UNITY AND DIVERSITY WITHIN THE BODY OF CHRIST

UNITY AND DIVERSITY WITHIN THE BODY OF CHRIST

By: Daniel McMillin

INTENTIONAL UNITY

The Church’s beauty is expressed through its unity and diversity. Its diversity is clear from the numerous races, divergent genders, and distinct individuals that constitute the body of Christ. But how can a group of people who are so different from one another come together as one and how do they stay together? Unity in spite of diversity is found through a common interest or activity. Just like in school, you tend to generate friendships with those who you share similar interests with and at work you develop friendships with those who you do a similar activity alongside. Likewise, in the Church, we have all things in common as we share the same beliefs and work alongside one another for the same mission. But in order to stay together we must aim for intentional unity.

TRANSFORMED LIVES: FROM CONFORMITY TO THE WORLD TO UNITY WITH CHRIST 

In Romans 12:1-2, Paul explains what it means to be alive in Christ through spiritual renewal. In light of this reality, Paul develops this transformed living within the Church. We may ask, “What does it look like when a group of transformed Christians assemble?” In the Church, everyone shares all things in common, but every member remains remarkably dissimilar from the other. According to Douglas Moo, “This call for believers to recognize the ‘diversity in unity’ of the body of Christ is fundamental to Paul’s view of the gospel and its outworking.”[1] Martin Luther rightly suggested Paul’s main purpose for writing this exhortation for the outworking of Christian unity. “All this he writes in the interest of unity; for nothing is likely to cause so much division as when people do not say within the proper bounds of their calling, but neglect their own ministry and break in upon others.”[2]

Paul intends for his readers to heed his message and not only be transformed, in the sense that they are no longer one with the world, but they may have transformed attitudes. “The transformed minds of believers should produce in them a humility based on the knowledge that faith, and all that goes with it, are gifts of God. The faith God has given to each believer is sufficient to sustain that believer’s role in the community, and believers need to think clearly and realistically about their particular role.”[3] As we will see, the Gospel (renewal of the mind) transforms the way we view the mission and members of the Church.

TRANSFORMED MINDS: THINKING SENSIBLY ABOUT OURSELVES AND OTHERS

When Paul says, “For[4] by the grace given to me,” he is describing the divine origins of his apostolic authority as something God has given through grace to him, as he did in Romans 1:1. Why would Paul appeal to his apostleship now? “Paul understood that he was not an apostle because of personal merit, but because of the graciousness of God.”[5] In other words, Paul does not view his apostleship as a reason for thinking of himself so highly than everyone else but speaks very humbly with the understanding that he did not work very hard to become an apostle but views it as a gift of God. Certainty Paul is not egotistical about his apostleship in light of the path that was paved for him to know and serve Christ. His gift of apostleship was not based upon something he accomplished but was attributed to him. This exhortation is not simply Paul’s opinions but is the spoken word of God through His emissary or apostleship. Notice whenever Paul appeals to his apostleship, it is always important and relevant to the Church universal. David Lipscomb wrote, “The grace given to Paul of which he speaks is the knowledge bestowed upon him by the Spirit which enabled him to do the work of an apostle.”[6] He further notes, “By the knowledge and wisdom bestowed on him he warned that no one should place too high an estimate upon the spiritual gift bestowed upon him or his own natural ability.”[7]

Avoiding Pride and Promoting Sensibility

The apostle Paul says, “I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think.” Here, Paul is speaking with apostolic authority to relay to the Roman Christians the proper perspective of the Church’s work and to avoid such vanity and pride that may naturally flow when a group of human beings collaborate. It is very easy for people to compare themselves to others when they are working alongside others, but Paul wants to nip this in the bud as it were. One should not compare the ministry of Peter to Paul, the work of Barrabas with Mark, or the work of Timothy to Titus. Each of these Christian servants would not appreciate such comparisons because the work of the Church is not a competition. “It is,” as Moo says, “the diversity of gifts and the temptation to comparison and false pride that come with that diversity that is his chief concern.”[8]

Notice how Paul addresses every Christian within the Roman community (“everyone among you”) with this exhortation. He is careful enough to include every believer because he understands the potential pride that may arise within the minds and hearts of each believer if they are not discouraged from elevating themselves for being gifted and not truly being transformed and God honoring, as a living sacrifice for God’s glory. Pride powerfully influences the mind and has the potential to mislead anyone to think irrationally about the world around them.[9] C.S. Lewis described “pride” as a “spiritual cancer” since “it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.”[10]

Transformed minds live renewed lives and have renewed attitudes. When we are living sacrifices, we will not be proud and think of ourselves more highly than others in the body of Christ because your body does not belong to you but to Christ. In light of God’s grace that has transformed us we must view ourselves and others differently. Pride is a distorted view of others by tearing them down and thinking of them as any lesser than they are, but it is also a convoluted way of thinking of oneself by egotistically elevating the self to a place they do not belong.[11] “Believers are not to be proud but to have a sober, sane, sensible, and realistic estimate of themselves.”[12] To speak quite frankly, don’t think of yourself too highly and don’t think of others so lowly. Think clearly and soberly with a transformed mind with an honest perspective of people. As Daivd Roper says, “No members should consider himself better than others, but neither should any Christian view himself as worthless.”[13] In addition, “we must beware of unseemly pride, but we should also avoid a false humility that hinders us from using the gifts God has bestowed on us.”[14] 

For the Church to be united, we must not tear others down but build them up. As Pollard writes, “The path to unity was for every member to refrain from thinking too highly of the gifts he had been given. Above all, the brethren were to serve one another.”[15] In this way, unity is paved by service. “Those who give themselves to God also give themselves to one another in the body, the church of Jesus Christ.” No wonder then, Paul is so concerned with pride since “the greatest obstacle to living with one another in unity is pride, in cherishing illusions about oneself that don’t accord with reality.”[16]

Paul gives an alternative manner of thinking and living, which is a return to Romans 12:1-2 where he speaks of the renewed mind and transformed lifestyle. To counter pride and properly be transformed, one must “think sensibly.” The Roman Christians could easily be floating in the clouds with their God-given gifts, but Paul brings them back to the ground by humbling them and reminding them of the origin of their gifts and the proper attitude that follows. Pride arises within the heart of the believer once they begin to think “the gifts possessed are due to their own moral superiority.”[17]

Paul’s emphasis of sober mindedness “fits his larger emphasis on unity.”[18] When Christians have “sound judgment” (NASB), unity is then more attainable. In addition, the apostle Paul “is focused on appropriate, prudent thinking by Christians in relation to one another over against inflated, arrogant, overly assertive thinking.”[19] By thinking soberly, the transformed Christian is able “to form and manifest a right estimate of ourselves and of our gifts and the reality of the gifts of others.”[20] The Christians transformation ought to be a humbling reality once they recognize they are “living sacrifices” for the glory of God. Thus, they no longer belong to themselves but to God.

Furthermore, their sacrificial nature, which began at baptism, ought to be a reminder of their death to self. As Frank Matera suggests, “They will show that they are being transformed by the renewal of their minds that has been made possible through their participation in Christ’s death.”[21] When Christians have been renewed through their baptism being brought into contact with Christ (Rom. 6:3-5), they should think sensibly since their minds have been renewed. When Christians think soberly and use sound judgment, the unity of the Spirit is feasible in the Church. Thus, “Paul urged right thinking toward each other as a way to promote unity within the Christian community.”[22] Jack Cottrell summarizes these two commands by outlining the negative and positive parts:

“The first (negative) side of this command is an exhortation to humility, an exhortation not to have too exalted an opinion of oneself, ‘not to over-think.’ The context shows that this applies especially to the subject of spiritual gifts.”

