Peace With God

Recently I had the privilege of visiting one of the largest private collections of biblical antiquities in the world. One of the items in the collection was William Tyndale’s translation of Paul’s letter to the Romans into English. For translating the Bible into English William Tyndale was burned at the stake. But despite his sufferings he knew he had peace with God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that he had a glorious hope to look forward to and that God would use his sufferings for his glory. Indeed Tyndale’s final prayer as he was being burned was

“Lord, open the eyes of the King of England.”

Just a little later King Henry VIII ordered that every church in the land should have an English Bible. All of which reminded me of three things. First, we should never take the Bible for granted but rather we should read it daily and if you’re not at the moment can I encourage you to read Romans alongside these sermons. Secondly that we’re also to put God’s Word into practice whatever the cost as Tyndale did. He didn’t just read it and translate it but he also lived it in response to what God had done for him in Christ even if that meant suffering. And even in suffering and trials Christian believers can still have peace and joy. And so thirdly it also reminded me of the passage we’re looking at today - Romans 5:1-11.

Introduction

As Christian believers I wonder if we sometimes lack assurance? Sometimes people ask me,

“Jonathan, am I really going to heaven?”

Do we sometimes doubt that God loves us and that we have been adopted into his family especially when we are going through difficult times? Do we rejoice in God even in suffering and trials or do we just struggle? Well Paul is very clear here in Romans 5. If we have been justified (i.e. declared righteous or not guilty or just as if I'd never sinned) through faith in Jesus Christ then we can be assured that we have peace with God and a glorious hope and so we can rejoice even in our sufferings. John Stott says of these verses:

Here the major mark of Christian believers is joy, especially joy in God himself. We Christians should be the most positive people in the world".

In the previous chapters of Romans Paul has been explaining our need of justification and the way of justification: justification by faith alone. You see justification is by grace alone, in Christ alone, through faith alone. Now Paul goes on to spell out the six results or ‘blissful consequences’ of justification which we're going to look at briefly - I promise!

"Therefore", writes Paul in verse 1, "since we have been justified through faith" we have peace with God, we are standing in grace, we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, we rejoice in our sufferings, we shall be saved through Christ and we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

So first, WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD (v1)

If we have been justified through faith in Christ then we have peace with God. Peace is something which some of the world is constantly trying to preserve or create internationally and something which many people are looking for personally. But more fundamental than all those kinds of peace and fundamental to having real peace is peace with God, which can be described as ‘the reconciled relationship with him which is the first blessing of justification’. If we have been justified then we have also been reconciled. God establishes peace between himself and us. And how do we have this peace? Look at verse 1,

We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ".

Only through the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of peace, who (verse 25 of chapter 4) was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Also we have peace with God now. It is a present possession. Once we were his rebellious enemies but now through Christ we have peace with him, now we are his friends. Not because of anything we have done or initiated but because of what God has done. As Paul says elsewhere in Galatians 2:16:

"A man is not justified by observing the law but by faith in Jesus Christ".

We cannot have peace or reconciliation with God by doing good works. That is still so many people’s misconception. We can’t have friendship with God by trying to make it up to him because that doesn’t deal with the cause of our separation from God – our sin. We can only have peace or friendship with God by being justified by grace through faith in Christ. Who needs to put their faith in Jesus Christ this morning and know peace with God – a true and lasting peace which brings freedom from guilt, from the power and wages of sin and an end to emptiness, restlessness and lostness.

Secondly, WE ARE STANDING IN GRACE (v2)

Through Christ we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

The word ‘grace’ here means the 'sphere of God's grace', i.e. 'our privileged position of acceptance by God'. So what does this verse tell us about our entry into this grace and our continuance in it? Well Paul says,

Through Christ we have gained access by faith into this grace".

Firstly then our entry. On our own we are unfit to enter. We are sinful and sin separates us from God. We need someone to bring us in. Jesus ushers us into the presence of God. His death on the cross to pay the price for our sin led to the curtain in the temple being torn in two from top to bottom. The curtain that separated man from God has been removed.

Secondly our continuance. Literally the first half of verse 2 reads, "through Christ we have obtained our introduction into this grace in which we have taken our stand". Therefore justified believers enjoy a blessing far greater than a periodic approach to God or an occasional audience with the king. We are privileged to live in the temple and in the palace. Our relationship with God, into which justification has brought us, is not sporadic but continuous, not precarious but secure. We do not fall in and out of grace like courtiers who may find themselves in and out of favour with their sovereign, or politicians with the public or England managers with the media. No, we stand in it, for that is the nature of grace. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38).

Thirdly, WE REJOICE IN THE HOPE OF THE GLORY OF GOD (v2)

Our earthly hopes might be uncertain but Christian hope is not uncertain. Christian hope is a joyful and confident expectation which rests on the promises of God. And what precisely is this certain Christian hope which we are to rejoice in? It is the hope of the glory of God. The glory of God, his radiant splendour which will in the end be fully displayed. Psalm 19 says that his glory is already being revealed in the heavens and the earth. John 1 says that his glory has already been uniquely shown in Jesus Christ especially in his death and resurrection. But one day the glory of God will be fully disclosed. On that day Jesus will appear with great power and glory (Mark 13:26). We shall see his glory and be changed into it (1 John 3:2). Then the redeemed who were created to be the image and glory of God (1 Corinthians 11:7) but who now fall short of the glory of God through sin (Romans 3:23), will again and in full measure share in his glory (Ro 8:17). Even the groaning creation

will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God" (Romans 8:21).

The renewed universe will be spread throughout with the Creator's glory. In Christ we rejoice in such a sure and glorious hope. A hope which should also spur us on in our service and witness – to be inviting to the Taster Session -and help us when we are under pressure and facing persecution.

So fourthly, WE ALSO REJOICE IN OUR SUFFERINGS (v3-8)

The word for suffering here is ‘thlipsis’ meaning pressure and refers in the main to the opposition of the world. Jesus said that in this world his disciples would have trouble and Paul said that his converts must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). Now we all face trials of many kinds. Many of us are facing trials right now. But what attitude do we have to our sufferings and trials? How do we react? How do we cope when we face persecution? Do we use the stiff upper lip approach or do we crumble, complain, moan and give up? Well Paul says here that we are to rejoice in them. Note not because of them but in them. Why? Well for three reasons. First suffering is the path to glory. It was for Christ and it is for Christians. Paul writes this in Romans 8:17:

"we are co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory".

Secondly, suffering also leads to Christian growth and maturity in the present. Suffering can be productive, if we respond to it positively, and not with bitterness. Look at verses 3 and 4.

“…we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know [we know from the experience of others and perhaps from our own] that suffering produces perseverance, [or endurance] that perseverance produces character [meaning a mature character who depends on God, someone who has been tested and passed the test] and that character produces hope [hope in God now and for the future].”

Thirdly suffering for Christ is the best context in which to become assured of God's love. But you say why? Surely it's suffering which makes some doubt God's love? Well have a look at verse 5. Hope does not disappoint us and never will. How do we know? Because our Christian hope rests on the steadfast love of God. Our hope will never let us down because God will never let us down. His love will never give us up. And how can we be sure of God's love? These verses tell us that we can be assured of God's love for us in two ways: subjectively and objectively; emotionally and rationally. In verse 5 we read that

"God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us".

The Holy Spirit is given to all justified believers at conversion – indeed he brings us to new birth in Christ - and by his ministry God's love has been poured into our hearts in such a way that the initial outpouring remains a flood. The Holy Spirit makes us deeply aware that God loves us and that God is our Father (Romans 8:16). And here in verses 6 to 8 we know that God loves us because of the historical death of his Son on the Cross. God's love is a historical fact. Look at verse 8:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

In fact a better translation would be "But God proves his own love for us in this". He has proved his love for us by Christ's death on the Cross. And this is no ordinary love - no, God's love in Christ is absolutely unique: because it is the most costly for the most unworthy. Christ died, says verses 6 to 8, for the ungodly, for you and me. You see in sending his Son to die for sinners, God was giving everything, his very self, to those who deserved nothing from him except judgment. It was this verse which spoke to me 30 years ago when I trusted Christ as my Saviour and Lord, when God justified me by grace alone, in Christ alone through faith alone. Maybe it's speaking to you this morning. Christ died as a sin offering, bearing in our place the penalty our sins had deserved so that we could be justified and reconciled. Christ died for us: i.e. for those powerless to help themselves (v6), for the ungodly (v6), for sinners (v8), for God's enemies (v10). In other words Christ died for the helpless, the rebels and his enemies. This loving and giving is unique. We humans can be generous in giving to those worthy of our affection and respect. We may even be willing to lay down our lives for our friends. Verse 7:

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man (someone who is cold and unattractive) though for a good man (someone who is warm and friendly) someone might possibly dare to die.

But God proves his own love for us in this: "while we were still sinners [neither good nor righteous, but ungodly, enemies and powerless] Christ died for us.” How then can we doubt the love of God? It has been and is lavished upon us. How we can rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Fifthly, WE SHALL BE SAVED THROUGH CHRIST (v9-10)

If we are in Christ then we have assurance of our salvation and of our future hope. Paul says in verses 9 and 10 that we shall be saved through Christ, if we've been justified and reconciled to God. But what does Paul mean when he says "we shall be saved"? Surely if we are in Christ then we are saved? Well yes and no! Let me explain. Yes we have been justified. Yes we do have peace with God. Yes we are standing in grace. Yes we rejoice in our hope and in our sufferings. We have been reconciled. But there is more, much more still to come. Yes we have been saved through Christ from the guilt of our sins and from the judgment of God upon them, but we have not yet been delivered from indwelling sin or been given new bodies in the new world. Look at verse 9:

“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”

We shall be saved from God's wrath through Christ. Yes we're already rescued from it by being justified by his blood, but we shall also be saved from God's terrible wrath in the future when Christ returns. In Christ we shall be saved and live with him in heaven. Revelation 21:3-4:

They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away".

Look too at verse 10: also we shall be saved through his life.

“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!” (Romans 5: 10)

Jesus rose from the dead and lives and his people will experience the power of his resurrection. Meaning that we can both share his life now and will share his resurrection on the last day! The best is yet to come! And this is not a faint hope, no, it is guaranteed - we can be sure of it! At present we are living in the now and the not yet. Look again at verse 9 and 10. Paul argues that if the now has happened then how much more will the not yet take place. We have been justified and reconciled, we have been pronounced righteous and been made God's friends – we have peace with God - so we will be saved from God's wrath, and be resurrected and glorified. If he's done the difficult and costly part then we can trust him to do the relatively simple thing of completing the task. He did it for us when we were his enemies, surely he will do the rest when we're his friends. If we are his friends we have been saved, we are being saved and we will be saved.

Sixthly, and finally WE ALSO REJOICE IN GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST (v11)

Look at verse 11. We can rejoice now because: reconciliation (God's friendship with us) like justification is a present reality for Christians. And we rejoice in God through Christ because it is through him that we have now received our reconciliation. You see above all we rejoice not in our privileges but in his mercies, not in our possession of him but in his of us. Our rejoicing in him begins with the shamefaced recognition that we have no claim on God at all, it continues with wondering worship that while we were still sinners and enemies Christ died for us, and ends with the humble confidence that he will complete the work he has begun.

But perhaps some of you still have doubts. You’re thinking how can God love me? When I’m going through so much? How can he accept me after what I’ve done? Do I really have peace with God forever? It doesn’t always feel like it. Do I really have a place in heaven? Well take Paul's advice: trust in the God who loves you, look at the cross and accept it as God's own proof that he loves you. And ask him to go on flooding your heart with his love through his Spirit.