Tag: Justification by Faith

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Romans: Week 6- Day 2- Romans 6:3-4

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  (4)  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:3-4 

Explanation:

In this text Paul uses baptism as an illustration of what happens to our relationship with sin when we are saved.  When we come to know Christ as Savior we are “in Christ.”  Our identity with Christ means that we identify with his person, death, burial, and resurrection.  This means that as those who identify with Christ, we are dead to sin.  Our old selves are identified with sin, but our new life is in Christ.  We are no longer slaves to sin.  We are no longer under sins power.  Now we walk in newness of life.

This doesn’t mean that we no longer sin.  Until heaven we will not be sinless.  What it does mean is that sin is no longer our master.  It is no longer our identity.  Christ is our identity.

Application:

If you don’t know Christ as Savior, sin is still your master.  God wants to free you from sin, and make you alive in Christ. 

If you do know Christ as your Savior, we are going to see in the coming verses that we must consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ.  Since Christ died for our sins, and we are identified with him, we must forsake sin, and by faith ask God to help us walk in newness of life.

Response:

We need to be controlled by the Spirit today to fight or flee from temptation in our lives.  If we have unconfessed sin, we must confess and repent today.

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Romans: Week 5- Day 5- Romans 5:9-11

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.  (10)  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.  (11)  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Romans 5:9-11 

Explanation:

Paul, having the experience and the influence of being around jewish rabbis, was used to a teaching method of teaching from the lesser to the greater.  “Much more then” is  a classic example.  What is amazing about the truth that he is expounding is that the “lesser” is already pretty incredible.  What has he said?  We have peace with God. We have been given access to God through a position of grace.  God became flesh and died for us while we were sinners!  Now he goes on to this incredible truth.  Because of the blood of Jesus Christ we will be saved from the wrath of God.  No punishment.  No hell.  No pain.  No separation from God.  It was all poured out on Jesus on the cross for us.  

We were reconciled, or brought near by the death of Christ.  Now that we’ve been reconciled, we will be saved by the life of Christ.  This brings us joy and fulfillment in God through Jesus Christ right now.  It impacts our past in that all of our sins have been forgiven, it impacts our future, in that we will be saved by His life and won’t go to hell, and it impacts our present because we joy in God having received this atonement!

Our sins are forgiven.  Our punishment has been given.  God’s wrath has been satisfied.  Now we are living the benefits, and looking forward to the benefits to come!  

Application:

All of these benefits come by faith.  Justification with God comes by faith through grace.  Have you put your faith in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins?

What about your friends?  Family? Co-workers?  Neighbors?  Do the know?

Response:

1. Trust.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10)  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (11)  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.  (12)  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.  (13)  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans 10:9-13 

2. Praise.

In Christ alone! – who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless babe.

This gift of love and righteousness,

Scorned by the ones He came to save

Till on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live.

“In Christ Alone” – 2001- Townsend and Getty

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Romans: Week 5- Day 4- Romans 5:6-8

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  (7)  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.  (8)  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Rom 5:6-8

Explanation:

On our own we have no capacity to be right with God.  We can’t keep the law.  By being guilty in one point, we are guilty in all.  The reality is that we are all guilty in many points, and so we are without moral or spiritual strength.

It is when we found ourselves in this condition that Christ died for us.  Think about how incredible this reality is!

It is rare for a person to die for someone else.  It is even rare for someone to “dare to die”- pledge their death, or say that they would die- for someone else.  If I were to ask most people who they would die for, I would imagine the list would be short, and anyone that would be on the list would be people that were loved.

But this is not how God’s love is.  God showed us his love in a tangible way.  God demonstrated His love by Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross when we were unlovely.  He died for us when we were sinners, unworthy of his love, and as we’ll see later, worthy of His wrath.

Our salvation is sure, because, being justified, we’ve been given peace, access, grace, hope, and love.

Application:

Our salvation is sure.  It is a promise from God.  He says that when we repent and trust, He justifies.  He declares us righteous.  This means I can be sure of my salvation.  I can live a life with the assurance of the love of God.  I can live a life that is holy not because I’m trying to earn or keep my salvation, but rather to honor and worship the One who gave me salvation.  He sends His Spirit into my life having transformed me from the inside out.

Response:

If you haven’t realized the love of God for you, know that Christ loved you so much that He died for you.  Respond today by calling on the name of the Lord to save you.

If you know Christ as Savior, tell someone about God’s love and sacrifice for them.

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Romans: Week 5- Day 1- Romans 5:1

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

(1)  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Romans 5:1

Explanation:

Paul has laid out the case until this point in the book of Romans that we can not be made right with God by doing good deeds.  The law is our teacher letting us know that we can not keep God’s law.  We all stand guilty before God.  He has also made the case that there is a justification that comes apart from the law.  We are justified, or made right with God, by faith in Christ and the grace of God.  A point that is well summarized in Ephesians 2:8-9.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Those who have been justified by faith now experience the grace that comes from that reality.  Paul begins to count them here. In verse 1 we have the first reality.  Now we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our sin makes us the enemies of God outside of Christ.  Again, Ephesians 2:1-3 describe well our state before we were saved.

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Ephesians 2:1-3

Notice what is said about our position at then end of those three verses.  We “were by nature the children of wrath.”  Who’s wrath is he talking about?  He is referring to the wrath of God.  God, being Holy, must punish sin.  Because of Christ’s atoning death on the cross, we can believe in Christ.  When we do our position before God goes from wrath to peace.  Because we are justified by faith, we have peace with God instead of judgement.

Application:

The natural question that should come from this reality is this:  What is my position before God?  Am I a child of wrath, or do I have peace with God?

One may ask, “Doesn’t God love everyone?”  God does love everyone.  But God, being infinite, can be loving and holy at the same time.  In fact, this is seen on the cross.  God is so Holy that He pours out His wrath on His Son as He became Sin for us.  All sin is punished on the cross.  Yet, at the same time, He is so loving that He is doing this for us.  He loved us so much that He gave His Son to die for us. 

God does not let sin go.  He has made provision for our forgiveness.  We must accept Him as Savior.

Response:

3 Words should inform our response:

1. Trust- If you have not trusted Christ, do it now.

2. Obey- Since our Creator and Redeemer has given us everything, we should obey Him.

3. Worship- As we’ll see in the next verse, we now have access to God, and can worship Him properly.  This is our reasonable response to what He has done for us.