Okay, reading this text, and
it is a wonderful one indeed. It has to do with what Paul has
already said somewhat as he begins to apply some of the blessings
of justification. So we read, verse 1, Therefore,
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also We have access by faith into
this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory
of God. And not only so, but we glory
in tribulations also, knowing the tribulation work of patience,
and patience experience, and experience hope. 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. For when we
were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the
ungodly. For scarcely for the righteous
man will one die, yet perventure for a good man Some would even
dare to die. But God commendeth 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. 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. Not only so, but we also joy
in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received
the atonement. Now, again, I want to name my
sermon, The Trailing Blessings of justification. Now, those
familiar with this Roman epistle, and it is a great one indeed,
know that the general theme of the epistle is set out way back
in chapter 1 and verse 16. The righteousness of God which
is set forth or manifest or declared or revealed in the gospel. That is, Paul said, there is
a saving righteousness. The righteousness that justifies
an ungodly sinner. That in the gospel is revealed
a righteousness that is imputed to the believing elect. And it is that saving righteousness
that is set forth in the decoration of the Gospel. Now, that is in
harmony with our need, because man's greatest need is a righteousness
that will save him. That's the greatest need that
he has. Not only will it save him, but
at the same time is acceptable unto God. And may we say that
righteousness is fully provided through Christ and is revealed
and declared or preached in the gospel of our Savior. Now after a section on human
depravity from chapter 1 verse 18 down through chapter 3 and
verse 20, the apostle then picks up in chapter 3 and verse 21
all the way to the end of chapter 5 and verse 21 and he lays out
the divine method of justification and salvation. He declares something
about this saving righteousness. We'll look at them very quickly.
He says, first of all, in chapter 3 and verse 21, that the saving
righteousness is apart from the law, and yet is witnessed by
the law and the prophet. It is in conjunction with faith. in chapter 3 and verse 22, faith
and not works and not law. It is freely bestowed by God's
grace in chapter 3 and verse 24, being freely justified by
the grace of God. It comes through the redemption
that is in Christ, Romans 3.25, by that redemption provided by
Him. And it is in such a means and
a manner that it absolutely excludes all boasting." Chapter 3 and
verse 27. So there are some statements
with regard to the righteousness of God that justifies. Now this morning, we are pledged
to consider and to study the first 11 verses of Romans chapter
5. And though he is still speaking
to us, or writing to us, of justifying righteousness. Yet here in this
place, he puts the emphasis now, in chapter 5, for a while, upon
the happy end and effects of being justified by the righteousness
of Jesus Christ. And we see the use of the word,
therefore, here in chapter 5. And it draws a conclusion from
what has already been written. For Paul has declared that justification
is by the free, unmerited favor of God. It is without deeds of
law, and it is without human works of any kind. And Paul has
done a very wise and a very irrefutable thing in chapter 4 of this great
epistle. And that is proving from the
experience of our father Abraham that justification indeed is
by faith. Using the text in Genesis chapter
15 and verse 6, Abraham believed God And it was counted, or reckoned,
or put to his account, or imputed for righteousness. Now, to many,
especially under the Jews, Abraham is a very decisive and indisputable
case, as his justification is the model for all of his children,
spiritual as well as physical, In that, they, the children of
Abraham, must be justified in the same way that Abraham was. Paul knows that he has, by the
experience of Abraham, proved that justification is without
law, since Abraham was justified before the law was ever given,
and also justified before he ever received the seal or the
sign of circumcision. It is by faith Abraham believed
God, and it was given or bestowed unto him for righteousness. It is by faith that Abraham believed
and is justified before our God, and we learn that it involves
imputation, the imputation of righteousness unto Abraham to
believe. Chapter 4 is all about that experience
of Abraham. Paul, therefore, can consider
it a proven fact from Abraham's case and experience, that justification
is by faith, that it proceeds upon that premise, writing, therefore
being or having been justified by faith. Now before we move
on, let's concede that Paul speaks of this justification from a
threefold aspect here in these few chapters of Romans, and we
don't want to be confused in any degree about justification. He speaks of it in a three-fold
way. First of all, in Romans 3 and
24, being justified freely by grace. The grace of God behind
our justification. Secondly, in Romans 3 and verse
28, and in Romans 5 and verse 1, Paul speaks of justification
as being by faith. And then thirdly, in Romans 5
and verse 9, that we have read and will consider being justified
by the blood of Christ. So we have grace and faith and
blood attached unto justification. All three of them are true. Justification
flows to guilty sinners by the grace of God. It is secured by
the blood of Christ. And it is embraced or applied
when faith is given unto the elect. It is a spiritual grace. Faith is the work of God. Now, in chapter 5, the first
effect of justification that Paul mentions is peace with God. Being justified, we have peace
with God. Having been, therefore, justified
by faith. And that's the tense that it
is in, the past tense. Being justified, having been
justified, and that by faith. For Paul is describing the experience
or the application of it unto the believer, of one who like
Abraham has heard and has been enabled to believe. Justification. establishes a permanent peace
between the sinner and God. And this is one of the first
fruits of our being justified. It contains a sense of our being
reconciled unto God And in that sense of our being reconciled
unto God, there comes a peace with God. John Murray in his
commentary wrote, quote, peace with God is a blessing coordinate
with justification, unquote. Because with the knowledge of
justification, there comes peace. One knowing that they are justified,
therefore abide in peace. Peace with God. And what a change
is that or was that in our life when we remember that the antithesis
of justification and peace are alienation and enmity in our
former way of life. We were enemies. as stated in
verse 10, and we read it. Before we were reconciled to
God, we were enemies to God, and at that time we knew nor
had any peace with God. If we had any peace, It was a
false peace and a very dangerous peace to have peace apart from
the blood of Jesus Christ. True peace with God comes only
through justification and reconciliation unto the God of heaven. So that
peace with God is the reflection in the conscience of the relation
resulting from justification through the blood of Christ.
By that we know that the wrath of God has been appeased in the
death and sacrifice of Christ, and the animosity of man against
God is overcome by the application of the atonement to the conscience
and life by the Spirit of God. Now in the second verse, the
apostle having mentioned in the end of verse 1, our Lord Jesus
Christ and peace by Him, now in the second verse, in that
verse declares that by Christ we also have access into this
grace wherein we stand or abide. Now let's look at the word access
and focus upon it for a bit. This word access right here is
three times in all, I think that's all, in the New Testament. All
of them are from the pen of the Apostle Paul. The other two are
Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 18, that both Jew and Gentile
have access to the Father by one Spirit. The other is in Ephesians
3 and verse 12, in Christ we have access with confidence. Now the word access means admission
or entry from a word that means to lead forward or lead toward
or to bring near, or to approach. It is a word that means to bring
near and present, so that we have access by Jesus Christ. In that Christ has mediated our
access, or our admission, and because He has, we may come boldly
then to the throne of grace, that we might find mercy and
grace to help us in time of need, Hebrews 4 and verse 16. And that we might draw near with
a full assurance of faith, Hebrews 10 and verse 22, having this
access. Again, John Murray wrote on this
part of verse 2 that this access is not only mediated by the Lord
Jesus Christ, but, quote, is an abiding privilege resulting
from the action which justification involves, unquote. We have access
to God by this grace. And some would render verse 2
in this way, and if you have another version of the Bible,
you might see, quote, for whom also We have come to have access
by faith into this grace wherein we have come to stand." Before
we move on, let's notice the tenses of these things which
are helpful. It is this, we have been justified. We are having peace. Having been justified, we are
having peace. Also, we have access and we stand. We are standing. Now, in verse
3-5, the apostle speaks of these things as grounds to the believer
to sustain the behavior in tribulation, in trials, in trouble. Grounds
of such things even quicken our hope when we experience these
things because the love of God is shed abroad in our heart by
the Holy Spirit which has been given unto us." Now, it is my
plan to spend our remaining time on verse 6 through verse 11.
