Paul considered it as involved in what he had already said, and especially in the predictions of the ancient prophets, that it was the will of God that all men should call upon him. This being the case, he argues to prove that it was his will that the gospel should be preached to all. As invocation implies faith, as faith implies knowledge, knowledge instruction, and instruction an instructor, so it is plain that if God would have all men to call upon him, he designed preachers to be sent to all, whose proclamation of mercy being heard, might be believed, and being believed, might lead men to call on him and be saved. This is agreeable to the prediction of Isaiah, who foretold that the advent of the preachers of the gospel should be hailed with great and universal joy. According to this, which is the common and most natural view of the passage, it is an argument founded on the principle, that if God wills the end, he wills also the means; if he would have the Gentiles saved, according to the predictions of his prophets, he would have the gospel preached to them.
Charles Hodge | A Commentary On the Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1955), 547.
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Tony Phelps
Tony grew up in Rhode Island. He was educated at BA (University of Rhode Island) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He worked in the insurance industry for ten years. He planted a PCA church in Wakefield, RI where he served for eleven years. In 2015–18 he pastored Covenant Reformed Church (URCNA) in Colorado Springs. He is currently pastor of Living Hope (OPC). Tony is married to Donna and together they have three children.
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Thanks, I’ll check it out.
I hadn’t read Hodge’s commentary before, but I see that he calls Calvin’s view of this passage “peculiar” in a footnote (p. 549). And rereading Calvin’s commentary, he himself seems to admit that he holds a minority view regarding the way that Paul uses the turn of phrase from Ps. 19. At any rate, I’ll stay tuned for you answer on the Heidelcast!
David,
I did offer an explanation of Romans 10 in the Romans series already.
Rom. 10:18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
It seems that in the context of Rom. 10 (God will evangelize), the plain meaning of Ps. 19 is that God has, to some extent, already preached the good news naturally everywhere (I think Calvin called this a “prelude” in his commentary). In Rom. 1:20 we are told that this is sufficient for responsibility (condemnation).
Occasionally I hear that there is an orthodox defense of a “wider hope” within the Reformed tradition, although “wider” is variously defined. Is there a good resource for a discussion of salvation by Christ alone through natural revelation that is within Reformed orthodoxy?
David,
No, the theory of salvation through natural revelation is flatly contrary to God’s word, as confessed by the churches, this is why the Synod of Dort spent so much time on missions. They knew that the gospel had not yet gone to the ends of the earth.
Hi David,
Will answer on the Heidelcast.