Robert Haldane Books: His Romans Commentary and Defense of the Bible
Robert Haldane (1764–1842) was a Scottish evangelist who gave away a fortune to spread the gospel and helped spark a revival in Geneva by teaching Romans to a group of students. He's remembered for two kinds of writing: his verse-by-verse Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans, and his defense of the Bible as God's complete and inspired Word. TheWay Library has four of his books, all free to read: the three volumes on Romans and The Books of the Old and New Testaments Proved to Be Canonical. For his life story, see who was Robert Haldane.
Where to start
If you're new to Haldane, start with Volume 1 of his Romans. It covers Romans 1 to 5, the heart of Paul's teaching on sin and justification, and it shows you how Haldane works.
After that:
- To keep going in Romans: Volume 2 for chapters 6 to 10, then Volume 3 for chapters 11 to 16.
- For one great chapter: his long exposition of Romans 8 in Volume 2.
- For how we got the Bible: The Books of the Old and New Testaments Proved to Be Canonical.
These aren't light reading. Haldane wrote for ministers and serious Bible students, and he takes each verse in turn. But he writes plainly, and you don't need Greek to follow him. Many readers keep him open beside their Bible and read a few verses' worth at a time.
An Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans
Haldane first taught Romans to divinity students in Geneva in 1816. The lectures were printed in French and then grew into this English commentary, published in the 1830s. He calls Romans the fullest statement of the gospel in the Bible, and he follows Paul's argument closely from the greeting to the last farewell. He's a convinced Calvinist and a careful one: he lets the text lead, quotes the Reformation confessions where they help, and answers views that he thought weakened the free grace of God.
Volume 1: Romans 1 to 5
The introduction sets out the plan of the letter. Then Haldane walks through Paul's case that Jew and Gentile alike are guilty before God, the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel, and the great passage on justification in Romans 3:21-31. His chapter on Romans 4 shows Abraham and David justified without works, and his chapter on Romans 5 covers peace with God and the parallel of Adam and Christ. An appendix criticizes the American scholar Moses Stuart's commentary on Romans.
Righteousness is what we want in order to justification; faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as testified in the gospel, is the means through which we receive this righteousness.
Exposition of Romans, Vol. 1, Romans 4
Volume 2: Romans 6 to 10
This volume opens with Romans 6 and the believer's death to sin through union with Christ, answering the old objection that free grace makes people careless. On Romans 7 Haldane holds that Paul is describing his own struggle with sin as a believer. Romans 8 takes up the largest part of the book: no condemnation, life in the Spirit, adoption, the groaning creation, the Spirit's help in prayer, the golden chain from foreknowledge to glory, and the love of God that nothing can break. Romans 9 is a strong statement of God's sovereignty, always, as he says, in keeping with His character. Romans 10 treats Israel's zeal without knowledge and the word of faith.
It is impossible that sin can be more powerful to destroy us than the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ to save us.
Exposition of Romans, Vol. 2, Romans 8
Volume 3: Romans 11 to 16
Romans 11 gets the most attention here: God hasn't cast away His people, a remnant is saved by grace, the Gentiles are grafted in, and all Israel shall be saved. Then Haldane turns to Paul's practical chapters: the living sacrifice and love without pretense in Romans 12, the Christian and the civil ruler in Romans 13, the strong and the weak in Romans 14 and 15, and the greetings of Romans 16. Two essays close the book, one on the state of the heathen world without the gospel and the duty of missions, and a long one on keeping the Lord's Day holy.
No man is made a Christian by any power less than God's, and by no other means than God's word.
Exposition of Romans, Vol. 3, Romans 15
The Books of the Old and New Testaments Proved to Be Canonical
Haldane wrote this in 1830, during the controversy over the Bible Society printing the Apocrypha in some of its Bibles. His preface says the subject matters to every Christian, because the Bible alone tells sinners how to be saved. The first part shows how the Old Testament books were kept by the Jews and received by Christ and the apostles, and why the Apocrypha has no such claim. The second traces how the New Testament was written and received by the early churches. The third argues that inspiration reaches to the very words of Scripture. An appendix quotes church fathers and later writers on verbal inspiration.
After candidly weighing what is advanced, they will have reason to conclude that in the Bible they possess the whole word of God, and nothing but his word.
The Books of the Old and New Testaments Proved to Be Canonical, Preface
It's the best place to start if your question is "How do we know which books belong in the Bible?" Read The Books of the Old and New Testaments Proved to Be Canonical.
A note on these editions
All four books were restored from scans of the original printings. You'll find some misread letters, verse numbers run into the text, and the occasional stray mark from the page margins, especially in the Bible verses at the head of each section. The argument is easy to follow even so.
Why read Haldane today
Haldane is a good guide to the book of the Bible that has changed more lives than almost any other. He keeps you close to Paul, he never lets the grace of God become cheap or small, and he shows why a sure Bible matters for a sure gospel. Begin with Volume 1, and when you want his best lines in one place, see our collection of Robert Haldane quotes. All four books are on the Robert Haldane author page.