This is the fifth installment of what I hope to be a complete “translation” of Romans. Please note that this is not scripture; it is my understanding of scripture. Any with questions or concerns should check the original.
Fifth chapter of Romans
Since Jesus died in our place, and was raised to life again so that we could declared perfect and good and guiltless … we now have communion with God through the one who was set apart to be our Savior: Jesus, our Lord.
Through His work, we’ve been freely given this undeserved favor in God’s eyes. And – happiness upon happiness – we can now look forward to seeing the glory of God.
Plus, we can now be happy even when we suffer, because we know that
- suffering grows determination, and
- determination grows character, and
- character grows hope.
And this hope is not a false hope, because God’s love is being poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given unto us.
You see, it was just at the right time in history, determined by God, when we were still dead to Him, Jesus died for us.
How often will someone die for another person? Very rarely! But once in a while, someone dares to die for a good man..
But here – see God’s amazing love – because when we still hated Him – when we were still in rebellion against Him – Jesus died for us!
And since with His blood He paid our debt with God – the one that we piled up by our rebellion – how much more now that we are reconciled to God will He save us through all He did in His life. And not only this, but because of this reconcilation through Jesus, we now have the joy and happiness of a wonderful relationship with our God.
Death from Adam; Life from Jesus
This is how it happened: sin, which is disobedience to God, came into the world through one man: Adam. And death came with it! Through this, death is now the fate of all men, because all have disobeyed what they know to be right in the eyes of God.
This was true even before God gave the law to Moses on the mountain, when we received the written, explicit law … even though God did not “settle up” until the law was given. In any case, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who had not broken any direct command of God’s, but were only guilty through Adam, our father.
But the gift of Jesus is not like the law-breaking of Adam!
For if many died after the sin of Adam, how many more will be saved by God’s overflowing grace and the gift that Jesus is giving us And, if many died because one man broke God’s laws, now, how much more will many live because one man – Jesus Christ – kept God’s will perfectly!
Therefore, just as the result of one act of disobedience was judgement for all men, so also the result of one act of obedience and goodness was mercy for all men: the mercy that brings life.
And just as the disobedience of one man made lawbreakers out of all of us, so also the obedience of one man will many be declared right and good and blameless in God’s eyes.
The law was given to Moses so that lawbreaking would be obvious to all. But where lawbreaking is obvious, mercy increases even more! This is so that just as breaking God’s laws leads to death, mercy and grace (given through Jesus Christ) make us right before God, and make it possible for us to have eternal life … all because of what Jesus, our Lord, did.