Romans 1:7 - Exposition

To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints (cf. κλητὸς ἀπόστολον , in Romans 1:1 ). Bengel's view, that by ἀγαπητοῖς θεοῦ are specially meant the Jewish Christians, as being "beloved for the fathers' sakes" ( Romans 11:28 ), and by κλητοῖς ἁγίοις the Gentile converts, is untenable. Both phrases are applicable to all. The word ἁγίοι , be it observed, is elsewhere used to denote all Christians, without implying eminence in personal holiness (cf. 1 Peter 2:9 , ὑμεῖς δὲ … ἕθνος ἄγιον ). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ . The union, here and elsewhere, of Jesus Christ with the Father as imparting heavenly blessing, implies his Deity no less than any dogmatic statement could do; for it is surely impossible to conceive the apostle thus associating with the Godhead one whom he regarded as a mere human being. The same form of benediction is found at the beginning of all St. Paul's Epistles, and there can be no doubt that its meaning is as given above. For, though here, in 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon, this collocation of words might allow the rendering, "Grace … from God, the Father of us and of the Lord Jesus Christ," yet in Galatians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus, it is obviously inadmissible. And even without these instances the true meaning would have been probable from ἡμῶν coming before ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ . If the apostle had intended to express a common Fatherhood of God, he would surely not have written, "Our Father and Christ's," but rather, "Christ's and ours" (cf. John 20:17 ).