Romans 5:1–11

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ²Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. ⁶For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. ¹¹More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Image

Most of us have seen the news footage of protesters glueing their hands to walls, streets, even airport runways.  They are demonstrating their conviction of the need for change.  Since they are convinced their cause is just, they might even die for their beliefs.  But the greatest demonstration of all time for a single cause took place on Mount Calvary.  From eternity God the Father was convinced there was only one way to rescue the world from its sin and He demonstrated His convictions and His amazing love for us by sending His only Son to die and rise again on the third day.   Without the Lord’s demonstration of grace toward us we would be forever lost.  Paul is clear, we do not deserve God’s grace because we are weak (6), we are also sinners (8), and “enemies of God” (10). 

But says Paul, “While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (6).  Despite the fact we are weak, Jesus became weak in death for us.  Despite the fact we are sinners, Paul says, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Yes, we were weak, sinners, and enemies of God.  Yet, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, Jesus died for us, His enemies (cf. Ephesians 2:4-5).  By His sacrificial death on the cross and His resurrection, Jesus defeated your enemies, the devil, sin, and death.  Jesus made you, a lost and condemned person, a saved and guiltless child of God through your Baptism.    

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1).  When you look on the cross of Jesus and consider your own death, you can say that dying in Jesus is “character building.”  In your Baptism, you have already died in Jesus (cf. Romans 6:1-6).  Jesus made His death your death. 

During the Lenten Season we press on toward Golgotha and the cross of Jesus, where we see His most unrestful, unpeaceful death take place.  There the Son of God reconciled the world, you, and me, with the Father.  By Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross we have been justified and given new life in Him.  Sure, life this side of heaven includes suffering, but Christian suffering produces endurance, which produces character, which produces hope (cf. 3-4).  And hope in our Savior Jesus is what we need in a dying world.  And our hope in Christ will not be ashamed.  Since we have been justified, declared righteous, through Christ our Lord, we have the certain hope that we shall be saved on the last day.  No amount of suffering can destroy our peace in Christ since Jesus passed through suffering and death for you and now lives again so that we can now rejoice in the hope of the glory of God forever and ever.

825 North 1^st West

Cheyenne Wells, CO, 80810-0728

Sunday Service begins at 9:00AM