Romans 5:1-2 "The Glory of Justification" pt.1

Introduction

A. Justification does not end with just setting us right before God. Sometimes we fail to realize the importance of theological truth when it comes to its application to us.

Scripture doesn’t just make theological propositions for us all to memorize and expect that those propositional truths are just posted on the walls of our minds but have no practicality.

We may think this because in reality Scripture doesn’t apply theological truth the way we like and this is usually because we are emphasizing something for us that God is not emphasizing.

Our joy in life may be in something that we deem important but in reality it is not what God deems to be important.

B. God is pointing us to the importance of His glory in the revelation of Jesus Christ because it is reflective upon Him and His plan of redemption. His greatness is being emphasized again and again.

And we are beneficiaries of this in and through justification by grace through faith and this is a cause for us as God’s people to be joyful due to the standing that we have before God.

Look back at verses 1-2 of Romans chapter 5 at what I am referring to as “Our Joyful Standing”:

I . Our Joyful Standing (1-2).

A. First we see that Justification has made us at peace with God (1).

We are no longer enemies of God. The hostility has been removed because of all that Christ has done. God poured the wrath that we deserved on Christ.

The Innocent took the sins of the guilty upon Himself to purge the hostility that was justly deserved. It was all done in fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrificial system.

One thing that has always been interesting was how God instituted feast in connection to that sacrificial system.

“Pastor Brett, the people of God have always loved to eat. Haven’t you ever heard of Potlucks?”

Of course I have, but these meals were prescribed by God and were set in the context of commemorating God’s covenant communion with His people and His covenant blessing upon them.

It was like a demonstration of the fellowship that God has with His covenant people. Because we don’t usually set down and eat with our enemies but with those we are at peace with.

God directed His people in how they were to worship Him and they were to eat before Him in reflection of His covenant goodness. Consider this from Deuteronomy 12:7- “And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.”

Notice the command, “you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake”

Now Deuteronomy goes on and God lays out His covenant law standards and He calls them to obedience. And He tells the people also of His covenant blessing.

The covenant was ratified and attested to in the affirmative by the people and we all know how that turned out don’t we.

Mark Evans gave my kids a Pirates of the Caribbean pinball machine. And every-time the ball goes down the drain between the two flippers It says “Well it’s not that easy now is it Matey”.

Oh I try hard but eventually the ball will go between the flippers. “Well it’s not that easy now is it Matey” and then it says, “Try again Matey” and in time the same thing happens. That little accuser of the brethren is impeded in that machine.

That’s the way law observance is. Because human will is bound to the impulses of the sinful nature.

And the best of intentions will eventually fall beneath the flippers. Because, “Well it’s not that easy now is it Matey.”

And no matter how many times we tell ourselves “Try again Matey” we only slide back between the flippers.

Justification has broken this vicious cycle forever for the covenant people of God. Because Justification has made grace accessible. Look back at your text to verse 2.

B. Justification has made grace accessible (2).

We couldn’t be justified by faith without that grace. But we couldn’t remained saved without it either. Grace is not just something that acts on us but it is the very position and state of our being.

God through Christ has put us in the position of blessing.

Christ died in our place and kept the law on our behalf. The children of Israel failed again and again but Christ never did, not even once. The ball never went between the flippers. Not even once. The accuser of the brethren was silent before Christ.

You see, the whole reason that those who are truly in Christ by grace through faith actually remain in Him is because sovereign grace keeps them there.

The elect are kept by God because if He didn’t keep them they wouldn’t last a second on their own apart from His divine grace.

There would be no hope for us to rejoice in without divine grace. But as it is that divine grace constitutes our standing before God and assures us of the hope of the glory of God.

Our standing in grace fuels our joy in the anticipation of the glorification of God. What does Paul mean here in verse 2 by the glory of God?

I think he means all the covenant blessings that we hope for that are ahead for His covenant people in this life and in the one to come. With the greatest of these being unhindered relationship with God Himself.

He has already given us the third person of the Godhead to live in us as the down payment of that His pledge to us. Lord willing I will talk more of that next week.

Our standing position in grace changes everything when it comes to the blessings of God. And you didn’t get to that position by yourself, you got there through Him.

If God did not initiate that work through Christ on our behalf it wouldn’t have happened. If you are justified today by grace through faith it was all of God.

If justification was through my good works all I would be hearing is that vicious repetitive cycle of “Well it’s not that easy now is it Matey” and “Try again Matey”.

Conclusion:

A. Are you tired of that yet? Has the world been bouncing you around? Do you keep going between the flippers?

Perhaps today is the day if you need Christ that you would trust in Him by faith for your salvation. To move into the position of grace and blessing of the Lord.

Unbeliever, Believe the gospel.

Christian this table is the fulfillment of those Old Testament peace meals before God. Christ is the basis of our peace. And God commands us to examine ourselves before Him.

I Corinthians 11:27-31 is a warning.

Our law obedience is not the basis of our justification. Christ is and our sin reminds us of our need and God’s provision to us in Christ.

Let us examine our hearts in preparation. Let’s Pray!