The Mercies of God

Below is an excerpt from a sermon I preached at Cedar Valley Bible Church on July 13, 2014, from Romans 12:1-2 entitled, "The Elements of Commitment." You can listen to the whole sermon here.

"The foundation of commitment are the mercies of God: 'Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God…' When Paul speaks of the mercies of God, he is referring to the proceeding 11 chapters of Romans where God’s mercies are displayed. Like a beautiful painting on a black canvas, God’s mercies are presented in those chapters against the blackness of our sin, and as such they stand out, they catch our eye. We marvel at them because we see them illuminated against such a black background. As Paul works his way through, he is finally brought to the point of outburst at the end of ch.11: 'For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.' Our salvation and new life are the very expressions of the mercies of God, but the role of these mercies is not complete. We never grow beyond the need for His mercies, because here Paul turns to them and declares that these same mercies, spelled out in terms like justification, sanctification, redemption, and election, are the very basis by which we can and must live as committed Christians."

Seven Benefits of Justification in Romans 5:1-11

In the first half of Romans 5, the apostle Paul gives us seven benefits of justification. These benefits come to us, he says, when we are declared righteous by God through faith in His Son (Rom.3:21-30). These are the experiential effects of justification, and they are true for every believer. In Paul's overall argument in Romans, this section moves our justification from the abstract to the concrete. Here we come face to face with what God has done on our behalf, and how it impacts our life today, as well as our eternity.

1. Peace with God (5:1): this is the result of the doctrine of reconciliation, which Paul will return to at the end of the section, and so peace with God forms something of a set of bookends within which the other benefits exist. Without this peace, we could not have these benefits, and this peace comes through Christ.
2. Standing in grace (5:2a): Grace is the atmosphere that we breathe, and it is the ground upon which peace is accomplished. It is a word that encapsulates God's action toward us.
3. Exulting in hope (5:2b): Hope is confident expectation. It is a certainty that God will do what He says He will do that is based on His character. Our hope is that we will behold the glory of God, and we are confident that it will happen because of our justification.
4. Joy in suffering (5:3-4): This future-oriented hope equips us to endure the sufferings of the present-day with joy. Furthermore, hope-oriented suffering changes us for the better. Therefore, we do not rejoice in the actual suffering, but rather in the certainty that it is transforming us as it develops perseverance, proven character, and hope. Suffering strengthens us when it is met with the truth that God is accomplishing His purposes in us (see James 1:2-7; Rom.8:28-29; 12:1-2).
5. The indwelling Holy Spirit (5:5): As an act of God's love, every believers has been given the Holy Spirit, who is the instrument by which God's love has been poured out in our hearts. His present-day ministry to every believer is to develop these character qualities listed above, and He is the demonstration of God's love toward us.
6. Deliverance from future condemnation (5:6-10): Four terms describe our condition when Christ died for us: helpless, ungodly, sinners, and enemies. The pinnacle of human love is to sacrifice yourself for someone close to you, but Christ did it for His enemies! Left in that condition, there could be no peace, but only the promise of God's wrath. But through Christ, the justified are delivered from any future condemnation.
7. Present reconciliation to God (5:11): The other bookend to these benefits of justification. The chasm between us and God has been bridged by Jesus and we can now fellowship with Him, and most importantly, glorify Him for all He has done in justifying us.

These, then, are seven benefits of our justification. Each deserves thorough study and contemplation as we think of who we were, where we are going, and how God has provided what we ourselves could never provide. As we study them, may the Holy Spirit use these great truths to accomplish God's purposes in our lives!