Romans 5:1-21

Romans 5:1 and 2:

^5:1Therefore having been made-righteous from belief we have peace towards God by means of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^.2by means of whom also we have² the access into this grace in which we stood² and we boast on hope of the glory of God.

Following-on logically from chapter 4, since we (holy-people) have already been made righteous (justified)…

• from belief (out-from or originating-from faith; we have believed the information that God makes known to people to have confidence-in, to believe, to have faith-in, to trust with assured certainty and surety; referring to the belief concerning His son, the Lord Jesus Christ)

…we presently have peace (we hold tranquil harmony, tranquility, peaceful wholeness, without any strife or disagreement [some Greek texts read “let us have peace” but that does not fit in this context])…

• towards (with a purposed reference to) God
  • by means of our Lord/Master Jesus Christ (through him; he is the agency by way of which the initiated progress passes-through in order to reach the accomplishment of all of us having peace towards God),
  • by means of  whom also (through our Lord Jesus Christ additionally)

…we have gained and continue to have/hold the access (the one and only leading or bringing towards, the approach)…

• into this grace (the bestowed unmerited or undeserved favor given to us by God; refer to Romans 3:24 and 4:16)
  • in which we stood and continue to stand (we stand firmly in position as opposed to falling; we stood for the first time in this grace when we initially believed what God gave us to believe, and we continue to stand within, or surrounded-by, this grace – referring to the holy spirit category)

…and we boast (speak justifiably loudly)…

• resting or based upon hope (on what God, via the Lord Jesus Christ, has given us to expect to come to pass in the future, the firm anticipation concerning our future)
  • of or pertaining-to the glory of God (the full manifestation of the importance, splendor and renown caused-by and emanating-from God).

[Reference: Acts 10:36; Romans 1:7 and 17, 2:9, 3:24, 26 and 30, 4:5, 8:6, 18 and 30, 14:17, 15:13 and 33, 16:20; Ephesians 2:13-22, 3:12; Philippians 3:9; Colossians 1:27, 3:4; II Thessalonians 3:16; Titus 2:13; I Peter 3:18.]

Verses 3-5:

^.3But not only (this), but also we boast in the pressures, having known² that the pressure renders patient-endurance to work, ^.4and the patient-endurance proof, and the proof hope, ^.5and the hope does not bring-down-to-shame because the love¹ of God was poured-out² in our hearts by means of holy spirit, the (holy spirit) having been given to us.

Not only do we boast on hope of the glory of God, but emphatically we also boast (speak justifiably loudly) within or during times of the pressures, since we already know (perceive) that:

• the pressure (compression or stress that afflicts us, whatever may be pressing-upon or squeezing us whether it is physical or mental or spiritual)
  • renders patient-endurance to work (causes to effect, effectively brings-down, achieves patient endurance); and
• the patient-endurance (bearing-up, holding, enduring, remaining upwards or upright relative-to God and the things of God under any obstacles)
  • renders proof to work; and
• the proof (this word “proof” dokime means: that-which has the quality and character of having already been tried, tested, and has been proven to be true, it is the evidence that proves it as fact and demands the mind to accept its validity)
  • renders hope to work; and
• the hope (“hope” as verse 2 above)
  • does not bring-down-to-shame (hope does not cause us to have the feeling or emotion of disgrace and guilt bringing reproach having recognized and being sorry for one's own performance of an improper, ignominious or dishonorable deed from God's point of view; it does not make us to feel shame before another)
  • because the love¹ of God was poured-out (the word "love¹" comes from the Greek word agape which is God's kind of love - God’s love for us was shed forth) and His love is still poured-out
    • in our hearts (within the sphere of action of the center of our beings, the seat of our whole personal selves and life)
  • by means of holy spirit (through the sanctified spirit),
    • emphatically and specifically the holy spirit which has already been given to us by God.

Notice that Paul writes "spirit" (singular). All of us holy-people have the same holy spirit-life within us, not separate entities! We are limbs of the one spiritual body of Christ. We have the new creation which is the spirit of Christ in us.

[Reference: Acts 2:1-4, 17, 18 and 33, 5:32, 10:45, 15:8; Romans 8:39, 15:13; I Corinthians chapter 13; II Corinthians 1:21 and 22, 5:5; Galatians 4:6, 5:5; Colossians 1:27; I Thessalonians 4:8; II Thessalonians 3:5; II Timothy 1:7; Titus 3:6.]

Verses 6-8:

^.6For (during) our yet being weak, Christ yet died according to time on behalf of not-reverential-people, ^.7for with-difficulty on behalf of a righteous-person someone will cause-himself-to-die, for on behalf of the good-person quickly someone also dares to die, ^.8but God commends the love¹ of Himself into us because Christ died on behalf of us (during) our yet being sinners.

In truth…

• while we were still continuing to be weak (without strength, feeble from God’s viewpoint),
  • Christ still died in accordance with the specific time (opportune or precise period, occasion, season, according to God’s timetable)
    • in the interests of not-reverential people (those without reverential respect for God, who did not have reverence to/for God),
  • in fact considering the topic of someone dying for someone else, someone will find it difficult (a hard thing to do, it will take labor) to put himself in the situation of dying
    • in the interests of a righteous (just) person,
  • for also someone quickly (speedily, swiftly) ventures to die
    • in the interests of the good person (one who is actively being perfectly admirable from God's viewpoint exercising the goodness that issues from God),

…but (aside from what people might normally consider worth dying for)…

• God presently and actively commends the love¹ of Himself into us (God causes His love proceeding from Himself to stand in conjunction with us, as favorably introducing it directed to/for us so that it is together with us who have become holy-people)
  • because Christ died
    • in the interests of us while we were still continuing to be sinners (people who miss the mark of God's Word, who err from what God says).

[Reference: Romans 4:5 and 25, 14:15; I Corinthians 8:11, 15:3; II Corinthians 5:15; Galatians 4:4-6; I Thessalonians 5:9 and 10; I Peter 3:18; I John 4:10.]

Verses 9-11:

^.9Therefore much rather having been made-righteous now in his blood we will be saved by means of him away-from the wrath; ^.10for if being enemies we were reconciled to God by means of the death of His son, much rather having been reconciled we will be saved in his life, ^.11and not only (this), but also boasting in God by means of our Lord Jesus Christ by means of whom now we received the reconciliation.

Following-on logically, much rather (a lot more-so, more and more) since we have already been made righteous (justified) at the present time within the cause and sphere of action of the blood of Jesus Christ…

• we will be saved (made safe) through him (Christ)
  • away from the wrath (the lasting angry vengeance of God, like the heat of a burning fire, not a spur-of-the-moment thing on God’s part; refer to Romans 1:18);

…since it is a fact that…

• while we were being enemies (people who oppose and exhibit enmity and hostility against God and the things of God)
  • we were reconciled to God (to be "reconciled" means to be changed, and that change is on the part of one party only, and it is induced by some action on the part of another party – we changed from not-believing what God says to believing what God says, and so we were reconciled to God – the catalyst that made our reconnection with God available to us was…)
    • by means of (through) the death of God’s son (Jesus Christ),
• much rather (a lot more-so, more and more) since we have already been reconciled
  • we will be saved within the cause and sphere of action of his life (the life that Christ now has because God raised him up alive from being dead; refer to Romans 1:4),

…and not only this…

• but emphatically also we are boasting within the cause and sphere of action of God (speaking justifiably loudly detailing our relationship with God, everything He is and stands-for)
  • by means of (through) our Lord Jesus Christ
  • by means of whom (through our Lord Jesus Christ)
    • at the present time we received the reconciliation (we have taken what was given to us which was the reconciliation).

[Reference: Jeremiah 9:24; Acts 2:1-4; Romans 1:18, 2:5-8, 3:24 and 25, 4:15, 12:19; I Corinthians 1:31; II Corinthians 5:18-21, 10:17; Ephesians 1:7, 2:13, 5:6; Philippians 3:3; Colossians 1:21 and 22, 3:3-6; I Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9; II Timothy 1:1; Hebrews chapters 9 and 10; Revelation 6:17, 19:15.]

Verses 12-14:

^.12Because-of-this: wholly-as by means of one man the sin came into the world and by means of the sin (came) the death – thus also the death came-through into all men on which all-people sinned; ^.13for continuously-until law sin was in (the) world but sin is not accounted (during there) not being law, ^.14but the death reigned-as-king from Adam up-until Moses even on the (people) not having sinned on the likeness of the stepping-aside of Adam who is a type of the (one) being about to (come).

On account of this…

• entirely as by means of one man (through Adam, the first human-being)
  • the sin came into the world (referring here to the sin entering into the realm of mankind inhabiting the ordered arrangement that God created)
• and by means of (through) the sin  
  • came the death –
• in this manner also the death came through (went or passed from one to the next) into all men (no exception)
  • resting-on or based-upon this death all-people sinned (all who came after Adam sinned).

"The sin" is referring to the root-cause of all other sins against the only true God. It originated with respect to mankind with Adam's rejection of what God gave him to believe, and it resulted in Adam's loss of the holy spirit-life which God had given to him upon the condition of believing what God told him and then living accordingly. "The death" is the lack of holy spirit-life by mankind. When a person does not have life then he is dead; therefore from the time of Adam's rejection of God's belief, Adam died spiritually from God's point of view because God had to take the holy spirit-life, which He had given him conditionally, away from him. The holy spirit didn't die but Adam died because he no longer had this spirit-life.

Paul continues to explain that from the moment that the sin came into the world…

• for the whole duration of time up to the giving of the law by God to Moses
  • sin was (existed) in the world
    • but sin is not charged to people’s account by God according to law when there is not a law in force,
• but contrary to that, the death reigned as king over its domain exercising its kingship, from the time of Adam’s fall up until the point of Moses receiving the law from God
  • even on the people who did not sin based-on the likeness (similarity, similitude of the resulting product and effect)
  • of the stepping-aside of Adam (his willful transgression, his action of going beside and thus against what God told him, an intentional change of direction from God’s words to him – the result was loss of holy spirit-life and this death reigned down on Adam’s progeny with its consequences; Adam’s descendants could not sin in the same manner as Adam so as to die from having holy spirit-life because they didn't have it to begin with – only Adam and Eve originally had holy spirit-life upon the condition of believing and obeying what God said to/for them)
    • who is a type (Adam is a mark, impression or pattern, the same way as an old typewriter would impress the shapes of the required letter on a piece of paper)
    • of the one being about to come (referring to the Lord Jesus – the Messiah or Christ).

The effect of Adam's life remains in the world today, and the effect of the Lord Jesus Christ's life remains also (refer to Romans 1:4; I Corinthians 15:45).

[Reference: Genesis 2:17 – 3:24; Romans 1:4, 4:15; I Corinthians 15:21-49; Colossians 1:15-20; James 1:15. To gain a better appreciation of Adam and what the results of his life were on all of mankind, etc, please refer to my study Appendix to Romans, the fall of Adam.]

Verses 15-17:

^.15But not as the falling-aside thus also the gracious-gift, for if by the falling-aside of the one-person many-people died, much rather the grace of God and the free-gift in grace, the (grace) of the one man – Jesus Christ, exceeded into many-people; ^.16and not as by means of one-person having sinned (thus also) the free-gift, for indeed the judgment (was) out-from one (person’s falling-aside) into a condemning-sentence but the gracious-gift (is) out-from many falling-asides into a righteous-action; ^.17for if by the falling-aside of one-person the death reigned-as-king by means of one-person, much rather the (people) receiving the excess of the grace and of the free-gift of the righteousness will reign-as-king in life by means of the one-person – Jesus Christ.

Contrary to being a type (pattern for something else)…

• the gracious-gift (given with/by grace)
  • is NOT in the same manner
    • as the falling-aside (going aside from what God said, from what is right, from what should have been done to/with/for God),
  •  for if by the falling-aside of the one-person (Adam)
    • many-people died (their death being loss of holy spirit-life, which was the corresponding merited consequence as a wage or payment for Adam’s sin; a large number of people lived their everyday lives remaining dead spiritually without becoming reconciled to God),
  • much rather (a lot more-so, more and more)
  • the grace of God (God’s bestowing unmerited or undeserved favor)
  • and the free-gift (present, the gift that is freely given) within the sphere of action of grace,
    • emphatically and specifically the grace of the one man (one human-being) – Jesus Christ,
  • exceeded (was caused to abound over and above the number or measure already attained)
    • into, with a view to, directed to a lot of people (those who believe what God says);
• and the free-gift
  • is NOT in the same manner
    • as by means of one-person having sinned (through Adam who sinned with the resulting effect and consequence),
  • for indeed, on the one hand, the judgment (the pronounced decision, the sentence passed, made or arrived-at issuing from the judging process)
    • was out-from one person’s falling-aside (originated from Adam’s going aside from what God told him)  
    • into a condemning-sentence (resulting in a sentence pronounced, a decision made or brought in judgment down against him)
  • but, on the other hand, the gracious-gift is
    • out-from many falling-asides (originates from a lot of going aside from what God said, from what is right, from what should have been done to/with/for God)
    • into a righteous-action (resulting in a just action, the effect, product, result of carrying out God’s righteousness, the pronounced justice issuing from the process of justification, the action of making things right, doing the right thing);
• for if by the falling-aside of one-person (Adam)
  • the death (lack of holy spirit-life) reigned as king (over mankind)
    • by means of one-person (through Adam),
• much rather (a lot more-so, more and more)
• the people receiving the excess (abundance) of the grace and of the free-gift of the righteousness (pertaining to the justness, justice, the state of being and doing what is just/right)
  • will reign as king in life (within the cause and sphere of action of holy spirit-life)
    • by means of (through) the one-person – Jesus Christ.

Grace is what is freely bestowed without any merit on the recipient's part; it includes reference to the attitude and quality of the one giving something favorable to another. Grace is not bestowed because somebody deserves a wage that is owed for something they said or did, nor because they begged so hard, nor because they forced the giver to give! Grace is bestowed because the giver wants to give by his own freedom of will to the recipient – it is completely unmerited favor from the giver to the recipient.

A gracious-gift is something freely-given with/by the grace of God and/or of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the result, product, or effect of the action of graciously giving so that the recipient may utilize it appropriately. Every holy-person/Christian has already received the free-gift of holy spirit, and any added information, assignment, etc, given to any holy-person is given by grace (refer to I Corinthians 12:4). It is a gracious-gift to the recipient. It is unmerited or undeserved on the recipient’s part because it is not given as a wage or a corresponding-reward for something he/she had or had-not done.

The word translated "free-gift" emphasizes the fact that the gift is freely given, even though the actual gift is a valuable quality item. This free-gift encompasses the fullness of all that is available to be received spiritually by people from God in Christ both now and in the future.

[Reference: Acts 2:38, 10:45, 11:17; the "Appendix to Romans, the fall of Adam," Romans 1:11 and 32, 3:24, 4:25, 6:23, 8:1; I Corinthians 15:20-58; II Corinthians 8:9, 9:15; Ephesians 1:8 and 19-23, 3:7, 4:7; Philippians 3:21; Colossians 1:27; I Thessalonians 4:13-17; Hebrews 6:4; I John 3:1 and 2.]

