Romans 5:2 - Exposition

Through whom also we have (rather, have had— ἐδχήκαμεν —referring to the past time of conversion and baptism, but with the idea of continuance expressed by the perfect) the (or, our ) access by faith (the words, "by faith," which are not required, are absent from many manuscripts) into this grace wherein we stand , and rejoice (properly, glory , καυχώμεθα , the same word as in the following verse, and most usually so rendered elsewhere, though sometimes by "boast." Our translators seem in this verse to have departed from their usual rendering because of the substantive "glory," in a different sense, which follows) in hope of the glory of God . προσαγωγὴ (translated "access") occurs in the same sense in Ephesians 2:18 and Ephesians 3:12 ; in both cases, as here, with the article, so as to denote some well-known access or approach. It means the access to the holy God, which had been barred by sin, but which has been opened to us through Christ (cf. Hebrews 10:19 ). It is a question whether εἰς τὴν χάριν is properly taken (as in the Authorized Version) in immediate connection with προσαγωγὴν , as denoting that into which we have our access. In Ephesians 2:18 the word is followed by the more suitable preposition πρὸς , the phrase being, "access to the Father;" and this may be understood here, the sense being, "We have through Christ our access ( to the Father ) unto (ie. so as to result in) the state of grace and acceptance in which we now stand." As to "the glory of God," see above on Romans 3:23 . Here our hoped-for future participation in the Divine glory is more distinctly intimated by the words, ἐπ ἐλπίδι . This last phrase bears the same sense as in 1 Corinthians 9:10 , and probably in Romans 4:18 above. It does not mean that hope is that wherein we glory, but that, being in a state of hope, we glory.