"It is possible… to establish that Paul wrote the first few verses of Romans 5 just after he had pondered Psalms 25 and 26 in the course of his daily readings. At no point is there any direct quote from these Psalms, but one key word after another is traceable in the Greek of the Septuagint text: 'rejoice… hope… stand… glory… tribulation… patience… ashamed… without strength… ungodly… truth' " (Whittaker, Bible Studies). Comparative study along these lines would repay the effort.

  • Comment on Rom 5:1

THEREFORE: A logical deduction from Romans 4, where Paul has shown that justification came not from works (vv. 1-8), nor ordinances (vv. 9-12), nor by obedience to the Law (vv. 13-17), but by faith (vv. 18-25). Now we see the benefits of this.

SINCE WE HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED THROUGH FAITH: The KJV has "by faith". But the preposition is "ek"; it should read "out of faith". It is not faith in the abstract that saves us, but justification (God's declaration of the believer's righteousness) springs out of a well-grounded faith.

What saves us?

  • Grace (Eph 2:8,9).
  • Hope (Rom 8:24).
  • Belief (Mark 16:15).
  • Baptism (1 Pet 3:21).
  • The gospel, and its memory ( 1 Cor 15:1,2).
  • The blood of Christ ( 1 John 1:7).
  • Faith (Rom 5:1).
  • Works (James 2:24).
  • Ourselves (Acts 2:40).
  • Endurance (Matt 10:22).

"The question as to which single characteristic saves the man is an abstraction. An illustration is helpful. A man who has fallen into the river screams for help. A man on the bank runs with a rope and throws it to the man in the river. He catches hold and is pulled to safety. What saved him? Was it his scream? Was it the rope? Was it the man on the bank? Did he save himself? Or was it all of these working together?" (Ron Abel, Wrested Scriptures).

WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: "A number of important [textual] witnesses have the subjunctive 'let us have' instead of 'we have'… Nevertheless, the indicative ['we have'] is probably correct… The variant may have been produced via an error of hearing (since omicron and omega were pronounced alike in ancient Greek). This, of course, does not indicate which reading was original — just that an error of hearing may have produced one of them… The indicative ['we have'] fits well with the overall argument of the book to this point. Up until now, Paul has been establishing the 'indicatives of the faith'… Paul presupposes that the audience has peace with God (via reconciliation) in Romans 5:10. This seems to assume the indicative in verse 1… As C.E.B. Cranfield notes, 'it would surely be strange for Paul, in such a carefully argued writing as this, to exhort his readers to enjoy or to guard a peace which he has not yet explicitly shown to be possessed by them' (International Critical Commentary: Romans)… Thus, although the external evidence is stronger in support of the subjunctive ['let us have'], the internal evidence points to the indicative ['we have']. Although a decision is difficult, ['we have'] appears to be the authentic reading" (NET Notes).

Peace is the result of righteousness, and not — as today's world tries to attain it — on the basis of unrighteousness (cp Luke 2:14; John 14:27; Eph 2:14; Phil 4:6,7; Psa 85:8).

Peace: made (Col 1:20), preached (Eph 2:17), enjoyed (Rom 5:1), filling hearts (Rom 15:13), given (John 14:27), keeping (Phil 4:7), and ruling (Col 3:15).

  • Comment on Rom 5:2

THROUGH WHOM: Once again, the KJV has "by", but the Greek has "dia": THROUGH whom… continuing the thought of Romans 3:24.

WE HAVE GAINED ACCESS BY FAITH INTO THIS GRACE INTO WHICH WE NOW STAND: "Access" is the Greek "prosagoge": a bringing in or an introduction. This suggests the introduction of a subject into the presence of the sovereign, or worshiper to the object of worship. Elsewhere the word is found only in Ephesians 2:18; 3:12. Of ourselves, we have no right to enter the presence of God, but Christ has introduced us there (1 Pet 3:18). By contrast, those who entered into the presence of the monarch without express permission might expect death (Esth 4:11). But, in Christ, the pure in heart will see God (Matt 5:8)!

"He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access [same word, 'prosagoge'] to the Father by one Spirit" (Eph 2:17,18).

AND REJOICE: More literally, "boast" or "glory" (Greek "kauchaomai"). Used in Romans 2:17, 23; 5:3, 11; 12:12, 15; 15:10.

IN THE HOPE: Literally, "epi": on the basis of… hope. Standing upon hope as though it were a foundation, and indeed it is — the strongest possible foundation.

OF THE GLORY OF GOD: In our present state we have no hope (Psa 90:10). But Christ will manifest the Lord's majesty in the earth and He will thus be glorified (Mic 5:4). We can do the same now (Rom 8:17,18). The "trial of our faith" is necessary now in order that we "might be found unto glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet 1:7). The Glory of the Lord is seen in His Name (Exod 34); and we must manifest that Name, i.e., specifically that character and purpose (Rev 14:1).

  • Comment on Rom 5:3

However, peace with God (v 1) does not necessarily bring peace with man. The actual conditions of life, especially for believers in the midst of a hostile society, are not easy or pleasant, but the knowledge of acceptance with God, of grace constantly supplied, and the prospect of future glory enable believers to rejoice, and find strength, even in the face of sufferings.

NOT ONLY SO, BUT WE ALSO REJOICE IN OUR SUFFERINGS: See Study, Rejoice in tribulations.

BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT…: It is not the suffering per se in which Paul rejoices, but in the knowledge that the suffering is but the prelude, eventually, to a fuller outpouring of God's love (v 5)!

SUFFERING PRODUCES PERSEVERANCE: "The human mind is naturally given to shallowness and folly and the infantile, characterless pursuit of pleasure and excitement. Very few ever get beyond this stunted stage. Tribulation, if we are rightly exercised by it, forces us to come face to face with the sober realities of life, and intelligently adjust our purposes and characters to them. This is the teaching of the Scriptures, and the wholesome experience of any with any sense and maturity. Some run away crying, vainly seeking solace in animal emptiness, and gain nothing from their sorrows. This is tragic" (Growcott).

"So God in his wisdom allows trouble to come our way for the express reason of teaching us patience. Again we can see this in the life of a little child. If the child gets everything it wants exactly when it wants it, then it has no patience at all and soon becomes miserable when going out into the cruel world, where mommy and daddy are not there to supply every request. Parents are wise to teach their children patience by sometimes making them wait, and no doubt from the viewpoint of the child this waiting is a form of tribulation" (Bob Lloyd).

SUFFERING: "Thlipsis": pressure, compression. The purpose of tribulation in a believer's life is explained in Rom 8:35; 12:12; Matt 13:21; John 16:33; Acts 14:22; 2 Cor 1:4; 7:4-7; Heb 12:8; 1 Thes 3:1-4. Consider the living example of Paul in 2 Cor 11:24-31.

PERSEVERANCE: "Patience" (KJV). Greek "hupomeno" = to bear, or remain, under (e.g., a burden or test). See Romans 2:7; Hebrews 12:1; James 5:11; Job 23:10; 42:11.

"Perseverance" is, quite simply, developing the ability to wait. If I can be sure, when the time finally comes for the Great High Priest to return from the Most Holy Place bringing the final blessing, that I'll still be here, patiently waiting, rejoicing in the tribulations which I endure, having learned real patience, enough for a lifetime, of broken hearts and broken dreams… if I can be sure of that, then I know — as surely as I know anything — that, for us who are still waiting, 'We will be saved' will become, in that instant, 'We are saved!'

But before me stretches what is left of a life which I know, just as surely, will continue to have hurt feelings, resentments, disappointments, bitter experiences, ailments and illnesses, and the gradual and insidious decline of all my human powers.

Surely, in what time remains, I will continue to fall short time and again of what I would like to be, but can't quite be, and to ask forgiveness for the 490th time for the same sins, of forgiving others for the same number of times. Can I bear what lies ahead without throwing up my hands and walking away from the door of the temple, where I wait?

But if I turn and go away, I will be going out into the howling waste of a wilderness filled with subtle snakes and stinging scorpions — where there is no hope and no life and no love… the wilderness where Judas went, and Cain, and Saul, and a million others — who could not truly believe that the High Priest was coming to bring them the last great blessing.

God give me strength enough to wait… as long as it takes. For I now know that "faith" is not some life-changing mystical insight into eternal things, but a dogged determination to hold on in my spirit to what I know in my mind to be true — no matter how long and how difficult it seems, and no matter how distracting are so many concerns and people around me.

Should I care what that God-given strength is called, whether it be His providence, His care, His Scriptural instruction, or even His Holy Spirit? Should I try to figure out how that strength comes to me, and is assimilated into my spirit? Or should I merely be humbly grateful when it is there, miraculously but inexplicably?

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning" (Psa 130:5,6).

Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to try our faith. If our faith is worth anything, it will stand the test. Gilt [i.e., a substance that only looks like gold] is afraid of fire, but gold is not [1 Pet 1:7]: the paste gem [i.e., the costume jewelry] dreads to be touched by the diamond, but the true jewel fears no test. It is a poor faith which can only trust God when friends are true, the body full of health, and the business profitable; but that is true faith which holds by the Lord's faithfulness when friends are gone, when the body is sick, when spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father's countenance is hidden. A faith which can say, in the direst trouble, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" [Job 13:15], is heaven-born faith. The Lord afflicts His servants to glorify Himself, for He is greatly glorified in the graces of His people, which are His own handiwork. When "tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope" [Rom 5:3,4], the Lord is honored by these growing virtues. We should never know the music of the harp if the strings were left untouched; nor enjoy the juice of the grape if it were not trodden in the winepress; nor discover the sweet perfume of cinnamon if it were not pressed and beaten; nor feel the warmth of fire if the coals were not utterly consumed. The wisdom and power of the great Workman are discovered by the trials through which His vessels of mercy are permitted to pass. Present afflictions tend also to heighten future joy. There must be shades in the picture to bring out the beauty of the lights.

