righteousnesse of God is made manifests without the lawe.
1. Ambrose by the iustice of God vnderstandeth that iustice, wherewith God is iust …estans promissa sua, in keeping his promises: Origen taketh this iustice to be Christ: rather it signifieth the iustice or righteousnesse which is by faith to Christ, so called, both because of the efficient cause thereof, namely God, who worketh it in vsus: and in regard of the effect, because it onelyonly is able to stand before God, Calvin.
2. Without the Lawe. 1. Origen here vnderstandeth the lawe of nature, and giueth thi… exposition: ad iustitiam Dei cognoscendam nihil opitulabatur lex naturae, the law of nature did helpe nothing at all to the knowledge of the iustice of God: but it was manifested by the written lawe of Moses: but the Apostle excludeth not here the written lawe: for them it were no consequent speach vntounto the former, where the Apostle denied iustification vntounto all workes of the lawe in generall: the same lawe then must be here vnderstood, which he treated before, that is, generally both the naturall and written law. 2. Augustine ioyneth this word without the lawe, not vntounto manifested, but vntounto righteousnesse, so the righteousnesse without the lawe, he expoundeth, sine adminiculo legis, without the helpe of the law, lib. de spirit. & liter. c. 9. but this sense first Beza confuteth by the order and placing of the words, which stand thus, without the lawe is righteousnesse made manifest, not righteousnes without the lawe: as S. Iames saith, faith without works is dead, not without works faith is dead: for in this transposing of the words, the sense is much altered: Tolet addeth this reason, that righteousnesse without the lawe, that is, the workes of the lawe, was knowne euen vntounto the faithfull vnderunder the lawe, therefore the words without the lawe, must be ioyned rather vntounto manifested, then to righteousnesse. 3. But yet Tolet is here deceiued, for he thus interpreteth, abs que lege, without the lawe, that is cossante lege, the lawe ceasing and beeing abrogate, the Euangelicall faith was manifested: for although the workes of the morall law are commanded in the Gospel, yet they bind not by reason of the legall bond or obligation, but by vertue and force of newe institution thereof by Christ: But our Sauiour faith directly, that he came not to destroy the lawe and the Prophets, Matth. 5.17. but if the morall lawe were first abrogated, though it were againe reuiued by Christ, it must first be dissolued. 4. Ambrose well referreth without the lawe, to manifested: but he seemeth to restraine it to the lawe of ceremonies: sine lege apparuit, sed sine lege sabbati, & circumcisionis, it appeared without the lawe, but without the lawe of the Sabboth and circumcision, and newe Moone, &c. But in all this disputation the Apostle chiefely entreateth of the morall lawe, by the which specially came the knowledge of sinne. 5. some referre this to the manifestation of the Gospel by the preaching of the Apostles, when the Gentiles were called, which had no knowledge of the lawe, Mart. and many also among the Iewes, which though they had not the lawe, yet cared not for it, as they say, Ioh. 7.48. Doth any of the rulers or Pharisies beleeue, in him, but this people, which knoweth not the lawe, Gorrhan, … they vnderstand without the lawe, that is, without the knowledge of the lawe: But the Apostle speaketh of that iustice, which was manifested both to the Gentiles and the Iewes, which had yet the knowledge of the lawe.
6. Gryneus, whereas the Apostle saith, first, that righteousnesse is reuealed without the lawe, and yet immediately after he saith, hauing witnesse of the law and the Prophets, would reconcile them thus: vnderstanding lawe in the first place of the letter of the lawe, which doth not set forth the iustice of God by faith, and in the other place the spirituall sense of the lawe.
7. But the meaning rather of the Apostle is this: that it is not the office of the lawe to teach faith: and that beside the lawe, there is an other doctrine, in the Church concerning faith: which doctrine of saluation and iustice by faith, neither the naturall nor morall lawe can teach: and though in the time of the lawe, this doctrine of faith was taught the faithfull, yet the knowledge thereof came not by the lawe: And for the full reconciling here of the: Apostle to himselfe, three things are to be considered. 1. that in the first place the lawe is vnderstood strictly, for the doctrine of the morall lawe, whether written or naturall, which doth not properly teach faith in Christ: afterward the lawe is taken for the book… of Moses; wherein many Euangelicall promises are contained beside the legall precep… Beza annot. …2. The lawe doth properly vrge workes, it doth not professedly teach faith, and yet it excludeth it not, Pareus: but accidentally it bringeth vsus to Christ, as forcing vsus when we see our disease to seeke for a remedie. 3. this doctrine of faith was manifested without the lawe, that is, more clearely taught and preached at the comming of Christ, yet it was knowne vntounto Moses and the Prophets, though more obscurely: for in that it is said, to be manifested, nor made or created, it sheweth that it was before, though not so manifest, Perer. disput. …0. Faius. So then those words but now, doe both note the diuersitie of time, and they are aduersatiue particulars, shewing, that our iustice is not reuealed in the lawe, but otherwise and els where.
Quest. 27. How the righteousnesse of faith had witnesse of the lawe and the Prophets.
Fowre wayes are the law and Prophets found to beare witnesse and testimonie vntounto the Gospell of faith. 1. by the euident prophesies of Christ: as our blessed Sauiour saith, Ioh. 5.46. Moses wrote of me: and S. Paul said before, c. 2. Which he had promised before by his Prophets in the holy Scriptures: and S. Peter saith, Act. 10.43. To him also giuegive all the Prophets witnesse: such euident testimonies out of the lawe and Prophets are these, which are cited by the Apostles, as that Rom. 10.6. The righteousnesse of faith speaketh on this wise, say not in thy heart, who shall ascend into heauen? that is, to bring Christ from aboue, &c. so the Apostle citeth an euident testimonie out of the 31. of Ieremie, Hebr. 8.8. how the Lord would make a newe testament with the house of Iuda: and many such testimonies in the newe Testament are taken out of the old.
2. A second kind of testimonie, were the types and figures which went before in the old Testament: as the Paschal lambe, the Manna, the rocke, the cloud, did shadow forth Christ: likewise some acts of the Patriarkes and Prophets did prefigure out Christ, as Abrahams sacrificing of Isaac: Salomons building of the Temple: Ionas beeing in the bellie of the whale, with such like.
3. The sacrifices and oblations, and the blood of rammes and goates did signifie the vnspotted lambe of God, that should be slaine for the sinnes of the world, Mart.
4. The lawe also by the effect thereof did beare witnesse vntounto Christ: as Augustine saith, lex hoc ipso, quod iubendo & minando neminem iustificabat, satis indicabat, &c. the lawe in this selfesame thing, that it iustified none in bidding and threatning, did sufficiently shew, that man is iustified by the gift of God, &c.