Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Romans 15:29
And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
29. And I am sure ] Lit. But, or now, I know. This “knowledge” was abundantly justified by the event.
in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ ] The words “ of the Gospel ” must be omitted. He is sure that he will come attended by the “fulness,” the full range and variety, of “Christ’s benediction;” which would so rest on the visit as to make it in every way happy and helpful both to the Romans and the Apostle.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I am sure – Greek, I know; expressing the fullest confidence, a confidence that was greatly confirmed by the success of his labors elsewhere.
In the fulness of the blessings … – This is a Hebrew mode of expression, where one noun performs the purpose of an adjective, and means with a full or abundant blessing. This confidence he, expressed in other language in Rom 1:11-12; see the notes.
Of the gospel of Christ – Which the gospel of Christ is suited to impart. Thus, every minister of the gospel should wish to go. This should be his everburning desire in preaching. Paul went to Rome; but he went in bonds; Acts 27; 28. But though he went in this manner, he was permitted there to preach the gospel for at least two years, nor can we doubt that his ministry was attended with the anticipated success; Act 28:30-31. God may disappoint us in regard to the mode in which we purpose to do good; but if we really desire it, he will enable us to do it in his own way. It may be better to preach the gospel in bonds than at liberty; it is better to do it even in a prison, than not at all. Bunyan wrote the Pilgrims Progress to amuse his heavy hours during a twelve years cruel imprisonment. If he had been at liberty, he probably would not have written it at all. The great desire of his heart was accomplished, but a prison was the place in which to do it. Paul preached; but preached in chains.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Rom 15:29
And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
The fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ
Separation is one of the evil fruits of sin. God loves union. When He created Adam He bound together the whole family of man in one common link. Hence it is one great end of the gospel to restore this union, which was one leading subject in the Saviours intercessory prayer (Joh 17:1-26.). Christianity imparts to us the love of one common God and Saviour, and infuses into all one common spirit. St. Paul had imbibed largely of this spirit. He knew what it was to feel communion of spirit even in the absence of all personal knowledge. Such was the case with regard to the Church at Rome (Rom 1:8; Rom 15:22; Rom 15:29). Note–
I. The subject of the apostles confidence. To carry the glad tidings of salvation to those who are altogether ignorant of them–this might seem to be one sense in which the minister of Christ might be said to come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. Nor, perhaps, is this application wholly to be excluded. If he chiefly refers here to his ministry within the Church, he yet might include the blessing of adding to its numbers from without. And certainly the conversion of sinners must be one great blessing for which we are to look as the end of our work. Yet it is of the ministry to the saints that Paul more expressly speaks. Hence, observe that this expectation will be realised–
1. If Christ should become more precious to the flock. To you that believe He is precious. All you want is treasured up in Him. We come, then, in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ, if the fruit of our ministry be to make Him to dwell in our thoughts and hearts–if it be to set Him always before us in all things, and to do all things in His name.
2. If the Holy Ghost in all His operations should be more honoured by us. We are placed under the dispensation of the Spirit. He is our teacher, sanctifier, preserver; and our progress must be in proportion as we are taught by and made submissive to Him. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit; and then we shall come in the fulness, etc.
3. If the ordinances of the Church, as such, should be more valued by us, Jesus Christ, as the head of His Church, has provided for its edification. It is by submitting to His ways, and not walking in our own, that we may hope to be built up in holy things. If we come to them not as mere forms, but as filled with the Spirit of the living God, then shall we have just cause to adopt the language of the text.
4. If Christ shall be more magnified by us. This will be in proportion as we are transformed into the image of Christ, and are able to manifest His holy character. To have the mind that was in Christ, to make Him the centre around which we move, is included in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
II. The grounds on which he rests his confidence.
1. Not any power or wisdom in himself. These weapons he knew well are too weak to be employed in so great a warfare.
2. Something personal, however, might have had to do with it–e.g.,
(1) His own conviction of the great truths which he ministered. He could say, I know whom I have believed, etc. Now, this must unquestionably tend to engender confidence as to the success of the ministry, when we can speak of those things which we know of a truth in our own souls.
(2) His consciousness of sincerity, and purity of intention (2Co 2:17; 2Co 4:7). It inspires confidence to feel that it is at no partial exhibition of Gods truth we aim; no favourite doctrine, no select portions, but the whole of Gods revealed counsel so far as He teaches it to us.
3. These, however, after all, may be termed rather auxiliaries of the apostles confidence than its foundation; the foundation of it is doubtless to be found primarily, in the promised blessing of God, and the presence of Christ in all His ordinances. Paul may plant, and Apollos water, but God giveth the increase. (W. Dodsworth, A. M.)
The fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ
I. The nature of these blessings–
1. Spiritual.
2. Undeserved.
3. Blessings of peace.
II. Their abunbance in their–
1. Variety.
2. Supply.
3. Sufficiency for all, in this life and the next.
III. Their free dispensation.
1. To saints.
2. To sinners. (J. Lyth, D.D.)
The fulness of gospel blessing
That was a privileged man who could say this. Did he do so in the confidence of apostolic power, in the strength of some special Divine mission? I think not. There are many who carry with them their own atmosphere, radiators of holiness, overflowing with affection and full of heaven, whom you cannot be near and not feel that a virtue goes out of them; their very presence is a benediction. And those are the same men who are lowly enough to confess the power, not their own, but Christs. But who are they? Those who live so near to God that they are always breathing in the Divine; and such was Paul. Observe these words in their series and their climax.
I. Christ. And in His holy anointing is all which you can ever want for time or for eternity. A ransom paid, a life hidden, a friend at the throne, a brother at the side; all love, and all loveliness.
II. The gospel. For you, poor miserable sinner, He died. He has loved you with an everlasting love,–between you and heaven, between you and God, there is no barrier.
III. The blessing of the gospel of Christ.
1. You are at peace. You know it in your hearts deep secret places that you are safe.
2. You shall serve Him, see Him, be like Him, enjoy Him for ever,
3. And your forgiveness shall become your holiness. He is in you, and you in Him, by living union. Therefore as He is, so shall you be in this world.
4. You shall be blessed and be a blessing.
IV. The fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. It is all done. No fact in history more sure, more complete. The heavens are not complete; the angels are not perfect. But His work and His people are. An eternity of happiness–of usefulness, and of God. Conclusion:
1. Do not be afraid of a full, free gospel. It will neither make you presumptuous nor indolent. Nothing humbles like being loved. And how shall a man conquer his sins, and do good works, if he have not a motive? What motive is strong enough but the love of God?
2. Therefore, let me take care to preach, and you to receive, a full gospel. Not half fear and half hope; not half self and half Christ; not a partial pardon; not a change which is to come; not a possible heaven.
3. Now, when we meet, we are to come together with this blessing. Woe to me if I do not so preach as to bring this fulness of the blessing to you! And woe to you if you do not so pray as to bring it to me! Very great is my privilege to preach it, and very large will be your loss, if, from prejudice, or fear, or unbelief, or Satans wiles, or mens false teaching, you refuse it, or add to it conditions which God has never placed–or abate one iota from it.
4. And to one another you are to be a blessing. When you go to a man, and try to speak faithfully to him, when you are teaching your child, when you engage in some work of mercy, or in each days common converse, or recognise the promise. (J. Vaughan, M.A.)
The fulness of the blessing
A doctor may come with healing or with failure, because his remedies are fallible. A statesman may come with progress or retrogression, because his measures are only fallible; but a servant of Christ comes with nothing but blessing. Indeed, the house of God is the one place on earth where blessing abounds always. The home may be miserable; business disappointing; the Senate House the scene of turmoil; but in the house of God there broods unruffled peace. Blessedness is the watermark of Christianity, and just as you know a five-pound note by the watermarks upon it, so you will know the message, as to whether it is Divine, by this: it makes men blessed. Its morality is the high road to blessedness. The life of its Founder is the blessed life. His death leads to mans reconciliation with God. His resurrection tells us that mans last enemy is destroyed. Its message is well called a gospel.
I. It is a certain blessing.
1. Because the messenger is sent of God. God can make all things sure; not man, but God. Paul had often said to God, O Lord, let me preach the gospel at Rome, and God at length heard his prayers; but what a strange answer it was! But all through life he had been led to see that the God who had called him to that work of the ministry would also show him when and where he was to carry on the ministry. Now that–
(1) Helps the hearer. There is a communication from heaven; it comes through the man–very imperfect, but the trappings of the messenger must never make us forget his Divine message.
(2) It helps the speaker. He is taken away from man; he breaks through the ensnaring influences of the sense, and he sees nothing, feels nothing but God and the souls of men.
2. When the people are prepared to receive the message. There is a vital difference between a prepared and an unprepared people. You may have the best seed in the world, but unless you choose carefully the best soil you will not get the best fruit. There is a mysterious power of self-choosing in every one, which enables men to resist all appeals. Vain, then, are all our reasonings and pleadings. They are showers on a rock, sunlight on a barren desert.
II. A full blessing. There is–
1. The fulness of giving that comes from the Divine love to us. To all things else there is a limit, and it is very difficult for us to rise to the conception of a Being whose power is illimitable. We see suggestions of it in the sky, the rolling prairie, and the immense sea. Now, the same God rules in grace as in Nature; and in His dealings with the spirits of men we may expect He will exercise the same largeness. And we are not disappointed. Indeed, the greatness of the gospel baffles many. They measure the Infinite Reason, love, and plans by the littleness of their own; and when they find themselves confronted by the incarnation, deity, atonement, and resurrection of Christ, they find the greatness and the glory too much for their faith. But so it should not be with us. It is said that the Highlanders who dwell among the rocky fastnesses get a strength and heroism which do not come out of the plain. It is so in spiritual things. Here the air is keen. The mountain solitudes of truth are trodden by few; but when once we have stood on those glorious heights we know God as we have never known Him before. But just as in the mountain regions there will be here and there a little chalet where the sun rests in quiet and cheering warmth, so the truth of God subdivides itself, and rests on every converted heart.
2. The fulness of the human reception. On the Divine side there is love given to us; on the human side there is faith receiving Gods gifts. Not the hearer only of the Word. Oh, how often we stop here! We think that a ministry is successful when numbers of attentive hearers are drawn to hear the word; and this is so far a great gain. But pews may be full, and yet hearts may be empty. What we must pray for is not that these seats may be full only, but our souls also. The whole question of our having a full blessing or of having half or none hangs upon our faith. It is not faith in our minister, in one another, in this building, and in these outward services. These, no doubt, are all helpful gifts, but our great need is a full faith in Christ. (S. Pearson, M. A.)
The fulness of the gospel
I. In what it consists. In–
1. A full Christ for empty sinners.
2. A full salvation for lost sinners.
3. A full assurance for doubting sinners.
4. A full restoration for fallen sinners.
5. A full comfort for sorrowful sinners.
6. Fulness of food for hungry sinners.
7. Fulness of love, joy, hope, peace for all.
II. What we are to do with it.
1. Believe it.
2. Receive it.
3. Enjoy it.
4. Live it.
5. Impart it.
6. Die with it in our hearts and on our tongues. (Bp. Villiers.)
The blessings of the gospel
I. The gospel originates from a source of supreme elevation.
1. Men form their opinions of existing systems by referring to the character of their founders. The absence, e.g., of dignity and worth in the founders of systems, is always converted into an argument against the principles they have propounded; and vice versa. This mode of reasoning is, of course, liable to abuse, but if it be applied aright to the gospel and its Founder, it will be discovered as possessing every claim on reverence, admiration, and love. To Christ the gospel is indebted for its existence; and hence in the text the association of His name. Christ unfolded its promises and principles, established its laws, performed its confirmatory miracles, bestowed its efficacy, and constituted those arrangements by which it was to be propagated in the world.
2. There are truths with regard to Him which render Him a character of matchless elevation.
(1) He was without sin.
(2) His human nature was invested with an especial appointment from God the Father.
(3) He was essentially and eternally Divine.
(4) Besides these dignifying truths with regard to Christ, there are His resurrection, ascension, and session as the triumphant Mediator at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Wonder, then, at the amazing dignity which the gospel receives in consequence of its association with such a Being, and measure the imperious claim which the gospel possesses on the reverence, faith, and obedience of mankind.
II. The gospel is fraught with abundant blessings to the world. The very term gospel verifies this proposition, Note–
1. The nature of the blessings which the gospel is able to impart. When we speak of these we seem as though we stood at the entrance of a beauteous garden, within whose limits we cannot stir a step without plucking flowers, and beholding fruits on the trees of life, whose leaves are for the healing of the nations. The gospel imparts to man
(l) A knowledge of God and of all spiritual truth (Rom 16:25; 2Co 4:6; 2Ti 1:9-10). The communication of this knowledge is essential to all real dignity, to all moral worth, and to the introduction of man into that state where we shall know even as also we are known.
