Romans 5-6

Chapter 5

Paul has finished his compelling arguments on righteousness by faith. Abraham was declared righteous before he demonstrated good works or keeping covenant statutes. So verse 1 says, “Therefore” because Paul has given an airtight case for salvation by faith. Now Paul is going to expound on how Jesus Christ fits in God’s plan of salvation by faith alone. Abraham believed God and the promise of a son, we believe God that promises forgiveness of sins through God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Because of forgiveness, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ (5:1).

Because of our state of peace with God and a promise of continued peace, we glory in our present sufferings and problems we face in this life (5:3). How? Because we know God will is present through each trial bringing us closer to perfection and more perfect faith. Tribulation is a faith builder, and the end product is a hope in God stronger than hope in men. Hope that never fails is a kind of faith that cannot be taught, it must be learned through experienced.

Many people love the experience of watching a sporting event court-side. Many events could more conveniently be watched on TV, but there is something special about being present at the game with a front seat and experiencing the excitement. Therefore it doesn’t suffice to simply state that hope in God never fails, but each individual learns this through their hardships in their life (5:3-4).

Because of the faith building, we glory or brag in God, because He never fails to see us through. God’s love, which is more than a feeling, is manifested by His care over us during hardship (5:5). This doesn’t lessen the pain or the hardness of the hardship. There is no room for a prosperity gospel in the book of Romans, but there is always room for hope in God and trust Him with everything.

God accomplished this through Christ, which toward us is the greatest symbol of His love. God proved His love toward us because of the timing in which Christ died for us. Verse 6 says, Christ died when we were without strength. When Christ died for us, He purchased us in a condition that was unusable and beyond repair. What would God want with such refuse like myself, unable to serve, unable to anything to anything good, having no strength to help His cause?

Not only did He purchase an unusable servant (5:8), but He paid the highest price imaginable for it, His own Son. There is only one, unfathomable reason God would do such a thing… love. God is love. His innermost character compels Him to love us without conditions, even if it meant sending His own to the cross. (5:6) The proof of God’s love is the cross (5:8). The wrath against sin which should be rightfully ours was placed upon Jesus, so that we might walk away free and justified.

Paul continues this argument from another angle, “For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of Son, much more, being reconciled we shall be saved by his life.” (5:6)
Because of sin, we were enemies with God, but death of Jesus Christ satisfied the call of judgment against us, because the price was paid. Not only do we walk away forgiven, but we walk away with promise of new life because Jesus now lives being rose again from the dead. In other words, if Jesus had died without resurrection, there would be no sort of resurrection for us either, but because of His resurrection, we not only have forgiveness and peace with God, but the promise of eternal life (5:10-11).

Chapter 6

Paul contrasts the works of two men in verses 12 through 21. Because of one man’s sin (Adam), many were made sinners. But because of one man’s obedience (Jesus) many are made righteous (5:19). All are sinners because of Adam, and it was obvious since Adam death came to all after Adam. Later through Abraham God gave us the Law of God to see how sinful we actually are. Our sin “abounds” when we consider ourself looking at God’s law. But no matter how terribly sinful the Law makes us look, God’s grace by giving us Jesus Christ goes farther than the condemnation of the Law. Anyone can be saved and have eternal life through believing on Jesus Christ (5:21).

Perhaps from experience of explaining the Gospel to all sorts of people, Paul answers some questions he believes are common objections or wrong conclusions of the Gospel: Can a person saved by grace ever think we can continue in sin since God freely covers sin (6:1)? Absolutely not. Paul explains that Christ died to to reckon believers together with Him in death to sin. After the body dies, sin, temptations, and evil works cease to work in that body. Can a dead body be seduced? Even though our bodily death hasn’t arrived yet, we should “reckon” ourselves dead indeed to sin (6:11).

Because anyone who as placed their faith in Jesus Christ is considered dead already to sin by God. Not are we dead already to sin, but we already considered by God to have eternal life also. Why? Because Jesus has it, and He gave it to us when we said yes to the Gospel (6:8). Therefore being under this kind of grace, the law no longer can condemn those protected by Christ. Why? because Christ is not condemned by the law, and so neither are we.

Let no one think this is a license to sin. Such thinking probably indicates no true repentance took place, because Paul mentions true faith and repentance will cause someone to become servants of righteousness and good works (6:19). Grace free’s us from sin, not to return to it, but to free us and make us able to serve God. If anyone continues in sin is an indication of their unbelief and false love towards God, but anyone covered by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ yields good works of righteousness that ends with eternal life (6:22-23).