Romans 5.1-11-The Ten Spiritual Benefits of Justification By Faith In Jesus Christ
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday April 22, 2008
Romans: Romans 5:1-11-The Ten Spiritual Benefits of Justification By Faith In Jesus Christ
Lesson # 156
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 5:1.
This evening we will review the ten spiritual benefits that the apostle Paul lists in Romans 5:1-11 that are the result of being declared justified by God the Father through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1-11, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 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. 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.”
The first spiritual benefit that Paul lists in Romans 5:1 is peace with God.
Romans 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Corrected translation of Romans 5:1: “Therefore, because we have been justified by means of faith as a source, we, as an eternal spiritual truth, always have peace in the presence of God through our Lord who is Jesus, who is the Christ.”
In Romans 5:1, Paul teaches that since the believer has been justified by faith in Jesus Christ, he has peace in the presence God through the Lord Jesus Christ whose spiritual death on the Cross reconciled them to God, implying that the believer now has a relationship with God.
Permanent access to a relationship with God is the second spiritual benefit that is the result of being justified by faith in Christ.
Romans 5:2, “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.”
Corrected translation of Romans 5:2: “Through whom also, we have as a permanent possession access to this gracious benefit in which we forever stand and in addition we make it a habit to rejoice upon the confident expectation of sharing God’s glory.”
In Romans 5:2, Paul teaches that because the believer has been justified by faith in Jesus Christ, he also has as a permanent possession access to this gracious benefit of a relationship with God, in which he stands forever, and in addition to this Paul rejoiced in the confident expectation of receiving a resurrection body.
Corrected translation of Romans 5:2: “Through whom also, we have as a permanent possession access to this gracious benefit in which we forever stand and in addition we make it a habit to rejoice upon the confident expectation of sharing God’s glory.”
The third spiritual benefit is contained in the statement “in which we forever stand,” which refers to the fact that the sinner justified by faith in Christ is eternally secure.
Corrected translation of Romans 5:2: “Through whom also, we have as a permanent possession access to this gracious benefit in which we forever stand and in addition we make it a habit to rejoice upon the confident expectation of sharing God’s glory.”
The fourth spiritual benefit is found in the statement “we make it a habit to rejoice upon the confident expectation of sharing God’s glory,” which refers to the believer receiving a resurrection body at the rapture of the church.
The fifth spiritual benefit listed by Paul appears in Romans 5:3-4, which deals with the fact that the believer is blessed through undeserved suffering in that it, builds Christ-like character and confidence in one’s relationship with God.
Romans 5:3-4, “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.”
Corrected translation of Romans 5:3-4: “In fact, not only this but we also make it a habit to rejoice on account of our adversities because we know for certain that adversity, as an eternal spiritual truth, produces perseverance. And in addition, perseverance, as an eternal spiritual truth produces tested character and in addition tested character, as an eternal spiritual truth, produces confidence.”
In Romans 5:3, he taught that the confident expectation of the rapture, i.e. the resurrection of the church, which is imminent, produces endurance in the believer in times of adversity.
Then, he reminded his readers in Romans 5:4 that perseverance produces tested character and tested character produces confidence in the believer in his relationship with God, that he will be rewarded for enduring undeserved suffering and that God is conforming him into the image of His Son.
Romans 5:5 presents the sixth spiritual benefit that is the result of being justified by faith in Jesus Christ, which is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 5:5, “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.”
Corrected translation of Romans 5:5: “In fact, this confidence, as an eternal spiritual truth, never disappoints because God’s love is always being poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us for our benefit.”
In Romans 5:5, Paul teaches that the believer’s confidence in the Lord is never disappointed because God the Holy Spirit reassures the believer that he is the object of God’s love.
Then, in Romans 5:5-8, the apostle Paul presents the seventh spiritual benefit of justification by faith, which is that the Holy Spirit reassures the believer that he is the object of God’s love.
Romans 5:5-8, “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.”
Corrected translation of Romans 5:5-8: “In fact, this confidence, as an eternal spiritual truth, never disappoints because God’s love is always being poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us for our benefit. For while, we were, as an eternal spiritual truth, still helpless, still, at that particular appointed moment in history, Christ died as a substitute for the benefit of the ungodly. For, it is unlikely, anyone will die as a substitute for the benefit of a righteous person. In fact, possibly, someone might also have the courage to voluntarily die as a substitute for the benefit of the good person. But, God (the Father), as an eternal spiritual truth and fact of history, proves His own divine-love for the benefit of all of us by the fact that while we were, as an eternal spiritual truth, still sinners, Christ died as a substitute for the benefit of all of us.”
