|
|
ROMANS CHAPTER 5
I) [Ro 5:1]:
(v. 1) "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"
"Therefore" =
A) THE WORD "THEREFORE" REFERS TO THE PRECEDING PASSAGE ABOUT HOW ALL MANKIND, NOT JUST THE JEW IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE
The word "Therefore" refers to the preceding passage about how all mankind, not just the Jew is justified by faith alone in Christ alone before going on to the subject of the results of being justified:
So one final time before going on to chapter 5 and the subject of the results of being justified as opposed to what it takes to be justified, Paul states that salvation is solely by faith in God's plan of salvation through Jesus Christ alone for all individuals. Faith alone, he states in vv. 21-22 is what resulted in Abraham's being credited with God's Absolute Righteousness unto eternal life:
1) [Ro 4:21-22]:
(v. 21) and [Abraham] being fully assured that what [God] had promised [eternal life], He was able also to perform.
(v. 22) Therefore also 'it was reckoned to him as righteousness.', (Gen 15:6)
And the same is true for all mankind as stipulated again at the end of chapter 4, vv. 23-25:
2) [Ro 4:23-25]:
(v. 23) Now not for his sake only was it written, that 'It was reckoned to him,'
(v. 24) but for our sake also, to whom it will be reckoned, as those who believe in Him Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
(v. 25) Him who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification."
[Everett F. Harrison states, EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE COMMENTARY, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Vol. 10, 1976, pp. 53-54]:
"Having dealt with Abraham's situation, the apostle turns finally... [from]... applying God's dealings with the patriarch to the readers of the Epistle. This procedure accords with his observation that 'everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope' [hope = a sure hope in the Greek (Ro 15:4)]. There are differences between Abraham's case and the position of the readers. Yet the basic similarity in God's dealings with both is unmistakable. Both believe in God as the one who acts in their behalf; both receive justification."
Just as Paul begins Romans chapter 4 with the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith - that it is not right living - but right believing in God that counts with God relative to being declared righteous unto eternal life through faith alone in His Son alone, so Paul ends the chapter in the same way.
So in the beginning of Romans chapter 4, we have the first three verses which focus on justification by faith alone as God stipulated it to Abraham in Gen 15:6:
a) [Ro 4:1-3]:
(v. 1) "What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according the the flesh, has found?
(v. 2) For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God.
(v. 3) For what does the Scripture say? 'And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to Him as righteousness.' [Gen 15:6]"
And then at the end of Romans chapter 4, we have a view of the same Old Testament passage:
b) [Ro 4:22]:
"Therefore also 'It was reckoned to him as righteousness,' "
And Paul extends this to all mankind in the final verses of chapter 4, especially verse 24:
c) [Ro 4:24]:
"But for our sake also, to whom [righteousness] will be reckoned as those who believe in [God] Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead"
[W. R. Newell states, "Romans Verse by Verse,, Kregel, Grand Rapids, Mi, 1994, p. 153]:
"Faith is the only faculty by which we can lay hold of God. 'Let Him take hold of my strength' is God's command, (Isa 27:5). But we cannot reach His greatness. We are dust. We cannot look upon His face for He dwelleth in light unapproachable... We cannot apprehend His wisdom for it is infinite, incomprehensible. Reasonings of the wise regarding God are vain. Then how should we lay hold of God at all? By believing Him. The weakest of men can believe what God tells him. Praise be to His name. Faith, simple faith connects us with the mighty One."
So Paul begins and ends chapter 4 with, "Therefore it was imputed to Abraham for righteousness."
"it" = Abraham's faith alone in God's plan alone of eternal life through Abraham's Seed Who is Christ, (Gal 3:16). And by that faith, and that faith alone, Abraham and all men who believe would be saved.
[John Witmer states, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Walvoord & Zuck Editors, Victor Books, USA, 1983., p. 455]:
"Mentioning the Lord Jesus led Paul to state again the Savior's central place in God's program of providing righteousness for sinful people by grace through faith. Both Christ's death and His resurrection are essential to that work of justification. He was delivered over (by God the Father; cf. Ro 8:32) to death for our sins (lit., 'on account of or because of''... 'our trespasses'. Though not a direct quotation, these words in substance are taken from Isaiah 53:12 (cf. Isa. 53:4-6). Also He was raised to life for ('on account of' or 'because of'... our justification. Christ's death as God's sacrificial Lamb {cf. John 1:29} was to pay the redemptive price for the sins of all people (Rom 3:24) so that God might be free to forgive those who respond by faith to that provision. Christ's resurrection was the proof (or demonstration and vindication) of God's acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice (cf. 1:4)...
[The resurrection of Christ was essential for the exercise of faith of an individual unto eternal life, otherwise there would have been no evidence to which one could testify relative to our Lord's completing His mission of paying for the sins of the whole world]
...Thus because He lives, God can credit His provided righteousness to the account of every person who responds by faith to that offer.
In chapter 4, Paul presented several irrefutable reasons why justification is by faith:
(1) Since justification is a gift, it cannot be earned by works (vv. 1-8).
(2) Since Abraham was justified before he was circumcised, circumcision has no relationship to justification (vv. 9-12).
(3) Since Abraham was justified centuries before the Law, justification is not based on the Law (vv. 13-17).
(4) Abraham was justified because of his faith in God, not because of his works (vv. 18-25)."
I cont.) [Ro 5:1 cont.]:
(v. 1) "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith"=
"we have been justified" = "dikaiothentes", nominative, plural, masculine, passive voice, aorist passive participle, lit., "ones who have been justified [by God]"
B) GOD HAS PERFORMED THIS ACTION OF JUSTIFICATION ON THE INDIVIDUAL WHO BELIEVED IT IS PASSIVE IN THAT THE INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTES NOTHING BUT TRUSTS IN GOD TO DO IT
"dikaiothentes" is a nominative participle, i.e., a participle acting as a noun; aorist tense, i.e., signifying a completed action; passive mood, i.e., God has performed this action of justification on the individual who believed, the individual then being passive in what has happened to him simply trusting in God to do it all for him, i.e., God doing all the work.
[William R. Newell states, 'Romans Verse By Verse', Kregel, Grand Rapids, Mi, 1994, p. 163]:
"We must note at once that the Greek form of this verb 'declared righteous,' or 'justified,' is not the present participle, 'being declared righteous,' but rather the aorist participle 'having been declared righteous,' or 'justified.'
[or more specifically the nominative form of the aorist participle: 'ones who have been declared righteous once for all time']
"You say, What is the difference? The answer is, 'being declared righteous' looks to a state you are in; 'having been declared righteous' looks back to a fact that happened. 'Being in a justified state' of course is incorrect, confusing, as it does, justification and sanctification. 'Whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever.' The moment you believed, God declared you righteous, never to change His mind: as David says, 'Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin' (Rom 4:8)."
I cont.) [Ro 5:1 cont.]:
(v. 1) "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God" =
"eisenen echomen pros ......ton Theon"
"peace...we have..toward....God"
C) THE BELIEVER IS ETERNALLY AT PEACE WITH GOD - NO LONGER UNDER HIS WRATH
1) PREVIOUSLY THE UNSAVED INDIVIDUAL WAS AT ENMITY WITH GOD ALL THE TIME BUT ONCE RECONCILED TO GOD THROUGH FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE HE IS NO LONGER AN ENEMY
a) [Compare Ro 5:10-11]:
"For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!"
(v. 10) "For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!
(v. 11) Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have now received reconciliation."
This concept of eternal and positional peace through Christ is stipulated by Paul in Ephesians between Jew and Gentile as a result of the believer's peace with God through the reconciliation produced by faith in our Lord's death on the cross to save one:
b) [Eph 2:14-17]:
(v. 14) "For He [Christ, (v. 12-13)] is our peace, Who has made the two [Jew and Gentile] one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
(v. 15) by abolishing in His flesh the Law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new man [the Church] out of the two, thus making peace,
(v. 16) and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility.
(v. 17) He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
(v. 18) For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit."
c) [Compare Acts 10:36]:
"You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, Who is Lord of all."
d) [Compare Isa 53:5]:
"But He [The Messiah Jesus Christ] was pierced for our transgression, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed [of our spiritual sickness, i.e., sin]."
This is not to say that now that an individual has become a believer his life will always be one of peace with God in his experience. No believer can claim to be without sin, (1 Jn 1:8, 10). And when a believer sins he grieves God, (Eph 4:30) and falls out of fellowship with Him until the sin(s) at hand become confessed, (1 Jn 1:1-9). So between God & a believer who sins there is no experiential peace, eternal yes, temporal peace, no.
So this is the reason that other passages in effect exhort the child of God to have peace with God in his experience. But this particular exhortation is not in view in Ro 5:1.
2) ONE WHO HAS BEEN JUSTIFIED THROUGH FAITH HAS ETERNAL PEACE WITH GOD - WHICH POSITION IS DEPENDENT UPON GOD ALONE, EXPERIENTIAL PEACE IS NOT IN VIEW
Certainly if one is declared
absolutely righteous as a completed action in the past, then one is no
longer at enmity with God, rather at peace with Him relative to his
eternal destiny. This is a positional statement, not an experiential one
as the believer will still struggle with sin in his mortal life, (Ro
7:7-25 [
]),
and each time the child of God sins he is out of fellowship with God, (1
Jn 2:15-17; Eph 4:30). Although positionally, i.e., eternally he remains
at peace with God since his sins have already been paid for at the cross,
(1 Jn 2:2), and forgiven at the point of faith, (Acts 10:43), the believer
who sins is for the moment under God's discipline, (Heb 12:3-11) and out
of temporal fellowship with Him, (1 Jn 1:1-9); but never out of eternal
fellowship, (Ro 8:38-39).
[The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Zondervan Publishing, Vol 10; Grand Rapids, Michigan, Frank E. Gaebelein, Editor, Commentary on Romans, Everett F. Harrison, 1976, p. 26]:
'''The first of the blessing conveyed by justification is "peace." We have encountered the word in the salutation (1:7) and in an eschatological setting (2:10). Here, however, the milieu is the estrangement between God and man because of sin. Peace takes its meaning from the emphasis on divine wrath in the first section of the Epistle. Observe also, in the present chapter, the occurrence of "wrath" (v. 9) and "enemies" (v. 10). Peace in this setting means harmony with God rather than a subjective state in the consciousness of man.
That the objective meaning is to be adopted in the present passage is put beyond all doubt by the fact that the kind of peace in view is "peace with God." The same expression "with God" is used in John 1:1 to indicate the unity and perfect harmony between the Father and the Son. Since this particular boon is placed first among the benefits of justification, it should be evident how central is the wrath of God to Paul's exposition of the plight of man that God has moved to remedy. Man's plight could be dealt with only through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Related passages tell the same story. Christ made peace through the blood of his cross (Col 1:20). "He is our peace," writes Paul in Ephesians 2:14, and then he goes on to show how this peace works in two directions, removing the enmity between Jew and Gentile to make them one in the body of Christ and reconciling both in one body to God through the cross.'''
3) ON THE OTHER HAND, EXPERIENTIAL (MOMENT TO MOMENT) PEACE WITH GOD IS DEPENDENT UPON THE BELIEVER'S ACTIONS
Furthermore, the experiential peace of God the believer has as a result of his understanding of his eternal position with God and his obedience to God's will is a temporal and experiential one, not an eternal and positional one the latter being in view in Ro 5:1, so experiencing the peace of God is dependent upon the moment to moment actions of the believer:
a) [Phil 4:6-7]:
(v. 6) "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
(v. 7) And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
4) ALTERNATIVE READING OF LET US HAVE PEACE WITH GOD IS RULED OUT
Note that an alternate reading of Ro 5:1 which is found in some manuscripts of "let us have peace with God" = "echwmen", with a long o, ('w') rather than the short o, subjunctive mood = objective possibility but not certainty as a result of our justification must be overruled on the basis of earlier dated manuscript evidence, the discovery of the Wyman vellum fragment, (0220) dated latter 3rd century supports echomen, short "o", indicative mood which predates other manuscripts with the long "o", subjunctive mood.
Furthermore the indicative mood which occurs throughout this passage establishes a context of statement of fact and not objective possibility, so 'echomen', indicative mood fits best.
Finally, if one is declared absolutely righteous as a completed action in the past, then one is in fact no longer at enmity with God relative to eternal life, rather at peace with Him.
[Daniel B. Wallace, PhD, "Do Christians Have Peace with God? A Brief Examination of the Textual Problem in Romans 5:1", Dallas Theological Seminary, http://www.bible.org/docs/soapbox/rom5-1.htm]:
'''At issue is not two different translations of the same word, but two different words—or, rather, two different forms of the same Greek word. The difference in spelling is one letter (either an omicron or an omega—that is, either a short ‘o’ [o] or a long ‘o’ [w]), but the difference in pronunciation, as far as we can tell, was nil in the first century AD. This is not to say the difference in meaning was nil! Spelled with an omicron, the verb is in the indicative mood—“we have peace”; spelled with the omega, the verb is in the subjunctive mood—“let us have peace.”
...A number of important witnesses have the subjunctive ecwmen (“let us have”) for ecomen (“we have”) in v. 1. Included in the subjunctive’s support are Í* A B* C D K L 33 1739* lat bo and many other witnesses. But the indicative is not without its supporters: Í1 B2 F G P Y 0220vid 1241 1506 1739c 1881 2464 and many other witnesses. If the problem were to be solved on an external basis only, the subjunctive would be given the palm. Clearly, the “A” rating in the UBS4 is overly generous. However, the indicative is probably correct. First, the earliest witness to Rom 5:1 has the indicative (0220). Although given a probable vote in this direction (“vid”) by the editors of the standard critical texts, this is due to the fact that the fragment is shorn right in the middle of the letter. An examination of the manuscript, with attention to how the scribe shaped his omicrons and omegas, indicates that the letter could only be an omicron. Second, the first set of correctors is usually of equal importance with the original hand. Hence, Í1 should be given equal value with Í*. Third, there is a good cross-section of witnesses for the indicative: Alexandrian (in 0220, Í1 1241 1506 1881 et alii), Western (in F G), and Byzantine (noted in the Nestle text as pm). Thus, although the external evidence is strongly in favor of the subjunctive, the indicative is represented well enough that its ancestry could easily go back to the original.
...In light of the indecisiveness of the transcriptional evidence (what a scribe would be likely to have produced), intrinsic evidence (what an author would be likely to have written) could play a much larger role. This is indeed the case here.
First, the indicative fits well with the overall argument of the book to this point. Up until now, Paul has been establishing the “indicatives of the faith.” There is only one imperative (used rhetorically) and only one hortatory subjunctive—the “let us” exhortations—up till this point (and this in a diatribal quotation), while from ch. 6 on there are sixty-one imperatives and seven hortatory subjunctives. Clearly, an exhortation would be out of place in ch. 5.
Second, Paul presupposes that the audience has peace with God (via reconciliation) in 5:10. This seems to assume the indicative in v. 1.
Third, as 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” (Romans [ICC] 1.257).
Fourth, the notion that eirEnEn echomen can even naturally mean “enjoy peace” is problematic—yet this is the meaning given to the subjunctive by virtually all who consider the subjunctive to be original. This point is elaborated on below.
The subjunctive here has often been translated something like, “Let us enjoy the peace that we already have.” Only rarely in the NT does the verb mean “enjoy” (cf. Heb 11:25), and it probably never has this as a primary force in the subjunctive. Thus, if the subjunctive were original, it probably would mean “let us come to have peace with God,” but this notion is entirely foreign to the context, particularly to the fact that justification has already been applied. '''
So it is the individual who has been justified through faith once for all time, i.e., the believer, who is in view. And one of the key benefits of being justified by faith is a permanent positional state of peace with God, never again to be under His eternal wrath.
Previously, the unsaved individual was at enmity with God all the time but once reconciled to God through faith alone in Christ alone, he is no longer an enemy:
b) [Compare Ro 5:10-11]:
"For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!"
(v. 10) "For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!
(v. 11) Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have now received reconciliation."
This concept of eternal and positional peace through Christ is stipulated by Paul in Ephesians between Jew and Gentile as a result of the believer's peace with God through the reconciliation produced by faith in our Lord's death on the cross to save one:
c) [Eph 2:14-17]:
(v. 14) "For He [Christ, (v. 12-13)] is our peace, Who has made the two [Jew and Gentile] one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
(v. 15) by abolishing in His flesh the Law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new man [the Church] out of the two, thus making peace,
(v. 16) and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility.
(v. 17) He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
(v. 18) For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit."
d) [Compare Acts 10:36]:
"You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, Who is Lord of all."
e) [Compare Isa 53:5]:
"But He [The Messiah Jesus Christ] was pierced for our transgression, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed [of our spiritual sickness, i.e., sin]."
This is not to say that now that an individual has become a believer his life will always be one of peace with God in his experience. No believer can claim to be without sin, (1 Jn 1:8, 10). And when a believer sins he grieves God, (Eph 4:30) and falls out of fellowship with Him until the sin(s) at hand become confessed, (1 Jn 1:1-9). So between God & a believer who sins there is no experiential peace, eternal yes, temporal peace, no.
So this is the reason that other passages in effect exhort the child of God to have peace with God in his experience. But this particular exhortation is not in view in Ro 5:1.
5) THE BELIEVER'S PEACE WITH GOD IS AS A RESULT OF THE PERSON OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
"we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" =
Notice that the peace with God for those that have been justified comes exclusively as a result of the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ. This points to the peace which is a positional peace with God, no longer at enmity with Him, i.e., under His eternal wrath rather than the experiential peace of God "which transcends all understanding", (Phil 4:6-7). The experiential, moment to moment peace which is not guaranteed in the life of the believer in thus not in view; for no mention is made of any effort on the part of the individual to experience the experiential peace of God which requires one to trust in the Lord in all that one does.
6) CONCLUSION: ETERNAL PEACE WITH GOD IS IN VIEW WHICH WAS FOREVER SETTLED FOR THE BELIEVER AT THE CROSS UPON BEING JUSTIFIED BY FAITH ALONE.
ON THE OTHER HAND, EXPERIENTIAL PEACE WHICH DEPENDS UPON THE BELIEVER'S OBEDIENCE TO GOD'S WORD IS NOT IN VIEW
[Newell, op. cit., pp. 164-165]:
" 'Peace' means that war is done. 'Peace with God' means that God has nothing against us. This involves:
a) That God has fully judged sin, upon Christ, our Substitute.
b) That God was so wholly satisfied with Christ's sacrifice, that He will eternally remain so: never taking up the judgment of our sin again.
c) That God is therefore at rest about us forever, however poor our understanding of truth, however weak our walk. God is looking at the blood of Christ, and not at our sins. All claims against us were met when Christ 'made peace by the blood of His cross.' [Col 1:20]...
Our peace with God is not as between two nations before at war; but as between a king and rebellious and guilty subjects. While our hearts are at last at rest, it is because God, against whom we sinned, has been fully satisfied at the cross. 'Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ' does not mean peace through what He is now doing, but through what He did do on the Cross. He 'made peace' by the blood of His cross. All the majesty of God's holy and righteous throne was satisfied when Christ said, 'It is finished.' And, being now raised from the dead, 'He is our peace.' [Eph 2:14] But it is His past work at Calvary, not His present work of intercession, that all is based on; and that gives us a sense of the peace which He made through His blood.
This peace with (or towards) God must not be confused with the 'peace of God' of Philippians 4:7, which is a subjective state; whereas peace with God is an objective fact - outside of ourselves. Thousands strive for inward [experiential] peace, never once resting where God is resting - in the finished work of Christ on Calvary....
The difference may be brought out by asking ourselves two questions: First. Have I peace with God? Yes; because Christ died for me. Second, Have I the peace of God in quietness from the anxieties and worries of life in my heart? We see at once that being at peace with God must depend on what was done for us by Christ on the cross. It is not a matter of experience, but of revelation. On the contrary, the peace of God 'sets a garrison around our hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus,' when we refuse to be anxious about circumstances, and 'in everything (even the most '''trifling''' affairs) by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made known unto God.' Every believer is at peace with God, because of Christ's shed blood. Not every believer has this 'peace of God' within him; for not all have consented to judge anxious cares and worry as unbelief in God's Fatherly kindness and care."
II) [Ro 5:1-2]:
(v. 1) "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
(v. 2) through Whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."
A) THE BELIEVER THROUGH JESUS CHRIST HAS GAINED ACCESS TO GOD BY FAITH
"We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through Whom we have gained access by faith" =
Now that he has been justified through faith, the believer has been given access to God through Jesus Christ. This access to God is into "into this grace in which we [believers] now stand."
1) [Compare Eph 2:17-18, 3:12]:
(v. 17) "He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
(v. 18) For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit."
(v. 3:12) "In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence."
[Expositors, op cit., p. 56]:
'''The second benefit is "access" (v. 2). Here also faith is mentioned as the essential instrumentality, as in justification itself. Since the word rendered "access" can also mean "approach" or "introduction," it is probable that the latter meaning is the more appropriate here, for introduction is fundamental to the access that is gained thereby. We are to think of the Father in his exaltation and glory as the One approached, with the Lord Jesus introducing us as those who belong to him and so to the Father. There is a striking similarity in thought between our passage and Ephesians 2:17, 18, where Paul asserts that Christ came and preached peace to those far away (Gentiles) and to those near (Jews), "for through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." Later in that Epistle Paul shows that this access enables one to approach God in prayer with freedom and confidence (Eph 3:12ff).'''
B) "INTO THIS GRACE IN WHICH WE [BELIEVERS] NOW STAND" ENCOMPASSES A LONG LIST OF UNDESERVED BLESSINGS BESTOWED UPON THE BELIEVER
"Through Whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand" =
1) GRACE IS UNRECOMPENSED, UNMERITED FAVOR
Grace = unrecompensed, unmerited favor
The grace of
God = any blessing or favor that God bestows and which is totally without
regard for anything man does or is, requiring nothing in return. [
about Grace]
2) THE GRACE IN WHICH THE BELIEVER NOW STANDS:
There is a plethora of things that make up the grace in which the believer now stands not the least of which are the following:
THE BELIEVER'S STANDING IN CHRIST
TABLE OF CONTENTS
II) THE GRACE IN WHICH THE BELIEVER NOW STANDS:
2) THE BELIEVER HAS GOD'S PERMANENT REDEMPTION - HIS FORGIVENESS OF SINS
3) THE BELIEVER IS COMPLETELY RECONCILED TO GOD
a) Given the gift of the perfect righteousness of God, (Ro 3:21-22; Phil 3:8-9
b) Taken out of Adam and placed forever into Christ, (Eph 1:13-14)
c) Forgiven personally of all sins, past, present and future relative to eternal life, (Acts 10:43).
4) THE BELIEVER IS COMPLETELY FORGIVEN OF ALL OF HIS SINS FOREVER RELATIVE TO ETERNAL LIFE
c) FORGIVENESS OF SINS = FORGIVENESS OF THE INDIVIDUAL HIMSELF, HIS INTRINSIC SINFUL NATURE
a) [Eph 1:13-14, 22-23; 4:15-16]:
6) THE BELIEVER IS NOT UNDER LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE HE HAS A NEW FREEDOM IN CHRIST
a) CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW
b) BELIEVERS WERE PREDESTINED TO BE ADOPTED AS GOD'S SONS THROUGH JESUS CHRIST
c) ONE IS BORN OF GOD FROM ABOVE IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM THROUGH THE ACTION OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
d) ALL BELIEVERS ARE CHILDREN OF GOD
8) THE BELIEVER HIMSELF AND HIS SERVICE TO THE LORD IS NOW ACCEPTABLE TO GOD
9) THE BELIEVER IS JUSTIFIED, I.E., DECLARED ABSOLUTELY RIGHTEOUS IN GOD'S SIGHT, HAVING THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF JESUS CHRIST
a) BELIEVERS HAVE BEEN BROUGHT NEAR TO GOD IN POSITION
11) THE BELIEVER STANDS DELIVERED FROM DARKNESS:
PERMANENTLY DELIVERED FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN RELATIVE TO HIS OWN ETERNAL DESTINY
POTENTIALLY DELIVERED FROM THE RULING POWER OF DARKNESS IN HIS DAILY WALK
AND POTENTIALLY DELIVERED FROM THE DARKNESS OF BEING BLINDED TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF TRUTHS FROM GOD'S WORD
b) THE BELIEVER HAS BEEN POTENTIALLY DELIVERED FROM THE RULING POWER OF DARKNESS IN HIS DAILY WALK
12) BELIEVERS ARE SEATED IN HEAVEN ON DISPLAY AS EXAMPLES OF GOD'S INCOMPARABLE GRACE
13) BELIEVERS ARE GOD'S POSSESSION
14) THE BELIEVER HAS BEEN GIVEN AS A GIFT TO OUR LORD BY GOD THE FATHER
15) BELIEVERS OF THE CHURCH AGE HAVE A UNIQUE PRIESTHOOD: THEIR OWN PRIVATE PRIESTHOOD DIRECTLY BEFORE GOD
16) BELIEVERS IMMEDIATELY BECOME CITIZENS OF HEAVEN
17) BELIEVERS WILL REFLECT THE GLORY OF GOD
18) BELIEVERS IMMEDIATELY HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO GOD AND MAY APPROACH HIM WITH FREEDOM AND CONFIDENCE
a) ALL INDIVIDUALS IMMEDIATELY RECEIVE POSSESSION OF ETERNAL LIFE, I.E., ARE SAVED WHEN THEY BELIEVE
b) ALL BELIEVERS HAVE INHERITED ETERNAL LIFE NO MATTER WHAT
d) ALL BELIEVERS WILL BE GLORIFIED AND THUS INHERIT A GLORIFIED BODY JUST LIKE THE LORD'S
f) BELIEVERS ARE HEIRS OF GOD AND CO-HEIRS WITH CHRIST
21) BELIEVERS ARE NO LONGER APPOINTED TO SUFFER GOD'S WRATH
22) ALL BELIEVERS ARE PERMANENTLY AND ETERNALLY UNITED TO OUR TRIUNE GOD
23) BELIEVERS IMMEDIATELY RECEIVE THE INDWELLING PRESENCE OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
25) THE BELIEVER BECOMES COMPLETE IN CHRIST
26) BELIEVERS ARE ALL RECIPIENTS OF THEIR SHARE OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS
28) THE BELIEVER HAS BEEN RAISED WITH CHRIST - HIS LIFE IS HIDDEN WITH CHRIST IN GOD
29) THE BELIEVER IS MADE ALIVE WITH CHRIST - BECOMING SPIRITUALLY ALIVE
30) EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES IN THE SON TO SAVE HIM WILL NEVER BE LOST
ON THE OTHER HAND, HAVING DIED TO THE SIN NATURE DOES NOT SIGNIFY THAT THE SIN NATURE NO LONGER EXISTS, NOR THAT IT CAN NO LONGER INFLUENCE THE BELIEVER
32) BELIEVERS ARE THE ENEMY OF SATAN
33) BELIEVERS ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE RULE OF SATAN
a) THE WHOLE WORLD IS UNDER SATAN'S CONTROL
34) BELIEVERS ARE A NEW KIND OF CREATION - IN CHRIST JESUS AS PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST
35) ONE WHO IS A BELIEVER HAS BECOME THE FRIEND OF GOD
36) BELIEVERS OF THE CHURCH AGE HAVE BEEN CHOSEN OF GOD
a) CHURCH AGE BELIEVERS HAD BEEN CHOSEN OF GOD TO BE BELIEVERS AND RECEIVE ALL THE BLESSINGS THEREIN
b) CHURCH AGE BELIEVERS ARE DESIGNATED AS GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE
38) BELIEVERS ARE THE TEMPLE OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
39) BELIEVERS ARE ONE IN CHRIST AND ONE WITH GOD IN SPIRIT
40) ALL BELIEVERS ARE SAINTS, SET APART TO GOD
41) BELIEVERS OF THE CHURCH AGE ARE GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE
42) BELIEVERS ARE THE BELOVED OF GOD
43) CHURCH AGE BELIEVERS ARE HOLY IN GOD'S SIGHT
44) BELIEVERS ARE ALIENS TO THE WORLD
45) BELIEVERS WILL BE LIKE JESUS CHRIST
47) ALL BELIEVERS ARE PLACED INTO CHRIST
48) BELIEVERS HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST
49) ALL BELIEVERS HAVE RECEIVED HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM AT THE POINT OF TRUSTING ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE
50) ALL BELIEVERS ARE VIEWED BY GOD AS HAVING DIED, BEEN BURIED AND RESURRECTED WITH HIS SON
II) [Ro 5:2 cont.]:
"Through Whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the [sure] hope of the glory of God."
C) BELIEVERS REJOICE IN THE SURE HOPE OF RECEIVING THE ETERNAL GLORY OF GOD
1) REJOICE = EXPRESSING THE EMOTION OF JOY IN A BOASTFUL MANNER
"And we rejoice in the [sure] hope of the glory of God" =
Believers are described here as rejoicing, i.e., expressing the emotion of joy in a boastful manner in the sure hope of receiving the glory of God.
"rejoice" = "kauchOmetha" = boast, glory.
[William R. Newell states, Romans verse-by-verse, Kregel classics, Grand Rapids, Mi, 1994, p. 167]:
"It ["kauchOmetha" = "rejoice"] is an inner, joyful confidence, rather than an outward glorying or boasting, before others, although this latter will often necessarily follow!"
2) WE REJOICE IN THE [SURE] HOPE OF THE GLORY OF GOD
"In the [sure] hope of" =
"hope" = "elpidi" = [Vines, p. 233]: "favorable, confident expectation"
This Greek word signifies certainty as opposed to possibility, especially considering that it is based on the guarantee of God Himself:
a) [Compare Eph 1:13-14]:
(v. 13) "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a Seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
(v. 14) Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption [the final glorification] of those who are God's possession [those who believed, v. 13)] - to the praise of His glory."
3) WE REJOICE IN THE [SURE] HOPE OF THE GLORY OF GOD
"And we rejoice in the [sure] hope of the glory of God." =
"glory of God" = "doxEs tou theou" = The expression of the honor, power & holiness of God.
[Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Kittel & Friedrich, eds., Abridged Edition by Bromiley, Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, Mi, 1992, pp. 180-1]:
"The believer and dóxa". In the OT the stress lies on seeing the divine dóxa (Lev. 9:6; Is. 6:1; 35:2). For the rabbis, too, eternal felicity is contemplation of God's glory. In the NT, however, the emphasis shifts to participation. The righteous will shine, as in Dan 12:3. (Mt 13:43). The body is transformed in the resurrection into a body of glory (Phil 3:21). We are glorified together with Christ (Rom. 8:17; Col. 1:27; 3:4). This is part of the parallelism of Christ's resurrection and ours. Participation in dóxa is by participation in Christ. Eternal glory is the goal of our calling (1 Pet. 5:10). In this sinful aeon we fall short of God's glory (Rom. 3:23). But glory is to be revealed to us, and we are to enjoy the glorious liberty of the children of God (Rom. 8:18, 21). What is sown in dishonor is raised in glory (1 Cor. 15:43). Yet the future glory has its roots in the divine purpose and action, so that we may be said to be already glorified (Rom. 8:29-30; 1 Cor. 2:7). The Spirit is the pledge of the new thing that brings glory (cf. Eph. 3:16; 1 Pet 4:14). This is especially clear in 2 Cor. 3:7ff:
b) [Compare 2 Cor 3:7-10]:
(v. 7) "Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was,
(v. 8) will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
(v. 9) If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!
