re Rom 5:18ffROMANS 5:18–19—Does Paul teach universalism when he affirms that “many [all] will be made righteous”? MISINTERPRETATION: In Romans 5:18–19 Paul wrote: Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 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. [NIV] Many liberal and some neo-orthodox scholars, such as Karl Barth, insist that this passage teaches that everyone will eventually be saved. Is this a proper understanding of the text? CORRECTING THE MISINTERPRETATION: From these verses universalists infer that Christ’s death “for all” guarantees salvation “for all.” This conclusion, however, is contrary to the context here and in Romans as a whole as well as to the rest of Scripture. Even in this context Paul speaks of being “justified by faith” (5:1), not automatically by what Christ did for us. He also refers to salvation as a “gift” (5:16) that has to be received; in 5:17 he declares that salvation comes only to those who receive the gift of righteousness. The rest of the Book of Romans makes it unmistakably clear that not everyone will be saved. Romans 1–2 speaks of the heathen who are “without excuse” (Rom. 1:20) and upon whom the wrath of God falls (1:18). It declares that “as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law” (Rom. 2:12 NKJV). In the very heart of his argument Paul concludes that apart from justification by faith, the world is accountable before God (Rom. 3:19). Later, speaking of the destiny of both saved and lost, Paul affirms that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23 NIV). Likewise, Paul recognized that, despite his prayers, not all of his kinsmen would be saved (Rom. 11:1–10) but that many would be “accursed” (Rom. 9:3). Indeed, the whole point of Romans is to show that only those who believe will be justified (Rom. 1:17; cf. 3:21–26). Romans 9 could not be clearer that only the elect, not everyone, will be saved (cf. 9:14–26). The rest God patiently endured, waiting for them to repent (2 Peter 3:9), so they would not be “vessels of wrath prepared for destruction” (Rom. 9:22 NKJV). Numerous passages elsewhere in Scripture speak of the eternal destiny of lost people, including the vivid passage at the end of Revelation when John said: And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books . . . and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. [Rev. 20:11–15 NIV] There simply is no evidence for universalism in Romans 5, and it is contrary to the clear teaching of other Scriptures. Since the Bible does not contradict itself, the verses that can be interpreted in more than one way must be understood in the light of those that cannot." (When Cultists Ask, A Popular Handbook on Cultic Misrepresentations by Norm Geisler and Ron Rhodes) "When we ask the question: Is it Pauline to posit universal salvation? the answer must be decisively negative (cf. 2 Thess. 1:8, 9). Hence we cannot interpret the apodosis in verse 18 in the sense of inclusive universalism, and it is consistent with sound canons of interpretation to assume a restrictive implication. In 1 Cor. 15:22 Paul says, "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive". As the context will demonstrate the apostle is here dealing with the resurrection to life, with those who are Christ's and will be raised at his coming. The "all" of the second clause is therefore restrictive in a way that the "all" in the first clause is not. In like manner in Rom. 5:18 we may and must recognize a restriction in the "all men" of the apodosis that is not present in the "all men" of the protasis. What the apostle is interested in showing is not the numerical extent of those who are justified as identical with the numerical extent of those condemned but the parallel that obtains between the way of condemnation and the way of justification. It is the modus operandi that is in view. All who are condemned, and this includes the whole human race, are condemned because of the one trespass of Adam; all who are justified are justified because of the righteousness of Christ. But we are not to give to justification the denotative extent of condemnation, and the parallel does not demand this.(The Epistle to the Romans, John Murray)"We can understand that one trespass resulted for all men in condemnation, but what does the apostle mean when he states that also for all men one act of righteousness resulted in life-imparting justification? If in the first case "all men" means absolutely everybody, does not logic demand that in the second instance of its use it has the same meaning? The answer is:a. The apostle has made very clear in previous passages that salvation is for believers, for them alone (1:16, 17; 3:21-25, etc.).b. He has emphasized this also in this very context: those alone who "receive the overflowing fulness of grace and of the gift of righteousness" will reign in life (verse 17).c. In a passage which is similar to 5:18, and to which reference has been made earlier, the apostle himself explains what he means by "all" or "all men" who are going to be saved and participate in a glorious resurrection. That passage is:"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward those who are Christ's, at his coming" (I Cor. 15:22, 23). Here it is clearly stated that the "all" who will be made alive are "those who are Christ's," that is, those who belong to him.(Baker New Testament Commentary)"Paul returned to the comparison he began in v. 12 but never finished. His comparison takes the “Just as A, so also B” form. The contrasting elements are clearly set over against one another:“One trespass” — “One act of righteousness”“Condemnation” — “Justification”“All men [in Adam]” — “All men [in Christ]”Just as the one sin of Adam brought condemnation, so also did the one righteous act of Christ bring justification. Just as condemnation spread to all, so also is the divine acquittal offered to all. Paul did not intend to imply that the result of Christ's atoning work automatically provided justification for all regardless of their willingness to accept it. Universal salvation is not taught in this text. Context indicates that Paul was comparing the fate of those who are in Adam (the position of all by virtue of their birth into the human race) and the blessings of those who are in Christ (the position of all who have responded in faith). (New American Commentary)"As with the many in verse 15, Paul apparently uses all in verse 18 for the sake of parallelism, although the two occurrences of the term carry different meanings. Just as "the many died" in verse 15 refers inclusively to all men, so life to all men here refers exclusively to those who trust in Christ. This verse does not teach universalism, as some have contended through the centuries. It is abundantly clear from other parts of this epistle, including the first two verses of this chapter, that salvation comes only to those who have faith in Jesus Christ (see also 1:16-17; 3:22, 28; 4:5, 13). (MacArthur New Testament Commentary)"Moo (1996:342-44) shows why for all does not mean universal salvation, as some have interpreted it. In verses 15 and 19 Paul uses the many to show that salvation is given only to those who receive God's abundant provision of grace (v. 17) by faith (3:21-4:25). So when he uses all men here, he does not mean every human being but rather is saying "that Christ effects those who are his just as certainly as Adam does those who are his." While all are in Adam, it is clear in Romans that only those who believe are in Christ. (The IVP New Testament Commentary Series)"In vs 18-19 Paul finally states the full comparison between Adam and Christ. The verses are parallel, each of them comparing the way in which Adam's trespass/disobedience has brought condemnation and sinfulness to the way in which Christ's one act of righteousness/obedience has brought justification and righteousness. But does the parallel between them extend to the universal effects of these results? This might seem to be the case, since Paul asserts in v 18 that the effects of both Adam's act and Christ's extends to all men. Yet Paul elsewhere plainly repudiates the idea that all people will be saved (e.g. Rom. 2:12; 2 Thes. 1:8-9), and v 17 also makes clear that it is only those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and the gift of righteousness who will reign in life. Therefore, we must understand the universalism of v 18 in terms of the representative significance of each individual: the effects of Christ's action extend to all who belong to him, just as the effects of Adam's action extend to all who belong to him. All people, without exception, belong to Adam (v 12); but only those who come to faith, who 'receive the gift', belong to Christ (see also 1 Cor. 15:22-23). (New Bible Commentary)"Verse (Ro 5)17 provides a clue that the grace of Christ is not dispensed universally to all people without exception. Reigning in life is a reality for “those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness.” Bultmann (1962: 158) contends that the substantival participle οἱ λαμβάνοντες (hoi lambanontes, those who receive) indicates that not all are in Christ but only those who have chosen to belong to him (cf. Bornkamm 1952: 87; Morris 1988: 240; Ridderbos 1975: 340–41; Stott 1994: 159). This fits with Paul’s insistence that faith is necessary for a person to be in Christ.Schreiner, T. R. (1998). Vol. 6: Romans. Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament (291). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.C. Universalism (5:18)Universalism, extending back to the earliest centuries of the church, is the erroneous belief that ultimately all human beings will be restored back to a right relationship with God for eternity. Some universalists have held that this occurs at death, some after a time of punishment. But ultimately, all will be restored. In addition to a misreading of the passages under consideration in this chapter (Rom. 5:18–19), universalists have appealed to verses such as Ephesians 1:10 and 1 Corinthians 15:22. Their most impassioned plea is a logical one, not a biblical one: since all were lost in Adam, all will be restored in Christ. While bearing the weight of logic, the premise does not bear the weight of language. “All” does not always mean “all without exception.”In Peter’s quotation of Joel’s prophecy on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28–32), Peter does not mean that at Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out on all people in the world. Rather, it is clear from the early part of Acts 2 that “representatives” of all the world is meant: people regardless of nation, age, race, etc. Likewise, when Luke says that “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10), he did not mean every living human being; rather, he meant Jews and Greeks representing all the parts of the province of Asia (see also Acts 1:1, 19; 2:47; 3:9, 11 and many other verses in the New Testament).Other reasons why the “all = all” correlation does not work in the case of salvation are:1. Because all people are physically linked to Adam does not mean that all people are automatically spiritually linked to Christ. Being physically linked to Adam required no choice; being spiritually linked to Christ requires a choice (John 1:12).2. Romans 5:17 makes “receiving” a qualification for reigning.3. New Testament warnings against wrath and judgment would be meaningless in the face of universalism even for those who hold to punishment followed by restoration. The New Testament does not support the concept of temporary punishment (purgatory).4. Justification follows faith, not death (Rom. 4:1). In fact, what follows death is judgment, which does not bode well for those anticipating universal restoration (Heb. 9:27).Boa, K., & Kruidenier, W. (2000). Vol. 6: Romans. Holman New Testament Commentary; Holman Reference (176). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.blessings,Ken