The Blessings Of Justification Series

The Blessings of Justification

Since we have been Justified through faith in Christ, we are blessed with

Peace with God

Access to God

Hope for God’s Glory

The Love of God

Reconciliation with God

The Basis of Justification

Outline based on Warren Wiersbe’s “Live Like a King” – Romans ch. 5 in the BE series

Introduction

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Casey Anthony case

This past week, many who followed the Casey Anthony trial were shocked by the not guilty verdict that was handed down.

Many people had a sense that she was guilty and this not guilty verdict freed her from the consequences and penalty that she should be facing for committing murder of her young daughter.

Now, while I am not here to comment on this case, it is interesting to me that what we are going to be talking about today has to do with a legal term that has as its definition exactly what happened.

It is the term justify.

It means

2. To declare free of blame; absolve.

3. To free (a human) of the guilt and penalty attached to grievous sin.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/justified

If you are a Christian, if you are someone who has received Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you have been justified by faith in Christ, you have been freed from the penalty of your sin.

Turn with me this morning to Romans Chapter 5.

Slide

We have been spending our “Summer in Rome” studying the book of Romans.

To recap and catch us all up a bit, we have learned up to this point that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation and for righteous living.

We have seen that people will stand before God without any excuses for not receiving Christ for their salvation.

We saw that for those who don’t acknowledge Christ, that the excuse “I didn’t know there was a God” will not hold water because God has made knowledge of Himself available to everyone through Creation and our Consciences.

We also saw that Paul let the Jews know that they could not rely on their possession of the law or on the fact that they were circumcised, as a replacement for trusting in Christ by faith.

In Chapter 4, Paul even gives the example of Abraham from the Old Testament to show that salvation has always been by faith and that we will only be justified by faith, just like Abraham.

Now, let’s see what Paul has to say in Romans 5. We are going to read the first 11 verses and pause there as we discuss them.

Romans 5:1-11

5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Pray

Ok, now in the first half of Romans 5, Paul discusses some of the blessings of being justified by faith in Christ.

Now the fact that we are being let off of the penalty that is due us because of our sin, is a blessing in itself, because it is a penalty that we could never fully pay.

But there are multiple other things that the Lord gives us along with this justification through faith in Christ.

And in these verses, Paul starts out by saying that

Since we have been Justified through faith in Christ, we are blessed with…

Slide

…Peace with God

Romans 5:1 - Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, NIV

What does it mean to have peace with God?