Like Abraham, we are called to travel the same route the way of faith and not the way of works.

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1 Introduction of today s Lesson: Sunday School Lesson, 03/20/2005 We are justified by Faith Lesson: Romans 5:1-11, Background Scriptures: Romans chapter 5 Time: A.D. 56 Place: City of Corinth The first two lessons of this quarter came from the opening chapters of Romans, drawing a clear picture of the need of sinners, both Jewish and Gentile. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Having spelled out this need, Paul then begins to explain the remedy. In chapter 4, he introduces an example, Abraham, who through faith was justified by God. Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness (Romans 4:3). Not by works! God s grace was required even for this Old Testament saint. Abraham was a good man, but he could not have done enough to earn God s favor. He trusted God, and that trust was the reason for his being considered righteous in God s sight. Like Abraham, we are called to travel the same route the way of faith and not the way of works. Lesson Aims: After this lesson, students should be able to: 1. Tell about our need for peace with God, the source of that peace, and the attending result of that peace. 2. Compare what Christ did for us as sinners with the much more that He does for those who have been reconciled. 3. Resolve to face with joy, patience, and hope a situation that currently causes tribulation. Golden Text Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1) I. Righteous in Christ (Romans 5:1-5) A. Faith (Romans 5:1) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Anytime we see a therefore or wherefore in Scripture, we must look to the preceding verses to find out what the writer was referring to. In Romans 4, Paul wrote of Abraham, a great example of faith. There, Paul argued convincingly that Abraham was justified by faith, not by his works.

2 Just as Abraham was justified by faith, so too are we put right with God through faith. The word justified was a legal term equivalent to a not guilty verdict in a court of law. Even in modern courts, though, not guilty is not the same as innocent. We are sinners we are not innocent. We are guilty. But God is willing to justify us, that is, to declare us not guilty, on the basis of faith. Because we have been justified by faith, we not enjoy peace with god (5:1). Instead of being the enemies of God because of sin (vs. 10), we experience the inner peace that comes through a relationship with the God of the universe. This was made possible through our Lord Jesus Christ (vs. 1), who is the Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6). B. Grace (Romans 5:2) By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. To have access is to be permitted to see or do something that is given only to the privileged. As believers in Christ, we are privileged to have access to the gracious presence of God. By the very nature of what grace is, we do not earn or merit it. Grace is unmerited favor. Though undeserved, it is not unconditional. Our means of access is by faith. This leads us to rejoice in hope of the glory of God. If redemption were something we earned or deserved, we could be proud of our achievement. Since it is by grace through faith, however, we can only rejoice in the hope given to us by God through His Son. As Jeremiah said, we should not glory in our wisdom or wealth but in the fact that we know the Lord (Jeremiah 9:23-24). Paul apparently had these verses in mind when he wrote, That, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord. (1 st Corinthians 1:31). C. Patience (Romans 5:3-4) And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: The word translated tribulations literally means pressure, or squeeze, and could be translated troubles, sufferings, or afflictions. There are, of course, many different kinds of tribulations. Some are simply the result of living in a sinful world, where we experience disease, disaster, and death. Some tribulations may be selfinduced because of bad choices in life. Other troubles just happen for no apparent reason at least from the human perspective. Paul could glory in tribulations (Romans 5:3) because of the fruit such experiences would bear. Tribulations produce patience. The particular word translated patience means endurance, or perseverance. Those who cave in to the pressures of persecution will not bear fruit (Matthew 13:21), but those who bear up 2

