Romanos 5

BLIVRE · Chapter 5/16

1Portanto, agora que somos justificados pela fé, temos paz com Deus por meio do nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo.

2Por meio dele também temos acesso pela fé a esta graça, na qual estamos firmes, e nos alegramos na esperança da glória de Deus.

3E não somente [isso] , mas também nos alegramos nas tribulações, sabendo que a tribulação produz paciência;

4a paciência [produz] experiência, e a experiência [produz] esperança.

5E a esperança não frustra, porque o amor de Deus está derramado em nossos corações pelo Espírito Santo que nos foi dado.

6Pois quando ainda éramos fracos, Cristo morreu a seu tempo pelos ímpios.

7Ora, dificilmente alguém morre por um justo, ainda que talvez alguém possa ousar morrer por uma boa pessoa.

8Mas Deus prova o seu amor por nós através de Cristo haver morrido por nós, quando ainda éramos pecadores.

9Por isso, muito mais agora, que já somos justificados por seu sangue, seremos por ele salvos da ira.

10Pois, se quando éramos inimigos, fomos reconciliados com Deus pela morte do seu Filho, muito mais, tendo sido reconciliados, seremos salvos pela sua vida.

11E não somente [isso] , mas também nos alegramos em Deus por meio do nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo, por quem agora recebemos a reconciliação.

12Portanto, assim como por um homem o pecado entrou no mundo, e pelo pecado a morte, assim também a morte passou a todos os seres humanos, porque todos pecaram.

13Pois, antes da Lei, o pecado [já] existia no mundo; porém, quando não há Lei, o pecado não é considerado.

14Mas a morte reinou desde Adão até Moisés, até sobre aqueles que não pecaram à semelhança da transgressão de Adão, o qual era uma figura daquele que estava para vir.

15Mas o dom gratuito não é como a transgressão; porque, se pela transgressão de um, muitos morreram, muito mais a graça de Deus, e o dom pela graça de um homem, Jesus Cristo, têm sido abundantes sobre muitos.

16E o dom não é como [a transgressão] de um que pecou; porque o julgamento de uma só [transgressão] trouxe condenação, mas o dom gratuito, de muitas transgressões, trouxe justificação.

17Pois, se pela transgressão de um, a morte reinou por causa desse, muito mais os que recebem a abundância da graça, e do dom da justiça reinarão em vida por um só, Jesus Cristo.

18Portanto, assim como uma transgressão resultou em condenação sobre todos os seres humanos, assim também um ato de justiça resultou em justificação da vida sobre todos os seres humanos.

19Pois, assim como pela desobediência de um só homem muitos foram feitos pecadores, assim também, pela obediência de um só, muitos serão justificados.

20A Lei veio para que a transgressão aumentasse; mas onde o pecado aumentou, a graça superabundou;

21a fim de que, assim como o pecado reinou para a morte, também a graça reine pela justiça para a vida eterna, por meio de Jesus Cristo, nosso Senhor.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Paul celebrates the benefits of justification by faith: peace with God, hope, and the certainty of God's love shown in Christ's death for us while we were still sinners. He compares Adam and Christ as two representatives of humanity.

Explanation

This is one of the most theologically rich chapters: Paul shows that God's love is proven precisely because Christ died for us 'while we were still sinners' — not after we had earned it. The comparison between Adam and Christ (called by theologians the 'Adamic parallel') explains how a single act (Adam's sin) brought consequences for all humanity, and how a single act (Christ's obedience) can bring life to all who believe. It is a profound explanation of how God's grace far outweighs the damage caused by sin, giving concrete hope even in the midst of suffering and tribulation.

Fun facts

  • The comparison between Adam and Christ here is the basis of the theological concept of 'federalism' or 'federal representation,' used by various Christian traditions to explain how humanity relates to these two representative 'heads.'
  • The Greek word for 'reconciliation' used by Paul (katallage) was a commercial and diplomatic term, used to describe the restoration of relations between nations or people in conflict — Paul applies it to the relationship between God and humanity.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Romanos 5:1"Peace" here is not a feeling of calm but the end of a state of hostility, like the armistice that ends a war. The chapter’s logic is that the declaration of innocence from the previous chapter has this practical consequence.
  2. Romanos 5:2"Access" describes an entryway, as if faith were the door that opens the way into this state of grace in which the believer now stands firm, no longer fearing the judgment described in the previous chapters.
  3. Romanos 5:3Paul takes a step beyond the joy described in the previous verse: it’s not only future hope that encourages the believer, even present hardships take on value, because they train the capacity to persevere.
  4. Romanos 5:4This continues a chain of cause and effect: perseverance forms a character tested by trials, and that character, in turn, feeds hope even more.
  5. Romanos 5:5"Maketh not ashamed" means this hope will not disappoint or leave the person embarrassed in the end; the guarantee of that is the love of God, felt as something concrete, "shed abroad" by the Holy Spirit already given to the believer.
  6. Romanos 5:6Paul explains the exact timing of Christ’s death: it was not when people were already good or strong, it was "in due time," while they were still weak and far from God, called here ungodly.
  7. Romanos 5:7To highlight the magnitude of Christ’s act, Paul uses a human example: it is rare for someone to die for a merely righteous person, and only in exceptional cases would someone dare to risk their life for someone truly good.
  8. Romanos 5:8In contrast with the rare example of the previous verse, God’s love proves itself in precisely the opposite of what was expected: Christ died for people who were still sinners, not for people who were already good.
  9. Romanos 5:9This is a “how much more” argument: if the harder part, being declared righteous despite sin, has already happened through the blood of Christ, then the remaining part, being saved from the final wrath, is even more certain.
  10. Romanos 5:10This repeats the same “how much more” logic from the previous verse with a different word: if reconciliation, which required the death of the Son, already happened while we were enemies of God, then final salvation, which depends only on his life, is even more certain.
  11. Romanos 5:11This closes out this block of reasoning by repeating the theme of “rejoicing” that opened the chapter, now with a specific reason: the reconciliation with God already achieved through Christ.
  12. Romanos 5:12The “one man” is Adam, and Paul describes the Genesis account as the entry point of a problem that affects everyone after him, not just himself. This is the basis for the comparison he makes for the rest of the chapter between Adam and Christ.
  13. Romanos 5:13Paul lays the groundwork for comparing Adam and Christ: even before the law of Moses existed, sin was already in the world, only without a written law it was not formally “counted” as transgression.
  14. Romanos 5:14“Figure” here means pattern or foreshadowing — Paul says that Adam, in an inverted way, anticipates the role of Christ. Just as one man brought a consequence upon everyone, the other would also bring a consequence upon everyone, only the opposite one.
  15. Romanos 5:15This begins a series of comparisons between Adam’s offense and Christ’s free gift: both have an effect on many, but not in the same proportion — God’s grace far exceeds the damage caused by the sin of one man.
  16. Romanos 5:16This marks another difference in proportion: a single offense brought condemnation, but Christ’s free gift resolves many accumulated offenses, not just that first one.
  17. Romanos 5:17This continues the “how much more” pattern: if death began to reign because of one man, it is even more certain that those who receive abundant grace will reign in life through one man, Jesus Christ.
  18. Romanos 5:18This sums up the whole comparison in a symmetrical sentence: just as one single act, Adam’s sin, brought condemnation upon all, one single act, Christ’s obedience, brings the possibility of life for all.
  19. Romanos 5:19The contrast of the whole chapter is summed up here: one act, Adam’s disobedience, brought a negative collective result, and another act, Christ’s obedience, brings a positive collective result. It’s the same “one affects all” logic applied to both sides.
  20. Romanos 5:20Paul answers a question he himself anticipates: if the law only made the size of the problem clearer, chapter 3, wouldn’t that be bad? He says no, because the greater the exposed problem, the more visible the answer that follows becomes.
  21. Romanos 5:21This closes the chapter with an image of a reign exchanged: where sin once reigned leading to death, now it is grace that reigns, leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ.

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