Romans 1:5

Romans 1:5. Through whom, i.e., ‘Jesus Christ our Lord,' which should immediately precede. The two verses should be separated only by a comma. Everywhere Paul speaks of himself as called by God to be an Apostle (comp. Romans 1:1), but called through Jesus Christ, who had spoken to him on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:4-5), and subsequently (Acts 22:17-21).

We received. The Plural is used, although the context shows that he refers to himself alone. Such a custom was very common among Greek authors.

Grace and apostleship. ‘Grace,' in general; and ‘apostle-ship,' in particular. The latter was indeed the special object and highest evidence of the former, but the two ideas are not to be confounded. Without the grace so fully bestowed upon him he could not have been an Apostle (comp. Ephesians 3:8), but his apostleship was a special gift. As suggested above (see Romans 1:1), the Apostles, as such, have no successors, yet the connection of the words, ‘grace and apostleship,' implies that a gift of grace must underlie all genuine service in the church, that without this there is certainly no call to the ministry.

Unto obedience of faith. This might be paraphrased: ‘in order to produce obedience to faith.' ‘The faith' is misleading, for it suggests a body of doctrine, whereas ‘faith' in the New Testament, well-nigh invariably, means ‘believing,' not what is believed. On the other hand, the two ideas of ‘obedience' and ‘faith' must not be confounded, by explaining that obedience consists in faith, or has faith as its controlling principle. For ‘faith' is that to which the obedience is rendered. The end of his apostleship was that people might submit themselves to faith, become believers; this would result in a new and true obedience, but of this he is not now speaking. That ‘Jesus Christ our Lord' was the object of this faith is clear enough.

Among all the nation, or, ‘Gentiles,' as the word is usually translated, comp. Romans 1:13. The only objection to rendering it thus in this instance, is the probability that the Jews may be Included, since he addresses himself to all the Christians at Rome (Romans 1:6-7), some of whom were Jews; but usually Paul emphasizes his apostleship to the Gentiles. The words qualify ‘unto obedience of faith.'

For his name's take. For the glorifying of His name. Comp. Acts 9:16; Acts 15:26; Acts 21:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:12. The end of his apostleship was that men in all the nations might believe, and the end of their believing was the glory of Christ in whom they believed. Hence this was the end of his preaching. In the ‘name' of Christ is summed up all that He was, did, and suffered. The expression is borrowed from the Hebrew.