“The second (positive) part of the command is an exhortation to be sober-minded and to think clearly (σωφρονέω, sōphroneō), i.e., to examine oneself as honestly and objectively as possible with a view to assessing the gift with which one has been endowed by God. Such ‘sober judgement’ not only excludes an exaggerated opinion of oneself, but also warns us not to underestimate the abilities God has given us.”[23] 

Paul then speaks to the divine origins of these gifts by noting it was “God” who “has distributed” them to all believers. Since it is God who “has distributed” this, it is, as David Roper brilliantly emphasized, “the Lord deserves the glory; we do not.”[24] We should not be taking credit for things that God has done nor should we glorify ourselves as though we are praiseworthy for doing what God has gifted us to do. In this way, “since it is God who distributes all gifts, but does not bestow all of them upon a single person, no one should exalt himself as though he had all and others none; for by this (arrogance) the unity of the Church is destroyed.”[25] Notably, before Paul lists the various gifts that God has “assigned” (ESV) or “allotted” (NASB), he “explains that while believers do not all have the same function, they nevertheless form one body.”[26]

One of the more difficult phrases in this section is how Paul explains the distribution of gifts are given as “a measure of faith to each one.” The term translated as “measure” (μέτρον, metron) can mean either “an instrument for measuring, measure” or “the result of measuring, quantity, number.” (BDAG) In other words, Paul is either saying they are measured by the standard of faith[27] or quantity of faith.[28] It appears to be most plausible that Paul is talking about the quality of our faith or belief. In spite of our pridefulness, God has granted to us a measure of faith. Cottrell concisely states, “God has given to each Christian a measured ability that is appropriate to or that corresponds to his own faith.”[29] Similarly, Murray comments, “In the church there is distribution of gift [sic] and each member possesses his own measure for which there is the corresponding faith by which and within the limits of which the gift is to be exercised.”[30]

Paul mentions this measure of faith in light of the potential of pridefulness. Schriener notes, “What prevents pride from cropping up is a sober estimation of one’s faith, and this sober estimation is based on the truth that God appropriated to each one a measure of faith.”[31] Furthermore, “pride is dampened when one recognizes that the faith one has is a gift from God, not the result of one’s own virtue. This same principle applies in the relationship between believers and unbelievers.”[32] In other words, pride disappears when faith is present. Jack Cottrell makes four points in verse 3 concerning our Christian gifts that Paul is highlighting: (1) Each Christian has a gift; (2) These gifts are not all the same; (3) Each one’s gift has been given to him by God; (4) One’s gift is therefore no basis for feelings of superiority over others.[33] 

TRANSFORMED PEOPLE: THE BODY OF CHRIST=THE CHURCH OF CHRIST

David Lipscomb excellently summarized these verses by saying, “The church, composed of many members, constitutes the spiritual body in Christ. In this each member has its appropriate office and work to do, and by virtue of all being members of the one body they are members one of another, each dependent upon the life and fidelity of the others for his own spiritual activity and life. Hence, each should constantly look to the good of all the others.”[34]

Many Members and One Church

Paul employs a commonly used metaphor in antiquity to describe the Church of Christ.[35] Everett Ferguson notes, “Paul uses the human body succinctly to illustrate unity out of plurality, diversity of function, and the mutual bonds tying one to another.”[36] Constantine Campbell suggests, “The very nature of the idea of the body of Christ denotes incorporation, union, and identification of Christ and his people.”[37] This “body” analogy is used by Paul to teach us how each member should view the Church so we may have a clear perception of our role within the grander scheme of redemption and the larger people of God so we may not easily think of ourselves as the center of attention.  

Paul is correct when he suggests there are “many” diverse members or “parts” in our human bodies. Within the modern scientific community, we recognize there are approximately 78 organs, 206 bones, 600 muscles, and 36 trillion cells that function as one unit. That is incredible! There is cooperation between the various parts of the human body just like in the church. Every part is significant and necessary. Every member serves a unique purpose. Likewise, “because everyone who believes the gospel is united to Christ,” Frank Theilman writes, “he or she is also united to other believers and works together with them to accomplish the goals of the group.”[38] Our lives are interconnected or intertwined with one another just like every part of the body. Diversity does not mean there should be division. Instead, diversity requires more than anything: unity. 

The “many parts” of the human “body” are “one.” In the band, we have many different talented musicians who contribute to the symphony. There are those who play the trumpet, flute, drums, baritone, tuba, clarinet, and saxophone and produce such elegant music in harmony with one another. Though there are various instruments present, they act as one to create an electrifying performance of sound. Each member within the body of Christ does the same thing as they play their part. Christians do not act alone; they are not meant to play solos but are supposed to collaborate with the rest of the band.  

