Romans 5
COMMENTARY:
: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (4318 “access” [ prosagoge] means right to speak, introduction, admission, a moving to, approach, or that relationship with God whereby we are acceptable to him and have assurance that he is favorably disposed toward him.)
DEVOTION: Through Christ we are introduced to grace. Once we are introduced to grace, we realize that what Christ is really doing is introducing us to the Father. HE is the door through which we can approach the Father in prayer. We are standing in the presence of the Father forever.
When we have Christ in our heart, we have a stand with God. Our stand is based on what Jesus did on the cross for us. With this stand we can rejoice in the hope that we will be spared the wrath of God. With this stand we can have hope. With this stand we can rejoice on a daily basis. With this stand we have a way we can approach God in our prayer life. Through our prayer life the Father will send blessings and trials. Each day we can go into the presence of the LORD. We can meet with him regarding his plan for our life. We know that his plan for our life includes tribulation. This tribulation works patience [perseverance] into our life. Once patience is worked into our life we gain experience [character] in our daily walk with the LORD. Finally, we have hope in our life because we realize that God is working a work in our lives. Not only is HE working but we realize that HE genuinely loves us. The is the only way we can rejoice in our suffering for HIM.
Too often this tribulation is part of our “thorn” that we have to work with the rest of our life. We don’t want any thorns in our life. Paul had a “thorn” that he prayed three times that it would be removed but was not.
However, we need to realize that God works through our weakness for HIS glory. Praise HIS name. We have to accept our “thorn” for HIS glory. This “thorn” keeps pride away from our life and ministry.
Believe the promise that once we are in Christ – God loves us as HIS children. HE wants to bless us. HE also wants us to grow correctly.
CHALLENGE: Everything HE does from the point of our salvation is for our good and HIS glory.
: 8 But God commends HIS love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (4921 “commends” [sunistao] means demonstrates, hold together, show, prove, establish, introduces or exhibit.)
DEVOTION: Many have learned the Romans road to salvation as a evangelism tool for reaching out to those who don’t know Christ as their personal Savior. It starts with Romans 3: 23, then goes to Romans 6:23, then to our present verse, then to Romans 10: 9, 10 and finally to Romans 10: 13.It is a way to show how to move from the place of separation from God to a fellowship with God. That should be the desire of each believer for those who are friends, family, or neighbors.
Here we have God exhibiting HIS love toward those who are sinners. That includes every individual who has ever been born into the world except Jesus Christ.
HE takes us just as we are with the understanding that there will be a change in our life toward obedience to HIS commands. It is a gradual change for most believers but for some it can be a dramatic change. Many have quit bad habits the moment they became a believer. Some have gone out and witnessed to their friends to the point that many of them become believers.
It is all based on the death of Christ. If HE had not died there would be no sacrifice that God the Father could accept for the sins of the world. HE was the one who provided atonement for sin.
HE not only died for our sins but HE was buried and on the third day rose from the grave to give us an example of what is going to happen to us in the future.
We serve a resurrected Savior that we are supposed to spread the word concerning to all those in our world. All false religions serve dead leaders. Our leader or Savior is alive and making intercession with the Father for us each moment of each day. We have a representative in heaven who is working with us until we meet HIM.
CHALLENGE: Realize what Christ has done for you and celebrate it by spreading the word.
: 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. (2744 “joy” [kauchaomai] means glory, boast, rejoice, to glory on account of a thing, to display or proclaim publicly a satisfied contentment with one’s own or another’s achievements, to take pride in, or to exult.)
DEVOTION: One of the characteristics of a believer should be joy. We have so much to be thankful for in our new relationship with Christ. We have a friend that is with us through every trial we face in life.
HE is the one who should put a smile on our face when we go through the worst trials of our life. I had one occasion where I was going through a major trial in my life and I still had a smile on my face. Someone asked me what was wrong with me because of my present circumstances. I told them that my trust in Jesus Christ was enough to give me confidence I would not only face the trial but with HIS help move on to greater service for HIM. It was true.
Our relationship with Jesus Christ should cause us to face anything with hope and a smile on our face. Some of our “friends” might let us down during these time periods but our one true friend in Heaven will never let us down. HE has made a promise and HE has kept it in my life and will keep it in yours if you will allow HIM too.
CHALLENGE: HE promises victory to those who trust in HIM. Trust HIM more today than yesterday. Put that smile back on your face and have the joy of the LORD in your heart!!!!
: 15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, has abounded to many. (5485 “grace” [charis] means favor, thanks, that which affords joy, goodwill freely disseminated (by God); especially to the benefit of the recipient regardless of the benefit accrued to the disseminator, to show kindness, mercy, goodwill, favor, or reward.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever wanted something you can’t afford? It has been true of all of us at one point in our life. Some people will charge it even if they can’t afford it and have to either return it or go into debt.
We are all born in debt. We are born in sin. We have sins piling up every day of our life. When we finally reach the age of accountability, we have to face the fact that because of our sin we headed to a place called hell for eternity. There is no way we can pay our debt or pay someone else to forgive our debt.
Along comes a free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. It is offered to every human being who has ever live or who is presently living or who will be living in the future. This gift is offered by the God who created the universe. HE can only offer it because HE sent HIS Son to die on the cross in our place. HE was a substitute for us. HE was the only substitute that the Father could accept because HE was sinless. HE never sinned. HE was the perfect sacrifice.
Now because of that sacrifice we are offered grace or unmerited favor from God the Father. Many will accept this offer of grace and become believers. More will refuse.
Can you imagine refusing a free gift offered by the God of the Universe? It is true. Most of the people living today think they don’t need God’s help. Most of them don’t want to understand what it means to be a true believer in God. Many have heard stories about what it means to be a follower but few have really studied what it means. They are afraid of change.
Those who are believers still have to try to reach everyone in their world with the true message of salvation.
CHALLENGE: It is offering your family and friends a free gift that will last for eternity. Have you offered it recently to someone you love?
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