Bible Study Series – Romans Chapter 5

 

Recap of Chapter 4

 
In the last chapter we learnt about Abraham, and we read how he was imputed righteousness by God through Faith, by calling upon the name of the Lord!

We are justified by faith, not works, as works cancels out grace, let's now dive into chapter 5 and see what we can learn from this chapter!

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Romans 5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:"

 
We are justified in God's sight by faith, and we can have peace with God, knowing that we are not subject to his wrath and fierce anger through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Romans 5:2 "by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

 
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, this grace, was made accessible by him. Wherein we stand, means we now stand in grace, not of our works but inside the Father's grace, this is our position that we must stand in when we come to the Father for Salvation, we must leave our works at the door and stand within God's grace, and because of this grace we are able to rejoice in hope of the glory of God!

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Romans 5:3-4 "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; ⁴ and patience, experience; and experience, hope:"

 
Not only do we as believers rejoice in hope, but as believers we too must glory in tribulations as well!

 
What is Tribulation?

 
Tribulation means persecution, or a state of great suffering or trouble.

We glory in tribulation also is because tribulation builds character, and saints need to go through such things in order to sanctify ourselves, knowing that tribulation works patience, and through patience, experience, and from experience, hope. 

To get a really good understanding of this saying, reading through the book of Job is a perfect example of Job going through tribulation, and through his patience was experience enhanced and through experience, his hope on the Lord strengthened. Job did not renounce the Lord once, even his wife told him to curse God and die!

Jesus also taught that believers will also endure tribulation for his sake, he also explained that whilst we go through these things, that we need to remember that peace is found through him as we are going through such ordeals.

 

John 16:33 "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

 
In 2 Corinthians Chapter 1 we read that tribulation can come to anyone, it comes to all, however believers in Christ have Jesus Christ to rely upon in times of tribulation.

 

2 Corinthians 1:4 "who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."

 
We must also distinguish between divine punishment and unmerited tribulation, however regardless of what kind of tribulation you are going through, I believe whatever form of tribulation you are going through, we should receive it in all meekness and give praise and all glory to God, we go through this to make us stronger in God.

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Romans 5:5 "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."

 
And this hope we have, we ought not to be ashamed of; because we know that God poured his love out to all the believers hearts, which we know is by the Holy Spirit, whom is living in us.

Remember what the Apostle Paul said in Romans Chapter 1?

 

Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

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Romans 5:6 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

 
When we were yet without strength, meaning man being dead in sins, incapable of saving himself, in due time, meaning at the appointed time as prophesied in the bible, that Christ would die for us, sinners as written in Romans 3:10 "as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:".

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Romans 5:7 "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die."

 
For scarcely meaning very rarely would someone would die for a righteous man: yet for a good man, by chance, some would even dare to die.

For a good man?

Remember Jesus said, there is one that is good and that is God. Jesus is good, he is God.

Now let's stop and think about this statement, wouldn't it have made more sense or made us feel better, that Jesus died for us because we are righteous?

Compare Old Testament sacrifice, when sin was committed it had to be atoned by a blood animal sacrifice; and even then it was only a temporary covering for the sins committed. 

We had to keep doing this to satisfy God's demand for payment of sin by offering sacrifices continually.

But here is the beauty of the New Testament, sacrifice is no longer required. Jesus himself offered his own body as the perfect sacrifice, covering our sins forever!

The mystery, is that God showed us his love that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life. Jesus died for us, even though we were sinners and are undeserving of such a thing.

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Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

 
As stated previously, that while we were yet sinners every single one of us, Jesus died for us; that is how much God loved us, he commended his love toward us even though we did not deserve it, Jesus died for us even while we were yet in rebellion against God.

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Romans 5:9 "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him."

 
Because believers have been justified or made righteous by his blood, by whose blood?

 
Our Lord Jesus Christ's blood of course!

 
Because of the Lord spilt his blood for us, we have now been saved from the wrath of God, believers are not appointed to wrath, but to Salvation.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:9 "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,"

 
And because of his blood, his precious blood is what saved us from the wrath of God.

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Romans 5:10 "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."

 
For when we were enemies of God, sinners who were bound by sin have been reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life, you see; Jesus did it all, he made it possible for us to be reconciled to God, to him we owe everything!

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Romans 5:11 "And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement."

 
Not only have we been reconciled to God by our Lord Jesus Christ, but we also joy in God through him, that word "joy" reminds of what he said in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25). Through Jesus Christ we have now received the atonement.

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Romans 5:12 "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:"

 
This part of the scriptures is now talking about how death came through one man, Adam and now life has come through one man, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sin entered the world through one man, and the penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23); and so death is passed upon all mankind, for that all have sinned (Romans 3:23).

The sin nature of man has to do with the flesh man. The flesh man is controlled by the desires of the flesh. Man is a spirit who lives in a body of flesh. Man has a free will to do with his life on earth as he wishes.

Because all humanity existed in the loins of Adam, and have through procreation inherited his fallen nature and corruption, it can be said that all sinned in him. Therefore, humans are not sinners because they sin, but rather they sin because they are sinners.

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Romans 5:13 "(for until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law."

 
Notice the next few verses are in parenthesis, the purposes of parenthesis is to de-emphasis something or to reduce the importance or prominence of something. So these next verses are contained inside the parenthesis!

Paul here is saying that sin was in the world even before the law was given to Moses. He then expounds by saying that sin is not imputed when there is no law.

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Romans 5:14 "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."

 
Sin is not imputed when there is no law, however or in spite of that, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the same manner or similarity of Adam's transgressions or offences.

Instead of man possessing life, man is instead, facing death. Adam had brought death into the scene, God could not allow man to live forever in sickness, agony, and through deterioration of the body and mind.

So God has provided a way out of this terrible mess that man has gotten himself into, by sending the second Adam, i.e. Who is the like figure or a shadow of him that is to come, the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Romans 5:15 "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."

 
For the offence many have died, through Adam many have died, but much more is the grace of God, the gift by grace through one man, the Lord Jesus Christ has proliferated or abound unto many who believe.

By one man's transgression sin entered. Jesus Christ actually took the sin of the whole world upon His body and sin for the Christians died on the cross. Peter says the following:

 

1 Peter 2:24 "who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."

 
Jesus provides our righteousness. He made us righteous. We can't make ourselves righteous in God's sight. Jesus made us righteous in God's sight!

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Romans 5:16 "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."

 
Adam brought upon all men condemnation by only one offense, his wilful act of disobedience. 

Jesus, however delivers the believers from the condemnation of many offenses unto righteousness, justification through his wilful act of obedience to the Father.

Paul tells the Corinthians this:

 

1 Corinthians 15:50 "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption."

 
Jesus did not die for only certain sins which some erroneously teach, he died for all.

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Romans 5:17 "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.)"

 
This is pretty much a repeat of what has been said, through one man's offence death reigned, but those whom are declared righteous by grace shall reign in life by the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Romans 5:18 "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."

 
Now that we are out of the parenthesis let's continue on from verse 12!

Because all have sinned, for that reason as the offence by one, Adam's transgression, judgement came upon all men to condemnation. 

Because of Adam's transgression we have all come to condemnation, I have heard people say that we are not punished for the transgressions of Adam, but our own, but doesn't this scripture prove otherwise?

 
Through the righteousness of one man, Jesus Christ, the free gift (Salvation) came upon all men unto justification of life.

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Romans 5:19 "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."

 
Through one man and his act of disobedience resulted in the entire human race becoming sinners, so by the act of obedience of one, many shall be made righteous. 

Straightforward scripture there…

You see it is not our obedience that saves us, it is the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ that saved us, and Salvation is not of ourselves lest any man boast!

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Romans 5:20 "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound"

 
When the law entered, the offense abounded more, meaning as man became aware of the law, and many became convicted of their sins, made aware of them. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more!

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Romans 5:21 "that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord."

 
Sin reigned until Jesus Christ shed his precious blood on the cross and nailed sin to it. 

God's grace (unmerited favour) has provided eternal life, we did not earn it, and it is a free gift.

We can have life eternal, if we will only believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.