Romans 1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: The meaning of the Scripture is the Scripture. Be saturated with the Word of God.... daily. Daily Study Daily Reading Daily Devotion Daily Verse Daily Scripture Daily Bread Daily Guide Commentary Bible Commentary Bible Verse Commentary "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

1. Romans 1:5
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Romans 1:5
By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience
to the faith among all nations, for his name:
Romans 1:5
Unto obedience of faith (eis hupakoēn pisteōs). Subjective
genitive as in Rom 16:26, the obedience which springs from
faith (the act of assent or surrender).
Romans 1:5
for obedience
unto obedience to faith, i.e. faith as a principle, or method of
divine dealing. Cf. Rom 10:1-11.
Romans 1:5
We have received (ἐλάβομεν)
Aorist tense. Rev., we received. The categorical plural, referring
to Paul, and not including the other apostles, since the
succeeding phrase, among all the nations, points to himself
alone as the apostle to the Gentiles.
Grace and apostleship
Grace, the general gift bestowed on all believers: apostleship,
the special manifestation of grace to Paul. The connecting καὶ
and, has the force of and in particular. Compare Rom 15:15,
Rom 15:16.
For obedience to the faith (εἰς ὑπακοὴν πίστεως)
Rev., unto obedience of faith. Unto marks the object of the
grace and apostleship: in order to bring about. Obedience of
faith is the obedience which characterizes and proceeds from
faith.
Nations (ἔθνεσιν)
Or Gentiles. Not geographically, contrasting the inhabitants of
the world, Jew and Gentile, with the Jews strictly so called,
dwelling in Palestine, but Gentiles distinctively, for whom Paul's
apostleship was specially instituted. See on Luk 2:32, and

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compare note on 1Pe 2:9.
Romans 1:5
By whom we have received - I and the other apostles. Grace
and apostleship - The favour to be an apostle, and qualifications
for it. For obedience to the faith in all nations - That is, that all
nations may embrace the faith of Christ. For his name - For his
sake; out of regard to him.
Romans 1:5
By whom we have received grace and apostleship,... That
is, either by the Holy Spirit, from whom all grace and gifts
come, qualifying for the discharge of any office; or by the Lord
Jesus Christ, who is full of grace and truth, has received gifts
for, and gives them to men to fit them for whatsoever service
he is pleased to call them to. By "grace and apostleship" may be
meant, either one and the same thing, the favour and honour of
being the apostles of Christ; or different things, and the one in
order to the other. Grace may design special saving grace in
calling, justification, pardon, and adoption, and sanctification,
which was received in common with other saints, and is
absolutely necessary to an apostle, and to any ordinary minister
of the word; or the doctrine of grace, which they received from
Christ, and dispensed to others; or rather the gifts of grace, and
the various measures thereof, which they received from their
ascended Lord and King, by which they were furnished for
apostleship, that is, the work and office of apostles; to which
they were called by Christ, and from whom they received a
commission to execute it. The apostle takes in others sides
himself, and says, "we have received"; partly for the sake of
modesty, and partly to keep up his equal title with others to this
office; and since this is had in a way of receiving, which
supposes giving, and excludes boasting, it obliges to make use
of all grace and gifts to the glory of Christ, by whom they are
received. The end for which they received such an office, and
grace to fit them for it, was, "for obedience to the faith"; that
men might be brought by the ministry of the word to obey the
faith, Christ the object of faith; to submit to his righteousness,

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and the way of salvation by him, and to be subject to his
ordinances or to obey the doctrine of faith, which is not barely
to hear it, and notionally receive it, but to embrace it heartily by
faith, and retain it, in opposition to a disbelief and contempt of
it; and which is the end and design of the Gospel ministration to
bring persons to, Moreover, by
obedience to the faith, or "obedience of faith", as it may be
rendered, may be meant the grace of faith, attended with
evangelical obedience; for obedience, rightly performed, is only
that which is by faith, and springs from it. Now grace and
apostleship were received, in order to be exercised
among all nations; not in Judea only, to which the first
commission of apostleship was limited, but in all the nations of
the world, as the commission renewed by Christ after his
resurrection ordered; and that some among all nations of the
earth might, by the power of divine grace accompanying the
word, be brought to faith and obedience: and all this, the
qualifications for the office, the due exercise of it in all the
world, and the success that attended it, were
for his name; for the honour and glory of Christ, in whose
name they went, and which they bore and carried among the
Gentiles, out of whom he was pleased "to take a people for his
name", Act 15:14.
Romans 1:5
By whom, i.e. by this same Jesus Christ, God and man, we, I
and the rest of the apostles, have received this grace and
apostleship, this mission and commission from him, of
preaching his gospel, and teaching his doctrine. --- For
obedience to the faith in all nations; that is, to bring all nations
to the obedience and profession of his new law and doctrine.
(Witham)
Romans 1:5
By whom — as the ordained channel.

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we have received grace — the whole “grace that bringeth
salvation” (Tit 2:11).
and apostleship — for the publication of that “grace,” and the
organization of as many as receive it into churches of visible
discipleship. (We prefer thus taking them as two distinct things,
and not, with some good interpreters, as one - “the grace of
apostleship”).
for obedience to the faith — rather, “for the obedience of
faith” - that is, in order to men’s yielding themselves to the
belief of God’s saving message, which is the highest of all
obedience.
for his name — that He might be glorified.
Romans 1:5
By whom - The apostle here returns to the subject of the
salutation of the Romans, and states to them his authority to
address them. That authority he had derived from the Lord
Jesus, and not from man. On this fact, that he had received his
apostolic commission, not from man, but by the direct authority
of Jesus Christ, Paul not infrequently insisted. Gal 1:12, “for I
neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by
revelation of Jesus Christ;” 1Co 15:1-8; Eph 3:1-3.
We - The plural here is probably put for the singular; see Col
4:3; compare Eph 6:19-20. It was usual for those who were
clothed with authority to express themselves in this manner.
Perhaps here, however, he refers to the general nature of the
apostolic office, as being derived from Jesus Christ, and designs
to assure the Romans that “he” had received the apostolic
commission as the others had. ‘We,” the apostles, have received
the appointment from Jesus Christ. ‘
Grace and apostleship - Many suppose that this is a figure of
speech, “hendiadys,” by which one thing is expressed by two

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words, meaning the grace or favor of the apostolic office. Such a
figure of speech is often used. But it may mean, as it does
probably here, the two things, grace, or the favor of God to his
own soul, as a personal matter; and the apostolic office as a
distinct thing. He often, however, speaks of the office of the
apostleship as a matter of special favor, Rom 15:15-16; Gal
2:9; Eph 3:7-9.
For obedience to the faith - In order to produce, or promote
obedience to the faith; that is, to induce them to render that
obedience to God which faith produces. There are two things
therefore implied.
(1) That the design of the gospel and of the apostleship is to
induce men to obey God.
(2) That the tendency of faith is to produce obedience. There
is no true faith which does not produce that. This is
constantly affirmed in the New Testament, Rom 15:18; Rom
16:19; 2Co 7:15; James 2.
Among all nations - This was the original commission which
Jesus gave to his apostles, Mar 16:15-16; Mat 28:18-19. This
was the special commission which Paul received when he was
converted, Act 9:15. It was important to show that the
commission extended thus far, as he was now addressing a
distant church which he had not seen.
For his name - This means probably “on his account,” that is,
on account of Christ, Joh 14:13-14; Joh 16:23-24. The design of
the apostleship was to produce obedience to the gospel among
all nations, that thus the name of Jesus might be honored. Their
work was not one in which they were seeking to honor
themselves, but it was solely for the honor and glory of Jesus
Christ. For him they toiled, they encountered perils, they laid
down their lives, because by so doing they might bring people to
obey the gospel, and thus Jesus Christ might wear a brighter
crown and be attended by a longer and more splendid train of

