Was the human race justified at the cross?
(Romans 5) Blog 05-11 Nov., 2017
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: Paul’s theme in Romans is the Gospel and how to be saved by it. After assuring all humanity that God will judge us according to his perfect Law he shows that none of us is righteous so we have nothing to answer before God’s tribunal. Then Paul points out that God has provided in the perfect life and atoning death of Jesus the kind of righteousness he requires. Those who accept this gracious gift of God will be accepted unto life eternal. Our acceptance of God’s gift is by means of faith alone without any obedience on our part, nor does any ritual need to precede being justified by God. Now in chapter five Paul even excludes our inner transformation as a prerequisite to being included in God’s family.
Peace amid tribulation (Romans 5:1-5)
1. What is the immediate fruit of being justified?
2. What promised hope comes with justification?
3. Besides rejoicing in future glorification in what else does the justified person rejoice?
4. Why does the Christian rejoice in tribulations?
5. According to verse 5 what other gift is given to those who have been justified?
6. What does the Holy Spirit pour into the heart of the justified person?
Love and atonement (Romans 5:6-11; 1:18-32; Rev. 15:1; 20:14-15)
7. How did God show his love for us?
8. According to verse 9 if a person remains justified of what will she not be a partaker?
9. When and how is the wrath of God revealed?
10. What two words does Paul use interchangeably in these verses?
11. According to verse 11 what did Christ’s reconciling atonement NOT accomplish?
12. When was the atonement made of which Paul writes in these verses?
13. When does a person receive the atonement made by Christ?
Adam and Jesus (Romans 5:12-21; 4:24)
14. What does Paul want us to understand be introducing verse 12 with the word “wherefore”?
15. When were all human beings condemned to eternal death?
16. Was Adam’s sin unique? If so how?
17. What do verses 13 and 14 tell us about the Ten Commandments?
18. In what way was Adam a symbol or figure of Jesus?
19. What did Jesus bring to the human race?
20. What must we do in order to receive God’s gracious gift of the righteousness of Christ?
21. According to verse 19 was the human race justified at the cross?
22. According to verse 20 why did God write the Ten Commandments on tables of stone?
23. What can we learn from the expression “grace did much more abound”?
ANSWERS: 1. Peace with God; 2. That of glorification; 3. In tribulations; 4. Because they prepare the Christian for living with God – they produce patience & experience thus increasing his hope in God who promises final salvation; 5. God, the Holy Spirit; 6. Love, so that the justified person loves others & God in harmony with God’s standard; 7. By the death of Christ for ungodly, unloving sinners; 8. The wrath of God; 9. Presently in letting sinners go their own way, prior to the second coming in the seven last plagues, & after the millennium in the lake of fire; 10. Reconciliation & atonement; 11. Individual salvation; 12. When Christ died on the cross; 13. When a person by faith accepts Christ’s sacrifice in their behalf; 14. That he is going to explain how a person receives God’s saving atonement; 15. When Adam sinned; 16. Yes, Adam represented the entire human race as their Federal Head so that his decisions were as if all the race made them corporately – none of us represent the entire race, our sins are our individual responsibility; 17. That they existed from creation & pointed out sin even before they were written by God at Sinai; 18. God constituted them both as Federal Heads (representatives) of the entire human race; 19. God’s gift of grace – the righteous life of Jesus Christ as a gift to humanity; 20. We must accept it as our own, believing that in it we are free from condemnation & are bound for life eternal; 21. No, Paul places justification in the future tense showing that he is consistent with what he wrote at the end of the previous chapter – that we are justified when we believe in Jesus: not before; 22. To make clear to humanity the offensiveness of sin & their need to find grace in Jesus; 23. That when Adam sinned every human being became sinners, condemned to eternal death, but that at that very time God exercised grace towards humanity in the promise of his Son & that that grace would be manifest for every sinner even though many may not accept its saving power – in his death Jesus carried the sins of every human being: not just Adam’s one sin, besides not every sinner is as bad as they could be but Jesus was a good as could be so that no one has an excuse for being eternally lost.