In Nomine Iesu

Pastor Thomas L. Rank
Trinity 9
July 24, 2005

Text: Romans 5:1-11
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. 6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

THESE ARE YOUR WORDS, HEAVENLY FATHER, SANCTIFY US BY YOUR TRUTH, YOUR WORD IS TRUTH. AMEN.

How does faith in Jesus Christ affect your life, your way of looking at this world? That is what St. Paul sets forth in this chapter 5 of Romans. He has already gone to great lengths to show the depravity of us, our sin, and God’s just judgment. St. Paul has also taught us about faith, about the righteousness of Christ which is ours by faith, about the difference between salvation by works – which is impossible for us – and salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Chapter 5 builds on the foundation established in the first part of the book. St. Paul begins, "having been justified by faith," then what? Well, we have peace with God. This is a wonderful blessing of faith, for this peace is brought about by Jesus Christ, who gives us access to God's grace; we are admitted into the presence of God, not as sinners who will be judged with the severity of the law, but as God's children, who are looked on through the righteousness of Christ.

By our sinful nature and actions we were at war with God, as are all people. God had not declared war on us, but we had taken a unilateral action against God, seeing Him as our enemy. Because of sin we do not love God as we should. Instead we work against God and His kingdom of love. That is the perversity of sin: it destroys the very blessings which would bring help and salvation. However, in Christ, there is peace with God, a peace that is lasting, that brings us into a right relationship with God. We no longer see Him as our enemy, but as the One who works for us, who is on our side.

St. Paul now makes a startling conclusion based on the fact that we are justified by faith. His conclusion is this: we glory in tribulations.

Being justified by faith is so life-changing; it so transforms our thinking, that even tribulations, sorrows, troubles, trials, are seen in a completely different way. Notice that St. Paul does not say: being justified by faith means that we have no tribulations. Paul does not hide from us the fact that tribulations remain part of our lives as Christians. But what he does do is tell us how differently they are viewed when we know that we are at peace with God and that the well-deserved judgment on our sin is taken away.

If all that Paul writes in chapters one through four of Romans is true, if God so loved us that His only-begotten Son has died in our place, taking our punishment upon Himself, and giving us freely and completely the forgiveness of our sins, justifying us by His own life, death, and resurrection – if all this is true, then how can it not completely turn upside down the trials of this life?

What do tribulations do? They teach us perseverance, that steadfast endurance. We learn that we can make it through the trials because we are not alone, and that in fact our Savior Jesus Christ has already gone through the very worst, bringing us with Him. A theologian has noted:

To him who lives his life only in the present age and in this world, the sufferings which come can only be something negative. But for the Christian, suffering is precisely the point where the power of hope most clearly proves itself....Suffering is thus not something of which we must be ashamed. Hope makes it something positive, in which we can actually rejoice. (Nygren, Commentary on Romans, 195-196)

Paul brings us from tribulation, to perseverance, to character, to hope. As Christians, when trials come we will be tempted to "cut and run," to leave God, to abandon faith. But through trials we actually are made stronger, we learn to persevere, to endure. The result is a strengthening of our character. We gain wisdom, we learn to view others differently as we go through trials in our own lives. We may very well find that our selfish, self-centered life is changed as we endure our own trials.

This finally lead to hope. This hope is not wishful thinking, but it is confidence in God who will do what He has promised. But hope allows God to do what He will in His own time, and not according to our own timetables. Hope knows the outcome, and it waits patiently for the Lord to bring it in all its fullness.

However, this can only happen as we begin with the right foundation: that we are justified by faith. St. Paul is not content to let us merely remember the teaching of chapters 3 & 4. He presents it to us again. In this way he emphasizes again and again that we have no salvation, no forgiveness, no life, except in Christ, in His life, death, and resurrection.

Notice how we are described in verses 6,8, and 9. We are called "ungodly," "sinners," and even "enemies." This is what we were like when God planned our salvation. Salvation was not planned for the good and the deserving, it was planned for those who were sinners, with no pleasing aspect to them that might compel God to save them. No, God saves only because of His love, not because we are lovable.

Paul compares human love to God’s love. We might be willing to lay down our lives for someone who is our friend, whom we consider to be good. But we would consider it a waste if someone gives his life for another, and that one who is saved turns out to be a thief and a murderer. I remember in the movie Saving Private Ryan, how the men who are trying to save Ryan hope that he's worth saving, since they have watched some of their own friends die trying to save this unknown private. That is human love. It is very understandable to us.

But that is not God's love. God's love does not look at who is being forgiven. God simply does the loving work. Jesus willingly goes to the cross, and dies for all, no matter what we are like. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

It is this great love of God for us that causes to rejoice, to sing praises to God. We do it even in times of tribulation, for we know that such trials are only here and now, they do not last. What God gives lasts for eternity. And He gives salvation; He forgives sin; He provides life. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

Thanks be to God! Amen.