Peace With God -- Romans 5:1-11
Tuesday, November 13, 2007 at 03:16PM 
The Eleventh in a Series of Sermons on Paul's Epistle to the Romans
We’ve all seen the pictures of VE-Day–some reading this might even remember VE Day–that glorious day in May of 1945 when Hitler’s Germany unconditionally surrendered to the victorious allied armies. The horrors of war were coming to an end. Peace was at hand. And did people celebrate! In Romans 5:1-11, Paul speaks of the coming of peace, but not in the sense of the end of bloody war between combatant nations. Paul speaks of the peace which is the result of Jesus Christ’s death upon the cross for sinners. By turning aside the wrath of God, Jesus Christ has reconciled God to sinners and sinners to God. Because of the cross the war between God and rebellious sinners is now blessedly over. And this beloved is cause for joy and celebration!
Beginning in Romans 5:1, Paul changes focus a bit and begins to set out some of the blessings which come to all of those who receive the promised inheritance through faith and not through works. This section in Romans is not only loaded with important theological information, but the entire chapter serves as a hinge of sorts, connecting Paul’s discussion of justification in Romans 3:21-4:25, with his subsequent discussion of sanctification in Romans 6:1-8:39. As we will see, for Paul, all those who believe God’s promise to justify the ungodly are not only justified and given life, but they are also called to reckon themselves dead to sin but alive to God (Romans 6:11). Paul cannot conceive of someone who is justified but who is not also being sanctified. To be justified by grace through faith is to be sanctified by grace through that same faith. These two things are inextricably linked together.
It is noteworthy that commentators disagree so widely about the main theme of this section as well as how it is connected to the preceding discussion of Abraham and justification by faith (4:25) and the following discussion of sanctification and the Christian life (6:1 ff). The divergence of opinion about the theme of this section suggests the obvious–this section is packed with information, all of which is related to Paul’s comments about the nature of the inheritance of those justified sola fide.
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Reader Comments (3)
I wish there was some way they could be disseminated via a Pastors.com type of source. (Dream on.)
I shared your blog with a friend. He couldn't believe your sermons were actual sermons. He's coming to visit CRC to hear if you really preach like this.
You are a ferocious craftsman of the Word of God! Your labor is greatly appreciated.
My dirty little secret is that I read at least one Riddlebarger sermon every Sunday I am once again let down...which adds up to reading a lot of Riddlebarger sermons.
Zrim