Charles H. Spurgeon

Paul wrote: "We glory in tribulations also" (Rom 5:3). is this genuinely possible? Only by attaining unto the state of mind manifested by the apostle. He bore with tribulation because he saw the divine purpose in it. For one thing, he declared, it "worketh patience", or endurance. It is useless fretting against what we cannot alter, and therefore a courageous man will bear with it, and a faithful man will see beyond it. Once a trial has been successfully surmounted it brings "experience" (Rom 5:4). The Greek word, "dokimen", signifies full proof by trial. The metaphor is taken from the refining of metal, in which there is purification by fire without any deterioration or loss of worth. If in tribulation we seek God's help, and endure the unpleasant experience moment by moment in the realization that it cannot last for ever, we will ultimately emerge from it with the knowledge that we did not rest on God's help in vain, and that we manifested the strength to endure.

This will lead to hope. Hope in what? In the knowledge that He who sustained us in the past will do so in the future even to the setting up of the Kingdom; and in the realization that as we emerged successfully from one trial so we can from the next, leading to a steady growth of endurance, until the time come when all such experiences will cease. Thus "hope maketh not ashamed", for we shall triumph in spite of trouble, and will respond to the "love of God" that will be revealed in our hearts. Let us then develop the mind of Paul in the face of trouble. Let us view it as a time of testing, in which we can manifest that faith without which "we cannot please God" (Heb 11:6), and a period of opportunity in which we are able to demonstrate our unswerving loyalty to Him in face of a challenge. When we do this, we truly "fellowship the sufferings of Christ", and will reveal an attitude pleasing unto the Father. However, let us be sure that our tribulations are not the result of our own folly: "For what glory is it if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God" (1 Pet 2:20).

H.P. Mansfield

  • Comment on Rom 5:4

CHARACTER: Supplying the ellipsis, "perseverance" produces "character" (or "experience", KJV). The Greek word is "dokimen", meaning: full proof by trial. See also Philippians 2:22; 2 Corinthians 2:9. Not the act of going through the trial, but the result of having been tested and refined. See 2 Corinthians 8:2.

HOPE: With the ellipsis again, "And character (produces) hope." Hope is the expectation that God will do in the future what He has done in the past. This expectation is well-informed, because it relies on previous knowledge leading to established faith. As the Lord has sustained us in the past, so He will continue in the future in preserving us to His kingdom.

  • Comment on Rom 5:5

AND HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT US: Compare Romans 4:18: "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed." Hope developed out of suffering and trials produces a frame of mind which allows one to go on confidently through life, freed from illusion and despair.

BECAUSE GOD HAS POURED OUT HIS LOVE INTO OUR HEARTS: The KJV has "is shed abroad", but the Greek is "ekcheo" (to be poured out), and this translation is supported by most versions. Possibly this Greek word is an allusion to the Holy Spirit being poured upon the believers at Pentecost: notice that "disappoint" is used in the Septuagint of Joel 2:26,27 ("Never again will my people be ashamed, or disappointed"), which pertains to Acts 2. The verb speaks of the inexhaustible abundance of the supply, being reminiscent of the bountiful provision for the thirsty children of Israel in the wilderness (Num 20:8, 11). This is particularly impressive in view of Paul's identification of the rock as being prophetic of Jesus Christ ( 1 Cor 10:4).

HIS LOVE: Human love may bring disappointment and frustration, but God's love for us does not.

The phrase "he agape tou theou" ('the love of God') could be interpreted as either an objective genitive ('our love for God'), a subjective genitive ('God's love for us'), or both. The immediate context, which discusses what God has done for believers, favors the subjective genitive ('God's love for us'), but the fact that this love is poured out within the hearts of believers implies that it may be the source for believers' 'love for God'. In other words, God's love for us helps to bring about our love for Him: "We love [Him] because He first loved us" ( 1 John 4:19).

BY THE HOLY SPIRIT: Through the Holy Spirit, that is, through the revelation of the written word — or other "Spirit" revelation. Although Spirit gifts were literally given to some at baptism (John 7:39; Acts 10:45), not all received them (Acts 8:18-20). Here, it refers to the effect the Truth has on the believer, as a power in his life (John 6:63; Eph 6:17; 1 John 5:6; 1 Cor 2:9-16).

WHOM HE HAS GIVEN US: The KJV has "which is given unto us". The impersonal "which" serves to remind us that the Holy Spirit is not an independent, conscious Being separate from Almighty God, but is rather the power that proceeds from Him.

However, the personal "whom" is not altogether out of place, since the power of the Holy Spirit is directed by God Himself, who is surely personal and conscious. Moreover, it may also be directed by Jesus Christ himself, and implemented by angels, who possess their own intelligence.

  • Comment on Rom 5:6

YOU SEE, AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME: "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons" (Gal 4:4,5). Since the argument of Romans has included the purpose of the Law as bringing clear knowledge of sin (Rom 3:20) and as working wrath (Rom 4:15), the connection with Galatians is fairly close. The Law had operated for centuries and had served to expose the weakness and inability of man to measure up to the divine standard of righteousness. No further testing was needed. It was the right time.

WHEN WE WERE STILL POWERLESS: That is, we were powerless ("without strength": KJV) to obtain justification by works, as has been described in Romans 3:19 — 4:25. The Law is unable to provide justification (Gal 4:9; Heb 7:18).

CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY: "For" is the Greek "huper": on behalf of, for the benefit of. Not the Greek "anti", which means "instead of". Compare Romans 8:32; 14:15.

THE UNGODLY: Omit "the". Mankind in general, who are without hope (see Rom 4:5). "Asebes" = one who has no reverence for divine things. Does Paul have himself in mind here (Phil 3:6)?

In this section, we are told that Christ died for the "ungodly" (here, v 6), the "sinners" (v 8), and "God's enemies" (v 10).

  • Comment on Rom 5:7

This verse forms something of a parenthetical comment in Paul's argument.

VERY RARELY WILL ANYONE DIE FOR A RIGHTEOUS MAN: "Very rarely" suggests something accomplished with labor and pains, hence with difficulty, i.e., barely, or hardly. See its use in Acts 14:18 and 1 Peter 4:18.

A RIGHTEOUS MAN: Such a man — if he existed! — would be in no need of a sacrifice (see Rom 3:26).

Or a man who thinks himself to be "righteous" (cp Matt 9:13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32) may have a very hard time finding a "redeemer".

Thus, Christ died for the "ungodly" (v 6), for "sinners" (v 8), and even for the "good man" (v 7) who nevertheless knew himself to be less than truly righteous. But for the (man who thinks himself truly) "righteous", there is — in his mind, at least — no need for anyone to die on his behalf.

THOUGH FOR A GOOD MAN: Greek "agathos": not "good" in the absolute sense, of being totally without sin, but rather one who habitually acts beneficially towards others, devoting himself to their welfare.

SOMEONE MIGHT POSSIBLY DARE TO DIE: If it would do any good! But, in fact, while some may act righteously on a more or less consistent basis, there are none who are truly and actually "good" in the complete sense (Matt 19:17; Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19)!

  • Comment on Rom 5:8

BUT GOD DEMONSTRATES HIS OWN LOVE FOR US IN THIS: WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US: God's love for all mankind, regardless of merit, is "commended" (KJV) to us as our example: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt 5:44-48).

SINNERS: Greek "hamartolos" — literally, those who miss the mark; hence, sinners who come short of their potential for doing the will of God.

CHRIST DIED FOR US: "For" is "huper" again: "on behalf of".

Christ died for men who were neither "righteous" nor "good" (v 7)! "The contrast is between the tremendous worth of the life laid down and the unworthiness of those who stand to benefit from it. Back of the death of Christ for sinners is the love of God (v 8): God loved; Christ died. No attempt is made to deal with the Saviour's reaction or motivation. Paul leaves much to Christian awareness of the intimate bond between Father and Son, the whole truth about God being in Christ (2 Cor 5:19) and Christ being motivated by love for the lost (John 15:12,13). What he puts in the foreground is the love of God, and this Paul underscores by designating it as 'his [God's] own love.' It is distinctive, unexpected, unheard of (cf John 3:16)" (Harrison).

  • Comment on Rom 5:9

SINCE WE HAVE NOW BEEN JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD, HOW MUCH MORE SHALL WE BE SAVED FROM GOD'S WRATH THROUGH HIM!: The greatest work to provide for our salvation has already been finished: By God's own judicial decree, we have been "declared righteous" through the blood, or the death, of His only-begotten Son! The considerably lesser work — our salvation from the wrath of God (Rom 2:5-8) — will be easy by comparison!

