Romans 5 – A Different Life from Faith 羅馬書5 – 從信心而來不一樣的生命
Tuesday, 6th June 2023
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon 潘錫安牧師
Section One V1-11 Rejoice in God and Receive Life 要以神為樂得生命
Paul was talking to the church in Rome, there were Jewish believers and Gentile believers. Jewish believers worked hard to follow the laws of Moses whereas the Gentile believers focus on the love of God. Paul was telling us, and also telling us today, that by faith, we are able to enter into the blessings. V1-2 ‘Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.’ What are we facing right now? Health issues? Relationship problems? Work hardship? We often worry when facing difficulties, we don’t choose to find gold in the waste, but we choose to look at the problems in front of us. The blessings are with us right now, do not think we are being oppressed, do not think that we are being prosecuted, but rejoice, because God’s glory will come out, but can we see it?
V3-5 ‘And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.’ When problems come, it’s easy for us to turn back, to give up, to leave, and to hide in our caves. We want our lives to be smooth, we want everything to go according to our ways, and we cannot see that the true hope comes from tribulations. Tribulation produces perseverance, which will not come naturally, but grew out of overcoming our hardship and difficulties. Perseverance produces character, which allows us to experience the blessings of God, having the character is having a mindset of knowing God’s blessings are on the way no matter what.
Through character we can grow hope, not the hope for our problems to go away, not the hope for everything to go well in life, but the hope to see the glory of God. We are not to focus on if our problems will go away or not, but to focus on how we can receive this glory together with God. God created us not to be problem solvers, but to receive His glory, He has given us the authority to manage the earth from the very beginning. We must stop having this poverty mindset, we already have everything we need, but we are blind within us by our sin, and we think that we are still in lacking. We are not here to fight who is more holy, but we are all to rejoice in God, to face everything that comes into our lives, and to receive life.
The Holy Spirit comes to bring us the love of God, when we convict ourselves for sin, for righteousness, and for judgement, then we can get rid of our sins and see the love of God. Why did the rich young man go away with worries after Jesus talked to him? He only wanted to receive eternal life, but Jesus spoke into his life, Jesus knew his earthly life was in the way of receiving eternal life. When we hear the Word of God, can we turn back immediately? Have the heart of discernment and to really see our problems. During the Sunday service, prayer meeting, or morning devotion, when we hear the Word of God, which concerns us, worries us, and displeases us, we must know that it is the Holy Spirit speaking to us, for us to examine into our lives.
V6-8 ‘For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’ The Holy Spirit pours out the love of God into our hearts, when we feel offended, we must not finger pointing at others, but immediately seek help from God, so that we can see the problems of our lives. Let the love of God again fill within us, so we will no longer be afraid to admit our mistakes. It’s so hard for us to say ‘sorry’, instead, we are so good at giving ourselves excuses. If it’s really our problems, what we must do is to give thanks, to feel the love of God, and to know that it is our blessings to receive teaching and disciplines, so we can be more like Jesus and we can enter the eternal life.
V9-11 ‘Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.’ We should learn from Jesus Christ, accepting ourselves and accepting our children. When our children make mistakes, when they are willing to repent, then we should accept them in love, let the love of God embrace them. To rejoice in God is to be willing to know that we are blessed sinners, there is nothing that can bind us up, we no longer need to hide in our caves, we no longer need people to praise us to make us feel better.
Section Two V12-21 Justified by Faith and Receive Life 因信稱義得生命
V12-13 ‘Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.’ Why the Gentile believers always talk about God is love? Because they thought if God loves them then they would not need to admit their mistakes. Paul was teaching them to know that they were sinners, they were unworthy, and they must humble themselves. Do not use the love of God as our shield to cover the problems in our lives, the love of God can only fully come into our lives when we repent and know that we are sinners. The love of God is not for us to do whatever we want but to reveal to us and to cover us when we are willing to face our sins, our wickedness, our weaknesses…
V14-17 ‘Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)’ God gave us blessings, we must know that through one man’s mistake, everyone pays the price; but through Jesus Christ, all are justified by faith. All our mistakes, all our sins, and all our transgressions were made righteous in faith.
V18-19 ‘Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.’ When we know the problems in our lives, Jesus Christ will rule and reign in our lives. When we know our low point, we will no longer pointing our fingers at others, we will no longer be blaming on others, and we will no longer giving ourselves excuses. We are all justified by faith, no matter if we are Jewish believers or Gentile believers.
V20-21 ‘Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ When we receive teaching, do not be offended, do not feel ashamed, but to see Jesus reveal more and more in our lives, so we have the courage to repent, to receive glory, and to receive life.