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Author: Will

Romans 5:11 – Bragging Rights

Posted on December 12, 2017 by Will

And not only that, but we also are rejoicing in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Truth to Learn

We have the right to rejoice and brag about God our Father.

Behind the Words

The word translated “rejoicing” is the Greek word kauchaomai. This word is derived from auchen, meaning “the neck,” which vain people are apt to carry in a proud manner. Hence, the meaning has come to be recognized as “prideful or boastful either in a good or a bad sense.” As a result, some interpret this word as meaning to rejoice in a celebratory manner.

The word translated “we have now received” is lambanō, meaning “to take, to accept, or to receive.” It is expressed in the aorist indicative tense indicating something that was completed at a point in time in the past.

“Reconciliation” is from the Greek word katallagē, which is based on the verb katallassō, meaning “to exchange or to restore to a former state.” Hence, katallagē refers to “a restoration or a reconciliation.”

Meaning Explained

Not only have we been justified by the death of Jesus and we will be saved from the wrath of God by the life of Jesus, but we now are rejoicing in God because of it, according to Paul.

My friends, Christians should be the most joy-filled and rejoicing people on the face of the earth! Why? Because we have been justified (declared righteous) by God and have been promised that we will not suffer His wrath in the future. This justification allows us to fellowship with Almighty God right now, and the promise allows us to patiently endure the trials of this life knowing that we will not see His wrath.

But, I believe the root meaning of the word kauchaomai (to boast or to brag) is what Paul is trying to show us. There isn’t a child alive who, because he or she loves his or her father, won’t brag about him to his or her friends. It’s a natural thing to do. Christians, because we no longer have to fear the wrath of God (our Father), will naturally boast or brag about the greatness, the power, the infinite wisdom, the grace, the love … (I could go on for quite a while) of our Father. And we do so through the person of Jesus Christ who is the visible manifestation of the Father, for Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

Finally, Paul says that it is through Jesus Christ that we have received the reconciliation. Don’t miss this, now! The Greek verb lambanō, translated “received,” is in the aorist tense. In Greek that means action that was completed at a point in time in the past. Paul says that now, at the present time, we have already received the reconciliation (completed at a point in time in the past). That’s why we can boast about Him, because we are now, and always will be, reconciled with, and at peace with, our Heavenly Father. And since we are reconciled with Him and will never have to know His wrath, we brag about Him as the greatest there ever was or ever could be!

Application

The next time you sing a song of praise to God, remember that we have eternal bragging rights. We can brag about our Father and rejoice because we have been completely reconciled to Him, forever and ever!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:10 – Living Salvation

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Will

For if while being enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Truth to Learn

Our debt was paid by Jesus’ death, but it is his resurrection to life that secures our salvation.

Behind the Words

“Enemies” is from echthros, which means “hatred, enmity, hostility, or antagonism.” In Greek, this word is expressed in the nominative, plural. Therefore, a literal translation is “hated ones” or “enemies.”

The word translated “reconciled” is the Greek word katallassō, which is made up of kata, used as an intensifier and allasso, meaning “to change the form or nature of something.” In the New Testament this word is used to indicate the change that God makes in man through conversion so that he may be reconciled to our holy God.

The words “much more” are pollō mallon in the Greek. Mallon is a comparative indicating “more in quality or quantity” and pollō means “much in quantity or amount.” The word pollō has its own comparative form, indicating more of one thing than another. The fact that both words are used together indicates an emphasis in the comparison, that is, “a whole lot more!”

Meaning Explained

This verse represents one of the pinnacles of great theological truth found in the book of Romans. In the previous verse we learned that we were justified by the shedding of His (God the Son’s) blood and, as a result, we will be saved from His (God, the Father’s) wrath at the judgment. Now we see that it was through the death of Jesus Christ that this reconciliation took place. And now that we have been reconciled, of even greater importance is the fact that we shall be saved (from the wrath to come) by His life.

There is a subtle statement here that we don’t want to read past without recognizing. Yes, we will be saved from the wrath of God (from the Great White Throne Judgment and the lake of fire) which we discussed in the previous verse, and this is a particular point that Paul wants us to understand. The previous verse said that we will be saved from the wrath through Him. However, this verse amplifies that statement by saying that we will be saved through “His life.” Do you see that? It is the blood that satisfies God’s justice but it is Jesus’ resurrected life, the fact that he lives to intercede for us, that guarantees we will be saved and live eternally. That is the essence of the gospel which we must believe to be saved; Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and He was raised from the dead (given life) that we might be saved from the Wrath of God. His eternal life is the guarantee that we, too, will be given eternal life. We must believe both in the death and the resurrection, for according to Paul, it is this resurrection and the life that He now possesses by which we will be saved.

