Romans 5:1-11
New Catholic Bible
Faith, the Riches of Life[a]
Chapter 5
At Peace with God
Hope Does Not Disappoint. 1 Therefore, now that we have been justified by faith, we are at peace[b] with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom by faith we have been given access to this grace in which we now live, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we realize that suffering develops perseverance, 4 and perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. 5 Such hope will not be doomed to disappointment,[c] because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Reconciliation Already Obtained. 6 At the appointed time, while we were still helpless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Indeed, it is seldom that anyone will die for a just person, although perhaps for a good person someone might be willing to die. 8 Thus, God proved his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
9 And so, now that we have been justified by Christ’s blood, how much more certainly will we be saved through him from divine retribution.[d] 10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more certain it is that, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only that, but we now even trust exultantly in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already been granted reconciliation.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Romans 5:1 Without faith human beings remain in the night of sin. When they have been justified through Christ and believe in the redemption he gives, they enter into a new life, that of salvation. Paul confronts the believer with a living reality.
First, he speaks of peace and reconciliation (Rom 5:1-11); he must then show how Christ opens for us the way of deliverance from sin (Rom 5:12-21), from death (Rom 6:1-23), and from the Law (Rom 7:1-25); the song of Christian life is a song of the Spirit and of hope. But Paul cannot forget the lot of the Israel that rejects the Gospel; he enters upon a lengthy discussion and asserts again that the love of God is stronger than any human rejection (chs. 9–11). - Romans 5:1 We are at peace: some manuscripts and Fathers of the Church give: “Let us have peace.”
- Romans 5:5 Such hope will not be doomed to disappointment: the hope of believers is more than just an earthly optimism. It is the assurance of our future destiny based on the love of God for us—revealed to us by the Holy Spirit and demonstrated for us by Christ’s Death.
- Romans 5:9 Saved . . . from divine retribution: the image expresses the tragic situation of humanity without God, that is, without hope and without an authentic future (see Rom 1:18; 1 Thes 1:10).
