Faith transforms into grace

Romans 5:1-11; 1/26/2025; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang

Introduction

Starting from Chapter 5, Paul leaves the Old Testament and returns to the New Testament to talk about faith and the relationship between faith and believers. This is the origin of the transformation of faith into grace.  Let’s look at the first point:

The grace of peace with God

After the sin of the ancestors, mankind was in a state of disharmony with God.  It is also like some people who are enclosed under some kind of dry well, but feel good about themselves and boast about the sky they see above the well.  First, the nature of justification.  The truth structure of justification is not easy to explain, but it can be very simple.  After a person sins, he is in a state of sin, that is, a state of unrighteousness.  Therefore, the relationship with God is side by side and has no intersection.  Now, because one believes in Jesus Christ, he begins to change his path and take the path of righteousness.  This is called being at peace with God.  In the eyes of God, once a person believes in the Lord and begins to walk on the road to heaven, God calls them one of His “righteousness”.  This righteousness refers to things and people that are right in the eyes of God.  Faith is the life given by God for people to live, thus being accepted by God.   On the contrary, unbelievers will never be able to appreciate God’s justice and love, and it will be even harder for them to be used by God.

Secondly, the grace of entry.  To believe is to believe in God.  Therefore, the experience of faith is a process of entry.  Faith cannot stay on the surface of knowledge, but enters into the essence of faith, which is the fellowship life of the church to receive His grace.  Praying a prayer of decision is considered as entering.  If you participate in various services in the church according to your gifts, you are standing in the grace of the Lord.  Don’t underestimate these two steps.  Entering and standing cannot be completed by yourself.  Therefore, Paul’s premise is that it is through the Lord Jesus Christ that it is possible to accomplish this step that cannot be accomplished by oneself.  In short, relying on the Lord, entering, and standing are grace!

Finally, joyful hope.  We find that although some people have entered, they seem to be standing, and they seem to be relying on the Lord.  But, they are just not happy!  It is not difficult to find that there is sadness on the face, frowning, or even being gloomy all day long. Why?  Have you ever thought about it?  That’s because our expectation of eternal life has not been transformed into hope.  That is to say, if our joy is not due to the hope of eternal life, it cannot last.  At this time, curiosity and novelty motives bind our values.  The desire to control will fill our blood, control our family, control our friends, control everything around us!  At this time, even joy also became fake.  Falseness and emptiness filled one’s heart and mind, and there was no satisfaction deep in the heart.  Requesting became the only driving force.  One was in great pain, but no one talked to me.  Let’s look at the second point:

Receive abundant love

First, rejoice in hope.  If a person has no hope, then his faith is in vain.  In this way, the connotation of hope is very important, right?  There is no work today and you need to find a job.  However, finding a job cannot be a person’s hope.  Because once a person finds a job, his original hope is gone.  Therefore, a person’s joy must be directed toward eternal hope.  Rejoicing in faith in God is our lifelong pursuit.  Our good is not outside of Him, so why should we care about gains and losses in this world.  Faith produces hope, hope produces joy, and joy will not lead to sorrow.

Second, rejoice in the glory.  Hope must be the goal of ultimate concern, connected to eternal values, connected to God.  Although hope is invisible, because of faith, we can work hard for it down-to-earth and even risk our lives.  When hope is connected to the heart, a sense of glory arises.  Glory is the pinnacle of hope, it can only be looked up to, cannot be robbed, let alone stolen!  The difference between joy and temporary happiness is whether there is the glory of God.  Any joy or happiness that is not due to the glory of God is fleeting.  It comes and goes quickly, light and worthless.  On the contrary, any joy that comes from the glory of God is lasting.

Finally, rejoice in adversity.  How to check whether our joy comes from gains and losses, or from the glory of God?  At this time, God’s examination of us comes.  In what way?  It is often when we encounter adversity.  This is the saying that a friend in need is a friend indeed.  When people are in an environment where everything goes well, it is often difficult to test whether they are rejoicing or temporarily happy.  But the real test comes when illness comes, job loss, accidents happen, etc.  When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Bible says that His sweat was like drops of blood and His voice was hoarse when He prayed.  On the cross, the Lord even asked the Father why He had abandoned Him.  Finally, the Lord calmly said: “It is finished!”  Let’s look at the third point:

Contentment in God

Nine times out of ten things in life are not what you want, so why should you be happy?  Therefore, it is difficult for us to see smiling faces in the crowd.  Even the smiles are mostly fake.  Why?  First, the fruit of the Spirit.  Frankly speaking, if it is not the fruit of the Holy Spirit, how can a person have long-term patience?  The character  produced from endurance is mature, and the hope at this time may be lasting.  For example, when reading the Bible, it is impossible to persevere without patience.  It is not difficult to persist for a while, but the difficult thing is to persevere and not give up.  Otherwise, your true colors will be revealed as soon as you speak. When others hear this, they will know that you do not read the Bible much and do not think about it often.  Paper cannot cover fire.  The impetuousness of your heart and the lack of spirituality can be found out just by trying it.  How can God use you?  Even if you are used, the shame in life will be revealed, and the Lord will not receive the glory He deserves.

Secondly, true love is born of mission.  When the Lord Jesus laid down his life on the cross for us, we knew what love is, right?  It was not because Judas betrayed the Lord that He went to the cross, but because the Lord Himself went to the cross.  Why?  Because it is His mission to lay down His life for the sheep, a mission He received from His Heavenly Father.  On the contrary, if it is out of humanism “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die– but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:7-8)”  This truth also questions our souls and our motives.  Whether what we do is because of the Lord or because of our own poor selfishness or ignorance.

Finally, a life that delights in God.  This is a feeling not easy to experience, right?  What does it mean to take delight in God?  In fact, it is because of our faith in Him that our core values ​​have changed.  In the past, our preferences and satisfaction were determined by the world and the world’s perspective.  If you go out without makeup and someone sees your true colors, that’s a big deal!  If a photo is posted in a group without being retouched, your mood will be affected.  Even your own age has made you afraid to face it calmly and without fear, and you can’t be asked or talk about it.  Why?  Our age is a vessel to bear witness to the Lord, why can’t it be used by the Lord?  If everything in our lives can be used for the Lord, of course it will be a testimony that we enjoy God!

Conclusion

The transformation of faith into grace is the mark of spiritual life growth and the only way to live out the likeness of the Lord!  The grace of peace with God is the way God has prepared for all those who believe in Him.  The joy born of hope is the life we ​​should imitate the Lord.  Taking delight in God is a truth we must live out.

Let us pray……

Romans 5:1-11

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 

4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 

5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 

7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 

10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 

11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.