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Therefore, we are justified, reconciled, brought back to a
condition of righteousness by means of our faith, or belief in the
word of God – that the Son of God is a propitiation for our sins.
We have come back from the state of sin in which we were at
war against God to a state of peace in which we are at rest, and
in harmony with God's standard of the law. This justification was
all made possible through our Master, Joshua the Messiah.
Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Joshua, the Messiah is the one through whom we receive this
loving kindness (grace) of God - the act of clearing away the sin
that has separated us from Him because of our not having lived
according to the standard of God which is the law of God. In
other words, we have been justified back to the standard. The
act of faith, believing the word of God concerning His promises in
this regard, makes possible this cleansing. For God will not
cleanse our sins unless we believe that He will do so through the
death and life of the Messiah. We stand before God, because of
His loving-kindness (grace) and our faith in that loving kindness.
Otherwise, we would be outcasts forever, and never able to come
into the presence of God. Therefore, we rejoice, are filled with
joy, gladdened, delighted in the hope or expectation of the
glorious state that God is going to bring us into, because a way of
escape was made through Joshua, the Messiah, from the bondage
of sin that had its grip on us. Our future is very bright because of
this act of God, and instead of dreading eternal death brought
upon us because of the sin in the garden as well as our own sins,
we can now look forward to eternal life with God. This became
possible because of our Justification, Joshua, the Messiah.
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
And, we don't only glory in the justification side of the equation,
but we also glory in the side of the equation, which requires us to
endure the pressure (tribulations) as well. For, we know that the
pressure of living a godly life works in us patience.
Now Paul is getting to the second part of salvation. He has
discussed much about the justification side of the formula for
salvation. Here, he shows the chain reaction that can work in our
lives, if we are willing to endure going through the threshold of
pain, with God's help from sin to righteousness. Remember that
suffering for righteousness sake is the only suffering of any
account for those who are in covenant with God. This includes
any outside pressure brought our way because of the life we live
before God in all good conscience, and any internal pressure
brought on us because of any wrong habits we have built up
through lust or living in an ungodly way.
Sometimes it is very difficult to overcome a particular sin in one's
life. God is watching and learning from us how we will deal with
that sin. Are we persistent in coming back to God, searching for
the solution? Those who are timid in this matter will not make it.
We are plainly told that the timid have their place in the lake of
fire. We must find a way to get through the threshold of pain
with the particular sin that has us in bondage. That burden is on
our shoulders, for only in this way is patience developed in our
lives. If we feel that God is going to save us in spite of our sin,
we have another thought coming. That is not what God is after,
and neither should we want that condition in our lives. We want
to become perfect, even as our Father, who is in heaven, is
perfect. The closer we come to that state, the more we will have
an abundant and joyful life.
So, Paul begins with this chain reaction. The trials of sin in our
lives (whether from external sources, or internal sources) that try
constantly to pull us away from the standard of the law work
patience in us, if we struggle against them and will not give up.
As our patience continues, we build up endurance and maturity of
character. We are becoming a vessel fit for use in God's
service. With this type of life, we can become more and more
confidant that we are responding to God's mind (His holy spirit)
and living our lives according to God's standard (the law). We
will then be doing our part of the covenant that we agreed to
when we were brought into this agreement with God.
The covenant requires that we live according to the Ten
Commandments of God. We are also promised that we will be
given the holy spirit or the power of God's mind to help us do just
that. As we come closer to the standard laid down in the
covenant, we can rejoice in the knowledge that God is working in
our lives and bringing us closer to the vessel He is making out of
this piece of clay. Then the hope of eternal salvation becomes
more and more real to us.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that
tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
We will never be ashamed or disappointed, as a result of this
hope. For, the love of God (the standard of God - living by the
law) is made possible by the pouring out of the holy spirit into our
minds. Paul is saying here that we can live by the standard of
God with the power of God's mind. And that God has given us
His holy spirit (a part of His mind) for that purpose.
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.
For, Paul continues, Before the death of the Messiah for the
reconciliation (justification) of the sinner back to the standard of
God's law - a time when we were without any means (strength)
to bring ourselves back to God - we were feeble and did not have
the strength to come into a proper relationship with God.
According to the preset time that God the Father and His Son,
Joshua had determined, the Messiah died for the ungodly. Now
there was a means of reconciling or justifying the sinner back to
the standard of God - the law, in order for one to have that
proper relationship with God. Here again, Paul is discussing the
gulf of separation made between God and His standard and man.
Man had strayed away from that standard. There had to be a
way made to eliminate this gulf that had come between man and
God. Justification was that means. This made possible eternal
life. I say, <possible>, because the future is still before this
reconciled man. What will he do with the advantage that God has
given him? Will he use it to work out his own salvation by
learning to patiently endure and overcome his sin - the very
purpose of this justification? Or, will he take for granted that
God is doing everything for him and lose out on salvation because
he thought it required only for him to say, "I do."
This is readily understood from the marriage agreement between
a man and a woman. The agreement or covenant is laid down.
Both say, "I do" to the agreement or covenant. But, will the
marriage last? That depends on what the couple does from the
time they mouth the words until the time they are placed in the
grave. Obviously if either breaks the covenant and there is no
<further> reconciliation, the marriage will be dissolved. The
same is the case with the covenant between God and man. God
is going to do his part, but will man do his part? The answer to
that question is unknown even to God Himself. Man is the
unknown quantity and God is testing man to see what he will do
in response to the covenant. Abraham became a known quantity
to God when he went so far as to be willing to sacrifice his own
son, for God knew even at that time that He too would be
sacrificing His only begotten Son. No greater sacrifice has ever
been required of God or man.
