Commentary · ✓ Approved

Romans 5:1–21: Peace with God, and Adam and Christ

Certainty Says Implies Uncertain

Introduction: peace with God, and Adam and Christ

Says Romans 5 opens with οὖν, "therefore," and draws the consequence of 3:21–4:25: "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (5:1, BSB). The participle Δικαιωθέντες (aorist passive) looks back on a verdict already given (note.language.Rom.5.1-Rom.5.5.echomen-kauchometha-agape; note.exegetical.Rom.4.23-Rom.4.25.written-for-us).

Implies 5:1–11 sets out what justification brings to the believer now and assures the future: peace, access, hope, and salvation from wrath. 5:12–21 grounds this in the one man Jesus Christ, set against the one man Adam, so that what came through Adam to all is answered by what comes through Christ to those who receive the gift (5:17).

Structure. 5:1–5: peace with God and the hope that does not disappoint. 5:6–11: Christ died for the ungodly, while we were enemies, with a doctrinal note on "much more" (5:9–10). 5:12–14: through one man. 5:15–17: the gift is not like the trespass. 5:18–21: one act of righteousness. A doctrinal note on Adam and Christ closes the chapter (5:12–21).

Background. The historical notes treat dying for a good man (note.historical.Rom.5.1-Rom.5.21.dying-for-the-good), the language of reconciliation (note.historical.Rom.5.1-Rom.5.21.reconciliation-diplomatic), Adam in Second Temple writings (note.historical.Rom.5.1-Rom.5.21.adam-second-temple), and how 5:12 was read (note.historical.Rom.5.1-Rom.5.21.reception-5-12).

Note ID: note.exegetical.Rom.5.1-Rom.5.21.overview

Romans 5:1–5: Peace with God and the hope that does not disappoint

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. (BSB)

Uncertain The text of 5:1. This commentary keeps SBLGNT's ἔχομεν, "we have peace," at low confidence (var.Rom.5.1.echomen). The external evidence favors ἔχωμεν, "let us have peace": ℵ* A B* C D, the early versions, and most Fathers. The indicative is kept on internal grounds: the perfects of 5:2 and the reconciliation received in 5:10–11 describe a present standing, and the two vowels were easily confused. On either reading the peace rests on being justified (note.language.Rom.5.1-Rom.5.5.echomen-kauchometha-agape).

Says Through Christ "we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God" (5:2, BSB). ἐσχήκαμεν and ἑστήκαμεν are perfects: access gained and a standing held (lex.G4318; lex.G1515). The verdict is ἐκ πίστεως; faith as the means, not the ground, is treated in note.language.Rom.4.2-Rom.4.5.logizomai-misthos.

Uncertain The mood of καυχώμεθα in 5:2–3, whose indicative and subjunctive forms are the same. This commentary follows the Greek note's lean to the indicative, "we rejoice" (BSB), which matches the participle of 5:11; the alternative is "let us rejoice," matching ἔχωμεν (lex.G2744). The rejoicing in hope stands against the boasting excluded in 3:27 (note.exegetical.Rom.3.27-Rom.3.31.boasting-excluded).

Says Believers "also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" (5:3–4, BSB). The chain runs θλῖψις, ὑπομονή, δοκιμή, ἐλπίς (lex.G2347; lex.G5281; lex.G1382; lex.G1680), and "hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us" (5:5, BSB). On a possible echo of Ps 22:5 in οὐ καταισχύνει, see xref.Rom.5.5.Ps.22.5.heb.

Uncertain ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ in 5:5. This commentary follows the Greek note's lean to God's love for us: 5:8 restates it as τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀγάπην εἰς ἡμᾶς, 8:39 uses the phrase of God's love, and the hope rests on what God gives (lex.G26). The alternative is our love for God, poured into our hearts by the Spirit, as Augustine read it (src.npnf1-augustine-spirit-letter), on the grounds of "in our hearts" and 8:28.

Textual: Romans 5:1 (variant unit: ἔχομεν / ἔχωμεν) - In text: εἰρήνην ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν θεόν (eirēnēn echomen pros ton theon, "we have peace with God"): ℵᵃ, B³, Fgr, Ggr, P, syrᵖ, Didymus, Epiphanius, Cyril (some works), Sedulius. = SBLGNT, NA28, Byz, TR - Alternative: εἰρήνην ἔχωμεν πρὸς τὸν θεόν (eirēnēn echōmen pros ton theon, "let us have (enjoy) peace with God"): ℵ*, A, B*, C, D, E, K, L, itᵈ, itᵉ, itᶠ, itᵍ, vg, syrˢᶜʰ, cop, arm, aeth, Origen (Lat.), Titus of Bostra, Chrysostom, Euthalius, Cyril, Theodoret, John of Damascus, Ambrosiaster. = WH, Treg - Evidence (from the variant record):

Editions (checked 2026-10-30): SBLGNT, RP2018, TR (local files); WH/Treg/NA28 from the SBLGNT apparatus; NA28 by reference only. Sigla: as in STYLE_GUIDE §2.3. Minuscules are Gregory–Aland numbers, with Tischendorf's Pauline number once in parentheses ("Tisch."); * = first hand, superscript ᶜ = a later corrector (Tischendorf's notation); full key in src.tischendorf-8. Minuscules whose Gregory–Aland number is not verified are summarized, not listed. Witnesses are listed only where Tischendorf names them.

SBLGNT, NA28, RP2018, and TR read ἔχομεν; WH, Treg, and Tischendorf 8 (p. 385) read ἔχωμεν.

Manuscripts (Tischendorf 8, vol. 2 (1872), p. 385, leaf n392): ἔχωμεν: ℵ* A B* C D E K L and about thirty others, the Latin d e f g and vg, syrˢᶜʰ, cop, arm, aeth, Origen (Lat.), Titus of Bostra, Chrysostom, Euthalius, Cyril, Theodoret, John of Damascus, Ambrosiaster. ἔχομεν: ℵᵃ B³, the Greek of F G, P, many others, syrᵖ, Didymus, Epiphanius, Cyril (some works), Sedulius. Tischendorf judges the external evidence for ἔχωμεν far stronger and prints it.

Internal: ο and ω were pronounced alike, so either form could arise in copying or dictation (16:22). The indicative fits 5:1–11, which states what the justified have: access, a standing in grace (5:2), reconciliation (5:10–11). A call to "have" a peace that 5:10 says God has made is harder to fit; the subjunctive is read as "let us enjoy peace." - Decision: Uncertain Print SBLGNT's ἔχομεν with low confidence. The external evidence favors ἔχωμεν: ℵ* A B* C D, the early versions, and most Fathers. The indicative is kept on internal grounds, because 5:1–11 states facts that follow from justification, and the two vowels were easily confused. On either reading the peace rests on being justified; ἔχωμεν urges the justified to live in it. On καυχώμεθα in 5:2–3, which can be read either way, see note.language.Rom.5.1-Rom.5.5.echomen-kauchometha-agape. Confidence low. - Says/Implies: On either reading the peace rests on being justified (5:1); ἔχωμεν would urge the justified to live in it. - Variant record: var.Rom.5.1.echomen.

Note ID: note.exegetical.Rom.5.1-Rom.5.5.peace-with-god

Romans 5:6–11: Christ died for the ungodly, while we were enemies

6 For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Therefore, since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him! 10 For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! 11 Not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (BSB)

Says Paul writes that "at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly" (5:6, BSB): ὑπὲρ ἀσεβῶν, the ungodly whom God justifies (4:5). SBLGNT prints Ἔτι γάρ at the opening (var.Rom.5.6.eti-gar) and a second ἔτι later in the clause (var.Rom.5.6.eti). "But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (5:8, BSB).

Uncertain The two persons of 5:7: "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die" (5:7, BSB). This commentary follows the lean of the Greek and historical notes: two figures, an upright man and "the good man," a benefactor, on the grounds of the article in τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ and the γάρ that qualifies the first clause. The alternative takes the clauses as synonymous, the second restating the first (note.language.Rom.5.6-Rom.5.11.hyper-katallasso; note.historical.Rom.5.1-Rom.5.21.dying-for-the-good).

Implies Christ's death "for us" is substitutionary and propitiatory: he died in the place of the ungodly, and by his blood God's wrath is turned away (5:9). The case is set out in note.exegetical.Rom.3.21-Rom.3.26.righteousness-revealed and note.exegetical.Rom.3.25.hilasterion-propitiation and is not repeated here.

Says "For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life" (5:10, BSB). We rejoice in God through Christ, "through whom we have now received reconciliation" (5:11, BSB). On ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ, see note.language.Rom.5.6-Rom.5.11.hyper-katallasso.

Implies Reconciliation is God's act through Christ's death, received by believers (κατηλλάγημεν, ἐλάβομεν), not achieved by them (lex.G2644; lex.G2643). Whether "enemies" also means that we stood under God's hostility, and how the word group was used outside Paul, are treated in note.historical.Rom.5.1-Rom.5.21.reconciliation-diplomatic.

Textual: Romans 5:6 (variant unit: Ἔτι γάρ / Εἴ γε / εἰς τί γάρ) - In text: Ἔτι γὰρ Χριστός (eti gar Christos, "For while … still, Christ"): ℵ, A, C, D*, Dᶜ, K, P, arm, Marcion (per Epiphanius), Epiphanius, Chrysostom, Theodoret, John of Damascus, Origen (Lat.). = SBLGNT, NA28, Treg, Byz, TR - Alternative 1: Εἴ γε Χριστός (ei ge Christos, "If indeed Christ"): B. = WH - Alternative 2: εἰς τί γὰρ Χριστός (eis ti gar Christos, "For why did Christ …?"): Db, F, G, itᵈ, itᵉ, itᶠ, itᵍ, vg, Irenaeus (Lat.), Faustinus. - Evidence (from the variant record):

SBLGNT, NA28, Treg, RP2018, TR, and Tischendorf 8 (p. 385) read Ἔτι γάρ; WH reads Εἴ γε.

Manuscripts (Tischendorf 8, vol. 2 (1872), p. 385, leaf n392; continued p. 386, leaf n393): Ἔτι γάρ: ℵ A C D* Dᶜ K P (L ἔτι δέ) and apparently all others, arm, Marcion (per Epiphanius), Epiphanius, Chrysostom, Theodoret, John of Damascus, Origen (Lat.). Εἴ γε: B; "if" also in fu*, Augustine, and Isidore (εἰ γάρ), syrˢᶜʰ, and cop. εἰς τί γάρ: Db F G, d e f g, vg, Irenaeus (Lat.), Faustinus.

Internal: with a second ἔτι later in the clause (var.Rom.5.6.eti), the opening ἔτι is awkward; Εἴ γε and εἰς τί γάρ both look like attempts to smooth it. - Decision: Print Ἔτι γάρ with high confidence. Every early majuscule but B, F, and G has it, and the other openings ease the doubled ἔτι. WH's Εἴ γε (B) is the main alternative; it would make 5:6 a condition ("if indeed Christ died …") leading to 5:7–8. Confidence high. - Variant record: var.Rom.5.6.eti-gar.

Note ID: note.exegetical.Rom.5.6-Rom.5.11.while-we-were-enemies

Romans 5:9–10: Doctrinal note on "much more"

Implies Those now justified will be saved from wrath: "since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him" (5:9, BSB). The argument runs πολλῷ μᾶλλον, from the greater to the lesser: if God justified the ungodly and reconciled enemies at the cost of his Son's death, he will much more bring the justified and reconciled through the coming wrath (5:9–10; note.language.Rom.5.6-Rom.5.11.hyper-katallasso). The wrath is the future day of 2:5 (note.exegetical.Rom.1.18.wrath-revealed; lex.G3709), and the verdict already given is not reopened there (8:1, 33–34; note.exegetical.Rom.2.6-Rom.2.16.judgment-according-to-works).

Perseverance. The Reformed doctrine of the perseverance of the saints (WCF 17.1, by reference; src.wcf-1646) draws on texts such as this one; it is not argued further here.

Note ID: note.exegetical.Rom.5.9-Rom.5.10.much-more

Romans 5:12–14: Through one man

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned. 13 For sin was in the world before the law was given; but sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who did not sin in the way that Adam transgressed. He is a pattern of the One to come. (BSB)

Says "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned" (5:12, BSB). ἥμαρτον is aorist, as in 3:23 (lex.G266; lex.G2288). Death is the penalty threatened in Gen 2:17 and carried out in Gen 3:19 and 5:5 (note.language.Rom.5.12-Rom.5.14.gen-2-3-adam; xref.Rom.5.12.Gen.2.17.heb; xref.Rom.5.12.Gen.3.17-Gen.3.19.heb; xref.Rom.5.14.Gen.5.5.heb).

Uncertain The syntax of 5:12. This commentary follows the Greek note's lean to a broken sentence: ὥσπερ has no matching οὕτως καί, and 5:18–19 complete it (ὡς … οὕτως καί). The alternative takes καὶ οὕτως in 5:12 as the second half (note.language.Rom.5.12.eph-ho).

Uncertain The meaning of ἐφ᾽ ᾧ. This commentary follows the Greek note's lean to "because" (BSB), the sense ἐφ᾽ ᾧ has in 2 Cor 5:4. The alternatives are "with the result that," "on the basis of which" (death), and "in whom" (Adam), which needs ἐν rather than ἐπί and a distant antecedent (note.language.Rom.5.12.eph-ho).

The Vulgate. The Vulgate renders ἐφ᾽ ᾧ in quo, "in whom," which mistranslates the Greek, since ἐπί with the dative does not mean "in." How Ambrosiaster and Augustine read the Latin, and how Pelagius read the verse, is reported in note.historical.Rom.5.1-Rom.5.21.reception-5-12.

Uncertain How all sinned in relation to Adam, and so why death reigned over those who did not break a stated command (5:12, 14). The team's lean is federal headship with immediate imputation: Adam's one trespass is counted to all he represented (WCF 6.3, by reference; src.wcf-1646), because 5:15–19 trace death and condemnation to the one trespass, and the parallel credits Christ's righteousness. Realism holds that all sinned in Adam as present in him, reading ἥμαρτον as one act; mediate imputation holds that guilt follows inherited corruption, reading ἥμαρτον of personal sinning. The full treatment is in note.exegetical.Rom.5.12-Rom.5.21.adam-and-christ.

Uncertain The clause "sin is not taken into account when there is no law" (5:13, BSB). This commentary follows the Greek note's lean to a relative sense: without the law, sin is not charged (ἐλλογεῖται) as transgression of a stated command, as Adam's was (4:15), yet death still came. The alternative is that sin was not charged at all (note.language.Rom.5.13-Rom.5.14.ellogeitai-typos; lex.G1677).

Says "Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who did not sin in the way that Adam transgressed. He is a pattern of the One to come" (5:14, BSB). Adam is τύπος τοῦ μέλλοντος, a type of Christ, one man answering to one man (lex.G5179). μή is printed with high confidence (var.Rom.5.14.me).

Background. Non-canonical Jewish writings also traced death to the beginning (Wis 2:23–24; Sir 25:24; 4 Ezra 3:21; 7:118; 2 Bar 54:15, 19); they are set out, with the question of an echo of Wis 2:24, in note.historical.Rom.5.1-Rom.5.21.adam-second-temple.

Textual: Romans 5:14 (variant unit: ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ ἁμαρτήσαντας / ἐπὶ τοὺς ἁμαρτήσαντας) - In text: ἐπὶ τοὺς μὴ ἁμαρτήσαντας (epi tous mē hamartēsantas, "over those who did not sin (in the way that Adam transgressed)"): Irenaeus (Lat.), Athanasius, Cyril, Diodore, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Acacius, Gennadius, Chrysostom, Theodoret, John of Damascus, Archelaus, Jerome, Augustine. = SBLGNT, NA28, WH, Treg, Byz, TR - Alternative: ἐπὶ τοὺς ἁμαρτήσαντας (epi tous hamartēsantas, "over those who sinned (in the way that Adam transgressed)"): itᵈ*, Origen (Lat.), Ambrosiaster. - Evidence (from the variant record):

SBLGNT, NA28, WH, Treg, RP2018, TR, and Tischendorf 8 (p. 388) read μή.

Manuscripts (Tischendorf 8, vol. 2 (1872), p. 388, leaf n395): μή is omitted by three minuscules and one lectionary, the Latin d*, Origen (Lat.), Ambrosiaster, and Latin manuscripts known to Augustine and Ambrosiaster. Tischendorf names no Greek manuscript for μή; he cites Augustine's report that the Greek codices have it, and Irenaeus (Lat.), Athanasius, Cyril, Diodore, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Acacius, Gennadius, Chrysostom, Theodoret, John of Damascus, Archelaus, and Jerome.

Internal: the omission makes death reign only over those who sinned as Adam did, which sits poorly with 5:12 ("all sinned") and looks like a correction. - Decision: Print μή with high confidence. The omission is late and mainly Latin. It changes the sense: with μή, death reigned even over those whose sin was not, like Adam's, the breach of a stated command (note.language.Rom.5.13-Rom.5.14.ellogeitai-typos). Confidence high. - Variant record: var.Rom.5.14.me.

Note ID: note.exegetical.Rom.5.12-Rom.5.14.through-one-man

Romans 5:15–17: The gift is not like the trespass

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many! 16 Again, the gift is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment that followed one sin brought condemnation, but the gift that followed many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! (BSB)

Says "But the gift is not like the trespass" (5:15, BSB). Paul draws three contrasts. The many died by the one man's trespass, and God's grace and gift abounded much more to the many (5:15). "The judgment that followed one sin brought condemnation, but the gift that followed many trespasses brought justification" (5:16, BSB): κατάκριμα against δικαίωμα, a sentence of acquittal (lex.G2631; lex.G1345; note.language.Rom.2.26.dikaiomata-logisthesetai). Death reigned through the one man, and "those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ" (5:17, BSB). The words are χάρισμα, δωρεά, and παράπτωμα (lex.G5486; lex.G1431; lex.G3900; note.language.Rom.5.15-Rom.5.19.dikaioma-kathistemi).

Implies Grace exceeds the trespass. Πολλῷ μᾶλλον (5:15, 17) does not weigh two equal causes: the one trespass brought condemnation, but the gift answers many trespasses, and those who receive it do not merely escape death's reign but themselves reign in life.

Implies 5:17 limits the life that comes through Christ to "those who receive" the gift (οἱ … λαμβάνοντες). This governs the "all" of 5:18 (note.exegetical.Rom.5.18-Rom.5.21.one-act-of-righteousness).

Note ID: note.exegetical.Rom.5.15-Rom.5.17.not-like-the-trespass

Romans 5:18–21: One act of righteousness

18 So then, just as one trespass brought condemnation for all men, so also one act of righteousness brought justification and life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. 20 The law came in so that the trespass would increase; but where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (BSB)

Says "So then, just as one trespass brought condemnation for all men, so also one act of righteousness brought justification and life for all men" (5:18, BSB). "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners" (5:19, BSB), and "through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous" (5:19, BSB). παρακοή answers ὑπακοή (lex.G3876; lex.G5218; note.language.Rom.1.5.hypakoe-pisteos), and δικαίωσις is the verdict of acquittal (lex.G1347; note.language.Rom.4.25.dia-paraptomata-dikaiosin).

Uncertain δι᾽ ἑνὸς δικαιώματος (5:18). This commentary follows the Greek note's lean to "one act of righteousness" (BSB), because 5:19 restates it as τῆς ὑπακοῆς τοῦ ἑνός, Christ's obedience, culminating in his death (compare Phil 2:8). The alternative, "one verdict," keeps the sense of δικαίωμα in 5:16 (note.language.Rom.5.15-Rom.5.19.dikaioma-kathistemi). Whether the obedience counted includes Christ's active obedience is left as it stands in note.exegetical.Rom.1.17.imputation.

Uncertain "Were made sinners" (ἁμαρτωλοὶ κατεστάθησαν, 5:19a). The team's lean is forensic: the many were constituted sinners by Adam's disobedience counted to them, federal headship with immediate imputation, because καθίστημι means to appoint or constitute (lex.G2525) and 5:16, 18 set κατάκριμα in parallel (WCF 6.3, by reference; src.wcf-1646). Realism reads it of all sinning in Adam as present in him; mediate imputation reads it of guilt reckoned through the corruption each person inherits. The mechanism is treated in note.exegetical.Rom.5.12-Rom.5.21.adam-and-christ.

Implies "Will be made righteous" (δίκαιοι κατασταθήσονται, 5:19b) is forensic: the many are constituted righteous by Christ's obedience counted to them, the δικαίωσις of 5:18, not by an infused quality. The case is set out in note.exegetical.Rom.1.17.imputation and note.exegetical.Rom.4.3-Rom.4.8.crediting-righteousness and is not repeated here.

Uncertain Whether 5:19 alludes to Isa 53:11, where the Servant makes "the many" righteous. This commentary follows the Hebrew note's lean: probable, since 4:25 probably echoes Isa 53:12 and one person's work brings righteousness to "the many"; the alternative is that οἱ πολλοί is Paul's own counterpart to "the one" (note.language.Rom.5.19.isa-53-11; xref.Rom.5.19.Isa.53.11.heb; xref.Rom.4.25.Isa.53.12.heb).

Implies "All" in 5:18 does not teach universal salvation. 5:17 limits life to "those who receive" the gift, and 5:19 speaks of "the many"; the "all" of 5:18 are all who are in Christ, as all in Adam are condemned (note.exegetical.Rom.5.15-Rom.5.17.not-like-the-trespass).

Other readings. Universalist readings take the second "all" of 5:18 as all humanity without exception, read apart from 5:17.

Uncertain "The law came in so that the trespass would increase" (5:20, BSB). This commentary follows the Greek note's lean to purpose: ἵνα with the subjunctive, the purpose ἵνα of 5:21, and Gal 3:19, the law "added because of transgressions," sin becoming open transgression of a command (4:15; 7:7–13). The alternative is result, with the ecbatic ἵνα of later Greek (11:11) and sin, not God, the agent of the increase in 7:13 (note.language.Rom.5.20-Rom.5.21.pareiselthen-hina; lex.G3922; lex.G4121).

Says Paul adds, "but where sin increased, grace increased all the more" (5:20, BSB), so that, as sin reigned in death, "grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (5:21, BSB) (lex.G5248).

Note ID: note.exegetical.Rom.5.18-Rom.5.21.one-act-of-righteousness

Romans 5:12–21: Doctrinal note on Adam and Christ

Implies Sin, death, and condemnation came to all humanity through Adam's one trespass, and righteousness and life come to those in Christ through his one act of obedience (5:12, 15–19).

Says Paul states each half: through one man sin entered and death spread to all (5:12); the many died by the one man's trespass (5:15); one trespass brought condemnation for all (5:18); the many were made sinners through one man's disobedience, and the many will be made righteous through one man's obedience (5:19). Adam is "a pattern of the One to come" (5:14, BSB), and the gift exceeds the trespass (5:15–17).

Uncertain How Adam's trespass reaches all. The team's lean is federal headship with immediate imputation: Adam stood as the head of humanity, and his one trespass is counted to all he represented, as Christ's obedience is counted to those in him (WCF 6.3, by reference; src.wcf-1646). Grounds: 5:15–19 trace death and condemnation to the one trespass (5:16, 18 κατάκριμα), death reigned over those who did not sin as Adam did (5:13–14), and the parallel with Christ is forensic (5:19b). Realism holds that all humanity sinned in Adam as present in him, as one nature, reading ἥμαρτον in 5:12 as one act. Mediate imputation holds that guilt is reckoned on the ground of the corruption each person inherits, reading ἥμαρτον of personal sinning. Under the team's lean, "were made sinners" (5:19a) is forensic (note.exegetical.Rom.5.18-Rom.5.21.one-act-of-righteousness; note.language.Rom.5.12.eph-ho; note.language.Rom.5.13-Rom.5.14.ellogeitai-typos).

Other readings. Pelagius read 5:12 as sin passing to all by imitation of Adam's example. That view falls outside what 5:15–19 affirm, since there condemnation comes through the one trespass, not through each person's imitation of it. The history of these readings, with Ambrosiaster, Augustine, the Westminster Confession, and the later Reformed debate, is reported in note.historical.Rom.5.1-Rom.5.21.reception-5-12.

Note ID: note.exegetical.Rom.5.12-Rom.5.21.adam-and-christ

Minor variants (no change in meaning). Only the 5:6 unit (the second ἔτι) has its own variant record, with the full evidence and decision; the other lines have none. - Romans 5:2: text τῇ πίστει (SBLGNT, RP2018, TR, Tischendorf 8; ℵ* and a corrector, C, K, L, P, most others, vg, syrᵘᵗʳ, cop, arm, Origen (Lat.), Chrysostom, Euthalius, Cyril, Theodoret, John of Damascus, Ambrosiaster) / alt. 1 ἐν τῇ πίστει (ℵᵃ, A, two minuscules, Titus of Bostra) / alt. 2 omit (B, D, E, F, G, the Latin d*, e, f, g, Origen (Lat., elsewhere)). Byz, TR = text. No change in meaning (ἐκ πίστεως stands in 5:1); no variant record. - Romans 5:3: text καυχώμεθα (SBLGNT, WH, NA28, RP2018, TR, Tischendorf 8; ℵ, A, D, E, F, G, K, L, P, most others, vg, cop, arm, aeth, Origen (Lat.), Cyprian, Titus of Bostra, Chrysostom, Theodoret, John of Damascus) / alt. καυχώμενοι (Treg; B, C, 436 (Tisch. 80), Origen, Ephraem, Tertullian). Byz, TR = text. No change in meaning; no variant record. - Romans 5:6: text ὄντων ἡμῶν ἀσθενῶν ἔτι κατὰ καιρόν (ℵ, A, B, C, D*, F, …) / alt. ὄντων ἡμῶν ἀσθενῶν κατὰ καιρόν (Dᶜ, E, K, L, P, syrˢᶜʰ, …). Byz, TR = alternative. Confidence high. var.Rom.5.6.eti. - Romans 5:16: text ἁμαρτήσαντος, "one who sinned" (SBLGNT, RP2018, TR, Tischendorf 8; ℵᶜ (ℵ* drops a syllable), A, B, C, K, L, P, most others, d, cop, syrᵖ, arm, Origen (Lat.), Chrysostom, Euthalius, Theodoret (comm.), John of Damascus, Augustine) / *alt. ἁμαρτήματος, "one sin" (D, E, F, G, 436 (Tisch. 80) and one more minuscule, d*, f, g, the Clementine vg, syrˢᶜʰ, aeth, Origen (Lat., elsewhere), Theodoret (text), Augustine (elsewhere)). Byz, TR = text. The one sin is the one man's in either form (5:15, 17); no variant record. - Romans 5:17: text τῷ τοῦ ἑνὸς παραπτώματι (SBLGNT, RP2018, TR, Tischendorf 8; ℵ, B, C, K, L, P, most others, d, e, vg, syrᵘᵗʳ, cop, arm, aeth, Origen (Lat.), Chrysostom, Euthalius, Theodoret, John of Damascus) / alt. 1 ἐν ἑνὶ παραπτώματι (A, F, G) / alt. 2 ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ παραπτώματι (D, E). Byz, TR = text.** No change in meaning (5:15, 18); no variant record.

Sigla: ℵᵃ = Tischendorf's corrector a.

Summary

This summary repeats the conclusions above. It adds no new argument.

Says Justified by faith, believers have peace with God, access into grace, and hope of the glory of God, and the hope does not disappoint, because God's love has been poured into their hearts through the Holy Spirit (5:1–5). Christ died for the ungodly while they were powerless, sinners, and enemies, and through his death they were reconciled (5:6–11). Sin and death entered through one man, and Adam is a type of the One to come (5:12–14). One trespass brought condemnation for all; one act of righteousness brought justification and life; and where sin increased, grace increased all the more (5:15–21).
Implies Christ's death for us is substitutionary and propitiatory. Reconciliation is God's act, received by believers. Those now justified will much more be saved from wrath. Sin, death, and condemnation came to all through Adam's one trespass, and righteousness and life come to those in Christ through his one act of obedience. Grace exceeds the trespass. "Will be made righteous" (5:19b) is forensic. "All" in 5:18 does not teach universal salvation.
Uncertain The text of 5:1 (lean: ἔχομεν, low confidence); the mood of καυχώμεθα (lean: indicative); the love of God in 5:5 (lean: God's love for us); the two persons of 5:7 (lean: two); the syntax of 5:12 (lean: completed in 5:18–19); ἐφ᾽ ᾧ (lean: "because"); how all sinned in Adam, and "were made sinners" in 5:19a (team lean: federal headship with immediate imputation, forensic); "not taken into account" in 5:13 (lean: relative); δι᾽ ἑνὸς δικαιώματος (lean: one act of righteousness); an Isa 53:11 allusion in 5:19 (lean: probable); and ἵνα in 5:20 (lean: purpose).

Sources Bible Scholarship & Tool CC BY 4.0 SBLGNT CC BY 4.0 BSB public domain Augustine, Spir. et litt. (NPNF¹ 5) public domain WCF public domain RP2018 Unlicense TR (Scrivener 1894) public domain Tischendorf⁸ public domain 🔒︎ NA28 Copyrighted