The Triumph of Grace: Romans 1--8
Lesson Seven--Page 23
Lesson Seven--Romans 5 We can be sure we are saved because God, in Christ, saved all people 5:1-11 Justified sinners rejoice in three things Verses 1-6 Paul summarizes the Christian hope: Christians have been declared “not guilty” through Jesus. Paul then lists three things in which we can rejoice.
We are not disappointed in our state of perpetual hope. Why?
Paul says that God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. How is this done?
We rejoice in _____________________. In our language the word “hope” often expresses a degree of uncertainty, for example, “I hope I will have an enjoyable trip.” Is uncertainty appropriate in verse 2? What meaning does the word “hope” carry in this verse?
We rejoice in _____________________. How does one characteristic flow into the next? Suffering
Perseverance
Character
Hope
It is no mere emotional or spiritual high. Our hope is based on the clear and solid truth of the gospel. Verses 7-10 Paul describes this gospel in a wonderful way. (Note: In Greek a “good man” is better than a “righteous man.” This fact will help us interpret this section.) Consider the three stages in our existence. The first stage is before God sent his Son to die for us. Describe what we were like at that time. The second stage is after Christ died for the world. At that point the sins of the world had been paid for. The world had been justified “objectively,” that is, apart from and prior to anyone coming to faith. Write a brief description of this stage. The third stage is the stage we are in now. We have come to faith in Jesus' work on the cross and God has justified us "subjectively," that is, personally receiving God's verdict of justification through faith. Write a description of this stage.
© 1997 Northwestern Publishing House. Reprinted by permission.