Romans – A Treatise
Chapter Sixteen
ESTABLISHED ACCORDING TO PAUL’S GOSPEL
Scripture Reading: verses 25-27
NOW TO HIM THAT IS OF POWER TO STABLISH YOU ACCORDING TO MY GOSPEL, AND THE PREACHING OF JESUS CHRIST, ACCORDING TO THE REVELATION OF THE MYSTERY, WHICH WAS KEPT SECRET SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN, BUT NOW IS MADE MANIFEST, AND BY THE SCRIPTURES OF THE PROPHETS, ACCORDING TO THE COMMANDMENT OF THE EVERLASTING GOD, MADE KNOWN TO ALL NATIONS FOR THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH: TO GOD ONLY WISE, BE GLORY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST FOR EVER. AMEN.
This is a fitting ending to so marvelous an Epistle. Paul has taken us through the intricate labyrinth of legal difficulties concerning every moral problem that existed between the creature and his God, and has presented an incontestable solution to all these problems. Every issue that concerns itself with the reconciliation of the creature to an offended God has been considered and settled on a legal basis. That is the reason why, at the very outset, we called it “The Christian’s Title Deeds to Heaven.” As a brilliant legal document, it sets forth all the charges against the sinner, taking us through the spectacular pageant of a court trial where God Himself is on the bench, where Jew and Gentile are on trial, where Paul stands as attorney for the defense, and where the court is upheld in justifying the sinner who truly believes in Jesus.
The letter is, in itself, a grand tribute to the inspiration of Holy Scriptures, for no mind of man could ever circumvent so many difficulties on a righteous basis, and bring the condemned criminal out into the sunshine of the eternal love of the One who might have condemned him to a lost eternity. Little wonder, then, Paul begins this excellent benediction with these words: “Now to Him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel.” “My gospel” must not be understood as anything different from the Gospel taught by the other apostles of Christ, with special reference to the great body of truth upon which Christianity is founded; nevertheless, as Locke noted: “St. Paul cannot be supposed to have used such an expression as this, unless he knew that what he preached had something in it that distinguished it from what was preached by others; which was plainly the mystery, as he everywhere calls it, of God’s purpose of taking in the Gentiles to be His people, under the Messiah, and that without subjecting them to circumcision or the law of Moses.”1
“Mystery” in the Scriptural frame of reference means a great truth, hidden and unknown for a long while, and at last revealed. Locke’s above identification of the mystery with God calling the Gentiles and their acceptance without such things as law and circumcision is correct, but too limited in scope. The great mystery comprehends many lesser ones such as the calling of Gentiles, the hardening of Israel, the incarnation, the mystery of Christ and His church, and many others. The translation of those who remain alive at the second coming of Christ is part of the mystery. A treatise such as this does not permit the full exploration of the Great Mystery, which in its totality embraces the whole purpose of God in the scheme of human redemption. That the mystery was hidden before times eternal, as stated here, shows that all of the details of God’s great plan were clearly defined in God’s eternal purpose before the world itself was created. To sum it up in Paul’s own precise word: “Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness” (1 Tim. 3:16)!
“Since the world began” or rather “Through times eternal” cannot mean merely “through history” or “through the ages.” The expression refers to the eternal ages before creation.
“But is now manifest” means that the mystery has been revealed, at least to a far more comprehensive degree than formerly; but it would be a mistake to conclude that now the revelation of it is total. Paul himself said of this mystery that it “in other generations was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto his holy apostles, etc.” (Eph. 3:5).
Paul’s statement there merely affirms that present knowledge far surpasses former knowledge, the words “as it hath now been revealed” meaning “to the extent that it has now been revealed,” and being in no sense a declaration that “all” is known about it, even now. Supporting this are the words of the apostle John: “In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then is finished the mystery of God, according to the good tidings which he declared to his servants the prophets” (Rev. 10:7). These thoughts are not presented as any disparagement of God’s great revelation already received, but are merely to point out that the mystery will be finished at a future time.
“By the scriptures of the prophets” shows that the mystery was embryonically revealed in the prophetic messages of the Old Testament (as, for example, in the matter of the calling of the Gentiles); but the complete understanding of those oracles did not arrive until the Savior appeared on earth. Paul, it seems, was the first to realize and comprehend fully the totally new nature of the church and the abrogation that fell automatically on the entire old institution; and yet that truth was surely there, embedded in the Old Testament through long centuries, despite the fact that the Jews seemed never to have had the slightest suspicion of it.
“The commandment of the everlasting [eternal] God” is Paul’s appeal to the authority of God Himself, as the complete justification of opening the doors of salvation to the entire Gentile world.
“Made known to all nations” refers especially to Gentile nations, but also means “all” in the total sense of that word, no exclusion of Jews or anyone else. Of the greatest significance is the placement of these words in the text in such a manner as to serve as Paul’s own definition of the mystery. These words show that the mystery included preeminently the preaching of salvation to all nations.
