Justification: Results & Sin, Romans 5 & 6

The 4 reasons the justified can feel secure

1. Our current salvation assures our hope

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

· Past: we have been j_____________ by faith

· Present: p______; a________; and g__________.

· Future: we rejoice in h_____ of the g_______ of God.

2. Our sufferings cannot extinguish our hope

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

and hope does not put us to shame (blush), because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

· Production line: Suffering produces e________, c__________, h______.

· Prevention proof: What prevents hope from being shamed?

· Nothing I can do will disgust God or cause Him to look at me with shame. Why? Because of Christ’s blood.

3. Our gift is God’s Son that results in permanent righteousness confirming our hope

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—

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

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

· We can trust our hope because: Enemies are reconciled; lost people are saved; dead are brought to life.

· However, this life is for the saved not for the sinners. This means that God providentially saves us from a life of sin. We, in turn, must strive to love, believe, and follow the Son for all our past, present and future sins to be washed away.

4. Our secured reconciliation is Christ’s completed work

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

· I may shiver standing on the rock, but the rock is firm. God’s act becomes my fact.

Sin versus Grace

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.

Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

· What universal state did Adam initiate?

· Did the effect of sin miss anyone? Why or why not?

· Did sin exist before the law of Moses?

· What about those who have no law? Is there any place law does not exist?

Grace Contrasts

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.

And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.

For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

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

· For sin to reign we must be identified with Adam or Christ?

· Our righteousness is conditioned upon our obedience (we are not forced to be saved). Similarly, the opposite is true. So, are babies born sinners (forced) or do they choose sin later in life?

· Reading 5:20-21 it would seem that we should sin more so that grace may increase. Without context scripture is dangerous. So, lets continue with the context in the next chapter.

Context, : freedom from sin. Our new:

1. Principle, Dead To Sin (Rom_6:1-14).

2. Position, Free From Sin (Rom_6:15-23; Rom_7:1-6).

3. Power, Free From Law (Rom_7:7-25).

4. Possibility, Alive To Holiness (Rom_8:1-39).

In chapters 6 & 7 Paul’s draws 3 conclusions … make “then” the key word. (Rom_6:1,15;7:7).

The false objection

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

1. Refuted by the New Principle, dead to sin

a. The reasons we no longer sin

By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

b. Freed from sin & death

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

For one who has died has been set free from sin.

c. Paul’s conviction

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.

For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

· Died to sin so we live with Christ.

d. Sanctification is implied in Justification

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.

Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

e. Continuance in sin is impossible

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!

2. Refuted by New Position, free from sin

a. So, we have a new obligation

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,

and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

b. So, we have new rewards

I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

Concluding Promise

But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.