teach that Christ is the Creator of the Universe--that is a subject treated elsewhere--but

rather that "the all things" were created "in Him". These "all things" were created

through Him--dia, and unto Him--eis (compare Rom. 11: 36), and "in Him" "the all

things" have been "placed together" or "consist".

And so, with every acknowledgment of the immensity of our theme, and of our own

incapacity to plumb its depths, we leave this great dispensational section of a mighty

epistle, glad at the close to have come to the silencing of all argument, not because of the

challenge, "Who art thou, O man, that repliest against God?" but because worship has

taken the place of argument, and adoration fills our hearts with song.

We have not given the structure of verses 33-36, believing that it will be obvious to all

who will search and see, and feeling that to have introduced it here would have been

somewhat of an intrusion.

The great dispensational section of this epistle has brought before us the

overwhelming depths and heights of divine sovereignty, foreknowledge and

predestination; but, far from such high doctrines inducing the irresolution of fatalism, we

find that the Apostle opens this practical section by "beseeching", and even speaks of

"yielding your bodies" and of "logical service". The Apostle never hesitates to bring to

bear the greatest of doctrines upon the lowliest points of practice. He uses, for example,

the sublime descent of the Lord from the high pinnacle of equality with God, to the deep

abasement of the death of the cross, in order to encourage the believer to seek "that mind

which was in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2: 5-8). So, with Rom. 1:-8: behind him, and the

marvelous exhibition in  Rom. 9:-11:  of the mercy of God as revealed in His

dispensational dealings with Israel and the Gentiles, the Apostle turns to the practical

working out of this truth in the various departments of daily life.

He addresses himself to the believer in four capacities: