Saved from Wrath

Lesson Text: Romans 5:1-11

Related Scriptures:

James 1:2-4; Ephesians 1: 13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Colossians 1:18-23; Titus 3:3-7

TIME: A.D. 67         PLACE: from Corinth

GOLDEN TEXT—"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1

 

Introduction

No one knows for sure how the church in Rome began, but Luke tells us in Acts 2 that many Jews came to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost from many places, including Rome. At that time, they heard Peter preach the gospel. Perhaps some of them trusted in Jesus and established a church in Rome.

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Romans 16 lists over twenty Christians in Rome whom Paul personally knew, even though he had never been to Rome. So how did Paul encourage a church he had never visited? In this case, Paul chose to offer instruction and guidance in proper theology but in a way that intentionally sought to reduce conflict between the Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome. The content in Romans 5:6-11 about how God treated His enemies could help Jewish and Gentile Christians lay down their preferences and embrace one another in Christ. All this conflict occurred in the church while the church tried to reach their neighbors for the Lord. The message of peace with God through Jesus Christ may have sounded too good to be true because of the strife within the church.

 

LESSON OUTLINE

1. The Believer's New Status In Christ—Rom. 5:1-5

2. The Believer's Old Status Prior To Christ—Rom. 5:6-11

 

Exposition: Verse by Verse

THE BELIEVER'S NEW STATUS IN CHRIST ROM,

5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

3 And not only so, but-we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

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The believer's new status is peace (Rom.5:1) What comes to mind when you hear the word "peace"? {For Paul's audience, it might have been Roman rhetoric trumpeting the Pax Romana— Roman peace—earned through their iron-fisted conquering army. Today people might think about inner tranquility. others might think about ceasefire agreements.} Q1 Paul meant

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something different. Romans 5:1 is connected grammatically to Romans 4:25, where Paul reminded readers that the only way they can be righteous, or justified, is through trusting in Jesus Christ. {The result of Christ's sacrifice is a new status with God: peace.}Q2 This new status of peace only makes sense in light of the sinner's enmity toward God (5:6-11 Peace with God, then, means that enmity and Wrath have been completely removed and that believers have been reconciled to God at great cost.

Peace with God was quite a claim to make in a letter written to people living in Rome. When western Rome eventually fell in fifth century A.D., there was a line of pagan thinking that not enough people worshipped the Roman gods— especially those pesky Christians with their one non-Roman God—so the gods took away the empire's peace. Peace with the pagan gods was something people could never really be sure of, and they might lose in a moment without knowing exactly why.

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Then came Paul announcing that Jesus secures eternal peace with God' when a person trusts in Christ's death and resurrection. Roman people obviously would not associate crucified people with peace, except maybe in removing a threat to Roman peace. But the gospel Paul preached declares that God's wrath poured out on Christ results in a repaired relationship with

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The believer's new status is grace (Rom. 5:2).

Verse 2 contains the biblical concepts of grace, hope, and glory. First, Paul said that Jesus grants the believer's admission into the realm of grace through faith. Grace refers to the gift of God's unearned favor and acceptance. Christians rightly associate grace with the gift of forgiveness from sins. That is true and wonderful, but the use of the word in verse 3 is somewhat surprising. Paul talked about presently standing in God's grace. {Grace is how sinners get to God, but grace is also how sinners continue to interact with God and live for Him. Grace is the-entry requirement and the operating procedure of life with God.} Q3

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A person is granted access to this gift of grace through faith. Paul makes this explicit in verse two, hearkening back to his larger argument earlier in his letter (1 :5, 16, 17; 3:22). Without faith, one does not gain access to this divine grace. To stand in grace is wonderful, so Paul said the normal response would be to praise God. This praise is informed by the next two key terms in verse 2: "hope" and "glory." "Hope" is another biblical word complicated by modern connotations. In English, "hope" is synonymous with "wish." To hope that something will happen has no bearing on whether or not it will.

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{In the New Testament, however, hope is based on guaranteed promises from God about the future.)Q4 And what is this hope is in? God's glory. Sometimes that phrase refers to the weight and significance of God's character. Since "glory" is associated with the future-oriented concept of "hope," it probably refers to the way the word is used in Romans 8:18-25: the resurrection of the body to enjoy the new creation in the presence of God forever!

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This confident assurance in the hope of the glory of God counters the sad state of the human race. For all have sinned, and therefore all have fallen short of the glory of God (3:23). The gospel reverses this situation.

The believer's new status is resilient (Rom. 5:3-4). Paul introduced the topic of suffering alongside persecution, hardship unto death, famine, danger, and sickness. Peace with God does not guarantee peaceful circumstances. Believers know, however, that suffering does not mean that they are experiencing God's wrath. It is quite the opposite. Romans 8:17 says believers are joint inheritors with the Son of a glorious future new creation.

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That is why Paul had the audacity to say in Romans 5:3 that believers can and should rejoice in suffering. Why? {Because God can use suffering to develop resilience and character in His people.)Q5 The Greek word for "Character" is used in texts such as Philippians 2:22 to connote something that is proven.

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Sadly, the same suffering described in Romans 5:3-4 is mentioned by Jesus in Mark 4:17 as the cause for some confessing Christians to give up and cease following Jesus. As seen in the Old Testament book of Job, suffering can reveal whether people follow the Lord because of some perceived social benefit derived from their village or community. Conversely, suffering can reveal whether people believe because they are deeply smitten by the beauty of the glorious gospel of peace with God. Suffering causes some to lose hope, but it increases hope for the believer who clings to Jesus.

The believer's new status is love (Rom. 5:5).

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Paul embedded an allusion to an Old Testament passage in verse 5 that helps faithful Christians understand how to respond to trials and pain. He had just talked about the grueling reality of suffering in verses 3-4. Such talk appears to some people like Christianity as nothing more than a grin-and-bear-it approach to pain and misery—as though Christians are to ride it out because eternal life will be so wonderful.

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Verse 5 suggests otherwise. The verse is similar to the ancient Greek translation of Psalm 22:5. In that verse, David said that his ancestors cried out to God, and their hope did not lead to shame. Psalm 22 is a psalm of lament made famous by Jesus quoting from it in His cry to the Father from the cross. David and Jesus did not grin and bear suffering. Paul made the same connection in Romans 8:31-39, where he quoted from Psalm 44.

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Responding to suffering that way is not natural, so Paul next explained the supernatural origin of the ability to rejoice in suffering. Paul used word in Romans 5:5 that sometimes describes pouring out wrath in books like Revelation, but here love is being poured out. Sinners deserve to have the wrath of God poured out on them. But for those who put their trust in God, He instead lavishly pours His life-changing love into their hearts.

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God does not impersonally deliver this love, though, because the harbinger of this love is none other than the Holy Spirit. (When circumstances whisper to Christians that they are abandoned, God's Spirit assures them of the Father's love.} Q6 In Romans 8:1 6, this ministry of the Holy Spirit is described as an inner assurance of a believer's adoption into God's family. The Holy Spirit indwells all believers and has the good news that they are loved by God.

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THE BELIEVER'S OLD STATUS PRIOR TO CHRIST

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. .

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11-And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom We have now received the atonement.

 

The believer's old status was weak and ungodly (Rom. 5:6-8). Paul chose to go back in time and set salvation against the backdrop of every believer's life before Christ. The logic is like Jesus' two-verse parable in Luke 7:41-42. The larger the forgiven debt, the greater the gratitude. There is no such thing as a small sin debt, so Jesus was talking about the perception of one's sin problem and need for salvation. People can miss the goodness of the good news if they do not grasp the badness of their sin predicament.

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{Paul used two harsh descriptors in verse 6 for life outside of Christ: weak and ungodly. Paul reflected on the context of the death of Christ. The context is that humanity was neither strong enough nor good enough to fix their sin problem.} Q7 Jesus died for sinners, who were powerless to change their spiritual death, impending judgment, and well-deserved wrath from God.

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Without Christ, sinners are described as ungodly. Sometimes popular descriptions of the crucifixion make it sound like God saw sin overtake wonderful and worthwhile people, so He wanted .to send Jesus to die for them because they were worth saving.

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To be clear, Genesis 1:26-28 teaches that humans have inestimable worth because they are made in God's image. But God did not see anything in humanity deserving of the death of His Son. On the contrary, Paul's argument in Romans 5:7-8 seems designed to divest believers of any illusion of being deserving of the death of Christ.

TO modern readers, the argument in Romans 5:7-8 seems backward. Paul said that it is extremely uncommon for someone to voluntarily die for a morally upright person but slightly less rare for someone to die for a good person. The blandness of the English word "good" makes it difficult to follow Paul's logic. Good does not sound better than mort ally upright to modern ears.

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 {Several scholars have suggested that the "good man" in verse 7 is a technical term for a social and financial benefactor.}Q8 Even in the English "benefactor," the prefix is related to the Latin word for "good." In Roman society, a person of great social standing and wealth often became a patron supporter of someone who lacked status and wealth, known as a client. The less wealthy benefited from increased social and business opportunities, but there were strings attached in the form of obligations. Circumstances may arise where Clients would be obligated or honor-bound to die for their benefactors (Thielman, Romans, Zondervan).

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Now Paul's analogy makes a bit more sense. Rarely do people die for high-character people they know. Occasionally, though still rare, someone might die for someone out of a deep sense of social or financial obligation. Paul’s point is that neither of these scenarios applies to the death of Christ for sinful humans. God was not impressed with human character, and no one had done anything for God to obligate Himself to intervene in their 'Sinful plight. That is how believers know they are loved no matter what.

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`Hearkening back to Romans 3:3-5, how much more will God's love carry and sustain those who have been justified or made right in God's sight through Christ, adopted into His eternal family, and made coheirs with Christ? Believers did nothing to earn this great and incomparable love and can do nothing to diminish it. {Verse 8 says that Christ's dying for undeserving sinners proves God's love. It is the indisputable and objective evidence that God loves His people.} Q9 The more believers meditate on how they did not deserve God's love, the more unshakable is their stand in His grace despite the sufferings they are to experience through the trials of life.

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The believer's old status was enmity with God (Rom. 5:9-11

{Paul now engaged in a form of argumentation commonly used in ancient rhetoric— the argument from the lesser to the greater. If God justified sinners when they did not deserve it, how much more will He rescue them from the future outpouring of His wrath on the Day of the Lord? Paul really wanted readers to grasp this, so he added a further argument from the lesser to the greater in verse 10. If God reconciled His enemies to Himself through Christ's death, how much more will He completely give eternal salvation through Christ's life? }Q10

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Verse 10 continues to explore the status of believers prior to faith in Christ by reminding them that they were enemies of God. Retrospectively, believers can often see how life without faith in Christ was enmity toward Him, but not many unbelievers would agree that their status is hostile to God.

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Living for oneself, serving one’s own selfish desires, and even seeking to define one's relationship with God independent of the eternal gospel all amount to declarations of treasonous independence from God. The New Testament teaches that although God shows His enemies kindness, He will one day punish them beneath the feet of King Jesus.

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 Remarkably, in Jesus Christ, God reconciles enemies to Himself. The words "reconciled" and "reconciliation" in verses 10-11 occur only in Paul's letters and speak about the repair of a relationship. Reconciliation mostly refers to repairing the relationship between sinful humanity and God, but the use of the word in 1 Corinthians 7:1 1 refers to estranged spouses returning to active relationships with one another. That passage shows the highly relational nature of this concept. Created for relationship with God, all humans are in enmity with Him through sin, separating them from life-giving relationship with God. God in Christ did everything needed to change enmity into beautiful, eternal, familial relationship for all who trust in Jesus. What a wonderful gift He gave to humanity of King Jesus. Bible Expositor and Illuminator 141 —Matthew Swale

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QUESTIONS

1. What comes to mind when defining the word "peace"?

2. What did Paul mean when he used the word "peace"?

3. What is meant by the present standing in God's grace?

4. What is hope based on in the New Testament?

5. How can God use believers' suffering?

6. Why can believers rejoice while enduring suffering?

7. How did Paul describe life outside of Christ?

8. How do some scholars explain the "good man" of verse 7?

9. Why is Christ dying for undeserving sinners important?

10. What was Paul's lesser-to-greater argument in verses 9-11? Matthew Swale

 

Preparing to Teach the Lesson

'In the two previous lessons of this unit, we have examined how God's righteousness relates to our judgment and justification. If We remain dead in our sins and reject God, then God's judgment is perfectly righteous when He pours His wrath out on us. If we are washed clean of our sins by turning to Jesus, we are justified, and God's wrath was borne on the cross by Jesus. In today's lesson, we will further examine what the life of a believer looks like after turning to Jesus. Not only have Christians been justified, but they also have been reconciled to God and have hope for the future.

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TODAY'S AIM

Facts: to learn what it means to have peace with God and hope in Him.

Principle: to understand that Christ's death justified us so that we might be reconciled to God and hope in Him for eternal life.

Application: to persevere in the faith and rejoice in reconciliation with God.

 

INTRODUCING THE LESSON

 If you have ever had sand blown directly into your eyes, then you know how difficult and painful it becomes to see. The world appears blurry, it is difficult to distinguish shapes, and your eyes sting with the irritant. As soon as your eyes are flushed and the irritant is gone, however, the world jumps into focus and the pain will eventually' disappear (although it may take some time, given the damage sand can do). The difference is astounding! Instead of stumbling blindly in burning pain, you n behold the world in clear detail. When people come to know Christ, like they had once been living with in their eyes and are having it out for the very first time. Their eyes were previously blinded to what they are like—dead in sin and enemies of God. We all stumble blindly into the world, searching for ultimate meaning and the reason behind our suffering. But when Christ opens our eyes, we are made new. Not only do we recognize God's love and become transformed by it, but we also have hope. Although believers still experience suffering in this world, we recognize that it is not ultimate. One day, the fullness of salvation will come, and all Christians will behold the glory of God with unveiled eyes (Rev. 22:1-5).

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DEVELOPING THE LESSON

1. Rejoicing in hope (Rom. 5:1-5).

Without hope of some kind, it is impossible to continue in this world. We need a reason to endure whatever difficult circumstances we are in. Most people hope for better circumstances, but that in and of itself cannot sustain them. In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul wrote of a greater hope: the hope believers have in Jesus because they have been justified and reconciled to God through faith.

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Through faith in Jesus, we have access to the grace of salvation, and that leads us to hope to see the glory of God. Without having faith, we were blinded to God's glory. Compare it to walking around' with no knowledge of the sun, unable to see the results of its brightness or feel the warmth of its rays. After coming to Jesus, believers know God's glory is always there, even when they cannot see Him. Circumstances no longer dictate giving praise to the Lord; on the contrary, we can rejoice in suffering.

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The apostle Paul was no stranger to trials. He was beaten, shipwrecked, robbed, and even stoned (2 Cor. 1 1:16-33). He suffered far more physical punishment during his ministry than many Christians will ever experience. Even so, Paul called all believers to rejoice. We can rejoice in hope not because life is easy but because God never changes. His glory may be veiled from our eyes while we walk on this earth, but we know it never diminishes. Because of that, our hope does not make us ashamed. We have confidence in God because He has set His Spirit as a seal on us (Eph. 1:13). As we endure trials through His grace and power, our character will increasingly reflect His glory (2 cor. 3:18).

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2. Rejoicing in reconciliation (Rom. 5:6-11).

It is the kindness of God that gives believers imperishable hope. No one has done anything to deserve His mercy; on the contrary, we have done everything to deserve His wrath (Eph. 2:3). We were once His enemies, and we could not withstand His holiness. But while we were still ungodly, without the strength to change ourselves, Jesus died for us and made it possible for us to have faith in Him. He is the one who justified us as a free gift; our works are never enough to earn our own salvation.

