Lesson 7

GOD GIVES US PEACE AND A NEW LIFE THROUGH JESUS

Romans 5:1 –21

REVIEW

How does our faith get strengthen in God’s promises as Abraham’s was strengthened? Vs. 20

ROMANS 5:1-2

Paul begins with the word, “therefore.” That points us back to probably all of Romans 3:21-4:21. The whole world was declared not guilty, acquitted before God, of any wrongdoing because of the blood of Jesus. We personally received the benefit of that fact through trusting what God had said (not guilty). A result is peace. There is no peace for the wicked (Is. 48:22). Humans try to run away from God because of guilt. For the believer in Jesus we live in peace. The idea of the word translated “gained access” is getting into a restricted place to meet someone of great importance. We have gained access into God’s room of grace. We don’t just visit it on occasion, we live in it! He also says that we rejoice in hope. Hope always points to the future – we don’t have it now but we are totally confident we will be in the glory of God in the future. We rejoice in that hope. We can’t stop talking about it.

DISCUSSION

  1. What blessings does Paul list because we are justified through faith in Jesus?

  2. How does the picture of always standing (living) in God’s room of grace impact how we perceive our life?

  3. What is wrong with this comment made by a believer, “I hope I am not sinning when I die”?

Their understanding of sin in their life –

Their understanding of God’s grace –

  1. Why can we be so confident in our Christian hope?

ROMANS 5: 3-5

Believers have an amazing hope for the future that nothing can diminish or destroy. We praise God for this hope. Hope always points to the future, a future that we have through Christ Jesus. Now Paul says we can also praise God for our sufferings. The word suffering means literally to be pressed down. Situations can press down on us or squeeze us. During those pressing situations, we can know (ongoing, clear understanding) that suffering can result in perseverance. A patience, a determination to continue on because we know that a loving God is watching over us. This joy that we have in sufferings is not a simple strong resolve nor is it finding some strange pleasure in misery but an awareness that God has a divine plan and purpose in Christ.

This joy in sufferings produces character. The word has the idea of acquiring good traits as a result of a test. God is developing good traits in us through these difficulties. Paul then brings us back to our hope. God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. A love already demonstrated by sending Jesus to be our Savior. The hope that we have because of Jesus will never disappoint us or be some kind of illusion. On Judgment Day our hope will be fulfilled and proved true.

DISCUSSION

  1. Why are Christians able to rejoice in suffering?

  2. How can God use suffering to develop our Christian character?

ROMANS 5:6 – 11

The coming of Jesus wasn’t random nor was it prompted by humanity, it was the right time set by God. When he came we were powerless, ungodly and sinners. Humanity, individually or collectively, could offer no valid reason why Jesus should come and redeem us. The sacrifice of the blood of Jesus is an amazing act of love. There is no comparison to any human act of love. Notice it says, “God demonstrates his own love for us.” Everyday his love is demonstrated to us in Christ. Verses 9 and 10 use two different words to communicate what Jesus has done for us, justified and reconciled. The word justified puts it in a legal context, we are acquitted of all wrongdoing before God. Reconciled puts it in a personal context, we are no longer enemies of God but friends with him through Christ. As forgiven children of God we have a joy in life. A joy in the Lord himself. A joy in God and what he has done for us.

KEWORD: RECONCILED – No longer an enemy but a friend

DISCUSSION

  1. How does Paul stress that Jesus’ sacrifice was one of undeserved and unexpected love for us and others in vs. 6-8?

  2. What do you say to a person who claims that Jesus died for us because people were worth saving?

  3. Over what things does the God who justified sinners teach us to rejoice in this section? (vs1-11)

ROMANS 5: 12 - 17

Adam’s one sin impacted every one of his descendants. Adam lost the image of God with his sin and now had a sinful nature. That sinful nature was present in every person that followed him. All future people would be sinners. With sin entering the human race death also came, the wages of sin. Think of death as the idea of separation. Physical death result from sin – separating of the soul from the body. Spiritual death occurred with Adam’s sin – separating of people from a relationship with God. Eternal death occurred as people were eternally separated from God. Death of all kinds entered the world through Adam’s one sin.

Jesus brings life to this wretched human situation. Think of life as connecting. Physical life means body and soul are connected, spiritual life means a person is connected to God in a relationship, eternal life means that connected relationship with God extends into eternity. Jesus provides the answer to our human need.

DISCUSSION

  1. What terrible things did Adam bring into the world? (12)

  2. Theologians have called the sin described in vs 12 as “original sin” or “inherited sin”. What do these terms explain about sin?

  3. Who are “the many” of vs. 19?

ROMANS 5:18 – 21

Verse 18 expresses again what has been said many times before by Paul. The result of Adam’s sin was the condemnation of all people throughout the world. The result of Christ’s action is the declaration by God that all the people of the world are acquitted of all wrongdoing. The declaration of innocence by God brings life to people.

The Mosaic law was added to increase sin. God’s purpose wasn’t so that people would sin more but that they would be aware of the magnitude of their sin before God. Now there were specific commands and as people failed to keep them perfectly in thought, word and deed, they would realize how numerous their sins were. With God’s total forgiveness for all sin, they realized even more the magnitude of God’s grace. We not only live in that grace God wants “grace to reign” (21) in human hearts through Jesus Christ.

DISCUSSION

  1. How does grace “increase all the more” when an awareness of sin and its consequences increases? (20)

  2. Give some ways that “grace” rules or reigns over “sin” in believers, hearts and lives.

[PREPARING FOR NEXT WEEK’S CLASS]{.ul}

  1. Read Romans 6:1-14

  2. Read Romans – the People’s Bible Pages 95 - 103

  3. Read Romans 6:1–14 a second time but this time out loud.

What are the two main points that Paul brings out in 5:12–21?

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