Romans 5:1-21
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due timea Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.b
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for thatc all have sinned:
13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17 For if by one man'sd offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore as by the offencee of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Paul’s letter to the *Romans
Romans
Hilda Bright and Keith Simons
Chapter 5
The *blessings that we receive because of God’s *grace 5:1-11
v1 We are *righteous because of our *faith. So we are friends with God because of our *Lord Jesus *Christ. v2 By Jesus, we receive God’s *grace. And we remain in this *grace. We are joyful, because we will have a part in God’s *glory. v3 And that is not all. We are joyful when we suffer. We know that our pain produces courage. v4 Our courage to continue produces character. Character produces hope. v5 And hope will never disappoint us. God has filled our hearts with his love. He did it by means of the *Holy Spirit whom he has given to us.
v6 At the right time, *Christ died on behalf of bad people. He died for us when we had no power of our own. v7 It is very unusual for someone to die on behalf of a good person. Perhaps someone might even be willing to die on behalf of a good person. v8 But this is how God has shown his love for us. *Christ died for us while we were still *sinners.
v9 The blood (death) of Jesus has made us *righteous. So we are even more sure that Jesus will *save us from God’s *wrath. v10 We used to be God’s enemies. But the death of his son has brought us back to God. So we can be much more sure that his *resurrection life will *save us. v11 That is not all. We are joyful in God because of our *Lord Jesus *Christ. God has brought us back to himself by means of Jesus.
Paul shows the *blessings that come to people. These *blessings come to people after they have invited God into their lives. So they have trusted God. And God has made them *righteous because of their *faith. Paul says ‘we’. So he includes in these *blessings himself and everyone who has *faith.
Verse 1
1. Friendship with God. We used to be God’s enemies (James 4:4). But he has made us into his friends (Ephesians 2:13-19).
Verse 2
2. We receive God’s *grace. For the word ‘receive’, Paul uses the word ‘prosagoge’, which means ‘introduction’. People use this word to introduce someone to a king. Jesus prepares the way for us to approach God the King. Then we can receive God’s *grace. Paul uses the same idea in his letter to the Ephesians (2:18; 3:20).
‘We remain in this *grace.’ This means that nothing can separate us from God’s love. (See Romans 8:38-39.) Human kings may sometimes be kind. But then they may stop their kindness to anyone who no longer pleases them. God’s love never changes.
3. A part in God’s *glory. This promise gives great hope to Christians. People usually use the word ‘hope’ when they merely want something to happen. For example, people say, ‘I hope that it will rain.’ They want it to rain. But they are not sure that it will rain. Christian hope is different. God will do everything that he has promised to do. We can be sure about this. God created people to have a part in his *glory (Isaiah 43:7). *Sin has spoiled our *glory. But we are sure that one day we shall see God in all his *glory. Then God will change us, so that we can have a part in his *glory (1 John 3:2).
Verses 3-4
4. Joy when we suffer. Paul does not mean the ordinary pains and troubles in life. He means when people suffer as Christians. This happens because other people oppose their *faith. People may insult Christians and attack them. But we should be joyful even when we suffer. Of course, this does not mean that we want to suffer. But we are joyful for a different reason. This is the reason. We are sharing what *Christ suffered. When we suffer it will help to prove our sincere *faith. When *Christ suffered, the result was *glory. And when we suffer, the result will be *glory too (Romans 8:17).
When a person suffers it can produce good qualities in his character. We know this from human experience. A person who is suffering may learn courage to continue his life as a Christian. The *Greek word for ‘character’ (dokime) means that his troubles are like fire. Fire removes anything dirty from metal. Troubles test a person. It makes him a stronger and better Christian. Then his hope for the future will be stronger too.
