The “Much More” of Grace, Romans 5

Chapter 1

This Epistle of the Romans follows rightly upon the four Gospels, for in them the Gospel is preached to the sinner while in this, the first of the Epistles, the way of God’s salvation is explained to the saint. It sets the Gospel out in panoramic order from beginning to end. I have called it elsewhere, “From Guilt, through Grace, to Glory,” which may be regarded as a fair summing up of the teaching of the Epistle. In order, then, to understand the chapters we are to consider, it is necessary to glance back at what has gone before. Let us see how the Epistle proceeds. It begins by revealing to us Man’s lost and ruined condition by sin. It shows his state (apart from grace) to be absolutely hopeless.

Christianity is the only faith in the world that does this. All other religions, though they freely admit man’s sin and guilt, yet give him some hope in himself. Let him pray more, try harder, fast, give, go on pilgrimage, strive,