Seven Benefits Of Faith In Christ

Note when originally written: On Friday, I had an opportunity to preach on Romans 5:1-11, with an outline adapted slightly from chapter one (Faith in CHRIST as a Personal Saviour) of  Dynamic Christian Living, by Harold Lundquist.

Seven Benefits Of Faith In Christ - Romans 5:1-11

Summed up first four chapters of Romans, then:

1. Justified by Faith - verse 1.

Romans 5:1a Therefore being justified by faith...

Romans 3:23-24. "Sin" means to miss the mark - miss God's requirement for Heaven (the glory of God). No one alive - except the Lord Jesus Christ - has ever been able to meet God's requirement of perfect righteousness. This righteousness is only attained through faith in Christ - realizing we are not righteous on our own and need His righteousness.

Explained how to be justified. Examples of justifying ourselves, and being justified (declared not guilty) by God. "Just-as-if-I'd never sinned."

2. Peace with God - verse 1.

Romans 5:1-2a Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand...

Now that we have peace with God and are no longer His enemy, we have access to the throne of grace, access to His presence to bring our petitions and needs before Him.

3. Hope (confident expectation) - of Heaven (the glory of God, see also 3:23) verse 2.

- in what God is working out - verses 3-4.

Romans 5:2b-4 ...and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

Tribulations = troubles; patience = perseverance in our trials; experience = trying/proving God in each situation. In light of all these, we can have hope in each trial that we go through as we remember how God has helped us in the past, and have confident expectation that He is faithful and will help us in our present and future troubles as well.

4. Love of God - verse 5-8.

Romans 5:5-8 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

The love of God transforming my life, and making me able to love those around me with the love Christ has shown me.

5. Saved from wrath - verse 9. Delivered from God's wrath poured out on the sinner in Hell - because of faith in Christ who already bore the complete penalty and wrath due me for my sins.

Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Justified by faith and justified by His blood - not two contradictory statements, but two complementary ones. They are two sides of the same coin, so to speak. We are saved when we place our faith in Christ and in His shed blood and finished work upon the cross when He died for our sins.

6. Reconciliation with God - verse 10. Being brought face to face with God, with nothing in the way. Reconciled because of Christ's death on the cross.

Romans 5:10 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.

Reconciled to God by Christ's death - saved eternally because of His resurrected life (see Hebrews 7:25).

7. Joy - verse 11. The joy of sins forgiven.

Romans 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

In the Old Testament, the atonement was the blood of animals shed to cover our sins. When Christ shed His own blood as the fulfillment of all these OT sacrifices, He not only covered our sins, but bore them far away - FOREVER. We have NOW received the atonement that the OT only pictured in types and prophecies. Romans 8:1a There is therefore NOW no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

February 3rd, 2006
Jerry Bouey