Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 3 · Section 3 · Subsection 39 – Subsection 41
35. Quest. Why the Apostle onelyonly maketh mention of sinnes past.
Now the Apostle so extendeth the effect and fruit of our redemption by Christ, vntounto the sinnes passed, as that the sinnes present, and to come also, shall be by vertue thereof remitted: but he maketh mention only of the sinnes past and before committed for these reasons.
1. Hereby the Apostle sheweth the imbecillitie of the law of Moses, and the ceremonies thereof, that they were expiationes non verae, sed vmbratiles, not true expiations, but onelyonly in shadow, Pareus: as the Apostle saith, Heb. 9.9. that those gifts and sacrifices could not make holy concerning the conscience: and so Thomas yeeldeth this reason vponupon this place, God remitted the sinnes before passed, quae lex remittere non potuit, which the law could not remit.
2. Adamus Safhout addeth, that the Apostle maketh mention onelyonly of former sinnes, to signifie, non deinceps vivendum esse peccatis, sed iustitiae, that we should not liue afterward vntounto sinne, but vntounto righteousnes: for it were a signe of great vnthankfulnes, hauing receiued so great a benefit in the forgiuenes of sinnes past, if we should estsoone fall into the same againe.
3. Pererius giueth two other reasons, first, that because it seemed an hard and impossible thing, that sinnes before done should be remitted by the Redemption of Christ following many yeares after: for the cause must be secundum existentiam, hauehave a beeing before the effect: therefore the Apostle to take away this scruple and difficultie, maketh expresse mention of precedent sinnes, to the which the vertue of Christs death was applied by faith.
4. But Pererius other reason is false and friuolous: that those former sinnes are mentioned to shew, that there was no full remission of them: for though they were remitted quan… ad culpam & poenam aeternam, in respect of the fault and euerlasting punishment:Perer. disput. 15. numer. 73. yet the fathers vntill Christs comming were kept in Limbo, and had no entrance into heauen, …at seeing by the blood of Iesus their sinnes were remitted, they also by the vertue of the same blood had power to enter into heauen: as the Apostle saith, Hebr. 10.19. By the blood of Iesus we may be bold to enter into the holy place. And againe, v. 14. he saith, With one offering hath he consecrated for euer, them that are sanctified: if then the beleeuing fathers of the old Testament were sanctified by Christs blood, they were consecrated for euer, that is perfectly: but more followeth afterward of this matter among the Controversies.
5. The true reason therefore, why the Apostle giueth instance in sinnes, which were past, is to shew, that from the beginning of the world, there was no remission of sinnes, from Adam vntounto Moses, and from Moses vntounto Christ, but onelyonly by faith in his blood: And therfore Iohn Baptist pointeth at Christ, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sinnes of the world: Some doe alleadge that place, Apoc. 13.4. whose names are not written in the booke of life of the Lamb, which was slaine, from the beginning of the world: Pareus, Faius: but this place seemeth not to be so fitly alleadged to that purpose: for these words, from the beginning of the world, are rather to be ioyned with the former words, whose names are not written in the booke of life, &c. from the beginning of the world: so Aretus distinguisheth, whome Beza and Pererius follow: And so are the words ioyned, c. 17.8.
6. And further, as hereby is expressed, that all the sinnes of such as beleeued were remitted in Christ which were done before, so much more the sinnes of the age then present, and which should be committed afterward, are forgiuen by no other way: as the Apostle saith, Heb. 13.8. Iesus Christ yesterday, and to day, and the same also is for euer. Pareus.
36. Quest. How God is said to be iust, and a iustifier of him which is of the faith, &c. v. 26.
1. Some vnderstand this iustice of God generally of his holines, vprightnes, integritie, which appeared in the worke of our redemption throughout, Pareus: wherein most of all shined forth the power of God, his wisdome, and benignitie vntounto man: his power in iustifying the wicked, which was no lesse worke, then in first creating him: his wisdome in iustifying him by the death of Christ: so fit and conuenient a meane for the reparation of man: his benignitie appeared, in beeing so mindfull of man, as to appoint a way for his redemption: Hugo.
