Introduction
Romans 5 and 6 delve into profound theological truths about the results of justification by faith, the contrast between Adam and Christ, and the new life believers have in Christ. This study will explore these themes in depth, examining key verses, their theological implications, and how they apply to the modern church and individual Christians.
Romans 5: Peace and Hope through Justification
1. Romans 5:1-5: Results of Justification
Verses 1-2: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Application: The church should emphasize the peace and access to God’s grace that comes from being justified by faith. Christians should live in the reality of this peace, standing firm in God’s grace and rejoicing in the hope of His glory.
Verses 3-5: “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Application: The church should teach that suffering is not meaningless but can lead to spiritual growth. Christians should find encouragement in knowing that trials produce perseverance, character, and a hope that is rooted in God’s love, poured out through the Holy Spirit.
2. Romans 5:6-11: God’s Love Demonstrated
Verses 6-8: “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Application: The church should proclaim the profound love of God demonstrated in Christ’s sacrificial death. Christians should live in gratitude for this love and share it with others.
Verses 9-11: “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
Application: The church should emphasize the assurance of salvation and reconciliation with God through Christ. Christians should rejoice in this relationship, living confidently in the knowledge that they are saved from God’s wrath and reconciled to Him.
3. Romans 5:12-21: Adam and Christ
Verses 12-14: “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.”
Application: The church should teach the doctrine of original sin and its effects on humanity. Christians should understand the universality of sin and the need for a Savior.
Verses 15-17: “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”
Application: The church should emphasize the superabundance of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. Christians should celebrate the gift of righteousness and the reigning life available in Christ, living victoriously over sin and death.
Verses 18-21: “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Application: The church should teach the transformative power of grace that overcomes sin. Christians should live in the assurance that Christ’s obedience has made them righteous and embrace the reigning grace that leads to eternal life.
Romans 6: New Life in Christ
1. Romans 6:1-14: Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
Verses 1-2: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”
Application: The church should teach that grace is not a license to sin. Christians should understand that being dead to sin means living a transformed life that rejects sin.
Verses 3-4: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
Application: The church should emphasize the significance of baptism as a symbol of dying to sin and rising to new life in Christ. Christians should walk in the newness of life, reflecting their union with Christ.
Verses 5-7: “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.”
Application: The church should teach that believers are united with Christ in His death and resurrection. Christians should live free from the power of sin, embracing their new identity in Christ.
Verses 8-11: “Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Application: The church should encourage believers to consider themselves dead to sin and alive to God. Christians should live with the awareness that they share in Christ’s victory over sin and death.
Verses 12-14: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”
Application: The church should exhort believers to resist sin and offer themselves to God for righteousness. Christians should live under the dominion of grace, rejecting sin and pursuing holiness.
2. Romans 6:15-23: Slaves to Righteousness
Verses 15-16: “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”
Application: The church should teach that grace does not excuse sin but calls for obedience. Christians should choose to be slaves of righteousness, leading to life.
Verses 17-18: “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”
Application: The church should celebrate the transformation from slavery to sin to slavery to righteousness. Christians should embrace their new identity and live obediently to God’s teachings.
Verses 19-20: “I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.”
Application: The church should encourage believers to present themselves to God for sanctification. Christians should pursue a life of increasing holiness, leaving behind the impurity and lawlessness of their past.
Verses 21-22: “But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.”
Application: The church should help believers recognize the futility and shame of their past sinful lives and the fruitlessness of sin. Christians should focus on the positive outcomes of their new life in Christ—sanctification and the promise of eternal life.
Verse 23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Application: The church should clearly present the contrast between the consequences of sin and the gift of eternal life through Christ. Christians should live in gratitude for the gift of eternal life and share this message of hope with others.
Conclusion
Romans 5 and 6 present a rich theological foundation for understanding the results of justification, the contrast between Adam and Christ, and the new life believers have in Christ. These chapters emphasize the peace, hope, and love that flow from being justified by faith, the transformative power of God’s grace, and the call to live a life of righteousness and sanctification.
For the modern church, these truths should shape our teaching, our worship, and our daily lives. By embracing the peace and hope of justification, living out the transformative power of grace, and committing to a life of righteousness, the church can be a powerful witness to the world of the life-changing power of the gospel. For individual Christians, these chapters offer a clear call to live in the freedom and newness of life that comes from being united with Christ, dead to sin, and alive to God.