Romans 5: The Fall of Man. Today, when most Christians think of chapter 5 of Romans, they think about the topics of original sin and man's fall. To be sure, this chapter sheds light on those topics. However, in this chapter, Paul is not presenting a treatise on original sin or the fall. Instead, Paul continues to reiterate several of his key points, presenting them from new perspectives.
As part of this process, Paul explains how it is possible that the death of one man Christ could open the door to eternal life for everyone. Paul illustrates this reality by pointing to Adam's sin. Through the transgression of Adam, sin entered the world, and now everyone sins. Paul focuses on how Christ's death works just the opposite. It brings grace and potential redemption to everyone. Over the centuries, Christians have developed various doctrines of the fall based on this chapter of Romans.
Accordingly, we will be looking at how the early Christians originally understood the nature of the fall. We will then look at how the concept of original sin developed from its initial traces in the 3rd century until Augustine produced its full-fledged version in the fifth century. However, before Paul addresses the topic of man's fall, he first writes about the believer's relationship with God. So we will begin there. Romans chapter 5 verses 1-5. Our relationship with God. Romans 5:1.
Therefore, being justified by faith, let us have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We obtain peace with God at the time of our conversion in baptism. However, it is not a situation of once peace, always peace. For that reason, Paul now exhorts us to maintain this peace. If we return to a life of sin, we relinquish the peace with God we obtained at our initial salvation.
Tertullian writes," Paul exhorts those who are justified by faith in Christ to have peace with God." Origen explains further," Without a doubt, he who again turns to sin renews the former enmity with God." He rebuilds the barrier of hostility, and he dissolves the work of Christ. He thereby undoes Christ's suffering on the cross. Hebrews chapter 10 verses 26-29. One thing is for certain, anyone in whom there is evil can never have peace with God.
Along the same vein, Chrysostom provides the following insights: Paul now turns to our manner of living. Up until now, he has said much about the subject of faith. He puts faith ahead of the righteousness that is by works. Accordingly, to prevent anyone from supposing that what he said provides grounds for spiritual laxity. Paul now exhorts" let us have peace." In other words, let us not sin anymore, nor go back to our former state. To do so would be to make war with God.
However, someone may ask," How is it possible to sin no more?" Well, how was the initial thing possible? When we were liable for so many sins, we were freed from all of them by Christ. That being the case, through His power, how much more shall we be able to preserve the state that we now have obtained? For it is easier to maintain the peace once it has been given to us than to initially obtain peace when there had formerly been none. It is surely harder to acquire peace than it is to maintain it.
Theodoret writes," Having explained that the patriarch obtained the righteousness that is of faith, it was necessary for Paul to add a moral exhortation. Otherwise, those who lived in spiritual laxity would use what he said as grounds for neglecting practical virtue." They would argue that faith alone was sufficient for justification. We are responsible to preserve the peace that has previously been brought about. How should this verse be rendered?
At this point, many readers may be puzzled by the remarks of the early Christians." Let us have peace with God," they may be thinking. I thought the verse says," We have peace with God." The reason for this confusion is that virtually all modern Bible translations render this verse, therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God. This rendering makes it sound like peace is a guaranteed thing.
However, as we have just seen, the ancient manuscripts used by the early Christians all say," Let us have peace." The spiritual difference between these two readings is considerable. The ancient text is an exhortation to maintain peace with God. The later manuscripts make it sound like the battle is over after we have been saved. They suggest we automatically have peace with God after our initial salvation.
Ironically, in Greek, the difference between let us have peace and we have peace turns on a single letter, one versus another. So it is easy to see how a scribe could have easily introduced this error, particularly if he were taking down verbal dictation.
Although the existing Greek manuscripts are almost evenly divided in number as to these two different readings, when we regard the differing weight of the manuscripts, coupled with the unanimous testimony of the early Christians, the manuscript evidence comes down decidedly in favor of the reading," Let us have peace." New Testament scholar A.T. Robertson wrote," Let us have peace with God is the correct text beyond a doubt." It is curious how perverse many real scholars have been on this word and phrase here.
Why did Dr. Robertson refer to these other scholars as" perverse"? It was because they chose the reading" We Have Peace" purely for theological reasons. Those textual scholars had all been influenced by the theology of Augustine, Luther and Calvin. So they ignored the textual evidence because it did not agree with their theology. A typical example is Marvin R. Vincent, author of Word Studies in the New Testament.
He wrote the following:" The true reading is" let us have peace, but it is difficult, if not impossible, to explain it." In reality, there is nothing the least bit difficult to explain. As we have seen, the early Christians found nothing strange about it, and they had no trouble explaining it. The only difficulty is a modern one, harmonizing it with the theology of Augustine and Luther.
Similarly, the 19th-century Greek textual scholar Dean Henry Alford strongly disliked the theological implications of" Let us have peace." He complained that it did not make theological sense, even though it actually makes perfect sense. However, in the end, he was forced to admit that the textual support for this reading was overpowering. In his work, the Greek Testament, he lists the many ancient Greek manuscripts that support this reading.
