ROMANS ROAD
to RIGHTEOUSNESS |
Romans
1:18-3:20
|
Romans
3:21-5:21 |
Romans
6:1-8:39 |
Romans
9:1-11:36 |
Romans
12:1-16:27 |
|
SIN
|
SALVATION
|
SANCTIFICATION |
SOVEREIGNTY |
SERVICE |
NEED
FOR
SALVATION |
WAY
OF
SALVATION |
LIFE
OF
SALVATION |
SCOPE
OF
SALVATION |
SERVICE
OF
SALVATION |
God's Holiness
In
Condemning
Sin |
God's Grace
In
Justifying
Sinners |
God's Power
In
Sanctifying
Believers |
God's Sovereignty
In
Saving
Jew and Gentile |
Gods Glory
The
Object of
Service |
Deadliness
of Sin |
Design
of Grace |
Demonstration of
Salvation |
|
Power Given
|
Promises Fulfilled |
Paths Pursued |
Righteousness
Needed |
Righteousness
Credited |
Righteousness
Demonstrated |
Righteousness
Restored to Israel |
Righteousness
Applied |
God's Righteousness
IN LAW |
God's Righteousness
IMPUTED |
God's Righteousness
OBEYED |
God's Righteousness
IN ELECTION |
God's Righteousness
DISPLAYED |
|
Slaves to Sin |
Slaves to God |
Slaves Serving God |
|
Doctrine |
Duty |
|
Life by Faith |
Service by Faith |
|
Modified from Irving
L. Jensen's excellent work "Jensen's
Survey of the NT" |
THEREFORE: Dikaiothentes (APPMPN) oun:
Martin Luther
wrote...
In the whole Bible there is hardly
another chapter which can equal this triumphant text.
Therefore (3767)
(oun) on the basis of the previous truths, Paul now introduces us
to the practical benefits of salvation. Note the connection with the
last word of Romans 4 - Justification (note
Ro 4:25).
It is only because of Christ’s work of justification that peace and
other blessings follow.
Paul reaches back
to the (see notes
Romans 4:24;
25) contents of chapter four—therefore HAVING BEEN
justified, not by works (Romans 4:1-8), not by ordinances (see notes
Romans 4:9;
10;
11;
12), not by obedience
to the law (Romans 4:13-25), but by faith, we have peace. The first three never
give peace to the soul. Only faith in Christ brings peace.
Paul's argument in
the preceding section can be summarized as ....
The need for justification:
All men are sinful and guilty before God (Romans 1-3)
The way of justification: by grace through faith based on the
redemptive work of Christ on the Cross (Romans 3:24-28).
The illustration of justification: the example of Abraham (Romans
4).
|
Condemnation and
Justification Contrasted |
| |
Condemnation
|
Justification
|
|
Source |
From one: first Adam |
From one: Second Adam |
|
Extent |
To all: the many |
To all (by faith): the many |
|
Cause |
Disobedience |
Obedience |
|
Force |
Law |
Grace |
|
Nature |
Judgment deserved |
Free gift undeserved |
|
Measure |
Abounded |
Abounds much more |
|
Result |
Sin & Death |
Righteousness & Life |
The New Unger’s Bible Handbook, Merrill F. Unger,
Revised by Gary N. Larson, Moody Press, Chicago, 1984, p. 479
Paul is careful to
emphasize that justification is an assured fact before going on to show
what is involved in it. Paul
has shown us that even Abraham had to be justified and that man is
guilty before God and man cannot in any way justify himself. Beginning
in Romans 5 Paul begins to show us "the other side" of what it means to
be justified and expounds an incredible list of blessings and benefits
that come spilling out of the cornucopia of justification.
As an aside, you
may have heard someone speak of the need to receive "a second blessing"
or "a second work of grace" referring to what they think is a
post-salvation experience. It is not that believers lack a second
blessing experience but that most of us fail to realize how blessed we
already are in Christ. We fail to "claim" or lay hold of the spiritual
riches that are ours. We fail to "possess our possessions". We who are
children of the King need to stop living like "spiritual paupers".
