Bible Discussion — Romans 5

September 26, 2007, 12:00 pm; posted by
Filed under Bible, Chloe, Connie, David, Erin, Mike J, Steve, Tom  | 1 Comment

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next chapter in the book of Romans, Romans 5.

Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50

Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40

And the book of Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4

 
INTRODUCTION:
Steve:
We’re through the tough sledding of the first few chapters and their focus on human depravity — now it’s time for the payoff, which starts right off with the good news — “therefore, having been justified by faith.” The rest is just icing.

Mike:
Paul builds on his previous chapter to examine the results of our justification: we have peace with God, and our sufferings have new meaning as they eventually produce hope in us. He also compares Christ’s life-giving ministry to the death-giving “ministry” of Adam’s sin.

David:
Paul explains our new position in Christ, and introduces the idea that the law came to show us our shortcomings, so that we might receive God’s grace.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Steve:
Verses 13 through 17 are one long parenthetical statement in the NKJV…

David:
God intentionally puts us into a process that includes tribulation so that it can produce patience, experience and hope in us. Too bad he didn’t just make those things “gifts.”

Chloe:
I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve never read Romans very closely, but now that I’m carefully trudging through the cryptic sentence structure and overloaded nouns, I’m suddenly finding an astounding comfort in these chapters. God’s Son died for His enemies. I was God’s enemy. I am no longer. Praise the Lord!

Erin:
How much the chapter stresses Jesus’ humanity — His ultimate sacrifice is death, yes, but being fully man for that to be possible was a huge sacrifice as well.

Mike:
Verse 10 says we are “reconciled” to God through Jesus’ death, but “saved” by his life. Interesting distinction, though we shouldn’t push it too far, I suppose.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Steve: In Due Time
Erin: Received Reconciliation
Mike: Reconciled
Tom: Imputed
Chloe: Powerless; The Trespass
David: Adam’s Transgression

 
STORY IT REMINDS YOU OF::
Tom:
“And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.” This reminds me of the dominant architectures in parallelism in computer programming. Awesome.

David:
Playing tennis with my wife by trying to keep the ball going back and forth over the net as many times as we could. We were getting good until we learned the rules and realized how bad we really were.

That is why the law came — without rules, there can be no “missing the mark.” Once we know how bad we really are, though, we can become good.

Mike:
Innumerable times in school where the disobedience of one student resulted in the whole class missing recess or facing some other consequence.

 
DEEP THEOLOGICAL MEANING:
Chloe:
I’ve heard a consistent complaint regarding sermons within quite a few of the churches I’ve attended these past few years — that there’s too much focus on Christ’s death and not enough on His resurrection. I can see where these people are coming from, their fear that we’ll teach others that Christ died for our sins, but forget to include the part where He came back and conquered death. We teach the Resurrection, of course, but some wonder if we get the point across that His resurrection is the crux of the matter. Verse 10 explains each occurrence’s significance: His death enabling our reconciliation to God, and His resurrection saving us from death. Perhaps we should teach that verse more often.

Mike:
This is the deep stuff about how Christ saves us and enables grace to exercise dominion.

Erin:
“Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”

David:
In Genesis 15:6, God spoke to Abraham about his future, telling him it was all taken care of. When Abraham responded by “believing in the LORD,” God counted it for righteousness. When God speaks to us now about our sin, saying it is covered by the blood of his Son, and we respond by belieiving in the LORD, he counts it for righteousness. Thus, the promise made to Abraham supersedes the law and circumcision.

Steve:
Just a wonderful series of promises in this chapter. We’ve been given access into the grace and favor of God; Christ’s blood has justified us and saved us from wrath; the reign of death has come to an end; grace has overcome the power of sin in this world.

 
RANDOM THOUGHT:
Tom:
How easy would things be if we all lived verse 1?

Mike:
I love verses 3-4: suffering produces endurance which produces character which produces hope. Just knowing this gives me hope in the midst of suffering!

David:
Paul, in his horrendous Greek, takes 8 verses to say that everything Adam placed on us by his disobedience, Christ removed by His obedience.

Chloe:
It’s rare for someone to die for a good man. No one dies for an evil man, an enemy of God. Except, of course, God Himself. Remarkable.

Steve:
Verse 17 tells us that just as death reigned through Adam as a result of his sin, so will we — through Adam’s perfect counterpart, Jesus — reign in life. This isn’t a promise that we will be treated as royalty, our every need met and the world bowed down before us. It’s a juxtaposition of man’s status on either side of the curse. Death can reign through us — or we can reign in [everlasting] life. It’s nothing we have to grasp or claim. It is simple spiritual fact, the promise of eternity, and it’s reiterated in verse 21.

 
WHERE IS JESUS IN THIS PASSAGE:
David:
Removing every curse brought by Adam’s transgression.

Connie:
Jesus IS this passage, because here Paul explains how Christ has reversed the results of Adam’s disobedience.

Tom:
Verse 8.

Steve:
Verse 19: by one Man’s obedience, many will be made righteous. Thank the Lord.

Mike:
All over. Just one verse? In v. 1: He is the one who gives us “peace with God.”

 
VERSE TO REMEMBER:
Steve:
5:7-8 — “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Connie:
5:20 — “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.”

David:
5:6 — “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Tom, Mike:
5:1 — “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Chloe:
5:10 — “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

 
PORTION YOU WOULD MOST LIKE EXPLAINED IN HEAVEN:
Erin:
Is justification an instant thing?

Steve:
Verse 10 is a little confusing, the way that it seems to split reconciliation and salvation. I wonder why Paul put it that way.

Mike:
The difference between “reconciled” and “saved” in v. 10.

Tom:
Verse 14 talks about “Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.” I’d settle for having this explained now; I don’t think it’s so tricky as to require divine theology.

 
LESSON TO TAKE AWAY:
Steve:
Hope does not disappoint, because of the love of God poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. That’s the lesson of this passage and it’s there in every word. Even tribulation and sin become redemptive in this chapter, as they are transformed into blessing, through the power of the One who demonstrated his love by dying for sinners.

Mike:
When you suffer, know that: 1) you are reconciled to God, and 2) God may be working in that suffering to make a different you.

David:
Paul explains, using a parenthetical statement that lasts 5 verses, that although sin was not imputed before the law came (from Adam to Moses), they still suffered the penalty of sin –which is death. The law came to explain and justify the sentence they were already under.

Erin:
This passage brings meaning to each human life, no matter the quality — because in Christ all are equal, and for all He humbled himself to death.

 
GENERAL RESPONSE TO THE PASSAGE:
Tom:
It’s amazing how complex and how simple our salvation is. Romans 5 captures both aspects.

Mike:
As a Christian, you can’t not love Romans 4-5. It is such a clean distillation of the Gospel.

David:
The phrase in the closing statement, “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound,” sets up the two questions (with Paul’s answers) that comprise the entire next chapter.

 
CONCLUSION:
Steve:
Now it’s time for Paul to clear up a small misconception about what grace IS and what grace IS NOT. We’ll get to that very relevant passage next week.


Comments

1 Comment to “Bible Discussion — Romans 5”

  1. Steve on September 26th, 2007 12:01 pm

    Very briefly, a ‘type,’ Biblically, is a Old Testament predecessor of a New Testament person or idea. Other examples include Jonah in the whale (a type of Christ’s three days in death), Melchizedek (explained in Hebrews as a type of Jesus as both priest and king), and even the flood (a type of baptism). More info here.

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