Which moves us to Romans 5, which is the effect of being justified by FAITH.
Romans 5:1Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So being justified by faith means we NOW have peace with God. We are not trying to get peace with God by following the Law or any other set of instruction. NO! We follow His ways because WE do have Peace not in order to get peace. Once again it is FAITH that comes before the covenant with God. So if we are still trying to get peace, we are not living in the effect of being justified by faith.
Now let's follow what Paul has done here.
1) Paul has spoken to those under the Law and said you need faith.
2) Paul has spoken to those not under the Law and said you need faith.
And now that Paul shown that we are all weak, ungodly, and in need of Christ he begins to magnify Christ. Please note the absolute absence of the Law from now on. Because now Paul is showing them what faith in Christ looks like for all.
Romans 5:6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Paul just shocked the nation with these statements. He called those who knew the Law and those who didn't ungodly. He said they were sinners. But the Jews called the Gentiles sinners. They thought they were righteous by the Law, but Paul says no, WE, are sinners. Even throwing himself in the comparison.
9Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10For 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.11More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Paul's focus here is on Christ. We are justified by His blood, we are saved by His life, we are reconciled to God. These are things the Jews thought the Law did, but Paul shows them no. Christ is the fulfillment of the Law.
But some people are thinking, but Paul why the Law then? If faith in Christ has always been what justifies us... why the Law? And here Paul explains the purpose of the Law.
12Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14Yet 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.
Now this my friends is going to really blow your mind. Sin was in the Earth because of Adam's trespass and because of this death entered also. So yes, sin was in the world before the Law was ever given. And it is the Law that puts the REQUIREMENT of not sinning on us. People were dying, but they didn't know why they were dying.
But here's the nuclear bomb: "Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses"... why does Paul use this time frame? Because it was THROUGH Moses who the Law was given. The Law was not given before Moses and we as Gentiles were never under Moses, we came in through uncircumcised Abraham.
Last part I'll cover in Romans 5 here.
Romans 5:19For 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.
Paul is saying sin and thus death entered through one man's disobedience, so by one Man (Jesus) made are made righteous. Paul is flatly saying here that we are RIGHTEOUS through His obedience. Notice Paul doesn't say our obedience. Because we are FIRST righteous before we even desire to be truly obedient. It is our righteousness that even allows us to be obedient.
So why the Law???
Romans 5:20Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Law was given to increase the account for sin. Not to decrease it. It was given because we CAN'T follow it. It was given so that we desperately cry out for the Lord to save us. So that God might have mercy on us, that we might have His righteousness, and enter in to eternal life with Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:1Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So being justified by faith means we NOW have peace with God. We are not trying to get peace with God by following the Law or any other set of instruction. NO! We follow His ways because WE do have Peace not in order to get peace. Once again it is FAITH that comes before the covenant with God. So if we are still trying to get peace, we are not living in the effect of being justified by faith.
Now let's follow what Paul has done here.
1) Paul has spoken to those under the Law and said you need faith.
2) Paul has spoken to those not under the Law and said you need faith.
And now that Paul shown that we are all weak, ungodly, and in need of Christ he begins to magnify Christ. Please note the absolute absence of the Law from now on. Because now Paul is showing them what faith in Christ looks like for all.
Romans 5:6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Paul just shocked the nation with these statements. He called those who knew the Law and those who didn't ungodly. He said they were sinners. But the Jews called the Gentiles sinners. They thought they were righteous by the Law, but Paul says no, WE, are sinners. Even throwing himself in the comparison.
9Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10For 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.11More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Paul's focus here is on Christ. We are justified by His blood, we are saved by His life, we are reconciled to God. These are things the Jews thought the Law did, but Paul shows them no. Christ is the fulfillment of the Law.
But some people are thinking, but Paul why the Law then? If faith in Christ has always been what justifies us... why the Law? And here Paul explains the purpose of the Law.
12Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14Yet 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.
Now this my friends is going to really blow your mind. Sin was in the Earth because of Adam's trespass and because of this death entered also. So yes, sin was in the world before the Law was ever given. And it is the Law that puts the REQUIREMENT of not sinning on us. People were dying, but they didn't know why they were dying.
But here's the nuclear bomb: "Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses"... why does Paul use this time frame? Because it was THROUGH Moses who the Law was given. The Law was not given before Moses and we as Gentiles were never under Moses, we came in through uncircumcised Abraham.
Last part I'll cover in Romans 5 here.
Romans 5:19For 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.
Paul is saying sin and thus death entered through one man's disobedience, so by one Man (Jesus) made are made righteous. Paul is flatly saying here that we are RIGHTEOUS through His obedience. Notice Paul doesn't say our obedience. Because we are FIRST righteous before we even desire to be truly obedient. It is our righteousness that even allows us to be obedient.
So why the Law???
Romans 5:20Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Law was given to increase the account for sin. Not to decrease it. It was given because we CAN'T follow it. It was given so that we desperately cry out for the Lord to save us. So that God might have mercy on us, that we might have His righteousness, and enter in to eternal life with Jesus Christ our Lord.