As Good As We Should Be

April 6, 2008

Romans 5:1-11

Please turn in your Bible to Romans chapter 5. The passage that is our key Scripture for this morning is entitled, in my Bible, “The Benefits of Righteousness.” Christ’s death and resurrection were for our benefit. Not only did it prove Father God’s acceptance of His Son’s sacrifice on the cross, it was for our justification. The cross pronounced us free from guilt or blame. The Cross is our source of blessing. Notice in the last verse of chapter 4 Paul says “He (meaning Jesus) who was delivered over because of our transgressions (that’s our sin and guilt) was raised because of our justification.” It was all done for us. The cross has no other purpose! He died for us; all for the benefit of our righteousness. And now in the first verse of chapter 5, Paul gives one of the main benefits – “Therefore having been justified by faith, WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

A recent session of the “Truth Project” put it this way: through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have the privilege of becoming the children of God. When we come to salvation by confessing that we are sinners and believing and receiving Him as our Savior, we are given the indwelling Holy Spirit. We have God in us! Not a piece of Him, but all of Him! With God in us, we are at peace with God. But there’s more. Look at verse 2 of Romans 5 :” 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.” By admitting our need for a Savior and letting God come into us, we become recipients of His grace – that unmerited gift of God’s riches at Christ’s expense. And because we now have eternity in our hearts, we have HOPE. Hope is what keeps us strong. Without hope, we are doomed. Hope gets us through this life of tribulations. Look at verses 3-11: “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 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. For while we were still helpless; at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 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.
And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” Can you feel the portent of these verses? We were hopeless, doomed, headed for eternity separated from God, and along comes the answer to our prayers. Our Savior, Jesus, who bought our ticket into heaven. And it is an expensive ticket – a blood-bought ticket – a priceless ticket! Do you have your ticket to heaven? My main job as your pastor is to make sure you have your ticket to heaven. If you leave this life without it, I will stand before God a broken man, for I will have failed to preach the only message worth preaching.

I want to relate to you what two other preachers have said about this passage: Charles Haddon Spurgeon said that preaching is like throwing a bucket of water at a row of bottles. Some of the water goes in some of the bottles. But by talking to people personally, you have the opportunity of topping off every bottle and making sure none of the water spills. That is what I want to do this morning – throw a little living water your way! So have your bottles ready!

Stuart Briscoe says, “If I had the chance to go back over the 42 years that I’ve been preaching, I’d like to sit down with all the people I’ve ever preached to and ask them, “Do you really feel that Christ is your Savior and your Lord?” This morning’s message is a follow-up to Easter’s message of Christ’s sacrifice for our sake and how we benefit.

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

The Bible explains carefully that the human condition is serious indeed. That Christ had to die. We could live our lives as reasonably happy people. We can get things reasonably well organized. We can get ourselves into a relatively comfortable situation and never really feel that life is all that ominous, that the human condition before God is all that drastic.

Yet, if we are to take what the Scriptures say seriously, we have to come to terms with the fact that the human predicament is extremely grave.

What we are in ourselves is fundamentally at odds with God. That’s our root problem. The technical term for it is total depravity. It’s not a biblical term, but it’s an accurate one

Dr. J.I. Packer put it this way: “Total depravity means not that at every point man is as bad as he could be, but that at no point is he as good as he should be.” That is the human condition in a nutshell. According to Scripture, our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6),filthy rags. Pretty graphic!

Am I trying to persuade you that you are totally rotten and despicable, utterly, thoroughly, totally depraved? Filthy rags!

Do you think the Scripture is saying, “At every point of your life you are as bad as you possibly could be?” Rather, I like to think that there is no point in your life where you are as good as you should be. We all have come short of God’s glorious standard says Romans 3:23.

In this Romans 5 passage, there are various words that describe the human condition. In verse 6 it says we are “powerless.” In the same verse it says we are “ungodly.” In verse 8 it says we are “sinners.” In verse 10, we’re “enemies.” These all have a slightly different nuance that simply can be added up in this whole concept: At no point are any of us as good as we should be. We have fallen. We have failed to be what we were created to be. We are all sinners. We all need a Savior.

That is the meaning of the word sinner: Someone who comes short, someone who misses the mark. One of the sad tragedies is there is a powerlessness about us. This powerlessness manifests itself in different people in different ways.

Martin Alfonse, a Methodist pastor in Madras, India, told an interesting story: His father, an orthodox, dedicated Hindu, became seriously ill. As a result of his illness, he went around trying hard to get proper medical care; none was available to him. In desperation, he turned to some Christians. They prayed quite specifically for his healing, and he was healed by a dramatic, divine intervention.

At that point he became convinced that Jesus Christ was Lord. As a result of a specific, physical need being met, he acknowledged Christ as Savior. Now, there was a certain physical powerlessness about him that was the direct or indirect result of sin. But Christ was able to intervene.

Martin Alfonse’s experience was totally different. He had an overwhelming sense of inferiority. It was so severe that he was practically crippled in his everyday relationships with people.

