John Calvin Commentary Romans 1:7

"To all that are in Rome, beloved of God, called [to be] saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." — Romans 1:7 (ASV)

To all of you who are at Rome, etc. By this happy arrangement he sets forth what is commendable in us; he says, that first the Lord through his own kindness made us the objects of his favor and love; and then that he has called us; and thirdly, that he has called us to holiness. But this high honor exists only when we are not lacking in our response to our call.

Here a rich truth presents itself, which I will briefly address, leaving it for each individual to meditate upon. Paul by no means ascribes the praise of our salvation to ourselves, but derives it entirely from the fountain of God’s free and paternal love towards us; for he makes this the first thing—God loves us. And what is the cause of his love, except his own goodness alone? On this depends our calling, by which in his own time he seals his adoption to those whom he had before freely chosen.

We also learn from this passage that no one rightly joins the number of the faithful unless they feel assured that the Lord is gracious, however unworthy and wretched sinners they may be, and unless they are stimulated by his goodness and aspire to holiness, for he has not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7). As the Greek can be rendered in the second person, I see no reason for any change.

Grace to you and peace, etc. Nothing is more desirable than to have God favorable to us, and this is signified by grace; and then to have prosperity and success in all things flowing from him, and this is suggested by peace. For however things may seem to smile on us, if God is angry, even blessing itself is turned to a curse.

The very foundation then of our happiness is the favor of God, by which we enjoy true and solid prosperity, and by which our salvation is also promoted even when we are in adversities. And then, as he prays to God for peace, we must understand that whatever good comes to us is the fruit of divine benevolence.

Nor must we fail to notice that he prays at the same time to the Lord Jesus Christ for these blessings. Worthily indeed is this honor rendered to him, who is not only the administrator and dispenser of his Father’s bounty to us, but also works all things in connection with him. It was, however, the Apostle’s special purpose to show that through him all God’s blessings come to us.

There are those who prefer to regard the word peace as signifying quietness of conscience; and I do not deny that this meaning sometimes belongs to it.

But since it is certain that the Apostle wished to give us a summary of God’s blessings here, the former meaning, which is put forward by Bucer, is by far the most suitable. Therefore, anxiously wishing for the godly what constitutes real happiness, he turns, as he did before, to the very fountain itself—namely, the favor of God—which not only itself brings us eternal happiness but is also the source of all blessings in this life.