Michael's Abbey Bible Study - Romans Chapter 5

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. These two verses summarize Paul's teaching in chapters 1-4. We are justified, which means we are made right with God. What justifies us is our faith in Jesus. This is how we accept His grace, which is the unearned and undeserved gift of God. Grace was made possible by Jesus' willing sacrifice on the cross for our sins. Jesus substituted Himself for us and took the punishment we deserved. God's grace is available to all of humanity. But we must accept it through our faith in Jesus. Works cannot justify us or earn our salvation in any way. It is only standing in faith that justifies us with God. Thus we will not be judged by our sins as they were forgiven.
The end of verse 2 could be translated as it appears here, meaning we exult because of this. It could also be translated as "let us exult" meaning we should exult because of this.
3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; These verses are an utterly alien concept to western people. "We also exult" is a correct translation. It could also be translated as "let us also exult." While one translation assumes that Christians exult, glory and boast in our tribulations, the other lets us know this is what we should be doing. Either way, this is the attitude of a real Christian.
The result given is that troubles bring perseverance, which brings a proven character. Proven character is dokimen from dexomai in Greek, which means a tested and tried character that is improved by the testing. A real Christian should desire their character be improved. Yet the majority of people who claim to be Christians in the west reject this. They wrongly think they should have an easy and happy life. But having our character tested by trial is how things are supposed to be. A tested character brings hope. By inference those who haven't been tested are lacking in hope.
These verses are a direct contradiction of the prosperity preachers who lie about Christians having "your best life now." Instead of boasting of the trials that produce a Godly character they lie that these things don't happen to Christians. When the truth is if we aren't having any troubles it is likely because we don't really belong to Jesus and instead are of the sinful secular world.
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Hope in modern English has been diminished from its true meaning. Today people say "I hope" and only mean "I wish" like they are tossing coins in a fountain. Biblically hope means a lot more than just wishing for something. The Greek word for hope in verses 4-5 is elpis which means to look forward to something with a reason to have confidence that it will be fulfilled. When used as a noun it means the source of the reason to have confidence. The source of our hope is based on the love of God poured out in us. It has absolutely nothing to do with our circumstances, troubles, trials and tribulations. Those do not matter to a real Christian. A real Christian knows that we win in the end, and this life is just the pre-season training camp that tests who will be on the team.
In verses 6-8 Paul shows why God's love is demonstrably a good basis for our hope.
6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. We were helpless and Godless. We cannot help ourselves. We are all in rebellion against God and bound for Hell. Yet Jesus the Christ died for us. That this was at the right time is not a theological point as much as it is a reference to this being the point in God's plan for it to occur.
However, it is apparent that this was the perfect time because of many factors such as the common language of Koine Greek, and the relative peace and freedom to travel because of the Roman Empire. This is not to justify the horrible brutality and injustice of the Romans. But it is a fact that even non-citizens had a better life than before the empire.
7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. We flawed and sinful humans are rarely willing to die for someone who lives a righteous life. And it is almost as rare that we will die for someone we think is a good person. In this Paul implied an interesting point about our nature as fallen humans. Someone who is righteous is would be living a Godly life. Whereas someone we judge to be a good person is not necessarily someone who is righteous in God's eyes. Rather we are more likely to judge someone to be good who is just as much a sinner as we are but personally treats us how we would like to be treated. It is yet another sign of how fallen and far from God's standard we are.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. That God the Son died in our place and took our punishment when there was absolutely nothing about us that deserved it in any way is absolute proof of the love God has for us, and that it is superior to our love.
In the narrative of his vision in Revelation 12 John relates that Satan the dragon had angels that followed him. The reference in verse 4 of the dragon sweeping a third of the stars from heaven is thought by many to poetically refer to how many of the angels Satan convinced to join his rebellion. Regardless, some angels who could be in the direct presence of God actually thought they could overcome God and that this was a good idea. As to why they thought it was possible is almost certainly because God chooses to work through His creation rather than do things Himself. But one wonders what lies Satan used to convince other angels that rebellion was a good idea. Since Satan continues to use the same tactics today as he has used for thousands of years, it is likely he used the same lie with the angels and told them "God doesn't love you. God doesn't care." Now that God the Son willing died for humans who absolutely did not deserve to be rescued by Him, God has direct evidence that Satan's words were a lie. No one will ever be able to claim that God does not love his creation ever again.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. Jesus the Christ took our place and the punishment we deserved because God loves more than we can possibly imagine. We really have no clue how bad our sin really is. We think we're not that bad. It is actually horrifically bad. Imagine all the worst smells you've ever encountered. Put them all together and multiply it by a thousand. It would still not be as bad as how much our sin stinks to God. We have earned God's wrath. And God maintains the standard that sin must be punished and kept out of the new Heaven and Earth. He did this by washing us clean with his blood, the greatest mercy and the highest act of love that will ever be.
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. This verse parallels verses 8-9 with some important differences. Verse 8 emphasizes the demonstration of God's perfect love. Verse 9 emphasizes the perfect justice of God being satisfied without diminishing His perfect love.
Verse 10 relates how we are reconciled to God, which is the restoration of the personal relationship God meant us to have with Him from the beginning. But our sin separated us from God and broke the relationship. We were not capable of restoring the relationship. It was the death of God the Son that made that possible while we were still in rebellion against God.
We are saved by His life means because Jesus was resurrected from the dead, so we also will be resurrected from the dead. By the fact that He lives we can face the future safe in the knowledge that no matter what we go through in this life we will be in paradise with Him one day.
11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Like in verses 2-3, exult means to boast and glory in God Himself because of what Jesus the Christ did for us, and because He made reconciliation with God possible for us. Because of him we can now have a direct and personal relationship with all three persons of the trinity, even the Father.
This is unique in the world. None of the false religions even consider a personal relationship between their god or gods and mere humans. It is strictly a relationship between royalty and subjects too low to be worthy of speaking to. Or more like a king and the insects that worship him. God is our King, and we are His subjects. But each person who accepts Jesus through faith is adopted into the family of God as step-children. And we speak to Him directly like a child speaks to their Father.
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned - The one man was Adam. His sin allowed sin to enter the world. Sin brings death. The last phrase is key. Death spread to all men because all sinned. This is not just physical death, but spiritual death which is eternal death in Hell.
The doctrine of original sin is misused as a straw-man argument against Christianity and Judaism by the secular world. They twist and distort it to make a false claim. Sadly, most people who claim to be Christians only know the twisted secular version and don't know the scriptural truth. The lying twist they make is that because of Adam sinned and we are descendants of Adam we are guilty of that specific sin of Adam eating the forbidden fruit. That is obviously unfair and unjust. But that is absolutely not the doctrine of original sin.
The doctrine of original sin is that had Adam not sinned the relationship with God would not have been broken. Thus we would have been born into the community of humanity that was in right relationship with God. Since Adam's sin broke the relationship with God we are born into the community of humanity in rebellion against God. Thus we are born with a sin-nature. Anyone who has raised a child from infancy knows this to be a fact. Babies are born self-centered and selfish heathens. This is probably why God makes them so cute so we are able to tolerate it. Joking aside, it is clear we start life in sinful rebellion against God. It is later that we are able to reconcile with God through faith in Jesus.
13 for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Until the law means the time before Moses wrote down the law for Israel. Just because the law had not been written doesn't mean there was no sin. Sin existed from the first sin in the Garden of Eden. That sin was not imputed means it had not been assigned a value. The law defined for us how bad sins were by the atonement required to maintain nomistic identification with Israel and God. It should be noted that murder was intrinsically known to be a heinous sin before the law as demonstrated by Cain and Abel. And under the law there was no atonement for murder.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. Adam had a commandment to follow, do not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The Israelites starting from Moses had the law to follow. But those who lived between Adam and Moses didn't have formal commandments to follow, or rather, fail to follow. Yet they still sinned. And thus they earned death. Those that put their faith in God were saved by grace.
The end of the verse refers to Adam being a type of Jesus. In modern theology a thing in the Old Testament that points to Jesus is referred to as a typology of Jesus. In 3:14-15 Jesus Himself said the bronze snake on a stick from Numbers 21:8 was a typology of Himself.
15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. The free gift is the grace of God made possible by the willing sacrifice of Jesus. The transgression is the original sin of Adam. Adam is a typology of Jesus, but an inverted typology. From the sin of Adam all are born into a sin nature and thus earn death. From the Christ event Jesus earned the forgiveness of sins that is the grace of God by which many are saved from death.
16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. Another inversion of the typology is that judgement and condemnation came from the one act of sin. Whereas the many sins by the Pharisees, Scribes, High Priests, and Judas led to the Christ Event that made possible the justification with the Father.
17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. From the sin of one, Adam, death over humanity. From the sacrifice of one many receive grace and life. It truly is an abundance of grace. We really have no clue how bad our sin really is, let alone how much sin we are actually guilty of. The gift of grace from Jesus is greater than we can possibly imagine.
18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. The original sin of Adam did result in the all of humanity being condemned. As explained with verse 12, it is not that we are held guilty of that sin, but that we are born with a sin nature and commit our own sins that we are guilty of. And we cannot overcome the guilt of our sin no matter how hard we try. Our sin is that bad and God is that good and righteous that we are mutually incompatible.
But the one act of Jesus substituting Himself for us we can be justified to the Father and made compatible with God.
19 For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. We were all made sinners and rebels by the act of Adam. By Jesus' obedience to the Father going willingly to the cross even though He didn't want to do it, we can be made righteous. It is absolutely impossible for us to do this ourselves. Even our own sacrifice on a cross would not accomplish it because we are full of sin. It would not wash away our sin as we deserve it and worse. Jesus was the perfect and unblemished sacrifice, the only man who never sinned. He took the punishment we deserved, the only perfectly innocent sacrifice for those who were and are hopelessly full of sin and death.
20 The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, The purpose of the law was not to make people righteous. It was to convict people of their sin. It showed Israel just how bad they were so they would know they were hopelessly doomed. By the conviction of the law they would see the need for God and turn to God for His grace. And in so doing they would turn away from the grossly sick and twisted sins of the surrounding nations and live for Yahweh.
This verse can and is misused to teach a false doctrine. However, 6:1 corrects that. So the false teachers must use this verse out of context to people who are ignorant of scripture in order to get away with it.
21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Sin brings death, an eternal death in Hell. God does not send people to Hell. They reject God and His grace and choose Hell. Even in Hell they will continue to rebel in anger, accusation, and blasphemy against God. Those who have faith in Jesus accept the undeserved gift that is grace and receive eternal life with God in Heaven.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation.

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