Romans 5

** This post represents my summary and understanding of this passage. Before reading, please read Romans 5 so that you can better know if you agree with me or not. I suggest the ESV version. **

Summary [Verses 1-11]

Because we are justified by our faith in Jesus, we have peace with God. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. We rejoice in our sufferings because we know it brings endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope, and hope doesn’t put us to shame because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Christ died for the ungodly. It is rare that someone will die for someone else. One may be willing to give his life for someone they love. But Jesus gave his life for all of us, those who love him and those who don’t. We are all sinners and he still died for us. We were reconciled to God through the death of Jesus Christ.

Summary [Verses 12-21]

Sin and death came to the world through one man and it spread to all men. Sin was in the world before the law was given. It was not counted as sin because there was no law to break. But still everyone died even those who didn’t disobey God’s commandments. Adam is considered a symbol of Christ who was yet to come. However there was a big difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. Adam’s sin brought death to all, but God’s grace, through Jesus, brought forgiveness and life to all. Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift led to our being made right with God. All who receive God’s gift will live in triumph over sin and death. God’s law was given so people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more, God’s grace became more abundant. Now instead of sin ruling over people, God’s grace through Jesus rules and results in eternal life.

My Take Away:

I love verses 3-5 where he talks about how trials and sufferings helps us grow. When Paul tells us to rejoice in our suffering, he doesn’t mean we should be happy when struggling. He meant that we should be certain that God will use those moments of struggle to help us grow. God doesn’t cause suffering, but he uses it to help us grow in character and faith. He uses it to help us see how much he loves us and that he is enduring the trials with us. He is walking alongside us. That has been such a true statement in my life. The times I grew in my faith and as a person were when I was going through a hard time. I already talked about my move to New Jersey on my last post, and how trialing that was for me. However, during those hard years was when my faith grew the most. When I went through a bad breakup in college, my faith grew a lot because I had to rely on God for healing. So even though those sufferings were very painful, I am thankful they happened because of how much my faith has grown.

One thing that caught my attention in this passage is the comparison of Adam to Jesus. I never made the connection that Adam was a symbol of Christ to come. But like the opposite because Adam brought death and Jesus brought life. I liked how Paul noted that death and sin came to us all through one man, but life, grace, and forgiveness also came to us all through one man, Jesus. So instead of sin ruling over our lives, God’s grace rules instead. Amen!!

1. How has God used your trials and sufferings to grow your faith and to grow you as a person?
2. If you had a choice, would you go back in the past and remove all the suffering in your life?

Hope you enjoyed this post! Leave a comment below with what you learned from this passage and with any prayer requests!