The wages for sin is life?

"He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification" (Rom 4:25)

"Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification" (Rom 5:16)



In more ways then one, these two citations from Paul's letter to Rome encapsulates the whole of the Christian gospel. If this is not accomplished by the words themselves, then certainly by their meaning and application. Paul's preaching of the gospel was centered on the death and resurrection of the promised Messianic Son of God, and all that this implied upon the entire plan of God for the world. Without question, no one will ever come into a saving understanding of what God has done in Jesus Messiah for salvation unless they come to saving terms with what occurred on the cross that He hung from. This is what will be sought to be unpacked in this post.

Beginning with Romans 4:25, we read, "... He (Jesus) was delivered over to death for our sins..". This is quite necessary to say, for Jesus did not have any of His own sins to die for. As mentioned in the previous post, God has by His nature imposed death to be the fixed penalty for any and all sin. It would not accord with the nature of God for a sinless Man (Jesus) to be rightfully handed over to the penalty of death. However, if this sinless Man came to take the place of individuals who have indeed sinned, then it would make clear the logic of His death. This act of substitution forms the basis for the justification of sinners (v25 b). Instead of sinners, who by divine right stand under the liability to judgement for sins, Jesus bore their right to this judgement and stood under the judgement of God.

Then, we read, "... and was raised for our justification ". From brief observation, it would seem only logical to see the implication that Jesus' being delivered over to death for our trespasses, by itself, cannot succesfully accomplish the "... our justification" stated at the very end of the verse. For some reason, Jesus' death must be followed by a resurrection from that death, in order to successfully bring about "... our justification". Otherwise, Paul could have written, "He was delivered over the death for our tresspasses for our justification", but it is clear we do not have such a construction. How should we account for this? In the greek, it would be less transparent, clearly seen in the literal rendering --> "... who was delievered up because of our trespasses and raised because of our justification" (v25). This does not make the situation any easier, because it would be equally, if not more, difficult to reason how our justification (which takes place at many different times throughout the history upon our personal faith in gospel-preaching after the death of Jesus), can be the prior cause for His own resurrection. Some would say "... our justification" is referring to the accomplishment of justification and not the application within time. Or others have said that it is referring to the eschatological status when believers are resurrected with the Lord. But, if we discard to the chapter division, and read what Paul writes directly after v25, "... Therefore, having been justified by faith..." (5:1), clearly refers to our justification upon our faith in the gospel at various times after the death and resurrection of Jesus. At any rate, for this and many more reasons (see Morris, Murray, Moo, Gaffin), which cannot be detailed here, vouch for the reading "... who was delivered over to death because of our offenses and raised in order to justify us" (v25). The historical resurrection of Jesus somehow has a view to our subjective justification (5:1), and it is certainly rooted in His sin-bearing death which directly precedent to his resurrection. It probably means, then, that Jesus' death, as long as it remained a state of death, could not fully discharge us from the penalty of our offenses. The state of being dead had to end for this death to successfully deliver that to which it was intended (i.e. the penal eradication of all our sins - Rom 4:6-8).


After giving us this amazing gospel summary, Paul goes on from this juncture to exalt in the personal appopriation of all the benefits of Jesus' death and resurrection (v25) which is unending peace with the God who stood against us in wrath for our sins and exalting joy in hope of the future life to come (5:1-5). Also, for the first time in the letter, giving us the supreme motivation which led God (Father, [Christ] Son, and Holy Spirit) to secure salvation for ungodly sinners, which is His self-originating and un-conditional love. Then, wrapping the main section of 5:1-11 with an exultation of our reconcilation to peace with God through the death of the One Man Jesus Christ, Paul finds it necessary to mention the alienated beginnings of humanity, which was also caused through one man, Adam. Paul's purpose in bringing Adam into his letter can hardly be pinned down to one, but it is abundantly clear that Paul is interested in guilding the certain future of believers because of their attachment to Jesus Christ, typically seen in the certainty of death characteristic of their former attachement to Adam. Jesus' act for human beings has undone what Adam's act did for human beings by providing the free gift of righteousness which results in the reign of life, in stark contrast to the condemantion and reign of death which entered the world through Adam. And we read, perhaps, the most jam-packed verse in the middle of this section:


"Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: For the judgement which was caused by one transgression resulted in condemnation, but the free gift, which was caused by many transgressions, resulted in many justification " (Rom 5:16)

Meditate closely on this verse.

We will not begin to understand this verse until we run into the seemingly illogical statement ".. the free gift, which was caused by many transgressions, resulted in justification of life". Does this make any sense? Justification cannot be the result of many transgressions... only condemnation is the correct result of trangression. How can this be? I can track easily with how one man's sin is the cause which resulted in the judgement of condemnation over human beings. However, I cannot track easily, with the assertion that many transgressions (!) can cause the result of the free gift of justification (!). This is simply incongruous. In the nature of God, justification (a declaration from God that one is Just) cannot result from many transgressions. If Paul was to be consistent with what is first said, "for the judgement which was cause by one transgression resulted in condemnation" (v16), which rightfully follows the condemning quality of sin, then we should not read of many sins, which likewise carry condeming quality, to have justifying quality (!). Yet this is exactly what we read.

Many Transgressions--------- result ------------> Justification


How can we conceive of justification being the result of trangressions? The answer will become transparent when we realize just exactly what Jesus' one act of righteousness is in contrast to Adam's disobedience. Deep within the background of this theologically dense paragraph is the same thought developed from chapter 3:21-5:11, which is this the sacrifical death of Jesus Christ which occurred on account of our trangressions (4:25). Jesus Christ comes into the world that had been long abused under sin, which entered the world through the first Adam, yet His act in place of many overturns what went wrong in Adam. I believe we should reasd Rom 4:25 as an interpretive solution to the seemingly unsolvable problem of 5:16, where we actually read "... He was delievered over to death for our offenses" (v25), which firmly accords with our understanding of justice. This solves the problem of 5:16, because we now understand the "many transgressions" to be that which puts Jesus to death, which IN TURN gives us justification. Therefore, v16 should be understood as follows:


many transgressions-----> ( Jesus' death )--------> Justification


The manifold wisdom of God is inexhaustive. In His mysterious plan, He purposed many transgressions for the purpose that they might result in the free gift of righteousness, because His Son Jesus Christ was to come into the world as one of us and bear the transgressions of God's people (Isa 53). Through His sacrifical death, we have been thoroughly cleansed from everything we were in Adam and are destined to reign in life. Amen.