"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (verses 1,2). Justification means that the believer has been declared righteous, and peace is the first result of justification. The word 'peace' is found over and over again in the New Testament; in fact, it is found eight times in the book of Romans. Forty times it is found in the Pauline writings. It can mean absence of war, harmony between individuals, safety, security, prosperity, felicity, or a state of tranquility. In this verse the writer qualifies peace by saying the believer has peace with God. Having been declared righteous, the believer is now standing in God's presence with the righteousness of Jesus Christ credited to his account. Probably the apostle adds a new dimension to peace when it could be not only the absence of war but also the absence of worry. If this concept is not taught here, it is taught in other passages in the Scripture. That a holy God is at war with sinners is clearly taught in Scripture (II Thessalonians 1:5-7, and Revelation 6:12-18). The war ended at Calvary; this peace is enjoyed because the transgressor is no longer alienated from God. The broken association caused by sin has now changed into an intimacy in which the believer calls God Father. Peace with God denotes relationship with God. The believer also has the peace of God. Peace has been provided from God's side, for He has removed the cause of the enmity through Jesus' death. Peace has been received on our side, for the believer has found the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ credited to his account by God as our righteousness.
Another result of justification is that of access to the very throne room of God. The believer has a standing before God that provides him with a permanent access to God's unmerited favor. The Lord Jesus Christ is our Intercessor and Divine Agent. This is 'shouting ground' when the believer thinks of our Agent, but further exultation is forthcoming when he thinks of the glory that he will one day receive. The believer can anticipate or 'hope" for a glorified body; he has that assurance or confident expectation. So the results or fruits of justification relate to the past, present, and future. We have 'peace with God' (past forgiveness); we are 'standing in the grace of God' (present privilege); we 'rejoice in the hope of glory' (our future inheritance).
"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us." (verses 3 - 5). The above results of justification seem idyllic; however, Paul has a fourth affirmation - hardships or tribulation. The word also means a pressing; pressing together; pressure; or distress. Why must the child of God experience hardships? They work or cause patience. Patience comes from two words meaning the ability to remain under a burden rather than to escape it. The believer should react toward tribulation in the same way he reacts toward the thrilling prospect of eternal heavenly glory. It is because tribulation generates patience, which in turn, generates experience which, in turn, generates more hope as can be seen in the following verse.
Patience builds character. Romans 8:18 reads, "...the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us..." Patience cries out for greater faith. Job says, "Though (God) slay me, yet will I trust in him..." Hope in the Bible means certainty; Colossians 1:27 says it best, "...Christ in you, the hope of glory." The writer of Hebrews gives an example of 'hope' this way, "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast... (6:19).
Hope in God and eternal life never brings embarrassment, shame, or disgrace. Job was not embarrassed nor disgraced when even his wife said to him, "Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die." He had the love of God in his heart, and Paul says that the believer's heart is flooded with the love of God. Arthur Way's translation reads the believer has a "brimming river of the love of God." The presence and power of the Holy Spirit floods (gushes out, overflows) the believer's heart with an abundance of love.
"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (verse 6). When the believer reviews his past life he must readily admit that there was a time when he was hopeless and helpless. He was an alien; he had no standing with a righteous God. Now because of the love of God he has a standing with God; he has an access of which the world knows nothing. Furthermore, he can look forward to a day of glory, so why should tribulation and trials overwhelm him? He is much better off than he was in his former days of hopelessness and helplessness. In God's own time and place, He sacrificed His Son in our place.
"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps (peradventure) for a good man some would even dare to die" (verse 7). The point here is that the very best of human goodness could be rewarded by being allowed to live while another died in his place. If he were good enough to merit a willing substitute he probably would not be condemned to die. Dying for a righteous man probably refers to somebody whose uprightness is rather cold, clinical, and unattractive. While the good man here refers to one whose goodness is warm, generous, and appealing. Or the text may mean that it is scarcely true that one will die even for a righteous, good man, far less for a godless, wicked person. It is on this concession that the complete contrast between the human and the divine appears, and that is the force of verse 8. Three kinds of men are mentioned in verses 6 and 7, the righteous, the good, and the ungodly. Our Savior died for the ungodly man and the sinner.
"But God commendeth his love toward us in that, while were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (verse 8). The proof of God's love was His willingness to give His Son to die for sinners; this is the way He made known or magnified His love. It cost God as much to see Christ suffer as it did for Christ to suffer. Christ died, not for good men, but for sinners and aliens from a holy God. Our Lord died for the sinners who stood at the cross upon which He died, and they even hurled obscene insults into His face. Of those who nailed Him to the cross, Jesus prayed the Father, "forgive them for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Furthermore, Christ did not simply die, He died for sinners; that is, in the sinner's place. A few others may have died for a friend or a loved one, but Christ died for us while we were sinners. He took the sinner's place.
"Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him" (verse 9). If Jesus loved us while we were guilty sinners shall He love us less, now that we have been justified? Herein was a superabundant love - much more, then. Christ's blood redeems the lost sinner, but it furthermore delivers him from the wrath of a holy God. The sinner's former state was wicked warfare against God, but currently the sinner is in a state of reconciliation, justified from that which he could not justify himself, even through the law of Moses. The redeemed sinner is at peace with the just Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25; John 5:22). Furthermore, he has a perfect standing before the court which is enjoyed by the Judge Himself (Romans 5:1).
"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" (verse 10). The condemned sinner was at enmity with God; he was an enemy (in active hostility) of a holy God. This open enemy of God was, however, reconciled to God. The word reconcile here carries with it the idea of an exchange - as coins for others of equal value. It is used twice in this verse and again in I Corinthians 7:11, and II Corinthians 5:18,19,20. The Lord Jesus Christ by means of his death paid the redemptive price in the coin of the realm; that is, He took the sinner's place. What the sinner could not do for himself; God did for him. Heaven's court was satisfied when God's Son paid God's required price for the guilty sinner. So God looks at the sinner and sees only Christ's righteousness. Thank God the redeemed sinner has total peace; that is, absence from warfare with God and absence from worry.
"And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the reconciliation (atonement)" (verse 11). Paul goes a step further here when he writes that this reconciliation is a present possession. Here the word is a noun and is translated in the King James Version as atonement or at-one-ment. The word here means the process of negotiation that results in the adjustment of difference; reconciliation between opposing parties; in this case; a holy God and a unholy sinner. "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation" (II Corinthians 6:17-19).
In this passage (verses 12 - 21) the doctrine of imputation and total depravity are based. All mankind is affected by what Adam did. He was the head of a race of sinners, while Christ was the Head of a new race, or a new humanity, the redeemed people of God. There is an analogy here, an analogy in respect of what is completely antithetical. Two antithetical complexes are contrasted. The first is the complex of sin-condemnation-death and the second is that of righteousness-justification-life. Morris entitles this passage "solidarity in Adam and Christ" (The Epistle to the Romans, Leon Morris, 227-242).
Various theories have been advanced, and each of them may have their objections. Probably the most plausible of the theories was the teaching of Augustine in which he held that God imputes the sin of Adam to all his posterity; each human is born depraved because of the sin of Adam. God created Adam as a free agent to choose whether to obey God or disobey Him. Adam chose to disobey, but God cannot be blamed for Adam's sin. Jesus died for the Adamic sin as well as sins committed because of depravity. Each person is accountable for his own sins. This theory, which has come to be known as the theory of Adam's natural headship, puts the most natural interpretation Romans 5:12 -21.
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned" (verse 12). The legal phraseology here shows that the infliction is not a matter of sovereign decree, but of judicial penalty. On the one hand you have law, transgression, trespass, and judgment; on the other hand you have righteousness and justification. As Adam was the agent through whom sin entered the world, so Christ is the Agent through Whose obedience repentant sinners are declared righteous. Adam deliberately sinned, he was not deceived as was Eve (I Timothy 2:14). Death, both physical and spiritual, is the consequence of sin. Adam died spiritually when he ate of the forbidden fruit; he later died physically. Both deaths were the result of sin. Adam's posterity become sinners by practice because we are sinners by nature. It is the practiced sins that condemns humanity to hell. "Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world," John the Baptist said of Jesus (John 1:29). Since sin is singular, the exegete can suppose that John is writing about the original or Adamic sin. Hence infants and the mentally incompetent are included under the shed blood of our Savior, and are safe from condemnation and judgment. Whenever the child reaches the age of accountability, then sins committed are under the judgment of the great Judge. These sins must be repented of and forgiven or judgment is forthcoming.
"(For until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law" (verse 13). The apostle digresses here and the digression is not concluded until verse 17. The law referred to here seems to be the Mosaic Code, and not the moral law written upon the conscience of every man. Transgression is the deliberate violation of a legal code. The non-Jew is not free from the moral law; he is responsible for the law written in his conscience, and that broken law can lead to judgment. "For when the Gentiles, who have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves; who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another..." (Romans 2:13, 14). Heaven's court cannot charge a man with sin if no law against that sin exists. We conclude that those who die in infancy are not transgressors, and thus are safe even though by definition they are sinners. Infants are sinners, but they are not guilty sinners. If they were they would also be transgressors, like adults.
"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" (verse 14). The fact that infants die proves that the Adamic sin causes death. Even sinners who lived before the Mosaic Code was given died, but they were not guilty of the Mosaic Code. How is Adam typical of Christ. Adam is a type of the last Adam, Christ the Coming One. The human race fell in its physical federal head, but repentant sinners are saved through their spiritual head, Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Adam stepped out of his earthly paradise and, in essence, said "Good bye, God," and partook of the forbidden fruit offered him by his bride Eve, so our Lord left heaven's paradise and came to earth to become 'sin for us' because of His love for us. Adam brought death upon the human race by his disobedience; Christ brought life by His obedience.
