John Calvin Commentary Romans 5:2

"through whom also we have had our access by faith into this grace wherein we stand; and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." — Romans 5:2 (ASV)

Through whom we have access, etc. Our reconciliation with God depends only on Christ, for He alone is the beloved Son, and we are all by nature the children of wrath. But this favor is communicated to us by the gospel, for the gospel is the ministry of reconciliation, by which we are in a way brought into the kingdom of God.

Rightly, then, Paul sets before our eyes in Christ a sure pledge of God’s favor, so that he might more easily draw us away from all confidence in works. And as he teaches us by the word access, that salvation begins with Christ, he excludes those preparations by which foolish men imagine they can anticipate God’s mercy, as if he said, “Christ does not come to you, nor help you, on account of your merits.”

He then adds that it is through the continuance of the same favor that our salvation becomes certain and sure, by which he intimates that perseverance is not founded on our power and diligence but on Christ. However, at the same time, by saying that we stand, he indicates that the gospel ought to strike deep roots into the hearts of the godly, so that, being strengthened by its truth, they may stand firm against all the devices of Satan and of the flesh.

And by the word stand, he means that faith is not a changeable persuasion, only for one day, but that it is immutable and sinks deep into the heart, so that it endures through life. It is, then, not the one who by a sudden impulse is led to believe who has faith and is to be reckoned among the faithful, but the one who constantly and, so to speak, with a firm and fixed foot, abides in that station appointed to him by God, so as to hold fast always to Christ.

And glory in the hope, etc. The reason that the hope of a future life exists and dares to exult is that we rest on God’s favor as on a sure foundation. For Paul’s meaning is that though the faithful are now pilgrims on the earth, they yet by hope scale the heavens, so that they quietly enjoy in their hearts their future inheritance.

This overturns two of the most destructive dogmas of the sophists. First, they tell Christians to be satisfied with moral conjecture regarding their perception of God’s favor toward them; and secondly, they teach that all are uncertain about their final perseverance.

But unless there is at present sure knowledge, and a firm and undoubting conviction as to the future, who would dare to glory? The hope of the glory of God has shone upon us through the gospel, which testifies that we shall be participators of the divine nature; for when we shall see God face to face, we shall be like Him (2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 3:2).