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The Apostle Paul's Epistle
to the Romans |
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Chapter 5
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1Therefore, having been justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Master Yeshua
Messiah, 2through whom also we have obtained our
introduction by faith into this grace in which
we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of
God.
The Apostle Paul, after spending the first four
chapters establishing the sinfulness of man and
the reality that justification comes through
faith, now recapitulates these truths with the
first verse of chapter five. According to Paul,
the result of being justified by faith is peace
with God. This makes sense, as being justified
means you have been declared innocent in His
sight. In a relationship, if no one has any
offence, then there is no reason for there to be
tension or hostility. The key to this reality is
that justification is by faith. Faith, as we
established last study, is always expressed
through action, therefore the peace that we
experience must not simply be a legal reality
but also a practical reality. In other words,
through the redemptive work of the Messiah, we
can now actually experience, at least in part,
the type of relationship God intended for
humanity from the beginning. Through the Messiah
we have obtained a position that we could never
have without Him. The Messiah's redemptive work
allows us to stand in the grace of God; without
the Messiah there would be no way to obtain
grace, for apart from the Messiah, God's justice
would reign supreme. This standing is firm, for
we stand by faith, which itself is a gift of
God; we can rest assured that "He who began a
good work in you will perfect it until the day
of Messiah Yeshua" (Philippians
1:6). Since our hope is an
assured hope, we are free to exult - that is,
rejoice - because we look forward to glory of
God. The phrase "glory of God" encapsulates the
hope of the resurrection and the World to Come.
3And not only this, but we also exult in our
tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings
about perseverance; 4and perseverance, proven
character; and proven character, hope; 5and hope
does not disappoint, because the love of God has
been poured out within our hearts through the
Holy Spirit who was given to us.
It is precisely this assurance which allows us
to rejoice in our tribulations because we know
they are not the end but in fact a means by
which God allows us to develop virtues. The
development of these virtues comes through
perseverance. The gift of faith, which God has
given us, is a sustaining faith. Granted, it is
not always a perfect faith but every true
believer must admit that their faith never goes
away. This perseverance allows God to mould us
into His image, again, developing in us a proven
character. All of this adds up to the hope that
Paul just previously mentioned; God's continual
work in our hearts and lives provides for us a
hope that does not disappoint. The love of God,
in this context, is the life of faith that God
has graciously given us. This life of faith
begins and continues with the work of the Holy
Spirit. The work of Holy Spirit is not just a
peripheral aspect of the life of faith, it is
completely essential.
6For while we were still helpless, at the
right time Messiah died for the ungodly.
Now we encounter a truly cardinal doctrine that
every Believer must come to grips with: the
utter helplessness of humanity. In theological
terms, this is called "total depravity," though
it might more accurately be termed "total
inability." The Greek word "asthenes,"
here translated as "helpless," refers to a total
lack of power. This completely dispels the
notion that man, in and of himself, has the
power to reach out to God and choose salvation.
Instead, God, through His sovereignty, had the
Messiah die for the ungodly. This speaks of the
substitutionary nature of the Messiah's death.
It is truly a miracle of revelation and
illumination that makes a sinner realize and
understand their fallen state as well as the
graciousness that's been displayed through the
Messiah's death.
7For one will hardly die for a righteous man;
though perhaps for the good man someone would
dare even to die. 8But God demonstrates His own
love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Messiah died for us.
This grace is richly displayed in the fact that
Messiah died for the ungodly. This, from a human
perspective, is unthinkable. It could be
reasoned that perhaps for someone of great
worth, a righteous man, someone might consider
to die in his stead but one would hardly be
willing to die for a despicable and ungodly
person. Even more so, many of us lived our lives
in complete opposition to God and His ways with
some of us even denying His existence, such as
atheists. Mankind cannot fathom the magnitude of
God's love, for while we were still sinners, the
Messiah died for us. Once again, Paul
highlighted how much salvation is undeserved.
The Messiah didn't die with a view to those who
might, in their innate goodness, reach out to
God but instead He died for sinners, those who
represent everything that is contrary to God.
