Introduction
Two weeks ago I used Romans 4 for the sermon and posted it separately here.
That exposition is essential for understanding Romans 5. The fanatical sects build their dogma on one verse or part of one verse, but the Holy Scriptures are one unit, one unified truth. Isolating a phrase, verse, or half-verse will always contradict the the Bible as the Book of the Holy Spirit (Luther).
Chapter 4 of Romans establishes Father Abraham as the example of being justified by faith, before he was circumcised. Thus he is an example for Jews and Gentiles alike, his later circumcision serving as a seal of what justification by faith had already accomplished.
Romans King James Version (KJV)
4 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Paraphrase - Genesis 15 was not written for Abraham's sake alone, that he was counted forgiven (righteousness was imputed).
24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Paraphrase - But Genesis 15 was written for us too, and we will be counted forgiven, if we believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Paraphrase - He was betrayed for our sins (Atonement) and raised again for our justification by faith.
Romans 5
Romans King James Version (KJV)
5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
The first two verses are a summary of Romans 4 and a transition to the meaning of a Christian's faith. And Romans 5 leads to Romans 6 as an essay on the Christian life, which is called sanctification.
"Therefore" is an important bridge between Abraham as the example of the righteousness of faith, Romans 4, and not righteousness through the Law. We can see how significant that was to Paul's audience, both Jews and Gentiles. The Jews thought of themselves as children of Abraham - their great claim, which seemed to exclude the Gentiles, no matter what. The Pharisees used this claim against Jesus in John 8.
But Paul shows from Genesis - and emphasizes in Romans 4 - that Abraham unites both groups through the righteousness of faith. The Law does not save either group because no one can be perfect through the Law. The Law is limited in that regard, but still the work of the Spirit and useful for all.
We have peace with God through Jesus Christ because we are justified by faith. The phrasing is wonderful, because Paul leads with justification by faith as the cause of peace with God through Christ. Word order is used for emphasis and the first word is - Since we are justified by faith...
With this one word (having been justified by faith - (δικαιωθεντες) everything that has been said in 3:21 to 4:25 is concentrated and predicated directly of Paul and of the Roman believers.
Lenski, Romans, p. 332.
Our peace is with God, because a guilty conscience plagues us and we feel God condemning us. The strongest person cannot bear the accusations of a guilty conscience, so peace and forgiveness always go together in the Bible. Peace is and has always been sought after, because emotional pain is the worst kind. That can keep someone from doing anything or thinking of anything else. That is because lacking faith in a gracious, forgiving God, our mistaken faith (really blindness) sees Him and angry, vindictive, and punishing - so He becomes what we imagine, though it is a false view, a blinding and stupifying view.
This peace with God comes through the agency of Christ. The little preposition dia has a lot of meaning. I used to wonder exactly what it was supposed to mean when I read in Light from the Ancient East that it was a common expression, for example, to send something dia (through) another person. Peace with God comes through the atoning death of Jesus Christ. He is the Person who made that possible. And His resurrection remains the ultimate proof of His divinity and victory over death.
Having been pronounced righteous by God means that God has established peace for us objectively, the condition of peace, shalom, Heil, by removing all our sin and our guilt; all of his wrath is turned from us, all of his grace rests upon us. God is at peace with all the righteous, the justified.
Lenski, Romans, p. 332.
Access by Faith into This Grace
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
This clears up the confusion caused by mainline Universalists and Lutheran UOJists alike, who claim that everyone receives God's grace, without the Gospel Word or faith. The word for access is very simple and can be used as entrance or approach. Is someone approachable? God is, because of Christ - through Him we have access to God's grace.
Faith and Grace Not Opposed, Except among False Teachers
We do not stand on our merits or works but the grace of God, faith in Christ. One is not opposed to the other. The modernist, rationalist theologians warn people, "Do not create a contingency, an if, for grace. No, grace must be without an if we believe." Who else warns that way? The UOJists, who say, "You are not a Christian. Your faith is not in Christ. Your faith is in faith. You are a faithian." That comes from the "conservative" Concordia, Ft. Wayne Seminary.
We have faith in Christ because He died for our sins and the Gospel teaches this. That is why Luther and the Book of Concord used the term - Means of Grace, or Instruments of Grace for the Word and Sacraments. Grace does not just happen, except in UOJ-land and liberal theological books. The Spirit conveys Christ and His Grace through the invisible Word of preaching and teaching, the visible Word of the Sacraments.
Because of this grace we rejoice in the hope of everlasting life. In Christ we have heaven and earth, the blessings of God that overflow into all aspects of life.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
The Holy Spirit connects this glorious grace with glorying in tribulations, because difficulties must accompany faith in Christ. Luther said, "The Christian does not look for the cross. It is already on his back."
Tribulations work patience; patience works experience (dokime) - The word for experience is also used for the conditioning of a soldier, tried and not wanting, as Lenski says. Going through the difficulties of the cross make a believer more patient, more conditioned, and this conditioning leads to hope of eternal life, which becomes far more important as we age and lose loved ones.
And that hope will never leave us ashamed.
James said almost the same:
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
"We are not ashamed seems an odd turn until we think about the hopes that were dashed and left us disappointed, embarrassed, ashamed, etc. But this is not true about eternal life because the Gospel is efficacious in converting us and filling us with a love of God, knowing (as John shows so often) that Jesus is the voice and will and face of God the Father, working in perfect harmony with Him. To love the Son is to love the Father, and this is conveyed to us by the Spirit.
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
Verse 6 confuses the weak-minded, who ignore context and the content of Romans, not to mention the entire Bible. Romans - all the epistles - are written for Christians, so there is always an assumption of faith, even among the rather conflicted and dysfunctional Corinthians.
Christ died for the ungodly. - This simply affirms that Jesus died for sins of the entire world, for all time, not the absolution of the world - without the Gospel - for all time. For some reason the UOJ salesmen glory in unfaith and making the absence of the Gospel...their twisted Gospel for their little world. If someone is confused about this, he only need refer to Romans 4 -
4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
This also seems to wind people back, at least to the Atonement, but even back to Adam and Eve. The atoning death if Christ is universal, but that does not make this verse a doctrinal statement in favor of Universal forgiveness and salvation. The point is God's grace and our lack of merit, certainly a major emphasis when the inclinations of Pharisaic Judaism were so strong. And that is good because the visible Church falls back into the same Pharisaical attitudes - look at my family, look at my synodical positions, look at my programs, all the good I have done.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
What changed was Christ dying for the world - we were reconciled to God through the Savior. As Luther wrote so eloquently and the Confessions repeat, this Treasure of the Gospel remains true for all time. But the Treasure must be distributed by the Holy Spirit for us to have it for our own. Thus Gospel preaching distributes the Treasure, sin and death are vanquished, eternal life springs up.
"Receiving" is often used as a synonym for believing, trusting. The Atonement is the act of God, which moves us to faith, receiving the Treasure as intended for each and every one of us.
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
One can only marvel that people who claim, "I studied Greek!" would get this wrong. "Many" does not mean "all" but "many"! Greek is precise and eloquent.
16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift [came] upon all men unto justification of life.
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Here is another place where the best and brightest try to insert Universalism into Paul's message. If so, that means the Apostle veered away from a clear message of individual Justification by Faith into an implied doctrine of Universal Objective Justification.
That reminds me of many a liberal Biblical scholar marveling at how poorly written and slanted various new Testament books were. Good thing they could explain to us deplorables.
If the UOJists are briliant, then Paul is confused and addled. But if Paul is brilliantly clear (as the Word always is) then they are mixed up, dishonest, and lazy-crazy.
Verse 18
the free gift [came] upon all men unto justification of life.
The verb is in brackets because it is not present in the text. Instead, various translators insert a verb, and any verb is someone slanted when none was present.
This is done for emphasis, so what is being emphasized? The free gift = justification of life, anarthrous, so more like free-gift-all-men-life-justification. This is nothing less than the Gospel being for the entire world, all peoples. How is that mysterious to the faux-professors on Mt. Zion, at Mordor, at the Copper Top Chapel, The Fort?
To reduce confusion and restore clarity, these mixed-up beta-men should study Romans 10 and see the plan of salvation for themselves in Paul's Means of Grace chapter. It is so clear than no one uses it at the leadership level.
