God’s Saving Love

Introduction

Good Morning brothers and sisters! It has been a while since I’ve seen you all, and I rejoice to see you again this morning. For those who do not know me, my name is Alex Parlitsis; I was a youth leader here between 2018-2023. I married my lovely wife, Rebecca, last June, and we were called to a different congregation.

But enough about me, we have much to discuss this morning. The name of my sermon is “God’s Saving Love.” Please turn with me in your Bibles to Romans 5:1-11

Romans 5:1–11 NASB95

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 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. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

When we think about God’s love we are on holy ground. God’s love reaches past the heavens; it is deeper than the depths and wider than the span of the whole earth. It is His love which has saved us from our sins, and this text speaks pointedly to our identity in Christ. My goal in preaching this morning is to stir our affections upward toward our Redeemer.

[Pray]

The Text

Before we dive in, I want to briefly cover some background information about Romans.

This book was written by Paul and is addressed to the church in Rome. The letter to the Romans has been heralded as “one of the greatest Christian writings.” It is arguably the clearest presentation of the gospel; the scholar Archibald Hunter observes, “in Romans we have the answer to the question, ‘What is Christianity?’ by the strongest thinker in the early Church.” The apostle Paul gives a crystal clear presentation of Christianity’s major themes and beliefs. It is this letter which inspired Martin Luther and convinced him of the principles which lead to the Reformation.

Introducing the New Testament, pg. 75

Leon Morris, The Epistle to the Romans, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1988), 1.

It was written between 55-57 A.D. in Corinth, and is addressed to both Jewish and Gentile believers. Presumably, the congregation featured a healthy mix of the two.

The letter is split into four main sections, which can be split down further if desired. The first section is chapters 1-8, the second 9-11, the third 12-15, and the fourth 16.

This first section of the letter can be understood as Paul’s address to the sinfulness of all mankind (in chapters 1-3:20), God’s justice (3:1-4), the bridge between the two in Christ (5:1-21), and the new life of the believer (6-8). And so, chapter 5 is straddled right in the middle of the first section.

Paul has established all humanity has awareness of God, but suppresses the truth in unrighteousness (1); that both Jew and Gentile are condemned under the law (2-3) that God is just in His judgment (3). He has also established we are justified by faith in God, not by works of the law (4).

Now, when Paul uses the word justified, what he means is we are legally cleared. To justify is a legal term. When you are justified, it means God has cleared charges against you. The Doctrine of Justification is crucial to our understanding of how God relates to us. Because we are justified, the charges of our sin against God have been cleared; and this is only through faith in Jesus.

What does this have to do with God’s love?

[refer back to 5:1]

Whenever you see a “therefore” in a text, you must pause and ask yourself “what’s it there for?” If you’ll look with me at chapter 4:22-24 you’ll see what I mean.

Romans 4:22–25 (NASB95)

it was also credited to him as righteousness.

Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him,

but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

Paul is citing Genesis 15:6 “Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” to bring his point to focus. Namely, that although mankind is sinful and we cannot keep the law, that God justifies or credits righteousness to sinners who believe His promise. Today that promise is all who believe God raised Jesus from the dead will have everlasting life. (Jhn. 3:16)

This same Jesus who was delivered up for our trespasses, was raised for our justification. And so Jesus’s death was for our trespasses (sins) and His resurrected life is for our justification.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Christian, hear that again. You have been justified by faith and have peace with God through Christ. No longer do you labor under the thumb of the law to earn God’s favor; it is yours in Christ by faith.

To quote another great epistle:

1 Peter 2:24 “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

It is the death and resurrection of Jesus which justifies us before God. His wounds are the only wounds which heal ours.

And it is 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.”

Some of your translations say “access” instead of “introduction” The word in Greek is προσαγωγὴν, and it may be translated as “access”. However, there is a better sense here. To quote William Barclay, “[this word] is the word normally used for introducing or ushering someone into the presence of royalty; and it is the word for the approach of the worshipper to God. It is as if Paul was saying: ‘Jesus ushers us into the very presence of God. He opens the door for us to the presence of the King of Kings; and when that door is opened what we find is grace; not condemnation, not judgment, not vengeance, but the sheer, undeserved, incredible kindness of God.”

William Barclay, The Letter to the Romans, 3rd ed. fully rev. & updated., The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), 85.

