ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ

1. Faida za Kuhesabiwa Haki (5:1-2)1. The Benefits of Justification (5:1-2)

Warumi 5 inaanza na neno "basi." Neno hilo katika waraka wa Paulo daima ni bawaba. Linasema: sasa kwa kuwa tumeithibitisha kweli iliyotangulia, haya ndiyo matokeo yanayofuata. Kweli iliyotangulia ilikuwa Warumi 3:21 hadi 4:25 — kwamba mwamini ametangazwa kuwa mwenye haki kwa imani katika Kristo, kwamba hukumu ya hatia imepinduliwa, kwamba haki ileile ambayo Mungu alimhesabia Ibrahimu inahesabiwa kwa kila mtu anayemtumaini Yesu. Basi, Paulo anasema, mambo fulani yanafuata.Romans 5 opens with the word "therefore." That word in a Pauline letter is always a hinge. It says: now that we have established the previous truth, here are the consequences that follow. The previous truth was Romans 3:21 through 4:25 — that the believer has been declared righteous by faith in Christ, that the verdict of guilt has been overturned, that the same righteousness God credited to Abraham is credited to every person who trusts in Jesus. Therefore, Paul says, certain things follow.

Kitenzi "tukiisha kuhesabiwa haki" ni muhimu. Si mchakato. Ni tendo lililokamilika — jambo lililokwisha kutimizwa na linalosimama milele. Kuhesabiwa haki si kitu ambacho mwamini yuko katikati ya kukistahili. Ni kitu ambacho Kristo alikimaliza msalabani na Mungu akakithibitisha kwenye kaburi tupu.The verb "have been justified" is important. It is not a process. It is a completed action — a fact already accomplished and standing forever. Justification is not something the believer is in the middle of earning. It is something Christ finished on the cross and God ratified at the empty tomb.

Kutokana na hukumu hiyo iliyokamilika, Paulo anatoa hitimisho lake la kwanza: tuna amani kwa Mungu, kwa njia ya Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo. Amani hapa si ya kisaikolojia kimsingi. Ni ya kisheria — vita vimekwisha. Uadui kati ya Mungu mtakatifu na mwanadamu mwenye dhambi umekomeshwa msalabani. Mwamini si adui tena aliye chini ya hukumu; mwamini ni mtoto anayekaribishwa nyumbani.From that finished verdict, Paul draws his first conclusion: we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace here is not primarily psychological. It is forensic — the war is over. The hostility between holy God and sinful man has been ended at the cross. The believer is no longer an enemy under sentence; the believer is a child welcomed home.

Faida ya pili inafuata mara moja: tumepata kuingia kwa imani katika neema hii tuliyosimama ndani yake. Kuingia ni lugha ya mahakamani na pia lugha ya hekaluni. Kupitia Kristo, mwamini ana njia ya kuendelea kuingia katika uwepo wa Mungu mwenyewe. Si ziara ya mara moja. Si kukaribishwa kwa adabu tu. Ni kuingia kunakoendelea katika neema.The second benefit follows immediately: we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand. Access is courtroom language and also temple language. Through Christ the believer has continuing entry into the presence of God Himself. Not a one-time visit. Not a polite audience. Continuing access into grace.

Faida ya tatu ambayo Paulo anaitaja ni tumaini. "Na kufurahi katika tumaini la utukufu wa Mungu." Tumaini la kibiblia si kutamani tu. Ni matarajio ya hakika ya wakati ujao uliohakikishwa. Mwamini anafurahi si tu katika hukumu ambayo tayari imepatikana bali pia katika utukufu ambao bado unakuja.The third benefit Paul names is hope. "We rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Biblical hope is not wishful thinking. It is confident expectation of a guaranteed future. The believer rejoices not only in the verdict already secured but in the glory still to come.

2. Furaha Katika Mateso (5:3-5)2. Joy in Suffering (5:3-5)

Kisha Paulo anafanya jambo la kushangaza. Anasema tunafurahi pia katika dhiki. Si licha ya dhiki — bali ndani yake. Anaeleza sababu kwa mnyororo wenye viungo vinne unaoanzia katika mateso na kuishia katika tumaini lisilotikisika.Then Paul does something startling. He says we also rejoice in tribulations. Not despite them — in them. He explains why with a four-link chain that begins in suffering and ends in unshakable hope.

Dhiki huleta saburi — uwezo wa kustahimili chini ya shinikizo ambao hatukuwa nao kabla shinikizo halijaja. Saburi huleta uthabiti wa moyo — neno la Kigiriki linamaanisha thamani iliyothibitishwa, ubora wa chuma kilichojaribiwa motoni na kuonekana kuwa halisi. Uthabiti wa moyo huleta tumaini — na hiki ndicho kiungo cha kushangaza zaidi, kwa sababu ulimwengu unatarajia mateso yazime tumaini badala ya kulilisha. Lakini kwa mwamini, kila taabu inayovumiliwa kwa uaminifu inazidisha uhakika kwamba Mungu yuko kazini, kwamba ahadi zake ni halisi, na kwamba utukufu ulio mbele ni mkuu kuliko mateso yaliyo nyuma.Tribulation produces perseverance — the capacity to endure under pressure that we did not have before the pressure came. Perseverance produces character — the Greek word means proven worth, the quality of metal that has been tested in fire and found genuine. Character produces hope — and this is the most paradoxical link, because the world expects suffering to extinguish hope rather than feed it. But for the believer, every hardship faithfully endured deepens the assurance that God is at work, that His promises are real, and that the glory ahead is greater than the suffering behind.

Na tumaini hili, Paulo anasema, halitatuhayarisha. Sababu ya kutoweza kutuhayarisha pia imetolewa: pendo la Mungu limekwisha kumiminwa katika mioyo yetu kwa njia ya Roho Mtakatifu. Ujasiri wa Mkristo hautegemei hali kuendelea kuwa nzuri. Unategemea upendo ambao tayari umemiminwa moyoni, tayari umethibitishwa msalabani, tayari umehakikishwa na Roho anayeishi ndani ya mwamini.And this hope, Paul says, will not disappoint us. The reason it cannot disappoint is also given: the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The Christian's confidence does not rest on circumstances staying favorable. It rests on a love already poured into the heart, already proved at the cross, already certified by the Spirit who lives inside the believer.

3. Mungu Anaonyesha Pendo Lake Mwenyewe (5:6-11)3. God Demonstrates His Own Love (5:6-11)

Kisha unakuja mstari ambao karibu kila Mkristo anaushika karibu sana na moyo wake. Paulo anataja ni upendo wa aina gani alio nao Mungu, kwa kueleza hasa ni nani walioupokea. Anapanga maneno manne kuhusu hali yetu wakati Kristo alipokufa kwa ajili yetu. Tulikuwa dhaifu — hatuwezi kutenda haki yoyote kwa ajili yetu wenyewe. Tulikuwa waovu — si dhaifu tu, bali tumeelekea kinyume na Mungu. Tulikuwa wenye dhambi — tukiasi kwa vitendo. Na mwishowe, katika mstari wa 10, tulikuwa adui — vitani dhidi ya Mungu yuleyule aliyekuja kutuokoa. Hata hivyo "tulipokuwa adui tulipatanishwa na Mungu kwa mauti ya Mwanawe" (5:10): upatanisho ni kurejeshwa kwa uhusiano uliovunjika, hivi kwamba wakati kuhesabiwa haki kunashughulikia msimamo wetu wa kisheria mbele ya Hakimu, upatanisho unawageuza adui kuwa marafiki.Then comes the verse most every Christian carries close to the bone. Paul names what kind of love God has, by describing exactly who was on the receiving end of it. He stacks up four words for our condition when Christ died for us. We were powerless — incapable of working any righteousness for ourselves. We were ungodly — not just weak, but oriented against God. We were sinners — actively in rebellion. And finally, in verse 10, we were enemies — at war with the very God who came to rescue us. Yet "when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son" (5:10): reconciliation is the restoration of a broken relationship, so that where justification settles our legal standing before the Judge, reconciliation turns enemies into friends.

