Alright. I'm sorry Mason, but
I can't yell it man. Alright, Romans chapter 5. Romans
chapter 5. Last week, I looked at faith's
essentiality and benefit. Faith is essential. And faith is of great benefit
to God's people. Remember, Paul's words here in
Romans chapter 5 have definite and precise flow. If you don't
see it, it's not because it's not there, it's just because
you don't see it. I have to admit that some parts of chapter 5
are difficult. Especially that which you find
in the parentheses in the latter part of chapter 5 where Paul
is talking about Adam and Christ. But nevertheless there is Definite
and precise flow here Paul declares why faith is essential and how
faith is of great benefit and Then he builds upon the truth
of that that's in verses 1 through 5. That's what we looked at last
Sunday He builds upon that with these words for verse 6 For so
let's read it that way start in verse 1 again therefore being
justified by faith And let me stop just a moment and say, there
is more to justification than justification by faith. Yes,
sir. Some people think justification
is only by faith. That's not so. No, you're right.
But there is justification by faith. Amen. Therefore, being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Amen. By whom also we have access by
faith into this grace that is the grace of peace into this
grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
And not only so, it's not just that, that's the essential nature
of faith. But it's not just that, he says,
but we glory in tribulations also. But as I said last Sunday,
not in some fatalistic morbid, or I should say some morbid fatalism,
We glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation works
patience. And patience works what? Experience. And I'm adding the word worketh
but it applies to all. And experience works hope and
hope makes not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. So there
is faith being essential and faith's great benefit. But now
he builds upon that because he says, 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. But God commendeth his love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, And the whole indication
there is unbelieving, corrupt, defiled sinners. While we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than being now
justified, and he introduces this phrase, by his blood. Now he's spoken of it before.
He's spoken of it before in chapter three, but now he says this,
much more than 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. And not only
so, not just that he says, but we also joy in God through our
Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the reconciliation. And I'm not going to spend a
lot of time. It's unfortunate that they translated the word
atonement. Christ did not make atonement.
He made reconciliation. To atone is to cover. He didn't
cover. He put away. Atonement is an
Old Testament word that relates to the animal sacrifices. Christ
Jesus didn't make atonement. He reconciled. And if you have
the ability to check the Greek, you'll see the word there is
not atonement. It is reconciliation. Think of
it. Paul said this, faith that justifies
also brings peace with God. That's from here up there. Faith doesn't bring peace from
God up there down to here. Faith is for our benefit. Faith is not us proving to God
anything about ourselves. Faith is the gift of God that
He gives to an individual and when the gospel is preached,
that faith will respond in believing. Faith that justifies also brings
peace with God. And no one will ever have peace
with God from here to there without faith. No one. Therefore be justified by faith
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Also, he
says that same faith trusts God and it loves God even in trying
circumstances because it knows, it knows because the love of
God is shed abroad, and that's a big word, a big phrase, shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
We know that God Almighty has a purpose in everything that
happens to us in this life. We might not know what that purpose
is, but we know he has a wise, sovereign purpose toward his
people. So the faith that justifies also
brings peace with God. That same faith trusts God and
loves God even in trying circumstances. It doesn't say the love of circumstances
is shed abroad in your heart. It says the love of God is shed
abroad in your heart. You may be very vexed by the
circumstances, but you're not vexed by God. Faith isn't. Faith isn't. If any part of the
believer is vexed with God, it's the old man. It's not faith. It's not that. It's not the new
nature. It's not faith. It's none of
that. Also, thirdly, but this is no great marvel. Or as Paul
put it, this ought to be no great marvel to faith, to the one who
believes, because look what God wrought for us in Christ even
before we had faith. You see it? And then we read
it again. 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. But God commended his love
toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us. And much more he said, being
now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through
him. For if when we were not believers, but when we were what?
