Romans 3:7,8 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

For if the truth of God, &c.— The particle for joins what follows in this verse, to vengeance, or wrath, in the fifth, and shews it to be a continuation of the objection begun there. But the whole eighth verse is the Apostle's answer, the true sense of which seems to be this: Says the Jew, "If the faithfulness of God in keeping his promise is, through our wickedness, made far more glorious than otherwise it would have been, why should we Jews be blamed and condemned as sinners, for that which redounds to the honour of God?" To which the Apostle replies, Romans 3:8. "And why do you not say, and draw it into a general rule and maxim, that in all cases we ought to do wickedly, because God can one way or other turn it to his own glory? an impious sentiment, which some charge upon me; as if, when I magnify the grace of God in pardoning sin, I advanced this notion, that we ought to do evil, that good (God's glory) may come of it: for which, and other malicious opposition to the Gospel, they shall come under the just condemnation of God." See a further answer, chap. Romans 9:19, &c. We may just observe, that rather, Romans 3:8 is not in the Greek, and it seems to be improperly supplied. The sense is more truly and clearly filled up thus: And why do you not say? which falls in naturally with what follows, "Why do you not say, as some affirm that we say?" Such an elliptical way of speaking we have, Revelation 22:9. Ορα μη, see not, that is to say, "See thou do it not." Through my lie, Romans 3:7 is to be understood as not believing, Romans 3:3 and as Isaiah 63:8. For he said, surely they are my people, children that will not lie; that is, "violate my covenant by perfidiously forsaking me, and falling into disobedience and wickedness." The last clause of Romans 3:8 whose condemnation is just, seems manifestly to imply, that there are certain rules which God has laid down for us, disobedience to which, in any imaginable circumstances,is universally a moral evil; even though the quantity of good arising thence to our fellow-creatures should be greater than that arising from an observance of those rules; for if this be not allowed, there can be no shadow of force in the Apostle's conclusion. See Locke and Doddridge.