Paul appears from this to be calling himself strong, just as he says in 1 Corinthians: To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.^[1]

What Paul says is this: If you are strong, then let the weak test your strength.

If you really are strong, Paul says, do as I did and become weak in order to win the weak.^[1]

Once again, Paul is speaking to the Gentiles, who looked down on the Jews because they kept the law.

We ought to please God first, then our neighbor. But perhaps someone will say that Paul is contradicting himself here, because elsewhere he says: If I please men, then I am not a servant of Christ.^[1] . . . In answer to this it must be said that it is one thing to try to please others in order to get their praise and quite another to please them in order that one’s own life might be blameless, so that those who meet us may be edified by what they see and hear. We are not called to please others by doing things which are against faith, honor and piety. . . . Note that Paul himself says this, when he adds that in pleasing our neighbor the purpose is to edify him.

If you are rich and powerful, do not please yourself but look after the poor and needy, because that way you will enjoy true glory and be doing much service besides.

Let us be commended not by ourselves but by our neighbors, just as Paul sets his own example before us elsewhere when he says: Just as I try to please all men in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage but that of many, that they may be saved.^[1] For nobody can build up another person if he has not first attracted him by his good life. But those who do their own will, because they are seeking their own advantage, are pleasing themselves. Paul indicates how and why we should please, so that we do not do it for worthless glory.

Christ did not please himself nor did he think it was robbery to be equal with God,^[1] but wanting to please men, that is, to save them, he suffered the reproaches of those who reproached God, as it is written.

In the sixty-eighth Psalm [LXX] the Savior says that he did not come to please himself but God the Father. For because he said: I did not come down from heaven to do my will but the will of him who sent me,^[1] the Jews objected and put him to death as a sinner. Therefore the psalmist puts himself in Christ’s place and says: The reproaches of those who reproached thee fell on me.^[2]

Paul always points to Christ’s self-sacrifice when he asks us to make sacrifices.^[1]

An imitator and disciple of Christ does not seek his own advantage. Christ died for the salvation of others and bore the most bitter reproach. . . . But whatever insults are cast, not only upon Christ but also upon the saints for God’s sake, are cast upon God himself.

Remember the words of Christ’s prayer concerning his passion: Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will but as thou wilt.^[1]

This is similar to what Paul says elsewhere: these things were written down for our instruction.^[1] . . . Encouragement of the Scriptures is given not to those who neither believe nor understand them but only to those who do.

These things were written so that we might not fall away, for we have many battles to fight, both inward and outward. But being comforted by the Scriptures we can exhibit patience, so that by living in patience we might dwell in hope. For these things produce one another—hope brings forth patience, and patience, hope.

No Scripture is written without reason, for the merits and temptations of the righteous contribute to our edification, because they so very obviously lived for God. Through the encouragement of the Scriptures we await with great patience the hope which is to come. . . . Those who enjoy the encouragement of the law cannot be moved by any temptation. By the examples of patience and encouragement which have been written down, we may hope for encouragement both in present temptations and . . . in the future. For it is great cause for encouragement if we know that our Lord and his saints have already borne the things which we suffer.

Here Paul is blessing the Romans in the manner of the patriarchs and prophets. . . . It is a great blessing that they should all understand and think alike. If you want to know just how great it is, look at what the Savior said in the Gospel: If two or three of you agree, whatever they ask will be done for them by God.^[1] . . .

This unanimity must be in accord with Christ Jesus, for of course it is possible to conspire together for evil.

As if he had been sent for their salvation, the apostle charges the people with a good wish, praying that God may grant them a common understanding of his wisdom according to Christ Jesus, so that they may be wise in the teaching of Christ. For then they will be able to please God by following the example of the Lord, who said: Greater love has no man than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends^[1] and his brethren, and with one voice and one confession magnify God the Father in Christ.

