The Benefits of Justification by Faith in Christ
Romans 5:1-5
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
We are continuing our study in the Book of Romans. The apostle Paul takes it for granted that he has proved that justification is by grace through faith and that the Gentiles have an equal part with the Jews in salvation by faith in Christ Jesus. Now he proceeds to show the effects produced in the hearts of the believer by the doctrine of Justification. Believers in Christ Jesus are justified by faith through grace. Their sins have been pardoned by faith in Christ Jesus and they have been reconciled to God.
What does it mean to be reconciled to God? What are the benefits of reconciliation? Today I want us to consider the benefits of Justification by grace through faith in Christ. The word "justification" means "to justify." In a legal sense, it means declaring one just or righteous. The first blessed benefit of our justification by faith is that the believer receives peace from God and reconciliation with God. Pardon and peace go together, they accompany one another. The believing sinner experiences a discharge from guilt and is freed from God’s wrath. But more than that, the believer is instantly brought into a state of friendship and reconciliation with God. There is no middle state between God’s favor and His wrath. A person is either an enemy of God or a friend of God. There is no middle ground. Either one is saved or unsaved. One is either in Christ or out of Christ. Either the believer has been drawn to the Father or there is still a wall of separation between them. To be almost saved is to be completely lost. The true believer in Christ has settled the issue. He is no longer an enemy of God. There is no longer a wall of separation between the believer and the heavenly Father. The believer has been justified by God and peace with God has been declared. The first wonderful benefit of Justification is peace with God! The believer experiences this new peace with God because of God’s own mercy and grace. God extends his mercy in the behalf of the believer. His mercy withholds punishment that every prodigal son deserves, while His grace throws a party when he returns. Grace kills the fatted calf, puts a ring on his finger, clothes on his back and strikes up the band. Have you ever considered what it means to have peace with God” What does it really mean to have peace with God?
Peace with God
Romans 5:1 “If Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Through the sacrificial blood of Jesus we have perfect peace with God. The justice of God has been fully satisfied and peace has been proclaimed. There is “peace on earth and goodwill towards men.” The blood of Jesus has brokered a peace between God and every justified person both Jews and Gentiles. Peace with God is a twofold peace. This twofold peace with God means that God is no longer angry with us because of our sin and rebellion. His anger has been appeased. He will not satisfy his justice upon us although our sinful actions deserved it. God forgives and receives us as if we have never committed a single sin. The blood of Jesus has washed away every sin, releasing the believer from the penalty and power of sin.
When a person commits a crime against the laws of the land, he receives due process. If he is convicted after a fair trial by his peers, he is sentenced and most of the time, imprisoned. Occasionally, some received a pardon from a governor or president. The pardon means the penalty is removed and the person may go free. Even though the person is freed, his criminal record remains intact. The community still looks upon them with suspicion and rightly so. The person experience freedom, but not peace. When God justifies the believer, He pardons the sin, releases from bondage, expunges the record and declares peace. God removes any obstruction that has prevented a peaceful relationship. Not only that, God appoints a mediator, Christ Jesus, who is able to maintain the peace. The believer still has a tendency to wander away from God. They prone to wander and leave the God they love. Like sheep, they fall into divers temptations. Our mediator, Jesus the Christ maintains our peace with God and answers all the accusations of Satan. It is mind boggling to think that no matter what we have done, in a moment of time, we can be instantly and thoroughly pardoned and reconciled to God. It is seen through the Scriptures as we see the frailties of men and women used by God. God used former murders, thieves, harlots and other chief sinners to accomplish His purpose. The Apostle Paul called himself the “chiefest of sinners” because he persecuted the church of God.
A story is told of a slave trader named John Newton. Imagine with me back to the year 1746. A ship is docking on the coast of West Africa. Its purpose is to snatch unsuspecting people and sell them as slaves in the far off countries. The captain of this ship is known far and wide for his debauchery, vulgarity and blasphemy. But one day in 1748, while reading the book "The Imitation of Christ" by Thomas a Kempis, our captain comes face to face with his sin and turns his life over to Jesus, the Savior of sinners. Our captain is John Newton. After his conversion and dedication to Christ, he became a pastor and hymn writer. His most famous of hymns, "Amazing Grace", is a testimonial of his conversion to Christ.
How could God use a man like Newton who had sunk so deep in sin? There were thousands upon thousands of slaves buried in a watery grave as a result of their cruel treatment by his hand. God chose not only to save him, but called into the pastoral ministry. When God justifies us, we are truly reconciled to God. Newton’s years in the slave trade were completely covered by the blood of the lamb. He who had been such a cruel enemy of God and mankind was now a friend of God. God’s grace is truly amazing! He can turn prisoners into preachers and prostitutes into prayer warriors. Read Micah 7:19,
“He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”
All our sins have been covered by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. This peace with God is not a license to sin because if we offend God through disobedience and sin, we shall certainly fall under his frowns and chastisements, and feel the effects of his heavy displeasure as an angry father! The believer’s reconciliation with God is settled upon a sure foundation by Jesus Christ. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus who not only reconciled us to God making peace, but also sits as a mediator between God and the believer making intercessions keeping the peace. The sacrifice of his blood brought us into a state of peace and reconciliation, and his prevailing intercession keeps us in it: Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Believer may sometimes disappoint other people and have even disappointed themselves, but the fact remains they have been Justified. Every believer can rejoice in the fact that they are reconciled to the Father and justified through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Let’s move to the second benefit of Justification. The believer has been admitted into grace and favor with God. Remember God’s mercy withholds the punishment we rightly deserve, while God’s grace gives us added blessings we do not deserve.
Access by Faith into Grace and Favor with God
Romans 5:2 “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand,..."
A second benefit which flows from justification by faith is our access into grace and favor with God. It is one thing for the angry of God to be appeased and the justice of God to be satisfied, but access, grace and favor are privileges beyond the former. For example, a traitor may be pardoned by his king or president, and yet not admitted into the presence of his king or have access in certain levels of the government. Remember, King David forgave his son Absalom of his crime, but Absalom was not given access to the King. Absalom’s sin was great. He killed his brother at a feasting celebration and was sent into exile. King David forgave Absalom but limited his access in the kingdom. But by Christ’s mediation, every justified person meets with divine acceptance and unlimited access. He not only experiences access into God’s grace, but he stands and abides in God’s presence and favor. Nothing can separate the believer from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. When the believer errors, they fall under his Father’s rod of correction, but they shall never fall from his Father’s grace and love. In Christ we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand. Every believer has access to the same amazing grace experienced by Apostle Paul, John Newton and others. God’s grace gives access without limits to even the chief of sinners. In His presence there is fullness of Joy and at His right hand, there are pleasures evermore. Every believer stands in the favor of God. Today, there are many how-to books on the favor of God. You don’t need books on the favor of God. You do not have to receive special instructions of the subject. We need only to realize that every believer stands, abides and lives in the favor of God. We have been justified by faith and abide in the favor of God. Satan will try to remind us of past failures. He comes to steal, kill and destroy. He comes to bring doubt and guilt to our mind and heart. Our position in Christ is secure. Our sins are forgiven. The penalty has been removed. The middle wall of petition has been torn down. We have been fully pardoned and reconciled to God. The justified believer has no marks against him. His slate is completely clean. We all have equal access to God. We stand on level ground with all the saints of God. No individual believer has more access than another believer. This is just another of the benefits of Justification. Let’s consider the third benefit the Apostle Paul mentions in this text. The believer can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. The believer has a bright future!
Rejoice in the Hope of the Glory of God
Romans 5:2b "….and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
The believer has peace with God the Father who is no longer angry, but loving. He enters and stands in God’s unmerited favor and blessings here and now. And because of God’s grace, the believer has hope for greater future glory! There is a connection between Grace and Glory; Grace is Glory’s beginning and Glory is Grace’s ending; Grace is Glory in the bud, Glory is Grace in the fruit; Grace is the lowest degree of Glory, and Glory the highest degree of Grace. The believer has the hope of future glory and rejoices in that hope. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God because future glory has been purchased for the believer; promised to him; he is already experiencing its first fruits. The hope of future glory means that the believer does not allow present frustrations, delays and disappointment of life to drive him to despair. This world is not our home, we are only passing through. The songwriter reminds us, “there is a bright side somewhere, and so don’t you rest until you find it. There is a bright side somewhere!” How do we really know? How can we be so sure of future glory? We have an assurance because every believer has been given a personal deposit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the first fruit, our inward assurance of greater things to come. There is a place prepared for every justified believer and every believer is preparing for that place. The believer can rejoice right now in the hope that his future will be great and glorious, sure and certain, never decaying and everlasting. That’s what Christ promised in John 14:1-3,
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
We have peace with God, access into the Grace and favor of God, and hope of a glorious future with God, where there will be no more sickness, sorrow or death. Read Revelation 21:4-5,
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
I realize that not many sermons today talk about believers leaving planet earth, but the Apostle John reminds us that we are on our way somewhere. There is a land of unclouded days. There is a place where we will be free from the presence of sin. When we were born again, salvation freed us from the penalty of sin. Sanctification freed us from the power of sin. Glorification will free us from the very presence of sin. We rejoice in the blessed hope of a glorious future! Presently, sickness runs rampant. Trouble is on every side. Our love ones are dying. This old world is filled with pain and misery. There is another world that is more real than this world. This is a world of no-more; no more death; no more tears; no more sorrow; and no more pain. In fact, former things will be passed away and all things will be new. We have hope in a glorious future with God. Finally, we can glory in our present suffering!