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the
ungodly. {in due time: or, according to the time}
For, very rarely will a man die for even a righteous man. Yet, it
is possible that for a good man someone would even dare to die.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a
good man some would even dare to die.
But, God proved His love toward us, by giving up His only
begotten Son for the reconciliation of our sins - while we were
still sinners. The Messiah did not die for righteous people, but for
unrighteous people. He was willing to die for our justification so
that the process of salvation could be put on a solid foundation for
man. Had the Messiah refused to die for our sins, the whole
human experience would have been scraped.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.
But, because we are now justified back to the standard of the law
and God, by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God -
the dread of all humans for their sins - because of Him. Here
Paul is saying that much more than just being justified back to
the standard, we will now not receive the wrath of God that
would have been our lot if that justification had not been
accomplished.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved
from wrath through him.
In verse 10, Paul is explaining that the death of the Messiah was
adequate for our reconciliation, but in order for this to be
effective, there must be an advocate to bring the case before
God and put the reconciliation into action. In other words, if the
Messiah had died for us, but was not raised again so He could sit
as our High Priest, we could not have been saved, or received
eternal life. Therefore, our salvation is made sure because of His
life.
Theoretically one could argue that, if we could live a perfect life
after the first reconciliation, one could have been given eternal
life because of the death of the Messiah. However, because
there is an ongoing need for reconciliation as we proceed in our
lives, this requires a living High Priest who can continually make
reconciliation before the Father when we ask for forgiveness of
our daily sins. Therefore, we will be rescued (saved) from the
bondage of our sins because of the death <and> life of the
Messiah.
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.
And we have something else – joy in God made possible through
our Master, Joshua, the Messiah. We received our atonement,
another word for reconciliation or justification, through the
Messiah. Now we can enjoy a relationship with God that was not
here to fore possible for our sins.
Paul is here taking the facts of reconciliation for past sins and the
sitting of our High Priest to daily administer that reconciliation as
we come forward in need to God to a higher plane. The basic
reason for this justification was so we could have a joyful
relationship with God. Before, we could not experience this
relationship because there was a gulf between God and us -
because of our sins or deviation from the standard of the law with
which God will not compromise. Now that this gulf has been
removed, we can rejoice in our relationship with God. That was
God's desire all along. Man thought he could find a better way
because of the deception of sin brought to his attention by Satan.
Only when man realizes that he is going the wrong way and
desires to go the right way, and repents before God, will the gulf
be wiped away and a joyful relationship between God and man
made possible.
Paul is saying here that this is the relationship we receive once
we receive our justification for past sin or deviation from the
law. If we have not yet gotten to that level in our relationship
with God, something needs to be addressed in our lives to bring
us to that point. For, we are not humans for the purpose of living
a sinful life. We are not humans for the purpose of getting
wealth. We are not humans for the pleasure of being successful
in the eyes of our fellowman. We are not humans for any other
purpose than to come into a proper relationship with God. God
will not compromise with sin – therefore, we must first be
reconciled back to God by having this sin wiped away. From that
point, we must live according to God's standard or we will once
again come into a position where the gulf is there. That is why
we need to do as the Messiah showed us in the prayer outline -
ask for our forgiveness on a daily basis, and further to become
perfect even as our Father which is in heaven. This process is the
trial of sin - endurance with patience - building of character- hope
of eternal life that Paul was referring to earlier in this chapter.
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom we have now received the atonement. {atonement: or,
reconciliation}
As we can see from this part of Romans, Paul is in no way
condoning sin in the life of the person who has been reconciled
before God through the death and life of the Messiah. There is
no excuse for anyone believing that God is the only one who has a
responsibility in the covenant.
A covenant stipulates requirements on both sides of the
agreement. Man's side is to live a life without sin according to
the standard that defines sin - the Ten Commandments. If man
deviates from that standard, he has incurred a debt. And the
debt must be paid or God's wrath will be upon that man and
eternal life will be lost.
It becomes very clear, therefore, that we must understand,
without doubt, what the law says and know when we have
deviated from that standard so we can ask for and receive the
reconciliation made possible. This is important to ensure that we
continually have that joyful relationship, that peaceful
relationship that Paul referred to, between God and us.
Salvation is made up of the requirements of both God and man to
the covenant made between them. God's part was to supply the
standard - the ten commandments and the means to understand
and live by that standard - the holy spirit, or a part of His own
mind. God's mind will not lead one to sin! Man's part was to
resist sin as it tried to display in his life because of outside forces
or because of internal forces such as wrong habits of the past
until he got the victory over sin.
As Paul explains later, sin is not to have dominion over us, for we
have at our disposal the process of justification, which was not
possible under the temple law system of the Jews. This process
of justification was made possible to keep one's focus on living a
sinless life, not for the purpose of allowing one to live in sin as is
sometimes understood by various teachers.
At this point, Paul launches into another argument to show the
Romans that they were included in this process of salvation; and
to show the Jews that they were not the only recipients of the
loving favor of God - justification for their deviation from the law.
To accomplish this argument, Paul bypasses Abraham and goes
back to the Garden of Eden where sin first entered into the
world. He begins, Therefore, as sin entered into the world
because of the trespass of the one man Adam, and death - the
penalty of sin - became a reality to all of humanity, the result is
that all have sinned.
We see several points of fact that Paul is bringing out in this
verse. #1) Sin entered into the world because of Adam's sin. #2)
Death entered the world because of sin. #3) All have sinned
because sin had been given an entrance into the world.