(2) A deliverance from the guilt and the power of sin (Rom 3:23-26; Eph 2:12-17). Will anyone compare the difference between a state of condemnation and of justification, of pollution, and of holiness, and not at once perceive that here are given blessings so vast that no intellect can compute them, and no fancy conceive them?
(3) Abundant consolation and support amidst all sorrow (2Co 4:8-9; 2Co 4:17-18).
2. The extent to which these blessings are to be diffused. A great portion of the value of the blessing depends upon its extent. Now, if the gospel had possessed but a restricted constitution, so as by implication to pass a sentence of outlawry on any portion of the human family, there would be a vast subtraction from its value. But its expansiveness was indicated in prophecy, by Christs parables, instructions, and example, and by those series of commissions which He gave to His apostles. Its operations truly have been as yet imperfect, yet there is to arrive an era when the gospel shall become the property of our race. The knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth, etc. And so replete shall be the then weight of blessing, when the groanings of creation shall have been hushed, when its travailing shall have been terminated, and when peace and liberty and joy shall have become the charter of our free and emancipated race, that then shall be totally verified the title of the gospel, the fulness of the blessings of the gospel of Christ.
III. The ministry is the appointed instrument for conveying the blessings of the gospel to mankind. The apostle is speaking as one engaged in the exercise of the ministry of the Word. It must be clear that there is here a connection instituted between the ministry and the efficacy of the gospel (Rom 10:13-17; 2Co 5:18-20). There is a solemn call on us–
1. To acquire a perfect knowledge of its contents, and freely and faithfully to declare it to our fellow-men.
2. To honour the ministry by giving earnest heed to the things which you hear, remembering that he that despiseth us despiseth not man, but God.
In conclusion, let me remind you–
1. Of the awful danger that will be incurred on your part by the rejection of the gospel.
2. Of your duty to assist in its propagation. (J. Parsons.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 29. In the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ.] The words , of the Gospel, are wanting in almost every MS. of importance. Griesbach has left them out of the text. There is no doubt they should be omitted. The fulness of the blessing of Christ is really more than the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ. He hoped to come to them not only with the blessing of the Gospel, but endued with the gifts and graces of the Lord Jesus himself; which he was now a constant instrument, in the hand of God, to dispense among those who were converted to the Christian faith.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
i.e. As some expound it, I shall find you furnished with all spiritual and gospel blessings: this sense agrees with Rom 15:14. But others rather think, that he speaks of what he should bring with him, and not of what he should find there: therefore it may better be expounded by Rom 1:11,12. He assures himself he should impart unto them much knowledge, grace, and comfort; that he should enrich and fill them with all
the blessings of the gospel of Christ.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
29. And I am sure“Iknow”
that . . . I shall come inthe fulness of the blessing of ChristSuch, beyond all doubts,is the true reading, the words “of the gospel” being inhardly any manuscripts of antiquity and authority. Nor was theapostle mistaken in this confidence, though his visit to Rome was invery different circumstances from what he expected. See Ac28:16-31.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And I am sure when I come to you,…. He intended to go to Spain; he was not sure he should reach thither; but he was positive in it he should come to Rome. It had been much and long upon his mind; and under an impress of the Spirit of God upon him, he had signified some time before this, that after he had been at Jerusalem, he “must see, Rome also”, Ac 19:21, and it was afterwards more expressly told him by the Lord, that as he had testified of him at Jerusalem, he should bear witness at Rome also,
Ac 23:11, and therefore he was fully assured he should come to Rome, and was as confident of the manner of his coming thither.
I shall come in, or “with”
the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ; with the Gospel, the good news of salvation by Christ; and which must make him a welcome person to every sensible soul wherever he came; to this he was chosen, separated, and called; for this he was abundantly qualified; this was committed to his trust, and which he carried with him wherever he went: and he was not ashamed of it, and was ready to preach it even at Rome also. With “the Gospel of Christ”; not his own, or another’s, or any man’s, but Christ’s, which he had by the revelation of Christ; of which Christ is the sum and substance, and which Christ himself preached; “with the blessing of the Gospel of Christ”. Some by “blessing” understand a liberal contribution, which he trusted he should make at Rome, for the poor saints at Jerusalem; believing that their hearts would be opened, under the preaching of the Gospel, to give freely to them, and that this would be a blessing that would attend it: but rather he means, either the blessed gifts he had, qualifying him for preaching the Gospel, with which he should come and deliver it among them, and which would attend it with success; such as boldness of spirit, freedom of speech, enlarged knowledge, mighty signs and wonders, and the demonstration of the Spirit, and of power: or the blessed effects it would have on them, in establishing them in the present truths; in further enlightening and instructing their minds; in edifying, quickening, and comforting them; and in nourishing up with the words of faith and sound doctrine, unto eternal life: or the blessings of grace exhibited and set forth in the Gospel; such as justification and forgiveness of sins, peace and reconciliation, salvation and eternal life. Nay, he believed he should come in, or with the “fulness” of all this; meaning, either that he believed he should find them full of the Gospel, and the fruits of it; or rather that he should come full fraught with it, and fully preach it to them, and keep back thing that would be profitable. There is a fulness in the Gospel; it is full of the deep things of God, which the Spirit searches and reveals, 1Co 2:10; it is full of the doctrines of grace and truth, which Christ himself is said to be full of, Joh 1:14: it is full of exceeding great and precious promises transcribed from Christ, and out of the covenant of grace; and it is full of a variety of food, of milk for babes, Heb 5:13, and meat for strong persons, Heb 5:14. The Alexandrian copy, and some others, read only, “with the fulness of the blessing of Christ”; and so the Ethiopic version.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
When I come (). Present middle participle of with the time of the future middle indicative (coming I shall come).
In the fulness of the blessing of Christ ( ). On , see 11:12. Paul had already (1:11f.) said that he had a (spiritual blessing) for Rome. He did bring that to them.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Gospel. Omit, and read blessing of Christ.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And I am sure that when I come unto you,” (oida de hoti erchomenos pros humas) “And I just know (perceive) that when I come to you (as I will, and as my itinerary permits)”, by way of Rome, Act 19:21; Rom 1:13-15.
2) I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ,” (en pleromati eulogias Christou eleusomai) “I will come in the fulness of the blessed word of Christ;” The term “gospel” is omitted from the better manuscripts. The fulness of Christ’s benediction, with his blessings, was the manner in which Paul always desired to travel, Gal 6:14; Rom 1:8-13.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
29. And I know, that when I come, etc. These words may be explained in two ways: the first meaning is, — that he should find a plentiful fruit from the gospel at Rome; for the blessing of the gospel is, when it fructifies by good works: but to confine this to alms, as some do, is not what I approve. The second is, that in order to render his coming to them more an object of desire, he says, that he hopes that it would not be unfruitful, but that it would make a great accession to the gospel; and this he calls fullness of blessing, which signifies a full blessing; by which expression he means great success and increase. But this blessing depended partly on his ministry and partly on their faith. Hence he promises, that his coming to them would not be in vain, as he would not disappoint them of the grace given to him, but would bestow it with the same alacrity with which their minds were prepared to receive the gospel.
The former exposition has been most commonly received, and seems also to me the best; that is, that he hoped that at his coming he would find what he especially wished, even that the gospel flourished among them and prevailed with evident success, — that they were excelling in holiness and in all other virtues. For the reason he gives for his desire is, that he hoped for no common joy in seeing them, as he expected to see them abounding in all the spiritual riches of the gospel. (463)
(463) This explanation is that of [ Chrysostom ] ; but how to make the words to give such a meaning is a matter of some difficulty. The obvious import of the passage corresponds with Rom 1:11. All the authors quoted by [ Poole ], except [ Estius ], take the other view, such as [ Grotius ], [ Beza ], [ Mede ], etc. The last gives the following as the sentiments of [ Origen ] and [ Anselm ] — “My preaching and conversation shall impart to you an abundant knowledge of the gospel mysteries, love, comfort, grace, and spiritual fruit.” The word “blessing,” εὐλογία, is said by [ Grotius ] to mean everything that is freely bestowed on us. See Gal 3:14; Eph 1:3. The words τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τοῦ, are not considered genuine by [ Griesbach ] and by most critics. This makes no difference in the meaning: the clause then would be, — “With the fullness of the blessings of Christ,” or, with the abounding blessings of Christ; or, as [ Beza ] renders it, “with the full blessing of Christ.” — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
Rom 15:29
ONE of the themes now sometimes announced for public discussion in the pulpit, or as the head of an article appearing in print is, Christianity according to Christ. The very phraseology suggests that there is a Christianity which is not according to Christ, a religion which wears Christs Name without being the true exponent of Christs Spirit or Christs teaching. The present-day church is often misrepresenting her Lord. And, while the criticism is severe, and stirs resentment in the heart of the average church-member, it results in rousing good men and women to a personal investigation of past conduct and present motive. Such an investigation is well. The great question of this hour is not financial; it is not ecclesiastical; but it is a question of religion, and finds for itself an adequate expression in this question, What is Christianity according to Christ? If we could answer with our lips, and then proceed to answer it with our lives, the very answer would furnish an acceptable solution to all secular and religious questions. Daniel Webster said, sagely enough, Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens. But, what is Christianity according to Christ? Our theme is, The Gospel of Christ, and it will not be questioned perhaps that the one who searches out the fundamentals of the Gospel, discovers therein the basic principles that differentiate Christianity from all other so-called religions; yea, that divorces it from its own counterfeit. And so we call attention to those distinguishing features.
The Gospel of Christ
REQUIRES MANS REGENERATION
The Scriptures are singularly clear touching this point.
They recognize regeneration as the only means of introducing the Christ-life. We affirm that on the authority of Christ Himself, who said to Nicodemus, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. And again, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Followers of Christ are deluged in these days with definitions of Christianity that utterly disregard this Gospel doctrine.
Sir Henry Drummond says, (pg. 63 Natural Law in the Spiritual World) A thousand modern pulpits every seventh day are preaching the doctrine of Spontaneous Generation; by which he means, as he himself explains, they are teaching that an unregenerate man may become gradually better and better until in the course of the process he reaches that quantity of religious nature known as spiritual life. The finest and best of recent poetry is colored with this same error. Spontaneous Generation is the leading theology of the religious or irreligious novel, and much of the most serious and cultured writing of the day devotes itself to the earnest teaching of this impossible Gospel. Drummond argues that in the natural world, so far as Science can settle anything, the attempt to get the living out of the dead has failed. Spontaneous Generation has had to be given up. Huxley and Tyndall, both of them preferring, for the sake of their evolutionary theories, to find Spontaneous Generation possible, were compelled to admit that not a shred of testimony existed to prove it so. And, Drummond concluded therefore that reasoning from analogies, spiritual life is not a spontaneous generation but the gift of the Holy Spirit. He says, the Spiritual man is no mere development of the natural man. He is a new creation, born from above. And what science argues, the Scriptures affirm, namely, that God who is rich in mercy, for His great love, wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (Eph 2:4-5). Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2Co 5:17).
This new creation is the only source of spiritual development. Paul has graphically declared that fact, as illustrated in his own experience. In the seventh chapter of Romans he relates fully the fierce conflict experienced in that the lusts of his own flesh were being overcome and conquered by the growing spirit of Christ in him. You remember his cry of wretchedness and his shout of victory in the closing words of that chapter, O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus had made him free from the law of sin and death. The law of the spirit of life is always the law of growth. But growth is impossible until the beginning is made. There can be no evolution of a Christian life until, by the Spirits regeneration, Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col 1:27).
This new creation is also the secret of Christian power. None than a genuinely regenerated person can become an effective winner of souls.
Years since a young lady student in an Illinois normal school was converted and united with the church. Her regeneration was of that radical sort which made all things new. She braved the cynicisms of the social circle which she had long queened. She faced the oppositions of her own unbelieving house. She withstood the. threats of an infidel grandfather, and without counting the cost, as too dear, openly confessed Christ as her Saviour and Lord. From the day of her surrender she was a soul-winner. We saw; some of her classmates who had withstood a hundred appeals from the pulpit and seemed indifferent to the prayerful concern of friends, fall easy captives to the Christ she offered them. True, she had natural charms, but others, equally winsome in face and manner, knew no such success. True, she had courage, but others similarly brave had failed in this endeavor, and many of those of us who watched her work believed that the true secret of her conquests for Christ was one of Scripture teaching. Paul, who regarded himself weak, dared to say, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. And, on one occasion the Master Himself affirmed, The words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself, but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works. Christ within, formed there by the regeneration of the Holy Ghost, is the sine qua non of Christianity.
The Gospel of Christ insists upon
THE INFALLIBILITY OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES
Our modern critics in their attack upon the Old Testament have called in question the Book that was Jesus Christs Bible.
Christ rested all His claims upon the Divine inspiration of that Book. In explanation of His own origin, He appealed to it; in defense of His strange conduct, He pointed to its prophetic promises of what He should be. In evidence of His Divine appointment, He cited some of its passages. In explication of His cruel death, He quoted from Isaiah 53, and in illustration of His resurrection, from the now-questioned Jonah. If He was mistaken in these things then the most that can be claimed for His ministry is that it was the ministry of a deluded man. But if He was right in His opinions, then every critic who seeks to bring the Old Testament into disrepute defies God to His face.
The strange sight of men seeking to tear down a fabric, the glory of which their best building cannot approach, may seem to the semi-cultured of the earth a piece of boldness worthy to be admired. But to the truly intelligent it appears as vain as irreverent. There are men retaining evangelical pulpits and professorships in evangelical colleges who are mouthing over what one critic voiced years since in the following speech: To believe the Bible is not to believe or disbelieve that Moses wrote the Pentateuch, or that David wrote the Psalter, or that Solomon wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes, or that the son of Amos wrote the whole of Isaiah, or that Daniel wrote the Book which bears his name, or that the Book of Jonah is history. In other words, it did not seem to that pronounced critic a matter of much concern whether men believe that the very books touching the authority of which Jesus Christ Himself testified, shall be received as authoritative and inspired. There are not a few people in the world, and sad to say, some of them in the Church of God, who think it serious business for a younger man to take issue with an honored senior, but they do not seem to feel that it is folly and wickedness for any man to take issue with the Son of God. Apparently they cannot understand Paul who pled with the Corinthians that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, (since God hath made foolish the wisdom of this world) but in the power of God (1Co 2:5). And yet if faith stands at all, an inspired volume is its only fit foundation. The opinions of men have no stability in them, for whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away, but the perpetuity of the Word of God is more and more confirmed by the passing centuries. The founder of Christianity laid this promise beneath the faith He inspired in His followers, think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till Heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (Mat 5:17-18). The Gospel of Jesus Christ then is no more infallible than was the Book on which He founded it.
But Christianity according to Christ uses this Book as a factor in character building, and not as a fetish for the affections. A great Bible on a center table, seldom touched save by the dust-cloth, is an impotent institution, and gives no light on the subject of Christianity according to Christ, and no help toward holiness.
You remember the circumstance of Mr. Boardmans finding in one of the Karen villages a book of Common Prayer and Psalms. The natives had received this volume twelve years before from a Mussulman who had said it was sacred. They had wrapped it in muslin, encased it in a reed box and worshipped it. The keeper of it became a high priest, venerated by all the people for his possession. And yet the Scriptures thus encased were profitable in nothing to the soul of this priest, and shed no light on the surrounding darkness. Paul taught Timothy the better way. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. And whenever you find a man who follows the Apostles injunction and makes the Scriptures his meat and drink, you will find one whose high character attests at once their eternal truthfulness, and their power in character-building. When years since, a dear great brother of my church was passing away, his children wishing to know what passages in Gods Word had been peculiarly sweet to him, brought out the Bible which he had used for only five years, thinking to trace the thumb marks, and thereby discover his favorite Scriptures. And, while it was true that the Book of the Psalms was more worn than other parts, every page from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 was well worn. And, as I looked upon that Bible, used for five years only, and followed the unmistakable evidences of its reading and re-reading, I thought of what Dr. A. C. Dixon said, A traveller took from the table of a wayside inn in Scotland an old worm-eaten Bible, and holding it up to the light, he noticed that one worm had gone from Genesis to Revelation. There was light clear through, and Dixon added, I want to be such a book-worm as that. It will not turn into an earth-worm, it will have wings by-and-by.
Finally, Christianity according to Christ,
CONTAINS AS ITS TALISMAN THE CROSS
That may seem a trite statement, but it is so only because we do not understand its full meaning. If ever Christianity is to recover its pristine power, it will be when the Cross is given its old place.
The Christianity of Christ presents the Cross as the only hope of infidel and heathen. This is an age in which many religious nostrums are being prescribed for sin-sick and dying souls. Men are telling their fellows that sincerity is a Saviour, or that morality is redemptions method, or that the light of nature leads to life, or that to imitate Jesus Christ is the end of the Divine requirement. But, as students of the Book, we have not so learned Christ. To us the way of salvation appears in that He bare our sins in His own body on the tree.
I know, as a brother minister once said, Such preaching stirs the opposition of all the enemies of God. The devil hates the blood, for he knows it is the only power that can deliver men from his control. Free thinkers hate the blood because it sets at naught their proud reasonings. Pharisees hate the blood because it strikes at the root of their conceit. Moralists hate the blood because it will not recognize their morality as a ground of salvation. Ritualists hate the blood because it is a protest against the saving virtue of ceremonials. Rationalists hate the blood because it goes beyond the reach of their little reason in its power to save from the guilt and pollution of sin. Philosophy hates the blood because it pours contempt upon its pride. Ecclesiasticism hates the blood because through its life-giving power is imparted the new nature which recognizes only the authority of Christ and always obeys God rather than man. Legalism hates the blood because it frees men from the slavery of law and brings them under the reign of Grace. Asceticism hates the blood because it goes against the grain of its soft sentimentalism in asserting that sin can be removed only through the suffering of the Son of God, and such suffering is revolting to its sensitive nerves.
And yet it is written into the Word, without shedding of blood is no remission. And, if that Word be true, the Cross remains as the only hope of human-kind. To offer men anything else is to mock them with a stone, when they are dying for bread. To fail in pointing them to this, is to condemn our own professions, and leave them in a darkness peopled with demons. Dr. Lorimer, in Isms Old and New, relates the Old Chroniclers story of a Jew, who, in the sixth century, fled for refuge from night and storm to an abandoned temple of Apollo. But at midnight the building was filled with ghostly, gigantic shapes. They moved to and fro in the sombre darkness, taking counsel of each other, and relating their achievements against the Christians. These were the shadows of the pagan deities whose altars had been forsaken. The poor Jew trembled as he beheld them, and in his despair, hardly knowing what he did, made the sign of the Cross. Before its sacred and mysterious power the demons shuddered, whirled about in maddened fear, and hastily vanished in the gloom. This, of course is but a fable, said Lorimer, and yet it has its spiritual counterpart. Every Christless soul is such a temple! In the ruins of its God-abandonment, and the darkness of its spiritual night, the demons of lust hold high carnival until some one makes there the sign of the Cross; and by that sacred symbol of Christs love brings deliverance. There are a billion of such dark lives, living in awful sin and terror today, waiting for usthe children of lightto come with the Cross and convert them into glorious temples of the Holy Ghost.
Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley
(29) I shall come in the fulness.I shall bring with me, come furnished with, the fulness of the blessing of Christ. The words of the gospel should be omitted. By the fulness of the blessing of Christ the Apostle means the full or abundant measure of those spiritual blessings which he, as the Minister and Apostle of Christ, was commissioned to impart to them.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
29. Fulness of the blessing of Christ Best reading omits of the Gospel.
(See note on Rom 1:11.)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And I know that, when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.’
Paul feels that once he has delivered the contribution of the Gentiles to the Jerusalem church and has emphasised the love that the Gentile Christians have for the Jews, hoping thereby to have it reciprocated, he will have experienced ‘the fullness of the blessing of the Messiah’, for it was ever the stress of Jesus that believers be as one (Joh 17:20-23), and to some extent it was a fulfilment of Scripture where the Gentiles were to contribute towards Jerusalem in material things (Isa 60:5-7). And in that fullness of blessing he will come to the Christians in Rome, hoping to find the same unity among them.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Rom 15:29. I shall come in the fulness of the blessing He may be understood to mean here, that he should be able to satisfy them, that the forgiveness of sins was to be obtained by the Gospel; for that he shews, ch. Rom 4:6-9. And they had as much title to it by the Gospel, as the Jews themselves; which was the thing that he had been proving to them in this Epistle. See Locke; whose paraphrase is, “I shall bring to you full satisfaction, concerning the blessedness which you receive by the Gospel of Christ.”
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Rom 15:29 . Paul is convinced that his advent to the Romans will not be without rich blessing from Christ; he will bring with him a fulness (copia, see on Eph 3:19 ) of Christ’s blessing. On the matter itself, comp. Rom 1:11 .
is to be explained: furnished with. See Bernhardy, p. 209, and on 1Co 4:21 . Quite contrary to the words, Chrysostom. Oecumenius, Calvin, and others: “Scio me vos inventurum repletos omnibus donis spiritualibus,” Estius.
with the same verb ; see Khner, ii. 2, p. 656, and ad Xen. Mem . v. 2. 21. Comp. on 1Co 2:1 ; Phi 2:2 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
DISCOURSE: 1925
THE GOSPEL A SOURCE OF BLESSINGS
Rom 15:29. I am sure, that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ.
OF all the Apostles, St. Paul was by far the most abundant in labours. In this chapter he mentions the almost incredible pains he had taken in preaching throughout all that extensive region, from Jerusalem round about unto Illyricum, the Gospel of Christ. He was now going to Jerusalem, to carry thither the alms he had collected for the relief of the poor saints in Juda: but as soon as he should have accomplished that object, it was his intention to proceed immediately for Spain, and to visit Rome in his way thither. Of this intention he apprises the Church at Rome. He tells them, in this epistle, that, though he had not been the means of planting a Church among them, he considered himself a debtor unto them, as well as unto other Gentiles; and that he longed exceedingly to see them, that he might impart to them some spiritual gift for the increase and establishment of their faith and love [Note: Rom 1:11-15.]; and that he was sure, that, when he should come to them, he should come in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ.
That we may understand what it was that he thus taught them to expect, we shall shew,
I.
The blessings which the Gospel is intended to impart
There is a fulness of blessings treasured up for men in Christ Jesus, and communicated to them by the preaching of the Gospel: and, in order to form any just conception of them, we must speak of them, not in the minuteness of detail, but in a large and comprehensive view. We may say of the Gospel then, that it imparts a fulness,
1.
Of light and liberty
[It comes to men whilst they are sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, and fast bound in the iron yoke of sin. And to them it proclaims a Saviour, and a great One, who is able and willing to deliver them [Note: Isa 19:20.]; yea, it bids them shake off their chains, and come forth out of their prison house, and out of darkness [Note: Isa 42:7.]. The operation of the Gospel upon the souls of men may be not improperly illustrated by the deliverance of Peter from his prison. There he was lying bound with two chains, and sleeping, though on the very eve of his expected execution. But God sent an angel to deliver him; and suddenly a light shined into the prison; and Peter was awakened from his sleep: and the chains fell off from his hands; and all the gates that seemed to oppose an insurmountable obstacle to his escape, opened to him of their own accord; so that, to the utter surprise of all his friends, he was brought forth at once to light and liberty [Note: Act 12:6-16.]. We do not mean to say, that the effect of the Gospel is always thus sudden; but, whether the operation be more or less gradual, this is invariably the issue of it, wherever it comes in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: the persons wrought upon by it, have their eyes opened, and are turned from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God [Note: Act 26:18.]. But there is an expression of St. Peters that deserves particular attention. He represents men as called by the Gospel out of darkness into marvellous light [Note: 1Pe 2:9.]. And marvellous indeed it is. It is such light as not all other books in the universe can impart;a light proceeding immediately from the Sun of Righteousness;a light that exhibits every thing in its true colours; sin, in all its malignity; human nature, in all its corruption; the world, in all its vanity; yea, and God, as a reconciled God, in all his glory: it shines into the heart, and gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The darkness being passed, and the true light shining into the heart, the soul is delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God [Note: Rom 8:21.].]
2.
Of peace and joy
[The first effect of the Gospel, or rather, of the law as preparing men for the Gospel, is, to alarm the conscience, and to make men sensible of their just desert: but the moment they embrace the promises of the Gospel, their fears are dissipated, and the whole soul is filled with peace and joy in believing. This effect cannot be better seen than in the converts on the day of Pentecost. When they assembled in the morning, they were under the influence of every hateful and malignant passion: and, on their first conviction of their guilt, they cried out with great distress of mind, Men and brethren, what shall we do? But, as soon as they received the Gospel into their hearts, behold, what an astonishing change was wrought; they were all penetrated with love, and peace and joy, and ate their meat with gladness, blessing and praising God with one heart and one soul.
What was intimated before respecting the light imparted by the Gospel, may be said also of the peace and joy which it communicates: they are truly marvellous; the peace is a peace that passeth all understanding, and the joy is unspeakable and glorified. The natural man has no conception either of the one or of the other: they are such as never were, nor ever can be, derived from any other source. Some little idea of them may be formed from the exalted language in which they are depicted by the prophets. The heavens and the earth, even universal nature, are called upon to sing and shout for joy on account of that glorious redemption revealed in the Gospel [Note: Psa 96:11-13. Isa 44:23.]: and this is but a faint expression of that felicity which is the assured portion of all that believe [Note: Psa 72:6-7. Isa 55:12; Isa 35:1-2; Isa 35:5-6; Isa 35:10.].
3.
Of growth and stability
[The Gospel does not merely beget souls to God, but fosters and nourishes them to their latest hour; so that they progressively advance, from babes to young men, and fathers, in the Christian Church. Under its influence they proceed from strength to strength, till in due time they appear before their God in Zion. Wonderful beyond all conception are the truths which it reveals to their minds; reveals, I mean, as far as they have a capacity to comprehend them. What astonishing views does it exhibit of the fulness, the excellency, the glory of Christ, and the sufficiency of the work wrought out by him! What discoveries does it give of the Divine perfections, as harmonizing and glorified in the work of redemption;of the Divine counsels also, as planning every thing respecting it, and as infallibly accomplished in the salvation of Gods elect! What views does it afford them of the Lord Jesus Christ, as having undertaken to justify his people by his blood, to sanctify them by his Spirit, and to keep them by his own power through faith unto everlasting salvation! These truths, brought home with power to the soul, tend to establish, strengthen, settle it; and to create a holy confidence in Christ, as the Finisher, no less than the Author, of his peoples faith. It is from such deep and enlarged discoveries as these that they are enabled to say, If God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Not that they expect the end without the means: they know that they can never attain salvation but through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: they know that without holiness no man shall see the Lord: but they know also that the grace of Christ shall be sufficient for them, and that he will carry on and perfect in them the good work he has begun, suffering none to pluck them out of his hands, nor any to bring them into condemnation.]
From this view of the blessings which the Gospel is intended to impart, we pass on to mark,
II.
The subserviency of the ministry to the communication of them
The Apostle felt assured that he should be an instrument to convey these blessings wherever he should go
God had originally instituted the ministry for this very end
[Under the law, the priests lips were to keep knowledge, and to impart it to all who should come to inquire of them: but under the Gospel dispensation there was an order of men appointed to go forth into all the world, and, by themselves or their successors in the ministerial office, to preach the Gospel to every creature. This also was the end for which the Holy Spirit, in his miraculous and gracious influences, was given unto men, even to fit them for the discharge of their ministerial functions; or, in other words, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come, in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ [Note: Eph 4:8; Eph 4:12-13.].
St. Paul too knew, by his own blessed experience, that the word, as delivered by him, had in many thousand instances produced this effect. Many Churches had been established by him: yea, in no place whatever had he been left to run in vain, or labour in vain; he was assured, therefore, that if ever he should have the happiness of going to Rome, he should see fruits of his labours there, as well as he had done among other nations. The Church of Rome too was already well prepared to receive all his instructions, seeing that already both their faith and their obedience were so eminent as to have attracted the notice and admiration of the whole Christian world [Note: Rom 1:8; Rom 16:19. See particularly his high commendation of them, chap. 15:14.]. He could have no doubt, therefore, but that in such a soil, the seed which he should sow would spring up abundantly.]
The same assurance also every faithful minister may have
[God has said, that if we stand in his counsel, and cause his people to hear his words, we shall be the means of turning them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings [Note: Jer 23:22.]. True it is, we are not authorized to expect such success as was vouchsafed to the Apostle Paul: but we are assured, that, if faithful in the discharge of our office, we shall not run in vain, or labour in vain. God has said, As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and give bread to the eater and seed to the sower, so shall my word be, which goeth forth out of your mouth: it shall not return to me void; but it shall accomplish that which I please; it shall prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it. The word is still the rod of Gods strength, the wonder-working rod, which, in whose hand soever it may be, shall alike effect the object for which it is sent, whether to the dividing of the Red Sea, or the bringing forth of water from the flinty rock. Still it is as fire, or as the hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces: still is it mighty through God to the pulling down of strong-holds: it is sharper than any two-edged sword, and shall pierce even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and the joints and marrow. What if we be but babes in the delivery of it? God will ordain strength in the mouth of babes and sucklings, and will shew, that the Gospel still is, no less than in the apostolic age, the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth.
And here we will venture to make our appeal to those who hear us, Whether the handful of corn which we have cast upon the top of these mountains has not grown up? and, though we cannot say that the fruit thereof shakes like the woods of Lebanon, or that converts amongst us flourish as numerous and as beautiful as the grass of the earth [Note: Psa 72:16.], yet some we have had as seals to our ministry; and, though poor in ourselves, we have been the happy instruments of making some rich; even richer far, than if we had imparted to them all the wealth of the whole world [Note: 2Co 6:10.]. We quite mistake, if we suppose that any faithful minister shall be suffered to labour altogether in vain: the success of some may be small in comparison of that of others: but none shall be left wholly without witness; for our blessed Lord has expressly said, Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world [Note: Mat 28:20.].]
May we not observe from hence
1.
What a glorious work is that of the ministry
[A pious minister, who devotes himself wholly to his blessed work, is like a cloud, pouring down showers of blessings wherever he goes [Note: Eze 34:26.]. God by his exertions makes manifest the savour of the knowledge of Christ in every place [Note: 2Co 2:14.], and scatters with a liberal hand the unsearchable riches of Christ. O blessed work! what employment in the universe can be compared with it? See it described in the passage cited from Isaiah by the Saviour himself [Note: Luk 4:18-19.]: and though that passage primarily relates to him, we may apply it with perfect propriety to all who go forth in his name: and, like him, we may justly say, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears [Note: Luk 4:21.]. O that all who bear this sacred character, or look forward to the assumption of it, might have a becoming sense of the dignity of their office, and live only for the profitable discharge of it! and that each in his place and station might be a tree of life, from which multitudes may gather fruit unto life eternal [Note: Pro 11:30.]!]
2.
What enemies to themselves are they who will not attend the ordinances of the Gospel!
[If Paul himself should come hither in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ, what would they be benefited, who would not come within the sound of his voice? The pool of Bethesda was endued with all its healing virtues in vain, to those who would not come and wait for the moving of the waters: nor can they be nourished by all the rich provisions of the Gospel, who will not accept the invitation to the feast. O brethren, do not be making foolish excuses: for God, who knows the state of your hearts, will put the right interpretation on your refusal; and consider your answer, not according to the mere letter of it, I cannot come, but according to the spirit of it, I will not come. To such contemners of Gods mercy the Gospel will prove a curse, rather than a blessing: to those to whom it is not a savour of life unto life, it will be a savour of death unto death: and they who, like Capernaum, have been lifted up to heaven by the privileges they have enjoyed, will be cast down the deeper into hell for their abuse of them. The Lord grant that you may know the day of your visitation, and, whilst ye have the light, may walk in the light, that ye may be the children of light!]
