Not I but Christ: A Thematic Overview of Romans part 3.

Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Sunday,
September 13, 2009

ROM 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith [ROM 3:21 - Rom 4], we have peace with God [reconciliation] through our Lord Jesus Christ,

ROM 5:2 through whom [our Lord Jesus Christ] also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult [JOY!] in hope [confident expectation of a certain future outcome] of the glory of God.

Past event =
justification by faith, reconciliation - peace with God.

Present reality =
standing in the grace of God. With joy inexpressible and full of glory! 1PE 1:8

Future certain expectation =
our glorification. Eternity face to face with the glory of God.

Paul was a master of logic. And nowhere is logic used with more force and regularity, or for a more profound purpose, than in the book of Romans.

And so if you want to have a firm foundation in Christ... if you want to be more joyful in your walk...
You need to let the logic in Romans do its work on your soul!

Logic includes facts taken by faith that lead to conclusions that are inescapable.

The wrath of God is that part of the justice of God that deals with unbelief, unrighteousness, sin, evil, disobedience, and idolatry.

That the wrath of God exists, and it is directed against ungodliness and unrighteousness - but NOT against you if you are a believer, not ever, because you are declared by God to be perfectly righteous forever by virtue of the blood of Christ that you believed in for your redemption.

ROM 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness [rebellion against and rejection of God = status quo of the unbeliever] and unrighteousness [status quo lacking righteousness] of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

That the wrath of God exists, and it is directed against ungodliness and unrighteousness - but NOT against you if you are a believer, not ever, because you are declared by God to be perfectly righteous forever by virtue of the blood of Christ that you believed in for your redemption.

ROM 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness [rebellion against and rejection of God = status quo of the unbeliever] and unrighteousness [status quo lacking righteousness] of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

JOH 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

It is only after we learn and accept how serious and solemn the issue of the wrath of God really is, against sin, against rebellion, against unrighteousness...
that we rejoice in the inescapable logic of ROM 5:9.

ROM 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

The wrath of God did not judge Jesus. The wrath of God, the justice of God, judged sin.

It is not until we are convinced how utterly bad we (the human race in our natural, unregenerate state) really were that we see clearly how gratuitously good God is at the Cross of Jesus Christ.

The only piece of logic that you and I can be absolutely certain of in this world is the logic of verses 9, 10, and 11 of chapter 5 of the book of Romans. There is no such watertight argument in any other realm, be in science, mathematics, or anywhere else.

We were headed for wrath
But Christ came on the scene
And now we’re headed for glory.

As inescapable as the former had been without Christ
Much more inescapable is now the latter WITH and IN Christ!

That’s the Gospel. That’s the logic of the book of Romans.
And that is the basis for lasting, undisturbed joy.

The sinner is justified by faith, that non-meritorious assent of the will to place your trust in the integrity and authority of another, their word and their works.

GAL 2:16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God’s grace makes you happy, joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures.

Real faith is not conscious about itself, and only conscious of its object - our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Your faith in Christ does not MAKE you righteous!

Your faith places you under the grace policy of God for salvation, where, by virtue of the work of Christ on the cross, God is free to impute or credit in a judicial or legal sense, the righteousness of God to your account.

Christ is the rock. The core doctrines of Romans 1 - 8 are the firm foundation for the soul that will enable it to stand up to the worst floods of life and of the wicked angels.

God the Father imputed or assigned the sins of the entire human race to Christ on the cross. He judged every one of those sins in Christ.

God the Father ripped up the certificate of debt, thereby canceling the guilt and penalty that you and the rest of the human race owed.

God the Father is completely satisfied with the redemptive work of Christ on the Cross as a Substitute for the sinful human race.

Thus we see the pattern that will mark the entire life story of the Christian, from his election in Christ in eternity past, the provision of grace blessings that stagger the imagination, the moment of spiritual rebirth, all the way to eternal glory.

Not I, but Christ.

Not my body of work - Christ’s body of work!

The one who believes in Christ places his destiny wholly in Christ.

Therefore the justice of God is free to not only apply the complete salvation work of Christ to the believer - the benefits of redemption, expiation, propitiation, and reconciliation - but now also on top of that God is free to shower on this sinner the gift of righteousness and the abundance of grace, finally bringing that son or daughter to glory, complete in Christ.

We need to consider this great book of Romans from God’s point of view.