Enemies. We were reconciled to God by
the death of His Son, much more being reconciled. And the more
appropriate phrase, because of the type of word it is in the
Greek, is having been. It's a past act. We're not being
continually reconciled. We have been reconciled. much
more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not
only so, but we also join God through our Lord Jesus Christ
by whom we now, by whom we have now received the reconciliation. First of all, what Paul says
here concerning this, and the title of my message is Christ's
efficacious reconciliation. That is something that is a truth
that pseudo-Christianity has no idea about in this day and
age. None whatsoever. Most of so-called
professed Christianity today thinks that Christ made reconciliation
possible. Then when you believe, then that
reconciliation actually takes place. That is not what Paul
teaches here. That is not the teaching of scripture. That is not the gospel. There was a time, according to
the Apostle Paul, in verses 6-11, there was a time when we had
no strength. Did you see that? For when we
were yet without, we weren't weak. We weren't frail. We had no strength. Obviously, this is spiritual
strength, or the lack or the total lack thereof. We had all kinds of physical
strength. You go back and read Ephesians chapter 2 verses 1
through 3, we had all kinds of strength to walk according to
the course of this world. We had all kinds of strength to
walk according to the prince of this world. According to our
own lusts and flesh. We had all kinds of strength
toward that. What Paul's talking about here
is we had no spiritual strength. There is no divine spark in every
human being. As Paul will go on to say, for
as by one man's disobedience many were made what? Sinners.
Sinners. There was a time we had no strength,
no spiritual strength whatsoever. Free will is a lie. It's a lie. Our will is not free. It's in bondage to sin. Free will is nothing more than
self will adorned with a few emotional phrases to try to make
man feel better about himself. And it is, as Joe said this morning,
it is man's attempt to dethrone the will of God and enthrone
man's will. And that is idolatry and rebellion. There was a time when Paul said
we had no strength. But look, for when we were yet
without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. Thousands of places probably
even this morning may well Mason read that very verse and yet
people really don't know what it's saying They will talk about
Christ dying for the ungodly But then they think they teach
people you need to be the best person you can be before God No, we have no strength and Christ
Secondly, at God's appointed time, He died for, now listen,
He died for not believers, He died for what? The ungodly. You see it? For when we were
yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. Listen, do not let Calvinism
get in the way. It's not God's purpose to save
some people who would believe and Christ died for those believers. Christ died for the ungodly. Those who would be believers
by God's free and reigning grace are by nature in Adam ungodly. But this is also true. As long
as a person thinks that he or she is outside of that description
that they have no right to believe Christ died for them. Of course,
Christ died for the ungodly. As long as you think you're a
good person, you got no reason to claim the death of Jesus Christ
on your behalf. Do you? You don't. Because it says he died for the
ungodly. I'm not ungodly. Then you got no right to believe
he died for you. So there was a time when we had no strength,
no spiritual strength whatsoever. John 15 verse 5, our Lord told
the disciples, without me you can do what? N-O-T-H-I-N-G. Not very little, nothing. And God, at His appointed time,
He sent the Son, and at that appointed time, He died for not
believers, but the ungodly. To know you're ungodly is not
a happy knowledge. It doesn't bring nice feelings.
But it does offer hope. Most of so-called Christianity
is like Earl used to say, you got a bunch of people coming
together trying to tell everybody how good they are. We're not
good people. By nature, in and of ourselves,
we are ungodly. And all God has to do, in His
own wisdom, is lift his restraint even from the most faithful believer,
but just a moment, and our ungodliness will rush forth like a flood.
Look at all the examples in scripture. Look at me. Look at yourself. Just lift his restraint for a
moment. A moment. And according as Paul
says here, God did not act as men would. Verses seven and eight.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die. Yet peradventure
for a good man some would even dare to die. Now the whole point
here, Paul's not saying there's actually some righteous people
out there, there's actually some good people. But he's comparing
men amongst men. That's right. And he said for
scarce. It's very rare to find one to
die for a righteous man. Yet peradventure for a good man
some might even dare to die. In other words, men may give
themselves for a good cause. Exactly. We talk about that all
the time, don't we? And we honor such things. And
there's nothing in and of itself wrong with honoring such sacrifices. Is there? As long as we don't
try to teach that it brings acceptance before God. But here's the thing. But God commended His love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. You see, God's love is not how
He feels. only. I don't even know if feeling
is okay. Christ felt paradise. But it's
not just how God feels. God's love is not a feeling.