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worshippers in the kingdom of his glory.
Romans 1:5
grace and apostleship. Some see here the Figure of speech
Hendiadys (App-6), and read "apostolic grace".
grace. Greek. charis. App-184.
apostleship. See Act 1:25.
obedience to the faith = faith-obedience.
faith. App-150.
among. Greek. en. App-104.
nations. Gentiles. Greek. ethnos. Occurs in Romans twenty-
nine times; translated "Gentiles" except here, Rom 4:17, Rom
4:18; Rom 10:19; Rom 16:26.
for = on behalf of. Greek. huper. App-104.
name. See Act 2:21.
Romans 1:5
by whom] Lit. through whom. Ultimately from the Father, but
through the Son.
we have received] Better, perhaps, we received; (but see
below on Rom 1:19.)—“We” includes, possibly, all the Apostles,
as certainly in 1Co 15:1; 1Co 15:11, &c. (where note the
change from plural to singular in Rom 1:1-3). Certainly it does
not refer to any nominal associate in the writing of the Epistle,
for none such appears. But most probably the author here uses
the plural for the singular, as frequently in the course of the
Epistle (see e.g. cch. 3 and 4).
grace and apostleship] (1) all merciful qualifications for his

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office; (2) the definite commission.
for obedience to the faith] Better, to the obedience of faith;
to produce the obedience connected with believing. Justifying
faith is itself an act of obedience (see Rom 10:3, “have not
submitted themselves,” and 1Pe 1:2), and it results in a life of
obedience. The Gr. in Rom 16:26, rendered “for the obedience
of faith,” is identical.
among all nations] Literally so in its intention; and even in St
Paul’s own experience, a great number of “nations” had now
contributed converts. Cp. the strong expressions Col 1:6; Col
1:23; and see Rom 15:19.
for his name] Practically = for His sake. The “Name,” in
general Scripture usage, is the Person, as revealed and known.
See Exo 34:5-7; Mat 28:19.
Romans 1:5
Grace and apostleship - The peculiar influence and the
essential qualifications which such an office requires. Without
the Grace, favor, and peculiar help of God, he could not have
been an apostle: he had an extraordinary conversion, and an
extraordinary call to preach the Gospel. Probably χαριν και
αποστολην, grace and apostleship, mean the same as χαριν της
αποστολης, the apostolical office; for so the word χαρις means
in Rom 12:3; Rom 15:15; 1Co 3:10; Eph 3:8. See the various
acceptations of the word grace, Rom 1:7.
For obedience to the faith - That by this office, which I have
received from God, and the power by which it is accompanied, I
might proclaim the faith, the Gospel of Jesus; and show all
nations the necessity of believing in it, in order to their
salvation. Here is:
1. The Gospel of the Son of God.
2. An apostle divinely commissioned and empowered to

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preach it.
3. The necessity of faith in the name of Jesus, as the only
Savior of the world.
4. Of obedience, as the necessary consequence of genuine
faith. And,
5. This is to be proclaimed among all nations; that all might
have the opportunity of believing and being saved.
Romans 1:5
(i) By whom we have received (k) grace and apostleship, for (l)
obedience to the faith (m) among all nations, for his name:
(i) Of whom.
(k) This marvellous, liberal, and gracious gift, which is given to
me, the least of all the saints, to preach, etc.; see (Eph 3:8).
(l) That men through faith might obey God.
(m) For his name's sake.
Romans 1:5
By whom—as the ordained channel.
we have received grace—the whole “grace that bringeth
salvation” (Tit 2:11).
and apostleship—for the publication of that “grace,” and the
organization of as many as receive it into churches of visible
discipleship. (We prefer thus taking them as two distinct things,
and not, with some good interpreters, as one—“the grace of
apostleship”).

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for obedience to the faith—rather, “for the obedience of
faith”—that is, in order to men’s yielding themselves to the
belief of God’s saving message, which is the highest of all
obedience.
for his name—that He might be glorified.1
Romans 1:5
through whom and for whose sake we received the gift
of apostleship, in order to bring about obedience of faith,
among all the Gentiles …
Literally the passage reads, “through whom and for whose
sake we received grace and apostleship.” Many translators have
retained these words, in that order, in their versions. So
interpreted, Paul would be saying that he had received two
things: (a) grace; that is, God’s unmerited favor, imparting
salvation, plus (b) apostleship.17 This interpretation may be
correct.
Personally I favor the other view, namely, that what we have
here in verse 5 is an instance of hendiadys (the “one by means
of two” figure of speech; that is: one concept is expressed by
two nouns connected by and), and that the meaning is,
accordingly, “the gift (or grace) of apostleship.” I favor this
interpretation and translation for the following reasons:
1. In the present context it is hard to see why Paul would
have to emphasize that he is a man saved by grace.
1
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, A. R. Fausset et al., A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New
Testaments, On Spine: Critical and Explanatory Commentary. (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997),
Ro 1:5.
17
This view is defended by J. Murray, op. cit., Vol. I, p. 13; also by S. Greijdanus, in another precious work, De Brief
van den Apostle Paulus aan de Gemeente te Rome (Kommentaar op het Nieuwe Testament), Amsterdam, 1933, Vol.
I, p. 67. It is favored by many other commentators and by most translators.

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2. Also in Rom. 15:15, 16 the “grace” mentioned is Paul’s
ministry, his apostolic office.18 And cf. 12:6.
When Paul says, “We received,” he is in all probability using
the literary or writer’s plural.19 If so, he is referring to himself,
not also to others.
When did Paul receive from “Jesus Christ our Lord” the gift of
apostleship, with the implied mandate to exercise it? Many
passages occur to the mind; for example: Acts 9:1–19 (note
especially verse 15); 18:9, 10; 22:6–21; 26:12–18; Rom.
15:15, 16. Among all of them there are two that deserve more
than passing notice:
In the first, Jesus is represented as addressing Paul in
connection with the unforgettable vision the latter received
while as a relentless persecutor he was on his way to Damascus.
In answer to Paul’s question, “Who art thou, Lord?” the Lord
answered, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But arise
and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this
purpose, to appoint you (to be) a servant and a witness of what
you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you
from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am
sending you, to open their eyes in order that they may turn
from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God,
so as to receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those
who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:15b–18).
In the second, which reports what happened shortly
afterward, while Paul was praying in the temple, it is stated that
he fell into a trance and heard the Lord saying to him, “Depart,
for I will send you far away to the Gentiles” (Acts 22:21).
18
This view (heniadys) is also favored by the following commentators, among others: Bruce, Cranfield, Ridderbos,
Van Leeuwen and Jacobs; and by such translations as: Berkeley Version, Good News for Modern Man, Knox, Moffat,
N.E.B.,etc.
19 See Gram. N.T., pp. 406, 407.

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In both of these passages the apostle is described as a man
who received his apostolic mission from Jesus Christ. See also
N.T.C. on Gal. 1:1.
Note “through whom and for whose sake.” This means that
not only is it true that Paul received his apostleship from or
through Christ, but it is also a fact that he received it in order
that by means of it he might proclaim the name of Christ and
promote his cause.
The purpose for which Paul was appointed was to bring about
obedience of faith. Such obedience is based on faith and springs
from faith. In fact, so very closely are faith and obedience
connected that they may be compared to inseparable identical
twins. When you see the one you see the other. A person
cannot have genuine faith without having obedience, nor vice
versa.20
A striking illustration of this fact is offered by the apostle
himself in two synonymous passages, the one concerning faith;
the other, concerning obedience:
Rom. 1:8, “… I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all,
because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the entire
world.”
Rom. 16:19, “For the fame of your obedience has reached
everyone.” It is by means of obedience of faith that a person
embraces Christ.
After Paul has written “… in order to bring about obedience of
faith among all the Gentiles,” he continues:2
N.T.C. W. Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary
20
In the Dutch language the two are sometimes combined into one word: geloofsgehoorzaamheid.
2
William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, vol. 12-13, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of Paul's Epistle
to the Romans, Accompanying Biblical Text Is Author's Translation., New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House, 1953-2001), 44.

