Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons


Romans

Saved by Christ's life. 5:6-11

[Seed logo] Introduction
      Paul, in our passage for study, explains that believers are assured of their final salvation. In v6-8 we are reminded of the proof of God's love in that while we were still sinners "Christ died for the ungodly". Then, in v9-11, Paul makes the point that since we now stand right before God through the sacrificial death of Christ, how much more will we be saved from the wrath of God by Jesus who is now reigning at the right hand of God. If, while rebels in God's sight, we are reconciled as his friends through Jesus' death (crucifixion), how much more will be ours in Jesus' life (resurrection, ascension and present rule). This is not just a future blessing, for even now our reconciliation with God brings unbounded joy.

The passage
      v6-8. In v5 Paul refers to the love which is poured into our hearts through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This love of God toward us is most likely the dynamic character of God, which is both made real to us and impels us, through the indwelling Spirit of Christ. This love is best illustrated in God's spontaneous and undeserved love expressed toward us in Christ; he died for the ungodly. It is very rare for a person to give up their life to save just anyone, although a person may give it up for a friend or benefactor, yet Jesus died for rebels.
      v9-10. Paul again takes up the theme of the "hope that does not disappoint us" and details its certainty in two parallel statements:
        i] Since God has done the difficult thing, namely, reconciling us to himself when we were enemies, then we can be confident that he will do the relatively easy thing of saving the righteous by faith from wrath in the last day, v9.
        ii] Again, since God has done the difficult thing, namely, justifying the sinner, then we can be confident that he will do the relatively easy thing of saving those who are his friends in the last day, v10.
      v11. Not only will we be saved in the last day, but we actually rejoice now because we have received the gift of reconciliation with God. This intimate relationship with the Father, which we experience right now through the ministry of the indwelling Spirit, is a joyful blessing indeed.

Rejoicing in the love of God
      With the arrival of the Neo-Pentecostal movement, there was a growing awareness of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Many claimed that the evidence of the Spirit's infilling was seen in the gifts of ministry. The apostle Paul questions this notion, especially regarding the gift of speaking in tongues. Paul notes that it was by no means abnormal for pagans to speak in tongues, so although a valid gift, it is really not an evidential proof of the Spirit's infilling. 1Cor.12:1-3.
      For Paul, the primary gift is the gift of love. We usually speak of love as a fruit of the Spirit and this it is. None-the-less, it is first and foremost a gift which outshines all others, even the "tongues of angels..... the resounding gong and the clanging cymbal" (Tongues). This gift of love images the love exhibited by God himself. The most powerful example of this love is the self-giving of Jesus for a people who deserve nothing from God. Our primary anticipation (hope) as a Christian, is that we will be shaped into the image of Jesus. This hope is very much related to the day of Christ's return. Yet, right at this moment, through the indwelling Spirit of Christ, we are being touched with the gift of love; we are being given the capacity to love as Christ loved.
      My own experience of being "filled with the Spirit" was very much in the terms of being overtaken with a sense of love that was for me, quite out of character. It was like being steamrollered with a sense of utter compassion for others, even those I found bothersome. This should remind us that claiming we can dislike a person, but still love them, is to say the least, a bit weak. Jesus showed what God's love was all about when he busied himself asking God's forgiveness for those who were crucifying him. Here is a perfect example of compassion. No human can love like that in their own power.
      I remember, after my own experience, hearing an African "charismatic" Anglican Bishop speak of his infilling with the Spirit. He was in prayer in his chapel when he was washed over and over with the love of God. Wave after wave. He said that the authorities could have taken him then and there and beaten him to a pulp and he would have loved them for it.
      "Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us", 5:5.

Discussion
      1. In what sense do we possess the love of God in our hearts? What does this mean in practice?
      2. What does Paul mean by: we shall "be saved through his life"?
      3. Discuss the idea that "accentuating the positive" is beneficial for healthy living.


Notes

Textual notes   Abbreviations,   Bibliography
 
      Paul, having stated his thesis in 1:16-17, that the covenant faithfulness of God is appropriated through faith, proceeds in 1:18-2:11 to establish the universality of sin, reminding self-righteous Jewish believers ("the weak", 15:1) that they too are infected by the stain of sin, 2:1-5, the consequence of which is divine condemnation, 2:6-11. Then, in 2:12-29, Paul examines the place of the law in the righteous judgment of God, making the point that those Jewish believers who have retained their standing under the law, even though circumcised, actually break the law and thus face the curse of the law and the "wrath and fury" of God's condemnation. In 3:1-8 Paul answers two objections to his rather negative view of the standing of Jewish believers under the law, namely, that he devalues the covenant/law and that he promotes libertarianism. Then, in 3:9-20, Paul drives home his conclusion, namely that the human condition of universal sin and its consequence is not avoided by submission to the law, for the law only serves to make sin more sinful. In 3:21-30 Paul draws a conclusion from his argument so far. When it comes to the covenant faithfulness of God, whether in judgment or vindication, there is no "distinction" between a person under the law, or a person outside the law. All have sinned and stand condemned, and all who believe are justified, and this because they rest, not on their own faithfulness, but the faithfulness of Christ - his "sacrifice of atonement." So, for believing Jews, like Paul, there is no ground for "boasting" about their faithfulness under the law, for a person is judged in the right with God ("justified") by faith and not by obedience. From 3:31 to 4:25, Paul explains, with reference to the life of Abraham, how his gospel of right-standing in the sight of God by faith does not "nullify" the law, rather, it "fulfills" the law; faith "fulfills / completes" the justification to which the law of Moses pointed.
      Paul now in 5:1-11 draws together the consequence of his argument so far, namely, a believer's "reconciliation with God", Cranfield, before setting out in 5:12-8:39 to examine the fullness of life which belongs to those who are in Christ, to those who are justified. Paul then follows this up by his discussion on the relationship of Israel to God's promises in chapters 9-11. Our passage for study, 5:6-11, virtually summarizes Paul's letter to this point.
      In chapters 1-8 Paul's argument in Romans moves from establishing how a person stands right with God (justified) to how a person lives right with God, and he does this with particular reference to those believers who see the maintenance of their right-standing before God and the progress of that standing (sanctification) as achieved by obedience to the Mosaic law. Paul's argument is that a person stands right with God by faith, not by obedience to the law, and as a consequence of their standing before God "in Christ", through the power of the indwelling Spirit, they live right with God, and this through the same instrument of faith, apart from the law.

v6
      eti gar "You see" - for still. The NIV adopts a reading which has the phrase introduce a statement of fact, a sure statement. This verse has a number of variants. The second eti, "still", is dropped by some texts, but most commentators regard it as original. The first eti appears, or is dropped, so: as here USB4, "for still", the most attested reading; eiV to gar, "for to what end", forming a rhetorical question; ei ge, "if indeed",..... Barrett suggests that Paul wanted to emphasize that Christ died for us while we were still sinners and so he placed "still" at the head of the sentence, but then accidently repeated it, so Moule IB. "For while we were still powerless", Barrett.
      kata kairon "at just the right time" - according to time. The right time was the time when humanity was helpless, when neither Jew nor Gentile could claim any standing before God. "While we were yet in the period of weakness", BDF.
      asqenwn (hV) "powerless" - weak. "altogether helpless", Cranfield; "helpless", JB. Christ set about to rescue us when we were totally unable to help ourselves.
      kata kairon "at just the right time" - in due time. "while we were yet in the period of weakness", BDF, cf. NEB.
      uJper "for" - on behalf of. "For" could imply "instead / in place of", when "on behalf of" is the intention, cf. Moule IB p64.
      asebwn adj. "the ungodly" - impious ones. "Christ died for those neither strongly righteous nor godly", Dumbrell. "Godless", Goodspeed.

