By Faith You Have Assurance from God

You can trust God to complete the good work He began in you! Note Romans 5:3-4: "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope." When hard times come, rest assured that God is there. Because you stand in the grace of God, by faith you can face all sorts of "sufferings" (NIV, ESV) or "tribulations" (KJV, NKJV).

"Tribulations" (v. 3, KJV, NKJV) refers to the idea of "being under pressure." It is the idea of squeezing olives in a press to extract the oil or squeezing grapes to extract the juice. No matter how tough things may be in your life and no matter how much you may be ridiculed for your faith, God is there. Rest in Him, and He will see you through any amount of suffering.

By grace, God brings us through our times of suffering and produces "perseverance" in us, or the ability to endure. By faith, our steadfast endurance builds "character." The Greek word for "character" refers to the idea of "tested value." Job understood this when, in the midst of his troubles, he said, "When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10b).

God will see to it that you are "conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29). God will complete the work He began in you by building your character and making you more like Jesus. The end result is obedience to God's Word, which in turn leads you into a godly lifestyle.

"Character" in turn produces "hope" (v. 4). Godly character proves your salvation and gives you assurance of spending eternity with Christ in heaven. Obedience to the Lord proves your salvation. As you become more and more like Jesus, you become more and more certain of that salvation. Godly character, thus, gives you assurance from God that you belong to Him for all eternity. Amen.

By Faith You Have Access to God

Our justification also means we have direct access to God in Christ. Romans 5:2a says, "Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand." "Through whom" (v. 2a) refers to the Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have eternal peace with God and through Him we have direct access to God. "Access" (v. 2a) can also mean "approach" or "introduction" (NASB), and only occurs three times in the New Testament. Each time it speaks of the believer's access to God through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:17-18 declares that Christ "came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father." Those "who were afar off" (v. 17) refers to the  Gentiles, while "those who were near" (v. 17) refers to the Jews. "Both have access... to the Father" (v. 18) through the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 3:12 adds that in Christ "we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him." In other words, by faith through Christ we can approach God directly in prayer with boldness and confidence. Because of this truth, Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

"This grace in which we stand" (Rom. 5:2a) refers to the fact that our salvation is forever. "Grace" refers to the free gift God gave us, namely salvation and every spiritual blessing that accompanies it. "Stand" refers to permanence, or standing firm and immovable. By faith we stand firm in the grace of God.

God's grace saved us and God's grace keeps us saved. It is a permanent reality. Standing in the grace of God, means standing in constant forgiveness. That is why Paul said, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6, NASB).

Having been saved by grace and now standing securely in God's grace, you are instructed to "rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:2b), because your future is secure. You are to be absolutely jubilant, because God in Christ guarantees your "hope" that one day you will partake "of the glory of God" (v. 2b). You will spend eternity with Him and His glory will fill you forever. By faith you are eternally bound to the Savior! Amen.

By Faith You Have Peace with God

Justification brings a wealth of blessings into our lives. God rewards people of faith. God's promises to us are sure. He is faithful and will do everything He promised in His Word.

The first promise He fulfills in us when we trust Christ as our Savior, is peace—peace with God. Note Romans 5:1—"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

"Therefore" (v. 1a) connects us back to chapters three and four, where Paul established that, as believers, we are justified by faith. The verb translated "we have" (v. 1b) is in the present tense, indicating something that is already possessed. As a believer, you already possess "peace with God" (v. 1b). It is something you have by virtue of your justification.

Here, "peace" (v. 1b) is not subjective. It is not referring to a simple "feeling" of peace within you. It is objective. It refers to harmony with God.

We were at war with God. We were "enemies" (Rom. 5:10a) of God. We were in rebellion against God, as evidenced by our sin. But God reconciled us to Himself through the cross of Jesus Christ.

"Through our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 1b) we were "justified by faith" (v. 1a) and the war with God came to an end. His wrath toward us was removed as a result of our justification. We now "have peace with God" (v. 1b)—a peace that will last through all eternity. Amen.

