Romans 5:1

Romans 5:1-11. The security and happiness of the state of Justification; its basis being the Divine Love

1. Therefore being justified Here opens a leading section. The preliminaries are now over: The need of Justification is established; and its equal terms for Jew and Greek; and the fact that Faith is its one appointed condition; and the nature and actings of faith, specially as in Abraham's example. We now come to a fuller statement of some important details, which will lead up to a view of the effectsof faith in the character and life of the justified.

being justified An aorist. The time-reference is probably to the definite crisis of acceptance in each individual case; not to the ideal justification just expounded (Romans 4:25). Because the words "by faith" point here to our acceptanceof the Lord's work.

we have peace The Gr. has an important and strongly supported various reading:" Let us have peace." Without attempting to discuss the documentary evidence here, we merely state the case thus: There is, on the whole, a greater weight of MSS. and ancient Versions in favour of "let us have." But on the other hand there is a greater weight of internal evidence for "we have." In other words, "we have" exactly fits info the context;" let us have" is foreign to it. The whole context is one not of exhortation, but of dogmatic assertion: "we have access;" "we rejoice;" "the love of God has been poured out into our hearts;" "we shall be saved;" "we are reconciled;" "we have received the reconciliation." How then can we account for the "Let us have"? Probably, by early failures to grasp the complex but consistent argument of the whole long context, and the inevitable tendency due to such misapprehension to substitute aspiration or exhortation for (what the text speaks of) a present possession. It is an obviously right principle, though calling for most cautious application, that no amount of MS. evidence ought ever to force on us a reading which mars the context. A single strokein the Gr. MSS. makes the only visible difference between the readings.

peace with God Lit. towards God. That is, "in view of Him, as regards Him, we possess the security and calm of acceptance." Practically the phrase thus = "He has admitted us to peace;" "He is at peace with us." The whole previous argument shews that His reconciliation to us, not ours to Him, is the main point; in other words, the justice of forgivenesson God's part, not the yielding of the willon man's part, which latter, though an all-important thing, is not directly in view now. Much has been said against the phrase "God's reconciliation to us," as if it made Him out to be a hostile Power. But the justice of the words is seen when we (like St Paul here) look on Him as on the Judge. As Creator and Father, He loves the sinner; as Judge, He must condemn him if it were not for His own gift of a Propitiation. And the judge who sentences a criminal is, however personally kind, judicially hostile. And again, the judge who for a good cause removes the sentence is then judicially reconciledto the accused, though he may personally need no reconciliation of feeling. Scripture plainly reveals that the God of Love proclaims "no peace" to the impenitent. Therefore when He "speaks peace" there is a change, not in His benevolence but in His judicial attitude: in other words, reconciliation. For instructive parallels where the word "peace" occurs see Isaiah 53:5; Luke 2:14; Luke 19:38; Hebrews 13:20; 2 Peter 3:14.

through our Lord Jesus Christ The sacred Propitiation, provided and accepted by the loving and righteous Father; once offered, and continuously ("we have") availing.