Frameworks:
Romans 5
(The
objective of these ‘Frameworks' is to provide an easy-to-read
layout of the text in order then to use these individual verses
for verse-by-verse study or meditation. To focus each
verse we have also added in italic a description of what is happening)
CHAPTER
5
v.1-11
The Fruit of Justification
v.12-21
Death came through Adam, Life came through Christ
[Context:
Because we believe it is important to follow the flow of Paul's
teaching we continue to provide a brief summary of each previous
chapter to provide present context:
Ch.1
The sinfulness of the world
Ch.2
All – Jew & Gentile – are under God's judgment, background
is irrelevant
Ch.3
Jews are the same as Gentiles in that salvation only comes through
faith in Christ
Ch.4
Abraham illustrates how justification (being put right
with God) only comes through faith – now, believing what God has
said about Christ
NOW
he spells out, first the fruits – peace, joy in sufferings that
bring further fruits, then the wonder of Christ dying while we
were still ungrateful sinners, then the wonder of how sin by Adam
opened the door for all mankind to follow and experience death,
but despite this Christ came and died for us all bringing the
possibility of justification, forgiveness, righteousness and eternal
life]
v.1-11
The Fruit of Justification
v.1,2
(The outworking
of Justification (being put right with God) thus brings peace
with God in the life we now life and the glorious eternal future
that is ours) Therefore,
since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 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.
v.3,4
(this means
we can even joy when life seems tough because that builds perseverance,
character and hope in us) Not
only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know
that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance,
character; and character, hope.
v.
5 (hope
– which is about the future – is confirmed by the presence of
the Holy Spirit who He's given us) 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.
v.6 (we
were powerless and ungodly but Christ still came for us)
You
see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ
died for the ungodly.
v.7
(that's incredible
because it's rare for someone to die on your behalf) Very
rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good
person someone might possibly dare to die.
v.8
(but
this is how God shows His love for us, by sending Jesus to dedicated
sinners) But
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.
v.9
(so if justified
how much more can we be confident when we face the Final Judgment)
Since
we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we
be saved from God's wrath through him!
v.10
(if He reconciled
us when we were still His enemies now we can be utterly sure he'll
hold on to us now we are his) 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!
v.11
(so we give
Him all the glory [not us]) Not
only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
v.12-21
Death came through Adam, Life came through Christ
v.12
(The big picture
is amazing – it started with sin entering through Adam and thus
death followed, true of all sinful mankind) 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—
v.13 (this
was true before the Law made sin even more obvious, it just wasn't
declared) 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.
v.14 (but
death still occurred for all from Adam to the giving of the Law
by Moses) 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.
v.15 (death
flowed for all from that one man and ow life can flow to all (who
will receive him) from Christ) 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!
v.16
(this
gift of justification is different – one man's sin opened the
way for guilt by all and thus condemnation, but many sins have
been dealt with by the one man, Christ) 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.
v.17
(sins and death
flowed from Adam, grace and righteousness flow from Christ)
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!
v.18
(one sin brought
condemnation for all, now one act [Christ's death] results in
possible justification and life for all [who receive it])
Consequently,
just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people,
so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for
all people.
v.19
(disobedience
of Adam let the rest of us to be sinners, the obedience of Christ
made righteousness possible for many of us) 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.
v.20,21
(the Law emphasised
the reality of sin so we could see our need of God's grace and
salvation that brings eternal life) The
law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where
sin increased, grace increased all the more, so
that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign
through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord.