ROMANS: Justification By Faith
by J. W. Jepson, D.Min.
Copyright © 2007 by J. W. Jepson.
All rights reserved, including the right to grant the following permission and to prohibit the misuse thereof: The Author hereby grants permission to reproduce the text of this book in whole or in part, without changes or alterations*, and with the author’s name and copyright information intact, as a ministry, but not for commercial or non-ministry purposes. *Permission is given for publication of excerpts and condensed versions.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New King James Version.
(NKJV) Scripture quotations from The Holy Bible, New King James Version are copyright © 1990 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.
(NIV) Scripture quotations from the Holy Bible, New International Version are copyright © 1973, 1978, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
(NASB) Scripture quotations from the New American Standard Bible are copyright © 1972, The Lockman Foundation.
Scripture quotations from the Amplified Bible are copyright © 1958-1987, Zondervan Corporation and The Lockman Foundation.
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Contents:
1. Introduction
2. The Salutation And Purpose (Romans 1:1 – 17)
3. Total Moral Depravity: The Gentile World (Romans 1:18 – 32)
4. The Guilt Of The Jew Under The Law (Romans 2)
5. From Total Moral Depravity to Full Justification (Romans 3)
6. Abraham: Justification By Faith Before The Law (Romans 4)
7. Much More (Romans 5)
1
Introduction
Let us journey back in time to about the year 57 A.D. The apostle Paul is on his third missionary journey. He is now in Greece in the city of Corinth. He and his team will spend about three months there before going on to Jerusalem (Acts 20:3).
It was probably toward the early part of this visit to Corinth that Paul received the alarming news that some Judaizers who had dogged his steps were threatening the churches in the province of Galatia. The Judaizers were teaching believers that to be saved they had to keep the Law of Moses, including the rite of circumcision.
Of course, this was a direct denial of the gospel of Christ. By making the observance of the Law of Moses a requirement for salvation, it denied that faith in Christ alone is sufficient. That would mean that Christ did not provide a complete salvation; thus He would not be our complete Savior. Salvation would not be by Christ alone but by “Christ-plus” —plus something we do—in this case keeping the requirements of the Law of Moses. That added something that never saved anyone.
In effect, that would make Christ of no effect. If Christ did not provide a complete salvation, and the Law could not save us, we would be left without a savior. We would still be in our sins.
When Paul received this alarming news, the Holy Spirit came on him and moved him to write the Epistle To The Galatians. His letter to the Galatians is a concise, “emergency” epistle, urgent in its tone and direct in its message. Paul wrote it by his own hand (Galatians 6:11).
Shortly thereafter, evidently still during the three months Paul was in Corinth, the Holy Spirit directed him to write to the mature church in Rome, laying out and committing to them a systematic and thorough explanation of justification (being made righteous) by faith and what it means to be justified by faith. So, what is urgent in Galatians is explanatory in Romans.
The theme of the Epistle To The Romans is “justification by faith for obedience to faith.” Romans can be called “the Christian manifesto.”
The epistle is composed of three main sections:
Chapters 1 - 8: Justification by faith
Chapters 9 - 11: The sovereignty of God
Chapters 12 - 16: The practical life of the justified.
2
The Salutation And Purpose
Romans 1:1 - 17
THE SALUTATION.
Romans 1:1 - 7
1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The salutation embodies the theme of the epistle: the gospel concerning the risen Christ, for all people, for faith and obedience, for His name.
Although the salutation is divided into seven verses, it is one continuous sentence. This is not unusual in the Bible, particularly in the epistles of Paul. The reason is this: divine inspiration is “truth on a roll,” building one truth on another, each emerging out of the other, a symphony that progressively increases in power as it moves toward its climax.
So here is how the salutation flows: Paul is a love-slave of Jesus Christ, an apostle by divine calling, separated from all other pursuits so he can give himself fully and exclusively to his mission. The gospel—the good news—had been promised by God and was the heart of the written message of the inspired prophets of old. The gospel—not the Law—was the focus of the Old Testament prophets. It is important to keep this fact in mind.
The gospel is the good news “concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” The Second Person of the Eternal Trinity became the “only begotten (one and only) Son” according to the flesh through the virgin Mary, in the direct line of physical descent from king David.
The “Sonship” of Jesus Christ was divinely declared with power according to the Spirit of holiness (the Holy Spirit) by (out of) the resurrection. So then, the resurrection of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit is God’s authoritative declaration that Jesus of Nazareth is His unique (one and only) Son. The divine message: “Jesus Christ our Lord!”
The risen Christ is the source of Paul’s apostleship, and the purpose of Paul’s apostleship is to bring people in all nations to obedience to faith—the obedience that faith requires and that true faith produces. Like the two sides of the same coin, faith and obedience are inseparable. Any attempt to separate them kills both, leaving both faith and works dead.
Believers are beloved by God and are summoned to the higher calling of true sainthood. They are saints by calling and they are to live out that high calling in daily and consistent discipleship.
Although the letter is addressed to the whole Church at Rome, beloved of God and saints by divine calling, it is a deposit of revealed truth for the whole Church everywhere and in every generation. The early Church at Rome possessed the spiritual qualities and the maturity to be a responsible repository for this treasury of eternal truth.
The high calling of believers in Christ is introduced here and is developed later in Chapter eight (see 8:28).
Grace and peace are ours from God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
THE PURPOSE.
Romans 1:8 - 17
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
The elect—the chosen in Christ—are the focus of God’s eternal purpose both in creation and in the gospel. Paul is thankful to God through Jesus Christ for the whole church at Rome and for their famous faith. The spiritual qualities and maturity of the church at Rome in Paul’s day are mentioned again in 15:4 and 16:19.
Paul calls God to be his witness that he prays for them without ceasing. That is, the apostle does not “cross them off his prayer list.” They are a part of his continuing prayer life.
In this connection the apostle affirms that he serves God with his “spirit in the gospel of His Son.” Notice, he did not serve his own human spirit, merely being driven by an inner emotional compulsion. He served God intelligently and purposefully with his spirit—with all the inner energies and emotional stamina that his human spirit generated.
And what a dynamic spirit was in him! With that same drive and energy of his human spirit he had persecuted the Church before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. With his spirit he had been “breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1). But the moment he met Jesus he fully and immediately turned that same inner drive in the opposite direction. “Lord, what will you have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). He spun around 180 degrees and headed in the right direction without “taking his foot off the accelerator.” His momentum never slowed. Now it was all for his Savior and Lord. What an example Paul is for all believers.
We notice what Paul prayed for. He longs to see them in person and prays that God will give him a prosperous journey. We “fast forward” to chapter 15, verses 31 and 32, where he repeats his desire to come to them and asks them to pray for him that he will be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea and that the believers will accept what he is bringing them. He asks this so that he may come to them at Rome with joy by the will of God and be refreshed with them.
As we read the record in Acts of the subsequent events in Paul’s life and ministry, we see that it did not turn out quite that way. Years later Paul finally arrived in Rome, but as a prisoner and after having suffered shipwreck and other adversities.
Paul had a deep conviction (here the strength of Paul’s spirit shows itself again) that he had to go to Jerusalem first and personally deliver the offering he had collected for the believers there. Had Paul listened to the collective wisdom of the churches, his own co-laborers and a reputable prophet named Agabus (Acts 11:28 and 21:10), his prayer and the prayers of the church at Rome would have been answered.
When Paul would not listen to the believers at Caesarea (including Philip the evangelist) who said to him “through the Spirit” (Acts 21:4—the same Greek construction as in Acts 11:28) that he should stop going up to Jerusalem, they gave up and left it up to God to work out His will in spite of Paul’s well-intentioned but misguided intransigence.
And, of course, that is what God did. God is sovereign and He knew how to get Paul to Rome one way or another and to accomplish some wonderful things along the way. God’s “plan A” for Paul was to get him to Rome, and He did. What God’s “plan A” to get him there might have been we do not know. We do know that God is never out of options. We must never give up just because we think we “blew” God’s “plan A” for us. Even God’s sovereign “plan B” in our lives is full of adventure and blessing.
