DOCTRINAL PART.

1. UNIVERSAL NEED.

Having asserted that the gospel is God's power unto salvation to every one that believeth, whether Jew or Greek, the Apostle proceeds to show that all men are sinners, and therefore can be saved only by this method. He first (1.) describes the sinfulness of the Gentiles (chap. Romans 1:18-32), and then (2.) proves that the Jews are equally in need of this salvation (chaps. Romans 2:1 to Romans 3:20). This proof of the universality of sinfulness establishes directly the propriety of using the phrase ‘every one' in Romans 1:16, while it indirectly proves that ‘ God's power' is needed, and that only he that ‘ believeth' can be saved. Since all are sinners they cannot save themselves, and must be saved by faith.

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Old Testament