If so l>c tint we suffrr with him* that w<' inmj le <dx<> glorified together. Those suffer with Christ who suffer as he did, and for his sake. They are thus partakers of the sufferings of Christ. We suffer as Christ suffered, not only when we are subject to the contradi'-lioii of sinners, but in the ordinary sorrows of life in which he, the man of sorrows, so largely shared. We are said to suffer with Christ, "i\,a, in order that we may be glorified together. That is, the design of God in the affliction of his people, is not to satisfy the demands of justice, but to prepare them to participate in his ^lory. To creatures in a state ot sin, suffering is the necessary condition of exaltation. It is the rcfininir process through which they must pass, 1 Pet. i. G, 7. The union of believers with Christ, in suffering as well as in glory, is what he and his apostles taught them to expect. l> If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me, Matt. xvi. 24; "If we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him,11 2 Tim. ii. 11, 12. The blessedness of the future state is always represented as exalted: it is a glory, something that will elevate us in the rank of beings; enlarging, purifying, and ennobling all our faculties. To this state we are to attain "through much tribulation," i. e. attain it as Christ did. And this is what the apostle here intends to say, and not that the participation of Christ's glory is a reward for our having suffered with him.
VERSE 18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared, &c. 'If children, then heirs; for I do not think our present sufferings inconsistent with our being either the children or the heirs of God: 1. Because they are comparatively insignificant, vs. 18 — 23; and, 2. Because we are sustained under them, vs. 24 — 28.' Without much altering the sense, the for may be considered as referring to the last clause of the preceding verse: ' We shall be glorified with Christ, for these present afflictions are not worthy of thought.' In 2 Cor. iv. 17, Paul speaks much in the same manner of the lightness of the afflictions of this life in comparison with the glory that shall be revealed in us. A\ e are not only the recipients of a great favour, but the subjects in which a great display of the divine glory is to be made to others, Eph. iii. 10. It is a revelation of glory in us; see Col. iii. 4, 1 John iii. 2. Not worth?/, o'jx dzea, not of like weight. * Aztov T'JI<OZ, what outweighs anything. Here, instead of the genitive, TTOOC is used — Not weighty in reference to, or in com parison with. As the glory so outweighs the suffering, the idea of merit, whether of condignity or of congruity, is of necessity excluded. It is altogether foreign to the context. For it is not the ground on which eternal life is bestowed, but the great ness of the glory that the saints are to inherit, which the apostle designs to illustrate. "Neque enim," says Calvin, " dignitatem utriusque confert apostolus, sed gravitatcm crucis tantum elevat comparatione magnitudinis gloria!, idque ad confirmandos patientia fidclium animos."
The apostle, fired with the thought of the future glory of the saints, pours forth the splendid passage which follows, (vs. 19 — 28,) in which he represents the whole creation groan ing under its present degradation, and looking and longing for the revelation of this glory, as the end and consummation of its existence.
VERSE 19. For the earnest expectation of the creature, &c. This verse is evidently designed to confirm the assertion con tained in the preceding verse. As, however, it is there asserted that the glory to be revealed in us is great, that it is certain, and that it is future, which of these points does the apostle here, and in what follows, design to establish? Some say, that in the preceding clause, TY^ [jLSMo'jffay is the emphatic word. The glory is future, for it is an object of expectation. We are saved only in hope. Others again say, that the main idea is that this glory is about to be, i. e. ccrtainl v shall be revealed, agreeably to the special force of the word /ts/.Azcy. But the main idea of ver. "M obviously is, that this future irlorv transcends immeasurably the suffering of this present state. All that follows tends to illustrate and enforce that idea. Tin' enriK'tt expectation^ d~ozaoaoo%!a, from xapauoxzly, erccto capita prospicere, to look for with the head erect. The d~o is intensive; so that d~oxapadoxifJi is earnest or persistent expectation. It is an expectation that waits the time out, that never fails until the object is attained. The object of this earnest expectation is, tin'- manifestation <>f tin1.^///x of God. That is, the time when they shall be manifested in their true character and glory as his sons. u Beloved, now are we the sons of <iod; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when lie shall appear, we shall be like him.'' 1 John in. '1. The subject of this expectation is the *r.'<7.'C, the. creation. As this word signifies, first, the act of creating, and then, anv individual created thing, or all creatures collectively, its meaning in anv particular place must be determined bv the context. In this passage it has been made to mean: 1. The whole rational and irrational creation, including anuvls, and all things else, animate and inanimate. "2. The whole world, excluding angels, but inclusive of the irrational animals. 8. The whole material creation, in a popular sense, as we say, all nature. 4. The whole human race. ~>. The heathen world, as distinguished from believers. (.>. The body of believers. The choice between these several interpretations must be deter mined by what is predicated of the xrifr.^ in this immediate connection, and by the analogy of Scripture. Unless the Bible elsewhere speaks of angels as the subjects of redemption, they cannot be here included, especially as they, as a class, are not subject to corruption. How far irrational animals are included, is more doubtful. The prophetic representations of the Messianic period set forth not only inanimate nature, tha deserts, mountains, and forests, as rejoicing in the new order of things, but also the beasts of the field; and therefore thcio is scriptural ground for including them under the comprehen sive words of the apostle. That xriffiz here, is to be taken, not as meaning the whole human family, nor the heathen world, nor all rational creatures, but the whole creation with which we are immediately connected — the earth, and all its tribes of beings, man exceptcd — is the opinion of the great majority of commentators of all ages. It is supported by the following considerations: 1. In the first place, the words T.u.oa f] xTtfftz, tit a whok creation, arc so comprehensive, that nothing should be excluded which the nature of the subject and the context do not show cannot be embraced within their scope. It has already been remarked, that as Paul is speaking of the benefits of redemption, no class of creatures not included in some way in that redemption, can be here intended. "While the good angels are, according to the Scriptures, not only deeply inter ested in this great work, 1 Pet. i. 12, but receive through it the clearest manifestation of the manifold wisdom of God, Eph. ii.7, yet they are not in such a sense partakers of the redemption of Christ as this passage supposes. They are not burdened with the consequences of man's apostacy, nor can they be repre sented as longing for deliverance from that burden. Angels, therefore, must be excluded from "the whole creation" here intended. 2. In the second place, as the apostle clearly dis tinguishes between the x-tfftz and believers, the latter cannot be included in the former. 'Not only,' he says, 'the xrlfftz, but we believers groan within ourselves,' &c. 3. Neither can "the creature" mean the race of mankind as distinguished from Christians. Hammond, Locke, Semler, Ammon, and others, may be quoted in favour of this interpretation. Wctstein expresses the same view briefly and plausibly thus: " Genus Immanum dividitur in eos, qui jam Christo nomen dederunt, quique primitive vocantur hie et Jac. i. 18, et reliquos, qui nondum Christo nomen dederunt, qui vocantur creatura, vid. Marc. xvi. 15. Et Judsei sentiunt onus legis suoe: gentes reliquae tcnebnis suas palpant, prsedicatione evangelii tanquam e somno excitatae; ubique magna rerum convertio expectatur." To this, however, it may be objected:
(a) It cannot be said of the world of mankind, that they have an earnest expectation and desire for the manifestation of the sons of God. The common longing after immortality, to which reference is made in defence of the application of this verse to men in general, is very far from coming up to the force of the passage. u The manifestation of the sons of God" is a definite scriptural event, just as much as the second advent of Christ. It can, therefore, no more be said that the world longs for the one event than for the other. Yet had the apostle said the whole creation was longing for the second advent of the Son of God, can any one imagine he meant they were merely sighing after immortality? lie evidently intends, that the creature is looking forward, with earnest expectation, to that great scriptural event which, from the beginning, lias been held up as the great object of hope, viz. the consummation of the Redeemer's kingdom.
(b) It cannot be said, in its full and proper force, that man kind were brought into their present state, not by their own act, or "willingly," but by the act and power of God. The obvious meaning of ver. '20 seems to be, that the fact that the creature was subjected to its present state, not by itself, but bv God, is the reason, at once, why it longs for deliverance, and may hope to obtain it. Such exculpatory declarations respecting men, are not in keeping with the scriptural mode of speaking either of the conduct or condition of the world.
(c) A still greater difficulty is found in reconciling this inter pretation with ver. -1. How can it be said of mankind, as a whole, that they are to be delivered from the bondage of cor ruption, and made partakers of the glorious liberty of the children of God? And, especially, how can this be said to occur at the time of the manifestation of the sons of God, i. e. at the time of the second advent, the resurrection day, when the consummation of the Redeemer's kingdom is to take place? According to the description here given, the whole creation is to groan under its bondage until the day of redemp tion, and then it also is to be delivered. This description can, in no satisfactory sense, be applied to mankind, as distinguished from the people of God.
(d) This interpretation does not suit the spirit of the context or drift of the passage. The apostle is represented as saying, in substance, "The very nature and condition of the human race point to a future state: they declare that this is an imper fect, frail, dying, unhappy state; that man does not and cannot attain the end of his being here; and even Christians, sup ported as they are by the earnest of future glory, still find themselves obliged to sympathize with others in these sufferings, sorrows, and deferred hopes."* But how feeble and attenuated is all this, compared to the glowing sentiments of the apostle! His object is not to show that this state is one of frailty and sorrow, and that Christians must feel this as well as others. On the contrary, he wishes to show that the sufferings of this state are utterly insignificant in comparison with the future glory of the sons of God. And then to prove how great this glory is, he says, the whole creation, with outstretched neck, has been longing for its manifestation from the beginning of the world; groaning not so much under present evil as from the desire for future good.
As therefore the angels, the human race, and believers as a class, must be excluded, what remains but the creation, in the popular sense of that word — the earth, with all it contains, animate and inanimate, man excepted? With believers, the whole creation, in this sense, is represented as being burdened, and longing for deliverance. The refutation of the other inter pretations shuts us up to the adoption of this. It is, moreover, consistent with the context and the analogy of Scripture. As the object of the apostle is to impress upon believers the great ness of the glory of which they are to be the subjects, he repre sents the whole creation as longing for its manifestation. There is nothing in this unnatural, unusual, or unscriptural. On the contrary, it is in the highest degree beautiful and effective, and at the same time in strict accordance with the manner of the sacred writers. How common is it to represent the whole creation as a sentient being, rejoicing in God's favour, trem bling at his anger, speaking aloud his praise, &c. How often too is it represented as sympathizing in the joy of the people of God! "The mountains and hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands." Isa. Iv. 12. It may be objected, that such passages are poetical; but so is this. It is not written in metre, but it is poetical in the highest degree. There is, therefore, nothing in the strong figurative language of ver. 19, either inappro priate to the apostle's object, or inconsistent with the manner of the sacred writers.
It may also with the strictest propriety be said, that the irra tional creation was subjected to vanity, not willingly, but bv the authority of God. It shared in the penalty of the fall— "Cursed is the earth for thy sake." Gen. viii. 17. And it is said still to suffer for the sins of its inhabitant-;: "Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth." Isa. xxh. (.1; "How loner shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every fit-Id wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein?" Jer. xii. 4. This is a common mode- of representation in the Scriptures. How far the face of nature was affected, or the spontaneous fruitfulness of the earth changed by the curse, it is vain to ask. It is sufficient that the irrational creation was made subject to a frail, dying, miserable state, by the act of God (not by' its own.) in punishment of the sins of men. This is the representation of the Scriptures, and this is the declaration of Paul. While this is true of the irrational creation, it is not true of mankind. Thi> principal point in the description of the apostle is. that tins subjection of the creature to the bondage of corrupt ion is not final or hopeless, but the whole creation is to share in the glorious liberty of the children of God. This also is in perfect accordance with the scriptural mode of representation on this subject, Nothing is more familiar to the readers of the Old Testam-nt, than the idea that the whole face of the world is to be clothed in new beauty when the Messiah appears: "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the roe." &c. Isa. xxxv. 1, xxix. IT. xxxii. lo, 1C. "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." Isa. xi. (]. Such passages are too numerous to be cited. The apostle Peter, speaking of the second advent, says the present state of things shall be changed, the heavens shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat: "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness," 2 Pet. ill. 7 — 13. "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heavens and the first earth were passed away," llcv. xxi. 1; see Ileb. xii. 26, 27. It is common, there fore, to describe the advent of the Messiah as attended with a great and glorious change of the external world. Whether this is intended merely as an exornation, as is doubtless the case with many of the prophetic passages of the Old Testament; or whether it is really didactic, and teaches the doctrine of the restoration of the earth to more than its pristine beauty, which seems to be the meaning of some of the New Testament pas sages, is perfectly immaterial to our present purpose. It is enough that the sacred writers describe the consummation of the Redeemer's kingdom as attended with the palinyanezia of the whole creation. This is all Paul docs; whether poetically or didactically, is too broad a question to be here entered upon. In further confirmation of this interpretation it may be remarked, that this doctrine of the renewal of the external world, derived from the language of the prophets, was a com mon doctrine among the Jews. Abundant evidence of this fact may be seen in Eisenmenger's Entdccldcs Judentlmm (Judaism Revealed,) particularly in chapter fifteenth of the second part. The following passages are a specimen of the manner in which the Jewish writers speak on this subject: " Hereafter, when the sin of men is removed, the earth, which God cursed on account of that sin, will return to its former state and blessed ness, as it was before the sin of men," p. 828. "At this time the whole creation shall be changed for the better, and return to the perfection and purity which it had in the time of the first man, before sin was." See this latter ([notation, and others of a similar import, in Tholuck. In the early Christian Church, this opinion was prevalent, and was the germ whence the extra vagances of the Millenarians arose. Almost all such errors contain a portion of truth, to which they arc indebted for their origin and extension. The vagaries, therefore, of the early heretics, and the still grosser follies of the Talmudical writers on this subject, furnish presumptive and confirmatory evidence that the sacred writers did teach a doctrine, or at least employed a mode of speaking of the future condition of the external world, which easily accounts for these errors.
The objections to this view of the passage are inconclusive. 1. It is objected that it would require us to understand all such passages as speak of a latter day of glory, literally, and believe that the house of God is to stand on the top of the moun tains, &c. But this is a mistake. When it is said, "The heavens declare the glory of God," we do not understand the words literally, although we understand them as speaking of the visible heavens. "2. Neither are the prophetic descriptions of the state of the world at the time of the second advent, explained literally, even when understood didactically, that is, as teaching that there is to be a great and glorious change in the condition of the world. But even this, as remarked above, is not necessary to make good the common interpretation. It is sufficient that Paul, after the manner of the other sacred writers, describes the external world as sympathizing with the righteous, and participating in the glories of the Messiah's reign. If this be a poetic exaggeration in the one case, it may be in the other. Again, it is objected that the common inter pretation is not suited to the design of the passage. But this objection is founded <>n a misapprehension of that design. The apostle does not intend to confirm our assurance of the truth of future glory, but to exalt our conceptions of its ureatness. Finally, it is said to be very unnatural, that Paul should repre sent the external world as longing for a. better state, and Christians doing the same, and the world of mankind be left unnoticed. But this is not unnatural if the apostle's design be as just stated.
There appears, therefore, to be no valid objection airain^t supposing the apostle, in this beautiful passage, to brimr into strong contrast with our present light and momentary afflic tions, the permanent and glorious blessedness of our future state; and, in order to exalt our conceptions of its great nes<, to represent the whole creation, now groaning beneath the con sequences of the fall, as anxiously waiting for the long expected day of redemption.
VERSE '20. For the creature, was made, subject to vanity, £c. In this verse there are three reasons expressed or implied why the creature thus waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. The first is, that it is now subject to vanity. 2. That this subjection was not voluntary, but imposed by God. 3. That ib was never designed to be final. The creature was subjected, (u-£TO.~tf, historical aorist: the fact referred to occurred at the fall, when the curse fell on the earth.) To vanity, fj.arac6rrjTc. This word expresses either physical frailty or worthlessness, or moral corruption. Here it is the former; in Eph. iv. 17, 2 Pet. ii. 18, it is the latter. The two ideas, however, are in the Scriptures nearly related. The idea here expressed is anti thetical to that expressed by the word glory. It includes, therefore, all that distinguishes the present condition of the creature from its original state, and from the glorious future in reserve for it. TVhat is expressed by /^ara/or^c, is in ver. 21 expressed by ifO-ouu.^, corruption. AY hat the apostle here says of the creature, was familiar to his Jewish readers. Their Rabbis taught that: " Quamvis create fucrint res perfects, cum primus homo peccaret, corruptae tamcn sunt, et non redibunt ad conoTiium statum suum, donee veniat Pharcz," i. c. Messias. See Ei*i>nmen<j<'r. This subjection of the creature, the apostlo says, was not!xoD<7«, not willingly, not of its own choice. It was neither by the voluntary act of the creature, nor in accord ance with its own inclination. The inanimate creature was a passive sufferer, sharing in the curse which fell on man for his apostacy. But />// reason of him who hath subjected. d/,/,a (on the contrary) o>a rov ujrora-avrr/, on account, i. e. in accordance with the will of Him who rendered it subject. It was the will of God, not of the creature, Avhich caused the creature to be subject to vanity. AYliile this can be said with the strictest propriety, of the material and irrational creation, it cannot properly be said of sinners. Their subjection to the bondage of corruption was by their own voluntary act, or by the voluntary act of their divinely constituted head and representative. The subjection of the creature to vanity, however, was not final and hopeless; it was e-' IX-idc. These words may be connected cither with b-£T(fyy or with b-otdzav-a: 'the creature was subjected in hope;' or, 'on account of him subjecting it in hope.' In either case the sense is the same. The subjection was not a hopeless one..By giving fcra/-/? a middle sense, and connecting eV k)~io> therewith, we have the beautiful idea, that the creature submitted to the yoke of bondage in hope of ultimate deliver-
ance. "Subjecit so jugo, hac tamen spe, ut ct ipsa libcretur tandem ab eo." Koppc. " Obedientiae cxcmplum," says Calvin, "in creaturis omnibus proponit, ct cam addit ex spe nasci, quia hinc soli et lun.xj, stellisque omnibus ad assiduum cursum alacritas; Line terrne ad fructus gignendos sedulitas obsequii, hinc aeris indefessa agitatio, Line aquis ad fluxum promptus vigor, quia Deus suas quibusque partes injunxit; ncc tantuiu praeciso impcrio quid fieri vellet, sed spem renovationis intus simul indidit."
