The Epistle to the Romans

Chapter 5

We are Justified by our Faith in Christ Jesus

5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

The last two chapters of Romans should have established that believers in Christ are justified with God by their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. - not by works of the Law or good deeds to please God and earn His favor. God is pleased with faith. Then out of that faith, which is a free gift of God, comes works simply because we love Him. Faith and trust then has nothing to do with the works of the Law or good deeds, for this kind of faith must come first in order for faith to be valid (Ephesians 2:8-10).

For those of us who experience that kind of faith and trust in Christ are considered righteous in God's eyes, all because of what Jesus did for us. It had nothing to do with our works. Faith is God's free gift to us. What peace that brings to our soul. This kind of peace is continuous - for we know that God loves and cares for us no matter what! Jesus has brought us into a place of undeserved privilege of experiencing and sharing in God's grace and His glory. As such, we can confidently and joyfully shout - praise the Lord.   

³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Not only do we rejoice in the peace and joy that we receive from Christ, we must purpose to rejoice when we run into problems and trials as well - for we know these problems help us to develop endurance. For we have also learned that endurance produces the God-kind of character that the Lord wants us to walk in. That is how we grow in Christ.

Life has shown us as believers that when we do have trials and when we put our faith and trust in Jesus to help us through those trials, we are strengthened to become overcomers through the trials that we face. This then builds our faith and hope that does not lead to disappointment because we know that God loves us and He has given us His Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. The Holy Spirit then becomes out guide, instructor, empowerer and a comfort to us. Then when we go through trials, the Holy Spirit works in us to experience God's peace and joy "in the midst" of the trials. While we are walking in those trials, it may not be easy, but the Holy Spirit strengthen, empowers, guides and comforts us as we stand in hope that God is doing a work in us to produce the kind of character that He originally created within us. That is faith in operation as we walk through troubled times as the operation of the Holy Spirit in us causes us to have great hope.

⁶ For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

Christ Jesus came at the right time in history when mankind was at its worst in faith toward God. Mankind was utterly helpless, lacking faith and trust in the God who created them. The Law of Moses had turned into a dead dry religion of laws to obey, which only a small number even held in observance. The leaders, meaning the Sanhedrin Council of the Saducees and the Pharisees considered themselves pridefully pious and righteous before man, but not necessarily God, and they used their position as a means of power over the Jewish masses, looking for anyone who would disobey to then bring before the Council for punishment. The Gentile people, who were everyone outside of Judaism, believed in many pagan gods, only tolerating the religion of Judaism, and as a result, the world had lost faith in God. Who then would be willing and have the courage to die even for a good person. That would be rare. But Almighty God showed His great love for mankind by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die an agonizing death for us while we were steeped in our sins.

⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. ¹⁰ For if when 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. ¹¹ And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Because of what Jesus Christ did for us, even in our sin, both Jews and Gentiles could then saved from the condemnation that would be put upon them because they, as Jews, had lost any faith and trust in God, and as Gentiles, never had it to begin with. As a result, all mankind was enemies of God. Yet, in His love and mercy sent His Son to earth to shed His blood for the sins of the people. As a result, salvation was now offered to all of mankind.

Instead of suffering the penalty of God's wrath upon sinners, we, as the recipients of God's love and mercy can be reconciled back to God - being considered righteous before Him through believing and trusting in Jesus and what He has done for us. Believing and trusting has always been the way God set it up and it has never changed. Jesus' sacrifical death has now delivered us from the anger of God's judgment. As a result, we can now rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God - all because the Lord Jesus Christ has brought us back to God. Think about it - if we were brought back into a righteous relationship before God when Jesus paid the price for our sins while we were still enemies, how much more will we be delivered by His life now that we are reconciled? This is cause for rejoicing in God through Christ Jesus, now in this life, and then forevermore as we live with Him throughout eternity.

The Original Sin

¹² Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all 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 those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

The question of whether the original sin entered the world through Adam/Eve or into the world through Adam/Eve's sin has been a continuous theological debate. The Book of Genesis tells us that Satan (the originator of sin) tempted Adam to sin by eating the forbidden fruit with the promise they would know good and evil like God. The Apostle Paul, however states here that Adam brought sin to mankind through his rebellion and disobedience in his heart toward God. It wasn't the act of eating of the fruit of the tree, which most people believe, but it was the rebellion in Adam's heart. 

While most Christians know and understand that it was Eve whom Satan tempted to eat of the forbidden fruit as Adam stood next to her, most Christians fail to realize that God instructed Adam (not Eve whom wasn't even created at this time) on the punishment if he ate of the forbidden fruit. It was then Adam's responsibility to tell Eve of the dangers. Therefore, Adam is held responsible before God.

 So then, the first question is: Did the original sin enter mankind because Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit or was it their pride and rebellion in their heart toward God that caused them to eat of the forbidden fruit that caused the original sin? The other question is whether sin entered into Adam to cause man to be evil or did sin enter into the world, causing it to be polluted, automatically causing mankind to sin because he now lives in a polluted sinful world? We know from the Book of Genesis that Adam was created without sin and his sin was a rebellious act that affected all of humanity. The concept of original sin emphasizes that all humans inherit a sinful nature due to Adam's disobedience. When Adam chose to sin, sin entered into the world, whether it came into man or into the world. Most people think it was the eating of the fruit that brought wickedness into mankind; however, the Jewish concept leans toward the rebellion that went on in Adam and Eve's heart who turned against God's command that caused wickedness to enter into a polluted earth. 

Judaism says man is a sinner because he sins.
Christianity says that man sins because he is a sinner.

Whether sin entered into Adam or into the now sinful polluted world in which mankind is born into, death to all mankind became the result. Because of Adam's disobedience, sin and death was brought upon all humanity. Death has been passed through to the whole human race because everyone sins. As such, we all have a sinful nature.(1)

Sin and death was indeed present in the world before the Law was given, but sin was not counted to mankind in the same way as Adam's sin because there was no Law regarding eating of a forbidden fruit. Death, however, still ruled from Adam until Moses and even today with all mankind.  In this way, Adam prefigured Jesus - the One Who was to come where Adam brought death and Jesus brings life to all mankind.

¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. ¹⁶ And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. ¹⁷ For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

There is a huge difference between Adam’s sin which brings death and God’s gracious gift that brings life. For the sin of Adam - one man - brought condemnation and death to the world.  God's wonderful gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ, however, brings life to this world - to those who would believe and accept His gift.  As a result, we are then made righteous before God even though we are guilty of many sins. Because of Adam's sin, death rules, but God's grace through Jesus Christ is His gift to us so that we can have life. To those who choose God's wonderful gift, will live triumph over sin and death through Christ Jesus.

¹⁸ Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. ¹⁹ For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

In other words, just as it was through one offence of Adam that all people came under condemnation, causing us to be sinners, so also it is through one righteous act of Jesus Christ that all people can be considered righteous - bringing us into right relationship with God, which gives us new life in Christ. 

²⁰ Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, ²¹ so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Law of Moses came to show all people how sinful they were. When then we compare God's wonderful grace, we begin to understand that the more we have sinned, the greater God's wonderful grace is to us. Just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(1) Jewish New Testament Commentary (Romans 5) David Sterns.