And the first question to consider is, what is the point that the
apostle is making? Especially in that rather obscure
passage in verse 6 through verse 8. What is all of this talk there
about one dying for another calculated to prove unto us? Where is Paul
going with this in talking about a good man and a righteous man
and how one might or sometimes die? Now the word for, at the
beginning of verse 6, is an explanatory or confirming of the declaration
that we find back in verse 5. That the love of God is shed
abroad in our hearts. And I agree with those. Not our
love for God, but God's love for us is shed abroad in our
hearts. And then Paul gives his readers
and us the strongest confirming proof of the everlasting love
of God. What is the greatest proof of
the love of God? By which may we draw a knowledge
and a belief and an assurance and a hope of the love of God
towards us. What might that be? The proof
of the love of God. How has God in a particular way
manifested His love towards us? Is it by keeping us full of material
blessing that He has blessed us with more than we can know? Is it by making everything that
we do to prosper so that all that our hands take up are prosperous? Is it by maintaining us in vigorous
health and letting us live out our life to ripe old age in strength? Letting our children prosper?
Is it by putting us in places of worldly power or authority
that God has manifested His love towards us? No. According to
Paul, our text in verse 8 says, God commended His love towards
us by the death of Christ in our stead or in our behalf. We would fetch a proof and a
comfort that God is a God of love and God has loved us. It
is that He has given His Son that He might die on the cross
for our sin. And here in verse 5 and verse
6 is the knot tied between the love of God shed abroad in our
heart by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us for when we
were yet without strength. In due time, in the season, Christ
died for the ungodly. Here is how Marshall's interlinear,
arranges the word. I said, arranges the word. Puts them in their order in the
Greek. They're not like in our English.
But here they are. Indeed, us being yet weak, according
to time, Christ died for us on behalf of impious ones. Without strength we were. We
were weak. We were powerless. We were helpless. And John Gill includes in this
helplessness and this weakness as quote, being so enfeebled
by sin that we were not capable of fulfilling the law or atoning
for the transgression of it or redeeming themselves from the
slavery of sin, unquote. We were weak according to the
law, Paul says in Romans 8 and 3. But we think this being without
strength is not so serious a malady, don't we? We would think this
is not such a great spiritual malady. Notice what other terms,
though, he uses in our text in order to describe our spiritual
state. Prior to our justification being
revealed to us and applied unto us, and confirmed in us by the
witness of the Holy Spirit. Prior to that, in verse 6 and
the last part, the ungodly, he calls us, literally the impious,
the irreverent ones who had no reverence for God. Not only weak,
but ungodly, such as have no regard for the honor or the glory
of our God. Jude verse 15 uses a phrase,
ungodly sinners, in verse 15 of that little book. This goes
to the root of all of their sin. They are impious, they are ungodly,
they have no regard for God or His honor. But again in verse
8, our case is mentioned again. We were sinners. That is why
we were yet sinners. Being still sinners. Sinners to the time that our
Lord lay down His life. And a sinner is one who misses
the mark, as the word means. It is the word hamartia, to go
off course, missing the mark, not hitting the mark. Not that
we were just Jews or Gentiles, but that we were sinners in the
sight of God. What's more, in verse 10, he
calls us at that time enemies. In verse 10, when we were enemies. And some think that Paul has
in his mind not just our enmity toward God, but God's enmity
and displeasure with man on account of his sin. So now let's take
a closer look at verse 7 and see if we can unravel it. For scarcely for a righteous
man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even
dare to die. Now have you read that before
and wondered exactly what it means and how it fits into this
text, it must be viewed in the flowing of this text. It works
off of the declaration there in verse 6 that Christ died for
those that were personally ungodly. And verse 7 begins with a far,
that is, Christ died for the ungodly, And verse 7 shows that
it is almost unheard of that one would give his life for a
good man or a righteous man. But Paul uses the word scarcely
and peradventure in this verse of the Scripture. Scarcely would
one die for a good man. This word is seven times in the
New Testament scattered throughout. Twice it is, that is in the King
James Version, translated scarcely here in Romans 5 and verse 7
and 1 Peter 4 and verse 18, if the righteous scarcely be saved. In Acts 14, 18 and Acts 27 and
verse 7, it is rendered scarce. S-C-A-R-C-E. In Acts 27 and 8, It is hardly,
and in Acts 27 and verse 16, it is translated with difficulty. The last three having to do with
that ship in the great storm as Paul was being transported
onto Rome. And the word peradventure there
in verse 7 is like saying possibly. Or we could say, it might be. Or perhaps. Or we could say,
whether or not. Whether or not one could be found
who would die, give up his life for a righteous man. So it is
a scarce thing. Hardly likely a thing. It is
a thing doubtful whether one would even dare to die for a
good man. Granted, it could be. that one
would die for a close friend, or a spouse, or a child. This would be a rare thing indeed,
for such a man is rare among men. One who would deliberately
lay down his life for even a good and a righteous man. But now
look at verse 8. Scarcely could you find one who
would die for a good or a righteous man. But verse 8, what has God
done? What has Christ done? How has He manifested His love? Who has Jesus died for? What was our estate when Jesus
died? Were we good? Were we righteous? Were we noble? Oh, brothers and
sisters, not by the hair of our chinny-chin-chin. We were without
strength. We were ungodly. We were sinners. We were enemies to God when Christ
died in our behalf. Not after we were reformed or
rehabilitated, but while we were yet ungodly and sinners and enemies. Now, this high act of God's love
loving His elect and commending, or setting forth or manifesting
His love, putting it on display in dying for the ungodly, manifesting
His love on the cross of Calvary. It was prior to, and it was independent
of any and all excellency or merit or work or works our foreseen
faith, our foreseen works on anyone's part, nor was it our
sad, pitiful, miserable estate that lay Christ under obligation
to die for us. Else would He have died for all,
for all are miserable and wretched. His death was according to the
sovereign and eternal purpose of Almighty God. He was the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13 and
verse 8. This is a knot that is often
tied in the Scripture and connection often made. And I'm speaking
of the fact that the love of God and of Christ for the elect
is said to be a moving cause of His giving Himself for us
in death. Again and again we read, because
He loved us, He has given Himself. And has given Himself because
He loved us. Here are just a few scriptures. 1 John 3 and verse 16, having
perceived we the love of God, that is, by this we know, have
a perception of the love of God because He laid down His life
for us. And Paul is saying, In Galatians
2, verse 20, Christ loved me and gave Himself for me. In 1 John 4, verse 9, in this
was manifested the love of God because God sent His only begotten
Son into the world that we might live by Him. 1 John 4, verse
10, He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for
our sin. And John 3.16 is even good to
use here. God so loved that He gave His
only begotten Son. In Ephesians 5 and verse 2, Christ
has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice
to God for a sweet-smelling Savior. Yes. The Lord of us said in John
15 and verse 13, greater love hath no man than this, that a
man lay down his life for his friends. And you are my friends,
He said. Now come, let us reason together,
since there is such a relationship between God's love and the redeeming
sacrifice of Christ upon the cross. That if either love or
atonement, get me now, if either one of them, love or atonement,
is particular, so is the other. If one is particular, the other
is also of necessity. If the atonement is for those
that God loves, then all that He made atonement for are the
objects of God's love. Based upon this logic, both love
and atonement must be particular. They are special. They are efficacious. They are even limited, as we
call it. Not general and not universal. So that Christ's death saves
all who are the objects of God's everlasting love. And it is everlasting. I have loved you with an everlasting
love." Coming now to v. 9 and v. 10, where Paul uses
again logic to advance the argument that if one thing is true, then
another thing also is true. So that in v. 9 and v. 10, he considers further the
ramification of justification through the blood of Christ.
