Ramifications

Ramifications
March 1, 2012 4:30 AM -0600
Manuscript
Outline
Notes
Bibliography
Grace does far more than deliver us from the consequence and power of sin. Discover three things that God's grace makes possible for the believer.
Thesis: Grace is essential because the righteousness it enables allows us to have peace with God, access to His favor, and real and enduring joy founded on a certain hope.
Objective: Call believers to embrace the effects of grace on their lives and thus rest in their peace with God, appreciate and enjoy their access to Him and His favor, and rejoice in all situations.
  1. Intro
    1. What is grace?
      1. Justice
        1. Getting what we deserve.
        2. If we were to get justice, we would be immediately and eternally punished for every sin.
        3. Represented in the law.
      2. Mercy
        1. Not getting what we deserve.
        2. If we were to get mercy, we wouldn’t be punished, exactly, but we would probably live in an eternal purgatory.
        3. Represented in the cross.
      3. Grace
        1. Getting what we don’t deserve.
        2. With grace, we are not only forgiven but actually promoted to sons of God, co-heirs with Christ, princes in the Kingdom of heaven.
        3. Represented in the empty tomb.
      4. Ephesians 2:8-9: “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift — not from works, so that no one can boast.”
    2. Grace is what we want.
    3. Ultimately, grace is what we need.
    4. But what is grace? Why is it so important? How does it work? How do we get it? What must we do with it?
    5. So far in the series...
      1. The purpose of grace is to enable us to fulfill our role as a holy people. (Deuteronomy 7:6-11)
        1. We’re a holy people, set apart for sinlessness and the service of God, to be His treasure.
        2. We’re not holy because of anything we think, say, or do, but because He loves us and is faithful to do as He promised.
        3. Because grace starts with God, it’s our responsibility to respond to it by knowing and experiencing Him as God, trusting that He’s really faithful, and love/obey God as holy.
      2. Grace is essential because we’re anything but holy (Romans 3:21-26)
        1. We can’t be righteous on our own.
        2. We need grace to enable us to be righteous.
        3. We need grace to satisfy God’s righteousness.
    6. Today, we’re going to continue to answer the question of why grace is so important by looking at some of its ramifications. DEFINITION: “A consequence of an action or event”
    7. Romans 5:1-5
      1. Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in
      2. which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance,
      3. endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts
      4. through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
  2. We have righteousness before God (1a).
    1. We are rendered not guilty (“declared righteous;” The key change introduced by grace is that we are no longer considered guilty in God’s eyes. And we can start living that way. The consequence of sin is satisfied and we are judged righteous, but not because of anything that we’ve done. God does this for us. And He does it wholly, washing us, as David described in Psalm 51:7, “whiter than snow.”).
    2. We are declared righteous by faith (“by faith;” It is essential to recognize that, before God can and will render us not guilty/righteous, we must first choose real, life-driving faith.).
  3. We have peace with God (1b).
    1. The hostilities are ended (“we have peace with God;” The first ramification of grace opening the door for us to be declared righteous is that we are no longer at war with God. Romans 5:10 says that, before grace, “we were enemies.” Make no mistake that these hostilities were not God’s doing. They were solely ours. As the Reflecting God Study Bible says, “Man is the enemy of God, not the reverse.” But sin had opened a rift and pitted us against Him. Grace closes that rift and brings us back onto His side.).
    2. We are now God’s friends (“we have peace with God;” The idea of peace is not just that the war has gone cold. It’s not that we’re simply not attacking God. Rather, it’s that our relationship is actually restored and we can be - and indeed are - His friend. Indeed, as Romans 5:10 continues, after grace, “we were reconciled to God.”).
    3. We have peace through Jesus (“through our Lord Jesus Christ;” The only way that we can have this peace is through the once-for-all atoning sacrifice of Jesus and His ongoing resurrection ministry before the throne of God the Father, interceding on our behalf.).
  4. We have access to God’s favor (2a).
    1. We can please God (“We have also obtained access... into this grace;” The second ramification of grace opening the door for us to be declared righteous is that it becomes possible for us to gain God’s favor. I.e., we have access to it. Make no mistake: this is a big deal! Indeed, Hebrews 11:6 declares, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” I.e., before we believed and received grace, there was no possible way for us to do this!).
