Bible Challenge Day 142: Everybody? (Romans 5)

Sometimes I get into conversations about who gets to go to heaven. Or, to reverse the question, who doesn’t? I am particularly thinking about this question now because the gospel reading for this Sunday mentions “the unforgiveable sin” (Mark 3).

Romans says plenty about sin and judgment. It begins with “the wrath of God . . . against all ungodliness” (1:18). As Paul warms up, he insists that “all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin” (3:9). But Romans 5 is positively universalistic. The structure of Paul’s argument pushes in this direction when he compares Adam and Jesus. Adam brought sin and death into the world, and all people share Adam’s guilt and Adam’s punishment. Jesus is the new Adam, bringing grace and life. The parallel implies that all will receive life, just as all received death.

Paul is then explicit about this point: “For if the many died through the one man's trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. . . . If, because of the one man's trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Therefore, just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all” (5:15-18).

That is striking! Other passages in Paul and in other places certainly seem to suggest that people will go to hell. But in this passage Paul makes a strong and clear argument that Christ’s grace brings life to all. May it be so!

Fr. Harvey