Much more, how much more, having been justified, being in a state
of justification by the blood of Christ it follows, we will
also be spared from the wrath to come. Being justified, we
shall be spared from the wrath. Let's not miss the clear contrast
here. In verse 9, first of all, we
notice now, being now justified, as in verse 1, having been justified,
being justified. And secondly, we notice in that
verse, shall be saved from wrath. Being justified, we will be spared
the wrath of God. For we are even justified now
by faith in His blood. which means that we are saved,
we are spared, we are delivered from the wrath that awaits the
ones that are not justified. 1 Thessalonians 1 and 10. Jesus has delivered us from the
wrath to come. These shall not come in the condemnation
who are justified by Christ. Romans 8 and verse 1. Those justified have been declared
righteous in the sight of God. I want to share with you a thought
that I found developed by Robert Haldane in his commentary on
the Roman Epistle. That since God's love to us is
such that He sent Christ to die for us when we were sinners and
when we were enemies, then much more, much more, having been
justified and counted righteous, we shall be delivered from We
shall avoid future punishment. What Paul calls the wrath of
God. And this is because the sins
of the justified ones were fully punished in the body and death
of Christ on the tree. He shed His blood, giving His
life to save His people from their sins so that they are justified
from all things from which they could not be justified by the
works of the law," as Paul tells the Jews in Acts 13 and 39. Then we look at verse 10 of our
text. It expands even up on verse 9
and presents much the same kind of an argument. We look at verse
10, We were reconciled much more. Being reconciled, we shall be
saved by His life. It is connected to far, to confirm
and enforce verse 9, and uses different elements of truth,
just as being justified after being a sinner, we were spared
wrath. Being once enemies, but now are
we reconciled unto God, we shall be saved by His life. In verse 10, there are two more
opposite states that are set forth. Number one, enemies reconciled. Being once enemies, we have been
reconciled. And the second thing to look
for there, His death brought reconciliation. After being reconciled,
we shall be saved by His life. Yes, we were once alienated,
but now are we reconciled. Paul attributes saving efficacy
here to the life of Christ. Yet, strictly speaking, it is
not the sinless life that Christ lived upon the earth, though
He did. or the imitation of his life
by the Christian here below, but his resurrected and exalted
and glorified life that he now lives at the right hand of God. In other words, the mediatory
life of Christ is the one that we shall be saved by. He is at
the right hand of the Father, even now making intercession. He is able to save to the uttermost
those that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make
intercession for them in Hebrews chapter 7. And He saves to the
uttermost by the intercessory life and prayer that our Lord
leads in heaven. He is our Advocate with the Father. And if we sin, we have an Advocate
with the Father. And the fact that He has conquered
death, He has died and risen again, and is ascended and glorified,
and is even at the right hand of God alive forevermore. We shall be saved by His life. Now we close with verse 11 concerning
the personal joy that the justified experience And the reality of
it brings unto the individual. The feeling being, knowing, having
been reconciled. We joy in God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. For it is by Him that we have
received the atonement. Or you might notice in the margin,
the reconciliation. For He's been speaking about
an atonement, astrainment, and enmity. We have received the
reconciliation at one month. That being at one, no longer
alienated, no longer enemies, but through Christ we have received
the reconciliation. We who were formerly enemies
and estranged have been reconciled unto God. Now, most people have
the idea that they can do that on their own. that all they need
do is repent and ask Jesus a few favors and give their life to
Jesus as we hear along the way. Reconciliation is made only by
that horrible death that Christ died upon the cross. We are to
joy, we are to boast in that, we can glory, we rejoice in nothing
but the cross and the death of Christ. Nothing have we to boast
in Nothing have we to glory of concerning our salvation or any
aspect of it but that which Christ has done upon the cross. All of these great blessings,
these trailing blessings of justification have come to us by and through
the Lord Jesus Christ. He loved us. He gave Himself
for us. We were enemies. He died for
us. We were estranged, He reconciled
us, brought us again unto God. And He did that in view of us
being sinners and ungodly and enemies. Yes, one might give
their life for another good person, but who would give their life
for the worst person upon earth? Christ has given His life for
the worst. He has given His life for sinners. And we rejoice in that, for out
of that we have justification, peace with God, righteousness
and hope, and such like. Thank God for that. All right,
if we might stand to our feet for a word of prayer, please.