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 Jesus' justification of us is perfect. We do not need a repeated sacrifice. He does not have to die over and over again to save us. Instead, having been covered once by His blood, we are reconciled with God. Let us rejoice in that reconciliation! We were God's enemies and could never come near to Him, the Author and Sustainer of Life, so He made a way to have peace with Him. That is the glorious news of the gospel'.

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Many people reject Christianity because of its so-called exclusivity, since Jesus is the only way of salvation. But it is a wonder that God would open any way of salvation at all! We can rejoice in Jesus because our hope in Him is certain. Any person of any background can turn to Him and be saved. We are transformed. Our hope gives us joy, B

and it spurs us on to do good and love others as a result.

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ILLUSTRATING THE LESSON

There will be trials and suffering in this life and times when we cannot see God's glory clearly. But we can persevere and praise God in the midst of them because of our hope in Him.

REJOICE IN HOPE WORDS OF PRAISE

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CONCLUDING THE LESSON

Faith in Jesus, both reconciles us to God and gives us hope for the future. If we trust in Him, we will never be put to shame. Are there any difficult circumstances in your life right now? It could be anything—a toddler who never sleeps, a boss who is unreasonable, a coworker who makes fun of you, a friend who lies to you. Trials like those have a way of sneaking up on us and stealing our joy, The longer they go on, the less hope we have. Spend some time praying over the circumstances in your life that cause you to lose hope. Consider meditating on Psalm 27 as you pray and wait for the Lord with rejoicing.

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ANTICIPATING THE NEXT LESSON

Romans 5:12-21 is the Scripture text for lesson 12. We will study how Jesus became the Second Adam in order to give us new life. 143 —Katherine Robinson

 

PRACTICAL POINTS

1. Being forgiven of our sins ends our conflict with God (Rom. 5:1).

2. Believers have a stable position with God through Christ (vs. 2).

3. Suffering produces many great character qualities in us, so we must rejoice (vss. 3-5)!

4. Christ did not die for us because we were good but because we were ungodly (vs. 6).

5. Christ died for sinners to show God's love (vss. 7-8).

6. Believers escape God's coming judgment through Christ (vs. 9).

7. The death and resurrection of Christ bring us eternal reconciliation with God (vss. 10-1 1 —Glenn Weaver

 

RESEARCH AND DISCUSSION

1. What may be true if someone does not feel at peace with God (Rom. 2.

2. Explain the hope to which Christians look that Paul mentioned in Romans 5, How should this hope influence how we live?

3. What are some steps we can take to develop an attitude of rejoicing in the midst of trials (vss. 3-5)?

4. In what sense were we without Strength before Christ? How does our relationship with Christ give us strength (vs. 6)?

5. Christ died for us out of love (vss. 6-7). What other motivations may lead someone to die for others?

6. 6. Explain why Paul stated that we would be saved in the future be- cause of Christ (vs.10) 

 

ILLUSTRATED HIGH POINTS

We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1 ) I avoided him during high school, as most people did. He was wild, unpredictable, and destructive. A couple of years later, I saw him at a regional prison. While under the influence of drugs, he killed two men. But he trusted in Christ while in prison. Now he was calm and at peace, and I gladly call him my brother in Christ.

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Rejoice in hope of the glory of God Vs 2

 Four college friends and I finished our last exam. We packed a car and traveled home. It was brutally cold, and snow covered the ground. The defrosters only cleared a small area for the driver to see, for the heater stopped working. After twenty hours of straight driving, everyone was tired, cold, and cramped. But the hardship was worth it because we Would soon be home with our families for Christmas.

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 Tribulation worketh patience (vs. 3)

Boot camp is a time of intense physical fitness exercise. These activities push the mind and body to build endurance. Without the suffering, a new recruit could fail in the field. Christians endure suffering to build character. Our training gives us character that the Holy Spirit uses to help us make godly Choices when difficulty come our way.

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While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (vs. 8)

My son's cat can get on my nerves at times. It claws the furniture, makes noise, and has hairballs at inopportune times. Plus, I have to clean up after it. But since I love my son, I have grace, show love, and take care of his cat. —Glenn Weaver