"But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many are dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many" (verse 15). Paul hastens to tell his readers (and us) that the trespass of Adam reacted one way upon mankind, while the grace of God through Jesus Christ and His righteousness reacted in the opposite way but with greater benefits. Adam's fall resulted in the death of the masses, but God's grace and His gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ is poured out upon the human race in greater abundance. Humanity gained more in the death of Christ on the cross, than it lost in the downfall of Adam. Our Lord not only gives life, He gives it more abundantly (John 10:10). Although Adam's sin brought universal death and judgment, Christ's atonement was not universal; that is, not everyone will be saved through the death of Christ as everyone inherited depravity through the fall of Adam. It should be noted, however, that as Adam brought death, so Christ will bring life out of a death situation. All men will be brought back to life after death; those who are saved will have longevity of life in heaven, while the unrepentant sinner will face a life separated from God and be eternally damned.
"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 offenses unto justification" (verse 16). Now Paul adds another dissimilarity. By one act of Adam, sin came upon the entire human race; however, the gift of justification came upon humanity not because of one sin but because of many sins (transgressions). Not only does the repentant sinner receive forgiveness for just one sin (the sin of depravity), but he can be forgiven for all of his sins. Repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus are the basis for forgiveness of all sins. The many transgressions, from which the repentant sinner is justified by faith, are charged to the account of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Substitute. Thank God for the superabounding grace that gives salvation from all our sins.
"For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more they who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)" (verse 17). Death has been the scourge upon the human race since Adam; it has been the robber of life. Death has dominated mankind since Adam both physically and spiritually. Through the gift of righteousness, however, man can have eternal life through Jesus Christ. In Him the reign of life is greater than the dictatorship of death. This abundance of grace may be explained that the work of Christ in dying for the sinner did not merely restore us to the position in which Adam stood before the fall, but rather carried us beyond that. The repentant sinner did not only recover from the fall, but has been made to reign through Jesus Christ, to which we had no title in Adam's communion. Mankind gains more in Christ than we lost in Adam. Adam's sin dug graves for his children on earth; Christ's obedience raises His children to thrones in heaven.
The writer now comes back to his original thought; verses 13 through 17 are in parenthesis. Perhaps it would be best to read verse 12 again and put it together with verse 18, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned...Therefore, as by the offense 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" (verses 12,18). Verse 18 is the summation of his federal headship teaching. Just as judgment came because of Adam's fall, so justification came because of Christ's obedience. It may be found helpful to use a different punctuation than is used in the King James Version; "Therefore, as by the offense 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." In this way the emphasis is upon one (Adam) and one (Christ). Some commentators state that the verse should read 'one offense,' and 'one righteous act,' the offence meaning Adam's eating the forbidden fruit, and the one righteous act that of Christ's justification.
"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous" (verse 19). By Adam's disobedience he made the rest of the race, of which he was the federal head, sinners. So by the willing obedience of Christ, He made repentant sinners righteous. By the natural birth, Adam's genetic characteristics were passed down from first parent to child, on downward throughout all generations. By the spiritual (supernatural) rebirth, believers are justified in Christ. The obedience that brought salvation to repentant sinners was both active and passive. Christ's active obedience refers to His submission to and active conformity to the law of Moses (Galatians 4:4,5), and His passive obedience refers to His submission to the cross (Matthew 26:39). People are made 'sinners' in the sense that God considers them to be such by regarding Adam's act as, at the same time, their act. Whereas, He considers the repentant sinner 'righteous' by the righteous act of Jesus Christ. Our righteousness does not mean that we are morally upright but are judged acquitted, cleared of all charges in the heavenly judgment. People become sinners in solidarity with Adam, by God's decision; people actually become righteous in solidarity with Christ, by God's decision.
"Moreover, the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign
through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ, our Lord" (verses 20,21). In the
King James Version the word can be translated 'abounded'. In I Thessalonians 3:12 it is
translated 'make to increase', in II Corinthians 4:15, it is translated 'abundant,' and in II
Corinthians it is translated, 'have nothing over.' God wanted the sinner to know that sin was
terrible in His sight, so He gave the Mosaic Law to show the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Sin
merits the death penalty; that is how God looks at sin, but where sin abounds grace does much
more abound (superabounds). Paul answers the question, "What then is the purpose of the law?"
in Galatians 5:19-26. Its purpose was to show that men are transgressors, and the transgression
of the law of God is a serious matter. God gave the law to Israel that they might know their true
condition of depravity. He hoped that they would throw themselves upon His grace and mercy.
Where there was an overwhelming sense of guilt for sin, there was also an overwhelming flood
of grace.
In verse 21 is seen the contrast between sin and grace again. Sin enforced the reign of death
while grace enforced the reign of righteousness. This death is eternal in hell, as well as
separation from God and all that is good. Grace brings forth righteousness, both imputed and
practical. Although sin is a cruel tyrant that leads to death, grace exercises the royal
prerogatives of a perfect ruler and directs the life into pleasant places and fruitful fields. It
brings life at last into the ever-expanding and increasing joys of eternity with its high, holy, and
never-ending blessedness.