Paul teaches in Romans 5:6 that while we were still helpless, still, at that particular appointed moment, Christ died as a substitute for the ungodly.
Then, in Romans 5:7, he accentuates God’s love as manifested in the Cross of Christ by comparing it to the highest expressions of human love.
In Romans 5:8, the apostle writes that God the Father proved His own love for us by the fact that while we were His enemies, He sent His Son to the Cross to die a spiritual death as our substitute.
The eighth spiritual benefit appears in Romans 5:9, which presents the guarantee that the believer he will be delivered from the wrath of God in the future.
Romans 5:9, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”
Corrected translation of Romans 5:9: “Therefore, because we have been justified on the basis of His blood, how much more will we be delivered from His righteous indignation through Him.”
The apostle employs the a fortiori argument in Romans 5:9 in order to teach that if Christ died as a substitute for sinners, how much more then, will He deliver from the wrath of God the sinner justified by faith in Jesus Christ.
The ninth spiritual benefit is found in Romans 5:10 and is the gift of eternal life.
Romans 5:10, “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.”
Corrected translation of Romans 5:10: “For if and let assume for the sake of argument that while, we were, as an eternal spiritual truth, enemies, we were reconciled to God (the Father) by means of the spiritual death of His Son? Of course, we believe that this is true! How much more then because, we have been reconciled will we be delivered on account of His life.”
Once again, Paul employs the a fortiori argument in order to teach his readers that if they were reconciled to God through His Son’s death while His enemies, how much more will they be delivered by His Son’s life.
The tenth and final benefit appears in Romans 5:11, which presents the spiritual truth that the Christian is reconciled to God.
Romans 5:11, “And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
Corrected translation of Romans 5:11: “Furthermore, not only this but also we make it a habit to rejoice on account of our relationship with God through our Lord, who is Jesus, who is the Christ through whom we have now received this reconciliation.”
In this passage, the apostle Paul states that he and his fellow like-minded Christians confidently rejoiced on account of their new relationship with God, which was made possible by means of spiritual death of the Lord Jesus Christ since it reconciled them to God.
Paul’s response to these ten spiritual benefits was that of confidence and joy as expressed in Romans 5:2, 3 and 11, by the verb kauchaomai (kauxavomai) (kow-khah-om-i), “we exult,” which means, “to confidently rejoice.”
These spiritual benefits that are the result of a relationship with God and the confidence and joy they produce in the believer are the result of the spiritual death of the Mediator between a holy God and sinful man, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is indicated by the prepositional phrases “through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1), “by whom” (Romans 5:2), “through Him” (Romans 5:9), “through the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10), “through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:11) and “through whom” (Romans 5:11).
In Romans 5:9, “by His blood” is the prepositional phrase en to haimati autou, which means, “on the basis of His blood” since it teaches that our Lord’s spiritual death on the Cross was “the basis” in which the believer is justified.
Corrected translation of Romans 5:9: “Therefore, because we have been justified on the basis of His blood, how much more will we be delivered from His righteous indignation through Him.”
The believer’s relationship with God and its resultant spiritual benefits, the confidence and joy that they produce in the believer are also the result of the believer possessing the eternal life of Jesus Christ.
In Romans 5:10, “by His life” is the prepositional phrase en te zoe autou, which means, “on the basis of His life” since it indicates that the eternal life that the believer received as a gift the moment they exercised faith in Jesus Christ is the “basis upon which” they are delivered from the second death in the Lake of Fire.
Corrected translation of Romans 5:10: “For if and let assume for the sake of argument that while, we were, as an eternal spiritual truth, enemies, we were reconciled to God (the Father) by means of the spiritual death of His Son? Of course, we believe that this is true! How much more then because, we have been reconciled will we be delivered on account of His life.”
All these spiritual benefits and the joy and confidence that they produce are the result of the believer possessing permanently a relationship with God as indicated in Romans 5:11 by the prepositional phrase “in God” (en to theo), which emphasizes that the Christian’s relationship with the Father was the “basis” for their confident rejoicing.
Corrected translation of Romans 5:11: “Furthermore, not only this but also we make it a habit to rejoice on account of our relationship with God through our Lord, who is Jesus, who is the Christ through whom we have now received this reconciliation.”