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Does Romans 9:5 Say Jesus is God?
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Did Apostle Paul call Jesus Christ God in Romans 9:5? Dear friends, there remain some who still believe that Christ is the true God and they say that the basis of that belief is the writings of Apostle Paul, specifically Romans 9:5. They claim that Apostle Paul clearly stated in his letter to the Christians in Rome that Christ is God. But does Romans 9:5 say Jesus is God?
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The Bible, the basis of our faith in the Church of Christ, which answers questions about proper worship, the right relationship with God, and most importantly, salvation: That’s in the Bible.
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: I’m Bob Pellien, and welcome to the program, That’s in the Bible. One of those verses that those who believe Christ is God cling to as a basis of their faith is Romans 9:5. So does Romans 9:5 say that Jesus is God? Let’s take a look, and here’s precisely what’s recorded there:
Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Romans 9:5 King James Version
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Many have become convinced that this verse, as recorded in the King James Translation of the Bible, is clear evidence that Christ is God. They say Apostle Paul is teaching us that Christ is over all, and is therefore “God blessed forever.” But is that what the Apostle Paul is teaching in that verse? Definitely NOT!
So to help us in our study and discussion let’s break it down and answer these questions today:
- Why are we so sure Apostle Paul is not teaching in this verse that Jesus is the true God who is above all?
- Is this verse translated the same in all the versions of the Bible?
- Why are there different and conflicting translations of Romans 9:5?
- What do Bible scholars have to say about the various translations of Romans 9:5?
To start this important discussion, let’s ask: Why are we sure Apostle Paul is not teaching in this verse that Jesus is the true God who is above all? Who did Apostle Paul introduce as the God who is over all or above all? Let’s hear from the writings of the Apostle Paul to answer that specifically, Ephesians 4:6 it says:
one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Ephesians 4:6 New King James Version
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Dear friends, here, Apostle Paul clearly taught that the one God who is above all is the Father! Could that also be referring to Jesus as the one who is overall or above all? No, but why not? The Bible answers that question as well, also in the writings of Apostle Paul, and for that we turn to 1 Corinthians 15:27-28 where the Bible provides us this important incite:
For the scripture says, “God put all things under his feet.” It is clear, of course, that the words “all things” do not include God himself, who puts all things under Christ. But when all things have been placed under Christ’s rule, then he himself, the Son, will place himself under God, who placed all things under him; and God will rule completely over all.
1 Corinthians 15:27-28 Good News Translation
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Is Christ the one that is above all or is over all? Definitely not, dear friends! And we can see that emphasized here when the same Apostle Paul wrote that Christ, who is the son, is placed under God and God would rule completely over all. So Christ is still subject under God who placed all things under him. And this shows that Christ and God are different, and in Romans 9:5, Apostle Paul is not teaching us that Christ and God are the same or that Christ is in fact God. No. Taking the full context of Apostle Paul’s teachings, he taught us the difference between Christ and God, and he did so throughout his writings in the Holy Bible.
Knowing that, is this verse translated the same in all the versions of the Bible? Let’s start with the Good News Translation of Romans 9:5, and it reads this way:
they are descended from the famous Hebrew ancestors; and Christ, as a human being, belongs to their race. May God, who rules over all, be praised forever! Amen.
Romans 9:5 Good News Translation
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: This translation clearly shows that Christ is a human being and therefore different from God who rules over all. Let’s look at the same verse in another translation, this is what’s known as the Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible. Here in Romans 9:5 I quote it here and it says:
to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ. God who is over all be blessed for ever. Amen.
Romans 9:5 Revised Standard Version
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: This is again another translation that clearly is not teaching that Christ is God who is overall. Let’s take a look dear friends at one more. This one is the New English Bible and here’s what Romans 9:5 says here:
Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them, in natural descent, sprang the Messiah. May God, supreme above all, be blessed forever! Amen.
Romans 9:5 New English Bible
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: It is noticeable that the punctuation usage in these various translations is different from the punctuation of the King James version or translation.
In fact, it is the punctuation difference which is the root of the mistaken conclusion that some make when they read Romans 9:5 in that King James version of the Bible.
Why are there different and conflicting translations of Romans 9:5 in the first place? Why are these translations and others somewhat different from the King James translation? How can we accurately determine which is correct and which should be used as the basis of our faith?
One seems to say that Christ is God and the others do not. To explain the importance of the sentence structure as related to the original Greek words, let’s take a look at what some Bible scholars report. Let’s read from The Christology of the New Testament by Oscar Cullman on page 312, here’s an excerpt from his book:
from the unquestionably genuine letters of Paul, Romans 9:5 is the principal passage to be considered… There are two possible translations, depending upon how we punctuate the phrase. Either we place no punctuation marks after “sarka” (or at most a comma), or we place a full stop there. If there is no full stop the following translation results…
of their race, according to the flesh, is Christ, who is over all, God, blessed forever.
But if we place a period after “sarka”, the following sentence which contains “Theos” is grammatically independent of Christos. Then we have one of those doxologies which Paul sometimes interjects at high points in his expositions, and which would be addressed to God the Father, not to Christ.
After an enumeration of the gifts of Grace bestowed upon Israel, chief of which is the birth of Christ according to the flesh, God (the Father) is praised for all of them: God, who is overall, be praised forever. Amen.
Cullman, Oscar. The Christology of the New Testament. Great Britain: SCM Press Ltd. 1959, 1953, pg. 312
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Why are there different translations of Romans 9:5? Because the translators punctuated the text differently. If a period is placed after the Greek word sarka (meaning flesh) in the original Greek text, the next phrase or group of words becomes a doxology directed to God and not to Christ. In the English text of the Bible, though, the correct placement of the period is after the word “Christ”.
Because If a period is placed after the word Christ, then what follows is clearly a doxology or an expression of giving glory to God, therefore presenting two very distinct subjects, one being Christ, and the other being God. However, if after the first subject in this sentence, which is Christ, a mere comma is placed, then it may appear that there is only one subject, and that subject is simply referred to as both Christ and God.
Although there are contradictions between the King James version and the other translations of Romans 9:5, we should notice that they do agree on two important points. First, they both make mention of God who is over all, which as we have already seen, Apostle Paul made very clear that it is the Father who is overall and not Christ. And secondly, who is referred to as the God who is to be blessed forever? In order to determine the God being referred to in Romans 9:5 we should find out then who is introduced by that same Apostle Paul in the Bible as “the God Who is to be blessed or to be praised forever.” For that, we return to his writings in 2 Corinthians 1:3 wherein he wrote clearly the following:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
2 Corinthians 1:3 New King James Version
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Here dear friends, Apostle Paul made it crystal clear that the one to be blessed and to be praised forever is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So to answer then our earlier question, which correctly translated version shows that Apostle Paul did not call Jesus God? It would be the translations of Romans 9:5 that do not contradict the other writings of Apostle Paul wherein he clearly presents God, not Christ, as being overall and blessed forever. So dear friends, it is not true that the Apostle Paul called Jesus Christ God in Romans 9:5. No.
What do Bible scholars have to say about the various translations of Romans 9:5? Let’s hear from one. Let’s hear from the author David A. Kroll from his book about this verse in particular.
Is Paul identifying Jesus as God in this passage? Greek manuscripts of the New Testament do not contain punctuation. … Romans 9:5 can be punctuated either with a period or a comma after the word Christ depending on what the translator feels the writer is saying. While a number of translations place a comma after the word Christ, while others do not. For example, the Revised Standard Version…
How can we know what is the correct way to punctuate this passage? Looking at Paul’s letter to the Romans as a whole, it will be seen Paul always distinguishes between Jesus Christ and God. …Therefore, it appears extremely unlikely Paul changes his manner of expression by suddenly calling Jesus God when in every other instance he associates God with the Father.
A number of commentators have focused attention on what appears to be doxology at the end of 9:5. … Paul’s statement in 9:5,… (RSV) is seen as a clear doxology in the same vein as others found in the writings of Paul.
In view of Paul’s consistent use of doxologies in praise to God the Father, it is very unlikely Paul suddenly uses a doxology and praise to “God the Son.”…Paul consistently writes in terms of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus.
The God of Jesus: A Comprehensive Examination of the Nature of the Father, Son and Spirit. David A. Kroll, Bloomington Indiana, WestBow press 2012; p. 241-243
BROTHER BOB PELLIEN: Dear friends, therefore Christ is not the one referred to as God in Romans 9:5. This verse is wrongly translated in the King James version, and is being misused as a basis by teachers of the Christ is God Doctrine. The Father is the only true God. Why do we believe this to be so? Because That’s in the Bible.
So, let’s review the questions we began with and see what the Bible has revealed to us. We asked:
- Why are we sure Apostle Paul is not teaching in this verse that Jesus is the true God who is above all
Because we read Apostle Paul’s other teachings where he described Christ being under God, and that God is the one who is above all. - Is this verse translated the same in all the versions of the Bible?The versions which consistently show that God was being praised at the end of the verse, not that Christ was being identified as God, are the correct versions of Romans 9:5.
- Why are there different and conflicting translations of Romans 9:5?We learned it’s because of the difference in syntax between the original ancient Greek and modern English, it can create confusion when applying punctuation. Which is why looking at Apostle Paul’s teachings about who is Christ and who is God, can help us understand the best translation: and that’s a translation that follows and adheres to Apostle Paul’s teaching that Christ was not the same as God.
- What do Bible scholars have to say about the various translations of Romans 9:5?We read from one, a scholar stating that it is very unlikely that Apostle Paul wrote a doxology of praise to Christ as God, because he always references God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and not that they’re the same person or being.
So if you were led to believe that Romans 9:5 is proof that Christ is God, we hope that you have today learned the truth that’s in the Bible. And we hope that you can hold onto these teachings and defend them, along with the truth of who the true God is.
We’d like you to continue learning about the teachings of the Bible taught inside the Iglesia Ni Cristo, Church Of Christ, please visit online and browse the different topics or set up an appointment to meet with a minister of the gospel. If you have any questions about the Bible or salvation, please email them to us. I’m Bob Pellien. Thanks for watching. See you next time on That’s in the Bible!
