Romans 5:1-11Senior Pastor Alex KennedyIn Chapter 5, Paul begins to talk not only about the process of salvation, but the results of salvation. Paul's "therefore" to start this portion is to connect back to chapter 4 that salvation is not by works, ordinances, or by law obedience.
We have been justified by faith (v1), so that:

We can have "peace with God" - This is not the same as the peace OF God (Phil 4:7). Peace WITH God means that the hostilities between God and us are now over. We each formerly said, "I am king of my world and can do whatever I want", but if we trust His ways and ask Him to be "Lord of my life", then the war is over immediately.

We have obtained access by this grace in which we stand - In Christ, we are ushered into the royal throne room, and we remain there. Justification is not merely the removal of hostility, but goes farther in that it brings relationship.

We rejoice in hope of the glory of God - Christian hope is not a hopeful wish - it is hope-filled certainty. The more we experience our peace with Him and the access we have with the Father, the more we want to see Him face-to-face.

In Christ we have been freed from our past; we are free in the present to enjoy personal relationship with God; and we will one day in the future most certainly experience the freedom of life lived in the full and awesome presence of God's glory.

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance - In our suffering we are walking the path of Jesus. We look through the suffering to our certainties. Suffering can be productive if we respond to it positively, and not with anger or bitterness. (1 Peter 1:6-7).

Suffering kickstarts our faith, and Paul goes on to show where suffering leads:Suffering produces endurance - the ability to keep going without any benefits.Endurance produces character - someone who has been tested and has passed the test.Character produces hope - Hope is only as good as its object. Jesus is our hope. "Just as our faith can only lead to salvation if it is faith in God, our hoe will not disappoint us because it is the hope of God's love poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit." (Rom 5:5)
Paul goes on to say (vs 6-8) that you can know objectively and beyond all doubt that God loves you - even if your feelings or the appearance of your life circumstances might be prompting you to wonder.
If God has already done the difficult thing, can we not trust Him to do the comparatively simple thing of completing the task? (the resurrection proves His power) If God has accomplished our justification at the cost of Christ's blood, He will save His justified people from His final wrath!Joy is the great marker of the justified person. It is unique to Christianity because it does not depend on your circumstances or your performance.Questions to Consider:

1. How does having peace with God change the way you live each day?
2. What is an example of suffering in your life (a hard time), and how did God grow you through that time?
3. Rom 5:8 brings so much hope. Why is it important that Jesus died for us "while we were still sinners"?

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