Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came on all men to condemnation… 1. Some points of importance are lost in the authorised rendering. "The offence of one" is, in the original, "one offence," or "one trespass," as in Matthew 6:14. The word properly expresses a fall by the side of the path of duty. "The righteousness of one" is, in the same way, in the original, "one act of righteousness." The whole redeeming work of Christ is here, then, summed up into a single act of righteousness. The next verse explains the expression by introducing the equivalent word obedience, and if further explanation were needed, St. Paul himself gives it in Philippians 2:8. "Obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the Cross"; not a death by itself as a single isolated deed, but as a crown of life — the self-sacrifice begun in incarnation, continued through the earthly life, and consummated on Calvary. Through this one act of righteousness the free gift through the grace of Jesus (ver. 15), "bringeth all men unto the justification of life," i.e., bringing with it the absolution which has life in it, the free forgiveness which gives that unity with God which is the eternal life of the soul. This is the first change of rendering. 2. The next is perhaps yet more important. The fourfold omission in ver 19 (A.V) of the definite article is a very serious loss. St. Paul did not write Greek at random. In ver. 16 he omits the article, for there his purpose was to contrast the singleness of the sin which brought condemnation to the multitudes with the sins which elicited and evoked compassion; but in vers. 15, 17 and 19 the particular one man who brought sin and death is designedly set in contrast with the particular one man who brought in grace and life. The other pair of omissions in this verse is equally serious. Many were made sinners, many were made righteous, is a culpable gloss upon St. Paul's language. St. Paul was not afraid to say judgment came upon all men; the free gift came upon all to justification of life; nor that the many were made sinners and the many were made righteous; the all in the one verse and the many in the other are equivalent terms. St. Paul's object was to show the universality of redemption. Christ, by His one sacrifice made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Although they will not come, He yet speaks in that universal "whosoever will." The gracious work of Christ in redeeming is co-extensive with the disastrous work of Adam in ruining — "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." As through the disobedience of one man, the many — the universe of humanity — were made or placed on the footing of sinners, even so through the obedience of the One shall the many be constituted as righteous. (Dean Vaughan.) Parallel Verses KJV: Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. |
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