3 under trials will become stronger as a result of such experiences that test them. Patience (or endurance) will produce experience (Romans 5:4). This particular word means strength of character. People who have this experience are those who have undergone many tests of their character and have grown much as a result. Thus, an experienced church leader is one, who has faced many trials, resulting in strength of character that otherwise would be lacking. Ultimately, hope will be the end result of enduring trials and tribulations. While it may seem a paradox, those who have suffered the most in this world are frequently the most hopeful. Those who give up quickly because of trials likely destroy the possibility of having great hope. D. Hope (Romans 5:5) And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. The kind of hope that Paul was speaking of will not disappoint us. For example, if people invest in a get-rich-quick scheme hoping for an easy life, they have put their hope in something that will likely disappoint and shame them. Our hope is in the Lord, who will never disappoint us (Psalm 25:20). There is good reason our hope is secure: God s love is in our hearts, implanted by the very Spirit of God. From the first time we hear the Word of God, the Holy Spirit works to convince us of the truth of Christ (John 16:7-8). Once we accept Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts and bodies in a special way (Acts 2:38 and Romans 8:9). II. Reconciled to God (Romans 5:6-11) A. Mankind s need (Romans 5:6-7) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly, For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. When Paul wrote, We were yet without strength, he was not just talking about himself or the people of his day; rather, he meant all humanity. Paul had earlier stated that we are all sinners (3:23). Now he declared that we are powerless to remedy our lost estate. Part of God s plan for the salvation of man was to send Christ in due time (Romans 5:6), which means at the right time. The same thought appears in Galatians 4:4, which will be studied in lesson 11. After coming to earth, Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6). Had mankind been able to redeem himself, the death of Christ would have been totally 3

4 unnecessary. Christ s sacrifice would not have been required if humanity were inherently good by nature. What Paul had in mind when he contrasted the righteous man and the good man (vs. 7) is not clear. The thrust of Paul s statement is that very few are willing to die for others, even though they might be righteous or good individuals. B. God s love (Romans 5:8-9) But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. The great demonstration of God s love for sinners is that He sent Christ to die for us. God did not wait until we had straightened up our own lives (as if that were possible) before making salvation available. Instead, He took the initiative and sent His only Son into the world to rescue us from the power and the penalty of sin (John 3:14-18). As sinners, we have been justified by his blood (Romans 5:9). As mentioned earlier, the word justified was a legal term referring to the acquittal of one accused of a crime. We have broken God s law but have been declared not guilty on the basis of Christ s shed blood. In the New Testament, salvation is pictured as past, present, and future. We have been saved from past sins. We are also being saved, meaning that sanctification is ongoing. Ultimately, we will be saved from the penalty of sin, the wrath of God revealed at the Second Coming (2 nd Thessalonians 1:7-10). When we get to heaven in our glorified bodies, we will be saved from the very presence of sin. C. Christ s life (Romans 5:10-11) For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have not received the atonement. Outside of God s saving grace, we were His enemies. We had rebelled against God by refusing to come to Him in obedient faith. Through Christ, however, we have been reconciled, that is, put right with God, by the death of his Son. Here Paul was speaking of the future aspect of salvation. It is Jesus present resurrection life, not His past earthly life that assures us that He will bring our salvation to completion. As our great High Priest, He continues to intercede on our behalf (1 st Timothy 2:5-6). 4

5 Because of this great salvation (Hebrews 2:3), we can joy in God (Romans 5:11). As seen previously, if salvation would have reason to boast. As it is, salvation is a gift from God (Romans 6:23) in which we rejoice; consequently, we have now received the atonement (Romans 5:11). The word translated atonement is the noun form of the word rendered reconciled in verse 10. It pictures the estranged now at peace with one another (Colossians 1:20-22). III. Rescued From Sin (Romans 5:18-21) A. Sin abounded (Romans 5:18-19) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Paul now turned to the first man, Adam, and both compared and contrasted him with the Last Adam, Jesus Christ (1 st Corinthians 15:45). Because of Adam, we are sinners. As the first human being, he was given the choice of obeying or disobeying God. Adam and Eve decided to disobey God. Sadly, human beings have been doing the same thing ever since. The human race has been greatly affected by the Fall of Adam. Obviously, the reality of death in our world shows the power of the one sin (Romans 5:12). Other results of sin, such as pain, sorrow, and disease, also remind us of the power of Adam s dreadful choice. In contrast to the disobedience of Adam, which brought sin into the world, Jesus obedience to the Father s will brought the potential for many to be made righteous. Some have taken this to mean that eventually all will be saved, but Paul was not saying that. That would contradict passages that indicated that some will be saved and others will be lost (Matthew 25:46). Paul was simply showing that Christ s work on the cross reverses the consequences of the Fall for all who trust Him. Potentially, Christ is the Saviour of all; actually, He is the Saviour of those who come to Him (1 st Timothy 2:4). B. Grace abounded more (Romans 5:20-21) Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. With the giving of the law, Israel had a set of rules to follow; yet they did not keep the law. In fact, the law actually incited people to sin (7:8), just as a Wet Paint sign 5

6 tends to make us want to touch the painted surface. The law revealed the need for God s grace. God is not going to allow sin to reign forever. His grace is more powerful than sin, resulting in eternal life by Jesus Christ (5:21). Just as Adam s sin was imputed to us, so is Christ s righteousness. We die in Adam through no fault of our own; we live in Christ through no merit of our own! General Comments and Conclusions: Our faith in Christ gives us constant access to God s gracious presence (Romans 5:1-2). We should not fear hardships but use them to grow in our faith (vs. 3-5). Christ s sacrifice demonstrates God s love for us despite our unworthiness (vs. 6-8). The source of true joy is a personal relationship with God (vs. 9-11). Christ s obedience to God the Father canceled out Adam s disobedience (vs ). God s grace is far more powerful than sin and its effects (vs ). We now have peace with God, which may differ from peaceful feelings such as calmness and tranquility. Peace with God means that we have been reconciled with him. There is no more hostility between us, no sin blocking our relationship with him. Peace with God is possible only because Jesus paid the price for our sins with his death on the cross at Calvary. Paul states that, as believers, we now stand in a place of highest privilege ( This grace wherein we stand ). Not only has God declared us not guilty; but also he has drawn us close to him. Instead of enemies, we have become his friends -- in fact, his children (John 15:15). As Paul states clearly in 1 st Corinthians 13:13, faith, hope and love are at the heart of the Christian life. Our relationship with God begins with faith, which helps us realize that we are delivered from our past by Christ s death. Hope grows, as we learn all that God has in mind for us; it gives us the promise of the future. And God s love fills our lives and gives us the ability to reach out to others. For first-century Christians, suffering was the rule rather than the exception. Paul tells us that in the future we will become but until then we must overcome. This means we will experience difficulties that help us grow. Glory in tribulations means rejoicing in suffering. We rejoice in suffering not because we like pain or deny its tragedy, but because we know God is using life s difficulties and Satan s attacks to build our character. Problems we run into will develop our patience which in turn will strengthen our character, deepen our trust in God, and give us greater confidence about the future. You probably find your patience tested in some way every day. Thank God for these opportunities to grow and deal with them in his strength (James 1:2-4). 6

7 All three members of the Trinity are involved in salvation. The Father loves us so much that he sent His Son to bridge the gap between us (John 3:16). The Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit to fill our lives with love and to enable us to live by his power (Acts 1:8). With all this loving care, how can we do less than serve him completely! We were helpless because we could do nothing on our own to save ourselves. Someone had to come and rescue us. Not only did Christ come at a good time in history, he came at exactly the right time according to God s own schedule. God controls all history and he controlled the timing, methods, and results of the death of Jesus Christ. While we were yet sinners these are amazing words. God sent Jesus Christ to die for us, not because we were good enough but because he loved us so much. Whenever you feel uncertain about God s love for you, remember that he loved you even before you turned to him. If God love you when you were a rebel, he can surely strengthen you now that you love him in return. The love that caused Christ to die is the same love that sends the Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us every day. The power that raised Christ from the dead is the same power that saved you and is available to you in your daily life. Be assured that having begun a life with Christ, you have a reserve of power and love to call on each day for help to meet every challenge or trial you encounter. Just as you can pray for forgiveness, you can pray for God s power and love, as you need it. God s is holy, and he will not be associated with sin. All people are sinful, and all sin deserves punishment. Instead of punishing us with death we deserve, however, Christ took our sins upon him and paid the price for them with his own death on the cross. Now we can joy in God. Through faith in his work, we become his friends rather than his enemies and outcasts. We are all born into Adam s physical family the family line that leads to certain death. All of us reap the results of Adam s sin. We have inherited this guilt, the tendency to sin, and God s punishment. Because of Jesus, however, we can trade judgment for forgiveness. We can trade our sin for Jesus goodness. Jesus offers us the opportunity to be born into his spiritual family the family line that begins with forgiveness and leads to eternal life. If we do nothing, we have death through Adam, but if we come to God by faith, we have life through his Son, Jesus Christ. Which family line do you now belong to? What a promise to those who love Christ! We can reign over sin s power, over death s threats, and over Satan s attacks. Eternal life is ours now and forever. In the power and protection of Jesus Christ, we can overcome temptation. Remember the crucial doctrines in Romans: o Election God s choice of an individual or group for a specific purpose or destiny. (Romans 9:10-13). o Justification God s act of declaring us not guilty for our sins. (Romans 4:25; 5:18). 7

8 o Propitiation - The removal of God s punishment for sin through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:25). o Redemption Jesus Christ has paid the price so we can go free. (Romans 3:24; 8:23). o Sanctification Becoming more and more like Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Ghost. (Romans 5:2; 15:6). o Glorification The ultimate state of the believer after death when he or she becomes like Christ. (Romans 8:18-19; 1 st John 4:4). Remember Ephesians 2:8-10, For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Remember the Roman Road to Salvation: o Romans 3:23 Everyone has sinned. o Romans 6:23 The penalty for our sin is death. o Romans 5:8..Jesus Christ died for our sin. o Romans 10:8-10 To be forgiven for our sin, we must believe in our heart and confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. Salvation comes only through Jesus Christ. Questions from the Lesson: 1. What does the word justified mean? How are we justified? 2. What specific result of being justified does Paul mention in Romans (5:1)? 3. In what did Paul say we could glory? What other benefits does this produce? 4. What does in due time (vs. 6) mean? Where else did Paul mention this concept? 5. How did God demonstrate His love for us? 6. Besides being saved from past sins, what else are we saved from? 7. What did Paul mean when he said we are saved by Christ s life? 8. What was the result of Adam s disobedience? 9. What did Christ s obedience make possible? Does this mean that everyone will be saved? 10. What abounded because of sin? Romans Chapter V 1 Being justified by faith - This is the sum of the preceding chapters. We have peace with God - Being enemies to God no longer, Rom 5:10; neither fearing his wrath, Rom 5:9. We have peace, hope, love, and power over sin, the sum of the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth chapters. These are the fruits of justifying faith: where these are not, that faith is not. 2 Into this grace - This state of favor. 3 We glory in tribulations also - Which we are so far from esteeming a mark of God's displeasure, that we receive them as tokens of his fatherly love whereby we are prepared for a more exalted 8

9 happiness. The Jews objected to the persecuted state of the Christians as inconsistent with the people of the Messiah. It is therefore with great propriety that the apostle so often mentions the blessings arising from this very thing. 4 And patience works more experience of the sincerity of our grace, and of God's power and faithfulness. 5 Hope shameth us not - That is, gives us the highest glorying. We glory in this our hope, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts - The divine conviction of God's love to us, and that love to God which is both the earnest and the beginning of heaven. By the Holy Ghost - The efficient cause of all these present blessings, and the earnest of those to come. 6 How can we now doubt of God's love? For when we were without strength - Either to think, will, or do anything good. In due time - Neither too soon nor too late; but in that very point of time which the wisdom of God knew to be more proper than any other. Christ died for the ungodly - Not only to set them a pattern, or to procure them power to follow it. It does not appear that this expression, of dying for any one, has any other signification than that of rescuing the life of another by laying down our own. 7 A just man - One who gives to all what is strictly their due The good man - One who is eminently holy; full of love, of compassion, kindness, mildness, of every heavenly and amiable temper. Perhaps - one - would - even - dare to die - Every word increases the strangeness of the thing, and declares even this to be something great and unusual. 8 But God recommendeth - A most elegant expression. Those are wont to be recommended to us, who were before either unknown to, or alienated from, us. While we were sinners - So far from being good, that we were not even just. 9 By his blood - By his bloodshedding. We shall be saved from wrath through him - That is, from all the effects of the wrath of God. But is there then wrath in God? Is not wrath a human passion? And how can this human passion be in God? We may answer this by another question: Is not love a human passion? And how can this human passion be in God? But to answer directly: wrath in man, and so love in man, is a human passion. But wrath in God is not a human passion; nor is love, as it is in God. Therefore the inspired writers ascribe both the one and the other to God only in an analogical sense. 10 If - As sure as; so the word frequently signifies; particularly in this and the eighth chapter. We shalt be saved - Sanctified and glorified. Through his life - Who "ever liveth to make intercession for us." 11 And not only so, but we also glory - The whole sentence, from the third to the eleventh verse, may be taken together thus: We not only "rejoice in hope of the glory of God," but also in the midst of tribulations we glory in God himself through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the reconciliation. 12 Therefore - This refers to all the preceding discourse; from which the apostle infers what follows. He does not therefore properly make a digression, but returns to speak again of sin and of righteousness. As by one man - Adam; who is mentioned, and not Eve, as being the representative of mankind Sin entered into the world - Actual sin and its consequence a sinful 9

