Romans 5
1-5 Steps of Faith to Hope
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
The Doctrine of Faith: This ‘therefore’ is there for a very important reason; it is the summation of the matter! Abraham was, Moses was, David was, the disciples were, and we are….justified by faith (not of works). Peace with God is brought about, in part, through our faith… faith that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of the world. We are ‘justified by faith’.
“Having our sins forgiven, and our souls adopted into the heavenly family, we have become heirs; for if children, then heirs, Gal 4:7; and that glory of God has now become our endless inheritance. While the Jews boast of their external privileges – that they have the temple of God among them; that their priests have an entrance to God as their representatives, carrying before the mercy-seat the blood of their offered victims; we exult in being introduced by Jesus Christ to the divine presence; his blood having been shed and sprinkled for this purpose; and thus we have, spiritually and essentially, all that these Jewish rites, etc., signified. We are in the peace of God, and we are happy in the enjoyment of that peace, and have a blessed foretaste of eternal glory. Thus, we have heaven upon earth, and the ineffable glories of God in prospect.” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary)
The Doctrine of Trials: Going through tribulation in our life should bring about patience, then experience, and then hope. Faith is interjected all along the way. Patience has been defined as “A calm temper, which suffers evils without murmuring or discontent” (Webster).
6-8 Who will you die for?
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
The Doctrine of the Crucifixion:
In ‘due time’ Christ died and rose again; it was ‘due’ in God’s perspective; maybe ‘due’ in regards to fulfilling the prophecies; maybe ‘due’ in regards to the 4000 years already accomplished by man on earth, and maybe only about 2000 years left, which may ‘figure in’ to this ‘due’. You might die for your wife, or a good friend, or a very good person that you know; but, who would die for their enemy, for a rotten, nasty, hateful reject (7)?! Yet, Jesus Christ died for just that, we sinners; for we enemies!
Christ’s death was needed because we couldn’t save ourselves… ‘without strength’. Christ’s death was not for the good person, the righteous, the godly, but rather, for the ungodly.
The ulmitate display of God’s love for us was by having His Son die for us…die in our place…die for our sin debt of Hell. “In our stead; to save us from death. He took our place; and by dying himself on the cross, saved us from dying eternally in hell.” (Barne’s Notes)
Jesus Christ experienced physical death, and (if you would) ‘spiritual death’. For, Jesus was separated from His Father for a period of time while He was on the cross (death is separation).
9-11 Parts to Salvation
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
The Doctrine of Salvation:
This is such a key verse (9), for it explains that a sinner is justified by Jesus’ actual blood and that only through Him is someone saved from His wrath; this is what the term salvation and saved is all about; being saved from the wrath of God! And this wrath is ultimately displayed in eternal damnation in hellfire! You are not saved from wrath through ‘being good’, through the ‘church’, through being faithful to the end, through baptism! These verses are a whole treatise on salvation: here (vs 10) it explains that reconciliation with God is through His Son, and that both His death and His resurrected life are necessary for this; thus salvation requires His ‘life’ continuing. Also, those that are not saved, are considered God’s ‘enemies’! In vs. 11 salvation is further explained through receiving the ‘atonement’; the atonement of our sins through the blood of the Lamb. Your sins are ‘taken care of’, atoned, covered, judged, because of Christ’s blood.
“The word atonement means “reconciliation, brought back into fellowship with God.” The term is mentioned also in Rom 5:10. In Rom 1:18-32, Paul explained how men declared war on God and, because of this, deserved to be condemned eternally. But God did not declare war on man. Instead, He sent His Son as the Peacemaker (Eph 2:11-18) that men might be reconciled to God.” (The Bible Exposition Commentary)
12-14 The Law from Adam to Moses
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
The Doctrine of Sin:
Sin enterred this world through Adam; There was no such thing as ‘sin’ ‘in this world’ prior to that. But, sin did exist; in the personage of Lucifer. I assume that Lucifer was not ‘in the world’ but rather ‘in the heavenlies’.
The result of sin is ‘death’…both physical and spiritual. ‘Death’ is not ‘ceasing to exist’, but rather, ‘separation’. The soul is separated from the body (physical death) and the soul is separated (eternally) from God (the source of all that is spiritual)(spiritual death).