Paul uses this “body” metaphor to describe the Church elsewhere in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 and Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:4, 15-16 but he does not use them in the same way. Wayne Grudem notes that Paul uses “the body of Christ” in two ways: as a description of the “whole body” and “the rest of the body, as distinguished from the head.”[39] In Romans, Paul is certainty speaking of the entire body of Christ but he does not go into detail like he does in 1 Corinthians to describe the different parts of the body. While it is true that Christ is the Lord of the Church in Romans, Paul does not intend to describe the Church as the body as subject to Christ as the head as he does in Ephesians. Each of these books entail their own unique perspectives of this favorite metaphor for the Church.

Here, the use of the metaphor is not meant for us to figure out whether one’s work is the foot, hand, or elbow of Jesus but to see the diversity of the individual member. Not every member of the body has the same function. As Paul says, “All the parts do not have the same function,” which illustrates “like the human body, the one church has many members with different yet interdependent functions. I.e., there is variety in unity.”[40] I shouldn’t expect my hip to serve the same function as my spine. The hand doesn’t serve the same purpose as the foot nor the ear as the tongue. God doesn’t elevate any part of the body over another and neither do we. So why would we do that with other roles in the church? Again, every member of the body functions to serve its purpose and is necessary just like every Christian in the body of Christ is needed in their kingdom work, so why should we expect our bodies to operate if parts of our body do not function properly? If my heart stops pumping blood or my lungs collapse then I can’t survive, because those are necessary parts of my body that allow me to breathe and live. If I see how vital my physical members of my body are then why can I not see how important I am to the entire body of Christ? Every Christian is needed in the Church!

Paul connects his metaphor to his spiritual reality by writing, “In the same way we who are many are one body.” Paul is not merely directing our attention to the physical body but intends to take this example and use it as an illustration to condescend to our level of understanding. This metaphor illustrates how just like we have many body parts that make up one body, the church is one body that has many members.[41] The same God who created the human body (the same “bodies” that we have dedicated to God as living sacrifices for His praise, honor, and pleasure) also established the spiritual body, the church. “Paul uses the metaphor to back up his exhortation that believers not think more highly of themselves than they should.”[42] Thus, as Lipscomb suggests, “no one can claim superiority over the others.”[43]

How many bodies does Jesus have? One. He does not have multiple heads and one body, He does not have one head and multiple bodies, and He certainly does not have multiple heads and bodies. Instead, He has one head and one body. In like manner, we may describe Christ as the one head of His one body, the Church. The church is a singular spiritual entity. Paul reverses our expectations as readers by highlighting unity rather than diversity. Schriner notes, “In verse 5 we expect Paul to say that the body of Christ corresponds to the human body; it is one but marked by diversity and function. The diversity in the body is doubtless implied in verse 4, but Paul surprises the reader by emphasizing unity rather than diversity.”[44]

Thomas Schriener says, “The diversity of parts indicates that various members of the church have different functions. They do not all excel at the same things. The church is Christ’s body: diverse and yet unified.”[45] Just like you need every member if your body to work and function we need every member of the body of Christ to be active and serve for the glory of God by the grace of God.  “Paul taught that we are members of Christ and together form His body, with each part of the body fulfilling a different function.”[46] Every member is important because they serve a distinct function within the body of Christ. As Paul will go on to show in verses 6-8, some Christians are gifted with prophecy while others are gifted with service, and some are gifted to teach while others are gifted at giving, while others are gifted at showing mercy while others are great at encouraging. The same is true today in our congregation, there are those in the body of Christ who are meant to serve as elders while others are meant to be deacons, there are those who are meant to be bible school teachers and others who are gifted song leaders, and there are those who are gifted at cooking or baking for others while others are gifted at organizing events. This illustrates that no member is greater than any other and everyone has their unique gift to contribute to the work of the Church, but they have to use them. Every member has their “specialized roles which serve the greater good of the body.”[47] The question is: What is my function? What is my place in the church? What Is my purpose in the church? How can I serve? What can I contribute to the cause of Christ? What God-given abilities do I possess that I can use for the glory of God at the Mt. Pleasant church of Christ? 

