I consider the sin spoken of here, to be the sin committed by every individual man while living and acting in this world, which rendered it impossible for him to obtain the glory of God on a law ground, even if his original sin and guilt were remitted. It was the special design of the law covenant and dispensation to make this manifest. The word hmarton denotes a time prior to this manifestation of God’s righteousness: it is not are sinning, or have sinned, but have in time past been sinning —as the Apostle has shown distinctly of both these parties, which together constitute the whole human race — and are now, therefore, “left behind in the race” by the glory of God. This is the proper import of the word usterentai, which applies specially to the Jews who had the covenant of eternal life — that is, “of the glory of God” — proposed to them on the ground of their own personal obedience. This could not be so properly said of the Gentiles, while their conduct had been such as to make it manifest that they could have no claim under such a covenant, if they had been allowed to be candidates and competitors for its prize.
I do not accord with Luther in his idea of this glory. It is the same thing which is spoken of in Rom 5.2 (“rejoice in hope of the glory of God”), and in 1Pet 5.1 (“a partaker of the glory which shall be revealed.”) It is that manifested excellency which God has provided for his people; and which is with the greatest fitness called His glory — the glory of God — because the state into which He will in due time introduce his human people will be one of His most glorious manifesters. They will in their measure, both individually and collectively, when thus brought into and displayed in the completeness of their union with the Image of the Invisible One, show Him forth as He is. By this glory — which, if it is to be received upon a law ground, requires spotless perfection in him who wins it — they had all been outstripped and overcome, so as to have no part in it. “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” These words open the nature of God’s righteousness, as well as the origin and ground of its bestowal.
Justified is from the same root as righteousness, and it expresses properly making the unjust, just. It is God’s method of absolving a sinner from his offences by taking them clean away. The origin of this removal is free favour, and the way of it is Christ’s blood-shedding. It is a cleansing which we receive without money and without price, from, and unto the display of, that portion of God which we distinguish by the name of grace. But it is a cleansing which he has rendered himself just, in freely bestowing — that is, which he freely bestows in perfect consistency with his justice — through the price which Christ paid, by joining himself to them in their damned state, living with them as The Righteous One in and under their curse, and at length dying with them, and for them, a death of shame, agony, and complicated torments. The expression is peculiar, “The redemption which is in Christ Jesus,” marking the peculiar and elect objects of this redemption. It is a deliverance through the payment of a valuable consideration, had and received by means of union with Christ Jesus — sought and obtained therefore, for those only, to whom the Father (as both Covenant and Scripture speak) has granted this most precious of all gifts. This implies and conveys all the rest — union with, being in, Christ. “According as he has chosen us in Him” — that is, to be in Him; that we should be in Him — “before the foundation of the world.”
Hereby, as it is afterwards declared, God is shown to be righteous, though the justifier of sinners; who are manifested to have had this covenant union, of His free gift, from everlasting, and therefore to have been of the number of those, for the sake of whom He did so come, live, and die —by having faith given to them in due season, through the regeneration and within agency of the Holy Ghost, and so differencing themselves from others to whom, according to the will of God, the free grace proclamation is made, and the second universal commandment (which the more private and peculiar one of the law, had established to be the only practicable method of salvation and glory) — Repent and believe the Gospel — has been delivered in common with them, while it is exclusively obeyed by them.
Thus this ordinance text of Luther’s, fires a sort of volley against Freewill, of which every shot is death. ‘Righteousness of God’ — ‘without the law’ — ‘the faith of Jesus Christ’ — ‘all those who believe’ — ‘no difference’ — ‘all have sinned’ — ‘all come short of glory’ — ‘justified freely’ — ‘by His grace’ — ‘through the redemption’ — ‘a propitiation by blood’ — ‘that the might be just’ — ‘the justifier of him that believes.’ Here are no less than thirteen bolts, thirteen death-blows for Freewill, while the very existence of the Gospel declares the Freewill state of those to whom it is sent.
[←715]
Condignity: punishment that is deserved.
[←716]
Nostri verò. Friends, inasmuch as they profess to be antagonists of the Pelagians together with us. — What follows — ‘si hypocrisin spectes’ — ‘hâe hypocrisi’ — by a figure, this is taken from the histrionic art; that peculiar species of simulation of which the stage-player is guilty, when he puts on his mask, and personates a character in the drama.
[←717]
Fulminates: criticizes severely; explodes against.
[←718]
Per contentionem. Referring to Paul’s continual and repeated opposition of grace to works, in this and the following chapter, as also in chapters 10 and 11. Contention, or comparison, is a figure which Paul abounds in; letter and spirit; law and faith; God’s righteousness and their own righteousness; life and death; flesh and Spirit, etc. are set out by him in the most forcible manner, through this sort of competition.
[←719]
Solam gratiam. gratuitam justificationem. Sol. gr. as opposed to grace mixed with works: gr. just, justification without any personal worth.
[←720]
Gloriam apud homines. Vacat gloriâ Dei. Here again, Luther has the mistake already noticed (see notes g h), respecting the glory of God. It is in quite another sense that all are said to come short, and Abraham is not to boast. He had no cause for boasting before God, because he was not justified to God by his works; otherwise he would have had cause, as he might boast before men, because he was showing himself to be one justified to God by his works done after justification.
[←721]
Reputatione gratiae. The account which grace takes of character; — rep. is most correctly englished by reckon; but Luther uses it throughout the whole of this passage interchangeably with ‘imputo.’
[←722]
Renovata creatura per fidem. As if the Lord’s people were renewed by faith! where does their faith come from then? So he had said above, acquiescing in Erasmus’ term, ‘renatus per fidem;’ which I called ambiguous there, but we now see to have been meant wrongly. — See above, Part iv. Sect. 45. note l .
[←723]
No Freewill follows from God’s “purpose and grace:” “Whom he foreknew, he predestined; whom he predestined, he also called.” The calling is of predestination therefore, not of Freewill; “according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — ‘No Freewill’ follows from God’s promise, which was antecedent to the law, and therefore cannot be dependent upon our works, which are by the law. Indeed, in its very nature, as Paul argues, promise is opposed to work. — ‘No Freewill’ follows from faith (“the just shall live by faith;” “those who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham”); of which the law — that is, works — is not. (Gal 3.11-12.) ‘No Freewill’ follows from the law: for even the law works wrath — and yet she is a help; Freewill does not even know what sin is, without her.
[←724]
Luther has his eye, all the way, upon Rom 5.12-19. His account is this: Adam’s