Paul's statement is somewhat analogous to the actions of Jesus as described in Matthew 9:1-8: There Jesus answers the charges of the "teachers of the law", directed against his own actions, by asking them a question, "Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?" (v 5). Obviously the easier thing to say is: 'Your sins are forgiven', because there is no outward manifestation that one's sins have actually been forgiven. And by far the more difficult thing to do is actually to perform a miracle of healing — because all eyewitnesses will know within a moment whether the person speaking the words had the power to heal. So, to illustrate his point, Jesus now turns to the paralytic, while addressing his critics: "But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins… [I must say this!]… Get up, take your mat and go home" (v 6). For Jesus, of course, the easier thing to do was to heal the paralytic. And the most difficult thing to do was to forgive sins. In the most meaningful sense, this power to forgive sins could not be fully confirmed until he himself had died for the paralytic, and for all others who would have faith in him. The lesser good works (if miraculous healings could be so called) were his means of demonstrating that he also had the power (and it would be confirmed later, by his last sacrifice) to perform the immensely greater good work of forgiving sins, and raising the faithful from the dead to eternal life. "Justified by his blood" indeed!

By our nature, or birth, we have all been the children, or objects, of wrath (Eph 2:3; Col 2:13). But through Christ we have been saved by God's grace (Eph 2:4,5).

BY HIS BLOOD: The blood of Christ, poured out in confirmation of the covenants made with the fathers of Israel (Gen 15; Rom 15:8). This may be considered 'God's blood' only because it is the blood of His only-begotten Son!

For general background, also compare 1 Corinthians 6:19,20; 7:22,23; 1 Peter 1:18-20; 2 Peter 2:1; Revelation 5:9.

GOD'S WRATH: To be poured out on the Gentiles (1 Thes 1:10; 5:9,10).

  • Comment on Rom 5:10

FOR IF, WHEN WE WERE GOD'S ENEMIES, WE WERE RECONCILED TO HIM THROUGH THE DEATH OF HIS SON: "Enemies" is Greek "echthros" = to hate; those who have "enmity" toward God (Rom 8:7). Note the list again:

  • "ungodly" (v 6),
  • "sinners" (v 8), and now
  • "enemies" (v 10).

This list is fully explained in Colossians 1:21-23: "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation — if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel."

HOW MUCH MORE: Paul reasons from the greater to the lesser. If God loved us when we were enemies, now that He has made provision for us at infinite cost, "how much more" will He go on to see us through to the final goal of our salvation. If God showed us His love when we were ungodly sinners, "how much more" can we expect now that we are His sons and daughters?

HAVING BEEN RECONCILED: Greek "katallasso": to change or exchange, especially from enmity to friendship. For reconciliation, see 2 Corinthians 5:19; Ephesians 2:16; Colossians 1:21.

SHALL WE BE SAVED THROUGH HIS LIFE: The efficacy of Christ's work continues because he lives. The living Christ provides:

  • the ability to intercede on our behalf (Heb 7:24,25);
  • strength for his servants (Phil 4:13);
  • the light of life shed abroad (John 8:12); and
  • an elevation to sonship (John 1:12).

Now "Christ in us" (working in these ways) becomes the energizing power of our lives (Gal 2:20; Col 3:4; 2 Cor 4:10,11).

  • Comment on Rom 5:11

NOT ONLY IS THIS SO, BUT WE ALSO REJOICE IN GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THROUGH WHOM WE HAVE NOW RECEIVED RECONCILIATION: Paul not only states that we have been reconciled (v 10) but that we have RECEIVED the reconciliation (v 11). He avoids saying that we have done anything to earn such reconciliation — for we have not. God provided it through the death of his Son. The matter is made even clearer, if anything, in the companion statement that God has reconciled us "to himself" (2 Cor 5:18). The appropriate response of the saved community is exultation (vv. 2,3). We may even "boast", never in what we have done for ourselves, but in what God has done in Christ for us.

  • Comment on Rom 5:12

THEREFORE, JUST AS SIN ENTERED THE WORLD THROUGH ONE MAN: "Except for two non-theological references (Luke 3:38; Jude 1:14), every mention of Adam in the New Testament comes from the pen of Paul. In 1 Timothy 2:14 he makes the point that Adam, unlike Eve, was not deceived, but sinned deliberately. In 1 Corinthians 15, as in the Romans passage, he institutes a comparison between the first and the last Adam, but confines the treatment to the issue of death and resurrection, even though sin is dealt with somewhat incidentally (vv. 17, 56), whereas in Romans 5 both sin and death are named immediately and are woven into the texture of the argument throughout. In the earlier letter Paul makes the significant statement, 'For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive' ( 1 Cor 15:22), in line with Romans 5:12. Paul has already referred to the inevitable connection between sin and death in the only previous mention of death in Romans (Rom 1:32) exclusive of the death of Christ (Rom 5:10). But here in verse 12 he pictures sin and death as entering the world through one man, with the result that death permeated the whole of mankind. It was the opening in the dike that led to the inundation, the poison that entered at one point and penetrated every unit of man's corporate life" (Harrison, Expositor's Bible Commentary).

AND DEATH THROUGH SIN, AND IN THIS WAY DEATH CAME TO ALL MEN, BECAUSE ALL SINNED: "Because" (NIV) is "epi hos".

