Romans 5:1-11--Peace with God Through Faith

Romans 5:1-11
English Standard Version

Peace with God Through Faith
5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 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. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 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.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-- 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

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Paul has wrapped up his "opening arguments" and is now moving into the "body" of his case.  Chapter 5 verse 1 is a pivot-point as we see the word "Therefore" as the first word.  That's our indication that Paul has wrapped up one idea and is moving onto the next one--though the ideas are still connected and build on one another.  In this case the main body of the case is going to build on the argument that he's made in Chapters 1-4 that no one can be declared righteous (justified) by the Law and that all men, even those who are "apart from the Law," break the Law that they do know.  Justification is always happens when it is credited to a man by God by an act of faith and even that faith is a gift from God that we cannot take credit for.  So then, salvation is the work of God alone accomplished by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone for the glory of God alone.  That is most of the Sola's on which Reformed theology is built and most of them come straight out of the book of Romans (as well as other epistles of the New Testament.

Paul makes it clear that he's back to talking to the Church in Rome, his Christian brothers and sisters, by saying, "Since we have been justified by faith...."  Notice that justification is something that for the Christian is a completed action in the past.  While salvation is something past, present and future, justification happens once for the Christian and we do need to worry about God changing His verdict.  The Righteous Judge has declared us "not guilty" and has chosen to forget about our sins and they will be no longer be held against us or credited to our account.  For this reason we are no longer marked for the wrath of God and we will be saved from the coming judgment because Jesus took all our sin upon Himself and paid it all when He said, "It is finished."

But Paul says that there is something even greater than justification that the blood of Jesus accomplished--reconciliation.  That's another big word that I probably need to explain (thought it's used much in today's days and times, but I don't think we understand the full measure of it).  Paul explains that we were at enmity (that is we were enemies) with God.  Everything we were and desired to be was the opposite of who God was and we were constantly fighting with one another.  There is only one God in heaven and earth and it is not us.  So then the very moment that Adam and Eve sinned by trying to to become like God (the same sin that had Satan cast out of heaven), then all of humanity was now on the wrong side.  Jesus not only made peace with God and man through His death, but now brings us near to God through His life so that we are no longer enemies, but friends.  We who were once far off have been brought near by the Spirit of adoption.(we'll get to Adoption in Romans 8), so that we might be conformed to the image of God the Son and be called "sons of God" and be co-heirs with Jesus--gaining the inheritance that belongs to Him instead of wrath that is wages of our sin (as we'll talk about in chapter 6).  So then this idea of reconciliation is one of the "big ideas" of the book of Romans--taking enemies and making them children and friends.  Taking those who were estranged and were "far off" and bringing them near and not only restoring the relationship, but making it even better, and taking that which was broken by sin at the Fall and making all things new so that we have an end that is like the beginning, only better.  We stated off with one man and one woman in the Garden serving the LORD and in perfect communion with Him for some time in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2.  In the end, we will see that God has redeemed, restored, and reconciled a remnant unto Himself so that there will be an uncountable number of people whose entire existence is to serve and praise the LORD and to live in perfect union and harmony with Him as described as a spotless Bride, the Church, that has been prepared for the Bridegroom, that is Jesus.  Keep this in mind as we go into the next passage that contrasts the "First Adam" with the "Last Adam."