Title: The Benefits of Justification
Text: Rom 5:1-2
Date: 9-23-07.am
Introduction:
The first four chapters of Romans are summed up by these 5 verses:
Paul showed us the sinful condition of mankind.
Ro 3:10 There is none righteous, not even one;
Ro 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, NASB
The conclusion is obvious all humanity stands before God condemned.
In chapter 2 Paul talked about judgement for the things we do in the flesh in
Ro 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. KJV
At the end of chapter 3 and through chapter 4,however, he revealed something dynamically different, the wonderful truth that we are justified –
Ro 3:24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. NIV
Ro 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. NASB
Ro 4:25 He who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. NASB
We are put into a right relationship with God, in which the sins we have committed are no longer counted against us because God’s justice against sin has been satisfied on the cross and Christ’s perfect righteous is credited to us as righteousness so that we are no longer condemned.
But we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ apart from works.
Paul said it this way in Col 1:13-14 . . .He delivered us from the domain of darkness, [where we stand condemned] and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, [where we stand justified] NASB
We flew over chapter four but in that chapter Paul demonstrated using the example of Abraham that both Jew and Gentile in both Old and New Testament are justified in the same way by grace through faith.
As we begin chapter five Paul is going to tell us why the doctrine of justification by faith is so important as he explains to us the benefits of justified by faith in Christ. When we take a job one of the things we want to know is what kind of benefits package comes with it, like medical coverage, vacation, a retirement plan things like that. Often the benefits are the most important part of the employment, even more than the salary itself. As believers, as individuals who have placed their faith in Christ and have been justified by faith, we have a benefits package that is unsurpassed. One of the important things about what Paul says here is these benefits are ours now from the moment we trust Christ. This morning I want us to look at some of the benefits of being justified by faith in Christ.
The Benefits of being Justified by faith
Ro 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, NASB
Therefore sums up all Paul has been saying chapters 1 through 4 about not only our position without Christ but also about justification and how it can only come by faith and not by works. He begins chapter five making the assumption that his readers have in fact trusted Christ by faith and been justified. While those who haven’t trusted Christ can gain understanding by reading what he writes he is addressing in particular those who have been justified.
Therefore, he wrote, because or since you have placed your faith in Christ you been justified just like me and together with all who have trusted Christ and been justified we have peace with God. Peace with God is the first benefit of being justified by faith.
Peace with God
Paul uses the word peace quite often in his letters. He mentioned peace in his introduction to the Romans. He refers to God as the God of peace in Chapter 15, he also talks about having the peace of God as well as peace from God. What is Paul talking about here when he writes we have peace with God? The first thing we understand in verse one about having peace with God is that we have a right relationship with Him.
Right Relationship
Before we are justified our relationship with God because of sin is one of separation. However, once we are justified by faith not only does our legal standing with God change but our relationship changes as well we are no longer separated from God but brought together and the relationship God intended for us to have is restored.
Here is something important to know about that relationship. This phrase, “having been justified by faith,” is one word in Greek dikaioothentes (de ki ow thin tes) that’s my pronunciation and I readily admit I’m not a Greek scholar. But here is a place where we need to understand the Greek term and what Paul meant when he used it.
The word in Greek is an aorist passive participle. Here’s why that’s important aorist tense refers to something that happened in the past, it’s also called punctiliar tense which means it’s a one time event it happened once in the past but it’s benefit is good forever. It’s passive that means something that happened to you, and it’s a participle in English a participle is a verb that’s combined with another word and used as an adjective or noun in Greek it has to do with the particular construction of the word. That’s pretty simplistic and weak grammar lesson, but here is what Paul means by the phrase “having been justified by faith.” At a point in the past, that never has to be repeated, that moment you believed the promises of God and trusted Jesus as Savior you were justified apart from yourself. God did it for you through the blood of Christ and He credited Christ’s righteousness to you by faith and you have been made right with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you haven’t picked up on it yet, in this one word Paul has just laid out the foundation of the doctrine known as eternal security. Once saved, always saved. At that moment you first believed you were saved once and you were saved forever. And that should make even Baptist’s shout. That’s the first aspect you could say of what peace with God means. But it’s also about a reconciled relationship.
Reconciled Relationship
The peace with God Paul speaks of here is not inner tranquility or peace of mind. It is a more objective kind of peace. It’s not about external circumstances, it’s not about emotions. It is about relationship. Peace refers of a new and dynamic relationship that exists between God and those who turn to Him by faith and are justified.
Prior to salvation the Bible says we are enemies of God. Col 1:21 says we were
alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, NASB We were fighting against God. Many people would probably says they are not at war with God, God isn’t their enemy they really don’t think about Him. They don’t see themselves as striking blows at God or taking shots at Him or anything like that. But that’s the picture the Bible paints of unbelief. But God is at war against unbelief and His holy wrath and judgement are directed at those who do not believe. And it is warfare. Not only are believers engaged in spiritual warfare as Paul writes in Eph 6:12. But non-believers are engaged in spiritual warfare against God. That’s what our relationship with God was like before we trusted Him as Lord and Savior.
To have peace with God means that all of the hostility that existed because of sin that came between us and God has been taken away. We are no longer the objects of God’s wrath.
If we keep up with all the conflicts around the world you know that there are always cease fires where both sides agree to lay down their weapons and seek peace, but time after time after time those cease fires are broken by one or both parties.
Peace with God isn’t temporary it is final. Having been justified by faith we are brought into harmony with God. We are forever at peace with God because every sin we commit has been paid for by Christ on the cross. Not only did He reconcile us to God on the cross so that we have this peace the Bible says he forever lives to make intercession of us (Heb 7:25) and He continually cleanses us from sin (1 Jn 1:7). Everyday we sin the Lord cleanses us maintaining our relationship through the cross and through His present mediation at the right hand of God as our High Priest.
Paul used several other ways in his writings to describe our relationship before faith in Eph 2:1 he says we were dead in our trespasses and sins. In Eph 2:12 he says we were separate from Christ, having no hope and without God in the world In Eph 4:18 we are excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance the hardness of our hearts. All of those describe that broken relationship with God that is immediately reconciled and restored when we are justified by faith.
In addition Ephesians 2:14 says of Christ: "He is our peace." For those who have been justified by faith, As long as Christ lives, which is forever, He will maintain our peace with God.
God’s justice was satisfied by Christ's sacrifice on the cross for our sin, His wrath is gone, and we are at peace the moment we trust Him. Nothing can change that.
In Hebrews 8:12 God says, "I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."
When we are justified by faith, our relationship with God is restored to what it was intended to be, our sins and iniquities are forgiven never to be remembered again and we truly and forever possess peace with God.
That’s just one of the benefits that belong to those who have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ. It is a present possession to of every born again believer. My prayer is that you know these benefits in your life and if not then today would be the day you would turn your eyes upon Jesus give him you heart and receive the blessings and benefits of salvation.
We are going to have an invitation hymn and we invite you during this time to examine your relationship with Jesus Christ. Then after our invitation our deacons are going to come and we are going to partake of the Lord’s Supper. It is a memorial to be celebrated by those who have trusted Christ as their Lord and Savior. If you have placed your faith in Christ we invite you to celebrate and commemorate the Lord’s death and look forward to His glorious return.