Verses 18-21:

^.18Therefore consequently as by means of one falling-aside (it passed) into all men into a condemning-sentence, thus also by means of one righteous-action (it passed) into all men into a making-righteous of life; ^.19for wholly-as by means of the disobedience of the one man many-people were constituted sinners, thus also by means of the obedience of the one-person many-people will be constituted righteous-people. ^.20But law came-in-beside in order that the falling-aside may become more-and-more, but where the sin became more-and-more the grace super-exceeded ^.21in order that wholly-as the sin reigned-as-king in the death thus also the grace may reign-as-king by means of righteousness into eternal life by means of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Following-on logically in correspondence to what is written in verses 15-17…

• as by means of one falling-aside (through Adam’s one going aside from what God told him)
  • the effect of it passed into all men (everyone, all mankind)
    • into a condemning-sentence (resulting in a judgment made against them, a sentence pronounced, a decision made or brought in judgment down against all mankind – death),
• in this manner also by means of one righteous-action (through one just action, the effect, product, result of Jesus Christ carrying out God’s righteousness, the pronounced justice issuing from the process of justification, the action of making things right, doing the right thing)
  • the effect of it passed into all men (everyone, all mankind)
    • into a making-righteous of life (resulting in the action necessary to establish righteousness pertaining to life, declaring a person to be justified with life, justifying mankind by bestowing life, setting the people who believe what God says regarding Himself and His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in a righteous standing having the quality of life – holy spirit-life; refer to Romans 1:4 and 17, and 4:25);
• for entirely as by means of the disobedience of the one man (Adam heard what God gave him to believe but decided to put what he heard aside from himself, refusing to carry it out, thus he went against what he heard, against God's Word – through his hearing aside)
  • many people were constituted sinners (a lot of people were caused to be placed, made to stand-down in the level or position of being people who miss the mark of God's Word, who err from what God says),
• in this manner also by means of the obedience of the one-person (Jesus Christ heard what God gave him to believe, he listened attentively to what was spoken, and then the action he carried-out in accordance with and resulting from believing what he heard is obedience – through his obedience)
  • many people will be constituted righteous-people (just or justified people, being and doing that which is just/right from God's viewpoint).

But law came in beside (the law of Moses, which was given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, came alongside the falling-aside, entered into the picture) for the purpose and result that the falling-aside from God’s Word would become more-and-more (more than it was previously, increasing its amount)…

• but where the sin (the action of missing the mark of what God said, the error, swerving from God’s Word) became more and more
  • the grace super-exceeded (God’s bestowing of unmerited favor super abounded, the amount of grace became extremely over and above the number or measure already attained, it was not equal to the increase of the sin against God but was in excess of it)
• for the purpose and result that
  • entirely as the sin reigned-as-king
    • in the death
  • in this manner also the grace would reign-as-king
    • by means of righteousness (through justness, justice, the state of being and doing what is just/right from God’s viewpoint)
  • into (directed to, resulting in) eternal life
    • by means of Jesus Christ our Lord (through Jesus Christ who is the Lord or Master of all holy-people).

Righteousness is the agency by way of which the initiated progress of God's grace towards mankind passes-through in order to reach the accomplishment of reigning as king into eternal life by means of Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Greek word aionios may be translated “eternal” or “agelong”. In the context here, the life being referred to will not end. It is eternal, agelong, lifelong, everlasting. It lasts throughout all durations of life, all ages from the time a person receives it. This life can only be received by God's giving of holy spirit by means of the Lord Jesus Christ. All holy-people (Christians) have received holy spirit-life within us, which is the spirit of Christ in us; it is the deposit, token, earnest of what we will receive at a future time. This holy spirit-life will remain for the duration of God's life which will not end. The full completeness for us will come to pass when our Lord Jesus Christ will come to gather all holy-people together with him giving us new spiritual bodies, the life of which will be holy spirit-life, like the body he has already received from God, his Father and our Father, when God raised him up alive from-among the dead-people.

[Reference: Acts 13:46-48; Romans 1:3, 4 and 17, 2:7, 3:19, 4:15 and 25, 6:23, 7:7 – 8:4, 10:9 and 10; Galatians 3:19-29, 6:8; Philippians 2:8; Colossians 1:27; I Timothy 1:16; Titus 1:2, 3:7; Hebrews 5:8. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (²) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]