Title: Enemies Reconciled, Friends Saved
Text: Romans 5: 10
Date: April 15, 2012
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
The trust and confidence of the believer’s heart that our salvation is secure is because of what Christ has done for us by his death and because of what Christ continues to do for us by his life.
Those who have been quickened, called and converted to faith in Christ by the Spirit of God are given this assurance in Romans 5.
Romans 5: 6: For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7: For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9: Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10: For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Title: Enemies Reconciled, Friends Saved
Division: 1) What we were; 2) What God did for us when we were in that condition 3) What shall happen to us now
I. BELIEVER, WHAT WERE WE?
V6—when we were yet without strength
Ephesians 2: 12: That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, [without the common wealth of fellow believers] and strangers from the covenants of promise, [without the covenants of God’s promise] having no hope, [without hope] and without God in the world.
V6—we were ungodly--We were the “un” of everything God is.
· God is holy—we were unholy
· God is just—we were unjust
· God is righteous—we were unrighteous
V8—while we were yet sinners—not righteous, not even good—while we were yet sinners--We were only sin and we loved to sin. We were and loved what God hates—sin.
V10—when we were enemies--We were not only without strength, not only the “un” of everything God is, not only sinners delighting to do sin God hates, but we were thoroughly against God—enemies in our mind by wicked works. (Col 1: 21.)
Like as Cain hated his brother because God testified that Abel was righteous and Cain was not. We hated God because he is righteous and our works were wicked. And we hated God’s saints because they were made the righteousness of God in Christ and our works were wicked. All our works—those we knew were wicked as well as the very best of our works—they were all wicked
Someone might object, “I’ve never been that way”. You may think it because you see yourself as moral, not rebellious, nice to folks. But your heart has deceived you. Unbelief and self-righteousness have made you a liar to yourself. You may think you have never been God’s enemy, because though you are not for Christ, you are not outwardly rebellious against the truth.
Matthew 12:30: He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
JC Philpot: Neutrality in this warfare is enmity. Not to be on Christ's side is to be against Christ; not to be separate from God's enemies is to be God's enemy; not to love him is to hate him, and not to be his is to be Satan's.
Romans 8: 7: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
God knows the heart and that is what he says about the carnal, unregenerated heart.
· No love for God or for godliness,
· No love for heaven or holiness,
· No love for truth or the saints of God
· Only enmity, rebellion, pride, and self-righteousness. The carnal heart hates what God loves, and loves what God hates.
Be sure you get this: no sinner can be a friend of God until we learn, in some degree, that by nature and practice we are “enemies of God by wicked works.”
· Until then we won’t have need for reconciliation.
· Until then we won’t value the way God reconciles his own.
· Until then we don’t know the Power and Wisdom of God in the effectual call of grace.
II. YET, WHAT DID GOD DO FOR HIS ELECT WHEN WE WERE YET SINNERS AND ENEMIES?
When we were yet sinners, Christ died for us—V6: For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
When we were yet sinners, God proved that his love toward us is beyond change of any kind—V8: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
The love of God in Christ for each individual beloved child he put in Christ passes knowledge. (Eph. 3:18,19.) Not even our deplorable condition could alter the love of God for us. He loved us when we were polluted in our own blood, Ezek. 16. He pitied us when no eye pitied us, not even our own. When we were in the arms of rebellion against him he loved us in Christ—because before we sinned in Adam, God loved us and put us in Christ who promised to lay down his life and bring us to God.
God loved us with an everlasting love. God does not love his children because Christ died for us or because we believe on him. It was because God loved us that he gave us to his Son, that he sent forth his Son. God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us—what amazing love which suffered so for us who considered him our enemy. It was because he loved us that he gave us faith to believe his Son. God’s love for us in Christ is the envy of devils. The angels stand in amazement at it. Do you brethren?
Jeremiah 31: 3:…Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
What did Christ do for us when we were yet sinners, Christ justified us by his blood—v10—being now justified by his blood--To be justified is to be pardoned of all sin and made perfectly righteous before God through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is our acceptance with God. Not our works, nor our faith, not obedience performed by us after faith is given us. We are accepted by what Christ has done for us (Ro 3:25 Eph 2:13 Heb 9:12.) Through the righteousness of God faith is given to us, then through faith righteousness is imputed to us, so that we do not boast in our faith—faith excludes boasting in us—we glory in the Lord our Righteousness!
