CENTER FOR CHURCH ENRICHMENT
ROMANS SURVEY

TEACHING OUTLINE 6

 

 



ROM 5:1-21

The Results of Justification in Christ

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The Story of Romans So Far!

Romans is an ambassadorial letter in which Paul sets out his apostolic credentials and the Gospel he preaches everywhere.

He hopes that the Roman churches will send him on to Spain to preach to the Gentiles in that area.

His message is basically that God is a righteous God who justifies all men, Jew and Gentile, on the same grounds, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and not by law keeping.

The purpose of the Torah was to clarify the nature and consequences of sin, not to make the Jew or anyone else righteous.
 

The Glorious Results of Justification in Christ (Rom 5:1-11)

Since we are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and not by law (Torah) keeping, there are wonderful blessings and results:

  1. We have peace with God (Rom 5:1).
  2. This peace comes though the access we have to the grace of God which is found in Christ Jesus (Rom 5:2).
  3. Because we understand these principles we are in a most advantageous situation in Christ.
    1. A “more than that” situation (Rom5:3)
    2. A “much more” situation (Rom 5:9, 10).
  4. We have confidence in Christ and look at suffering differently, growing in our ability to handle suffering, and realizing the hope that we have in God’s love (Rom 5:3-5)
  5. Paul speaks of the love of God being experienced through the pouring out of His love for us in through the Holy Spirit which he has given us.  Paul will make much of this in Rom 8.
  6. God always acts for us at “the right time” (Rom 5:6; see also Mk 1:15, Gal 4:4).
  7. Christ died for the ungodly sinners [all of us] (Rom 5:6).
  8. When the Jews and Gentiles could do nothing to save themselves, God saved them from his wrath through the death of Jesus (Rom 5:11).
  9. Paul again uses two atonement words, as in Rom 3:24-26:
    1. Saved from the consequences of our sin, the wrath of God.
    2. Reconciled from our alienation from God (see Eph 2:11-19).
  10. All of this is through Jesus Christ (Rom 5:11) and not through the Torah!
     

Death Through Adam; Life Through Christ (Rom 5:12-25)

This is in some ways a complicated section of Romans, but with care it does make sense!

The complication is increased unless we see Rom 5:13-18 as a parenthetical paragraph explaining or enlarging on Rom 5:12 and 18-25!

Rom 5:12 simply says that sin came into the word through one man, Adam, and death consequently spread to all men since all men sin!

We must understand death as a Jew would understand it, not simply as physical or spiritual death, but the total ruin of man and everything he stands for and god intends for him!

Paul picks up this thought in Rom 5:18 by repeating his earlier point, only using slightly different terminology.

Here he adds that as one man’s trespass (Adam) led to condemnation for all men [obviously because all men sin – Rom 5:12, 3:23], so one man’s act (Jesus Christ) led to righteousness, life, and acquittal for all men.

The point not to be overlooked is the parallel analogy Paul makes here between Adam and Christ:

  1. Adam introduced sin and death, but sin and death passed to man when man followed or emulated Adam.
  2. Christ introduced acquittal, righteousness, and life, but these pass on to men when they follow Christ ad are found in Christ (not the Torah).

The tricky part of Rom 5:12-25 comes with explaining some of the points Paul makes in the parenthetical paragraph, Rom 5:13-18!

  1. Sin and death existed from Adam to Moses, before the Torah was given.  Before the Torah men from Adam to Moses were held accountable for sin.
  2. The Torah added to sin by clarifying the nature and consequences of sin..  Under the Torah men were held accountable for their sin.
  3. After Christ, and in Christ, there is no law since he died to free us form the law.  (Rom 7:4-6; Gal 4:24, 25).
    There is consequently “no sin” and accountability for those in Christ.

Paul now develops his comparison between Christ and Adam further.

  1. The free gift of grace in Christ is not like the trespass or “wages of sin” (see Rom 6:23 where Paul develops this them further.)
  2. One man’s trespass led condemnation , but the free gift through Christ leads to justification (Rom 5:16)
  3. Death reigned through one man’s example (Adam), life and righteousness reign through one man’s example (Christ).
     

The Conclusion of Paul’s Argument in Rom 5:12-25

Follow Adam and you end up with condemnation.

The law (Torah) will not help you since working with sin it will kill you!

Follow the other man, Christ, and there is no law to condemn you, sin has been forgiven, so there is no sin to condemn you, and where there is no law but God’s grace (that is in Christ) sin has no power.

 
Notes:

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