Romans 5:6-11
The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit (vs. 5).
Introduction
Last week, we ended our reading with Romans 5:5, which says, “And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:6-11 is essentially a commentary on verse 5. They are an explanation in detail. In many ways, they are a robust theology of John 3:16. This is the greatest love story ever told.
The Roman Road of Love
• Let’s look at this love story found in the book of Romans:
1. The Problem: We are all sinners (Rom. 3:10).
2. The Consequence: Our sin leads to death (Rom. 6:23a).
3. The Solution: A free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:23b, 5:8).
4. The Response: We believe and confess (Rom. 10:9, 10:13).
5. The Result: Justification and Peace through God’s grace (Rom. 5:1-2, 8:1).
6. The Promise: Our eternal Security (Rom. 8:38-39).
• For many of us here, this is our love story, and today, we are taking a walk down memory lane or the Roman Road. Like any great love story, it deserves to be told repeatedly and shared so others can experience what we have.
• This emphasizes that the reason for God’s love is found in Him, not in us. His love is not in response to our actions.
• We love, because He first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19).
The Explanation of Love
• Paul describes the greatness of God’s love. It is love given to the undeserving.
• This passage reminds us that God poured out His love on us through His son when we were still helpless, ungodly, sinners, and enemies.
• Verse 8 tells us that God demonstrates His own love. It is not past tense but present. It is for you and me.
• What does he demonstrate? His own love.
• This statement distinguishes His love from any version of human love It’s a superior love. This is God’s own love that has come down from His throne.
• The word used here is agape. It means undeserved, unmerited, unconditional love—sacrificial love.
• Agape love gives of itself to seek the highest good for the person receiving it. And the thing about this love that makes it so different from our love is that God gave us His love when we were His enemies. God loves the unlovely.
• As sinners, we fall short of the glory of God. We fall short of His standards. We even break God’s moral law.
• We love people who have something to offer us, people we find attractive, and people who make us feel good about ourselves. When they no longer do, we look for a way out.
• God does not love us because we are good or righteous people. God does not love because we offer things He finds attractive. God demonstrates His love toward us by loving us while we are unclean and unwholesome sinners.
• Our love story did not end when we asked Jesus to be our Savior. It is a story that continues as we walk with Jesus.
• Salvation is the continuous work that happens in our lives. It’s one of the most beautiful parts of this love story. We have been saved from the penalty of sin (justification). We are being saved from the power of sin and the practice of sin (sanctification), and we will be saved from the presence of sin when we see Jesus face to face (glorification).
When Love Grows Cold
• In human love, we know that those first feelings of love fade. They fade through misunderstandings, broken promises, and disappointments.
• Sometimes, we take our human experience of love into our relationship with God.
• We live in a fallen world. We are part of that world. We sin, and we are sinned against, and all of this affects our lives. It’s the awful truth. We will suffer.
• Tribulation will result in perseverance for the believer, and perseverance + proven character = Peace. In all His love, God will take what the enemy met for evil and do something good (Rom. 8:28).
• Sometimes, even as Christians we can get stuck in the tribulation. We forget our first love. We forget that moment when we realized the “love sacrifice” God gave for us.
• When love grows cold, we must recall the moment we realized that God poured out His love within our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
• Revelation 2:4-5 reminds us to return to our first love. You and I have the greatest love story ever told.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that this is the greatest love story ever told. It’s a story that we can tell about ourselves. It’s a story that should be passed down from generation to generation and lived out in the lives of everyone who hears it. It’s a powerful story. It’s a testimony that never loses its love, but sometimes people forget the sacrifice. Sometimes, people forget the journey to get here; for some, this is when love grows cold. However, we don’t have to stay there because, unlike anyone else, Jesus is still standing there with His outstretched arms bearing the scars of love and the blows of rejection and saying what He said the first time, “I am here. I forgive you. You are my bride. Take my hand.”
Discussion Questions
- Share with someone your greatest love story. How did God meet you where you were at?
- How do you feel when you reflect on the explanation of God’s love?
- Has your love ever grown cold? What did you do about it?