Chapter IX.
(Vers. 1-3.)
(Ver. 1-3.) I speak the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience bearing witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites. As regards the Gospel, they are enemies for your sake; but as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Therefore, Christ and the Holy Spirit, who know all things, provide witnesses: and their testimony cannot be rejected by those who bear witness to the Apostle, as they commend him for the power of the miracles, which they performed through him. For since the protection of Christ is so great, and he shows extraordinary love for the human race, and promises glorious and immortal rewards by his glorious dignity, his own kind, which is according to the flesh, is saddened; because by their unbelief, they have deprived themselves of this eternal and saving benefit. Therefore, he said, I do not desire; for he knows that it is impossible for such an honorable member, without any preceding fault, to be separated from the Christian body; however, he does show affection and love for his own kind.
(Vers. 4.)
(Verse 4.) The adoption of these ones is of the children. It just proves that it is right to be sad when he praises their race, because once adopted sons, they rendered the affection and grace of God the Father void. He added also that it makes others sad for them, saying:
(Vers. 5.)
(Verse 5.) And glory, and covenants, and legislation, and service, and promises, whose Fathers, and out of whom Christ according to the flesh, who is above all God blessed forever. Amen. Such great praises of the nobility and dignity of the Jewish race and the enumeration of the promises, that it brings grief to everyone on their behalf; because by not receiving the Savior, they have lost the preeminence of the Fathers and the merit of the promise, becoming worse than the Gentiles, whom they used to abhor previously because they were without God: for it is more grievous to have lost dignity than to have never had it. Meanwhile, he is speaking about Salvator.
God is blessed above all things forever. Amen. For when no mention is made of the paternal name, and the discourse is about Christ, it cannot be delayed that God be spoken of. For frequently the Scripture, on account of the profession of the one God, if it speaks of God the Father and joins the Son to God, calls God the Father and the Son the Lord. But if anyone does not consider that the statement is about Christ: 'Who is God,' let him give the person to whom it was said; for mention of God the Father is not made in this place. But what is surprising, if in this place he declared with an open voice that Christ is God above all, about whom in another epistle he confirmed this meaning with such a discourse, saying: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth (Philippians 2:10)? These are all the things over which God is Christ. For apart from these, there is nothing, so that Christ is not God above all; and every creature cannot bow the knee, except to God. Finally, the Apostle John, when unaware that the angel desired to worship him as God, hears the words: 'Do not do it, for I am your fellow servant. Worship God.' (Apoc. XIX, 10). And the Lord indeed did not allow himself to be worshipped, except because he is God; if not, he would be considered to have usurped and sinned, which God forbid; since he himself, rebuking the devil, shows that the Lord God is to be worshipped and served alone. (Matth. IV, 10). Therefore, nothing is prejudiced against God the Father, when Christ is worshipped as God; because when it is said that only God is to be served, Christ is also served. For he says elsewhere: Whoever serves Christ in these things, pleases God (John 10:4). What therefore remains, except that the Father be God, and the Son be God; and yet each is believed to be one and the same God? For whether someone worships the Father or the Son, they are said to worship one God; and whether they serve the Father or the Son, they offer service to one God. Therefore, there is no distinction; for whoever worships the Son, worships the Father also: and whoever serves the Father, serves the Son as well. And so, in order to prove that this confession is free from flattery towards this godhead, he put at the end, Amen, which means, true; so that he might show Christ, the God above all, blessed forever in truth.
(Vers. 6.)
(Verse 6) But the word of God did not fail. The word of God did not fail when it said, 'In Isaac shall thy seed be called' (Genesis 21:12), that is, this happened as God had foretold. So that those who are the children of Abraham according to the flesh should not be called his seed, but those who have received the faith through which Isaac was born, which was transformed in the time of Christ, not as something particular, but as something general. So that just as Abraham believed concerning Isaac, they might believe concerning God and Christ, because the Son of God was born to redeem the human race.