It's how God conducted himself. But God commended His love toward
us. Do you see it? But God commended
His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. He didn't love us because He
seen what He would do for us. He loved us and thus did for
us what He did do for us. See, do not let our Calvinism
get in the way of the truth. And I'm not saying Calvinism
itself teaches that, but some Calvinists have gone to the point
where they say, well, God knew who he would give faith to and
he loved us based on that. No, he loved us in Christ. And commended that love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. That's an amazing statement.
You know, I think, was it, was it, I know God said, was it David,
one of the Psalms, said, you thought that I was altogether
like unto your, one, one, like unto yourselves. God doesn't
conduct himself like men conduct themselves. As a general rule,
there may be some exceptions, but as a general rule, the way
a man would do something, God does not do it that way. And in the weightier matters
of the law, and there are weightier matters. The scripture speaks
of it. God never conducts himself as men conduct themselves. God
does not act as men would act. And number four, then we read
the first of Paul's five much mores. So let us park here for
just a couple moments. I'll try to be quick. Look, much
more then. Do you see it? In other words,
if you are going through a trying circumstance, remember the much
more than that. Remember what God did for you
before you were a believer. Remember what He did for you
in Christ personally. And remember what He did for
you in giving you life through His Spirit. Remember what He
did for you in sending you the gospel of His Son. And you deserved
none of it. As a matter of fact, we deserved
his wrath and condemnation much more than being now justified
by his what? Blood! Blood! I know Martin Luther discovered
the truth, or I should say was revealed, more appropriately,
was revealed the truth of justification by faith. And that's a good subject. This book speaks about it. But
justification by faith would have no meaning whatsoever, would
have no validity whatsoever were we not already justified by His
blood. Faith never died for one sin.
Faith never put away one sin. The preaching of the gospel and
the believing thereof never died for one sin. Blood had to be
shaken. That's the foundation of justification. Blood had to be shed. And blood
was shed. And based upon this shed blood,
certain things were efficaciously wrought. One here is reconciliation. Let's go through it briefly.
What is the foundation and the fountain of justification? Faith? No. Blood. Blood. Blood. In other words, no matter
how much faith God may have given a people in this world in time,
no matter how much faith He may have given, had Christ's blood
not been shed, we still would have died in our sins. That's what I'm talking about.
What is the foundation, the flow, the fountain rather, and the
foundation of justification? Remember, it's not faith. It's
blood. blood for, that it's because
Christ efficaciously wrought reconciliation by His death so
that His resurrection guarantees the salvation of everyone He
reconciled. It says it right here. Now granted,
there are thousands of people who profess to be Christians
who will read back that very verse, could hear me preach this
very truth, and it just don't dawn. They don't see it. They
can't see it. I become angry sometimes when
they don't. You ever been that way at somebody? You get real
angry at them because they don't see it? But remember where you
were one time. You didn't see it either. Why?
Because the God of this world has blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine to them. I couldn't see
it. I read it, Joe. Preached from it and still couldn't
see what it was really saying. But it's not because it's in
the code, it's because we're blinded by nature. Look at what
he said, much more then. Being now justified by his blood,
we shall be saved from wrath through him. Now somebody says,
well he's talking to believers. Even Armenians then will say,
well he's talking to believers. He is, no doubt, and only to
believers. But look at what he says to the
believers. For if, when we were enemies, That's before we were
a believer. For if when we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God, how? By faith? By repentance? By the preaching of the gospel
and the bowing down to it? No! All those things are valid
and essential, but that's not the grounds and the fountain
of reconciliation. Reconciliation was wrought by
His death. For if when we were enemies we
were reconciled to God, how? By the death of His Son. Much
more than being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. The death reconciled us. Now
He's alive to make sure that the reconciliation sticks. Now
that's my word. It's better He's there to make
sure the reconciliation is received. And not only that, he says, but
we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we
have received, and that's in the active, not, I forgot, there's
a tense in the Greek where the person acts as the source. This is in the active sense.
