Add parallel Print Page Options

The Expectation of Justification

[a] Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have[b] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have also obtained access[c] into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice[d] in the hope of God’s glory. Not[e] only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God[f] has been poured out[g] in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person perhaps someone might possibly dare to die.)[h] But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, because we have now been declared righteous[i] by his blood,[j] we will be saved through him from God’s wrath.[k] 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life? 11 Not[l] only this, but we also rejoice[m] in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.

The Amplification of Justification

12 So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people[n] because[o] all sinned— 13 for before the law was given,[p] sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin[q] when there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type[r] of the coming one) transgressed.[s] 15 But the gracious gift is not like the transgression.[t] For if the many died through the transgression of the one man,[u] how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many! 16 And the gift is not like the one who sinned.[v] For judgment, resulting from the one transgression,[w] led to condemnation, but[x] the gracious gift from the many failures[y] led to justification. 17 For if, by the transgression of the one man,[z] death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ!

18 Consequently,[aa] just as condemnation[ab] for all people[ac] came[ad] through one transgression,[ae] so too through the one righteous act[af] came righteousness leading to life[ag] for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man[ah] many[ai] were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of one man[aj] many[ak] will be constituted righteous. 20 Now the law came in[al] so that the transgression[am] may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, 21 so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 5:1 sn Many interpreters see Rom 5:1 as beginning the second major division of the letter.
  2. Romans 5:1 tc A number of significant witnesses have the subjunctive ἔχωμεν (echōmen, “let us have”) instead of ἔχομεν (echomen, “we have”) in v. 1. Included in the subjunctive’s support are א* A B* C D K L 33 81 630 1175 1739* pm lat bo. But the indicative is not without its supporters: א1 B2 F G P Ψ 0220vid 104 365 1241 1505 1506 1739c 1881 2464 pm. If the problem were to be solved on an external basis only, the subjunctive would be preferred. Because of this, the “A” rating on behalf of the indicative in the UBS5 appears overly confident. Nevertheless, the indicative is probably correct. First, the earliest witness to Rom 5:1 has the indicative (0220vid, third century). Second, the first set of correctors is sometimes, if not often, of equal importance with the original hand. Hence, א1 might be given equal value with א*. Third, there is a good cross-section of witnesses for the indicative: Alexandrian (in 0220vid, probably א1 1241 1506 1881 al), Western (in F G), and Byzantine (noted in NA28 as pm). Thus, although the external evidence is strongly in favor of the subjunctive, the indicative is represented well enough that its ancestry could easily go back to the autograph. Turning to the internal evidence, the indicative gains much ground. (1) The variant may have been produced via an error of hearing (since omicron and omega were pronounced alike in ancient Greek). This, of course, does not indicate which reading was the initial text—just that an error of hearing may have produced one of them. In light of the indecisiveness of the transcriptional evidence, intrinsic evidence could play a much larger role. This is indeed the case here. (2) The indicative fits well with the overall argument of the book to this point. Up until now, Paul has been establishing the “indicatives of the faith.” There is only one imperative (used rhetorically) and only one hortatory subjunctive (and this in a quotation within a diatribe) up till this point, while from ch. 6 on there are sixty-one imperatives and seven hortatory subjunctives. Clearly, an exhortation would be out of place in ch. 5. (3) Paul presupposes that the audience has peace with God (via reconciliation) in 5:10. This seems to assume the indicative in v. 1. (4) As C. E. B. Cranfield notes, “it would surely be strange for Paul, in such a carefully argued writing as this, to exhort his readers to enjoy or to guard a peace which he has not yet explicitly shown to be possessed by them” (Romans [ICC], 1:257). (5) The notion that εἰρήνην ἔχωμεν (eirēnēn echōmen) can even naturally mean “enjoy peace” is problematic (ExSyn 464), yet those who embrace the subjunctive have to give the verb some such force. Thus, although the external evidence is stronger in support of the subjunctive, the internal evidence points to the indicative. Although a decision is difficult, ἔχομεν appears to be the authentic reading.
