It could be argued, as a British scholar does, that this Therefore is a summary of the apostle’s understanding of the Christian message. One good rule of interpretation is “When you come to a therefore, stop and ask what it is there for.”

  Up to this point in Romans Paul has insisted that all human kind is sinful before God and that it cannot save itself. Justification before God -- being made right with God -- is a matter of God’s grace. It is not by any law or human effort. In his mercy God has given his own Son, Jesus Christ the Lord. It is by faith in him that one is justified before God. He says it in an earlier therefore: “Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law” (3:28).

    Before we consider what the apostle is saying in this verse, let us notice what he is not saying. He is not taking into account nonbelievers or unbelievers -- those who do not believe because they have never heard through no fault of their own. While he does condemn the disbeliever -- those who hear and reject -- both in Romans and elsewhere, he nowhere condemns the nonbeliever. He is not saying that only those who believe in Christ will in the end be justified before God. He is only saying -- and it is indeed much to say -- that those who are justified by faith are at peace with God. He is not saying that there is no other way to be justified -- such as by God’s abundant mercy.

  There is a fallacy in logic called “denying the antecedent,” and I recall one interesting sample.
 

   Try this one, typical of the way some Christians interpret such passages as Romans 5:1:
 

  There is an exception to the fallacy of denying the antecedent -- if the proposition is made exclusive, as in If P, and only if P, then Q. One can then deny the antecedent -- not P, and logically conclude not Q, as in “If a Buddhist believes in Christ, and only if he believes in Christ, then he is saved. He does not believe in Christ, therefore he is not saved.” Good logic, but does the Bible ever express such exclusivity? Paul makes it clear in Romans 9:15 that God does not limit himself: “ I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.”

  So, the apostle is telling us in Romans 5:1 in ever so glorious terms that those of us who are so wonderfully blessed as to be justified by faith in Christ have peace with God. He does not mean that we will have a trouble-free life. It is rather a peace that weathers the storms of life, knowing that God is with us and for us. It is a peace that makes it OK when it is not OK.

  That is what I say to a dear sister in a distant state who is dying of cancer. I have sought to speak words of comfort numerous times by phone. She is presently so weak that she can hardly respond, and there is nothing “peaceful” or OK about having cancer with all its pain and misery. But still it is OK, for God is there providing strength for today and hope for tomorrow. And that is peace with God.

  That might serve as a fair summary of Romans: I’m not OK and you’re not OK, but that’s OK.

Notes

  I deeply appreciate your ongoing concern for Ouida, and that you want me to continue to keep you informed on what we’ve been up to. Recent tests by Ouida’s kidney specialist revealed a serious iron deficiency, so she is now undergoing a series of iron injections, which hold promise of improving her energy level. She went with me to the Pecan Grove Church in Greenville -- 135 miles round trip -- on July 29 where I, by request, spoke on whether baptism by immersion should be a test for church fellowship and membership. Due to the interest in this subject it will be the subject of the next essay. We go to this church about six times a year — for about 15 years now.. They have become dear to us. We always have a love feast together. I tell them they have two tables, the Lord’s table and the family table, akin to the New Testament churches. Ouida has her old appetite back for these gala occasions. Scientists say that all animals eat more in company with others of like kind. We are social beings and the church is a social institution.

  Having only one worker to help me get the old home ready to sell, and he only three days a week, I had grown weary, thinking we would be all summer and then some. Then grace called. A dear friend in Dallas, who remodels upscale homes for a living, called and said he understood I might need help. He said he would bring his crew over for the weekend and do the house for us. I told him that was great, but how much would those guys cost me. I was ready and able to pay whatever he said. “It is on me,” he said. Wow! Four professionals, all Hispanics, and are they good! And fast! They worked two long days, and well nigh got all the inside work done. They even painted rooms I had already painted. The boss said the color was not “modern” enough. I am still overwhelmed. Grace comes in different sizes and shapes. As I sat in the assembly last Sunday thinking of those four Hispanics who were working on my house at that very moment, I asked myself once more who the righteous are. The workers, of course, got their usual pay, but they worked seven days that week so as to help their boss’s friend. It was my job to have lunch there for them. They fared well.