Blessings Of Being Justified 6-28-26 AM
I. The blessing of peace (Rom. 5:1).
a. The word “therefore” points back to chapter 4.
i. Paul has just stated that righteousness is counted to those who believe in the God who raised Jesus from the dead.
ii. Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
b. When Paul states since we have been justified by faith, he is not talking about a shallow mental agreement.
i. Biblical faith trusts God enough to respond to Him.
ii. It is faith that moves.
c. When we are justified, we have peace with God.
d. This is not a warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart but a changed relationship with God.
i. Before justification, we are not neutral.
ii. We are not simply confused people trying to do our best.
iii. Sin makes us enemies of God (Jam. 4:4).
iv. Before justification, we are on the wrong side of the battle.
e. Notice what Paul writes later in the letter (Rom. 8:6).
f. When WWII ended, the signing of the surrender documents aboard the USS Missouri did not merely create a feeling of peace.
i. It officially ended a state of war.
ii. The relationship changed because the conflict had been settled.
g. This is the picture in this verse.
i. Through Jesus Christ, the conflict caused by sin is settled.
ii. The sinner no longer stands as an enemy of God but as one brought near thought Jesus.
h. We need to understand there is a difference between feeling peaceful and being at peace with God.
i. Some people feel calm but are still lost.
ii. Some people feel religious but are still guilty.
iii. Some people feel confident but are still unreconciled.
i. Paul writes that the justified person has peace with God “through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
j. This means our assurance is not built on our goodness but on His cross.
k. Because Jesus settled our guilt, we can live at peace with God.
II. The blessing of grace (Rom. 5:2).
a. Paul tells us that through Jesus we have “access” to get into grace.
b. This carries the idea of being brought into the presence of someone important.
i. We don’t barge into God’s favor.
ii. We are brought in through Christ.
c. Notice the phrase “this grace wherein we stand…”
i. Grace is not something God gives at the beginning of salvation and then takes away.
ii. Grace is the place where the justified live.
iii. We stand in it.
d. Grace is God’s unearned favor.
i. It is not wages or payment.
ii. It is not God rewarding us because we are impressive.
iii. It is God giving what we do not deserve because of what Christ has done.
e. This verse shows us that faith and grace go hand in hand.
i. Grace is God’s part.
ii. Faith is man’s part – our part.
iii. Obedient faith receives what grace provides.
f. When one is baptized into Christ, he puts on Christ (Gal. 3:27).
i. We don’t earn grace in baptism.
ii. We submit to Christ in faith and receive what only grace can give.
g. A few weeks ago, Jincy and I got to go to a grand opening of a new factory in the Shoals area.
i. The reason we got to go was not because we belonged there or they were letting just anyone in there.
ii. We got to go in there because we had been invited because Jincy works for Congressman Aderholt.
iii. We got to go because someone with authority allowed us access.
h. This is grace – we did not have access to God because of our record – Jesus gives us access because of His.
i. A lot of us struggle because we feel we are barely tolerated by God.
i. I’ve heard people say “I hope I just get in the back door of heaven” or something like this.
ii. They just hope God lets them in and it doesn’t have to be a fine place for them.
j. Romans 5:2 says the justified stand in grace.
i. There are no levels of grace.
ii. You are either in it or you are not.
k. We do need to remember that we stand in grace but are also warned we can fall from it.
i. We can’t treat grace as a license to do what we want.
ii. We have to treat grace as something we will never let go.
l. Grace gives us access we could never earn.
III. The blessing of tribulation (Rom. 5:3-5).
a. This blessing probably surprises us that is even considered a blessing.
b. Peace and grace – absolutely.
c. Surely not tribulations.
d. Paul says the justified can even rejoice in sufferings.
i. Not because they are enjoyable.
ii. Not because pain is pleasant.
iii. Not because Christians pretend hardships don’t hurt.
e. We rejoice because God uses tribulations to produce something in us.
i. Suffering produces patience, or endurance.
ii. Endurance produces experience, or character.
iii. Character produces hope.
iv. Hope does not allow us to be ashamed.
f. The world sees difficulties and suffering as things to be completely avoided.
i. The world says the best life is the easiest life.
ii. Paul says God can use these things to strengthen faith.
g. The word translated “experience” or “character” contains the idea of testedness, genuineness, approvedness – it is the quality of something that has gone through the fire and remained.
i. Gold is refined by extreme heat.
ii. The extreme heat does not create the gold, but reveals it and purifies it.
iii. The heat separates what is precious from what does not belong.
h. In the same way, trials do not create faith out of nothing, but they test and strengthen real faith.
i. A Christian who has endured grief, sickness, opposition, temptation, and disappointment with trust in God often has a depth that cannot be manufactured in comfort.
j. Some of the strongest Christians you know are not strong because life has been easy – they are strong because they have walked with God through pain.
i. They have learned to pray when answers were slow.
ii. They have learned to trust when feelings were weak.
iii. They have learned to obey when obedience was costly.
k. Paul is not saying every hardship automatically makes every person better.
i. Some become bitter.
ii. But when suffering is endured with faith, God uses it to build endurance, character, and hope.
l. This hope will not disappoint us.
m. Have you ever looked forward to something, really built it up in your mind, and then, when it finally got there, was not what you hoped?
i. Heaven will never be that way.
ii. No one is going to stand in God’s presence and say, “I expected more.”
n. God uses present trials to deepen future hope.
IV. The blessing of God’s love (Rom. 5:6-8).
a. Paul now takes us to the depth of God’s love.
i. Jesus did not die for us when we were strong.
ii. Jesus did not die for us when we were righteous.
iii. Jesus did not die for us when we had cleaned ourselves up.
b. Did you hear how Paul described us – and that is when Christ died for us.
c. Verse 8 is one of the greatest statements in all of scripture.
d. God did not just say He loved us – He demonstrated it.
e. All of us who were aware of the events of 9-11 were moved by the sacrifice of so many first responders on that day.
i. Rushing into a burning skyscraper.
ii. Doing all they could to save people and then many of them dying for it.
iii. Those acts move us because of the sacrifice
f. Paul says even among human beings, it would be rare for someone to die for a righteous person.
g. Someone might die for a good person.
h. God’s love goes beyond that – Jesus died for the ungodly
i. Jesus did not die for friends only but to turn enemies into friends.
j. When we doubt God’s love, we can’t measure it first by our circumstances – we have to measure it by the cross.
i. Our circumstances change.
ii. Our feelings change.
iii. Our health changes.
iv. Our relationships change.
v. Our finances change.
k. The cross stands as God’s ultimate demonstration of love – God shows us His love at the cross.
l. The cross proves God loves us at our worst.
V. The blessing of salvation (Rom. 5:9).
a. Paul tells us we are justified by the blood of Christ.
i. This means the death of Jesus is not just an example of love.
ii. It is the means by which our guilt is answered.
b. Because we are justified by His blood, we will be saved from the wrath of God.
c. That is an uncomfortable but biblical phrase.
i. God is loving, patient, gracious, merciful, and kind.
ii. But God is also holy and just.
iii. His wrath is His settled opposition to sin and rebellion.
d. The justified are saved from wrath because Jesus has dealt with our sin.
e. Many people want salvation from anxiety, hardship, loneliness, or consequences.
i. Those are real burdens.
ii. Our deepest need, however, is salvation from sin and judgment.
f. Paul says those justified by the blood of Jesus will be saved from wrath.
i. This should humble us.
ii. This should sober us.
iii. This should make us thankful.
iv. This should move us to warn others.
g. God’s wrath is not a preacher’s scare tactic.
h. It is a biblical reality, but so is God’s mercy.
i. The only safe place from wrath is in Christ.
j. Christ’s blood saves us from the wrath our sin deserves.
VI. The blessing of reconciliation (Rom. 5:10).
a. Reconciliation means a broken relationship has been restored.
b. Because of sin, we were God’s enemies.
i. The problem was not that God wronged us.
ii. The problem was that we sinned against Him.
c. God’s justice does not allow for fellowship with sin.
i. God is holy.
ii. Sin separates.
d. But through the death of Jesus, reconciliation is made possible.
i. Our sins caused us to leave God.
ii. The death of Jesus opened the way back to God.
iii. And when we put on Christ, we are brought back into relationship with God.
e. But Paul adds something important – “much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
i. The death of Jesus makes reconciliation possible.
ii. The life of Jesus makes continuing salvation possible.
f. A dead Savior could save no one.
i. Jesus died, but He did not stay dead.
ii. He reigns – He intercedes – He keeps His promises.
g. We’ve all known of friendships or families that become divided over some incident.
i. Sometimes those situations are never resolved.
ii. In some, though, someone reaches out in humility, apologizes and makes things right so the parties can be reconciled.
h. This is a small picture of what God has done through Christ.
i. Except in our case, God was the offended party and He made the first move.
j. This means Christianity is not merely rule-keeping – it is restored relationship with God.
k. Obedience, doctrine, worship, and holiness all matter.
l. But they all flow from this reality – through Christ, enemies can be reconciled to God.
m. Jesus brings enemies back into relationship with God.
VII. The blessing of atonement (Rom. 5:11).
a. Atonement carries the idea of a change of state – from enmity to friendship, separation to fellowship.
b. Atonement is sometimes explained by stating it broken into syllables – at-one-ment.
i. This means being made at one with God.
ii. This is not the technical meaning, it captures the blessing very well.
c. Jesus allowed us to go from enemies to friends of God.
i. Because of His death and resurrection, we can be at one with God.
ii. And this brings joy, the verse tells us.
d. The justified person does not merely rejoice in blessings from God, but in God Himself.
e. Think of a child estranged from his/her parents.
i. The greatest gift would not be merely receiving something in the mail from the parent.
ii. The greatest gift would be coming home, sitting at the table, and knowing the relationship has been restored.
f. This is the joy of atonement.
g. God is not sending gifts from a distance and that is all – He brings us near.
h. Some people want God’s gifts more than they want God – you can’t have one without the other.
i. The greatest blessing of justification is not merely we avoid wrath, though we do.
j. The greatest blessing of justification is not merely we gain hope, though we do.
k. It is not merely that we gain peace, grace, and salvation, though we do.
l. The greatest blessing is God Himself.
m. Atonement gives us joy because we are brought back to God.