Series on Romans
VI The Gospel and Reconciliation
Text: 5:1-11
Introduction
In Romans 5 Apostle begins a lengthy discourse on the blessings of being justified and defines the life of the justified person. Here at the beginning he breaks forth in wonder and rejoicing over the consequences of God’s justifying grace. You will notice that rejoicing is found throughout this passage. In verse 2 we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, and in verse 11 we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. This, my friends, is one of the most sacred and hallowed statements in Scripture. When Paul speaks of rejoicing he is not talking about happy hour. It is not the frivolous thing that some people make it. To demonstrate the solemnity of the passage let me share the words of C. Stacey Woods, formerly the General Secretary of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. He writes of the Knowledge of the Holy by A.W.Tozer, “God will never become the man upstairs, some sentimental Santa Claus floating on a pink cloud benevolently patting us on the head and saying ‘There, there, don’t do it again.’ He will never be nothing more than a friend by my side who holds my hand. If I once get a glimpse of God as He really is, no longer shall I be able to sing the God-dishonoring trash that fills some of our religious hymnbooks today. I will not join with the shouting, clapping, hands up-raised, hysterical mass who, swept in an uncontrolled emotional storm, cheer as if Christ were some over-muscled, empty-headed football hero. No, in God’s presence I shall spiritually remove my shoes like Moses of old when he stood on holy ground. I shall bow in silence before God’s infinite majesty, waiting until he speaks. On the knees of my heart I will confess myself a sinner, unworthy, and humbly wait for His word of forgiveness a renewal. Never shall I carelessly rush into His presence, never make wisecracks and jokes to evoke the cackling irreverent laughter of the ignorant crowd. Rather my word shall be holy, holy, holy Lord God almighty.” With this in mind we turn again to our text and view the solemn, profound and holy character of the second person of the Trinity, our Savior. We see His power, His peacemaking, and His preserving and should be overcome with awe.
I Powerful
It is in the middle part of our text in verses 6-9 that we read of the power of our Savior, You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! Paul says we were powerless and we were powerless because we were ungodly. In Ephesians 2:1-5 Paul expresses it as being dead in sin, As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 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. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. While you were dead, while you were a sinner, while you were an enemy Jesus died for you. He didn’t love you for anything you had done because you couldn’t do anything. You were dead. By His atoning sacrifice Jesus removed the barrier between you and God, your sin, and you were brought into fellowship with God and therefore clothed in His righteousness, justified. When Jesus arose from the dead and ascended to God the Father as He has promised, He sent the Holy Spirit to bring life to dead sinners, but only to those for whom he died. Jesus Christ removed the guilt and penalty of your sin and then and only then could the Spirit raise you from the dead. Once that life entered you, then you could hear the gracious invitation of the gospel and you could repent and believe, but before that you were powerless. It is manifestly true that Jesus could speak to the dead and they could hear. But if we go to a funeral we can preach and witness, whisper and shout, beg and plead, but there will be no response. It is God who raises the dead. It is God who empowers the powerless. Jesus died for you so that this could happen. His is an awesome love.
II Preserving
We go to the beginning of our text to see the peacemaking Savior. We read in verses 1-5, Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Paul begins this section with the words that we are at peace with God and we will look more carefully at that in our next point. Here, however we want to concentrate on the fact that being at peace with God opens the way for us to be preserved. This is no temporary truce. We have permanent peace because justification is a once for all forensic act in which we are pronounced not guilty forever. Thus we have hope of eternal life with God. With this hope we have entered a school where graduation is guaranteed. But, like all schools there are hard courses to be taken and passed. The school that guarantees the degree or diploma also guarantees our passing all the prerequisite courses. We stand in grace, rejoice in hope, but we also rejoice in our sufferings because they are the key to persevering. We should understand that there is a big difference between preservation and perseverance. God preserves but we persevere. Moreover God preserves through our perseverance. If one is not persevering his expectation that he is being preserved is false. If you are being preserved, then you must be persevering and Paul makes it quite clear that it is our sufferings, our trials our battles with temptation and sin that produce perseverance. In this way Christian character is built and we grow in commitment. The more committed we are the more we hope because nothing produces assurance of our salvation like persevering through troubles. So we have suffering, perseverance, character, and hope as a golden chain which cannot be broken. Other New Testament writers tell us the same thing. James 1:2-4 says, My brothers, when you are beset by various temptations, count it all joy, because you know that the testing of your faith is working out endurance. But let endurance have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and entire, not lacking in anything.
III Peacemaking
In verse 9 we have already read that justification in the present has permanent implications, Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! Now in verses 10 and 11 Paul explains this further, For if, when 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! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. The theme here is what the Bible calls reconciliation. Two enemies have come together. In our modern age we are familiar with peace accords. a peace accord is a kind of agreement or treaty; a settlement in which the parties agree to permanently cease hostilities. A cease-fire is not permanent, but a peace accord is supposed to be enduring. Israel made a peace accord with Jordan in 1994. The famous camp David Accords of 1978 were a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel. In Northern Ireland when the conservative Christian Ian Paisley met with the Roman Catholic representative Gerry Adams they achieved a peace accord in 1998. And at the time of this study efforts are being made to achieve a peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians. We must realize that any human agreement is subject to being undermined and disregarded. These things have not escaped our attention, I am sure, but the peace accord mentioned in verse 1 is quite different. In all these other circumstances the parties are equals, but the peace between God and His people is not between equals. The terms are dictated by God and the accord is effected by God, and therefore the outcome is guaranteed. The peace is there because, as the Apostle tells us that we have been reconciled. God’s justice has been satisfied; Jesus paid it all. The Greek tense indicates that this past action stands by itself. It is as we say, a done deal. Weymouth translates verses 1 and 2 as follows, Standing then acquitted as the result of faith, let us enjoy peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also, as the result of faith, we have obtained an introduction into that state of favor with God in which we stand, and we exult in hope of some day sharing in God’s glory. Verse 1 is actually an exhortation to appreciate the peace we have through Jesus. We rejoice in it because as Paul says, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life. This is why Jesus says in John 8:31, 32 and 36, As for you, if you hold fast to my teaching, then you are truly my disciples; and you shall know the Truth, and the Truth will make you free. If then the Son shall make you free, you will be free indeed. And in John 10:27 and 28 Jesus adds, My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them the life eternal, and they shall never, never perish, nor shall any one wrest them from my hand.
Dr. John P. Clark's Sermons & Writings 