June 21, 2010, Romans 5

Key Verse:

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 5:1

Central Truth:

How great is Jesus that He came to die for our sins even when we did not deserve it! And how greater still is His gift of love now that we are justified through His sacrifice.

JUSTIFIED

Wow. This chapter delivers some pretty good news. First, peace in Christ; we stand in grace, we rejoice in hope, and even our sufferings are to be celebrated because they serve to build our character and make us stronger. And secondly, even though sin entered the world through one man (Adam), our righteousness comes from one man (Jesus!) too.

I imagine a sort of two part triangle graph. The first triangle is Adam and his sin. It flows from the small point of the triangle down onto all mankind and from it death onto all mankind. The second triangle is Jesus’ gift of grace. It pours down from the point of the triangle onto all who would accept it. “For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man the many will be made righteous.” Romans 5:19
My Life application bible has an entry that breaks it down like this: As children of Adam we have ruin, sin, death, separation from God, disobedience, judgment, and law. As children of God we have rescue, righteousness, eternal life, relationship with God, obedience, deliverance, and grace.
I am justified through faith. If I trust in God and His promises through Christ and scriptures, I am saved or absolved from guilt. The more I struggle with temptations and sin in my life, the more Grace will be poured down on me. So I live in the peace of His presence, but I also face the daily challenges that help me to grow more like Him. In those challenges, I have the love and grace of Jesus Christ, and that can help me through anything.