This ‘death’ has passed upon all men; how do we know this? Well, we all were designed to live forever in these physical bodies, but, as we know very well, our physical bodies eventually die. This helps teach us about another death that has occurred to us… spiritual (Rv 20:14,15). These ‘deaths’ passed upon all men (from Adam); this is proven in that we all have sinned; if one did not sin then they might have a reason for not having this death passed upon them (12). Eternal death (e.g., Hell) has passed unto all men; not because Adam sinned, but rather, because ‘all have sinned’; we can’t blame our going to Hell on Adam…it is our own individual fault.
It might be that there is a certain gene (genetics) that is tainted from that first sin and since then has been in everyone’s genetic code since.
Sin is the breaking of the law. Did they sin before ‘the law’? Yes! It says that Adam sinned; and this breaking of the law was passed unto all men (13). But, ‘where no law is, there is no transgression’ (Ro 4:15). Thus, you can not transgress a law that does not exist…but, I believe, you can still sin. Consider the following passage:
Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
We all have a ‘law’ in us, in our hearts, and may very well be there via the blessed Holy Spirit of God. Those between Adam and Moses may not have had an official ‘law’ to follow (on paper), but they surely had a law written in their hearts. The breaking of the law could not be ‘imputed’ if there was no official law yet. But, there were commandments of God that were not to be broken; and the breaking of them would constitute ‘sin’, and the ‘imputation’ of sin (i.e. personally applied). The commentators (Barnes, Clarke, Fausset, etc.) are very unsure of the exact meaning here in these verses.
“Dr. Taylor very properly observes: 1) That sin was in the world from Adam to Moses. 2) That law was not in the world from Adam to Moses during the space of about 2,500 years; for, after Adam’s transgression, that law was abrogated; and, from that time, men were either under the general covenant of grace given to Adam or Noah, or under that which was specially made with Abraham. 3) That, therefore, the sins committed were not imputed unto them to death, for they did not sin after the similitude of Adam’s transgression; that is, they did not, like him, transgress a law, or rule of action, to which death, as the penalty, was annexed. And yet, 4) Death reigned over mankind during the period between Adam and Moses; therefore men did not die for their own transgressions, but in consequence of Adam’s one transgression.” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary)
Are we condemned to Hell because of Adam’s sin, or because of our own sin? We received the sin nature through Adam, and, thus are sinners, and thus did indeed sin, and will go to Hell because of that….i.e., our own sin.
The wages of sin is ‘death’; death was passed upon all, for all are sinners; even those before the law of Moses (14). Do we receive ‘death’ because of Adam’s “wages”? Shouldn’t it be our own wages…what we earned…because of our own personal wickedness. Mankind was just as evil back then as they are today; there just wasn’t an official recorded written law.
What is the ‘similitude of Adams’ transgression’? Adam had a law: do not eat of the fruit of this tree; it was the only law he had, and he broke it! Adam’s sin is different than other sins which were committed; his was just one rule (law); don’t eat of that tree’s fruit. Our sins are way different than the nature of that one. There is no Tree to not eat the fruit thereof; there is no law like that one for us. However, we have way more than just 1 law not to break; there were 10 for the Jews of the O.T., and there are hundreds more for the N.T. Christian. Anything that God says not to do, that is done, is a breaking of a law, and is sin.
15-21 One man’s disobedience / obedience
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Doctrine of Sin: Through one man’s sin (Adam’s disobedience of a law) many (all) were made sinners and received judgement, condemnation, and death; but through one man’s free gift (Jesus Christ and righteousness, grace), many (all) can be justified and made righteous. Are all automatically condemned to Hell (the 2nd death) because they come from Adam? Apparently, yes. Though, I believe that what specifically happened was that we each inherited Adam’s ‘propensity to sin’ (i.e. were sinners) and thus would and definitely did ‘sin’, and thus individually are then guilty before the holy, sinless God of heaven.
Are all automatically saved because God’s grace has abounded unto many? No. You must receive the gift of grace (17). This gift is absolutely ‘free’ (to you, but not to Jesus Christ); it doesn’t cost anything; there is nothing that you have to do to earn it). What a contrast between Adam and Jesus Christ!
When the law of Moses enterred, it showed all the more how many offences man was actually committing; this show that offences existed prior to this; they abounded all the more after more was learned about God’s holy standard, the law (20). The antithesis is further explained here in sin leading to eternal death but grace leading to eternal life! There is an abundant amount of grace to cover the 10-20 Billion sinners trillions of sins over the past 6000 years! Amen!
“The OT is “the book of the generations of Adam” (Gen 5:1-2) and ends with the word “curse.” (Mal 4:6). The NT is “the book of the generation of Jesus Christ” (Matt 1:1) and ends with “no more curse” (Rev 22:3).”
(Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament)