From thus connecting the Lord Jesus with the Father in this place, we may see. Beloved of God.—Reconciled to God through the death of His Son, and therefore with the barrier that separated you from His love removed. "Grace" may be thought to be particularly wished for from the Father, though not exclusive of Christ, since he is the God of all grace, who has treasured up a fulness of it in his Son. This form of salutation was common among the Hebrews. 1:7 Further, the Roman Christians, as is the case with every Christian, are loved by God (ἀγαπητοῖς θεοῦ, agapētois theou)—a love which he expressed explicitly in the cross. It is also applied to Christians, as being a people devoted or set apart to the service of God. 2. beloved of God; not for any loveliness there was in them, nor because of any love in them to God, nor on account of their obedience and righteousness; but through the free favour and sovereign will and pleasure of God, who loved them before he called them, even from eternity, and will love them to eternity; which love of his is the source and spring of all the blessings of grace, and, among the rest, of the effectual calling: hence this character is set before the following one. Romans 1:7 Christians are clearly identified as saints in Scripture. The radical idea then, as applied to Christians, is, that "they are separated from other men, and other objects and pursuits, and consecrated to the service of God." Peace is the state of mind resulting from the sense of that favour. As war conveys the idea of discord and numberless calamities and dangers, so peace is the opposite, and conveys the idea of concord, safety, and prosperity. The expression here is equivalent to a prayer that God the Father would bestow grace and peace on the Romans. and with God. The authorities that exist have been established by God. To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:7, ESV: "To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." called to be saints; not born so, nor become so through their own power, but were so by calling grace, as a fruit of everlasting love; men are first beloved of the Lord, and then called to be his saints. and peace.—May God and Christ look favourably upon you, and may you enjoy, as the result of that favour, the peace and composure of mind which is the proper attribute of the Christian. He is especially the Father of all Christians, as they have been "begotten by him to a lively hope," have been adopted into his family, and are like him; Matthew 5:45; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 5:1; 1 John 3:1-2. (o) God's free good will: by peace the Hebrews mean a prosperous success in all things. I. The salutation follows; the things wished for in it are. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. We must not confuse righteousness and holiness. Then, secondly, mark the universal obligation of the Christian life. The salutation proper. The radical idea of the word is what is separated from a common to a sacred use, and answers to the Hebrew word, קדושׁ qadowsh. The importance of this observation will appear in the progress of these notes. The word "saints," ἅγιοι hagioi, means those who are holy, or those who are devoted or consecrated to God. It is from this incidental and unstudied manner of expression, that we have one of the most striking proofs of the manner in which the sacred writers regarded the Lord Jesus Christ. . And peace - Peace is the state of freedom from war. fear not;" Judges 6:23; Judges 19:20; Luke 24:36. All rights reserved. This theory is used to defend the view which places the doxology of Romans 16:25-27 at the end of ch. See note there. We'll send you an email with steps on how to reset your password. God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; God the Father of Christ is spoken of as our Father, which is by adoption; partly to engage fear and reverence of him at his throne; and partly to encourage freedom and boldness there, and an expectation of receiving every blessing of grace from him: "the Lord Jesus Christ" is mentioned, as being the person through whom, and for whose sake, all the blessings of grace and peace are communicated to us; and being put upon a level with the Father in these petitions, shows him to be equal with him, and so truly and properly God. And "peace" may be considered as desired to be had from Christ, though not exclusive of the Father; since the covenant of peace was made with him, the chastisement of peace was laid on him, and he has made peace by the blood of his cross, and is the giver of it to his people. He is the Father of all his creatures, as they are his offspring, Acts 17:28-29. They are ἀγαπητοὶ θεοῦ, God’s beloved, because they have had experience of His redeeming love in Jesus Christ; and they are κλητοὶ ἅγιοι, saints, in virtue of His calling. Thus, to wish one peace was the same as to wish him all safety and prosperity. There is a saintship in the having been deliberately and designedly set apart by others as a holy vessel, which is independent of your own will. Romans for you by Tim Keller helps me to deeply understand the book of Romans, which I used to read with my eyes but not my head. The terms “grace” and “peace” nearly correspond to two ordinary forms of Jewish salutation, the first of which has also something of a counterpart among the Greeks and Romans. may be conferred on you. This theory has been very widely received. Romans 1:7. Salem Media Group. But here, as elsewhere, the Apostle has given to them a heightened and deepened Christian signification. And this proves that the persons whom Paul addressed were "not" those merely who had been invited to the external privileges of the gospel. 14. Grace . (1) That the apostle regarded him as the source of grace and peace as really as he did the Father. It is to be understood as connected with a word implying invocation. These are the addressees of the epistle. Every year ABC cuts down A Charlie Brown Christmas—a movie about the over-commercialization of the holidays—to make room for more commercials. With this has been combined the omission of in Rome from the Roman Epistle, and the attempt has been made to show that the Roman Epistle was likewise encyclical, and was sent to Ephesus, Thessalonica, and possibly to some other churches. Grace - This word properly means "favor." Gen 43:23, "peace to you! called [to be] saints; not born so, nor become so through their own power, but were so by calling grace, as a fruit of everlasting love; men are first beloved of the Lord, and then called to be his saints. Sermon Bible Commentary. The persons from whom these are desired are. The words ἐν Ἑφέσῳ in Ephesus, are also omitted from Ephesians 1:1, by two of the oldest MSS. Read Introduction to Romans 7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul will say in chapter 5: “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). I pray, or I desire, that grace, etc. Beloved of God - Whom God loves. This is the characteristic of his great mind; and it is this, among other things, that makes it so difficult to interpret his writings. These epithets, high-sounding as they are, if applied by a modern writer to a modern church would seem to be indiscriminating or conventional, but as coming from St. Paul they have not yet lost their freshness and reality. and peace—the peace which Christ made through the blood of His cross (Col 1:20), and which reflects into the believing bosom "the peace of God which passeth all understanding" (Php 4:7). Grace is the peculiar state of favour with God and Christ, into which the sincere Christian is admitted. And the Lord Jesus Christ - From him. In many churches, there had been serious arguments between *Jewish Christians and *Gentile Christians. No man would introduce his name in such connections if he did not believe that he was equal with God; compare Philippians 2:2-11. The Bible. The subject is simply a salutation to the Roman church. It is very often used in the New Testament, and is employed in the sense of benignity or benevolence; felicity, or a prosperous state of affairs; the Christian religion, as the highest expression of the benevolence or favor of God; the happiness which Christianity confers on its friends in this and the future life; the apostolic office; charity, or alms; thanksgiving; joy, or pleasure; and the benefits produced on the Christian's heart and life by religion - the grace of meekness, patience, charity, etc., "Schleusner." grace to you, and peace: by "grace" is not meant ministerial gifts, which are not common to all the saints; nor the Gospel, which was at Rome already; nor the love and favour of God, which these persons were sharers in, as appears from their above characters; nor the principle of grace, which was now formed there in their effectual calling; but an increase of grace, as to its degrees, acts, and exercise; every grace is imperfect in this respect, and those who have the most stand in need of more; there is such a thing as growing in grace, which is very desirable, and may be expected from God, who is able to make all grace to abound, and has promised to give more: by "peace" is meant, peace with God through Christ; peace in their own consciences, and with one another; all manner of prosperity inward and outward here, and eternal happiness hereafter.