Romans for Youth
Commentary by Pastor Ron Beckham

Romans Chapter 5

Verse 1.  “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

What is real “peace?”  The answer is to have “peace with God,” and the only way to find it is through “faith” (trust) in the “Lord Jesus Christ.”

Verse 2.  “through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”

Faith (trusting) in Jesus Christ gives us God’s “grace” (His favor), which lets us have real “hope” in Him, filling us with joy and happiness in the glory of the Lord.

Verse 3.  “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;”

Through the Lord, we can even be happy in our troubles, because He gives us the ability to keep on trying, even when life seems bad.

Verse 4.  “and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;”

Your “character” is who you really are.  When we have joy even in trouble (verse 3), it makes us good inside, and because of that, we begin to HOPE in God.

Verse 5.  “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

“Hope” (looking to God) will never let us down, because of the love that God’s Holy Spirit floods into us when we have faith in Jesus Christ.

Verse 6.  “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

“We were… helpless” means that we can’t find God on our own.  At just the perfect time in history, Jesus Christ did what we can’t do, by dying in our place for the bad things everyone has done.

Verse 7.  “For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.”

You might or might not know someone so good that you would be willing to die in their place if it let them live, but it’s not likely anyone would do that.

Verse 8.  “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

God has shown us His wonderful love.  At a time when we didn’t even care about Him, the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us so we might be forgiven.

Verse 9.  “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

We are saved from God’s anger because Jesus Christ shed His blood – He was the Innocent One who died for the guilty.  God’s anger fell on Jesus, so we can be free.

Verse 10.  “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Through the death of Jesus Christ, we are offered friendship with God.  And His Son lives INSIDE of our hearts and makes us ALIVE to God when we say “Yes” to Jesus.

Verse 11.  “And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

There’s even more: We now have JOY in God because of what Jesus Christ has done for us – He has given us FRIENDSHIP with God!

Verse 12.  “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned-”

Our first ancestor was Adam, who sinned.  Because of what he did, death came to us all, because ALL of us have done bad things (sinned) in the sight of God.

Verse 13.  “for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.”

“Sin” is breaking God’s Law.  But people died because of sin, even before the Law was given to the world.

Verse 14.  “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.”

From the time of Adam, the first man, to the time when God gave the Law through Moses, everyone that lived eventually died – even those who did not do exactly what Adam did.

Verse 15.  “But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.”

The “free gift” of God (Jesus Christ) is very different from breaking the Law.  Many people have died because of Adam’s sin, but many are ALIVE because of the grace (favor) of God through Jesus Christ.

Verse 16.  “The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.”

The “free gift” of God (Jesus Christ) gives life and forgiveness to many people, and that is very different from the sin of Adam, which has caused God’s judgment to fall on millions of people.

Verse 17.  “For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”

By the “transgression” (wrongdoing, breaking God’s Law), death has claimed millions of victims.  The “grace,” the “gift” of God (Jesus) is much greater than Adam’s sin.  Millions LIVE through Jesus Christ.

Verse 18.  “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.”

Through just one man’s sin (Adam’s), ALL people are condemned to death.  Through one Good Man (Jesus Christ), ALL people are offered LIFE – forever.

Verse 19.  “For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.”

Adam disobeyed God and because of him, many others have disobeyed God.  Jesus Christ was obedient to God, and because of Him, many can be made right with God – What we have to do is TRUST in Him.

Verse 20.  “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,”

The Law of God was given to the world through Moses many centuries after Adam sinned.  It was given so we might SEE we sinners, and it actually INCREASED sin in the world.  Even more, the God’s GRACE (favor) FILLS those who trust in Jesus Christ.

Verse 21.  “so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

It has seemed like “sin” rules us, for people keep on doing bad things.  But the “grace” (favor) of God makes us right in His sight and brings us to “eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  We only need to trust in Him.

Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
ron@fridaystudy.org