Romans 5

• We're all Guilty (Chapters 1-3)
• God gives us Righteousness (Chapters 4-5)
• You don't have to live like we used to (Chapters 6-8)
• Israel has a hope and future (9-11)
• Now, how should we live? (Chapters 12-16)

Romans 1:18-3:20 depicts a court scene:

• In 1:18-32, the unrighteousness of the Gentiles is exposed to the light. Then, Paul listed twenty-five charges against man.
• In chapter 2:1-16, he shows that the self-righteous are equally guilty before God. The moralists of Paul’s day were men of culture, refinement and intellect, but they too were inexcusable.
• In the remainder of chapter 2, verses 17-29, Paul strips the Jew of every vestige of the cloak of self-righteousness, so that
• when we reach chapter 3, verse 19, God’s startling verdict is “Guilty!”
• Then, chapter 4 tells us how we can be cleared of our guilty verdict.
• To this point in the Book of Romans, Paul has convinced us all that the only way of salvation is to be justified by grace, through faith.
• Now he will tell us what the practical benefits of this are.

We have here in Romans 5 a statement of the Christian's POSITION:

• 1. Justification; a state of acceptance with God, who, for Christ”s sake, regards and treats the believer in Jesus as righteous, and not as guilty. Until the conscience is assured of Divine favor and forgiveness there is no solid peace.
• 2. Who secures it? Jesus Christ. Although Paul has already shown this at length, he refers again in both these verses to the Redeemer, to whom we owe justification, and all the blessings which follow in its train. It is through him that we have been brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand
• 3. How is it obtained? By faith. Christ has done all that is necessary, on his part, to secure our salvation. But there is needed something upon our part. We have to receive upon the Divine terms, as a free gift, the greatest of all blessings. It is a spiritual act and attitude and exercise, indispensable to the new life.
• 4. By what title is it held? By that of grace; it is gratuitous. This is for our advantage; for no question is raised as to our fitness. The only question is as to God”s faithfulness; and this is not only pledged, but absolutely sure.

The key to Romans chapter five is the word "rejoice." The person who has been justified by faith in Jesus Christ can rejoice because of the results of believing on Christ. This is obvious from the opening word in chapter five, "THEREFORE." Because of our new relationship to God we can rejoice in our spiritual position, we rejoice in our present circumstances and we rejoice in LORD God.

Since this chapter begins with the word "Therefore", we need to go back to chapter 4 to see what the "Therefore" refers to:

Romans 4:22-25: And because of Abraham's faith, God declared him to be righteous. Now this wonderful truth -- that God declared him to be righteous -- wasn't just for Abraham's benefit. It was for us, too, assuring us that God will also declare us to be righteous if we believe in God, who brought Jesus our Lord back from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God.

(1) *Therefore, SINCE we have been **made right in God's sight by faith, we have ***peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

• *Therefore: Paul restates the great truth of Romans chapters three and four - made righteous or justified BY FAITH.
• **made right = JUSTIFIED in KJV.
  • Justified by faith speaks of a legal decree. Romans 1:18-3:20 found us guilty before the courts of God’s law, God’s glory and our own conscience. Then, Paul explained how because of what Jesus did for us, the righteousness of God is given to all who believe. The guilty sentence is transformed into a sentence of justified, and justified by faith.
  • Justification can be defined as that act of God whereby He declares absolutely righteous any and all who take shelter in the blood of Christ as their only hope for salvation.
  • Justification is a legal term which changes the believing sinner’s standing before God, declaring him acquitted and accepted by God, with the guilt and penalty of his sins put away forever.
  • Justification is the sentence of the Judge in favor of the condemned man, clearing him of all blame and freeing him of every charge. Justification does not make the sinner righteous, but when God sees him “in Christ,” He declares that he is righteous, thereby pronouncing the verdict of “not guilty.” In modern jurisprudence, a sentence in any court must be in keeping with the facts presented. A judge has no right to condemn the innocent or to clear the guilty. Only God can clear the guilty.
  • . If God is to justify a guilty sinner, He can do it only on the ground that the payment for sin has been met. The only way that God could be both merciful and just was through Calvary, where Jesus Christ paid the penalty for sin. There He vindicated His Holy Law and at the same time showed mercy to sinners. The vicarious sufferings and death of Christ are the cause of our justification before God.
  • This is Justification, to stand before God with all accounts paid, and clothed in the righteousness of His only Son, Jesus Christ.
  • The unnamed thief on the cross believed and was immediately forgiven, made righteous, guaranteed to be with Jesus Christ in paradise - he didn't belong to a church, never even went to a church, didn't get baptized, didn't speak in tongues, didn't have "communion", didn't go down the aisle, didn't tithe, didn't pray to Mary or the so-called "saints" nor any of the other things so many churches and "christians" proclaim to be necessary for salvation. If you do a search on this, you'll discover the common false argument that he probably had been baptized sometime beforehand!
  • Luke 23:41-43: We deserve to die for our evil deeds, but this man hasn't done anything wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise."
  • In Galatians 2:16 Paul makes the greatest statement of salvation by grace through faith as opposed to a salvation by works. He writes,  And yet we Jewish Christians know that we become right with God, not by doing what the law commands, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be accepted by God because of our faith in Christ -- and not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be saved by obeying the law."
  • How do we become a child of God? Galatians 3:26: So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
  • Here is Paul's formula for evaluating the basis of our assurance of salvation: Galatians 6:15: It doesn't make any difference now whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people.
  • Job 9:2: "Yes, I know this is all true in principle. But how can a person be declared innocent in the eyes of God?
  • Job 25:4: How can a mere mortal stand before God and claim to be righteous? Who in all the earth is pure?
  • Acts 13:38-39: "Brothers, listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God -- something the Jewish law could never do.
  • Romans 3:26: And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus.
  • Romans 8:33: Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? Will God? No! He is the one who has given us right standing with himself.
  • 2 Corinthians 5:21: For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ
• ***Peace:
• This is not the peace of God spoken of in other places (such as Philippians 4:7). This is peace with God; the battle between God and us is finished - and He won, winning us. Some never knew they were out of peace with God, but they were like drivers ignoring the red lights of a police car in their rear-view mirror - they are in trouble even if they don’t know it, and it will soon catch up to them.
• If you have really believed on Christ, you will have peace with God. If you are justified you are a member of His family. There is no longer any hostility between you and God. You are at peace with Him. We don' t have to worry about dying and facing God. The prospect of death does not hold a dreadful fear or terror over us because we know we have peace with Him. Because we are justified, we have lost our fear of God. We now have an intimate love relationship with Him.
• The peace “of” God is the idea that God has no longer holds us accountable for the payment for our sins as that was taken care of by the “cross”. The peace “with” God is Him saying to us in effect, “Come on over to Me. Now that the price has been paid, I want you to come close to Me and be with Me.” The peace “of” God is about forgiveness. The peace “with” God is about developing a personal relationship with God.
• The Matthew Henry’s Commentary observes: “There is more in this peace than barely a cessation of enmity, there is friendship and loving-kindness, for God is either the worst enemy or the best friend.”
• Colossians 1:20: and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross.

(2) Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now STAND, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory.

• The Living Bible paraphrases verse two, "And we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God had in mind for us to be."
• KJV: By whom also we have ACCESS by faith into this grace wherein we stand , and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
• This access is like the access that Esther gained to enter the throne room of Xerxes. We not only have access, we stand there! The gentile did not have access to the temple - only the courtyard of the gentiles. The woman only had access to the Courtyard of the Women. But, the male Jew had access to the entire temple area - except the sanctuary. However, only the High Priest had access to the Holy of Holies, and then only once per year. WE have immediate access to His very presence, His Holy of Holies at ANY time!
  • Hebrews 4:16: So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.

(3) We can REJOICE too, when we run into PROBLEMS and trials, for we know that they are good for us -- they help us learn to ENDURE.

• The Christian should expect a path of tribulation. Justification gives no assurance of an easy earthly path: quite the reverse. But it brings heavenly joy into the midst of the trouble.
• Morris: "Tribulations is a strong term. It does not refer to minor inconveniences, but to real hardships".
• Spurgeon: “A Christian man should be willing to be tried; he should be pleased to let his religion be put to the test. ‘There,’ says he, ‘hammer away if you like.’ Do you want to be carried to heaven on a feather bed?”
• Spurgeon: “ ‘Tribulation worketh patience,’ says the apostle. Naturally, it is not so. Tribulation worketh impatience, and impatience misses the fruit of experience, and sours into hopelessness. Ask many who have buried a dear child, or have lost their wealth, or have suffered pain of body, and they will tell you that the natural result of affliction is to produce irritation against providence, rebellion against God, questioning, unbelief, petulance, and all sorts of evils. But what a wonderful alteration takes place when the heart is renewed by the Holy Spirit!”
• Martin Luther: “Whatever virtues tribulation finds us in, it develops more fully. If anyone is carnal, weak, blind, wicked, irascible, haughty, and so forth, tribulation will make him more carnal, weak, blind, wicked and irritable. On the other hand, if one is spiritual, strong, wise, pious, gentle and humble, he will become more spiritual, powerful, wise, pious, gentle and humble.”
• 2 Corinthians 1:4: He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
  • King James Version: Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

(4) And ENDURANCE develops strength of *CHARACTER in us, and character strengthens our CONFIDENT EXPECTATION of salvation.

• *CHARACTER: The Greek word, rendered “character”, dokime, literally means “test.”
• Long afflictions borne patiently show a Christian what he is; they test his faith, and prove that it is genuine.
• 1 Peter 1:6-7: So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold -- and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

(5) And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

• 1 John 4:8-10: But anyone who does not love does not know God -- for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
• James 1:2-4: Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.
• Tribulation -> Pressure -> Patience ->Endurance -> Experience -> Proven Character or Maturity -> Hope - The confident expectation that we will not be disappointed.

(6) When we were utterly *helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

• *helpless: The idea expressed by the Greek word asthenon is that we were "incapable of working out any righteousness for ourselves."

(7) Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good.

• Paul is saying that there is a possibility of someone willing to die for a worthy person, however rare the case may be, but never of one in which a righteous person willingly takes the place of someone who is unworthy of the sacrifice.
• This is just saying that it would have been a little more understandable that Jesus would die on the cross for us, if we had been good people.

(8) BUT God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS.

• His death is substitutionary meaning someone else died in our place to pay our sin debt. Christ died for (huper), instead of, on behalf of the ungodly. He died "for us." He died for you and me.
• John 11:50: Why should the whole nation be destroyed? Let this one man die for the people."
• Galatians 3:13: But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
• What if, instead of a grenade were thrown into the a group of Vietnamese soldiers guarding an American prisoner. Suppose that American soldier, who had been abused and beaten and was permanently scarred and disfigured by his captures, fell on that grenade and gave his life to save his enemies. You say, "People don't do that!" That's right! Human nature recoils at the thought of doing good to one's enemies. However, while man doesn't do that, God does! That is exactly what happened at Calvary! Jesus Christ died for the sins of His enemies. He threw Himself on the grenade of God's wrath and when it detonated, He died to deliver those who hated Him. What love!

(9) And since we have been made right in God's sight *by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's judgment.

• *by: Hebrew en = in.
• *by the blood = in the blood: Our justification is based on the fact that we were included in His blood (verse 9), when it was poured out and we were also included in His life when He rose from the dead (verse 10).

(10) For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life.

• The key to our justification and glorification is in our IDENTIFICATION WITH what He did. God included us in the death of His Son and in His resurrection. As the person who brought a sacrifice in the Old Testament dispensation laid his hand on the animal that was to be sacrificed, he indicated to accept that what happened to that animal, in principle, happened to him. That is the meaning of Christ’s substitution for us in His death on the cross. In God’s eye, we were crucified, we died, were buried, and rose from the grave. The experience is ours for the claiming. The new life that is ours after our being born again is the resurrection life of Jesus Christ. The Day of Judgment is behind us.
  • Colossians 3:1-4: Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
• John 11:25: Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again.
• John 14:6: Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
• 2 Corinthians 5:18: All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him.
• Colossians 1:21-22: This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you INTO THE VERY PRESENCE OF GOD, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

(11) So now we can REJOICE in our wonderful new relationship with God -- all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us *friends of God.

• *friends: John 15:15: I no longer call you servants, because a master doesn't confide in his servants. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.
• We should begin every day, with a simple commitment to Christ. "Lord Jesus, I give you this day. It is yours. You purchased it at Calvary. I am yours. Here is my life. You take it and live it through me. You be my Lord and Master. Come live your life through me today." Your daily life becomes an intimate walk with God. He is free to break in on you at any moment through out the day. That is real peace and joy.

(12) When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.

• Here begins A NEW SECTION. It is not now a question of what we have DONE but of what we ARE. The question of what we have done, even of having sinned before God, has been met by the sacrifice of our Lord on the cross, bearing the judgment due to our sins, and enabling God to forgive us freely in His amazing grace. But here it is, we repeat, a question of what we are.
• Why did Paul and God hold Adam responsible for the sinfulness of the race when it was really Eve who sinned first? They did so because Adam was the person in authority over and therefore responsible for Eve (Genesis 2:18-23; 1 Corinthians 11:3). Furthermore, Eve was deceived (2 Corinthians 11:3), but Adam sinned deliberately (1 Timothy 2:14).

(13) Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. And though there was no law to break, since it had not yet been given,

(14) they all died anyway -- even though they did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. What a contrast between Adam and Christ, who was yet to come!

• We all die, not because of the sins we have committed, but because of the sin of Adam. We do not die because of our transgressions of the law, for people began to die long before the law was given. We die because we are human, the descendants of Adam, the one who sinned.
• 1 Corinthians 15:45-49: The Scriptures tell us, "The first man, Adam, became a living person." But the last Adam -- that is, Christ -- is a life-giving Spirit. What came first was the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. Every human being has an earthly body just like Adam's, but our heavenly bodies will be just like Christ's. Just as we are now like Adam, the man of the earth, so we will someday be like Christ, the man from heaven.

(15) And what a difference between our sin and God's generous gift of forgiveness. For this one man, Adam, brought death to many through his sin. But this other man, Jesus Christ, brought forgiveness to many through God's bountiful gift.

• 1 Corinthians 15:22: Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, the first man. But all who are related to Christ, the other man, will be given new life.
• We inherited Adam's DNA and sin was part of the DNA.

(16) And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but we have the free gift of being accepted by God, even though we are guilty of many sins.

(17) The sin of this one man, Adam, caused DEATH to rule over us, but all who receive God's wonderful, gracious gift of righteousness will LIVE in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

•  God’s gift to mankind in Jesus Christ does not restore us to the kind of life Adam possessed before he sinned, but to a life of incomparable greater quality. Jesus states: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (KJV)
• God picks up where Adam left off and He brings His original plan to fulfillment.
• 1 Corinthians 15:56-57: For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!

(18) Yes, Adam's one sin brought condemnation upon everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness makes all people right in God's sight and gives them life.

• A new life is needed if we are to stand before God.
• 2 Corinthians 5:17: What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!

(19) Because one person disobeyed God, many people became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many people will be made right in God's sight.

(20) God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful kindness became more abundant.

• Galatians 3:19: Well then, why was the law given? It was given to show people how guilty they are. But this system of law was to last only until the coming of the child to whom God's promise was made. And there is this further difference. God gave his laws to angels to give to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people.

(21) So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful kindness rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

NOTES:

• Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation, copyright 1996, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois.
• Disclaimer: Source material for this study has been gleaned from many different sources. I have attempted to acknowledge these sources at romansoverview.blogspot.com/2012/12/romans-references.html