Elberfelder Bible - unrevised version (ca. 1900)

1DaG3767 wir nun gerechtfertigtG1344 worden sind ausG1537 GlaubenG4102, so habenG2192 wir FriedenG1515 mitG4314 GottG2316 durchG1223 unserenG2257 HerrnG2962 JesumG2424 ChristumG5547, 2durchG1223 welchenG3739 wir mittelst des GlaubensG4102 auchG2532 ZugangG4318 habenG2192 zuG1519 dieserG5026 GnadeG5485, inG1722 welcherG3739 wir stehenG2476, undG2532 rühmenG2744 uns inG1909 der HoffnungG1680 der HerrlichkeitG1391 GottesG2316. 3NichtG3756 alleinG3440 aberG1161 das, sondernG235 wir rühmenG2744 uns auchG2532 derG1722 Trübsale,G2347 da wir wissenG1492, daßG3754 die TrübsalG2347 AusharrenG5281 bewirktG2716, 4das AusharrenG5281 aberG1161 ErfahrungG1382, die ErfahrungG1382 aberG1161 HoffnungG1680; 5die HoffnungG1680 aberG1161 beschämtG2617 nichtG3756, dennG3754 die LiebeG26 GottesG2316 ist ausgegossenG1632 inG1722 unsereG2257 HerzenG2588 durchG1223 den HeiligenG40 GeistG4151, welcherG3588 unsG2254 gegebenG1325 worden ist. 6DennG1063 ChristusG5547 ist, da wirG2257 nochG2089 kraftlosG772 warenG5607, zur bestimmtenG2596 ZeitG2540 fürG5228 GottloseG765 gestorbenG599. 7DennG1063 kaumG3433 wirdG599 jemandG5100 fürG5228 einen GerechtenG1342 sterbenG599 ;G2532 dennG1063 fürG5228 den GütigenG18 möchteG5111 vielleichtG5029 jemandG5100 zu sterbenG599 wagenG5111. 8GottG2316 aberG1161 erweistG4921 seineG1438 LiebeG26 gegenG1519 unsG2248 darinG3754, daß ChristusG5547, da wirG2257 nochG2089 SünderG268 warenG5607, fürG5228 unsG2257 gestorbenG599 ist. 9VielmehrG4183 G3123 nunG3767, da wir jetztG3568 durchG1722 seinG846 BlutG129 gerechtfertigtG1344 sind, werdenG4982 wir durchG1223 ihnG846 gerettetG4982 werden vomG575 ZornG3709. 10DennG1063 wennG1487 wir, da wir FeindeG2190 warenG5607, mit GottG2316 versöhntG2644 wurden durchG1223 den TodG2288 seinesG846 SohnesG5207, vielmehrG4183 G3123 werdenG4982 wir, da wir versöhntG2644 sind, durchG1722 seinG846 LebenG2222 gerettetG4982 werden. 11NichtG3756 alleinG3440 aberG1161 das, sondernG235 wir rühmenG2744 uns auchG2532 G1722 GottesG2316 durchG1223 unserenG2257 HerrnG2962 JesumG2424 ChristumG5547, durchG1223 welchenG3739 wir jetztG3568 die VersöhnungG2643 empfangenG2983 habenG2983. 12DarumG1223 G5124, gleichwieG5618 durchG1223 einenG1520 MenschenG444 die SündeG266 inG1519 die WeltG2889 gekommenG1525, undG2532 durchG1223 die SündeG266 der TodG2288, undG2532 alsoG3779 der TodG2288 zuG1519 allenG3956 MenschenG444 durchgedrungenG1330 ist, weilG1909 G3739 sie alleG3956 gesündigtG264 haben; 13(dennG1063 bisG891 zu dem GesetzG3551 warG2258 SündeG266 inG1722 der WeltG2889; SündeG266 aberG1161 wirdG1677 nichtG3756 zugerechnetG1677, wenn keinG3361 GesetzG3551 istG5607. 