Miaka kadhaa iliyopita nilihubiri mahubiri juu ya mstari huu katika Jumapili ya Siku ya Wapendanao. Niliwaeleza washiriki kuhusu "wapendwa" watatu wakuu wa maisha yangu — wapendwa watatu ambao wamenipenda kuliko nilivyowapenda mimi kwa kurudisha.Some years ago I preached a sermon on this verse on a Valentine's Sunday. I told the congregation about the three great valentines of my life — the three loves who have loved me more than I have loved them in return.

Mpendwa wa kwanza alikuwa mama yangu. Nilipokuwa nikikua nilipata fursa ya kuzaliwa na mmoja wa akina mama wakuu wa historia. Kwake ilikuwa ni asili. Aliniamsha asubuhi akiniletea kikombe cha kahawa kitandani. Nilipokuwa nikijikokota kuingia jikoni, kifungua kinywa kilikuwa tayari mezani. Alinibusu kuniaga, kabla tu sijatoka nje kupanda basi la shule. Baadhi ya dhabihu alizozitoa sikuzitambua mpaka baadaye. Sisi watoto daima tulikuwa na nguo nzuri za kuvaa, safi siku zote na zilizopigwa pasi siku zote. Lakini wakati mwingine mama alivaa nguo nadhifu, ila si za mtindo wa kisasa. Nakumbuka akikaanga kuku jikoni na kula akiwa amesimama wakati sisi tulikula mezani. Sikutambua mpaka muda mrefu baadaye kwamba sisi tulipata vipande bora kwa sababu yeye alikuwa amejichukulia kipande cha mkia. Hakunipenda kwa sababu nilimpenda kwa kurudisha. Alinipenda kwa sababu alikuwa mama. Nimekuja kushuku kwamba hiki ndicho kitu kilicho karibu zaidi na upendo wa kimungu tunachokipata katika maisha haya.The first valentine was my mother. When I was growing up I had the privilege of being born to one of the great mothers of history. She was a natural. She woke me up in the mornings with a cup of coffee in bed. As I stumbled into the kitchen, breakfast would be on the table. She would kiss me goodbye, just before I went outside to catch the schoolbus. Some of the sacrifices she made I did not realize until later. We children always had nice clothes to wear, that were always clean and always ironed. But sometimes momma wore clothes that were neat, but not the latest style. I remember her frying chicken over the stove and eating standing up while we ate at the table. I did not figure out until much later that we had the choice pieces because she had taken the tailbone for herself. She did not love me because I loved her back. She loved me because she was a mother. I have come to suspect that this is the closest thing to divine love that we experience in this life.

Mpendwa wa pili alikuwa msichana niliyekutana naye siku moja. Kijana mwembamba wa mwaka wa kwanza katika Chuo cha Louisiana alikuwa akizungumza kuhusu mchezo wa ping pong mezani wakati wa chakula cha jioni, ndipo msichana mrembo zaidi mwenye nywele nyeusi aliyewahi kumwona aliposema, "Unacheza ping pong?" Alisema ndiyo, wakaondoka kwenda kucheza mchezo huo. Usiku ule walienda pamoja kwenye mechi ya kandanda ya Kimarekani. Ilikuwa kama filamu bora kabisa za Hollywood. Jina lake lilikuwa Andi. Uchumba uliofuata haukufanana hata kidogo na filamu. Alimkatalia mialiko ya kutoka pamoja mara nyingi kiasi kwamba alianza kujihisi kama tandiko la kitanda. Alimwacha akining'inia akizunguka polepole upeponi. Wakati mmoja walipanda pamoja mnara wa maji naye aliogopa urefu — kadiri msichana alivyokaribia ukingo, ndivyo moyo wake ulivyozidi kudunda. Kulikuwa hata na tukio moja kwenye maonyesho lililomhusu msichana mrefu mwenye nywele za rangi ya dhahabu ambaye marafiki zake walimwita "Piston Hips," pamoja na tiketi ya chakula iliyopotea, lililokaribia kuumaliza uhusiano kabla haujaanza. Lakini kijana huyo alijifunza, katika kipindi cha miaka kumi na minane ya ndoa, upendo usio na masharti unavyoonekana. Licha ya makosa yake, kushindwa kwake, na maamuzi yake ya kipumbavu, Andi alimpenda na angempenda daima. Yeye amempenda zaidi na zaidi kila mwaka, na amekuja kutambua kwamba siku zote msichana huyo ameonekana kuweza kumpenda zaidi.The second valentine was a girl I once met. A scrawny freshman at Louisiana College was talking about ping pong at the dinner table when the prettiest dark-haired girl he had ever seen said, "You play ping pong?" He said yes, and off they went to play the game. That night they went to a football game together. It was Hollywood at its best. Her name was Andi. The courtship that followed was nothing like the movies. She turned him down for dates so much he began to feel like a bedspread. She kept him turning slowly in the wind. Once they climbed a water tower together and he was afraid of heights — the closer she got to the edge, the more his heart pounded. There was even an episode at a fair involving a tall blond his friends called "Piston Hips," and a misplaced meal ticket, that almost ended the relationship before it started. But the young man learned, over the course of eighteen years of marriage, what unconditional love looks like. Despite his mistakes, failures, and idiotic decisions, Andi loved him and always would. He has loved her more and more with each year, and has come to realize she has always seemingly been able to love him more.

Mpendwa wa tatu wa maisha yangu amekuwa Yesu Kristo. Niliokoka nikiwa na umri mdogo kiasi, wakati wa mkutano wa uamsho, nilipokuwa na miaka minane hivi. Katika miaka yangu ya mwanzo ya ujana nilisikia wito wa Mungu wa kuhubiri, nami nilihubiri mahubiri yangu ya kwanza dhaifu nikiwa na miaka kumi na mitatu. Wakati wa miaka yangu ya ujana nilimwacha Kristo. Nilifuata tamaa za moyo wangu na kuuasi upendo ule mkuu. Baada ya kuoa nilikuwa kiongozi wa kiroho — lakini kwa mwelekeo usio sahihi. Kwa miaka miwili nilikwenda kanisani mara chache tu, na nilipendezwa zaidi na kubishana na Mungu kuliko kumwabudu. Kisha Jumapili moja, nikiwa nimeketi katika ibada huko South Carolina, Mungu alisema na moyo wangu kwa kina. Alisema, Ama unitumikie kikamilifu, ama uondoke. Mchana ule niliomba kujiunga na Seminari ya Kitheolojia ya Kibaptisti ya New Orleans. Kumekuwa na nyakati tangu hapo ambapo nimekaribia kumpenda Bwana Mungu wangu kwa moyo wangu wote, roho yangu yote, na akili zangu zote. Lakini nimetambua kwamba haijalishi ninampenda kiasi gani, Yeye amenipenda zaidi siku zote. Siku zote nimethamini kwamba mama yangu na mke wangu walitoa maisha yao kwangu. Lakini ninathamini hata zaidi kwamba Yesu alitoa maisha yake kwa ajili yangu.The third valentine of my life has been Jesus Christ. I was converted at a fairly young age, during a revival, when I was about eight. In my early teens I felt God's call to preach, and I preached my first feeble sermon at thirteen. During my teenage years I gave up on Christ. I followed the desires of my heart and rebelled against that great love. After I married I was a spiritual leader — but in the wrong direction. For two years I only went occasionally to church, and was more interested in debating God than worshipping Him. Then one Sunday, sitting in a service in South Carolina, God spoke deeply to my heart. He said, Either serve Me completely, or get out. That afternoon I applied to the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. There have been times since when I have approached loving the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and mind. But I have realized that no matter how much I love Him, He has always loved me more. I have always appreciated that my mother and my wife gave their lives to me. But I appreciate even more that Jesus gave His life for me.

Hivyo ndivyo Warumi 5:8 inavyosema. Tulipokuwa tungali wenye dhambi — si baada ya kujisafisha, si baada ya kuanza kumtafuta Mungu, hata si baada ya kutambua hitaji letu — tulipokuwa tungali wenye dhambi, Kristo alikufa kwa ajili yetu. Huo ndio upendo ambao hakuna dini nyingine iliyowahi kuutoa, na ambao hakuna moyo wa mwanadamu ungeweza kuubuni.That is what Romans 5:8 says. While we were still sinners — not after we had cleaned ourselves up, not after we had begun to seek God, not even after we had recognized our need — while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That is the kind of love no other religion has ever offered, and no human heart could ever have invented.

4. Adamu Wawili — Kiini Chetu (5:12-14)4. The Two Adams — Our Core (5:12-14)

Kuanzia mstari wa 12, Paulo anahamisha lenzi kutoka wokovu wa mtu binafsi kwenda historia ya ulimwengu wote. Anaifuatilia jamii ya wanadamu hadi kwa watu wawili wawakilishi. Mmoja alileta maangamizi kwa wote waliokuja baada yake. Mwingine alileta uokoaji kwa wote watakaompokea. Wote wawili wanasimama kama vichwa vya jamii ya wanadamu — Adamu wa kwanza na Adamu wa pili. Warumi inatuambia tuna mababu wawili. Wa kwanza ni babu yetu wa kimwili na wa pili ni babu yetu wa kiroho.Beginning in verse 12 Paul shifts the lens from individual salvation to cosmic history. He traces the human race back to two representative men. One brought ruin to all who came after him. The other brought rescue to all who would receive Him. Both stand at the head of a humanity — the first Adam and the second Adam. Romans tells us we have two ancestors. The first is our physical ancestor and the second is our spiritual ancestor.

Hili ndilo fundisho ambalo kanisa kihistoria limeliita dhambi ya asili. Adamu alipotenda dhambi, hakutenda dhambi kama mtu binafsi tu. Alitenda dhambi kama kichwa mwakilishi (kichwa cha kiagano) cha jamii ya wanadamu. Hatia yake ilihesabiwa kwa wazao wake wote kwa njia ya uwakilishi, kama vile tendo la mkuu wa nchi linavyolifunga taifa zima. Huku ndiko kuhesabiwa kwa kwanza katika Biblia — na ndicho kinachowiana kimafundisho na kuhesabiwa kukuu kwa haki ya Kristo ambako Paulo alifundisha katika sura ya 4.This is the doctrine the church has historically called original sin. When Adam sinned, he did not sin merely as an individual. He sinned as the federal head of the human race. His guilt was imputed to all his descendants by representation, the same way the act of a head of state binds the nation. This is the first imputation in the Bible — and it is the doctrinal counterpart to the great imputation of Christ's righteousness Paul taught in chapter 4.

Lakini Adamu pia anaitwa mfano wa yeye atakayekuja. Mfano (kivuli) katika Maandiko ni kielelezo kilichokusudiwa na Mungu — mtu halisi wa kihistoria ambaye habari yake inaashiria mapema utimilizo mkuu zaidi katika Kristo. Kama vile Adamu alivyosimama kichwani mwa jamii iliyoanguka, Kristo anasimama kichwani mwa jamii iliyokombolewa. Adamu wa kwanza anatoa asili ya dhambi. Adamu wa pili anatoa asili ya kiroho. Hicho ndicho kiini chetu — tabaka la ndani kabisa la utu wetu. Kwa kuzaliwa tunashiriki asili ya Adamu; kwa kuzaliwa upya tunashiriki asili ya Kristo.But Adam is also called a type of the One who was to come. A type in Scripture is a divinely intended pattern — a real historical person whose story prefigures a greater fulfillment in Christ. Just as Adam stood at the head of a fallen race, Christ stands at the head of a redeemed race. The first Adam gives a sinful nature. The second Adam gives a spiritual nature. That is our core — the deepest layer of who we are. By birth we share Adam's; by new birth we share Christ's.

5. Adamu Wawili — Matokeo Yetu (5:15-17)5. The Two Adams — Our Consequences (5:15-17)

Paulo anarundika tofauti katika sehemu hii. Kosa na kipawa. Hukumu na kipawa cha bure. Adhabu na kuhesabiwa haki. Katika kila ulinganisho kipawa kinalizidi kosa.Paul piles up contrasts in this section. The trespass and the gift. The judgment and the free gift. The condemnation and the justification. In every comparison the gift overshadows the offense.

Matokeo ni mauti na uzima. Adamu wa kwanza analeta mauti. Adamu wa pili analeta uzima. Na hapa Paulo anaingiza sentensi inayowashangaza wasomaji waaminifu: wale wanaopokea neema watatawala katika uzima kwa Yesu Kristo. Mwamini haokolewi tu kutoka mautini. Mwamini anatawazwa katika uzima. Kristo hakuturejesha tu mahali alipokuwa Adamu kabla ya anguko. Kristo alituinua hadi utukufu ambao Adamu hakuwahi kuahidiwa. Sisi ni watawala pamoja na Kristo, sasa kwa namna fulani na hatimaye katika ufufuo. Mauti ambayo Adamu aliiweka itawale juu ya jamii ya wanadamu imekutana na mshindani wake.The consequences are death and life. The first Adam brings death. The second Adam brings life. And here Paul slips in a line that staggers honest readers: those who receive grace will reign in life through Jesus Christ. The believer is not merely rescued from death. The believer is enthroned in life. Christ did not just restore us to where Adam was before the fall. Christ raised us to a glory Adam was never promised. We are co-rulers with Christ, both now in a sense and finally in the resurrection. The death that Adam set reigning over the human race has met its match.

6. Adamu Wawili — Hali Yetu, na Mahali Neema Inapozidi (5:18-21)6. The Two Adams — Our Condition, and Where Grace Abounds (5:18-21)

Tabaka la tatu la tofauti ni hali ya mwamini mbele za Mungu. Adamu anazalisha hatia. Kristo anazalisha msamaha. Adamu wa kwanza alisimama kama mwakilishi wakati hatia ilipohesabiwa kwa jamii ya wanadamu. Adamu wa pili alisimama kama mwakilishi wakati haki ilipohesabiwa kwa jamii inayoamini. Huu ndio ulinganifu wa kuhesabiwa. Utaratibu uleule wa kisheria ulioleta adhabu juu yetu kupitia Adamu unaleta kuhesabiwa haki juu yetu kupitia Kristo. Tukikubali kimoja, ni lazima tukubali kingine.The third layer of contrast is the believer's condition before God. Adam produces guilt. Christ produces forgiveness. The first Adam stood representative when guilt was credited to the race. The second Adam stood representative when righteousness was credited to the believing race. This is the symmetry of imputation. The same legal mechanism that brought condemnation upon us through Adam brings justification upon us through Christ. If we accept the one, we must accept the other.

Kisha Paulo anasema jambo la ajabu. Sheria, anaandika, iliingia ili kosa lizidi — na hasa pale dhambi ilipozidi, neema ilizidi kuwa nyingi zaidi. Neno la Kigiriki la "ilizidi kuwa nyingi zaidi" ni hyperperisseuō — ilizidi kupita kiasi. Ugavi wa neema hauendi tu sambamba na ugavi wa dhambi. Unafurika na kuupita. Popote dhambi ilipofanya ubaya wake mkubwa kabisa, neema iko tayari kufanya vizuri zaidi.Then Paul says something extraordinary. The law, he writes, was added so that the trespass might increase — and exactly where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. The Greek word for "abounded all the more" is hyperperisseuō — super-abounded. The supply of grace does not merely keep pace with the supply of sin. It overflows past it. Wherever sin has done its worst, grace stands ready to do better.

Hilo ndilo hatimaye Warumi 5 inahusu. Pendo la Mungu limekwisha kumiminwa katika moyo wa mwamini na Roho Mtakatifu. Si upendo tunaoustahili kwa kazi, wala upendo tunaoudumisha kwa utendaji. Ni upendo uliokwisha kutolewa, uliokwisha kuthibitishwa, ulio tayari kazini — na mara tunapoupokea, unaanza kutiririka kwenda nje kwa kila mtu tunayekutana naye. Neema inatawala. Mauti imeondolewa kitini. Adamu wawili wamelimaliza swali hilo, na Adamu wa pili amelimaliza milele kwa faida yetu.That is what Romans 5 is finally about. The love of God has been poured out into the believer's heart by the Holy Spirit. It is not a love we earn, nor a love we sustain by performance. It is a love already given, already certified, already at work — and the moment we receive it, it begins to flow outward to everyone we meet. Grace reigns. Death is dethroned. The two Adams have settled the question, and the second Adam has settled it forever in our favor.