Romans
1:6-7 (AMP)
6 And
this includes you, called of Jesus Christ (a) and invited [as you are] (b) to
belong to Him (c).
7 To
[you then] all God’s beloved ones in Rome (d), called to be saints and designated
for a consecrated life (e): Grace and spiritual blessing and (f) peace be yours
(g) from God our Father (h) and from the Lord Jesus Christ (i).
• Vs.6a This includes you, called of Jesus Christ
Comment:
Gill's
Exposition of the Entire Bible:
“…The calling here spoken of is not to an office, or a
mere external one by the ministry of the word, but an internal special call by
the grace of God; and which is irresistible, efficacious, and unchangeable, and
is an high, holy, and heavenly one; by it persons are called out of darkness
into light, out of bondage into liberty, out of the world, from the company of
the men of it, and the sinful pleasures thereof, to fellowship with Christ and
his saints, and of a dependence on themselves, and their own righteousness, to
the grace and righteousness of Christ, and to eternal glory. The persons so
called are the elect of God, who are secured in Christ, and redeemed by him,
and who has a concern with the Father and Spirit in the calling of them: hence they
are styled, "the called of Jesus Christ"; they are called by him, and
after his name; he has an interest in them; as they were before his chosen and
redeemed ones, they are now his called ones; as Jacob and Israel of old were
named of God, "my called", Isaiah 48:12; so these were named Christ's
called ones; and who by calling came to be partakers of him and of His grace.”
• Vs.6b invited
[as you are]
Comment:
The Amplified is the only version of the Bible that
uses the phrasing “as you are” but the Greek translation is “yourself”
KJV Lexicon humeis (hoo-mice): you (as subjective
of verb) -- ye (yourselves), you.
So many people still think, (despite the scriptures
repeatedly emphasising the contrary) that one has to become sinless first and
then only can one accept Christ as your saviour. This must be the greatest
irony and tragedy we face as “fishers of men” throughout all the ages. If any
person thinks for a second that they should not come “as you are” to Christ,
then that person misses the entire point of trusting in Jesus to do a mighty
work in His power versus us proving ourselves to be worthy in our own power.
• Vs.6c belong
to Him
Comment:
We are secured in Christ, and redeemed by Him. We are
of the kind that belongs to a God of love, mercy and grace.
• Vs.7d God’s
beloved ones in Rome
Comment:
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
“Beloved
of God - Whom God loves. This is the privilege of all Christians. And this
proves that the persons whom Paul addressed were "not" those merely
who had been invited to the external privileges of the gospel.”
• Vs.7e Called
to be saints and designated for a consecrated life
Comment:
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Called
to be saints - So called, or influenced by God who had called them, as to
become saints. The word "saints," ἅγιοι
hagioi, means those who are holy, or those who are devoted or consecrated to
God. 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.
It is applied to any thing that is set apart to the service of God, to the
temple, to the sacrifices, to the utensils about the temple, to the garments,
etc. of the priests, and to the priests themselves. It was applied to the Jews
as a people separated from other nations, and devoted or consecrated to God,
while other nations were devoted to the service of idols. It is also applied to
Christians, as being a people devoted or set apart to the service of God. 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." This is the special characteristic of the saints. And this
characteristic the Roman Christians had shown.”
• Vs.7f Grace and spiritual blessing...be yours
Comment:
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
“Grace -
This word properly means "favor." 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." In this place, and in similar places in
the beginning of the apostolic epistles, it seems to be a word including all
those blessings that are applicable to Christians in common; denoting an ardent
wish that all the mercies and favors of God for time and eternity, blended
under the general name grace, may be conferred on them. It is to be understood
as connected with a word implying invocation. I pray, or I desire, that grace,
etc. may be conferred on you. It is the customary form of salutation in nearly
all the apostolic epistles”
• Vs.7g Peace be yours
Comment:
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
“And
peace - Peace is the state of freedom from war. 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. Thus, to wish one peace
was the same as to wish him all safety and prosperity. This form of salutation
was common among the Hebrews. Gen 43:23, "peace to you! fear not;"
Judges 6:23; Judges 19:20; Luke 24:36. But the word "peace" is also
used in contrast with that state of agitation and conflict which a sinner has
with his conscience and with God. The sinner is like the troubled sea, which
cannot rest, Isaiah 57:20. The Christian is at peace with God through the Lord
Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1. By this word, denoting reconciliation with God, the
blessings of the Christian religion are often described in the scriptures,
Romans 8:6; Romans 14:17; Romans 15:13; Galatians 5:22; Philippians 4:7. A
prayer for peace, therefore, in the epistles, is not a mere formal salutation,
but has a special reference to those "spiritual" blessings which
result from reconciliation with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Vs.7h From God our Father
Comment:
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
“From
God our Father - The Father of all Christians. He is the Father of all his
creatures, as they are his offspring, Acts 17:28-29. 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. The expression here is equivalent to a
prayer that God the Father would bestow grace and peace on the Romans. It
implies that these blessings proceed from God, and are to be expected from him.”
• Vs.7i And the Lord Jesus Christ
Comment:
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
“And the
Lord Jesus Christ - From him. The Lord Jesus Christ is especially regarded in
the New Testament as the Source of peace, and the Procurer of it; … From thus
connecting the Lord Jesus with the Father in this place, we may see,
(1) That
the apostle regarded him as the source of grace and peace as really as he did
the Father.
(2) he
introduced them in the same connection, and with reference to the bestowment of
the same blessings.
(3) if
the mention of the Father in this connection implies a prayer to him, or an act
of worship, the mention of the Lord Jesus implies the same thing, and was an
act of homage to him.
(4) all
this shows that his mind was familiarized to the idea that he was divine.
No man
would introduce his name (Jesus) in such connections if he did not believe that
he was equal with God; compare Philippians 2:2-11. 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.
Romans
1:6-7 (AMP)
6 And
this includes you, called of Jesus Christ and invited [as you are] to belong to
Him.
7 To
[you then] all God’s beloved ones in Rome, called to be saints and designated
for a consecrated life: Grace and spiritual blessing and peace be yours from
God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
After studying the full meaning of the ‘carefully
selected words’ Paul used in the 6th and 7th verse of
Romans 1, this is my interpretation and understanding of it…
Verse 6: You are called by Jesus, and have taken on
His name. You are not called “Christians” because of the mere external ministry
of the word, but rather you have an internal special call by the grace of God;
and it is an irresistible, efficacious, unchangeable, high, holy, and heavenly
one. By it you were called out of darkness into light, out of bondage into
liberty, out of the world, into fellowship with Christ and His saints. Yes! You
are called to the grace and righteousness of Christ, and to eternal glory. You
are the elect of God. We should come “as we are” to Christ and trust in
Jesus to do a mighty work in His power versus us proving ourselves to be worthy
in our own power. We are secured in Christ, and redeemed by Him.
Verse 7: We are of the
kind that belongs to a God of love, mercy and grace. Don't you see Beloved
of God? This is the privilege of all Christians. We were not merely invited to
the external privileges of the gospel, but we are His Saints! We are holy, in
the same way the Old Testament Jews, and their temple, priests and ornaments
where separated for a holy and Godly purpose. So I
pray and desire, that you will have the happiness which Christianity confers on its friends
(in this and the future life), the apostolic office, charity, thanksgiving, joy
and the benefits produced in a Christian's heart and life through faith, and also, may the
grace of meekness, patience and charity be with you. May you experience peace,
not only in the absence of war and torment experienced by your flesh alone, but
even more so, peace be found in your inner man - freedom from inner conflict -
a peaceful conscience towards God. From Him
the Father of all His creatures as we have been "begotten by Him to a
lively hope," we have been adopted into his family. All these blessings
proceed from God, and are to be expected from Him and His son Jesus, the Source
of peace, and the Procurer of it.
Bibliography:
- Barnes' Notes on the Bible- Bible Suite by Biblos
- Barnes' Notes on the Bible- Bible Suite by Biblos
- Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible- Bible Suite by
Biblos
- Amplified Bible
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