I was given the opportunity to preach at church on Romans 5:1-11 a couple of weeks ago. I thought I’d share it with you.<\/p>\n
This passage in Romans starts off with the word \u201dtherefore\u201d. The word therefore means \u201cfor that reason\u201d or consequently. Here, it means that what was said before leads to this thing I am about to say. So let\u2019s quickly look at what Paul said before that led to him using this word.<\/p>\n
It wouldn\u2019t be hard to link the whole chapter but here are a couple of verses that stood out to me that talk to that. Romans 4 is titled \u201cAbraham is justified by faith\u201d<\/p>\n
Verse 13 – It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.<\/p>\n
Verse 16 – Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham\u2019s offspring\u2014not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
So, Abraham was justified by faith when he believed God\u2019s promise, and that faith was counted to him as righteousness. We\u2019ve seen that Paul uses this in Romans 4 to show that justification has always been by believing and by faith, not by works. Romans 5:1\u20132 continues this truth that because we are also justified by faith, just as Abraham was, we now have peace with God and access into grace. Abraham believed God\u2019s word and received righteousness; we believe in Christ and we receive the same gift, purchased by Christ\u2019s blood. Therefore, (there\u2019s that word again) the faith that justified Abraham becomes the pattern for the faith that brings us peace and hope today.<\/p>\n
Romans 5:1\u201311 is one of those passages that invite us to slow down and meditate on the core message of the bible, our salvation and redemption through Christ\u2019s blood on the cross. In these eleven verses, Paul unfolds the entire landscape of Christian salvation\u2014past, present, and future. He takes us from the courtroom of justification to the sanctuary of peace, from the furnace of suffering to the fountain of divine love, and finally to the joyful throne room of reconciliation with God. And throughout the passage runs a single, central theme: all of this is possible because of the blood of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
Justification is a legal word. In the biblical context, it means to be declared righteous in the courtroom of heaven. But that verdict is not a result of moral achievement, inner improvement, personal growth and discovery, or personal virtue. Nothing we can earthly do can earn us that justification. (reference YouTube video). It rests entirely on the blood of Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb whose death fulfils the promises and signs of the Old Testament and establishes the new covenant in the New Testament. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible points to one overall truth: sinners are justified by His blood.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look through this passage and see how scripture from Law, the Prophets, the Writings, and the Gospels all resonate around the same theme: salvation is by the blood of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
THE FOUNDATION OF JUSTIFICATION<\/h4>\n
Romans 5:1 begins with the words, \u201cTherefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d We\u2019ve already established that the word \u201ctherefore\u201d is a hinge. I\u2019ve already pointed out a couple of verses in chapter 4 (v13, 16) but it really all of Romans 1-4 that he is referencing. \u00a0Paul has just demonstrated that the entire human race, Jew and Gentile, religious and non-religious, moral and immoral, stands guilty before God. Romans 3:10 says, \u201cNone is righteous, no, not one.\u201d Romans 3:23 declares, \u201cAll have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.\u201d Pretty damning stuff.<\/p>\n
But after that pretty unhappy revelation, Paul announces God\u2019s universal solution: justification by faith. Not by works, not by law-keeping, but by faith alone in Christ. Romans 3:24\u201325 says that believers are \u201cjustified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood\u2014to be received by faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
Atonement is a two-part act that involves appeasing the wrath of an offended person and being reconciled to them. Remember 3:10 and 3:23 \u201cNone is righteous\u201d and \u201cAll have sinned and fall short of the glory of God\u201d. These show just how much we could be said to have offended God. Christ\u2019s blood is our reconciliation.<\/p>\n
So notice the logic here:
\nFaith justifies\u2014but only because the blood satisfies.<\/p>\nI like this quote on faith I found while working on this:<\/p>\n
Faith is the empty hand receiving a gift already paid for by Someone else. Faith is not the cause of justification; the blood of Christ is.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Faith is trusting in the blood of Christ.<\/p>\n
THE OLD TESTAMENT FORESHADOWING<\/h4>\n
This idea is not new. Genesis to Malachi tells the same story: blood is necessary for forgiveness.<\/p>\n
Leviticus 16:7-10 \u201cThen he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats\u2014one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
We see here that one goat is justified through the sacrifice of the other.<\/p>\n
Leviticus 17:11 goes on to say, \u201cthe life of the flesh is in the blood\u2026for it is the blood that makes atonement.\u201d The sacrifices of Israel taught generation after generation that forgiveness comes through a life given, their blood shed, and a substitute offered.<\/p>\n
But these sacrifices never fully take away sin. Hebrews 10:4 emphasizes this \u201cbecause it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin.\u201d Instead, those sacrifices pointed forward to a perfect and final sacrifice\u2014Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
John the Baptist understood this when he cried, \u201cBehold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!\u201d The Lamb\u2019s blood accomplishes what no other blood could: eternal justification.<\/p>\n
THE PEACE THAT FLOWS FROM JUSTIFICATION<\/h4>\n
Verse 5:1 continues: \u201cwe have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d To modern ears peace may sound like a feeling, but Paul is describing something far deeper: objective peace, the end of hostility.<\/p>\n
THE REALITY OF HUMAN HOSTILITY<\/h4>\n
Romans 5:10 later clarifies that before justification, \u201cwe were God\u2019s enemies.\u201d We had not merely drifted from God\u2014we were in rebellion against Him. Colossians 1:21 describes us as \u201calienated and hostile in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
So how is peace possible? Only through the blood.<\/p>\n
Isaiah 53:5 foretold that peace would come at a cost: \u201cthe chastisement that brought us peace was upon Him.\u201d Peace is not cheap. Peace is not soft. Peace is the result of God\u2019s divine wrath falling on Christ so that divine mercy can fall on us.<\/p>\n
Ephesians 2:13\u201314 rejoices, \u201cYou who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace.\u201d The blood creates peace where there was once enmity.<\/p>\n
ACCESS INTO GRACE AND THE HOPE OF GLORY<\/h4>\n
Verse 5:2 says, \u201cThrough Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand.\u201d Here, \u201caccess\u201d is a temple word, a priestly word. It evokes the image of entering the holy place, approaching the presence of God. But under the old covenant, access was restricted. Only the high priest could enter and then only once a year.<\/p>\n
Now, because of Jesus\u2019 blood, every believer has unhindered, continual access to God. From Hebrews 10:19, \u201cWe have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus.\u201d Not fear, not hesitance, not trembling exclusion\u2014confidence.<\/p>\n
WE STAND IN GRACE<\/h4>\n
We are not visitors to the holy place; we\u2019re residents. Not temporary guests, but permanent citizens. Grace is no longer a place we occasionally encounter; it is the ground beneath our feet. We stand in it every moment because the blood of Christ has made the standing secure.<\/p>\n
REJOICING IN THE HOPE OF GOD\u2019S GLORY<\/h4>\n
Verse 5:2 ends with, \u201cWe rejoice in hope of the glory of God.\u201d Our future is not uncertain. It is shining with promise. The same God who justified us will one day glorify us. Romans 8:30 links these: \u201cThose whom he justified he also glorified.\u201d<\/p>\n
Us sinners justified by Christ\u2019s blood today will shine with God\u2019s glory tomorrow.<\/p>\n
THE MEANING OF SUFFERING FOR THE JUSTIFIED<\/h4>\n
Paul changes tack a little with his next statement in verse 3: \u201cNot only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings\u201d. This seems a little counterintuitive, doesn\u2019t it?. Why would the justified rejoice in suffering? Here Paul is talking about suffering for our faith. The New Testament is littered with references to the suffering and persecution of the faithful. Before his salvation, Paul himself was the instrument for much persecution and suffering.<\/p>\n
Side note:<\/em> if Paul, who was responsible for many Christian deaths could be redeemed, then absolutely so can we.<\/em><\/p>\n
Because justification changes our relationship, not only with God but with everything we endure in life. Suffering is no longer punishment. It is refinement. No longer evidence of wrath. It is evidence of love. Hebrews 12:5-6 explains that God disciplines His children because He loves them.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cMy son, do not make light of the Lord\u2019s discipline,
\nand do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
\nbecause the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
\nand he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\nPaul explains the purpose of suffering:
\n\u2022 suffering produces endurance
\n\u2022 endurance produces character
\n\u2022 character produces hope<\/p>\nA HOPE THAT DOES NOT DISAPPOINT<\/h4>\n
Romans 5:5 says, \u201chope does not put us to shame,\u201d because God pours His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The cross proves God\u2019s love and the Spirit confirms it.<\/p>\n
This echoes the Old Testament. Psalm 25:3 says, \u201cNone who wait for you shall be put to shame.\u201d Isaiah 49:23 \u201cThen you will know that I am Lord; those that hope in Me will not be disappointed\u201d. Jesus\u2019 blood and the Spirit\u2019s work fulfil these promises.<\/p>\n
CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY<\/h4>\n
Verses 5:6\u20138 reaches one of Scripture\u2019s most core declarations:
\n\u201cWhile we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly\u2026while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.\u201d<\/p>\nTHE OBJECT OF CHRIST\u2019S DEATH<\/h4>\n
Christ did not die for the righteous. He died for sinners. He died for enemies. He died for the unworthy. In Deuteronomy 7:7\u20138 we are reminded Israel that God did not set His love on them because they were great.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery.\u201d<\/p>\n
God\u2019s love flows from God\u2019s heart, not human merit.<\/p>\n
Romans 5:8 declares that the cross is the demonstration of divine love. Not a feeling. Not a word. Blood. The blood of Christ proves beyond question that God loves sinners.<\/p>\n
Verse 5:9 brings us back to the central theme:
\n\u201cSince, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\nA holy God cannot simply overlook sin. Sin demands judgment. Isaiah 53:10 says it pleased the Lord to crush His Servant. Why? Because that crushing would bring justification to many (Isaiah 53:11).<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter He has suffered,
\nHe will see the light of life and be satisfied;
\nby His knowledge my righteous Servant will justify many,
\nand He will bear their iniquities.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nJesus Himself declared at the Last Supper, \u201cThis is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins\u201d. His blood inaugurated the new covenant in which forgiveness is complete and eternal.<\/p>\n
Justification is not the end of salvation; it is the beginning. The blood that justifies us now also guarantees we will be saved from God\u2019s final judgment. Nahum 1:6 asks, \u201cWho can stand before His indignation?\u201d Who? Only those covered by blood.<\/p>\n
The Passover pattern reappears. In Exodus 12, the destroying angel passed over every door covered by the blood of the lamb. Judgment passed over because blood stood in its place. Christ is our Passover Lamb.<\/p>\n
Romans 5:10 says, \u201cWhile we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more\u2026we shall be saved by His life.\u201d<\/p>\n
This justification gives us a new legal standing. Reconciliation gives us a new relationship. Colossians 1:21\u201322 announces that we were once \u201calienated from God and were enemies in our minds because of our evil behaviour,\u201d but now God has reconciled us through Christ\u2019s death to present us \u201choly in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation.\u201d Hebrews 7:25 says Jesus \u201calways lives to make intercession.\u201d His ongoing life ensures our ongoing salvation.<\/p>\n
So, God not only forgives His enemies; He justifies them and welcomes them as friends.<\/p>\n
Paul concludes in Romans 5:11:
\n\u201cNot only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/p>\nThe blessings of Romans 5\u2014peace, grace, hope, endurance, love, salvation\u2014lead to the highest blessing of all: God Himself. Psalm 16:11 declares, \u201cYou will fill me with joy in Your presence.\u201d The justified not only escape wrath; they gain God.<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION<\/h4>\n
When we step back and read Romans 5:1\u201311 alongside the whole Bible, a single truth shines brighter and brighter: we are justified by His blood.<\/p>\n
Because of His blood:
\n\u2022 We are justified
\n\u2022 We have peace with God
\n\u2022 We stand in grace
\n\u2022 We rejoice in hope
\n\u2022 We endure suffering with confidence knowing what it leads to
\n\u2022 We know and experience God\u2019s love
\n\u2022 We are saved from wrath
\n\u2022 We are reconciled to God
\n\u2022 We rejoice in God Himself<\/p>\nThe Old Testament longed for this blood.
\nThe Gospels reveal this blood.
\nThe Epistles explain this blood.
\nRevelation celebrates this blood.<\/p>\nThis is our hope.
\nThis is our peace.
\nThis is our joy.
\nThis is our gospel.<\/p>\nJustified by His blood\u2014forever, fully, and freely.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s pray.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Heavenly Father,<\/p>\n
We come before You with grateful hearts, thanking You for the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Because of His sacrifice, we are justified, forgiven, and declared righteous in Your sight. Through His blood we have peace with You, no longer enemies but beloved children. We stand firmly in Your grace\u2014sustained, strengthened, and welcomed into Your presence. Fill us with joy as we rejoice in the hope of Your glory. Teach us to endure suffering with confidence, knowing it produces endurance, character, and a hope that never disappoints. Pour Your love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reminding us daily that we are saved from wrath and fully reconciled to You. Let our deepest joy be found in You – our God, our Savior, our everlasting delight. Keep us near the cross and help us walk in gratitude, faith, and obedience.<\/p>\n
In Jesus\u2019 name, Amen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I was given the opportunity to preach at church on Romans 5:1-11 a couple of weeks ago. I thought I’d share it with you. ROMANS 5:1\u201311 \u2014 JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD INTRODUCTION This passage in Romans starts off with the word \u201dtherefore\u201d. The word therefore means \u201cfor that reason\u201d or consequently. Here, it means that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":159,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[46,7,12,33,8,24,25,9,43],"class_list":["post-160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-blood","tag-died-for-us","tag-faith","tag-grace","tag-jesus","tag-mercy","tag-repent","tag-sacrifice","tag-trust"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/justanotherman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/justanotherman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/justanotherman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justanotherman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justanotherman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/justanotherman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":164,"href":"https:\/\/justanotherman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160\/revisions\/164"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justanotherman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/justanotherman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justanotherman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justanotherman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}