1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, having been separated to the good news of God --
for my being a servant of Jesus Christ to the nations, acting as priest in the good news of God, that the offering up of the nations may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
And the Lord said unto him, `Be going on, because a choice vessel to Me is this one, to bear My name before nations and kings -- the sons also of Israel;
Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of the choice ones of God, and an acknowledging of truth that `is' according to piety,
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Timotheus the brother,
Am not I an apostle? am not I free? Jesus Christ our Lord have I not seen? my work are not ye in the Lord?
for God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the good news of His Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you,
to which I was placed a preacher and an apostle, and a teacher of nations,
but having both suffered before, and having been injuriously treated (as ye have known) in Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the good news of God in much conflict,
according to the good news of the glory of the blessed God, with which I was entrusted. And I give thanks to him who enabled me -- Christ Jesus our Lord -- that he did reckon me stedfast, having put `me' to the ministration,
in regard to which I was set a preacher and apostle -- truth I say in Christ, I do not lie -- a teacher of nations, in faith and truth.
Simeon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who did obtain a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ:
James, of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ a servant, to the Twelve Tribes who are in the dispersion: Hail!
A revelation of Jesus Christ, that God gave to him, to shew to his servants what things it behoveth to come to pass quickly; and he did signify `it', having sent through his messenger to his servant John,
And he said to me, `These words `are' stedfast and true, and the Lord God of the holy prophets did send His messenger to shew to His servants the things that it behoveth to come quickly:
for not ourselves do we preach, but Christ Jesus -- Lord, and ourselves your servants because of Jesus;
for I reckon that I have been nothing behind the very chiefest apostles,
Paul, an apostle -- not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who did raise him out of the dead --
for now men do I persuade, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if yet men I did please -- Christ's servant I should not be. And I make known to you, brethren, the good news that were proclaimed by me, that it is not according to man, for neither did I from man receive it, nor was I taught `it', but through a revelation of Jesus Christ, for ye did hear of my behaviour once in Judaism, that exceedingly I was persecuting the assembly of God, and wasting it, and I was advancing in Judaism above many equals in age in mine own race, being more abundantly zealous of my fathers' deliverances, and when God was well pleased -- having separated me from the womb of my mother, and having called `me' through His grace -- to reveal His Son in me, that I might proclaim him good news among the nations, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem unto those who were apostles before me, but I went away to Arabia, and again returned to Damascus,
in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth -- the good news of your salvation -- in whom also having believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise,
which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it was now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit -- that the nations be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in the Christ, through the good news, of which I became a ministrant, according to the gift of the grace of God that was given to me, according to the working of His power;
Paul and Timotheus, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with overseers and ministrants;
and every tongue may confess that Jesus Christ `is' Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
And last of all -- as to the untimely birth -- he appeared also to me, for I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I did persecute the assembly of God, and by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace that `is' towards me came not in vain, but more abundantly than they all did I labour, yet not I, but the grace of God that `is' with me;
for if I may proclaim good news, it is no glorying for me, for necessity is laid upon me, and wo is to me if I may not proclaim good news; for if willing I do this, I have a reward; and if unwillingly -- with a stewardship I have been entrusted! What, then, is my reward? -- that proclaiming good news, without charge I shall make the good news of the Christ, not to abuse my authority in the good news;
and I say to you, Ye -- ye do possess their ground, and I -- I give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey; I `am' Jehovah your God, who hath separated you from the peoples. `And ye have made separation between the pure beasts and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the pure, and ye do not make yourselves abominable by beast or by fowl, or by anything which creepeth `on' the ground which I have separated to you for unclean; and ye have been holy to Me; for holy `am' I, Jehovah; and I separate you from the peoples to become Mine.
is it little to you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the company of Israel to bring you near unto Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of Jehovah, and to stand before the company to serve them? -- yea, He doth bring thee near, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee -- and ye have sought also the priesthood!
`At that time hath Jehovah separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, to stand before Jehovah, to serve Him, and to bless in His name, unto this day,
Hearken, O isles, unto me, And attend, O peoples, from afar, Jehovah from the womb hath called me, From the bowels of my mother He hath made mention of my name.
and he said to them, `Having gone to all the world, proclaim the good news to all the creation; he who hath believed, and hath been baptized, shall be saved; and he who hath not believed, shall be condemned.
if any one may minister to me, let him follow me, and where I am, there also my ministrant shall be; and if any one may minister to me -- honour him will the Father.
if then I did wash your feet -- the Lord and the Teacher -- ye also ought to wash one another's feet. `For an example I gave to you, that, according as I did to you, ye also may do; verily, verily, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his lord, nor an apostle greater than he who sent him;
and in their ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, `Separate ye to me both Barnabas and Saul to the work to which I have called them,' then having fasted, and having prayed, and having laid the hands on them, they sent `them' away. These, indeed, then, having been sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, thence also they sailed to Cyprus,
And Saul -- who also `is' Paul -- having been filled with the Holy Spirit, and having looked stedfastly on him,
And he having given him leave, Paul having stood upon the stairs, did beckon with the hand to the people, and there having been a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew dialect, saying:
having come unto me and stood by `me', said to me, Saul, brother, look up; and I the same hour did look up to him; and he said, The God of our fathers did choose thee beforehand to know His will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice out of his mouth, because thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard;
for such our Lord Jesus Christ do not serve, but their own belly; and through the good word and fair speech they deceive the hearts of the harmless,
and I have known that coming unto you -- in the fulness of the blessing of the good news of Christ I shall come.
for I am not ashamed of the good news of the Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to every one who is believing, both to Jew first, and to Greek.
through whom we did receive grace and apostleship, for obedience of faith among all the nations, in behalf of his name;
but rise, and stand upon thy feet, for for this I appeared to thee, to appoint thee an officer and a witness both of the things thou didst see, and of the things `in which' I will appear to thee, delivering thee from the people, and the nations, to whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, to turn `them' from darkness to light, and `from' the authority of the Adversary unto God, for their receiving forgiveness of sins, and a lot among those having been sanctified, by faith that `is' toward me.
and we all having fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew dialect, Saul, Saul, why me dost thou persecute? hard for thee against pricks to kick!
and he said unto me, Go, because to nations far off I will send thee.'
I fell also to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why me dost thou persecute?
For such a chief priest did become us -- kind, harmless, undefiled, separate from the sinners, and become higher than the heavens,
stedfast `is' the word, and of all acceptation worthy, that Christ Jesus came to the world to save sinners -- first of whom I am; but because of this I found kindness, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering, for a pattern of those about to believe on him to life age-during:
And we -- we ought to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, beloved by the Lord, that God did choose you from the beginning to salvation, in sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth, to which He did call you through our good news, to the acquiring of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Romans 1
Commentary on Romans 1 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 1
In this chapter we may observe,
Rom 1:1-7
In this paragraph we have,
Rom 1:8-15
We may here observe,
Rom 1:16-18
Paul here enters upon a large discourse of justification, in the latter part of this chapter laying down his thesis, and, in order to the proof of it, describing the deplorable condition of the Gentile world. His transition is very handsome, and like an orator: he was ready to preach the gospel at Rome, though a place where the gospel was run down by those that called themselves the wits; for, saith he, I am not ashamed of it, v. 16. There is a great deal in the gospel which such a man as Paul might be tempted to be ashamed of, especially that he whose gospel it is was a man hanged upon a tree, that the doctrine of it was plain, had little in it to set it off among scholars, the professors of it were mean and despised, and every where spoken against; yet Paul was not ashamed to own it. I reckon him a Christian indeed that is neither ashamed of the gospel nor a shame to it. The reason of this bold profession, taken from the nature and excellency of the gospel, introduces his dissertation.
Rom 1:19-32
In this last part of the chapter the apostle applies what he had said particularly to the Gentile world, in which we may observe,
Now lay all this together, and then say whether the Gentile world, lying under so much guilt and corruption, could be justified before God by any works of their own.