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“The Trinity Helps Us Understand Difficulty” John 16:4b-15
“The Trinity Helps Us Understand Difficulty” John 16:4b-15
The Trinity; Father, Son, & Holy Spirit
A Sermon Series
“The Trinity Helps Us Understand Difficulty”
John 16:4b-15
Introduction
“Jesus’ departure from his earthly ministry to return to his Father is now at hand, and this is why he is telling his followers of the difficult days that lie ahead. They need to know not just of all the troubles that will soon fall on them but also of the help God (the Father) will send them to enable them to rise above the struggles. This help consists of the Spirit of Jesus as the presence of the Lord among them. He has just told them of the trials soon to arrive (15:18-16:4a), and now he wants to make them know of the coming Paraclete, who will empower them so they can be victorious.”[1]
Prayer
The Disciple’s Mission (vv. 4b-7)
“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
And in all of the time that Jesus has been with them all of the animosity and anger has been directed at Jesus (because He was there among them). He is going away, and He wants to prepare them for all the difficulty that is coming. Jesus confirms again that He was sent from the Father, and “now I am going to him who sent me.”
We are going to see that Jesus is the standard of righteousness but how do we know that Jesus’ teachings are right, and the world’s teachings are wrong? Because, “But now I am going to him who sent me,” As the resurrected King of Kings, Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, ruling and reigning over all of creation. His pattern of righteousness and the standard He set was accepted by God the Father – because He raised Him from the dead.
When Jesus says, “none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’” seems out of place because Peter had asked, “Lord where are you going,” and Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going.” But the verse is given in the present tense, “None of you asks me.” They had stopped asking him about the future, and seem to be overwhelmed with what is going on right then. They can’t see a way to continue forward without Jesus being with them.
They are filled with confusion, grief, and despair. But they are not considering what Jesus’ departure means for the mission that He is sending them on. He has been preparing them to continue His work, He wants them to stay focused on that mission (in spite of fear, grief, and despair).
(v.7) “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth,” – Jesus is saying that the only way for God’s plan to be completed is for the Son to return to heaven, and the Spirit is sent to take His place on earth.[2] “But his saving reign of God cannot be fully inaugurated until Jesus has died, risen from the dead, and been exalted to this Father’s right hand, returned to the glory he enjoyed with the Father before the world began.”[3] Why does the Holy Spirit have to wait until Jesus’ departure? It is because of where Jesus goes when He leaves, John 7:39 “Now this he (Jesus) said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
That plan also involves them being filled with the Holy Spirit, and telling others about Jesus (who now has completed His mission and sits at the right hand of the Father).
God’s plan for the salvation of the world
could not be completed If Jesus had stayed on earth.
Earlier in John, the word for the Helper (paraclete) was used as “one who comes and stands beside” as in Comforter, Advocate or Helper. But here the standing beside is still there, but it carries a judicial tone. The Holy Spirit is the Prosecutor – convicting sinful men of being in the wrong.[4]
(v. 7) Jesus says that “it is to your advantage that I go away,” – Earlier in John 11 the high priest Caiaphas uses this same word, “advantage, expedient” “So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better (expedient) for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”
The Holy Spirit’s Ministry (vv. 8-15)
The Spirit will have a two-fold ministry, convicting the world of sin (vv. 8-11), and strengthening the Church (vv. 12-15).
Convicting the World of Sin (vv. 8-11)
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
“Whenever sin and righteousness meet, there is judgement.”[5]
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
(v. 8) “he will convict the world,” This is a word meaning “convicting by proof” by “missing the mark,” and how they have wronged God and other people. Without the working of the Holy Spirit men will not believe in Jesus because they will not understand the depth of their sin. In order to follow Jesus, you have to repent of your sin, ask Him to forgive you of your sin, to trust in His gift of sacrificial death on the cross and how that covers your sin. People have to understand sin, before they can understand who Jesus is.
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;
Righteousness is the opposite of sin, and after we are convicted of sin, we seek after this opposite. The Holy Spirit guides us to seeking after righteousness. “In order to define sin there must be a standard. There can be no transgression where there is no law, no darkness where there is no light, no sin where there is no holiness.”[6]
When Jesus was present, simply His presence would convict men of sin, and they could see perfect righteousness before them. John 1:4-5 describes it like this, “In him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
In Luke 5:7-8 the men who eventually would become Jesus’ disciples are fishing and Jesus performs a miracle so that their nets are ripping because they are so full of fish, “They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
Also, think of all the times the religious leaders in Jesus’ day thought that they were righteous because of their keeping the OT law (which they really were not). For the entire 23rd chapter of Matthew Jesus blasts the religious leaders, he says, “woe to you scribes and pharisees,” . . . vv. 1-5 “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,1 and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others . . .” The Holy Spirit shows us righteousness only comes through Jesus – not by works. So every time we start down that road of being self-righteous the Holy Spirit points us back to Jesus and His righteousness.
11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
“The word ‘judgement’ means an ethical decision; approbation of such qualities or acts as may be deemed good, and simultaneous pf such qualities or acts as may deemed evil. The vindication of Christ by the resurrection as the incarnate righteousness of God was at the same time God’s rejection of the prince of this world as the personification of evil.”[7] The Holy Spirit makes the world aware of this judgement by God.
Why does the Holy Spirit convict people of the coming judgment? Because “the ruler of this world is judged, or “now stands condemned.” If the world continues to follow this defeated foe of God, it too will have the same fate. Satan lost, Jesus won – sin and death have been defeated. Sin is shown as being evil, and righteousness shown as the good.
“The anti-Christian point-of-view (or anti-biblical), the principles which govern the actions of worldy men, have been once and for all discredited and condemned (12:31, 1 Cor. 2:8, Col. 2:15). The work of the Spirit manifested in the history of Christianity verifies the judgement that by Christ’s death evil has been condemned utterly; the Devil is fighting a losing battle.”[8]
There are many worldviews – but only one is from God.
Jesus proved it by His death, burial and resurrection.
It is the Holy Spirit’s ministry to convict people of sin in their lives (as defined by God),[9] He guides them toward righteousness and godly behavior, and there is a final judgment between good and evil. But sin, righteousness, and God’s judgement ultimately deals with an acceptance or rejection of Jesus.
Matthew 21:42 Jesus is talking to the crowd but He is aiming His comments to the religious leaders, “Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” The cornerstone was used to determine true vertical and horizontal lines for a building, so that it would be level and plumb. Jesus is the measure of truth, The Holy Spirit confirms this truth, and to reject it is to face the judgement of God.
Matthew 12:22-32 “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.”
Strengthening the Church (vv. 12-15)
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
(v. 12) Jesus has more to say about future judgment and how His death burial and resurrection all show the enemies defeat, but they just can’t handle any more right then, “you cannot bear them now.” They are so devastated by Jesus going away, they can’t take any more information in. It could also mean that as Christians there is information that they could know, but it is only with the guidance of the Holy Spirit that they could bear the implications of what it means. Jesus didn’t tell the disciples about the cross until well into His ministry with them. He teaches us, as we are able to bear it.
There is a weight that comes with certain knowledge,
that the Holy Spirit helps to carry.
But when the Holy Spirit comes, in spite of all the trauma and difficulty, John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” The Holy Spirit will make sure that they know and remember what they need in order to complete Jesus’ work.
(v. 13) “he will guide you into all the truth,” When you have a guide that assumes a couple of things 1) you are on an adventure, a pilgrimage, you are going somewhere. 2) There is someone who knows the way that is leading (guiding) the way. As you are following God, He will reveal the truths of Scripture to you. There is an Old Testament background for the Spirit guiding believers in truth, Psalm 143:10 “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” The Spirit continues the ministry of Jesus by explaining the Word of God.
“for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak,” – Jesus often used this same wordage; Jesus would say, what the Father told Him to say.[10] And now the Holy Spirit will say what Jesus has said, and will reveal new things (by Jesus) of what is to come in the future. “The disciples receive these truths on a trinitarian path from the Father to the Son to Spirit to them and likewise pass them on in their own teaching and preaching (2 Tim. 2:2).”[11]
2 Timothy 2:1-2 “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” There is a chain of truth that begins with God the Father, then the Son, then the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:2), then the apostles, then to faithful men, and on down through the generations (always guided by the Holy Spirit). So what you share is the Word of God, Spoken through the Son, and guided by the Holy Spirit.
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[1] Grant R. Osborne, John Verse by Verse, Osborne New Testament Commentary (Bellingham, Washington; Lexham Press, 2018) 373.
[2] John 7:39 “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
[3] D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991) 534.
[4] Leon Morris, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids, Michigan; WM. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1971) 695.
[5] Merrill C. Tenney, John, The Gospel of Belief, An Analytical Study of the Text (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982) 236.
[6] Tenney, 236.
[7] Tenney, 237.
[8] G.H.C. Maccgregor, The Gospel of John (Harper and Brothers Publishing, 1928) 298.
[9] Prevenient grace – “God’s grace given to all humans indiscriminately. It is seen in God’s sending the sunshine and the rain upon all. . . Since mankind is hopelessly dead in trespasses and sins and can do nothing to obtain salvation, God graciously restores to all men sufficient ability to make a choice in the matter of submission to Him. . . . Since God has given this grace to all, everyone is capable of accepting the offer of salvation . . .” Millard Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Academic, 2007) 932.
[10] John 3:34-35; 5:19; 7:16-17; 8:26, 28; 12:49-50; 14:10; 15:15.
[11] Osborne, 378.
The Trinity; Father, Son, & Holy Spirit
A Sermon Series
“The Trinity Helps Us Understand Forgiveness”
Romans 5:1-11
Introduction
Prayer
God’s Gifts of Justification
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the previous chapters Paul has laid out his argument and addressed any arguments against how we are justified (made right) with God by faith in Jesus. Notice that it is a past action (you have already been justified); when a person places their faith in Jesus they are immediately made right with God. You don’t have to wait until some future day to see if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds – by placing your faith in Christ that issue has already been resolved.
When I asked Kimberly to marry me, I had to travel from Alabama to Maryland where she was living. After my arrival I told her I had a gift for her and that I wanted her to open it where we first went on our first date (the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland). We sat down on the boardwalk and I handed her a large wrapped gift – that when it was opened was another smaller wrapped box – which progressively got smaller and smaller until there was a ring box, and by the time she got to that one I was on one knee ready to propose.
With God’s gift of justification, it is like my gift to Kimberly, one gift leads to another gift, and leads to another gift – but where Kimberly had worthless empty boxes until the end, each of God’s gifts are incredibly important.
The Gift of Peace with God (1b)
“we have peace with God.”
Now, he transitions, “therefore” – there is something that results from a person having placed their faith in Jesus, “we have peace with God.” In this world peace in only temporary.
As Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain is remembered for his support for the policy of appeasement towards Adolf Hitler over the annexation of Czechoslovakia and the signing Munich Agreement on 29 September 1938. Returning from Munich, Chamberlain delivered his “Peace with Honor – Peace for Our Time” speech. While he was holding up the paper Hitler was planning to invade more countries. In this world rarely is there peace, World War 1 led to World War 2, then Korea, then the Cold War, then Vietnam, then, and on we go, and on we go.
“This is why the central motif of the gospel in the New Testament is reconciliation. What is a necessary condition for reconciliation to take place? The most important – and necessary – ingredient for reconciliation is estrangement. Where there is no estrangement, there is no need for reconciliation. The New Testament repeatedly described the ministry of Jesus as a work of mediation, because the God-Man came into a hostile world estranged from God. The work of Christ is that of a mediator to bring the estranged parties together. He is the Prince of Peace, who came to end the warfare that is so real.”[1]
Jesus knowing that He is about to leave has no earthly possessions to give to the disciples (no houses, no lands, no earthly wealth). But look what He gives them, John 14:26-27 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” Peace is a cessation of fighting, freedom from hostilities – our fight with God is over.[2]
The Gift of Access to God (v. 2a)
2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand,
In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve had unlimited access to God, and they would run to Him when He would appear. But once sin came into the world when He would come to them, they ran away and hid because they were aware of their nakedness and were filled with shame. An angel with a flaming sword was placed at the entrance of the garden keeping them out. And since then, as Adam’s children, if our sin is not removed, and our shame taken away, we cannot be anything but rebels in God’s creation.
