We began to look at Romans 5 last time, but didn’t get further than verse 1.
Having been justified we now start to discover what that will mean in our lives.
Let’s read Romans 5:1-8
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
The prospect of eternal peace in verse 1 really doesn’t last long! But at least we can enjoy the first two verses.
We are reminded again in verse 2 that although it was us who exercised faith, it was only by the grace of our Lord that faith was even possible. But more than that, through that same grace we can now stand upright in his presence.
The same word translated ‘boast’ or ‘glory’ in verses 2 and 3 is more often translated as ‘rejoice’ and perhaps that would be better here. (The word for ‘Glory of God’ is a totally different word). Yes we can now claim a joyful confidence in our future – but not based on anything we have done.
So the ‘The glory of God’ is something that we can rejoice in because 1 John 3:2 tells us ‘But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.’
BUT, and it’s a big but. That is still in the future; what faces us here and now may well be sufferings, and can often be as a result of Satan’s fury that he has lost another of his potential recruits.
But glorying, rejoicing in our sufferings? (v3) Really?.
Jesus tells us that we will be blessed when we suffer persecution:
Matthew 5:10-12
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
And James starts his letter saying it is pure joy!
James 1:2-3
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
It has been suggested that the storms of life churn up the surface of the sea, but the deeper you look you find that it is still calm beneath.
Paul, more than anyone else knew what he was talking about (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). I’m sorry – I can honestly say I have never experienced persecution like that, so I can’t comment other than say that I hope I can agree that if times of trial come I will still be able to rejoice!
So we read on
3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Hope is an interesting word. It can indicate a wistful desire that something may possibly happen, but here it introduces an unshakeable certainty based on the one in whom we trust.
Now we know from personal experience that our hope is certainty, because of what has taken place within (v5) ‘God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us’ and nothing and no-one can take that away. (Romans 8:38-39)
Now Romans 5:6-8
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
‘when we were still powerless‘ ‘while we were still sinners’ – as has already been demonstrated, no-one can do anything to repay the debt of their sin. Sin has left its stain and only the blood of Jesus can wash us clean.
So it is painfully obvious that it was only because Christ loved us so much that he was prepared to die for us ‘while we were still sinners’.
This too had been planned from the beginning, and Jesus knew that God had a plan for his life – and death. (John 2:4, 7:30, 17:1) Paul understood in more ways than one that it was at just the right time (v6).
Before we move on we must look at verse 9
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him
This can be a problem for some because it speaks of ‘God’s wrath’. How can the God of love ever be wrathful?
Earlier we skipped casually over Romans 1:18
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness
and Romans 2:5
5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
The wrath or anger of God is not to be compared with our human emotions or responses. Often these can take over our reactions and may cause us to act in ways that we later regret.
God’s wrath is a measured response to sin, we were born sinful, and the wrath of God was on us from birth. Although I say it was measured – that doesn’t mean to say it was not terrible
Ephesians 2:1-3
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
But I thought God is a God of love? We love to quote John 3:16
‘God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son’. But in reading that, we forget that sin cannot go unpunished: ‘the wages of sin is death’ (Romans 6:23) and only one who was sinless could stand in our place and take the punishment due to us.
We need to read the rest of the John passage too (John 3:17-21), it explains that sinful people have already incurred the wrath of God and are already heading for Hell. If they choose to reject God’s offer of salvation, they are actually choosing to remain under God’s wrath.
Read John 3:36
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
Now read Romans 5:9-11
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
As I write this (January 2024) two major wars are raging, in Ukraine and Gaza. In both these conflicts it seems that there could never be reconciliation between the warring sides – their aims are diametrically opposed.
So it is with sinners – they are so opposed to God that there seems no possibility of reconciliation. But while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son (v10). Now that surely is something we can rejoice about!
Now read Romans 5:12-21 (This is a long passage could be shared, and should be read slowly!)
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Because of that one decision of Adam, sin entered, and closed the direct road to God. Unfortunately the only diversion available led straight to Hell and everyone was now forced in that direction. (v19)
However even then there was a route back to God – as we saw in our previous study, but only those who had faith in God could be counted as righteous. The law was later given to demonstrate just how far sinners were from the holiness that God required of those he had created, and how sin could be covered by the shed blood of a sacrifice. Even so, people could only gain righteousness through true faith in God, not by mechanically following a ritual (Isaiah 1:11-20).
And if we thought it unfair for many to die by the trespass of the one man,
how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! (vs15 & 17)
Note the words; ‘how much more’ and ‘overflow’. They speak of a generosity that no-one could have hoped for – ‘while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ’ (v8)
John 3:16 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son
For what purpose? To suffer the wrath of God as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world at Calvary.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Now it is a fact that if we are to be saved for something, we also have to be saved from something. Judgement is inescapable and for those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life, who refuse to acknowledge God, who tell God they have no need of Jesus and the sacrifice he made – they will suffer the effects of God’s turning from them in his wrath. They will be granted their wish to be left alone, and so will consequently suffer an eternity without God.
In Romans 5:9-11 Paul summed up what he had demonstrated so far:
Those who by faith believe, have been justified solely on the basis of the cleansing power of the shed blood of Jesus. They have been reconciled through the death of Jesus, and saved through his eternal life. And because of that can indeed rejoice (boast, glory).
But the Jews had learnt to rely on the Law as their hope of salvation. Paul now had to demonstrate that it actually had the opposite effect.
Look again at the first part of verse 20
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.
So before the law was given, did it mean that there was no sin? No – ever since Adam man had sinned against the moral code that was still present in people even though they were living in a world that had been spoilt. But more than that, they also had turned their backs on God.
The Law was given to shed light on the sinfulness of man and his past actions. I like Matthew Henry’s comment: ‘letting in a clearer light into a room, discovers the dust and filth which were there before, but were not seen.’
20(b) But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.
21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Here we are faced with two absolute rulers demanding to reign in our lives and there are only ever two alternatives.
I know which I have chosen.
