“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
- ΔικαιωθέντεςI make righteous, defend the cause of, justify
- οὖνtherefore, then
- ἐκfrom out, out from among, from
- πίστεωςfaith, belief, trust
- εἰρήνηνpeace, peace of mind
- ἔχομενI have, hold, possess
- πρὸςto, towards, with
- τὸνthe
- θεὸνGod, a god
- διὰthrough, on account of
- τοῦthe
- κυρίουlord, Lord, master, sir
- ἡμῶνI
- ἸησοῦJesus
- Χριστοῦanointed, the Messiah, the Christ
Participle (Δικαιωθέντες, aorist passive) functioning adverbially to modify the main verb, establishing temporal-logical ground. Main verb ἔχομεν (present active indicative) carries the assertion. Two prepositional phrases (ἐκ πίστεως, διὰ τοῦ κυρίου) frame source and means. Conjunction οὖν signals inferential transition from prior argument.
The participle fronts for emphasis: justification is the logical foundation. Word order is participle–conjunction–prepositional phrase–object–verb–prepositional phrase, creating a balanced A–B structure (source of justification : means of peace). The genitive chain at the end (τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ) is architecturally climactic, piling title upon title to magnify the mediator.
The οὖν would signal to hearers: "Here comes the payoff." The participial opening (Δικαιωθέντες) lands with finality (aorist) before the main assertion. The rhythmic genitive chain at the end (four words in ascending dignity) builds aurally to Christ as climax, a natural endpoint for a listening community to affirm. Silent readers might parse the grammar first; ancient hearers felt the logical pivot and relational resolution.
Text-centered
The form mirrors the content: a completed action (aorist participle) yields a present state (present indicative). The participle's fronting structurally subordinates justification as *ground*, making peace the *headline* — yet peace depends entirely on that ground. The verse is a hinge: chapters 1–4 demonstrate justification; chapters 5–8 unfold its consequences (peace, hope, assurance, no condemnation). Literarily, this is thesis-meets-experience.
Author-centered
Paul pivots from forensic argument to relational result. Having proven justification by faith through Abraham and Christ (chs. 3–4), he now draws the experiential inference: justified believers possess peace with the God who was once their judge. In oral delivery to the Roman house churches, this οὖν would cue hearers that doctrinal exposition is shifting to lived reality — the doctrine now shapes their identity and worship.
Reader-centered
For the anxious hearer unsure of standing before God, "we have peace" (indicative ἔχομεν) is assurance — not striving toward peace but possessing it now. For the activist temperament, the passive "having been justified" resists self-achievement; peace is received, not earned. For the communal listener in a Roman house church, "we" and "our" mark corporate identity; for the modern silent reader, the grammar's corporate nature can be missed, turning a communal reality into private pietism. Different people hear different gifts: the guilty hear acquittal, the restless hear rest, the isolated hear "we."
SBLGNT/NA28/RP read ἔχομεν (present indicative: "we have") as settled fact; WH and Treg read ἔχωμεν (present subjunctive: "let us have") as exhortation
We endorse no tradition. The basis is shown so you can examine and decide for yourself.
The verb ἔχομεν/ἔχωμεν is textually disputed: SBLGNT, NA28, and RP print ἔχομεν (indicative, "we have"), while WH and Treg print ἔχωμεν (subjunctive, "let us have"). This single vowel difference shifts the sentence from a declaration of present possession to a hortatory call. No manuscript or versional data is available in this dataset to assess the variant's attestation or confidence level.
**Argument Structure:** Romans 5:1 is the hinge of the letter. Chapters 1–4 build the case: all are guilty (1:18–3:20), justification is by faith apart from works (3:21–31), proven by Abraham (ch. 4). Chapter 5 begins the "therefore" — the experiential overflow of justification. The verse has three movements: (1) the ground (Δικαιωθέντες, completed justification), (2) the gift (εἰρήνην ἔχομεν, present peace), (3) the mediator (διὰ τοῦ κυρίου, through Christ alone). This is past verdict → present possession → sole means. **The Hinge:** The οὖν is the hinge-pin. Everything before proved *how* we are right with God; everything after unpacks *what* being right with God means. A sermon can make the congregation feel the pivot: "Paul has spent four chapters answering 'How does God justify the ungodly?' Now he answers 'So what?' And the answer is peace." **Grammar Shaping the Outline:** 1. **"Having Been Justified" (aorist passive participle)** — Peace rests on a finished work. The passive voice preaches itself: you didn't justify yourself; God justified you. The aorist preaches itself: it's done, settled, not ongoing negotiation. A point: *Peace isn't a goal; it's a gift resting on a verdict already rendered.* 2. **"We Have Peace" (present active indicative, if ἔχομεν)** — Not "we're trying to get peace" or "we hope for peace someday," but "we possess it now." The present tense preaches itself: this is daily, current, ongoing reality. A point: *The justified don't chase peace with God; they have it and live from it.* 3. **"Through Our Lord Jesus Christ" (διὰ + genitive)** — Peace has one mediator, one means. The full title (Lord, ours, Jesus, Christ) preaches itself: authority (Lord), intimacy (ours), humanity (Jesus), messianic office (Christ). A point: *No peace with God except through the person and work of Christ — no other name, no other way.* **Textual Tension for Preaching:** If you choose the indicative (ἔχομεν, "we have"), preach assurance — peace is fact, not feeling. If you acknowledge the subjunctive variant (ἔχωμεν, "let us have"), note that even if it were original, the exhortation would be "grasp what you've been given," not "work to earn peace." Either way, peace is God's gift through Christ, but the indicative removes all ambiguity: it's yours, now, because you're justified. The preacher may say, "Most editions read 'we have,' and that's the settled confidence Paul wants you to feel." **Congregational Questions the Grammar Answers:** - "How do I know I have peace with God?" — The aorist participle: because justification is a completed act in the past, not a process you might fail. - "What if I don't *feel* peaceful?" — The present indicative: peace is a settled status, not an emotion. Feelings fluctuate; your standing doesn't. - "Can I lose this peace?" — The passive voice: you didn't earn it (so you can't un-earn it), and the mediator (Christ) doesn't change. **The Sermon's Hinge:** The verse itself is a hinge, so the sermon can mirror that structure: (1) Look back — "therefore" sums up justification by faith; (2) Look at now — "we have peace," the present consequence; (3) Look at the mediator — "through Christ," the sole ground. The grammar makes the outline.
Every parsing above is retrieved, not generated. Open this to see the dataset it came from, word by word.