1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
(NIV)
Main Points and Discussion Questions
1. Justification results in the Christian’s enjoyment of God’s favour now, and the sharing of His glory in the future. This is cause for rejoicing. (vv. 1-2)
Discussion Question 1A: Review, from Romans 3 and 4, what is meant by “justification”.
Discussion Question 1B: Read Phil. 3:20-21 and Col. 3:2-4. How do these passages shed light on the meaning of “the hope of the glory of God”?
Discussion Question 1C: Read 1 Peter 1:13, and note the instruction there. Do we tend to put our hope fully in the future grace that Christ will give us? Why or why not?
2. Christians are not spared from suffering, but God uses it to build character and anticipation in them. This is also cause for rejoicing. (vv. 3-5)
Discussion Question 2A: How does this perspective of suffering compare and contrast from the way our society thinks of it?
Discussion Question 2B: Is the LORD, through Paul, calling us to be masochists (i.e. those who love to find pleasure in pain)? Give reasons for your answer.
3. When we consider how rare it is that someone would die for even a "good" person, it is astonishing that Christ would die for us, since there was nothing but wickedness in us (vv. 6-8).
Discussion Question 3A: In light of these verses, how would you respond to someone who suggests that there must have been something worthy in us to cause Christ to die for us?
Discussion Question 3B: What do these verses tell you about the character of God, and what is your response to this?
4. Christ’s substitutionary death and life not only ensures that believers will remain in the righteous position that God has declared them to be in, but also that God’s wrath will never come upon them. This is especially a cause for rejoicing! (vv. 9-12)
Discussion Question 4: Read the Apostle Paul’s sayings in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2 and Galatians 6:12-14. In light of what we’ve read in Romans 5 this morning, why would Paul make these statements, and why should we believe the same way he did?
Summary discussion: In summary, what are the three causes for rejoicing that are found in this passage? Do we tend to find our joy in these things? Why or why not?
