Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
ROMANS 5
Peace and Hope
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Application Notes
5:1-5 These verses introduce a section that contains some difficult concepts. To understand the next four chapters, it helps to keep in mind the two-sided reality of the Christian life. On the one hand, we are complete in Christ, declared righteous and accepted fully by him. On the other hand, we are still growing in Christ, becoming more and more like him. At one and the same time we have the status of royalty and the duties of slaves. We feel both the presence of Christ and the pressure of sin. We enjoy the peace that comes from being made right with God, but we still face daily problems that often help us grow. If we remember these two sides of the Christian life, we will not grow discouraged as we face temptations and problems. Instead, we will learn to depend on the power available to us from the Holy Spirit, who lives in us and is God's gift to all who believe.
5:1 We are now at peace with God, which may differ from peaceful feelings such as calmness and tranquillity. Having peace with God means that we have been reconciled with him. No more hostility stands between us, no sin blocks our relationship with him. Peace with God is possible only because Jesus paid the price for our sins through his death on the cross. Even in great tragedies, we can have God's peace because of our confident hope in his promises (Philippians 4:7).
5:2-5 As Paul states clearly in 1 Corinthians 13:13, faith, hope, and love are at the heart of the Christian life. Your relationship with God begins with faith, which helps you realise that you are delivered from your past by Jesus' death and resurrection. Hope grows as you learn all that God has in mind for you; it gives you the promise of the future. God's love fills your life and gives you the ability to reach out and love others.
5:2 Paul states that, as believers, we now stand in a place of undeserved privilege ("this grace in which we now stand"). Not only has God declared us not guilty, but he has also drawn us close to Himself. Instead of being his enemies, we have become his friends--in fact, his own children (John 15:15; Galatians 4:5).
5:3-4 For first-century Christians, suffering was the rule rather than the exception. Paul explains that in the future we will become, but until then we must overcome. This means that, for now, we will experience difficulties that help us grow. We rejoice in suffering, not because we like pain or deny its tragedy, but because we know God is using life's difficulties and Satan's attacks to build our character. The problems that we encounter will develop our perseverance--which, in turn, will strengthen our character, deepen our trust in God, and give us greater confidence about the future. You probably find your patience tested in some way every day. Thank God for those opportunities to grow and deal with them in his strength (also see James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7).
5:5-6 All three members of the Trinity are involved in salvation. The Father loved us so much that he sent his Son to bridge the gap between us (John 3:16). The Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit to fill our lives with love and to enable us to live by his power (Acts 1:8). With all this loving care, how can we do less than serve him completely?
5:6 We were weak and helpless because we could do nothing on our own to save ourselves. Someone had to come and rescue us. Christ came at exactly the right time in history, according to God's own schedule. God controls all history, and he controlled the timing, methods, and events surrounding Jesus' death.
5:8 "While we were still sinners" -- these are amazing words. God sent Jesus Christ to die for us, not because we were good enough, but just because he loved us and wants us to spend eternity with him. Whenever you feel uncertain about God's love for you, remember that he loved you even before you turned to him.
5:9-10 The love that caused Jesus to die is the same love that has sent the Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us every day. The power that raised Christ from the dead is the same power that saved you and can be yours every day. Be assured that, having begun a life with Christ, you have a reservoir of power and love to call upon each day for help to meet every challenge or trial. You can pray for God's power and loving help as you need it.
5:11 God is holy, and he will not be associated with sin. All people are sinful, so they are separated from God. In addition, all sin deserves punishment. Instead of punishing us with the death we deserve, however, Christ took our sins upon himself and took our punishment by dying on the cross. Now we can "boast" in God. Through faith in Christ's work, we are reconciled to God rather than being enemies and outcasts.
5:12 How can we be declared guilty for something Adam did thousands of years ago? Many feel it isn't right for God to judge us because of Adam's sin. But if we had been in Adam and Eve's place, we would have done what they did or worse. Each of us confirms our solidarity with Adam by our own sins every day. We have the same sinful nature and are prone to rebel against God, and we are judged for the sins we commit. Because we are sinners, it isn't pure justice we need--it's mercy.
5:13-14 Paul has been explaining that keeping the law does not bring salvation. Now he explains how death resulted from Adam's disobedience. Breaking the law did not bring death, but disobeying God did. Paul reminds his readers that for thousands of years the law had not yet been explicitly given, and still people died. The law was added, he explains in 5:20, to help people see their sinfulness, to show them the seriousness of their offences, and to drive them to God for mercy and pardon. This was true in Moses' day, and it is still true today. Sin is a deep discrepancy between who we are and who God created us to be. The law points out our sin and places the responsibility for it squarely on our shoulders. But the law offers no remedy. When we are convicted of sin we must turn to Jesus Christ for forgiveness.
5:14 Adam was the counterpart of Christ. Just as Adam is a representative of our sinful humanity, Christ represents a restored, righteous humanity. In the end, the positive effects of Christ's saving work have overcome all the negative effects of Adam's tragic fall.
5:15-19 We were all born into Adam's physical family line, reaping the results of Adam's sin. We have inherited his guilt, a sinful nature (the tendency to sin), and the consequence of God's judgment. Because of Jesus, however, we can trade judgment for forgiveness. We can trade our sin for Jesus' righteousness. Jesus Christ offers us the opportunity to be born into his spiritual family--the family line that begins with forgiveness and leads to eternal life. If we do nothing, we have death through Adam; but if we come to God by faith, we receive life through Christ. Which family line do you now belong to?
5:20 As sinners separated from God, we see his law from below, as a ladder to be climbed to get to him. Perhaps you have repeatedly tried to climb it, only to fall to the ground after advancing one or two rungs. Or perhaps the sheer height of the ladder seems so overwhelming that you have never even started up. In either case, what relief you should feel to see Jesus offering with open arms to lift you above the ladder of the law, to take you directly to God! Once Jesus lifts you into God's presence, you are free to obey--out of love, not necessity, and through God's power, not your own. You know that if you stumble, you will not fall back to the ground. Instead, you will be caught and held in Christ's loving arms.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)