VEKSE 21. Because tie creature itself also shall be delivered from the buivlcje of corrupt ion, ^c. Tins verse, according to our version, assigns tlie reason why tlic subjection of tlie crea ture was not hopeless. TLis reason is, tliat tlie creature was to sliare in tlie glorious redemption. Tlie particle on, however, rendered bcraion^ may be rendered that* and tlie verse then indicates the object of tlie Lope just spoken of. Tlie subjection %vas with the Lope tlmt tlie creature should be delivered. In either way tlie sense is nearly tlie same. Tin- creature itxelf also, is another of the forms of expression which show that Paul speaks of the creation in a, sense which does not embrace the children of (lod. Bondage of corruption, i. e. bondage to cor ruption — the state of frailty and degradation spoken of above,
Delivered, or liberated into the liberty, is an elliptical form of expression for "delivered and introduced into the liberty.' Libeiiif <->f 'jl'.ii'if* as the words literally mean, or <jl<>ri<mx ///»/•///, refer to that liberty which consists in, or is connected with the glory which is the end and consummation of the work of redemption, This word is often used for the whole of the results of the work of Christ, as far as his people are con cerned; (see ver. 1S.J The creature then is to be partaker in some way, according to its nature, of the glories in reserve for
the sons of God. '••Purro non intclligit, consortes ojusdem gloriyc fore creaturas cum filiis Dei, sed suo modo melioris status fore socias: quia Deus simul cum humano gencre orbern *mnc collapsum in integrum restituet. Quails vero futura sit integritas ilia tarn in pecudibus quam in plantis et metallis, curiosius inquirere nequo expcdit, ncque fas est. Quia praecipua pars corruptions est interitus: Quaerunt arguti, sed parum sobrii homines, an imiuortale futuruni sit omne anima-
Hum genus: his speculationibus si frenum laxetur, quorsum tandem nos abripient? Ilac ergo sirnplici doctrina content! simus, tale fore temperamentum, et tarn concinnum ordinem, ut niliil vel dcforme vel fluxum appareat." Calvin.
VERSE 22. For ive know that the ivliole creation groanetli and travaileth in pain together until now. This verse is a repe tition and confirmation of the preceding sentiment: fc The crea ture is subject to vanity, and longs for deliverance; for we see, from universal and long continued experience, the whole creation groaning and travailing in pain.' It is, however, as Calvin remarks, the pains of birth, and not of death. After sorrow comes the joy of a new existence. The word together may have reference to the whole creation which groans together, all its parts uniting and sympathizing; or it may refer to the sons of God, ' For the whole creation groans together with the sons of God.' On account of the following verse, in which Christians are specially introduced as joining with the whole creation in this sense of present misery and desire of future good, the former method of understanding the passage seems preferable. Until now, from the beginning until the present time. The creature has always been looking forward to the
day of redemption. "Particula Ilactenus, vel ad hunc usque diem, ad levandum diuturni languoris taedium pertinet. Nam si tot soeculis durarunt in suo gemitu creature, quam inexcusabilis erit nostra mollities vel ignavia, si in brevi umbratilis vitne curriculo deficimus?" Calvin.
VERSE 23. And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, <fcc. 'Not only does the whole crea tion thus groan, but we ourselves, we Christians, who have a foretaste of heavenly bliss, the first fruits of the glorious inhe ritance, we groan within ourselves, and long for the consum mation of glory.' The first fruits was that portion of the productions of the earth which was offered to God. From the nature of the case, they contained the evidence and assurance of the whole harvest being secured. The idea, therefore, of an earnest or pledge is included in the phrase, as well as that of priority. This is the general if not constant use of the word in the New Testament. Thus Christ is called "the first fruits of them that slept," 1 Cor. xv. 20, not merely because he rose first, but also because his resurrection was a pledge of the resurrection of his people. See Horn. xi. 16, xvi. o, 1 Cor. x\ i. 15, James i. 18. In all these places, both ideas may be, and pro bably ought to be retained. In the passages before us, what is here called the first fruits of the Spirit, is elsewhere called the earnest of the Spirit, Epli. i. 14, &c. The phrases, the, Spirit which is the first fruits^ and the. Spirit which /* ftn earnest, are therefore synonymous. The Spirit is the first fruits of the full inheritance of the saints in light. The expression in the text, therefore, is descriptive of all Christians, and not of any par ticular class of them; that is, it is not to be confined to those who first received the influences of the Spirit, or were first Converted.
The interpretation iriven above, of this clause, is the one most commonly received, and the most natural. There is, however, great diversity in the MSS. as to the text, although the sense is substantially the same, whichever of the various readings be adopted. The common text is: ou /jLOirOi* or. a/./'/ '/.</.'. <i:j~a\ ~-iv l~</.i>yyv ~o') r^i'itu/.-D' iyj^-i'. x</.>. /,//£?;" '/.'JTUZ £^ t^/.vro?^ G~Vsn.^nu:)Vs. This mav mean, -.Not onlv (the x~{<7:~.) but they having the first fruits of the Spirit, and we our.-elvos irroan,' Me. A distinction is thus made between those who have the first fruits of the Spirit, and those meant by we. ourselves. Those who adopt this interpretation suppose that Paul intended by «v, either himself individually, or himself and the other apos tles. This view of the passage, however, is not the natural one, even assuming the correctness of the common text; and is impossible, if the true reading be 'ittt='i~ auroi, as found in the MSS. I). I'. G., and adopted hv many critics. The (j:j-m in the first clause, and the 'f^izl* >/Oro:. refer to the same class of persons, and indicate the subject of the verb (1-1^(^011.1^. It is more doubtful what force should be given to the participle iy^crs-i'. As the article is omitted, most commentators render it, 'although having.' "Even we groan, although having the present influences and support of the Spirit.' In our version, and by Calvin. Be/a, and Benirel, it is rendered as though the article was used, of svovrsc, even i/'e tej/o h/ive, i. e. the possessors of. This is more pertinent, as tin- apostle's object is to desig nate the class intended by we. The article in such cases is not always used, (see ver. 1,) according to the common text. In the phrase a-aoyj} roi) nv&j[j.aTO<;, the genitive may be taken as the genitivus partivus. In favour of this is the signification of the word, and its ordinary use. In such expressions as " first fruits of the corn and of the wine," "of the dead," and others of a like kind, the genitive indicates that of which the first fruits are a part. This gives a good sense here. Believers now possess and now enjoy, in the indwelling of the Spirit, a prelibation of what they are to receive hereafter — a part of the full measure of divine influence in reserve for them. Still the analogy of Scripture is in favour of taking the genitive as the genitive of apposition. The Holy Spirit is the d-apyyj; or as it is said in Epli. i. 14, 2 Cor. i. 22, v. 5, dofwfay, the earnest of the Spirit. The inheritance of the saints in light, is that of which the Spirit is the first fruits and the earnest.
Even we ourselves groan ivitltin ourselves, ev kauroiz, as expressing the internal load by which the believer is now oppressed. Waiting for the adoption, olod-zatay without the article; 'waiting for adoption.' There is a sense in which believers are now the sons of God and partakers of adoption. But the full enjoyment of their blessedness as the children of God, the time when they shall be recognised as vlot, and enter upon their inheritance as such, is still future. Here Christians are in the condition of i^'-r% minor children; their introduc tion into the state of ulol, in the sense of adult sons entitled to their inheritance, is their ulod-saia, for which they now wait, (d.mxd£y6fjL£vot^ with patient, but earnest desire. What, there fore, in the foregoing verse is expressed by "the manifestation of the sons of God," is here expressed by the single word "adoption." Even the redemption of the hod//. The redemp tion of the body is not so in apposition with the adoption, that the two phrases are equivalent. The adoption includes far more than the redemption of the body. But the latter event is to be coincident with the former, and is included in it, as one of its most prominent parts. Both expressions, therefore, designate the same period: 'We wait for the time when we shall be fully recognised as the children of God, i. e. for the time when our vile bodies shall be fashioned like unto the <*lori- ous body of the Son of God.' How much stress Paul laid upon the redemption of the body, is evident not only from this pas sage, and that in Philip, iii. 21, just quoted, but also from the whole of 1 Cor. xv., especially the latter part of the chapter. The time of the resurrection of the body, or the manifestation of the sons of God, is the time of the second advent of Jesus Christ. See 1 Cor. xv. 2-J. "Christ the first fruits; afterwards they that are Christ's, at his coming." 1 Thess. iv. 1(>, "For the Lord, himself shall descend from heaven with a shout; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive," cV'c. This is the period towards which all eyes and all hearts have been directed, among those who have had the first fruits of the Spirit, since the fall of Adam: and for which the whole creation groaneth and is in travail even until now.
Vl-:usj;s 24, 2">. The apostle, intending to show that the pre sent aillictions of believers are not inconsistent with their be-in"1 the children of (lod, and are therefore no ground of discourage ment, refers not onlv to then' comparative insignificance, but also to the necessitv whieh there is, from the nature of the rase, for these sufferings: 'Salvation, in its fulness, is not a present good, but a matter of hope, and of course future; and if future, it follows that we must wait for it in patient and jo v fid expecta tion.' \\hile. therefore, waitincj for salvation is necessarv, from the nature of the case, the nature of the blessing waited for, converts expectation into desire, and enables us patiently to endure all present evils.
close of the preceding verse, Paul had spoken of believers as w/itini/ f»r t/tr tnluj'fi'i/1. They thus wait, because salvation is not a present good, but a future one. A\ e are saved in hope, i. e. in prospect. The dative (k).r.~f.o:} does not in this case express the means by which anything is done, but the condition or circumstances in which it is, or the way and manner in which it occurs. It is therefore analogous to our forms of expression, we Jttn'c a tliinij in expectation < r f>ronj><'ct. Salvation is a bless ing we have in hope, not in possession: if it be the one, ^t cannot be the other, sitifc Jmjn' tlmt /* m.'cn in not Itnjn-. It lies in the nature of hope, that its object must be future. The word hope is here used objectively for tin- tlitmj Jtop<'d for, as in Col. i. 5, ""The hope that is laid up for you in heaven; Ileb. vi. 18,
Eph. i. 18, &c. The latter clause of the verse, for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for, is only a confirmation of the previous declaration, that it lies in the nature of hope to have reference to the future. "This passage," says Olshauscn,
" is specially important for determining the true nature of hope, It stands opposed to JAS-EW. seeing — which supposes the object to be externally present. It is, however, no less opposed to the entire absence of its object. It is, on the contrary, the inward possession of the things hoped for, so far as they are spiritual, A man can believe, and hope for eternal things, only so far as they are inwardly present to him. Therefore it is that Chris tian hope is something so exalted. It is the daughter of expe rience, (Rom. v. 4,) and maketh not ashamed. It is the sister of faith and love. Good wishes, desires, and longings, are not hope, because they lo not involve the real possession of the things longed for."
VERSE 25. But if ive hope for that we see not, £c. That is, 'If hope has reference to the unseen and the future, then, as salvation is a matter of hope, it is a matter to be waited for.' It results, therefore, from the nature of the plan of redemption, that the full fruition of its blessing should not be obtained at once, but that through much tribulation believers should enter into the kingdom; consequently, their being called upon to suffer is not at all inconsistent with their being sons and heirs. TJien do we with patience watt for it; oi u-ouoy/^, with con stancy, or firmness, which includes the idea of patience, as its consequence. There is something more implied in these words than that salvation, because unseen, must be waited for. This, no doubt, from the connection, is the main idea; but we not only wait, but we wait with patience, or constancy. There is something in the very expectation of future good, and especially of such good, the glory that shall be revealed in us, to produce not only patient but even joyful endurance of all present suffer ing. " Spes ista," says Grotius, "non infructuosa est in nobis, ggregiam virtutem opcratur, malorum fortem tolerationem."
VERSE 26. Not only does hope thus cheer and support the suffering believer, but likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirm ities. Likewise, literally, in the same way. As hope sustains, so, in the same manner, the Spirit does also. Not that the mode of assistance is the same, but simply as the one does, so also does the other. In this case at least, therefore, the word thus rendered is equivalent to moreover. The translation likewise suits the context exactly. Helputli, the word a^o^it- /jjLiifaz'tai, means to take hold of any thing with another, to take part in his burden or work, and thus to aid. Compare Luke x. 40. It is, therefore, peculiarly expressive and appro priate. It represents the condescending Spirit as taking upon himself, as it were, a portion of our sorrows to relieve us of
their pressure. " Magna est vis Graeci verbi ao^a^TcXa^dvead-a^ quod scilicet partcs oneris quo nostril innrmitas gravatur, ad so recipiens Spiritus non modo auxiliatur nobis et succurrit, sed perinde nos sublevat ucsi ipse nobiscum onus subiret." — Calvin.
Our infirmities* is the appropriate rendering of the original, which expresses the idea both of weakness and suffering. Ileb. iv. 1 "), '• We have not an hi^h priest which cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities;" '1 Cor. xii. ">, u I will not glory, l)iit in mine infirmities."
For ire know not what we should pray for as we ought; lut the Spirit, &C. What we know not is: TO 7.' rrpozeugco/ie&a xatii) oil. The article TO belongs to the whole clause, as in Luke ix. 40; Acts iv.:>!, and after.— TF^r,:M.:}. This is said as an illustration and confirmation of the previous general declaration: it is an example of the way in which the Spirit aids us. k lie helpeth our infirmities, for he teaches us how to pray, dictatiiiLT to us our supplications,' «N:c. The necessity for this aid arises from our ignorance; we know not what to pray for. We cannot, tell what is really best for us. Heathen philosophers gave this as a reason why men ought not to pray It How miserable their condition when compared to ours! Instead of our ignorance putting a seal upon our lips, and leaving our hearts to break, the Spirit gives our desires a language heard and understood of <Iod. As we know not how to pray, the Spirit teaches us. This idea the apostle expresses by saying, the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us. The simple verb (lvru>r%dua>), rendered he maketh intercession, pro perly means to meet, then to approach any one to make suppli cation, Acts xxv. 24. This supplication may be against any one, Rom. xi. 2, or for him, v. 34; Ileb. vii. 25. Hence, to intercede for, is to act the part of advocate in behalf of any one. This Christ is said to do for us in the last two passages cited, as well as in Ileb. ix. 24, 1 John ii. 1, and John xiv. 16, for Christ calls the Holy Spirit "another advocate," i. e. another than himself. This office is ascribed to the Spirit in the last passage quoted in John xiv. 26, xv. 26, and xvi. 7, as well as in the passage before us. As the Spirit is thus said, in the general, to do for us what an advocate did for his client, so he does also what it was the special duty of the advocate to perform, i. e., to dictate to his clients what they ought to say, how they should present their cause.* In this sense the pre sent passage is to be understood. We do not know how to pray, but the Spirit teaches us. All true prayer is due to the influence of the Spirit, who not only guides us in the selection of the objects for which to pray, but also gives us the appro priate desires, and works within us that faith without which our prayers are of no avail. We are not to suppose that the Spirit itself prays, or utters the inarticulate groans of which the apostle here speaks. He is said to do what he causes us to do. " Interpellare autem dicitur Spiritus Dei," says Cal vin; "nonquod ipsc re vera suppliciter scad prccanduni vel gemendum demittat, sed quod in animis nostris excitet ea vota, quibus nos sollicitari convenit; deinde corda nostra sic afficiat ut suo ardore in coelum penetrent." Nevertheless, far more is meant than that the Spirit teaches us to pray, as one man may teach another. And more is meant than that, by a mere ab extra influence, certain desires and feelings are awakened in our hearts. The Spirit dwells in the believer as a principle of life. In our consciousness there is no difference between our own acting and those of the Spirit. There is, however, a concursus, a joint agency of the divine and human in all holy exercises, and more especially in those emotions, desires, and
* See Knapp's Dissertation De Spiritu Sancto et Christo Paracletis, p. 114, *f his Scripta Varii Argument!. Or the translation of that Dissertation in the Biblical Repertory, Vol. I. p. 234.
aspirations which we are unable to clothe in words. The <TrcV6c;-«^c d/tt/jyro.'C may mean with unutterable or unuttered groaning*. The former is not only more forcible, but it is more in accordance with the experience arid language of men. It is common to speak of emotions too big for utterance, and we all know what that means. The analogy of scripture is also in favour of this view. The Bible speaks of God's unspeakable gift, 2 Cor. xii. 4, of door^a fur^ta-a* ' words which cannot be uttered;' and of 'a joy that is unspeakable/
VERSE 27. Although these desires are not, and cannot bo uttered, the eye of IIiu> who searches the heart can read and understand them. And (rather, but) lie who searcJteth the hearts. To search the heart is the prerogative of God, as it implies omniscience. As no man knoweth the things of a man, but the spirit of man that is in him, to read the unexpressed emotions of the soul must be the work of Him to whose eyes all things are naked. UI the Lord, search the heart, I try the reins.'' Jer. xvii. 10, Ps. cxxxix. 7, (,). Kev. ii. 28. Knoweth the muid of the fytirit. By ctiny^ua 7<>rj -^^'jimro::, is meant the meaning, intention of the Spirit, what he means by those unutterable groanings. ]>y Spirit must be here under stood, as the context requires, the Holy Spirit. It is that Spirit who intercedes for the saints and in them, and who is expressly distinguished from the soul in which he dwells. God is said to know the mind of the Spirit. As the word to know is so often used with the implication of the idea of approval, this may mean, God recognises or approves of the mind of the Spirit. " Ilic verbi nonse," says Calvin, u adnotanda est proprietas; significat enim, Dcum non riovos et insolentes illos Spiritus affectus non animadvertere, vel tan<|iiam absurdos rejicere; sed agnoscere, ct simul benignc excipere ut agnitos sibi et probatos." If this be the meaning of the word, then the following ore is causal, and introduces the reason why God thus approves of the mind of the Spirit. It is because the Spirit maketh intercession for the saints x«r« tj=ov according to G-od, i. c., agreeably to his will. The desires produced by the Spirit of God himself are, of course, agreeable to the will of God, and secure of being approved and answered. This is the great consolation and support of believers. They know not either what is best for themselves or agreeable to the will of God; but the Holy Spirit dictates those petitions and excites those desires which are consistent with the divine purposes, and which are directed towards the blessings best suited to our wants. Such prayers are always answered. "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us," 1 John v. 7. But if olds is to be taken in its ordinary sense, then on is explicative. ' God knows that the Spirit,' &c. Those who adopt this view generally render xaru 6zov towards Gf-od, i. e., before God. 'The Spirit intercedes before God for the saints.' In favour of this interpretation of the passage, it is urged that this is the proper place of the word olds; and as to the clause xara 0zbv, it is said, God's knowing the mind of the Spirit, does not depend on its being according to his will. He would know it whether in accordance with his will or not. This difficulty, however, does not exist if olds means ' he recognises and approves.' It is making the verse say comparatively little, if it is made to mean simply ' that the Searcher of hearts knows that the Spirit intercedes in his presence (or toward him) for the saints.' The interpretation adopted by our translators, therefore, is to be preferred. It is more to the apostle's pur pose if he assigns the reason why God receives the unutterable desires and longings of the heart as true prayer. This indeed is a consolation to believers.
VERSE 28. And we Iznow all tilings work together for good to them that love Grod, &c. This may be regarded as virtually, though not formally, an inference from what Paul had taught concerning afflictions. As they are comparatively insignificant, as they call forth the exercises of hope, and give occasion for the kind interposition of the Holy Spirit, far from being incon sistent with our salvation, they contribute to our good. It seems, however, more natural to consider the apostle as pre senting the consideration contained in this verse, as an addi tional reason why the afflictions of this life are not inconsistent writh our being the sons of God. These afflictions are real blessings. AH tilings, as is usually the case with such general expressions, is to be limited to the things spoken of in the context, i. e., the sufferings of the present time. See 1 Cor. ii. 15, where the spiritual man is said to understand " all things;" Col. i. 20, where Christ is said to reconcile "all things unto God;" and Eph. i. 10, with many other similar passages. Of course it is not intended that other events, besides afflictions, do not work together for the good of Chris tians, but merely that the apostle is here speaking of the suf
ferings of believers. " Tenendum est, Paulum non nisi de rebus adversis lo<|ui: acsi dixisset Divinitus sic temperari quaecumjue sanctis aceidunt, ut, quod inundus noxium esse putat, exitus utile esse demonstret. Nam tametsi verum est, quod ait August inns, peccata quoque sua, ordinante Dei providentia, sanctis adeo noii nocere, ut potius eorum saluti inserviant: ad hunc tameii locum non pertinet, ubi de cruce agitur." — Calvin.
Those to whom afflictions are a real blessing are described, first, as t/toxe ivlio lure G<>d; and secondly, as those tclio are called according t<> liis purpose. The former of these clauses describes the character of the persons intended, the// lure God, which is a comprehensive expression for all the exercises of genuine religion. The latter clause declare> a fact, with regard to all such, which has a most important bearing on the apostle's great object in this chapter, tln'i/ (ire e<dlcd af.wrdhuj to his pHi'poKi'. The word <-<dl<'d, as remarked above, (i. 7,) is never, in the epistles of the New Testament, applied to those who arc the recipients of the mere external-invitation of the gospel. It always means effectually called, i. e., it is always applied to those who are really brought to accept of the blessings to which they are invited. 1 Cor. i. 24, "'.But to those who are called," i. e., to true Christians. Jude 1, k' To those who are sanctified by G<>d the Father, and are preserved in Jesus Christ, and called," 1 Cor. i. 2, &c. The word is, therefore, often equiva lent with chosen, as in the phrase "'called an apostle," 1 Cor. i. 1, Horn. i. 1; and "called of Jesus Christ," Rom. i. 6. And thus in the Old Testament, "Hearken unto me, () Jacob, and Israel my called," Isa. xlviii. 12; see Isa. xlii. 0, xlix. 1, li. '2. Those who love God, therefore, are those whom he hath chosen and called by his grace to a participation of the Redeemer's kingdom. This call is not according to the merits of men, but according to the divine purpose. "Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." 2 Tim. i. 9, Eph. i. 11, Rom. ix. 11. The design of the apostle, in the introduction of this clause, seems to have been twofold. First, to show, according to his usual manner, that the fact that some men love God is to be attributed to his sovereign grace, and not to themselves; and, secondly, that if men are called, according to the eternal purpose of God, their salvation is secure. By this latter idea, this clause is associated with the passage that follows, and with the general object of the chapter. That the calling of men docs secure their salvation, is proved in verses 29, 30.
1. True Christians are the sons of God, objects of his affec tion, partakers of his moral nature, and heirs of his kingdom,
2. The relation of God to us is necessarily the counterpart of ours to him. If we feel as friends to him, he feels as a friend towards us; if our sentiments are filial, his are parental, vcr. 15.
3. God, who is every where present and active, manifests his presence, and communicates with his creatures in a manner accordant with their nature, although in a way that is inscruta ble, ver. 1C.
4. Assurance of salvation has a twofold foundation, the experience of those affections which are the evidences of true piety, and the witness of the Holy Spirit. The latter can never be separated from the former; for the Spirit can never testify to what is not the truth. lie can never assure an enemy that he is a child of God, ver. 16.
5. Union with Christ is the source of all our blessings of justification and sanctification, as taught in the previous chap ters, and of salvation, as taught in this, ver. 17.
6. Afflictions are not inconsistent with the divine favour, nor •yith our being the sons of God, vs. 18 — 25.
if the whole creation, from the beginning of the world and longs for its manifestation, vs. 19 — 23.
8. The curse consequent on the fall has affected the state of the external world. The consummation of the work of redemp tion may be attended with its regeneration, vs. 2U — 22.
9. The present influences of the Spirit are first fruits of the inheritance of the saints; the same in kind with the blessings of the future state, though less in degree. They are a pledge of future blessedness, and always produce an earnest lon<Tin<»-for the fruition of the full inheritance, ver. 23.
10. As, fur wise reasons, salvation is not immediately conse quent on regeneration, hope, which is the joyful expectation of future good, becomes the duty, solace, and support of the Christian, vs. 24, 25.
11. The Holy Spirit is our Paraclete (John xiv. 10) or advo cate, we are his clients, we know not how to plead our own cause, but lie dictates to us what we ought to sav. This office of the Spirit ought to be recognised, and gratefully acknow ledged, ver. 20.
12. Prayer, to be acceptable, must be according to the will of God, and it always is so when it is dictated or excited by the Holy Spirit, ver. 27.
13. All events are under the control of God; and even the greatest afflictions are productive of good to those who love him, ver. 2s.
14. Tin- calling or conversion of men, involving so manv of their free acts, is a matter of divine purpose, and it occurs in consequence of its being so, ver. 28.
1. If God, by his Spirit, condescends to dwell in us. it is our highest duty to allow ourselves to be governed or led by him,
2. It is a contradiction in terms to profess to be the sons of God, if destitute of the filial feelings of confidence, affection, and reverence, ver. 15.