10 nature. And death - With all its attendants. It entered into the world when it entered into being; for till then it did not exist. By sin - Therefore it could not enter before sin. Even so - Namely, by one man. In that - So the word is used also, 2Cor 5:4. All sinned - In Adam. These words assign the reason why death came upon all men; infants themselves not excepted, in that all sinned. 13 For until the law sin was in the world - All, I say, had sinned, for sin was in the world long before the written law; but, I grant, sin is not so much imputed, nor so severely punished by God, where there is no express law to convince men of it. Yet that all had sinned, even then, appears in that all died. 14 Death reigned - And how vast is his kingdom! Scarce can we find any king who has as many subjects, as are the kings whom he hath conquered. Even over them that had not sinned after the likeness of Adam's transgression - Even over infants who had never sinned, as Adam did, in their own persons; and over others who had not, like him, sinned against an express law. Who is the figure of him that was to come - Each of them being a public person, and a federal head of mankind. The one, the fountain of sin and death to mankind by his offence; the other, of righteousness and life by his free gift. Thus far the apostle shows the agreement between the first and second Adam: afterward he shows the differences between them. The agreement may be summed up thus: As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; so by one man righteousness entered into the world, and life by righteousness. As death passed upon all men, in that all had sinned; so life passed upon all men, (who are in the second Adam by faith,) in that all are justified. And as death through the sin of the first Adam reigned even over them who had not sinned after the likeness of Adam's transgression; so through the righteousness of Christ, even those who have not obeyed, after the likeness of his obedience, shall reign in life. We may add, As the sin of Adam, without the sins which we afterwards committed, brought us death ; so the righteousness of Christ, without the good works which we afterwards perform, brings us life: although still every good, as well as evil, work, will receive its due reward. 15 Yet not - St. Paul now describes the difference between Adam and Christ; and that much more directly and expressly than the agreement between them. Now the fall and the free gift differ, 1. In amplitude, Rom 5: He from whom sin came, and He from whom the free gift came, termed also "the gift of righteousness," differ in power, Rom 5: The reason of both is subjoined, Rom 5: This premised, the offence and the free gift are compared, with regard to their effect, Rom 5:18, and with regard to their cause, Rom 5: The sentence was by one offence to Adam's condemnation - Occasioning the sentence of death to pass upon him, which, by consequence, overwhelmed his posterity. But the free gift is of many offences unto justification - Unto the purchasing it for all men, notwithstanding many offences. 17 There is a difference between grace and the gift. Grace is opposed to the offence; the gift, to death, being the gift of life. 10

11 18 Justification of life - Is that sentence of God, by which a sinner under sentence of death is adjudged to life. 19 As by the disobedience of one man many (that is, all men) were constituted sinners - Being then in the loins of their first parent, the common head and representative of them all. So by the obedience of one - By his obedience unto death; by his dying for us. Many - All that believe. Shall be constituted righteous - Justified, pardoned. 20 The law came in between - The offence and the free gift. That the offence might abound - That is, the consequence (not the design) of the law's coming in was, not the taking away of sin, but the increase of it. Yet where sin abounded, grace did much more abound - Not only in the remission of that sin which Adam brought on us, but of all our own; not only in remission of sins, but infusion of holiness; not only in deliverance from death, but admission to everlasting life, a far more noble and excellent life than that which we lost by Adam's fall. 21 That as sin had reigned - so grace also might reign - Which could not reign before the fall; before man had sinned. Through righteousness to eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord - Here is pointed out the source of all our blessings, the rich and free grace of God. The meritorious cause; not any works of righteousness of man, but the alone merits of our Lord Jesus Christ. The effect or end of all; not only pardon, but life; divine life, leading to glory. 11