In verses 11 and 12 Paul tells them why he longs to see them. He wants to share some spiritual gift with them so that they will be established. He is not referring to the nine “gifts” of the Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12. He explains what he means in verse 12: to establish them by the mutual encouragement of each other’s faith.
Paul assures them that often he had planned to come to them but had been hindered. He expands on his objective. He wanted to obtain some “fruit” (converts and ministry results) among them also, as he already had among the Gentiles. Paul was always looking to “the regions beyond” his present field of ministry, wanting to preach the gospel to them.
Paul sensed his deep, compelling debt to others, to Greeks and non-Greeks, wise and foolish. He owed them the gospel and he was determined to discharge that debt. That is why he was “ready” (eager) to preach the gospel to those at Rome. Rome was the capital, the “hub” and diffusion point of the entire empire. Preaching there was his high goal.
Verses 14 - 16 form a “three-point sermon”: (1) I am a debtor; (2) I am eager; (3) I am not ashamed.
What a Savior! What a gospel! What a calling!
The gospel is for all, is able to save all who believe, and produces righteousness by faith. The gospel is complete (verses 3, 4), universal in its provision and call (verse 5), powerful to save all who believe (verse 16), and results in righteousness in those who believe (verse 17).
Notice, the gospel reveals God’s righteousness (verse 17). We usually think of the gospel as revealing almost exclusively God’s grace and mercy. It certainly does that, of course. Yet, we must keep in mind that the gospel also demonstrates the fact that God, being righteous, provided in Christ the only possible way to grant grace and mercy without violating the demands of the moral law and therefore His righteousness. That is, God provided and offers us forgiveness and justification on terms that uphold and demonstrate His righteousness and His righteous moral governance.
If salvation were the result of God’s mercy alone, the death of His Son on the cross would be totally unnecessary, cruel, and unjust. But mercy without an atonement would give people the false and fatal idea that God is not serious about sin and that He is careless about His obligation to oppose and judge sin.
The death of Jesus Christ on the cross prevents that false notion and the destructive consequences of that notion. We have sinned. Sin brings the just penalty. Someone has to suffer under that penalty to uphold moral law and moral order. Either we bear the penalty or someone who is sinless must bear our sins and suffer under that penalty for us. This is absolutely necessary to make it clear that God is not trifling with our sin, even when He graciously forgives us. Thus the righteousness of God as well as His grace and mercy is revealed in the gospel.
Because we have all sinned, we could never stand righteous before God in ourselves. We are justified from sin (not in sin) by putting our faith in what another (Jesus Christ) did for us. Saving faith is a definite act that leads to a life of ever-increasing faith (“faith to faith”—see Romans 6:19; 2 Corinthians 2:15, 16; and 2 Corinthians 3:18 for Paul’s use of this way of expressing ever-increasing growth, either in good or in evil).
And so, “the just shall live by faith” (verse 17). We find this statement also in Habakkuk 2:4; Galatians 3:11; and Hebrews 10:38. It is a life of total trust in Jesus Christ that brings us immediately into a righteous standing before God and sets us into a righteous lifestyle.
3
Total Moral Depravity: The Gentile World
Romans 1:18 - 32
Verse 17 is transitional and leads into the subject of the rest of chapter 1—the total moral depravity of the gentile world. The entire section of the epistle from chapter 1:18 through chapter 3:20 describes humanity’s total moral depravity, its desperate need for righteousness and its total failure to attain righteousness.
Chapter 1:18 - 32 graphically describes the total sinfulness and guilt of the gentile world. It is made up of two paragraphs: verses 18 - 23—the folly of idolatry; verses 24-32—God gave them up (over) to their own dishonorable passions.
Romans 1:18 - 23
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
Having rejected God, the human race turned to idolatry. God is righteous. When people refuse to submit to the righteousness of God, they will create gods after their own desires, gods that are as sinful as they themselves are, gods that will let them do what they want to do and give them a religious justification for their doing so. This attitude is demonstrated by a well-known person who boasted, “If God did not let me do what I want, then I would change gods.”
VERSES 18 - 20: The Gentiles Are Responsible.
Just as the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel (verse 17), so also the wrath of God is revealed against all unrighteousness (verse 18). Sinners suppress the truth in a vain attempt to avoid its moral demands on them. This universal rejection of the truth has brought about universal moral guilt.
The pagan world had (and still has) what is called “natural revelation.” Since the creation of the world certain invisible qualities of God have been clearly seen, being inferred from the macrocosm and also in more modern times from the microcosm: specifically God’s eternal personal deity and His infinite power. This leaves all moral agents morally accountable and without excuse for their selfish disobedience, even if they have never heard the gospel of Christ. They are lost, not because they have not heard the gospel but because they are guilty sinners and they know it. If they hear the gospel and reject it, they add the guilt of this act of unbelief to that of rejecting natural revelation.
We see this same intransigence in the stubborn refusal by many on philosophical grounds to recognize or even consider the mounting and overwhelming evidence for intelligent design in nature. The root cause is a perverse and wicked bias against the Creator, rooted in stubborn pride and the horrific thought of facing Him in judgment. And so they continue to suppress the truth in their unrighteousness. Their last-ditch “Maginot line” of defense is the assertion that all science is materialistic by definition. If indeed all science is materialistic by definition, science thereby either places itself in the tenuous position of defending the vulnerable postulate that all reality is material, or precludes itself by its own ground rules from claiming that the scientific method (using the five physical senses) is the sole means of knowing all reality. Once they admit that science seeks the best interpretation and understanding of the data and not merely the best materialistic interpretation and understanding, their last refuge is swept away and their worst nightmare becomes a reality: they look up and see Almighty God staring them in the face.
VERSES 21 - 23: The Gentiles Are Willful.
This section describes the fall from monotheism into idolatry. Contrary to popular belief, monotheism (the belief in one God) did not emerge from an evolutionary religious process. The very earliest societies had the revelation of God, but they deliberately rejected it. In their passion and pride they refused to glorify God. They altered the glory of the incorruptible God into an idol. Light rejected became darkness. The result was crass idolatry, a caricature of God that grossly slandered Him. Their foolish hearts were darkened. “Foolish” in verse 21 means “unable to put things together” in their minds (see also verse 31).
We see the result of this irrational process when we observe intelligent Hindus on their knees worshiping a pack of rats! We see it also in modern new-age “spirituality,” as man worships himself. We see it in “deep ecology,” the deification of nature and the earth itself (why worship a rock or a tree when you can worship the entire planet!).
When people degrade God, they degrade themselves. This holds true whether it is practiced in the worship of idols and images or in a materialistic anthropology that is willing to degrade humanity ontologically by denying our high origin and nature in its attempt to eliminate God from its view of reality.
This is why a correct view of God is essential to a correct view of ourselves. If we are to think right about man, we must first think right about God.
Romans 1:24 - 32
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
The consequence of the pagan world’s rejection of the revelation of God in nature was that God gave them over to their own desires. God let them have what they were determined to have. God withdrew His restraining influence and let the pagan societies “run with their passions.” He abandoned them to idolatry and all the sexual promiscuity that goes with idolatry. He withheld light from those who refused to see. This is called reprobation. It involves what is termed “judicial blindness.”
Men abandoned the natural sexual relationship with women, choosing instead to practice with other men what is indecent and shameful. The resulting effect in themselves is the due penalty for their perverted sexual behavior. God is serious about the sanctity of marriage. He placed strict protective boundaries on human sexuality, and people transgress those boundaries at their own peril.
God abandoned them to a morally depraved mind. Just as they had abandoned God in their thinking, God abandoned them to their thinking. As God withdrew His restraining influence, they pursued their passions against all reason, their guilt only the greater in proportion to the level of their suppressed intelligence and the amount of light rejected. This was not merely an intellectual problem; it was a moral problem. They did not have a problem; they were a problem. The depravity was of the heart (the action of the will) before it became a depravity of the mind.
They “exchanged” (traded) God in the lie—the lie that is the essence of idolatry—that the creature, the created object, is “god”. They worshiped the creature rather than the Creator.
At this point in verse 25 Paul breaks out into a brief, spontaneous doxology to the true and living God.
Sexual sins and their consequent diseases and other human problems are a result of humanity’s “bad trade.” Bad theology promotes bad morality. People become like the gods they create. The results are the natural consequences of violating God’s natural moral order, just as injury and death are the natural consequences of violating God’s natural physical order.
The universal moral law, that God has revealed and that He enforces by due rewards and penalties, is founded in our nature and relationships as human beings. It fits us perfectly. Living in harmony with it results in our well-being and happiness. Sin is unnatural. If sin were natural, it would be beneficial. But sin is unnatural and therefore destructive. Every problem that results from human choices and behavior can be traced back ultimately to the violation of a biblical principle.
In free societies people can disobey the Bible if they choose. But one thing they cannot do—they cannot disobey the Bible and avoid the consequences, natural and judicial.
Verses 28 - 32 describe what happens when people deliberately expel the true and living God from their view of reality. It is an ugly picture, as real and up-to-date as today’s news.
In concluding this chapter, we identify three errors of the gentile (pagan) world:
they did not glorify God (verse 21);
they rejected God (verse 28);
they hated God (verse 30).
According to verse 32, in spite of the acknowledged guilt of such depravity and the certainty of pronounced divine punishment, they continue to go along with “the crowd of the damned.” This shows that the threat of just and deserved punishment does not in itself deter people who are determined to pursue the flesh. This is true in the Bible and also in the reality of human experience. The consequences are undeniable.
So the purpose of chapter 1 has been established: to demonstrate that the entire gentile world is guilty of sin and under its just penalty. They are guilty and without excuse. Without Christ they are on “death row,” awaiting the judgment.
But what about the Jews? They have the knowledge of the one true and living God. They have the holy Law, given by God to Moses. Where do they stand before God?
This is the subject of Romans, chapter 2. It is our next subject.
4
The Guilt Of The Jew Under The Law
Romans 2
Romans 2:1 - 16
1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.
12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law 13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; 14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
Years ago I was on an all-night flight from Tel Aviv to New York City. Seated next to me was a middle-aged gentleman. We did not become involved in conversation right away. During the first part of our flight I was silently reading my pocket New Testament. Observing this, my fellow-passenger introduced himself. His name was Isaac. He was a Jewish businessman from New York with business interest in both Israel and New York.
Isaac was an open-minded man. He regarded Jesus as an influential teacher who said many good things. Isaac was well-satisfied with his own faith and was comfortable conversing about spiritual matters.
As our conversation progressed, I took him to Deuteronomy, chapter 28, the passage that describes the blessings that come on those who obey the Law and the curses that fall on those who disobey it.
I pressed upon Isaac that we have all sinned, a fact clearly stated in The Scriptures, and therefore we have all incurred the penalty of the Law. Therefore as a Jew he could not base his hope on the Law because the very Law that was the foundation of his faith actually condemned him. As an intelligent man, he saw the point immediately. I presented Jesus of Nazareth to him as the Messiah and his only Savior.
I wish I could say that Isaac accepted the Messiah, but that was not the case, at least not at that moment. As a well-established man with children, grandchildren and other family members, he weighed the consequences of confessing faith in Jesus as the Messiah and his Savior.
“What shall I tell my family?” he asked. When I suggested a course of action, he replied, “I can’t do that.” So ended the discussion. My heart was heavy. I hope and pray that one day Isaac found Yeshua, the Messiah.
Here in the second chapter of his inspired epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul declares that just as the Gentiles have sinned and stand guilty before God, even so the Jews also have sinned and stand guilty before God.
This gives us a clearer understanding of our Lord’s words in Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.” These words were spoken to a Jewish audience during the Sermon On The Mount. Although the principle applies universally, it had specific relevance to people who considered themselves to be spiritually and morally superior to Gentiles. They judged the Gentiles for committing sins that they themselves were committing, thinking that their special status with God gave them impunity. Jesus dropped a “bombshell” when He informed them that they will be judged by the same moral standard that they apply to the Gentiles. Paul’s words in Romans 2:1 tie directly to Christ’s words in Matthew 7:1.
God does not have a double standard. He is no respecter of persons (verse 11). People who commit the same sins they judge others for committing are just as guilty. God does not grant them immunity because they are “religious.” This is true of the sinning Jew who judges the sinning Gentiles. It is true of the sinning Catholic who trusts in the “merits” of Christ and the “saints” to save him while he continues the cycle of sin and confession. It is true of the sinning Protestant who thinks that a new birth experience assures him of Heaven and eternal life while he continues living in present sin.
God does not dismiss the sins of “church people.” No one is exempt from the moral law and God’s just moral rule. Religious ties and spiritual experiences do not shield anyone from the penalty of present, persistent sinning.
Paul makes this very clear in Ephesians 5:5-7. “For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, or covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.”
“Partakers” means more than merely associating with. It implies sharing both in the sins and in the consequences.
Professed believers can be deceived by empty words in this matter only if they are led to believe that because they had a born-again experience once, they are still saved while they continue and persist in sin. Otherwise, the warning to believers would be meaningless.
This section contains three principles of divine judgment. The first is in verse 2. Judgment is “according to truth.” The NIV says “based on truth.” God’s judgment is factual, thorough, just, and impartial. We see this also in verse 11.
According to verses 3 - 5, we are informed that God’s patience is not to be mistaken for indifference, and certainly not for approval. The apostle has in mind God’s long-continued forbearance toward Israel, His covenant people. Continuing self-righteously in sin only increases one’s guilt and ultimate punishment.
The second principle of divine judgment is found in verse 6. God’s judgment will be according to one’s deeds, not religious beliefs, opinions, feelings, rituals, or affiliations. Conduct reveals character. A godly life that results from godly character has God’s approval. A sinful life that results from a sinful character will bring God’s judgment.
Verses 7 and 10 do not teach justification by works. Justification comes “by grace through faith” (Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:8). These verses here teach that a justified person will live a justified life. Believers are justified from sin, not in sin.
Again, verse 12 affirms that all sin will receive God’s judgment. The Gentiles will not be judged by the Law of Moses. They sinned outside of that codified embodiment of the moral law. They sinned against natural law, that is, the universal moral law revealed in their own consciences. That is sufficient light to make them morally accountable, and they will be judged according to that light. On the other hand, the Jews sinned against the Law of Moses, and they will be judged by the greater light of that special revelation. So then, the person who knew the Law and lived contrary to it bears the greater guilt and therefore the heavier punishment.
Verse 16 connects with verse 12 and continues the sentence (“shall be judged . . . in the day when . . . .”).
The third principle of divine judgment is found in verse 16. God’s judgment will be through Jesus Christ according to the gospel. The sinning Gentile will be judged by the moral law as it resides in his/her conscience. The sinning Jew will be judged by the Law of Moses. They who have heard the gospel (Jew and Gentile) will be judged by the direct light of the gospel. All judgment will be through Jesus Christ (see John 5:22; Acts 10:42; Acts 17:31). The judgment will reveal the secrets—heart motives, hidden thoughts, concealed purposes and actions—of each person.
By “according to my gospel” Paul means the gospel that he preached, the one and only gospel revealed in Jesus Christ and “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
Romans 2:17 - 29
17 Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, 18 and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. 21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? 22 You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? 24 For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.
25 For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27 And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
The groundwork has now been laid to demonstrate that the disobedient Jew is also under the judgment of God for his/her sins. The purpose is to demolish the false hope of the self-righteous Jew. Verses 17 - 27 are in the second person singular. The apostle addresses the Jew on a personal, individual level.
Verses 17 - 20 list the Jew’s confident claims to superior moral and spiritual knowledge. Notice that the emphasis is on what the Jew knows and therefore teaches to the unenlightened.
The apostle does not dispute these confident claims. He grants them to be true. The issue is not what the enlightened Jew knows and preaches, but what he practices.
Verses 21 - 24 show that the unbelieving Jew is condemned by his own teaching and preaching. His moral failure is the same as that of the Gentiles. He was disobeying the very truth he was teaching the Gentiles. This brought the truth into disrepute and dishonored God.
The inspired apostle framed this section as a series of questions, questions aimed at the conscience of the smug, self-assured Jew. The questions are rhetorical and presuppose their own answers. Their purpose is to cut the ground from under him and leave his conscience naked before the Law itself.
This reminds us of the time when the woman taken in adultery was brought before Jesus (John 8). The Lord stooped down and with His finger wrote something on the ground. Then He raised Himself up and said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” He then went on writing on the ground. The woman’s accusers slipped away one by one until no one was left to accuse her. Evidently, what Jesus wrote on the ground exposed their own personal sins and stung their consciences.
One of the questions Paul asks has to do with abhorring idols and robbing temples. The thought is that some Jews were physically militant in their opposition to idolatry, taking Deuteronomy 7:5 as their justification; but, like Achan (Joshua 7), instead of destroying “the accursed thing,” they robbed the pagan temples and confiscated for their own use whatever valuable articles they found. The violent behavior of these “temple robbing” Jews is hinted at in Acts 19:37, where the city clerk reminded the crowd that the apostles, Jews themselves, had not been temple-robbers.
So, Paul accuses the hypocritical Jew of loving what the idols were made of while professing to abhor the idols themselves. They boasted of the Law, but by trespassing the Law they dishonored God. Thus the sacred Name was blasphemed among the Gentiles because of their hypocritical actions, just as The Scriptures stated (see Isaiah 52:5 and Ezekiel 36:20 - 22).
The passage in verses 25 - 29 defines the true Jew. Verse 25 affirms that “circumcision,” that is, living under the covenant that God made with Abraham, does have its advantages. Some of these advantages were implied earlier in verses 17 - 20. Chapter 3, verse 1 says that being a Jew is very beneficial in every way, first of all because the revealed word of God had been entrusted to them (3:2).
Verse 25 says that the privileges that the Jew has under the Law are an advantage only if he keeps the Law (“if” here is grammatically a “condition of the third class,” assumed not to be true of the person referred to). However, if the Jew breaks the Law (“if” here is gramatically a “condition of the first class,” assumed to be true of the person referred to), all of his advantages under the Law work directly against him. By breaking the Law of Moses, the Jew places himself under its curse. He violates greater light and thus incurs greater condemnation. His covenant relationship is broken and nullified. He is no longer “an Israelite indeed” (John 1:47).
In verses 26 and 27 Paul is referring to the gentile believer who has removed the “body of the sins of the flesh” by the spiritual “circumcision done by Christ” in his heart (Colossians 2:11), and who therefore now keeps the moral obligations of the Law (as verse 29 clearly states).
Verse 27 continues by saying that the physically uncircumcised Gentile who continues to fulfill the moral obligations of the Law (because his heart is now “circumcised” by Christ) shall judge the Jew who had the written Law and circumcision but transgressed it.
In verse 28 the inspired apostle makes an astounding statement. “A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, . . . “ (NIV).
The Old Covenant is gone. The New Covenant is the only one that is now in force. This changes the definition of the designation “Jew.” Now a true Jew is the one who is a Jew inwardly, whose heart is circumcised by Christ and who therefore has “put off the sins of the body of the flesh.” The unbelieving Jews are still referred to as “Israel according to the flesh” (1 Corinthians 10:18) to distinguish them from the true New Covenant Jews, whose “praise” is from God.
“Praise” here is a play on words. Judah means “praise.” The “praise” (Jewishness) of the true Jew comes not from human descent or ethnicity, but directly from God through Jesus Christ.
“For we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3 NASB).
5
From Total Moral Depravity To Full Justification
Romans 3
Romans 3:1 - 8
1 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. 3 For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? 4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written:
“That You may be justified in Your words,
And may overcome when You are judged.”
5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) 6 Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?
7 For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.”
The subject continues as Paul poses the question, “What advantage then has the Jew?” This is the logical question to ask in view of the fact (established in Romans 2) that the sinning Jew is under the same guilt and condemnation as the sinning Gentile, and even more so because the Jew has the greater light of the Law and the Prophets.
Yes, the Jew has several advantages. Paul only states the fact here without listing them, giving only the “chief” advantage—they had the oracles of God, the written revelation of the Old Covenant Scriptures. We find a list of the Jews’ advantages in Romans 9:4, 5 (the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the law, the service of God, the promises, the fathers, and the human lineage of Christ Himself).
After affirming that the Jews had many advantages, Paul asks the question, “What if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?” (verse 3). He answers the question in verse 4. The answer came right out of David’s penitential psalm (Psalm 51:4).
The point is that the unfaithfulness of the unbelieving Jews did not nullify God’s faithfulness to His covenant purposes. God’s truth stands and His purposes stand no matter what some of the people do or fail to do.
It is futile and wicked to attempt to bring God into judgment and to charge Him with falsehood. God is true, even if that would make every human being a liar. God is true whether others are or not. That is what qualifies Him and Him alone to be the Judge of all. He is justified in His sayings and refutes completely every charge that is brought against Him. God’s commands and actions are motivated by a commitment to secure the highest good (all things considered together) and are conditioned by infinite knowledge and wisdom. This is true of His act of destroying the corrupt human race at the Flood; it is true of His command to Israel to exterminate the hopelessly corrupt culture of Canaan; it is true of the everlasting punishment of impenitent sinners. Given our limited knowledge, we are in no position to judge Him who is perfect in character, knowledge and wisdom. God’s ways and God’s judgments have always been just and they always will be just. Every accusation against a loving and righteous God is slander against His character. It shows ignorance of Him and His ways and a willingness to believe the worst about Him in spite of all the evidences to the contrary. Even the holiest of saints can honestly question why and how God acts in certain situations, but no one can honestly slander His character.
In verse 5, speaking from a merely human point of view, Paul brings up the specious argument that if our unrighteousness makes God’s righteousness stand out by contrast, is not our unrighteousness glorifying Him? In that case, would not God be unjust to punish us for glorifying Him by our sins? The ancient Jews used to play these kinds of speculative, philosophical mind and word games. Of course, it is pure sophistry. It is the “clean spot on a dirty sheet” argument (the dirty sheet makes the clean spot stand out). Paul replies that on that premise God could not judge the Gentiles either.
Paul continues, still speaking from a merely human point of view. Paul employs the same spurious “logic” against those who follow that line of rationalization and yet accuse him of preaching falsehood. Paul is saying, “O. K. If I am preaching a lie, and that makes God’s truth stand out by contrast, why are you (by your own ‘logic’) judging me to be a sinner?” In his argument Paul refers to those who slander him by falsely accusing him of advocating evil so that good will result. This was a gross distortion of Paul’s teaching on grace. Even if Paul preached that we should do evil so that good will result (which he did not), his accusers still would not have a reason to judge him, given their own spurious “logic.” By accusing Paul they were thus accusing themselves.
Paul declares that such objections by his detractors come from their dishonest and evil hearts; therefore their condemnation is just.
Romans 3:9 - 20
9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
10 As it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all gone out of the way;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
13 “Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Are the Jews better than the Gentiles? Paul answers emphatically, “Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin.” “Under sin” includes both sin’s power and sin’s guilt.
The apostle backs up this charge by quoting a series of Old Testament passages that affirm the universal moral depravity and guilt of all human moral agents (that includes Jews) prior to conversion to Christ. Keep in mind that at this point Paul is still addressing Jews (“we”), and therefore he appeals to them right out of The Scriptures.
Verses 10 - 12 are from Psalm 14:1 - 3; Psalm 53:1 - 3; and Ecclesiastes 7:20.
Verse 13 is from Psalm 5:9 and Psalm 140:3.
Verse 14 is from Psalm 10:7.
Verses 15 - 17 are from Isaiah 59:7 and 8.
Verse 18 is from Psalm 36:1.
We notice the progression of the indictment. It begins by establishing that human moral depravity and guilt became universal. It includes not only all human beings as a group but also every human being personally subsequent to the beginning of moral accountability and prior to conversion. Having established the universality of human moral depravity, the apostle proceeds to describe in graphic biblical terms the totality of moral depravity. It is like the putrefaction of an open tomb and the deadly poison of asps.
Notice, first is their poisonous speech (verses 13 and 14). Next is their destructive behavior (verses 15 and 16). Last is their inner attitude (verses 17 and 18).
The apostle brings the entire indictment to a climax by stating the obvious: what was written in the Old Testament law was written to and about the Jews (verse 19). The curse of the Old Testament law is upon those who are under that law. Therefore, apart from the Messiah, the Jew stands before God condemned, without excuse, with no defense, and speechless, along with the rest of the sinning world. The very Mosaic Law that he rests on and that he thinks gives him a spiritual standing actually condemns him because the Law fully informs him of his sin and its consequences. His greater light under the Law brings greater responsibility.
All shall be judged according to their moral light. The Gentile will be judged by the light of natural revelation and his/her conscience (Romans 1). The Jew will be judged by the light of the Mosaic Law (Romans 2). Of course, in both cases the Jew or Gentile who now has the light of the gospel will be also judged by the light of the gospel. So then, every moral agent is morally obligated by his/her light and will stand before God accountable and liable for the sins committed against that light (see 2:12).
Romans 3:21 - 31
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
In view of what has been established concerning universal and total human moral depravity, how then can anyone be made righteous before God? The guilty cannot forgive their own sins. They cannot remove their own guilt. Legally, they have no hope. All that is left is the carrying out of the Divine sentence against them.
But wait! There is a way—one way. It is the way that only God could provide and that He did provide. It was witnessed by the Law and the Prophets. It was completed and established by Jesus Christ on the cross, and it was validated by His resurrection. God now shows it to us and points us to it.
It is very important for us to understand that Christ’s death on the cross did not automatically save everyone. This is the common error of universalism. Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for all; it is efficient only for those who repent and believe.
Justification from sin is not unconditional. Although we can do nothing to merit it, we receive it only on the conditions that God justly and necessarily requires: repentance and faith. Technically, it is by faith alone because true faith includes repentance. In the act of faith, one turns to the Object of his/her faith—God in Christ; and in turning to God in Christ, the heart (will) turns from sin, just as in turning the face in one direction one automatically and necessarily turns the back against the opposite direction.
So then, God offers to make us righteous in Christ, and He actually does so the moment we truly put our faith in Him. We are declared righteous; we are given a right standing before God; and we are brought to a right state of heart (will) —all by faith.
This righteousness through faith is apart from the Law of Moses. It is conferred as a free gift from God through Jesus Christ on all who truly believe. Just as all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, even so all who truly believe are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Grace is unmerited favor; it is receiving what we do not deserve.
God has presented Christ openly and publicly as a propitiation through faith in His blood. “Propitiation” is that which makes possible the gracious mercy and favor of God. A propitiation removes what has stood between God and us. It satisfies God’s justice and brings us into His favor. Here it refers to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
This makes it morally possible for God to justify the believer without violating His righteousness and justice. If God were to forgive sin and justify the sinner without something being done that fully satisfies the demands of the broken moral law, He would be grossly unjust. He would be acting in reckless disregard for the moral order and therefore the well-being of the universe. We sinned. The broken moral law demands a penalty to uphold the honor, integrity, and influence of the moral law. Either we must suffer that penalty or an adequate substitute must suffer under that penalty in our place. Christ is that substitutionary Sacrifice. He took our place; now God can fully justify the person who believes in Jesus without violating His own justice. Mercy no longer violates justice. Christ did what the penalty is supposed to do, and much more.
This is how God fully redeemed the sins that were committed before Christ came. God had instituted animal sacrifices as an atonement for sins that were committed before Christ’s sacrificial death. Those sacrifices were a temporary arrangement. The sins that they atoned for were only “passed over” but not fully redeemed until Christ redeemed them on the cross (see Hebrews 9:15). Thus faith in God’s temporary provision was counted as faith in His permanent provision. This means that no one has ever been saved—no one’s sins have been fully erased—except in Christ. Christ’s death retroactively redeemed the sins of those who had lived by faith and whose faith had been put on their account for righteousness. Christ’s death validated their faith.
The death of Jesus Christ on the cross demonstrates the righteousness of God by providing the only way for God to be just in justifying those who believe in Jesus. Of course, this completely excludes human boasting. Salvation by our own works certainly would not prevent boasting; in fact, it would promote boasting, boasting in our good works. But we forfeited any righteousness by works. We lost that possibility by our sins. So then, boasting is excluded by the law of faith. If we must trust Christ for righteousness, it means that we have none of our own. Our righteousness is from God, not of ourselves. Present righteousness by faith continues as we continue to live by faith.
The conclusion? We are justified by faith apart from the acts prescribed by the Law of Moses. Because God is the God of all humanity, Jews and Gentiles, He offers justification by faith to all. God justifies believing Jews “out of faith” and believing Gentiles “through the faith.” The Jews are justified out of their faith in Jesus Christ; the Gentiles are justified through the same faith. The believing Jews had the promise of righteousness by faith in the witness of the Law and the Prophets; therefore, the revelation of it came to them directly. It came to the believing Gentiles indirectly through the proclamation of the faith by those who preached the gospel to them.
It is done! It is complete! We can add nothing to it.
Do we then nullify the law through the faith? (verse 31). That is, do we do away with the universal moral law, the “royal law,” the law of faith? “May it never be!” On the contrary, we establish law—moral law, the universal moral principles and obligations that were embodied in the Ten Commandments and the other moral precepts of the Old Testament. In fact, genuine faith includes honest heart-obedience and produces holiness. Faith purifies the heart (Acts 15:9), works by love (Galatians 5:6), and overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).
6.
Abraham: Justification By Faith Before The Law
Romans 4
Paul’s Epistle To The Galatians was written probably just prior to the Epistle To The Romans. In a real sense Galatians is the “forerunner” of Romans. In both epistles Abraham is the prime example of justification by faith prior to the Law of Moses. Much of the fourth chapter of Romans parallels the third chapter of Galatians, so much so that together they form the two rails of a common “track.” For this reason one should carefully and prayerfully read the third chapter of Galatians before studying the fourth chapter of Romans. In both epistles the underlying principle is that justification by grace through faith is and always has been the only way to be made right before God.
Romans 4:1 - 3
1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Some manuscripts read “what Abraham our father according to the flesh has discovered.” Others read “what Abraham our father has discovered according to the flesh.” The former reading identifies Abraham as our (Jewish) natural father. The latter asks what Abraham discovered (regarding righteousness) according to his own human efforts.
If Abraham was justified before God by his own works, he would have something to boast about—really something. He could stand before God as a person who had never sinned and present his claim for the due rewards of his righteousness as a matter of justice. That would run contrary both to the stated fact of universal human sinfulness (3:1-23), and to the reality of human experience. Therefore, Abraham had no standing before God on the basis of his own works. And, of course, neither do we.
So then, how was Abraham made righteous before God? For the answer we are directed to The Scriptures—not to the Mosaic Law but clear back to Genesis, long before that Law was given.
The record states that Abraham “believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6 KJV). So then, Abraham was justified by faith, real faith, the faith that trusts and obeys (see James 2:20 - 26), the faith “that works by love,” as Paul already defined it in Galatians 6:5. Hebrews 11:8 says “By faith Abraham . . . obeyed.” Real faith purifies the heart (Acts 15:9) and overcomes the world (1 John 5:4). Such real faith justifies, and it alone justifies.
We are saved by faith apart from works, but we are not saved by a “faith” that does not work.
The faith that receives righteousness before God as a free gift of His grace also moves a person’s whole being to love and obey the One in whom it trusts.