Notice the Pauline
pattern of presentation of the gospel - the sinner must see their need
first (Romans 1-4) The unsaved must know why they even need
to be saved!. Once they see their desperate need and receive Christ as
Lord and Savior by grace through faith, then Paul explains the
benefits accompanying salvation (Romans 5). How often the gospel is
made as attractive as possible by showing the unsaved person all the
wonderful benefits that will be his if he trusts Christ: "If you trust
the Lord you will have peace with God!" The problem with this backwards
approach is that the sinner does not come to understand why they need to
have peace with God. The unsaved person must first be shown from the
Scriptures that in his sinful condition he is an enemy of God, fighting
against God in rebellion and that God’s wrath is being revealed from
heaven against him. (Click
here
and scroll down to the enlightening
discussion on presentation of the gospel)
Ray Stedman writes:
Romans 5 is a graduation exercise. It takes us from the elementary
grades of Christian life into high school. Up to this point in the book
of Romans, we have been dealing with BIRTH TRUTHS -- the elementary,
introductory truths of the Christian faith. But at this point in the
book we learn of the existence of GROWTH TRUTHS -- the way to maturity
and power, and the way to be effective in Christian service. Now,
wherever the Christian church is weak (and it is weak in many places),
and wherever Christians are weak individually, it's because they have
never graduated into the High School of the Holy Spirit -- they are
still "babes in Christ" {1Cor 3:1}, no matter how long they have been
Christians. Sometimes you can find "babes in Christ" who have been
Christians 15, 20, or even 40 years, and it is because they have never
come into this high school truth of the Holy Spirit: They keep learning
over and over again the same old truths about salvation in Christ that
are presented in these early chapters (wonderful as they are), and never
go on -- never graduate. (excerpt from
Faith Faces Life)
W E Vine observes that
the fifth chapter shows what we have THROUGH CHRIST, while the sixth
shows us what we are IN CHRIST. "THROUGH CHRIST" is the keynote of
chapter five. This chapter unfolds the subjects of the effects of the
death and resurrection of Christ, all being based on the doctrine of
[see notes
Romans 3:21;
22;
23;
24;
25;
26].
The opening sentence of the chapter is at once deduced from the closing
statements of chapter four. The leading thought, "THROUGH our Lord Jesus
Christ," is expressed at both the beginning and end of the first part of
the chapter (v1-11), and at the end of the second part (Romans
5:21 [note]). (Vine,
W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
)
Romans is a book of logic, and so is a book of “therefore's.” We have
the “therefore” of condemnation in
Romans 3:20 [note], justification in
Romans 5:1, no
condemnation in
Romans 8:1 (note), and dedication in
Romans 12:1 (note).
In presenting his case,
Paul has proved that the whole world is guilty before God, and that no
one can be saved by religious deeds, such as keeping the Law. He has
explained that God’s way of salvation has always been “by grace, thru
faith” (see notes
Ephesians 2:8;
2:9), and he has used Abraham as his illustration. If a
reader of the letter stopped at this point, he would know that he needed
to and could be saved. But there is much more the sinner needs to know
about justification by faith. Can he be sure that it will last? How is
it possible for God to save a sinner through the death of Christ on the
cross? Romans 5 is Paul’s explanation of the last two words in
Romans 4:25 [note]: “our
justification.” He now explains two basic truths: the BLESSINGS of
our justification (Ro 5:1-11), and the BASIS for our justification (Ro
5:12-21). Our justification is not simply a guarantee of heaven, as
thrilling as that is, but it is also the source of tremendous blessings
that we enjoy here and now. Paul's second purpose is to assure his readers
that justification is a lasting thing. His Jewish readers in particular
would ask,
Can this spiritual experience last if it does not require obedience to
the Law? What about the trials and sufferings of life? What about the
coming judgment?
HAVING BEEN JUSTIFIED BY FAITH: Dikaiothentes (APPMPN) oun ek
pisteos:
(Ro
5:9,18;
1:17;
3:22,26-28,30;
4:5,24,25;
9:30;
10:10;
Hab 2:4;
Jn 3:16-18;
5:24;
Acts 13:38,39;
Gal 2:16;
3:11-14,25;
5:4-6;
Phil 3:9;
Ja 2:23-26)
Having been justified (1344) (dikaioo
from
díkaios
= just, righteous - the same root for words translated righteous,
righteousness, justification, just, justifier) defines the act of
declaring one not guilty. It means to pronounce and treat as righteous.
It is not as some have taught a "process".
The
aorist tense
identifies the justification as a one time event in the past when these
believers were declared
legally not guilty (Click
for table on past tense salvation). Justification is not
something that is going on now; it is something that happened and was
completed the moment you were saved.
The
passive voice
indicates this declaration came from an outside Source, in
this case God Himself. They were acquitted of the charges against them,
the charges having been transferred (imputed, reckoned) to the account
of their Sin Bearer, the sacrificial, substitutionary Lamb of God.
Newell
emphasizes how important a correct understanding of the verb tense is in
this particular verse...
We must note at once that the Greek
form of this verb "declared righteous, " or "justified, " is not the
present participle, "being declared righteous, " but rather the aorist
participle, "having been declared righteous, " or "justified." You say.
What is the difference? The answer is, "being declared righteous" looks
to a state you are in; "having been declared righteous" looks back to a
fact that happened. "Being in a justified state" of course is incorrect,
confusing, as it does, Justification and sanctification. "Whatsoever God
doeth, it shall be forever." The moment you believed, God declared you
righteous, never to change His mind: as David says, "Blessed is the man
to whom the Lord will not reckon sin" (see note
Romans 4:8).
If therefore you are a believer, quote this verse properly, and say,
"Having been declared righteous on the principle of faith I have"-these
blessed fruits and results which are now to be recorded.
The Epistle takes on a new aspect in
each chapter: in Chapter Three, Christ was set forth as a propitiation
for our sins; in Chapter Four, Christ was raised for our justification;
in Chapter Five, we have peace with God through Christ, a standing in
grace, and the hope of the coming glory. (Romans 5)
Regarding
dikaioo
Wuest says that
"In simple, non-technical language it refers to the
act of God removing the guilt and penalty of sin from a sinner who
places his faith in the Lord Jesus as Saviour, and the bestowal of a
positive righteousness, Jesus Christ, in Whom that believer stands a
righteous person before God’s law for time and eternity, all this made
possible by and based upon the satisfaction (hilasmos), propitiation)
which Jesus Christ offered on the Cross as a complete payment of the
penalty imposed by the law because of human infractions of that law,
thus satisfying His justice, maintaining His government, and making
possible the bestowal of mercy upon the basis of justice satisfied. This
is a legal standing, and does not change nor affect the character of the
person, which latter is changed by the work of the Holy Spirit in
progressive sanctification
Click here."
(Wuest,
K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Studies in the
Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament: Grand Rapids: Eerdmans)
After listing his "glorious" human
accomplishments, Paul declared
"more than that, I count all things to
be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but
rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him,
not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that
(righteousness) which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness
which comes from God on the basis of faith." (see notes
Philippians 3:8;
3:9)
JUSTIFICATION =
PAST TENSE
SANCTIFICATION = PRESENT TENSE
GLORIFICATION = FUTURE TENSE
Justification equates with what has been referred to as "Past Tense Salvation"
versus Present tense salvation = sanctification and Future Tense
Salvation = glorification.
Click here for study of
the "Three Tenses of Salvation".
Justified by
faith - This truth has permeated the previous chapters...
For in it (the Gospel) the
righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written,
"BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." (See note
Romans 1:17)
being justified as a gift by His
grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus (See note
Romans 3:24)
but for our sake also, to whom it
will be reckoned, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord
from the dead
By faith -
is literally out of (ek) faith, where the
preposition ek signifies origin.
Faith (4102)
(pistis)
(see
word study)
is synonymous
with trust or belief and is the conviction of the truth of anything, but
in Scripture usually speaks of belief respecting man's relationship to
God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and
holy fervor born of faith and joined with it. As faith relates to
Christ it represents a strong and welcome conviction or belief that
Jesus is the Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation and
entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. Stated another way, eternal
salvation comes only through belief in Jesus Christ and no other
way.
Haldane explains that...
It is not by faith, abstractly
considered, that we are justified, nor even by faith in everything that
God reveals. It is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Even this phrase
itself, namely, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is still elliptical, and
supposes the knowledge of what is to be believed with respect to Christ.
It is not believing in His existence, but believing on Him as revealed
in the Scriptures, in His person and work. In the same manner as we have
the phrase, “justified by faith,” we have the phrase, justified by the
blood of Christ. As, in the former case, faith implies its object, so,
in the latter, it is implied that we are justified by faith in the blood
of Christ. The blood of Christ justifies by being the object of belief
and of trust. (Haldane,
R. An Exposition on the Epistle to the Roman. Ages Classic Commentaries)
True faith that saves one's soul includes
at least three main elements (1) firm persuasion or firm conviction,
(2)
a
surrender to that truth and
(3) a conduct emanating from that
surrender. In sum, faith shows itself genuine by a changed life. (Click
here
for W E Vine's similar definition of faith)
The highly respected theologian
Louis Berkhof defines genuine faith in essentially the same way
noting that it includes an
intellectual element (notitia), which is "a positive recognition of
the truth"; an emotional element (assensus), which includes "a
deep conviction of the truth"; and a volitional element (fiducia),
which involves "a personal trust in Christ as Savior and Lord,
including a surrender … to Christ." (Louis
Berkhof, Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1939)
Wayne Grudem defines faith
that saves one's soul...