But somebody told him that Jesus Christ could heal him in the area of his inferiority complex, that he would begin to understand his true worth as somebody whom Christ loved. When he heard this message, he turned to Christ, and Christ became his Savior and Lord. He was met not like his father at the point of physical need but at the point of his deep psychological need. Both were powerless as a result of sin. It manifested itself in different ways.

Pastor Alfonse went on to tell about a delightful family in his congregation. As is normal for Hindus, they had been looking for inner peace. They went through all the rituals of their religion. They were totally committed and deeply involved, but at no point did they ever get close to the sense of an inner peace.

Someone told them it was possible for people to experience peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. They heard it, and they believed it; Christ became their Savior and Lord. They were met not at a point of physical need or the point of psychological need but a point of clear, acute spiritual need. All were the result of sin, powerlessness manifesting itself in different ways.

That is the human predicament—not that at every point we are bad as we could be but that at no point are we as good as we should be. There has been a debilitating impact of sin in our lives. We’re sinners, and we’re powerless.

This powerlessness can manifest itself in ungodly behavior. We behave as those who are at enmity with God. Enmity is mutual hatred; ill will. And because we do not believe God is who His Word says He is we become rebellious. We shake our fists in the face of God. We deride his name. We disobey his commands. We go about showing that we have no time for God. We enthrone ourselves, and we dethrone God, and we do all we can to resist him.

Not that, at all points, we’re as bad as we could be, but at no point are we as good as we should be. We are powerless, ungodly, hostile, and sinful. As I’ve already said, that’s basically the human condition in a nutshell!

Now, I wonder, honestly, if deep down you see yourself in any of those categories. I wonder if deep down you acknowledge that there is something fundamentally wrong with you as a person. Has that sunk in? Do you believe it?

What we do is a evidence of what we are. Do you believe that? If you look at the terms “sinner” and “powerless,” this will give you the impression that what we do is wrong because we fail to do what we’re required to do. If you look at the terms “ungodly” and “enemy,” it suggests we do the things that we are forbidden to do. We call these “sins of omission” - omitting what we should do - and “sins of commission” – committing what we shouldn’t do.

Now some people who have lived rebellious lives have no difficulty whatsoever identifying sins of commission. They have no difficulty understanding that they have insisted on doing what is forbidden. I’ve heard people say, “As I went through the Ten Commandments, I realized I had broken every single one of them.”

But the majority of people don’t see themselves as sinners by commission because they live reasonably respectable lives. But every one of us, if we’re honest, will admit to being a sinner of omission. Have we truly loved God with all our heart and all our soul and all our strength, and our neighbor as ourselves? Of course not. That is evidence that we have fallen short of God’s standard. What we’ve not done is our sin – the sin of omission.

If God is keeping track of what we do and what we don’t do, that proves that what we do and what we don’t do is worth keeping track of. Which proves that what I do is significant in the highest court of evaluation. God pays me the incredible compliment of making me accountable. He cares that much! This proves to me conclusively that God regards me as a creature of significance.

If this is true, then I cannot fail to recognize that I am worth dying for. God has paid me the inestimable compliment of making me accountable for Christ’s death for my sin. Whether I see myself either as a powerless sinner or a hostile, ungodly enemy, a sinner by omission or commission, God wants me to know four things:

1. I’m accountable to him.

2. He is just and holy and righteous.

3. He is indignant about my sin.

4. He loves me too much to leave me where I am.

We come under what the Bible calls “the wrath of God.” Here again, I realize that this is not a popular subject for polite conversation. But it is a subject that needs to be addressed carefully and understood thoroughly. The wrath of God is not to be seen as something like the wrath of man ballooned up to divine proportions. The wrath of man is often totally unwarranted, utterly hypocritical, thoroughly unreasonable, given to extremes.

The wrath of God, John Stott says, “is his righteous hostility to evil, his refusal to condone it, and his just judgment upon it.”

It’s as if you’ve stood in the court of God, he has presented the evidence, then the judge looks at you and asks, “Do you have anything to say for yourself?” At that moment, you can’t say a word. The evidence against you is so overwhelming and so utterly incontrovertible, there’s not a thing you can say. You are utterly without excuse

That is the human condition. I wish I could sit down with each one of you and make sure you understands that. No matter how good you think you are, in God’s eyes you’re not going to be allowed to stay there. He wants to make you even better. He loves you too much to leave you where you are.

I wanted you to be aware of God’s divine wrath, but His divine compassion is another thing to note. Please notice in the passage of Scripture before us in verse Romans 5, verse 6, “While we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” Verse 8, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

It was while we were still in this unenviable condition that divine compassion was poured. God is not in the business of saying, “Reform yourself, and I’ll see what I can do.” Neither is God saying, “You’re a good kid.” God is looking into our hearts, knowing we are without excuse. Yet, while we’re still sinners, still powerless, he was moved with compassion toward us!

Compassion isn’t just a feeling. Compassion is demonstrated by action. The action that demonstrates His divine compassion — Christ died for us.