(v. 10) For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.
(v. 11) And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!"
(v. 18) "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, Who is the Spirit."
This passage:
a. contrasts the glory of Moses with the new and greater glory of Christ and
b. shows how, beholding the glory of the Lord, believers are changed from glory to glory.
The movement here is from present glory to an eschatological consummation of glory. It is effected by the ministry of the gospel as this gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (4:6). Along the same lines, Jn. 17 says that the disciples will see the glory of Christ (v. 24), that He is glorified in them (v. 10), and that He gives to them the glory the Father has given to Him (v. 22)."
[BKC, ibid.]:
"Because of Christ, Christians eagerly anticipate the time when they will share Christ's glory, in contrast with their falling short of it now (3:23). In that sense He is 'the hope of glory' (Col 1:27; cf Rom 8:17-30; 2 Cor 4:17; Col 3:4; 2 Thes 2:14; Heb 2:10; 1 Peter 5:1, 10). Certainly such a prospect is cause of joy and even boasting!"
So Christians will not just observe God's glory, they will enter into it. Scripture promises that believers will receive glorified bodies just like the one our Lord possesses. Thus Christians will reflect the glory of God.
b) [Compare Ro 8:28-30]:
(v. 28) "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
(v. 29) For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son.
[i.e., to reflect God's glory as the Son reflects God's glory]
that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.
(v. 30) And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified."
c) [Compare Jn 17:20-24]:
(v. 20) "My [Jesus' prayer] is not for them [the disciples, (v. 6)] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message,
(v. 21) that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.
(v. 23) I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.
Notice that believers are to be given the glory that God the Father gave our Lord in His humanity that they may be one as God the Father and God the Son are one.
d) [Compare Col 3:4]:
"When Christ, Who is your life, appears [at His Second Coming] then you also will appear with Him in glory."
e) [Compare 2 Cor 3:18]:
"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, Who is the Spirit."
III) [Ro 5:2b-5]:
(v. 2b) "And we rejoice in the [sure] hope of the glory of God.
(v. 3) Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
(v. 4) perseverance, character; and character, hope.
(v. 5) And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
A) NOT ONLY DO WE REJOICE IN OUR SURE HOPE OF SHARING IN THE ETERNAL GLORY OF GOD BUT WE ALSO REJOICE IN OUR SUFFERINGS
"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." =
Whereas our standing before God relative to our justification by faith alone is in view in v. 2b, the experiential perspective of our justification with God is in view in vv. 3-5.
Paul says, "Not only" are we to rejoice in the sure hope of receiving the glory of God in eternity, but we are to rejoice as a result in our sufferings with the perspective that because of our sure hope of the eternal glory of God these sufferings produce perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, in turn a sure hope - a sure hope as a result of our experience which is there as a result of God's love which has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
So we come full circle: from a sure hope of salvation to experiencing the inevitable suffering promised to those who have been justified by faith; which produces perseverance which in turn produces character. And this godly character then produces, in ones experience, a sure hope in the glory of God which we will inevitably experience in eternity and a sure hope of God seeing us through our daily trials and tribulations.
III cont.) [Ro 5:2b-5 cont.]:
(v. 2b) "And we rejoice in the [sure] hope of the glory of God.
(v. 3) Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
(v. 4) perseverance, character; and character, hope.
(v. 5) And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
B) OUR SUFFERINGS PRODUCE PERSEVERANCE, PERSEVERANCE, CHARACTER AND CHARACTER, HOPE
"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character and character, hope." =
[William R. Newell, "Romans, Verse-by-Verse, Kregel Classics, Grand Rapids, MI, 1994, pp. 167-8]:
"So now we find that not only does the believer look back to peace made with God at the cross; at a God smiling upon him in favor; and forward to his coming glorification with Christ, but he is able also to exult in the very tribulations that are appointed to Him. Paul constantly taught, as in Acts 14:22 and II Thessalonians 3:3, that 'through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God,' and that 'we are appointed unto afflictions.' The word means pressure, straits, difficulties; and Paul had them! 'Pressed on every side, perplexed, pursued, smitten down'; 'in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; by evil report,... as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, - yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things!' (II Cor 4:8-9; 6:4-10). He regarded these as 'our light affliction' said he, 'which is for the moment, and is working for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory,' (II Cor 4:17); and so Paul 'took pleasure' in them! (II Cor 12:10).
We need to take a lesson from the martyrs, who lived in the freshness and strength of the early faith of the Church of God, who often sang in the midst of the flames!..
The Divine process is as follows: God brings us into tribulations, and that of all sorts; graciously supplying therewith a rejoicing expectation of deliverance in due time; and the knowledge that , as the winds buffeting some great oak on a hillside cause the tree to thrust its roots deeper into the ground, so these tribulations will result in steadfastness, in faith and patient endurance; and our consciousness of steadfastness - of having been brought by grace through the trials, - gives us a sense of Divine approval, or approvedness, we did not before have; and which is only found in those who have been brought through trials, by God's all-sufficient grace. This sense of God's approval arouses within us abounding 'hope' - we might almost say, hopefulness, a hopeful, happy state of soul."
[Expositors, op cit., p. 56]:
"Suffering has this value, that it produces 'perseverance,' or 'steadfast endurance.' This is a suitable element to go along with tribulation, because it denotes resistance to pressure, literally, 'a bearing up under it.' One does not take the pressure passively by abjectly giving in to it, as much Oriental philosophy counsels its devotees to do. Christ 'endured' the cross and thus triumphed over it. Right here lies one of the distinctives of the Christian faith, in that the believer is taught to glory and rejoice in the midst of suffering rather than to sigh and submit to it as a necessary or inevitable evil.
The value of perseverance is that it develops 'character.' Job sensed its worth, saying in the midst of his troubles:
1) [Job 23:10]:
"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold."
The word rendered 'character' indicates tested value. The newborn child of God is precious in His sight, but the tested and proven saint means even more to Him because such a one is a living demonstration of the character-developing power of the gospel. When we stand in the presence of God, all material possessions will have been left behind, but all that we have gained by way of spiritual advance will be retained. This progress is a testimony of God, so it rightly has a place in glory.