(Vers. 7.)
(Verse 7.) Not all who are from Israel are Israelites, nor are all the descendants of Abraham his children; but 'In Isaac shall your descendants be named.' This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. For this is what the promise said: 'About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.' And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, 'The older will serve the younger.' As it is written, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.' For all these sons are indeed the sons of Abraham through Isaac; for the entire lineage of the Jewish race is descended from Abraham through Isaac. But, as I said, these are truly the sons of Abraham who follow the promise that was made in Isaac; and therefore the other sons are not considered to be sons of Abraham. For Abraham, by believing, received Isaac because of his faith in God. In this, the mystery of future faith was foreshadowed; so that those who had the same faith in which Isaac was born would be brothers of Isaac; for Isaac was born as a type of the Savior, through the promise, so that anyone who believes that Christ Jesus was promised to Abraham would be a son of Abraham, and truly a brother of Isaac. It is therefore said to Abraham, 'In your seed all nations will be blessed' (Gen. 22:18); which certainly did not happen in Isaac, but in him who was promised in Isaac to Abraham, who is Christ, in whom all nations are blessed by believing. Therefore, the rest of the Jews are children of the flesh, deprived of the promise; nor can they deservedly be considered descendants of Abraham, who do not follow the faith through which Abraham proved himself worthy.
(Vers. 8.)
(Verse 8.) That is, not those who are the children of the flesh, these are the children of God; but those who are the children of the promise are considered as descendants. It is clear that the children of the flesh cannot be considered children of God; for these are the ones born out of the desire of the flesh, but those who are born out of faith spiritually, according to what was promised to Abraham, so that they may be considered as descendants, as believers.
(Vers. 9.)
(Verse 9.) For this is the word of promise: At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son. This is found in Genesis, which is a foreshadowing in Christ, that Christ, the promised son of Abraham, would come, in whom the word of promise would be fulfilled, so that all the nations of the earth would be blessed in Christ. For when the promise was made to Abraham, and he heard: In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; Christ was certainly promised to him through Isaac, in whom we see this fulfilled.
(Vers. 10.)
(Verse 10.) Not only this, that is, Sarah, but also Rebecca, having Isaac as the father of our ancestors, from one union. Therefore, it is not only said that Sarah in a type gave birth to Isaac, but also that Rebecca became Isaac's wife. But there is a different reason in Isaac, a different one in Jacob and Esau; because Isaac was born in the likeness of the Savior, but Jacob and Esau have the type of two peoples, that is, believers and non-believers; so that, although they are from one, they are still different. For in each case a genus is signified, so that those who are of one genus are called such, who are one in the cause of faith or perfidy. For one is signified in many, not through the transfer of flesh, but through a common cause; because the children of Jacob are said to be from Esau, and the children of Esau are accounted from Jacob. For not because Jacob is praised, are all born from him, called his children by merit: or because Esau is displeasing, are all born from his origin reprobate; since we see both perfidious children made from the transfer of Jacob, and faithful and dear to God from Esau. For it is not doubtful that many are treacherous of Jacob, for all the unbelieving Jews or believing Jews have their origin from him; and because the good and faithful ones are from Esau, Job, who is from the sons of Esau, the fifth descendant from Abraham, that is, the grandson of Esau, proves it.
(Vers. 11-13.)
