Romans 5 (Mirror Word Bible)

1 Concluding then that our righteousness has absolutely nothing to do with our ability to keep moral laws, but that it is the immediate result of what Jesus accomplished on mankind’s behalf. This gives context to faith and finds expression in unhindered friendship with God! Jesus Christ is the head of this union! (In one sentence Paul sums up the previous four chapters. “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” [KJV] The word, eirene, means peace, to join; it refers to the “dove-tail” joint in carpentry. Peace is a place of unhindered enjoyment of friendship beyond guilt, suspicion, blame or inferiority.)

2 Jesus is God’s grace embrace of the entire human race. So here we are, standing tall in the joyful bliss of our redeemed innocence! We are God’s dream come true! This was God’s idea all along! (To be welcomed with wide-open arms, prosagoge echo. The words, ‘by faith’ are in brackets in the Greek text and are not supported by the best Greek manuscripts. Joy is not an occasional happy feeling; we are positioned there, histemi, in an immovable, unthreatened union! Hope, elpis from elpo, to anticipate, usually with pleasure. The word doxa, often translated, glory, is from dokeo, to form an idea, opinion.)

3 Our blissful boasting in him remains uninterrupted in times of trouble; we know that pressure reveals patience. Tribulation does not have what it takes to nullify what hope knows that we have!

4 Patience proves legal tender; which buys more positive expectation. (dokimos, proof. Thayer Definition: scrutinized and accepted, particularly of coins and money.)

5 This kind of hope does not disappoint; the gift of the Holy Spirit completes our every expectation and ignites the love of God within us like an artesian well. (ekxeo, to pour out. The Holy Spirit is an outpouring not an in-pouring! See John 7:37-39, also Titus 3:6)

6 God’s timing was absolutely perfect; humanity was at their weakest when Christ died their death. (We were bankrupt in our efforts to save ourselves.)

7 It is most unlikely that someone will die for another man, even if he is righteous; yet it is remotely possible that someone can brave such devotion that he would actually lay down his own life in an effort to save the life of an extraordinary good person.

8 Herein is the extremity of God’s love gift: mankind was rotten to the core when Christ died their death.

9 If God could love us that much when we were ungodly and guilty, how much more are we free to realize his love now that we are declared innocent by his blood? (God does not love us more now that we are reconciled to him; we are now free to realize how much he loved us all along! [Col 2:14, Rom 4:25])

10 Our hostility and indifference towards God did not reduce his love for us; he saw equal value in us when he exchanged the life of his son for ours. Now that the act of reconciliation is complete, his life in us saves us from the gutter-most to the uttermost. (Reconciliation, from katalasso, meaning a mutual exchange of equal value. To exchange, as coins for others of equivalent value. “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” — RSV)

11 Thus, our joyful boasting in God continues; Jesus Christ has made reconciliation a reality.

12 One man opened the door to sin. Sin introduced (spiritual) death. Both sin and (spiritual) death had a global impact. No one escaped its tyranny.

13 The law did not introduce sin; sin was just not pointed out yet.

14 In the mean time (spiritual) death dominated from Adam to Moses, (2500 years before the law was given) no one was excluded; even those whose transgression was different from Adam’s. The fact is that Adam’s offense set sin into motion, and its mark was globally transmitted and stained the whole human race.

15 The only similarity in the comparison between the offense and the gift, is that both Adam and Christ represent the masses; their single action therefore bears global consequence. The idea of death and seperation that was introduced by one man’s transgression is by far superseded by the grace gift lavished upon mankind in the one man Jesus Christ. (But God’s free gift immeasurably outweighs the transgression. For if through the transgression of the one individual the mass of mankind have died, infinitely greater is the generosity with which God’s grace, and the gift given in his grace which found expression in the one man Jesus Christ, have been bestowed on the mass of mankind.— Weymouth, 1912)

16 The difference between the two men is further emphasized in that judgment and condemnation followed a single offense, whereas the free gift of acquittal and righteousness follows innumerable sins.

17 If (spiritual) death saw the gap in one sin, and grabbed the opportunity to dominate mankind because of one man, how much more may we now seize the advantage to reign in righteousness in this life through that one act of Christ, who declared us innocent by his grace. Grace is out of all proportion in superiority to the transgression.

18 The conclusion is clear: it took just one offense to condemn mankind; one act of righteousness declares the same mankind innocent. (“We see then, that as one act of sin exposed the whole race of men to condemnation, so one act of perfect righteousness presents all men freely acquitted in the sight of God!” JB Phillips)

19 The disobedience of the one man exhibits humanity as sinners; the obedience of another man exhibits humanity as righteous. (kathistemi, to cause to be, to set up, to exhibit. We were not made sinners by our own disobedience; neither were we made righteous by our own obedience.)

20 The presence of the law made no difference, instead it merely highlighted the offense; but where sin increased, grace superseded it.

21 (Spiritual) death provided sin its platform and power to reign from, now grace has taken over sovereignty through righteousness to introduce unthreatened life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ over us.

Mirror Bible