    2. We do please God (“We have also obtained access... into this grace in which we stand” (HCSB); “in which we [firmly and safely] stand” (AMP); Not only is it POSSIBLE for us to please God once we have grace, but we actually DO please God. Indeed, despite Hebrews 11:6, we read in the rest of Hebrews 11 that with faith and grace...).
      1. Abel offered a better sacrifice and was approved by God (4)
      2. Enoch was taken away by God because he “pleased God” (5)
      3. Noah built an arc and was made “an heir of righteousness” (7)
      4. Abraham believed and was made a “coheir of the... promise” (9)
      5. Sarah believed and was given a child and numerous descendants, obvious signs of God’s favor (12).
      6. Of all these, we read that “God is not ashamed to be called their God” (16)
    3. We please God through faith in Jesus (“through Him by faith;” The only way that we can open the door to - and secure - this favor of God is through faith in the sacrificial death of His one and only Son, Jesus.).
  5. We have God’s joy (2b-5).
    1. We rejoice in God’s glory (“we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (2); The third essential ramification of grace in our lives is that we rejoice in the hope that God will inevitably be glorified, we will get to see it, and we will get to share in it. All this is stark contrast of Romans 3:23: “For all... fall short of the glory of God.” Before grace, we were opposed to God’s glorification, and we weren’t going to see it, let alone share in it!).
    2. We rejoice in our afflictions (“we also rejoice in our afflictions” (3 HCSB); “we also rejoice in our tribulations” (3 ASV); “we also rejoice in our sufferings” (3 NIV); Not only does grace allow us to take joy in the hope of God’s glory, but we can rejoice even in the midst of tremendous suffering.).
      1. NOTICE: We don’t rejoice because of suffering, but in the midst of it (Reflecting God/NIV Study Bible).
      2. And this works because we know that whatever hardship we are in right now will produce endurance. This makes able to do much more for God!
      3. Endurance refines and and solidifies character. NOTE: “proven character” (HCSB) = “maturity of character” (AMP) = “strength of character” (NLT) = “experience” (Young’s Literal Translation) = “approvedness” (ASV) = “ripeness of character” (Weymouth). The idea here is that endurance refines and solidifies a character will ultimately be ready to enter into God’s presence and be pleasing to Him.
      4. A character which is ready to enter into God’s presence and be pleasing to Him is grounds, ultimately, for hope, which is the belief that something better is coming.
      5. Hope is the foundation of joy.
      6. ILLUSTRATION: A diamond is produced only after a bunch of plants die and are exposed to extreme pressure for millions of years to become coal, which is then exposed to extreme pressure for millions more years to become a diamond.
    3. We rejoice in certain hope (“This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (5); The hope of God’s glory and a ripeness of character are confirmed in the presence of God’s love, manifest in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus sends to all who believe. I.e., grace opens the door for us to rejoice in all situations because we know that, regardless of circumstance, we are loved, equipped, empowered, and approved by God.).
  6. Conclusion
    1. QUOTE: “For Paul, justification is not sterile doctrine, but a source of present blessing in one’s life” (Ryrie)
    2. Once we have grace, these things are all opened up to us!
    3. We can have that personal friendship with God.
    4. We can experience the presence, power, and pleasure of God.
    5. We can know real, unconditional joy in any circumstance.
    6. But only if we have that faith in Jesus. Only if we have grace.
    7. That, my friends, is why grace is so very important.
Ryrie
  • (1-11) “For Paul, justiication is not sterile doctrine, but a source of present blessing in one’s life.”
  • (1) Some mss read “we have” as “let us have”
  • (2) “The Christian has confidence that all of God’s purposes (glory) will be accomplished.”
  • (3-5) “Suffering produces good results in the bleiver’s life.”
  • (3-5) “patience = endurance”
  • (5) “will not disappoint us” = “Does not disappoint or deceive”
  • (6-10) “Unbelievers are described as without strength, ungodly, sinners, and enemies. Enemies can mean either that we have enmity against God or that He considers us as enemies.”
  • (9) “Notice the repetition of this emphasis (much more) in vss 10, 15, 17, 20. Paul is teaching the vicarious, sacrificial significance of Christ’s death.”
  • (10) “Christ’s present resurrection ministry in heaven keeps us saved.”