Later God introduced ways for His people to have access to Him. With the tabernacle God’s people encamped in a circle around it so no one tribe had more access to God than another. He would appear in a pillar of smoke and fire and would settle above the Tabernacle showing that He was among His people. But only on the Day of Atonement could one priest, the high priest, enter the Holy of Holies and perform the rites of purification. His presence was among them people, but the people could not have direct access to God Himself.
Then we fast forward to Jesus dying on the cross and we see these events happening while He is dying, Matthew 27:50-51 “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” God the Father, gave His one and only Son to pay the penalty so that humanity may have direct access to God once more, and “no longer was there to be incense and ritual but now simple worship from the human heart, in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24).”[3]
“in which we stand,” When the law was given at Mt. Siani God’s people trembled with fear, and earth shook, and there were terrifying lightening strikes, and commands were given, “don’t touch the mountain!” Is this how we approach our God when we gather in worship?
Hebrews 12:22-24 “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”
“We come to the presence of God. We have access to his presence. There is no more veil. The angel’s sword of flame has been doused with the blood of Christ, and God welcomes us into his presence.”[4]
The Gift of Hope that Leads to Rejoicing (2b)
“and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
If someone were to ask you, “do you think the Titans will win today?” Someone may say, “I hope so.” This is an answer where the person desires for the event to happen, but they are not certain that it will happen. This is not true for the promises of God – We have stability in this world of war; we have an anchor that helps us to stand in the face of difficulty. Hebrews 6:19 “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,” People want an anchor to hold them, and hope gives them purpose and value.
The words faith and hope are very similar in the New Testament – Faith looks at something that has already taken place, and we put our trust in it. Hope is merely faith looking forward. We rejoice in the sure reality that one day we will enter into the glory of God – we will see Him, and experience Him in all of His glory. Hope is the belief that God is going to do what He said He would do.
The Gift of Suffering that Leads to Rejoicing (vv. 3-5)
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.
Paul is not someone who enjoys pain and suffering. Instead, he knows that because of our relationship with God, our suffering produces something within us. This suffering will cause us to grow as a person. Christians build strength when they endure sufferings. Sufferings also cause us to look beyond our present situation of distress to God and His promises.
James 1:2-4 says something similar, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
One of the works of the Holy Spirit is to pour (not drip) God’s love into the Christian’s heart. When they are experiencing sufferings, and they are trying to endure, and hope – the Holy Spirit confirms with our spirit that God loves us. “That is what fuels our hope and gives us confidence that we will not be ashamed. It is what enables us to persevere and endure trials and tribulations.”[5]
God’s Timing of Justification (vv. 6-8)
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.
(v. 6) In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit and all of humanity fell into sin. This is what we call “original sin.” But the discussion throughout the ages is how much did sin affect humanity? Original sin does not refer to the sin committed by Adam and Eve, but to the consequences of the sin – how far and how deep did the corruption affect the entire human race.
Paul in this Romans passage refers to this corruption as a degree of strength. We are described as being “weak” and “still sinners.” “We have been plunged so deeply into sin that we do not have moral capacity to incline ourselves in any way to the things of God.”[6] We are totally depraved.[7]
Apart from Christ, “we are unable to understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14). We were unable to see the kingdom of God or enter it (John 3:3,5). We were unable to seek God (Rom. 3:11).”[8] Paul later uses another image to explain this idea, Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” We are spiritually dead in our trespasses and totally moral corrupt that we will never choose God over the world – so the Holy Spirit moves in our souls and draws us to God.
We have rebelled and sinned against a holy God who is our Creator. This Father God, in His Love, Sent His One and Only Son (who also is God) to pay the price for our sin, to make the relationship right again. Then God the Holy Spirit in our complete moral depravity and spiritual death, allows us to be able to choose Jesus’ gift of salvation and to follow God. The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit are essential to our justification before God.
(v. 6) “Christ died for the ungodly,” and “while we were still sinners,” – The law of the OT was given to show us one thing (honor your father and mother, have no other gods before God, do not covet, etc.) All the festivals, celebrations, special meals, all should show us one thing – You cannot keep all the laws all the requirements – you cannot be perfect before God. The law was designed by God to alert people to their need for grace and a Savior.
Look what Jesus says on this topic, Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” The law pointed to the need for a Savior, Jesus fulfills the Scriptures by being that He died for the ungodly.
God’s Wrath and Our Reconciliation (vv. 9-10)[9]
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.
Jesus, the Son, acted as our mediator between God and Us – He reconciled us back to God the Father, and Paul reminds us that because of that free gift of grace, we are avoiding the wrath of God. The wrath of God is His hatred of sin. The wrath of God is not just an OT teaching, John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” Ephesians 2:3 talks about those apart from a relationship with God, “and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
Why would God pour out His wrath upon humanity? “God is sovereign, but the lost oppose him – they do not want anyone to rule over them. God is holy, yet they oppose his holiness. They do not accept His righteous moral standards; they do not want their sinful acts and desires to be called into question. God is omniscient, yet they are angry because God knows them perfectly, nothing is hidden from His sight.”[10] Humans oppose God, we are enemies of God.
God’s attribute of wrath and hatred of sin shows another reason why we should praise and worship Him. Imagine a god that did not hate the evils of this world, injustice and instead delighted in wrong doing, or was just tolerant of sin. A god who does not hate sin, is not worthy of worship, or honor, or praise. But humans do sin, we rebel against our Creator, we do not follow His ways. So, His wrath is justly aimed at everyone, and especially those who reject His Son as the only means of salvation.
Romans 3:25 uses the word propitiation with regards to Jesus; it is a word that means, “a sacrifice that bears God’s wrath to the end and in so doing changes God’s wrath toward us into favor.”[11] To propitiate is to make someone favorable toward you – What is required to make a holy God favorable toward a sinful mankind? His sin has to be dealt with – someone had to bear the full weight of God’s hated of sin. Once that was done, God no longer holds anything against the believer. The believer is seen by God as being as perfect as Jesus. We are accepted as Jesus is accepted.
But even with all that hatred toward sin, He is still patient and longsuffering toward sinners. But don’t think His mercy will he held out forever, 2 Peter 3:9-10 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, . . .” The Lord delays His wrath because He wants as many people to be saved, by faith in His Son, as possible before His return.
“God has made peace, and no other peace can be made except that which He has already made. To talk about making our peace with God is to reject His peace . . . If a man rejects the peace which God has provided through the Lord Jesus Christ, he remains at enmity with God.”[12]
11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
The result of these gifts from God (peace with God, access to God, a hope of being with God in glory, how we grow as a person in this life), how God came to us when we never would have chosen to do so, how we escaped the wrath of God, and Paul says, “more than that,” is joy, unspeakable joy. The Christian life, is meant to be a life of joy. We have so much to be happy about!
“We contemplate our state of affairs in this world and we see our bank accounts sliping away, our homes destroyed, our jobs lost, and our bodies torn by disease, and we have every reason to complain, whine, and weep. But if we lifted our eyes for one second to the cross and the resurrection, we see that Lord God omnipotent, who is too holy even to look at us, now looks at us and embraces us and adopts us as his children because he has reconciled us.”[13] This should bring us nothing but joy!
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[1] RC Sproul, The Righteous Shall Live By Faith, Romans, St. Andrews Expositional Commentary (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2009) 141.
[2] See also Matthew 11:28-30, with the fighting being over, now our soul can rest.
[3] Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s River, Expositions of Bible Doctrines Taking the Epistle to the Romans as a Point of Departure, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1973) 38.
[4] Sproul, 145.
[5] Sproul, 152.
[6] Sproul, 154.
[7] Here is a helpful video on the topic of Calvinism v. Arminianism, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q4Z66lF2CA
[8] James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1992) 537.
