Romanos 5

VBL · Chapter 5/16

1Ahora que hemos sido justificados por Dios, por nuestra confianza en él, tenemos paz con él a través de nuestro Señor Jesucristo.

2Porque es por medio de Jesús, y por nuestra fe en él, que hemos recibido acceso a esta posición de gracia en la que estamos, esperando con alegría y confianza que podamos participar de la gloria de Dios.

3No solo esto, sino que mantenemos la confianza cuando vienen los problemas, porque sabemos que experimentar dificultades desarrolla nuestra fortaleza espiritual.

4La fortaleza espiritual, a su vez, desarrolla un carácter maduro, y este carácter maduro trae como resultado una esperanza que cree.

5Ya que tenemos esta esperanza, nunca seremos defraudados, porque el amor de Dios ha sido derramado en nuestros corazones a través del Espíritu Santo que él nos ha dado.

6Cuando estábamos completamente indefensos, en ese momento justo, Cristo murió por nosotros los impíos.

7¿Quién moriría por otra persona, incluso si se tratara de alguien que hace lo recto? (Aunque quizás alguno sería suficientemente valiente para morir por alguien que es realmente bueno).

8Pero Dios demuestra su amor en que Cristo murió por nosotros aunque todavía éramos pecadores.

9Ahora que somos justificados por su muerte, podemos estar totalmente seguros de que él nos salvará del juicio que viene.

10Aunque éramos sus enemigos, Dios nos convirtió en sus amigos por medio de la muerte de su Hijo, y así podemos estar totalmente seguros de que él nos salvará por la vida de su Hijo.

11Además de esto celebramos ahora lo que Dios ha hecho por medio de nuestro Señor Jesucristo para reconciliarnos y convertirnos en sus amigos.

12Porque a través de un hombre el pecado entró al mundo, y el pecado condujo a la muerte. Y de esta manera la muerte llegó a todos, porque todos eran pecadores.

13Incluso antes de que se diera la ley, el pecado ya estaba en el mundo, pero no era considerado pecado porque no había ley.

14Pero la muerte gobernaba desde Adán hasta Moisés, incluso sobre aquellos que no pecaron de la misma manera que lo hizo Adán.

15Pero el don de Jesús no es como el pecado de Adán. Aunque mucha gente murió por culpa del pecado de un hombre, la gracia de Dios es mucho más grande y ha sido dada a muchos a través de su don gratuito en la persona de Jesucristo.

16El resultado de este don no es como el resultado del pecado. El resultado del pecado de Adán fue juicio y condenación, pero este don nos justifica con Dios, a pesar de nuestros muchos pecados.

17Como resultado del pecado de un hombre, la muerte gobernó por su culpa. Pero la gracia de Dios es mucho más grande y su don nos justifica, porque todo el que lo recibe gobernará en vida a través de la persona de Jesucristo.

18Del mismo modo que un pecado trajo condenación a todos, un acto de justicia nos dio a todos la oportunidad de vivir en justicia.

19Así como por la desobediencia de un hombre muchos se convirtieron en pecadores, de la misma manera, a través de la obediencia de un hombre, muchos son justificados delante de Dios.

20Pues cuando se introdujo la ley, el pecado se hizo más evidente. ¡Pero aunque el pecado se volvió más evidente, la gracia se volvió más evidente aun!

21Así como el pecado gobernó sobre nosotros y nos llevó a la muerte, ahora la gracia es la que gobierna al justificarnos delante de Dios, trayéndonos vida eterna por medio de Jesucristo, nuestro Señor.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Paul celebrates the benefits of justification by faith: peace with God, hope, and the certainty of God's love shown in Christ's death for us while we were still sinners. He compares Adam and Christ as two representatives of humanity.

Explanation

This is one of the most theologically rich chapters: Paul shows that God's love is proven precisely because Christ died for us 'while we were still sinners' — not after we had earned it. The comparison between Adam and Christ (called by theologians the 'Adamic parallel') explains how a single act (Adam's sin) brought consequences for all humanity, and how a single act (Christ's obedience) can bring life to all who believe. It is a profound explanation of how God's grace far outweighs the damage caused by sin, giving concrete hope even in the midst of suffering and tribulation.

Fun facts

  • The comparison between Adam and Christ here is the basis of the theological concept of 'federalism' or 'federal representation,' used by various Christian traditions to explain how humanity relates to these two representative 'heads.'
  • The Greek word for 'reconciliation' used by Paul (katallage) was a commercial and diplomatic term, used to describe the restoration of relations between nations or people in conflict — Paul applies it to the relationship between God and humanity.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Romanos 5:1"Peace" here is not a feeling of calm but the end of a state of hostility, like the armistice that ends a war. The chapter’s logic is that the declaration of innocence from the previous chapter has this practical consequence.
  2. Romanos 5:2"Access" describes an entryway, as if faith were the door that opens the way into this state of grace in which the believer now stands firm, no longer fearing the judgment described in the previous chapters.
  3. Romanos 5:3Paul takes a step beyond the joy described in the previous verse: it’s not only future hope that encourages the believer, even present hardships take on value, because they train the capacity to persevere.
  4. Romanos 5:4This continues a chain of cause and effect: perseverance forms a character tested by trials, and that character, in turn, feeds hope even more.
  5. Romanos 5:5"Maketh not ashamed" means this hope will not disappoint or leave the person embarrassed in the end; the guarantee of that is the love of God, felt as something concrete, "shed abroad" by the Holy Spirit already given to the believer.
  6. Romanos 5:6Paul explains the exact timing of Christ’s death: it was not when people were already good or strong, it was "in due time," while they were still weak and far from God, called here ungodly.
  7. Romanos 5:7To highlight the magnitude of Christ’s act, Paul uses a human example: it is rare for someone to die for a merely righteous person, and only in exceptional cases would someone dare to risk their life for someone truly good.
  8. Romanos 5:8In contrast with the rare example of the previous verse, God’s love proves itself in precisely the opposite of what was expected: Christ died for people who were still sinners, not for people who were already good.
  9. Romanos 5:9This is a “how much more” argument: if the harder part, being declared righteous despite sin, has already happened through the blood of Christ, then the remaining part, being saved from the final wrath, is even more certain.
  10. Romanos 5:10This repeats the same “how much more” logic from the previous verse with a different word: if reconciliation, which required the death of the Son, already happened while we were enemies of God, then final salvation, which depends only on his life, is even more certain.
  11. Romanos 5:11This closes out this block of reasoning by repeating the theme of “rejoicing” that opened the chapter, now with a specific reason: the reconciliation with God already achieved through Christ.
  12. Romanos 5:12The “one man” is Adam, and Paul describes the Genesis account as the entry point of a problem that affects everyone after him, not just himself. This is the basis for the comparison he makes for the rest of the chapter between Adam and Christ.
  13. Romanos 5:13Paul lays the groundwork for comparing Adam and Christ: even before the law of Moses existed, sin was already in the world, only without a written law it was not formally “counted” as transgression.
  14. Romanos 5:14“Figure” here means pattern or foreshadowing — Paul says that Adam, in an inverted way, anticipates the role of Christ. Just as one man brought a consequence upon everyone, the other would also bring a consequence upon everyone, only the opposite one.
  15. Romanos 5:15This begins a series of comparisons between Adam’s offense and Christ’s free gift: both have an effect on many, but not in the same proportion — God’s grace far exceeds the damage caused by the sin of one man.
  16. Romanos 5:16This marks another difference in proportion: a single offense brought condemnation, but Christ’s free gift resolves many accumulated offenses, not just that first one.
  17. Romanos 5:17This continues the “how much more” pattern: if death began to reign because of one man, it is even more certain that those who receive abundant grace will reign in life through one man, Jesus Christ.
  18. Romanos 5:18This sums up the whole comparison in a symmetrical sentence: just as one single act, Adam’s sin, brought condemnation upon all, one single act, Christ’s obedience, brings the possibility of life for all.
  19. Romanos 5:19The contrast of the whole chapter is summed up here: one act, Adam’s disobedience, brought a negative collective result, and another act, Christ’s obedience, brings a positive collective result. It’s the same “one affects all” logic applied to both sides.
  20. Romanos 5:20Paul answers a question he himself anticipates: if the law only made the size of the problem clearer, chapter 3, wouldn’t that be bad? He says no, because the greater the exposed problem, the more visible the answer that follows becomes.
  21. Romanos 5:21This closes the chapter with an image of a reign exchanged: where sin once reigned leading to death, now it is grace that reigns, leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ.

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