19. Romans Chapter 5 Verse 2 - Messages In Romans – Four Great Biblical Words – Today Faith And Grace - Message 19 Series

19. ROMANS CHAPTER 5 VERSE 2 - MESSAGES IN ROMANS – FOUR GREAT BIBLICAL WORDS – TODAY FAITH AND GRACE - MESSAGE 19

As we step into chapter 5 of Romans, it is like stepping into a whole new scene. So far in this magnificent book we began with the whole decline of the pagan world to the rock bottom, which is when peoples accept homosexuality and idolise it in “marriage” and enforced laws not permitting opposition to it. Then we looked at the failure of the Jews under the Law, and in chapter 3, Paul concludes that no one at all is good or righteous.

In chapter 4, Abraham is set forth as the great man of faith who obtained righteousness through unswerving belief in the promises of God. When we pass to chapter 5 a whole new world opens to us like justification and the enormous benefits that spring from justification. We take up that study today by looking, to begin with, at the four great words of the Christian vocabulary taken from the following verse –

Romans 5:2 through whom also WE HAVE OBTAINED our introduction by FAITH into this GRACE in which we stand, and we exult in HOPE of the GLORY of God.”}}

These four words are FAITH, GRACE, HOPE, GLORY.

[A]. FAITH

Paul associates faith here with the introduction of our Christian lives, and it must be so, and can be no other way. Faith must always be the initial step or there can be no relationship or understanding of God. The apostle made that very clear in Hebrews in giving so many examples to them of faith from the Old Testament – {{Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”}}

Man thinks he is very clever in his arrogance and humanism and these rationalists consider Christians as simple-minded people because they believe in God. What I would like to say without having actual bible support is that in our creation and make up, God has given an awareness of a Creator or Designer outside of ourselves; and that it is associated with the need for worship.

For that reason we see corrupted man move right away from the principles established with Adam to the inventions of his own mind to worship. Thus primitive man worships idols of wood and stone, gold and silver, while modern man worships his own intelligence and achievements, even sport.

The conclusion of all that is, that we say God has given that capacity of belief in the heart/soul/spirit of men and women. That is why the rationalist who claims Christians are simple-minded people expresses gross ignorance, for he himself has placed belief in his own god! All people have belief but their faith is placed in things of error for the majority of people.

Faith may be considered by some as being abstract, but in general, faith must have direction, an objective. Faith alone has no commitment and no outcome. The story is told of the great Charles Blondin, a marvel of balance. Here is a record from Encyclopedia Britannica – [[ “He crossed the gorge below Niagara Falls a number of times, first in 1859, often employing theatrical variations, including walking while blindfolded, in a sack, trundling a wheelbarrow, on stilts, and carrying a man on his back, as well as sitting down midway to cook an omelette. In 1861 he appeared in London at the Crystal Palace, turning somersaults on stilts on a rope stretched across the central transept, 170 feet (52 metres) above the floor. His final performance was given at Belfast, Ireland (now in Northern Ireland), in 1896. (He made 300 trips across the tightrope over the Falls.) ]]

Now this following part is mentioned many times in Christian examples of faith, and I think it is true though can’t verify it – “It was reported that once, after pushing a wheelbarrow across the Falls, he asked someone if that person believed he could push him in the wheelbarrow. “Yes,” the person said. Blondin then added, “Well get in.” The offer was never taken up by anyone.

What that example does is demonstrate faith in isolation, because such a thing does not exist. Alleged faith without a directive or commitment or an objective, is no faith at all.

Always in the bible, faith has a direction - faith in God - Abraham believed God; whoever believes in Me; and our current verse – introduction BY faith INTO this grace. Faith is our initial link with the Lord Jesus Christ and is our continuing link as we live for Him.

There are so many verses about faith in the bible, especially in the New Testament, and Romans is the key book of faith, with 26 or 27 mentions of faith up to the first two verses of Chapter 5. It would be a massive study of the word if done completely but I have only selected a few of the references for some comment.