Did you notice the figure? The phrase "death passed upon all
men” is in the original something to the effect, that sin was
allowed to walk into the world and therefore to trample upon
everyone. Here <sin> is being personified as though it was a
super man and when the bars of righteousness were in place sin
could not enter into the world. However, once the bars of
righteousness were let down, "Sin walked into the world and for
that reason, all have sinned." There was no power strong enough
to stop the working of sin in the world, until the Messiah became
the Justification to reconcile the gulf that came about because of
sin. And that justification is not a blanket effect on the whole
world, but one that works in the lives of individuals and is
available to the whole world in due time.
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: {for that: or,
in whom}
Paul continues, Before the law became the Constitution of the
Israelites, sin was in the world. However, because the law had
not been drawn up and accepted by any group of people, no one
was charged with having broken that law. Regardless of the fact
that the law had not been written down and legally accepted by
any nation, the law was in effect just the same. For death, the
penalty of the law, ruled over man from the time of Adam to
Moses, when the law of God became the Constitution of a
nation. This was the case, even if a man lived a good life and did
not sin to the extent that Adam had. Then Paul adds that Adam
was a type in contrast to the Messiah who was to come. We will
see more of this contrast in the following verses. Adam was a
type of the Messiah, but not because of his righteousness.
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.
But, the free gift of justification is not to be compared on the
same level with just Adam's transgression. For, justification -
made possible by the death of the Messiah - was much greater
than the means needed to cover the sins of Adam alone. Through
Adam's sin of offense against the law all are as good as dead.
And in the same way, the loving kindness of God and the gift of
justification made possible by that loving-kindness is more than
adequate to cover all of mankind's sins for the purpose of
justification. And the one man Joshua, the Messiah, made this
possible.
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.
The gift of justification was not for one man's sin only. For the
judgment of condemnation came upon the whole world by the sins
of one man. Therefore, the free gift is more than adequate to
cover all the offences of sin against the law by all of humanity.
Keep in mind that we are speaking of justification back to the
law, not covering all sins just for the sake of covering all sins!
Paul is showing here that as the whole world came under the
judgment of condemnation by the one man Adam, so justification
from that sin was made possible to the whole world through the
one man Joshua, the Messiah.
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.
The same point as above is made again in different words. If
death ruled over man because of one man's sin of offense against
the law, then even more shall life rule over man who has received
of the abundance of the loving kindness of God and His gift of
justification which brings man back into a righteous standing with
Him. And this is all by the one man, Joshua, the Messiah in
contrast to the one man Adam.
So we can see that Paul is making a contrasting comparison
between Adam and the Messiah. The comparison is not one of
similitude, but contrast. His argument is nothing short of brilliant
from the perspective of a believing Jew. The Jews' perspective
went back to their father Abraham and Moses. Their
Constitution began with the giving of the law. That was their
beginning. Here Paul is causing them to focus on the beginning of
all humanity, not just the beginning of the nation of Israel.
Starting with Adam, sin came into the world. Sin did not begin
with the giving of the law! Even at the time of Adam's sin God
promised a way back – a way that man would be justified back to
God. Through the descendants of Adam and Eve would come a
Savior who would eventually destroy Satan. God later accepted
the offering made by Abel. This showing that a means of
justification had already been set into place. Abel was offering
an animal sacrifice as a type of that justification. Therefore,
before Abraham or Moses, justification was made possible for all
humanity.
The Jews had a narrow perspective of God's grace or loving
kindness of justification for man. They thought the whole world
had to come to that justification through their temple laws. Paul
is showing that even before there was a Jew, a means of
justification had been made and that Joshua, the Messiah was the
reality of that means. As sin came into the world through the
first man Adam, so justification came into the world by means of
the Messiah at that very same time – the plans were then made.
The sacrifice did not come until 4000 years later, but God sees
the future as we see the past. Those who were called of God and
given His holy spirit before the reality of the Messiah looked
forward to His sacrifice. Those who have been called after that
sacrifice look back to the reality of the Messiah. In either case,
faith must be involved. For it is a matter of faith regardless of
the perspective. <When> the sacrifice took place was not as
important as faith in the sacrifice. For with God, the sacrifice
was as good as accomplished when Adam sinned.
The temple worship of the Jews had somewhat blinded them to
the need for faith. Animal sacrifices had become so real to them
that they had forgotten over time that they were only typical.
Therefore, temple worship had become a stumbling block to
them. Even the law, their Constitution had become a stumbling
block to them. They had somehow forgotten that sin ruled the
world even before the law had been written down as their
Constitution. Therefore, the law, the standard that man had
transgressed was ruling over man from the beginning.
Otherwise, there would have been no penalty. They had come to
believe that the law began with them and therefore that
justification began with them. Paul is showing here that this is
not the case. Sin began with the first Adam in the garden and
justification for sin began with the second Adam at the time of
the first sin.
For, if a means of justification had not been made until the actual
sacrifice of the Messiah, there could have been no Abraham or
Moses or David! These men were righteous before God. Their
sins were justified because of their faith in the sacrifice of the
Messiah who was to come, and it was just as valid as our faith in
the sacrifice of the Messiah who has come. They could prove
that the Messiah would die for their sins just as easily as we can
prove that He did die for our sins! Both must be understood as an
act of faith!
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between
thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel.
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.) {by one man's...: or, by one offence}
Paul approaches this argument in still another way. We should
take notice of what Paul is doing here. A subject is better
understood if we approach it from many different perspectives.
Error comes in, many times, because only one perspective is used
to determine doctrine. Doctrine, a matter of belief, such as Paul
is explaining here should be understood from so many different
angles that there can be little doubt of its accuracy. Like the
rules of Geometry, Paul is laying one truth upon another truth
until the accuracy of his argument is so strong that no one can
refute it.
Therefore, as condemnation came upon all men because of the sin
of offense against the law by the one man Adam, even so the
righteousness of the one man Joshua, the Messiah made possible
the free gift of justification back to the law for all men. And that
justification is a justification unto life. For as sin brings death,
justification - the abolishment of that sin, restores one to life.
In other words, Paul is saying that as death came upon the whole
world because of the one sin of Adam, that life is now made
possible for the whole world because of the righteous life of the
Messiah. For, the Messiah could not have become our
Justification unless He had lived a perfect, sinless life. A sinner
could not make justification for anyone other than himself, and
then only by means of dying for his own sins.
Perhaps a word needs to be said about the one sin of Adam. Paul
is not saying here that the one sin of Adam was the basis of
condemnation of the whole world. Rather, that the one sin of
Adam was the means by which sin came into the world and made
sure that all mankind would pursue a life of sin. We are not
condemned because of Adam's sin. We are condemned because
of our sin. However, our sin does have a connection with Adam
because it was through him that sin came into the world.
There is a wonderful understanding here that I cannot go into
fully in this study. For the full understanding read my article on
the two trees. However, briefly, it is obvious that God would not
allow Satan to make contact with Adam and Eve spiritually until
they had eaten of the tree that gave God the knowledge of
whether they would listen to God and go His way or listen to
Satan and go his way. That is the reason Satan was so desperate
to get them to eat of the tree. Once the decision was made by
eating of the tree of the knowledge of good or evil, then sin
entered into the world because Satan could now broadcast his evil
to man's mind. This is the reason that Adam and Eve knew they
were naked only after eating of this tree! For God asked them,
Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree
that was forbidden to you? No one had told them! It came to
their knowledge, because sin had entered into the world because
of their transgression.
As condemnation came upon the whole world as a result of this
one act of sin by one man, even so did one man make justification
possible for the whole world by His one act of atonement. Paul is
here showing that justification is therefore for all men, not the
Jews only.
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. {by the offence...: or, by one offence}
{by the righteousness...: or, by one righteousness}
Another perspective: All were made sinners because of one
man's disobedience and in like manner, all can be made righteous
because of one man's obedience. Paul uses the word <many>
here because not all will receive eternal life or even be made
righteous because of this justification for even a small period of
time. But just as all are sinners, so all have the means of
justification for their reconciliation if they will avail themselves
of it.
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Now, the reason that the law entered, or came into the picture,
was so there would be no question about what sin is. For sins of
offence against the law could not have been verified had the law
not been given. Justification without the law would have been
meaningless. It was needful that the standard be quantified so
that as many sins as possible could be recognized. So Paul is
saying here that the law was given so we could recognize as many
offences as possible. For what good is justification if we don't
know what we are being justified for? Justification is made more
effective if we know how we have sinned. Then we can begin to
change our lives for the better and require less and less
justification as we continue our lives.
And the law was important for another reason. It makes known
how great God's love is for us! Sin becomes more known and it is
recognized just how abundant sins are in the world if the law is
there to tell us what sin is. And because of this great weight of
sin on one side of the scales of justice, we see how great God's
loving kindness of justification is on the other side of this scale.
Here we have a scale before us. If sin only tipped the scale a
little bit on one side, then justification would not be shown as
doing all that much when the scale was brought back to a
balance. However, because the law was given and we can see sin
in all its darkness we begin to see how great is the act of
justification made possible by the sacrifice of the Messiah.
We can see the scale tipped totally to the bottom on the side of
sin because of all its darkness, requiring an abundance of weight
on the side of the love of God to bring the scale back to a
balance. Without the law, the sacrifice of the Messiah would not
be seen in its towering significance. Only as we understand the
scope of sin can we understand the scope of God's love for us in
sending the Messiah to justify our sins. And we can only
understand sin, if we have the law, which makes known to us
what sin is.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where
sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
So, sin ruled the world and resulted in death for all humanity. At
one point, God destroyed the world by a flood because of this
reign of sin. In like manner, it is possible for man to live
righteous before God and reap eternal life because of God's love
in providing us a means of justification. In other words,
justification can reign in our lives rather than sin. Before, there
was no way back to God. Now we have the means to walk with
God.
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
In this section, we have seen Paul present justification from a
different perspective. He takes us back to the beginning. Sin
began with Adam and Eve. The law was there even then or there
would have been no sin. Justification was from the beginning or
there could have been no patriarchs of the Jews. This was a
different perspective for the Jews for they thought that the law
and justification originated with them.
In this section, Paul is tying the value of justification to the law.
Here we see that justification is only as great as the demands of
the law. Paul is in no way lowering the status of the law. He is
magnifying the law. For if the law has been done away, so has
the need for justification. The value of the sacrifice of the
Messiah is only as great as the demands of the law. If the law is
of little value in our lives, then the sacrifice of the Messiah will be
of little value in our lives. The greater we see the need of being
rectified back to the law, the greater we will see the value of the
sacrifice of the Messiah. The law and justification hinge on one
another.
The standard of the law came first. Sin, a departure from the
standard came second. Justification back to the standard came
third. For there can be no sin without a standard and there is no
need of justification without sin. As Paul exclaims in one place,
Shall we sin that grace may abound! Certainly not! We don't
want to get the cart before the horse. Grace, or justification,
was only made possible because of sin, not the other way around.
God did not say, Hey, we have got to have justification for man
therefore, let's invent a way to make him sin so we can have
grace. Rather, justification would have never been made possible
if man had not sinned. But man did sin. Therefore, God's love
had to be extended in some way to bring man back into a
relationship with Him or the whole experience of man would have
been scraped. Justification is that way, and justification is Paul's
subject in the book of Romans!
Home
Commentaries
Chapters:
One
Two
Three
Four
Four Continued
Five
Six
Seven
Seven Continued
Eight
Eight Continued
condition of righteousness by means of our faith, or belief in the
word of God – that the Son of God is a propitiation for our sins.
We have come back from the state of sin in which we were at
war against God to a state of peace in which we are at rest, and
in harmony with God's standard of the law. This justification was
all made possible through our Master, Joshua the Messiah.
Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Joshua, the Messiah is the one through whom we receive this
loving kindness (grace) of God - the act of clearing away the sin
that has separated us from Him because of our not having lived
according to the standard of God which is the law of God. In
other words, we have been justified back to the standard. The
act of faith, believing the word of God concerning His promises in
this regard, makes possible this cleansing. For God will not
cleanse our sins unless we believe that He will do so through the
death and life of the Messiah. We stand before God, because of
His loving-kindness (grace) and our faith in that loving kindness.
Otherwise, we would be outcasts forever, and never able to come
into the presence of God. Therefore, we rejoice, are filled with
joy, gladdened, delighted in the hope or expectation of the
glorious state that God is going to bring us into, because a way of
escape was made through Joshua, the Messiah, from the bondage
of sin that had its grip on us. Our future is very bright because of
this act of God, and instead of dreading eternal death brought
upon us because of the sin in the garden as well as our own sins,
we can now look forward to eternal life with God. This became
possible because of our Justification, Joshua, the Messiah.
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
And, we don't only glory in the justification side of the equation,
but we also glory in the side of the equation, which requires us to
endure the pressure (tribulations) as well. For, we know that the
pressure of living a godly life works in us patience.
Now Paul is getting to the second part of salvation. He has
discussed much about the justification side of the formula for
salvation. Here, he shows the chain reaction that can work in our
lives, if we are willing to endure going through the threshold of
pain, with God's help from sin to righteousness. Remember that
suffering for righteousness sake is the only suffering of any
account for those who are in covenant with God. This includes
any outside pressure brought our way because of the life we live
before God in all good conscience, and any internal pressure
brought on us because of any wrong habits we have built up
through lust or living in an ungodly way.
Sometimes it is very difficult to overcome a particular sin in one's
life. God is watching and learning from us how we will deal with
that sin. Are we persistent in coming back to God, searching for
the solution? Those who are timid in this matter will not make it.
We are plainly told that the timid have their place in the lake of
fire. We must find a way to get through the threshold of pain
with the particular sin that has us in bondage. That burden is on
our shoulders, for only in this way is patience developed in our
lives. If we feel that God is going to save us in spite of our sin,
we have another thought coming. That is not what God is after,
and neither should we want that condition in our lives. We want
to become perfect, even as our Father, who is in heaven, is
perfect. The closer we come to that state, the more we will have
an abundant and joyful life.
So, Paul begins with this chain reaction. The trials of sin in our
lives (whether from external sources, or internal sources) that try
constantly to pull us away from the standard of the law work
patience in us, if we struggle against them and will not give up.
As our patience continues, we build up endurance and maturity of
character. We are becoming a vessel fit for use in God's
service. With this type of life, we can become more and more
confidant that we are responding to God's mind (His holy spirit)
and living our lives according to God's standard (the law). We
will then be doing our part of the covenant that we agreed to
when we were brought into this agreement with God.
The covenant requires that we live according to the Ten
Commandments of God. We are also promised that we will be
given the holy spirit or the power of God's mind to help us do just
that. As we come closer to the standard laid down in the
covenant, we can rejoice in the knowledge that God is working in
our lives and bringing us closer to the vessel He is making out of
this piece of clay. Then the hope of eternal salvation becomes
more and more real to us.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that
tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
We will never be ashamed or disappointed, as a result of this
hope. For, the love of God (the standard of God - living by the
law) is made possible by the pouring out of the holy spirit into our
minds. Paul is saying here that we can live by the standard of
God with the power of God's mind. And that God has given us
His holy spirit (a part of His mind) for that purpose.
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.
For, Paul continues, Before the death of the Messiah for the
reconciliation (justification) of the sinner back to the standard of
God's law - a time when we were without any means (strength)
to bring ourselves back to God - we were feeble and did not have
the strength to come into a proper relationship with God.
According to the preset time that God the Father and His Son,
Joshua had determined, the Messiah died for the ungodly. Now
there was a means of reconciling or justifying the sinner back to
the standard of God - the law, in order for one to have that
proper relationship with God. Here again, Paul is discussing the
gulf of separation made between God and His standard and man.
Man had strayed away from that standard. There had to be a
way made to eliminate this gulf that had come between man and
God. Justification was that means. This made possible eternal
life. I say, <possible>, because the future is still before this
reconciled man. What will he do with the advantage that God has
given him? Will he use it to work out his own salvation by
learning to patiently endure and overcome his sin - the very
purpose of this justification? Or, will he take for granted that
God is doing everything for him and lose out on salvation because
he thought it required only for him to say, "I do."
This is readily understood from the marriage agreement between
a man and a woman. The agreement or covenant is laid down.
Both say, "I do" to the agreement or covenant. But, will the
marriage last? That depends on what the couple does from the
time they mouth the words until the time they are placed in the
grave. Obviously if either breaks the covenant and there is no
<further> reconciliation, the marriage will be dissolved. The
same is the case with the covenant between God and man. God
is going to do his part, but will man do his part? The answer to
that question is unknown even to God Himself. Man is the
unknown quantity and God is testing man to see what he will do
in response to the covenant. Abraham became a known quantity
to God when he went so far as to be willing to sacrifice his own
son, for God knew even at that time that He too would be
sacrificing His only begotten Son. No greater sacrifice has ever
been required of God or man.
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the
ungodly. {in due time: or, according to the time}
For, very rarely will a man die for even a righteous man. Yet, it
is possible that for a good man someone would even dare to die.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a
good man some would even dare to die.
But, God proved His love toward us, by giving up His only
begotten Son for the reconciliation of our sins - while we were
still sinners. The Messiah did not die for righteous people, but for
unrighteous people. He was willing to die for our justification so
that the process of salvation could be put on a solid foundation for
man. Had the Messiah refused to die for our sins, the whole
human experience would have been scraped.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.
But, because we are now justified back to the standard of the law
and God, by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God -
the dread of all humans for their sins - because of Him. Here
Paul is saying that much more than just being justified back to
the standard, we will now not receive the wrath of God that
would have been our lot if that justification had not been
accomplished.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved
from wrath through him.
In verse 10, Paul is explaining that the death of the Messiah was
adequate for our reconciliation, but in order for this to be
effective, there must be an advocate to bring the case before
God and put the reconciliation into action. In other words, if the
Messiah had died for us, but was not raised again so He could sit
as our High Priest, we could not have been saved, or received
eternal life. Therefore, our salvation is made sure because of His
life.
Theoretically one could argue that, if we could live a perfect life
after the first reconciliation, one could have been given eternal
life because of the death of the Messiah. However, because
there is an ongoing need for reconciliation as we proceed in our
lives, this requires a living High Priest who can continually make
reconciliation before the Father when we ask for forgiveness of
our daily sins. Therefore, we will be rescued (saved) from the
bondage of our sins because of the death <and> life of the
Messiah.
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.
And we have something else – joy in God made possible through
our Master, Joshua, the Messiah. We received our atonement,
another word for reconciliation or justification, through the
Messiah. Now we can enjoy a relationship with God that was not
here to fore possible for our sins.
Paul is here taking the facts of reconciliation for past sins and the
sitting of our High Priest to daily administer that reconciliation as
we come forward in need to God to a higher plane. The basic
reason for this justification was so we could have a joyful
relationship with God. Before, we could not experience this
relationship because there was a gulf between God and us -
because of our sins or deviation from the standard of the law with
which God will not compromise. Now that this gulf has been
removed, we can rejoice in our relationship with God. That was
God's desire all along. Man thought he could find a better way
because of the deception of sin brought to his attention by Satan.
Only when man realizes that he is going the wrong way and
desires to go the right way, and repents before God, will the gulf
be wiped away and a joyful relationship between God and man
made possible.
Paul is saying here that this is the relationship we receive once
we receive our justification for past sin or deviation from the
law. If we have not yet gotten to that level in our relationship
with God, something needs to be addressed in our lives to bring
us to that point. For, we are not humans for the purpose of living
a sinful life. We are not humans for the purpose of getting
wealth. We are not humans for the pleasure of being successful
in the eyes of our fellowman. We are not humans for any other
purpose than to come into a proper relationship with God. God
will not compromise with sin – therefore, we must first be
reconciled back to God by having this sin wiped away. From that
point, we must live according to God's standard or we will once
again come into a position where the gulf is there. That is why
we need to do as the Messiah showed us in the prayer outline -
ask for our forgiveness on a daily basis, and further to become
perfect even as our Father which is in heaven. This process is the
trial of sin - endurance with patience - building of character- hope
of eternal life that Paul was referring to earlier in this chapter.
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom we have now received the atonement. {atonement: or,
reconciliation}
As we can see from this part of Romans, Paul is in no way
condoning sin in the life of the person who has been reconciled
before God through the death and life of the Messiah. There is
no excuse for anyone believing that God is the only one who has a
responsibility in the covenant.
A covenant stipulates requirements on both sides of the
agreement. Man's side is to live a life without sin according to
the standard that defines sin - the Ten Commandments. If man
deviates from that standard, he has incurred a debt. And the
debt must be paid or God's wrath will be upon that man and
eternal life will be lost.
It becomes very clear, therefore, that we must understand,
without doubt, what the law says and know when we have
deviated from that standard so we can ask for and receive the
reconciliation made possible. This is important to ensure that we
continually have that joyful relationship, that peaceful
relationship that Paul referred to, between God and us.
Salvation is made up of the requirements of both God and man to
the covenant made between them. God's part was to supply the
standard - the ten commandments and the means to understand
and live by that standard - the holy spirit, or a part of His own
mind. God's mind will not lead one to sin! Man's part was to
resist sin as it tried to display in his life because of outside forces
or because of internal forces such as wrong habits of the past
until he got the victory over sin.
As Paul explains later, sin is not to have dominion over us, for we
have at our disposal the process of justification, which was not
possible under the temple law system of the Jews. This process
of justification was made possible to keep one's focus on living a
sinless life, not for the purpose of allowing one to live in sin as is
sometimes understood by various teachers.
At this point, Paul launches into another argument to show the
Romans that they were included in this process of salvation; and
to show the Jews that they were not the only recipients of the
loving favor of God - justification for their deviation from the law.
To accomplish this argument, Paul bypasses Abraham and goes
back to the Garden of Eden where sin first entered into the
world. He begins, Therefore, as sin entered into the world
because of the trespass of the one man Adam, and death - the
penalty of sin - became a reality to all of humanity, the result is
that all have sinned.
We see several points of fact that Paul is bringing out in this
verse. #1) Sin entered into the world because of Adam's sin. #2)
Death entered the world because of sin. #3) All have sinned
because sin had been given an entrance into the world.
Did you notice the figure? The phrase "death passed upon all
men” is in the original something to the effect, that sin was
allowed to walk into the world and therefore to trample upon
everyone. Here <sin> is being personified as though it was a
super man and when the bars of righteousness were in place sin
could not enter into the world. However, once the bars of
righteousness were let down, "Sin walked into the world and for
that reason, all have sinned." There was no power strong enough
to stop the working of sin in the world, until the Messiah became
the Justification to reconcile the gulf that came about because of
sin. And that justification is not a blanket effect on the whole
world, but one that works in the lives of individuals and is
available to the whole world in due time.
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: {for that: or,
in whom}
Paul continues, Before the law became the Constitution of the
Israelites, sin was in the world. However, because the law had
not been drawn up and accepted by any group of people, no one
was charged with having broken that law. Regardless of the fact
that the law had not been written down and legally accepted by
any nation, the law was in effect just the same. For death, the
penalty of the law, ruled over man from the time of Adam to
Moses, when the law of God became the Constitution of a
nation. This was the case, even if a man lived a good life and did
not sin to the extent that Adam had. Then Paul adds that Adam
was a type in contrast to the Messiah who was to come. We will
see more of this contrast in the following verses. Adam was a
type of the Messiah, but not because of his righteousness.
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.
But, the free gift of justification is not to be compared on the
same level with just Adam's transgression. For, justification -
made possible by the death of the Messiah - was much greater
than the means needed to cover the sins of Adam alone. Through
Adam's sin of offense against the law all are as good as dead.
And in the same way, the loving kindness of God and the gift of
justification made possible by that loving-kindness is more than
adequate to cover all of mankind's sins for the purpose of
justification. And the one man Joshua, the Messiah, made this
possible.
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.
The gift of justification was not for one man's sin only. For the
judgment of condemnation came upon the whole world by the sins
of one man. Therefore, the free gift is more than adequate to
cover all the offences of sin against the law by all of humanity.
Keep in mind that we are speaking of justification back to the
law, not covering all sins just for the sake of covering all sins!
Paul is showing here that as the whole world came under the
judgment of condemnation by the one man Adam, so justification
from that sin was made possible to the whole world through the
one man Joshua, the Messiah.
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.
The same point as above is made again in different words. If
death ruled over man because of one man's sin of offense against
the law, then even more shall life rule over man who has received
of the abundance of the loving kindness of God and His gift of
justification which brings man back into a righteous standing with
Him. And this is all by the one man, Joshua, the Messiah in
contrast to the one man Adam.
So we can see that Paul is making a contrasting comparison
between Adam and the Messiah. The comparison is not one of
similitude, but contrast. His argument is nothing short of brilliant
from the perspective of a believing Jew. The Jews' perspective
went back to their father Abraham and Moses. Their
Constitution began with the giving of the law. That was their
beginning. Here Paul is causing them to focus on the beginning of
all humanity, not just the beginning of the nation of Israel.
Starting with Adam, sin came into the world. Sin did not begin
with the giving of the law! Even at the time of Adam's sin God
promised a way back – a way that man would be justified back to
God. Through the descendants of Adam and Eve would come a
Savior who would eventually destroy Satan. God later accepted
the offering made by Abel. This showing that a means of
justification had already been set into place. Abel was offering
an animal sacrifice as a type of that justification. Therefore,
before Abraham or Moses, justification was made possible for all
humanity.
The Jews had a narrow perspective of God's grace or loving
kindness of justification for man. They thought the whole world
had to come to that justification through their temple laws. Paul
is showing that even before there was a Jew, a means of
justification had been made and that Joshua, the Messiah was the
reality of that means. As sin came into the world through the
first man Adam, so justification came into the world by means of
the Messiah at that very same time – the plans were then made.
The sacrifice did not come until 4000 years later, but God sees
the future as we see the past. Those who were called of God and
given His holy spirit before the reality of the Messiah looked
forward to His sacrifice. Those who have been called after that
sacrifice look back to the reality of the Messiah. In either case,
faith must be involved. For it is a matter of faith regardless of
the perspective. <When> the sacrifice took place was not as
important as faith in the sacrifice. For with God, the sacrifice
was as good as accomplished when Adam sinned.
The temple worship of the Jews had somewhat blinded them to
the need for faith. Animal sacrifices had become so real to them
that they had forgotten over time that they were only typical.
Therefore, temple worship had become a stumbling block to
them. Even the law, their Constitution had become a stumbling
block to them. They had somehow forgotten that sin ruled the
world even before the law had been written down as their
Constitution. Therefore, the law, the standard that man had
transgressed was ruling over man from the beginning.
Otherwise, there would have been no penalty. They had come to
believe that the law began with them and therefore that
justification began with them. Paul is showing here that this is
not the case. Sin began with the first Adam in the garden and
justification for sin began with the second Adam at the time of
the first sin.
For, if a means of justification had not been made until the actual
sacrifice of the Messiah, there could have been no Abraham or
Moses or David! These men were righteous before God. Their
sins were justified because of their faith in the sacrifice of the
Messiah who was to come, and it was just as valid as our faith in
the sacrifice of the Messiah who has come. They could prove
that the Messiah would die for their sins just as easily as we can
prove that He did die for our sins! Both must be understood as an
act of faith!
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between
thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel.
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.) {by one man's...: or, by one offence}
Paul approaches this argument in still another way. We should
take notice of what Paul is doing here. A subject is better
understood if we approach it from many different perspectives.
Error comes in, many times, because only one perspective is used
to determine doctrine. Doctrine, a matter of belief, such as Paul
is explaining here should be understood from so many different
angles that there can be little doubt of its accuracy. Like the
rules of Geometry, Paul is laying one truth upon another truth
until the accuracy of his argument is so strong that no one can
refute it.
Therefore, as condemnation came upon all men because of the sin
of offense against the law by the one man Adam, even so the
righteousness of the one man Joshua, the Messiah made possible
the free gift of justification back to the law for all men. And that
justification is a justification unto life. For as sin brings death,
justification - the abolishment of that sin, restores one to life.
In other words, Paul is saying that as death came upon the whole
world because of the one sin of Adam, that life is now made
possible for the whole world because of the righteous life of the
Messiah. For, the Messiah could not have become our
Justification unless He had lived a perfect, sinless life. A sinner
could not make justification for anyone other than himself, and
then only by means of dying for his own sins.
Perhaps a word needs to be said about the one sin of Adam. Paul
is not saying here that the one sin of Adam was the basis of
condemnation of the whole world. Rather, that the one sin of
Adam was the means by which sin came into the world and made
sure that all mankind would pursue a life of sin. We are not
condemned because of Adam's sin. We are condemned because
of our sin. However, our sin does have a connection with Adam
because it was through him that sin came into the world.
There is a wonderful understanding here that I cannot go into
fully in this study. For the full understanding read my article on
the two trees. However, briefly, it is obvious that God would not
allow Satan to make contact with Adam and Eve spiritually until
they had eaten of the tree that gave God the knowledge of
whether they would listen to God and go His way or listen to
Satan and go his way. That is the reason Satan was so desperate
to get them to eat of the tree. Once the decision was made by
eating of the tree of the knowledge of good or evil, then sin
entered into the world because Satan could now broadcast his evil
to man's mind. This is the reason that Adam and Eve knew they
were naked only after eating of this tree! For God asked them,
Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree
that was forbidden to you? No one had told them! It came to
their knowledge, because sin had entered into the world because
of their transgression.
As condemnation came upon the whole world as a result of this
one act of sin by one man, even so did one man make justification
possible for the whole world by His one act of atonement. Paul is
here showing that justification is therefore for all men, not the
Jews only.
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. {by the offence...: or, by one offence}
{by the righteousness...: or, by one righteousness}
Another perspective: All were made sinners because of one
man's disobedience and in like manner, all can be made righteous
because of one man's obedience. Paul uses the word <many>
here because not all will receive eternal life or even be made
righteous because of this justification for even a small period of
time. But just as all are sinners, so all have the means of
justification for their reconciliation if they will avail themselves
of it.
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Now, the reason that the law entered, or came into the picture,
was so there would be no question about what sin is. For sins of
offence against the law could not have been verified had the law
not been given. Justification without the law would have been
meaningless. It was needful that the standard be quantified so
that as many sins as possible could be recognized. So Paul is
saying here that the law was given so we could recognize as many
offences as possible. For what good is justification if we don't
know what we are being justified for? Justification is made more
effective if we know how we have sinned. Then we can begin to
change our lives for the better and require less and less
justification as we continue our lives.
And the law was important for another reason. It makes known
how great God's love is for us! Sin becomes more known and it is
recognized just how abundant sins are in the world if the law is
there to tell us what sin is. And because of this great weight of
sin on one side of the scales of justice, we see how great God's
loving kindness of justification is on the other side of this scale.
Here we have a scale before us. If sin only tipped the scale a
little bit on one side, then justification would not be shown as
doing all that much when the scale was brought back to a
balance. However, because the law was given and we can see sin
in all its darkness we begin to see how great is the act of
justification made possible by the sacrifice of the Messiah.
We can see the scale tipped totally to the bottom on the side of
sin because of all its darkness, requiring an abundance of weight
on the side of the love of God to bring the scale back to a
balance. Without the law, the sacrifice of the Messiah would not
be seen in its towering significance. Only as we understand the
scope of sin can we understand the scope of God's love for us in
sending the Messiah to justify our sins. And we can only
understand sin, if we have the law, which makes known to us
what sin is.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where
sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
So, sin ruled the world and resulted in death for all humanity. At
one point, God destroyed the world by a flood because of this
reign of sin. In like manner, it is possible for man to live
righteous before God and reap eternal life because of God's love
in providing us a means of justification. In other words,
justification can reign in our lives rather than sin. Before, there
was no way back to God. Now we have the means to walk with
God.
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
In this section, we have seen Paul present justification from a
different perspective. He takes us back to the beginning. Sin
began with Adam and Eve. The law was there even then or there
would have been no sin. Justification was from the beginning or
there could have been no patriarchs of the Jews. This was a
different perspective for the Jews for they thought that the law
and justification originated with them.
In this section, Paul is tying the value of justification to the law.
Here we see that justification is only as great as the demands of
the law. Paul is in no way lowering the status of the law. He is
magnifying the law. For if the law has been done away, so has
the need for justification. The value of the sacrifice of the
Messiah is only as great as the demands of the law. If the law is
of little value in our lives, then the sacrifice of the Messiah will be
of little value in our lives. The greater we see the need of being
rectified back to the law, the greater we will see the value of the
sacrifice of the Messiah. The law and justification hinge on one
another.
The standard of the law came first. Sin, a departure from the
standard came second. Justification back to the standard came
third. For there can be no sin without a standard and there is no
need of justification without sin. As Paul exclaims in one place,
Shall we sin that grace may abound! Certainly not! We don't
want to get the cart before the horse. Grace, or justification,
was only made possible because of sin, not the other way around.
God did not say, Hey, we have got to have justification for man
therefore, let's invent a way to make him sin so we can have
grace. Rather, justification would have never been made possible
if man had not sinned. But man did sin. Therefore, God's love
had to be extended in some way to bring man back into a
relationship with Him or the whole experience of man would have
been scraped. Justification is that way, and justification is Paul's
subject in the book of Romans!
Home
Commentaries
Chapters:
One
Two
Three
Four
Four Continued
Five
Six
Seven
Seven Continued
Eight
Eight Continued
| Chapter Five |