Exposition of Romans 13-16, Exposition of Romans · Chapter 2 · Verse 9
VERSE 9. For to this end, Chriſt both died, and roſe, and reuiued, that he might be Lord both of the dead and liuing.
THat we are the Lords, was concluded in the end of the 8. verſe; of which the reaſon is in this verſe; where we hauehave two parts: 1. who is this our Lord. 2. what is the cauſe of his Lordſhip ouer vsus.
The perſon who is our Lord, is Chriſt; a title of the ſecond perſon in the ſacred Trinity, noting both the Diuine and Humane nature in one perſon, being the name of our Mediator declaring his office.
In the cauſe of his Lordſhip, are the actions cauſing; and the effect cauſed.
The actions are three: 1. He died: I call this an action, becauſe it was voluntary, Potuit mori, Iohn 10.18.he could dye if it pleaſed him: No man taketh my life from me, but I hauehave power to lay it downe, ſaith himſelfe. The 2. He roſe, that is, from death. 3. He reuiued: Ambroſe inuerts the order of theſe, ſpeaking in the firſt place of his life, as meaning his naturall life; Hee liued, he dyed, and roſe againe. Chryſostome leaues out the ſecond, his reſurrection: the Vulgar which the Papiſts follow, leaues out the laſt, He reuiued.
Tolet cenſures the third to be ſuperfluous, Caietamu.but one of his owne ſide approues it; noting thereby ſuch a reuiuing, which ſhall neuer be ſubiect to death; or one might ſay, the pretertenſe is put for the preſent, He reuiued, that is, Eraſinus. Beza.he now liueth; or rather, hee reuiued to a new ſtate of life; not ſubiect to hunger, wearineſſe, &c. but free from ſuch things.
The effect cauſed, or the end: That hee might bee Lord both of the dead and the liuing: where we hauehave the authority, that he might be Lord; and the obiect, both of the dead and liuing.
That he might be Lord: that is, ſo Lord, as to protect and ſaue vsus, as well as command vsus; a Lord, not onelyonly ouer vsus, but for vsus, to deliuer vsus from the bondage of other cruell Lords: we hauehave need of ſuch a Lord to defend vsus; he hath no need of ſuch ſeruants as we are, to ſerue him.
Both of the dead and of the liuing: ſometime quicke and dead comprehends all men, both good and bad, as in the Creed; but here it is meant onelyonly of beleeuers, of whom ſome be dead, and ſome are now liuing, and ſome ſhall be liuing at the comming of Chriſt.
His ſauing power reacheth to all beleeuers: it is ſufficient for all, but in regard of the Application, the wicked are excluded.
Chriſt by dying, Doct. riſing, and reuiuing, obtained power ouer vsus, to ſaue vsus and bring vsus to heauen. Matthew 28.18. All power is giuen me in heauen and earth: which words he ſpake after his riſing and reuiuing. Iohn 17.2. Thou haſt giuen him power ouer all fleſh, that hee ſhould giuegive eternall life to as many as thou haſt giuen him. Epheſians 1.19. & ſeq. Philippians 2.6.7.8.9. Obiect.
But, God is ſaid, not to bee the God of the dead: Matth. 22.32. Anſw.
The Sadduces denied the reſurrection of the body, and the Immortality of the ſoule, holding that men dyed as doe beaſts; now Chriſt affirmeth that God is not the God of men ſo dying. Then by dead, the Sadduces vnderſtood, men ceaſing to liue at all, Paul here by dead vnderſtands men ceaſing to liue this naturall and common life. Queſt.
Did he merit and deſerue this Lordſhip for himſelfe, by his death and reſurrection, Anſw. &c.
So ſay the Schoolemen; but I find no ſound ground for it. Amb. de fide reſur. c. 24.The Scripture no where ſaith, that hee died or roſe for himſelfe, but for vsus men and for our ſaluation, as ſaith the Nicene Creed, Si nobis non reſurrexit, vti que non reſurrexit, qui cur ſibi reſurgeret, non habebat: If he roſe not for vsus, he roſe not at all, who had no cauſe why he ſhould riſe for himſelfe.
Alſo ſuch power and glory was due to him as hee was God, for euer: as he was man, from the time of his Incarnation: by reaſon his manhood was aſſumed into the vnity of his perſon. But God appointed and ordained that he ſhould this way enter vponupon the execution of his right, and that it ſhould be thus made manifeſt vntounto vsus.
Iudge not thy brother; Ʋſe 1 this were to incroach vponupon that right of Chirſt, for which he died, roſe, and reuiued.
Here is the vniuerſality of the Church; Ʋſe 2 it comprehends all beleeuers, liuing, dead; and alſo the vnity, for theſe all, liuing and dead, are ſeruants to one Lord, Ieſus Chriſt.
Here is a threefold comfort. Ʋſe 3
1 Of aſſurance of remiſſion of ſinnes, and of eternall life; for though hee died, yet hee roſe againe and reuiued, which hee could not hauehave done, if he had not fully ſatisfied for all our ſinnes: Alſo he is able to ſaue them to the vttermoſt, Heb. 7.25:which come to God by him, ſeeing hee euer liueth to make interceſſion for them.
2 Of ſupply of all neceſſary grace and good things: He is our Lord, and will maintaine his ſeruants, The Lord is my ſhepheard, I ſhall not want, ſaith Dauid.Pſal. 23.1.
3 Of encouragement, againſt all oppoſites; we hauehave many enemies, but our Maſter is ſtronger then all. Hee cannot forſake vsus now hee liues, who loued vsus ſo, that for our ſakes he died.
Will he ſuffer that to periſh through any tentation, which he purchaſed at ſuch a price? By no meanes. Ionas makes great account of a gourd, which he laboured not for; and we neglect not a beaſt which hath coſt vsus money: much more will our Lord care for vsus, for whom hee hath ſuffered ſo much, and whom hee hath redeemed, not with corruptible things, as gold and ſiluer, but by his owne blood.
If Chriſt died for all, then were all dead: and hee died for all, Ʋſe 4 that they which liue, ſhould not henceforth liue vntounto themſelues, 2 Cor. 5.14.15.but vntounto him which died for them, and roſe againe.
Let vsus therefore ſanctifie our bodies and ſoules to his ſeruice, who hath redeemed both our ſoules and bodies.
Ye are bought with a price; 1 Cor. 6.20. 1 Cor. 7.23.therefore glorifie God in your body and in your ſpirit, which are Gods.
Ye are bought with a price; be not the ſeruants of men, much leſſe the ſeruants of ſinne or of Satan.
Obey Chriſt whatſoeuer it coſt thee: If thou walkeſt and continueſt in drunkenneſſe, vncleanneſſe, or any ſinne, not repenting, thou art more guilty then the very Diuell: for he died not for the Diuell, nor euer offered him grace; and the Diuell neuer denyed the Lord that bought him: 2 Pet. 2.2.which is affirmed of eueryevery vnrepentant ſinner in the time of the Goſpell.
Conſider wicked wretch, that thy ſoule which thou caſteſt away through thy abhominable life, was purchaſed with no meaner price then the blood of the Sonne of God: and therefore thou ſhalt hauehave the ſorer damnation if thou repenteſt not.