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Romans 1:5
Through him and for his name’s sake, we received
grace and apostleship to call people from among all the
Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. In v. 1
Paul begins to introduce himself, especially as an apostle set
apart to preach the gospel. His mention of the gospel leads him
to describe it as being promised in the OT (v. 2) and as being
about God’s Son (v. 3a). His mention of God’s Son leads him to
speak in more detail of his glorious nature (vv. 3b-4). Now in v.
5 he returns to his self-introduction by further elaborating on his
call to apostleship.
1. The Origin of Paul’s Apostleship
He speaks first of the origin of his apostleship: it came
“through him,” namely, through Jesus Christ. This is a reference
again to the call that was extended to him by the glorified Christ
on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3–6; 22:6–10; 26:13–18).
2. The Character of Paul’s Apostleship
Next Paul speaks of the character of his apostleship: it came
to him as a gift. This is the point of his statement, “we received
grace and apostleship.” (He says “we” only in the editorial
sense, since he is talking only of himself.) The Greek word for
“apostleship” is ἀποστολή (apostolē); it is used only here and in
Acts 1:25; 1 Cor 9:2; Gal 2:8.
Why does he say that he received grace and apostleship?
Here is where the concept of gift appears. The Greek word for
“grace” (χάρις, charis) in its most general sense means “a gift
that brings joy or gladness.” It almost always includes the
connotation of a gift; sometimes it is used even for the act of
thanksgiving for a gift. Usually when we hear the English word
“grace,” the first thing we think of is the free gift of salvation
through Jesus Christ. In the Bible, though, it is often used to
OT Old Testament

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refer to gifts of service, i.e., gifts that enable individuals to work
for and serve God in special ways. See especially 1 Pet 4:10–11.
What does it mean in this verse? Some take it as a reference
to the saving grace that Paul allegedly received on the
Damascus road, along with but as distinct from his call to
apostleship (e.g., Murray, I:13). In this sense v. 4 would be
saying that Paul received from Jesus both saving grace and his
apostolic calling. The more common view, and the one preferred
here, is that the word grace refers to the apostleship itself.
“Grace and apostleship” here means “the grace of apostleship”
or “the gracious gift of apostleship.”
This latter view is preferred for several reasons. For one
thing, Paul’s personal call by Jesus on the road to Damascus
was specifically a call to the apostleship only. Jesus did not
actually speak to him about salvation; he left that up to
Ananias. Second, the gifts of service to which the word grace
applies include the gift of apostleship (1 Cor 12:28; Eph 4:7,
11; see Rom 12:3, 6). Finally and most significantly, in many
other places Paul speaks of his call to apostleship as an act of
grace (15:15–16; 1 Cor 3:10; 15:10; Gal 1:15; 2:9; Eph 3:7–
8).
3. The Focus of Paul’s Apostleship
As an apostle Paul was told to work specifically “among all the
Gentiles.” The Greek word is ἔθνος (ethnos, most often used in
the plural). Sometimes it refers to a nation or nations in
general, without any particular distinctions. Often, though, as in
this context, it refers only to the Gentile nations, i.e., the
nations that are distinct from the Jews. The focus of Paul’s
ministry was the Gentiles (the uncircumcised) as distinguished
from the Jews (the circumcised). See Gal 2:7, NASB.
We must emphasize that Paul was not meant to preach
exclusively to Gentiles. Indeed, Jesus told him that he should
NASB New American Standard Bible

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declare his name “before the Gentiles and their kings and before
the people of Israel” (Acts 9:15). Paul was very aware that the
gospel was for “the Jew first” (1:16). Nevertheless it is clear
that the primary focus of Paul’s ministry was intended to be the
Gentiles (Acts 22:21; 26:17). He emphasizes this fact in his
epistles (Gal 1:16; Eph 3:1, 6–8; 1 Thess 2:16; 1 Tim 2:7; 2
Tim 4:17), and especially here in Romans (1:13–14; 11:13;
15:15–16, 18).
4. The Purpose of Paul’s Apostleship
In this verse Paul tells us the specific purpose of his
apostleship, namely, “to call people from among all the Gentiles
to the obedience that comes from faith.” The words “to call” are
not in the original, though the idea is certainly present (see 2
Thess 2:14). The concept of purpose is actually found in the
Greek preposition εἰς (eis), which can mean “unto” in the sense
of “for the purpose of” (Cranfield, I:66). Paul says he was given
grace and apostleship unto—for the purpose of bringing about—
“the obedience that comes from faith.”
This is an extremely important idea, one that should give
every Christian worker insight into the purpose of his or her
ministry. The purpose or the immediate “goal of the gospel” is
to produce the obedience that comes from faith. Paul elsewhere
rejoices that through his ministry Christ has been able to
produce “the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed”
(15:18, NASB). In 16:25–26 he declares that the mystery
revealed in the gospel “has been made known to all the nations,
leading to obedience of faith” (NASB). In 1:5 and 16:26 the
Greek expression is exactly the same (though the NIV without
good reason translates it differently in the two verses). It is εἰς
ὑπακοὴν πίστεως (eis hypakoēn pisteōs), without any definite
articles. It literally means “unto obedience of faith.” Exactly
what it means is a matter of much debate.
NIV New International Version

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Four things must be kept in mind when interpreting this
expression. First, one must decide whether the “faith” is
subjective or objective. I.e., is it the act of believing; or is it the
content of our faith, the doctrine to be believed? Second, the
extent of the obedience must be determined. Is it a special kind
of obedience, or is it obedience in general? Third and most
crucially, the exact relation between the faith and the obedience
must be understood. Finally, our interpretation of this
expression must be consistent with the overall message of
Romans.
Some Bible translations render the expression quite literally,
“obedience of faith” (NASB, NRSV). But it still has to be
interpreted. Here we will briefly present five suggested
interpretations, as reflected by various translations and
exegetes.
The first suggestion is “obedience and faith.” This appears in
several variations in a number of translations: “obedience and
faith” (Goodspeed), “faith and obedience” (NEB), “believe and
obey” (LB; TEV; NIV, 16:26 only). In this view faith appears to
be subjective, and the obedience seems to be general.
This view is unsatisfactory for three reasons. For one thing, it
is incomplete. After translating it thus, one must still go on and
explain how the faith and the obedience are related (e.g., as in
Newman and Nida, 12). Also, it is not grammatically sound.
Joining faith and obedience with the conjunction “and” suggests
they are somehow parallel, but the Greek genitive form of
pisteōs (“faith”) indicates a non-parallel relationship. Finally, in
the context of Romans it is doctrinally misleading to place faith
and obedience in such a parallel relationship, since one of the
NRSV New Revised Standard Version
NEB New English Bible
LB Living Bible
TEV Today’s English Version

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main points of Romans is that faith and obedience (good works)
are not related to salvation in the same way.
The second suggestion is “the obedience which is included in
faith.” This is the view of Gareth Reese (Acts, 598–610), as
summed up in Corson (“Faith,” 5–6). According to this view faith
includes, as part of its very essence, obedience or good works.
Obedience is part of the content or definition of faith, and in
terms of scope it embraces at least the further acts required by
the “plan of salvation”: repentance, confession, and baptism. In
the Restoration Movement it is very common to hear that these
acts are simply part of the content of saving faith.
This view is also unsatisfactory, however. Even though the
Bible does connect faith and obedience very closely (as in the
fifth view, below), it is always careful to distinguish them,
especially in contexts dealing with salvation (Eph 2:8–10).
Except insofar as faith itself may be considered an act of
obedience (as in the next view), the two must be kept distinct.
Once we go beyond this, it is difficult if not impossible to limit
the scope of the obedience that would have to be included in
such “faith.” It may be possible to talk about (subjective) faith,
repentance, confession, and baptism as “obedience to the
(objective) faith” (as in the fourth view, below); but such a
limitation cannot be made in this view, where the
comprehensive or inclusive faith is itself subjective. Thus if this
view were correct, the faith that justifies (3:28; 5:1) would
have to include the entire obedience of the Christian life. This
would simply be another version of works-righteousness or
salvation by works—the very view Paul is attacking in the epistle
to the Romans as a whole. Thus it must be rejected as
inconsistent with the gospel of grace.
The third suggestion is that “the obedience of faith” means
“the obedience that consists of faith.” That is, the obedience
sought by preaching is the one specific act of subjectively
believing the gospel. This is the view of Cranfield (I:66–67),
Murray (I:13–14), and Godet (82). Now, it is certainly correct to

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think of faith as an act of obedience, but it is incorrect to think
that it is the only act of obedience God seeks to bring about
through the preaching of the gospel. In Romans Paul puts great
emphasis on faith, but he also stresses the obedience that must
follow faith as the ultimate result of gospel preaching (see the
fifth view, below). Thus this view is inconsistent with the overall
message of Romans.
The fourth suggestion is “obedience to the faith” (e.g., KJV,
Weymouth, Moffatt, and Phillips translations). What is distinctive
about this view is that it understands “faith” in the objective
sense, namely, as the body of doctrine that we believe and to
which we must respond in obedience. Such a view of faith is
found in the Bible (Jude 3), and so is the concept of “obeying
the faith” (Acts 6:7). Also, “obedience to the faith” is a
grammatically possible way of translating the genitive case of
pisteōs (see 2 Cor 10:5; 1 Pet 1:22).
Is this a valid understanding of “the obedience of faith”?
Perhaps. On the positive side, “obedience to the faith” or
“obeying the faith” seems to be equivalent to “obeying the
gospel,” a concept that occurs several times in the NT: 10:16; 2
Thess 1:8; 1 Pet 4:17. What does this mean? Obedience to the
gospel faith would seem to be different from obedience to the
law or commandments governing the Christian life. The latter is
everyday obedience, but the former would seem to be more
limited in scope. How should it be understood? Most succinctly,
it probably refers to what is required as conditions for receiving
the saving grace promised in the gospel. This includes
particularly faith, repentance, and baptism (Mark 1:15; 16:15–
16; Acts 2:38; 5:32; 16:31; Rom 10:16–17). This required
response to the gospel may be regarded as obedience, since the
conditions are often presented grammatically as imperatives or
commands (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38; 16:31).
KJV King James Version
NT New Testament

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On the negative side, though, is the fact that in Romans the
central concept of faith occurs overwhelmingly in the subjective
sense. Since this statement in 1:5 seems to be so closely
connected with the overall theme of Romans, the faith of which
it speaks should probably be understood in the subjective sense
also. Thus we find this view unacceptable as the intended
meaning in this verse.
This leads to the fifth and final suggestion, “the obedience
which results from faith.” In my opinion, this is Paul’s intended
meaning; a wide range of commentators agree. Though it is not
a strict translation, the NIV rendering is on target exegetically:
“the obedience that comes from faith.” According to this
understanding “faith” is the subjective act of believing, and
“obedience” is the whole scope of Christian good works.
This view is preferred mainly because of its contextual
harmony with Romans as a whole. While faith in Jesus is
stressed as the natural and necessary response to his saving
work, the epistle makes it clear that this faith cannot stand
alone. Paul shows in chs. 6–8 and 12–15 that the end result of
the gospel is obedience or good works13 or sanctification. His
point here in 1:5 is that he was called to be an apostle not just
to lead the Gentiles to faith as an end in itself, but to lead them
to the kind of faith that produces obedience.
Still, the emphasis in the expression “obedience of faith” is
not on obedience as such but on faith. God wants obedience,
yes; but he wants the obedience of faith, i.e., the obedience
that comes from, results from, or is motivated by faith in Jesus
Christ. Continuing daily obedience to God’s commandments is
expected and even necessary in some respects, but the only
kind of obedience that satisfies God is the obedience that is the
expression of faith. This is the intended outcome of Paul’s
gospel, just as it should be for us. The purpose of preaching the
13
In this context there is no difference between obedience and (good) works. Paul does not choose the term
obedience in deliberate contrast with the term works (of law) in 3:28, as if the gospel enjoins “obedience of faith”
but rules out “works of law.” This idea misses the point of both verses.

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gospel is to bring about obedience, but only an obedience that
springs from faith rather than from legalistic requirements. God
wants obedience, but he wants the obedience of faith. See Rom
6–8; Gal 5:6; Eph 2:8–10; 1 Thess 1:3.
In reality, true faith and heartfelt obedience (6:17) are
inseparable. Abraham’s example sums it up: “By faith Abraham
… obeyed” (Heb 11:8). We cannot truly “accept Christ” without
accepting him as both Savior and Lord. We accept him as Savior
by trusting in his redeeming work; we accept him as Lord by
committing ourselves to obey his will (see MacArthur, I:24–25).
5. The Goal of Paul’s Apostleship
In the Greek the last phrase of v. 5 is “for his name’s sake.”
While the immediate purpose or goal of Paul’s gospel was to
bring about obedience of faith among the Gentiles, its ultimate
goal was to bring honor and glory to the name of Christ. This is
a general principle of the Christian life: everything we do should
be done to the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31) and in the name of
Jesus Christ (Col 3:17). It is true that in the end every knee will
bow to Christ, and every tongue will confess that he is Lord,14 to
the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:10–11), but our goal must be
to bring the world as close to this end as we can now, through
our life’s work. Stott (53) has said it very well: “The highest of
all missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great
Commission … , nor love for sinners who are alienated and
perishing … , but rather zeal—burning and passionate zeal—for
the glory of Jesus Christ.”3
Romans 1:5
Through him God gave me is literally “through whom we
received.” The plural pronoun “we” may refer to Paul and other
apostles (it cannot include the Roman readers), or it may refer
14
Those who bow and confess willingly will be saved; those who are forced to do so unwillingly by the sheer power
of his unveiled presence (e.g., Rev 6:12–17) will be lost.
3
Jack Cottrell, Romans : Volume 1, College Press NIV commentary (Joplin, Mo.: College Press Pub. Co., 1996-c1998),
Ro 1:5.

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only to Paul’s commission (so NEB and Moffatt). The phrase “we
received” is translated in the TEV as God gave me, to show that
it was from God that Paul received his commission. For
languages which employ two forms of “we,” inclusive and
exclusive, the “we” in this instance should obviously be
exclusive. However, Paul’s repeated emphasis upon his
particular commission as an apostle to the Gentiles would seem
to favor greatly the use of “I” rather than “we” in this passage.
The expression of secondary agency in the phrase through him
causes certain difficulties in a number of languages in which the
only equivalent is some causative expression—for example,
“God caused Christ to give me the privilege” or “God gave me
the privilege; Christ did it.”
The privilege of being an apostle is literally “grace and
apostleship.” Some understand “grace” and “apostleship” to
refer to two separate events, the former to God’s grace in Jesus
Christ and the latter to God’s call of Paul to be an apostle.
Others take the two as a reference to a single event, that is to
God’s call of Paul to be an apostle (Knox “the grace of
apostleship”; NEB “the privilege of a commission”; Moffatt “the
favor of my commission”). Paul looked upon his apostleship as a
special gift of God’s grace (1 Corinthians 3.10; 15.10; Galatians
2.9). A similar construction appears in Acts 1.25 (literally
“service and apostleship”), in which the second noun is used to
qualify the first. There the meaning is “service as an apostle.”
The phrase the privilege of being an apostle is difficult to render
in some languages. In some instances the concept must be
expressed in a paratactic relationship—for example, “God
caused me to be an apostle; this is a privilege.” The concept of
privilege may be incorporated into the principal clause as “God
gave me the good work of being an apostle.” In other instances
NEB New English Bible
TEV Today’s English Version

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privilege is best expressed as “a special task” or even “the
important commission” of being an apostle.
For the sake of Christ (literally “in behalf of his name”) appears
at the end of the verse in Greek, but it must be related to the
whole purpose of Paul’s call as an apostle, and for this reason
the TEV places it here (note also the NEB). For the sake of
Christ is equivalent in some languages to “in order that I might
serve Christ,” “in order that I might help Christ,” or “for the
benefit of Christ.”
People of all nations refers to peoples from all nations; some
take the Greek word in the more restrictive sense of “Gentiles”
(Moffatt), “pagan” (JB), or “heathen” (Goodspeed). Believe and
obey translates “obedience of faith.” This is not “obedience to
the faith” (Moffatt), but obedience that is caused by faith (NEB
“to faith and obedience”; Goodspeed “obedience and faith”).
Although “obedience” and “faith” are nouns in Greek, they
describe events rather than objects, and so are better rendered
by verbs.
The last clause in verse 5, introduced by in order to lead,
reflects only a preposition in Greek. However, the relationship
between the “apostleship” and the “obedience of faith” involves
obvious purpose. Furthermore, in most languages one must
make explicit the role of Paul with respect to the people of all
nations, and for this reason the TEV makes this relationship
explicit by means of the somewhat expanded rendering in order
to lead people of all nations to believe and obey.4
Romans 1:5
Grace or “undeserved favor,” Greek charis, which incorporates
attributes of God which the Hebrew of the Tanakh calls chesed
JB Jerusalem Bible
4
Barclay Moon Newman and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on Paul's Letter to the Romans, Originally Published: A
Translator's Handbook on Paul's Letter to the Romans. 1973., UBS handbook series; Helps for translators (New York:
United Bible Societies, 1994), 11.

