At the beginning of Chapter 5 we once again see the “therefore” which indicates that what he is about to say is the result or culmination of thoughts he has just said. Paul states we have proven that we are justified by faith which gives us peace with God and the access we currently have to grace. That’s a pretty rich sentence. It’s interesting to flip this in the reverse, if we don’t have faith in Jesus then we won’t be at peace with God and therefore we would find ourselves outside of God’s grace. Not Good! I think I’ll stick to faith in Jesus, thank you very much!
Paul then describes how we are to glory and rejoice in suffering because we know that suffering produces perseverance, character and hope. This reminds me of a slogan I have seen while running that “pain is weakness leaving the body.” I have also heard “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” These aren’t the most positive statements in the world there is an element of truth to them. Suffering seen from the right perspective can be seen with the glory that Paul talks about. It was said of Jesus that he “endured the cross, for the joy that was set before him.” May God help us to have the right perspective the next time we want to go all Diva on somebody for not letting us have our way.
In verse 5 it Paul makes a beautiful illustration of the infilling of the Holy Spirit in our lives as having God’s love poured into our hearts. I love that!
The next paragraph is meaty. Paul clearly states that we fallen beings did not warrant or earn our rescue but that Christ died for the ungodly and how this so clearly demonstrates God’s love for us. Many times we may be tempted to think that we need to change or get things right before we approach God but Paul makes it clear that Christ died for us while we were still heading headlong into sin. Amazing Grace!
Paul then begins to compare the sin of one man Adam and how it had such far reaching consequences but then illustrates how the righteous act of one man Christ Jesus has even more far reaching consequences or benefits. “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all.” (5:18)
I wonder if in the last few verses Paul is saying that the more we walk with Christ and the more grace reveals to us the sin that we still need to confront and therefore even more grace is given. “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” Ultimately the place where we want to be is where Grace is reigning in our lives through right living which brings eternal life. Eternal life, I may have mentioned this before is not just something we look forward to later after we die but something that God intends for us to begin enjoying the benefits of right now!
