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23.There is indeed no difference, etc. He urges on all, without exception, the necessity of seeking righteousness in Christ; as though he had said, “ is no other way of attaining righteousness; for some cannot be justified in this and others in that way; but all must alike be justified by faith, because all are sinners, and therefore have nothing for which they can glory before God.” But he takes as granted that every one, conscious of his sin, when he comes before the tribunal of God, is confounded and lost under a sense of his own shame; so that no sinner can bear the presence of God, as we see an example in the case of Adam. He again brings forward a reason taken from the opposite side; and hence we must notice what follows. Since we are all sinners, Paul concludes, that we are deficient in, or destitute of, the praise due to righteousness. There is then, according to what he teaches, no righteousness but what is perfect and absolute. Were there indeed such a thing as half righteousness, it would yet be necessary to deprive the sinner entirely of all glory: and hereby the figment of partial righteousness, as they call it, is sufficiently confuted; for if it were true that we are justified in part by works, and in part by grace, this argument of Paul would be of no force — that all are deprived of the glory of God because they are sinners. It is then certain, there is no righteousness where there is sin, until Christ removes the curse; and this very thing is what is said in Gal_3:10, that all who are under the law are exposed to the curse, and that we are delivered from it through the kindness of Christ. The glory of God I take to mean the approbation of God, as in Joh_12:43, where it is said, that “ loved the glory of men more than the glory of God.” And thus he summons us from the applause of a human court to the tribunal of heaven. (118)
(118) [Beza ] gives another view, that the verb ὑστεροῦνται refers to those who run a race, and reach not the goal, and lose the prize. The “ of God” is the happiness which he bestows; (see Rom_5:2;) of this all mankind come short, however much some seemed to labor for it; and it can only be attained by faith. [Pareus ] [Locke ] and [Whitby ] give the same view. Others consider it to be “ glory” due to God, — that all come short of rendering him the service and honor which he justly demands and requires. So [Doddridge ] [Scott ] and [Chalmers ] But [Melancthon ] [Grotius ] and [Macknight ] seemed to have agreed with [Calvin ] in regarding “” here as the praise or approbation that comes from God. The second view seems the most appropriate, according to what is said in Rom_1:21, “ glorified him not as God.” — Ed.