What Jesus Can Mean to Us

Introduction.  (Romans 5:1-5) In the first verses of the fifth chapter of Romans Paul makes some powerful declarations about life in Jesus.  The focus of these declarations illustrates what Jesus can mean for those who follow Him in faithful obedience.  This morning let’s look closely at each one of this points.  

I.  “Having been justified by faith” (5:1a). Something “justified” is something that has been made right. This making right is said to be “by faith.” Not simply faith that one is made right, but faith in the one who has the authority to make people right.   This was the purpose of the Messiah (Isaiah 53:11).  The phrase “by faith” shows that the source of the justification is the object of faith.  This is not faith in ourselves.  It is not just a sense of optimistic well-being.  It is trusting obedience is Jesus as the means to be made right with God. 

A.  “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (5:1b).

1.  Sin puts us in a state of spiritual war with God.  Jesus can reconcile us and put us at peace (Rom. 8:5-8). 

2.  This is not teaching that simply having a body of flesh puts us at enmity with God.  It is “setting our minds on the things of the flesh.”  When we do this (and all morally accountable souls have sinned at some point)—we stand in need of justification.

3.  Since this warfare is against God, only God is capable of setting, accepting, or offering terms of peace.  The aggressor in a conflict, when defeated is not in a position of being able to dictate terms.  In the same way, God in Christ is the Victor—we are the conquered enemy.

B.  “We have access by faith” (5:2a).  Christ is the means of “access.”

1.  Access means of entrance.  Entrance into what? Acting by faith gives us entrance into grace.  Believing in the one who can justify—who brings us peace, grants us this access (Ephesians 2:14-18).  Note: in this text Gentile access to God is the focus.  He is our peace.  He has abolished the enmity.  Jesus has reconciled (even the Gentile).  Jesus gives man “access.”

2.  Again we note that this is “by faith.”  What is “faith?”  Faith is the whole reaction of man to Deity.  Some teach…

·         It is not a reaction, but a Divine action.  That is (they say) man’s is so depraved in nature that he can’t have faith unless God forces him to believe.  That makes God the cause of good or of evil.

·         It is merely a movement of the heart.  This is a response to the false teachings of salvation by merit, but it redefines Biblical faith. The Bible teaches that many (including demons) have a feeling in the heart, but it is noting saving faith. 

The Bible teaches that saving faith is a reaction of mind, of heart, of body, of obedience, of love, and spirit.

C.  “Into this grace in which we stand” (5:2b).

1.  Grace is the favor of God.  By turning to God in faith we gain entrance to God’s favor.  This is a state in which “we stand.”  We do so when we abide in the word of God.

2.  Notice the distinction here—it is not that our standing causes God’s grace (that is God’s doing). However, we are expected to “stand” or “stay” in that state in which we can receive God’s favor.

3.  This is conditional (1 Thessalonians 3:7-10).  Note: “If you stand fast” infers the possibility that one may not “stand fast.”  Is this because one “never had faith to begin with” (as we sometimes hear)?  No, Paul says they have faith, but it must be “perfected” and not be “lacking.”

4.  Many on the Day of Judgment who may have imagined that their imperfect (or incomplete) faith had allowed them to “stand” in God’s grace, may be sorely disappointed to learn that their was not saving faith. Saving faith allows one to…

D.  “Rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (5:2c).

1.  To have access to the grace of God allows us to anticipate God’s glory.

2.  Hope is not the same as full realization.  Hope suggests potential that can be realized or not (Romans 8:24-25).  Notice here that we are told that “hope” is connected with salvation. This (like many other things in Scripture that are involved in salvation) shows us the error of saying that salvation is by “faith only.”

3.  Hope does not indicate a lack of faith.  Hope is an element of the human response to the grace of God that moves us to trusting obedience to the gospel.

 

II.  “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations” (5:3a).  The ASV renders this “rejoice.” The NASB puts it “exult.” This is a word often translated “boast.”  This is the same as word translated “rejoice” in vs. 2, yet with different prepositions:

•  vs. 2 epi “over” – lit. “exult over the hope of the glory of God.”
•  vs. 3 en “in” – lit. “exult in tribulations.”

