The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee

Forgiveness of Sin Through Jesus Christ - 3

Note: See the Answer Key at the bottom of this page to fill in the blanks.

Overview:

Romans 5:1-11

As we move to chapter 5, Paul leaves Abraham behind and comes back to the practical realities of the life that is lived in the righteousness that comes by grace alone through faith.  Here Paul makes it abundantly clear that the Christian life is a __________________.  While the salvation we receive is an instantaneous _________________, the living out of that reality takes place over time.

1Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

Many years ago Rev. Arthur Pace, who was my first “teaching pastor” in seminary, gave me some important advice concerning the reading of Paul’s letters.  He said, “Any time you are reading Paul and you come across the word, ‘therefore,’ you must stop and find out what it’s ‘there for.’”   Paul uses “therefore,” a great deal, because he likes to sum up what has gone before, before he moves on to new matters.  In this case, Paul sums up for us once again the reality of salvation by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ.   The reality is this:  We have been made RIGHT IN GOD’S SIGHT BY FAITH.  The outcome of knowing that we are right with God by faith is:  WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD BECAUSE OF WHAT JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD HAS DONE FOR US.

Once again, we are reminded that our righteousness, and our peace with God is based on what JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD—has done—for US.  It is not what we do, but what Jesus has done that matters. 

APPLICATION POINT: Do you have peace in your life?  Peace in the biblical sense, “shalom,” is not merely the absence of war.  It is a sense of well-being and good will within oneself and toward others.  It is the assurance that God is in charge of one’s life and the greater world around us.   Paul tells us that this peace with God, is a by-product of being made right with God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  If we do not have peace in our lives, then the first place to look is in our relationship with Jesus Christ, and our ___________________ that our salvation is found in Him and Him alone.  

The pursuit of peace is one of the most pressing matters of the world around us.  Yet, peace will never be accomplished through external means, because peace with God and others comes from within, through the transformation that Jesus’ grace brings to our lives.

 2Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

There is a danger in the NLT’s reading of this verse that we may assume that it is “because of” or as a “result of” our faith that Jesus brought us into the “place of highest privilege where we now stand.”  This is NOT the case.  Every benefit we receive from Jesus is the result of His effort not ours.  The original Greek text is more accurately translated:

Through whom also we have obtained the introduction by faith into this grace in which we have stood, and we boast (exult) in hope of the glory of God.

Here we see clearly that it is THROUGH Jesus that we have obtained the INTRODUCTION by means of faith, INTO THIS GRACE IN WHICH WE HAVE STOOD.”  Here the “by faith” reminds us that it is by means of faith, and not effort that we have the high privilege of standing in God’s grace.  The author of the Hebrews (who may also be the Apostle Paul) reminds us that if we would please God, we must do so by faith, for without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6).  The key is:  God does the work; we receive the grace.  Our response is grateful obedience that comes about through faith.

3We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to endure.

Here Paul moves to a reality that is certain to develop in every Christian’s life:  even though we have a new life, even though salvation is sure in our lives, even though we have peace with God---problems and trials will come.

Paul tells us that in the midst of problems and trials we are to ________________.  Paul consistently tells his readers in the various letters that he wrote to churches that Christians are to rejoice regardless of the circumstance, because every circumstance can be used to glorify God and to increase our dependence on Him.   Paul makes it clear that the first result of problems and trials is  __________________ or perseverance or patience, as some translations put it.

APPLICATION POINT:  Problems and trials in Christians’ lives have existed since the very first Christian, Jesus, was persecuted and ultimately crucified by the religious leaders of His day.   Paul points to an important reality:  problems and trials are GOOD for us.  We usually pray for God to take away our problems, rather than for faith to endure them.   Jesus was aware that problems and trials don’t always produce endurance.  In his parable of the sower, Jesus made it clear that problems and persecution can make faith “wilt” unless our “roots” go deep.  (See Mark 4:1-20.   How we respond to problems and trials depends on how ______________ we are rooted in Jesus.  It is our willingness to let Jesus be completely in control that determines whether our faith will lead to endurance or our lack of faith will lead to our “wilting” when problems and trials come—as they surely will.

4And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation (hope).

Paul makes the process of spiritual development clear:  first we believe and receive salvation by grace; then trials produce endurance; endurance builds strength of character; and that character strengthens our “confident expectation of salvation” or hope.  This process doesn’t occur in a day, or a week or a year.  It is a __________________ process.  The sooner we start it, the sooner we grow to maturity.  The sooner we realize that a Christian’s life will not always be “sweetness and light,” the sooner we can start the process that will lead to the ultimate fulfillment of God’s victory in us.

5And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Paul reminds us that our hope or expectation will not disappoint us, because we know HOW DEARLY GOD LOVES US, because HE HAS GIVEN THE HOLY SPIRIT TO FILL OUR HEARTS WITH HIS LOVE.   Here again, Paul points out a crucial element of the process of spiritual maturation—God’s love for us, and the Holy Spirit’s ___________   _______________  in our lives that assures us of God’s love.   God wasn’t willing for us to simply receive the gift of salvation by His grace and then have to WORK through the process of spiritual maturation.  He put Himself in us, so that we can experience God’s love, and also be assured of the reality that this process will be completed in our lives.

APPLICATION POINT:  If we are “struggling” with this process right now, it is important for us to ask where is the point of struggle:  Have we received God’s free gift of salvation?  Have we seen our problems and trials as good for us?  Have we accepted the process—endurance, character, hope?  Have we experienced the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives assuring us of God’s love, and empowering us to live that love toward ourselves and others?    Taking the time to ask these questions during our points of struggle can be immensely helpful in getting through them.

6When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

Paul now moves back to the amazing reality of Jesus’ death for us on the cross.  Here he points out three specific realities:  First, we were helpless.  While as Americans, we like to think of ourselves as self-sufficient, Paul points out the overriding helplessness of human beings our natural condition—sin.  We may look successful in the eyes of the world, but without Jesus Christ we are finally and ultimately helpless.  Second, Jesus came “at just the right time.”  (In Greek, there are two words for time “Chronos” (clock time) and “Kairos” (God’s time)  Here, Paul uses the word “kairos.”  It was at the exact moment in all of eternity that God chose to send Jesus into the world, and for Him to die for us on the cross.  It wasn’t a moment too soon, or a moment too late.  This reminds us that while in our understanding of time, there are many times when we wish God would have acted sooner, or that He would have acted otherwise in our lives, He is the one who is in charge of time and eternity, and His timing is best.  Third, Jesus died for “us sinners.”   Jesus didn’t die for any good people, only sinners.  This is the amazing truth of the Gospel—the Good (the perfect) died for the sinful—us.

7Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good.

Paul reminds us all that most of us would not even be willing to die for “a good person,”  though it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility that someone “might be willing to die for a person who is especially good.”  Most of us would be willing to die for family members, for close friends, but it isn’t the typical situation in our lives where we would be willing to give up our life for someone else.

8But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

How great is God’s love?  He sent Jesus to die for us WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS.  Jesus didn’t die for us, because we might one day become good enough to deserve it.  He died for us, because there was no way to satisfy God’s judgment against us for our sin, without His death.  Jesus didn’t die in the hope that we might one day become “good enough” to deserve His dying in our places.  He died in the hope that once we realized how great God’s love is for us, that we would receive the new life Jesus life, death and resurrection make possible for each of us.

APPLICATION POINT:  If there is ever a time when we are feeling “lower than a snake,” we need only remember when it was that Jesus died for us---when we were at our worst—to know that nothing we can ever do will make God love us any less (or any more for that matter).  He already loves us infinitely.  Because of that love in our lives all things are made new!

9And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s judgment.

Paul once again reminds us that it is Jesus’ action that saves us—not ours.  It is the BLOOD OF CHRIST, that makes us right in God’s sight, nothing we are or do.  Paul tells us that Jesus will CERTAINLY save us from God’s judgment.  His blood poured out is the payment for the judgment.  It is also the assurance of our forgiveness.

10For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life.

Here Paul uses one of his favorite terms:  “reconciled”, which the NLT leave out in its translation of the sentence

for if we being enemies, were reconciled to God through the death of his son, much more having been reconciled, we will be saved by his life.

Reconciliation between God and people is a key theme of all of Paul’s theology.  God reconciles sinners to Himself, and then gives us the ministry of reconciliation.  This is seen more clearly in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. 

The NLT brings across to practical realities of our reconciliation with God:  we become God’s ______________.

We are delivered from eternal punishment. 

11So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God—all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God. 

Once again Paul’s word “reconciliation” is not found in the NLT’s text, which prefers to use “making us friends of God,” in its place.  This reconciliation is cause for great rejoicing in our lives, because we have a wonderful new relationship with God!  Paul draws us back time and time again to the reality of the transformation that Jesus’ presence in our lives brings about.  Do we rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God—which remains new throughout eternity—it never rusts, never fades, never dies, but only grows and grows, because of JESUS, and JESUS alone! 

ANSWER KEY:  process, reality, confidence, rejoice, endurance, deeply, life-long, indwelling presence, friends

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from either the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, © 2006 (after Dec. 2, 2007) or the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, © 1996 (before Dec. 2 2007). Both are used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189, All rights reserved. New Life Christian Ministries, Inc. holds CCLI Number 1966192.   Individual copyright information is provided for words of praise songs and hymns used in the Daily Bible Studies.

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