Romans 5:1

“Therefore, having been justified”

Paul begins Romans 5 with, “Therefore, having been justified.” “Therefore” is an important word to notice when studying the Scriptures. It is commonly said that when someone is studying the Scripture and sees “therefore,” they should ask what it is there for. It is an important transitional word. It connects what Paul has already said and helps to transition into his following phrase of thought. The Greek word used here is oun which is defined as the “markers of result, often implying the conclusion of a process of reasoning.”[1]

“Having been justified” is also part of the transitional statement that Paul is making. The Greek verb dikaioo means “the act of clearing someone of transgression—‘to acquit, to set free, to remove guilt, acquittal.’ “If someone needs to have their transgression removed, it is logical to ask what transgression needs to be forgiven. In this case, Paul is talking about the sin that the Christians in Rome have committed against God. However, this is not just the plight of the Christians in Rome. Every person has sinned against God. This has been part of Paul’s argument up until this point. Every person has sinned. In Romans 3:23, Paul says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Paul has also shown in his argument that this is true not just for Gentiles but also for Jews, and there is nothing men themselves can do to change this. The Old Testament is proof. The Old Testament shows the Jews striving to follow God’s law, but countless times, again and again, failing and falling short of God’s standard. Because man has sinned against God, they are His enemies, and man is also enemies with God. There is nothing man can do to fix this.[2] Paul shows back in Romans 3 that if man could get to God on his own, then it would be something that man could boast about. Instead, it is something that Jesus has done for man. Romans 3:24 says, “Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” It is only through Jesus Christ that we can be justified. There is no cause for man to boast in himself, but for man to boast in God and what He has done.

Paul’s point in Romans 5:1 is to show the believers there in Rome that they “have been justified.” This verb is showing something that happened in the past. They were sinners, and they have been justified. He wants to show them that “Justification is a once-for-all act by which God acquits the sinner.”[3] How does this justification happen?

 “Justified by faith”

Justification happens by faith. This is still part of the transitional phrase in Romans 5:1, connecting back to what Paul talks about previously in Romans. Paul has shown that every person has sinned and failed to meet God’s required standard but that they are justified by faith through His grace because of what Jesus Christ has done (Romans 3:22-24). It is also only through what Jesus Christ has done. If it was any other way, then it could be something that man could boast about (Romans 3:26-27). Instead, Paul shows that the way man is justified is by faith. “Faith is never the basis or the reason for justification, but only the channel through which God works His redeeming grace. Faith is simply a convicted heart reaching out to receive God’s free and unmerited gift of salvation.”[4] Faith shows—that I cannot do it; instead, I have to entrust myself completely and entirely in what someone else has done for me. The Greek word for faith is pistis which means “to believe to the extent of complete trust and reliance. “[5]

In Romans 4, Paul uses Abraham as an example of how he was made righteous not by what he did but because of his faith in what God would do. Paul uses Abraham because to every Jew, Abraham is the top example of how to be righteous, but the Jews had been taught that Abraham had been made righteous by his faithfulness, not because of his faith. Thus, Paul wanted to correct what the Jews believed and show that this had always been God’s plan. Man would be justified only through faith for the intended purpose that they boast in God.[6]

 “Peace with God”

Because of sin, man is at war with God and is His enemy, but after being justified, Paul says, “We have peace with God.” What a remarkable statement. Those who were once enemies are now at peace. The language that Paul is using carries the idea of reconciliation. “The most immediate consequence of justification is reconciliation, which is the theme of Romans 5. Reconciliation with God brings peace with God. That peace is permanent and irrevocable.” [7]

“We have peace with God” is difficult to translate into English. There is much debate surrounding how it should be translated. Some say that it is translated as “we many have peace,” “shall we have peace,” “let us have peace,” or “we have peace.”[8] “We have peace” best shows what Paul is trying to say here. He wants the believers in Rome to understand that when they were justified, peace with God happened immediately, it is not something that they must wait to happen at some future time.

Once we have been justified and are at peace with God, what is the reality of our relationship with God and our access to Him? Paul discusses this in the next verse, and in the next post we will dive into the glorious truth that we have direct access to God.


FOOTNOTES:

[1] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 782.

[2] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Romans 1-8 (Chicago: The Moody Bible Institute, 1991), 273-275.

[3] Douglas J.Moo, The Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids, Michigan/ Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996), 298.

[4] MacArthur, The MacArthur Commentary, 238.

[5] Louw, Greek-English Lexicon, 375.

[6] MacArthur, The MacArthur Commentary, 232-233

[7] MacArthur, The MacArthur Commentary,  274.

[8] Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 3 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887), 57.

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Introduction and Background for Romans 5