Romans 1:17

17 for righteousness of God ^[a] is revealed therein, on the principle of faith, to faith: according as it is written, But the just shall live by ^[b] faith.

Romans 1:17 Meaning and Commentary

Romans 1:17

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed
By "the righteousness of God", is not meant the essential righteousness of God, the rectitude of his nature, his righteousness in fulfilling his promises, and his punitive justice, which though revealed in the Gospel, yet not peculiar to it; nor the righteousness by which Christ himself is righteous, either as God, or as Mediator; but that righteousness which he wrought out by obeying the precepts, and bearing the penalty of the law in the room of his people, and by which they are justified in the sight of God: and this is called "the righteousness of God", in opposition to the righteousness of men: and because it justifies men in the sight of God; and because of the concern which Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit, have in it. Jehovah the Father sent his Son to work it out, and being wrought out, he approves and accepts of it, and imputes it to his elect: Jehovah the Son is the author of it by his obedience and death; and Jehovah the Spirit discovers it to sinners, works faith in them to lay hold upon it, and pronounces the sentence of justification by it in their consciences. Now this is said to be "revealed" in the Gospel, that is, it is taught in the Gospel; that is the word of righteousness, the ministration of it; it is manifested in and by the Gospel. This righteousness is not known by the light of nature, nor by the law of Moses; it was hid under the shadows of the ceremonial law, and is brought to light only by the Gospel; it is hid from every natural man, even from the most wise and prudent, and from God's elect themselves before conversion, and is only made known to believers, to whom it is revealed:

from faith to faith;
that is, as say some, from the faith of God to the faith of men; from the faith of preachers to the faith of hearers; from the faith of the Old to the faith of the New Testament saints; or rather from one degree of faith to another; for faith, as it grows and increases, has clearer sights of this righteousness, as held forth in the Gospel. For the proof of this, a passage of Scripture is cited,

as it is written,
( Habakkuk 2:4 ) ;

the just shall live by faith:
"a just", or righteous man is, not everyone who thinks himself, or is thought by others to be so; nor are any so by their obedience to the law of works; but he is one that is made righteous by the righteousness of Christ imputed to him, which is before said to be revealed in the Gospel. The life which this man lives, and "shall live", does not design a natural or corporeal life, and a continuance of that, for such die a natural death, as other men; nor an eternal life, for though they shall so live, yet not by faith; but a spiritual life, a life of justification on Christ, of holiness from him, of communion with him, and of peace and joy; which spiritual life shall be continued, and never be lost. The manner in which the just lives, is "by faith". In the prophet Habakkuk, the words are, "the just shall live" (wtnwmab) , "by his faith" (( Habakkuk 2:4 ) ); which the Septuagint render, "by my faith": and the apostle only reads, "by faith", omitting the affix, as well known, and easy to be supplied: for faith, when given by God, and exercised by the believer, is his own, and by it he lives; not upon it, but by it upon Christ the object of it; from whom, in a way of believing, he derives his spiritual life, and all the comforts of it.

Romans 1:17 In-Context

15 so, as far as depends on me, am I ready to announce the glad tidings to you also who [are] in Rome.

16 For I am not ashamed of the glad tidings; for it is God's power to salvation, to every one that believes, both to Jew first and to Greek:

17 for righteousness of God is revealed therein, on the principle of faith, to faith: according as it is written, But the just shall live by faith.

18 For there is revealed wrath of God from heaven upon all impiety, and unrighteousness of men holding the truth in unrighteousness.

19 Because what is known of God is manifest among them, for God has manifested [it] to them,

Footnotes

• [a]. 'Righteousness of God.' The absence of the article may arrest the mind here, and in some other places, in this part of the epistle. It is likely to do so, because the righteousness of God is now a known doctrine; not so when the apostle taught. The righteousness of God was a wholly new thought, as was indeed wrath from heaven: wrath on earth was not. The gospel, or 'glad tidings,' was the power of God to salvation, because righteousness of God (that kind of righteousness) was revealed -- not a righteousness required of man. See ch. 3.21.
• [b]. 'By faith.' The word 'by' is the same in Greek (ek) as that translated 'on the principle of.' I have left 'by' as being a quotation from Hab. 2.4.