The Assurance Provided by the Gospel:
The Hope of Salvation

Romans 5:1-8:39 

Romans 5 – The Hope of Glory 

Introduction to the Next Section

5 Reasons Doug Moo Thinks It’s a Transition

1. The opening phrase

2. Shift in style for polemic to confessional (“you” to “we”)

3. Change in the vocabulary (death/die/put to death, life/to live are much more common)

4. Significantly fewer direct quotations from the OT.

5. Most importantly: The theme shifts to the hope of sharing in God’s glory (5:2 and 8:18, 30)

Relationship between Ch. 1-4 and 5-8

1. Some argue that there are two different conceptions of the Gospel. 

a. Forensic: “Christians benefit, because Christ died for us.”

b. Participatory: “Christians benefit, because we died with Christ.”

2. Paul doesn’t abandon one for the other. They rather build on each other, emphasizing different parts.

Keep an eye out for these concepts: 

1. “Already, but not yet”

2. Different realms

1. From Justification to Salvation (v. 1-11)
   1. Justification results in:
      1. Reconciliation (peace with God presently)
      2. Hope (God’s glory in the future)
   2. Peace with God (v. 1)
      1. Greek understanding was negative–the end of fighting
      2. Jewish understanding (almost certainly Paul’s) was much broader and deeper (shalom) Num. 6:26
   3. By Jesus, by faith (v. 2)
   4. Hope helps us through difficulty (v. 3)
      1. “…all the evil that the Christian experiences reflects the conflict between this age, dominated by Satan, and the age to come, to which the Christian has been transferred by faith. All suffering betrays the presence of the enemy and involves attacks on our relationship to Christ.”
      2. The big picture is that affliction is always used by God in the lives of his children.
   5. Our hope in Christ will not leave us ashamed at the judgement. (v. 5-6)
      1. Our hope is grounded in God’s love for us (1st mention in Romans) through Christ.
      2. This is clear, because His love predates our justification.
      3. The nature of God’s love (v. 6-8)
         1. The pinnacle of human love is giving one’s life for a loved one. (v. 7)
         2. God the Father gave Christ to die for weak, ungodly sinners. (v. 6, 8)
         3. Therefore God’s love far surpasses the best human love.
      4. From harder to easier (v. 9-10)
         1. Already but not yet
         2. Reconciliation language of v. 10 is rare in other religions historically because of the power distance.
2. Leaving the realm of death and sin for the reign of grace and life (v. 12-21)
   1. Sin entered by one man (Adam), and it has been passed to all. (v. 12) 
      1. The problem is both corporate and individual. 
      2. The knowledge of sin increases responsibility. (v. 13)
      3. Even without the direct knowledge of the the law, sin still brings consequences. (v. 14)
   2. Adam is a type of Jesus. (v. 14)
      1. Both play a role as head or representative.
      2. One affects many. (v.15)
      3. Active act vs. Passive grace (v. 15)
      4. Results: Condemnation vs. Justification (v. 16)
      5. Comparison of how much (v. 17)
      6. Summary (v. 18-21)

Tough Questions

1. Is this fair?
2. Does v. 18 teach universalism?
3. What’s the purpose of the law?