Romans 5:1-8:39

Romans 5:1-11

Romans 5:1-11 highlights the results of being justified by faith. Paul begins by declaring that believers now have peace with God through Jesus Christ. This peace is not just a feeling but a restored relationship with God, made possible by Christ's atoning work.

In verse 2, Paul explains that through Christ, we also gain access to grace and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. This hope is not wishful thinking but a confident expectation of sharing in God’s eternal glory.

Verses 3-5 show that believers can even rejoice in suffering, because suffering produces endurance, character, and hope. This hope does not disappoint, because God has poured His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Verses 6-8 emphasize the depth of God's love. At just the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. While it’s rare for someone to die even for a good person, God proves His love by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners, undeserving and opposed to Him.

In verses 9-10, Paul argues that if we were reconciled to God through Christ’s death while we were still enemies, we can be even more confident now that we are saved by His life. This speaks not only of Christ’s death but also His ongoing life and intercession for believers.

Verse 11 concludes the section by celebrating that we now rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have received reconciliation. This reconciliation is the restoration of our relationship with God, bringing joy, peace, and eternal hope.

Romans 5:12-21

Romans 5:12-21 compares and contrasts the impact of Adam’s sin with the redemptive work of Christ. Paul explains that sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and death followed as a result of sin. Because all sinned in Adam, death spread to all humanity.

In verses 13-14, Paul notes that even before the Law was given through Moses, sin and death were present in the world. This shows that the power of sin was already at work, and Adam’s transgression had far-reaching consequences. Adam is described as a "type" or foreshadowing of Christ, but with key differences.

Verses 15-17 emphasize that while Adam’s act brought sin, judgment, and death, Christ’s act brings grace, justification, and life. The gift of God’s grace in Christ is far greater than the damage caused by Adam’s sin. Through one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, but through one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

In verses 18-19, Paul explains the contrast in legal and covenantal terms: Adam’s one trespass brought condemnation to all, while Christ’s one righteous act, His obedience unto death, brings justification and life to all who believe.

Verses 20-21 conclude by explaining the role of the Law: it was given to make sin more evident, but where sin increased, grace increased even more. Ultimately, just as sin once reigned in death, grace now reigns through righteousness, leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:1-14

Romans 6:1-14 addresses a potential misunderstanding of grace. Paul anticipates the question: if we are saved by grace, should we continue sinning so that grace may increase? He responds with a strong rejection, "By no means!", and explains that believers have died to sin and cannot live in it any longer.

In verses 3-5, Paul uses the imagery of baptism to illustrate this truth. Believers are baptized into Christ, signifying their union with Him in His death and resurrection. This means the old self, dominated by sin, has been crucified, and believers now walk in newness of life, just as Christ was raised from the dead. This reflects the representative and substitutionary role of Christ, the head of believers, His body.

Verses 6-7 explain that our old self was crucified with Christ so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, and we would no longer be slaves to sin. Death breaks the bond of slavery, and in Christ, believers are freed from sin’s control.

In verses 8-10, Paul emphasizes that just as Christ died once for sin and now lives to God, believers who have died with Him will also live with Him. Christ’s resurrection means that death no longer has dominion over Him, and by extension, sin no longer has dominion over us.

Verses 11-14 apply this truth practically: believers are to consider themselves "dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Therefore, they must not let sin reign in their mortal bodies or offer their bodies as instruments of unrighteousness. Instead, they should present themselves to God as instruments of righteousness. Paul concludes with a powerful statement, believers are not under law, but under grace, meaning sin is no longer their master.

Romans 6:15-23

Romans 6:15-23 continues Paul's teaching on grace and addresses another possible misunderstanding: if believers are not under law but under grace, does that mean they can sin freely? Paul responds with another strong denial, “By no means!” He explains that everyone is a slave to something, either to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness.

In verses 17-18, Paul thanks God that believers, though once slaves to sin, have now obeyed from the heart the form of teaching delivered to them. Through this transformation, they have been set free from sin and become slaves of righteousness. This shift in allegiance marks the core of Christian moral transformation.

Paul acknowledges in verse 19 that he is using human terms, like slavery, to help explain spiritual truths. Just as people once offered their bodies to impurity and lawlessness, now they are to offer themselves fully to righteousness, which leads to holiness.

Verses 20-22 contrast the old life with the new. When people were slaves to sin, they were free from the control of righteousness, but the result was shame and death. Now, having been set free from sin and become slaves of God, believers benefit by growing in holiness, with the final outcome being eternal life.

Verse 23 concludes with this summary: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sin earns death, but God freely gives eternal life through Jesus, reflecting a stark contrast between earning and grace, slavery and freedom, death and life.

Romans 7

Romans 7 explores the believer’s relationship to the Law and the inner struggle with sin. Paul begins by illustrating that the Law’s authority is like that of a marriage bond, it applies only as long as a person lives. In verses 1-4, he explains that through Christ’s death, believers have died to the Law and now belong to Him, bearing fruit for God rather than for death.

Verses 5-6 contrast life under the Law with life in the Spirit. When under the Law, sinful passions were at work in us, producing death. Now, having died to the Law, believers serve in the new way of the Spirit, not the old way of the written code.

In verses 7-13, Paul defends the Law, saying it is not sinful but holy. The Law reveals sin, like a mirror, but cannot save. Sin uses the Law to provoke disobedience, making sin utterly sinful. The Law shows how deep the problem of sin really is, but it cannot solve it.

Verses 14-25 describe the internal conflict that believers face. Paul speaks of his experience in deeply personal terms, describing a war within: he desires to do good but finds himself doing what he hates. This shows that while the Law is spiritual, humans are weakened by sin. His struggle reveals the reality of indwelling sin that resists God's will, even in those who long to obey Him.

The chapter ends with Paul’s cry of desperation, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?”, followed by a triumphant answer: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” While the battle with sin continues, deliverance is found in Christ, who alone can rescue us from sin’s power.