Happiness, Hope, and Salvation by Works – Romans 5
Gospel in a Sentence: Jesus, who is fully God and fully man, lived a sinless life on earth, and also died on the cross and rose from the dead, to pay for humanity’s sins, thus making us righteous before God.
Big Picture: Jesus’ righteous works, substitutionary death, and resurrection justify everyone who trusts him; so we happily boast about him as we look forward to seeing God’s glory in the future.
Goal: That we would rejoice because of the works of Christ, which have saved us perfectly.
Key Ideas
1) Justification has a specific result: happiness in receiving glory from God in the future.
2) Jesus’ death and resurrection have secured the future salvation of every believer.
3) Adam’s covenant-breaking counts for all who are in covenant relationship with Adam (all people). Therefore, all people are condemned.
4) Jesus’ covenant-obedience counts for all who are in covenant relationship with him. Therefore, all in Christ are considered righteous, and thus inherit eternal life.
Key Terms
Peace – The term ‘peace’ meant a lot more to an ancient Jew than to modern Americans. To us it means simply an end to hostility. To an ancient Jew it did include that concept, but it meant much more; namely, that everything would be the way it was supposed to be. It meant that there would be rest, tranquility, and joy in the presence of God.
Grace – Favor. Interestingly, the root word in Greek for grace is the word translated ‘joy’ or ‘happiness.’ The idea is that God’s grace is his power to make people happy in knowing him.
Rejoice – The outward expression of inward happiness. It can also be translated ‘to boast’ or ‘to glory’ in Romans 5.
Hope – When we say hope, we mean a longing for something uncertain. In the Bible, the word ‘hope’ means the longing for something that is certain. For instance, the ‘hope of heaven’ means the joyful and certain longing for heaven. It can also be used to denote the thing we’re longing for; for instance, heaven could be called ‘our hope.’
Character – The proof or evidence of one’s faith in his actions.
The Holy Spirit – He’s God. He was sent by Jesus to build up the Church. He regenerates people (gives them new birth/new hearts) and therefore gives them faith as a gift. He applies the work of Christ to all believers, conforms them to Jesus’ image, empowers them for ministry, and guarantees their future in glory. There will be much more about the Holy Spirit in chapter eight.
The Trinity
The first full, uncontested mention of God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit working together is in Romans is in 5:5-6. Thus, this is probably a good point to address the issue of the nature of God. This is a significant question, because, as we learned from Romans 1:18-21, we are created to worship God. The more we know about God, the greater and better our worship can be.
‘Trinity’ is not a word you will find in your Bible. It is merely a summary word for these facts:
1) There is only one God. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10)
2) God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all fully God. (Colossians 1:3; John 1:1; John 8:58; Titus 2:13; Acts 5:3-4;
1 Corinthians 2:10-11)
3) God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct persons. In other words, the Father is not the Son, the Father is not the Spirit, and the Son is not the Spirit. (John 1:1; John 5:19-20; John 14:16-17; Romans 3:25)
The word ‘Trinity’ is merely theological shorthand for summing up these truths about the nature of God.
Of course, many have opposed this Biblical teaching, or doctrine. Usually, opposition to it is based on Unitarianism – the belief that God is one person. Examples of groups that would argue thus include Jehoveh’s Witnesses and Muslims. Their argument would simply be that one does not equal three.
However, this is a logical fallacy, since it is confusing categories. The doctrine of the Trinity does not say that one person is three persons. Rather, it states that one being exists in three persons. Simply because we do not observe that sort of being in the material world does not mean that he does not exist. God has revealed himself in Scripture as one being in three persons, and we must worship him as such.
Wrath of God – God’s rational, righteous anger; or also, that anger in action.
Good – Pleasing. In other words, a good person is a person who is pleasing to other people. None of us, however, please God.
Love – It may seem a little silly to define ‘love’; but it seems as though much misinformation about the word exists both in American culture as well as among those who study the Bible. Love is an inward affection that involves an emotional delight in the loved person and a commitment to their ultimate happiness. You may have heard about different words for love in Greek meaning different things, and that’s true in Classical Greek; however, it is generally not true in New Testament Greek.
To Reconcile – To get enemies to love each other.
Death – Death includes both an inability of the soul to draw near to God and an inability of the body to do anything. In other words, it is both spiritual and physical.
The Law – In Romans 5, the Law, expressed in rules and commandments, given to the nation of Israel, and recorded in Exodus through Deuteronomy, is in view.
To Count – This verb is extremely important in Romans 4 and 5. It’s an accounting term. It can also be translated ‘to credit,’ ‘to reckon,’ ‘to impute.’
Consider your bank statement. There are usually two columns down the right side of it, labeled ‘credit’ and ‘debit.’ A credit is something that is given to your account.