“For the obedience of faith” or “Unto obedience of faith.” The mystery was definitely not a brand new way to be saved, i.e., by faith only as some think; but, by Paul’s definition here, it included the preaching of “obedience of faith.” This expression, “obedience of faith,” standing here at the close of the epistle, is the same as that with which Paul opened this magnificent treatise (Rom. 1:5). Together, these two dramatically placed enunciations, like great arches at opposite ends of a boulevard, make it impossible to misunderstand Paul’s many references to salvation “by faith.” It is invariably and always of an obedient faith that he spoke. Without a single exception, in all of the great passages where the apostle spoke of “faith apart from works,” or “faith without the works of the law of Moses,” or “faith without circumcision,” etc., the purpose of his words was not to question if obedience was required, but to determine what obedience was required. Paul made this principle: The obedience of faith to be an underlying foundation of everything taught in this epistle; and Paul did so by the double placement of these words, like the two mighty pillars, the Jachin and Boaz in the porch of the temple of Solomon, so that all who enter the study of Romans might more readily discern what is taught.
"To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen."
Every avenue of approach to the final solution of all our spiritual and moral problems has been explored to the finish, and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary has settled every question. God is satisfied with the work of Christ on the Cross in its substitutionary aspect on behalf of every sinner under heaven, and a full and free pardon has been tendered to every one who will accept it by true, obedient faith on the principle of grace. There is no question regarding God’s satisfaction. He has demonstrated the completeness of the work on the Cross by raising the Lord Jesus from among the dead, for He is the One who was delivered for our offenses but raised again for our justification. Peace has been made and signed and attested by the irrevocable seal of the Almighty. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Also, every accusing voice has been silenced and there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. The dramatic pageant of the court trial has been brought to an end. The case is closed. “To him that worketh not but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?” “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” That is the unchangeable verdict of the court forever, and nothing in heaven, on earth, or in hell shall ever be able to change it.
That is the setting that now brings us to this excellent benediction. The question no longer is whether the title deeds will be legal forever. The great question is this: if God is satisfied, am I satisfied? We live in a realm of disturbing influences, and Paul’s prayer is that God who is of power might stablish us “according to Paul’s gospel.” In this age there is an urgency. We are living in a time of doubts and fears, when few Christians have that settled peace in their own minds regarding the sin question. Much questionable teaching is abroad and few are established in the faith. It is good for us to look again and again at our title deeds. We who are true, obedient believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are much like householders who live in a grand home where everything is so amazingly beautiful and comfortable that we must constantly be tempted to wonder whether it is really ours. We did not buy it. It was given to us in matchless grace. Like this grand mansion in which we live, the whole scheme of Christianity is so bewildering that we must continually go to our safety deposit box, take out the title deeds and look them over. These title deeds are the Epistle to the Romans as well as other Scriptures. We do not need to look over the title deeds because of fear God will change His mind and take away our inheritance which He has given to us in Christ – we need to be established and not blown about by every wind of doctrine that comes along. That is Paul’s desire for us in this rich benediction at the close of his Epistle.
Notice the title Paul gives to God. He calls Him, “To Him that is of power.” In other words, the power is all of God and not of us. It reminds us of what Paul says to the Corinthians: “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.” When we look within at our poor, miserable, failing hearts, and we look around and see the unfaithfulness and defection among many who profess the name of Christ, we are sometimes tempted to give up the whole thing and call it a mistake. Then we go to the title deeds. We read again the Epistle to the Romans, and we see how God has forgiven our trespasses and brought us into heaven itself where we call Him “Abba, Father,” where we breathe the very atmosphere of His endless and unfathomable love. Then we realize it is all true, and again we settle down to give thanks for such marvelous grace, and once again we pursue the pathway of faith.
Notice once again that Paul says He that is of power should establish us according to my gospel. That is a unique expression, and not without deep meaning. Paul’s Gospel is different from, although in no way does it conflict with, the Gospel preached by our Lord as recorded by the evangelists of the New Testament. It is different from, although it does not conflict with, the Gospel as presented by Simon Peter and the others. Paul’s Gospel goes far beyond the others, because it relates to the time when the Lord Jesus is glorified in the heavens and the Spirit of God is on earth. In a few words “It is Christ and the Church.” Through Paul alone we get the truth of the Son of God in the heavens, the Holy Spirit on earth, and the saints of God united into one body. That is what Paul calls “my gospel.”
Let us consider this Gospel. It is not simply that our sins are pardoned. It is much more than that. It is not simply that we are looking forward to the time when the Lord Jesus will come again. God is now calling out of this world a company of people into whose hearts the Holy Spirit enters, uniting them into one body with all true believers. Thus, they are united to their living Head in heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ, and, just as one’s hand and foot are responsive to the dictates of the head, so every member of the Body of Christ is responsive to the dictates of the Lord Jesus in heaven. In a brief way, that is what Paul calls “my gospel.” Paul’s prayer then is that the God who has power might stablish us according to these grand truths.
