I invite you to turn tonight to Romans chapter 5. Uh, we're looking tonight it's on page 1119 romans chapter 5. We'll be looking at the first five verses of Romans 5, continuing through this wonderful book of Romans.
Beginning at verse 1: "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
And there will end the reading of God's word tonight.
Well, I'm not sure there's a better follow-up text to, uh, this morning's, uh, message. Uh, as we come to Romans chapter 5 tonight and consider the great truth that is laid out here before us, think of the the good news that the man heard uh, this morning when we looked at the paralytic: "Take heart, son. Forgiven are your sins." And if you put that together with a little parable that Jesus told tells in luke about the publican who, in the back, beat his chest and said, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner," and the Lord said, "I tell you, that man went down to his house justified."
What we're looking at tonight are the pastoral implications, if you will, of the great truth of justification by grace through faith alone. In other words, just imagine this great truth: that the man in Capernaum got up, and he went home justified. What did that mean for him? Now, right? Um, what did that great truth mean for the rest of life? We might say. And that that's a really important thought that I believe Romans 5 is helping us, almost transitionally, to understand. This chapter: our new position in Christ and what that means for how it affects the rest of life. I think that's really important to think about. We're not just giving fine theological points here. We're not just trying to score up a good grade on an exam by getting justification right. We're looking at this pastorally. That's Paul's great intention here. What this argument he has been making, what he has been proving about the doctrine of justification what it means for the whole of the Christian life. I believe that's what chapter 5 is transitioning and moving us to. When you come to 6, he begins to think about the relationship now of the Christian and sin, and chapter 7, that struggle with sin, but 5 is laying the groundwork for this positionally, if you will, and it has profound implications for us.
What the apostle is doing in Romans 5, especially these early verses, is applying the doctrine of justification. He's applying it. He likes application. This is important for this particular truth tonight. He's unpacking for us the the fruits that follow from those who've had this great status change and what it means for us. The the grand declaration, as we've been considering, that when you believe in Jesus Christ and you look to Christ in faith and you rest in him and you believe him, that God in his tribunal he justifies us. He he declares us not guilty something that took place completely outside of us, Christ for us, based on his work. But that doesn't mean now that since I am declared righteous it has no bearing on life. This has a very important bearing on the Christian life, this truth. And I really want to consider that tonight. That this is well maybe because sometimes these great doctrines of the faith are presented in a manner that we don't make these kind of connections, and I believe that's exactly what the apostles doing and looking at the effects of this great truth and looking at the consequences of this great truth for you. And it's just wonderful when you see it this way: how pastoral the doctrine of justification is for the whole of the Christian life. That's important because Romans, sometimes, is said to be a systematic theology. It is not a systematic theology. It is a pastoral epistle. It is a pastoral epistle, telling us why these doctrines matter for us, why these truths matter for us.
So you might begin by saying, "Do you understand what? Now we've laid the groundwork. We've explained the doctrine: what justification by faith means for you, what it has secured for you. How does it affect sanctification?" You know, Romans 5? Romans 5 is telling us tonight, in those opening verses, essentially something very profound. We might say, with the Westminster Confession, "What what is our chief purpose in life?" We say, "To glorify God." But really, we could talk about enjoying God, right? Here: What does it mean to enjoy the Christian life? What does it mean to enjoy God? And I think this is captured for us here. That this great truth before he gets to Romans 7 and describes the struggle with sin this great truth changes everything for us positionally. And so that that's sort of how we're breaking it down tonight. It changes our position. It changes our perspective. And it changes our pursuit. If you're looking for a creative outline: there the position, the perspective, and the pursuit. Is really what Paul is outlining for us in these first few verses of Romans 5.
Notice what he says in verse 1: therefore therefore since we have been justified by faith since this has been done since this, has been declared since you, have believed this Since this has been done for you think of the man this morning all your sins are forgiven since you have been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." He goes on: "Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."
That is indeed a mouthful. There's a lot there. What the Lord inspired there for us is important to understand of how that affects your whole of Christianity.
Justified by faith. Notice the first thing he says: you have peace with God. That is such important concept for us. The doctrine, again, briefly stated, is that even though we could say, with the Heidelberg, "the conscience grievously accuses us and is troubled by sin," nevertheless, out of sheer grace, do you know what God did? God granted and credited to you the perfect satisfaction, the perfect righteousness, the perfect holiness of Christ. The consequence being, as if you had never sinned or been a sinner. He wants us to know that on the merits of Christ, we are absolved. We are acquitted. We are forgiven.
But think about it now. The consequences of that! Paul just said your whole standing has changed. That word "stand" is important. It's It's important, in the whole history of scripture it's important um all the way back through the old testament you remember the men of that you might think of bet shemesh in First Samuel, um, when the ark and the problems they had by putting the ark on the field, and that question that was asked when the Lord struck down many. And you could you could have the same question posed after the Nadab and Abihu event. You have these great moments where God had had demonstrated his just wrath. The great question that sort of rang through the Old Testament was this: "Who is able to stand before the Lord, the holy God of Israel?" That's the question. No one's able to stand before him. And anytime anyone had a little glimpse of that glory i mean, just think of Isaiah. He saw just a little bit of that robe in the temple, and he saw a little bit of that glory, and he falls down, and he's he's pronouncing prophetic curses on himself, saying, "Woe is me! I'm breaking up in his presence, for I'm a man with unclean lips, and those who I dwell with have unclean lips." He's saying, "We're all sinners, and we don't even recognize the problem."
Well, this is what was all telling us about the great problem of the human race. And this is why it's important, you know, what we sing. What's that modern praise song? "I just want to touch you. I just want to know you. I want to see your face." We should be careful. We should be really careful. Do we know what we're saying? Right? Anyone who came into contact with God's blazing glory was incinerated. So this is a really important point. The Lord wanted us to think through this, and now this great emphasis that he's making here on "stand" is incredibly important for us.
What Paul just said is something that is shocking, something that is meant to encourage you. By grace, having been justified, you stand! You stand before him. Think of, and this is said in so many places, Ephesians. "In him, and through faith in him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence." What a beautiful thing! You get to approach him with freedom. There's a reason Hebrews says you get to now come. And what is worship? This is what we try to convince people. This is what we try to tell people. Worship is: you're coming before the face of God. I think R.C. Sproul wrote that book, "Before the Face of God." You get to come before the face of God. You're directly in his presence. Do you understand the benefit and blessing of that? You now get to come with boldness, having access into the throne room. That's what worship is gathered with the angels right now. If we could only see! We could only see.
You might go to First John: "In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment." So this is not just this is this is something present, but it's something that carries us all the way through to the day of judgment: that same boldness, that same ability to stand.
Jude: "Now, to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy."
This is all over the place. In fact, I read Revelation 7 tonight as we entered into worship: and that call to worship. "A great multitude is gathered around the throne, a great multitude from out of every nation and tribes and peoples and languages." What are they doing? Standing! Standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They're standing there. That's not just a light insert. That's a very thoughtful presentation of John in an inspired choice by the Spirit. You're standing before him. And that's what makes it so beautiful for us.
Now, Paul's not saying this is future. Having been justified by faith, right now you stand in that grace, and it's never taken from you. That's one of the greatest blessings you get to enjoy in this life that you take for granted, and I take for granted is the ability to know that you stand in grace, and it's not like he hasn't told us this everywhere. He wants us to live in this. He wants us to enjoy this. He wants us to know this. He wants us to have assurance in this. We stand in grace. You have peace with him. War is over.
It was, uh, martin lowe jones who wrote, "We have entered into a position of grace. We've had our introduction to God, and now we stand before him in an entirely new manner."
How did you stay? how what was the relationship before? Well, it's, it's, uh, Ephesians 2 1 "We were dead in trespasses and sins. We were under his just judgment. We were all, by nature, children of wrath." That was the status. That was the problem, because of sin. We have now access by faith because of this grace we've received. And, and, and, by the way, when he says here "stand," the word has a sense of a right to enter, a freedom to enter. Paul wants us to see how the doctrine of justification brings something permanent, that is fixed, that that is not nobody is able to take this from you.
Don't you think that this is at the heart of Romans 8, when he says, "Listen, who shall bring a charge against God's elect? Who? Who is the one doing the justifying here? God! Nobody can bring even a charge not satan not anybody." The position is fixed. We were enemies. We have believed in Christ. This is one of the greatest consequences of justification by faith.
So, so every day you get up, and this this really gets to the heart of what it means to preach the gospel to yourself. I get to do it every Sunday, but you have a responsibility to preach the gospel to yourself every day. And one of the ways you do that is to remind yourself every morning: you stand in his grace. Your position before him is one of having been accepted, because of Christ, into the beloved, into his presence, and that he's not holding your sins against you.
Now, what's moving about this further? It's a peace that was entirely accomplished by Christ. That's why it's so firm. That's why it's so sure. This is what Jesus was emphasizing after the resurrection: "My peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I give you peace." So then he said, "Let your hearts not be troubled, nor be afraid."
Maybe we need to emphasize that our heart should not be afraid in this life. My son is reading through Calvin's Institutes, and we were kind of chuckling at the beginning part of the Institutes where Calvin talks about the terror that's written on every man's conscience. And he says, "The terror that's on every man's conscience is proven in this: if a little leaf rustles behind him, he's terrified." I thought, "That's really funny!" God even has a leaf to terrify people. Not you! Not you! You stand in grace.
