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Articles, Bible studies, and sermons that contain Romans 5:1:
Romans 5:1-5
Excerpted from: Love's Emotional DimensionLet us expand on verse 1 somewhat. “Having been justified by faith, we have peace. . .” He is not talking about peace in our life. If he were, then he would not say such things as, “through much tribulation you shall enter the Kingdom of God.” He lets us know, and he lets us know well, that our lives are going to be rather tumultuous if we sign aboard with Him.
So what kind of peace is this? It means that the wrath of God is no longer facing us. It is as though God’s wrath has been appeased through the justification process made possible by the blood of Jesus Christ. The law is now satisfied. You see, now we can have entrance into His presence—verse 2, “through whom also we have access.” We have entrance to God.
Think about Adam and Eve. They sinned, and what did God do? He kicked them out of His presence! He put cherubim with flaming swords, symbolically showing that you could not get to where God was anymore. Mankind, personified by Adam and Eve, was no longer in the presence of God. But now through Jesus Christ, we are allowed back. Not into the Garden, but into a fellowship, a relationship with God.
He said, “into this grace.” Do you know what he means? A haven, a place of safety, a place of salvation. And he says that we stand there, which indicates permanence. That is God’s intention—that we are permanently back in His presence.
In verse 3 he says, “Not only that, but we also glory in tribulations.” He does not mean that we glory because we are having trouble, but rather we glory because of them. Nobody likes to go through trials and God understands that. But now we are able to see them for what God intends them to be and that is an asset for the perfecting, for the completion, of God’s love in us. You see, He is leading us through experiences by which the mind of God is being developed in us.
If we are going through these experiences and at the same time carrying on conversations with Him, talking to Him, allowing Him to talk back to us through His Word in study, what begins to develop? Slowly but surely, we begin to take on His characteristics. The image of our God begins to become formed in us. We begin to see, then, the trials for what they are. They are schooling to develop the mind of God in us through fellowship with Him.
So we are experiencing things together. What does that mean in terms of attitude? What does it mean in terms of feelings? It means very much because even as our feelings were developed in our childhood and up through our formative years by the experiences we went through with our parents and with our peers in school and so forth, those things formed the motivations for what we are. And usually our feelings are what motivate us. By the same process—by means of a mystical union with God—His emotions, His attitudes, His feelings about things are added to the obedience quotient so that we are not just learning obedience but what He is emotionally is also being developed within us.
You see, that gives us a perspective on trials that enables us to endure and that is what he says, “knowing that tribulation produces perseverance.” That is what gives us the will to endure. Patience begins to develop. “And perseverance, character; and character, hope.” This word “character” means “a tried and tested integrity, constancy, stability, approvedness.” It indicates someone who is steady, stable, controlled, and not given to extremes of behavior, or emotions, or moods. One who is faithful, loyal, true. That is what develops out of this trust that is being formed between us.
This is very closely related to I John 3:19-21, where it says that our boldness comes because we know things are well with God. Or John 15:9-11 (that we went through just a little earlier), showing that is where our sense of well-being comes from, our sense of confidence, joy, enthusiasm, cheerfulness, even boldness comes from knowing things are right with God, and then, what is the next step? It produces hope. This is the … . . .
Romans 5:1-5
Excerpted from: Biblical LovesI do not want to go into all the doctrinal nuances there. But I just want to bring out that Paul very clearly delineates that agape, which is used there in verse 5, is God's love that He gives to His elect through the Holy Spirit. It is a separate love. Its source, the agape love's source, is in heaven. This indicates that Paul recognizes the fact that he and other New Testament authors use it in a new sense, use this word agape in a new sense. They took an existing Greek word and gave it new, spiritual, private meaning. They elevated the term, if you will.
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