The Results of Justification
Romans 5:1-5
1. Peace with God (verse 1)
2. Access to God (verse 2a)
3. Joy in God (verses 2b-5)
In every part of life, actions have consequences. If you walk onto a bus, you will go where the bus takes you. If you jump from a high cliff, you will die. If you stay up late on Saturday night, you will be sleepy in church on Sunday morning. If you put gasoline on a fire, it will flame up! If you shoot a gun, it will kick back. If you stir a hornet's nest, they will come after you.
Now, sometimes, the consequences lie in the realm of probability. If you study hard for your test, you may get a good grade. If you drive too fast, you may get a speeding ticket. If you work hard at your job, you may get a raise.
And in the spiritual realm, it is no different. If you sin, you will suffer. If you obey the Lord, there will be blessing in your life. If your mind dwells on evil and wicked things, you will be tempted to sin. If you socialize with bad company, your morals will be corrupted. If you trust in the Lord, he will make your paths straight.
Well, this morning, as we come to look at our text, we will see some consequences to actions. The title of my message this morning is, "Results of Justification."
We are going to see three results of our justification. This is by no means an exhaustive list. Meaning, that there are many results of our justification. But Paul gives us only three in our text. So, we will only talk about three of them, believing that God has given them to us this morning to help us in our walk with him.
Let me read our text this morning:
Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Paul begins with a statement about justification. He writes, ...
Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, ...
This is as if to say we have been declared righteous. Here it is, the perfect tense. A past action remains true today, with present results. "We have been justified by faith." Now, Paul is writing, as is his custom, to the professing church. In other words, he is writing to an audience of those who, he assumes, have believed in Christ. Back in chapter 1 (and verse 7), he calls them, "those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints." (Romans 1:7).
Now, this assumes that we have believed. And, it assumes that we are justified as a result of that faith. Really, chapter 5 and verse 1 is summary of chapter 4. It has been all about how to be made right with God. It's by believing. It's by God justifying us by his grace.
This is how Abraham was justified (4:1-8). This is how David was justified. This is how every Old Testament saint was justified. And this is how every New Testament saint is justified!
Over the past few weeks, we have discussed how belief in the LORD brings righteousness from the LORD. I repeat it again in hopes to ingrain it into your mind, because it is so fundamental to the way our salvation works. "Abraham believed the LORD and he counted it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6). And the key for us comes in chapter 4 and verse 5, "To the one who ... believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness." (Romans 4:5).
Now, please note that we are counted righteous apart from our religious works. Abraham was counted righteous before he was circumcised (Romans 4:11). And so we are counted righteous apart from being baptized or confirmed or taking part in the Lord's Supper or gaining our Sunday School attendance awards. Those things count nothing toward our salvation.
Also note that we are counted righteous apart from any good works that we perform. Abraham was counted righteous before the law came (Romans 4:13). And we are counted righteous apart from any righteousness that we perform. It's not giving to the church; it's not serving in the church; it's not helping our neighbor in distress. None of these things justify us before the Lord.
We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, plus nothing. "To the one who ... believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness." (Romans 4:5).
Then, being justified will bring about a few results. The first that Paul mentions is this:
Justification brings ...
1. Peace with God (verses 1-2a)
I trust that you can see it there in verse 1, ...
Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, the first thing that you need to notice here is the sort of peace that we are talking about here. We aren't talking about some inner peace that brings tranquility into your life. Although, certainly, that sort of peace comes from being justified as your conscience is clear before the Lord and as your spirit can rest in the Lord. But we aren't talking about this sort of peace, because Paul isn't talking about this sort of peace here. Look again at verse 1, ...
Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul is talking about having peace with God. He's talking about a vertical peace, not an inward peace that you feel. But an objective piece that you know. Paul is talking about being at peace with the sovereign Lord of the universe!
Now, there are many people who think that they are at peace with God. When, in reality, they are not. It's because the wrong question is being asked. The question is often this: are you at peace with God? That's not the question to ask. That's a subjective question. That's a question about feelings. But the question of this text is this: Is God at peace with you? And for many, this is not the case.
Do you remember how Romans began? "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." (Romans 1:18). This is our natural state before God. He is angry with us because of our sin. Rather than turning to God, we have turned away from God. "All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." (Romans 3:12).
Apart from Christ, we are not friends of God. We are enemies with God (Romans 5:10). We are hostile to God. Romans 8:7 says, "the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God." Or, you might say it this way. We were at war with God, but now we are at peace with God!
Do you know what it is like to be at peace after war? We live in a generation that has never known war. World War II ended in 1945, more than 70 years ago. So, those who remember the end of the war are in their 80's or beyond. World War 2 ended almost more than six years after it began (September 1, 1939, when the Japanese formally surrendered). And during those "six years of hell," some 60 million people died. [1]Three percent of the world's population died in the war. To put some flesh to that statistic, it means that 4 of us gathered here this morning would have died. It means that the vast majority of those who were alive at that time knew someone personally who was killed in the war.
During those six years, there was uncertainty. There was anxiety of heart. What would the world look like after the war was over? And sometimes, I am sure, it looked like it would never end.
But, on V-J Day (victory over Japan day), August 14, 1945, when the armistice was signed, the war was ended. And on that day, in America and Great Britain, there was dancing in the streets.
Looking at pictures of that day in Times Square in New York, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and of some Allied Personnel in Paris, you can see the happiness and the joy and exultation. [2]Why? Because peace had come.
And though it may not be on the world scale, every human being is at war with God in their hearts, until they sign the armistice and lay down their weapons at the foot of the cross. And the result is peace. We are no longer at war with God. He is no longer angry with us. Instead, we know God's love and favor, which is where Paul is heading (in verse 5), ...
Romans 5:5
... God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
One of the realities of justification is this: We have Peace with God (verse 1). Do you know that peace? It only comes "through our Lord Jesus Christ." Look once more at verse 1, ...
Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
That is, it only comes through his shed blood on the cross. That was Paul's point back in chapter 3. "[We] are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith." (Romans 3:24-25).
Jesus bore the wrath of God that was meant for us. So that we might be made right with him. And we become right with him, through faith, when we believe.
Do you believe? Do you believe in Jesus Christ? It's the only way to be justified in God's sight. The only way to be made right before him is to believe in his Son!
Let's move on to my second point this morning. What are the "Results of Justification"?
2. Access to God (verse 2a)
We see this in verse 2, ...
Romans 5:2
Through him [that is, ... through Jesus] we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, ....
In other words, it is through Jesus that we know the grace of God. When Jesus came to this earth, John said that he came "Full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Jesus brought the grace of God to us. Now, it's not that God the Father is wrath, and that Jesus is grace. No, it's not that at all. Psalm 103, an Old Testament passage, speaks of God's love and grace.
Psalm 103:8-11
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
God, the Father, is full of mercy and grace. But, Jesus is the one who brought his grace to us. He brought it to us through dying on the cross for our sins, and thus, becoming our mediator, has brought us to God. Indeed, ... now through Jesus, we have Access to God (verse 2a).
More technically, in verse 2, we have, ...
Romans 5:2
... access by faith into this grace in which we stand, ....
There is only one reason why we can stand before God, and not be consumed by his blazing holiness. And that reason is grace.
When Isaiah came into God's presence, he said, in Isaiah 6:5, "Woe is me! For I am undone!" (KJV), or, "I am ruined!" (NASB), or, "I am lost!" (ESV).
And if Isaiah, the holy prophet of old was "lost" and "ruined" and "undone" in the presence of God, so are we. Yet, here's the good news! By God's grace, through Jesus Christ, we can stand in God's presence.
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy," (Jude 24). And there's the key. Through Jesus Christ, we are blameless in God's sight.
Oh, listen, church family. It's not because we are blameless in and of ourselves! In and of ourselves, we are unrighteous! But, do you remember? We are made righteous before God by our faith. We are "justified by faith" (verse 1). And our access to God comes by faith as well. Look again at verse 2, ...
Romans 5:2
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, ....
And when we believe in Christ, we are justified. And the results of that justification is that we have Peace with God (verse 1). And that peace with God gives us Access to God (verse 2a).
