Believer's Experience of Life

5 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.

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.

You are not alone! If you have surrendered your life to God, you are never alone. He has promised to never leave you nor forsake you.

Last week, Paul began to share the great reality of being Christian. Paul described the dark and dire state that humanity is in. Corrupted by sin and enemies of God, people will be judged for their sin. So how does a holy, just God deal with sin without destroying all of humanity? By sending his Son to take the penalty of sin.

Paul tells us how wonderful it is to be a Christian. He speaks at length of the word justification.

δικαιωθέντεςδικαιόω- to justify, to declare righteous[because we] have been declared righteous

Our justification is not simply a guarantee of heaven, as thrilling as that is, but it is also the source of tremendous blessings that we enjoy here and now.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Four: Live like a King! (Romans 5)

When God declared us righteous in Jesus Christ, He gave to us seven spiritual blessings that assure us that we cannot be lost.

Peace With God - Before we came to God we were condemned because of our sin. Justification means that God declares us righteous, which is a declaration of peace, made possible by Christ’s death on the cross.

Access to God - In ancient times, the Jew was kept from God’s presence by the veil in the temple; and the Gentile was kept out by a wall in the temple with a warning on it that any Gentile who went beyond would be killed. But when Jesus died, He tore the veil and broke down the wall. In Christ, we all have access to God. Justification has to do with our standing before God. It is just as if we had not sinned. The word “access” here means “entrance to the king through the favor of another.”

Glorious Hope - “Peace with God” takes care of the past: God no longer holds our sins against us. “Access to God” takes care of the present: we can come to Him at any time for the help we need. “Hope of the glory of God” takes care of the future: one day we shall share in His glory! And so, we boast in His righteousness and glory!

Christian Character - Now, justification does mean that we escape the troubles and trials of this life. The difference between the believer and non-believer is the effects of the trial. For the believer in Jesus, trials work for us and not against us. No amount of suffering can separate us from the Lord if we hold onto Him. The only thing that can separate us from God is our conscious decision to separate ourselves from God. If we hold onto Jesus and trust in Jesus, any trials and troubles we face will bring us closer to the Lord and make us more like our Lord.

The word experience in means “character that has been proved.”

Suffering builds Christian character. The sequence is: tribulation—patience—proven character—hope.

Our English word “tribulation” comes from a Latin word tribulum. A tribulum was a heavy piece of timber with spikes in it, used for threshing grain. The tribulum was drawn over the grain and it separated the wheat from the chaff.

As we go through tribulations, and depend on God’s grace, the trials only purify us and help us get rid of the chaff.

5. God’s Love Within - As we wait for this hope from God to be fulfilled, the love of God is “poured out into our hearts.”

Fruit of the Spirit - Paul in tells us that Faith (), hope (), and love () all combine to give believers patience in the trials of life. And patience makes it possible for the believer to grow in character and become a mature child of God.

6. Salvation From Future Wrath - When God saved us when we were enemies, He will keep on saving us now that we are His children. There is a “wrath to come,” but no true believer will experience it.

- 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 527). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

The New International Version. (2011). (). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Christ died for us because He loved us, but even more so, when we accept His salvation, He will do so much more for us in this life as he intercedes for us in heaven! He is praying for us right now. He is praying for you as you face each trial and tribulation. That, my friends, is how He keeps His promise to never leave you nor forsake you.

7. Reconciliation with God - The word atonement means “reconciliation, brought back into fellowship with God.”

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Four: Live like a King! (Romans 5)

Paul explained how men declared war on God and, because of this, deserved to be condemned eternally. But God did not declare war on man. Instead, He sent His Son as the Peacemaker (Eph. 2:11–18) that men might be reconciled to God.

Conclusion - These seven blessings of justification reflect our salvation in Jesus Christ. Totally apart from the law, and purely by grace, we have a salvation that takes care of the past, the present, and the future. Christ died for us; Christ lives for us; Christ is coming for us. Amen!

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