This connects nicely to Hebrews 2:11-13

Hebrews 2:11–13 NASB95

11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying, “I will proclaim Your name to My brethren, In the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise.” 13 And again, “I will put My trust in Him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.”

Jesus Himself enters the throne room and ushers us in! He so identifies with us as to call us brothers and sisters; He is proud to identify Himself as our elder brother and advocate before God.

As David says in Psalm 32:1 “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered!” We are blessed with access to God. Our sins have been put away from us! Now we no longer look to our performance for God’s acceptance, nor do we look to external circumstances. We instead look to the crucified and risen Jesus. It is Jesus who has Hebrews 6:19–20 “… entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Furthermore, this grace found in the throne room is the grace in which we stand. This verb “stand” is in a perfect tense, which conveys the ongoing consequence of a completed action. Because the work of the cross is complete, the ongoing implication is, as John Stott observes, “Our relationship with God, into which justification has brought us, is not sporadic but continuous, not precarious but secure.

John R. W. Stott, The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001), 140.

We rejoice, or boast, in hope of the glory of God. Our confidence is in the future glory to be conveyed to us when Christ returns.

Consequently, this justification motivates us, even in suffering. vere 3“

we know that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Our suffering is not wasted or pointless. As Christians, it is not as if suffering is less painful or suddenly enjoyable. Suffering is real, but it is helpful.

What is definitively different between the suffering Christian and the suffering non-Christian is that we have hope.

One scholar observes,

The Epistle to the Romans (3. The Effects of Justification, 5:1–11)

whereas for the English speaker hope may imply doubt, for Paul it implied certainty

Our hope is that since Jesus likewise suffered, he identifies with us in our suffering and that our suffering brings us to God. For whom does God draw the nearest to except those who are broken-hearted?

Suffering produces endurance, which can be understood as a rugged persistence. This leads to character, or proven-ness; The theologian Leon Morris describes this as, “…the result of being tested…”

Leon Morris, The Epistle to the Romans, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1988), 221.

and those who have been tested see God’s hand in a unique way as a result of hardship. It is this testedness which leads to hope. And it is this hope: that Jesus was raised to life after suffering, and we will be too.

The Extravagant love of God in Christ

And Hope does not put us to shame since we know, through experience, that God is faithful. In verse 5, Paul is alluding to Psalm 119:116 “Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.” Hoping in Christ will by no means put us to shame. Christ’s work is our boast, and the evidence of His work is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in every believer.

Being a Christian is not mechanistic or detached: It is embodied and Spirit filled. He gives us His Spirit to teach us, convict us, exhort us, strengthen us. God’s love is poured into us. Take notice of the passive sense here: God’s love has been poured into our hearts. God is the one giving us His Spirit; the Spirit is received by us.

The Epistle to the Romans (3. The Effects of Justification, 5:1–11)

The Spirit is given (the aorist indicates a single, decisive act), which reminds us that this is not a human achievement or insight. Paul loves to emphasize the divine initiative

Understand, when you become a Christian God sends His Spirit to dwell in you. [revise]

Romans 5:6–8 NASB95

6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Although we were helpless in our estate, as Paul tells us in Romans 1-2, it is God who moves and acts. Look, while we were in this state of sinful rebellion, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. Another scripture puts it like this,

Galatians 4:4 “4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,”

Christ came at precisely the right time. God’s plan of redemption stretches back before the world was formed Ephesians 1:4 “4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love”

Peter puts it like this in 1 Peter 1:20 “For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who believe in God”

The point is: God’s plan to save sinners has been before any of this came to be. And so Christ died at the proper time for the ungodly. I’ll say it again. Christ died at the proper time for the ungodly.

Many believe they need to clean themselves up before coming to God. I’ve heard that excuse many times. Sometimes this type says something like “I think I’d burst into flames if I went to church.” But this broken condition is precisely what qualifies somebody for the gospel to be good news. For Christ did not die for the righteous, but helpless sinners.

[signpost verse 7]

Although we would hardly give ourselves up for a good person, we’d be less compelled to die for someone we consider to be a villain. Perhaps a good way to think of this is to briefly consider those who have opinions starkly contrasted with your own. Think for a moment, how do you feel when you are met with a contrary opinion on a matter you consider important? The immediate temptation is to dismiss or write off this person as an enemy who will not hear reason. The thought of dying for them is absurd. Why would someone choose to give themselves up for an enemy? Outside of the biblical view, there is no basis for this kind of action. We naturally look only towards our own interests; we naturally gravitate towards “our people” and refuse to associate with our enemies.

Now consider with me for a moment ,if the sins of others are loathsome, how much more loathsome are our sins before God?

[signpost verse 8]

And this is why God’s love is scandalous: He dies for His enemies, sinners like you and me. God looks on His enemies with mercy; He demonstrates His love for humanity by sending Christ to die for their sins against Him. And all this while we were enemies. Nobody cleaned themselves up as Jesus was dying. In fact, they willingly mocked and blasphemed Him. But He says, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” There at the cross His enemies were heaping insults and mocking Him, but He refused to take Himself down despite having the power to do so. He remained on the cross for two reasons: the divine plan and divine love. God’s divine plan, as mentioned earlier, is to save sinners through the death of the Son; and this was decided and agreed on before the beginning. And so the Son of God willingly gives Himself up for His enemies in accordance with the divine plan. But, we cannot neglect the motive of divine love. For the love of God is a self-giving love. God demonstrates His love by giving His Son to redeem a sinful and stubborn people. His giving of Himself is a delight; we do not need to twist God’s arm to convince Him to be loving.

When we speak of God’s attributes we say He is self existent, transcendent, imminent, eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, sovereign, wise, holy, LOVE, just, etc. These attributes are what makes God God. So for God to not be an attribute means He is failing to be who He claims to be. This is important, because when we say “God is love” we are grasping at that Love is central to God being God. For God to not love is for Him to deny Himself and behave unlike God. Furthermore, because God cannot deny Himself, He will not go back on His claim to save sinners when they repent and believe in Jesus. This brings us assurance of salvation because we know God will never cease to be who He is. God’s act of saving sinners is His demonstration of love for us. And it is not predicated on how deserving we are, but on that He is love.

I have so far made the case we are justified by the blood of Jesus, that God’s love is self-giving and dependent on Him, and now I would like to conclude with one more point: we exult in God’s love through Jesus who has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

Romans 5:9–11 “9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

Jesus’s blood justifies those who believe, and we are saved from the wrath of God through Him. A moment ago, I named justice and holiness as attributes of God. When we read verse 9, we need to call that idea to mind. Because God is holy and just, sin cannot simply go unpunished. To leave the penalty of sin unanswered would require God to not be just; but as we’ve established, this cannot be. So how is God able to maintain His justice and also be loving and forgiving? The answer is in the cross., where Jesus died in our place. Theologians call this “substitutionary atonement;” and it is throughout the Old Testament as well. If you want to look more into this concept, pay special attention to the Mosaic law between Exodus-Leviticus.

Jesus’s death on the cross satisfies the penalty of sin, and is the means through which God displays His mercy. By pouring His wrath on Christ, He now freely justifies those who believe in Jesus for the penalty is paid. We are saved from the wrath of God through the death of Jesus.

And we shall certainly be saved by His life. For Jesus has died and risen again. We have been reconciled to God through the death of Jesus, and we are likewise raised to life with Him and we participate in His new life.

But what is reconciliation? If you would, turn with me quickly to 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

2 Corinthians 5:17–21 NASB95

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Here, Paul gives more clarification to reconciliation. We can understand this to be a restored relationship with God through Christ. If you believe in Jesus, you are a new creation! And this is from God. The good news of the gospel is this: God has reconciled the world to Himself, and this word of reconciliation is the death and resurrection of Christ preached to you.

It is His redeeming love which has reconciled us. For Christ, who knew no sin, became sin on our behalf, that we would become the righteousness of God. Theologians call this imputed righteousness; and it works alongside atonement. As believers in Jesus, we have had our sins cleared away, and we’ve been reconciled to God by His powerful hand.

It is this very thing which we continually rejoice in. We exult in God through Jesus for saving us from our sins! He has reconciled us to Himself and enables us, by His Spirit, to walk in obedience with Him. Now, when we consider the question, “what is God’s love?” we can turn back to this passage and be reminded that God’s love is displayed most clearly at the cross. And His love will never fade. It is sure and steadfast. Therefore, rejoice and put your hope in God, for He has accomplished a great victory and He shares it with all who believe.

[Let’s pray]