  3. Romans 5:2 tc ‡ There is some dispute over whether τῇ πίστει is here or not. Several decent witnesses lack the words (B D F G 0220 sa Ambst) while they are found (with ἐν preceding the article in some) in other witnesses, some of which are very good (א [+ ἐν in א1; lacking in א*, omitted in אc] A [also with ἐν] C Ψ 33 1739 1881 lat). On balance, the shorter reading has stronger external witnesses. As well, (ἐν) τῇ πίστει strikes the reader as mildly redundant and certainly as a clarification. As such, it seems to be a motivated reading. It is thus best to delete the words from the text.
  4. Romans 5:2 tn Or “exult, boast.”
  5. Romans 5:3 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  6. Romans 5:5 tn The phrase ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ (hē agapē tou theou, “the love of God”) could be interpreted as either an objective genitive (“our love for God”), subjective genitive (“God’s love for us”), or both (M. Zerwick’s “general” genitive [Biblical Greek, §§36-39]; D. B. Wallace’s “plenary” genitive [ExSyn 119-21]). The immediate context, which discusses what God has done for believers, favors a subjective genitive, but the fact that this love is poured out within the hearts of believers implies that it may be the source for believers’ love for God; consequently an objective genitive cannot be ruled out. It is possible that both these ideas are meant in the text and that this is a plenary genitive: “The love that comes from God and that produces our love for God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (ExSyn 121).
  7. Romans 5:5 sn On the OT background of the Spirit being poured out, see Isa 32:15; Joel 2:28-29.
  8. Romans 5:7 sn Verse 7 forms something of a parenthetical comment in Paul’s argument.
  9. Romans 5:9 tn Grk “having now been declared righteous.” The participle δικαιωθέντες (dikaiōthentes) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
  10. Romans 5:9 tn Or, according to BDF §219.3, “at the price of his blood.”
  11. Romans 5:9 tn Grk “the wrath,” referring to God’s wrath as v. 10 shows.
  12. Romans 5:11 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  13. Romans 5:11 tn Or “exult, boast.”
  14. Romans 5:12 tn Here ἀνθρώπους (anthrōpous) has been translated as a generic (“people”) since both men and women are clearly intended in this context.
  15. Romans 5:12 tn The translation of the phrase ἐφ᾿ ᾧ (eph hō) has been heavily debated. For a discussion of all the possibilities, see C. E. B. Cranfield, “On Some of the Problems in the Interpretation of Romans 5.12,” SJT 22 (1969): 324-41. Only a few of the major options can be mentioned here: (1) the phrase can be taken as a relative clause in which the pronoun refers to Adam, “death spread to all people in whom [Adam] all sinned.” (2) The phrase can be taken with consecutive (resultative) force, meaning “death spread to all people with the result that all sinned.” (3) Others take the phrase as causal in force: “death spread to all people because all sinned.”
  16. Romans 5:13 tn Grk “for before the law.”
  17. Romans 5:13 tn Or “sin is not reckoned.”
  18. Romans 5:14 tn Or “pattern.”
  19. Romans 5:14 tn Or “disobeyed”; Grk “in the likeness of Adam’s transgression.”
  20. Romans 5:15 tn Grk “but not as the transgression, so also [is] the gracious gift.”
  21. Romans 5:15 sn Here the one man refers to Adam (cf. 5:14).
  22. Romans 5:16 tn Grk “and not as through the one who sinned [is] the gift.”
  23. Romans 5:16 tn The word “transgression” is not in the Greek text at this point, but has been supplied for clarity.
  24. Romans 5:16 tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.
  25. Romans 5:16 tn Or “falls, trespasses,” the same word used in vv. 15, 17, 18, 20.
  26. Romans 5:17 sn Here the one man refers to Adam (cf. 5:14).
  27. Romans 5:18 tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.
  28. Romans 5:18 tn Grk “[it is] unto condemnation for all people.”
  29. Romans 5:18 tn Here ἀνθρώπους (anthrōpous) has been translated as a generic (“people”) since both men and women are clearly intended in this context.
  30. Romans 5:18 tn There are no verbs in the Greek text of v. 18, forcing translators to supply phrases like “came through one transgression,” “resulted from one transgression,” etc.
  31. Romans 5:18 sn One transgression refers to the sin of Adam in Gen 3:1-24.
  32. Romans 5:18 sn The one righteous act refers to Jesus’ death on the cross.
  33. Romans 5:18 tn Grk “righteousness of life.”
  34. Romans 5:19 sn Here the one man refers to Adam (cf. 5:14).
  35. Romans 5:19 tn Grk “the many.”
  36. Romans 5:19 sn One man refers here to Jesus Christ.
  37. Romans 5:19 tn Grk “the many.”
  38. Romans 5:20 tn Grk “slipped in.”
  39. Romans 5:20 tn Or “trespass.”