Saving faith is trust in Jesus
Christ as a living person for forgiveness of sins and for eternal life
with God. This definition emphasizes that saving faith is not just a
belief in facts but personal trust in Jesus to save me... The definition
emphasizes personal trust in Christ, not just belief in facts about
Christ. Because saving faith in Scripture involves this personal trust,
the word "trust" is a better word to use in contemporary culture than
the word "faith" or "belief." The reason is that we can "believe"
something to be true with no personal commitment or dependence involved
in it. (Grudem,
W. A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine
Zondervan) (Bolding
added)
When missionary
John Paton
was translating the Scripture for
the South Sea islanders, he was unable to find a word in their
vocabulary for the concept of believing, trusting, or having faith. He
had no idea how he would convey that to them. One day while he was in
his hut translating, a native came running up the stairs into Paton's
study and flopped in a chair, exhausted. He said to Paton,
It's so good to rest my whole weight
in this chair.
John Paton had his word: Faith is resting your whole
weight on God. That word went into the translation of their New
Testament and helped bring that civilization of natives to Christ.
Believing is putting your whole weight on God. If God said it, then it's
true, and we're to believe it.
WE
(continually)
HAVE PEACE WITH GOD: eirenen echomen (1PPAI) pros ton theon:
(Ro
5:10;
1:7;
10:15;
14:17;
15:13,33;
Job21:21;
Ps 85:8-10;
122:6;
Isa 27:5;
32:17;
54:13;
55:12;
57:19-21;
Zech 6:13;
Lu 2:14;
10:5,6;
Lu 19:38,42;
Jn 14:27;
16:33;
Acts 10:36;
2 Cor 5:18-20;
Eph 2:14-17;
Col 1:20;
3:15;
1Thes 5:23;
2 Th 3:16;
Heb 13:20;
Ja 2:23)
Have (echo) is
present tense
so that this peace with God is our present and continuing
possession.
Peace with God - speaks of the
fact that we are no longer God's enemies but objects of His favor, an
objective (in contrast to subjective) truth which is based on our
position, something that is true forever because believers are now
(positionally) in Christ, the Prince of peace. Peace with God
expresses, as Friederich Philippi says, “not a state of mind, but a
relationship to God.” It is a fact not a feeling. Peace with God is a
repetitive theme in Scripture (Acts 10:36; Ro 8:6; 10:15; 14:17; Gal
5:22.
Isaiah phrases the
relationship between righteousness and peace beautifully...
And the work of righteousness
will be peace,
And the service of righteousness, quietness (Hebrew =- absence of war)
and confidence forever. (Isaiah 32:17) (Comment: "This peace,
then, is through Jesus Christ and His righteousness, which brings this
quietness and assurance. He is the King of righteousness and Prince of
Peace." Haldane)
Hodge writes that...
As a result of this
reconciliation, we have conscious peace with God; that is, we no longer
have either the constant
censure of an unappeased conscience or the fear of divine anger.
(Hodge,
Charles: Commentary on Romans. Ages Classic Commentaries
or
Logos)
Now change the preposition from
with to of and the meaning changes
significantly. The Peace of God is that peace believers
can experience moment by moment, as they walk in the light, their sins
confessed and their consciences clean and clear. The inward peace that
follows is important, but is not the primary thought here.
Peace with God -
Romans 5:1 (note)
Peace of God -
Philippians 4:7 (note)
Morris writes that...
The justified person is no
longer tormented by questions of his relationship with God arising from
the fact that he is a sinner. Sinner though he is, he is at peace with
God because of what God has done for him. (Morris,
L. The Epistle to the Romans. W. B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press)
Hodge adds that...
Conscience is only the
reflection of his countenance, the echo, often feeble and indistinct,
often terribly clear and
unmistakable, of his judgment. Therefore subjective peace always
accompanies faith in the love of God, or assurance of our justification.
So although the apostle’s primary idea is that God is at peace with us,
it is nevertheless true that inner tranquility of mind is the fruit of
justification by faith. (Hodge,
Charles: Commentary on Romans. Ages Classic Commentaries or
Logos)
Wayne Barber explains the peace with God we now possess...
That means that I have it today. I
will have it tomorrow. I will have it the next day. I will always have
it. Present tense means continuous duration of action.
Indicative mood
means that is a fact, take it to the bank.
Active voice
means the subject is acted upon or doing the acting. We have peace with
God. I don’t know about you,
