The Epistle of ROMANS
Chapter Five *
[ * It is recommended that you begin this series of
teachings with Romans Chapter One. ]
*** This is a continuance
of the previous chapter which ended with Romans 4: 25: "Who was
delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our
justification [when we were
justified]."
The key
to understanding this is the word 'Therefore' in Romans 5: 1 which is a conjunction.
Here again, it is important to remember that chapters, chapter headings,
verses, center references, and all punctuation is added by man, and is
not a part of the original
God-breathed Word of God.
1 & 2.
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we
stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Literal 1
- 2: Having
been justified therefore by faith (the believing of Jesus Christ), we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom (the Lord Jesus Christ)
also we have access also into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice or
boast in hope of the glory of God.
The words "by
faith" in verse two must be deleted since they are not found in the oldest
texts. Because of what Christ did for us, we stand in grace. There is no other
way to stand in grace which is God' s divine favor. If you think your stand and
approval comes from good works, you will never stand because you will always be
bowed over with this burden. Not only do we stand, but we rejoice in hope of
the glory of God.
Going back to the latter
part of verse one, "we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ:" There is no true peace without the prince
of peace and what a message this is to our time! To have this peace, Christ
must be settled in the innermost resources of our souls AND WE MUST HAVE
RENEWED OUR MINDS TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE AND WE ARE WHAT THE WORD OF GOD SAYS.
This is what you are doing right now and must continue to do. When the
whole world is full of confusion and aggravation, you have peace. Don't
let the world drag you into a negative existence. Always remember this analogy
as I do when trying to help someone with God's Word.
If the world has gotten a
person in a deep hole, you must reach into that hole WITH GOD'S WORD and the
love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation. Reach out with the arms
of Christ and make every attempt to teach that person God's Word and to pull
them out of that pit -- that hole they are in. Pull them out -- UNDER
NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU LET THEM PULL YOU IN THE HOLE WITH THEM!! This
can happen to you if you are not spiritually sharp. If you are sharing God's
Word with a person who needs help, and they REFUSE to act on what you are
teaching them, beware. Believe it or not, some people do not want to get
delivered or are simply not ready to believe. Remember, keep that picture in
your mind: Your hand is reaching in as deeply as it can holding onto that
person and you are pulling them out of the trap they are in, with God's Word.
Make sure you do not lose your footing and that person pulls you into that trap
with them.
Example: A person has a spirit of
negativism and is always condemning and complaining about everything. You share
God's Word with them about being thankful, and Philippians 4: 8 and many other
Bible principles regarding positive believing and the importance of it. That
person REFUSES TO BELIEVE AND ACT on what the Word teaches. God tells you to move
on, but your emotions kick in and you go back and try again and again but
to no avail. Before you know it, you are also becoming negative and you too
find yourself condemning others and constantly complaining. That's the trap.
Watch!
You stay peaceful and that
settles it. We have peace with God and that is what man's soul is really
hungering for. That's why he is looking in all the other fountains but he
cannot satisfy the thirst. ONLY TRUTH QUENCHES THIRST!! And the only truth in the world is God's Word.
I cannot help but share this tremendous Scripture with you from Jeremiah about
God's fountain compared to man's broken cistern.
Jeremiah 2: 13 -- For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me
the fountain [unlimited supply] of living
waters, and hewed them out
cisterns, broken cisterns [religion, idol worship] that can hold no water.
3. And not
only so, but we glory in
tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Literal: And not only so, but
we glory or boast in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation (pressure from
evils, affliction, distress) achieves patience or endurance.
We don't look for
tribulations by any means but if the adversary loads it on us because of
people's unbelief, we don't complain about it. Verse three (3) explains why.
Tribulation makes us stand because if we never had an enemy, we wouldn't know
what it is to stand. There would be no opportunity to use the power that we
have. This is the challenge of tribulation and it builds patience and
endurance, experience and hope as seen in verse four.
4. And
patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Literal: And endurance achieves
experience or proof (tried, approved integrity); and the experience or proof
achieves hope.
And the hope of the return
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is what motivates us to go on. So
as a result of tribulation, when endured according to God's Word, it achieves
endurance, and endurance achieves proof or experience and that proof or
experience achieves hope which we must have to be motivated to do anything.
5. And hope
maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the
Holy Ghost which is [was] given unto us.
Literal: And the hope of the
return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ does not make one ashamed,
disgraced, or dishonored because the love of God in the renewed mind in
manifestation is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Ghost (pneuma hagion)
which was given unto us. As a result of God giving us Holy Spirit when we
believed, by it, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts.
6. For when
we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Literal: For when we were yet
without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Remember that 'ungodly' is
he who actually practices the opposite of what God demands. The term 'without
strength' is to be infirm, weak, feeble, impotent, sick. God's timing is
perfect and Christ died at the perfect moment in time.
7. For
scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some
would even dare to die.
Literal: For scarcely (hardly)
for a just (righteous) man will anyone die; yet perhaps on behalf of a good
man, some one even might dare to die.
8. But God
commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us.
Literal: But God favorably introduced
His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners (dead in trespasses and
sins, without God and without hope), Christ died for us.
9. Much more
then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through
him.
Literal: Much more then, having
been justified now by his blood (Jesus Christ's), we shall absolutely be saved
through him from wrath.
There is a difference
between tribulation mentioned in Romans 5: 3 and wrath mentioned
in the Book of Revelation. We are not going through the wrath period as
clearly stated in Romans 5: 9. The wrath period will start after the
gathering together. You should review the teaching on THE SEVEN ADMINISTRATIONS
once again if you still do not understand this most important point concerning
the rightly divided Word of God. With the love of God, I can only share God's
Word with you -- I cannot believe it for you.
10. For if,
when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much
more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Literal: For if, being enemies
we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been
reconciled (brought back together with God), we shall be saved by his life.
The word 'saved' means to
be made sound or whole and to bestow everlasting life as a result of the
resurrection; to bring all positive blessings in the place of condemnation.
Verse 9 tells us we are justified and verse 10 says we are reconciled. The very
deep meaning of these two words is that JUSTIFIED MEANS TO BE FREED FROM
BLAME, TO BE DECLARED GUILTLESS. That is why you should never
condemn yourself! How could you when you are not even to blame? When you break
fellowship, get right back in and move on. It's always a trick due to a
weakness in your renewed mind. Who tricks you? Now how can you ever condemn
yourself again?
'RECONCILE' means to
bring back together from having been separated. After Adam's fall, man was separated from God; but now, in Christ Jesus, we are brought back
together with God.
11. And not
only so, but we also joy in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Literal: And not only so, but
we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom now we have received
the atonement (reconciliation).
When we know we are
justified and reconciled, we really have joy. Everything is taken care of by
Christ Jesus. When you believe the Word of God, you know that your life is in
Him; then no fear, worry or guilt can frustrate and defeat you. For a believer
there is no want, there is no poverty, there is no sickness, there is no defeat
because these were overcome by way of Jesus Christ. Remember, as long as your
heart is not condemning or accusing you, then you will have confidence toward
God and your prayers will be answered. You should know that you are
righteous by now and you have no reason to fear. Keep studying and pounding it
into your heart -- the innermost part of your being. You learn by repetition.
That is why God goes over a point many, many times. So you do the same and you
will see results. Remember, the adversary is often just a big roar -- no bite
-- no teeth -- paralyzed power. THE KEY TO YOUR POWER IS THE RENEWED
MIND. God will prove this to you not only from His Word, but by actual experiences
in your life.
12.
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so
death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Literal: On this account, as by
one man (Adam), sin entered into the world, and through sin, death (thanatos),
and thus pervaded (to be prevalent throughout; passed through) all men or the
whole human race, inasmuch as all men have sinned.
[The greater part of
verses 12 through 17 are taken from the New English Bible Translation.]
The fall of man came in
Genesis 3: 6; the death of man in the spirit is in Genesis 2: 17 and 3: 19. What died in Genesis 2: 17? Their SPIRITUAL
CONNECTION with God! God took the spirit back. This point is so misunderstood, but you have no
shortage of "guessers". When you understand BODY, SOUL, SPIRIT [a
teaching available to you], you will have no problem with this verse. The Word
of God flows like two bodies of water going in the same direction and meeting
at one point. When you renew your mind to the accuracy of the Word of God, your
thoughts will also flow in the same manner.
Verses 13 through 17 are a
parenthesis which is a figure of speech - in this case meaning an explanation.
13. (For
until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no
law.
Literal: (For sin was already
in the world before there was the law, though in the absence of law, no
reckoning (it is not imputed) is kept of sin.
Why?! Because where there
is no law, there can be no transgression. Remember this from Romans 4: 15?
However, sin was still in the world before there was the law. It seems that
people sinned and weren't aware of it so God is not imputing that sin to their
account. This is quite an interesting point. Maybe you can begin to see the
importance of understanding The Seven Administrations** and the
different set of standards that apply to each one. [** Once again, this
important teaching is available to you.]
14.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not
sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him
that was to come.
Literal: But death reigned from
Adam until Moses even upon those who had not sinned in the likeness of the
transgression of Adam (disobeying a direct command), who is a figure or
overshadows the man who was to come.
The Greek word for
'figure' is tupos from which we get the word 'type'. Adam was the first man and
the type; Christ, who came, was the second man.
[ Explanatory Note:
With certain sections of Scripture, the New English Bible* does an excellent
job giving an understandable translation as compared to the King James
version. Also, the NEB* does present many sections of God's Word rightly
divided -- which is what matters most. I see no point on trying to improve on
that translation in the following 7 verses -- 15 through 21, which will
conclude Chapter Five.]
15. But not
as the offence, so also is the
free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace
of God, and the gift by grace, which is
by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Literal: But God's act of grace
is out of all proportion to Adam's wrongdoing. For if the wrongdoing of that
one man brought death upon so many, its effect is vastly exceeded by the grace
of God and the gift that came to so many by the grace of the one man, Jesus
Christ .
16. And not
as it was by one that sinned, so
is the gift: for the judgement was
by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
Literal: And again, the gift of
God is not to be compared in its effect with that one man's sin; for the
judicial action, following upon the one offence, issued in a verdict of
condemnation, but the act of grace, following upon so many misdeeds, issued in
a verdict of acquittal.
There is a figure of
speech in this verse that is called an ELLIPSIS where a word or words are left
out or omitted. As you should remember by now, God marks important points in
His Word with figures of speech. This figure, as with all figures of speech, is
designed to arrest your attention. It makes you stop and think. I have decided
to include a literal translation here from Bullinger's Figures of Speech
Used In The Bible, page 111.
Figure of
speech literal translation: And not, as the judgement came by one that
sinned, does the free gift come by one who was righteous: for the judgement was
death after one offence to condemnation, but the free gift is pardon after many
offences, unto justification.
17. For if by
one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance
of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus
Christ.)
Literal: For if by the
wrongdoing of that one man death established its reign, through a single
sinner, much more shall those who receive in far greater measure God's grace,
and His gift of righteousness, live and reign through the one man, Jesus
Christ.)
[This verse concludes the
parenthesis. Now, verses 18 through 21 sum up the entire chapter.]
18. Therefore
as by the offense of one judgement came
upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the
free gift came upon all men unto
justification of life.
Literal: It follows, then that
as the issue of one misdeed was condemnation for all men, so the issue of one
just act is acquittal and life for all men.
19. For as by
one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall
many be made righteous.
Literal: For as through the
disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so through the
obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20. Moreover
the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound:
Literal: Law intruded into this
process to multiply law-breaking. But where sin was thus multiplied, grace
immeasurably exceeded it.
21. That as
sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Literal: In order that, as sin
established its reign by way of death, so God's grace might establish its reign
in righteousness, and issue in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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