I am grateful to Crossway Publishers for their effort to keep the works of Dr. Francis Schaeffer in print and to print some of his unpublished materials. My affection and appreciation for Francis Schaeffer is no surprise to the readers of Equip for Ministry.  His commentary on Romans is not an in-depth exegetical commentary, though it reflects both careful exegesis and hermeneutics.  His comments were drawn from his recorded talks to a group of students on this remarkable New Testament epistle.

Schaeffer understood the times and was able to communicate the truth to a generation that was beginning to hear that truth was either relative or was whatever they wanted it to be.  His belief in the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, the sufficiency of Christ’s saving work, and the whole apologetic thrust to set forth a personal God who came into our history, make his writings and this commentary valuable.  His emphasis that ‘living by faith’ is “not just as idea, it isn’t just a word, it’s a reality,” is demonstrated over and over in this book.  He also demonstrated with definite giftedness the ability to keep together the three contexts of understanding the Bible—the original, the historical, and the present context.

Schaeffer’s comments on Paul’s presentation of justification by faith—what it has meant and continues to mean for salvation—is fresh.  I like the way he pointed out that if we have not believed God and are still dead in sin, we are not ready for the next section which deals with sanctification and living the Christian life.  He is right.  Without justification, there can be no sanctification. I also concur with Udo Middelmann’s comments in the introduction that Schaeffer avoided the trap of many in our circles who would imply that man’s total depravity has…“removed humanity from Man, thereby absolving Man from the responsibility to repent or seek after God.”

In typical Schaefferian fashion, Middelmann reminds us, “Man is fallen, but he is not a zero, he is not worthless. Man has great value as created in the image of God. At the same time, however, all of our being has been tragically affected by the Fall, including our will and intellect.”  This commentary keeps those truths in balance.

This book should be placed alongside other great commentaries on Romans such as those by Leon Morris, Charles Hodge, John Stott, and James Boice. 

- Charles Dunahoo, CEP Coordinator