Romans 5:18-19
(18) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
(19) For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
In these verses Paul concludes his basic parallelism between Adam and Jesus Christ begun in verse 12 and the contrasts between them in verses 15-17. Paul reduced the contrast to the briefest possible statement. Consequently (lit., “so then”), just as the result of one trespass (paraptomatos, “false step”; cf. vv. 15-17, 20) was condemnation (katakrima, “punishment”; cf. v. 16) for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. The “one righteous act” (lit. Gr.) was Christ’s death on the cross. One trespass (Adam’s sin) is contrasted with one righteous act (Christ’s sacrifice). The result of Adam’s sin (everyone under God’s condemnation) is contrasted with the result of Christ’s work (justification offered to all). One brought death; the other brings life. Once again the “all men” in the first half of the sentence includes the entire human race (cf. “all men” in v. 12, and “the many” in the first half of v. 15). This implies the same dimensions for the “all men” in the second half of the verse (cf. “many” in the second halves of vv. 16, 19). The provision in the one righteous act, therefore, is potential and it comes to the entire human race as the offer and opportunity which are applied only to “those who receive” (v. 17).
The same conclusion is stated in different words in verse 19, where Adam’s act is called disobedience and the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ is called obedience. As a result the many (cf. first halves of vv. 15, 18) were made (lit., “stand constituted as”) sinners (cf. 11:32). In the second half of 5:19 the many means “those who receive” (v. 17; cf. “many” in the second half of v. 16). They are not simply declared righteous (the verb dikaioo is not used here), but they will be made righteous in the process of sanctification, culminating in glorification in God’s presence. The word “made” (from kathistemi) means “stand constituted as,” the same verb used in the first half of verse 19 in the words “were made sinners.”
Excerpt from:
Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-c1985). The Bible knowledge commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
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