Love wants us to think of one another as we think of Christ. And to show that it is not mere love that he requires Paul adds, as always: in accord with Christ Jesus. ^[1] THE ^[1]

The God of steadfastness is the Holy Spirit, who grants that with one mind, in accordance with Christ, we may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. His steadfastness is meant to lead to repentance, and his encouragement is for those who have already repented.

We are to live in harmony, so that each one may seek the salvation of the other as if it were his own, just as Christ saved everyone from death by his own death.

Paul adds in accord with Christ Jesus in order to show that he is not praying for them to live in unbounded harmony but rather in a godly consensus.

He wants us to do this not just with one mouth but with one mind also. The whole body is united into one, and Paul concludes his address with another doxology, in which he gives the utmost encouragement to unanimity and concord.

God is truly glorified when we praise him with one mind and with one voice.

Let us obey this command and bind ourselves closely to one another. For it is no longer just the weak that he is encouraging, but everyone. If someone wants to break relations with you, do not do the same with him. . . . Rather, display even more love toward him, that you may draw him to you. For he is a member of the body, and when a member is cut off we must do everything we can to unite it again and then pay more attention to it.

For the sake of God’s honor bear one another’s burdens.^[1] . . . If God took us upon himself while we were ungodly,^[2] how much more should we, who are like one another, support each other!

We are all one body and members one of another.^[1] Christ obliges us to be united with one another in the bonds of charity.

There are two ways in which Christ became a servant to the circumcised. First, he was himself circumcised and so identified himself with them.^[1] Second, he fulfilled the promises of the law, so that now neither those who are circumcised nor Gentile believers are obliged to keep it any more.

When Paul says that Christ became a servant to the circumcised he means that by coming to fulfill the law, by being circumcised and born of the seed of Abraham, Christ undid the curse, held back God’s wrath and made those who were meant to obtain the promises fit to receive them.^[1] . . . It was because you had transgressed the law that Christ came to fulfill it, not so that you might then keep it but so that he might confirm to you the promises which were made to the fathers, which the law had caused to be suspended because you offended and were unworthy of the promise.

Paul said this so that the Gentiles would understand that the Lord Christ had been sent to the Jews and so they would not be proud. Since the Jews rejected what had been sent to them, it happened that the gospel was also preached to the Gentiles, as is most clearly written in the Acts of the apostles, when the apostles say to the Jews: It was necessary that the Word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you . . . judge yourselves unworthy . . . behold, we turn to the Gentiles.^[1]

It also agrees with the Lord’s own testimony, when he said: I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel^[2] and: It is not right for the children’s bread to be thrown to the dogs.^[3] If the Gentiles think carefully, they will realize by their own faith, by which they now believe that to the pure all things are pure, that they should not offend those Jewish converts who, perhaps from weakness, dare not touch certain kinds of meat, fearing that it has been in contact with idols.

Once more Paul urges both Jews and Gentiles to unity with each other. He agrees with the Jews that Christ was promised to them and came to them first and that the Gentiles were called later on, because of God’s mercy. Nevertheless, both peoples have now been made into one.

It is written in the seventeenth psalm [LXX]^[1] that the Gentiles will be admitted to the grace of God in order to receive salvation. For this is the voice of Christ, which predicted what would happen in the future.

It was by mercy alone that the Gentiles were saved; hence they were bound to glorify God. It is a glory to God when they are blended together and united, when they offer praise with one mind, when they bear the weaker and when they do not neglect the member who has been cut off.

Paul deprives the Jews of presumption when he teaches that it was foretold that the Gentiles would be saved, even though this was not announced to them. Christ accepts those Gentiles who have received mercy because they too belong to his body.

Paul has given this and the following Scriptures in order to show that we ought to be united and glorify God. He wanted to humble the Jews, that they might not lift themselves up over the Gentiles, given that all the prophets called them. He also wanted to humble the Gentiles, by showing them that they had a greater grace to be thankful for.

These Gentiles have been brought to salvation along with God’s people, the Jews.