This helps to explain Paul's statement that character produces 'hope'. Looking back, we see that hope consummates a series of items beginning with sufferings. But just prior to that Paul has considered hope from the standpoint of another series - faith, peace, access, grace, and then hope of the glory of God. So we are entitled to say that just as our present access gives hope of the glory of God. So we are entitled to say that just as our present access gives hope of sharing the divine glory, so with our sufferings. They help to produce character, and approved Christian character finds its ultimate resting place in the presence of God, not in a grave. By the tutelage of suffering the Lord is fitting us for His eternal fellowship."
[The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Walvoord & Zuck, Eds., Victor Books, USA, 1988, p. 456]:
'''5:3-4. Believers can enjoy the peace with God that has been achieved and the glorious future in God's presence that awaits them. But how should they react to the experiences of life that are often adverse and difficult? They are to rejoice in their sufferings. The word "rejoice" is kauchOmetha, the same word in verse 2. "Sufferings" is thlipsesin "afflictions, distresses, pressures." James wrote along the same line:
1) [Compare Jas 1:2]:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds".
This is more than mere Stoic endurance of troubles, even though endurance or steadfastness is the first result in a chain reaction outgrowth from distress. This is spiritual glorying in afflictions because of having come to know (from oida, "to know by intuition or perception") that the end product of this chain reaction (that begins with distress) is hope. Suffering brings about perseverance hypomonEn, "steadfastness," the ability to remain under difficulties without giving in; cf. Rom. 15:5-6; James 1:3-4). Only a believer who has faced distress can develop steadfastness. That in turn develops character (dokimEn ["proof"] has here the idea of "proven character"), which in turn results in hope. As believers suffer, they develop steadfastness; that quality deepens their character; and a deepened, tested character results in hope (i.e., confidence) that God will see them through.'''
III cont.) [Ro 5:2b-5 cont.]:
(v. 2b) "And we rejoice in the [sure] hope of the glory of God.
(v. 3) Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
(v. 4) perseverance, character; and character, hope.
(v. 5) And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
D) OUR SURE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE IS NOT DISAPPOINTED IN US BECAUSE GOD'S LOVE IS POURED OUT INTO OUR HEARTS
"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." =
[BKC, ibid.]:
'''5:5. A believer's hope, since it is centered in God and His promises, does not disappoint him. "Disappoint" means "put to shame because of disappointment" in the unfulfilled promises. This affirmation concerning hope in God is a reflection of Psalm 25:2, 20-21 (cf. Ps 22:5; Rom 9:33; 1 Peter 2:6).
2) [Compare Psa 25:1-3, 20-21]:
(v. 1) "To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
(v. 2) in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
(v. 3) No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse."
(v. 20) "Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
(v. 21) May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you."
The reason this hope (resulting finally from affliction) does not disappoint is that God has poured out His love into our hearts. God's love, so abundant in believer's hearts (cf. 1 John 4:8, 16), encourages them on in their hope. and this love is poured out by (better, "through," dia with the genitive) the Holy Spirit, Whom He has given us. The Holy Spirit is the divine Agent who expresses to a believer the love of God, that is, God's love for him. The reality of God's love in a believer's heart gives the assurance, even the guarantee, that the believer's hope in God and His promise of glory is not misplaced and will not fail. This ministry of the Holy Spirit is related to His presence in believers as the seal of God (Eph 4:30) and as the earnest or down payment of their inheritance in glory (2 Cor 1:21-22; Eph 1:13-14). Later Paul wrote that the Holy Spirit Himself has been poured out in believers (Titus 3:6). Each believer has the Spirit of Christ (Rom 8:9) in the sense that He is indwelt by the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 John 3:24; 4:13).''''
IV) [Ro 5:6]:
(v. 6) "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ["when we [believers, v. 1] were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly"
[i.e., all men] = "ungodly" = all mankind elect and non-elect. Even those who become believers are ungodly before they trust in Christ as Savior.
A) [Compare 1 Pet 3:18a]:
"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust..." "unjust" = all men, elect and non elect]
V) [Ro 5:7-9]:
(v. 7) "For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die
(v. 8) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, [believers] in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
["while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' = This phrase is not saying that Christ died only for the elect, (i.e., believers), for verse 6 and passages previously examined say that Christ died for the ungodly - all men. The grammatical construction of verse 8 does not limit the effectiveness of Christ's death on the cross to just those who will become saved. It only states that Christ died for a group of people who will become saved; but there is absent in this phrase any exclusionary construction which rules out the group of people who will not become saved. Since author Paul's focus is on believers, the phrase "Christ died for us" is narrowed to the "us" = those who become believers. But the context and construction of this phrase does not exclude all others for whom Christ died]
(v. 9) Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
["much more than" [this] = This phrase indicates that even greater than the fact that Christ died for the ungodly, i.e., all men, is the fact that believers are in addition to this justified by the blood of Christ and will be saved from the wrath of God in hell, a truth of even greater import relative to the eternal destiny of believers. Verse 10 then repeats this comparison]:
VI) [Ro 5:10-11]:
(v. 10) For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
(v. 11) And not only this, but we also exalt in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have now received the reconciliation."
[Chafer, op. cit., pp. 116-117]:
"The argument of Romans 5:8-10 is that if Christ died for sinners, (which includes all men - elect and non-elect) how much more would those who have been justified by faith be saved from God's wrath. Romans 5:10 concludes, 'For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!' Here again it is expressly declared that God's enemies were reconciled by the death of Christ. If this is true for the unsaved, how much more is the hope of those who are saved and have been justified and promised glorification."
[Kenneth S. Wuest states, (Wuest's Word Studies, Vol 1, Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. Grand Rapids, Mi, 1992, p. 82)]:
"Since God the Son died for us when we were sinners, unlovely and unlovable, rebellious against Him, hating Him, how much more will He save from the future wrath, those who are now in Christ as righteous in their standing as He Himself is in His Person, and as lovely as He is in the sight of God the Father. The article appears before "wrath," pointing out a particular wrath, that of the Lake of Fire which is a manifestation of God's wrath against sin."]
(v. 12) "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--"
Paul declares that mankind's moral guilt resulting in spiritual death entered the human race through the act of one man, Adam.
"all sinned-- " =
It is true that everyone has personally sinned at one time or another, just as Adam did. And so they also will or have physically died just as he did.
It is also true that everyone is born with a sin nature and so he dies.
And it is also true that everyone sinned along with Adam when he sinned and so they die.
But none of this is specifically in view in Ro 5:12.