3. A spirit of fear, so far from being an evidence of piety, is an evidence of the contrary. The filial spirit is the genuine spirit of religion, ver. 15.
which every Christian should make. If the witness of men is received, the witness of God is greater. As the manifestation of God's love to us is made in exciting our love towards him, so the testimony of his Spirit with ours, that we are the sons of God, is made when our filial feelings are in lively exercise,
5. Christians ought neither to expect nor wish to escape suf fering with Christ, if they are to be partakers of his glory. The former is a preparation for the latter, ver. 17.
6. The afflictions of this life, though in themselves not joyous but grievous, are worthy of little regard in comparison with the glory that shall be revealed in us. To bear these trials properly, we should regard them as part of the heritage of the sons of God, ver. 18.
7. As the present state of things is one of bondage to cor ruption, as there is a dreadful pressure of sin and misery on the whole creation, we should not regard the world as our home, but desire deliverance from this bondage, and introduction into the liberty of the children of God, vs. 19 — 22.
8. It is characteristic of genuine piety to have exalted con ceptions of future blessedness, and earnest longings after it. Those, therefore, who are contented with the world and indif ferent about heaven, can hardly possess the first fruits of the Spirit, ver. 23.
9. Hope and patience are always united. If we have a wellfounded hope of heaven, then do we with patience and fortitude wait for it. This believing resignation and joyful expectation of the promises, are peculiarly pleasing in the sight of God and honourable to religion, vs. 24, 25.
10. How wonderful the condescension of the Holy Spirit I How great his kindness in teaching us, as a parent his children, how to pray and what to pray for! How abundant the conso lation thus afforded to the pious in the assurance that their prayers shall be heard, vs. 26, 27.
11. Those who are in Christ, who love God, may repose in perfect security beneath the shadow of his wings. All things shall work together for their good, because all things are under the control of Him who has called them to the possession of eternal life according to his own purpose, ver. 28.
Tins section contains the exhibition of two additional argu ments in favour of the safety of believers. The first of these is founded on the decree or purpose of God, vs. 29 — 30; and the second on his infinite and unchanging love, vs. 31 — 39. In his description of those with regard to whom all things shall work together for good, Paul had just said that they are such who are called or converted in execution of a previous purpose of God, ver. 28. If this is the case, the salvation of believers is secure, because the plan on which God acts is con nected in all its parts; whom he foreknows, he predestinates, calls, justifies, and glorifies. Those, therefore, who are called, shall certainly bo saved, vs. 29, 30. Secondly, if God is for us, who can be against us? If God so loved us as to give his Son for us, lie will certainly save us, vs. 31, 32. This love has already secured our justification, and has made abundant pro vision for the supply of all our wants, vs. 33, 34.
The triumphant eonclu>i<>n from all these arguments, that nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ, but that we shall be more than conquerors over all enemies and difficulties, is given in vs. 35 — 39.
VERSE 29. For whom lie did foreknow, J/<> also did prc<l<'s~ tinati1, tVc. The connection of this verse with the preceding, and the force of fur, appears from what has already been said. Believers are called in accordance with a settled plan and purpose of God, fur whom he calls he had previously predes tinated: and as all the several steps or stages of our salvation are included in this plan of the unchanging God, if we are pre destinated and called, we shall be justified and glorified. Or the connecting idea is this: All things must work together for good to those who love God, for the plan of God cannot fail; those whom he has called into this state of reconciliation, whom he has made to love him, he will assuredly bring to the glory prepared for his people.
Whom lie did foreknow. As the words to know and foreknoic are used in three different senses, applicable to the present passage, there is considerable diversity of opinion which should be preferred. The word may express prescience simply, according to its literal meaning; or, as to know is often to approve and love, it may express the idea of peculiar affection in this case; or it may mean to select or determine upon. Among those who adopt one or the other of these general views, there is still a great diversity as to the manner in which they understand the passage. These opinions are too numerous to be here recited.
As the literal meaning of the word to foreknow gives no adequate sense, inasmuch as all men are the objects of the divine prescience, whereas the apostle evidently designed to express bv the word something that could be asserted only of a particular class; those who adopt this meaning here supply something to make the sense complete. Who lie foreknew would repent and believe, or who would not resist his divine inflneiKH'i or some such idea. There are two objections to this manner of explaining the passage, 1. The addition of this clause is entirely gratuitous; and, if unnecessary, it is, of course, improper. There is no such thing said, and, therefore, it should not be assumed, without necessity, to be implied. 2. It is in direct contradiction to the apostle's doctrine. It makes the ground of our calling and election to be something in us, our works; whereas Paul says that such is not the ground of our beiii<r chosen. uWho hath called us not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, &c.," 2 Tim. i. 9, and Rom. ix. 11, where the contrary doctrine is not only asserted, but proved and defended. To say that faith as distinguished from works is what is foreseen, and constitutes the ground of election, does not help the matter. For faith is a work or act, and it is the gift of God, the result or effect of lection, and therefore not its ground.
The second and third interpretations do not essentially differ. The one is but a modification of the other; for whom God peculiarly loves, he does thereby distinguish from others, which is in itself a selecting or choosing of them from among others. The usage of the word is favourable to either modification of this general idea of preferring. u The people which he fore knew," i. e., loved or selected, Rom. xi. 2; u "Who verily was foreordained (Gr. foreknown), i. e. fixed upon, chosen before the foundation of the world," 1 Peter i. 20, 2 Tim. ii. 19, John x. 14, 1">: see also Acts ii. 23, 1 Peter i. 2. The idea therefore, obviously is, that those whom God peculiarly loved, and by thus loving, distinguished or selected from the rest of mankind; or to express both ideas in one word, those whom he elected lie predestined, kc.
It is evident, on the one hand, that xpofvcoatz expresses something more than the prescience of which all men and all events are the objects, and, on the other, something different from the -tiooinati.o- (predestination) expressed by the following word: ""Whom he foreknew, them he also predestinated." The predestination fallows, and is grounded on the foreknowledge. The foreknowledge therefore expresses the act of cognition or recognition, the fixing, so to speak, the mind upon, which involves the idea of selection. If we look over a number of objects with the view of selecting some of them for a definite purpose, the first act is to iix the mind on some to the neglect of the others, and the second is to destine them to the proposed end. So God is represented as looking on the fallen mas- oi' men, and fixing on some whom he predestines to salvation. This is the ~<>tiyi,(!)fT!~, the foreknowledge, of which the apostle here speaks. It is the knowing, fixing upon, or selecting those who are to be predestinated to be conformed to the image of the Son of God. Even De Wette says, Der J>cgrifV der unbedingten Gnadenwhal Hegt bier klar vor, (the idea of sovereign election is here clearly presented.)
11>' ((/,•«> did predestinate to be conformed to the image of /</*• >s'"/<. To predestinate is to destine or appoint before hand, as the original word is used in Acts iv. 2S, tkTo do Whatsoever thy hand and counsel determined before to be done;" "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children," Eph. i. 5; "Being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will," Eph. i. 11. In all the cases in which this predestination is spoken of, the idea is distinctly recognised, that the ground of the choice which it implies is not in us. We are chosen in Christ, or according to the free purpose of God, &c. This is a /ore-ordination, a determination which existed in the divine mind long prior to the occurrence of the event, even before the foundation of the world, Eph. i. 4; so that the occurrences in time arc the manifestations of the eternal purpose of God, and the execution of the plan of which they form a part.
The end to which those whom God has chosen are pre destined, is conformity to the image of his Son., i. e., that they might be like his Son in character and destiny. He hath, chosen us "that we should be holy and without blame before him," Eph. i. 4, iv. 24. "He hath predestined us to the adoption, i. e., to the state of sons, Eph. i. 5. "As we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly," 1 Cor. xv. 49; see Phil. iii. 21, 1 John iii. 2. The words 0Ufj.fjL6p<f>oi)£ r^c eixovoc TGI) ulorj OL&TOU, express not only the general idea that believers are to be like Christ, but Aiore definitely, that what Christ is we are to be; as He is yfoc we are y?or; as He was Iv uofxry $eo~j we are to be o'j[j.<ion(foc; as He assumed our nature, and thereby purified and exalted it, we are to partake of that purity and glory. We are to have the same ftooff^ (form) as the eixcbv of Christ has — resemble him as the image answers to the original. As Paul, in verse 17, had spoken of our suffering with Christ, and in the subsequent pas sage was principally employed in showing that though in this respect we must be like Christ, it was not inconsistent with our being sons and heirs, so here, when we are said to be conformed to the image of Christ, the idea of our bearing the same cross is not to be excluded. We are to be like our Saviour in moral character, in our present sufferings and future glory. As this conformity to Christ includes our moral likeness to him, and as this embraces all that is good in us, it is clear that no supposed excellence originating from our own resources, can be the ground of our being chosen as God's people, since this excel lence is included in the end to which we are predestined. " I remark here in passing," says Olshausen, "that according to Paul's doctrine, there is a praedestinatio sanctorum in the strict sense of the word; that is, that God does not foreknow those who by their own decision will become holy, but he himself creates that decision in them. In r.oo^^axT/^c^ the divine knowledge, and in 7:000 ni^cv the divine will, (both of which are included in the ~OO$S(T{Z>} ai'e expressed."
