B2 5:11-. Not only so.

a Boasting in God.

b Reconciliation received.

The procuring and the receiving of reconciliation is the climax of the doctrinal part of the outer portions of

Romans. It figures prominently in the dispensational and practical sections too, as we shall see. Meanwhile for the

sake of clearness and fuller light we give `A2 b' above in detail:

a When we were yet without strength.

b Christ died for the ungodly.

B 5:7.  Death of man for man. `Scarcely'. `Peradventure'.

a While yet sinners.

b Christ died for us.

c Justified by blood.

d Saved from wrath.

c Reconciled by death.

d Saved by His life.

It is essential to the successful realization of the purpose of the present volume that the reader, while considering

the details of the epistles, shall firmly retain the great theme that runs through them. In the case of the epistle to the

Romans we feel it necessary to make this realization sure by separating the details from the main theme, and

presenting it in barest outline to the reader's eye, that our object may not be lost or our efforts rendered void. We

have seen that the real object of chapters 1 to 3, which revolved around the question of justification by faith and the

impossibility of works of law to justify, was not the teaching for its own sake, but that by reason of the equality

established by equal sinnership and by similar justification the reconciliation of the Gentile may be admitted. Thus

chapters 1 to 3 reduced to its minimum stands as follows:

1.

The gospel reveals a righteousness by faith.

2.

The nations, though taught by conscience and creation, utterly failed of attaining to righteousness.

3.

The judgment of God has no place for privilege; Jew and Gentile alike will be treated with perfect equity.

4.

The Jew who boasts in the law and circumcision is proved to be as much a failure, if not even more so taking

into account the advantages of revelation, than the despised Gentile.

5. The utter failure of the Jew under the law is sufficient answer to all who would impose this yoke upon the

Gentiles; `By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified'.

6. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile in the matter of failure, for all sinned and come short of the

glory of God.

7. The fancied superiority of the Jew being removed, the apostle leads up to his great point, reconciliation, by

asking the question, `Is He the God of the Jews only?'

In the second section the subject is approached along a different path. This time the supposed superiority of law

and circumcision is disposed of by the fact that Abraham was justified by faith without works; that he was justified

before circumcision; and that he was justified apart from law. The great central object of the section is Christ risen.

The climax once again is the reconciliation. The Gentile, strengthless, ungodly, sinner and enemy though he be, is

placed on equality with the saved of Israel, inasmuch as his justification and his reconciliation are entirely apart

from personal merit altogether.

Romans 5:12 commences the inner portion of Romans - a portion to which we must return when the remaining

outer portion has been traversed. We therefore take up the theme at Romans 9, there again to be led on to the

question of justification treated dispensationally to the same end - the recognition of the Gentile's place under the

reconciliation. To this we must devote another Section.