2. Ambrose doth vnderstand God to be iust, that is, faithfull in keeping his promises: so also Beza.
3. Some thus interpret: iust, that is, benignus & bonus, good and gracious: Osiand. but Gods iustice is one thing, his clemencie an other.
4. Tolet vnderstandeth God to be iust, in that he would not be satisfied for the sinne of man, non accepto pretio sanguinis, vnlesse he had first receiued the price of Christs blood: so also Pareus.
5. Oecumenius applieth it to Gods iustice, which should be shewed in the iust punishment of those, which should refuse grace offered: but the Apostle speaketh of the time present, not to come.
6. The meaning then is this: that he might be iust, that is, appeare and be acknowledged onelyonly to be iust, and all men lyars, that is, sinners and vniust, as he saide before: and as he is iust in himselfe, so this iustice is communicated vntounto vsus by faith in Christ: to this purpose Calvin, Bucer, Pellican. so also the interlin. glosse, that he might be iust, aliter non posse ipso… vare, otherwise he could not helpe to iustifie others, if he were not most iust in himselfe: God then is onelyonly iust in himselfe, and as he is the fountaine of all iustice, so he doth iustifie others, by that way, which he hath appointed, namely by faith in Christ.
37. Qu. How reioycing is excluded not by the law of works, but by the law of faith.
1. There are two kinds of reioycing, one is in our redemption purchased by Christ: whereof the Apostle speaketh, 1. Cor. 1.31. He that reioyceth, let him reioyce in the Lord there is an other reioycing in man: as the Apostle saith in the same place, v. 29. that no flesh should reioyce in his presence: of the latter kind of reioycing, which is in mens works, speaketh the Apostle here.
2. But the ordin. glosse vnderstandeth this de laudabili gloriatione, of the commendable reioycing, and by excluded, he vnderstandeth, manifested or expressed, as goldsmiths doe exclude and set out the stones set in siluer: but this is a very vnfit interpretation: the reioycing which the Apostle will hauehave here excluded, is the reioycing before men, as he sheweth afterward, c. 4.2.
3. By the law of works, he vnderstandeth not onelyonly the ceremonials, & iudicials of the law, which are abolished vnderunder the Gospel, as Lyranus: but the morall also: for the Apostle shewes, c. 4.2. that Abraham might reioyce in works before men, but not with God: where he meaneth works of the morall law: for the ceremonies were not yet instituted.
4. Neither by the law of works, doth the Apostle vnderstand such workes as are done without faith, and by the law of faith, the law of workes with faith: but he excludeth all works whatsoeuer: for seeing that such works (they say) proceede partly of freewill, then this reioycing should not be taken away, for where the freewill of man worketh, there is merit, and where there is merit, there is reioycing. Pareus.
5. By the law of workes, and the law of faith, is vnderstood the rule and doctrine of works, and the rule and doctrine of faith: for in the Hebrew phrase, the law is taken for the strength of a thing, for doctrine or direction, as afterward c. 7. he saith, the law of the spirit, the law of the members, the law of the minde. Mart. Faius.
6. And Moses law is called the law of works, not because it onelyonly contained the precept of works, but gaue no power or grace to doe them: as Tolet. annot. 27. for neither doth the Gospel giuegive power by fulfilling of the law to attaine vntounto saluation: but it is called the law of works, because it required works and keeping of the law vntounto saluation: for the Gospel also commandeth works, but not with condition thereby to be saued: it is called the law of faith, because it requireth onelyonly the condition of faith vntounto saluation, it saith, beleeue, and thou shalt be saued. Faius. And whereas it will be obiected, that diuers had faith vnderunder the law, the answer is, that they had it not by the law, but by the spirit of grace giuen vntounto them. Faius.
7. And whereas the Apostle had said before, v. 20. by the law commeth the knowledge of sinne: it seemeth that euen reioycing is excluded by the law of works also, which the Apostle denieth, seeing the law doth not helpe to iustifie, but condemneth: But we must consider, that here the Apostle speaketh of the law of works, not in respect of our weaknes, that are not able to keepe it, but in regard of the institution thereof, which promiseth life and saluation to those, that keepe and obserue it: Calvin. the next verse beeing the 28. see handled at large, with the questions thereout arising, among the controv. contr. 14. to contr. 22.