Philippians and Philemon - MR Vincent - 1906.pdf

III. 9, 10] THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH IO3
bute ; not, as commonly explained, righteousness which is from
God, and is bestowed by him upon man. ;Ocov is of
course assumed in r. . Slk. The ideal and the source of righteousness
are in God. God is the source of the atoning work of
Christ which contemplates man's righteousness, and Christ is ' the
image of his substance ' (Heb. i. 3 ; see 2 Cor. v. 21, and Sanday
on J^om. p. 162). As related to man, the righteousness of God
rests upon {em) faith, t/ie {rrj) faith which each man exercises
towards God in Jesus Christ. This is the only instance of the
phrase eVi rrj in N.T. It expresses ^la.?alittle more
definitely, and sets forth the only true basis of all human righteousness.
It is, indeed, true that righteousness rests ultimately on
God, and not on faith ; but if that is an objection, the same would
lie against . . (Rom. ix. 30, . 6). Lightf., following Ril.
and van Heng., renders - ' on condition of.' But Paul is here
speaking rather of the essential character of this righteousness
than of the terms on which it is received by men. It belongs to
the nature of God's righteousness as imparted to man that it rests
upon faith (Rom. iv. 5).
Lightf. refers to Acts iii. 16, though iwl there is a doubtful reading.
WH. omit, with N* B. Tisch., R.T., and Weiss retain.
Mey. supplies €xwc, repeated after; ' having on the ground of faith
righteousness through faith,' which is harsh and quite unnecessary. Equally
awkward is the connection of with,as Weiss. Rather
it is to be connected with immediately preceding. The omission
of the article before iirl .. has numerous precedents in cases where
the whole expression represents one idea.
He goes on to show in what this righteousness by faith consists.
10. :
' that I may come to know him.' Taken
up from the of VS. 8, and explaining it. is the
infinitive of design, setting forth the end contemplated in the
righteousness of faith. For this usage see Mt. xxiv. 45
; Lk. ii.
24, 27 ; Acts xxvi. 18 ; i Cor. x. 13 ; Gal. iii. 10 ; and Burt. 397 ;
Win. xliv. 4 .
Lips, and Kl. coordinate yv. with ,as representing, not
the purpose of being found in Christ, nor the object for which Paul possesses
the righteousness of faith, but the mode in which he desires to be
found in Christ. But the dependence on what immediately precedes is
most natural. In ^ . and two elements are given which
do not furnish a parallel to yvdvai, and Paul's habit is to join two
parallel clauses of design with a double tva. (See Rom. vii. 13:2 Cor. ix. 3;
Gal. iii. 14.) The difference, however, is not important. Calv., Grot.,
Beng., make yv. dependent on ., describing the power and the
nature of faith. But this construction with . has no parallel in N.T.
The change of construction from in vs. 9 to the infin. of design is not
uncommon in Paul. (See Rom. vi. 6; Col. i. 9, 10.)
For /, see on i. 19. Paul's end is, indeed, ciSeVat, the
absolute knowledge ; but he is here speaking rather of his cotning