There is a translation issue here in Romans 5:18, but the translation issue is not the real issue. A woodenly literal translation is offered by Wright: \u201cso also through the righteous act of the one unto all people unto acquittal of life.\u201d Thus, Christ\u2019s act of righteousness (either his whole life or his quintessential act of dying for others) brings an acquittal of life \u201cunto all people\u201d or \u201cfor all.\u201d Really? For \u201call\u201d? What is the last word and the word after that, as McLaren expresses it?
\n\u201cAll\u201d is exactly what Paul says. But, in Romans 5:19 he narrows it to \u201cmany\u201d. Some find a way out of a kind of universalism in this verse but going there doesn\u2019t help because the \u201cmany\u201d who will be made righteous in 5:19b counterbalance the \u201cmany\u201d who were made sinners by Adam\u2019s sin. If only \u201cmany\u201d were made sinners, then perhaps all those \u201cmany\u201d were also made righteous.
\nSo, the \u201cmany\u201d and the \u201call\u201d of Romans 5:19 and 5:18 are the same.
\nSo, what do we say? Let me turn to my friend and former colleague, Doug Moo, who because his son\u2019s high school basketball invariably beat my son\u2019s team I like to find something to disagree with him about. On this one it would be hard.
\n1. Paul uses justification language for the individual sentence not for the overall impact of the atonement.
\n2. Paul is not talking here about potentials and availability but of realities.
\n3. Paul is speaking here of two groups: the \u201cin Adam\u201d and the \u201cin Christ\u201d groups.
\n4. Paul narrows the \u201cin Christ\u201d to those who have the gift and who have life.
\n5. Paul\u2019s other passages deserve to be consulted: Romans 8:32; 12:17, 18; 14:2; 16:19.
\nAnd to Jimmy Dunn, my PhD supervisor, who contends the \u201call\u201d here is a way of saying \u201cJews and Gentiles\u201d and not just Jews. It refers to all those who belong to the \u201cin Christ\u201d epoch that has been ushered in through Christ. Though Dunn then suggests he wouldn\u2019t be surprised if some didn\u2019t explore that universalistic logic of Paul\u2019s language.
\nTom Wright: \u201cOur minds instantly raise the question of numerically universal salvation, but this is not in Paul\u2019s mind. His universalism is of the sort that holds to Christ as the way for all\u201d (529).
\nWhat is decisive for you? Do you think Paul is consistent, and if so do you think these two verses have to be balanced in a kind of \u201cpotential for all\u201d way? Or, do you think Paul is probing here for an idea that he only partly grasps and that the logic of grace in this passage leads to universalism?
\nI\u2019m hoping Mike Bird and Ron Fay and Dave Tombis can weigh in.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There is a translation issue here in Romans 5:18, but the translation issue is not the real issue. A woodenly literal translation is offered by Wright: \u201cso also through the righteous act of the one unto all people unto acquittal of life.\u201d Thus, Christ\u2019s act of righteousness (either his whole life or his quintessential act […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1752],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-romans"],"yoast_head":"\n