Romans 1:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Fourth, by the Spirit whom He gave to those who believed in Him, and through whom He made all holy. Therefore it is said, "according to the Spirit of holiness," since it belongs to God alone to distribute such gifts.

Fifth, by the Resurrection of the Lord, because He was the first and the only One who raised Himself. He Himself called this the sign especially sufficient above all others to stop even shameless mouths.

He said: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (Jn 2:19). And again: "When you lift Me up from the earth, then you will know that I am He" (Jn 8:28).

And again: "This generation seeks a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah" (Mt 12:39).

What, then, does "declared" mean? It means indicated, revealed, acknowledged, and confessed by the judgment and decision of all.

This happened through the prediction of the prophets, through the wondrous birth according to the flesh, through the power shown in miracles, through the Spirit by whom He granted sanctification, and through the Resurrection by which He destroyed the dominion of death.

To another is given sanctification of soul and body, and this is called the spirit of holiness. So the Apostle says: "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God, which God promised beforehand through His prophets," according to the Spirit of holiness (Rom 1:1, 1:2, 1:4).

He said this in reversed order, and the meaning of his words is this: "Paul, who became an Apostle according to the Spirit of holiness." Many, following the first expression, thought that Paul speaks of the Son of God as foreordained "according to the Spirit of holiness."

Yet in fact this is not so. On the contrary, in this place it is said that Paul was appointed as an Apostle "according to the Spirit of holiness." When was he appointed?

After the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Since the other Apostles were chosen before the sufferings of Christ, but he after Christ's Resurrection, it is therefore said, "according to the Spirit of holiness."

"Concerning His Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh."

He says that the One who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh was designated, όρισθέντος.

Compare: "manifested" and "appointed." The meaning of this participle is usually chosen between two possibilities.

The first corresponds to Saint John Chrysostom's interpretation: "indicated, manifested, acknowledged." The second, "appointed" or "established," is not very successful.

It can suggest that Christ "became" the Son of God only after the Resurrection. Yet this is excluded by the general context of the Apostle Paul's epistles.

Paul clearly taught the original divine glory of Christ (cf. 2 Cor 4:4; 2 Cor 8:9; Col 1:15-19). Therefore His Resurrection was not a change in His relation to the Father.

It was rather the manifestation of His Sonship, directed toward men (cf. Phil 2:9). The Slavonic rendering is used here because, without contradicting this understanding, it better corresponds to Saint Cyril's interpretation.

"The Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, through the resurrection from the dead."

For we too are named sons, yet not in power. We are deemed worthy of this name as a matter of grace and acquire it only by the will of God the Father.

But Emmanuel cannot be such, far from it. Although He was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, He is numbered among the sons of God as one of us because of His humanity.

Nevertheless, in power and truth He is the Son by nature. Through Him we also receive adoption, if indeed it is true to say that when we were enriched through baptism by His Spirit, then we rightly cry, "Abba, Father" (Rom 8:15).

Therefore, as images are related to the prototype, so we, sons by adoption, are related to Him who is Son by nature and power. He received true testimony concerning this from the Father.

It was predestined concerning Jesus that He who would become Son of David according to the flesh should appear in power as Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness, since He was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary.

This is the unique and inexpressible fact of the Word of God becoming man, when Son of God and Son of Man are one.

He is Son of Man by virtue of the Incarnation, and Son of God by virtue of the One who became incarnate, so that we might believe not in a trinity turned into a quaternity.

According to this predestination, the Son was already glorified before the creation of the world. After the resurrection from the dead, His glory shone forth at the right hand of the Father, where He sits (cf. Mt 26:64; Mk 14:62, 16:19; Lk 22:69).

When He saw that the time had come for the glory predestined for Him, so that what had been predestined might be fulfilled, He prayed: "And now, Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory which I had with You before the world was" (Jn 17:5).

The Lord Himself says: "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He" (Jn 8:28). And again: "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to Myself" (Jn 12:32).

That is, then it will be known that I am Lord of all. Paul did not say "through the resurrection of Jesus Christ," but "through the resurrection from the dead," because Christ's Resurrection signified the resurrection of all.

This power and victory in Christ become greater because the Dead One acts by the same power by which He acted while living. By this deed He trampled down death for our redemption.

Therefore Paul calls Him "our Lord."

And again: "Wait in this city until you are clothed with power from on high" (Lk 24:49), and, "when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (Acts 1:8).

Thus before the Passion the Apostles held such thoughts about Him. But after the Resurrection and His ascent into heaven, after the descent of the All-Holy Spirit, and after every kind of miracle which they performed by invoking the most honorable name of Christ, all believers knew that Christ is God and the Only-begotten Son of God.

Therefore here also the divine Apostle teaches that He who is called Son of David according to the flesh was declared and manifested as Son of God according to the power by which the All-Holy Spirit worked, after the resurrection from the dead of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

"According to the Spirit of holiness." According to the Spirit, who gives holiness wherever He abides. "In power" means powerfully and mightily (compare Col 1:29; 2 Thess 1:11), and refers to the word "was revealed."

In these two verses the Apostle plainly speaks of the Godhead and humanity of Jesus Christ, and thus indicates the content of the Gospel which he was called to proclaim.

Yet they still acknowledged Him only as an extraordinary man: "A great prophet has arisen" (Lk 7:16).

Toward the end of His visible sojourn on earth, they saw that no human greatness could be compared with what Jesus Christ, the Lord of hosts, revealed in Himself. Yet what He was had still not been determined.

The Apostles confessed Him as the Son of God, but this illumination of faith was not maintained at its proper height. The majesty of the Lord was then obscured by earthly thoughts.

Only after His Resurrection and the descent of the Holy Spirit, when wondrous signs began to be performed everywhere in His name by the Holy Spirit through the Apostles and believers, did all understand.

They understood that He in whose name all this was done is the Only-begotten Son of God and God. The countenance of the Lord was finally determined.

All who beheld this by faith cried out with Saint Thomas, "My Lord and my God" (Jn 20:28).

"This is what 'designated' means: indicated, manifested, confessed according to the judgment and verdict of all" (Saint Chrysostom).

Blessed Theodoret writes: "Before the Cross and Passion, not only the other Jews, but even the Apostles themselves, were not certain concerning the Master Christ that He is God.

His humanity was a stumbling block for them in Christ, when they saw that He ate, drank, slept, and grew weary. Even the miracles did not bring them to certainty about this.

Thus, for example, when they saw the miracle on the sea, they said, 'Who is this man, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?' (cf. Mt 8:27).

For this reason the Lord said to them, 'I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth' (Jn 16:12-13).

Therefore, before the Passion, the Apostles had such thoughts concerning Him. But after the Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, after the descent of the All-Holy Spirit, and after every kind of miracle was wrought by invoking the honored name of Christ, all believers knew.

They knew that Christ is God and the Only-begotten Son of God. Therefore here also the divine Apostle taught that the One called Son of David according to the flesh was designated and manifested as Son of God in power.

This was by the power with which the All-Holy Spirit worked, after the resurrection from the dead of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself."

The words "in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" indicate the sources from which the faith of believers drew its conviction concerning the Godhead of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"In power" points to the wondrous signs that the Lord performed by His own power, not by a power received by grace (cf. Oecumenius). It points especially to those later performed by the Apostles and believers in His name.

The latter signs were more convincing than the former. "According to the Spirit of holiness" points to the renewal of believers by the Holy Spirit, together with special gifts of grace.

Through the mysteries, believers became entirely different. They were filled with a new life, which set them above all around them in morals, in enlightenment of mind, and in manifestations of power.

They all experienced this within themselves and manifested it before all. What proof could be more convincing that He through faith in whom all this is given is the Master of all?

"By the resurrection from the dead" points to the Lord's Resurrection by His own power. It was such that He no longer saw death, for death has no dominion over Him.

This most convincing proof gained astonishing force when faith led the believer to contemplate the general resurrection of all, to be accomplished by the Lord. He laid its foundation and power by His own Resurrection.

For the Apostles taught that the risen Lord raised all together with Himself.

Saint Chrysostom asks, "How is it proved that the incarnate One, who was of the seed of David according to the flesh, is the Son of God?"

He answers that, after the fulfillment in Him of all the prophecies already mentioned, and after His wondrous birth from the Ever-Virgin, which surpassed the law of nature, this is proved "thirdly, by the miracles Christ performed.

Through them He showed extraordinary power, which is expressed by the word 'in power.' Fourthly, it is proved by the Spirit whom He gave to those who believed in Him and through whom He made all holy.

For this reason it is said, 'according to the Spirit of holiness,' since it belongs to God alone to distribute such gifts. Fifthly, it is proved by the Resurrection of the Lord, because He alone first raised Himself.

He Himself calls this the sign especially sufficient, above all others, to stop the mouths even of the shameless. For He said, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up' (Jn 2:19).

And again: 'When you lift Me up from the earth, then you will know that I am He' (Jn 8:28). And elsewhere: 'This generation seeks a sign, and no sign shall be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet' (cf. Mt 12:39)."

All our interpreters understand these words in this way.

In Slavonic, the words "Jesus Christ our Lord" stand in dependence on "resurrection": "by the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ our Lord."

But it is better to place them in relation to the words "concerning His Son," so that the sense is: concerning His Son, who was born, designated, that is, concerning Jesus Christ our Lord.

For the whole Gospel and all the preaching of the Apostles are about Him.