Commentaries:
Adam Clarke
Called to be saints - Invited to become holy persons, by believing the Gospel and receiving the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Or, here, the word may have the meaning of made or constituted, as above; , to all that be in Rome, Constituted saints, for they had already received the Gospel grace, and were formed into a Christian Church.
Grace to you - ; May you be partakers of the Divine favor, the source whence every blessing is derived.
I think it necessary, once for all, to give the several acceptations of this word grace which occur in the sacred writings.
1.The word signifies in general favor or benevolence, but especially that favor which is powerful and active, and loads its objects with benefits. Luke 1:30 : Fear not, Mary, thou hast found Favor, , with God. Luke 2:40 : And the child grew - and the Grace of God, , the favor of God was upon him. Luke 1:52 : And Jesus increased in Favor, Grace, with God and man. Acts 2:47 : Having Favor, , Grace, with all the people. Acts 4:33 : And great Grace, , Favor, was upon them all. The apostles were at that time in universal favor with the multitude. In this sense the word occurs in a great variety of places, both in the Old and New Testaments.
2.Hence it is often used for the blessing which it dispenses; for, if God be favourably disposed towards a person, his beneficent acts, in that person' s behalf, will be a necessary consequence of such favor. John 1:14 : Full of Grace and truth; accomplished in all spiritual blessings. John 1:16 : And Grace upon Grace: he who is full of the most excellent blessings, confers them liberally on all believers. Acts 11:23 : When he had seen the Grace of God, i.e. had the fullest evidence that they were richly endowed with heavenly gifts. I Corinthians 1:4 : For the Grace of God which is given you - the Divine blessings conferred upon you. II Corinthians 9:8 : God is able to make all Grace abound toward you; i.e. to enrich you with every benediction. This is also a very common acceptation of the word; and in this sense the word grace or favor is now generally understood among religious people. The grace of God meaning with them some Divine or spiritual blessing communicated.
3.It is sometimes taken for the whole of the Christian religion, as being the grandest possible display of God' s favor to a lost, ruined world: and in this sense it appears to be used, John 1:17 : For the Law was given by Moses; but Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ: where the term Grace is evidently opposed to Law; the latter meaning the Mosaic, the other the Christian, dispensation. Acts 13:43 : Barnabas persuaded them to continue in the Grace of God; i.e. to hold fast their profession of the religion of Christ. Romans 6:14 : Ye are not under the Law, but under Grace - ye are no longer under obligation to fulfill the Mosaic precepts, but are under the Christian dispensation. See also Romans 6:15; and see II Corinthians 1:12; II Corinthians 6:1; Galatians 1:6; Colossians 1:6; II Timothy 2:1, Titus 2:11 : The Grace of God, that bringeth salvation unto all men, hath appeared. The Jewish religion was restricted in its benefits to a few; but the Christian religion proposes the salvation of all men; and the author of it has become a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Hebrews 12:15 : Looking diligently lest any man fall from the Grace of God - lest any man apostatize from the Christian religion, and the blessings of pardon and holiness which he has received through it. I Peter 5:12 : This is the true Grace of God wherein ye stand - the Christian religion which ye have received is the genuine religion of God.
4.It signifies all the blessings and benefits which Christ has purchased, and which he gives to true believers, both in time and eternity. See Romans 5:15, Romans 5:17, where the grace of God is opposed to death; i.e. to all the wretchedness and misery brought into the world by Adam' s transgression. I Corinthians 16:23 : The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all - May every blessing purchased by Christ' s passion and death be the portion of you all. Galatians 5:4 : Ye are fallen from Grace - ye have lost the blessings of the Gospel by submitting to circumcision.
5.It signifies the apostolic and ministerial office, or the authority to propagate the Christian religion, and the unction or influence by which that office is executed; so in the 5th verse of this chapter, (Romans 1:5) as has been already noted: By whom we have received Grace and apostleship, or, the apostolic office. Romans 13:3 : I say, through the Grace given unto me; i.e. I command you, by the authority of my apostolic office, etc. See also Romans 13:6.
6.It signifies a gift, salary, or money collected for the use of the poor. I Corinthians 16:3 : Whomsoever ye shall approve - them will I send to bring your Liberality, , your Grace; i.e. the collection made for the poor saints: see I Corinthians 16:1. II Corinthians 8:4 : Praying us - that we would receive the Gift, , the Grace, the contribution made in the Churches of Macedonia, for the relief of the poor. In this sense it is used in Ecclus. 17:22: He will keep the Good Deeds of man, , the same as , alms, in the beginning of the verse; and it signifies a kind or friendly act, in the same author. Ecclus. 29:16: Forget not the Friendship, , of thy surety. Graces or , was a deity among the ancients; and the three Graces, , were called Pitho, Aglaia, and Euphrosyne; , mild persuasion; , dignity; , liberality and joyfulness; and these were always painted naked, to show that all benefits should be gratuitous, this being essential to the nature of a gift. See Suidas, in .
