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The Letters · New Testament

Romans 5

Romans 5: peace through justification, and the one man set against the one man

General context

Being justified by faith, "we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ", with access into grace and rejoicing "in hope of the glory of God". The letter then glories in tribulations, tracing a sequence: tribulation works patience, patience experience, experience hope, "And hope maketh not ashamed", because God's love "is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost". The timing is stated plainly: "when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly". Someone might dare to die for a good man, but God commends his love "in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us". Justified by his blood, they will be saved from wrath; reconciled while enemies by the death of God's Son, they will be saved by his life. The second half sets two men side by side. "by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin", and death passed on all. Until the law sin was in the world but not imputed, yet "death reigned from Adam to Moses", even over those who had not sinned like Adam, "who is the figure of him that was to come". The gift is not like the offence: judgment came by one to condemnation, the free gift covers many offences. As one man's disobedience made many sinners, the obedience of one makes many righteous. The law entered "that the offence might abound", and where sin abounded "grace did much more abound".

Cited passages: Romans 5:1, Romans 5:2, Romans 5:3, Romans 5:4, Romans 5:5, Romans 5:6, Romans 5:7, Romans 5:8, Romans 5:9, Romans 5:10, Romans 5:11, Romans 5:12, Romans 5:13, Romans 5:14, Romans 5:15, Romans 5:16, Romans 5:17, Romans 5:18, Romans 5:19, Romans 5:20, Romans 5:21

Romans 5 (KJV)

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

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

3And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

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

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

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

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

10For 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.

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

12Wherefore, 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.

14Nevertheless 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.

15But 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.

16And 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.

17For 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.)

18Therefore 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.

19For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

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

21That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

Two names from earlier scripture appear, Adam and Moses, and they mark a span rather than a story: "death reigned from Adam to Moses". The chapter states a rule about that span, "sin is not imputed when there is no law", and then says "Moreover the law entered", placing the law after that period in the argument's order. No Old Testament verse is quoted here and no written formula appears, which sets this chapter apart from chapters 3 and 4. The time of Christ's death is given only as "in due time". The claim that Adam "is the figure of him that was to come" is the letter's own statement, not a quotation. Nothing in the chapter names a place, a ruler or a date, and no individual reader is addressed by name.

Cited passages: Romans 5:6, Romans 5:12, Romans 5:13, Romans 5:14, Romans 5:15, Romans 5:17, Romans 5:19, Romans 5:20

Literary context

The opening builds a linked chain, each term picked up by the next, from tribulation through patience and experience to hope. "And not only so, but" appears twice, once to add glorying in tribulation and once to add joy in God. The second half runs on comparison and escalation. "much more" recurs through verses 9, 10, 15 and 17, always moving from a smaller certainty to a larger one. The sentence begun at verse 12 with "as by one man sin entered" is interrupted by a long parenthesis and only completed at verse 18, "Therefore as by the offence of one". One and many alternate insistently: one man, one offence, one disobedience, one obedience, against many dead, many offences, many sinners, many made righteous. The last two verses turn reigning itself around, from sin reigning unto death to grace reigning through righteousness.

Cited passages: Romans 5:3, Romans 5:4, Romans 5:5, Romans 5:9, Romans 5:10, Romans 5:11, Romans 5:12, Romans 5:15, Romans 5:17, Romans 5:18, Romans 5:19, Romans 5:21

Key moments

  1. Peace with God (Romans 5:1). Justification by faith is said to bring peace through Jesus Christ.
  2. Love shed abroad (Romans 5:5). Hope is grounded in God's love given by the Holy Ghost.
  3. While we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8). The timing of Christ's death is stated as proof of God's love.
  4. Sin entered by one man (Romans 5:12). Sin and death are traced into the world through one man.
  5. Death reigned from Adam to Moses (Romans 5:14). A span is named in which death reigned without the law.
  6. Disobedience and obedience (Romans 5:19). Many made sinners is set against many made righteous.
  7. Grace abounded more (Romans 5:20). The law's entrance is said to increase the offence, and grace to exceed it.

For reflection

The chapter counts what tribulation produces before it offers any relief from it. Reading that order as it stands, what is it asking of someone who is in the middle of the first term?

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