[9] Just as an aside, if a person doesn’t choose Christ, and they go to hell where there is torment and anguish – why is it eternal? Why after a period of time of this punishment would their sins not be paid for (by their suffering), eventually? Apart from Christ, there is no way for a person to be rid of their sin; they would eternally be sinful. It is their nature. So hypothetically if they paid for their sin from when they were on earth, they still would have continued to be under God’s wrath because they are “dead in their trespasses and sin.,” They have no way of giving themselves spiritual life again. Apart from Christ and the Holy Spirit, you have no way of changing your depraved nature. You are a sinner, and will eternally exist that way apart from salvation in Christ.
[10] Boice, 537.
[11] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1994) 575.
[12] Barnhouse, 22. See also Hebrews 10:29.
[13] Sproul, 166.
“The Trinity Helps Us Understand Forgiveness” Romans 5:1-11
The Trinity; Father, Son, & Holy Spirit
A Sermon Series
“The Trinity Helps Us Understand Forgiveness”
Romans 5:1-11
Introduction
Prayer
God’s Gifts of Justification
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the previous chapters Paul has laid out his argument and addressed any arguments against how we are justified (made right) with God by faith in Jesus. Notice that it is a past action (you have already been justified); when a person places their faith in Jesus they are immediately made right with God. You don’t have to wait until some future day to see if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds – by placing your faith in Christ that issue has already been resolved.
When I asked Kimberly to marry me, I had to travel from Alabama to Maryland where she was living. After my arrival I told her I had a gift for her and that I wanted her to open it where we first went on our first date (the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland). We sat down on the boardwalk and I handed her a large wrapped gift – that when it was opened was another smaller wrapped box – which progressively got smaller and smaller until there was a ring box, and by the time she got to that one I was on one knee ready to propose.
With God’s gift of justification, it is like my gift to Kimberly, one gift leads to another gift, and leads to another gift – but where Kimberly had worthless empty boxes until the end, each of God’s gifts are incredibly important.
The Gift of Peace with God (1b)
“we have peace with God.”
Now, he transitions, “therefore” – there is something that results from a person having placed their faith in Jesus, “we have peace with God.” In this world peace in only temporary.
As Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain is remembered for his support for the policy of appeasement towards Adolf Hitler over the annexation of Czechoslovakia and the signing Munich Agreement on 29 September 1938. Returning from Munich, Chamberlain delivered his “Peace with Honor – Peace for Our Time” speech. While he was holding up the paper Hitler was planning to invade more countries. In this world rarely is there peace, World War 1 led to World War 2, then Korea, then the Cold War, then Vietnam, then, and on we go, and on we go.
“This is why the central motif of the gospel in the New Testament is reconciliation. What is a necessary condition for reconciliation to take place? The most important – and necessary – ingredient for reconciliation is estrangement. Where there is no estrangement, there is no need for reconciliation. The New Testament repeatedly described the ministry of Jesus as a work of mediation, because the God-Man came into a hostile world estranged from God. The work of Christ is that of a mediator to bring the estranged parties together. He is the Prince of Peace, who came to end the warfare that is so real.”[1]
Jesus knowing that He is about to leave has no earthly possessions to give to the disciples (no houses, no lands, no earthly wealth). But look what He gives them, John 14:26-27 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” Peace is a cessation of fighting, freedom from hostilities – our fight with God is over.[2]
The Gift of Access to God (v. 2a)
2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand,
In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve had unlimited access to God, and they would run to Him when He would appear. But once sin came into the world when He would come to them, they ran away and hid because they were aware of their nakedness and were filled with shame. An angel with a flaming sword was placed at the entrance of the garden keeping them out. And since then, as Adam’s children, if our sin is not removed, and our shame taken away, we cannot be anything but rebels in God’s creation.
Later God introduced ways for His people to have access to Him. With the tabernacle God’s people encamped in a circle around it so no one tribe had more access to God than another. He would appear in a pillar of smoke and fire and would settle above the Tabernacle showing that He was among His people. But only on the Day of Atonement could one priest, the high priest, enter the Holy of Holies and perform the rites of purification. His presence was among them people, but the people could not have direct access to God Himself.
Then we fast forward to Jesus dying on the cross and we see these events happening while He is dying, Matthew 27:50-51 “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” God the Father, gave His one and only Son to pay the penalty so that humanity may have direct access to God once more, and “no longer was there to be incense and ritual but now simple worship from the human heart, in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24).”[3]
“in which we stand,” When the law was given at Mt. Siani God’s people trembled with fear, and earth shook, and there were terrifying lightening strikes, and commands were given, “don’t touch the mountain!” Is this how we approach our God when we gather in worship?
Hebrews 12:22-24 “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”
“We come to the presence of God. We have access to his presence. There is no more veil. The angel’s sword of flame has been doused with the blood of Christ, and God welcomes us into his presence.”[4]
The Gift of Hope that Leads to Rejoicing (2b)
“and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
If someone were to ask you, “do you think the Titans will win today?” Someone may say, “I hope so.” This is an answer where the person desires for the event to happen, but they are not certain that it will happen. This is not true for the promises of God – We have stability in this world of war; we have an anchor that helps us to stand in the face of difficulty. Hebrews 6:19 “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,” People want an anchor to hold them, and hope gives them purpose and value.
The words faith and hope are very similar in the New Testament – Faith looks at something that has already taken place, and we put our trust in it. Hope is merely faith looking forward. We rejoice in the sure reality that one day we will enter into the glory of God – we will see Him, and experience Him in all of His glory. Hope is the belief that God is going to do what He said He would do.
The Gift of Suffering that Leads to Rejoicing (vv. 3-5)
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.
Paul is not someone who enjoys pain and suffering. Instead, he knows that because of our relationship with God, our suffering produces something within us. This suffering will cause us to grow as a person. Christians build strength when they endure sufferings. Sufferings also cause us to look beyond our present situation of distress to God and His promises.
James 1:2-4 says something similar, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
One of the works of the Holy Spirit is to pour (not drip) God’s love into the Christian’s heart. When they are experiencing sufferings, and they are trying to endure, and hope – the Holy Spirit confirms with our spirit that God loves us. “That is what fuels our hope and gives us confidence that we will not be ashamed. It is what enables us to persevere and endure trials and tribulations.”[5]
God’s Timing of Justification (vv. 6-8)
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.
(v. 6) In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit and all of humanity fell into sin. This is what we call “original sin.” But the discussion throughout the ages is how much did sin affect humanity? Original sin does not refer to the sin committed by Adam and Eve, but to the consequences of the sin – how far and how deep did the corruption affect the entire human race.
Paul in this Romans passage refers to this corruption as a degree of strength. We are described as being “weak” and “still sinners.” “We have been plunged so deeply into sin that we do not have moral capacity to incline ourselves in any way to the things of God.”[6] We are totally depraved.[7]
Apart from Christ, “we are unable to understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14). We were unable to see the kingdom of God or enter it (John 3:3,5). We were unable to seek God (Rom. 3:11).”[8] Paul later uses another image to explain this idea, Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” We are spiritually dead in our trespasses and totally moral corrupt that we will never choose God over the world – so the Holy Spirit moves in our souls and draws us to God.
We have rebelled and sinned against a holy God who is our Creator. This Father God, in His Love, Sent His One and Only Son (who also is God) to pay the price for our sin, to make the relationship right again. Then God the Holy Spirit in our complete moral depravity and spiritual death, allows us to be able to choose Jesus’ gift of salvation and to follow God. The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit are essential to our justification before God.
(v. 6) “Christ died for the ungodly,” and “while we were still sinners,” – The law of the OT was given to show us one thing (honor your father and mother, have no other gods before God, do not covet, etc.) All the festivals, celebrations, special meals, all should show us one thing – You cannot keep all the laws all the requirements – you cannot be perfect before God. The law was designed by God to alert people to their need for grace and a Savior.
Look what Jesus says on this topic, Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” The law pointed to the need for a Savior, Jesus fulfills the Scriptures by being that He died for the ungodly.
God’s Wrath and Our Reconciliation (vv. 9-10)[9]
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.
