Progressive Steps To A Fulfilled Life

Life-Line For Jesus Community Church

Lorenzo Nicholson Sr.

Romans 5:1-2

Progressive Steps To a Fulfilled Life

Romans5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

An understanding of the extent of justification opens the door for tremend-ous blessings in our lives as believers. We are blessed by simply knowing what is available for us since we are the sons and daughters of God. If we notice, there is a progression revealed in the text wherein we are changed or transformed from enemies of God to sons and daughters with a vital relationship with him. First we are justified, and then we have peace with God. We continue on to access into his grace. Notice the sequence of change:

I. Justified—We are changed from hostility toward God to peace with him.

A. Col 1: 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. NIV

1. Being an enemy in your mind against God makes you hostile toward him.

2. You were justified by faith and it is important that you continue exercising that faith; otherwise your mind will hinder you from enjoying life as a person who is in right standing with God.

3. If you understand the scope of what God has done in justifying you, it gives you an unparalleled peace with God.

a. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God…” The only thing that prevents this peace with God is the evil heart of man.

B. An evil heart is the root of evil behavior. This is no new thing. Reference to the evil heart of man is mentioned as early as Gen 6.

1. Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

2. Jer 7:23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. 24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.

a. Much of the trouble, misfortune, hurts; disappointments and failure come in the life of people as a result of walking after the counsel of their own hearts.

b. Hope has often been dim. There was no chance of much change. Therefore the bible says that we were without hope (Eph 2:12). Now after justification, we rejoice in a new hope of the glory of God. This means that under God’s direction we expect a favorable future that will far surpass our ugly past.

c. There must be a continuous walk in faith to maintain such a great hope.

II. Peace—What then is the nature of this peace that gives us hope? It is of vital importance that we understand the nature of this peace.

A. This peace is the result of being made righteous without doing anything righteous. Righteousness that was imputed to our account has done its work.

1. Isa 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever.

2. Quietness is cessation of hostility, the end of war against God. An enemy cannot expect favor from God if he continues to be an enemy.

3. Being no longer an enemy, you are another step closer to God. Consider:

III. Access—The next major step in this progression is, “we have access by the exercise of our faith into the abundant grace of God.

A. Your faith must serve as a reminder that these provisions are only through the Lord Jesus Christ, the only one who is pure and holy enough to stand before a holy God.

B. Through him only we have access into this grace wherein we stand.

1. To stand in grace is to be in a position that life can now have real meaning, real stability. You are no longer fighting a loosing battle but are now on the road to an established life. Everything that you could possibly need find its origin in grace.

IV. Rejoicing—When you seized the opportunity to access the grace of God, there was an awesome discovery. There are other steps in this progression. You, who were a looser without hope, have been given hope, which is a reason to rejoice.