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Chapter 5
7
W
e are interested in results. Ideas, inventions, businessplans, and philosophies are screened by one question. Is iteective? Does it work?Many times in this epistle, Paul seems to counter anticipatedarguments and questions. The question could go something likethis:OK Paul, I’m ollowing you so ar. I can see that my ownrighteousness doesn’t amount to much. I know that I can’t getmysel into heaven. And I understand what you mean when yousay that my only response to God is aith and through aith, Christ’srighteousness is credited to my account. But, can I really be surethat it’s eective? Is it possible to stand beore God in condence?
 
In short:Does Justifcation By Faith really work?
And Paul’s answer in this chapter is YES, it works. He gives thehows and whys o salvation. He shows how the gap between us andGod is bridged: how we have access to God and condence in theuture.
The Results & Basis ofJustification By FaithRomans 5:1-11
Thereore, since we have been declared righteous by aith,we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,(Romans 5:1)
 
Romans In Focus
Peace with God (vs. 1)
I have a reproduction o Galesburg newspaper dated Tues. May8th, 1945. The headline reads
“War Ends Today, 5:01 PM, CWT”.
I can imagine all the rejoicing and celebration when olks read thatheadline. And when we place our aith in Christ, the war is ended….we have peace with God.We were once enemies o God, rebels. (vs.10) We resisted God’sgrace, ignored His love. And we’re headed or deeat. But, the trucehas been established, hostilities have ceased.Psalms 85:10 says
“righteousness and peace have kissed eachother.” 
Peace with God is a direct result o righteousness. A believeris justied (declared righteous) and then has peace.Peace with God is not the same as the peace o God. Every believerhas peace with God, even i he doesn’t sense it. Christians worryand ret about their salvation and cringe waiting or God to get them.But, i they are saved, they have peace with God.
 Access To Grace (vs. 2)
The most holy place in the temple (where God’s presence dwelt)was restricted. No one other than the high priest could enter, andthen only once a year ater a thorough cleansing. When Christ diedthe veil was torn in two. Believers now have access to God.Heb. 4:16
“let us then approach the throne o grace with confdence,so that we may receive mercy and fnd grace to help us in our time o need.” 
There’s no longer any veil (separation) between God and Hispeople. Notice that access is through Christ. He is our High Priest. Heis the one who always lives to intercede or us. We don’t have to gothrough a man in order to get to God. We can directly communicateand commune with God, through Christ.
 
Chapter 5
“this grace in which we now stand.”
We tend to think o graceas only a part o salvation...A past event. But we continually needgrace.. . every day. I received God’s grace when He saved me. Therewas nothing in me to merit it. He has no more reason to keep methan He did to save me. I still sin. It’s not a matter o being saved bygrace and then working to keep it. We’re saved by grace and keptby grace. And it’s in this grace in which we stand.
Hope (2b-5)
Christians are the only people on earth that have real hope. Notcross-your-ngers type optimism or alse hope. True hope is beingcertain that your uture is secure.
The object o our hope:
Our hope is “the glory o God -the very presence o God.That’s what we’re looking orward to. Rom. 8:30 -”...those HE justied, he also gloried.” It’s as good as done.
Developing Hope. (3-4)
“We also rejoice in our suerings.” 
Why should we rejoice when wesuer? Because we know that our pain is not meaningless. It has agood eect. Rom.8:28
“and we know that in all things God works or the good o those who love him.” 
All things, even our sueringsultimately produce good.It takes adversity to develop character. Parents understand that.As your child grows up, you give him more and more reedom andresponsibility. And when he makes a wrong choice and gets into a jam, you resist the temptation to jump in and bail him out. Why? Doyou enjoy his suering? No. You realize that he’ll mature and be abetter person because he handled his own problem.
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