This is not teaching that Christians should enjoy hardship, but rather that we have reason to rejoice in spite of hardship.  When we realize what tribulation can produce we can appreciate it—or even take pride in it (Romans 8:18).  What a beautiful perspective that is unique to the Christian.  One woman put it this way…

I shall wear laughter on my lips
Though in my heart is pain -
God’s sun is always brightest after rain.

I shall go singing down my little way
Though in my heart the dull ache grows -
The song birds come again after the snows.

I shall walk eager still for what Life holds
Although it seems the hard road will not end -
One never knows the beauty round the bend!

                                                Anna Blake Mezquida

A.  “Tribulation produces perseverance” (5:3b).

1.  What can tribulation produce?  Perseverance, that is, the ability to continue under hardship.  The ability to hold true to what we believe.   2 Peter 1:5-7 lists perseverance after  - faith, virtue, knowledge, and self-control, yet before godliness, brotherly kindness, love.

2.  We noticed earlier that we must continue to “stand” in God’s grace.  If hardships can help us to have what we need to continue (or stand) faithful to the Lord, are they really something we should despise?  No.  We can see what they can produce.  But it doesn’t stop there…

B.  “Perseverance, character” (5:4a).

1.  When we gain perseverance, we become people of character. 

2.  The NASB renders this, “proven character.”  The KJV puts it,  “experience.”  The ASV actually coined a word that reflected accurately the sense of the original, translating this “approvedness.” 

3.  Endurance through trial tests our faith.  Obedience, in all things demonstrates our love, our faith, our true character (2 Corinthians 2:9).  This “testing” demonstrates one’s “character” (i. e. one’s approvedness).

3.  One who can stand fast against hardship, stands approved before God.  Paul speaks of Timothy’s “approved character” because he served him faithfully (Philippians 2:22).

Fyodor Dostoyevski wrote: “It is not the brains that matter most, but that which guides them—the character…”

C.  “And character, hope” (5:4b).

1.  We noticed in vs. 2 that our being made right by faith in Christ’s sacrifice allows us to have “hope in the glory of God.”  This helps define what that means—and when we can truly have hope. 

2.  We can have hope when we stand fast, endure tribulation and remain faithful.  This is acting “by faith.”  It is this kind of faith that grants us access to God’s grace.

III.  “Now hope does not disappoint” (5:5a). The hope that we can have when we are demonstrating what it means to have saving faith will not disappoint us.  It will allow us to realize what we anticipate regarding the glory of God. 

•  There is an old expression that was used to express disappointment -  “All my swans are geese” i.e. we expected something beautiful and got something disappointing.  Biblically grounded hope does not disappoint.

•  Titus 1:2 tells us God “cannot lie.”  He will not disappoint us in our commitment to Him. In Christ, “All our swans are swans.”

At the same time, we must make certain that our hope is Biblically grounded.  I can have all the confidence in the world in some theological system, or some mantra of man repeated over and over, and if it is not what all of Scripture teaches it is hope that will disappoint.  Notice some ways we can test Biblical hope…

A.  “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (5:5b).  Some would see this as a personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  Certainly, there was a direct operation of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles in the First Century by which the Holy Spirit directly taught the Apostles and prophets (cf. John 14:26).  Yet, this was not given to all believers for all time.  How is love poured out in the heart? Does He just give a feeling of love and contentment, or is it something else?   

1.  The word translated “by” in the Greek is the preposition dia “through.”  1 John 5:6 teaches that the “Spirit is the truth.” Jesus declared that His word “are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). 

2.  The truth of the gospel dwelling in our hearts is the means b which God’s love is poured into the heart of a Christian.  Allowing the word which the Spirit revealed to dwell in us is the allowing the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. 

3.  When God’s Spirit is in our hearts through faith it is the assurance of our resurrection unto eternal life (Romans 8:8-11).W