Glory in Our Present Suffering
Romans 5:3-4 "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
In these verses, the apostle Paul mentions a fourth benefit flowing from justification by grace through faith; and that is, glorying in their present sufferings. He told us before, that justified believers have peace with God, access into God’s grace and favor, rejoices in hopes of future glory; but here Paul says that is not all. The believer can glory or rejoice in their present tribulations. What sort of sufferings is Paul talking about? He is talking about such trials and persecutions suffered because of their profession of the gospel and their faith in Jesus Christ. The believer can rejoice, even boast and glory in suffering for Christ’s sake as much as a soldier does in his marks, wounds and scars received in battle. He willingly shows the war scars he received serving his country as a badge of honor. He is proud to have served his country. If he has received a Purple Heart, he displays the medal and gladly recounts the event. The believer should be even more proud to serve his God and suffer for Christ’s sake. The justified believer can glory in present tribulations because through the power of the Holy Spirit, they realize that God the father loves them and is working all things for their good. Every present trial they overcome will leads to greater future glory. Paul is not suggesting that the believer should enjoy trials or seek to go through adversity. Paul understood that with the power the Holy Spirit and faith in God’s love, the believer can glory under the sharpest sufferings and tribulations knowing that all things will work for his good. They rejoice not in the tribulations themselves, but in the fruit they produce and the sanctifying influences they have on the soul. By the Holy Spirit’s work and power, tribulation worketh patience; by the exercise and increase of patience comes experience with God and the experience of God’s gracious presence with us, increases our expectation for the future. Our hope will not make us ashamed or disappoint us. Our present experiences with God increases our hope of future reward. One songwriter looked back on his trials and said, “I’m stronger, I’m wiser, I’m better, so much better!” Then he continues by admitting, “I never would have made it; I never could have made it without you (God).” Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-14,
"Blessed are those who have borne persecution in the cause of Righteousness, for to them belongs the Kingdom of the Heavens. Blessed are you when they have insulted and persecuted you, and have said every cruel thing about you falsely for my sake. Be joyful and triumphant, because your reward is great in the Heavens; for so were the Prophets before you persecuted.” (WNT)
Jesus encourages us to be joyful and triumphant because you realize that Satan was trying to destroy you and stop you, but you are still here. No wonder John Newton said, “Through many danger toils and snares I have already come, Grace brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me on!” The believer might have a few battle scars but they are standing by the grace of God. We rejoice because trouble won’t last always. We rejoice because victory is mine. On Calvary, Jesus paid the price for our redemption. On Calvary, Jesus overcame the world, the flesh and the devil. We share his redemption. We share his victory. So, we can “Be joyful and triumphant, because our reward is great in the Heavens; for so were the Prophets before you persecuted.”
We can only rejoice in light of the work of the Holy Spirit in our heart. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, tribulations and afflictions meeting a stubborn heart would produce dreadful results. Tribulation excites impatience, impatience causes perplexity, perplexity leads to despair, and despair ends in confusion. The Holy Spirit causes all things to work together for our good of them that love God and are called according to his purpose. Andre’ Crouch in his wonderful songs “Through it All” describes his personal experience by saying, “I’ve had many tears and sorrows; I’ve had questions for tomorrow; there have been times I didn’t know right from wrong. But in every situation, God gave blessed consolation that my trials come to only make me strong. Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus; I’ve learned to trust in God. Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to depend upon His Word. I thank God for the mountains, And I thank Him for the valleys; I thank Him for the storms He brought me through; For if I’d never had a problem, I wouldn’t know that He could solve them; I’d never know what faith in God could do.”
As we think about the benefits, growth and spiritual development received through trials, we should probably make a list of all the people Satan used to try us, and send them all “Thank You Cards” because the Holy Spirit caused the experience to work for our good. Today, we are stronger, better, wiser and able to stand against more than we ever dreamed. The justified believer has peace with God, access into God’s Grace and Favor, rejoices in hope of future glory with God, and finally, can even rejoice and glory in their present suffering for Christ’ sake!
It is one thing to submit to or endure tribulations without complaint, but it is another thing to find grounds of glorying in the midst of them as Paul suggests here. We can only enjoy in the midst of trouble when we know the outcome! The following verses give us further assurance,
Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them
Who are the called according to his purpose.”
Hebrew 10:35-36 “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”
James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers’ temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
1 Peter 5:10 “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
After that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”
We can rejoice and glory in tribulation, when we know that they are working for our good; when we know that they have great recompence of reward and after we have done the will of God we will receive the promise. We can count it all joy when we know that when patience completes her perfect work, we will be perfect and entire wanting or lacking nothing. Finally, we can enjoy and glory in tribulations when we know after that we have suffered a while, God will make us perfect, He will establish us in the faith, strengthen us in our walk, and settle us on the journey. (1) The justified believer has peace with God. God is no longer angry with us because of our sin. (2) God in Christ Jesus has accepted us and given us access into God’s Grace and Favor without limitation. In Christ Jesus we have been made just. (3) We can rejoice in hope of future glory with God. There is a land of cloudless days. There is a land of No More! (4) And finally, we can even rejoice and glory in their present suffering for Christ’ sake because all these things are working together for our good. To God be the glory for the great things He has done!
