Justification, Reconciliation, and Future Salvation

May 11, 2003                                                                                                                                        Northwest Bible Church

Worship Service                                                                                                                                   Alan Conner

Rom. 5:9-11

Justification, Reconciliation, and Future Salvation

INTRO

The main thought of Rom. 5:1-11 is developed in this way:

1. Justification by faith gives believers the hope of the glory of God (Rom. 5:1-4).

2. The experience of God’s love increases this hope (Rom. 5:5).

3. The objective ground for this love (and hope) is the death of Christ (Rom. 5:6-8).

4. Therefore, believers can be sure that their hope, which is rooted in God’s sacrificial                                          love, will be realized and that they will be saved from God’s wrath (Rom. 5:9-10).

5. This confidence in our hope of future glory and salvation produces exuberant joy                                                        in God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:11).

Shorthand version:  Our hope of glory is based on God’s sacrificial love (5:1-8) which produces assurance of future salvation and joy in the Lord (5:9-11).

I.  JUSTIFICATION AND FUTURE SALVATION (Rom. 5:9).

A.  What is justification?    It is a judicial act of God whereby He declares the believer in Christ to be righteous.  The righteousness of God is given to the believer at the point of his initial faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.

B.  How justification secures our future salvation.

1) See the “SHALL BE” = future day of wrath is in view.  Cf. 2:5.

2) Notice how Paul argues in Rom. 5:9 & 10 from the greater to the lesser, “much more”.

II.  RECONCILIATION AND FUTURE SALVATION (Rom. 5:10).

A.  What is reconciliation?    Reconciliation makes friends out of enemies.  It brings peace (Rom. 5:1) where before there was enmity.

JUSTIFICATION DECLARES THE SINNER TO BE RIGHTEOUS.

RECONCILIATION DECLARES THE SINNER TO BE A FRIEND.

1) We were enemies of God –  Cf. Rom. 1:21-23; 30; 8:7; Col. 1:21.

2) God was an enemy to us -

a) His wrath was against us - Rom. 1:18; 2:5; 5:9; Eph. 2:3.

b) His law was against us – Col. 2:14.

3) God reconciled us to Himself -

a) the four-fold need for us to be reconciled to God:

b) Reconciliation is entirely the work of God (Rom. 5:10; cf. 2 Cor. 5:17-21).

B.  How reconciliation secures our future salvation.

1) The “SHALL BE” refers again to eschatological salvation on the day of judgment.

God will not condemn those with whom He has been reconciled, nor will He punish those who are His friends.

2) How does the life of Christ save from eschatological wrath?

EXCURSIS:  Assurance of salvation is a logical deduction from our justification and reconciliation.

III.  RECONCILIATION AND REJOICING IN GOD (Rom. 5:11).

This is the capstone of 5:1-10 and brings in again the theme of boasting, or exuberant rejoicing from v. 2.   The point is that if we are to rejoice in our hope in v. 2, should we not more so rejoice in the One who gives us that hope?  Paul brings us to a God-centered finale.

APPLICATION: