While arguing for a “Protestant” reading of Diognetus 9:5, Michael F. Bird noted that, in this text:
This is a possible allusion to Romans
5:18-19 combined with a Pauline notion of interchange in Christ, since this
exchange takes place “in” the Son of God. Importantly, the justification (δικαιοω,
dikaioō) is
unlikely to be in a strictly forensic sense, since it is parallel with being “made
worth” (αξιοω, axioō) and “obtain[ing] life” (τυχειν
ζωης, tychein zōēs).
(Michael F. Bird, “The Epistle to Diognetus,” in The Apostolic Fathers,
ed. Paul Foster [Ancient Literature for New Testament Studies 4; Grand Rapids,
Mich.: Zondervan Academic, 2025], 266)
On Rom 5:18-19 and how Paul taught a transformative understanding
of justification, see the discussion at:
Response
to a Recent Attempt to Defend Imputed Righteousness