Two things are to be here considered — that the gospel is by a heavenly mandate destined and
offered to the wise, in order that the Lord may subject to himself all the wisdom of this world, and
make all variety of talents, and every kind of science, and the loftiness of all arts, to give way to
the simplicity of his doctrine; and what is more, they are to be reduced to the same rank with the
unlearned, and to be made so meek, as to be able to bear those to be their fellow-disciples under
their master, Christ, whom they would not have deigned before to take as their scholars; and then
that the unlearned are by no means to be driven away from this school, nor are they to flee away
from it through groundless fear; for if Paul was indebted to them, being a faithful debtor, he had
doubtless discharged what he owed; and thus they will find here what they will be capable of
enjoying. All teachers have also a rule here which they are to follow, and that is, modestly and
kindly to accommodate themselves to the capacities of the ignorant and unlearned. Hence it will
be, that they will be able, with more evenness of mind, to bear with many absurdities and almost
innumerable things that may disgust them, by which they might otherwise be overcome. They are,
however, to remember, that they are not so indebted to the foolish, as that they are to cherish their
folly by immoderate indulgence.
15.I am therefore ready,^37 etc. He concludes what he had before said of his desire — that as
he knew it to be his duty to spread the gospel among them, in order to gather fruit for the Lord, he
was anxious to fulfill God’s calling, as far as he was allowed to do so by the Lord.
Romans 1:16-17
- Non enim pudet me Evangelii Christi,
quandoquidem potentia est Dei, in salutem omni
credenti, Iudæoprimum, deinde Græco. - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation
to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and
also to the Greek. - Nam justitia Dei in eo revelatur ex fide
in fidem, sicut scriptum est, Justus ex fide sua
vivet. - For therein is the righteousness of God
revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The
just shall live by faith.
16.I am not indeed ashamed,etc. This is an anticipation of an objection; for he declares
beforehand, that he cared not for the taunts of the ungodly; and he thus provides a way for himself,
by which he proceeds to pronounce an eulogy on the value of the gospel, that it might not appear
contemptible to the Romans. He indeed intimates that it was contemptible in the eyes of the world;
and he does this by saying, that he was not ashamed of it. And thus he prepares them for bearing
the reproach of the cross of Christ, lest they should esteem the gospel of less value by finding it
exposed to the scoffs and reproaches of the ungodly; and, on the other hand, he shows how valuable
it was to the faithful. If, in the first place, the power of God ought to be extolled by us, that power
In modern phraseology, the words may be rendered, “Both to the civilized and to the uncivilized, both to the learned and
to the unlearned, am I a debtor.” The two last terms are not exactly parallel to the two first, as many unlearned were among the
Greeks, or the civilized, as well as among the Barbarians. — Ed.(^37) μ μ , literally, “As to me there is readiness;” or, according to Stuart “There is a readiness so far as it respects me.”
But, “I am ready,” or “I am prepared,” conveys the meaning sufficiently, without the other words, “As much as in me is.” By
saying that he was prepared, he intimates that the event depended on another, even on God. — Ed.