The words "all sinned" refer to Adam's moral guilt for his sin of disobedience to an explicit command of God in the Garden of Eden which is imputed, i.e., is reckoned by God's justice toward all of Adam's posterity whom he represented. Adam was our representative and when he sinned it was imputed to all his descendants. The words "all sinned" in the Greek are in the aorist tense = completed action. They point back in time to the specific sin of Adam in the garden of Eden. So in the Greek it refers to the particular sin of Adam in the garden and it refers to the death which is in view which God refers to when the Hebrew says "If you eat of that tree dying you shall die" meaning that immediately Adam will die spiritually and then in time he would die physically.
So by divine reckoning, Adam represented all his descendants in his actions in Eden. And so all of mankind is born, by God's viewpoint in Adam - a representative in Eden. And the consequences of death upon him is imputed to us all. So all are born into the human race, automatically doomed to the Lake of Fire because all are guilty of the sin. This is what is meant by the term "Original Sin".
So all sinned by imputation from the guilt of Adam.
[Ro 5:12 cont.]:
(v. 12) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man [Adam, v. 14] , and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.
In Ro 5:12 we have three key verbs:
"Dia touto ............hOsper di .henos anthrOpou hE .....hamartia eis
"On this account .as .........by one ....man ............[the]...sin ...........into
ton kosmon eisElthen kai ..dia tEs ...hamartias ho ....thanatos
the world ...entered ...and by ..[the] sin .............[the] death
kai .houtOs eis pantas anthrOpous ho .....thanatos diElthen
and thus .....to .all .......men ..............[the] death ......passed
eph hO pantes hEmarton"
for that all ......sinned."
"hE hamartia.....Elthen" [V_AAI3S ] = "sin....entered"
"thanatos diElthen" [V_AAI3S] = "death passed"
"hEmarton" [V_AAI3P ] = "all sinned"
Notice that all 3 verbs are aorist tense: completed action in the past. So we know from this that it is not what we do = present tense, or will do, future that's in view, but it's what someone else that represented all mankind did in the past before all men were created. This past and completed action put all mankind thereafter: even those who today have not even been born yet to commit a first act of sin are in view since all mankind is stipulated, ["eis pantas anthrOpous" = "to all men"], into this situation of spiritual death.
So this is referring to completed past action done by Adam in Eden as the representative head of all mankind. So we have this principle of federal headship. Adam represented us all before God and his act brought consequences to us all. Death passed by the judgment of God's pronouncement upon our representative Adam and then it was imputed to all his posterity. And this is the meaning of "all sinned" = all sinned in God's eyes when Adam sinned.
Furthermore, it is no secret that children suffer because of what their parents do. The imputation of the parents - what they do, what they say, what they think, how they conduct themselves in the eyes of their children - their shortcomings, their failures, the consequences thereof are imputed to their children. A child who is reared in a day care center is going grow up at something less than he could have under the mother.
[Compare 1 Cor 15:22]:
"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
This does not mean that ea individual personally dies so that they are in Adam. Adam incurred the sentence of death himself as our representative. And what he did was imputed to us. And the rest of that verse says, 'so in Christ all will be made alive.' = this basis of imputation goes the other way for all of us who have been saved from the consequences of Adam's sin. It is not because we died on the cross, or because we were buried or resurrected. It is that Christ did that. So believers are at the point of salvation placed into Christ (Eph 1:13-14) so that all that He did is imputed to our credit.
So at the point of physical birth we are placed into Adam - so that all he did is imputed to us in the way of sin - and death comes.
By being placed into Christ Who is our representative of the Second Adam, we have salvation and a perfect regeneration.
[Ro 5:12 cont.]:
(v. 12) "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man [Adam, v. 14] , and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned."
[Because of what Adam did in the garden, death came to all men not just to the elect, (cp v. 15; Gen 2:17; 3:19; Eph 2:5). The context is herein confirmed that "all men" elect and non-elect are being referred to in this passage when this term is used and it establishes the meaning of all men = elect and non-elect for the word many in the verse 15]:
(v. 15) But the gift [of eternal life, Eph 2:8-9] is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man [Adam], how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!"
So "the many" who "died by the trespass of the one man" [Adam] refers to all men, elect and non-elect. And the same "many" had the "gift that came by the grace of the one Man Jesus Christ, overflow" to them. The meaning of the phrase 'overflowing to them' does not dictate that the gift was received by all of them; but it was made available to them. The atonement was universally made to all men, but not forgiveness of sins until it is received by faith, (Acts 10:43).
[Ro 5:12 cont.]:
"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned -"
This verse has in view the following:
Just as all men now physically die as a result of the actions of the one man, Adam; so all men sinned, (aorist tense = a completed action in the past) as a result of the actions of the one man, Adam; i.e., all men are viewed as having sinned, (completed one time action in the past), in Adam. So then why do some babies die physically - before accountability? Answer: because they sinned in Adam and are therefore created as mortal, i.e., capable of dying physically. And some indeed do die before birth or shortly thereafter. So Ro 5:12 refers to one sinning in Adam's sin because one cannot hold a baby accountable for it's own acts of sin not having the opportunity to choose between right and wrong yet, nor to understand and choose to trust alone in Christ alone unto eternal life. So babies do die physically - as a result of sin, Adam's once for all time sin in the garden. So it must be that the baby sinned in Adam rather than committed acts of sin for which it could not be held accountable before 'accountability.
[Ro 5:18]:
(v. 18) "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men."
[Again "all men" must mean all elect and non-elect of all ages as previously established in verse 12. And justification is not stated here as being guaranteed to all men. It is stated as only being made available to all men through the "one act of righteousness." Objectors to unlimited atonement conclude incorrectly that the "all" in verse 18b above, ("through one righteous deed, into all men into justification of life," (translated literally), refers to an "all" which will actually be saved. But just as one can say, 'through one action of shopping to all, [enough] food to eat' (but not all will actually choose to eat); so the language of the N.T. in this passage can legitimately say "through one righteous deed, unto all men, justification of life" (but not all will choose to accept life). In other words, our Lord's righteous deed made justification available to all mankind. Whether or not all men will be justified is not determined solely by verse 18b since there are two conflicting interpretations of 18b possible until the context and other passages are taken into consideration. So either interpretation is grammatically correct, but the context of the passage and the examination of clearer passages on the matter, (especially 1 Jn 2:2; Jn 3:16-20; 1 Tim 4:10; Titus 2:11; 2 Pet 2:1-2; 3:3-9), demand that the all = all men and that 18b be interpreted as potential: that Christ brought justification to all men to accept by faith according to their volition.]