14AberG235 der TodG2288 herrschteG936 vonG575 AdamG76 bis aufG3360 MosesG3475, selbstG2532 überG1909 die, welche nichtG3361 gesündigtG264 hatten inG1909 der GleichheitG3667 der ÜbertretungG3847 AdamsG76, derG3739 ein VorbildG5179 des ZukünftigenG3195 istG2076. 15Ist nichtG3756 aberG235 wieG5613 die ÜbertretungG3900 alsoG3779 auchG2532 die GnadengabeG5486 ? DennG1063 wennG1487 durch des EinenG1520 ÜbertretungG3900 die VielenG4183 gestorbenG599 sind, so ist vielmehrG4183 G3123 die GnadeG5485 GottesG2316 undG2532 die GabeG1431 inG1722 GnadeG5485, die durch einenG1520 MenschenG444, JesumG2424 ChristumG5547, istG3588, gegenG1519 die VielenG4183 überströmendG4052 geworden. 16UndG2532 ist nichtG3756 wieG5613 durchG1223 EinenG1520, der gesündigtG264 hat, so auch die GabeG1434 ? DennG1063 G3303 das UrteilG2917 war vonG1537 einemG1520 zurG1519 VerdammnisG2631, die GnadengabeG5486 aberG1161 vonG1537 vielenG4183 ÜbertretungenG3900 zurG1519 GerechtigkeitG1345.   17DennG1063 wennG1487 durch die ÜbertretungG3900 des EinenG1520 der TodG2288 durchG1223 den EinenG1520 geherrschtG936 hat, so werden vielmehrG4183 G3123 die, welche die ÜberschwenglichkeitG4050 der GnadeG5485 undG2532 der GabeG1431 der GerechtigkeitG1343 empfangenG2983, imG1722 LebenG2222 herrschenG936 durchG1223 den EinenG1520, JesumG2424 ChristumG5547 ); 18alsoG686 nunG3767, wieG5613 es durchG1223 eineG1520 ÜbertretungG3900 gegenG1519 alleG3956 MenschenG444 zurG1519 VerdammnisG2631 gereichte, soG3779 auchG2532 durchG1223 eineG1520 GerechtigkeitG1345 gegenG1519 alleG3956 MenschenG444 zurG1519 RechtfertigungG1347 des LebensG2222. 19DennG1063 gleichwieG5618 durchG1223 des einenG1520 MenschenG444 UngehorsamG3876 die VielenG4183 in die StellungG2525 von SündernG268 gesetztG2525 worden sind, soG3779 werdenG2525 auchG2532 durchG1223 den GehorsamG5218 des EinenG1520 die VielenG4183 in die StellungG2525 von GerechtenG1342 gesetztG2525 werden. 20Das GesetzG3551 aberG1161 kamG3922 daneben einG3922, auf daßG2443 die ÜbertretungG3900 überströmendG4121 würde. WoG3757 aberG1161 die SündeG266 überströmendG4121 geworden, istG5248 die GnadeG5485 noch überschwenglicherG5248 geworden, 21auf daßG2443, gleichwieG5618 die SündeG266 geherrschtG936 hat imG1722 TodeG2288, alsoG3779 auchG2532 die GnadeG5485 herrscheG936 durchG1223 GerechtigkeitG1343 zuG1519 ewigemG166 LebenG2222 durchG1223 JesumG2424 ChristumG5547, unserenG2257 HerrnG2962.


