David Henneke's Podcast

In Chapters 1-5, Paul’s focus was on justification. 
This next section of the letter (Chapters 6–8) deals with sanctification. 

Chapter 6 explains that believers are free from sin’s control
Chapter 7 discusses the continuing struggle believers have with sin
Chapter 8 describes how believers can have victory over sin 

This morning we will be looking at the first 11 verses, it begins with a QUESTION (vs. 1), then there is an ANSWER (vs. 2, followed by an EXPLANATION (vs. 3-11).

The passage before us is one of the greatest theological sections of the Bible. In these 10 verses, Paul summarizes the theology of the preceding chapters about the sinfulness of man and the provision of Salvation thru our Savior, Jesus Christ.  There is a positive progression that takes place here. The passage begins in the abyss with man’s ruin, it then ascends through the rescue of redemption and culminates with the reign of grace for those who believe. 

In this text, we see the character of God’s love. This passage discusses God’s unbelievable love and in doing so it reveals the great depth of our justification. For those who have submitted and surrendered their life to the Savior, their reconciliation has already been secured, we receive it the moment we believed in Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore we exalt and we rejoice in how God HAS richly blessed us because every blessing we have comes from Christ. 

In Romans 5:1-11 we have the most detailed theological discussion of both how we are justified and what it means to be justified. In verses 1-5 we will see what is the result or benefit of our justification. In verses 6-11 we will see how God accomplishes justification

Throughout Chapter 4, Paul has given several reasons why our Justification is by faith & faith alone.  He wraps up his illustration about Abraham by stating that Abraham was justified because of his FAITH in God, not because of anything else. The heart of this entire passage, in fact of the whole chapter, is that in response to Abraham’s faith, God graciously credited it to him as righteousness. On his own, Abraham (like us) was totally unable to meet God’s standard of perfect righteousness, but the good news of salvation, or “the gospel of God” as Paul says in 1:1, is that God will take the faith (that He Himself has enabled a person to possess)  and He will count that faith as divine righteousness.

Are you broken? Are you discouraged? Do you cry out that you just can’t take it anymore? What will you do with your suffering? Will you turn to Jesus and His Bride or will you run from Him and the Church?

Given the reality of sin, the law can only enforce the penalty of God’s wrath; it cannot deliver us from it.  deliverance can come only in the form of forgiveness; forgiveness is possible only as a free gift of grace; and grace can be received only through faith in God’s promise. Grace and Faith are naturally comparable. Faith is the key that fits the lock that opens up the treasure of the grace of God’s Salvation.

Abraham is “the father of all who believe”. Every Christian has the privilege of calling Abraham “our father” and of inheriting the salvation promised through him. Jews have the privilege of being children of Abraham in two senses. First, all are descended from him physically. This is an involuntary circumstance marked by circumcision. No promise of eternal salvation is attached to this relationship. Second, any individual Jew may choose to “follow in the steps of the faith” of Abraham by responding to God in faith. Everything that God had given the Jew (the Law, circumcision, sacrifices, feasts and festivals) better informed their faith but none of these things removed their need to personally respond in faith. The faith that Jews and Gentiles should imitate is the faith that Abraham had before he was circumcised.