What did God do when we were yet sinners? God reconciled us to himself by the death of his Son—V10—…when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son
Reconciliation is a loss of friendship between God and his elect. Sin in us caused the breach. We had to have our sin put away in order for God to receive us again as his friend. Therefore when by the death of his Son, when full satisfaction was made, when sin was atoned for, and put away, blotted out, and cast behind God's back, reconciliation was effected. It was done when Christ said it is finished—when as yet we were enemies!
III. WHAT SHALL HAPPEN TO US NOW THAT GOD DID THIS FOR US THROUGH THE DEATH OF HIS SON?--Get this key phrase—v9: much more
Romans 5: 9: Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10: For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
If God justified us by Christ’s blood, and reconciled us to himself by the death of his Son—both when were ungodly enemies—now that we are his friends we shall be saved by Christ’s life, by our risen Redeemer.
Salvation here means our salvation in addition to justification and reconciliation. It includes the blessings that God freely gives us by his grace because of what Christ has done for us. Not only does Christ receive all the glory for our justification but for our salvation as well. Through Christ—we shall be saved.
By his life, Christ saves each one for whom he died by sending the Holy Spirit to make us alive, to plant the truth in our hearts, to give us faith to believe on Christ—he did it before he died and he does so now. Therefore through faith in Christ, we believe we shall be saved from wrath through him. (see Eph 2—we were children of wrath even as others, but God, quickened us together with Christ, by his grace, giving us faith so that we have now escaped wrath by his life.)
Romans 8: 1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit…15: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16: The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
By Christ’s life through the Holy Spirit he saves us—so to speak—from our infirmities.
Romans 8: 26: Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27: And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
By Christ’s life we are preserved because he works all things together in heaven and earth for our good because he is the Firstborn Son among many brethren to whom God the Father has entrusted the well-being of his whole house.
Romans 8: 28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29: For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30: Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31: What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
By his life, he shall save us by giving us all things—spiritual and temporal that is needful for our salvation.
Romans 8: 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
By his life, no one shall be able to charge you.
Romans 8: 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
That means no accusation of Satan, no curse or condemnation of the Law, not your guilty conscience shall be able to condemn.
By his life, he shall save us from anything and everything in this world that would separate us from him.
Romans 8: 35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36: As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37: Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39: Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
None of those things that would separate us from him shall be able to do so because we are more than conquerors through HIM that loved us. (Ro 8:34 Heb 4:14,15; 7:25)
SO WHY DID GOD LEAVE US HERE TO SUFFER THE TRIALS WE DO IN THIS LIFE? THE PURPOSE OF TRAILS IS TO TEACH US THESE THINGS.
Romans 5: 2 says believers rejoice IN HOPE of the glory of God. We joy in the good hope we have that one day we shall be with God in heavens glory. Romans 5: 3 says, “And not only so we glory IN TRIBULATIONS.” Not necessarily at the time of the trial but afterwards we rejoice because through trials God grows us in grace—patience--to wait upon God. At the end of the trial, God proves to us by experience that Christ does indeed save us by his life—we are secure in him. Thereby, God increases our hope of the glory of God—we rejoice the more in hope of the glory of God because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit he has given unto us. Romans 5: 11 says, “And not only so, but we also joy IN GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we now have received the atonement—reconciliation—made one with him.”
Conclusion of the whole Matter
You who are born of God are complete and accepted by God because of Christ’s death. As we go through tribulations in this life: we have no reason to be fearful that God will cut us off from his favor. If Christ accomplished our justification and our reconciliation when were his enemies by dying for us, being now his friends, Christ will surely save us by his life. Our risen Redeemer purposes and delights to keep us and give us all we need, that is what he is teaching us through these trials. He will carry us forward even as he has done from everlasting and will complete what he has begun because we are his friends. Because he lives, we shall live also.
Amen!