[Romans Study 11-3]

Surprising Blessings of Our Justification [Romans 5:3-11]

More Evidence From The New Testament

There are many more passages about tribulations and hardships in the New Testaments that address our sufferings today. Let us read some of them:

“The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.” (Acts 5:41)

“”Strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.” (Acts 14:22)

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,” (Philippians 1:29)

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,” (James 1:2)

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.” (1 Peter 4:12-14)

The Bible does not conceal the fact that believers will face sufferings. As surely as Christianity promises us blessings from God Almighty, it promises us sufferings too. It does not teach us the shrewd ways of escaping trials, but it teaches us how to overcome and find glory in them.

Tribulations Test and Prove Our Love to God

Let us listen to a refreshing insight regarding tribulations: “Tribulations also work in this way, that they not only bring out God’s love to me, but at the same time test my love to God, and prove it. If I only love God when everything is going well, I am not truly Christian. It is the man who can say with Job, ‘Even though he slay me, yet will I trust in him’, who is truly Christian. When you are down, as it were, and everything is against you, and the devil says to you, ‘Where is your God, where is the love of God?, if you can turn to him and say, ‘Get these behind me, Satan; you do not understand. This is God’s method of perfecting me and of brining me to glory. I need it.”

In the midst of tribulations, believers seem so small and weak in the beginning, but they become bigger and stronger because of their dependence on God. In the end, they will have become the biggest and strongest, as they now posses and demonstrate God’s power and wisdom that comes from faith. This is how our Lord Jesus and His apostles lived while on earth. As Christians, we too should follow in the footsteps of Christ and our ancestors of faith. Therefore, when being placed in tribulations, we ought to be anxious to demonstrate our own love to God who always loves us.

God’s Love Poured Out Into Our Hearts

The Apostle reminds us of this great love of God poured into our hearts in the fifth verse: “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

This is the most important reason why we should not be in despair, but glory in our tribulations. In this rotting world, the vital and great love of God has been already poured out into our hearts at the moment of salvation. Though we may not realize this love, it is already in our hearts, and it warms up and brightens our lives. On the basis of this love, believers have no despair and are never put to shame without hope. This love is the strongest power of all that enables them to rejoice in their justification, continuing with their walk of sanctification, and finally reaching the glory of God.

This marvelous love has been given to the justified believers through the Holy Spirit that now lives in them (1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19).

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to help us in our lives on earth; The Holy Spirit is with believers forever; He is the Spirit of truth (1 John 5:6). He guides us into all truth (John 16:13). The people of the world cannot accept Him because they neither see nor know Him. But believers know Him and He lives with them and we will never be abandoned (John 14:18).

Believers are reminded of His love and what God has done for them as the Holy Spirit enables them: “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)

“6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Evidence of His Love

How do we know that God actually loves us and His love is given to us? The Apostle continues, reminding us what God has done for us, and of the indelible evidence from God. God did not only use beautiful words to tell us that He loves us. He “demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (v.8)” “You see, (v.6)” says Paul. “Do you not see it – this unbelievable love, ever so vividly manifested in the death of Christ?”

This has happened “at just the right time” (v.6).

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law.” (Galatians 4:4)

When the time became full, as in the time of childbirth, at just that moment, “when we were still powerless” (v.6), when our sins became unmanageable, after having tried all things with our pride, what did we discover? We have nothing in and of ourselves that can deliver us from our destiny of eternal damnation. At just the right time when we were powerless, God Himself19 provided, once and for all, a perfect way forward for the ungodly, men otherwise worthy only of wrath. One might be willing to die for a ‘good’ man (v.7). But Christ died for the no-good sinners.

9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Justified by His Blood, Reconciled Through Him, Saved Through His Life

“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Romans 5:9) What precious blood! Christians must never forget that they have been justified by nothing more than His blood. His blood is more than powerful enough to overcome all their sins of the past, present, and future. His precious blood and His death removed God’s eternal wrath over man. Now they are no longer children of wrath

(Ephesians 2:3) but enemies reconciled to Him. Through His life they have been saved!

“So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” (Romans 5:11, NLT)

What a comforting word is it! When we have been justified we have been reconciled to God through Jesus. Now we have entered this wonderful new relationship with God. Once we were God’s enemies, but we are now His friends (John 15:15). We were at war with God, but are now at peace with Him. All these wonderful things have happened to us because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

On what basis have all of these incredible blessings come to the underserving sinners? On the basis of the love of God! What love is this? “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10)

Faith Rooted In Good Soil

Our Lord Jesus taught us in Matthew 13 that the seed that fell on rocky places sprang up quickly for the soil was shallow, but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and withered because they had no root (Matthew 13:5-6).

In the same way, the man who has mere belief (not true faith) is bound to fail altogether when trials and the tribulations come. He has got nothing to fall back upon.13

Jesus expounded the meaning of the Parable of the Growing Seed in the same chapter:

“The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:20-22)

We should reflect on whether we are also lacking root. What is this root to our faith? It may be what God’s Word has taught us through Apostle Paul all this time, what God has done for us through His Son for our salvation – the blessed doctrine of justification; this is the strong root that we inherit from the Epistle to the Romans.

The seed will thrive with a strong root, although the home of the root – the deep soil – is also very important. The seed needs to be sown in the good soil. The Lord teaches us: “But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

(Matthew 13:23)

We ought to hear the Word and understand it so that we may not fall away but produce a

crop. In other words, in order for us not to fall away but bear fruit, we must retain the Word that

comes into our hearts and deeply understand it.

In this way, let us enjoy our perfect, eternal salvation.

[Study Questions]

1. What are blessings of justification by faith according to Paul in Romans 5? Explain at least three blessings.

2. What are reasons that Christians must glory in their sufferings?

3. “Trials are doing something that is very good for the man of faith, they are driving him back to the Lord Jesus Christ. Tribulations always drive the man of faith back to Christ Himself.” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

4. How is the gospel of God different from the prosperity gospel and Stoicism?

5. In the fifth chapter of Romans, “The Apostle is not teaching a kind of masochism; that is not what we have here. There are people, and there have been people in the Church in the past who have thought that and taught it. In a sense they have only been happy when they have been miserable. They have almost been troubled when things were going well with them.” How is the joy in tribulations different from masochism?

6. What are the some of the roles of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life that you learned today?

7. What evidence has God given us to demonstrate His love for us?

8. Why is it essential to understand the doctrine of justification for our Christian walk?

[Prayer]

“… God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:10-11)

Today we have learned what unbelievable works God has done for us when He justified us by Jesus’ blood. A whole new world commences as a man is justified, and as time passes, more and more of God’s blessings are bestowed before the eyes of the believer in wonder.

Thank you, Lord for igniting the hope of the gospel as we studied Romans 5. Our hope does not put us to shame because the Holy Spirit reminds us of love that God has already poured into our hearts. Because of your unconditional love, you did not spare your begotten Son, but have given Him for the sinners like us, that we may overcome the present trials. We realize that because of this love, our life has begun on earth. Because of this love, we have been justified and can live our lives. By nothing but your great love, will we walk the path of sanctification and greet the Father in heaven in glory.

Lord, we have learned that having carefree lives are not the evidence of God’s love for us. It is rather the other way around. Because God loves us He wants us to be more perfect and be more like Christ. You let us go through the time of short tribulations on earth. God will let those He dearly loves experience tribulations just as human fathers discipline their beloved children for a little while as for the best. In the same way, our loving Father in heaven will discipline us because we are your true sons and daughters.

May we never forget that though God loved Jesus and the Apostle Paul ever so dearly, they are the prime examples of how God’s tribulations had led them to bear abundant sweet fruits enjoyed by Christians today and forevermore.

When troubles come our way, may we not run from you but run back to you and walk with you ever so closely. As we continue to listen to your word, may we understand and retain it in our hearts so that we too may bear fruits that will remain in your history. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Republished with permission from Dr. Christy Tran, the author of “The Epistle to the Romans: Paul’s Love Letter from God.”

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