He then writes," In addition to the Greek manuscripts, among the translations, we have the older Syriac, Peshitta, and the Coptic. Of the fathers, we have Chrysostom, Cyril, Theodoret, John of Damascus, Theophylact, Oecumenius, Rufinus, Pelagius, Orosius, Augustine, and Cassiodorus. Even prior to the early Christians that he enumerates, we have the testimony of Tertullian, AD 200, and Origen, AD 246. We also have the witness of Ambrosiaster, AD 370.
In fact, no pre-Nicene Christian writer quotes this passage as" We have peace." This theological bias is so strong that even the modern editors of the United Bible Society's critical text deviated from their normal textual principle. As a result, they chose the reading" We Have Peace" over the stronger textual evidence for the reading" Let us have peace." Dr.
Bruce Metzger gives the following rationalization for their decision:" Although the subjunctive, let us have peace has far better external support than the indicative we have peace, a majority of the committee judged that internal evidence must here take precedence." For in this passage, it appears that Paul is not exhorting, but stating facts. That last statement is, of course, purely subjective. Maintaining peace with God.
Actually, Paul's admonition," Let us have peace with God" should come as no surprise to any of us. After all, in several other New Testament passages, the apostles exhorted fellow Christians to maintain peace with God. For example, Peter urges," Therefore, beloved, seeing that you look for these things, be diligent to be found in peace without defect and blameless in his sight." 2 Peter 3:14. Paul likewise exhorts the Corinthians," We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20.
Paul wrote these words" not to the unsaved, but to the saved." Similarly, James admonishes his Christian readers," You adulterers and adulteresses. Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." Likewise, John exhorts the Christians of his day," Do not love the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him." 1 John 2:15.
Obviously, if someone does not have the love of the Father in Him, He is no longer at peace with God. So the peace we obtain gratuitously at the time of our initial salvation must be maintained throughout our Christian life by our faithful walk with Christ. Even before these New Testament writers spoke of this need to maintain peace, Jesus had admonished His disciples to abide in His love. Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love.
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love. Maintaining peace with God and abiding in Christ's love go hand-in-hand. Neither one is automatic. Romans 5:2," By whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." Into this grace in which we stand, after admonishing us to maintain peace with God, Paul goes on to describe the blessings we enjoy when we are at peace with Him.
One of these blessings is that we stand in His continuing grace or favor. God's gifts do not end with our initial forgiveness and justification. Nevertheless, as Chrysostom warns, but when you hear of grace, do not think that thereby the need for effort on our part is set aside. Paul emphasizes that this is a gift in order to destroy any haughtiness or arrogant spirit on our part. It is not to minimize the labor of effort God requires of us.
Therefore, do not become spiritually slack because Paul has called this a gift of grace. For in his great candor, Paul sometimes even refers to our good works as graces. That is because even in our works, we need much assistance from above. Rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Origen understands the hope of the glory of God to refer to the glory of seeing God. He writes," Those who bear the hope of seeing this glory are the ones of whom it has been said.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Chrysostom adds, Paul says," And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." He says this so that you can learn what kind of soul the faithful must have, for we should be filled with confidence, not only for what has been given, but also for what is yet to be given. We should rejoice in it as though it has already been given. Romans chapter 5 verses 3 and 4.
And not only that, but we also rejoice in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces endurance, and endurance, approval, and approval hope. We also rejoice in tribulations. Jesus had taught," Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you." One of the distinguishing marks of true Christians is that they not only endure afflictions for the sake of Christ, but they even rejoice in them. When the apostles were beaten and threatened by the Sanhedrin, they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for Jesus' name. That is why Paul says that we not only rejoice in the hope of future glory, but also in our present tribulations.
One reason tribulation is a good thing is that it produces endurance or steadfastness. After nearly being stoned to death, Paul had told his fellow believers," We must enter the kingdom of God through many afflictions." Tribulation does not always take the form of beatings, stoning, and imprisonment. It can come in the form of ridicule, family opposition, ostracism, and other forms of hostility. Whatever form it takes, when we have proved steadfast during trials, it brings God's approval.
And God's approval provides us with strong hope of the glory to come. As Jesus told the Christians in Smyrna," Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life." If endurance brings God's approval, then His approval is obviously not a certainty. If His approval is not automatic, then neither is His peace. Romans 5:5," And hope does not make us ashamed. For the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us." Hope does not make us ashamed.
By this expression, Paul means that the hope of Christians is a trustworthy hope that will not fail. Chrysostom comments," These are not mere human hopes, which often slip away. When that happens, those who hoped in them are put to shame." For example, a person might put his hope in some patron who is expected to financially support him. But then the expected patron dies, or he changes his mind. However, no such lot is ours. Our hope is sure and unchangeable. For he who has made the promise lives forever.
For the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. The love of God can mean either God's love for us or our love for God. Taking the expression to mean God's love for us, Chrysostom comments, Paul does not say that his love is given. Rather, he says it is shed abroad in our hearts. This demonstrates the abundance of it. Furthermore, the warmth of His love is made apparent in that He does not honor us gradually or little by little. Instead, He has shed abroad the full fountain of His blessings.
And He has done this even before we have endured any struggles. On the other hand, Theodoret interprets the love of God to mean our love for God, which the Holy Spirit kindles within us. He comments," The gift of the Holy Spirit which we received at baptism has kindled the love of God within us