The phrase has been translated variously, i.e.,

  • as a relative clause: 'Death spread to all people who were in Adam when he sinned.' This is the Diaglott's "in which (whom) all sinned" (cp KJV mg);
  • as a resultant clause: 'The effect of Adam's personal sin is that all his descendants have sinned (i.e., once they have reached the age of choice). This is the KJV's "For that all have sinned"; or
  • as a causal phrase: 'Death spread to all mankind because all have sinned.' This is the NIV's "Because all sinned" (cp RSV and NET).

All men were involved in Adam's sin. They were summed up and included in him as the head and representative of the race. They were not 'guilty' in a legal sense, but the effects of Adam's personal sin have been felt by all his descendants ever since. And when they individually commit sin, as they surely will, given enough time, then they come under judgment in their own situation, with or without Adam.

How is God justified in implanting corruption in the physical body of a child before it has even had the opportunity to sin? For two reasons:

  • In His foreknowledge, God provided a natural condemnation for Adam's posterity, since He knew that all would sin (Rom 3:23).
  • Because of Adam, all people now possess the inherited capacity for lust that leads to sin. This flesh itself — being "sinful flesh", flesh prone to sin — bears its own condemnation on the surface (Rom 8:3; Gal 5:24).

John Carter comments on this:

"The explanation of Scripture is that the race as a whole is involved in the ruin brought about by the first head [i.e., Adam]; that a new head… a last Adam [i.e., Christ], has been raised up who has broken the entail [i.e., the inheritance of death from Adam]… that as men suffer the consequences of the first Adam's sin, they may share the last Adam's work of righteousness.

"A possible objection may be raised that it does not seem right that men should suffer the consequences of another man's wrongdoing. But leaving the Bible for a moment, is this not at any rate a fact in life? By heredity, the effects of evil lives are borne by generations who did not share in the wrong" (Paul's Letter to the Romans).

R.K. Harrison also writes:

"That we could have sinned in Adam may seem strange and unnatural to the mind of Western man. Nevertheless, it is congenial to Biblical teaching on the solidarity of mankind. When Adam sinned, the race sinned because the race was in him. To put it boldly, Adam was the race. What he did, his descendants, who were still in him, did also [or, perhaps, are "reckoned" as having done!]. This principle is utilized in Heb 7:9,10, 'One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.'

"If one is still troubled by the seeming injustice of being born with a sinful nature because of what the father of the race did and being held accountable for [or perhaps, 'bearing the burden of'] the sins that result from that disability, he should weigh carefully the significance of reconciliation as stated by Paul: '…that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them' (2 Cor 5:19). The sins committed, that owe their original impetus to the sin of the first man, are not reckoned against those who have committed them provided they put their trust in Christ crucified and risen. God takes their sins and gives them His righteousness. Would we not agree that this is more than a fair exchange?"

  • Comment on Rom 5:13

FOR BEFORE THE LAW WAS GIVEN, SIN WAS IN THE WORLD: This cannot be the law of Eden (Gen 2:17), since there was no sin in the world before that. It must be referring, therefore, to the Law of Moses (as in v 14).

BUT SIN IS NOT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN THERE IS NO LAW: Sin is not "reckoned" (RSV), or imputed" (KJV), to the SINNER! Where there is no law, the sinner does not recognize his sin.

  • Comment on Rom 5:14

NEVERTHELESS, DEATH REIGNED FROM THE TIME OF ADAM TO THE TIME OF MOSES: "Death" is personified here as a king — in a manner very similar to Romans 6, where "Sin" reigns as king throughout!

EVEN OVER THOSE WHO DID NOT SIN BY BREAKING A COMMANDMENT, AS DID ADAM: Or, as KJV, "them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression". "Similitude" is the Greek "homoioma": see Study, Homoioma.

Adam deliberately rejected a direct commandment from God. After Moses, Israel did the same. But from Adam to Moses, other men sinned too — even though there was no specific revelation to them. In short, death reigns upon all men, even those not responsible by specific and precise knowledge of God's law.

ADAM, WHO WAS A PATTERN OF THE ONE TO COME: Adam was a "type", or pattern, or mold, of the one who was to come: that is, the second, or last, Adam ( 1 Cor 15:45). How so? "The resemblance, on account of which Adam is regarded as the type of Christ, consists in this, that Adam communicated to those whom he represented what belonged to him, and that Christ also communicated to those whom he represented what belonged to him" (Robert Haldane). In other words, what each did involved others.

The contrast of the two federal heads:

The heads: Adam Christ The action: One act of trespass One act of perfect obedience The kind of action: The great initial breach of God's law The victory of the "Word of God" over the weakness of the flesh The persons affected by the action: All mankind All mankind (who are in Christ) The immediate effect of the action: Coming in of many transgressions Coming in of grace and clearing away of transgressions The ultimate effect of the action: Death Life

  • Comment on Rom 5:15

BUT THE GIFT IS NOT LIKE THE TRESPASS. FOR IF THE MANY DIED BY THE TRESPASS OF ONE MAN, HOW MUCH MORE DID GOD'S GRACE AND THE GIFT THAT CAME BY THE GRACE OF THE ONE MAN, JESUS CHRIST, OVERFLOW: "Overflow" is "perisseia": "an exceeding measure overflowing" (Vine). In "the one" Christ, "the many" people receive abundance infinitely greater than that which Adam, another "one", had lost, for truly the wages of sin is death but the GIFT of God is eternal life (Rom 6:23).

"In him the tribes of Adam boast More blessings than their father lost!"

TO THE MANY: The expression goes back to Isaiah 53:11,12: "After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life; and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify MANY, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of MANY, and made intercession for the transgressors."

This underlies our Lord's use of "many" in Mark 10:45: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

  • Comment on Rom 5:16

AGAIN, THE GIFT OF GOD IS NOT LIKE THE RESULT OF THE ONE MAN'S SIN: To paraphrase, 'It is not as though Adam (the one man who sinned) is God's great gift to us.' No, not in the least! The implication is altogether different: 'No, of course not! God's great gift to us is His perfectly righteous Son — providing the basis by which we, who sin, may be declared perfectly righteous in him!'

THE JUDGMENT FOLLOWED ONE SIN AND BROUGHT CONDEMNATION: IF God's "gift" to us were only the first Adam, then that "gift" has been giving ever since! But the only thing that it gives is the condemnation of death.

BUT THE GIFT FOLLOWED MANY TRESPASSES AND BROUGHT JUSTIFICATION: Under Adam, all flesh was to die, even if not directly responsible for sin against God's Law ( 1 Cor 15:21,22). In Adam, therefore, was physical condemnation: a position that HE brought into existence. In Christ, however, was moral regeneration — a position that the Lord GOD brought into existence through grace in Christ Jesus (v 17). One is the antithesis of the other.

In Adam's case, a single sin was involved, and that was sufficient to bring condemnation, but in the work of one man Christ, with a single and unique sinless life, God made a provision sufficient for the many acts of sin that have resulted in the lives of Adam's descendants.

TRESPASSES: The same word occurs in verses 15, 17, 18 and 20.

  • Comment on Rom 5:17

FOR IF, BY THE TRESPASS OF THE ONE MAN, DEATH REIGNED THROUGH THAT ONE MAN: One sin brought about a sentence that condemned Adam AND his posterity (cp v 14).

HOW MUCH MORE WILL THOSE WHO RECEIVE GOD'S ABUNDANT PROVISION OF GRACE AND OF THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS REIGN IN LIFE THROUGH THE ONE MAN, JESUS CHRIST: In Christ not only is the hold of death, established by Adam's sin, effectively broken, but because of Christ's redeeming work the believer is able to look forward to reigning in life through Christ. This, of course, implies participation in the resurrection. Believers will have a share in the Lord's kingdom and glory.

REIGN IN LIFE THROUGH THE ONE MAN, JESUS CHRIST: Reigning as "kings and priests" who through Christ have conquered death (Rev 5:9,10; 1 Cor 15:25,26,54,55).

  • Comment on Rom 5:18

"Even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life" (KJV). See Study, Wesley and the Free Cheese.

CONSEQUENTLY: "There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: 'consequently therefore', emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing" (NET Notes).

"There are no verbs in the Greek text of verse 18, forcing translators to supply phrases like 'came through one transgression', 'resulted from one transgression', etc" (NET Notes). The NIV uses, twice, the simplest possible verb, "was".

JUST AS THE RESULT OF ONE TRESPASS WAS CONDEMNATION FOR ALL MEN: Adam's sin (Gen 2:17) is labeled "trespass", indicating that it was deliberate (cf "breaking a command" in v 14). The basic meaning of the word rendered "trespass" is to convey the idea of falling aside or going astray. "It refers directly to the disruption of man's relation to God through his fault" (NIDNTT).

SO ALSO THE RESULT OF ONE ACT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WAS JUSTIFICATION THAT BRINGS LIFE FOR ALL MEN: The one righteous act refers to Jesus' death on the cross. It is true of course that the death of Christ, alone, would have meant nothing without the absolute dedication and the righteous life that preceded it. But here Paul's focus is all on the one supreme culminating act of Christ's life — so as to contrast more perfectly with the one act of sin in Adam's life from which all condemnation sprang.

  • Comment on Rom 5:19

FOR JUST AS THROUGH THE DISOBEDIENCE OF THE ONE MAN THE MANY WERE MADE SINNERS: "Kathistemi": made, or constituted. The many were born into a constitution of sin and death; they were made subjects of "King Sin". This death-stricken state into which man is born is not his fault but his misfortune, not a crime but a calamity. Man is "sold under sin" (Rom 7:14), like a helpless slave, who cannot determine or change his own fate.