7.It sometimes signifies merely thanks or thanksgiving. See Luke 17:9 : Doth he thank, , that servant? Romans 6:17 : But God be Thanked, . I Corinthians 10:30 : For if I by Grace, , Thanksgiving, as our margin has it, and properly.
8.It signifies remuneration, wages, or reward Luke 6:32-34 : If ye love them that love you - do good to them which do good to you - lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what Thank have ye? ; what Reward have ye? This appears, from the parallel place, Matthew 5:46, to be most evidently the meaning: ; what Reward have ye? The word is used in this sense by several Greek writers.
9.It signifies whatever is the means of procuring the favor or kindness of another. I Peter 2:19, I Peter 2:20 : For this is Thankworthy, ͅ ͅ , this is the means of Procuring Favor from God.
10.It signifies joy, pleasure, and gratification, which is the, meaning of cara, and with which it is often confounded in the New Testament. Philemon 1:7 : For we have great Joy, . Tobit 7:18: The Lord give thee Joy, , for this thy sorrow. In this sense the word is used by the best Greek writers; and in this sense it appears to be used, II Corinthians 1:15.
11.It signifies the performance of an act which is pleasing or grateful to others. Acts 24:27 : Felix, willing to show the Jews a Pleasure, , to perform an act which he knew would be highly gratifying to them.
12.It signifies whatever has the power or influence to procure favor, etc. Suavity, kindness, benevolence, gentle demeanour. Luke 4:22 : All wondered at the Gracious Words, , the benevolent, kind, and tender expressions; such as his text, Luke 4:18, would naturally lead him to speak. He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, etc. Ephesians 4:29; Colossians 4:6 : Let your speech be always with Grace; i.e. gracious, kind, benevolent, savouring of the doctrine of Christ: it is thus used by several Greek writers. See Schleusner. As the word Grace, most frequently signifies some blessing or benefit calculated to promote human happiness, it is generally derived from , I rejoice, because of the effect produced by the blessing.
And peace - , the same as shalom in Hebrew, generally signifying all kinds of blessing, but especially harmony and unity, and the bond of such unity. The most probable derivation of the word is from , I bind, and , one - because peace unites and binds those who were, by discord, before disunited. In the New Testament it signifies -
1.Peace, public or private, in the general acceptation of the word, as implying reconciliation and friendship; and to the etymology of the word the apostle seems to allude in Ephesians 4:3 : Endeavouring to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace. Acts 12:20 : They of Tyre and Sidon desired Peace - they sought reconciliation, with Herod, by means of Blastus, the king' s chamberlain.
2.It signifies regularity, good order. I Corinthians 14:33 : God is not the God of confusion, but of Peace.
3.It signifies the labor or study of preserving peace and concord; and this is supposed to be its meaning, Matthew 10:34; Luke 12:51; and Acts 7:26. Romans 14:17 : For the kingdom of God is righteousness and Peace - the Christian dispensation admits of no contention, but inculcates peace. I Corinthians 7:15 : God hath called us to Peace - to labor to preserve quietness and concord. Hebrews 12:14 : Follow Peace - labor to preserve it.
4.It signifies the author or procurer of peace and concord. Ephesians 2:14 : He is our Peace - the author of concord betwixt Jews and Gentiles.
5.It signifies the Gospel and its blessings. Ephesians 2:17 : And came and preached Peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
6.It signifies all kinds of mental and corporeal happiness, and especially the happiness of Christians. Luke 1:79 : To guide our feet into the way of Peace - to show us the way to obtain true happiness. Luke 19:42 : The things which belong unto thy Peace - that by which thou mightest have been made truly happy. I Thessalonians 5:23 : The very God of Peace - God, the only source of true felicity. John 16:33 : These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have Peace - that ye might have confidence and happiness in believing on me as your only Savior.
7.It signifies good wishes and affectionate prayers. Matthew 10:13 : And if the house be worthy, let your Peace come upon it. Our Lord commands his disciples, Matthew 10:12, to salute the house into which they entered; and this was done by saying, Peace be unto this house! that is, Let every blessing, spiritual and temporal, be the portion of this family! See Luke 10:6; John 14:27; Acts 15:33 : They were let go in Peace - they had the most fervent and affectionate prayers of the Church.
8.It signifies praise. Luke 19:38 : Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! - May all the heavenly host praise God, and give him the highest honor!
9.It signifies benignity, benevolence, favor. Romans 5:1 : Being justified by faith, we have Peace with God - In consequence of having our sins forgiven, we have a clear sense of the Divine favor. Philippians 4:7 : The Peace of God which passeth all understanding - the inexpressible blessedness of a sense of the Divine favor. See Schleusner' s Lexicon.
From God our Father - The apostle wishes them all the blessings which can flow from God, as the fountain of grace, producing in them all the happiness which a heart filled with the peace of God can possess; all of which are to be communicated to them through the Lord Jesus Christ. See the note on Acts 28:31.
Other Adam Clarke entries containing Romans 1:7:
Romans 1:5
1 Corinthians 1:3
2 Corinthians 1:2
Galatians 1:3
Ephesians 1:2
Philippians 1:2
Philippians 4:23
Colossians 1:2
1 Thessalonians 5:28
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