Unless one recognizes the immense grace that is
completely essential to God saving sinners, one
does not understand the doctrine of salvation.
9Much more then, having now been justified by
His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of
God through Him. 10For if while 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.
When the Apostles refer to the blood of the
Messiah, they are using illustrative language to
refer to the death of the Messiah.
Interestingly, from a Torah perspective, blood
also refers to life. This seeming paradox makes
up the whole basis for the concept of a
sacrifice. In Leviticus 17:11 it says: "For
the life of the flesh is in the blood" (cf.
Leviticus 17:14, Deuteronomy 12:33) The
only Torah sanctioned way for the animal's blood
to be shed is through the ritual slaughter; the
animal has to die in order for the blood to be
offered to God. The same is true for the
sacrifice of the Messiah; the Messiah had to die
in order for His blood to be shed. The Messiah's
blood represents the substitutionary nature of
His death; His sacrifice fully paid for the debt
owed to God due to our transgressions. Since our
debt is paid, we shall be saved from any future
wrath that God pours out on sinners. Paul then
used the common rabbinic convention of kal
v'chomer ("from the light to the heavy") and
reasoned that if we were reconciled to God when
we were sinners (something that defies human
logic) by His death, how much more will the life
of the Messiah secure life in the World to Come
for those who have been reconciled! That Paul
had the eternity in view is evident since he had
previously mentioned that we can rejoice in hope
of the glory of God.
11And not only this, but we also exult in God
through our Master Yeshua Messiah, through whom
we have now received the reconciliation.
In addition to exulting in the hope of the glory
of God - that is, hope of our future
glorification in the resurrection, - we also
exult in God now, through the Messiah, for we
have received reconciliation. Since we can (and
should) always have the sacrificial death and
subsequent resurrection of the Messiah on our
hearts and minds, we can exult in the fact that
our reconciliation to God is secure. Though it
is not always evident in our lives, since we all
sin from time to time, nevertheless, the ongoing
work of sanctification gives us evidence that
God has begun the work of salvation, a work that
He will complete. |
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12Therefore, just as through one man sin
entered into the world, and death through sin,
and so death spread to all men, because all
sinned-- 13for until the Torah sin was in the
world, but sin is not imputed when there is no
Torah. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam
until Moses, even over those who had not sinned
in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a
type of Him who was to come.
Paul then went on to make a comparison between
Adam, the first man, and the Messiah. As we'll
see, Paul is going to use Adam and the Messiah
as representatives for two types of people.
Firstly, the point is made that sin entered the
world through one man, namely, Adam. According
to Paul, the inevitable result of sin is death,
therefore since sin started with Adam, we can
also say that death started with Adam and spread
through his offspring. How should we understand
that death spread to all men "because all
sinned?" Paul's explanation actually proves that
the Torah, though given at a point in time (at
Sinai through Moses), existed from the
beginning. Paul plainly states "sin is not
imputed when there is no Torah" and yet death,
the inevitable judgment for imputed sin, reigned
from Adam to Moses. In other words, though the
people that lived from Adam to Moses did not sin
in the exact same way as Adam, they were
nonetheless sinners and were given the same
judgement Adam received, death, because the
Torah, God's revelation of Himself, existed to
condemn them; as the Apostle John said, the Word
was with God in the beginning (cf. John 1:1).
So, since all men have sinned and received the
punishment for sin, death, because of Adam, Paul
then declared that Adam was a "type of Him who
was to come." In other words, just as Adam was
to be a representative for the human race in
regards to sinfulness, there was to be another
that was to come that would represent humanity
in righteousness. This type of thinking is
evident in Paul's companion Luke's gospel as
well. When Luke presented Yeshua's genealogy, he
traces it back all the way to Adam, whom he
calls "the son of God" (cf. Luke
3:38).
15But the free gift is not like the
transgression. For if by the transgression of
the one the many died, much more did the grace
of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man,
Yeshua Messiah, abound to the many. 16The gift
is not like that which came through the one who
sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose
from one transgression resulting in
condemnation, but on the other hand the free
gift arose from many transgressions resulting in
justification.
The free gift, that is the salvation that comes
through the Messiah, is not like the “gift” that
humanity receives as a result of Adam’s
transgression. The free gift is just that, free,
whereas the fallen nature and inevitable
sentence of death we all receive is not “free,”
it is well deserved, for we are all sinners.
Nonetheless, if Adam’s transgression caused
humanity to “die,” how more so will the gift
that comes through the grace of the Messiah
cause people to live? Again, the gift of
salvation is not like that which came through
Adam because Adam’s sin resulted in judgement,
resulting in condemnation, but the Messiah’s
free gift of salvation, though was necessary
because of transgressions, results in
justification. It is clear from the Scriptures
that justification is not a result of any of our
actions or our status in life but is a free
gift.
17For if by the transgression of the one,
death reigned through the one, much more those
who receive the abundance of grace and of the
gift of righteousness will reign in life through
the One, Yeshua Messiah. 18So then as through
one transgression there resulted condemnation to
all men, even so through one act of
righteousness there resulted justification of
life to all men. 19For as through the one man's
disobedience the many were made sinners, even so
through the obedience of the One the many will
be made righteous.
Paul continued to reiterate the
comparison between Adam and the Messiah and the
distinct results each one produced. Adam’s
transgression resulted in death and spread to
all of His offspring but the “offspring” of the
Messiah receive the gift of righteousness and
will reign in life. Through God’s abundant
grace, those who are united with the Messiah
will be transformed to live forever in a
completely righteous state. Adam’s one
transgression, disobeying God’s command to not
eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, resulted in condemnation to all men. The
Messiah’s one act of righteousness, His
sacrificial death on the cross, resulted in
justification of life to all men. How should we
understand that Yeshua’s one act of
righteousness will result in justification of
life to all men? Did Paul teach some sort
of universalism, that ultimately everyone will
be saved? No, instead, Paul is simply
reiterating that those who are united with the
Messiah, those who are children of God, can have
assurance of justification of life. Paul further
explained his point in verse 19 and shows that
both Adam and the Messiah are in a position to
dictate the state of their offspring. In the
case of Adam, his disobedience dictated that all
of his children would be made sinners. On the
other hand, the Messiah’s obedience unto death
gave Him the right to make His children
righteous. It’s clear from other passages that
not all are God’s children; in fact, Yeshua even
said that “no one can come to Me unless the
Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise
him up on the last day” (John
6:44).
20The Torah came in so that the transgression
would increase; but where sin increased, grace
abounded all the more, 21so that, as sin reigned
in death, even so grace would reign through
righteousness to eternal life through Yeshua the
Messiah our Master.
In God’s infinite wisdom, He revealed His
righteousness through the Torah and when
confronted with man’s sinfulness, transgression
increased. In what way did transgression
increase? Transgression increased because the
Torah gives a firm, black and white definition
to sin and mankind’s corrupt nature rebels
against such a standard. As Paul will state
later in 10:4, the Messiah is the very goal for
which the Torah aims, therefore God’s revelation
of His perfect standard was not to simply
condemn sinful man but to function as a
pedagogue to lead people to the Saviour, so that
we may be justified by faith (cf. Galatians
3:24). This is what Paul meant when he said that
“where sin increased, grace abounded all the
more”; for Believers, whenever sin seeks to “get
ahead,” grace is always there to compensate. In
fact, God’s grace does not just tame sin but in
fact overcomes it with life; sin reigned in
death but grace reigns through righteousness,
which results in eternal life. Here, Paul
personified both “sin” and “grace” and helps us
to understand their function. Sin counted on the
fact that death was the inevitable judgment of
God as result of disobedience but God turned the
tables on sin and secured righteousness for His
people through the death of the One who bore our
transgressions. Yeshua the Messiah received the
penalty for sin, death, in our place and secured
for us eternal life. |
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