Thomas Aquinas Commentary Romans 1:8-16

"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if by any means now at length I may be prospered by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; that is, that I with you may be comforted in you, each of us by the other`s faith, both yours and mine. And I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that 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. I am debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also that are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." — Romans 1:8-16 (ASV)

1. After the greeting, the Apostle begins the message, in which he first shows his affection for his readers to make them receptive hearers, and second, instructs them in the truth about the power of Christ’s grace, as in the verse, for it is the power of God.

   He shows his affection for them in three ways:

   1. By giving thanks for their blessings.

   2. By the prayer he directs to God on their behalf, as in the verse, for God is my witness.

   3. By his desire to visit them, as in the verse, always in my prayers.

2. Regarding the first point, three things should be noted.

   First is the order in which he gives thanks, when he says, first, I give thanks to my God. It is necessary that in all our affairs, we begin by giving thanks: give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Indeed, a person is not worthy to receive a blessing if he does not express thanks for past blessings: the hope of an ungrateful man will melt like wintry frost . And to the place where the streams flow, there they return (Ecclesiastes 1:7), because blessings return to the source from which they come—that is, by giving thanks—so that they may flow again through repeated blessings.

   But we need God’s blessing in all we seek or do; consequently, thanks should be given before all else.

3. Second, he designates three persons. The first is the person to whom thanksgiving is made, when he says my God, to whom thanks are due for all our blessings because they flow from him: every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above (James 1:17). And although he is God of all through creation and governance, as is said later, Lord of all (Romans 10:12), he is particularly the God of the just for three reasons:

   1. Because of the special care he shows them: the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous (Psalms 34:15) and again, the Lord is my light (Psalms 27:1).

   2. Because of their special worship: this is my God and I will praise him (Exodus 15:2).

   3. Because he is their reward: I am your reward exceedingly great (Genesis 15:1).

   The second person is the mediator, whom he mentions when he says through Jesus Christ. For thanks should be returned to God in the same order in which graces come to us, namely, through Jesus Christ: through him we have access to this grace in which we stand (Romans 5:2).

   The third is the person for whom he gives thanks, for all of you, because he regarded their graces as his own on account of the bond of love. It is as if to say: I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth (3 John 1:4).

   He purposely says for all of you because he desires to please them all—just as I try to please all men in everything I do (1 Corinthians 10:33)—and wishes the salvation of all: I wish that all were as I myself am (1 Corinthians 7:7).

4. Third, he indicates the reason for his gratitude: because your faith is proclaimed in the whole world.

   He gives thanks for their faith because it is the foundation of all spiritual blessings: faith is the assurance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1).

   The reason he commends the Romans on their faith is that they embraced it with ease and continued in it firmly. Hence, as Jerome says in his commentary on Galatians, even today many signs of their faith are seen by those who visit the holy places. However, their faith was not yet perfect, because some of them had been reached by false apostles, who taught that the rites of the law must be joined to the Gospel.

   But he rejoices and gives thanks for their faith not only on their account but also because of the benefits that result from it. Specifically, because they were the rulers of the world, their example would lead other nations to accept the faith; for, as a Gloss says, the lesser are quick to do what they see done by the greater. For this reason, church leaders are advised to be examples to the flock (1 Peter 5:3).

5. Then, when he says for God is my witness, he shows his affection for them through the prayer he offers for them.

   And because the business of prayer is conducted in secret in God’s presence—when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret (Matthew 6:6)—he calls on God to testify that he prays for them.

   First, therefore, he calls on the witness; second, he shows on what point he calls the witness.

6. He calls on the witness when he says God is my witness, under whose witness all things are done: I am judge and witness (Jeremiah 29:23).

   Then, to show that he is not mistaken in calling on the just witness, he mentions how he is joined to him. First, in regard to service, when he says whom I serve, namely, with the worship of latria: you shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve (Deuteronomy 6:13). Second, in regard to the way he served, when he says, in my spirit. It is as if to say: not only in outward bodily service, but especially within, according to the spirit: God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Or in spirit, that is, in spiritual observances, not in carnal ones like the Jews: we are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit (Philippians 3:3). Third, in regard to the office in which he serves, namely, in the Gospel of his Son: separated for the Gospel of God (Romans 1:1). It is the Gospel of the Son in three ways: first, because it is about him: I bring you good news of a great joy (Luke 2:10). Second, because it was preached by him as a special duty: I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose (Luke 4:43). Third, because it was commanded by him: preach the Gospel to the whole creation (Mark 16:15).

7. But since, as Augustine says, saying for God is my witness is the same as saying, “I swear by God,” the Apostle seems to be acting against the Lord’s command: I say to you, do not swear at all (Matthew 5:34); and above all, my brethren, do not swear (James 5:12).

   However, as Augustine also says, the meaning of Sacred Scripture is gathered from the actions of the saints. For it is the same Spirit who inspired the Sacred Scriptures—men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21)—and who moves holy men to act: for all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God (Romans 8:14).

   Consequently, if Paul is found to swear, it shows that the Lord’s word and that of the apostle James are not to be understood as indicating that an oath is absolutely unlawful. Rather, they mean that people should strive as far as possible not to use oaths as though they were something good and desirable in their very nature. This is because of the danger involved in frequent swearing, namely, the possibility of perjury from a slip of the tongue. The book of Sirach says, Do not accustom your mouth to oaths, for many are tripped by them . It is also because it seems contrary to the reverence we owe God to call on him as a witness without necessity. Hence: let not the naming of God be habitual in your mouth . For this reason, the Apostle never made an oath except in writing, when a man speaks with greater deliberation and caution.

8. Yet an oath is sometimes necessary to give credibility to a speaker, which in turn often benefits the hearer. Consequently, the Apostle makes an oath for the benefit of his hearers, for whom it was beneficial to believe, as he was seeking not his own benefit but that of the majority, namely, their salvation.

   Hence, the Lord’s statement that anything more than this—that is, than a simple “yes” or “no”—comes from evil (Matthew 5:37) does not imply that it comes from evil in the one who swears, but in the one who demands the oath. It comes not from the evil of sin, except in the case where a person judges that the one from whom he demands the oath will swear falsely—in which case it is a serious sin, as Augustine says. Rather, it implies that it comes from the evil of punishment, that is, our ignorance of whether something said to us is true.

9. It should be noted that there are two ways of making an oath. One is by a simple statement, as when one says “by God” or God is my witness. This is the form the Apostle uses here. The other is by an imprecation, namely, when a person calls on God’s witness in the form of some punishment to be inflicted on the speaker if he is lying: if I have repaid my friend with evil (Psalms 7:4 and following). The Apostle also uses this form, as in 2 Corinthians: I call God to witness against my soul (2 Corinthians 1:23).

10. Then he mentions the matter concerning which he calls God to witness when he says, that without ceasing I make mention of you. This means that in his prayers he always prayed for them because of the general benefits that arose from their conversion: far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you (1 Samuel 12:23).

    The statement I make mention of you can be understood in two ways. One way is according to the sense of a psalm: let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you (Psalms 137:6). In another way, I make mention of you means I pray to God, who receives the prayers of the humble. Therefore, when the saints pray for certain people, they are somehow presented to his gaze, just as their other actions are. Hence, the woman said to Elijah: you have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance (1 Kings 17:18), as though whatever is done against the just is in the memory and eyes of God.

11. That he claims to pray without ceasing is in agreement with what he tells the Thessalonians—pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17)—and with Luke: they ought always to pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1).

    This can be understood in three ways. First, regarding the act of praying itself; one is praying always or without ceasing if he prays at the appointed times and hours: Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour (Acts 3:1). Second, regarding the purpose of prayer, which is that our mind rise up to God; and so a man prays as long as he directs his entire life to God: so, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Third, regarding the cause; for when a person acts in such a way that others pray for him, he seems to be praying himself, as in the case of those who give alms to the poor who pray for them: store up almsgiving in your treasury .

    Therefore, he says, I give thanks to my God for you because I regard your blessings as my own. This is obvious from the fact that I pray for you as I do for myself.

12. Then, when he says, making a request, he proves his affection by his desire to visit them.

    First, he mentions the desire; second, his intention of acting on this desire, at I want you to know.

    In regard to the first, he does two things: first, he mentions a sign of this desire; second, the cause of his desire, at for I long.

13. The sign of the desire is the prayer he offered for them, which implies such a desire.

    That the desire itself was intense is shown when he says making a request for something very important which is beyond my merits: the poor use entreaties, but the rich answer roughly (Proverbs 18:23). For something intensely desired seems great to the one desiring it.

    Second, it is an anxious desire, for he says if by any means. For if a person anxiously desires something, he seeks to get it by any means, easy or difficult: what then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice (Philippians 1:18–19).

    Third, the desire was of long standing, for he says now at last, that is, after long desiring it. For the just are concerned not for a short time but continuously: a friend loves at all times (Proverbs 17:17).

    Fourth, the desire was correct, because it was in keeping with God’s will. Hence he adds, that by God's will I may somehow at last succeed in coming to you, that is, in keeping with his will, by which I judge success: not as I will, but as you will (Matthew 26:39).

14. Then when he says for I long to see you, he mentions the two causes of his desire.

    The first is the welfare of those he would visit; hence, I long to see you—I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:8)—not for a trivial reason as in worldly friendship, but that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, not as its author but as its minister: one should regard us as stewards of the mysteries of God (1 Corinthians 4:1). And this is to strengthen you in the faith you have received: when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers (Luke 22:32).

    Now a minister imparts grace in a number of ways, one of which is by the administration of the sacraments of grace: as each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace (1 Peter 4:10). Another is by exhorting in sermons: let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up... that it may give grace to those who hear (Ephesians 4:29).

15. The second cause is the mutual consolation found in friendly communication. Hence he continues, that is, that we may be mutually encouraged, meaning, I by seeing you and imparting a grace, and all of us by each other's faith, both yours and mine.

    For it is a source of mutual consolation to be one in the faith: but God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you (2 Corinthians 7:6–7).

16. Then when he says I want you to know, he mentions his intention to fulfill his plan, lest it appear to be a vain desire.

    First, he mentions his plan; second, its cause, at that I might have some fruit; third, his eagerness, at so, for my part.

    In regard to the first, he does two things: first, he mentions his plan; second, the obstacle, at but thus far have been prevented.

17. He says, therefore, first: not only do I desire to see you, but I have decided to fulfill this desire, and I want you to know, brethren, that I have often intended to come to you to prove my love not in word or talk but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18).

18. Second, he touches on the obstacle preventing him from having fulfilled that intention, saying, but thus far have been prevented, either by the devil, who endeavors to prevent the preaching from which man’s salvation results—the north wind brings forth rain (Proverbs 25:23), i.e., it drives away the doctrines of the preachers—or perhaps by God, by whose will the journeys and words of preachers are arranged: the clouds scatter his lightning. They turn round and round by his guidance, to accomplish all that he commands them (Job 37:11 and following). Hence in Acts it is recorded: they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia (Acts 16:6); and again: they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

    But the Apostle wants them to know both these things for their own benefit, so that seeing his affection, they might receive his words with more reverence, and recognizing their own conduct as the obstacle that until now prevented his visit, they might amend their lives. So the words of Isaiah express a punishment for sin: I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it (Isaiah 5:6).

19. Then he gives two reasons for his intention. The first is utility; hence he says his intention is that I might have some fruit among you also.

    This can be taken in two ways: in one way, as though he were saying that he might reap some harvest among them by his preaching: you should go and bear fruit (John 15:16). In another way, as though a harvest would grow for him from their conversion: he who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit for eternal life (John 4:36).

20. The other reason is the duty of his office: woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel! (1 Corinthians 9:16).

    And because he had undertaken the general apostolate to the Gentiles, he asserts that he is under obligation to all: though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all (1 Corinthians 9:19).

21. For this reason he sets out two distinctions. One is along the lines of the diversity of nations, when he says, to Greeks and to barbarians.

    A person is called a barbarian either because he is cut off from some people in one way or another, in the sense of 1 Corinthians: if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a barbarian to the speaker and the speaker a barbarian to me (1 Corinthians 14:11); or because he is cut off from the human race, insofar as he is not ruled by reason. Hence, those who are not directed by reason are properly called barbarians. This is implied in 2 Maccabees: do not act so fiercely and barbarously , that is, inhumanly.

    Now because the Greeks were the first to establish laws, he calls all the Gentiles ruled by human laws Greeks.

    He makes no mention of the Jews, who were ruled by divine laws, because he was not appointed apostle to the Jews but to the Gentiles: we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised (Galatians 2:9).

22. Both reasons account for his readiness of will, so that he says so, for my part, that is, as far as I am concerned, I am eager, unless prevented, to preach the Gospel to you also who are in Rome: then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him (Exodus 35:20–21).

23. He rejects the obstacle to eagerness, namely shame, on account of which many fail to do what they would otherwise do readily. Hence he says, I am not ashamed of the Gospel. Indeed, the Gospel seemed to be an occasion of shame for some in the presence of unbelievers, as he states in 1 Corinthians: we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles (1 Corinthians 1:23). But there is really no reason for shame, because he continues: but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Hence it is said: whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed (Luke 9:26).

    That is why the baptized are anointed with chrism in the form of a cross on the forehead, where the sense of shame resides, namely, so that they might not be ashamed of the Gospel.