Think back to the war illustration again. When countries are at war with each other, there is hostility toward each other. Think back to World War 2. If you were Japanese, and you had been stressed at work, and you were looking to take a nice vacation, you couldn't jump on a plane and travel to the United States to behold the wonders of our national parks. If you did, you would be locked up and detained. In fact, this is the very thing that our nation did in those days, mostly in California.
Here is a sign that was posted at the time, ...
Western Defense Command and Fourth Army Wartime Civil Control
Administration
Presidio of San Francisco, California
April 30, 1942
Instructions to all persons of Japanese Ancestry
Living in the Following Area
...
All persons of Japanese ancestry, both alien and non-alien, will be evacuated from the
above area by 12 o'clock noon, P. W T., Thursday, May 7, 1942.
No Japanese person living in the above area will be permitted to change residence after
12 o'clock noon, P. W. T., Thursday, April 30, 1942, without obtaining special
permission from the representative of the Commanding General, Southern California
Sector, at the Civil Control Station located at:
16522 South Western Avenue,
Torrance, California
We locked up more than 100,000 people in interment camps. More than 60% of them were American citizens. Today it seems crazy. But remember, this was only a few months after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941). And we were at war and in confusion. And we didn't know who was our enemy and who was our friend. And in fear and in prejudice, we locked up many of Japanese decent.
My point is this. In a time of war, if you were Japanese, you had little friendly welcome into the United States. And when we were at war with God, it was similar. We could not come into God's presence and receive a friendly welcome. We were his enemies (Rom. 5:10) But, ...
Romans 5:2
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, ....
That all comes as a result of our justification by faith (chapter 4). Well, let's move on to my third point. Because of our justification, we have Peace with God (verse 1); we have Access to God (verse 2a); and we have, ...
3. Joy in God (verses 2b-5)
Look there at the end of verse 2, ...
Romans 5:2-5
..., and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Before we were justified, the glory of God was a terrifying thing. Because, God's favor wasn't upon us. We didn't rejoice at the glory of God. We rejoiced in our own sin.
Let's take it back again to World War 2. Your feelings of joy or dread at the war and its events depended greatly upon whose side you were on. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, there was joy in Japan. And there was sorrow in the United States.
When the Third Reich was ascending to power, there was joy in German nationalism. And there was fear and dread in France and England.
And when it comes to the Lord, it is the same thing. And when God is your enemy, there is no joy in him! But when you are (1) at peace with God; when you enjoy (2) access to God, then there is great joy in God. Justified sinners long for the glory of God to be spread throughout the earth. That's why we pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10).
That's why we pray, ...
Psalm 67:1-3
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
We long for God's glory to extend throughout the earth.We long to see God's glory for ourselves! Like Moses, we pray, "Please show me your glory" (Exodus 33:18).
We say, "Amen" to the prayer of Jesus. "Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me." (John 17:24). Because of our justification, we have Joy in God (verses 2b-5). We have joy in his glory; but also, we have joy in our trials, because our trials are paths to experience God's love. Look at verse 3, ...
Romans 5:3-5
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Did you notice the link? Suffering produces endurance. Endurance produces character. Character produces hope. Hope brings no shame.
This sounds a bit like James. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4).
We can rejoice in our trials, because we know what they produce! Suffering produces endurance.
This is the principle of exercise. You exercise your body, and it comes back stronger. You run a mile today, you will be able to run a bit further tomorrow. You lift 100 lbs today, you will be able to lift a bit more tomorrow. And when it comes to our faith, if we suffer a bit today, our faith will come back a bit stronger tomorrow.
Endurance produces character. What is character, but the right response in all situations, including the tough situations? Isn't this when character shines? When it is all against you, and you still do the right thing? Listen to Job's testimony, ...
Job 23:10
But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
Character produces hope. Solid character isn't living for today. Solid character is living for integrity. Through the ups and downs of life, character will work in us to produce a hope that is beyond this life. It's a hope for the glory of God, even when all seems lost! Hope brings no shame. It all comes back to God. And God will always be found to be true.
This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on
March 19, 2017 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rvbc.cc.