In verse three we come to a word that is found eleven times in various forms in Romans, Chapter 4. The Greek word is logidzomai. It is variously translated as “counted,” “reckoned,” “imputed,” “credited.” Logidzomai is an accounting term. It means to credit to one’s account.
When we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, God does not merely make a “deposit” of righteousness to “account” to “balance” our sins. He justifies us from all sin and declares us completely righteous before Him.
Romans 4:4 and 5
4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.
This is a firm statement of the fact of justification by faith. We are made righteous before God by faith, and only by faith. This follows logically from what has just been said about Abraham.
The person who earns something by working for it can claim it as a right. Whoever owes it to him or her is obligated to “pay up.” Just so, if we could stand before God and demand our eternal reward on the basis of our good works, God would be in debt to us and would be obligated to “pay up.”
Wouldn’t that make Heaven an interesting place! All these “righteous” people forever bragging about what they did to get there, how much they deserve it, and how much better they are than most of the rest. God would receive no love, no gratitude, at all. What a miserable place Heaven would become.
No, the redeemed inhabitants of Heaven will forever acknowledge that they are there only because of God’s grace and mercy—grace and mercy that they received by faith in Jesus Christ. They will be eternally grateful, and God alone will be glorified.
“But to him who does not work” (verse 5). This does not mean that those who are made righteous by faith do not work, for indeed “faith works by love” (Galatians 5:6). It means that they do not work in order to merit the reward. They put their trust totally and exclusively in God, “who justifies the ungodly.” They know that they could never forgive their own sins and clear their guilt, that they cannot bring themselves into a right standing before God. They had “blown it.” They know that only God can forgive them, justify them, and put them into a right standing before Him and a right relationship with Him and His moral order. Most of all, they have heard and believed the good news—God makes the ungodly righteous, and He does it by faith in Jesus Christ and only by faith in Jesus Christ!
That person’s faith is credited to him/her as righteousness—instantaneous, full and complete righteousness. Total guilt is removed and replaced by total righteousness.
Romans 4:6 - 8
6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man
to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
8 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.”
Here again the witness of The Scriptures is cited. Justification by faith is confirmed by David in Psalm 32:1, 2.
This psalm came out of David’s deep joy in God’s forgiveness after he had experienced the deep agony of his guilty conscience and his broken fellowship with God in the adulterous and murderous affair involving Bathsheba, and after his sincere and thorough repentance and the full assurance that his sin had been forgiven and covered.
In this case David was under the Law of Moses and therefore under the sentence of death that was imposed by that law. The Law condemned him. Where could he go for relief, for mercy, for forgiveness, for life?
To God alone! And he did. He threw himself exclusively and completely on God’s offered mercy, and was forgiven.
Abraham was justified by faith before the Law of Moses. David was justified by faith during the Law of Moses. Today we are justified by faith apart from the Law of Moses.
In all cases, God justifies us from our sins, not in our sins.
Romans 4:9 - 12
9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
Abraham was justified (made righteous) before circumcision. This was the relevant point, a point the Jews overlooked.
Circumcision was the God-instituted sign and seal of the Abrahamic Covenant. The Judaizers of Paul’s day were insisting that believers in Christ Jesus had to keep the Law of Moses, especially the sign and seal of circumcision, in order to be saved. Paul refutes that error by pointing out the fact that Abraham was justified by faith alone before he received the covenant-sign of circumcision (Genesis 15), and that his circumcision came later as the outward seal of the righteousness he already had received by faith (Genesis 17). Abraham’s justification was by faith before his circumcision and certainly long before the Law of Moses.
Because Abraham was justified by faith prior to being circumcised, he became the spiritual “father” of all who put their faith in Jesus Christ for righteousness through Jesus Christ, whether they are circumcised (Jews) or not circumcised (Gentiles).
To all (Jews and Gentiles) who believe on God’s means of justification, provided exclusively in Jesus Christ, Abraham remains the “father of circumcision.” This time it is the true “circumcision” of the heart, not the flesh (Romans 2:28, 29). Abraham is the “father of circumcision” to them who walk and step (military terms) in the same honest, sincere, whole-hearted faith that Abraham himself placed in God when he was still uncircumcised.
This teaches us that faith is more than an isolated act. It is a course of life. By the initial act of the will to put our trust in Christ we step into the continuous “march” of faith. A faith that does not “walk” is dead (James 2:21-26). A living faith will work. It will walk with its Savior and Lord in daily living. That proves it is real faith.
Faith both trusts and obeys. Trust is faith resting. Obedience is faith acting. Faith resting is like stepping from the jetway into the airplane. Crossing that “line” is a huge, single act of faith. It is a commitment of trust for the entire flight. You sit back, fasten your seat belt, and let the pilot and the crew do it all. You depend entirely on the pilot to bring you safe and sound to your destination, even if you have never seen the pilot.
So then, faith both rests and works, trusts and obeys. Faith without works is dead (James). Works without faith are dead (Paul—Galatians and Romans).
The emphasis in Romans (as also in Hebrews 11 and James 2) is on these two essential qualities and how they function together essentially and vitally in genuine living faith.
Abraham believed God and it was credited to him for righteousness. His faith was an act of the will that also produced a life of active obedience. So it is with all who truly believe.
Romans 4:13 - 25
13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.
16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.
“Heir of the world” (verse 13). The “world-wide” scope of the promise is awesome. It stretches our thinking. The promise was made to Abraham and to his seed. Abraham’s “seed” is Christ (Galatians 3:16). The promise goes far beyond Abraham’s physical descendants (many though they be). It certainly extends beyond Israel under the Law of Moses. So then, the world-wide promise to Abraham’s seed—and also the definition of his “seed” —must also extend beyond the Law. It extends to all who are “in Christ” by faith (Galatians 3:29). The promise is not through the Law but through the righteousness that comes by faith. That makes it world-wide in its definition, its application, and its invitation. It also makes it “age-long” —throughout the gospel age—until Jesus returns.
If the eschatological heritage through righteousness belongs to them who are of the Law of Moses and because they are of the Law, faith is canceled out and the promise is rendered useless (idle, inactive. See also Galatians 3:18 on this point). In such a case either faith came too soon and was superseded (canceled out) by the Law, or the promise came too late because the Law came complete with severe penalties that activated God’s “wrath” (judicial opposition and action) against sin.
In other words, the Law of Moses had penalties and the universal disobedience of those who were under the Law triggered those penalties. So the Law brought about judgment, not righteousness. In a strictly legal sense, laws and penalties go together. If there is no law, there is no transgression (violation); if there is no transgression (violation), there is no penalty. The Law defined transgression and established the penalty. Those who live under the Law of Moses have already violated it and therefore have incurred its horrific penalty. So then, if true righteousness is to be obtained and established, it must be by some means other than the Law of Moses, or any other legal code that embodies the moral law.
Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace (verse 16). In this way the promise (including the promise of the Spirit—Galatians 3:14) is established (firm and stable) to all the “seed,” that is, to all who truly believe God as Abraham did. Thus Abraham is the spiritual father of all who place their faith fully in God, particularly in His redemptive act in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26 - 29).
Yes, Abraham is “the father of us all” (all true believers in Jesus Christ) right in the very presence of God, “who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did” (verse 17).
So then, the sovereign decrees of God are the solid foundation of our faith. God calls the non-being into being. The apostle refers back to God’s decree to Abraham, “I have made (set) you a father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5). It was a “done deal” before it actually came about.
Beginning with verse 18 we consider the depth and the scope of the “Abraham kind of faith.” Remember the solid foundation of our faith—God gives life to the dead and calls what does not exist into being (verse 17). The example given at this point is Abraham and Sarah. God is able to raise up children to Abraham out of stones (Matthew 3:9). That would go far beyond what God did for Abraham and Sarah; it is a declaration of the absolute creative power of God. By tying it in with Galatians 3:29 it ultimately declares God’s power to raise up those who are spiritually dead and by the new birth to make them living spiritual children of Abraham by faith. They are justified and made righteous by the same faith that justified Abraham and made him righteous.
Against hope Abraham believed upon hope (verse 18). That is, against all human certainty, Abraham relied on the higher, divine certainty. That is how he became the father of many nations and ultimately “the father of us all” who believe in Christ (verse 16). This is the ultimate fulfillment of Genesis 17:5.
Verses 19 -21 state that Abraham was not weak in faith, even though he was aware of his own age and the “deadness” of Sarah’s reproductive organs. He did not waver (see James 1:6), but became powerful in faith, giving glory to God. It was firmly and permanently settled in his soul that God was able to perform what He had promised.
So here we see three qualities of Abraham. He (1) was strong in faith, (2) was fully persuaded (assured, carried to full measure), (3) gave glory to God. We see an advanced stage in the maturing of Abraham’s faith. At this point his faith was not fully matured; it was not quite ready for its ultimate test in the command to “sacrifice” Isaac (Genesis 22). Still, it was now much stronger than the earlier days when he set himself to leave Haran and then wandered through Canaan and into Egypt with uncertainty and insecurity. Now Abraham had absolute confidence in the character and ability of God. If God can, He will. He can!
As we read the record of this event in Genesis 17:17, Abraham does indeed appear to waver at God’s promise (“Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?” —KJV).
But, although at that point Abraham had doubts about how God was going to do this (as he thought about his own and Sarah’s ages), he did not waver in his confidence in God Himself and the fact that God could and would do what He promised. His doubts arose when he looked at himself and Sarah. His doubts vanished when he focused on God. It was not faith in his faith; it was faith in God.
In this example we see that true faith—the faith that brings justification, a right standing before God and a right relationship with God—is a total commitment that rests entirely on who God is and what He says.
All of this is more than ancient history and an interesting personal drama written to commemorate an outstanding spiritual achievement. It was written for us. Why? Because we desperately need to be made right with God, and we see in Abraham exactly how God does this. It is by faith! That was the faith that God credited to Abraham for righteousness. That is the righteousness that God credits to all who truly believe—with this kind of faith. It was the faith that produced Isaac, that produced nations, that produced a multitude of justified saints. Gospel faith is the same kind as Abraham’s faith!
“To us who believe” (verse 24). Believe what? Believe whom? “Believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead” (verse 24). To believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ one must believe in the God who raised Him from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not a myth. It is not a symbol of some kind of subjective “faith.” It happened in time-space history, and God did it! We believe the God of Abraham, the One who justified him by faith and also raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Our faith is not only in the fact of the resurrection but also in One who raised Him from the dead.
Verse 25 tells us the why of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was delivered up (to death on the cross) for—on account of—our transgressions, and was raised up from the dead for—on account of (for the cause of, to secure) —our justification (see 5:10).
Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ His death on the cross would have no saving effect (see 1 Corinthians 15). It was His resurrection that validated His person and therefore His vicarious, saving death. God raised Jesus from the dead. That settles it!
So God justifies us—declares us righteous and makes us righteous—by faith in Jesus Christ, our risen and only Savior. That is and always has been the only way. Even Abraham’s faith was ultimately validated by Christ’s death and resurrection. Abraham believed God—the only true and living God, the One who in time raised Christ from the dead and thus validated Jesus’ claims and also validated the faith of all who truly believe in Him.
Jesus said, “Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad” (John 8:56 KJV).
For more on the faith of Abraham, see Hebrews 11:8 - 19.
So then, we can rest our faith fully in God. If God can rejuvenate Abraham, regenerate Sarah’s womb, produce Isaac, make children of Abraham out of stones if He chooses, and raise Jesus from the dead, He can save us.
If you are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), come alive in Jesus Christ. Salvation was provided for us at the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ; it is produced in us when we believe with all the heart.
At this point we are ready to move right on into Romans, Chapter 5. Believers are reconciled through His death, and fully saved by and in His life (Romans 5:10).
7
Much More
Romans 5
Romans 5-1 - 8
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
This is the first set of results—blessings, benefits—of being justified by faith. Being justified means that God treats believers in Christ as though they had never sinned. In a sense, believers have a new past as well as a new present standing. They are not pardoned sinners but justified saints—justified from sin, not in sin. Justification secures release from the guilt and practice of sin; it places believers into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ that secures victory over the power and practice of sin.
1. We have peace with God. Some of the old manuscripts of the Alexandrian and Western texts read this as a subjunctive (“let us have peace with God”). This is clearly a scribal error because it is completely out of harmony with the context. This variant reading involves one letter in Greek and is the result of reading an omega instead of an omicron. In Hellenistic times the pronunciation between the two became much less distinct, opening the way for scribal errors in transmitting the text.
This passage describes what we have. We have peace with God. Peace with God includes (a) a right standing with God, the Moral Governor of the universe; (b) moral harmony and compatibility with Him; and (c) an open, intimate love relationship with Him in and through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. Because believers have peace with God, we are not on probation or parole. We are fully justified, fully qualified, fully accepted in Christ.
2. We have access by faith into this grace in which we stand. Our right standing is an accomplished fact. It is a standing in grace, God’s unmerited favor. We entered into this position by faith and we remain there by faith. We are standing in God’s grace and God’s grace is all-sufficient to make us stand. So long as we are standing in grace by faith, we will not fail and we will not fall. See 2 Corinthians 1:24 and 1 Peter 5:12.
3. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Believers have a glorious future set before us and we are rejoicing in the anticipation of it. We have eternal life, a present and everlasting relationship with the Father and the Son (John 17:3). That gives us a reason to be joyful no matter what else we experience in life. Earthly joys cannot compare with it, and earthly difficulties cannot diminish it. This joy transcends all.
4. We glory in tribulations. Because we are justified by faith and therefore have a glorious future set before us, we can be joyful through the tribulations of life. We do so because we know that the trials and tribulations of life set in motion a process that builds in us the character qualities that prepare us for the full employments and enjoyments of our glorious eternal future. By far, the destiny is worth the difficulty.
Tribulation produces perseverance. Perseverance produces proven character. Proven character produces hope (the anticipation of our eternal glory). And this hope, this certainty, does not disappoint (see Romans 9:33 and 10:11). This hope does not disappoint because God’s love is poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. That is, God’s love has been fully established in our hearts by the Holy Spirit because He has made Jesus so real and personal to us that we have “fallen in love” with Him and so with the Father.
Our love-bond with God through Christ by the Spirit is proof that we have been reconciled to God and are in fellowship with Him. We are joined with Him in the essential quality of His character—love (1 John 4:8, 16). Thus our hope is firmly established and will not disappoint us.
We will return to this theme in Romans 8:28-30.
The history of God’s “poured out” love is described in verses 6 - 8. We were morally weak and sinful because we had given in and given up to the control of the flesh. The Law of Moses could not break the power of our fleshly appetites once we surrendered to their unreasonable demands (see 8:3). In God’s appointed time (“the fullness of the time”—Galatians 4:4), Christ died on behalf of the ungodly. He did not die just for the “righteous” people (in a legal sense); hardly anyone would do that. He did not die for the “good” people (in a moral sense); some might go so far as to dare to do that. God demonstrated the depth and the magnitude of His love for us by doing in Christ what nobody else would even think of doing—die for the ungodly, for us while we were yet sinners.
God did the reconciling act in Christ before any one of us was born. Paul could speak of himself and his contemporaries as being sinners before Christ died. It applies to all subsequent generations of sinners. Christ regarded us all as future sinners and died on behalf of us as such. He anticipated the fact that we would sin and incur guilt and condemnation. Although He died for those future sins, they are forgiven only when we repent and believe. God’s reconciling act in Christ stands as an accomplished fact for all time and for the whole world. Although it was provided for all, it is effective only for those who believe when they believe.
Jesus loves us so much that He would rather die than be in Heaven without us.
Romans 5:9 - 11
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
This passage contains the second set of results—blessings, benefits—of being justified by faith. The first set focused on the present; this second set focuses on the future.
If God loved us with the love of His compassion while we were sinners, how much more He must love us with the love of His approval now that we have been reconciled to Him.
In verse 9 we come to the first “much more.” We are now justified by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. That took care of the guilt of the past. Much more we shall be saved through Him from the wrath of God on sin. Through Christ God is fully able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (Jude 24). How God does this is described in verse 10. The “much more” of verse 9 is expanded by the “much more” of verse 10. It is a step beyond reconciliation. Reconciliation was provided by Christ’s death and becomes effective in us by faith. The future qualities and components of our salvation are secured by His life. Christ’s resurrection life preserves what His redeeming death accomplished. He ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). That is the foundation of the believer’s assurance.
In view of what God did for us in Christ, what He is doing in and for us now, and what He has in store for us in the future, we rejoice in our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the reconciliation. We have it now. It is an accomplished fact, a present possession, a sure hope. No wonder believers rejoice! The apostle Peter described it fully in 1 Peter 1:3 - 9. Verse 8 says that we rejoice with a joy beyond expression and full of glory.
Our joy is in God—above, beyond, and even in spite of what we experience in this earthly life.
Romans 5:12 - 21
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all 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 those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This passage shows the contrast between what Adam did and how that affected us, and what Christ did and how that affected us.
Since the time of Origen and especially since the time of Augustine, this passage has been cited to support the doctrine of original sin. Such a misinterpretation of The Scriptures would not have happened if the doctrine itself had not been presupposed. This was the result of the influence of Greek philosophy, particularly Neo-Platonism, on Christian theology. Plato taught “the fall of the soul.” Origen inferred the doctrine from the practice of infant baptism. Augustine inferred the doctrine from his own personal experience with moral failure prior to his conversion to Christ, and within the context of his own Neo-Platonic mind-set. Augustine’s successful contest with Pelagius and Coelestius, a success confirmed by the Roman emperor, provided the occasion for the official establishment of the doctrine. (For more on this subject, please see The Influence Of Greek Philosophy On The Development Of Christian Theology.)
We are considering this passage from a biblical, Hebrew/moral frame of reference instead of looking at it through the lens of a Greek/ontological mind-set. That is, we want to understand these words of the apostle in the context of the Bible’s clear definition of sin as a voluntary choice, the context in which Paul wrote these words.
We must keep in mind that sin is not a “thing.” It is not a mystical, metaphysical “essence.” The Bible consistently regards sin as a moral choice, a responsible act of the will.
So then, what does this passage teach? This passage shows the contrast between what Adam did and what Christ did, and the effect of each on humanity. It is a development of the subject of justification, the main theme of the epistle. It sets forth the “much more” effect of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice than the effect of Adam’s sin.
Adam was the first man to sin when he ate the forbidden fruit. Even though Eve ate first, God held Adam responsible. Eve was deceived and fell into transgression; Adam did it with his eyes wide open (1 Timothy 2:14).
Sin (a voluntary choice) was introduced into human experience by one man—Adam. Adam started it. Because in His foreknowledge God saw that sin would become the universal choice and practice, He placed a limitation on the human life span to set boundaries on people’s opportunity to progress in sin in this life. So physical death spread to all mankind. The fact that all indeed have sinned demonstrates the wisdom of God’s preventive action.
From Adam to Moses the moral law had not yet been codified in the Mosaic jurisprudence (the Law of Moses). Therefore, people could not be held guilty of breaking a specific written command. Nevertheless, people still sinned against the universal moral law as it resided in their consciences. In fact, they became so morally depraved that God had to destroy them by the Flood and begin anew with Noah and his family. So from the beginning death reigned over the entire human race. People were born; people lived; people died.
Verses 14 and 15 teach that, in a contrasting sense, Adam was a type of Christ. Adam’s offense led to universal sinning and condemnation, and brought universal physical death. Adam was the head of the “old humanity,” characterized by sin and death. Christ’s obedience to God’s redemptive purpose opened God’s grace to all (the “many”). Thus Christ is the “second Adam,” the Head of the “new humanity” of the redeemed, characterized by righteousness and life.
Verses 16 and 17 declare that the results of what Christ did far exceed the results of what Adam did. The sin of one man resulted in the entire human race being led into sin and condemnation (including condemnation to death). God’s gift of grace through Jesus Christ “followed many trespasses and brought justification” (NIV). The fact that the sins of mankind are so many made the gift that much greater. One man’s sin brought death; how much more do those who receive God’s abundant grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one Man, Jesus Christ. This is the more abundant life that Jesus came to give us (John 10:10). Christ even delivered us from the fear of death that had held us in bondage all our lifetime (Hebrews 2:15).
The result of Christ’s one redemptive act overcame the result of Adam’s sin.
Verse 18 picks up from verse 12 and continues.
Let us look carefully at verses 18 and 19. No Bible passage is interpreted correctly if that interpretation leads to a conclusion that is contrary to the teaching of the Bible as a whole. Any such interpretation is in error. If this passage is taken to mean that Adam’s sin automatically made everyone guilty, consistency necessarily drives us to the inescapable conclusion that Christ’s sacrifice automatically saved everyone. It is futile to plead otherwise. The Greek original is very strong: “just as . . . so also.” To plead otherwise one has to make an arbitrary assertion contrary to language and logic. We must not apply one rule of interpretation to the first part of the sentence and a different rule of interpretation to the second part of the same sentence. To misinterpret the first part of the sentences of verses 18 and 19 to teach the doctrine of original sin forces the advocates of that doctrine to the error of Universalism—that everyone will be saved. The Augustinian view of this passage is a stronghold of Universalism.
In this passage Paul says that Adam’s sin brought about a tragic universal result, but Christ’s obedience (His death on the cross) brought about a glorious universal result. Each affects everyone. Adam opened the door to universal sinfulness and condemnation; Jesus Christ opened the way of salvation to all. Involved in this are universal physical death by Adam and universal physical resurrection by Jesus Christ. This is taught also in 1 Corinthians 15:20 - 26. Just as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive, each in his own order (turn).
Verses 20 and 21 reveal God’s purpose in bringing in the Law of Moses. The Law entered that the trespass might increase and expand. The Law showed the sinfulness of sin. It defined the offenses of sin in legal terms and set legal barriers to sin. So in breaking these barriers sinners only multiplied their trespasses.
For example, if there were no traffic lights or stop signs, people would drive through intersections at will. The result would be accidents, injuries, and fatalities. But no law would be broken. No one would incur the penalty of law for reckless driving because there would be no law and therefore no penalty against reckless driving. The effects of reckless driving would be everywhere, of course, and people would know they are doing wrong; but no one would be legally penalized for it.
But when the law is set in place with appropriate penalties, the situation changes dramatically. Traffic signs and signals are all over the city. If people continue to drive as they did before, their behavior is now illegal. What was once merely unwise and reckless behavior is now illegal behavior. The law made them lawbreakers. If they are determined to drive the way they are used to driving, the law only frustrates them and hardens their opposition.
“They’re not going to tell me how to drive. I’ll show them!”
Their continued reckless driving multiplies their offenses, builds their criminal record, and piles penalty on penalty.
Just so the Law of Moses entered the human situation to turn wrong, unreasonable and destructive behavior into real criminal offenses. As a result, the trespass increased. By giving him barriers to break through, The Law showed the lawless the evil of his selfish heart.
But where sin abounded, grace abounded “much more.” Grace superabounded! What Christ did far exceeds what Adam did. Life in Christ overcame death in sin. That is the main theme and the climax of this chapter. Human sin has increased, but God’s grace is an overflowing flood that is more than sufficient to overcome sin and liberate from its power all who truly believe from the heart.
Sin reigned in death. It was a death-reign. It enslaved us, ruled us, and drove us to our graves. In total contrast God’s overflowing grace reigns in believers through righteousness, bringing us into eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!
The reign of grace to life defeats the reign of sin to death.
So, what reigns in you? Does sin reign in death, or does grace reign through righteousness? If you are still under the law of sin and death, grace is overflowing to you. Receive it now.