There's a reason the Lord wants us to understand: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" The standing is permanent. The standing is in grace. And I think maybe, just briefly, Abraham's a great illustration of this. You know, Paul has been working on the timing of Abraham, and and in chapter 4, he he spoke of the timing when Abraham was justified. In Genesis 15 6 "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." That there was a standing that Abraham had, there was a peace that Abraham had, that James will come along and say, quoting Genesis 15: "He was a friend of God." He was a friend of God! That makes us a little nervous to say: "Can we be friends with God?" But he wants us to understand. In that language, the enmity the the the war It's over. it's over
Even when Abraham would fail in the next chapter in Genesis 16, with hagar it was not as if, even though Abraham suffered earthly consequences, and most certainly peace is disrupted in this life when we sin and we do things we shouldn't do, and there are really serious earthly consequences for the believer in Christ, it is not as if God then roots us and removes the position of standing in his grace. He does not do that. This is beautiful what he raises here and continues to make this this case.
Far from championing that anyone should go on sinning, that grace may abound, you'll notice here something beautiful that is said: we have lasting and abiding peace. And I think this ties to the sort of discussion that we looked at with our heavenly Father in the Heidelberg catechism the relationship with the Father, that is something that Jesus cared a lot about: how we view the Father. The Father loved his Son. The Father gave his Son. And the Father gave his Son.
Think about this great truth of what Jesus said in John 16: "In that day, you will ask in my name. I'm not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you, because you've loved me and have believed that I came from God." The Father loves you! You believe in Christ. He gives you access. Think about it to the Father. The Father, he wants you to know through the ministry of the Holy spirit that the Father loves you.
I think Paul's concerned about this. Receiving Christ by faith makes everything sure. It completely changes the relationship so that you are forever and no longer, or ever will be enemies of God. That's how wonderful the gospel message is.
A lot of men especially young men struggle with sin. We're about to get to Romans 7. Sin brings terrible burden to the conscience, and I think often we stand back and say, "Well, I'd like a little more victory in this life. Then I'd like a little more victory if, um, if this status change has happened." And Paul is realistic about sin. Paul is very realistic about the struggle of sin. I think Christians, oftentimes, because they are sensitive to it, feel threatened that this status changes in their life. I think one of the things that you have to remember in the struggle against sin having been justified by faith having gone home justified is Colossians 2: "And you being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made alive together with him. Listen: having forgiven you all trespasses." I emphasize that because I don't think you can make a lot of progress in the Christian life until you really believe that. I think that's rooted here in Romans 5: peace, right, standing, forgiveness. We must believe that. We must trust him in that. That inspires the Christian life. That inspires the Christian life.
Paul will speak objectively in this whole chapter. He's about to speak of the status. He's about to speak of really the two Adams we were in. We were in the first Adam, and what happened by faith. We were brought into the last Adam. We're in him. We're in union with him. We're brought into him, and that changes everything. When he died, I died. When he was buried, I was buried. When he rose, I rose. That's Romans 6.
Well, that's the sort of overarching first image here we get in standing. But notice Paul's not stopping here on the fruits of this, the implications of this. In verse two, since we stand in this grace, we also do what? Rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
So what does the Lord do for you? What is the benefit of justification? What is the fruit of justification? You might say: he gives his saints the enjoyment of the certainty of what is to come. The certainty, the hope. Hope is not, in the Bible, wishful thinking. In the New Testament, hope is a certainty of what's promised. I mean, you think of Peter: "He caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is unperishable, imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven, reserved in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
So the New Testament authors are working from this great truth are wanting to us to live in the hope and certainty of what is ours: the assurance of glory, the assurance of what we call the beatific vision, of gazing our eyes upon Christ. We're going to behold him face to face. That's one of the benefits: is hope.
So notice: we stand by grace, we have peace with God, and we have hope. Isn't this wonderful? I mean, I don't know how much better it could get. It changes perspective. Finally, in how we look at all of life, if that's true, doesn't it? So peace, right standing, hope of glory.
Okay, well, what do we do about suffering? Also says, "Well, this changes that perspective, too."
Justification affects your perspective here, too. Look at verse three: "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings." Okay, so we rejoice in hope, we rejoice in this peace we have, but but notice now what he says. This changes our perspective in how we look at life. We now then also rejoice in sufferings, and he gives us a theology of suffering here, if you will, a pastoral theology.
Knowing that suffering produces What's the chain here? "Endurance. And endurance produces character. And character produces—" and he circles right back to it hope
So this is beautiful. We have peace with God. We have standing in grace. And now he says, "I want you to think then of how this affects what I know is your biggest struggle is going through the rest of this life and what will be hard in trials and afflictions and sufferings." Justification does not mean from here life is easier. That is that that's the false Paul's message. No, it doesn't get easier. But it changes your perspective. That's what he's saying.
Paul says we get to glory in tribulation. That's not something we always understand. That's not something it's easy to say to anyone in the midst of it. Some of you have been through awful things. Some of you have seen awful things. Some of you suffered terrible pain. Some of you have seen death. And our immediate response is that of the Psalms, and rightly so: "Why, O Lord? Why? Why? Why would you put your servant through this if we're your children?"
Inwardly, we struggle with the thought that such affliction or such hard providence means, or as the world sees it, bad fortune, means that God is displeased with us.
That's what he's aiming at. He's saying, "No, no! That is not the case. God is not displeased with his children. He, he may discipline his children in love. He's not angry with his children. He's giving you a perspective of this." of what god is doing in this
We struggle, thinking, "With affliction and sorrow, it's a message God is against us," and we question the goodness of God. And and notice how justification is used here. Notice how justification is used here: "Having been justified by faith, we rejoice now in sufferings." He's applying it. "I have a certainty of where I'm going. I have peace with God. My standing changes, and then that means, as the Heidelberg said tonight, whatever the Father sends me Did you notice that in the Heidelberg? They understood it properly. They understood providence properly: "Whatever the Father sends me, whatever adversity he sends me in this world paul's saying it guarantees fruit. You may not always see that, but notice what he says: "It produces endurance." he's training you hebrews you have need of endurance, that after you've done the will of God, after you've suffered for a little while, you may receive the promise." You have a need for this. You have a need for endurance in this life. That's what he's working in you. He's giving you the strength to bear up. You're being strengthened in affliction. You're being trained in difficulty that we more and more would live in eager anticipation of the hope that is ours. And that endurance is producing character. Character by trial is what he's saying that that you might just look at Paul's thorn in the flesh. I'm sure that was really confusing for him. "I pleaded with the Lord to take it away three times. He didn't take it away." And by the time that's done and he had prayed and God said, "My grace is sufficient," did you notice the perspective change in Paul? "I will therefore boast in what? Affirmatives? In reproaches, in persecutions, in difficulties, hardships, sufferings, that the power of Christ might rest upon me."
There's something Paul understood even about witness in this and purpose in this life that often the afflictions and sufferings have a greater purpose that we don't always understand, but it's for others. So he's helping us this, with this this: way it's improving you'll notice notice this it's a it's developing the quality of maturity in us, character in us, and proving that we are his children. That's important. And Paul brings it in to the end again to hope. So justification by faith has brought this new position. It has brought peace. It has changed our whole perspective in how we look at life. And then he seals all these wonderful blessings with a kind of conclusion here in verse five.
"And this hope this hope it doesn't put us to shame." Notice, notice what he says in verse 5. It's such a beautiful statement. "Because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
Well, what a statement! His love has been poured out into our hearts, and that is secure and sealed because he's given you his Holy Spirit, beloved. What a benefit! What a blessing!
Let me put it negatively: he'll never remove his love. It's already been poured into your hearts. It can't be taken because you have the Holy Spirit. I don't know that I could accumulate so many blessings if I were writing this in just a few verses. This is this is amazing. The whole section breathes assurance for you. I say that. That's important because very few in the history of Christianity have had a strong doctrine of assurance. Roman Catholics do not have it. You do, right here. "The love of God has been poured out in your hearts. You've been sealed with the Spirit." It's a love dependent on the Spirit's work, continually, through even the sufferings of life.
I think Calvin says it: "Great and certain it is." This is such a great statement. "No other thing is taught by Paul here than that the true fountain of all love is when the faithful are convinced that they are loved by God."
Let me say that again. It's the heart of this. Certain it is: "No other thing is taught by Paul than that the true fountain of all love that's how it's shown is when the faithful are convinced that they're loved by God."
That's beautiful! You believe you're loved by God. That's one of the great benefits of having been justified by faith. That love has been poured out in your hearts.
For this reason, Paul said, "I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in what love may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, to know the love of God that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
Who wants to say doctrine is cold and abstract? The doctrine of justification by faith alone drives everything. It drives your life. Its aim is that you would enjoy this kind of life: peace, hope, standing, rejoicing, and suffering the Spirit's work of knowing the love of God in your hearts. Its aim is that you would know you stand by grace, secured with a love that can never be taken from you.
So when that man went down to his house justified when he heard this morning, "Son, Your sins are for take heart son your sins are forgiven you go home. He went home a brand new man. And that's what God has for us.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for such rich blessings. Thank you for reassuring our hearts, having been justified by faith, of these kind of benefits. Let us know the love of God and believe it. We need that, oh Lord, by a work of your Spirit. Thank you for such steadfast, covenant love, and thank you for receiving us into your favor because of Christ. We give you all praise. May we enjoy what we are called to enjoy, in jesus name. Amen.