(Verses 11-13.) For when they had not yet been born and had not done anything good or evil, so that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not by works but by the one who calls, it was said to her, 'The older will serve the younger,' as it is written: 'I loved Jacob, but Esau I hated.' This is found in Malachi. The foreknowledge of God is demanded in these cases, because nothing else can happen except what God knows will happen. For knowing what each of them would become, he said, 'The younger will be worthy and the older will be unworthy.' He chose one by foreknowledge, and rejected the other; and in the one he chose, the purpose of God remains; for nothing can happen except what he knew and proposed in him, that he may be worthy of salvation; and in the one he rejected, the same purpose remains, which he proposed concerning him; for he will be unworthy. He, as if knowing beforehand, is not a respecter of persons; for he does not condemn anyone before they sin, and he does not crown anyone before they conquer. This pertains to the case of the Jews, who defend their prerogative because they are the sons of Abraham. But the Apostle consoles himself, saying that because he had said that he had continuous sorrow of heart, it is the cause of their disbelief, whose adoption was of the sons, and the establishment of the law, and from whom Christ, the Savior, as he himself says: Because salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22); having examined the Law, he found that not all who are from Israel will believe, nor should all those who are called sons of Abraham be called Abraham's sons, as I mentioned above. Therefore, he minimizes his own pain, once finding the aforementioned, that not everyone will believe; so that it hurts only those who suffer from envy in disbelief. However, they can believe what he reveals from the subjects. Nevertheless, it is not very regrettable for those aforementioned unbelievers; because they are not predestined for life; for the foreknowledge of God once decreed that they would not be saved. For who mourns for someone who is considered dead? But as the nations that were once without God enter in, and as they receive the salvation that they lost, the pain is revived; but again, because they themselves are the cause of their own destruction, it is subdued. Therefore, God foresaw that they would be of evil will, not including them in the number of the good; although the Savior says to those seventy-two disciples, whom he chose as the second class, who later departed from him: Your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). But this is for the sake of justice, because this is just; so that each one may be rewarded according to their merit. For they were chosen for the ministry because they were good; and their names were written in heaven for the sake of justice, as I said: but according to foresight, they were among the number of the wicked. For God judges about justice, not about foreknowledge. Whence he also said to Moses: If anyone sins before me, I will blot him out of my book (Exod. XXXII, 34) so that he may appear to be blotted out according to the justice of the judge, when he sins; but he never existed in the book of life according to foreknowledge. Hence the apostle John says about this: They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us (I John II, 20). There is no partiality in God's foreknowledge; for foreknowledge is that by which God knows the future will of each person, in which they will remain, through which they may be either condemned or crowned. Finally, those whom He knows will remain in goodness are often previously evil, and those whom He knows will remain in evil are sometimes previously good. Therefore, the complaint ceases; for God is not partial. Therefore, how could the ministry of salvation have been obtained if he were not good? For it was fitting for the judgment of God that he be chosen at the time, just as were those seventy-two men whom I mentioned earlier (Matt. XVII, 5). This is why Judas, after committing the wickedness of the whole, ended his life by hanging himself, moved by repentance. For it is not possible for any good to be completely obliterated; indeed, since nature cannot be changed, only the will can be. Not in all cases, however, because there remains in nature something that can be a testimony to the Creator.
(Vers. 14.)
(Verse 14) What then shall we say? Is there injustice with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion' (Exodus 33:19). So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth' (Romans 9:17). Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, 'Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?' But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, 'Why have you made me like this?' Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? (Romans 9:19-21). Therefore, he anticipated him before the appointed time because it was necessary, and he condemned Pharaoh before the future judgment so that it would be believed that he would judge.
(Vers. 15.)
(Verse 15) For to Moses he says: I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy: and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy. Therefore mercy, he says, is of him to whom I will have mercy, that is, I will have mercy on him, to whom I knew beforehand that I would give mercy, knowing that he would turn to me and remain with me: And I will show mercy to him, to whom I will have shown mercy, that is, I will give him mercy, whom I knew would return to me after error with a right heart. This is to give to him to whom it should be given, and not to give to him to whom it should not be given; to call him whom he knows will obey: but not to call him whom he knows will not obey. But to call is not to fight, but to urge to receive the faith.
(Vers. 16.)