That he mi<jJtt be the first-born amonj many brethren. This clause may express the design, or merely the result of what had just been said. "God predestinated IH to be sons, in order that Christ might be,' &c., or ' He made us his sons, hence Christ is,' ^c. The former is on every account to be preferred. It is not merely an unintended result, but the great end con templated in the predestination of God's people. That end is the glory and exaltation of Christ. The purpose of God in the salvation of men, was not mainly that men should be holy and happy, but that through their holiness and happiness his glory, in the person of the Son, should be displayed, in the ages to come, to principalities and powers. Christ, therefore, is the central point in the history of the universe. His glory, as the glory of God in the highest form of its manifestation, is the great end of creation and redemption. And this end, the apostle teaches, is accomplished l»y making him the jirxt-I»>rn amon</ many brethren, that is, bv causing him to stand as the first-born, the head and chief, among and over that countless multitude who through him are made the sons of God. u Igitur," savs Calvin, u sicut primogenitus familiae nomen sustmet; ita Christus in sublinii gradu locatur, non modo in honore emineat inter fideles, sed etiam ut communi fraternitatis nota sub se omnes coutineat."
YKRSK • ><). JA//v^vy,?rho)n he did predestinate, them In' aho called. 'Those whom he had thus foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Sou in moral character, in suffering, and in future glory, he effectually calls, i. e., leads by the external invitation of the gospel, and by the efficacious operation of his grace, to the end to which they are destined. That the calling here spoken of is not the mere external call of the gospel, is evident both from the usage of the word, and from the neces sity of the case; see 1 Cor. i. 9, " God is faithful by whom ye were called to the fellowship of his Son," i. e., effectually brought into union with him. In the same chapter, ver. 24,
" To those which are called, Christ the power of God," &a The called are here expressly distinguished from the rejecters of the external invitation. 1 Cor. vii. 15, 18, in which chap ter calling is repeatedly put for effectual conversion, "Is any man called, being a servant," &c. ILeb. ix. 15, "That they which are called may receive the promise of eternal inheri tance." Rom. ix. 12, Eph. iv. 4, 1 Thess. ii. 12, and many similar passages. This use of the word, thus common in the New Testament, is obviously necessary here, because the apos tle is speaking of a call which is peculiar to those who are finally saved. Whom he calls he justifies and glorifies; see verse 28.
Whom lie called, tlicin lie also justified; and whom he justi fied, them he also glorified. The aorist here used may express the idea of frequency. Whom he calls, he is wont to justify; and whom he is wont to justify, is he accustomed to glorify. So that the meaning is the same as though the present tense had been used, 'Whom he calls, he justifies,' &c.; see James i. 11, 1 Peter i. 24, where the same tense is rendered as the present, " The grass withereth, arid the flower thereof falleth away." Or, as this use of the aorist is doubtful, or at least unusual, that tense is employed, because Paul is speaking of that God, who sees the end from the beginning, and in whose decree arid purpose all future events are comprehended and fixed: so that in predestinating us, he at the same time, in effect, called, justified, and glorified us, as all these were included in his purpose.
The justification here spoken of, is doubtless that of which the apostle has been speaking throughout the epistle, the regarding and treating sinners as just, for the sake of the righteousness of Christ. The blessings of grace are never separated from each other. Election, calling, justification, and salvation arc indissolubly united; and, therefore, he who has clear evidence of his being called, has the same evidence of his election and final salvation. This is the very idea the apostle means to present for the consolation and encouragement of believers. They have no cause for despondency if the children of God, and called according to his purpose, because nothing can prevent their final salvation.
VERSE 31. Wltat shall we say to these things? That is, what is the inference from what has hitherto been said? If Crod l>e for us, if he has delivered us from the law of sin and death, if he has renewed us by his Spirit which dwells within us, if he recognises us as his children and his heirs, and has predestinated us to holiness and glory, who can be against us? If God's love has led to all the good just specified, what have we to fear for the future? He who spared not his own Son, will freelv Lrive us all things. This verse shows clearly what has been the apostle's object from the beginning of the chapter. lie wished to demonstrate that to those who accede to the plan of salvation which he taught, i. e., to those who arc in Christ Jesus, there is no ground of apprehension; their final salvation is fully secured. The conclusion of the chapter is a recapitu lation of all his former arguments, or rather the reduction of them to one, which comprehends them all in their fullest force; GOD is FOR rs. lie, as our Judge, i> satisfied; as our Father, lie loves us; as the supreme and almighty Controller of events, who works all things after the counsel of his own will, he has determined, to save us; and as that Being, whose love is as unchanging as it is infinite, he allows nothing to separate his children from himself.
It has been objected, that if Paul had intended to teach these doctrines, lie w<>uld have said that apostacy and sin cannot interfere with the salvation of believers. l>ut what is salvation, but deliverance from the guilt and power of sin? It is, there fore, included in the very purpose and promise of salvation, that its objects shall be preserved from apo^tacy and deadly sins. This is the end and essence of salvation. And, there fore, to make Paul argue that God will save us if we do not apostatize, is to make him say, those shall be saved who are not lost. According to the apostle's doctrine, holiness is so essential and prominent a part of salvation, that it is not so much a means to an end as the very end itself. It is that to which we are predestinated and called, and therefore if the promise of salvation does not include the promise of holiness, it includes nothing. Hence, to ask whether, if one of the called should apostatize and live in sin, he would still be saved, is to ask, whether he will be saved if he is not saved. Nor can these doctrines be perverted to licentiousness without a com plete denial of their nature. For they not only represent sin and salvation as two things which ought not to be united, but as utterly irreconcilable and contradictory.
VERSE 82. lie that spared 'not his own Son, &c. That ground of confidence and security which includes all others, is the love of God; and that exhibition of divine love which sur passes and secures all others, is the gift of HIS OWN Sox. Paul having spoken of Christians as being God's sons by adoption, was led to designate Christ as his own peculiar Son, in a sense in which, neither angels (Hob. i. 5) nor men can be so called. That this is the moaning of the phrase is evident, 1. Because tills is its proper force; own Son being opposed to adopted sons. An antithesis, expressed or implied, is always involved in the use of the word 10:0$, see Acts ii. 0, Rum. xi. 24, xiv. 4, Tit. i. 12. The Jews, we are told, took up stones to stone our Lord, because Tjj.reoa. i'otov s/sj'c rw thov, thus making himself equal with God. Christ is in such a sense the Son of God, that he is of one nature with him, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. 2. Because the context requires it, as Paul had spoken of those who were sons in a different sense just before. 3. Because this apostle, and the other sacred writers, designate Christ as Son of God in the highest sense, as partaker of the divine nature; see Horn. i. 4.
But delivered him up for us all. He was delivered up to death; see Gal. i. 4, Rom. iv. 25, Isa. liii. 6, xxxviii. lo (in the LXX.,) and Matt. x. 21. For us all; not merely fur our benefit, but in our place. This idea, however, is not expressed by the peculiar force of the preposition u~eo, but is implied from the nature of the case. The benefit secured by a sacri fice is secured by substitution. It is offered for the benefit of the offender because it is offered in his place. There is no restriction or limitation to be put on the word all in this verse, other than which the context and the analogy of Scrip ture imposes. God, says Paul, gave up his Son for us all; whether he means all rational creatures, or all men, or all those whom he determined thereby to redeem, and whom he had foreknown and predestinated to eternal life, depends on what the Scripture elsewhere teaches on the subject.
How shall lie not also (xal) with him freely give us all things. If God has done the greater, he will not leave the less undone. The gift of Christ includes all other gifts. If God so loved us as to give his Son for us, he will certainly give the Holy Spirit to render that gift effect mil. This is presented as a ground of confidence. The believer is assured of salvation, not because he is assured of his own constancy, but.simply because he is assured of the immutability of the divine love, and lie is assured of its immutability because he is assured of its greatness. Infi nite love cannot change. A love which spared not the eternal Son of God, but freely gave him up, cannot fail of its object. " Christus noil nudus aut inanis ad nos missus est; sed coelestibus omnibus tliesauris refertus, ne quid cum possidentibus ad plenam felicitatem desit." (1<drin.
VERSE:>;}. WIn> tltall /<>// <ui// tltin</ t<> tJ/e cJufri/c "/ f /<;</'* elect? This and the following verse show how fully the security of believers is provided for by the plan of redemp tion. AVhat is it the\ have to fear under the- government of a just and pov.'i-rful God? There is nothing to be dreaded but sin; if that be pardoned and removed, there is nothing left to fear. In the strongest manner possible, the apostle declares that the sins of believers are pardoned, and shows the1 ground on which that pardon rests. To them, therefore, there can be neither a disquieting accusation nor condemnation. Wli<> <'<ni /</// <t)iif tltimj.' r.'C i^'/ju.iffn; the word £*;•'*'//£?:> means in jus viH'ure, to summon before the bar of justice. The question is in the form of a challenge, and implies the strongest con fidence that no accuser against God's elect can appear. If the law of God be satisfied, "the strength of sin," its con demning power, is destroyed. Even conscience, though it upbraids, does not terrify. It produces the ingenuous sorrow of children, and not the despairing angui.-h of the convict, because it sees that all the ends of punishment are fully answered in the death of Christ, who bore our sins in his own body on the tree.
G-od's elect, i. c. those whom God has chosen; see ver. 29. The word elect is sometimes used in a secondary sense for beloved, which idea is implied in its literal sense, as those chosen are those who are peculiarly beloved. This sense may be given to it in 1 Peter ii. 4, " elect and precious" may be beloved and precious. And so in a multitude of cases it were optional with a writer to say chosen or beloved, as the one implies the other. But this does not prove that chosen means beloved., or that the idea of choice is to be excluded from the idea of the word. The elect arc those whom God has chosen out of the world to be the members of his family or kingdom; just as under the Old Testament the Hebrews, whom lie had chosen to be his peculiar people, were his elect. Men may dispute as to what the elect are chosen to, and why some are chosen and not others. But there seems to be no ground for dispute whether "the elect" mean the chosen. This passage, however, proves that those who are elect, and whose election has become recognised, are in a state in which they are free from condemnation. No one can lay any thing to their charge. The demands of justice as regards them have been satisfied. This is not true of those who are chosen merely to church privileges. There is an election, therefore, unto grace and salvation. The elect are safe. This is the grand theme of this jubilant chapter.
It is God who justifieth, 6eoz b dtxatwv. Editors and com mentators are about equally divided on the question whether this and the following clauses should be taken interrogatively or affirmatively. If the former, the idea is, that as God is the being against whom we have sinned, and who alone has the administration of justice in his hands, if he does not accuse there can be no accuser. Who shall lay any thing against the elect of God? Shall God, who justifies them? In favour of this view is the fact, that the questions in vcr. 32, arid also in ver. 35, are answered by questions, and hence the questions in vs. 33, 34, are most naturally so answered. Nevertheless, the impossibility of any accusation being sustained against the elect of God, is better expressed by the affirmation. It is God who is their justifier. If he justifies, who can condemn? Besides, according to the current representation of Scripture, God is the judge, not the accuser. To justify, is to declare the claims of justice satisfied. If God, the supreme judge, makes this declaration, it must be true, and it must stop every mouth. Ko rational creature, no enlightened conscience, can call for the punishment of those whom God justifies. If justice is not satisfied, there can be no justification, no peace of conscience, no security cither for salvation or for the moral government of God. The Bible knows nothing of mere pardon. There can be no pardon except on the ground of satisfaction of justice. It is by declaring a man just, (that is, that justice in relation to him is satisfied,) that he is freed from the penalty of the law, and restored to the favour of God.
VERSE 34. Who is he that condemnetli? i. e., no one can condemn. In support of this assertion there are, in this verse, four conclusive reasons presented; the death of Christ, his resurrection, his exaltation, and his intercession. It is Christ that died. ]>y his death, as an atonement for our sins, all ground of condemnation is removed. The death of Christ could not be a proof that the believer cannot be condemned, unless his death removed the ground of condemnation: and it could not remove the ground of condemnation, unless it satisfied the demands of justice. His death, therefore, was a satisfac tion, and not merely an exhibition of love, or a didactic symbol meant to impress some moral truth..JY<f. r<if/n-r. tlmt /* mv/t aijuhi. Tlie resurrection of Christ, as the evidence of the sacrifice of his death being accepted, and of the validity of all his claims, is a much more decisive proof of the security of all who trust in him, than his death could be. See on chap. i. 4, iv. 25, Acts xvii. 31, 1 Cor. xv. IT, \c.
Who /x eren af the ri<//tf Jimi>l <>t' G<><1, i. e., is associated with God in his universal dominion. Psalm ex. 1, '"Sit thou on my right hand," i. e., share my throne; Kpli. i.:20, Jfcv. iii. '21. "As I also overcame and am set down with mv Father in his throne." lleb. i. 3, "Who sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high." From these and other passages in their connection, it is evident that Christ is exalted to universal dominion, all power in heaven and earth is given into his hands. Jf this is the case, how great the security it affords the believer! lie who is engaged to effect his salvation is the Director of all events and of all worlds.
Who also maketh intercession for us, i. e., who acts as our advocate, pleads our cause before God, presents those consid erations which secure for us pardon and the continued supply of the divine grace; see on ver. 2(3, Heb. vii. 25, ix. 24, 1 John ii. 1. Christ, as seated at the right hand of God, and invested with universal dominion, is able to save; his interceding for us is the evidence that he is willing to save — willing not only in the sense of being disposed to, but in the sense of purposing. lie intends to save those who put their trust in him, and there fore in their behalf he presents before God the merit of his mediatorial work, and urges their salvation as the reward pro mised him in the covenant of redemption. He is our patron, in the Roman sense of the word, one who undertakes our case; an advocate, whom the Father heareth always. How complete, then, the security of those for whom he pleads!* Of course this language is figurative; the meaning is, that Christ con tinues since his resurrection and exaltation to secure for his people the benefits of his death, every thing comes from God through him, and for his sake.
VERSE 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? This is the last step in the climax of the apostle's argument; the very summit of the mount of confidence, whence he looks down on his enemies as powerless, and forward and upward with full assurance of a final and abundant triumph. No one can accuse, no one can condemn, no one can separate us from the love of Christ. This last assurance gives permanency to the value of the other two.
The love of Christ is clearly Christ's love towards us, and not ours towards him. Paul is speaking of the great love of God towards us as manifested in the gift of his Son, and of the love of Christ as exhibited in his dying, rising, and interceding for us. This love, which is so great, he says is unchangeable. Besides, the apostle's object in the whole chapter is to console and confirm the confidence of believers. The interpretation just mentioned is not in accordance with this object, It is no ground of confidence to assert, or even to feel, that we will never forsake Christ, but it is the strongest ground of assurance
' "Porro hanc Intercessionem carnali scnsxi ne metriamur: Non enim cogitandus cst supplcx, flexis genibus, manibus exparisis Patrem deprecari: scd quia apparet ipse assidue cum morte et resurrectione sua, quae vice sunt aeternae intercessionis, et vivae orationis efficaciam habent, ut Patrem nobis concilient, atque exorabilem reddant, merito dicitur intercedere." Calvin.
to be convinced that his love will never change. And, more over, verse 39 requires this interpretation; for there Paul expresses the same sentiment in language which cannot be misunderstood. "No creature," he says, "shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus." This is evidently God's love towards us. The great difficulty with many Christians is that they cannot persuade themselves that Christ (or God) loves them; and the reason why they cannot feel confident of the love of God, is, that they know they do not deserve his love, on the contrary, that they are in the highest degree unlovely. How can the iniinitely pure God love those who are deiiled with sin, who are proud, selfish, dis contented, ungrateful, disobedient? This, indeed, is hard to believe. ]>ut it is the very tiling we are required to believe, not only as the condition of peace and hope, but as the condi tion of salvation. If our hope of God's mercy and love is founded on our own goodness or attractiveness, it is;i {also hope. AVe must believe that his love is gratuitous, mysterious, without any known or conceivable cause, certainly without the cause of loveliness in its object; that it is, in short, what it is so often declared to be in the Jiible, analogous to the love of a parent for bis child. A father's or mother's love is indepen dent of the attractiveness of its object, and often in spite of its deformity.
Shall trilmlatinu* or (.lixtrcss, or)n'rwuti<>n, &c. This is mcrelv an amplification of the preceding idea. Nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ, neither tribulation, nor distress, nor persecution, &c. That is, whatever we may be called upon to suffer in this life, nothing can deprive us of the love of him who died for us, and who now lives to plead our cause in heaven; and, therefore, these afllictions, and all other difficulties, are enemies we may despise. " Sicut eiiim nebulae
quamvis liquidum solis conspectum obscurent, non tamen ejus fulirore in totuni nos privant: sic Deus in rebus adversis per caliginem emittit gratiae suae radios, nequa tentatio desperatione nos obruat: imo fides nostra promissionibus Dei tanquam alis fulta sursum in coelos per media obstacula perietrare debet." Calvin.
day long, &c. A quotation from Psalm xliv. 22, agreeably to the Scptuagint translation. The previous verse of course implied that believers should be exposed to many afflictions, to famine, nakedness, and the sword; this, Paul would say, is in accordance with the experience of the pious in all ages. We suffer, as it is recorded of the Old Testament saints, that the/ suffered.