Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Romans 5:1

"Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;" — Romans 5:1 (ASV)

“Therefore” suggests that the whole argument from 3:21–4:25 is the background for what is now set forth. Paul is assuming the reality of justification by faith for himself and his readers (“we have been justified”).

The first of the blessings conveyed by justification is “peace” (GK 1645).

We have encountered the word in the salutation (1:7) and in an eschatological setting (2:10). Here, however, the milieu is the estrangement between God and humankind because of sin. Peace relates back to Paul’s emphasis on divine wrath in 1:18–3:20 (cf. “wrath” in v.9 and “enemies” in v.10). Peace in this setting means the believer’s harmony with God rather than a subjective state within his or her consciousness.

That the objective meaning is to be adopted here is put beyond all doubt by Paul’s assertion that the kind of peace he is referring to is peace “with God.” Since this particular boon is placed first among the benefits of justification, it shows how central the wrath of God is to Paul’s exposition of the plight of people that God has moved to remedy, a plight that could be dealt with only through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:20 for similar comments on peace).

The second benefit is “access” (v.2). Here also faith is mentioned as the essential instrument. The word rendered “access” (GK 4643) can mean either “approach” or “introduction”; the latter meaning seems the more appropriate here. We must think of the Father in his exaltation and glory as the one being approached, with the Lord Jesus introducing us as those who belong to him and so to the Father (3:12ff.).

The “grace in which we now stand” sums up the privilege of the saints in this present time, enjoying every spiritual blessing in Christ, and the possession of this grace gives warrant for the hope that we will share the glory of God (v.2). In this prospect believers exult. Grace gives a foothold in the door that one day will swing wide to permit the enjoyment of the glorious presence of the Almighty, a privilege to be enjoyed forevermore. Worth noting is the close relationship between faith and hope. As with Abraham (4:18), so with the believer in this age, the two virtues have much in common (cf. Hebrews 11:1; 1 Peter 1:21).