Gennadius of Constantinople

In his own words on Romans

• Romans 1:7

  First Paul prays that the Romans might receive the grace of God, by which all believers enjoy salvation. Then he asks for peace, by which God gives to all the restoration of virtue. For the one who accepts the gospel way of life has peace with God. The one who serves him is amenable to everyone.

  PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

• Romans 1:8

  Paul does not say "through Jesus Christ" as if he were some kind of intermediary, but in the context of giving thanks to God, says that we do this because of the Lord Christ. This amazing dispensation which has saved our race through him has taken us captive, along with the rest, by the faith we have in him.Paul does his utmost to win the Romans over, in case they may be thinking that he has something against them, or that following the tradition of Peter he might be coming to order them about, and if indeed they are vexed for this sort of reason, they might refuse to read his letter and miss out on the blessing it would bring. Therefore, starting with thanksgiving and faith, he praised them for keeping it pure and firm, as they all did together, and then with the word proclaimed spoke more personally in praise of the city, and by adding "in all the world" he praised them greatly and exalted them before going on to talk about meeting them in person.

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• Romans 1:9

  When Paul mentioned "his spirit," he was not speaking about the person of the Spirit but about the grace of the Spirit which had been given to him to preach the gospel and by which, once he had been made worthy to be a coworker with God, he was enabled to carry out his work of mission.

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• Romans 1:12

  Paul says this for fear of tripping up his hearers, who might not have known what to say to the prospect of sharing in some spiritual gift. For what could have been lacking in the teaching of Peter? Paul might be accused of criticizing Peter's teaching … of thinking that he was a greater apostle than Peter, of claiming to be on closer terms with Christ and more beloved by Christ than Peter was. Fearing attacks of this kind, Paul first of all sets out the purpose of his coming, thereby sufficiently refuting the charge of presumption. Then he goes on to say not that he is giving them something but that he is going to share something with them, which is quite different.… Paul reassures them that he has no intention of preaching anything new to them but that he intends to confirm them in what they have already received from Peter.

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• Romans 1:13

  Paul tells the Romans that it will benefit him to come to them, saying that the nations which received the gospel through him had clearly added to his own riches.

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• Romans 1:16

  Those who objected to the Christian gospel ridiculed it, mocking it because of its absurdity. For there is nothing more ridiculous than the word of someone who preaches that the Son of God was born and brought up by Jews, who rejects neither the cross nor death, who says moreover not only that Christ rose from the dead but that he ascended to heaven as Lord of all, that he will raise everyone else from the dead, and other things the apostles preached. The pagans mocked these things and ridiculed them, thinking that they would make the apostles shut up. Therefore St. Paul, feeling obliged to reply to this opinion of the apostles, began his teaching thus: "I am not ashamed of the gospel."

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• Romans 1:17

  What is the overall meaning of the above? It is that our gospel is very great and truly marvelous if you pay careful attention to its power. For through faith in Christ all are saved, those whom the natural law has enlightened and those who follow the written law which was added to it. For when someone is informed about the resurrection from the dead, he learns that he too may share in this by obeying the gospel according to the design of the Savior. And this, says Paul, God had in ancient times announced through Habakkuk the prophet when he said: "The righteous shall live through faith."

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• Romans 1:18

  Generally speaking there are two main types of sin—discord with God and discord with one's neighbor. Paul mentions them both, putting discord with God first because it is the greater sin, and calling it "ungodliness." He then mentions the second kind of discord, the one with one's neighbor, calling it "wickedness." He even states that our entire race has rightly come under judgment, saying that they have suppressed the truth in wickedness. Nor can they claim to be ignorant, for knowing the truth, they perverted it.… And outlining their sins, Paul lists the one against God first, saying that they had clear and plain knowledge about God because God had revealed himself to them.

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• Romans 1:20

  He created us with such a nature, placing a mind and reason within us and granting us these things so that by studying this world we might come to a knowledge of the invisible things which are his.Paul says that they are without excuse in order to shut them up.… For God did not deign to reveal himself to human beings in order to give them some excuse but in order to show them that it would be to their advantage to accept him and his mercy.

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• Romans 1:21

  The pagans knew that there was a God, and it is clear that they did not receive judgment because of this. For it was not for want of knowledge that they were condemned, but the opposite. For each one glorified God in the sense that whatever he thought God was, that he served. Thus they corrupted the whole matter by their peculiar and mistaken ideas. They abandoned God's way of knowing him and preferred their own, falling into the deepest imbecility, outdoing themselves in their so-called wisdom by adding to their foolishness, descending to the worship of reptiles and inanimate objects.

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• Romans 1:28

  Paul does not say that God destroyed them because of their loathsome outrages. For God is not responsible for destroying anyone.… Paul says rather that God went away from them and left them to their own devices, so that their false understanding of God might appear to be the cause of their evil life.

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• Romans 2:5

  God's patience toward you gives you the opportunity for every kind of wickedness. Realize clearly therefore that you are storing up wrath for yourself because of your hardness.

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• Romans 3:20

  The purpose of the law, says Paul, is to give us a knowledge of sin not only to forbid the doing of things which are inappropriate but also to punish those who do such things.

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• Romans 3:22

  Paul says "for all" meaning first the Jews, in that it was from among them that salvation first arose, and then the Gentiles, in that from the Jews grace had abounded even to them so that now both share in it together. This grace is not given in general but only to those "who believe," but it is common to all these without distinction.

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• Romans 5:12

  Everyone in the following of Adam has died, because they have all inherited their nature from him. But some have died because they themselves have sinned, while others have died only because of Adam's condemnation—for example, children.

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• Romans 6:2

  Carnal people and unbelievers may live like this, but we are totally incapable of it because we have a new life, having died to sin once for all.

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• Romans 6:5

  Christ's baptism in the Jordan was a type of the mystery of his resurrection.

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• Romans 6:6

  "Our old self" refers to our perishable and passible bodies.

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• Romans 6:12

  Here Paul shows that the reason we no longer sin is not that after baptism we are no longer made of flesh. Up to this point, we claim Christ's perfection by faith only and not by experience. For we have not yet become impassible or immortal.… Therefore Paul does not say: "Do not sin," but rather: "Let not sin reign in your mortal bodies."

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• Romans 7:6

  Paul sets "Spirit" against "letter," "newness" against "oldness," and by these names shows us how different the two things are.

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• Romans 7:12

  "Law" and "commandment" are synonymous in this case. The commandment is called "holy" because it takes us away from sin and sets us apart from evil; "just" because with its righteousness it honors those who obey it and punishes those who transgress it; "good" because it leads us to the good, and this because of the goodness given by God. The law is not sin just because it shows me what is evil but the opposite.

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• Romans 7:17

  All this is reminiscent of what was said by the Lord in the Gospels: "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."

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• Romans 7:24

  Paul did not say "bad" or "evil man" but rather "wretched man" … for having shown that this person contemplated the good with his mind but was drawn toward evil by the passion of the flesh, he presents him as more deserving of mercy than of punishment.

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• Romans 8:1

  Look how great Christ's grace is in that he has set us free from condemnation.

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• Romans 8:2

  We have been made heirs of a pain-free and immortal life by the free gift of the Spirit and have all become spiritual, being set free from sin and the death which it causes.

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• Romans 8:6

  "Death" is estrangement and punishment from God; "life" is immortality and "peace" is fellowship with him.

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• Romans 9:1

  The Jews who opposed the apostles and their message said that one or another of the following propositions must be true. Either the gospel is a lie, or God is a liar.… For God promised Abraham that he would bless his offspring, but now he has shown favor to impure and foreign people, i.e., the Gentiles, instead of us. Now if your preaching is a way out of these promises, as you claim, then it is clear that God lied to our ancestors. On the other hand, if it is wrong to speak of God in this way, then you and your message are a lie.It was to answer this kind of charge that the apostle Paul wanted to work out an alternative position and demonstrate both that the message of the gospel was true and that God was not lying.

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• Romans 9:13

  It was many years after the event that Scripture testified to this in the words of the prophet Haggai [Malachi]. Paul added this quotation because he wanted to show that God's judgment is just, for while it was in accordance with his foreknowledge, the lives of both men later followed these different paths.

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• Romans 9:32

  Paul calls the Lord Christ a stumbling stone because those who did not accept the new covenant in him stumbled over him and by their unbelief fell from the grace of justification which was given to men through him.

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• Romans 10:2

  Having once been one of them himself, Paul understood and bore witness that the Jews fought against the gospel out of zeal for God, yet it was a zeal uninformed by true knowledge.

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• Romans 10:4

  Christ fulfilled the law's purpose by granting the righteousness which comes by faith in him to all those who accepted him.

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• Romans 10:5

  Comparing the law with the glory of grace, Paul says that even Moses could not have been justified by the law unless he fulfilled all the commandments of the law.

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• Romans 11:6

  The apostle has expressed himself in this way … because he wants to show that the law and grace are completely incompatible and that the two of them can never go together. Of necessity, one must drive the other out.

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• Romans 11:8

  The spirit of stupor prevented them from making the hard choice of repentance and conversion.

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• Romans 11:16

  Paul calls the Lord Christ the "first fruits," because he was one of them according to the flesh, and through his resurrection he became the first to claim the inheritance.

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• Romans 11:26

  When their sins are taken away and forgiven their salvation will be clear and indisputable.

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• Romans 12:1

  As the fullness of God's mercies toward us is limitless, I am obliged and I challenge us all to be set apart and offered to God as a complete sacrifice. For the present sacrifice does not lead to death, as did that under the law, but by making us holy it leads to eternal life, because it is pleasing to God and the offering of rational creatures is much more valuable than that of dumb ones.

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• Romans 12:3

  Paul said this in criticism of those brothers who were running after charismatic gifts. God did not give us his gift in order that we should hate each other or that spiritual things should become an excuse for warfare, but so that we should enjoy harmony and friendship and the common salvation of all. None of you has anything by right, but the one who is worthy of the greatest, as well as the one who is worthy of the least of the charismatic gifts, has been given it by God. Knowing this he ought to use it according to the measure of his faith.

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• Romans 12:6

  "In proportion to our faith" not only applies to prophecy but may be extended by analogy to all the gifts.

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• Romans 12:12

  God's mercy does not abandon you in these circumstances, but you are constantly and everywhere helped by him in all things.

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• Romans 12:13

  Paul calls the believers "saints" because they have been called to be holy.

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• Romans 12:14

  Paul wants them to exhibit such brotherly love that those who want to persecute them will have no excuse for doing so.

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• Romans 12:18

  Paul says that he wants Christians to have the right spirit, even if others think differently.

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• Romans 13:7

  "Taxes" and "revenue" are the same thing.

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• Romans 13:11

  Every day the end comes closer, and we are already on the threshold of the resurrection.

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• Romans 14:1

  Who would be so inhumane as to lay aside any sympathy for the weak and trample on them, not even offering them the help they need in adversity? Paul makes this an absolute command and accompanies it with the teaching that the law and all the behavior it entailed has been abolished in Christ. Yet he was conscious that the ethnic heritage weighed more heavily on the Jew, who felt that he would be sinning against his brothers if he went against the law.

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• Romans 14:10

  Once again Paul takes up his earlier theme and by adding the word brother shows how inappropriate this kind of judging is.

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• Romans 14:15

  Look at how wonderfully Paul develops his argument. He starts off at the bottom, by referring to food. Then he goes on to call the person who is sinned against a "brother." Then he calls what has been done to him "destruction." Fourth, he says that this outrage has been committed against someone "for whom Christ died." Fifth, he says that someone who does this causes godliness to be blasphemed, and sixth, that we have not come to faith in Christ in order to be able to enjoy this or that but in order to be able to share in righteousness, which means in sinlessness, peace and joy.

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• Romans 15:13

  By "the God of all hope" Paul means that God has blessed us with the hope of things to come.

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• Romans 15:20

  The explanation as to why Paul had not yet managed to visit the Romans seems to be that he believed that Peter had already come to them as their teacher, so he went to places where as yet no one had preached the gospel of Christ.

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