  • (11) “the atonement” (KJV) = “the reconciliation, meaning ‘change.’ God changes us from enemies to family. The word translated atonement is exclusively an OT word, though theologically it has come to stand for the total significance of Christ’s death.”
Reflecting God
  • (1) “peace with God “ is “not only a subjective feeling (peace of mind) but also an objective status, a new relationship with God: Once we were his enemies, but now we are his friends.”
  • (2) “Jesus ushers us into the presence of God. The heavy curtain (of the temple) that separated man from God and God from man has been removed.”(2)
  • “Full salvation is the promise of every believer.”
  • (2) “hope of the glory of God” refers to “the Christian’s confidence that the purpose for which God created him will be ultimately realized.”
  • (3) Notice the wording: “Not ‘because of’ but ‘in.’ Paul does not advocate a morbid view of life but a joyous and triumphant one.”
  • (4) “A Christian can rejoice in sufering because he knows that it is not meaningless. Part of God’s purpose is to produce character in his children.”
  • (5) “The bliever’s hope is not to be equated with unfounded optimism. On the contrary, it is the blessed assurance of our future destiny and is based on God’s love, which is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit and objectively demonstrated to us in the death of Christ.”
  • (5) “Paul has moved from faith (v 1) to hope (vv 2, 4-5) to love (v 5).”
  • (5) “The verb [has poured out] indicates a present status resulting from a past action. When we first believed in Christ, the Holy Spirit poured out his love in our hearts, and his love for us continues to dwell in us, bringing the believer to a fuller salvation.”
  • (6) “The right time” - “the appointed moment in God’s redemptive plan.”
  • (6) “Christ’s love is grounded in God’s free grace and is not the result of any inherent worthiness found in its objects (mankind). In fact, it is lavished on us in spite of our undesirble character.”
  • (7) “WE were neither righteous nor good, but sinners, when Christ died for us.”
  • (9) “By laying down his life as a sacrifice - a reference to Christ’s death for our sins.”
  • (9) “God’s wrath” = “the final judgment, as the verb ‘shall be saved’ makes clear.”
  • (10) “Man is the enemy of God, not the reverse. Thus the hostility must be removed from man if reconciliation is to be accomplished. God took the initiative in bringing this about through the death of his Son.”
  • (10) “To reconcile is to ‘put an end to hostility.’ This implies more than being legally forgiven; it implies being made friends with God by his grace.”
  • (10) “saved through his life” is “a reference to the unending life and ministry of the resurrected Christ for his people.”
  • (10) “Since we were reconciled when we were God’s enemies, we will be saved becuase Christ lives to keep us, to sanctify us, and to glorify us.”
  • (11) “Reconciliation, like justification (v 1), is a present reality for Christians and is something to rejoice about.”
ESV Study Bible
  • (Rom 5-8) “The central theme of chs. 5–8 is that believers in Christ, who are righteous in God’s sight, have a certain hope of future glory and life eternal.”
  • (1-11) “Those who are justified by faith have an unshakable hope, knowing they will be saved from God’s wrath on the day of judgment by virtue of Christ’s substitutionary death on their behalf.”
  • (1) “ Chapter 5 begins with a ringing affirmation of the objective legal standing of the Christian—that the Christian, through faith in Christ, has been justified and declared righteous by God, once for all. The result of this is that the Christian no longer lives under the fear of judgment and the wrath of God but has peace with God, which is not merely a subjective feeling but an objective reality.”
  • (1) note on John 14:27
  • (2) “The grace in which we stand refers to the secure position of the believer’s standing (as a blessing of justification)”
  • (2) “the hope of the glory of God refers to the promise that Christians will be glorified and perfected at the last day—a hope that results in joy.”
  • (3-4) “The people of God rejoice not only in future glory but in present trials and sufferings, not because trials are pleasant but because they produce a step-by-step transformation that makes believers more like Christ.”
  • (5) “Followers of Christ have no reason to fear humiliation on the judgment day, for they now belong to God. Indeed, they know that they have received God’s love because the Holy Spirit poured his love into their hearts at conversion.”
  • (6) “In this and the following verses, Paul grounds the subjective experience of God’s love (v. 5) in the objective work of Christ on the cross. Weak [sinners (HCSB)] here denotes lack of moral strength and is parallel to ungodly.”
