Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 3 · Section 3 · Subsection 38
38. Quest. Of the difference betweene these two phrases, of faith, through faith, v. 30.
Whereas the Apostle saith, it is one God, which shall iustifie the circumcision of faith, foreign, and the vncircumcision, foreign, through faith: this difference of phrase is diuersly scanned. 1. Origen thinketh the Iewes here called the circumcision to be said to be iustified of faith, because initio ex fide sumpto, &c. they beginning of faith, are perfected by the fulfilling of workes: and the vncircumcised Gentiles are saide to be iustified through faith, quia a bonis operibus exorsi, because beginning with good workes they are perfected by faith: But Origen is herein both contrarie to the Apostle, who concluded, that a man is iustified by faith (onelyonly) without the workes of the law, and to himselfe, who had said a little before, fidem solam sufficere ad salutem, that faith onelyonly sufficeth to saluation.
2. Gorrhan sheweth a more reasonable difference, that the Iewes are said to be iustified of faith, the Gentiles through faith; because vntounto the Iewes, faith is both terminus à quo, & adquem, the terme, where they begun their iustification, and where they ende: but in the Gentiles it is onelyonly terminus ad quem, the terme, vntounto the which they tend, and where they ende: and Calvin seemeth to say as much in effect, that the Iewes nascuntur gratia haeredes, are borne as it were the heires of grace; but to the Gentiles it is adventitium foedus, a couenant happening vntounto them otherwise: But in this sense (of faith) should be ioyned to circumcision, not to iustified, and if the Iewes were of faith, then they needed not to be iustified againe through faith.
3. Faius hath the like conceit, that by the circumcised of faith, the Apostle meaneth the beleeuing Iewes, which are said to be of the faith, and so he would hauehave this particle againe repeated, that the vncircumcision (of faith) are both iustified through faith: but then the sentence should be very imperfect: and of faith must be ioyned to iustifie, as appeareth, v. 28.
4. Tolet thinketh, that although sometime these prepositions, foreign, and foreign, of, and through signifie the same thing, yet here the Apostle giuing the one to the Iewes, and the other to the Gentiles, seemeth to make some difference betweene them, least he should seeme to confound the Iewes and Gentiles together: Tol. annot. 28. But the Apostle in this matter of iustification maketh both Iewes and Gentiles equall, how soeuer he otherwise denieth not vntounto the Iewes their prerogatiues.
5. Wherefore, in this place it seemeth rather that the Apostle meaneth the same thing, to iustifie of faith, and through faith, and by faith, v. 28. as the Apostle saith, c. 11.36. of him, and through him are all things; not insinuating by this diuersity of phrase, any different thing in God: and further, as the circumcised Iewes are here said to be foreign, of the faith, so are the Gentiles, Gal. 4.7. Thus much therefore the Apostle signifieth, that as there is no difference betweene these two, to be iustified of faith, and through faith, so neither in this behalfe is there any difference betweene the iustification of the Iew and Gentiles. Calvin.
6. Peter Martyr noteth here how the Grecians standing vponupon the curious and nice distinction of these two prepositions, foreign, if, and per, through, dissented from the Latine Church about the proceeding of the holy Ghost: they would hauehave the spirit to proceed ex patre per filium, of the Father by and through the Sonne: but the other to take away this difference, affirmed, that he proceeded, ex patre & ex filio, both of the Father, and of the Sonne.