Sometimes it is possible to read a section of scripture and get a message, get a few points, get an encouragement, get a help, get a life, get a boost but I often ask myself: did I get the point? Did I get the purpose for which it was written?
What is the point to chapter 5.
A heavy chapter of doctrine, often quoted in the gospel 5:6,8,12.
Great doctrinal subjects such as:
1The sovereignty of God
2The plan of salvation
3The all sufficiency of Gods Grace
See in the 3 sections that Gods Grace is sufficient for and Gods purposes are Sovereign over:
1Life's Problems (5:1-5)
2Salvation's Plan (5:6-11)
3Man's Plight (5:12-21)
Or to put it another way He is enough for the:
1Worries of Life (5:1-5)
2Weakness of Self (5:6-11)
3Wickedness of Man (5:12-21)
I can rest in His all Sufficient Grace in:
1Life's Distresses (5:1-5)
2My Disabilities (5:6-11)
3Worlds Disasters (5:12-21)
Yet Romans 5 is a fascinating chapter, for whilst it deals with so many of the great themes and subjects of the gospel and whilst it fits into the flow of the epistle so far:
1Sin (Chps 1 to 3)
2Salvation (Chps 3 to 4)
3Standing in Grace (5:1-2)
Romans 5 is not written as a chapter in a text book to explain the doctrines of the gospel.
This is not a chapter for the intellectually curious
This is not a chapter written to satisfy our inquisitiveness about how it all works and why the world is as it is, why life's problems are as they are, why the innocent die and how the righteousness of Christ can be transferred to the sinner.
This is a section which really breaks off from the main line of the teaching given so far to develop one particular theme and explain one particular issue:
“... and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we rejoice in tribulations also...” (Rom 5:2-3)
We move from 'rejoicing' in our salvation in the future to 'rejoicing' in the every day problems of life.
The real issue that sparks off this development in the epistle of the Romans lies in this question: did I not put my trust and commit my salvation to:
1A Saviour who is all powerful? - Yes certainly : "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matt28:18)
2A Saviour who is all knowing? - Yes certainly : "Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee." (John21:17)
3A Saviour who is all wise? - Yes certainly: "In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col2:3)
4A Saviour who is always with me?- Yes certainly: "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matt 28:20)
Well if that is true then how come I am having a hard time?'
We need answers to that kind of a question!
Does Christianity have real power or is it some kind of spiritual homoeopathy? All very nice, not do you any harm but lacking any active ingredient?
- Christ died in chapter 3
- I've just got saved in chapter 4
- Then why am I having trouble in my life in chapter 5?
Is the believers faith just pie in the sky when you die?
If so then herein lies one of the great assurances of the reality of Christian experience, one of the great confirmations of the reality and genuineness of the relationship with God established by justification by faith for if salvation is just pie in the sky when you die then the furnace of affliction ought to produce from the Christian the ashes of Christian crumble.
Actually and amazingly it doesn't!
The apostle who writes in Romans 5 : "we rejoice in tribulations also" (Rom5:3) is the same apostle who recounts his trials and sufferings in 2 Co11:23-28!
How do we reconcile these 2 passages as coming from the pen of the same man?
Either we have here:
1.A man who has been cracked by the trials of life or
2.A man who has cracked the trials of life: a man for whom the veil that separates the purposes of a sovereign God in eternity and the pain of mortal man in time has just split apart, so that with unclouded sight he is able to penetrate the mists of Divine purpose and with the hymn writer he is able to 'trace the rainbow through the rain.'
Has he found a God who is able to triumph in life's tragedies?
Has he found that life's problems are but the prelude to a deeper and richer experience of the presence of God?
In:
1Life's Problems (5:1-5)
2Salvation's Plan (5:6-11)
3Man's Plight (5:12-21)
In the:
1Worries of Life (5:1-5)
2Weakness of Self (5:6-11)
3Wickedness of Man (5:12-21)
In:
1Life's Distresses (5:1-5)
2My Disabilities (5:6-11)
3Worlds Disasters (5:12-21)
Is this not a consistent pattern right the way through the word of God?
Are there not a number of such moments in the Word of God?
Moments when all seems dark, bleak, lost, hopeless and finished, when the darkness of despair comes like a storm cloud over the landscape carved by the love and gracious purposes of God? But is it not the case that even the toil of man's tragedy is used to sow the seeds of Gods triumph?
Are we not so often left asking the question: 'Is nothing too great for our God?'
