Rm 5:1-11 The Benefits of Justification
1. Romans—Ch 5:01-11— Sept 23, 2018
2. Having left chapter 4, we are moving from the section in which Paul is explaining the gospel to those who have not yet believed, and are moving to the section detailing the benefits that belong to those who have believed.
3. Chapter 5 opens with the assurance that, since we have been declared righteous {or justified} by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
4. We saw in chapter 4 that we are justified, or put in right standing with God, when we put our faith in Christ, in what he has done for us. This is again stated in this opening verse.
5. As we consider the first 11 vss of chapter 5, we see that Paul has five results of divine justification. These items are a statement of the security in Christ that comes to a believer as a result of his or her justification.
6. Martyn-Lloyd Jones, says that “the apostle is concerned primarily, from this point onwards, to show us the absolute character, the fullness and the finality of the salvation which comes to us in the way he has already described, namely, as the result of justification by faith.
7. We can be secure in our faith, knowing that being justified by faith:
8. The believer has peace with God (5:1):
a. We will see, as he is beginning to wind down this letter in 15:11, Paul prays, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
b. This peace is accomplished through the work done by Jesus Christ and is administered by the Holy Spirit.
c. The original though behind this peace was a binding together that which was broken.
d. This peace is spoken of often in the N.T.
e. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.”
f. He wants us to enjoy a restored and fully rewarding experience in our relationship with himself, not allowing our peace to be shaken by circumstances.
g. He reiterated this a little later in saying, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous!
h. I have conquered the world.”
i. We often think of peace as an absence of conflict or war; and we have been at war with God. The “peace of God” is that which helps us in times of turmoil and distress. “Peace with God,” which we see in verse one, is the ending of that war. Christ took upon himself God’s wrath due to us because of our sin.
j. He died for us and we receive the benefits of his atonement.
k. The war between us & God has ended and we have peace with him.
l. Yes, we are able to trust him to provide for our total well-being no matter what the circumstances; however, that peace of God is because of our peace with God.
m. There is only one way to peace with God. That peace is obtained only through salvation in Christ.
9. J.M. Boice speaks of this search for peace. One of the richest men in the world once said, “I thought money could buy happiness. I have been miserably disillusioned.” Others seek fulfillment through education, fame, sex, or power, but most are discontented even when they attain such goals.
What is the reason?
10. The explanation is that what people are really seeking is peace, and the ultimate and only genuine peace is found in a right relationship with God.
11. The great North African Christian, Saint Augustine, expressed it best more than a millennium and a half ago, when he wrote in his Confessions, “You made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.”
12. Our text assures us that as a result of our justification, in Christ we have peace with God.
13. Furthermore, being justified, The believer has access to God (5:2):
a. This means that we have the right, or the freedom, to enter God’s presence!
b. This high privilege brings about great confidence and joy concerning the future. The tense of the words here are that access has been given; therefore, we have access that will not be withdrawn.
c. What does that mean in our day-to-day lives?
d. What do we have access to? Paul says it is, “Into this grace in which we stand.” By God’s mercy we have been brought into the grace of justification, and it is this grace in which we now stand—as sons and daughters of Almighty God!
e. We are secure in Christ forever. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones has written, “We have entered … into a position of grace, we have had our introduction to God and we [now] stand before him in an entirely new manner.”
f. The author of Hebrews puts it this way: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus … let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience …” (Heb. 10:19, 22).
g. There is much more written regarding our access to God, which is a complete subject unto itself.
h. But, there are a couple of points to keep in mind.
14. One, we have direct access; we don’t need a human mediator. Christ opened the door—he tore down the dividing wall, and he is our mediator. He is the only one that we have, and the only one we need as we see in 1 Tim 2:5, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus.”
15. The second point is that our access is effective. We can come to him boldly and with confidence. He hears our prayers and he answers them.
16. And the last point is that we can be intimate in our approach. Just as Jesus addressed his & our Father as Abba, or Daddy, when he prayed, so can our prayers be addressed.
17. He is the King-of-kings and Lord-of-lords, the Almighty God, but he is also our dear heavenly Father. We have been brought home as sons and daughters dearly loved by him.
18. Being justified, the believer has assurance from God (5:3–4).
19. The fact of this assurance is that it helps us in time of suffering. In 5:3 we read “We also rejoice in our afflictions….”
a. Now that may sound crazy, but when we see…
20. The fruit of that assurance, we begin to understand the reason for this.
a. 5:3-5 tells us that our suffering, or, “affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
b. Which brings us to the next benefit of our justification.
21. The believer is indwelt by God (5:5): The Holy Spirit lives in the hearts of believers.
a. The Holy Spirit is not a force or a feeling, but is a person, the third person of the trinity, or tri-unity, of God.
b. Jesus told his disciples that he was leaving to that the Holy Spirit may come and indwell them, he sent another comforter, or a comforter of another kind. He lives—he lives in us, coming to dwell when we give ourselves over to God, putting our trust in Christ.
c. The last point we come to in Paul’s presentation of the benefits of justification is that:
22. The believer is preserved in God (5:6–11): A believer’s salvation is secure, guaranteed by:
23. Christ’s past work on Calvary’s cross (5:6–8)
a. What he did (5:6): He died on the cross for us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.
b. Why he did it (5:7–8a): He died because he loves us. For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God shows his own love for us.
c. When he did it (5:8b): He did it when we were still helpless and hostile sinners. God shows his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
And a believer’s salvation is secure, guaranteed by: