The Epistle to the Romans
Lesson 10
Special English Version

Our Inheritance in the Gospel

Reading Assignment: Romans 4

Introduction
We are still considering Paul’s teaching about justification as a result from imputed righteousness. We have noted that the FOUNDATION of justification is the grace of God (Romans 3:24), the METHOD of justification is faith (Romans 3:28), and the ASSURANCE of our justification is the resurrection (Romans 4:25).

We shall see that the PRICE of our justification is the shed blood of Christ (Romans 5:9), and the SOURCE of our justification is Almighty God (Romans 3:26, 8:33).

This lesson will show the RESULTS of our justification. It will cover Romans 5:1-11 where we shall see our seven-fold inheritance as justified believers. This passage of Scripture would be an excellent answer to Peter’s question in Matthew 19:27 when he said, “…Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?”

Importance of this Lesson

• Many Christians live like spiritual beggars. They fail to understand and use the spiritual riches they possess. The spiritual riches result from their justification. We all need to use our possessions in Christ. It is important that we know what those possessions are.
• This lesson provides the answer.
• Romans 5:1-11 presents an excellent answer to unbelievers who honestly ask, “What can Christianity give me?” May the Holy Spirit make this lesson a special blessing to your heart and life.

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The Lesson

THE RESULTS OF GUILT AND OUR GREAT INHERITANCE IN THE GOSPEL

1. Romans 5:1 – Therefore… – stop right there! The word cannot be understood unless you are fully aware of what we have been studying. A “therefore” means the argument is settled; the evidence is in, proof is definite.
2. Romans 1-4
   1. In Romans 1-2:16, Paul shows us the guilt of the whole Gentile world. The whole Gentile world is sinful.
   2. In Romans 2:17-3:8, Paul states that the Jewish world is guilty because they rejected Christ and failed to keep the Law.
   3. In Romans 3, Paul declares that no one is good, no one is righteous, the entire world is guilty before God. He says that by the deeds of the Law not one soul can be justified in God’s sight.
   4. In Romans 4, we saw that Abraham’s works did not make him right with God. No religious ceremony made Abraham right with God. Keeping the Law did not make Abraham right with God.
3. All men are totally sinful, all the world is guilty in the eyes of God, religion cannot save a person, no one is righteous, none can do that which is good and not one soul is ever justified by keeping the Law: THEREFORE justification is completely by FAITH.
4. Every believer possesses and enjoys all the blessings these verses show us completely by faith.

I. FIRST RESULT OF OUR JUSTIFICATION: We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1)

1. Now you can begin to celebrate and jump for joy. The battle has been won – the war is over. God signed a peace agreement with the believer through the blood of Jesus.
2. “…righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:10). God’s righteousness was satisfied in the death of Jesus Christ and we are at peace with God. Jesus died in our place.
3. Remember, we were once …separated from the life of God (Colossians 1:21). We were enemies of God in our natural condition (Romans 7:7).
4. But now, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10). God brought the believer back to Himself. Now we can sit down with God at the peace table. At one time we were separated from God, we were enemies of God but now we are “…made nigh…” to God (Ephesians 2:13). God broke down the obstacles. We are not enemies any more. We now can have sweet and blessed fellowship with God. This is a glorious possession. We cannot compare this possession to any other thing we have.
5. Remember: God does not force any person to make his peace with God. This is the believer’s right by birth. It is a gift of God’s grace because the believer is part of the family of God. It is free “through our Lord Jesus Christ,” who “…made peace through the blood of his cross…” (Colossians 1:20).

II. SECOND RESULT OF OUR JUSTIFICATION: We may enter into God’s grace (Romans 5:2)

1. By whom (Christ) also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand…
   1. By whom… – Remember, we are justified… through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood… (Romans 3:24-25). He made the way and paid the way into God’s grace. He opened the door! He is the door into everything that grace is and does. By Him we have “access INTO this grace.”
      1. Think of a man who is dying of thirst and then suddenly someone admits him to a well.
      2. Think of a beggar who wakes up to find he has inherited a gold mine!
   2. All of these things together cannot compare with the glorious privilege of our free admittance to the riches of God’s grace! The grace that has no limits. Think of the riches of His wisdom, joy, peace, and power. You now possess all of these!
2. …wherein we stand… – Remember, we are acceptable to God only “in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). Our position and our admittance are BY Him and IN Him.

   “ O Lord I come, I have no worth to plead,
   I have no offering but my sinful need,
   But, O, to Thee who hath the way supplied.
   I only say, ‘Christ died.’”

