commentary on romans Anders Nygren FORTRESS PRESS/Philadelphia First published as Rom:1fbrt?~·,!1 by Ve~bu;n, Sw-:kholm, i9~. FiiS! American edition 19';9 Ninth printing 1967 First paperback edition 1972 Sixth printing 1983 COPYRIGHT © 1949 BY FORTRESS PRESS All rights reserved. ~o pari of this pubiication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any iorm or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other wise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 49-48317 ISBN 0-8006-1684-7 452C83 Printed in the United States of America 1-1684 Contents L'-rnCDUcnO~ 1. The Epistle to the I\oma:i5, "Tne Clearest Gospel of All- . . . . . • . . . • . 1 2. The General Cbracter of L~e Epistle. . . . 3 3. The Fundamental Crlncep: of the Epistle: Right- eousness from God . 9 4. The Two Aeons. . . . . . . . . . . . 16 5. The Line of Thought in the Epistle to the Romans 26 II. b.1l\ODUcnOS TO THE EplSTI.E . . . • • • • • 43 1:1·15 PAL'L'S OBUCAllOS TO Piu::ACII TIlE GoSPEL IN ROME 43 III. TnE THEME OF THE EpI:."'TI.E • • • • • .. • • • 65 1:16-17 "HE WUO THROUGH FAn'H Is fuCIrrEOUS SHALL L1vE~ 65 PART ONE 1:18-4:25 -HE WHO THlIOUCH F AITlI Is fuCHTEOUS" 95 IV. UNDEJI THE WllAlll OF "GoD. • • • • 97 1:18-.3:20 1. The Wrath of Cod against Unrighteousness. 98 1:18-32 (1) The unrlghteownen of the heathen. 98 (2) The reaction of God'. wrath • • • 109 2. The Wroth of God against the Righteousness of the Law. . . . . . . . . . • 113 2:1-11:20 (1) The leu.'s arc also without excuse. • 113 (2) The law does not protect against the wrath of God. . . . •.•..•••• 119 (3) Circumcision docs not shield from the wrath of God . . . . . . . . . . ..• 132 (4) The result: The whole lL'orld iies In guilt be. fore God . • 140 V. Tm: HlClrrWUSNFSS OF COD • 144 8:21-1:25 1. The Righteousness of Cod, Revealed through Christ. • . . . . . . . • • • . . • 145 8:21-31 (1) The righteousness of Cod is not by the /aw 145 (2i The righteuusllcss of God is the righteousness oj /Ulth. • • • , • • • • • • • • 149 (3) How the righteousness of faith was revealed 156 (4) The righteOU31leSS uJ faith excludes all b~tl1lg. . . • • • • . • • . • • 162 Z. The Righteousn~s of Cod. Witnessed to hy the Law aud the Propht:ts. • • • • • • • • 167 ':1-25 (1) Abraham', righteousness was the righteous. ness of laith . • • • • • • • • • • 167 (2) Not throug/l circumcision was Abraham right. eoUl • ;., •••••.•••••• 172 (3) Not thr~ugh the law u;as .4.braham made righteous • • • • • • • • • • • • 175 (4) Abraham the type of him ·who through faith U nghteous~ • • • • • • • • • • • 178 PART TWO 5:1-11:19 *IIE WIIO Tlmot:CH F AITIi Is fi!GIITEOt·S SHALL LI\"E~ 187 VI. FREE FRO:'f TI!.£ WRATII OF GOD. • • • '. • • • 191 5:1-21 1. Savl'd from the Wrath of God by God's Love. 192 5:1-11 (1) Peace IdtTl God. 192 (2) God's love. _ . 196 (3) Saeed through Christ from the !crath to ccme 202 2.. The Two At:'ons; Adam and Christ 206 5: 12·21 (1) Adam ,TIC prototype of -him u'ho should come- • • • . . . _ • • . 206 (2) Th(' kincdllms of dratiJ and of life . 218 (3) The intercention of the law. . 224 VII. FREE FROM SIN • • . . . . . • 230 6:1-23 1. Free from Sin through Baptism • 231 6:1-14 2.. Free from Sin to Serve Righteousness. • 248 6:15-23 VIII. FREE FROM THE LAw .265 7:1-25 L -Dead to the Law· through Christ . 268 7:1-6 2. The Power of the Law to Provdke and Increase Sin .••• _ •.•. _ •• _ .•• 2i7 7:7-13 S. The Impotence of the Law to Call Forth the Good 284 7:14-25 IX. FlIEE FROM Du'l1l • • _ •••••••• 304 8:1-39 1. Free from Death through the Spirit. .. . 310 8:1·11 2. Free frilm Death. That We ~1a\" Have Life. . 325 8:1:!·11 ' 3. The Sullt'rinl': of the Present Aeon and the Clorv of the Co~ing Aeun. . . '. 329 .. 8:11;·3\) (1) The groaning of creetinn . .331 (2) The Christian's grom,ing .332 (3) The grollning of the S;J:rit . • 3.35 (4) The consummaticn of Cc>d's eternal prlrpose :J.3i 4. Conclusion: Victory t}lfcu~h the Love of Cod in Christ. . . .'. . : . . . . . . . . 346 8:31-39 PART THREE 9:1-11:36 TUE RICIrn:O{JS!"ESS OF FAITH Is r\OT AGAD:ST TilE PRO~USE OF GOD. • • • 353 X. TilE Pllo~nsE ONLY TO BUID"EJ'oS • . 361 9:0·29 1. In the Very Promise Cod Shows His Sovereignty 361 9:6·13 2. God's Sovereignty in Mercy and ill Wrath. . . 364 9:14·29 XI. ISRA!:L's RE;r:cnos HEll OWN FAt.'LT. • • • • • 375 9:30-10:21 XII. ISRA!:L's RE]EcnON NOT FDOAL • .389 11:1-36 1. Even Now There Is a Remnant. .391 11:1·10 2. I.srael's Fall Decame the Gentiles' Salvation • 394 11:11·24 3. Rejection Is Cod's Way to Israel's Salvation. • 403 11:25-38 PAnT FOUR 12:!-!5.jJ Tm: Lrn: Of H;:o.! WHO THROt:GlI F .. ..rm Is RI.G IITEOUS 411 XIII. Coxm:cr!:; THE :-\l:;W Aco:;. . . ...... . 415 1'2: 1-1'3: 14 1. The Basic Ru!e of Paul's Ethics. .416 12:1-2 2. To Walk i:l Christ .420 1~::3-S 3. To Walk in Love. · 4~3 12:Y-:! 4. The Conr:act of the Chdstian in the Orders of This \\' .:rld. • . . • . • _ . . • . . 4:213 1;): 1-7 5. Love, the Fultiliment of the Law. · 4:31 13:0-10 6. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ .435 13:11-14 7. Characteristics of Paul's Ethics . .437 XIV. THE WEAE A."D THE STTlO:;C • .441 14:1-15:13 'A'V. COl'CLCSION. • • .452 15: 14-16:27 · 1. Paul's Tra\'el Plans . .~..".'.",- 15: 1-&-3:J 2. Greetings and Concluding Words. .456 J(j:1-27 1 Introduction 1. TilT Ept<nL.E TO TIlE ROl.!ANS, -rHE CLE.. . REST GOSPEL OF ALL" In his preface to Romans. Luther characterizes this letter as "rightly the chief part of tile r-:cw Testament and the clearest gospel of aU"; and he adds that it would be well worth ~~morizing, so that a Christian could recite it by rate, word for word. Thus it is the judgment of Luther that tilis epistle sets forth the gospel more clearly than any otiler writing in the New Testament. But since his time we have not lacked voices that have declared that Luther is guilty of overstatement in his appraisal. He personally owed very much to the Epistle to the Romans; and he found in it the highest support for the position upon which his work as reformer rested. It was thus natural that he should see in it the chief part of the New Tp.stament and the dearest gospel of all. But in this judgment, it is said, we cannot follow him. If one is to call anything the chief part of the New Testament, that must without doubt be the Gospels. This objection is tempting; to many its tnlth seems self evident. But upon closer examination it is seen iliat to some degree at least it rests on a false presupposition. Behind it I often iics the belief that ill the Gospc1s-par:.!cularly ill Ule Synoptics-we ha\·e the original reports of L~e iife and teach ings of Jesus, and that this prir.1J.~· materi:J was subse quently used by Paul in a way that was not true to its proper meaning. In this way, on tllC simple narratives about Jesus there arose tlle belief in HiIn as the Christ and l!le Son of God. If tllat were really the fact, it would of cour,e have to be admitted that the clearest ga;pel is found L:1 the Synop tics, and that Paul beclouded it. Ilo,. ... c\·er, t:l:; W!lO!e idea is nothing but an unhis:orical postubte. The (lebal fact is, on the contrary. that belief in Christ is assu:-nd by the Gos pels as well as by Pau!' Had that faith not been present, we should have had no Gospels. The Gospels are not descrip tive records in the interest of history; they are a witness to Christ. born of taith in Him and ainling to evoke in others the same faith. ''These are \~Titten that you may believe tllat Jesus is the Christ (" XPW"1"O~). the Son of God. and that believing you may have life in his name." So it is affirmed in the Gospel accordirlg to John (20:31). and the same is true for all the Gospels. The difference between Paul and the 5ynoptics consists only of tllis, that Paul fixed the con· tent of that faith more clearly and unequivocally. It is the same gospel; but the Synoptics are the easier to distort. He who is willing to lay hold of them with profane hands can do so. Here man found it possible to undertake the con struction of a purely historical "HIe of Jesus" out of the Gospels. for which faith was not necessary-that is, to pare off the gospel from the Gospels. For all such attempts the gospel according to Paul is a stumbling block. The gospel which is comprehended in the Gospels and gave them .theL Dame is brought forth by Paul and set in the foreground in a manner that does Dot leave room for misunderstanding. 2 I~'TRODUCTIOS • The history of ~he Christi,,;;. charch is consequently witness to L.;e fact that L~e Epistle to the Romans has b a peculiar way been able to supp!y the impulse for tlle renewai of Christianity. When man has slipper{ away from the gospel, a deep study of Romans has often been the means by which the lost has beeo recove~ed. It is enou;;h to recall what the epistle meant, in such connection, to Augustine or to the meo of L~e Reformation. lJ pon fur:'}lCr consider3.ticn, therefore. one Ends it necessary on purel), objective grount.Is to concede that Luther was right in his judgment. \\ nat the gospel is, what L1e content of the Christian faith is. one learns to know in the Epistle to the Romans as in no oL.;er place in the ~ew Testar::ent. Romans gives us L>te go~pel in its wide context. It gives us the right perspective and the standard by which we should comprehend all the constitu ent parts of the Gospels, io arrive at the true, intended picture. In a treatment of Romans, dating from the time when man thought that in the Synoptics was to be found "the historical Jesus" and in Paul a view that departed from t..>te teaching of Jesus, it was said, "How fortunate that we have the gospel not only as Paul proclaimed itr Now we hap pily find ourselves in the better position that we do not have to choose between Paul and the Gospels. It is closer to the t..-uth to say, "How fortunate that we also have the gospel as Paul proclaimed it'" 2. Tm.: GEm:RAL CHARAcn:R OF THE EpISTLE Among Paul's epistles, Romans has a peculiar position, inasmuch as it is the only one he wrote to a congregation that was strange to him. When and how the Christian con gregation in Rome was established we do not know; only s