(Verse 16.) Therefore, it is of God's mercy, not of one's will or effort. It is right, because what is asked should be determined not by the will of the petitioner, but by the discretion of the giver. For whether it should be given must be weighed by the judgement of the giver; for when Saul, who had sinned, asked for forgiveness, he did not receive it (1 Samuel 15:24): but on the other hand, David, who had sinned and asked for forgiveness, obtained mercy (2 Samuel 12:8). Therefore, the judgement of God, not of the giver, must be followed; for he who desires the salvation of all does not judge unjustly, while justice remains; for the inspector of hearts knows whether the petitioner is asking with this intention, so as to deserve to receive. And although it is dangerous to discern the judgment of God; nevertheless, for the sake of those who are doubtful, so that their minds may obtain healing, lest they think the judgment of God is unjust, saying: He calls one and neglects the other; thinking they can excuse those who are to be condemned, let us rather prove this by actions rather than words; for where there are examples of deeds, no one dares to complain or make any excuse. There were two, David and Saul, let us examine their histories to see what each of them is found to be after the judgment of God; so that if Saul is found to have done well after not receiving mercy, let us not deem God's judgment unjust, may it never be: or if David, having received mercy, is found to have despised God, let us consider whether he remained in the same state in which he obtained mercy, and, to be concise, both of them suffered the necessity of the kingdom. And how great was the need for David, that his own son would want to deprive him of the kingdom! In that need, he wept, walking barefoot so that the king and leader of God's people might flee, so greatly humbled that he did not even respond to his servant who cursed him to his face; so that through patience he might make God propitious to him, through whom he believed the kingdom was reserved for him (2 Samuel 15:16). But Saul, on the other hand, was not found in such need; for civil war is a worse evil than external war: moreover, he bore the fact that he was not heard once or twice, even though he was unworthy, and did not persist in prayer; so that he might make merit for himself, by which he might be worthy: but impatient and indignant at God's judgment, he sought help from the idols that he had previously condemned as of no importance. Behold, the just judgement of God is made manifest even to those who are unwilling.
(Vers. 17.)
(Verse 17) For the Scripture says (Exodus IX, 16) to Pharaoh: For this very reason I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. Other manuscripts have it as follows: For this reason I have saved you, that I may show My power in you. Whether it is 'raised you up' or 'saved you,' the meaning is the same; for it is saying that when Pharaoh, whose name was the title for the kings among the Egyptians, just like the Roman emperors are called 'Augustus' kings: this Pharaoh, therefore, being guilty of so many evils as to be unworthy of life, persisted in his wickedness and did not want to reform himself; thinking either that he deserved to live or that God, whom he often considered deceivable, was powerless to inflict punishment, he hears from God: For this very reason I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth; so that in this other nations may learn that there is no other God besides this one, who was the God of the Jews and has become the God of the Christians; although they were also Christians, and we are now Jews because of Judah, from whom Christ came according to the flesh; for the ancient Jews, hoping for the coming of Christ as their redeemer, were Christians: for Rahab the harlot says to the spies sent by Jesus the son of Nun, who was previously called Hoshea: We have heard of the mighty works and the plagues that were done in Egypt by your God, and we were greatly afraid; for we fear you (Joshua II, 9). Therefore, Pharaoh was saved for this purpose, so that many signs and plagues would be shown to him as if he were already dead. But when he was raised, he was called 'raised' because, having died in the sight of God, he received a little time to appear alive, so that it would be in his punishment and in various types of torment until death, that all those who were without God, terrified by fear, would confess that this God alone is with the greatest admiration, from whom these punishments are inflicted. The ancient doctors also sought in this way, in the case of men deserving of death or having received a sentence of death, how they could be beneficial to the living by revealing the things that were hidden in a man; so that they might understand the causes of illness and the punishment of the one dying might lead to the salvation of the living.
(Vers. 18.)
(Verse 18) Therefore he has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardens. So you say to me. He speaks from the perspective of someone contradicting, who thinks that God, neglecting justice, shows favoritism to someone; so that he might choose one of two equals, and reject the other, that is, afflict one in order to believe: and harden the other, so that he may not believe. To this, he responds with authority, while still maintaining justice, speaking from the previously mentioned foreknowledge:
(Vers. 19.)