God long ago decreed in Psalm 116 that by the intervention of his mercy Jews and Gentiles would be united.^[1] The Gentiles would be granted grace to become fellow heirs with the Jews, who by the grace of God were long ago named as his people. While the Jews were noble, the Gentiles were ignoble, but now by God’s mercy the Gentiles have been made noble as well, so that all may rejoice together by acknowledging the truth.

The Gentiles must praise God because they have been brought to salvation.

In order to give the Gentiles greater assurance and a surer hope, Paul backs up God’s decree with many examples.

Why is Christ said to be from the root of Jesse and not from the root of Boaz,^[1] a righteous man, or of Obed?^[2] It is because he is said to be the Son of David on account of the kingdom, and just as he was born of God to be king, so also he was born of David according to the flesh. Therefore, the root of Jesse is the tree of David, which bore fruit on the branch which is the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Christ.

Jesse was the father of David, from whose seed, through Mary, Christ was born [cf. 1:3]. . . . It is thus proved to the Jews that their Messiah has already come, because it is clear that all the Gentiles hope in Christ.

Precisely how all this can be fulfilled so that they may be filled with all joy and peace is hard to say, especially since the apostle himself, when talking about the gifts of the Spirit, says that he knows in part and prophesies in part.^[1] But I think that believers can have the fullness of peace when they are reconciled to God the Father by faith. . . . For if someone who believes is armed with the power of the Holy Spirit, it is certain that he will always have the fullness of joy and peace.

In other words, may you get rid of your heartlessness toward one another and not be cast down by temptations. You will achieve this by abounding in hope, which is the cause of all good things and comes from the Holy Spirit. It is not just from the Spirit, though, because you must do your part also. That is why Paul adds the words in believing. ^[1] THE ^[1]

All the joy of believers should be in the hope to come. Where there is peace, all is joy. However, there is no joy in discord but only widespread sorrow. . . . Hope rests in the signs and wonders of the Holy Spirit.

By the God of all hope Paul means that God has blessed us with the hope of things to come.

This fullness is relative. Paul and those like him are full of goodness, etc., in comparison with their fellow believers, but naturally they are still vastly inferior to the perfection of God.

These are words of encouragement. By praising them he is exhorting them to better understanding and behavior. For one who sees himself praised develops the works he has been given, so that the things which are said might be true. Therefore he did not say that they should teach one another but that they should exhort one another. Exhortation normally occurs when it becomes clear that something is undermining the mind or that it has grown slack. The rest is clear and needs no explanation.

This applies to the exhortation just given [in the preceding verses]. It is as if Paul was saying: It was not that you were cruel or haters of your brethren that I gave you that exhortation to receive and not to neglect or destroy the work of God. For I am aware that you are full of goodness.

As a good teacher Paul rouses the people to further progress by praising them, so that they might blush for not being the sort of people the apostle thought they were. He is careful not to appear as if he has sternly rebuked the quarrelsome, the dissident or the foolish.

Paul says he has been given authority by the grace of God, to embolden him to write to all the Gentiles, exhorting and confirming their calling in Christ, so that he might show his concern in the service of the gospel as a teacher of the Gentiles and so that their sacrifice might be reckoned acceptable because of their sanctification in the Holy Spirit. For whatever is offered with a pure faith and a sober mind is purified by the Holy Spirit.

Note how humble and how wise Paul is. He cut deep in the first part of his discourse, and after obtaining what he wished, now he turns to kindliness. Even without the rest of what he said, his confession of boldness would be enough to calm their anger. . . . He often does this in his epistles,^[1] but here even more than usual. For the Romans were of a higher rank than the others, and Paul had to bring them down to size. ^[2] [PSEUDO-]CONSTANTIUS: In this passage Paul is either humbling himself or else is saying that he is bold enough to preach to those who already possessed the preaching of Peter. ^[1]

Paul means: I had greater confidence to write because I knew that you were sensible people, ready to accept a reasonable argument. . . . Paul wrote to them not because of earthly obligations or to earn praise but to discharge the task he had received.

