Living Room Study

Romans 5

“But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!  Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath.  For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God, through the death of His Son, then how much more, being reconciled, will we be saved by His Life!  And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”  Romans 5: 8-11

It has been said that people come to faith in Jesus for three reasons: past, present, and future. We feel guilt over our past; we’re overwhelmed by our present situation; and we are uncertain of what lies ahead.

In the passage above, Paul addresses each reason and weaves them together. He demonstrates how they relate to each other, and how they are inseparable.

Past: We WERE still sinners and enemies when Christ died for us. He WAS aware of our past, yet loved us anyway. His love results not from the abundance of our goodness, rather from the greatness of His affection and holiness.

Present: We have NOW been declared righteous by His blood. We are NOW reconciled to God, through the death of His Son. We NOW rejoice in God because of Christ’s life (resurrection). The weights of our past & future being removed, we are free to enjoy life TODAY.

Future: Since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we WILL BE saved through Jesus from wrath. If while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God, through the death of His Son, then how much more, being reconciled, WILL WE BE saved by His Life!

I came to the Lord because my Past had really messed-up my Present, to the point where I had no hope for the Future. No matter what our particular areas of struggle are, if we are seeking salvation, we must all approach God’s throne through the door of Messiah Jesus. He loves you in spite of your past, gives you hope for today, and the promise of eternity in Heaven.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins