Romans 5:18

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arapahoepark

Puritan Board Professor
In Romans 5:18, I have seen it translated 'one act of righteousness', and the other 'one man's righteous act,' which is it? What does this do for imputed righteousness?
 
'one act of righteousness',

'one man's righteous act,'

Both speak of one "act" rather than many "acts".

Are they both speaking of Christ's one lifelong seamless robe of righteousness, on behalf of each one of His people?

cf. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did (John 19:23-24)

:2cents:
 
Neither.

AV: Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

GB: Likewise then, as by the offense of one, the fault came on all men to condemnation, so by the justifying of one, the benefit abounded toward all men
to the justification of life.

Unless the versions you're referring to mixed verse 19 into verse 18.

Rom 5:19

AV: For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

GB: For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by that obedience of that one, shall many also be made righteous.

From the way the modern phrasing puts it, one could then argue that Christ only did one righteous act and many unrighteous acts. There is nothing in the text to qualify what that one righteous act signifies. Was it one act and only one act? Is one act being taken as referring to his entire life? Such bad renderings are why I find it best to stick only to Reformation era Bibles such as the Geneva or the Authorised Version. It is much clearer in the AV & the GB.

Gill's Exposition doesn't mention a singular righteous act:

even so by the righteousness of one, [the free gift] came upon all men to justification of life; the righteousness of Christ being freely imputed without works, as it is to all the men that belong to the second Adam, to all his seed and offspring, is their justification of life, or what adjudges and entitles them to eternal life. The sentence of justification was conceived in the mind of God from eternity, when his elect were ordained unto eternal life, on the foot of his Son's righteousness; this passed on Christ at his resurrection from the dead, and on all his people as considered in him, when they, in consequence of it, were quickened together with him; and this passes upon the conscience of a sinner at believing, when he may, as he should, reckon himself alive unto God, and is what gives him a right and title to everlasting life and glory.

John Calvin mentions no singular act either:

18. Therefore, etc. This is a defective sentence; it will be complete if the words condemnation and justification be read in the nominative case; as doubtless you must do in order to complete the sense. We have here the general conclusion from the preceding comparison; for, omitting the mention of the intervening explanation, he now completes the comparison, “As by the offense of one we were made (constitute) sinners; so the righteousness of Christ is efficacious to justify us. He does not say the righteousness — δικαιοσύνην, but the justification — δικαίωμα, of Christ, in order to remind us that he was not as an individual just for himself, but that the righteousness with which he was endued reached farther, in order that, by conferring this gift, he might enrich the faithful. He makes this favor common to all, because it is propounded to all, and not because it is in reality extended to all; for though Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world, and is offered through God’s benignity indiscriminately to all, yet all do not receive him. These two words, which he had before used, judgment and grace, may be also introduced here in this form, “As it was through God’s judgment that the sin of one issued in the condemnation of many, so grace will be efficacious to the justification of many.” Justification of life is to be taken, in my judgment, for remission, which restores life to us, as though he called it life-giving. For whence comes the hope of salvation, except that God is propitious to us; and we must be just, in order to be accepted. Then life proceeds from justification.
 
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