The Blessings of Justification
Romans 5
Randy Hageman
Part of Paul's Letter to the Romans—Chapters 3-5
August 13, 2023

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The Apostle Paul explained humanity’s

for justification in vss. 1:18-3:20, and it worked in vss. 3:21-4:25.

Being “justified by faith,” is being made

with God and forgiven through our believing that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross paid the price for our sins.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 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. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 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. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 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. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. —Romans 5:1-11 (ESV)

BLESSINGS OF BEING JUSTIFIED

1. We now have “

with God.” (vs. 1)

and through [Christ] God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. —Colossians 1:20 (NLT)

This “peace” isn’t a subjective feeling but the objective reality that we are no longer judged

by God.

2. We now have access to God’s

through our faith. (vs. 2a)

3. We now “rejoice in hope of the

of God.” (vs. 2b)

…[God] has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like [Christ], for we will see him as he really is. —1 John 3:2 (NLT)

4. We now “rejoice in our

.” (vs. 3a)

By “sufferings” here, Paul’s not talking about the trials and tribulations of being human but the “sufferings” we experience as we seek to Jesus in a world that’s often at odds or even opposed to him.

Jesus: … Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. —John 16:33 (NLT)

Peace with God doesn’t assure us of peace with

, especially those who don’t follow Jesus.


Paul tells us that these “sufferings” can actually serve a purpose – they can bless us because God uses our sufferings to grow our in the same way He gives us His presence and love – to increasingly transform us into the image and likeness of Jesus.

… together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. —Romans 8:17 (NLT)
… we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope —Romans 5:3-4 (ESV)

The word “endurance” carries the sense of being

to pressure, the pressure the world applies to try to get us to go along with it and dismiss or deny Jesus.

The word “character” has the sense in the original Greek language of “ value.”

Christian character assures us that no matter what we are going through, we know how the story – we will spend eternity with Christ, and so Paul affirms how this character produces in us hope.

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. —Romans 5:5 (ESV)

This “hope” does not disappoint or “put us to shame” because it depends on something utterly unchanging and total trustworthy – “God’s

” for us!


A Couple Of Ways We Can Be Sure Of God’s Love For Us:

1. The of the gift


2. The of the recipients

a. “

” (vs.6)
b. “ ” (vs. 6)
c. “ ” (vs. 8)
d. God’s “ ” (vs. 10)

It’s clear that being weak, ungodly, sinners and God’s enemies makes us of God’s love and grace, and yet, in spite of all this, “God shows his love for us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God has both his love for us in the death of His Son (vs. 8) and His love into us through the gift of His Spirit (vs. 5).

Even though Christ followers do suffer for their faith, they can count it all joy and stand on God’s love because they have been recognized as being enough like Jesus that the world chooses to them, just as it persecuted and even killed Jesus.

5. We “shall be

.” (vss. 9-10)


Verses 9-10 show us a common tension we see in the New Testament – the tension between “already” and “not yet;” between what Christ has accomplished for us in his first coming, and what to be done at his second.


“The Now and the Not Yet” by Amy Grant
No longer what we were before,
But not all that we will be.
Tomorrow, when we lock the door,
On all our compromising,
When He appears,
He’ll draw us near,
And we’ll be changed by His glory,
Wrapped up in His glory….

We will be like Him,
For we shall see Him,
As He is.

No longer what we saw before,
But not all that we will see.
Tomorrow, when we lock the door,
On all our disbelieving,
When He appears (holy, holy),
Our view will clear,
And we’ll be changed by His glory,
Wrapped up in His glory….

But I’m caught in between
The now and the not yet;
Sometimes it seems like
Forever and ever,
That I’ve been reaching to be
All that I am,
But I’m only a few steps nearer,
Yet I’m nearer….


No longer what we were before,
But not all that we will be.
Tomorrow, when we lock the door,
On all our disbelieving,
And He appears (holy, holy),
He’ll draw us near,
And we’ll be changed by His glory,
Wrapped up in His glory….


When He appears (holy, holy),
He’ll draw us near,
And we’ll be changed by His glory,
Wrapped up in His glory….

We’re saved now from the

of sin, but someday, when Jesus returns, we will be saved from the of sin!

6. We “rejoice in through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (vs. 11)

Christian exultation in God begins with the shamefaced recognition that we have no claim on him at all, continues with wondering worship that while were still sinners and enemies Christ died for us, and ends with the humble confidence that he will complete the work he has begun. So to exult in God is to rejoice not in our privileges but in his mercies, not in our possession of him but in his of us. —John Stott


Next Week: Why Church?