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(“loving-kindness”) and rachamim (“mercy”).
Sha’ul’s commission from Yeshua is to promote trust-
grounded obedience, often translated literally, “the obedience
of faith” (on Greek pistis, “trust, faith,” see Ac 3:16N). But this
expression is ambiguous. Sha’ul does not mean “the obedience
which is faith,” he is not saying that obedience consists in
having faith in Yeshua. Rather, he is speaking of the good works
which flow from obeying God—the right deeds which are the
necessary consequence of truly putting one’s trust in God, his
Word and his Messiah. This needs to be said because Sha’ul is
often portrayed as promoting “faith” and opposing “works.” The
wrongness of such an oversimplification is discussed at 3:27–
28&N, Ep 2:8–10&NN and Ya 2:14–26&NN.
Sha’ul’s self-definition of his ministry at this early point in the
letter and again at the end of it (16:26) must be kept in mind
when reading Romans. With passion he opposes both legalism
(works stemming from prideful self-sufficiency that ignores
trust and regards performing good deeds as doing God a favor)
and antinomianism (undisciplined living that ignores the
obedience which leads to right action). 5
Romans 1:5
We have received grace and apostleship. NRSV Having
summarized the uniqueness of Christ, Paul briefly returns to his
own experience. For him, the beginning was when he received
grace. Before Paul became an apostle, he was made a disciple,
a follower of Christ. After personally receiving the gospel, he
then was sent out to tell others. Christians have both privilege
and great responsibility. Paul and the apostles received
forgiveness (grace) as an undeserved privilege. But they also
5
David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary : A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament, electronic
ed. (Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1996, c1992), Ro 1:5.
NRSV
Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted,
1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of
America, and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

23. Romans 1:5
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were given the responsibility of sharing the message of God’s
forgiveness with others. God also graciously forgives our sins
when we repent and put our trust in Christ. In doing this, we
are committing ourselves to begin a new life. Paul’s new life also
involved a God-given responsibility—to witness about God’s
Good News to the world. God’s call may take many forms and
many directions, but he does call each believer to be an
example of the changed life that Jesus Christ has begun and to
spread the word.
In Paul’s case, God’s direction became very clear. He was to
call people from among all the Gentiles. NIV While Paul
waited, blind and helpless, in Damascus, the Lord told Ananias,
“This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the
Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel” (Acts
9:15 NIV). Paul did carry the Good News across the known
world, speaking in synagogues, convincing the Gentiles, and
even standing before kings. Paul understood his calling, for in
Romans 11:13 he states, “I am talking to you Gentiles.
Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles …”
Paul’s introduction accounts for both the Jews and the
Gentiles within the Roman church. He makes it clear that the
gospel is the working out of God’s plan first revealed to the
Jews. He also makes it clear that the gospel offered hope to the
Gentiles. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and
only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV). Paul was chosen to be a key link in
making sure that God’s love for the world actually got
announced to the world.
This letter is not a tract to be put into the hands of the sinning
man in order that, believing what it says, he may be saved. It is
rather a treatise to be put into the hands of Christian men in
order that they may understand the method of their salvation.
NIV
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®
. NIV®
. Copyright ©
1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights
reserved.

24. Romans 1:5
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—G.Campbell Morgan
To the obedience that comes from faith. NIV This was the
desired response to the gospel message and the goal of Paul’s
ministry to the Roman Christians—that they would obey God
because of their faith in God. The only source for the kind of
obedience expected is faith in the one true God and in Jesus
Christ, his Son. Faith and obedience are inseparable. Where one
is lacking, the other will not be found either. Real faith will
always lead to obedience; real obedience comes from faith.
Faith is a word with many meanings. It can mean faithfulness
(Matthew 24:45). It can mean absolute trust, as shown by some
of the people who came to Jesus for healing (Luke 7:2–10). It
can mean confident hope (Hebrews 11:1). Or, as James points
out, it can even mean a barren belief that does not result in
good deeds (James 2:14–26). What does Paul mean when he
speaks of saving faith?
We must be very careful to understand faith as Paul uses the
word because he ties faith so closely to salvation. It is not
something we must do in order to earn salvation; if that were
true, then faith would be just one more deed, and Paul clearly
states that human deeds can never save us (Galatians 2:16).
Instead, faith is a gift that God gives us because he is saving us
(Ephesians 2:8). God’s grace, not our faith, saves us. In his
mercy, however, when he saves us, he gives us faith—a
relationship with his Son that helps us become like him.
Even in Old Testament times, grace, not deeds, was the basis
of salvation. As Hebrews points out, “it is impossible for the
blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (10:4). God intended
for his people to look beyond the animal sacrifices to him, but
all too often they required sacrifices. When Jesus triumphed
over death, he canceled the charges against us and opened the
way to the Father (Colossians 2:12–15). Because God is
merciful, he offers us faith. How mistaken it is to turn faith into
a deed and try to develop it on our own! We can never come to

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God through our own faith, any more than his Old Testament
people could come through their own sacrifices. Instead, we
must accept God’s gracious offer with thanksgiving and allow
him to plant the seed of faith within us.6
Romans 1:5
The universal scope of the gospel is expressed in Paul’s
definition of his task as “call[ing] people from among all the
Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith”13 (v. 5). The
promised Messiah did not come for the benefit of the Jewish
nation alone. The gospel is good news for all who will respond in
faith. But faith inevitably issues in obedience. Faith is not
intellectual assent to a series of propositions but surrender to
the one who asks us to trust him. To surrender is to obey.
Biblical faith is not some mild assent to a collection of ethical
maxims but an active commitment of one’s life. Obedience is
the true measure of a person’s faith. E. Best comments that
“faith and obedience go inextricably together. Only in obedience
is there faith, for faith is not emotional feeling or intellectual
acceptance but active response to a person.”14 Paul’s desire was
to take the gospel to the entire world and see the nations turn
to God in a faith that changes conduct. Any other response
would be inadequate. Apart from a changed life there is no real
faith.
6
Bruce B. Barton, David Veerman and Neil S. Wilson, Romans, Life application Bible commentary (Wheaton, IL:
Tyndale House Publishers, 1992), 7.
13
ὑπακοὴν πίστεως has been understood in various ways. Some read “obedience to the [Christian] faith” (unlikely
due to the lack of the article in Greek); others take πίστεως epexegetically, i.e., “obedience which consists in faith.”
D. B. Garlington holds that Paul deliberately coined ὑπακοὴ πίστεως as an ambiguous phrase that expresses both
ideas at the same time (“The Obedience of Faith in the Letter to the Romans: Part I: The meaning of ὑπακοὴ πίστεως
(Rom 1:5; 16:26),” WTJ [1990]: 201–24). In any case, faith and obedience are inseparable: true faith always expresses
itself in obedience, and genuine obedience inevitably stems from faith. ὑπακοή is a compound built on ἀκούω,
“hear.” Obedience is portrayed as the response to a verbal statement.
14 E. Best, The Letter of Paul to the Romans, CBC (Cambridge: University Press, 1967), 11.

26. Romans 1:5
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Through Jesus Christ, Paul and the other apostles received
their commission.15 Along with apostleship came the grace that
made it possible.16 When people from every nation profess
Christ and demonstrate their faith by the obedience it brings
forth, then will his name be honored.7
Romans 1:5
Through whom. Through Jesus Christ, who is the subject
spoken of. We have received. Paul refers to himself, and
perhaps to other apostles. Grace. The grace, the favor and
mercy of heaven granted to all saints. Apostleship. All saints
were not apostles, but one must be a saint to be an apostle.
Without the general grace he could not have the special gift of
apostleship. For obedience to the faith. The apostleship was
given in order to lead all nations to obedience to the faith. The
faith is a synonym for the gospel. Observe that it is a system of
obedience. In the apostolic age there were no recognized
believers but obedient believers. 8
PAUL’S VIEW OF HIS COMMISSION (v. 5)
How does Paul perceive his commission? Largely as a matter of
grace. He says in verse 5: “Through him and for his name’s
sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from
among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.”
Here Paul means grace in the widest sense of God’s favor—that
is, salvation, guidance, wisdom, illumination, and power to
serve. Grace is always an amazing thing to Paul, as we see later
in Romans: “where sin increased, grace increased all the more”
(5:20). The grace of God is infinite and eternal. It has no
15
Many take “we” as an editorial “we,” but Paul, in writing to a church that others had founded, would have been
sensitive to the fact that he was not alone in ministering to the Gentiles.
16 Some writers take “grace” and “apostleship” as a hendiadys and translate “the grace [or divine gift] of
apostleship.”
7
Robert H. Mounce, vol. 27, Romans, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary
(Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1995), 62.
8
Barton Warren Johnson, The People's New Testament : With Explanatory Notes (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research
Systems, Inc., 1999), 15.

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beginning and no end. Karl Barth said, “Only when grace is
recognized to be incomprehensible is it grace.”5 If we think we
understand God’s love and grace, we are probably without it.
Paul views his apostleship and ministry to the Gentiles as the
overflow of God’s mysterious grace to him.
Everything came from God! “I the brook, thou the spring.”6
Paul has told the Romans what he wants them to know about
himself. He is a servant. He is God-appointed, not self-
appointed. He is separated out for the gospel. His entire
horizon, the very atmosphere of his life, is dominated with the
resurrected human-superhuman Christ. And finally he sees his
commission and apostolic power in terms of incomprehensible
grace.
Paul’s view of himself made all the difference in the world. In
fact, it has been making a difference in the world for 2,000
years. What would we be like if we saw ourselves as God-
owned, our task as preaching the resurrected Christ, and
everything in life as a matter of grace?9
Romans 1:5
Through him and for his name’s sake, we received
grace and apostleship. As it was most important that Paul’s
authority as an apostle should be acknowledged in the church,
he repeats here the assertion that he received his office directly
from Jesus Christ, whose exalted character as the Son of God
and our supreme Lord he had just declared. Though di ou
properly means through whom, by whose instrumentality, the
preposition must here be taken in a more general sense as
indicating the source: from whom (compare Galatians 1:1 “by …
God the Father”; 11:36; 1 Corinthians 1:9).
5
5. Barth, The Epistle to the Romans, p. 31.
6 6. George MacDonald, Diary of an Old Soul (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1975), p. 11.
9
R. Kent Hughes, Romans : Righteousness from Heaven, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1991),
19.

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For his name’s sake — that is, for the sake of his name or
glory. These words most naturally go with the whole verse and
express the final end of the apostleship: the honor of Christ.
Paul had received his office and labored to make the nations
obedient to the Gospel, in order to promote the knowledge and
glory of Christ.
Grace and apostleship may either be taken together and
translated the “favor of the apostleship,” or each word may be
taken separately. Then grace refers to the kindness of God
demonstrated to the apostle in his conversion and vocation.
“Through whom we received grace, favor in general, and
especially apostleship.”
To the obedience that comes from faith. These words
express the goal of the apostleship; faith is either the genitive
of apposition, “obedience which consists in faith”; or it is the
genitive of the source, “obedience which flows from faith”; or it
is the genitive of the object, “obedience to faith” — that is, to
the Gospel. In favor of the last interpretation, reference may be
made to 2 Corinthians 10:5, “obedient to Christ”; 1 Peter 1:22,
“obeying the truth.” See Galatians 1:23, Acts 6:7, and Jude 3
for examples of the use of “faith” in this objective sense. The
subjective sense, however, of the word “faith” in the New
Testament is so predominant that it is best to retain it in this
passage.
The obedience of faith is obedience which consists in faith, or
of which faith is the controlling principle. The purpose of the
apostleship was to bring all nations so to believe in Christ the
Son of God that they should be entirely devoted to his service.
The sense is the same if faith be taken objectively, understood,
however, not of the Gospel, but of the inward principle of faith
to which the nations were to be obedient.
From among all the Gentiles. The apostles were not
diocesans restricted in jurisdiction to a particular territory. Their
commission was general. It was to all nations. If these words

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are linked to we received, they clearly express the extent of
the apostle’s mission: “We have received a mission among all
the Gentiles.” If, as is much more natural, because of their
position they are connected with the words which immediately
precede, they express the same idea indirectly. Paul’s office was
to promote obedience to the faith among all the Gentiles.10
Romans 1:5
THE PROVISION OF THE GOOD NEWS
through whom we have received grace and apostleship
(1:5a)
Paul here mentions two important provisions of the good news
of God: conversion, which is by God’s grace, and vocation,
which in Paul’s case was apostleship.
It is possible that Paul was speaking of the specific grace of
apostleship, but it seems more probable that he was referring
to, or at least including, the grace by which every believer
comes into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
Grace is unmerited, unearned favor, in which a believer
himself does not and cannot contribute anything of worth. “For
by grace you have been saved through faith,” Paul explains in
his Ephesian letter; “and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of
God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast” (Eph.
2:8–9). Grace is God’s loving mercy, through which He grants
salvation as a gift to those who trust in His Son. When any
person places his trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God
sovereignly breathes into that person His own divine life.
Christians are alive spiritually because they have been born
from above, created anew with the very life of God Himself.
A believer has no cause for self-congratulation, because he
contributes nothing at all to his salvation. Human achievement
has no place in the divine working of God’s saving grace. We
10
Charles Hodge, Romans, Originally Published: Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, 1835., The Crossway
classic commentaries (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1993), Ro 1:5.

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are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption
which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24), a redemption in which
man’s work and man’s boasting are totally excluded (vv. 27–
28).
Salvation does not come by baptism, by confirmation, by
communion, by church membership, by church attendance, by
keeping the Ten Commandments, by trying to live up to the
Sermon on the Mount, by serving other people, or even by
serving God. It does not come by being morally upright,
respectable, and self-giving. Nor does it come by simply
believing that there is a God or that Jesus Christ is His Son.
Even the demons recognize such truths (see Mark 5:7; James
2:19). It comes only when a person repenting of sin receives by
faith the gracious provision of forgiveness offered by God
through the atoning work of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The great preacher Donald Grey Barnhouse observed, “Love
that gives upward is worship, love that goes outward is
affection; love that stoops is grace” (Expositions of Bible
Doctrines Taking the Epistle to the Romans as a Point of
Departure, vol. 1 [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1952], p. 72). In
an unimaginable divine condescension, God looked down on
sinful, fallen mankind and graciously offered His Son for its
redemption (John 3:16–17).
The dying words of one ancient saint were, “Grace is the only
thing that can make us like God. I might be dragged through
heaven, earth, and hell and I would still be the same sinful,
polluted wretch unless God Himself should cleanse me by His
grace.”
Another provision of the good news of God is His calling
believers into His service, which is a form of apostleship. Paul
opens the epistle by speaking of himself, and he resumes his
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personal comments in verses 8–15. In verses 2–4 he speaks
about Jesus Christ. But from the end of verse 4 through verse
7 he is speaking about believers in general and about those in
Rome in particular. Paul had already mentioned his own calling
and office as an apostle (v. 1), and it therefore seems
reasonable to launch from this reference to his apostleship to
discuss God’s divine calling and sending of all believers.
The Greek term apostolos, which normally is simply
transliterated as apostle, has the basic meaning of “one who is
sent” (cf. the discussion in chapter 1). God sovereignly chose
thirteen men in the early church to the office of apostle, giving
them unique divine authority to proclaim and miraculously
authenticate the gospel. The writer of Hebrews even refers to
Jesus Christ as an apostle (Heb. 3:1).
But every person who belongs to God through faith in Christ is
an apostle in a more general sense of being sent by Him into
the world as His messenger and witness. In an unofficial sense,
anyone who is sent on a spiritual mission, anyone who
represents the Savior and brings His good news of salvation, is
an apostle.
Two otherwise unknown leaders in the early church,
Andronicus and Junias, were referred to by Paul as being
“outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before
me” (Rom. 16:7). Luke refers to Barnabas as an apostle (Acts
14:14). The term apostolos is also applied to Epaphroditus
(“messenger,” Phil. 2:25) as well as to some unnamed workers
in, or known by, the church in Corinth (“messengers,” 2 Cor.
8:23). But those men, godly as they were, did not have the
office of apostleship as did Paul and the Twelve. Andronicus,
Junias, Barnabas, and Epaphroditus were apostles only in the
sense that every believer is an apostle, a called and sent
ambassador of Jesus Christ.
v. verse
cf. confer (Lat.), compare