In Galatians 2:20, Paul said, “The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me.” God loves to such an extent that he moves out and empties heaven of its greatest treasure—Christ—and gives Christ to die on a cross for us. That is grace: God’s – Riches – At - Christ’s - Expense

Christ died instead of us. Christ died on behalf of us. I stand before you as somebody who thoroughly understands that in and of myself, I deserve nothing more than the righteous indignation of God and banishment from his presence for the whole of life and the whole of eternity.

Yet God in His mercy and compassion and grace, took the initiative and said, “Dave, it is not necessary for you to live in the condition that you deserve. My Son will take it on your behalf, and die for you.” Grace is getting what we do not deserve. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve.

Incredible, but true.

Where does that leave me, then? Well, the apostle Paul sums it up brilliantly in verse 9: “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him. For if when we were God’s enemies we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life.”

If I’m to understand what the cross is all about, I not only need to understand my condition and the divine compassion, but the eternal conclusion. The eternal conclusion is this: It is possible for me to be justified by Christ’s blood. It is possible for me to be forgiven. All that I have done can be blotted out, utterly forgiven. I can stand before a Holy God just as if I’d never sinned. Wow! What an amazing truth!

Not only has God taken away my accountability for sin, he has also taken away the guilt of my sin and purged eternity of all record of my sin. I have been justified by Christ’s blood. Which is another way of saying, “Because he died I won’t die.” Incredible, but true.

It is incredible to think that I have been justified by Christ’s blood. It is incredible to me to think that I will be saved from wrath through Christ’s blood. In other words, instead of there being that fearful judgment, that horror of death, the agony of wondering what will happen to me after I die, and that dreadful sinking feeling that if God judges me I won’t have a leg to stand on—instead of all that, I can say, I have been justified by his blood, much more than that. When the day comes for me to stand before God, I will be saved from God’s wrath, not through what I have done but through Christ’s work on the cross. Christ will intercede for me. Wow, isn’t that amazing?

But there’s much more. Much more. Incredible, but true.

In the meantime, I can know the presence of the living Christ within me. Incredible, but true. And you can too! If being justified by Christ’s blood wasn’t enough, if us being saved from eventual wrath through him wasn’t enough, Paul says, “We will be saved by his life.” God has raised up the crucified Christ and sent his Spirit into the hearts and lives of all believers.

Stuart Briscoe says, “ Many years ago I wrote a little booklet called This Is Exciting. It simply told the story of my spiritual life. The first stage of my spiritual life was: This is easy. All you do is say you’re sorry, have your sins forgiven, then wait to go to heaven when you die.

Then somebody pointed out to me that I was supposed to live like a disciple of Jesus Christ. I started half-heartedly trying to do it, and I changed from “this is easy” to “this is difficult.”

Then somebody began to show me what it really means to live as I’m supposed to live, and I came to the conclusion that “this is impossible.” Then I got mad with God.

I was perfectly happy with God when it was easy, and I got along fine with him when it was difficult, but I got very upset when I discovered it was impossible. Then and then only, he began to show me that in addition to being justified by his blood and promising that he would save me from wrath through him, he sent Christ into my life to save me from the sheer impossibility of trying to do it on my own. By faith I began to live in step with the Christ who lives within me to save me from what I am.”

Incredible, but true.

John Stott says, “Many years ago when the children were small, we went for a little drive in the lovely English countryside, and there was some fresh snow. I saw a lovely field with not a single blemish on the virgin snow. I stopped the car, and I vaulted over the gate, and I ran around in a great big circle striding as wide as I could. Then I came back to the kids, and I said, “Now, children, I want you to follow in my footsteps. So I want you to run around that circle in the snow, and I want you to put your feet where your father put his feet.”

Well, David tried and couldn’t quite make it. Judy, our overachiever, was certain she would make it; she couldn’t make it. Pete, the little kid, took a great run at it, put his foot in my first footprint, and then strode out as far as he could and fell on his face. His mother picked him up as he cried.

She said to me, “What are you trying to do?”

I said, “I’m trying to get a sermon illustration.”

I said, “Pete, come here.” I picked up little Peter and put his left foot on my foot, and I put his right foot on my foot. I said, “Okay, Pete, let’s go.” I began to stride one big stride at a time with my hands under his armpits and his feet lightly on mine.

Well, who was doing it? In a sense, he was doing it because I was doing it. In a sense there was a commitment of the little boy to the big dad, and some of the properties of the big dad were working through the little boy.”

If you think you have all the work of becoming Christ-like, think again! Look at 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and 24: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

In our powerlessness we can’t stride as wide as we should. We don’t walk the way we should. We don’t hit the target the way we ought. It isn’t that at every point we are as bad as we could be. It’s just that at no point are we as good as we should be. Something’s got to be done. We need help!

The message of Romans 5:1-11 is it has been done. Our help has come! You can be justified. You can be saved from wrath. You can live victoriously by his life. All that is the message of grace—God offering you what you don’t deserve. He is holding out His hand to you right now! And do you see what He’s holding out to you? It’s your “Get out of Jail Free” card; your ticket to heaven. Paid for in full!