"If we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us." Rom. 4:24-5:524But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. 1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 4:24‑5:5).
We commence with "If we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord." We believe on Him that is God, the source of all, acting in divine power, raising the one who was delivered for our offenses. This act is God's approval and satisfaction of the work of Christ on the cross. This answers to the type of the Red Sea. The "Therefore" of chapter 5 verse 1 is the first consequence of this-justification. This is righteousness imputed to us. A righteous God imputes righteously His own righteousness to us on the principle of faith. Not only are our sins forgiven, but He looks upon us as if we had never sinned, all through the work of Christ. Merit, acquirement or works on our part have no place here. This constitutes the believer's standing before God based on Christ's work, and is therefore settled and unchanging.
The passage now sets before us seven blessed results of this justification which are divided into two sections with three and four parts each. In the first three, we have "peace with God", "access by faith into the grace wherein we stand" and "rejoice in hope of the glory of God", which apply to our past, present and future. "We have peace with God"-this first consequence of justification recorded is the reproach of guilt on our conscience before a holy God removed, and eternally removed. Not only are we justified before a holy God, but that God against whom we had sinned has Himself justified us. Old Testament saints had forgiveness governmentally or in a temporary or limited way, and the three instances of forgiveness during the Lord's life would go further than that of the Old Testament saints. The man with the palsy in the 5th of Luke certainly teaches governmental forgiveness, but may also have been judicial. The other two cases, the woman who was a sinner in the 7th of Luke and the disciples in the 20th of John, were judicial and anticipated the true Christian position-the work of Christ, His ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit. But we who live in the Christian era are eternally and judicially forgiven, and God will never raise with us the question of our sins-indeed, He looks at us now as if we had never sinned. This is peace with God.
"By whom we also have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand." Our present standing before God is in grace, and the favor and love of God rest uninterruptedly upon us. Nothing can impair or impeach this. We got into this position by faith and certainly not by our own works. This is not enjoyment; had it been enjoyment it would have said "by the Spirit". No doubt this standing gives us great enjoyment, but we enter this standing by faith. This is the true grace of God wherein we stand-1 Pet. 5:1212By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. (1 Peter 5:12). This brings us to the third thing. The first had more to do with the past, the second is our present standing, and undoubtedly the third has the future in view. "And rejoice in hope of the glory of God." The future display of kingdom glory in which Christ will have the central and prominent place-God's answer to the cross. This is our hope and we now rejoice in this bright future prospect when we shall be with and like Christ. The first three had to do with the soul's relationship with God, but the last four have more to do with God entering into our wilderness experience on our behalf. These last four are presented as normal Christian experience with development to soul maturity and a deep sense of God's love by the indwelling Spirit. These begin with "Not only so". Justification had already given us blessed results but now more would follow.
"But we glory in tribulations also." "But" is an adversative and suggests the contrary to that which is normal. Why so? Because of His great work on the cross, we are able thus to glory in the midst of scenes of contrariety and personal stress. There are cases when we look back with gratitude and praise at God's past deliverance and there are many examples of this in the Word. But this is not the case here. This passage informs us that when we are actually in these adversities, we glory. We rise above the plight and sorrows when we are in them and glory not with self-satisfaction but in the One in whom we have been consciously sustained, who passing through the valley of Baca maketh it a well.
"Knowing that tribulation worketh endurance" -it is a deeper experience to go through the storm with the Lord in the boat than to see the Lord exercise divine power in quelling the storm. Having been with God in the many and various trials that we are called on to encounter, endurance is the outcome. Trials which in earlier times would have distressed us and perplexed us are now entered into with God, which gives the valuable moral trait of endurance. The words "Thou art with me" have had their reward with us. We now know that endurance has been acquired by passing through tribulation with the Lord, and this is valuable in soul history. All this is based on justification.
"And endurance, experience"-this does not mean that we are occupied with experience so much as it teaches us what experience produces, and indicates a deeper acquaintance with the God whom we have been brought to know; a more intimate communion with Him whose wisdom, power and love we have learned to know in all adverse circumstances, and who has only our richest blessing in view. This brings us nearer to a God whose ear is always and at all times ready to listen to us, and whose ceaseless presence with us is a constant comfort. It is not now a question of trials, vicissitudes, anxieties and sorrows, but the God whose love we have learned so well in all these and above all these, in fact it is Himself and His presence which gives us experience of value of the richest kind. We know Him that is from the beginning, that is Christ.
"Experience, hope "-Passing through the many and varied trials, exercises and sorrows of the wilderness with God, we learn what the world is away from God, and long for a better. This engenders hope; then again having passed through the wilderness with God and having been accustomed to His support and presence, hope looms before us of being with this One whom we
know so well, but in a more congenial environment and atmosphere.
"Hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us." The hope of outward manifestation of coming glory, of which Christ is the center, is assured to our hearts, therefore we are not ashamed. Being confident regarding this hope and knowing that we shall not be put to shame gives assurance in our testimony before men. The love of God is the source of all. This, in the first place, brought about our justification in Christ. There this love is set forth objectively, but now, blessed be God, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. Here it is subjective-What an experience! What a reality! The first time in this wonderful epistle the love of God is mentioned, it is shed abroad in our hearts. And it tells us it is by the Holy Spirit which is given to us. Here it is not the new birth, but the indwelling of the Spirit, the result of the acceptance of Christ's work. The scriptural principle is "washed with water, sprinkled with blood, anointed with oil". This is a divine principle and concludes the seven results of justification.