Romans 5
16 Mar 2026 - Theology
Romans 5
The Results of Justification (1-11)
Being justified by faith, we have:
- peace with God through Jesus Christ
- access by faith into grace
- hope of the glory of God
peace - Strong’s Concordance [1515]
- Peace is that state which is the object of divine promise and is brought about by God’s mercy, granting deliverance and freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as a result of sin
- It can be the result only of accomplished reconciliation, referring to the new relationship between man and God brought about by the atonement (Romans 5:9-10)
grace - Strong’s Concordance [5485]
- unearned and unmerited favor
- God’s grace affects man’s sinfulness, and not only forgives the repentant sinner, but brings joy and thankfulness to him
hope - Strong’s Concordance [1680]
- hope, desire of some good with expectation of obtaining it
Romans 5:3-4 (NIV) - “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the eternal wrath through him (8-9).
Romans 5:11 - “… but we also [ppt] joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”
[ppt] joy = the present participle expresses continuous or repeated action
“atonement” - Strong’s Concordance [2643]
- A change or reconciliation from a state of enmity to a state of friendship
- It is the result of the redemption, the divine act of salvation [Christ’s death]
God’s wrath [3709] requires sin to be dealt with. God could not be just or righteous if he did not deal with sin. On the cross, Christ stepped into the path of the “state of wrath” so that it was satisfied by Him rather than by the believer. For those in Christ, that state of wrath is replaced by a state of peace.
If we were reconciled to God by the death of Jesus Christ while we were yet enemies, how much more (being now reconciled) will we be saved by his life (10)!
Christ and Adam Contrasted (12-21)
Sin (noun) entered the world by one man, Adam. Through this original sin, death entered as a consequence to sin. This death spread to all people, for that all have sinned (verb).
Romans 5:13 - “(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.”
Nevertheless, death held sway over all humanity, even from Adam to Moses (as evidenced by their physical deaths), before the law was given by Moses in the book of Exodus. This death reigned even over those who had not sinned in the same form or likeness as Adam.
| by Adam’s disobedience… | by Jesus Christ’s obedience… |
|---|---|
| death abounded to many | grace has abounded unto many (15) |
| judgement came upon all men to condemnation | the free gift of grace came upon all men unto justification (16,18) |
| death reigned | they which receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life (17) |
| many were made sinners | many shall be made righteous (19) |
Romans 5:20 - “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:”
How does the law make the offense abound? With the law brings knowledge of sin (falling short of the law), bringing spiritual death to a person. But by accepting the free gift of grace (and its abundance) we can reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord (21). This righteousness is not because we are without sin, but because we accept the free gift of grace and believe that Christ took the punishment for our sin for us, and therefore we shall be presented to God as righteous.
References
- The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
- Romans 5 - Greek Interlinear