What It Means To Be Acceptable to God

By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, we have peace[a] with God. Christ has also introduced us[b] to God's gift of undeserved grace on which we now take our stand. So we are happy, as we look forward to sharing in the glory of God. But that's not all! We gladly suffer,[c] because we know that suffering helps us to endure. And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love.

Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life's blood, we will also be kept safe from God's anger. 10 Even when we were God's enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by the life of his Son. 11 And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us.

Adam and Christ

12 (A) Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die. 13 Sin was in the world before the Law came. But no record of sin was kept, because there was no Law. 14 Yet death still had power over all who lived from the time of Adam to the time of Moses. This happened, though not everyone disobeyed a direct command from God, as Adam did.

In some ways Adam is like Christ who came later. 15 But the gift of God's undeserved grace was very different from Adam's sin. That one sin brought death to many others. Yet in an even greater way, Jesus Christ alone brought God's gift of undeserved grace to many people.

16 There is a lot of difference between Adam's sin and God's gift. That one sin led to punishment. But God's gift made it possible for us to be acceptable to him, even though we have sinned many times. 17 Death ruled like a king because Adam had sinned. But that cannot compare with what Jesus Christ has done. God has treated us with undeserved grace, and he has accepted us because of Jesus. And so we will live and rule like kings.

18 (B) Everyone was going to be punished because Adam sinned. But because of the good thing that Christ has done, God accepts us and gives us the gift of life. 19 Adam disobeyed God and caused many others to be sinners. But Jesus obeyed him and will make many people acceptable to God.

20 The Law came, so that the full power of sin could be seen. Yet where sin was powerful, God's gift of undeserved grace was even more powerful. 21 Sin ruled by means of death. But God's gift of grace now rules, and God has accepted us because of Jesus Christ our Lord. This means that we will have eternal life.

Footnotes

  1. 5.1 we have peace: Some manuscripts have “let us have peace.”
  2. 5.2 introduced us: Some manuscripts add “by faith.”
  3. 5.3 We gladly suffer: Or “Let us gladly suffer.”

Peace and Hope

Therefore, since we have been justified(A) through faith,(B) we[a] have peace(C) with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,(D) through whom we have gained access(E) by faith into this grace in which we now stand.(F) And we[b] boast in the hope(G) of the glory of God. Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings,(H) because we know that suffering produces perseverance;(I) perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope(J) does not put us to shame, because God’s love(K) has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,(L) who has been given to us.

You see, at just the right time,(M) when we were still powerless,(N) Christ died for the ungodly.(O) Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.(P)

Since we have now been justified(Q) by his blood,(R) how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath(S) through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies,(T) we were reconciled(U) to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!(V) 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.(W)

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man,(X) and death through sin,(Y) and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned(Z)

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.(AA) 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,(AB) who is a pattern of the one to come.(AC)

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man,(AD) how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ,(AE) 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(AF) 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(AG) through the one man, Jesus Christ!

18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people,(AH) so also one righteous act resulted in justification(AI) and life(AJ) for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man(AK) the many were made sinners,(AL) so also through the obedience(AM) of the one man the many will be made righteous.

20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase.(AN) But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,(AO) 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death,(AP) so also grace(AQ) might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life(AR) through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 5:1 Many manuscripts let us
  2. Romans 5:2 Or let us
  3. Romans 5:3 Or let us