Ángel
Manuel Rodríguez
Please
explain Romans 5:18. It seems to say that every human being will ultimately
be justified by Christ and that no one will be lost.
Let
me quote the passage you refer to: "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."*
Those
who believe in universalism—the view that a loving God will eventually
save every human being—have used this passage to support their understanding
of salvation. A careful exegesis of the text, however, requires an examination
of the immediate context (Rom. 5:12-21),
the text itself, and Paul's understanding of salvation.
First,
a literal translation of the Greek text: "So then as through one trespass
to [eis] all men to [eis] condemnation, so also through
one act of righteousness to [eis] all men to [eis] righteousness
of life." The phrases "through one trespass" and "through one act of righteousness"
could be respectively rendered "the trespass of the one [Adam]," "the
righteous act of one [Christ]." There is no verb, because Paul feels that
the context is clarification enough.
Second,
we should pay particular attention to the use of the Greek preposition
eis [to, for]. It is employed four times in this passage. Two
of its usages introduce its universal impact, the extension of the actions
of Adam and Christ—"to all men." The other two usages introduce the
goal
or result of both "condemnation" or "justification." When one combines
the usages of the preposition, one could get the impression that Paul
is teaching universalism: Adam's act condemned all, Christ's act justified
all. But there is more.
Third,
the meaning of eis in the phrase "to all men" identifies the
object that will receive something. Had we had a verb, the preposition
would introduce what is called an indirect object,
for instance, "death came to all men" (verse 12). The second
usage expresses the idea of purpose or intended result: "to/resulting
in condemnation/justification of life." The use of the preposition
"to" (eis) does not by itself indicate whether the purpose it
points to is actually realized or simply aimed at. That is decided
by the context.
Fourth,
the context suggests that the result of Adam's trespass actually affected
the whole human race, resulting in their condemnation, but that Christ's
righteous act was intended for all humans but not automatic.
Only "those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and
of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man" (verse
17). Justification is intended for all human beings, but only those who
accept it will benefit from it.
Fifth,
universalists violate the context of the passage and are not careful in
the use of the preposition "to" (eis). They argue that the parallel
between Adam and Christ requires the preposition to have the same meaning
in both cases. If, in the case of Adam, its purpose was actually
realized (his action resulted in the condemnation of all), then it must
have the same meaning with respect to Christ (His obedience resulted in
the justification of all). This argument is valid only if we ignore the
fact that the Bible teaches that some people will be lost.
Some
have tried to avoid the trap of universalism, arguing that all were legally
justified by Christ independent of any faith commitment, but that each
person can reject that condition by deciding against Christ. This suggestion
breaks the parallel between Adam and Christ, destroying the internal logical
consistency of the argument.
Let
me explain. Our condemnation is not something that we can reject, avoid,
or even accept. That condition is unavoidable and permanent. Pressing
the parallel between Adam and Christ would mean that the righteousness
of life that He gave "to all men" was also unavoidable and permanent.
Introducing the idea of a legal universal justification that can be rejected
breaks the parallel on which the argument is based. Consequently, Romans
5:18 cannot be used to support legal universal justification.
________
*Scripture
quotations in this article are from the New International Version.
11/9/00
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