READ: Rom. 5:1-11: … But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us …
Paul now turns to the consequences of true faith. First of all, there is reconciliation and peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him there are all kinds of gifts of grace which we may already receive in this life. At His return they will be even richer.
We therefore already live in gratitude and joyful hope for that which God will grant us in the new heaven and the new earth. That hope is the sure expectation of complete redemption in glory.
From verse 3 we read more fruits of justification by faith. There is the gift of perseverance in faith during tribulations. Those tribulations work to strengthen our faith in God through Christ and our hope in God and His glory. Certainty of faith arises through trials.
It also becomes clearer how extraordinary the love of God is, which has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. God’s love is already unfathomable in itself, for as natural enemies of God we were nevertheless reconciled through the death of His Son. We ourselves were powerless and ungodly, capable of nothing good, indeed bent on evil. And yet Christ died for us.
The awareness of our own total worthlessness only increases our thankfulness. We then see our salvation not only as undeserved, but even as an incomprehensible wonder of God’s grace and love. God’s grace and love become clearer the more God continues to hold on to us through trials.
Now that we are reconciled and know ourselves reconciled, we have the sure hope that the living Lord Jesus will also bring us to complete salvation. Therefore our whole life will be marked by gratitude and praise to the Lord God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And with that we will all the more fervently pray for His return.
What are your trials? How do you grow in faith through them?
Sing: Ps. 103:1