32. Romans 1:5
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Sometimes an athletically inept student will be put on a team
out of sympathy or to fill a roster, but the coach will rarely, if
ever, put him in a game. God does not work that way. Every
person who comes to Him through His Son is put on the team
and sent in to play the game, as it were. Everyone who is saved
by God’s sovereign grace is also sovereignly called to
apostleship. The Lord never provides conversion without
commission. When by grace we “have been saved through
faith,” Paul explains, it is not ourselves but “is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” But as he
goes on to explain, when God saves us we thereby become “His
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8–
10). Later in that same epistle Paul entreats believers “to walk
in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been
called” (4:1).
A victor at an ancient Greek Olympic game is said to have
been asked, “Spartan, what will you gain by this victory?” He
replied, “I, sir, shall have the honor to fight on the front line for
my king.” That spirit should typify everyone for whom Jesus
Christ is Lord and Savior.
After one of D. L. Moody’s sermons, a highly educated man
came to him and said, “Excuse me, but you made eleven
mistakes in your grammar tonight.” In a gracious rebuke Moody
replied, “I probably did. My early education was very faulty. But
I am using all the grammar that I know in the Master’s service.
How about you?” On another occasion a man came up to Mr.
Moody and said, “I don’t like your invitation. I don’t think it’s
the right way to do it.” “I appreciate that,” Moody responded.
“I’ve always been uncomfortable with it, too. I wish I knew a
better way. What is your method of inviting people to Christ?” “I
don’t have one,” the man replied. “Then I like mine better,” the
evangelist said. Whatever our limitations may be, when God
calls us by His grace, He also calls us to His service.

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In reflecting on his ordination into the Presbyterian ministry,
Barnhouse wrote:
The moderator of the Presbytery asked me questions, and I
answered them. They told me to kneel down. Men came toward
me, and one man was asked to make the prayer. I felt his hand
come on my head, and then the hands of others, touching my
head, and pressing down on his and the other hands. The ring
of men closed in, and one man began to pray. It was a nice little
prayer and had one pat little phrase in it, “Father, guard him
with Thy love, guide him with Thine eye, and gird him with Thy
power.” I kept thinking about those three verbs, guard, guide,
gird. It seemed as foolish as performing a marriage ceremony
upon two people who had been living together for a quarter of a
century and who had had a family of children together. I knew
that I had been ordained long since, and that the Hands that
had been upon my head were Hands that had been pierced, and
nailed to a cross. Years later the man that made the prayer that
day signed a paper saying that he was opposed to the doctrine
of the virgin birth, the doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ, the
doctrine of the substitutionary atonement, the doctrine of the
miracles of Christ, and the doctrine of the inspiration of the
Scriptures, as tests for ordination or a man’s good standing in
the ministry. When I read his name on the list, I put my hand
on the top of my head and smiled to myself, wondering how
many dozen times I had had my hair cut since his unholy hands
had touched me. And I had the profound consolation of knowing
that the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ, wounded and torn
because of my sins, had touched me and given me an
apostleship which was from God and which was more important
than any that men could approve by their little ceremonies.
(Man’s Ruin: Romans 1:1–32 [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1952], pp. 76–77. Used by permission.)
Dr. Barnhouse’s account reminds me of my own ordination.
Before being approved, I was interviewed by a number of men
pp. pages

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who asked me all kinds of questions concerning such things as
my call, my knowledge of Scripture, and my personal beliefs
and moral standards. At the ordination service those men
gathered around me and placed their hands on my head. Each
man then prayed and later signed his name to the ordination
certificate. The first name on the certificate was written
considerably larger than the others. But not long afterward, that
man who signed first and largest abandoned the ministry. He
became involved in gross immorality, denied the virtue of the
faith, and became a professor of humanistic psychology at a
prominent secular university. Like Dr. Barnhouse, I give thanks
to God that my ministry did not come from men but from Christ
Himself.11
Romans 1:5
διʼ ου̂̔, “through whom.” Not διʼ ὅν, “on account of whom,”
that is, for the sake of a great servant of God now dead. Nor ἀφʼ
ου̂̔, “from whom,” that is, from Christ as source of divine power
(though cf. v 7). But διʼ ου̂̔, “through Christ,” that is, through
the risen Christ as an active agent and participant in the process
of salvation (cf. 5:9, 17–18, 21; 8:37; etc.). Already the sense
of the exalted Jesus as mediator between heaven and earth (cf.
also 1:8; 7:25; 2 Cor 1:20; Col 3:17) is clearly established and
assumed and is certainly fundamental for Paul. See further
on 1:8 and 2:16.
ἐλάβομεν, “we have received.” Somewhat unexpectedly (in
view of v 1) Paul links others with himself—we received. He
does not regard himself as the sole apostle to the Gentiles,
which would in any case have been a difficult position to
maintain in writing to a largely Gentile church which he had not
founded. The sensitivity shown here, among other things,
confirms that for Paul church founding was integral to the role of
an apostle (see on 1:1). That we have here, alternatively,
simply an “epistolary plural” (Cranfield; Schlier with bibliog.) is
11
John MacArthur, Romans (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996, c1991, c1994), 20.
cf. confer, compare

35. Romans 1:5
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unlikely, since on matters of apostleship Paul is usually careful
in what he says (the plurals in 1 Cor 9:11–12; 2 Cor 1:12–14;
and 1 Thess 3:1–2 are appropriate since in each case others are
associated with him—Barnabas, Silvanus, and Timothy). See
also on 3:8–9.
χάριν καὶ ἀποστολήν, “grace and apostleship.” “Grace” is one
of the great words which Christian vocabulary owes particularly
to Paul, taken over by him from wider circulation
(see LSJ; TDNT 9:373–76; Spicq, 960–66) and used especially
to express God’s free and unstinting concern in its outreach to
humankind, in a way for which the LXX provided only partial
precedent. In the LXX χάρις usually translates ‫ן‬ ֵ
‫ח‬, which mostly
appears in the formulation “find favor before/in the eyes of,”
though a more dynamic sense is evident in Exod
3:21, 11:3, 12:36, Ps 84:11 [LXX 83:12], Dan 1:9, and Bar
2:14 (see Nolland’s important qualification of TDNT 9:379–81,
389). And the nearer equivalent, ‫ד‬ ֶ
‫ס‬ ֶ
‫ח‬ (“loving kindness”), is
translated in the LXX by ἔλεος (TDNT 9:381–87). In Paul,
however, χάρις is never merely an attitude or disposition of God
(God’s character as gracious); consistently it denotes something
much more dynamic—the wholly generous act of God. Like
“Spirit,” with which it overlaps in meaning (cf., e.g., 6:14
and Gal 5:18), it denotes effective divine power in the
experience of men and women. See the still valuable G. P.
Wetter, Charis (Leipzig: Brandstetter, 1913); Dunn, Jesus, 202–
5. So here χάρις denotes something “received.” What Paul has
in mind in particular here is indicated by the accompanying
noun (“apostleship”—elsewhere in Paul only 1 Cor 9:2 and Gal
2:8), with which “grace” almost forms a hendiadys (grace
embodied, manifested in apostleship). It is the same experience
LSJ Liddell-Scott-Jones, Greek-English Lexicon
TDNT G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, eds., tr. G. W. Bromiley Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 10 vols., ET
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964–76)
LXX The Septuagint, Greek translation of the OT
e.g. exempli gratia, for example

36. Romans 1:5
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of commissioning at the hands of the exalted Christ on the
Damascus road of which he writes in Gal 1:12, 15–16. And
though he would presumably not exclude the sense of the
gracious power of conversion (as in 3:24; 5:15, 17, 20; 1 Cor
1:4–5; etc.), here as elsewhere the encounter with the risen
Christ focuses on his commissioning (Gal 1:15–16; 1 Cor 9:1–
2), and as in 1 Cor 15:10 on the gracious power which made his
commissioning effective (cf. Gal 2:7, 9). Whether he
deliberately avoided the word χάρισμα (spiritual gift, concrete
manifestation of power—see on 1:11) here in order to
distinguish apostleship from other χαρίσματα (charisms) is not
clear; Satake would say Yes, but see von Lips—ἡ χάρις ἡ
δοθει̂σα = χάρισμα. See also on 12:3.
εἰς ὑπακοὴν πίστεως, “with a view to the obedience of faith.”
ὑπακοή was a little known word at this time (see LSJ; MM), but
seems to have become established in Christian terminology,
probably as yet another word we owe to Paul’s having given It
some prominence in his own teaching
(1:5; 5:19; 6:16; 15:18; 16:19, 26; 2 Cor 7:15; 10:5–
6; Philem 21; Heb 5:8; 1 Pet 1:2, 14, 22). The verb ὑπακούω
still displays its derivation from ἀκούω, “hear” (see LSJ,
ὑπακούω—range of meaning includes “give ear to, answer,
heed”; LXX uses ὑπακούω to translate ‫ע‬ ַ
‫מ‬ ָׁ
‫ש‬, “hear”); so what is
envisaged primarily is response to a spoken word. The overlap
in meaning with Gal 3:2, 5, ἀκοὴ, “hearing of faith” (self-evident
in the Greek) would be clearer if we translated our phrase here
as “response of faith” (cf. 10:16–17); but Friedrich pushes this
aspect too hard in suggesting that the phrase be translated
“preaching of faith” (“Röm 1:5”); see also on 10:18.
To clarify what faith is and its importance to his gospel is one
of Paul’s chief objectives in this letter (πίστις and πιστεύω occur
40 and 21 times respectively in Romans; see particularly 1:17
and chap. 4). The genitive construction is probably to be taken
as embracing both the sense “response which is faith” and
MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (London: Hodder, 1930)

37. Romans 1:5
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“obedience which stems from faith”—“interchangeable ideas”
(Ridderbos, Paul, 237); for alternative grammatical possibilities
see Cranfield (there is a general consensus that “obedience to
the faith” is not what Paul intended; “obedience to [God’s]
faithfulness” [Gaston, Paul, 169] does not seem to make much
sense as a phrase). That “the obedience of faith” is a crucial and
central theme, structurally important in understanding the
thrust of the letter is indicated by its reappearance in the (albeit
later added) concluding sentence (16:26), as well as by the
prominence of ὑπακοή in the letter as a whole (7 times—see
above; ὑπακούω—6:12, 16–17; 10:16; see further on 6:12
and 11:30–31). For the moment it would have been enough
simply to allude to what his readers well understood—their
belief in the message about Jesus, their commitment in baptism
and the consequent lifestyle determined by that faith (see also
on 3:31; 4:12; 6:16; 8:4; 13:8–10).
ἐβ πα̂σιν τοι̂ς ἔθνεσιν, “among all the nations.” (τὰ) ἔθνη
certainly means “the Gentiles” (and not “the nations” including
Jews); it is used in the LXX to translate ‫ם‬ִ‫ּגֹוי‬, usually =
other/foreign nations; and in Greek usage it also usually
denotes foreigners (see BGD). Once again this is no casual
phrase, inserted merely to provide a transition back to the
greeting proper. That his apostleship was to the Gentiles was
absolutely fundamental in Paul’s selfunderstanding (cf.
particularly 11:13; 15:16, 18; Gal 1:16; 2:2, 8–9), and that the
saving purpose of God always had the Gentiles in view is a
central theme of this letter (ἔθνος appears 29 times in
Romans—9 of them in direct quotations from the OT; see also
on 15:9). The πα̂σιν is also significant, not only because it
confirms the truly universal scope of God’s gospel (“all the
nations”), but also because it reminds us that Paul seriously
contemplated this outreach being achieved within his own
lifetime, as the last act before the end and the necessary
preliminary to the salvation of Israel (1 Cor 4:9; Rom 11:13–
BGD W. Bauer, F. W. Gingrich and F. Danker, Greek-English Lexicon of the NT
OT Old Testament

38. Romans 1:5
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27). The ἐν (“among”) probably also indicates Paul’s recognition
that “the obedience of faith” would be patchy so far as Gentile
response was concerned.
In linking the thought of “obedience” to “the nations” Paul’s
train of thought may still show the influence of Ps 2 (v 8—God’s
son given the nations as his inheritance and the ends of the
earth as his possession; cf. 1:3–4) and Isa 49 (vv 6–7—God’s
slave/servant given as a light to the nations … princes
prostrating themselves; cf. 1:1). More probable still is the
likelihood that Paul had in mind the importance of obedience
within Jewish self-understanding—obedience as Israel’s proper
response to God’s covenant grace (as particularly in Deut
26:17; 30:2; the Shema of course begins ‫ל‬ ֵ
‫א‬ ָׁ
‫ר‬ ְׁ
‫ש‬ִ‫י‬ ‫ן‬ ַ
‫מ‬ ְׁ
‫ש‬, “Hear, O
Israel” [Deut 6:4], though the LXX translates ‫ע‬ ַ
‫מ‬ ְׁ
‫ש‬ here as
ἄκουε). The point would then be that Paul intends his readers to
understand the faith response of the Gentiles to the gospel as
the fulfillment of God’s covenant purpose through Israel, the
eschatological equivalent of Israel’s obligation under the
covenant. As such, the phrase “the obedience of faith among
the Gentiles” provides a very neat and fitting summary of his
complete apologetic in Romans (Garlington, 329–55).
ὑπὲν του̂ ὁνόματος αὐτου̂, “for the sake of his name.” The
“name” is one of the ways in which a person can be known,
through which one manifests something of oneself, a means by
which one can (as we may say) “gain a handle” on another—all
the more so in the ancient world (see TDNT 5:243, 250–51,
253–54). Hence “for the benefit of his reputation,” that Christ
may be known as the one who fulfills God’s covenant purpose in
bringing the Gentiles to the obedience of faith
(cf. 2:24; 9:17; 10:13; 15:9). Indeed, there may be a
deliberate contrast with 2:24: for the Gentiles to fulfill God’s
covenant purpose in the obedience of faith will enhance God’s
“public image,” whereas Jewish failure to fulfill the covenant,

39. Romans 1:5
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through pride and disobedience, reduces God in the eyes of the
nations.12
Romans 1:5
Unto obedience of faith (εἰς ὑπακοην πιστεως [eis hupakoēn
pisteōs]). Subjective genitive as in 16:26, the obedience which
springs from faith (the act of assent or surrender). 13
Romans 1:5
We have received (ἐλάβομεν). Aorist tense. Rev., we
received. The categorical plural, referring to Paul, and not
including the other apostles, since the succeeding phrase,
among all the nations, points to himself alone as the apostle to
the Gentiles.
Grace and apostleship. Grace, the general gift bestowed on
all believers: apostleship, the special manifestation of grace to
Paul. The connecting καὶ and, has the force of and in particular.
Compare ch. 15:15, 16.
For obedience to the faith (εἰς ὑπακοὴν πίστεως). Rev.,
unto obedience of faith. Unto marks the object of the grace and
apostleship: in order to bring about. Obedience of faith is the
obedience which characterizes and proceeds from faith.
Nations (ἔθνεσιν). Or Gentiles. Not geographically,
contrasting the inhabitants of the world, Jew and Gentile, with
the Jews strictly so called, dwelling in Palestine, but Gentiles
distinctively, for whom Paul’s apostleship was specially
instituted. See on Luke 2:32, and compare on 1 Pet. 2:9.14
12James D. G. Dunn, vol. 38A, Word Biblical Commentary : Romans 1-8, electronic ed., Logos Library System; Word
Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 16.
13
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Vol.V c1932, Vol.VI c1933 by Sunday School Board of the
Southern Baptist Convention. (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Ro 1:5.
Rev. Revised Version of the New Testament.
14
Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.,
2002), 3:i-5.

40. Romans 1:5
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Romans 1:5
Through the Son Paul had received grace and his apostleship.
The phrase, for his name (AV), should be tied to apostleship—
an apostleship, literally, on behalf of his name.15
AV Authorized Version
15
Charles F. Pfeiffer and Everett Falconer Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary : New Testament (Chicago: Moody
Press, 1962), Ro 1:5.

41. Romans 1:5
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References: