Read Romans 5 at Bible Gateway.
Outline:
Rom 1:1-7, Greeting and benediction;
Rom 1:8-15, Desire to visit Rome;
Rom 1:16-17, Theme of the letter: the Gospel reveals the righteousness of God;
Rom 1:18-5:21, Justification and the righteousness of God;
Rom 1:18-3:19, The unrighteousness of man;
Rom 3:20-31, The Law cannot solve the problem of unrighteousness;
Rom 4:1-22, The faith of Abraham imputed as righteousness (justification);
Rom 4:23-5:21, Righteousness (justification) also imputed to us by faith;
Rom 4:23-25, Righteousness (justification) also imputed to us by faith;
Rom 5:1-2, Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God;
Rom 5:3-5, Hope of the glory of God not in vain, for His love is proof;
Rom 5:6-8, Demonstration of God’s love: Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners;
Rom 5:9-11, Reconciled while enemies, now saved from wrath to come;
Rom 5:12-21, Through one man entered sin and death + through one Man entered justification and life;
Rom 5:1-11 chiastic structure:
1a) Rom 5:1, We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, having been justified by faith;
1b) Rom 5:2-4, Standing in grace accessed by faith, our future hope is the glory of God;
1c) Rom 5:5, The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit;
central axis) Rom 5:6-7, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly;”
2c) Rom 5:8, The love of God has been demonstrated by Christ dying for us while we were still sinners;
2b) Rom 5:9-10, Having been justified by His blood, our future is not wrath;
2a) Rom 5:11, We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have been reconciled.
From this structure, we can see that the norm for those who have been saved from the wrath which is coming on the world, is peace, hope, love, joy – at least those four. It is the norm for believers to experience or feel these four things. But to understand why we do or do not experience them, we have to dispel a lie, which is that feelings are generated by the heart. Actually, what the heart generates, are thoughts.
As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Pro 23:7
Now the thoughts a man can think, might be true, or false. If he thinks, “God loves me,” then his heart has generated a true thought. But if he thinks, “God has rejected me,” then his heart has generated a false thought, or a lie.
The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? Jer 17:9
Once a thought crosses the register of our minds, and we accept it as true or false (whether it is really true, or not), then the corresponding feeling is produced. The chain is HEART –> THOUGHT –> FEELING. This means that if the heart is generating lies, then the corresponding feelings will be produced – which will feel real enough all right, but will all be based on a lie! Now how can you tell whether your heart is generating truth, or lies? But the feelings that are produced.
You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Mat 7:16
It just so happens that feelings which are generated by lies, are almost all negative: Rejection, anxiety, despair, impatience, anger, pride, doubt … and on and on. While feelings generated by truth, are almost all positive: love, joy, peace, and so on.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. There is no Torah against such things. Gal 5:22-23
Believers, we do not have to live at the mercy of whatever negative feeling has decided to take up residence in our soul. We can choose to believe the truth, and in so doing, choose the feelings that reside in our soul, from those which are the fruit of the flesh (believing in lies), to those which are the fruit of the Spirit (which come by believing the truth).
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Rom 15:13
As to how we do that … I have written extensively on that here.
Rom 5:12-21 chiastic structure:
1a) Rom 5:12, Wrath reigned: sin entered the world, and death through sin, in Adam;
1b) Rom 5:13, Sin is not imputed where there is no Law;
central axis) Rom 5:14-19, Contrast: Adam’s offense resulting in judgment, condemnation, and death / Jesus’ righteousness resulting in the free gift of grace, justification, and life;
2b) Rom 5:20, The Law entered that the offense might abound;
2a) Rom 5:21, Grace reigned: righteousness entered, and life through righteousness, in Jesus Christ.
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