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 o... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE BEING JUSTIFIED BY FAITH,.... Not that faith is at the first of our justification; for that is a sentence which passed in the mind of God from all eternity, and which passed on Christ, and on all the elect considered in him, when he rose from the dead; see Romans 4:25; nor is it the chief,... [ Continue Reading ]
BY WHOM ALSO WE HAVE ACCESS BY FAITH,.... The access here spoken of is not to the blessing of justification; for though that is a grace which we have access to by Christ, and come at the knowledge of by faith, and enjoy the comfort of through it; and is a grace in which persons stand, and from which... [ Continue Reading ]
AND NOT ONLY SO, BUT WE GLORY IN TRIBULATIONS ALSO,.... The tribulations of the saints are many and various, through the hatred of the world, the temptations of Satan, their own corruptions; and are the will of their heavenly Father; what Christ has foretold, and they expect; and here particularly d... [ Continue Reading ]
AND PATIENCE EXPERIENCE,.... As tribulations tend to exercise and increase patience, so patience being exercised and increased, enlarges the saints' stock and fund of experience; of the love and grace of God communicated to them at such seasons; of his faithfulness in fulfilling his promises; of his... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HOPE MAKETH NOT ASHAMED,.... As a vain hope does, things not answering to expectation, it deceives, and is lost; but the grace of hope is of such a nature, as that it never fails deceives, or disappoints: it neither makes ashamed, nor have persons that have any reason to be ashamed of it; neithe... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR WHEN WE WERE YET WITHOUT STRENGTH,.... The apostle having mentioned the love of God proceeds to give an instance, and which is a full proof and demonstration of it, which is, that IN DUE TIME CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY. That Christ died is certain; the death of Christ was foretold in prophecy,... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR SCARCELY FOR A RIGHTEOUS MAN WILL ONE DIE,.... The design of this, and the following verse, is to show that Christ's dying for ungodly persons is an instance of kindness that is matchless and unparalleled. By "a righteous man", is not meant a truly gracious, holy man; nor one that is made righte... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT GOD COMMENDETH HIS LOVE TOWARDS US,.... That is, he hath manifested it, which was before hid in his heart; he has given clear evidence of it, a full proof and demonstration of it; he has so confirmed it by this instance, that there is no room nor reason to doubt of it; he has illustrated and set... [ Continue Reading ]
MUCH MORE THEN BEING NOW JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD,.... The apostle here argues from justification by Christ to salvation by him, there being a certain and inseparable connection between these two; whoever is justified shall be saved; and speaks of justification "as being now by his blood". Justificati... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR IF WHEN WE WERE ENEMIES,.... For the further illustration of the love of God expressed to sinners, by the death of his Son, the state and condition God's elect were in when Christ died for them is taken notice of; they "were enemies"; to God, to his being, perfections, purposes, and providences;... [ Continue Reading ]
AND NOT ONLY SO, BUT WE ALSO JOY IN GOD,.... Something seems here to be understood, and which is to be supplied thus; not only we are saved by his life, and from wrath through him; not only are we reconciled to God by his Son, and Spirit; not only Christ has died for us while sinners and ungodly; no... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE AS BY ONE MAN SIN ENTERED INTO THE WORLD,.... The design of these words, and of the following, is to show how men came to be in the condition before described, as "ungodly", Romans 5:6, "sinners", Romans 5:8, and "enemies", Romans 5:10; and to express the love of Christ in the redemption o... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR UNTIL THE LAW, SIN WAS IN THE WORLD,.... This is a proof of sin's having entered into the world, by one man's transgression of the positive law of God, which forbid him the eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; since it was in the world before the law of Moses was given:... [ Continue Reading ]
NEVERTHELESS DEATH REIGNED FROM ADAM TO MOSES,.... Though the law of Moses was not yet given, death exerted itself, and extended its dominion over all the sons and daughters of Adam, during the interval between Adam and Moses; which clearly shows that sin was in the world, and that there must be a l... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT NOT AS THE OFFENCE, SO ALSO IS THE FREE GIFT,.... By "the offence", or "fall", as the word signifies, is meant the first sin of Adam; by which he offended God, and fell from that estate in which he was created, and all his posterity with him; and by the "free gift" is meant, the righteousness of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND NOT AS [IT WAS] BY ONE THAT SINNED, [SO IS] THE GIFT,.... The apostle goes on with the dissimilitude between the effects of Adam's sin, and Christ's righteousness: FOR THE JUDGMENT WAS BY ONE TO CONDEMNATION; by "judgment" is meant, not the judgment of God, or the judiciary sentence pronounced... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR IF BY ONE MAN'S OFFENCE DEATH REIGNED BY ONE,.... It may be rendered, "by one offence death reigned by one"; for it was the single sin of Adam, the first sin that was committed by him, which gave death its reigning power over the sons of men: "Adam, say f the Jewish doctors, transgressed, על פ... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE AS BY THE OFFENCE OF ONE,.... Or by one offence, as before, the guilt of which is imputed to, and [JUDGMENT CAME] UPON ALL MEN TO CONDEMNATION; which word is used in a legal sense, and intends condemnation to eternal death, as appears from the antithesis in the text; for if "justification... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR AS BY ONE MAN'S DISOBEDIENCE MANY WERE MADE SINNERS,.... Agreeably to this the Jews say g, that "for the sin of the first man, all that are born of him, יהיו רשעים, "become wicked".'' This is the sum of what is said in the foregoing verses, that as by Adam's sin all his posterity are made sin... [ Continue Reading ]
MOREOVER, THE LAW ENTERED,.... By "the law" is meant, not the law of nature, much less the law of sin; rather the ceremonial law, which came in over and above the moral law; it entered but for a time; by which sin abounded, and appeared very sinful; and through it the grace of God much more abounded... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT AS SIN HATH REIGNED UNTO DEATH,.... This is another end of the law's entrance, or rather an illustration of the grace of God, by comparing the reigns of sin and grace together: sin has such a power over man in a state of nature, as amounts to a dominion; it has not only an enticing, ensnaring p... [ Continue Reading ]