3.
What an awful responsibility attaches to those who hear the Gospel!
[Surely every one of us should inquire, What blessings have I received from the ministration of the word? What know I of this fulness of light and liberty, of peace and joy, of growth and stability, which the Gospel is sent on purpose to communicate? Brethren, has it come to you as yet in word only, and not in power and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance? Unhappy people, if this be the case! Have you never read those words of the Apostle, The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: but that which beareth briers and thorns, is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned [Note: Heb 6:7-8.]? O fearful curse! O, who shall dwell with everlasting burnings? Be persuaded, beloved brethren, to pray mightily to God for his blessing on the word. It would be to no purpose that even Paul should plant, or Apollos water, unless God himself give the increase. Look up to God, then, to make the word effectual for your good; and, when you are hearing it, pray to him to apply it with power to your hearts. Before you come up to the ordinances, go to the God of ordinances, and entreat of him to visit you with his salvation: and then say with yourselves, Now I am going to meet my God, who is coming to bless me with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus: Lord, I am not straitened in thee; let me not be straitened in my own bowels: come to me in all the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ, and let me this day be filled with all the fulness of God [Note: Eph 3:19.]. To this prayer, in reference to every one of you, we most cordially add, Amen and Amen.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
29 And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
Ver. 29. In the fulness of the blessing ] Christ may use one of less grace to do more good than one of more (for there are diversities of operations, as well as of gifts, 1Co 12:6 ), but usually he delights to honour those of most sincerity, with most success,1Co 15:101Co 15:10 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
29. ] The fulness of the blessing of Christ imports that richness of apostolic grace which he was persuaded he should impart to them. So he calls his presence in the churches a , 2Co 1:15 . See also ch. Rom 1:11 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Rom 15:29 . For cf. 1Co 2:1 . . Paul’s desire was to impart to the Romans (Rom 1:2 ), and he is sure it will be satisfied to the full. When he comes he will bring blessing from Christ to which nothing will be lacking. On see Rom 11:12 .
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
I am sure. App-132.
blessing. Greek. eulogia. First of sixteen occurances.
of the gospel. The texts omit.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
29.] The fulness of the blessing of Christ imports that richness of apostolic grace which he was persuaded he should impart to them. So he calls his presence in the churches a , 2Co 1:15. See also ch. Rom 1:11.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Rom 15:29. , in the fulness) comp. Rom 15:19. There is a real parallelism in the fulness of the Gospel, both intensive and extensive.[162]-, of the blessing) which is conspicuous [such fulness of blessing as it is conspicuously seen to possess] both at Jerusalem and Rome.- ) Some have omitted this word: The cause of the omission is easy to be perceived, viz. from the recurrence of .[163]
[162] That is, the internal fulness, and the expansive capabilities of the Gospel externally, have a real correspondence.-ED.
[163] Either S. R. D. Foertschius in Progr. to this passage, or S. R. D. Ernesti in his review of the Program, affirms, that Bengel was satisfied with the omission of this word, see Bibl. th. T. V. p. 474, but this is a mistake. The margin of both editions (where the sign had marked an omission instead of a reading less certain) may be compared, s. pl., also the German Version which expresses the words des Evangelii without a parenthesis.-(E. B.)
The alluded to by Beng. as recurring refers to Rec. Text , which reading is supported by both Syr. Versions and Vulg. (later MSS.) But ABCD()G Cod. Amiat. (the oldest MS.) of Vulg. Memph. fg Versions omit the three words.-ED.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Rom 15:29
Rom 15:29
And I know that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of Christ.-This was intended both as a compliment to their spiritual condition as well as a promise of a higher degree of spiritual power. He was ready to bestow a higher degree of the Spirit upon them than they had received, but in order to its bestowal they must be fitted for it. He had said to them: For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established. . . . Oftentimes I purposed to come unto you (and was hindered hitherto), that I might have some fruit in you also, even as in the rest of the Gentiles. (Rom 1:11-13).
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Rom 1:11, Rom 1:12, Psa 16:11, Eze 34:26, Eph 1:3, Eph 3:8, Eph 3:19, Eph 4:13
Reciprocal: Act 3:26 – sent Act 25:12 – unto Caesar shalt Rom 1:16 – the gospel Rom 15:16 – ministering 2Co 1:15 – that Eph 4:12 – perfecting Phi 1:25 – for Phi 1:27 – the gospel Phi 2:24 – General 1Th 2:8 – affectionately
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
:29
Rom 15:29. No fuller blessing could be brought to a community, than that provided by the Gospel of Christ that Paul was preaching.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Rom 15:29. And I know that, etc. The Apostles humility did not prevent him from knowing this and writing of it. More confidence of this kind would promote humility in the preacher.
In the fulness of the blessing of Christ Of the gospel is a gloss, to be rejected on decisive authority. Christs blessing in abundance he knew would attend him at Rome.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
And I know that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of Christ: [Paul had no doubt about the favorable conditions in the Roman church, nor about his kindly reception by the Christians at Rome. He felt that they would so receive him that he would be able to greatly enrich them in instruction and in all other spiritual blessings. “Beyond these blessings,” says Lard, “he had nothing to bestow, nor they anything to ask.” Far other were his presentiments as to Jerusalem, as he immediately shows us. For a like expectation of an evil reception, see 2Co 1:23; 2Co 12:14; 2Co 12:20-21; 2Co 13:1-2]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
PAULS TESTIMONY TO SANCTIFICATION
29. I know that coming unto you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ, not, as in E. V., the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ, gospel in this sentence being an interpolation; but the true reading is, I will come unto you in the fullness of the blessing of Christ, which is none other than entire sanctification, so clearly and positively here attested by the beloved apostle. It is the glorious privilege of all Gods children to enjoy this fullness of the blessing of Christ, which is none other than complete expurgation of all sin, actual and original, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. The next three verses is an appeal to the Roman saints that God may give him journeying mercies and deliver him from the unbelieving Jews, and permit him to enjoy a glorious spiritual refreshing with His faithful children in the worlds metropolis.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
15:29 {12} And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
(12) He promises them through the blessing of God, not to come empty to them: and requiring of them the duty of prayers, he shows what thing we ought mainly to rest upon in all difficulties and adversities.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The blessing of Jesus Christ in view was God’s blessing on Paul by allowing him to reach Rome. The apostle probably also had in mind the blessing that would come to the Romans through his ministry among them. He did not know at this time that he would arrive in chains (Act 28:16).