Romans 5
by Pastor David Groendyk

‘Justification’ was the theme of chapter 4; ‘peace’ is the theme of chapter 5. Justification necessarily leads to peace (v. 1). What kind of peace is Paul talking about? One of the first places that might come to mind when thinking about biblical peace is Philippians 4:7: “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” But Romans 5 peace is different than Philippians 4 peace. In Philippians 4, God gives you a subjective peace that frees you from anxiety, knowing that God is in control. In Romans 5, you have peace with God himself. Peace with God means you are reconciled with him and the barrier that stood between the two of you because of your sin is gone. Because you are counted righteous through justification in Christ, you are no longer God’s enemy but his friend (v. 10). This is something that flies in the face of much of cultural Christianity. Many “Christians” think they have a good relationship with God, but it’s based on nothing more than good intentions and trying their best to be good. On the contrary, Scripture teaches that the only way to have peace with God and a reconciled relationship with him is by being justified through faith in Christ. You can only be friends with God if Christ has made that great exchange: taking your sin upon himself and giving you his own righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). That’s why we sing:

Your blood has washed away my sin—Jesus, thank you!

The Father’s wrath completely satisfied—Jesus, thank you!

Once your enemy, now seated at your table—Jesus, thank you!

Paul goes on to explain two of the great benefits that come along with peace. The first is hope (vv. 2–5). Peace with God leads to being assured of God’s love, and being assured of God’s love means that we have all the hope in the world, even and especially when we go through trials and suffering. Peace also means that we have access to God’s limitless storehouses of grace in the midst of trials. So, even when we suffer, we can rejoice, because we know that God is producing in us the endurance and character and hope that we need to get us to the Promised Land. The second benefit of peace is assurance of our salvation (vv. 6–11). Since God loved you so much that he was willing to send his own Son to die for you while you were weak, ungodly, a sinner, and an enemy, how much more should you be guaranteed that he’ll save you on the final day of judgment now that you’ve been reconciled with him and made a friend? There are so many beautiful truths to pick out from these verses. Which one do you need to hear today, remind yourself of, and pray over?

• God counts you as his friend and child, not as an enemy
• You have total access to God and his grace in time of need
• You have full hope and confidence that your sufferings are not for nothing
• God has loved you at your worst and continues to pour out his love into your heart
• You can be assured that he will complete his saving work in you all the way to the end

Verses 12–21 are one long continuous thought for Paul. He starts out with one big “If…” statement in verse 12, then he gets sidetracked, finally the big “…then” statement lands in verse 18. Just as Adam’s one sin plunged all of humanity into ruin, so does Christ’s one act bring about life for all the people who believe in him. Righteousness and eternal life are utterly and freely given to you as a gift, and every single sin you’ve committed, no matter how egregious or how long the struggle, has been wiped from your ledger. Where your sin has abounded, grace has super-abounded (v. 20). The size of your debt, the weightiness of your guilt, and the power of your sin are no match for God’s grace. That’s why we sing:

Praise the Lord!

His mercy is more!

Stronger than darkness, new every morn’

Our sins they are many, his mercy is more!

By the end of this chapter, we’re meant to think to ourselves, “Wow, God’s grace sounds way too good to be true!” God freely gives you eternal life and salvation through Jesus Christ, wiping away everything you owe him. Grace has super-abounded and continues to do so in your life! Pray that his amazing grace would grip your heart and your life today.