ROMANS 5
I. PEACE WITH GOD FLOWS FROM JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH
Rom. 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
NERVE PILLS AND OTHER MEDS
I was a nervous wreck as a child. Mom used to give me these prescription meds she called 'nerve pills'. Who knows what those were! As I got into my teen years I continued along this path of self medication. You know the drill; pills, pot, alcohol, or whatever. There was no peace whatsoever in my life. I think I used to worry if I didn't have anything to worry about. One of the most obvious changes that happened to me at my conversion was a new sense of peace in my life. The need for self medication was gone and the over all anxiety had dissipated. What had changed? Just like today's verse says, I was justified by faith which brought me into peace with God. Peace with God brings a new peace into our whole being. The over all anticipation of bad things happening just wasn't there.
Today, my natural tendency would be to slip back into those old depressing patterns of life. How do I walk in this peace consistently? We do it by fellowship with God; reading the Bible and worshipping God daily. Here are some thoughts from Matthew Henry on today's verse.
"It is sin that breeds the quarrel between us and God, creates not only a strangeness, but an enmity; the holy righteous God cannot in honor be at peace with a sinner while he continues under the guilt of sin. Justification takes away the guilt, and so makes way for peace. And such are the benignity and good-will of God to man that, immediately upon the removing of that obstacle, the peace is made. By faith we lay hold of God’s arm and of his strength, and so are at peace. There is more in this peace than barely a cessation of enmity, there is friendship and loving-kindness, for God is either the worst enemy or the best friend. Abraham, being justified by faith, was called the friend of God, which was his honor, but not his peculiar honor: Christ has called his disciples friends. And surely a man needs no more to make him happy than to have God as his friend!"
So that's it, friendship with God breeds peace into our lives. Friendship with God is what was purchased for us at Calvary. So maybe you have been anxious about all the stuff in your life. I am not trying to say that your circumstances aren't bleak, all I'm saying is that there is a real peace that can keep you in all of it. Basically it's your choice; the 'nerve pills' and self medication or peace with God by grace through faith.
II. ACCESS INTO HIS PRESENCE
Rom. 5:2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
1. WE STAND IN CHRIST BY GRACE 2. WE REJOICE IN THE GLORY OF GOD
A NEW WAY TO LIVE
Heb. 10:19,20 ¶ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
It was on a cold, rainy day in the coastal mountains of Oregon in the 1970’s that I stumbled on a mini book by Andrew Murray called “Let us Draw Nigh”. That little book rocked my world. In it, the Lord began to call me to a new level of consecration to God. It was the phrase, “new and living way” that grabbed my attention. Murray repeated that phrase again and again as he spoke of the heavenly life. I had been stuck in the
‘feeling sorry for myself’ zone and this heavenly life seemed very far away. Murray’s words literally dripped with the heavenly world.
Somehow I knew the key was those words, ’a new and living way’. Here is a short excerpt from that book, hope it calls you closer.
“As we are made partakers of Christ, as we come to God through Him, His life, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, takes possession of us, and in His strength we follow in the footsteps of Christ Jesus. The way into the Holiest is the living way of perfect conformity to Jesus, wrought in us by His Spirit. The new and living way through the rent veil into the Holiest. We now know what it is: it is the way of death.
Yes, the way of death is the way of life. The only way to be set free
from our fallen nature, with the curse and power of sin resting on it, is
to die to it. Jesus denied Himself, would do nothing to please that
nature He had taken, sinless though it was in Him. He denied it; He
died to it. This was to Him the path of life. And this is to us the living way.”
That’s it, the way to the path of life is the path of death. We have to die to ourselves that we can live to God. That’s what the blood of Jesus was about. Not only is the blood sacrificial, it cleanses us of our sins, it also speaks to us of another way to live our lives; the new and living way. Like Jesus said, it is in dying that we live. So let’s follow Jesus to the cross, it leads us to an empty tomb and a throne in the heavenlies.
III. KEPT IN TRIBULATION
Rom. 5:3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
Rom. 5:3 ESV - Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
1. THIS JOY KEEPS US SECURE IN TRIBULATION
2. IT PRODUCES ENDURANCE - IF YOU ARE FULL OF JOY YOU CAN ENDURE AMAZING THINGS
IV. ENDURANCE PRODUCES CHARACTER
Rom. 5:4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
V. ENDURANCE / EXPERIENCE PRODUCES HOPE
Rom. 5:4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
CLARKE
For we thus calculate, that he who has supported us in the past will support us in those which may yet come; and as we have received so much spiritual profiting by means of the sufferings through which we have already passed, we may profit equally by those which are yet to come:
and this hope prevents us from dreading coming trials; we receive them as means of grace, and find that all things work together for good to them that love God.