  • (7-8) “On rare occasions, even a human being will die for a righteous (morally upright) person or for a good person (one who has done much good). God’s love, however, belongs in an entirely different category from human love, for Christ did not die for righteous people or those who have done good for others but for sinners, that is, for ungodly, unrighteous people living in willful rebellion against God.”
  • (7-8) “It is not just Christ’s love that was shown in his death but also God the Father’s love. While God’s righteousness and justice led to his plan of salvation through the death of Christ (see 3:25–26), it was his love that motivated this plan.”
  • (9) “Christians are now justified (declared to be in the right before God) by virtue of Christ’s blood, that is, his blood poured out in his death on the cross. Therefore, they can be sure that they will be saved on the day of judgment from God’s wrath.”
  • (10) “As in v. 9, Paul argues from the greater to the lesser, though here he speaks in terms of reconciliation (the language of friendship) rather than justification (a legal term). Since Christians are now reconciled to God through Christ’s death, they can be assured that they will be saved on the day to come (here “saved,” Gk. sōzō, includes not only justification at the start of the Christian life but also completed sanctification, glorification, freedom from final condemnation, and future rewards).”
  • (10) “here the salvation is based on his life. The reference is to Christ’s resurrection, showing that both the death and resurrection of Christ are necessary for salvation (see 4:25). Chapter 6 will develop the theme of union with Christ in his resurrection life.”
  • (11) “Christians go beyond avoiding God’s wrath and actually rejoice in the same God who would pour out wrath on them (v. 9) were it not for Christ.”
HCSB Study Bible
  • (ch 5) “Commentators differ over whether chapter 5 belongs thematically to the first major section of Romans or to the Christian life section, chapters 6 through 8. It has connections to both.”
  • (1-11) “Paul in 5:1-11 uses "we" and "us" as he explains the benefits that those who are justified possess. Justification is just one of many ways of speaking about salvation. In this division, Paul showed how justification involves reconciliation. Justification speaks to our sound legal status before God”
  • (1-11) “reconciliation describes our repaired relationship to God in more personal terms. We were at war with God, relationally alienated from Him, but He reconciled us by His Son (v. 10).”
  • (1-11) “We have peace in some manuscripts can be read as "let us grasp the fact that we have peace." This peace is an objective, settled fact because Jesus has accomplished it once and for all.”
  • (2) “Access to God's grace is the privilege of all believers. We have the freedom to enter His presence at all times. His golden scepter is always extended (cp. Est 4:11-5:2).”
  • (2) “The Greek noun charis refers to an unmerited favorable disposition toward someone or something. In the NT, charis is commonly used in relation to salvation, especially in Paul's writings. Paul used charis to explain that salvation comes from God's own choice to show favor in redeeming lost persons through faith in Christ (Rm 5:1; Eph 2:8-9; 2Tim 1:9). However, God's undeserved favor is not toward those who have done nothing offensive; rather, God shows grace toward those who have sinned against Him and are actually His enemies.”
  • (2) “In Romans 5, Paul explained that peace with God is an act of God's grace (vv. 1-2). He reminded believers that at one time they were God's enemies (v. 10; see Eph 2:1-16; Col 1:21-22). Therefore, a better NT definition of charis would be unmerited favor toward an enemy—grace toward one who has forfeited any claim on God's favor because of sin and who deserves the opposite—God's judgment (5:9).”
  • (3-4) “Believers can rejoice in tough circumstances and afflictions because we know that through such things the Father is disciplining us for greater holiness (Heb 12:10).”
  • (5) “The Christian's hope is certain because God's love is assured to us by the Holy Spirit's ministry within the core of our being (our hearts).”
  • (6-8) “We can be sure of God's love since He did so much for us when we were helpless. We were ungodly, we were still sinners, and we were His enemies (v. 10). Jesus died for that kind of person.”
  • (6-8) “The word translated "for" is the Greek preposition huper used in substitution contexts. Jesus died in our place. God freely chooses to love us and by doing so confers worth on us through our faith in Him.”
  • (9) “No debt of wrath remains for those who have now been declared righteous through faith in Christ.”
  • (10-11) “If by the death of Christ we were reconciled to God, how much surer must the good news of salvation be now that He has risen and lives forevermore!”
  • Ryrie, Charles C. Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994.
  • The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008.
  • The HCSB Study Bible. http://www.mystudybible.com
  • Barker, Kenneth, ed. Reflecting God Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000.
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