It means they're active, but they're active from an outside
source. That's the meaning, there's the
other mode or voice, whatever it is. But we still receive.
You don't just come and pour on you. You receive the reconciliation. You receive it. But you don't
receive it so it'll be so. You receive that it is so! You
receive that Christ has reconciled a people. That's the difference
between the gospel of free reigning grace and the gospel of this
world. They teach you believe so you
can be reconciled. Scripture teaches believe that
you have been reconciled. Receive, how can you receive
something that ain't already there, Joe? By whom we've received
the reconciliation. God doesn't ask us, God doesn't
call upon us to receive a phantom, to receive possibilities. He's
just stated that faith is like this, that whatever God's promised,
God's able to perform. Is that what he said in chapter
four? That's the nature of faith. Faith
is like this. It knows that whatever God promises,
God is able to perform. Well, God says He's already performed
reconciliation. We're not believing that He's
able to perform it. We believe He did perform it. Now a person doesn't necessarily
have to know that exact detail, but if they're going to believe
the Christ of God, they're going to find out it was already, it's
an accomplished reconciliation. That's what they're going to
be taught. They're going to realize that. Anyone who believes that
they can be reconciled by believing hasn't believed the gospel. You
hear what I said? Anybody who believes that they
can be reconciled by their believing hasn't believed the gospel. So we read this, much more, much
more. You see, this reconciliation
wrought in Christ's death is the grounds of no imputation
of sin. Go back and look at 2 Corinthians
5, verses 18 and 19. That God, to wit, Paul says,
that is to say, that God was, past tense, that God was, in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them. The non-imputation of sins that
comes with believing is again for what? For my benefit. Do you see that? Go back and
read it. He reconciled us and God was
not imputing the sins of those he reconciled back yonder. That's
what the book teaches. So again, I say this reconciliation
wrought in Christ's death is the grounds of no imputation
of sins. Faith receives that reconciliation. Not only so, but we also joy
in God through our Lord Jesus. And remember, it's through our
Lord, not through free will. It's through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Without me, you can do nothing. And not only so, but we also
joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received. Actually reach out there, Joe,
and by faith lay hold of it. And more importantly, you lay
hold of Him. Remember what I said last week?
A faith that is not of Christ and does not have Christ as its
center is not just not of great value, it's damning. Millions
of people will perish with a faith, with a faith that's not of Christ
and doesn't have Christ as its center. They will say, Lord,
Lord, have we not? They really believe something,
Mason, but they believe the wrong thing. They believe the wrong
person. They believe the wrong gospel,
which Paul says isn't even another gospel, but is a perversion of
the gospel of Christ You see, it is not that Christ made reconciliation
possible. Any man ever says that, you know
that man don't really know it. It's not that Christ made reconciliation
possible and then a human act of faith makes it valid. That's
a lie. Even if they use the word faith,
even if they say God-given faith. God-given faith doesn't validate
reconciliation. It receives it. Do you see it? It receives it. Christ who died,
here's the glory. The Christ who died to reconcile
lives to see that it's received. Isn't that a glory? And as Hebrews
would put it, the writer of Hebrews, which I believe was Paul, but
whether or not I'm wrong about that, puts it this way about
a wheel. You know, someone writes up a will, and we have a lawyer
with a pretty stamp on it, or however they do it, and you pay
some money and make this thing all legal, Mac. In other words,
when I die, here's what I want to happen. And you die to validate
that will. When you die, that's when the
will comes into force. Because before you die, the person,
he can change it, she can change it all they want. As long as
they go through the proper journey. But when you die, you validate
the will. But the thing about that is, when you die, you're
not around to make sure the will's carried out. You're trusting
the people who are left behind to make sure everything goes
like it goes. But Christ ain't like that. He died to validate
the will. But he lives to see that the
will is carried out. Isn't that a glory? And he's
not just up there kind of proud by whom we have received the
reconciliation. Now do you see the essentiality
and the benefit of faith? That's how essential it is. That's
the great benefit. But remember, do not base God's
love for you on your circumstances. base God's love for you on the
person and work of Jesus Christ. Because He did that for us when
we were enemies, when we were sinners, when we were ungodly,
when we were unbelievers. And then His love, Joe, rushed
forth in a sovereign breathing of spiritual life into us. and
he sends the Gospel in its sweet melody and its information and
it floods the soul and conquers the heart and mind where that
person receives Christ. I believe Him. I rest in Him. Do you see the essentiality and
benefit of faith? Since God did that for us when
we were enemies, how much more is He doing for us now that He's
given us faith? It's easy to lose sight of that, ain't it?
