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The apostle, having made good his point, and fully proved justification by faith, in this chapter proceeds in the explication, illustration, and application of that truth. I. He shows the fruits of justification, Ro 5:1-5. II. He shows the fountain and foundation of justification in the death of Jesus Christ, which he discourses of at large in the Ro 5:6-23.

The design of Romans 5, which has usually been considered as one of the most difficult portions of the New Testament, especially Romans 5:12-21, is evidently to show the results or benefits of the doctrine of justification by faith. That doctrine the apostle had now fully established. He had shown in the previous chapters,

(1) That people were under condemnation for sin;

(2) That this extended alike to the Jews and the Gentiles;

(3) That there was no way of escape now but by the doctrine of pardon, not by personal merit, but by grace;

(4) That this plan was fully made known by the gospel of Christ; and,

(5) That this was no new doctrine, but was in fact substantially the same by which Abraham and David had been accepted before God.

Having thus stated and vindicated the doctrine, it was natural to follow up the demonstration, by stating its bearing and its practical influence. This he does by showing that its immediate effect is to produce peace, Romans 5:1. It gives us the privilege of access to the favor of God, Romans 5:2. But not only this, we are in a world of affliction. Christians, like others, are surrounded with trials; and a very important question was, whether this doctrine would have an influence in supporting the soul in those trials. This question the apostle discusses in Romans 5:3-11. He shows that in fact Christians glory in tribulation, and that the reasons why they do so are,

(1) That the natural effect of tribulations under the gospel was to lead to hope, Romans 5:3-4.

(2) that the cause of this was, that the love of God was shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit.

This doctrine he further confirms by showing the consolation which would be furnished by the fact that Christ had died for them. This involved a security that they would be sustained in their trials, and that a victory would be given them. For,

(1) It was the highest expression of love that he should die for enemies, Romans 5:6-8.

(2) It followed that if he was given for them when they were enemies, it was much more probable, it was certain, that all needful grace would be furnished to them now that they were reconciled, Romans 5:9-11.

But there was another very material inquiry. People were not only exposed to affliction, but they were in the midst of "a wreck of things - of a fallen world - of the proofs and memorials of sin everywhere." The first man had sinned, and the race was subject to sin and death. The monuments of death and sin were everywhere. It was to be expected that a remedy from God would have reference to this universal state of sin and woe; and that it would tend to meet and repair these painful and wide spread ruins. The apostle then proceeds to discuss the question, how the plan of salvation which involved justification by faith was adapted to meet these universal and distressing evils, Romans 5:12-21. The design of this part of the chapter is to show that the blessings procured by the redemption through Christ, and the plan of justification through him, greatly exceed all the evils which had come upon the world in consequence of the apostasy of Adam. And if this was the case, the scheme of justification by faith was complete. It was adapted to the condition of fallen and ruined man; and was worthy of his affection and confidence. A particular examination of this argument of the apostle will occur in the notes at Romans 5:12-21.

The effects of justification by faith, peace with God, Romans 5:1. The joyous hope of eternal glory, Romans 5:2. Glorying in tribulations, Romans 5:3. And gaining thereby patience, experience, and hope, Romans 5:4. And having the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit, Romans 5:5. The state of the world when Christ died for it, Romans 5:6-10. Jesus Christ is an atonement, Romans 5:11. Sin and death entered into the world by Adam's transgression, and all became guilty before God, Romans 5:12-14. God's grace in sending Christ into the world to save fallen man, Romans 5:15-19. The law is brought in to show the exceeding sinfulness of sin, Romans 5:20. The grace of Christ is to be as extensive in its influences and reign, as sin has been in its enslaving and destructive nature, Romans 5:21.

Is the former chapter, the apostle, having proved that the believing Gentiles are justified in the same way with Abraham, and are, in fact, his seed, included with him in the promise and covenant; he judged this a proper place, as the Jews built all their glorying upon the Abrahamic covenant, to produce some of the chief of those privileges and blessings in which the Christian Gentile can glory, in consequence of his justification by faith. And he produces three particulars which, above all others, were adapted to this purpose.

1. The hope of eternal life, in which the law, wherein the Jew gloried, Romans 2:17, was defective, Romans 5:2.

2. The persecutions and sufferings to which Christians were exposed, Romans 5:3, Romans 5:4, and on account of which the Jews were greatly prejudiced against the Christian profession: but he shows that these had a happy tendency to establish the heart in the hope of the Gospel.

3. An interest in God, as our God and Father - a privilege upon which the Jews valued themselves highly above all nations, Romans 5:11.

These three are the singular privileges belonging to the Gospel state, wherein true Christians may glory, as really belonging to them, and greatly redounding, if duly understood and improved, to their honor and benefit.

INTRODUCTION TO Romans 5

The Apostle having clearly stated, and fully proved the doctrine of justification by the righteousness of faith, proceeds to observe the comfortable fruits and effects of this great blessing, known and enjoyed by the believer; as also the source and spring of it, the love of God, which appears in the death of Christ, in the room and stead of his people, which is the foundation on which it stands; and likewise gives an illustration of this benefit, by comparing the two heads, Adam and Christ, together. The first fruit and effect of justification, as a benefit perceived and enjoyed by faith, is peace with God through Christ, Romans 5:1. The next is access through the Mediator to the throne of grace, where justified ones stand with a holy boldness and confidence, and the third is a cheerful hope of eternal glory, Romans 5:2, yea, such not only have joy in the hope of what is to come, but glory even in present afflictions; which prevents an objection that might be made to the above mentioned fruits and effects of justification, taken from the tribulations which saints are exercised with: and what occasions glorying even in these, is the sanctified use, or happy produce of afflictions, these being the means of exercising and increasing patience; by means of which a larger experience of divine things is gained; and through that, hope is confirmed, and all influenced by a plenteous discovery of the love of God to the soul, by the Spirit, Romans 5:4, an instance of which love is given, Romans 5:6, in Christ's dying for men; which love is enhanced by the character and condition of the persons for whom Christ died, being ungodly, and without strength; and by the time of it, being due time: then follows a further illustration of this love, by comparing it with what instances of love are to be found among men, Romans 5:7, by which it appears to be unparalleled; since scarcely for a righteous man, peradventure for a good man, one would die, yet no man dies for the ungodly, as Christ did: hence as his, so his Father's love is highly commended, by giving him up to death for persons while in such a state and condition, and under such a character, Romans 5:8, and justification now springing from this love, and being founded on the death of Christ, hence follow a security from wrath to come, Romans 5:9, a certainty of salvation, Romans 5:10, which is strongly argued from the different characters those Christ died for bear, before and after reconciliation, and from the death to the life of Christ, Romans 5:10, and also a rejoicing and glorying: in God through Christ, full expiation being made by his blood for sin, and this received by faith, Romans 5:11, and then the apostle proceeds to compare the two heads, Adam and Christ, together; the design of which is to show the largeness and freeness of the love and grace of God; how righteousness for justification comes by Christ; and how the persons, before described as sinners and ungodly, came to be in such a condition; and that is through the sin of the first man, in whom they all were, and in whom they all sinned and died, Romans 5:12, wherefore there must be a law before the law of Moses, or there could have been no sin, Romans 5:13, but that sin was in being, and was reckoned and imputed to the posterity of Adam, is clear from this single instance, death's power even over infants, from the times of Adam to Moses, Romans 5:14 who therefore must be a public head, representing all his posterity; so that they were involved in the guilt of his sin, which brought death upon them; and in this he was a type of Christ, as is asserted in the same verse; that so as Adam was but one, and by one sin of his conveyed death to all his seed; so Christ, the Mediator, is but one, and by his one obedience conveys righteousness and, life to all his seed: and yet in some things there is a dissimilitude; sin and death, through the first man, are conveyed in a natural way to his offspring, but righteousness and life from Christ in a way of grace, Romans 5:15, It was one offence of Adam's, which brought condemnation and death upon all his posterity; but the righteousness of Christ is not only a justification of his seed from that one offence, but from all others, Romans 5:16, the one is unto death, the other unto life; and greater is the efficacy in the one to quicken, than in the other to kill, Romans 5:17, where a repetition is made of what is said in Romans 5:15, with an explanation, and the similitude between the two heads is clearly expressed, Romans 5:18, where condemnation on account of the sin of Adam, and justification through the righteousness of Christ, are opposed to each other; and both as extending to the whole of their several respective offspring, condemnation through Adam's offence to all his natural seed, and justification of life through Christ's righteousness to all his spiritual seed; which is still more fitly and clearly expressed in Romans 5:19, where the way and manner in which the one become sinners, and the other righteous, is plainly directed to; that it is, by the imputation of Adam's disobedience to the one, and by the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the other: in Romans 5:20, an objection is obviated, which might be formed thus; if justification is by the grace of God, and through the obedience and righteousness of Christ, then the law is of no use; what purpose does that serve? what occasion was there for its entrance? The apostle replies, that though justification is not by it, yet a good end is answered by its entrance; for hereby sin is more known to be what it is, both original and actual; and the grace of God appears more abundant in justification from it, and in the pardon of it; and this grace is further illustrated in Romans 5:21, by comparing sin and grace together, and the different effects of their empire over the sons of men; the one reigning unto death, the other reigning through righteousness to eternal life by Christ.

D. IMPUTED GUILT OF THE FIRST SIN (Ch. 5)

We make no attempt (beyond what is said in the notes) to clear up this Doctrine, which approaches as nearly as well can be to complete mystery, and leans upon relations between the Head of an intelligent Race and that Race which are probably “knowable” by the Eternal alone. All that we do here is to clear up the statement of the Doctrine; which means not that the Omniscient Judge is to be held to think of every individual man as having done Adam’s sin, but to hold every individual man (because of the mysterious link between him and the Head of his Race) liable to penalty because Adam sinned.

Exactly thus, we are not asked to believe that the Omniscient thinks of the justified as having personally satisfied His Justice, but that He holds them (because of their connexion with the Head of the New Race) accepted because Christ obeyed.

CHAPTER 5

Romans 5:1. ἔχομεν] Lachm. (in the margin), Scholz, Fritzsche, and Tisch. (8) read ἔχωμεν, following AB* C D K L א*, min[1117], several vss[1118] (including Syr[1119] Vulg. It.) and Fathers. But this reading, though very strongly attested, yields a sense (let us maintain peace with God) that is here utterly unsuitable; because the writer now enters on a new and important doctrinal topic, and an exhortation at the very outset, especially regarding a subject not yet expressly spoken of, would at this stage be out of place.[1120] Hence the ἜΧΟΜΕΝ, sufficiently attested by B** א** F G, most min[1121], Syr. p[1122] and some Fathers, is to be retained; and the subjunctive must be regarded as having arisen from misunderstanding, or from the hortatory use of the passage.

Romans 5:2. τῇ πίστει] wanting in B D E F G, Aeth. It.; omitted by Lachm. and Tisch. (7), as also by Ewald. Following Romans 5:1, it is altogether superfluous; but this very reason accounts for its omission, which secured the direct reference of ΕἸς Τ. ΧΆΡ. ΤΑΎΤ. to ΠΡΟΣΑΓ. The genuineness of Τῇ ΠΊΣΤΕΙ is also attested by the reading ἘΝ Τῇ ΠΊΣΤΕΙ (so Fritzsche) in A א** 93, and several Fathers, which points to a repetition of the final letters of ἘΣΧΉΚΑΜ EN.

Romans 5:6. After ἀσθενῶν preponderating witnesses have ἔτι, which Griesb. Lachm. and Tisch. (8) have adopted. A misplacement of the ἔτι before γάρ, because it was construed with ἀσθενῶν, along with which it came to be written. Thus ἔτι came in twice, and the first was either mechanically allowed to remain (A C D* א), or there was substituted for it εἴγε (B), or εἰς τί (F G), or εἰ γάρ. The misplacement of the ἔτι came to predominate, because a Church-lesson began with Χριστός.

Romans 5:8. ὁ Θεός, which a considerable number of witnesses have before εἰς ἡμᾶς (so Tisch. 7), is wanting in B. But as the love of Christ, not that of God, appeared from Romans 5:7 to be the subject of the discourse, Ὁ ΘΕΌς was omitted.

Romans 5:11. ΚΑΥΧΏΜΕΝΟΙ] F G read ΚΑΥΧῶΜΕΝ; L, min[1123], and several Fathers καυχώμεθα. Also Vulg. It. Arm. Slav. express gloriamur. An erroneous interpretation. See the exegetical remarks.

Romans 5:12. The second ὁ θάνατος is wanting in D E F G 62, It. Syr. p[1124] Aeth. and most Fathers, also Aug. In Syr[1125] with an asterisk; Arm. Chrys. Theodoret place it after ΔΙῆΛΘΕΝ. Tisch. (7) had omitted it. But as the word has preponderant testimony in its favour, and as in order to the definiteness of the otherwise very definitely expressed sentence it cannot be dispensed with, if in both halves of Romans 5:12 the relation of sin and death is, as is manifestly the design, to be expressly put forward, ὁ θάνατος omitted by Tisch., must be defended. Its omission may have arisen from its apparent superfluousness, or from the similarity between the final syllables of ἈΝΘΡΏΠΟΥΣ and ΘΆΝΑΤΟΣ.

Romans 5:14. ΜΉ] is wanting in 62, 63, 67**, Or. and others, codd[1126] in Ruf. and Aug., and is declared by Ambrosiaster to be an interpolation. But it is certified partly by decisive testimony in its favour; partly by the undoubted genuineness of the ΚΑΊ; and partly because the ΜΉ apparently contradicts the erroneously understood ἘΦʼ ᾯ (in quo) πάντες ἥμαρτον in Romans 5:12. See Reiche, Commentar. crit. I. p. 39 ff.

Romans 5:16. ἉΜΑΡΤΉΣΑΝΤΟς] D E F G, 26, 80, and several vss[1127] and Fathers read ἉΜΑΡΤΉΜΑΤΟς, which Griesb. recommended. A gloss occasioned by the antithesis ἘΚ ΠΟΛΛ. ΠΑΡΑΠΤΩΜΆΤΩΝ.

Romans 5:17. Τῷ ΤΟῦ ἙΝῸς ΠΑΡΑΠΤΏΜΑΤΙ] So also Lachm. and Tisch. (8) following B C K L P א, vss[1128], and Fathers. But A F G read ἘΝ ἙΝῚ ΠΑΡΑΠΤ., D E ἘΝ Τῷ ἙΝῚ ΠΑΡΑΠΤ. 47, Or. ἘΝ ἙΝῸς ΠΑΡΑΠΤ. The original reading was most probably the simplest, ἘΝ ἘΝῚ ΠΑΡΑΠΤ., which, though not most strongly, is nevertheless sufficiently attested (also recommended by Griesb. and adopted by Tisch. (7), because from it the rise of the other variations can be very naturally explained. By way of more specific indication in some cases, the article was added (D E), in others ἙΝΊ was changed into ἙΝΌς (47, Or.). But, seeing that in any case the sense was quite the same as in the Τῷ ΤΟῦ ἙΝῸς ΠΑΡΑΠΤ. read in Romans 5:15, this was at first written alongside as a parallel, and then taken into the text.

[1117] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[1118] ss. versions. These, when individually referred to, are marked by the usual abridged forms.

[1119] yr. Peschito Syriac

[1120] This even, in opposition to the opinion of Tisch. (8), that on account of the weighty testimony in its favour ἔχωμεν cannot be rejected, “nisi prorsus ineptum sit; ineptum vero non videtur.” Hofmann also has not been able suitably to explain the ἔχωμεν which he defends. See the exegetical remarks.

[1121] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[1122] yr. p. Philoxenian Syriac.

[1123] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[1124] yr. p. Philoxenian Syriac.

[1125] yr. Peschito Syriac

[1126] odd. codices or manuscripts. The uncial manuscripts are denoted by the usual letters, the Sinaitic by א.

[1127] ss. versions. These, when individually referred to, are marked by the usual abridged forms.

[1128] ss. versions. These, when individually referred to, are marked by the usual abridged forms.

CONTENTS.

Paul has hitherto described the δικαιοσύνη ἐκ πίστεως in respect of its necessity (Romans 1:18 to Romans 3:21); of its nature (Romans 3:21-30); and of its relation to the law (Romans 3:31 to Romans 4:25). He now discusses the blessed assurance of salvation secured for the present and the future to the δικαιωθέντες ἐκ πίστεως (Romans 5:1-11); and then—in order clearly to exhibit the greatness and certainty of salvation in Christ, more especially in its divine world-wide significance as the blissful epoch-forming counterpart of the Adamite ruin—he presents us with a detailed parallel between this salvation and the misery which once came through Adam (Romans 5:12-19), and was necessarily augmented through the law (Romans 5:20-21).

Ro 5:1-11.

THE BLESSED EFFECTS OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.

The proof of this doctrine being now concluded, the apostle comes here to treat of its fruits, reserving the full consideration of this topic to another stage of the argument

(Ro 8:1-39).

1. Therefore being--"having been."

justified by faith, we have peace with God, &c.--If we are to be guided by manuscript authority, the true reading here, beyond doubt, is, "Let us have peace"; a reading, however, which most reject, because they think it unnatural to exhort men to have what it belongs to God to give, because the apostle is not here giving exhortations, but stating matters of fact. But as it seems hazardous to set aside the decisive testimony of manuscripts, as to what the apostle did write, in favor of what we merely think he ought to have written, let us pause and ask--If it be the privilege of the justified to "have peace with God," why might not the apostle begin his enumeration of the fruits of justification by calling on believers to "realize" this peace as belonged to them, or cherish the joyful consciousness of it as their own? And if this is what he has done, it would not be necessary to continue in the same style, and the other fruits of justification might be set down, simply as matters of fact. This "peace" is first a change in God's relation to us; and next, as the consequence of this, a change on our part towards Him. God, on the one hand, has "reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ"

(2Co 5:18);

and we, on the other hand, setting our seal to this, "are reconciled to God"

(2Co 5:20).

The "propitiation" is the meeting-place; there the controversy on both sides terminates in an honorable and eternal "peace."