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Romans
Robert Haldane’s Exposition of Romans, both in its contents and in the power of its influence, stands among the foremost of the many treatments of the epistle. As a commentary, Thomas Chalmers ‘strongly recommended’ it; Spurgeon put it in the front rank, and more recently, Martyn Lloyd-Jones owed ‘much profit and pleasure’ to it, characterising its contents as unsurpassed in ‘warmth of spirit’ and ‘practical application’.
729 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1835
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 2, 2023
Get in, sit down, buckle up, and hold on because Haldane is driving a semitruck of truth down a 700 page highway—all gas, no brakes, no hesitation, no waffling. Man what a ride.
It is written as a polemic, which is jargon for disputing specific points while contending for your own. But this is not a mere polemic. It is an absolute mauling. Haldane obliterates heresies that were being circulated by three men in particular. And not only does he dismantle this set of sinister fallacies one by one, but he makes clear the pernicious consequences of allowing them to be perpetuated.
But the commentary not only negative. He positively details the edifice of Paul's thought. Haldane is efficient but thorough; he moves quickly at times and lingers at others, drawing out an extended line of thought when merited. Some highlights (to me):
- Chapter 3 on the Righteousness of God as a created thing in time and space
- Chapter 5 on limited atonement and double imputation
- Chapter 8 on adoption and assurance
- Chapter 9 on God's absolute sovereignty
He also appends two codas, one on the case of Cornelius and the other on the Sabbath. Both are excellent.
One interesting note is that Haldane often quibbles with Calvin. He never disagrees on major doctrines, only on specific interpretations of certain verses. This gives you an indication for just how full throttle Haldane is—there is nothing and no one he won't take on.
The book concludes with a letter Haldane wrote that explains the circumstances by which the commentary came to be. If you plan to read this commentary through from front to back, I recommend reading this letter at the start as it provides helpful context.
It is written as a polemic, which is jargon for disputing specific points while contending for your own. But this is not a mere polemic. It is an absolute mauling. Haldane obliterates heresies that were being circulated by three men in particular. And not only does he dismantle this set of sinister fallacies one by one, but he makes clear the pernicious consequences of allowing them to be perpetuated.
But the commentary not only negative. He positively details the edifice of Paul's thought. Haldane is efficient but thorough; he moves quickly at times and lingers at others, drawing out an extended line of thought when merited. Some highlights (to me):
- Chapter 3 on the Righteousness of God as a created thing in time and space
- Chapter 5 on limited atonement and double imputation
- Chapter 8 on adoption and assurance
- Chapter 9 on God's absolute sovereignty
He also appends two codas, one on the case of Cornelius and the other on the Sabbath. Both are excellent.
One interesting note is that Haldane often quibbles with Calvin. He never disagrees on major doctrines, only on specific interpretations of certain verses. This gives you an indication for just how full throttle Haldane is—there is nothing and no one he won't take on.
The book concludes with a letter Haldane wrote that explains the circumstances by which the commentary came to be. If you plan to read this commentary through from front to back, I recommend reading this letter at the start as it provides helpful context.
April 19, 2020
This is a very meaty commentary on Romans. A lot of great gems in this work. I really liked how he interacted with other commentaries including Calvin (and disagreed a number of times with him) as well. This will definitely be a resource I will have near me when studying and teaching Romans.
January 29, 2014
So far, all I have to say is, "wow." The best commentary on Romans I've read so far. It is largely pastoral and exegetical - not technical or scholarly at all. In light of this, it is an excellent reference for anyone teaching through Romans. Haldane is a contemporary of Johnathan Edwards (and makes references to him as "President Edwards" in this work), and is also of the Reformed tradition. This obviously comes out in the commentary, but not so much that the work would be devalued significantly to those of the non-Reformed camp.
February 11, 2009
Good old-fashioned Reformed take on the book of Romans. Very clear and understandable. Pretty decent expostition of the notoriously difficult chapters, six through eight. Proof that you can be Reformed and hold to the view that chapter seven was written by an already converted Paul. Well, this is the majority position in the Reformed world anyway!
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July 11, 2018This is a classic and great commentary on Romans. You will not find interaction with the more recent views, it is after all a classic. But you will find solid truth clearly stated.
August 12, 2024
I would’ve enjoyed this exposition of the glorious Epistle to the Romans if there wasn’t so much fluff. Haldane could not go a even a few pages without bringing up Dr. Stuart, Dr. Maknight, or Dr. Tholuck and criticizing them for being wrong on this-or-that point. If there was an abridged version of this commentary, without all the rebukes to the other 3 commentators, then I would’ve preferred to read that.
May 17, 2017
Very dense, but very good.
October 20, 2017
This was dope.
May 9, 2023
4.5
Preferred over Hodge and Murray.
Preferred over Hodge and Murray.
May 16, 2012
Very good and very wordy
August 12, 2012
One of the best commentary, on the book of Romans, that has ever been written.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews