(23) Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him,
M- What was written? That ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness’ (Genesis 15:6). The fact that God gave Abraham right standing on the basis that He trusted God wasn’t just written for Him. When something is imputed to someone, it is credited to someone, or assigned to them. Because Abraham trusted God, He was given (imputed) a right (righteous) standing with God.
A –Many people say that things in the bible don’t apply to us, but Paul says here that what was written way before was for the benefit of the people He’s writing the letter to. In the same way, the bible is effective for teaching us today even though it was written so long ago. All scripture is from God and beneficial (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
(24) but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe, who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead,
M –The same way God gave Abraham righteousness because of his belief, God will also give righteousness to those of us who believe. And what we believe is in the true God who brought Jesus back to life after his death.
(25) who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.
M –Jesus was handed over (delivered) to death because of our offenses against God (sin.) When Jesus came back to life from the dead, it showed that He defeated death. Through the resurrection Jesus proved He really was the son of God and was able to keep his promises about coming back from the dead and giving His followers life after death.
A –Praise the Lord! We offended God, but Jesus died for us and has shown us He can make us right with God and give us life after death. Isn’t it good to know, that you can have a relationship with the only one who knows how to get out of death!
CHAPTER 5
(1) Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
M –Paul has been talking about the example of how Abraham was made right with God because He trusted God. The same is true for all who have come to trust in the promises of God. Christians are justified (made right with God) through faith. Christians also have peace with God which implies that those who haven’t trusted in Christ are still enemies with God.
A –Once we’ve come to Christ, we have been justified in the past-tense -meaning that we already have a good standing with God. We also NOW have peace with God.
(2) through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
M –Jesus said ‘I am the way’ (John 14:6), and He is the only way we can have these blessings from God. It is THROUGH Him that we have access to the grace in which we stand. We rejoice in the fact that we know we will actually see God in His glory someday and have His glory change us someday. This remains in the realm of hope since we can’t see it yet.
A –If we have come into a trusting relationship with Jesus, we can be confident that we have free access to God as our Father. We can come to Him freely as His children in prayer and relationship.
(3) And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance,
M –Christians also rejoice even when we are suffering tribulation (different pressures). There is a reason for this. When we suffer, it causes to learn perseverance.
A –The New Testament teaches that suffering and dealing with different preassures is a normal part of the Christian’s life. But we can rejoice in them, because God will use them to change us to be more like His Son.
(4) and perseverance character; and character, hope.
M –Dealing with suffering causes us to learn how to persevere (stay on course even when it’s hard and there’s no end in sight.) Once we’ve learned to persevere we’re growing character, it’s becoming obvious that our faith is real and lasts even through suffering. This gives us hope that God will continue to strengthen our faith, and that we really do have faith, and will receive the promises of God.
A –It has been said ‘a faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted.’ We should rejoice when suffering comes, knowing that it’s an opportunity to exercise our faith and see God’s help come through for us.
(5) Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
M –If you hope for something that never ends up happening, it is a disappointment. But when we’re hoping in God, we won’t be disappointed. If we have already come to Christ, His Spirit has drawn on our heart and has showed us the love of God especially in the death of Jesus for us. If we know His Spirit is in us and already showing us God’s love, we can be sure that our hope in Him won’t let us down.
(6) For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
M-These details are about us; ‘When we were.’ This is the state of each one of us before God saves us. We were without strength. We had no ability to help ourselves out of our problems. We were ungodly. It’s one thing to be weak, but we were weak and also ungodly, guilty of sin. This is the time when Christ died for us.
A –God doesn’t need someone to ‘Get their life together’ before they become a Christian. First of all they are too weak to get their life together, and second of all ,they are guilty and only coming to Christ can give them forgiveness.
(7) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
M-Paul points out how rare it is to hear of someone choosing to die for another person, and that’s even dying for generally good people! But every now and then it happens, someone is willing to give their life to save the life of someone who seems ‘worth saving.’
(8) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us,
M- God’s love is something far past even the greatest human love. He gave up his life to save ours, AND WE’RE SINNERS! Amazing. Jesus didn’t die for us after we turned to Him, but while we were still in the middle of our sinning against Him.
A- It has been said that you can only know love by the actions that it causes. What actions to we see that prove God’s love? He put His love into action and died for us even when we were opposed to Him.
(9) Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
M –When Jesus died on the cross, his blood paid our fines with God and gave us (who believe) a good standing (justification) with God. If He’s already gone through the trouble of paying for our sins, what makes us think He’s not going to spare us from wrath and hell?
(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.
M- The logic goes like this: We used to be enemies of God before we came to Christ. If it was while we were still His enemies that Jesus died for us, how much more will God save us all the way now that we have a friendly relationship (reconciliation) with God?
A –God was so serious about sin that He made sure it was paid for and it cost Him His own Son. If it cost Him so much to give us the gift of grace, what would ever make us fear that we won’t be saved by Him?
(11) And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
M- We should be so happy and rejoice in who God is. A God who was willing to love us (His enemies) and let us come into a friendly relationship with Him. This of course, is only through Jesus Christ, because if He didn’t die for us, than our debts wouldn’t have been paid and we could not have relationship with God.
A –The famous song ‘Amazing Grace’ says it well.’Amazing Grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.’ It’s amazing that God loves us the way He does and that we have been forgiven and will be saved from His wrath. We should be excited about this, thank God and tell others that Jesus offers a way for people to have a good standing with God as His children and people.
(12) Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.
M –Paul is going to be speaking in this section about how Adam, being the first human is the head of the human race, but Christ is the head of a new group of people. It was through just one man at first that sin entered into the world. And because sin entered, death also came because it’s a consequence of sin. We know that death has spread to all men because all of us die. All of us are also worthy of this death because we’ve all sinned too.
A –We all know we are facing death in the future, this isn’t because it’s ‘just the way things are’. Things are this way because death is a consequence for sin. The head of the human race sinned, and we have all followed in it.
(13) (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
M –Adam lived a long time before Moses, but it wasn’t until Moses came that God gave the Law defining what was right and wrong. It’s not that people weren’t doing wicked things before they got defined as wicked in the law, but it was hard to clearly define things as sin or not.
A –We all have wicked hearts, and our conscience knows we do wrong, but when look at God’s law, it becomes clear how much we really do.
(14) Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
M –Even though the law came later, people have still been experiencing the consequence of sin (death) even before the law. These people didn’t have a command from the Lord like Adam did, but we see that sin and death were at work from Adam on. Adam is a type (or a picture) of what Jesus is. Adam was the head of the human race, and his sin set into motion consequences for the whole human race.
(15) But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the brace of the one Man, Jesus Christ abounded to many.
M –Paul contrasts the offense (Adam rebelling against God) and a gift (Jesus obeing God and bringing us grace). The one man’s offense is Adam’s offence and many obviously died and are still dying because of it. But the gift of grace which came through one man, Jesus Christ, also affects many people. This group of people are obviously those who follow Christ.
(16) 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.
M –The one sin of Adam brought God’s judgment and condemnation on the whole human race. But, the gift of Jesus dying for all the offenses of mankind results in us being able to have a good standing with God again.
(17) For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
M –Even though Adam’s sin affected us all, we’re getting something amazing (abundant) in the gift of grace. Not only is the effect of sin broken (death, because we will be resurrected) but we are given special relationship with God as his children and are restored to an even better position than Adam was in.
A –God apparently condemned the human race since we’re attached to Adam, but also offers life and restoration to people through the head of the new race, Jesus Christ. Though our sin causes horrible effects, surrendering to Jesus and accepting His gifts can give us more than we’ve ever lost.
(18-21) Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Paul is still contrasting what we get from being related to Adam and what from being related to Christ.
Being human (from Adam) means we have a sinful nature which results in condemnation. But, if we accept Jesus free gift of grace it results in justification (a good standing with God.)
Adam disobeyed and so sin flooded into the human race, Jesus obeyed and so a way of righteousness came in.
You don’t know how bad you need a doctor until you know how sick you are. God brought the law to show us how sinful we really are. But, even though our sin seemed greater when the law came, grace is big enough to deal with it. God will still forgive us because of what Jesus did, and can still change us even though we’re that bad!
If we follow sin it leads us to death. But if we follow God’s grace and righteousness, it will lead us to eternal life in Jesus.
A –Disobedience always brings a chain-reaction of death and condemnation and obedience always brings about righteousness with God. We should know choosing obedience or disobedience to God has huge effects.
-Since the law makes our sin become more apparent, we need to be around it so we realize what God still wants to change in us, even after we’re Christians. A non-Christian benefits from hearing the law because it shows them their need for forgiveness.
CHAPTER 6
(1-4) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in the newness of life.
M –Paul has just talked about how even though the law showed us how sinful we really were, God’s grace was still bigger than all of our sin. So now, He seems to anticipate a question people would bring up…Should we continue sinning so the power of grace can be seen even more?
Paul is going to use what baptism symbolizes to make a point. When we get baptized, we are doing an outward action that shows what the Holy Spirit already did at the moment we chose to give our lives to Christ. We were united with Him, and so everything that happened to Him also applies to us. He was dead, buried, and came back to life. In the same way, we became dead to this world and sin and have been given a new life having relationship with God.
We wanted to be saved out of our old sinful way of living and wanted relationship with God, so why would we then want to go back into the sinful life we saw we needed to be saved from?
When someone dies, we no longer have relationship or influence over them since they’ve moved out of the physical realm. It’s like we’ve died to sin and gone into the realm of relationship with God. We don’t belong with sin and have been given a new life with God. So we don’t have to be controlled by sin any more, it’s power has been broken so now we have the choice to walk in our freedom.
A –If you belong to Christ and think there’s no way out your sinful lifestyle or a specific sin that you feel is controlling you…that is a lie from hell! If you are Christ’s, you will still be tempted to sin, but now you have a second option you never had before….you can obey Christ because you are one with Him.
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man, and God is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so you can stand up under it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