Consider the 'wow' moments of scripture:
- Daniel 3 - Shadrach, Meschech and Abednigo in the fiery furnace and then "one like unto the Son of God"
- Daniel 6 - Out of the jaws of the lion: "O king live forever"
- Exodus 14 - the people of Israel trapped between the armies of Pharaoh and the Red Sea, they're mad, 300,000 unarmed civilians, what do you think Pharaohs armies are going to do when they reach them? Ask them nicely if they would like to come back home? This nation responsible for the death of every first-born in the land? Caught between the sea and the soldiers: "stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" Praise the Lord that Exodus 14 is followed by Moses Song of triumph in Exodus 15
- Jonah 3 - A great fish washed up onto dry land, vomits and there in the vomit: 'look dad there's a man in the vomit!' Our God is a God who is able even to use vomit for His Glory! He is able to bring Glory out of the flames of Dan 3, out of the lions mouth in Dan 6, through the flood of Exodus 14 and yes even out of vomit! Ever considered why the account of Jonahs experience are recorded in all their stomach churning detail? Because as that man arises out the vomit, God will use Him as instrumental in the conversion of over 1 million people; calculation based on there being 120,000 children under 5 and a fairly even distribution of ages between 0 and 50 years = 1.2 million people! How would we reach 1.2 million people for Christ? 12 million tracts? The God channel? Radio? Power Point? How does God start? With vomit!
Romans 5 deals with some heady theology, deep questions, heavy doctrine but all of it arises from 1 simple question: If God is sovereign how come I'm having a hard time?
The clue is in the crises!
In Romans 5 I trace the total sovereignty of God in all things!
Every aspect of human experience is under His control!
What is the meaning of Romans 5?
What is heavens purpose behind earth's pain?
The opening 2 verses of chapter 5 clearly follow on from the subject of the preceding sections:
1.Sin (chps 1 to 3)
2.Salvation (chps 3 & 4)
3.Standing in Grace (5:1-2)
The opening 2 verses of chapter 5 follow on logically and progressively in the development of the chapter so far
We have already seen that in chapter 4 the great subject of justification by faith is:
1.Justification by faith is nothing new
2.Justification by faith is faith in a person
3.Justification by faith is by faith alone
4.Justification by faith is a full salvation
5.Justification by faith is the beginning not the end
Since Justification by faith is the beginning not the end what could be more reasonable and logical than for chapter 5 to open up with the consequences, the result of this justification, what does it bring me to? It brings me into a relationship with the Lord: into this grace wherein we stand.
From the end of verse 2 the chapter then goes off at something of a tangent from the theme so far and the remainder of the chapter really pick up on the closing words of verse 2 : "we rejoice in hope of the Glory of God"
This them of rejoicing is then pick up on in verse 3: "and not only so but we rejoice in tribulations also...."
This theme of rejoicing which flows from our salvation flows through the whole chapter!
A rejoicing that flows through:
1Life's Problems (5:1-5)
2Salvation's Plan (5:6-11)
3Man's Plight (5:12-21)
1Worries of Life (5:1-5)
2Weakness of Self (5:6-11)
3Wickedness of Man (5:12-21)
1Life's Distresses (5:1-5)
2My Disabilities (5:6-11)
3Worlds Disasters (5:12-21)
How can this be?
For my God is Sovereign and His Grace is sufficient in every trial and difficulty of life.
That joy that flows from our salvation is able to permeate every aspect of our life.
Every aspect of our life?
Is there any limit?
In Romans 5 there is no limit! He is in control of:
1Life's Problems (5:1-5)
2Salvation's Plan (5:6-11)
3Man's Plight (5:12-21)
1Worries of Life (5:1-5)
2Weakness of Self (5:6-11)
3Wickedness of Man (5:12-21)
1Life's Distresses (5:1-5)
2My Disabilities (5:6-11)
3Worlds Disasters (5:12-21)
Working all for His Glory:
In Life's Problems He's there (5:1-5) bringing patience and experience and hope from those experiences
In Salvations Plan He's there, before it starts (5:6, 8, 10)
In Man's Plight He is sovereign (5:12-21) - Adam may have brought the disaster but Christ has brought the deliverance - Adam is the figure but Christ is the fullness
The reason for tribulations lies in 5:6 : " For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly"
God saves:
1.By His Strength
2.In His Season
3.By His Son
The way God Saves is the way God Sanctifies
The way God begins His work is the way God completes His work in us
He molds us in our misery
He transforms me in my trials
It is when my strength is gone that I draw on His strength, when my mind has reached the limits of its understanding that I draw on His wisdom and when my resources have proven insufficient that I draw on His infinite resources: " Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise [man] glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty [man] glory in his might, let not the rich [man] glory in his riches:" (Jer 9:23) when my:
1.Wisdom
2.Work
3.Wealth
Comes to an end then I draw from the depths of His resources in Christ.
The principles by which God deals with us in Salvation (5:6-11) are the same as the principles by which He deals with me in tribulation and sanctification (5:1-5)
So I can see:
1.The Results of Tribulation (5:1-5) - Fruit - 'patience,' 'experience,' 'hope,' 'faith'
2.The Reason for Tribulations (5:6-11)
3.The Resources in Tribulations (5:6-11) - God (5:5), The Holy Spirit (5:5), The Person of Christ (5:6-11)
4.The Reassurance from Tribulations
The Resources in Tribulations (5:6-11) -
God (5:5)
The Holy Spirit (5:5)
The Person of Christ (5:6-11)
1.By His Strength
2.In His Season
3.By His Son
A trinitarian section:
1.The Spirit (v5)
2.God the Father (v5)
3.The Son (v6-11)
6 verses from 5:6 to 5:11 - all of Christ:
4/6 verses Christ is named - v6, v8, v10, v11
1/6 verses has a personal pronoun for Christ (v9)
The remaining verse is all about the work of Christ (v7)
When God works in Salvation and when God works in Sanctification it is all of Christ
Notice what these verses do not say:
1.Christ died for those without strength
2.Christ died for sinners
3.Christ died for His enemies
All of that would be true and that is often what we take from those verses but that is not quite what these verses are saying
These verses go beyond that
The subject of these verse is not so much about my standing before God in my:
1.Strength (lack of it) (5:6)
2.Sin (5:8)
3.Status as an enemy (5:10)
Rather these verses are really about the setting of His redemptive plan, notice the difference:
1."when we were yet without strength"
2."while we were yet sinners"
3."when we were enemies"
These verses are not simply describing my status or standing before God but rather they are describing the setting or season of His redemptive work in Christ!
These verses not only point out my weakness but they point out His sufficiency
These verses don't preach half a gospel message!
Here is:
Despair that leads to deliverance
Crises that leads to Christ
These verses not only record my trouble but more than that they record Gods timing
The glorious subject of these verses is His:
1.Substitutionary Death (v6, v8, v10)
2.Sufficiency of His Resurrection Life (v8, v10)
The Reassurance from Tribulations:
Notice again how the chapter is building up:
1Life's Problems (5:1-5)
2Salvation's Plan (5:6-11)
3Man's Plight (5:12-21)
1Worries of Life (5:1-5)
2Weakness of Self (5:6-11)
3Wickedness of Man (5:12-21)
1Life's Distresses (5:1-5)
2My Disabilities (5:6-11)
3Worlds Disasters (5:12-21)
Do you see the pattern?
Do you see how we move from:
My personal experience (5:1-5) to
Gods plan expounded and explained in scripture (5:6-11) to
The expectation of Christ's triumph over all of man's sin and suffering and sorrow (5:12-21)
We move from:
what we have experienced in our own private and personal trials and tragedies to
an understanding of what is unfolded in scripture in Christ and the onto
what is yet unseen and not yet fulfilled but expected of Christ's triumph in the depth of man's sin and failure
Each step leads us deeper and deeper into an understanding of Gods purposes and into a deeper and deeper faith in His sovereign power and ability
How far does His power and authority go?
How broad are His Shoulders?
Is he able to bring opportunity out of all trials of life - yes and more than that!
God does not only bring opportunity out of the tribulations but He brings the trial with its opportunity!
Where are the boundaries of my rejoicing in the midst of adversity?
Romans 5 - says there are none!
We need not wonder - is there a solution to every problem
We can rest in this - that was there no solution - there would be no problem!
He is Sovereign over all - if He is not sovereign over all, He is not Sovereign at all!
Consider how the Roman Emperor Hadrian had to build his wall - to stop the Scots; a wild and barbaric bunch, especially round about dinner time! Hadrian knew if he was to be ruler of Britain he had to be ruler of all
There is no Hadrian's wall in Gods sovereignty! There are no no go areas, there are no cul-de-sac out with His authority!
I can rejoice in every circumstance of life!
Betsy Ten Boom: "There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still"
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