III. THIRD RESULT OF JUSTIFICATION: We have strength to be happy in our difficulties (Romans 5:3)

1. And not only so… – our hope of sharing the glory of God is not our only reason for happiness.
2. …but we glory in tribulations also… – That may shock and surprise you. You may find this difficult to accept and understand.
   1. Remember: everyone in this world experiences trials, suffering, disaster, sorrow and disappointment. Jesus said, "“In the world ye shall have tribulation…” (John 16:33).
   2. Believer and unbeliever both experience these things, but only Christians who are justified by faith and depending on the grace of God can actually rejoice in them!
   3. We must rejoice WHEN we are experiencing difficult trials because God gives us grace to support us in them, but also, we are to actually rejoice BECAUSE God allows these trials to come! They are a source and cause of our rejoicing. When trials come, we say, “Well praise the Lord, anyway!”
   4. This is possible only because the believer possesses grace that only God can give him! Because of this we can say that we count it all joy when we experience many trials (James 1:2).
3. WHY is this so? “Knowing that tribulation worketh….” Christians KNOW that trials and testings are good for them. “Tribulation worketh.” That means that a trial does something for you. Trials produce great things. Difficulties make us strong. A great Christian is one who has sharpened his character on the grindstone of difficulties.
4. Note these three things from Romans 5:3-4.
   1. …tribulation worketh patience… – That means that trials make us faithful Christians.
   2. And patience, experience… – The thought here is that trials produce uprightness. Think of the experienced, dependable saint who has been through many difficulties and passed the test.
   3. …and experience, hope… – Have you noticed that the believer who is patient, during his trials and who endures these trials is always filled with hope?

IV. FOURTH RESULT AND FOURTH INHERITANCE: The love of God shines from our hearts (Romans 5:5)

1. The verse begins with the interesting phrase, And hope maketh not ashamed…. This means that the hope we have in Christ is never a disappointment. It never makes us ashamed.
2. WHY? …because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost… At the very moment of difficult trials, when our life in Christ is tested severely, the Holy Spirit pours out the love of God into our hearts. The Holy Spirit floods our hearts with a deep sense of God’s love. In other words, during a time of trial, the Holy Spirit makes God’s love real to us and we are comforted.

V. FIFTH RESULT AND FIFTH INHERITANCE: The Holy Spirit is given to us (Romans 5:5)

1. Introduction of the Holy Spirit
   1. This is the first time Paul mentions the Holy Spirit in Romans. Paul has been writing about sinfulness and guilt and about our justification through the blood of Christ.
   2. But now he introduces the Holy Spirit. What a glorious announcement. The believer who is made right with God receives the gift of the blessed Holy Spirit.
2. Every believer on the Lord Jesus Christ possesses the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9, “…if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” 1 Corinthians 6:19, “…know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you….” Note also Galatians 4:6, Romans 8:16, John 7:37-39.
3. Think deeply on this amazing fact in connection with power (Luke 24:49), the rivers of living waters which Christ mentioned (John 7:38), and the fruit listed by Paul (Galatians 5:22-23).

VI. SIXTH RESULT AND SIXTH INHERITANCE: We inherit the promise of deliverance from God’s anger, which will come in the future (Romans 5:9)

1. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, (the PRICE of our justification), we shall be saved from wrath through him.
   1. No, we have not forgotten Romans 5:6-8. These wonderful verses explain WHY we have been delivered from the anger of God, which will come.
   2. Romans 5:6-7 – “…Christ died for the ungodly” – Christ suffered the anger of God that we deserved. He was condemned in my place and yours.
   3. Romans 5:8 – God’s love was manifested in that “…while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
2. What does this really mean?
   1. It means that believers have escaped all further judgment that involves the anger of God, because God justified him by faith. He was justified through the grace of God, because Christ died in his place. The tribulation period, between the Rapture of the church and the return of Christ in Glory, will be the time God pours out His anger on the unbelievers (Revelation 6:16,17; 15:1; 16:1-21).
   2. The person who teaches that the church is going to go through this terrible time of judgment contradicts the doctrine of justification by faith. Note Romans 8:1; John 5:24; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9.

• In Romans 5:9-10, Paul used the phrase “much more.” It means “made easier.” It will be easier for God to deliver us from His anger in the time of Tribulation than it was for Him to justify us by the blood of Jesus.

VII. SEVENTH RESULT AND SEVENTH INHERITANCE: We inherit the promise of God’s power that supports and hold us up (Romans 5:10-11)
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the atonement.

1. What does this mean? If God was able to bring us back to Himself by the death of Christ when we were still His enemies, it is surely much easier for Him to support us now. Christ died to save us. He lives to support us every day.
   • Reconciliation is Christ’s work manward on God’s behalf just as propitiation is Christ’s work Godward on man’s behalf. God never has to be reconciled. Man must be reconciled to God. Through Christ’s death all the enmity, all the guilt and power of sin, all the roadblocks to fellowship with God are broken. See 2 Corinthians 5:18-20
2. For “saved by His life,” see Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1; and 1 Peter 1:5.
3. Some translators prefer to translate this phrase “saved IN His life.” We love both of these ideas and we can accept both of them. We are accepted and secure IN Him and saved BY Him. We now rejoice in God because we stood before Him as condemned people at one time, but now God brought us back to Himself through Christ.

(Learn the 7 results of justification and where they are found.)

Examination

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