(Verse 19) What is still being sought for? For who can resist His will? First, it is said that no one can resist Him; for He is most powerful above all. Then, because God is the parent of all, and therefore He wishes no harm to anyone; for what He has made, He wishes to remain unharmed. For it is not fitting for Him to be unjust, whose benevolence is so great that not only did He create things that did not exist, but He also bestowed upon them eternal life and glory, so that His work might have something similar to His majesty. Therefore, he who is so provident and good should not be doubted because he is just.
(Vers. 20.)
(Verse 20) O man, who are you, that you answer God! Great is, he says, the unworthiness and presumption for a man to respond to God in adversity, to judge the just as unfair, the evil as good, the inexperienced as perfect, the weak as the strongest, the corruptible as the incorruptible, the mortal as the immortal, the worthless servant to the master, the creature to the creator. Does the formed thing say to him who formed it, 'Why have you made me like this?' (Isaiah 45:9) This is from the prophet Isaiah, which he puts here as if it were his own, to show that he cannot complain against the author of his work; for it is in the power of the author to create whatever kind of creature he wishes.
(Vers. 21.)
(Verse 21.) Does not the potter have power over the clay, to make one vessel to honor, and another to dishonor? It is clear that some vessels are made for honor, which are necessary for honorable uses; but others are made for dishonor, which are instruments for common use; yet they are all made from the same substance, but differ based on the will of the craftsman. So it is with God, when we are all from the same substance and all sinners, some are shown mercy and others are despised, not without justice. In the potter, there is only the will; but in God, there is the will with justice; for He knows whom He should have mercy on, as I mentioned earlier.
(Vers. 22.)
(Verse 22) But if God, wanting to show His wrath and make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. He did this to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, including us, whom He also called, not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles. As He also says in Hosea: 'I will call those who were not My people, My people, and her who was not beloved, beloved.' 'And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, You are not My people, there they will be called sons of the living God.' Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: 'Though the number of the sons of Israel may be as the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved. For the Lord will execute His word on the earth, completing it and cutting it short.' And as Isaiah said before: 'Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom and been made like Gomorrah.' What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not attain to a law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written: 'Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes on Him will not be put to shame.'
(Vers. 23.)
(Verse 23) And in order to show the riches of his glory in vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory. The patience and long-suffering of God is itself, which prepares the wicked for destruction and the righteous for the crown; for the righteous are those in whom the hope of faith is. For he sustains everyone, knowing the outcome of each individual; and therefore, patience prepares those who are corrected from evil or who persevere in good, for glory. But the riches of glory are a manifold dignity prepared for those who believe. However, for those who turn from good to evil, and persist in their evil deeds, it prepares them for destruction. This is to manifest his power with great patience; for he is not immediately avenged, as he long endures in silence. When he begins to seek vengeance, his power will be revealed; for though he could avenge immediately, he has long endured so that the unfaithful cannot complain when they are condemned. To prepare, however, is to know what is going to happen.
(Vers. 24.)
(Ver. 24.) Those whom He called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles. He prepared those whom He called for glory, whether they were near or far, knowing that they would remain in faith.
(Vers. 25, 26.)
(Verse 25, 26.) As it is written in Hosea: I will call my people, my people; and the one not beloved, beloved. And it shall be in the place where it was said to them: You are not my people; there they shall be called sons of the living God. This is clearly predicted concerning the Gentiles, who were not previously the people of God. But later, receiving mercy and being called the people of God, they became beloved, having been adopted as sons in place of the Jews who were rejected. Thus, in the place where it was not said to them: You are my people, there they shall be called sons of the living God. For before the sons of God were nowhere called except in Judaea, that is, in Jerusalem, where the house of God was, as it says in the seventy-fifth Psalm: God is known in Judaea (Psalm 75:2). But afterwards in the prophecy of Zechariah: I will make, he says, Jerusalem a praise among all nations (Zechariah 12:2); because the sons of God were to be in every place, and the house of God in all the places, which is the Church. Hence the Lord says to the Jews: Because the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation producing its fruits (Matthew 21:43).