Verses 5-8 We know that God will never disappoint us. One writer says that God’s love is ‘like rain that pours onto dry ground’. We know God’s love in two ways:
a) He has given us the *Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps us to know that God loves us. His love will never give us up. It is like Paul’s words, ‘The Spirit joins with our spirit to declare that we are God’s children’ (Romans 8:16).
b) God has proved his love by *Christ’s death on the *cross. When God gave his son, God was giving himself. He was giving his love to those who do not deserve it. ‘We had no power of our own.’ So we cannot rescue ourselves from *sin. But God chose the right time to rescue us. God is very different from men. On a rare occasion, a person might be willing to die on behalf of a good person. But *Christ died for bad people. We were *sinners who could not earn our own *salvation. So our *salvation was entirely the result of God’s love.
Verses 9-10 God considers us *righteous because of Jesus’ death. So God has forgiven our *sin. This means that we will not suffer punishment from God for our *sin. Our *salvation is complete. We have become God’s friends, although we used to be his enemies. This happened because of Jesus’ death. But God raised Jesus to live. And the result is that we too have a new life (Romans 6:4).
Verse 11 In chapter 2:17, Paul spoke about some *Jews who were *boasting about their *relationship to God. They were wrong to think only about themselves. Paul uses the same phrase here when he writes about our *relationship with God. But here, he means that we can be joyful. Our joy is because of everything that God has done for us. He has made us his friends.
Adam and *Christ 5:12-21
Adam’s *sin 5:12-14
v12 *Sin entered the world because one man *sinned. And death came because of *sin. Everyone *sinned, so death came to all people. v13 Before God gave the law, *sin was in the world. But the record of *sin depends on law. v14 Death had authority from the time of Adam until the time of Moses. Death ruled even over people who did not *sin in the same way as Adam. I shall now compare Adam with the *Christ.
Verses 12-14 Adam *sinned because he did not obey God’s command. There was one special tree in the garden. God told Adam that he must not eat from that one. If he did not obey this command, he would die (Genesis 2:17). So death was the result of his *sin (Genesis 3:19). All people *sin. So death, both physical and *spiritual, came to everyone. There are different ideas on how this happened:
1. Everyone *sins because they behave like Adam. And he did not obey God.
2. Everyone has the same nature as Adam. So everyone has a tendency to *sin.
3. The *Hebrew name ‘Adam’ means ‘man’. Adam is more than just a person from the past. All people belong together. So everyone *sins in Adam’s *sin.
In chapter 3:9-23, Paul emphasised that everyone has *sinned. So the result of Adam’s *sin is that everyone is guilty. In 5:17, Paul explains that Adam was just one man. And in 5:16, Paul showed that Adam’s *sin was the first of many *sins. Adam *sinned the first time, and since then, everyone has continued to *sin. So everyone is guilty.
There was *sin in the world even before God gave the law to Moses. The law made people recognise the nature of *sin more clearly.
The difference between Adam and *Christ 5:15-19
v15 God’s gift is different from Adam’s *sin. Many people died because of the *sin of that one man. But God’s free gift is very different. He gave it by the *grace of another man. That man is Jesus *Christ. His *grace will be more than sufficient for many people. v16 The result of God’s gift is different from the result of Adam’s *sin. Judgement followed that first *sin. And the result was punishment. But God’s gift came after many *sins and he made people *righteous. v17 One man *sinned, and death had authority because of that *sin. But God has provided a huge amount of *grace. Those people who have accepted God’s gift have become *righteous. By means of the one man, Jesus *Christ, these people will rule in his *kingdom.
v18 The result of one man’s *sin was that everyone became guilty. So the result of one *righteous act is that everyone can become *righteous. And everyone can receive *eternal life. v19 Many people became *sinners because one man did not obey God. So many will become *righteous by the one man who obeyed God.
Verse 15 Adam chose to do what he wanted to do. *Christ’s gift came because he loves us. He did what God wanted. Many people died because of Adam’s *sin. Many people received the gift of life because of Jesus.
Verse 16 Adam’s one *sin brought God’s judgement. Adam was guilty. Afterwards, people *sinned very many times. But the death of Jesus was sufficient to make people *righteous. He did not need to die many times (Hebrews 9:28). His death was the perfect *sacrifice for *sin.
Verse 17 People suffer death because of the *sin of one man, Adam. God’s huge supply of *grace and his gift of *righteousness come by means of one man, Jesus *Christ. Those who accept God’s gift will rule with Jesus in his *kingdom. In the end, God will defeat death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
Verse 18 The result of Adam’s *sin makes everyone guilty. The result of *Christ’s *righteous act is that everyone can become *righteous. God offers *righteousness to everyone who will invite him into their lives.
Verse 19 Many people became *sinners because Adam did not obey God. Many people became friends with God because *Christ obeyed him.
God’s *grace 5:20-21
v20 The effect of the law was that *sin increased. But where *sin increased, God’s *grace increased even more. v21 *Sin had authority, and the result was death. But now *grace has authority. The *grace of God makes people *righteous. And the *grace of God brings *eternal life because of what Jesus *Christ our *Lord has done.
Verse 20 When the people received God’s law, they knew about God’s standards. But few people even tried to live their lives by God’s standards. People knew what God wanted them to do. But most people preferred to continue their *sinful lives.
So people’s *sin increased. But God’s *grace is greater than people’s *sin. God had a wonderful plan to rescue people from the power of *sin.
Verse 21 God sent Jesus to die on the *cross (John 3:16). God did this because of his great *grace, in other words, his kindness. And that act was sufficient to make people *righteous. It was more than enough to bring *salvation to everyone who trusts him.
Roman ~ a person from the city called Rome, or a description of anything that has a relationship with Rome. Rome was the most important city in the world at the time when Paul wrote this letter. It was the capital city where the Emperor lived.
Emperor ~ ruler over many countries.
grace ~ God’s love that people do not deserve.
righteous ~ good, holy.
holy ~ something or someone that is special for God.
faith ~ trust in someone or something; the things that Christians believe about Jesus.
Lord ~ God; the word that we may use for Jesus when we obey him; someone who rules or who is a master.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah, that is, Jesus.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king who would come to rescue them; the Christ (that is, Jesus).
New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.
Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
glory ~ great beauty and honour. Only God (or Christ) has perfect glory.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah, that is, Jesus.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king who would come to rescue them; the Christ (that is, Jesus).
New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.
Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
holy ~ something or someone that is special for God.
sinners ~ people who sin. God has not forgiven these people because they have not repented.
sin ~ evil deeds against God’s law; or to do such deeds.
repent ~ to change one’s mind totally; when someone who was doing wrong things begins to obey God.
save ~ to rescue from the power of sin.
sin ~ evil deeds against God’s law; or to do such deeds.
wrath ~ great anger; God’s anger against sin.
sin ~ evil deeds against God’s law; or to do such deeds.
resurrection ~ when a dead person becomes alive again.
sin ~ evil deeds against God’s law; or to do such deeds.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.
New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that people have fixed together in the shape of a cross. Soldiers would attach a criminal to a cross in order to kill that person.
sin ~ evil deeds against God’s law; or to do such deeds.
salvation ~ rescue from evil things; when God forgives us our evil deeds.'Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
boast ~ to praise oneself.
relationship ~ a friendship; or way in which people know each other.
spiritual ~ a description of something that belongs to the spirit.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.
Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
kingdom ~ people or area which a king rules.
eternal ~ without end. When we use the word ‘eternal’ to describe God’s qualities, we mean ‘without beginning or end’.
sacrifice ~ something which people offer to God, especially an animal that they killed as a gift to God. Jesus’ death was the perfect sacrifice because, by his death, he freed people from sin.
sin ~ evil deeds against God’s law; or to do such deeds.
righteousness ~ goodness; a right relationship with God.
relationship ~ a friendship; or way in which people know each other.
sinful ~ sinful people do things against God or other people; they do not obey God's commands; they do not do what God wants them to do; sinful actions are actions that are against God’s commands.