In Romans 5, ‘counting’ is extremely significant. Four types of counting are noted. (1) Adam’s sin is counted to all humanity; so we are all guilty. (2) If we sin without knowing that we’re sinning, those sins are not counted against us, even though they are sins. (3) Christ’s righteousness counts for us who trust him; this righteousness justifies us. (4) The sins of believers were counted to Christ in his crucifixion; God the Father punished him for our sins.
Transgression/Trespass – All sins are not transgressions/trespasses. To transgress/trespass means to break a specific and verbally explicit boundary. In this case, specific rules were verbally given to both Adam and Moses. Adam broke the one given to him. Later, God gave more specific rules to Israel through Moses.
Adam – The first human. God made a covenant with Adam. If Adam obeyed God, he’d be rewarded with continued life in paradise, and eventually would have been glorified. However, he disobeyed God’s covenant. As the covenant representative of humanity, or covenant head, he plunged all of humanity into sin, its effects, and guilt before God.
Covenant – A form of treaty in the ancient world made between one who has authority with one over whom he has authority. The treaty would have stipulations for behavior, and rewards and punishments based on behavior. Covenants involved ceremonies that included signs. Consider, when God made a covenant with Adam, he cut open Adam’s side. When God made a covenant with Abram (who was later renamed Abraham), he had Abram cut open several animals, and a vision of God passed through the animal parts. When God confirmed the covenant with Abraham, he gave Abraham the sign of circumcision. Such ceremonies and their associated signs were performed in the presence of whichever god the ancient people in question believed in. Some covenants were purely gracious and contained unconditional promises, as in God’s covenant with Abraham. The word ‘covenant’ doesn’t appear in Romans 5, but the concept does, since God made a covenant with Adam. Adam disobeyed the covenant, but Christ obeyed it. It is Christ’s obedience to the covenant God made with Adam, called ‘The Covenant of Works,’ that is counted to us. It is on the basis of that righteousness that we are declared righteous, or justified.
Moses – A prophet sent to the ancient nation of Israel. He’s significant in this passage, because through him, God gave Israel the Law.
Type –In the Bible, a type is a picture or foreshadowing of something to come. Adam was a ‘type’ of Christ in that he served as a covenant representative for humanity. In a covenant, the authority figure (usually called a ‘Great King’ – in this case, God himself) would relate to an entire group of people through the leader of the people. That leader, who was usually the eldest living man or ruler of the people, acted as the representative for the whole group. That leader, or representative, was called a ‘covenant head.’ Adam’s covenant headship resulted in all people being guilty and condemned, because he represented all of us. Adam is a type of Christ, because he functioned as a representative for people. Christ’s covenant representation over all who believe in him results in our being considered righteous based on his righteousness.
Key Observations
5:1 Paul’s argued, in chapters 3-4, that justification is based on the works of Christ alone, and received by trusting him. ‘Therefore’ at the beginning of this verse signifies that Paul is giving us conclusions from his argument. Since we have been justified already, we have peace with God. Make sure you understand ‘peace’ in the Key Terms section.
2 Another result of our justification is that we live, even right now, experiencing grace from God. Yet another result is that we exult because of the expectation we have of God’s glory. Now, the glory of God here means ‘glory from God,’ as in the rewards of righteousness (which is Christ’s) in 2:10. We will receive glory and be made like Christ when we see him when he returns to earth (8:23, 29).
3-5 Yet another reason is given for rejoicing: suffering. Suffering brings joy because God causes all his children to persevere through suffering, this gives evidence (character) of God’s work in their lives, and this increases their assurance about God’s promises of future glory. Verse 5 tells us that this hope is certain because the Holy Spirit has sealed us into a love relationship with God.
6-8 These verses give us the basis for that love relationship which has been given through the Holy Spirit. We see this because verse 6 begins with the word ‘for.’ Even though we (who are now Christians) were incapable of bringing ourselves to God (weak), being sinners (rebels), Christ died in our places. This is demonstrating, even now, God’s love for his people, even before the love relationship was established. To break it down, God loved his people (who were to be Christians) even while they were incapable of loving him, and punished Christ instead of them. Therefore, they are justified and the Holy Spirit is given to them to seal their love relationship with God. See also Ephesians 1:13.
9 Since Jesus’ death justifies us, we will be rescued from God’s coming wrath by Jesus. The hard works’ been done. Jesus has given us righteous standing; of course Jesus will rescue us from judgment day.
10 Here’s the reason for our future salvation: Jesus’ death not only caused us to have right standing before God, but replaced a relationship in which we were enemies of God with a relationship of love between God and us. Furthermore, Jesus’ resurrection guarantees our future – our eternal life with God forever.
11 We exult in our reconciliation. These praises are given to God through Jesus because he is the mediator of our reconciliation as well as the mediator of all our prayers. In other words, we needed a ‘go-between’ between God and ourselves to turn us from enemies to friends. Our guilt had to be taken away and we had to be made right before God. That is accomplished by Jesus apart from anything we do. Because Jesus has done this, he also serves as our ‘go-between’ in all of our prayers. We are able to enter into God’s throne room and make requests from him only because Jesus died in our places.
12 ‘Therefore’ here indicates that Paul is about to conclude his section on justification (3:21-5:21). He starts a sentence in verse 12 that he interrupts with verses 13-14 and picks up in verse 15. Basically, Adam sinned, and so death spread to all men. Now, here’s why Paul interrupts himself: he says that death spread to all men because all sinned. Verses 13-14 will explain what he means by that.
13-14 Here Paul explains his idea that all died because all sinned. These individuals were sinning; however, their sin didn’t count against them, because there was no Law. In other words, they were not punished for their own transgressions. They weren’t transgressing anything; there was nothing to transgress. But they all died. Why? Because Adam sinned. In other words, Adam’s guilt is counted to all of his descendants. This is a hard doctrine for Americans to swallow because of how individualistic we are (though in other, more community-oriented cultures, this is not as difficult a teaching). That Adam represented all of humanity before God is Biblical truth. Furthermore, it’s a bit unavoidable. Everyone dies. Death does reign over all. Why? All are counted guilty. Why? Adam, our representative, sinned. This will be hard for people in your studies to feel ‘okay’ about. That’s okay. This is the word of the Lord, and as such, it has authority. Teach God’s word, and let him do the work with it.
15-17 In these verses we have a contrast between Adam and Christ. The purpose for this contrast is to show how great a salvation Christ has earned for us. Adam sinned. God judged him and condemned him. Since he was our representative, all humanity stood condemned before God, and death reigned over all. But, even though there were many trespasses, God the Father and Jesus the Son acted in grace. Jesus has brought a free gift, namely, righteousness. Because believers are given the righteousness of Jesus (or Jesus’ righteous status), God declares us righteous. Because we are justified, we are given the promise that we will have eternal life, reassuming our role (from Genesis 1:26-28) as rulers of the world under God.
18-19 Paul sums up his argument here. Adam was humanity’s covenant representative before God. He broke covenant, and so we all stood condemned. But Jesus kept God’s covenant. He was righteous before God as a new covenant representative. Therefore, all in him, through faith, are justified and given eternal life. Adam’s disobedience causes us to be considered disobedient. Jesus’ obedience causes those in him to be considered obedient. One quick note here: ‘all’ in Greek does not mean ‘all’ in English. So when Scripture says that Jesus’ righteousness leads to justification and life for all, it doesn’t mean all without exception. Typically, ‘all’ means ‘all of a group,’ or ‘all groups.’ In this case it means ‘all those who are united to Christ.’
20-21 God gave humanity the Law to increase the effects of Adam’s trespass. It caused us to sin more (see 7:9-11 and Galatians 3:24-28). God did this to show the greatness of Christ’s righteousness, which has been granted to us, guaranteeing us eternal life. Death no longer governs the people of God – grace does.
Sample Discussion Guide:
-What is something you really want to happen to you in your lifetime?
-How would you react if something happened so that you’d never be able to have that happen?
-Today we’ll be examining justification and it’s relationship to hope. Can someone define justification?
-How does justification happen? Be ready to explain this, pointing at previous chapters if necessary. Some verses in Romans to which you may want to refer include 1:16-18; 3:24-25, 28; 4:5-7; 4:23-25.
-Open in prayer. Have someone read vv. 1-5.
-This passage lists some results of being justified. What are some of those results?
-How do you feel about those things?
-Recall a time in your life when you were rejoicing about something. What do you think it means to rejoice?
-Recall a time in your life when you were suffering. What was happening?
-Look at verses 3-5. What does justification have to do with suffering?
-What would it have looked like to apply these truths about the Gospel in the situation you’re thinking of?
-Have someone read vv. 5-8.
-Verse 6 starts with the word ‘for,’ because verses 6-8 are the basis for what was said in verse 5.
-What do you see about our natural condition?
-What do you see about God’s actions towards us?
-Have someone read vv. 9-11.
-Here we have more results of justification. What are they?
-We’ve seen so far that the Christian life is one that should be filled with rejoicing. What do you think that looks like? If that doesn’t describe you, what can you do to become someone characterized by rejoicing?
-Have someone read vv. 12-14. Explain them. You can start with a phrase such as, “These verses explain why everyone dies.”
-The point of this section is to show how great a savior Christ is, despite the death that we’ve been plunged into by Adam’s sin. Have someone read vv. 15-21.
-What are some of the effects that Adam’s transgression has according to this section?
-What role does the Law play in verse 20?
-How is Jesus better?
-If your group isn’t answering the question about Jesus well, this series of questions may help: What do you see about righteousness in this section? Where does it come from? What effects does it have?
-What parts of our salvation, listed in this chapter, excite you?
-Spend time in prayer, particularly focusing on rejoicing in Christ’s work.
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