Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.—Romans 5:1-5”
Chapter 5 of Romans discusses the benefits of being justified through faith.
Martin Luther said this about Romans 5:
“In the whole Bible there is hardly another chapter which can equal this triumphant text.”
In this first verse of Romans 5, Paul describes what has happened for those who have, by faith in Christ, been justified before God. We have—right now, always and forever—peace with God. We are no longer His enemies or in danger of His wrath because of our sin (Ephesians 2:3). We are now on “His” side. This is the first wonderful result of our justification...the sinners’ (that’s us) war with God has ended. I am also including here John MacArthur’s definition of the word justified.
John MacArthur on being justified: This legal or forensic term comes from the Greek word for “righteous” and means “to declare righteous.” This verdict includes: pardon from the guilt and penalty of sin, and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to the believer’s account, which provides for the positive righteousness man needs to be accepted by God. God declares a sinner righteous solely on the basis of the merits of Christ’s righteousness. God imputed a believer’s sin to Christ’s account in his sacrificial death and he imputes Christ’s perfect obedience to God’s law to Christians. Justification is a gracious gift God extends to the repentant, believing sinner, wholly apart from human merit or work
Verse 2 is probably one of my favorite verses in the entire bible. When I spend time thinking on it, it never fails to bring tears of joy and gratitude to my heart. It tells me that we as believers have access by faith to God through Jesus. We, (again as believers), can now come boldly to His throne of grace that we may find mercy and obtain grace to help us in our time of need. Because we stand securely in His grace, we can live in His Presence and experience and exult in the displays of His excellence and power in our lives. We CAN rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
My God ALWAYS looks upon me with His undeserved kindness and favor! I stand in His UNMERITED favor!
My God’s feeling or attitude toward me doesn’t change based on my performance. He is always there holding out His arms and bidding me to come!
My God is for me!
My God forgives my sins...yesterday’s...today’s and tomorrow’s. I no longer live in fear of His wrath...it is now His kindness that is always before my eyes. When I sin, He has provided a way back for me.
There is no where I can go where He is not with me.
I am worthy because He is worthy.
I am saved from wrath because God’s justice toward me has been eternally satisfied because of the work of my Jesus on the cross at Calvary.
I am OVERWHELMED by His goodness.
Vs 3: And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
I will face suffering as I walk through this life. BUT my suffering matters because I am in Christ. My suffering counts for something. For those who die without Christ, suffering is merely suffering. It is pain, loss and frustration, without benefit, purpose or resolution. I am destined for heaven. Suffering accomplishes His good in me...Paul here tells us that our suffering produces perseverance. John MacArthur defines perseverance this way:
Perseverance: Sometimes translated “patience,” this word refers to endurance, the ability to remain under tremendous weight and pressure without succumbing...it is the ability to keep going even when everything inside you and around you tells you to quit.
I look at endurance as the ability to keep trusting God through increasingly difficult times without wavering or giving up.
James says the same thing as Paul. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness" (James 1:2–3).
We rejoice because we understand that even our most difficult trials are God’s grace to us because they can be used to produce His good in us. Makes me think of that song, Oceans byHillsong.
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
Vs 4: and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Now Paul adds that endurance produces in Christians the quality of character. I see character as consistently and continually choosing to do the right thing. The more we trust God, the more likely we are to make God honoring choices. The overall direction of our life is toward God and growing in His grace. We become Christians of proven character. Character, produces a new quality in us, too, hope. Our hope in Christ (biblical hope)is sure and certain. All of God’s promises to us as believers are yes in His Son. My hope in Christ is the anchor of my soul. It is my bottom line so to speak. No matter what life throws at me, I can be fully convinced that my ultimate end will be sharing in the glory of God forever.
Vs 5: Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
And verse 5 tells me that my hope will be fully vindicated!! My hope will never be disappointed. As a believer, I can be confident of my ultimate destination because He loves me. His love poured out in my heart is evidence that I belong to Him. I carry His love inside me through the Holy Spirit He has given me.
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might(Ephesians 1:17-19, ESV)