(Vers. 27.)
(Verse 27.) But Isaiah cries out for Israel. This is what he says, that Isaiah cries out for those who believe in Christ (Isaiah 10:22). For these are truly Israelites, as the Lord says to Nathanael: Behold, truly an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit (John 1:47).
If the number of the children of Israel is like the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved. When the Jews reject the deserving and promise of the fathers, they are the ones who do not receive it; these are the remnants, who persist in believing in the faith of the promise made to the fathers, having become faithful. For those who do not believe in the one whom the Law alone promised is sufficient for salvation, depart from the Law. Therefore, it is necessary that apostates, who do not receive Christ, be considered violators of the Law. Therefore, God says that only the believers from the greatest multitude will be saved, whom He foreknew.
(Vers. 28.)
(Verse 28.) For he will finish the word and shorten it in righteousness; because the Lord will make the word shortened upon the earth. He promises to save these, whom he calls the rest, by the word, which, justly defining, the Lord has shortened upon the earth; for it is fitting that the creature should obtain salvation in the name of the Lord the Creator alone, that is, through faith; because with all these things abolished, the new moons, and the Sabbath, and circumcision, and the law of meats, and the offerings of cattle, faith alone is placed for salvation. What is abbreviated from the Law; because what is in faith, is held in the Law as the principal of the Law, as the Savior says: For Moses has written about me (John 5:46). Therefore, the rest of the Jews are saved through the abbreviated Law, but others cannot be saved because they are rejected by the definition of God, through which He has decreed to save the human race.
(Vers. 29, 30.)
(Vers. 29, 30.) And as Isaiah prophesied: Unless the Lord of hosts had left us seed, we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah (Isaiah I, 9). This seed, which is the only one left and reserved for the reformation of the human race, is Christ, and his teaching, as he himself says: The seed is the word of God (Luke VIII, 11). Therefore, what was promised to us long ago, having removed what was burdensome from the Law, he has left for redemption; so that, having been granted forgiveness of sins, we would not be punished by the Law, as Sodom perished. Therefore, he says that the Savior, who was left to us as a support of life, which the Law could not provide, whom God decreed to be born from the beginning: who, being found alone without sin, having overcome the enemy of the human race, would erase the sins of all. This is also found in the Apocalypse of John: No one, he says, was found worthy, whether in heaven or on earth, to open the book and its seals; except the Savior, who conquered death (Rev. 5:3). Therefore, this is the seed that God reserved long ago, so that it would bear fruit at the time when the sins of both the Jews and the Gentiles were full. And the fruit of it is the forgiveness of sins; for if Christ had not been reserved (whom therefore it is called the seed, because through him the human race was restored), the offspring of Abraham would have perished; because they were overwhelmed by sins, and the Law was not able to benefit them. Therefore, he teaches that this is the one to be followed, who has provided the protection of life.
So what shall we say? That the nations, which did not pursue righteousness, have attained righteousness, that is, the righteousness which is from faith. For righteousness is in the Law, which is believed by the world, which forbids sin; therefore the nations are said not to have attained this righteousness, which is recognized by nature as the teacher, but rather the righteousness which is from the faith of Christ; for to God this is true and lasting righteousness, if it is recognized. For what is so just as to know God the Father, from whom are all things, and Christ His Son, through whom are all things (I Cor. VIII, 6)? First therefore this is justice: to acknowledge the Creator, and then to guard what He has commanded. Therefore, the nations that did not formerly seek justice, that is, the Law, which bore witness to the Creator, when Christ came, found an overflowing abundance of justice surpassing that of the scribes and Pharisees. For those who then did not pursue what was lesser, later understood what was greater. But the Jews, who were placed under the Law, and who should have made progress, deteriorated.