Jesus, the Son, acted as our mediator between God and Us – He reconciled us back to God the Father, and Paul reminds us that because of that free gift of grace, we are avoiding the wrath of God. The wrath of God is His hatred of sin. The wrath of God is not just an OT teaching, John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” Ephesians 2:3 talks about those apart from a relationship with God, “and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
Why would God pour out His wrath upon humanity? “God is sovereign, but the lost oppose him – they do not want anyone to rule over them. God is holy, yet they oppose his holiness. They do not accept His righteous moral standards; they do not want their sinful acts and desires to be called into question. God is omniscient, yet they are angry because God knows them perfectly, nothing is hidden from His sight.”[10] Humans oppose God, we are enemies of God.
God’s attribute of wrath and hatred of sin shows another reason why we should praise and worship Him. Imagine a god that did not hate the evils of this world, injustice and instead delighted in wrong doing, or was just tolerant of sin. A god who does not hate sin, is not worthy of worship, or honor, or praise. But humans do sin, we rebel against our Creator, we do not follow His ways. So, His wrath is justly aimed at everyone, and especially those who reject His Son as the only means of salvation.
Romans 3:25 uses the word propitiation with regards to Jesus; it is a word that means, “a sacrifice that bears God’s wrath to the end and in so doing changes God’s wrath toward us into favor.”[11] To propitiate is to make someone favorable toward you – What is required to make a holy God favorable toward a sinful mankind? His sin has to be dealt with – someone had to bear the full weight of God’s hated of sin. Once that was done, God no longer holds anything against the believer. The believer is seen by God as being as perfect as Jesus. We are accepted as Jesus is accepted.
But even with all that hatred toward sin, He is still patient and longsuffering toward sinners. But don’t think His mercy will he held out forever, 2 Peter 3:9-10 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, . . .” The Lord delays His wrath because He wants as many people to be saved, by faith in His Son, as possible before His return.
“God has made peace, and no other peace can be made except that which He has already made. To talk about making our peace with God is to reject His peace . . . If a man rejects the peace which God has provided through the Lord Jesus Christ, he remains at enmity with God.”[12]
11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
The result of these gifts from God (peace with God, access to God, a hope of being with God in glory, how we grow as a person in this life), how God came to us when we never would have chosen to do so, how we escaped the wrath of God, and Paul says, “more than that,” is joy, unspeakable joy. The Christian life, is meant to be a life of joy. We have so much to be happy about!
“We contemplate our state of affairs in this world and we see our bank accounts sliping away, our homes destroyed, our jobs lost, and our bodies torn by disease, and we have every reason to complain, whine, and weep. But if we lifted our eyes for one second to the cross and the resurrection, we see that Lord God omnipotent, who is too holy even to look at us, now looks at us and embraces us and adopts us as his children because he has reconciled us.”[13] This should bring us nothing but joy!
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[1] RC Sproul, The Righteous Shall Live By Faith, Romans, St. Andrews Expositional Commentary (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2009) 141.
[2] See also Matthew 11:28-30, with the fighting being over, now our soul can rest.
[3] Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s River, Expositions of Bible Doctrines Taking the Epistle to the Romans as a Point of Departure, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1973) 38.
[4] Sproul, 145.
[5] Sproul, 152.
[6] Sproul, 154.
[7] Here is a helpful video on the topic of Calvinism v. Arminianism, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q4Z66lF2CA
[8] James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1992) 537.
[9] Just as an aside, if a person doesn’t choose Christ, and they go to hell where there is torment and anguish – why is it eternal? Why after a period of time of this punishment would their sins not be paid for (by their suffering), eventually? Apart from Christ, there is no way for a person to be rid of their sin; they would eternally be sinful. It is their nature. So hypothetically if they paid for their sin from when they were on earth, they still would have continued to be under God’s wrath because they are “dead in their trespasses and sin.,” They have no way of giving themselves spiritual life again. Apart from Christ and the Holy Spirit, you have no way of changing your depraved nature. You are a sinner, and will eternally exist that way apart from salvation in Christ.
[10] Boice, 537.
[11] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1994) 575.
[12] Barnhouse, 22. See also Hebrews 10:29.
[13] Sproul, 166.
“The Trinity Helps Us Understand Our Mission” Matthew 28:16-20
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