Romans 5:1–21 “Grace Reigns”

INTRODUCTION — CEASEFIRE VS. REAL PEACE

If you have your Bible, open with me to Romans chapter 5. Today we arrive at one of the great turning points in the book of Romans. For four chapters, Paul has dismantled every human attempt to stand before God on the basis of effort, morality, heritage, or law-keeping. He has placed the whole world in the courtroom—Jew and Gentile alike—and he has shut every mouth. He has shown us that righteousness is not achieved but credited, not earned but given. Abraham stands as proof that God justifies the ungodly. Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

And now Paul begins with a word that carries the full weight of everything he has argued:

“Therefore…”

Romans 5 is Paul asking: If justification is true, what changes now? What does it mean to live on the other side of the verdict?

This chapter is not armchair theology. It’s hospital-room theology. It’s funeral theology. It’s anxiety-at-2-a.m. theology. It’s theology for churches trying to remain faithful in a complicated city.

Illustration: The Treaty of Versailles — A “Peace” That Didn’t Heal

History teaches us that not all peace is real peace. After World War I, the Treaty of Versailles was meant to bring peace to Europe. But historians widely agree it functioned more like punishment than reconciliation. It didn’t heal hostility—it hardened it. It rearranged conflict rather than removing it. And within a generation, the world was back at war.

That’s the kind of peace our world knows: a ceasefire, a pause, a quiet season. That’s how many of us think about peace—less stress, fewer problems, smoother circumstances.

But Paul begins Romans 5 by saying the deepest peace is not circumstantial. It’s not emotional. It’s relational.

“Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God…”

Not a ceasefire. Not a feeling. A settled reality. Peace purchased not by negotiation, but by blood. Not by treaty, but by the cross.

BIG IDEA

Because we have been justified by faith, we now stand in peace, hope, and reigning grace—secured by Christ’s cross and resurrection, stronger than Adam’s sin, and guaranteed to the end.

POINT 1 — JUSTIFICATION BRINGS PEACE AND PERMANENT ACCESS

(Romans 5:1–2)

Paul begins:

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The word justified (dikaiōthentes) is courtroom language. It means declared righteous, not gradually improved. This is not a probationary verdict. This is not “let’s see how you do.” This is God the Judge declaring the sinner righteous because of Christ.

And the first result of that verdict is peace—not inner calm first, but the end of hostility. Paul is using eirēnē in its Hebrew sense—shalom—wholeness restored, relationship reconciled. God is no longer against you.

John Murray writes,

“Peace is not merely a state of mind; it is the cessation of hostility and the establishment of reconciliation.”

Paul continues:

“Through him we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand.”

The word access (prosagōgē) was used for being introduced into the presence of royalty. It’s also temple language. Under the Old Covenant, access was restricted. One priest. One day. One sacrifice. But now Paul says believers stand in grace. The verb is perfect tense—this is a settled position, not a temporary visit.

Douglas Moo says,

“The access believers have is a continuing privilege. They stand permanently in the realm of grace.”

Illustration: D-Day and the Beachhead

On D-Day, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy not just to win a battle but to establish a beachhead—a secure access point that once gained could not be undone. The war wasn’t over, but the outcome was no longer in doubt.

That’s what Christ has done. He secured access. You don’t sneak into God’s presence. You don’t hope He’s in a good mood. In Christ, the beachhead is secured. You stand in grace.

POINT 2 — SUFFERING IS REFRAMED BY HOPE AND THE SPIRIT

(Romans 5:3–11)

Paul now says something shocking:

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings…”

The word thlipsis means pressure, crushing weight. Paul is not minimizing pain. He is reinterpreting it. The gospel doesn’t remove suffering; it redeems it.

Paul gives a chain:

suffering → endurance

endurance → character (dokimē, proven genuineness)

character → hope

This is not automatic. Suffering hardens some people. But suffering endured in grace produces something solid. Dokimērefers to metal tested and found genuine.

Illustration: Rehab After Injury

Anyone who’s been through physical rehab knows healing hurts. Rehab stretches what you want to protect and moves what you want to guard. It feels like damage—but it’s rebuilding.

That’s how suffering works in the hands of God. Not punishment. Not waste. Rehabilitation of the soul.

Paul then says:

“Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”

This is honor/shame language. Hope won’t humiliate you. Why? Because God’s love has been poured (ekkechytai)—flooded, lavished—into your heart by the Spirit.

Tom Schreiner writes,

“The Spirit communicates the love of God so that hope perseveres.”

🔄 Philosophical Transition

And this is where Paul is doing something far deeper than emotional encouragement. He’s not just telling Christians how to cope with pain—he’s offering a completely different way of understanding reality itself. Because how you interpret suffering depends entirely on how you believe meaning works.

Philosophical Nuance (Integrated)

Ancient Stoics believed peace came through emotional detachment—don’t love too deeply and you won’t hurt. Modern thinkers tell us meaning must be created by the self—define your values, endure bravely, and make your own purpose. But Paul says something radically different. He says peace comes from reconciliation, not emotional control. And meaning comes from grace reigning, not self-construction.

Christian hope is not something you invent under pressure. It’s something revealed at the cross. The gospel doesn’t ask you to stare into an absurd universe with courage—it announces that the universe has been decisively changed by Jesus Christ.

That’s why hope survives suffering. Because suffering is no longer the final word. Grace is.

🔄 Transition Back to Text

And lest we think Paul is offering spiritual optimism or religious psychology, he anchors this hope in something objective and historical. He takes us straight to the cross.

POINT 3 — GRACE REIGNS THROUGH CHRIST, GREATER THAN ADAM

(Romans 5:12–21)

Paul says:

“For while we were still weak… Christ died for the ungodly.”

He stacks the language:

weak

ungodly

sinners

enemies

God did not love us because we were improving. He loved us while we were opposed to Him.

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

The verb shows is present tense. The cross is not only past; it is ongoing proof.

Illustration: Maximilian Kolbe at Auschwitz

In Auschwitz, a priest named Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward to die in place of another man. That kind of substitution shocks us. But Paul says Christ did more. He died for enemies.

Paul then uses the “much more” argument: If God reconciled you while you were His enemy, how much more will He save you now that you are His child?

Then Paul zooms out to Adam.

“Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin…”

Adam was a representative head. When he fell, we fell. Death reigns because sin reigns.

But Christ is the greater Adam.

Adam’s trespass → condemnation

Christ’s obedience → justification

Adam’s sin → death reigns

Christ’s grace → grace reigns

Paul concludes:

“So that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Sin reigned. But grace reigns.

CONCLUSION — STOP LIVING LIKE YOU’RE STILL AT WAR

Church, Romans 5 is telling you that if you are in Christ, you are not on probation. You are not barely tolerated. You are not one failure away from rejection.

You have peace with God. You stand in grace. Your suffering is not wasted. Hope will not shame you. And grace reigns.

So stop living like you’re still at war with God. Stop approaching Him like a defendant. The verdict has already been announced.

And if you are not in Christ, the invitation is open—not to achieve, but to receive.

Because the gospel is not “try harder.” It’s “trust Jesus.” And in Him, grace reigns.

💬 Discussion Questions

Which of Paul’s “benefits” is hardest for you to believe personally—peace, access, hope in suffering, assurance of love, or grace reigning? Why?

How can we as a church in Brampton become a people who suffer well—not hiding pain, but letting endurance and hope shape our witness?