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New Living Translation

Romans 5:19

Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Adam;   Atonement;   Fall of Man;   Grace of God;   Jesus Continued;   Justification;   Salvation;   Sin;   Scofield Reference Index - Grace;   Thompson Chain Reference - Christ's;   Obedience;   Obedience-Disobedience;   The Topic Concordance - Condemnation;   Death;   Disobedience;   Grace;   Judgment;   Justification;   Law;   Obedience;   Righteousness;   Sin;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Fall of Man, the;   Justification before God;   Man;   Obedience to God;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Death;   Justificiation;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Adam;   Covenant;   Image;   Jesus christ;   Justification;   Obedience;   Sin;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Adam, the Second;   Condemnation;   Fall, the;   Genesis, Theology of;   Homosexuality;   Image of God;   Justification;   Name;   Sanctification;   Servant of the Lord;   Sexuality, Human;   Sin;   Time;   Timothy, First and Second, Theology of;   Union with Christ;   Virgin Birth;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Calvinists;   Covenant;   Imputation;   Intercession of Christ;   Joy;   Judgment, Last;   Law;   Man;   Mediator;   Obedience of Christ;   Pardon;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Adam, a Type;   Covenant;   Imputation;   Sin;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Adam (1);   Covenant;   Creation;   Faith;   Impute;   Justification;   Romans, the Epistle to the;   Sacrifice;   Tongues, Confusion of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Adam;   Adam and Eve;   Atonement;   Death;   Fall;   Fulfill;   Impute, Imputation;   Justification;   Life;   Obedience;   Reconcilation;   Romans, Book of;   Typology;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Adam in the Nt;   Atonement;   Church;   Justification, Justify;   Love, Lover, Lovely, Beloved;   Man;   Perfection;   Person of Christ;   Romans, Epistle to the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Abounding;   Adam;   Adam ;   Apocrypha;   Atonement (2);   Attributes of Christ;   Evil;   Fall;   Fall (2);   Guilt (2);   Justification;   Man;   Mediation Mediator;   Merit;   Obedience;   Obedience (2);   Philippians Epistle to the;   Priest;   Quotations;   Regeneration (2);   Romans Epistle to the;   Sacrifice (2);   Sanctify, Sanctification;   Sin;   Sin (2);   Unity;   Vicarious Sacrifice;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Adam ;   Sin;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Adam;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Temptation, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Adam in the New Testament;   Creed;   Guilt;   Imputation;   Justification;   Make;   Mediation;   Obedience of Christ;   Pauline Theology;   Psychology;   Sinner;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for December 7;   Every Day Light - Devotion for October 26;  

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
One man disobeyed God and many became sinners. But in the same way, one man obeyed God and many will be made right.
Revised Standard Version
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will be made righteous.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
For as by one manes disobediece many be cam synners: so by ye obediece of one shall many be made righteous.
Hebrew Names Version
For as through the one man's disobedience many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one will many be made righteous.
International Standard Version
For just as through one man's disobedience many people were made sinners, so also through one man's obedience many people will be made righteous.
New American Standard Bible
For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
New Century Version
One man disobeyed God, and many became sinners. In the same way, one man obeyed God, and many will be made right.
Update Bible Version
For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous.
Webster's Bible Translation
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
English Standard Version
For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.
World English Bible
For as through the one man's disobedience many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one will many be made righteous.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For as by the disobedience of one man, many were constituted sinners, so by the obedience of one, many shall be constituted righteous.
Weymouth's New Testament
For as through the disobedience of the one individual the mass of mankind were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the mass of mankind will be constituted righteous.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For as bi inobedience of o man manye ben maad synneris, so bi the obedience of oon manye schulen be iust.
English Revised Version
For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous.
Berean Standard Bible
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Contemporary English Version
Adam disobeyed God and caused many others to be sinners. But Jesus obeyed him and will make many people acceptable to God.
Amplified Bible
For just as through one man's disobedience [his failure to hear, his carelessness] the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of the one Man the many will be made righteous and acceptable to God and brought into right standing with Him.
American Standard Version
For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous.
Bible in Basic English
Because, as numbers of men became sinners through the wrongdoing of one man, even so will great numbers get righteousness through the keeping of the word of God by one man.
Complete Jewish Bible
For just as through the disobedience of the one man, many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the other man, many will be made righteous.
Darby Translation
For as indeed by the disobedience of the one man the many have been constituted sinners, so also by the obedience of the one the many will be constituted righteous.
Etheridge Translation
For as on account of the disobedience of one man many became sinners, so also on account of the obedience of one many became righteous.
Murdock Translation
For as; on account of the disobedience of one man, many became sinners; so also, on account of the obedience of one, many become righteous.
King James Version (1611)
For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners: so by the obedience of one, shall many bee made righteous.
New Life Bible
Adam did not obey God, and many people become sinners through him. Christ obeyed God and makes many people right with Himself.
New Revised Standard
For just as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.
Geneva Bible (1587)
For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners, so by that obedience of that one shall many also be made righteous.
George Lamsa Translation
For as by one man''s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man, shall many be made righteous.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, just as, through the disobedience of the one man, sinners, the many were constituted, so, also, through the obedience of the one, righteous, the many shall be constituted -
Douay-Rheims Bible
For as by the disobedience of one man, many were made sinners: so also by the obedience of one, many shall be made just.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For as by one mans disobedience many became sinners: so by the obedience of one, shall many be made ryghteous.
Good News Translation
And just as all people were made sinners as the result of the disobedience of one man, in the same way they will all be put right with God as the result of the obedience of the one man.
Christian Standard Bible®
For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
King James Version
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Lexham English Bible
For just as through the disobedience of the one man, the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous.
Literal Translation
For as through the one man's disobedience the many were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many shall be constituted righteous.
Young's Literal Translation
for as through the disobedience of the one man, the many were constituted sinners: so also through the obedience of the one, shall the many be constituted righteous.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For as by the disobedience of one, many became synners, euen so by the obedience of one shal many be made righteous.
Mace New Testament (1729)
for as by one man's disobedience many receiv'd the punishment of sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many receive the reward of the righteous.
New English Translation
For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous.
New King James Version
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.
Simplified Cowboy Version
One person disobeyed God and we all become sinners. Another cowboy obeyed God and many will be made right with God because of it.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
Legacy Standard Bible
For as through the one man's disobedience the many were appointed sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be appointed righteous.

