Romans 5:1,2

“ Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have obtained access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and triumph in the hope of the glory of God. ”

The meaning of Romans 5:1 is as follows: “Since, then, we have obtained by means of faith our sentence of justification from God, we find ourselves transferred relatively to Him into a state of peace, which henceforth displaces in our minds the fear of wrath.”

The form of expression: εἰρήνην ἔχειν πρός, is common in classic Greek (see Meyer). But must we not read, with the great majority of Mjj. and Vss., the subjunctive ἔχωμεν, let us have, instead of ἔχομεν, we have, we possess? This reading is adopted by Hofm., Gess, Volkm.; it makes this Romans 5:1 an exhortation. But how happens it that immediately afterward the didactic tone recommences and continues uniformly to the end of the piece, without any resuming of the exhortation? This reading certainly arises from a mistaken correction, which owes its origin to the erroneous idea which has been formed of the piece (see above). Perhaps, also, it is due to the fact that a liturgical reading began with this verse. No exegete has been able to account satisfactorily for this imperative suddenly occurring in the midst of a didactic development.

The words: through our Lord Jesus Christ, are explained by commentators, and even by Meyer, as referring to the work of expiation previously described. We cannot admit this view, for the following reasons: 1. The work of expiation is cited in Romans 5:2 as a benefit wholly distinct from that to which Romans 5:1 refers; δἰ οὖ καί, by whom also, are the words in the beginning of Romans 5:2. It is therefore impossible, without useless repetition, to explain the two expressions, through our Lord, Romans 5:1, and by whom also, Romans 5:2, in reference to the same mediation. Now the mediation of Romans 5:2 is undoubtedly that which Jesus effected by the atonement. That of Romans 5:1 must therefore refer to another work. 2. The mediation of which Romans 5:2 speaks is mentioned as an accomplished fact, the verb being in the perfect: ἐσχήκαμεν, we have obtained, while the present, ἔχομεν, we have, refers to a present and permanent taking in possession. 3. If the clause: through our Lord Jesus Christ, referred to the work of expiation, it would probably be joined to the participle δικαιωθέντες, having been justified, rather than to the verb we possess. The mistake of exegesis arises from the fact that there has not been recognized in this verse the theme, and, so to speak, the title of the whole piece (on to Romans 5:11), a piece which refers not to the act of justification, but to the present and future of the justified. When he says: we have peace with God, the apostle means: we can henceforth regard God with entire serenity, not only as to the past, but also in view of the future, and even of the judgment; for this is the thought with which he closes the exposition about to follow we have in Christ, besides the mediation of His death, by which we have already been justified (δικαιωθέντες), that of His life, by which we shall be maintained in this state of salvation; comp. Romans 5:9-10, which are the authentic explanation of the clause: through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1. In this way Romans 5:2, which refers to the atonement, ceases to have the effect of a repetition.

Schott says to the same purpose: “As it is to the person of Christ that we owed access into grace (Romans 5:2), it is the same person of Christ which assures us of the perfecting of salvation (Romans 5:1).”