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Dividing the Word of Truth
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Timothy 2:15)
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good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who
desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1Timothy 2:3-4
Romans
by the Book
Lesson 32
Romans Chapter 5
“The Fruits of Justification”
Introduction
The results of “Justification by Faith” (alone): Peace with God, a Standing in Grace, a Sure
Hope of His Glorious Coming, Present Patience, Joy in God the Father, Verses
1-11.
The two representative Men: Adam and Jesus Christ, contrasted;
Condemnation and Death by Adam to all in him; Justification and Life by Christ
Jesus to All who believe in His death, burial, and resurrection, verses 12-19.
By the Law, Sin Became Trespass; but God’s Grace
surpassed all; verse 20.
Grace now reigns, “Through Jesus Christ our Lord” verse 21.
I want to welcome you back to our Home
Bible study and then thank you for taking the time to join us as we study God’s
Word.
I like to welcome all the first-timers to this website and offer them
a special greeting.
We pray you’ll hang around awhile to see what
we’re about, “kick the tires,” so to speak; and return often.
All thirty-one Bible lessons covering chapters 1
thru 4 in this teaching series have been published and are now in the archives.
Let’s begin our
study of Romans chapter 5.
Results of Justification
Romans 5
1: Therefore (because
of the Apostle Paul’s previous statements in the last two chapters), having been (past tense) justified by faith, we have (present
tense) peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ
Once again, we’re going to slow down so that we fully understand
the significance of this opening statement.
“Therefore, having been justified
by faith…”
Having been justified is not the present participle,
“being declared righteous,” but rather the aorist participle
(type of verb in classical Greek), “having been declared righteous,” or
“justified” depending on your Bible’s translation.
You ask, what is the difference?
The answer:
“Being declared righteous/justified” looks to the state you are in.
“Having been declared righteous/justified,”
looks back to a fact that happened.
The moment you believed, God declared you
“righteous/justified” and He’s not going to change His mind. This Truth brought King David to write: “BLESSED
(Happy) IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE
LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.”
(See Psalm 32:2).
I prefer to compare Scripture with
Scripture, so let’s look at this verse too.
Please turn in your Bible to Psalms 104.
Psalms 104
11: For as high as
the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those
who (do what exactly) fear Him.
12: As far as the
east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions (sins)
from us.
Once you believe the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, at that instant you are declared Justified.
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans
took on a new aspect with each new chapter.
- in chapter three, Jesus Christ was set forth as the propitiation for our sins
- in chapter four, He was raised from the dead for our Justification
- in chapter five, we have peace with God the Father through Jesus Christ, a standing in grace, and the hope of the coming glory
To those who studied the previous lesson I
remarked on this Biblical truth.
You don’t have to wait until you leave this
world and then are “ushered into heaven
proper” to know what God the Father “has
prepared for those who love him.”
Here we have an example of this Biblical
teaching.
To those who choose to believe in the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, you have (present tense) these three blessings (verses
1-11) the very moment you believe.
- Peace with God – in looking back to Calvary where Jesus Christ made peace with God by His divine blood. The Natural Man lacks peace with God. Everyone comes into the world fighting against God. In this state, we’re at war with God. The moment you believe the gospel you are no longer in the enemy’s camp. You are now at Peace with God. Peace means God has nothing against you.
- A Present Standing in Grace – unlimited divine favor. But grace is not license to sin freely. You do not walk the sufferings of Jesus Christ and the cross of Calvary underfoot (see Romans 6:1-14).
- Hope of the Coming Glory of God – there’s a day coming when we Believers will be glorified with Jesus Christ when He comes (Rapture Event).
Romans 5
2: through whom also
we have (present tense) obtained introduction
by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope
of the glory of God.
The word “also” in verse two is a small word but here sets this blessing from
God the Father as distinct from and in
addition to that of Peace with God.
At the very moment you believe, you have
access into this Divine Favor, standing in “grace;” the very favor in which Christ Himself stands!
To finish up this second verse and this no
small matter: “we exult in hope of the glory of God.”
This blessing points to a unique future event. Every Believer will enter upon a glorified
state with the Lord Jesus Christ (see Colossians 3:4; and 1 Corinthians
15:50-53).
Now you’re not going to find the word Rapture in your Bibles, but you won’t
find the word Trinity in your Bibles
either. The word “Rapture” in Scripture
is taken from the Latin “rapio” for the two words “caught up” which are found
in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 to refer to the Lord Jesus Christ coming for the Church
Saints or the Body of Christ.
Getting back to Paul’s letter and verse 2b
specifically, the New American Standard Bible uses the word “exult” in this passage. Some Bible translators have chosen to
use the word “glory” or “boast” instead and these words are poor
substitutes because they change the meaning of the Bible text.
Rather than an outward glorifying or boasting before others, which the
terms “glory” and “boast” imply, the
word “exult” suits Paul’s meaning.
A good example of this follows in verse 3
where he writes, “We exult in our
tribulations.” It’s the same word;
therefore it carries the same meaning. Paul refers to an inner joy; a joyful
confidence not only felt by the Believer but outwardly expressed by them in
their day-to-day activities as well – there’s quite a difference.
Let’s review verse 3 and 4 because they’re linked.
Romans 5
3: And not only
this, but we also exult in our tribulations, (which
beset us) knowing that
tribulation brings about perseverance;
4: and
perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
Let‘s be sure we all understand this
teaching before we proceed.
Not only are we Believers to “feel” an inner joy; and a joyful confidence
but we are to express this “joy” outwardly daily.
Go back to your earliest memories of when
you were a small child on Christmas morning.
Do you remember the sights, the sounds, and the smells of the holiday?
Do you recall the excitement, the
expectation, the joy, and the happiness you felt back then?
Did you have a smile on your face and was
there love in your heart?
Hang onto those memories and stay with me
for a moment.
Paul is saying, we Believers should “feel”
and “outwardly express” those same type emotions as we encounter:
Broken bones
Broken marriages
Lost jobs
Deaths in the family
The car needs a new engine
A phone call from the ER informing you that
your daughter is on life support.
You’re 3 month’s behind in your mortgage;
And you’re 6 month’s behind in your auto
payment
A chest x-ray that revealed a black spot
on your lung
The U.S. Army reported Adam missing in Iraq
Your sixteen year old daughter is pregnant.
The school principal called. He found drugs in your son’s gym locker.
…just to mention a few of the
“tribulations” a Believer may encounter during his or her lifetime.
The Apostle Paul writes this to us
Believers, “…through many tribulations
we must enter in the kingdom of God” (see Acts 14:21-22;
2 Thessalonians 3:3-5).
Paul could “talk the talk” because he
“walked the walked.”
Paul had tribulations (see 2 Corinthians
11:22-29). He regarded these as, “Our
light affliction” and he rejoiced
in them (see 2 Corinthians 12:10).
The Greek word for “tribulation” is Thlipsis.
It means a pressing together, pressure, or crowding.
Very few people enjoy being “crowded.” Have you ever been packed into an elevator?
Do you enjoy sitting in your car parked on
a crowded freeway? Do you enjoy standing
in long lines – that don’t move? How
about sitting in that little waiting room at the doctor’s office after you sat
in the big waiting room for 45 minutes?
How about waiting for the doctor to call with you lab results? How about that mysterious phone call from the
boss’s secretary who sounded intentionally vague about this unexpected meeting
with him?
How about being served your
last meal on earth, while waiting for the stroke of midnight, knowing your time
is short, and the gas chamber is waiting.
These and the other tribulations listed
earlier in the lesson are all examples of “crowding” or “pressure" and Believers are to "rejoice" in them.
“…we also exult
in our tribulations, (which beset us) knowing that tribulation brings
about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and
proven character, hope;
That’s the message and the teaching of Romans
5:3-4.
To be sure there’s an element of Spiritual
maturity required to meet this goal.
But this is a goal all Believers should be
striving to meet for the Apostle Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 9
23: I do all things
for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.
24: Do you not know
that those who run in a race all run, but only
one receives the prize? Run in such
a way that you may win.
We exult (take joy)
in our tribulations, knowing that these pressures will bring about
perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope.
In the Greek, the word “perseverance” is Hupomone (pronounced:
hoop-om-on-ay’)
It’s a noun-feminine and means: steadfastness, constancy, endurance. In the N.T. the characteristic of a man who
is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and loyalty to faith and piety by
even the greatest trials and sufferings.
Here’s how the Divine Process works: (Newell, 1945, p. 168)
“God brings us Believers into tribulations,
and that of all sorts; graciously supplying therewith a rejoicing expectation
of deliverance in due time; and the knowledge that,
as the winds buffeting some great oak tree
on the hillside cause the tree to thrust its roots deeper into the ground, so
these tribulations will result in steadfastness, in faith and patient
endurance; and our consciousness of steadfastness – of having been
brought by grace through the trials, - gives us a sense of Divine approval, or
appovedness, we did not have before have; and which is only found in those who
have been brought through trials, by God’s all-sufficient grace. This sense of God’s approval arouses within
us abounding “hope” – we might almost say, “Hopefulness,” a hopeful, happy state of soul.”
Romans 5
5: and hope does
not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our
hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Believers,
the moment you believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ; see 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
Many Believing families sit down at the
dinner table and offer up a prayer giving thanks to God the Father for the
bounty before them with sincere hearts.
Could you, as a Believing family, gather
together and pray giving thanks to God the Father for any one of the
“tribulations” I’ve listed above with a sincere heart?
Food for thought…
(To be continued)
© Copyright 2011
GJ Heitzman’s Ministry
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