The Security of Our Salvation Part 1

Here in chapter 5 Paul Paul moves from talking about Abraham and the Law and moves to talking about our Justification through faith.

Just as in chapter 3 Paul was anticipating resistants to what he was advocating and here the resistance comes in the form of weather or not our salvation is permeant or could be made void.

This is such a hard topic to understand that it is still being debated today among mainstream christian denominations.

There are still people today that fully believe that they can lose their salvation based on something they do or don’t do.

Once again Paul is facing a problem of people thinking that they have some type of control over their own salvation.

Some people think that salvation is given by divine faith and then maintained by human power.

It is a gift given by God and then sustained by works.

This is also just as wrong as thinking that one can earn their way into heaven.

If we have to maintain our own salvation then it will never happen because at that point God becomes nothing more than just a giver of salvation and not lord of all things.

It puts the burden on us to keep up salvation and does not factor God into the daily lives of His children.

In chapter 5 Justification is now viewed in the light of the wealth of blessings it conveys to the child of God.

In verses 1-11 Paul presents several links in a chain of truth that binds a true believer eternally to their Savior and Lord completely apart from any effort or merit on the believers part.

The Believers Peace With God (v 5:1)

The first link in this unbreakable chain that eternally binds believers to Christ is their peace with God.

The term Therefore connects Pauls present argument with what he has already said, especially in chapters 3 and 4.

In those chapters Paul established that, as believers, we have been justified by faith.

Because of our justification by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here in verse one Paul starts out by talking about Peace.

This peace he is talking about is not subjective, but objective.

It is not a feeling but a fact.

If we could lose our salvation then this peace would be subjective.

It would mean that Peace is where ever each person could find it, and it would be different for each person.

However our peace is a fact and therefore it is objective meaning that you either have it or you don’t.

There is no condition or subjective on it.

We can never lose it and it can never be taken back.

Believers in God have 100% assurance in the fact that if God says we are good then we are.

All we have to do is believe, not in ourselves but in Him.

The Believers Standing in Grace (v 5:2a)

In the first half of verse 2 Paul uses the term access in relation to our faith that we receive from God.

The term access in greek is the word prosagoge which means access into the presence of God.

It is associated with the Christians state of Grace and also the hope of Glory.

“The grace in which we stand” sums up the privilege of the saints in this present time, enjoying every spiritual blessing in Christ, and the possession of this grace gives warrant for the hope that we shall share the glory of God.

Here will be the restoration of the glory that was first lost in Adams fall.

The grace that we experience through salvation is the closest we can get to God since the fall of Adam.

Grace opens the door that someday will swing wide to permit the experience of the glorious presence of the Almighty, a privilege to be enjoyed without end.

Grace is the only sure basis for the expectation of sharing eternity with God.

The Believers Hope of Glory (vv 5:2b-5a)

Here in the second half of verse 2 it says that we “rejoice” in hope of the glory of God.

The word “rejoice” here is the greek word “Kauchaomai” which denotes jubilation and rejoicing.

The Christian has no reason to fear the future and every reason to rejoice in it, because we have the divinely-secured hope that our ultimate destiny is to share in the very glory of God.

Jesus Christ guarantees the believers hope because He Himself is our Hope. 1 Tim 1:1

1 Timothy 1:1 ESV

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

We also have John 17:22 in which we see that Jesus has given us His own glory.

John 17:22 ESV

22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,

In addition to exulting in our certain hope of the glory of God, we also exult in our sufferings.

Now this may sound odd but it is what we must do.

This is because they contribute to a present blessing and ultimate glory.

Thlipsis has the underlying meaning of being under pressure; and was used of squeezing olives in a press to extract the oil and of squeezing grapes to extract the juice.

What Paul is talking about here is not the sufferings that are common to all mankind but the troubles that Christians suffer for the sake of our Lord.

Being a follow of Christ will not always be easy.

We may have to stand for the right things even if we are the only ones standing.

Jesus warns us that if we live a life for Him we will be persecuted. 2 Tim 3:12

2 Timothy 3:12 ESV

12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

It is not a matter of if we are persecuted but when we are persecuted.

We walk a life that is so different form the regular world that at some point we will be called to suffer for Christ.

Even in times of suffering we should remember to rejoice.

Not only are we too rejoice but we are to remember that suffering and hardships are evidence of faithful living which is blessed and rewarded, but also because of the Spiritual benefits that suffering will produce.

Never has an olive or a grape been pressed that it did not produce juice.

Trials and suffering produce the byproducts of faith in Christ.

What does suffering produce?

1.) Endurance

we must never give up.

we run until we get to the end.

The more that we run the longer that we can go the next time.

2.) Character

The more Endurance that we have the Character that it will produce.

The longer you run the experienced you get and the better you become.

Also the more you know you can do.

3.) Hope

We have hope that no matter what happens we will come through on the other side.

No matter how hard it gets if we have the hope of salvation then we can keep going.