SO ALSO THROUGH THE OBEDIENCE OF THE ONE MAN: Christ became obedient unto death (Phil 2:8).

THE MANY WILL BE MADE RIGHTEOUS: Again, "made" means "constituted". Not righteous intrinsically, nor righteous by one's own efforts. But placed under a "constitution" (a situation or circumstance) of grace and righteousness — to be found only in Christ! Adam and Eve were created in what might be called a 'very good' state, but disobeyed God's command and introduced sin into the world. Death followed for them, and for all their posterity because, as they have opportunity, they all sin. We are made sinners by having a nature so biased toward evil that we are inevitable sinners. By uniting with Christ and letting him live in us we are made righteous.

  • Comment on Rom 5:20

THE LAW WAS ADDED: Literally, the Law was "slipped in".

SO THAT THE TRESPASS MIGHT INCREASE: That is, "so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful" (Rom 7:13). The entrance of the law was intended to magnify the presence of sin in the mind of the sinner, so that he might be caused to exclaim: "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (Rom 7:24).

"The apostle is not maintaining that the purpose of the giving of the law is exclusively 'that the trespass might increase', because he makes room for the law as a revelation of the will of God and therefore a positive benefit (Rom 7:12). The law also serves to restrain evil in the world (implied in Rom 6:15; stated in 1 Tim 1:9-11). Paul says the law 'was added'. Similar language is used in Galatians 3:19, where the law is regarded as something temporary, designed to disclose the transgression aspect of sin and prepare the way for the coming of Christ by demonstrating the dire need for his saving work. This function of the law — e.g., to increase transgression — was not recognized in rabbinic Judaism. From the Sermon on the Mount, however, it appears that Jesus sought to apply the law in just this way, to awaken a sense of sin in those who fancied they were keeping the law tolerably well but had underestimated its searching demands and the sinfulness of their own hearts" (Harrison, Expositor's Bible Commentary).

BUT WHERE SIN INCREASED, GRACE INCREASED ALL THE MORE: Divine grace and forgiveness may now be manifested, and overflow, in far greater abundance than the sin itself (cf Rom 3:19,20). The apostle becomes almost ecstatic as he revels in the superlative excellence of the divine overruling that makes sin serve a gracious purpose. In only one other passage does he use this verb ("hyperperisseuo"), which expresses "super-increase" (like a spring overflowing abundantly). In Romans 5:20, the subject is "sin"; there it is "grace" that overflows, thus to overwhelm sin. In 2 Corinthians 7:4, Paul's subject is "trouble". But where trouble increases, so there also "joy" overflows abundantly: "in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds" (2 Cor 7:4).

"Thy goodness, Lord, our souls confess, Thy mercy we adore, A spring whose blessings never fail, A sea without a shore."

Is there a better brief statement of what it means to live one's life in Christ? 'Be certain: where there is much sin, there will be much more grace, overflowing, to cover all your needs. And, then, where there is much trouble, for trouble will certainly come in this life, then… rest assured that there will even more joy!'

  • Comment on Rom 5:21

Examples of personification: riches (Matt 6:24); sin (John 8:34; Rom 5:21; 6:16); spirit (John 16:13); wisdom (Prov 3:13-15; 9:1); Israel (Jer 31:4, 18); people of Christ (Eph 4:4, 13; 5:23; Rev 19:7; 1 Cor 12:27; 2 Cor 11:2; Col 1:18, 24).

SO THAT, JUST AS SIN REIGNED IN DEATH, SO ALSO GRACE MIGHT REIGN THROUGH RIGHTEOUSNESS TO BRING ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD: "With great effect Paul brings the leading concepts of the passage together in the final statement. 'Sin reigned in death' picks up verses 12, 14; 'grace' looks back to verses 15, 17; 'reign' reflects verses 14, 17; 'righteousness' harks back to verse 17 as well as to Romans 1:17 and many other passages; 'eternal life' completes and crowns the allusion to 'life' in verses 17,18. Sin and death are virtually personified throughout. Sin poses as absolute monarch, reigning through death as its vicar [priest, or representative], but in the end it is exposed as a pretender and is obliged to yield the palm [to relinquish the honor] to another whose reign is wholly absolute and totally different, being as much a blessing as the other is a curse.

"The treatment of sin, death and salvation in terms of righteousness is crucial to our understanding of our relation to God. It loudly proclaims that no sinner, whether a mystic aspiring to direct contact with God or a legalist counting on his good works to approve him in God's sight, is able in his own way to find acceptance with God. Because another man, Adam, has intervened between him and the Creator, still another, even Jesus Christ, must be the medium of his return, as a sinner to a righteous God. The claim of Jesus of Nazareth resounds through the passage: 'I am the way — and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me' (John 14:6)" (Harrison).