To make some application, it doesn’t matter how “big” or “small” your part is in the Church, the Lord can use you and put you to work. And I believe I can speak on behalf of our leadership when I say, we need you! Please speak to our elders, deacons, ministers and plug yourself into the work at Mt. Pleasant. You are valuable to this Church, and we would love to help you serve the Church. If you do not already have something you are contributing to the congregation, we not only want you, but we need you.

If you are already serving, I see you and I am thankful for your service. Most importantly God sees you and I know He is well pleased with you. My challenge to you is to find other opportunities to serve and maintain that spirit of selfless ministry. I know it’s a lot of work, I know it is stressful, I know it can easily burn you out but keep your fire burning. If you need help, reach out. But also, I challenge you to find someone in this congregation that you can mentor and take under your wing, so you do not have to serve alone.

Union with Christ

Christian unity is incorporated through our union with Christ. “Christ is the larger reality within which the various congregations and individual members are to find their unity.”[48] Paul is opposed to conformity to the world and calls for uniformity to Christ within the Church through the transformative power of the Gospel as we are one body “in Christ.”  It is through our union with Christ that we are made one with one another. “Paul points out that their unity as a body derives from their existence in Christ.”[49] Without Christ, we would not experience the fellowship we enjoy today. “Our oneness in Christ, Paul reminds us, extends beyond those with whom we meet weekly for worship, embracing all who call on the name of the Lord.”[50] In addition, this union transforms our identity to the extent “we are so completely joined to Christ that we cease to be our own.”[51] Our union with Christ identifies us with Christ.

Paul’s use of “in Christ” here acts as “a marker of state or condition” which “depicts the state in which the body is constituted.”[52] This metaphor of the Church as the body also alludes to its relationship with the head, Christ. “If the church is Christ’s body, of which he is head, the metaphor must convey connotations of union.”[53] It is for that reason that Paul employs the term “in Christ” to explain the union of believers. Just as every part or member of the body is connected to the whole body, the same is true with every believer who is united to Christ as the body of Christ.

Diversity and Unity

The conclusion of this metaphor used to describe the Church as the body of Christ emphasizes the point that the beauty of Christian unity is seen in its diversity. The depth of our unity is expressed through our diversity. “Paul’s concern here has to do with unity and diversity within the church, and key to this argument is the fact that believers are incorporated into Christ.”[54] The Church is viewed individually and collectively as “members of one another.” Our unity does not eliminate our diversity and individuality but speaks to our connection.[55] Rather, as Jewett notes, “Paul stresses that each Christian is actually an interdependent ‘member’ along with all others.”[56] Here, Paul’s point is, as Kruse notes, “while members of the church, like the parts of the human body, have different functions, they belong to one another and therefore are to serve and promote the well-being of one another.”[57] Since we are individuals with diverse works, we are not meant to do our part in isolation but in collaboration with our fellow Christians.

As a Christian, you cannot serve Jesus by yourself. Christ does not intend for any of us to serve Him alone but to do so with our spiritual brothers and sisters. We desperately need our family because without their support we would not be able to faithfully serve Christ, nor could we maintain our transformed lifestyle. Every member needs the help of other members. The fingers cannot pick up a heavy object if the elbow doesn’t do its job or the wrist fails to function in the moment. If that’s true for our bodies, then how much more does every Christian need the support of other Christians? We need one another! Please do not walk away today without a purpose and without a function in the body of Christ. You have something to contribute! You are needed! May God empower us to use our gifts for His glory as we maintain our Christian unity.

[1] Douglas J. Moo, , 238.

[2] Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans. Trans. J. Theodore Mueller (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1976), 169.

[3] Frank Thielman, Romans, ZECNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 573.

[4] The term “for” is, as J.W. McGarvey writes, “epexigetical,” that is, “it introduces matter which further explains or elucidates the nature of the required living sacrifice, viz., that the Christian must humble himself.” (J.W. McGarvey and Philip Y. Pendleton, Commentary on Thessalonians, Corinthians, Galatians, Romans. Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing Foundation,), 490.

[5] David L. Roper, Romans 8-16 (), 250.

[6] David Lipscomb, A Commentary on the New Testament Epistles: Romans. Ed. J.W. Shepherd (Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate Company, 1961), 219-220.

[7] Lipscomb, Romans, 220.

[8] Douglas J. Moo, The Letter to the Romans, ed. Ned B. Stonehouse et al., Second Edition, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018), 781.

[9] “No members of the church is exempt, since every believer has been given a measure of faith and is urged toward self-assessment in accord with this appropriated faith.” (Schreiner, Romans, 633)

[10] 

[11] Thielman suggests that this may also apply to the Gentile believers within the Roman church. He writes, “This vocation involved instructing the predominantly gentile believers in Rome on the implications of the gospel for the way they were to live, including the attitudes they were to adopt toward others.” (Romans, 573)

[12] Schreiner, Romans, 633.

[13] Roper, Romans 8-16, 252.

[14] Roper, Romans 8-16, 252.

[15] Pollard, Romans, 431.

[16] Thomas R. Schreiner, Handbook on Acts and Paul’s Letters (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2019), 101.

[17] Schreiner, Romans, 635.

[18] Craig A. Keener, Mind of Spirit: Paul's Approach to Transformed Thinking (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2016), 170.

[19] Campbell, “Participation and Faith in Paul,” 42.

[20] Lipscomb, Romans, 220.

[21] Frank J. Matera, Romans. Paideia (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010), 288. “First, Paul exhorts the Romans to think humbly of themselves (12:3). Second, he supports this exhortation by drawing an analogy between the human body and the believing community, which is one body in Christ (12:4-5). Finally, he applies the analogy to the Romans by encouraging them to use their diverse gifts for the sake of one another (12:6-8).” (Matera, Romans, 288)

[22] Pollard, Romans, 431.

[23] Cottrell, Romans, 457.

[24] Roper, Romans 8-16, 251.

[25] Luther, Commentary on Romans, 170.

[26] Colin G. Kruse, Paul’s Letter to the Romans, ed. D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Cambridge, U.K.; Nottingham, England; Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos, 2012), 469.

[27] Cranfield, Romans, II:613-616; Fitzmyer, Romans, 646; Peterson, Romans, 445.

[28] Cottrell, Romans, 457; Dunn, Romans, 722; Longnecker, Romans, 928; Moo, Romans, 761; Schreiner, Romans, 634; Thielman, Romans, 573.

[29] Cottrell, Romans, 457.

[30] Murray, Romans, II:119.

[31] Schreiner, Romans, 635.

[32] Schreiner, Romans, 635.

[33] Cottrell, Romans, 458.

[34] Lipscomb, Romans, 222.

[35] Jewett, Romans, Peterson notes, “Paul moves beyond the secular use of the metaphor to proclaim their unity in Christ and their interdependence as believers.” (Romans, 445)

[36] Everett Ferguson, The Church of Christ: Ecclesiology for Today (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1996), 95.

[37] Constantine R. Campbell, Paul and Union with Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 268.

[38] Frank Thielman, Romans, ed. Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 574.

[39] Grudem, Systematic Theology, 1052-1053.

[40] Cottrell, Romans, 458.

[41] “One matter that is not clear in this passage is whether Paul is thinking of the local church or of the church universal.” (Moo, The Letter to the Romans, 781)

[42] Douglas J. Moo, The Letter to the Romans, ed. Ned B. Stonehouse et al., Second Edition, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018), 781.

[43] Lipscomb, Romans, 221.

[44] Schreiner, Romans, 636.

[45] Schreiner, Handbook on Acts and Paul’s Letters, 102.

[46] Pollard, Romans, 432.

[47] Roper, Romans 8-16, 252.

[48] Jewett, Romans, 744.

[49] Matera, Romans, 289.

[50] Douglas J. Moo, The Letter to the Romans, ed. Ned B. Stonehouse et al., Second Edition, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018), 781.

[51] Pollard, Romans, 432.

[52] Campbell, Paul and Union with Christ, 117.

[53] Campbell, Paul and Union with Christ, 268.

[54] Campbell, Paul and Union with Christ, 426.

[55] Pollard, Romans, 433.

[56] Jewett, Romans, 744.

[57] Colin G. Kruse, Paul’s Letter to the Romans, ed. D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Cambridge, U.K.; Nottingham, England; Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos, 2012), 470.