The Cosmic Hope of the Glory of God

Romans 5:1-8:39

Hopes of Glory Introduced: Reminders of Adam’s Loss 5:1-21

In Between Adam and Christ: Sin and the Law 6:1-7:25

Hopes of Glory Now and Not Yet: Christ’s Gain through Spirit 8:1-30

Climactic Celebration 8:31-39

Explanation: This unit both begins and ends with mention of the glory of God (e.g., 5:2; 8:18). After Paul has declared the problem of justification solved (5:1), he looks to the future. Where do we go from here? This unit explores the consequences of what God has accomplished through Christ.

On the one hand, we look to future salvation from God’s wrath (5:9). We look to attaining the glory of God (8:18) and sharing in the glory of Christ (8:17). We look for the redemption of our bodies in resurrection (8:23). We look for the liberation of the creation from bondage to decay (8:20-21).

But the majority of the unit explores how Christ has freed all from the power of sin facilitated by the Law. He starts with Adam, then proceeds to the Law, showing how Christ has solved the problems inherent in both. Adam brought slavery to sin and death into the world, a power that only became more powerful as sin worked through the Law on human flesh. Chapter 6 speaks of the freedom from the power of sin in Christ, and chapter 8 speaks of freedom from the power of sin working through the Law.

Patterns and Themes:

• There is to some extent two different contrasts that pertain to this entire section. The first is the contrast between where we are now and where we have been. We are no longer under the law; we are no longer slaves to sin. Yet we await the redemption of our bodies and the liberation of the creation: our attainment of the glory of God. There is an inclusio in the mention of the glory of God both at the beginning of the unit (5:2) and near the end (8:18).
• The matters of this unit spell out the recurring consequences of what God has done through Christ. Paul steps back, he generalizes to some extent, and retells the story of salvation’s history from Adam to Christ.
• As usual, Paul uses the question-answer pattern to lead his argument forward.
• The end of this section is a kind of climactic celebration of God’s love for the world!