Paul is telling them that he has not received anything new or wonderful which he is writing to teach them. Rather, he is just reminding them of things they have already learned.

We are the true high priestly people of God . . . for everywhere among the Gentiles well-pleasing and pure sacrifices are presented to God.

The priests had to make sure when they offered sacrifices that there were no blemishes on the sacrificial victim nor faults of any kind, so that the sacrifice might be acceptable and pleasing to God.^[1] So also the one who makes a sacrifice of the gospel and preaches the Word of God must ensure that there is no blemish in his preaching, nor fault in his teaching, which might make him blameworthy at the judgment.^[2] Rather, he ought first of all to sacrifice himself, to strangle his own faults and to put to death the sins in his members, so that not only by his teaching but also by the example of his life he may make his sacrifice, which is the salvation of his disciples, acceptable to God. The Holy Spirit is the source of sanctification, and therefore the offering of the Gentiles which is made by Paul, in the role of priest, is said to be made acceptable to God by the Holy Spirit and not by the observance of the law.

Now Paul raises his discourse to a loftier tone, speaking no longer of mere ministry only but of priestly service also. For Paul, his preaching and evangelizing were a priestly service. It was his form of sacrifice. Nobody would reproach a priest for desiring to offer the most perfect sacrifice possible. Paul says this both to lift up their thoughts and show them that they are a sacrifice and to explain his own part in the matter, because he was appointed to this office. My sacrificial knife, he says, is the gospel, the word of my preaching.

The Gentiles are offered to God as an acceptable sacrifice when they believe in Christ and are sanctified through the gospel.

By his example Paul was showing that what he performed with so much fear is holy. For some pass off as human what they proclaim as divine, with the result that what is holy seems to be unholy, since it is not done in a holy way. . . . Following Paul, however, the Gentiles become an acceptable sacrifice to God, sanctified and exalted not by fire but by the Holy Spirit.

To be proud of one’s work for God without Christ Jesus would be like saying one has glory in God’s eyes without righteousness, wisdom or truth.

Believing and serving Christ Jesus with a pure conscience, Paul has made himself worthy in the sight of God the Father, to the point that he can say that there is nothing which Christ has not done through him for the encouragement of the Gentiles, by using him to perform signs and wonders that their power might support the preaching of the gospel.

After humbling himself, Paul here raises the tone, so as not to become an object of contempt in the eyes of his readers.

Paul has glory in the sight of God, even though he is de-famed and attacked in the public eye.

The miracles he performed and the obedience of the Gentiles were the proof that Paul had accomplished the purpose for which he was sent. . . . He does all he can to show that the whole thing was God’s doing, not his own.^[1]

Paul has not tried to claim that he has done anything in his own strength. God did all these things through him.

Signs differ from wonders in that signs are miracles which point to some future happening, whereas wonders are just miracles.

Count up all the places Paul had been—not just in the Roman Empire but beyond its frontiers as well. Phoenicia, Syria, Cilicia and Cappadocia for a start, but also the back country—Arabia, Persia and Armenia. This is why he said as far round as Illyricum, so that you would not only think of the direct route from Jerusalem to Illyricum but consider also all the surrounding countries as well. ^[1] BY ^[1]

Paul was talking not about words here but about miracles. The gospel is fully disseminated when the Gentiles also believe.

When Paul says as far round as Illyricum, he means that he got to Illyricum in a roundabout way, via the eastern provinces, the Black Sea region, Asia Minor and Thrace.

It was not without reason that Paul says that he tried to preach in places where Christ had not been named. For he knew that false apostles went about sharing Christ in ways which were wrong in order to ensnare the people by some other teaching under the name of Christ, which was then very difficult to put right afterward.^[1] Therefore he wanted to get there first, in order to preach the right message.

Paul was not trying to avoid the other apostles, but he thought it was wrong and unfair to steal the credit for what someone else had done.

Paul was preeminent in this also, in that he did not go to places where the gospel had already been preached. So far was he from forcing himself upon other men’s disciples that he even went to places where nobody had preached before. . . . He wrote all this to show that he was a stranger to vanity and to instruct them that it was not from any love of glory or of honor from them that he came to write but in order to fulfill his ministry, perfect his priestly service and love their salvation.

A man who builds on someone else’s foundation is not doing anything wrong, as long as he builds with gold and such.^[1] Here Paul is referring to those false apostles who always went to converts and never to the Gentiles because they could not work miracles. Paul also shows that he had done a good job, for he both laid the foundation and also built on top of it.

The explanation as to why Paul had not yet managed to visit the Romans seems to be that he believed that Peter had already come to them as their teacher, so he went to places where as yet no one had preached the gospel of Christ.

Paul says that he was always quick to fill the Gentiles with the truth of the gospel, so that their understanding of the true Son of God might be correct and unshakable.

You see how Paul goes to where the labor is more and the toil greater.

Paul shows that his work was foretold. Christ was made manifest in the apostles through the miracles which they performed in his name.^[1]

Paul was not hindered by Satan, as some think, but by the fact that he was too busy planting churches in places where nobody had ever preached the gospel before.

Here Paul explains what he has already mentioned at the beginning of the epistle^[1] and excuses himself by saying that although he wanted to come to them, he was obliged to shut out the wicked teachings of the false apostles. . . .These false apostles would have found the journey to Rome difficult, so Paul thought that it would do no harm if he postponed his visit for a while.

At the end of his epistle he returns to what he said at the beginning.^[1]

These regions refer to Achaia, where Paul then was, and to the neighboring Macedonia, where he had been the first to preach the gospel.^[1]

He wrote to say he was coming to them but not because he wanted any glory from them. He was coming because he had . . . always wanted to visit them.

Where all the people have already heard the gospel, Paul has no reason for laying a foundation.^[1] Observe from this that there are some desires which are good!

This must not be understood to mean that Paul had so little love for the Romans that he was only going to drop in on them briefly while passing through on his way elsewhere. Look what he says [in the next few verses] and you will see that this cannot be right.

Paul instructed imperial Rome and extended the zeal of his preaching even to Spain, sustaining countless conflicts and performing signs and wonders.

Paul expresses himself in this way in order to keep the Romans from feeling proud. They were not used to being a mere stopover on a journey.

It is not certain whether Paul ever got to Spain. . . . The reason he says that he will enjoy their company for a little is that they did not need to come to faith but only to be strengthened in faith. Or it may mean that no amount of time can satisfy love.

Paul wants the Romans to understand that they ought to be concerned with this sort of thing, for those who live because of mercy and who are justified before God ought to show their devotion to their brothers.

Paul explains his delay and in the process takes the opportunity to teach the Romans about the importance of almsgiving.

In Jerusalem there were saints who had sold all their possessions and laid them at the feet of the apostles,^[1] devoting themselves to prayer, reading and teaching. It is clear from this text that their character was such that Paul is traveling in order to attend them in person, and he hopes that his offering will be received by them . . . thereby showing that it is more blessed to give than to receive.^[2]

Note how Paul subtly exhorts the Romans by praising the believers of Macedonia and Achaia. For if they could make some contribution, why could the Romans not do likewise? Most people think that Paul wanted the Romans to give to the same purpose as those of Macedonia and Achaia had done, but this interpretation seems to me to be too narrow. There were poor saints all over the place, and Paul wanted the Romans to develop a spirit of generosity toward them all.

They thought it would be good for them to make some collection for the expenses of the saints who had voluntarily become poor for their edification.

When St. Barnabas and St. Paul took on the task of preaching to the Gentiles, they made an agreement with Peter, James and John, promising them that they would encourage Gentile believers to come to the aid of believers in Judea. Paul mentions this in his epistle to the Galatians: When they perceived the grace which was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised; only they would have us remember the poor, which very thing I was eager to do.^[1]

In this way the believers among the Jews would rejoice at God’s providential saving of the Gentiles through their ministry. For these Gentiles, by giving themselves completely to the service of God and not caring at all about the things of this world, offered an example of good behavior to believers. Then too, the apostle wants us to be sympathetic and merciful so that we might feel obliged to give alms and to do good works with a willing heart, because whoever hopes for mercy from God must be merciful, in order to prove that he has some reason for his hope. For if a man is merciful, how much more is God! For this is the payment or reward, that those who receive mercy should be merciful. As the Lord said: Blessed are the merciful, for God will be merciful to them.^[1]

By example Paul incites the Romans to a similar effort, indicating that there was a good reason why it seemed good to them. The Gentiles had obtained teachers from the Jews and so . . . they ought to share their abundance with them.^[1]

Mark well the swiftness of the Word. It is not satisfied with the East but desires to speed to the West as well!

What does Paul mean by this? I think he is talking here about the image of God, by which he means that there will be no admixture of any alien thought in the fulfilling of his task and no praise sought from men. He simply will offer all he has done to God in the simplicity of his heart.

The fullness of the blessing refers to the miracles through which the blessing is confirmed.

Paul is speaking here either about alms or about good deeds. For blessing is a name he very commonly gives to alms. ^[1] [PSEUDO-]CONSTANTIUS: The apostle would be taken to Rome in chains because of his preaching of Christ. He predicts that he will come in the fullness of blessing, as he was certainly aware that he did not have any less grace than the other apostles. ^[1]

If the Romans behave well, Paul will be full of good teaching for them, for the teacher is incited to teach to the extent that the student shows progress.

Paul asks for their prayers . . . not because he deserves them but because he is following the principle that the church ought to pray for its pastor. For when many ordinary people come together and agree they become great, and the prayers of many cannot be ignored.^[1] Therefore, if the Romans want to see the apostle, let them pray earnestly that he may be set free so that they may receive him in the joy of brotherly love.

Here Paul mentions Christ and the Spirit but not the Father. I say this so that when you find him mentioning the Father and the Son or just the Father you will not devalue either the Son or the Spirit on that account. Note that he does not just say the Spirit but the love of the Spirit, for the Spirit loves the world just as Christ and the Father do also.

Paul asks the whole church to pray for him, because he knows that when many people pray together their prayers have great effect. When James was killed, Peter was set free from prison by the prayers of the brethren, who prayed not so much for his good as for their own, so that they could be strengthened by his teaching.^[1] Spiritual love leads us to pray for one another.

Paul knew that a great struggle was about to befall him, and this was another reason why he asked for their prayers.

Paul says this either so that they may all believe or else so that he may not fall into the hands of unbelievers while he is trying to serve believers, with the result that it would be impossible for him to come to them.

Because Paul’s mind is dedicated to delivering the gifts, he wants their mind to respond to him by the judgment of God so that, having understood his love for them, they might with one accord give thanks to God on his behalf. For he was a great blessing to them, in that by his ministry many were made happy and are now praising God.

Note again Paul’s humility. He does not say that he wants to come in order to teach them but in order that he may be refreshed by them!

Paul will come to Rome in joy if his offering is accepted at Jerusalem and will then speak the Word of God with peace of mind. . . . For heaviness of heart is a great hindrance to teaching.

Paul has no desire to do the right thing apart from God’s will.

The God of peace is Christ, who said: My peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you.^[1] This is what he prays for them, knowing that the Lord said: Behold I am with you always, even to the end of the world.^[2] Paul therefore wants them to be the kind of people in whom the Lord Jesus Christ dwells, who has shown them that all the discord caused by human sin has been taken away and who has given them what is true, that they may live peacefully in that truth.

The God of peace dwells only in those who are peaceable. It is good that he has concluded with peace, because the two parties are here called back to peaceful agreement with each other.

Paul called God the God of peace here for a reason, because he was concerned about those at Rome who were battling one another or at least who were suspicious of one another. He wanted them to be at peace with each other because of the controversy which they were having over the observance of the law.