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I needed to separate Romans 5 into two posts…and you’ll see why. Last week, we watched Paul deconstruct the religious mindset which struggled with including gentiles into the blessings reserved for Jews. The religious mind resists Paul’s Gospel of total inclusion because it is imprisoned within a religious binary system. Even today, Evangelicals will not teach Paul’s Gospel of freedom from religion for all people, instead, the world is given a small, tribal Gospel which we’re told gets us into the “correct” religion. If that is hard accept, then I invite you to please review this exposition and reinvestigate the biblical revelation for yourself.

Resist retreating into certainty and denominational distinctions which allows us to look down on others. Today, I’ll be transliterating the text directly from the Greek New Testament. If you try and follow along in your favorite translation, please notice the intentional changes that are made from the original manuscript, and ask: “Why would the interpreter not say, what this is saying?” This is because the interpreter cannot make sense of Paul’s letter from within their tribal belief. Paul is not bound by Platonic dualism as the religious mind is. For many of you, this will be the first time you hear Paul’s gospel, unfiltered, from 2000 years of church history. Since many will assume I’m getting it wrong, I want you to hear it directly from the original Greek. Only 24% of NT bible teachings are derived from Greek translations.

Contextually, Paul is explaining how justification (dikaiosuné–put right with God) is a gift given to all people. He spends chapters 4-6 providing the theological basis for this claim in opposition to the assumptions of the religious mind (Jews) who thought Yahweh was only saving (his chosen people) the Jewish people, through religious law and obedience. Paul is showing that the gift of justification and faith has been given to all people: “All are justified” (3:23) and faith (another gift) is not belief in religion, and is proven by the fact that Abraham, the father of faith, predated the law and religion.

Paul continues by adding more evidence.

“Because of this, just as through one man, sin entered into the world, and by sin…death, and so death spread to all people. Because of this, all people sinned, for until the Law, sin was in the world but sin is not recorded while the Law does not exist. Yet death ruled since Adam until Moses. Also, over those not having sinned to the point of being similar to the transgression of Adam, who is a figure of the One coming.” (Romans 5:12-14)

“Hamartia” is the common word for “sin” in Greek, meaning “to miss the mark” (think archery). I point this out because Paul is going to switch to using “paraptoma” which is translated “transgression” but means to “fall by the wayside” (think wheel in rut). Paul’s trajectory is to retrain the two-tiered (Platonic dualism) framework of the Jews, while proving that sin leads all toward death, which he will build upon in chapter 6. Paul is deconstructing religious Law and revealing that it’s not just non-Jews who are violating the Law of God in sin. In fact he adds that “sin is not recorded (charged against)” where the Law doesn’t exist….and for whom does the law not exist? The non-religious. Paul is revealing that religious Law, though given by God to Israel, is insufficient for bringing about justification for all people. He is deconstructing religion, and reconstructing a life of faith in Christ for all comers.

Paul reasons by way of a parallel comparison. Everyone is included in this gift of justification provided by one man-Jesus, in the same way everyone is included as a sinner provided by one man-Adam.

“…but not like the transgression (paraptoma) so indeed is the (charisma) gracious gift, for if the transgression of the man multitudes died, much more the grace of God and the gift of kindness, namely of the one man Jesus Christ had greater benefit for the sake of the multitudes.” (v.15)

Those who know their bible will say: “Keven, ‘the many’ doesn’t sound like “Everyone”, so how is this totally inclusive?” To which I reply, “Hold that thought, and hold my beer.” The Greek word (polus, polle) means “many” which is a word for “a lot” but not all inclusive. However, when it’s modified with a definite article (oi) then it’s rendered “multitudes” which is a reference which includes everyone. If Greek says “multitudes,” why do our English translations say “many?“ More on this in a second.

Let’s follow Paul’s reasoning: no one argues the fact that through one man, every subsequent human has become a sinner. Paul’s parallel is that through the “one to come,” (the man) Jesus, every subsequent human is justified, as a gift of God demonstrating His grace and kindness toward all. Paul is 100% saying this, but religion is NOT saying this. This is why I emphasized the Christiological continuum and the necessity to get out of Plato’s binary. Otherwise, we never understand Paul and religion only complicates this further as Paul goes on in the letter.

This is All Inclusive! Justification is given to all humanity as a gift, by the Grace of God, through the gift of Jesus Christ. Full Stop. All have sinned, AND all ARE justified, or made right with God. Paul will get into how this all plays out, but this is the theological foundation for Paul’s gospel, not total depravity.

“Furthermore, the gift (justification and faith) is not like the result of one man having sinned because the judgment then for one and led to condemnation, but the gracious gift for many transgression led to acquittal (dikaioma). For if by the transgression of the one man death ruled because of the one man, how much more (lambano-take hold of, acquire, collect, receive) those acquiring the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness (dikaiosunes) will reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ” (v.16-17)

Again, the Greek reveals the language is not saying “those who receive” whereby the “who” is an Evangelical insertion implying a person has to do something to accept the gift of grace, but rather “those acquiring” abundant grace, which is EVERYONE. Think of my metaphor last week with the Governor and the Amazon packages. There are still distinctions between neighbors in application, but not with regard to the wide gift of justification. And if you had any doubt still, Paul finishes chapter five and then explains it more in chapter six.

“So then, just as through on man’s sin leading to condemnation for ALL PEOPLE (pantas anthropous) so also through one Man’s righteous act (dikaiosin) leading to be set free (dikaiosis-cancel charges) for life for ALL PEOPLE. For just as through the disobedience of the one man multitudes were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one Man, multitudes will be made righteous.”

Can we resolve this now? If the many actually means “multitudes” because of the definite article, and multitudes became sinners, are we to conclude some people didn’t become sinners? Since Paul uses the term “Pantas” which is an all inclusive term, the most accurate rendering of this text is that the multitude means Everyone.

This is why the Good News (Gospel) is actually Good News. Think about it. Is religion’s limited version Good News for most people?

ALL MEANS ALL.

“ALL” requires us to retool our theological grid to align with Paul rather than Church history. Will you do that? Paul is going to show us just how big the Gospel is and I’m convinced that once we see it, we’ll each trade the limited, whimpering, neutered puppy known as the Evangelical gospel for the massively expansive and inclusive Gospel of Christ. May preachers return to loving and teaching the true Gospel which has the power to transform the world.

If I’d heard this podcast 15 years ago, I’d have shredded it as an unbiblical heresy. Like Paul and some of you, I was over-identified with my tribal, religious institution. I got here not by turning loose of my bible, but by going deeper. The rediscovery of the Gospel in scripture has caused me to rewrite all of my doctrinal perspectives from the “tribe” unto fidelity to the revelation of scripture. So I understand your tension. I know the dissonance you feel within. For over a decade now, I have not forsaken you, I have carefully created this content for you to rediscover the Bible and become liberated from religion unto Christ. So I ask you prayerfully and honestly to reconsider Paul’s words and if you have questions, please just reach out to me, and we’ll sort through this together.

Now how do you hear these words?

“Now the Law arrived with the result that sin increased and where sin increased, grace increased abundantly (to the extreme). With the result that just as sin reigned by death, so also grace should rule (grace rules) by righteousness (dikaiosune) resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (v.20-21)

If Paul is convinced God’s grace is so comprehensive, why has religion insisted on teaching it as otherwise?