(Vers. 31.)
(Verse 31.) For by pursuing the Law of righteousness, Israel did not attain the Law of righteousness. The perfection of the Law is faith, which the Gentiles, by embracing, seem to fulfill the entire Law. However, the Jews, due to their envy, do not believe in the Savior, and while seeking to justify themselves by adhering to the commandments of the Law, such as observing the Sabbath, circumcision, and so on, they have not attained the Law, meaning they have not fulfilled it. And those who do not fulfill the Law are considered transgressors of the Law. For He fulfills the Law, who came from the law of Moses to the faith of Christ.
(Vers. 32.)
(Verse 32.) Why? Because they were not justified by faith, but rather by works. For those who despised the faith, which, as I have said, is the perfection of the Law, claimed that they were justified by the works of the Law. That is, through observing the Sabbath, new moons, circumcision, etc., being forgetful of the Scripture which says, 'The just shall live by faith' (Habakkuk 2:4). The righteousness of the Law is called so because these things were given to the Jews by God as a result of the hardness of their hearts. For example, if someone were to accidentally step on a dead mouse or touch any dead creature, or if a lizard were to fall into a vessel, they would be considered unclean (Leviticus 11:29). With great care they observed these regulations, and they would become unclean for any reason. But if the blood of a weasel had stained the floor, it was not to be expiated without serious attention, and he was to abstain from better foods. But the Sabbath and circumcision possessed their own righteousness in their appointed time; for they were given in a symbolic form. The Lord showed this through the prophet Ezekiel, among other things, saying: Therefore I gave them not good precepts (Ezek. 20:25); for they were irreverent and unfaithful. But in the coming of Christ, because he was going to give the gift of salvation, he proclaims through Jeremiah, saying: I will give them a new covenant, not like the one I gave to their fathers (Jerem. 31:32). This testament he calls the Law, which they have not reached, as I mentioned above. For when the Gentiles who believed wanted to impose this burden of observance on the Jewish believers, then the apostle Peter said: Why do you impose the yoke on the neck of the brothers, which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear (Acts XV, 10)? For since the time of Christ, the promised indulgence has been given in the Law; for the prophet Isaiah says: He will come from Zion to deliver and turn away wickedness from Jacob. And this is the testament that I will make unto them, saith the Lord: I will take away their sins (Isaiah 59:20), that is, the new testament promised by God in Christ.
(Vers. 33.)
(Verse 33.) They stumbled against the stone of offense, as it is written: Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of offense, and a rock of stumbling; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. This is found in Isaiah (Isa. VIII, 14; XXVIII, 6). It is known by the testimony of many that Christ is signified by the stone or rock; for the prophet Daniel says of this stone, that it was cut out without hands from a mountain, and it struck and crushed all the kingdoms, and filled the whole earth, which is clearly spoken of Christ (Dan. II, 34). And in the Law it is written: 'The rock from which water flowed was called Christ; but the rock, it is said, was Christ.' And among all things, Peter the apostle said to the Jews: 'This is the stone, which was rejected by you, the builders' (1 Cor. 10:4). Therefore, the stumbling block is set in Zion: Christ (Acts 4:11). Now Zion is the height, or the city itself, Jerusalem, which is rightly called lofty because of its knowledge of God, in which the Savior, appointed by His Father God, became a preacher and a stumbling block to the Jews when He proclaimed Himself the Son of God, born of the Holy Spirit from a woman. But they took offense at him because of his family background. 'Isn’t this Joseph’s son?' they asked. How then can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” They did not understand that Jesus was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.' This statement made many of his disciples go back to the lives they had led before they followed Jesus. These things were done without hands, because they were made by the Holy Spirit from a virgin without a man.