v7
      moliV adv. "very rarely" - with difficulty, hardly, scarcely. "It is unlikely that any would give himself for a righteous man", Schneider.
      apoqaneitai (apoqnhskw) fut. "die" - will die. A gnomic future where the future action is expected.
      taca "might possibly" - perhaps, possibly, probably, BAGD.
      tolma/ (tolmaw) "dare" - Few would "dare" to die for a moral living person, but for a good person, a loving person, even a friend, some would "dare" to die. "Dare" is used in the sense of "be willing to die." "Might have the courage even to die", Weymouth.

v8
      sunisthsin (sunisthmi) pres. "demonstrates" - show, bring out [transitive]. The sense may be of a making known, demonstrating, revealing, the character of God, a present continuous action in and through the cross of Christ. Possibly "to us", but NIV is to be preferred. For some, the bringing out is a "proof", eg. Moffatt. God doesn't need to prove anything to anyone, but his act of love in Christ proves the reality of his love for humanity, "the proof of God's amazing love is this, that it was while we were yet sinners Christ died for us", Phillips.
      uJper + gen. "[Christ died] for [us]" - for. Certainly "on behalf of", but even "instead of", which thought links to Christ's death as a "blood" sacrifice, v9.

v9
      oun "-" - therefore. The NIV has failed to note the causal sequence in the argument. "Christ died for us while we were sinners, much more then, now that we are justified ...", Moffatt.
      pollw/ .... mallon adv. "how much more" - Introducing an argument that moves from the greater point to the lesser point. The much more is our justification. In comparison to the difficulty of achieving our justification through Christ's death and resurrection, our ultimate salvation in the day of judgment is a relatively easy task for God.
      en tw/ aiJmati (a atoV) "by his blood" - in his blood. The preposition here is surely instrumental, so BAGD. Here, Paul is defining the means of justification. Obviously, he is referring to Christ's sacrifice for sin. "By Christ's sacrificial death", NEB.
      swqhsomeqa (swzw) fut. pas. "shall we be saved" - we will be saved. "Be delivered from", Weymouth.
      thV orghV (h) "[from God's] wrath" - "God's anger", JB, or if the notion of an angry God offends, "from final retribution", REB. Clearly, the judgment in the day of Christ's return is the divine "wrath" that Paul is alluding to.

v10
      ei "if" - Introducing a conditional clause, 1st class, where the supposition is regarded as true.
      onteV (eimi) pres. act. part. "when we were" - being. Possibly a temporal participle, "while we were God's enemies." Also possibly a concessive participle, "if enemies as we were", Stott.
      ecqroi (oV) "enemies" - A strong word indicating the reality of the human condition. Parallel to v8, "while we were still sinners."
      kathllaghmen (katallassw) aor. pas. part. "reconciled" - having been reconciled. To turnaround, exchange. A complete turnaround from an enemy to a friend. "At peace with God", CEV.
      en + dat. "through [his life]" - in, with, by, to [the life of him]. The preposition here can be understood in numerous ways. The NIV opts for the idea that our salvation is secure because Christ is alive. Yet, the idea of identification / union with Christ is more likely the one intended by Paul. "We may be perfectly sure of our salvation through his living in us", Phillips, or better, "we shall be saved through sharing in his life", Goodspeed.

v11
      "There is little fresh thought in this verse", Barrett, indicating that it "sums up the passage", Dumbrell.
      ou monon de, alla kai "Not only is this so, but" - not only, but also. Paul has something to add to his previous points. "And not only that", Cassirer.
      kaucwmenoi (kaucaomai) pres. part. "we also rejoice" - boasting / glorying. The participle is curious here, unless it is imperatival. Probably just functioning as a finite verb, so Moule IB. The word is important since Paul uses it in both a negative and positive way, of Jews glorying before God on the basis of the law, as opposed to believers (Jew and Gentile) glorying before God about something that is worth glorying in, here our reconciliation in Christ. "Exalt", Cassirer.
      en "in" - [boasting / exalting / rejoicing] in [God]. The "glorying / exalting" is local, "in / in the presence of" our God. Turner suggests that the preposition is causal, "because of."


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