Contextual Overview

6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. 12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners,.... Agreeably to this the Jews say g, that

"for the sin of the first man, all that are born of him,

יהיו רשעים, "become wicked".''

This is the sum of what is said in the foregoing verses, that as by Adam's sin all his posterity are made sinners, and so are brought under a sentence of condemnation; in like manner by the obedience of Christ, all his seed are made righteous, and come under a sentence of justification of life: the persons made sinners are said to be "many", in opposition to the "one man", by whose disobedience they became so, and because there is an exception of one, even Jesus Christ; and mean all the natural descendants of Adam, who are many, and are so called, to answer to the subjects of justification in the next clause: what they are made sinners by, is "the disobedience of one man, Adam"; and by the first and single disobedience of his, in eating the fruit of the forbidden tree, by which they "were made sinners": the meaning of which is not, that they became sufferers for it, or subject to death on the account of it; the word used will not bear such a sense, but signifies men guilty of sin, and sometimes the worst and chief of sinners; besides, the apostle had expressed that before; add to this, that the sons of Adam could not be sufferers for his sin, or subject to death on account of it, if they were not made sinners by it, or involved in the guilt or it: and though the posterity of Adam are habitually sinners, that is, derive corrupt nature from Adam, yet this is not meant here; but that they are become guilty, through the imputation of his sin to them; for it is by the disobedience of another they are made sinners, which must be by the imputation of that disobedience to them; he sinned, and they sinned in him, when they had as yet no actual existence; which could be no other way, than by imputation, as he was reckoned and accounted their head and representative, and they reckoned and accounted in him, and so have sinned in him. This is also evident, from the sentence of condemnation and death passing upon all men for it; and even upon those, who had not actually sinned; to which may be added, that Adam's posterity are made sinners through his disobedience, in the same way as Christ's seed are made righteous by his obedience, which is by the imputation of it to them;

so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous; not by their own obedience; nor by their own obedience and Christ's together; but by his sole and single obedience to the law of God: and the persons made righteous by it are not all the posterity of Adam, and yet not a few of them; but "many", even all the elect of God, and seed of Christ; these are all made righteous in the sight of God, are justified from all their sins, and entitled to eternal life and happiness.

g Tzeror Hammor, fol. 97. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For ... - This verse is not a mere repetition of the former, but it is an explanation. By the former statements it might perhaps be inferred that people were condemned without any guilt or blame of theirs. The apostle in this verse guards against this, and affirms that they are in fact sinners. He affirms that those who are sinners are condemned, and that the sufferings brought in on account of the sin of Adam, are introduced because many were made sinners. Calvin says,” Lest anyone should arrogate to himself innocence, (the apostle) adds, that each one is condemned because he is a sinner.”

(The same objection which was stated against a previous quotation from Calvin applies here. The reformer does not mean that each is condemned because he is actually a sinner. He affirms that the ground of condemnation lies in something with which we are born, which belongs to us antecedent to actual transgression.)

By one man’s disobedience - By means of the sin of Adam. This affirms simply the fact thai such a result followed from the sin of Adam. The word by διά dia is used in the Scriptures as it is in all books and in all languages. It may denote the efficient cause; the instrumental cause; the principal cause; the meritorious cause; or the chief occasion by which a thing occurred. (See Schleusner.) It does not express one mode, and one only, in which a thing is done; but that one thing is the result of another. When we say that a young man is ruined in his character by another, we do not express the mode, but the fact. When we say that thousands have been made infidels by the writings of Paine and Voltaire, we make no affirmation about the mode, but about the fact. In each of these, and in all other cases, we should deem it most inconclusive reasoning to attempt to determine the mode by the preposition by; and still more absurd if it were argued from the use of that preposition that the sins of the seducer were imputed to the young man; or the opinions of Paine and Voltaire imputed to infidels.

(What is here said of the various significations of διά dia is true. Yet it will not be denied, that in a multitude of instances it points to the real cause or ground of a thing. The sense is to be determined by the connection. “We have in this single passage no less than three cases, Romans 5:12, Romans 5:18-19, in which this preposition with the genitive indicates the ground or reason on account of which something is given or performed. All this is surely sufficient to prove that it may, in the case before us, express the ground why the sentence of condemnation has passed upon all men.” To draw an illustration from the injury inflicted by Voltaire and Paine, will not serve the author’s purpose, until he can prove, that they stand in a relation, to those whom they have injured, similar to what Adam bears to the human family. When we say that thousands have been ruined by Voltaire, it is true we can have no idea of imputation: yet we may fairly entertain such an idea when it is said, “all man. kind have been ruined by Adam.”)

Many - Greek, The many, Romans 5:15. “Were made” (κατεσταθησαν katestathēsan). The verb used here, occurs in the New Testament in the following places: Matthew 24:45, Matthew 24:47; Matthew 25:21, Matthew 25:23; Luke 12:14, Luke 12:42, Luke 12:44; Acts 6:3; Acts 7:10, Acts 7:27, Acts 7:35; Acts 17:15; Romans 5:19; Titus 1:5; Hebrews 2:7; Hebrews 5:1; Hebrews 7:28; Hebrews 8:3; James 3:6; Jam 4:4; 2 Peter 1:8. It usually means to constitute, set, or appoint. In the New Testament it has two leading significations.

(1) To appoint to an office, to set over others (Matthew 24:45, Matthew 24:47; Luke 12:42, etc.); and,

(2) It means to become, to be in fact, etc.; James 3:6, “so is the tongue among our members,” etc.

That is, it becomes such; James 4:4, “The friendship of the world is enmity with God; it becomes such; it is in fact thus, and is thus to be regarded. The word is, in no instance, used to express the idea of imputing that to one which belongs to another. It here either means that this was by a constitution of divine appointment that they in fact became sinners, or simply declares that they were so in fact. There is not the slightest intimation that it was by imputation. The whole scope of the argument is, moreover, against this; for the object of the apostle is not to show that they were charged with the sin of another, but that they were in fact sinners themselves. If it means that they were condemned for his act, without any concurrence of their own will, then the correspondent part will be true, that all are constituted righteous in the same way; and thus the doctrine of universal salvation will be inevitable. But as none are constituted righteous who do not voluntarily avail themselves of the provisions of mercy, so it follows that those who are condemned, are not condemned for the sin of another without their own concurrence; nor unless they personally deserve it.

Sinners - Transgressors; those who deserve to be punished. It does not mean those who are condemned for the sin of another; but those who are violators of the Law of God. All who are condemned are sinners. They are not innocent persons condemned for the crime of another. People may be involved in the consequences of the sins of others without being to blame. The consequences of the crimes of a murderer, a drunkard, a pirate may pass over from them, and affect thousands, and overwhelm them in ruin. But this does not prove that they are blameworthy. In the divine administration none are regarded as guilty who are not guilty; none are condemned who do not deserve to be condemned. All who sink to hell are sinners.

By the obedience of one - Of Christ. This stands opposed to the disobedience of Adam, and evidently includes the entire work of the Redeemer which has a bearing on the salvation of people; Philippians 2:8, “He ...became obedient unto death.”

Shall many - Greek, The many; corresponding to the term in the former part of the verse, and evidently commensurate with it; for there is no reason for limiting it to a part in this member, any more than there is in the former.

Be made - The same Greek word as before be appointed, or become. The apostle has explained the mode in which this is done; Romans 1:17; Romans 3:24-26; Romans 4:1-5. That explanation is to limit the meaning here. No more are considered righteous than become so in that way. And as all do not become righteous thus, the passage cannot be adduced to prove the doctrine of universal salvation.

The following remarks may express the doctrines which are established by this much-contested and difficult passage.

(1) Adam was created holy; capable of obeying law; yet free to fall.

(2) A law was given him, adapted to his condition - simple, plain, easy to be obeyed, and suited to give human nature a trial in circumstances as favorable as possible.

(3) Its violation exposed him to the threatened penalty as he had understood it, and to all the collateral woes which it might carry in its train - involving, as subsequent developments showed, the loss of God’s favor; his displeasure evinced in man’s toil, and sweat, and sickness, and death; in hereditary depravity, and the curse, and the pains of hell forever.

(4) Adam was the head of the race; he was the fountain of being; and human nature was so far tried in him, that it may be said he was on trial not for himself alone, but for his posterity, inasmuch as his fall would involve them in ruin. Many have chosen to call this a covenant, and to speak of him as a federal head; and if the above account is the idea involved in these terms, the explanation is not exceptionable. As the word “covenant,” however, is not applied in the transaction in the Bible, and as it is liable to be misunderstood, others prefer to speak of it as a law given to Adam, and as a divine constitution, under which he was placed.

(5) “his posterity are, in consequence of his sin, subjected to the same train of ills as if they had been personally the transgressors.” Not that they are regarded as personally ill-deserving, or criminal for his sin, God reckons things as they are, and not falsely, (see the note at Romans 4:3), and his imputations are all according to truth. He regarded Adam as standing at the head of the race; and regards and treats all his posterity as coming into the world subject to pain, and death, and depravity, as a consequence of his sin; see the note. This is the Scripture idea of imputation; and this is what has been commonly meant when it has been said that “the guilt of his first sin” - not the sin itself - “is imputed to his posterity.”

(6) There is something antecedent to the moral action of his posterity, and growing out of the relation which they sustain to him, which makes it certain that they will sin as soon as they begin to act as moral agents. What this is, we may not be able to say; but we may be certain that it is not physical depravity, or any created essence of the soul, or anything which prevents the first act of sin from being voluntary. This hereditary tendency to sin has been usually called “original sin;” and this the apostle evidently teaches.

(7) As an infant comes into the world with a certainty that he will sin as soon as he becomes a moral agent here, there is the same certainty that, if he were removed to eternity, he would sin there also, unless he were changed. There is, therefore, need of the blood of the atonement and of the agency of the Holy Spirit, that an infant may be saved.

(8) The facts here stated accord with all the analogy in the moral government of God. The drunkard secures as a result commonly, that his family will be reduced to beggary, want, and woe. A pirate, or a traitor, will overwhelm not himself only, but his family in ruin. Such is the great law or constitution on which society is now organized; and we are not to be surprised that the same principle occurred in the primary organization of human affairs.

(9) As this is the fact everywhere, the analogy disarms all objections which have been made against the scriptural statements of the effects of the sin of Adam. If just now, it was just then. If it exists now, it existed then.

(10) the doctrine should be left, therefore, simply as it is in the Scriptures. It is there the simple statement of a fact, without any attempt at explanation. That fact accords with all that we see and feel. It is a great principle in the constitution of things, that the conduct of one man may pass over in its effects on others, and have an influence on their happiness. The simple fact in regard to Adam is, that he sinned; and that such is the organization of the great society of which he was the head and father, that his sin has secured as a certain result that all the race will be sinners also. How this is, the Bible has not explained. It is a part of a great system of things. That it is unjust no man can prove, for none can show that any sinner suffers more than he deserves. That it is wise is apparent, for it is attended with numberless blessings. It is connected with all the advantages that grow out of the social organization.

The race might have been composed of independent individuals, where the conduct of an individual, good or evil, might have affected no one but himself. But then society would have been impossible. All the benefits of organization into families, and communities, and nations would have been unknown. Man would have lived alone; wept alone; rejoiced alone; died alone. There would have been no sympathy; no compassion; no mutual aid. God has therefore grouped the race into separate communities. He has organized society. He has constituted families, tribes, clans, nations; and though on the general principle the conduct of one may overwhelm another in misery, yet the union, the grouping, the constitution, is the source of most of the blessings which man enjoys in this life, and may be of numberless mercies in regard to what is to come. If it was the organization on which the race might be plunged into sin, it is also the organization on which it may be raised to life eternal. If, on the one hand, it may be abused to produce misery, it may, on the other, be improved to the advancement of peace, sympathy, friendship, prosperity, salvation. At all events, such is the organization in common life and in religion, and it becomes man not to complain, but to act on it, and to endeavor, by the tender mercy of God, to turn it to his welfare here and hereafter. As by this organization, through Adam, he has been plunged into sin, so by the same organization, he shall, through “the second Adam,” rise to life, and ascend to the skies.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 19. For, as by one man's disobedience, &c.] The explanation of this verse has been anticipated in the foregoing.


 
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