Righteousness Fulfilled

God sent His Son as our substitute to condemn sin, in order that "the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us" (Rom. 8:4, KJV). He condemned sin so that the demands of the law might be satisfied, thus enabling us to live by God's Word. In other words, our justification through the substitutionary work of Christ on the cross leads to our sanctification.

God did not free us from our sin so that we could do as we please. Rather, He freed us from our sin so that we would do as He pleases. God did not redeem us so that we could continue sinning. He redeemed us so that we might begin to live righteously by having "the righteous requirement of the Law… fulfilled in us" (v. 4a).

Paul goes on to say that the law is fulfilled in those of us "who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (v. 4b). Only those who seek to follow Christ in obedience and who show the fruits of righteous living in their lives are truly justified in Christ. Holiness is the proof that we have been reconciled to God. Lack of holy living is evidence to the contrary.

Only those who know God through Christ can move on toward righteous living. And everyone who knows God through faith in Christ will go on toward holy living. Your justification demands it, and the Holy Spirit dwelling within you provides the way. That is God's message.

Verse 4 tells us that there is no condemnation to those who "walk… according to the Spirit" (v. 4b), because they are the ones "who are in Christ Jesus" (v. 1a). If you truly believe on Jesus for your salvation, you will "walk… according to the Spirit" (v. 4b). There are no exceptions. Again, this is made certain by the Holy Spirit living within you.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:20, NASB). Later in that same chapter, Jesus commanded, "You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48, NASB). God's intent in saving you is not only to bring you into eternal life with Him, but to bring you into a life of righteous living right now. Righteousness is at the very heart of God's salvation promise.

Positional righteousness should be reflected in practical righteousness. In Christ, you are declared to be righteous. In Christ, you should live righteously right now. Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

God saved us so that He might make us righteous. Let Christ live in and through you, and your changed life will stand as proof of your salvation. Such a life lived by faith in God's Son will assure your heart of the certainty of your eternity with Christ. That is God's salvation promise. Amen.

Penalty Paid in Full

Romans 8:3 says, "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh." This statement may be the most accurate description of the doctrine of substitution in all of Scripture. It is the heart of the gospel. Jesus Christ paid the penalty in full for everyone who would trust Him alone for their salvation.

"For" (v. 3a) means "because," and introduces an explanation of verse 2. You have been set free from "the law of sin and death" and redeemed by "the law of the Spirit of life" because of what Jesus Christ did for you on the cross (v. 2). There is no imperfection in the law, yet it was incapable of saving you. It is "holy and just and good" (Rom. 7:12), yet its standards are impossible to live up to in your own power. Because of your sin, you fall short of the law's demands. Because of your sin, the law could only condemn you to an eternity apart from God. And so a substitution was necessary. Enter Jesus Christ, God's Son, our substitute.

"What the law could not do," that is, save us, "in that it was weak through the flesh" (v. 3a), refers to our depravity. Our sin rendered the law helpless to save. So God did it. "God… by sending His own Son” (v. 3b) took care of our need. Christ paid the penalty that was ours to pay; and He paid it in full! He died in our place. He was our substitute on the cross.

Note what it says here about the form in which Jesus appeared in the world: "In the likeness of sinful flesh" (v. 3c). It does not say simply "in the flesh," and especially not "in sinful flesh." Rather, He came "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (emphasis added). He came in a nature like that of our sinful flesh, yet one that was not itself sinful. In all ways like us, "tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15b, NASB). That is the key. That is why He could die in our place. That is what qualified Him to be our substitute.

And so Christ died in our place "on account of sin" (v. 3d). Christ died as a sacrifice for our sin. The law couldn't save us; the sacrifice of God's Son did. He was God's offering for our sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, God "made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." And so, "He condemned sin in the flesh" (v. 3e). Sin once condemned you. Now Christ your Savior condemns sin and delivers you from its power, as well as its penalty.

The thrust of this passage, and all of Romans 8, says that Christ did not suffer and die to save you, only to lose you again to damnation. His life was perfect; His sacrifice was perfect; and His saving grace is perfect. In Christ your salvation is secure. That is why Paul declared in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, "'O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (NASB). Amen.