Matthew Henry - Concise Commentary
 1   A blessed change takes place in the sinner's state, when he becomes a true believer, whatever he has been. Being justified by faith he has peace with God. The holy, righteous God, cannot be at peace with a sinner, while under the guilt of sin. Justification takes away the guilt, and so makes way for peace. This is through our Lord Jesus Christ; through him as the great Peace-maker, the Mediator between God and man. The saints' happy state is a state of grace. Into this grace we are brought, which teaches that we were not born in this state. We could not have got into it of ourselves, but we are led into it, as pardoned offenders. Therein we stand, a posture that denotes perseverance; we stand firm and safe, upheld by the power of God. And those who have hope for the glory of God hereafter, have enough to rejoice in now. Tribulation worketh patience, not in and of itself, but the powerful grace of God working in and with the tribulation. Patient sufferers have most of the Divine consolations, which abound as afflictions abound. It works needful experience of ourselves. This hope will not disappoint, because it is sealed with the Holy Spirit as a Spirit of love. It is the gracious work of the blessed Spirit to shed abroad the love of God in the hearts of all the saints. A right sense of God's love to us, will make us not ashamed, either of our hope, or of our sufferings for him.

 6   Christ died for sinners; not only such as were useless, but such as were guilty and hateful; such that their everlasting destruction would be to the glory of God's justice. Christ died to save us, not in our sins, but from our sins; and we were yet sinners when he died for us. Nay, the carnal mind is not only an enemy to God, but enmity itself, Roma 8:7; Colos 1:21. But God designed to deliver from sin, and to work a great change. While the sinful state continues, God loathes the sinner, and the sinner loathes God, Zech 11:8. And that for such as these Christ should die, is a mystery; no other such an instance of love is known, so that it may well be the employment of eternity to adore and wonder at it. Again; what idea had the apostle when he supposed the case of some one dying for a righteous man? And yet he only put it as a thing that might be. Was it not the undergoing this suffering, that the person intended to be benefitted might be released therefrom? But from what are believers in Christ released by his death? Not from bodily death; for that they all do and must endure. The evil, from which the deliverance could be effected only in this astonishing manner, must be more dreadful than natural death. There is no evil, to which the argument can be applied, except that which the apostle actually affirms, sin, and wrath, the punishment of sin, determined by the unerring justice of God. And if, by Divine grace, they were thus brought to repent, and to believe in Christ, and thus were justified by the price of his bloodshedding, and by faith in that atonement, much more through Him who died for them and rose again, would they be kept from falling under the power of sin and Satan, or departing finally from him. The living Lord of all, will complete the purpose of his dying love, by saving all true believers to the uttermost. Having such a pledge of salvation in the love of God through Christ, the apostle declared that believers not only rejoiced in the hope of heaven, and even in their tribulations for Christ's sake, but they gloried in God also, as their unchangeable Friend and all-sufficient Portion, through Christ only.

 12   The design of what follows is plain. It is to exalt our views respecting the blessings Christ has procured for us, by comparing them with the evil which followed upon the fall of our first father; and by showing that these blessings not only extend to the removal of these evils, but far beyond. Adam sinning, his nature became guilty and corrupted, and so came to his children. Thus in him all have sinned. And death is by sin; for death is the wages of sin. Then entered all that misery which is the due desert of sin; temporal, spiritual, eternal death. If Adam had not sinned, he had not died; but a sentence of death was passed, as upon a criminal; it passed through all men, as an infectious disease that none escape. In proof of our union with Adam, and our part in his first transgression, observe, that sin prevailed in the world, for many ages before the giving of the law by Moses. And death reigned in that long time, not only over adults who wilfully sinned, but also over multitudes of infants, which shows that they had fallen in Adam under condemnation, and that the sin of Adam extended to all his posterity. He was a figure or type of Him that was to come as Surety of a new covenant, for all who are related to Him.

 15   Through one man's offence, all mankind are exposed to eternal condemnation. But the grace and mercy of God, and the free gift of righteousness and salvation, are through Jesus Christ, as man: yet the Lord from heaven has brought the multitude of believers into a more safe and exalted state than that from which they fell in Adam. This free gift did not place them anew in a state of trial, but fixed them in a state of justification, as Adam would have been placed, had he stood. Notwithstanding the differences, there is a striking similarity. As by the offence of one, sin and death prevailed to the condemnation of all men, so by the righteousness of one, grace prevailed to the justification of all related to Christ by faith. Through the grace of God, the gift by grace has abounded to many through Christ; yet multitudes choose to remain under the dominion of sin and death, rather than to apply for the blessings of the reign of grace. But Christ will in nowise cast out any who are willing to come to him.

 20   By Christ and his righteousness, we have more and greater privileges than we lost by the offence of Adam. The moral law showed that many thoughts, tempers, words, and actions, were sinful, thus transgressions were multiplied. Not making sin to abound the more, but discovering the sinfulness of it, even as the letting in a clearer light into a room, discovers the dust and filth which were there before, but were not seen. The sin of Adam, and the effect of corruption in us, are the abounding of that offence which appeared on the entrance of the law. And the terrors of the law make gospel comforts the more sweet. Thus God the Holy Spirit has, by the blessed apostle, delivered to us a most important truth, full of consolation, suited to our need as sinners. Whatever one may have above another, every man is a sinner against God, stands condemned by the law, and needs pardon. A righteousness that is to justify cannot be made up of a mixture of sin and holiness. There can be no title to an eternal reward without a pure and spotless righteousness: let us look for it, even to the righteousness of Christ.