Somebody said, but I'm so sick now. You're going to die one
day, probably. Unless Christ comes back, you're
going to die of something, either some kind of illness or some
kind of accident. It will be one or the other.
I don't know that there is. Is there any other way to go?
An illness or an accident? It's going to take us all, unless
we're one of those who will be remaining whenever Christ comes
back. Since God did that for us when we were enemies, how
much more is he doing for us now, having given us faith? Secondly,
since the circumstances of, listen, since the circumstances of even
my sin and my corruption and my enmity against God could not
hinder God back then, how much less my trying circumstances
now? Huh? He conquered all of that problem.
And that's far more surmountable of a problem that is my sin,
my corruption, my enmity, than some trying circumstance. Right? Sin is the one thing that separates
all mankind from God. Circumstances are just on the
outside thing. He conquered sin. Moreover, the
law entered that the offense 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, not just the Lord, but Jesus Christ our. So again, since the circumstances
of even my sin and my corruption and my enmity against God could
not hinder God, how much less my trying circumstances, especially
now. Especially now. And thirdly,
Christ's reconciliation wrought for us guaranteed our reception
of it. Never lose sight of that. Now
granted, He only reconciled some. He didn't reconcile all of humanity.
But everyone He reconciled will be saved. So when you sit down
and fret and say, well, I just don't know if God's going to
save that person. No, you're right. But you're
trying to figure out what can't be figured out. Know this. If Jesus Christ reconciled that
person in His death, they will be saved by His life. He will
bring, look where you were when God brought you out of it. So
when you look at them, don't despair. Bow to God's sovereign
will, yes, but don't despair. Because if they're one of God's
sheep, they're gonna come by, by, and they're gonna follow
Him. Will they not? Again, I say,
Christ's reconciliation wrought for us, guaranteed the reception
of it. Now, as you see that, Remember
that. Don't ever lose sight of those
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 verses as we enter into what Paul then talks
about in the next several verses. He's established this truth.
It's right here in black and white. If Christ reconciled you
in His death, He will save you by His life. You will be saved
from wrath. You will receive the reconciliation.
It's going to happen. Now that's an established fact
in black and white, translated into English in our own language
right here before us, is it not? So that, Mac, is a precedent
established, even legally. Everything else Paul says has
to fall within the line of that precedent. Does it not? Either
that or Paul's a liar. And all of this is just a lie. The precedent he's established
right here in these verses we looked at this morning, it must
be upheld in the rest of the chapter or the rest of the whole
book for that matter. But in the rest of this chapter
of what he says, the many's and the all's and all of this stuff,
the one man and the other man, the two men, that precedent must
be maintained. Right? Or either Paul's a liar
and this whole book's a lie. One or the other. There is no
other alternative. It's either free sovereign grace.
It's not free sovereign grace or free will. It's either free
sovereign grace or there is no salvation. You hear what I said? It's not what we need to prove
to people we're right and free willers are wrong. No sir, free
will is a lie no matter what. Salvation is either by the free
and sovereign grace of God or it's all just a lie. Because
that's what this book teaches. Christ died for people. When
he did, he reconciled them. And everyone he reconciled, he
will save them. That's the gospel. Father, God,
teach us from your word. So much we don't know. So many things we're wrong on,
Lord. Lord, forgive us even of our presumptuous sins. Forgive
us Lord, but teach us by Your Spirit and through Your Word.
I ask it in Christ's name. Amen.