Therefore, since we have been justified through faith.
This is one of the great �therefores� of Romans. Chapters 5, 8 and 12 all begin with those great �therefores�. They mark off sections of Paul�s great epistle. There are many other �therefores� as Paul argues God�s way of salvation; God�s answer to sin. This is one of the major turning-points. Up to now, Paul has first demonstrated the universal sinfulness and guilt of the whole human race. We might all, when we come to stand before a holy God, who is also Judge, expect to hear the verdict: "Guilty". Chapter 3, verse 23 is one of the key verses of Romans: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Verse 24 then sets off on a fresh tack: all are justified freely through his grace. It was Martin Luther upon whom the truth of �justification by faith� fell afresh, and this was the starting point of the great Protestant Reformation. of the 16th century.
But this great truth is but the launch pad of God�s great way of salvation. Having looked in chapter 4 at the great �Father of Faith�, Abraham, Paul is now ready to take us forward.. How, having been justified- that is having been put right with God, having heard the marvellous verdict of "Not Guilty": Free!- how do we go on in a world under sin, under the power of the Evil One. In Galatians 5 verse 1, Paul says:
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery
I think Paul is saying here in Romans 5 and its first five verses that we have to realise and to have an assurance of the truth of justification and what it implies. That is why he begins chapter five as he does:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith.
The first great statement that Paul makes is we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
�We have peace�. Not just a passive word, but there�s something powerful and dynamic about God�s peace. Because of our sin, we are, by human nature, God�s enemies. Mankind in general, tries to distance itself from God. Many actually deny God�s actual existence. Others use his name just as an expletive. Many who would agree there is a �god�, do not believe in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, nor in a God who is a Creator. Paul actually begins verse 8 with if when we were God�s enemies. We were opposed to God. When Jesus told the Parable of the Prodigal Son, when the younger son says to his father: "Father, give me my share of the estate" (Luke 15:12) was in effect saying "Drop dead!". We disliked God�s demands on our lives, and want out of his way. Why do you think evolution has caught on? It�s not science. It�s not fact. It�s a theory and it�s believed and taken as fact cast in stone, because we can see ourselves not as in the image of our Creator God, but in the image of apes!
But Paul says, "no!". Now we have been justified through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are God�s friends. We have peace- peace brought about through and because of Jesus. Listen to what Paul says in Ephesians.
He came and preached peace to you who were far away and you who were near (Gentile and Jew) For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
And that is Paul�s argument here too. He continues from we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we now stand.
We have access to God, and as the writer to Hebrews puts it we may draw near to God with a sincere heart. (10:22)
Let this all sink in; let us have assurance, not just with the contempt born of familiarity, but with awe and awe and wonder and thankful hearts.
-We are justified. Our sin, our guilt is done away. Our sin can never come back to haunt us unless we let it
-We have peace with God and we have access to Him. Let us recall that when Jesus died, as Mark tell us: The veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom. (15:38). Our sin no longer separates us from God.
Why? Because of grace. That is our access to God, our welcome into his presence. G.R.A.C.E. God�s Riches At Christ�s Expense.. It�s all grace. It�s all God�s free gift. We can do nothing to merit it. and nothing to forfeit it. We often feel we have to do something to continue to merit God�s favour. You know a wise priest once told me that in adopting that attitude I was actually insulting God�s grace and throwing it back in his face. So: what, then, if I sin? Is there now NO consequence. Can I sin and still enjoy it all? Can I have my bread buttered on both sides, having the best of both worlds? Paul faces that hypothetical question in Romans 6 and says simply �God forbid�
Paul now goes on to offer us encouragement and incentive on the way. When we hear those words "We have peace with God", the Greek grammar is a subjunctive. It means "Let us have peace with God". Or perhaps- what fits the overall context best: "Let us continue to enjoy peace with God". I would suggest that, by sin we can cease to enjoy peace with God- and isn�t that true?
Has any one of us here, since our conversion, never lost our peace with God. There�s a truth enshrined in those words from John�s first epistle:
if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But, if we confess our sin, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1:8-9)
We still have an ongoing fight with sin.- as I�ve said, we still live in a world under the power of sin and of the Evil One. And if we are not continually living under forgiveness as soon as we know we have sinned, then our enjoyment of peace with God will go. Our faith will become unreal: we shall become spiritually schizophrenic.
So Paul encourages us in three ways:
1. He tell us we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. (v3)- the of that of which we had fallen short. God�s glory is the summation of all his characteristics raised to the n-th degree. Do you recall that incident in Exodus after the people have made the golden calf whilst Moses was up the mountain. Moses pleads with God for the people and says now show me your glory (33:18). God tells Moses to go and hide in the cleft of a rock, then Moses will see, not God�s face, but his glory. And in 34:6 we read he passed before Moses proclaiming �The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
And God�s glory is our hope- not just wishful thinking. This is a certainty of faith to encourage us in our struggle with sin on a day-to-day basis
2. Paul then goes on to say we rejoice in our sufferings .(v3) Because of the promised glory we can rejoice. At one level we read this as hardship, suffering and even persecution, just because we�re Christian. We may ask ourselves just how much we do? But I would suggest we all suffer in our struggle with sin, in daily temptation and daily doubt. World, flesh and devil continually try to undermine us.
Paul continues (v4) suffering produces character, and character hope. In a nutshell it�s �spiritual muscle�.
Are you a fit and lean Christian, or a fat and flabby one? I don�t mean when we stand on the bathroom scales or stand in front of the mirror! But I suggest there is a kind of parable there..
In January, Margaret and I went to the Grove Leisure Centre for a free body MOT. When I found out my body fat was 42% (as a male it should be between 10 and 25) I was mortified: I was fat and flabby! I resolved to do something about it. After 10 weeks of graded exercise and sensible diet I not only felt fitter. That body fat was down to 32%.
If that sounds a bit wacky, lets remember what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:27:
Everyone who competes in the games goes through strict training. They do it to get a crown which will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last.
Keep spiritually fit! Don�t take sin and temptation lightly. Spend time on those training exercises: prayer and reading God�s Word and meeting with God�s people.
3. Finally Paul says in verse 5
Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love in our hearts through his Holy Spirit he has given us .
Here Paul �squares the circle�. He began with the fixed point of the definite, done deed. We HAVE BEEN justified through faith. A once-for-all act in the past and never to be undone. We WERE guilty, with a penalty to pay- death, spiritual death. But in Jesus God has paid the penalty for us.
Now God HAS poured his Spirit into our hearts, and by his Spirit, his love, his love for us. His love which underpins all our salvation; a love which is a cast-iron guarantee. In Isaiah 43 verse 4 God says:
you are precious and honoured in my sight and I love you
Does that amaze and stagger you? It should.
-We have rebelled against God
-We have sinned. Yet God says
"You are precious and honoured in my sight"
"I love you"
You, and I could go round the church and point and say "You" to each person
-You, I, are precious to God
-You, I, am honoured in God�s sight. Yes! That�s how he looks on us: honoured!
-You are, I am loved.
And finally, this was in Bob Gass� Word for Today: I feel it�s something of a spiritual MOT.
Refusing to forgive yourself is like trying to drive a car with the brakes on; it prevents all forward momentum. Here are some of the contributing factors:
1) Unrealistic expectations! We all have a set of subconscious rules about how we should behave. Many come from childhood and no longer work. For example, how realisitic is it to think you can work 12-hour days, attend all school functions, maintain a perfect house, et enough rest and still have time for God and your family? Listen: �Let�s look at the way we�re living and re-order our lives...�
2) Feeling bad instead of doing good! Listen: �If you fail the test, do something about it� (2 Cor 13:5 TM). If you feel like you�ve failed as a parent, work to become a terrific grandparent, or reach out to some needy child or teenager. There are lots of opportunities around you. Remember,�..those who help others are helped � (Proverbs 11:25 TM). The roots of happiness grow in the soil of service, so get busy!
3) Getting things out of persepctive! Instead of telling yourself what a terrible person you are, remind yourself of the good things you�ve done. If you can�t think of any, begin making some memories. If Ebenezer Scrooge could do it, so can you too.
Above all keep these words in mind: �When it�s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down� (Rom 5:20 TM). That means however badly you�ve messed up, God stands ready to give you a fresh start
Let us enjoy peace with God, the God who by his Holy Spirit pours out his love into our hearts.