VI. THIS HOPE DOES NOT LET US DOWN
Rom. 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
CLARKE
And hope maketh not ashamed. A hope that is not rationally founded will have its expectation cut off; and then shame and confusion will be the portion of its possessor. But our hope is of a different kind; it is founded on the goodness and truth of God; and our religious experience shows us that we have not misapplied it; nor exercised it on wrong or improper objects.
THIS HOPE HAS SUBSTANCE
VII. GOD'S LOVE POURED INTO OUR HEART
Rom. 5:5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
VIII. CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY -
Rom. 5:6-11 ¶ For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
1. CHRIST DIED TO SAVE SINNERS
2. WE ARE SAVED FROM GOD'S WRATH IN CHRIST
3. WE ARE MADE WHOLE THROUGH HIS LIFE
4. WE REJOICE IN RECONCILIATION
5. THIS IS THE DEMONSTRATION OF GOD'S LOVE
Rom. 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY
Rom. 5:6 ¶ For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
We were all in a pretty sorry state before Jesus came into our lives. Thankfully, Christ died for the ungodly. The ungodly! That's who we were. We were trapped in a world of muck. No matter how hard we tried we kept wallowing in our own filth. Sin was in our hearts and sin is what we did. The amazing thing about Christ is this, He loved us despite what we were. He died for us in our miserable state. That is what separates Christianity from the religions of the world. Religion tries to improve the ungodly with religious duties. The Lord saw the futility of that and displayed it in the law of Moses. The only solution was total redemption. Redemption comes only through the power of the cross. Here is how Adam Clarke sees this verse.
"They were without strength; in a weak, dying state: neither able to resist sin, nor do any good:
utterly devoid of power to extricate themselves from the misery of their situation.They were ungodly; without either the worship or knowledge of the true God; they had not God in them;
and, consequently, were not partakers of the Divine nature: Satan lived in, ruled, and enslaved their hearts.They were sinners aiming at happiness, but constantly missing the mark, which is the ideal meaning of the Hebrew afj chata, and the Greek amartanw. And in missing the mark, they deviated from the right way; walked in the wrong way; trespassed in thus deviating; and, by breaking the commandments of God, not only missed the mark of felicity, but exposed
themselves to everlasting misery."
What a powerful description of the ungodly! We were unable to resist sin and unable to remove ourselves from sin's consequences. We didn't know God and couldn't worship Him in truth. We were trying our best to live happy lives but always falling short and living lives full of frustration.
All of that changed with Christ. He not only forgave us with His death but changed us. We are no longer the ungodly. We have been made righteous sons and daughters. Our lives are drastically and permanently changed. I was one of those ungodly people Christ died for. What an amazing God who has given us an amazing life.
IX. THE FALLEN NATURE OF MAN
Rom. 5:12-14 ¶ Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
ESV STUDY BIBLE
Sin came into the world through one man, namely, Adam and death through sin is contrary to secular thought that regards death as a “natural” part of human life. In the biblical sense, death is never natural but is “the last enemy” that will be conquered finally and forever at the return of ChrisT. Death in these verses most likely denotes both physical death and spiritual death together (Paul often connects the two). Most evangelical interpreters think that and so means
“and in this way,” and the phrase all sinned means that all sinned in Adam’s sin because he represented all who would descend from him (just as Christ’s obedience would count for all his followers, whom he represented). Another interpretation is that all sinned personally because they were born into the world spiritually dead.
X. ALL BECAME SINNERS IN ADAM - ALL WHO BELIEVE BECOME RIGHTEOUS IN CHRIST Rom. 5:15-19 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
ESV STUDY BIBLE
Paul contrasts the consequences of the work of Adam and of Christ five times in the next five verses, showing their decisive roles as covenantal heads of the people they represent. Paul clearly teaches “original sin,” the fact that all people inherit a sinful nature because of Adam’s sin. Paul probably is also teaching that all people are in fact guilty before God because of Adam’s sin. Many (i.e., all human beings excluding Christ) died through Adam’s one sin. Death begins with spiritual separation from God and culminates in physical death. By contrast Paul emphasizes the lavishness of Christ’s grace bestowed on the many that belong to him.
XI. REIGNING IN LIFE THROUGH CHRIST
Rom. 5:17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
XII. ABOUNDING GRACE
Rom. 5:20,21 ¶ Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
XIII. GRACE REIGNS THROUGH RIGHTEOUSNESS
Rom. 5:20,21 ¶ Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