Jesus gave His life to pay the penalty of our sins, and God the Father gave that life back to Him so that we might be saved from the wrath of our sins, if we believe in it.

Application

Do you believe it? If so, you will be saved from the wrath that you deserve. However, if you don’t believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, you will suffer the wrath that God says we so justly deserve.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:9 – Saved from Wrath

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Will

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, through Him we shall be saved from the wrath.

Truth to Learn

Christians will not experience the effect of God’s wrath.

Behind the Words

The words “we shall be saved” are translated from the Greek verb sōdzō, meaning “to save, deliver, make whole, or preserve safe from danger.” It is written here in the future tense and passive voice, indicating something that will be done to us some time in the future.

“Wrath” is from the Greek word orgē, which refers to “wrath or anger as a state of mind.” Aristotle said that orgē, is strong desire with grief. Another word sometimes translated as “wrath” is thumos, which refers to “indignation, the outburst of angry actions stemming from wrath.” Thus we see that orgē refers to the angry feeling, not the action that stems from it.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul showed us the greatness of God’s love for us. Though we are sinners and not good or righteous people, Christ died for us. Paul continues with, “Much more then …” In other words, the statement to follow is of even greater significance.

He then says, “having now been justified by His blood.” At first appearance this may seem contradictory to what Paul has just taught us in the previous chapter, that we are justified by grace, through faith. Actually, these are fully in agreement with each other because the shedding of blood is what fulfills God’s law of justice making it possible for Him to mark us as righteous in His record book. As it says in Hebrews 9:22, “without shedding of blood there is no remission (of sins)”

Even though God is all powerful, He can only do what is consistent with His own righteousness and law of justice. That law requires that sin must be paid for with the shedding of blood. Therefore, it is the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross, the giving of His perfect life as substitutionary payment for our sins, that permits God to declare us righteous.

But Paul doesn’t stop there. The “Much more then” comment doesn’t refer to the shedding of Christ’s blood but to the fact that, “through Him we shall be saved from wrath.” Remember, while we are still sinners Christ died for us. But much greater than the fact that He died for us while we are still sinners is the fact that because of His blood we will be saved!

Once again this appears a little confusing since we refer to ourselves as having already been saved. You see, there are two aspects of our salvation. As a past and completed action we have already been marked in God’s book as righteous, and legally we have already been saved from the penalty of our sins. And, as a result, in the future we will be saved from the wrath of the Almighty Judge who will judge all men. That is to say, we will appear at the Bema Seat Judgment of Christ where we will be rewarded for the things we have done for Him, not at the Great White Throne Judgment where unsaved sinners will suffer the result of the wrath of God in the lake of fire.

Application

For a Christian, being saved doesn’t mean being saved from sin, it means being saved from the consequence of sin. It means that we will not experience God’s indignation. What a blessed truth!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:8 – Death for Sinners

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Will

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Truth to Learn

Christ died for sinners. That means you and me!

Behind the Words

The word translated, “demonstrates” is from the Greek word sunistēmi, which is a compound word made up of sun, meaning “together” or “with” and histēmi, meaning “to set or place something.” Therefore, in its root meaning, sunistēmi means “to place things together.” But figuratively it means “to set something before someone.” That is to say, “to declare, show, or to make known and conspicuous.” Hence, we see the translation here being “demonstrates.”

There are two different words translated “love” in the New Testament. The first is phileō and the other is agapaō. The verb phileō is based on the word philos, meaning “a friend or someone you are endeared to.” Therefore, phileō refers to a feeling of endearment as you would feel toward a special friend. Agapaō, the word used in the current verse, refers to an act of the will in which one places the welfare of another of greater importance than one’s one welfare. It is a self-sacrificing love like God showed to us.

The words “we were still sinners” are translated from the Greek expression eti hamartōlōn ontōn hēmōn, which literally translates to, “we still being sinners.” The verb tense indicates that it is present continuous action. It is not something that ceased happening in the past.

Meaning Explained

In the last verse Paul said that it is unlikely that anyone would be willing to die for a person who is outwardly religious. But, he said that it is possible that someone would be willing to die for someone else who in not only outwardly religious but kind, benevolent, and generous. However, he implied that it is highly unlikely that anyone would be willing to die for unrighteous and undeserving sinners like you and me. Now he tells us how God’s love operates.

God, with His agape love, is willing to sacrifice for us. No one else would be willing to die for sinners like you and me. But God demonstrates how marvelous his self-sacrificing love for us is; even though we are still sinners, Christ died for us! He didn’t wait for us to become righteous by ourselves because we are without the ability to do so! And though we may have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, we are still sinners. However because of our faith, as we saw in the previous chapter, God has declared us righteous. We didn’t actually stop being sinners when we got saved, but God stopped seeing us as sinners. He now sees us having the righteousness of Jesus Christ because the death of His Son paid the penalty for our sins, and He credited righteousness to us in His record book.

The Apostle John puts the capstone on this and offers up a challenge to us:

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:11)

Application

Thank you God, for loving a sinner like me and for giving the precious life of your only begotten Son to pay for my sinfulness! Because I am so undeserving, I am eternally grateful!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:7 – Unreasonable Sacrifice

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Will

For hardly for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.

Truth to Learn

It’s not reasonable that anyone would die for us.

Behind the Words

The word “hardly” is translated from the Greek word molis. It is derived from mōlos, which refers to “the pain produced by hard labor.” Hence, molis refers to something that is painful or difficult. As used in this verse it is often translated as “hardly, or scarcely.”

“Righteous man” is translated from dikios, meaning “one who always does what is right in God’s eyes.”

“Perhaps” is from the Greek word tacha, meaning “probably, possibly, or perhaps.”

The word translated “good man” is the Greek word agathos, meaning “someone possessing general goodness or benevolence.” This word refers to someone who has a reputation for doing good things to and for others.

“Dare” is from the Greek talma, meaning “courage, boldness, or confidence to do something.” It is often used in a negative sense such as, “they did not dare oppose him.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we learned that it was while we were without the ability to do anything for our own justification that Christ died for us. I like the way Matthew Henry put it in his Commentary on the Whole Bible:

He died for the ungodly; not only helpless creatures, and therefore likely to perish, but guilty sinful creatures, and therefore deserving to perish

In this verse Paul is telling us why it is so amazing that Christ would die for us. The Jews made a three-fold division of mankind around the notions of goodness and righteousness:

A righteous person was one who adhered strictly to the Law of Moses and always did what was demanded of him or her; a person who was respected and looked up to.
A good person was someone who went beyond a strict adherence to the Law. In addition to being righteous, this person was liberal in giving to others, full of love and compassion. This type of person was not only respected but admired by all.
A sinner was one who was ungodly and wicked; one who had no regard for godliness or for others.

Paul tells us that it is unlikely that anyone would be willing to give up his own life for someone else, even though that person might be outwardly religious. He goes on to say that it is possible that someone would be willing to give up his life for a good person; someone who in not only outwardly religious but kind, benevolent, and generous. The implication is that it is highly unlikely that anyone would be willing to die for sinful scumbags like you and me.

Application

Christ died for us when we were condemned and powerless to do anything about it. We were, in fact, neither good nor righteous. Do you realize how worthless, helpless, and condemned we are without Christ? Let’s all take a moment to thank God for His great love with which He loves us!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:6 – Irreverent and Undeserving

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Will

For we being still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

Truth to Learn

God did it all for us in spite of the fact that we didn’t deserve it.

Behind the Words

The word translated “without strength” is the Greek word asthenēs, which is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” or “without” and a form of sthenos, meaning “strength,” Hence, asthenēs means “without strength, powerless, or without ability.”

This word “ungodly” is from asebēs. This is made up of a, meaning “not” or “without” and a form of sebomai, meaning “to revere or worship.” So, we see that asebēs means, “without reverence, or one who does not worship.”

Word Order – In Greek, word order is used for emphasis. A word-order literal translation of this verse is “for Christ, we being powerless, in due time for the ungodly died.” The emphasis of this verse is on Christ.

Meaning Explained

In Romans chapter four Paul showed us that it is not through works that we are justified before God, rather it is through faith. Because we believe the promise of God, He chose to declare us righteous (even though we aren’t righteous, He chose to declare us so). Paul ended the last chapter with the statement that Christ was delivered on account of our offenses and He was raised again to provide for our justification. In the first five verses of this chapter, we learned that there are a number of benefits to this justification by faith.

He now goes back to the subject of Christ’s death so that we can understand better why Christ died for us. He sets this up by pointing out that we couldn’t do it ourselves. Because of our own lack of righteousness (remember, there is none righteous, not even one) we were without strength or ability. Because of our sinfulness we were unable to stand in the presence of a sinless God, and we did not possess the ability to make ourselves righteous. As a result, because God is a righteous God and must punish the guilty sinner (that means you and me), we would have stood condemned in His presence unless someone who is righteous was willing to pay our penalty for us.

Which is exactly what Paul says happened. The last half of this verse says that Christ (the sinless, righteous one) died for the ungodly. We were irreverent sinners who would stand condemned before God when Christ gave Himself for us.

It’s easy to imagine a wealthy benefactor giving money to a poor child who does nice things for others in spite of his or her own poverty. However, it’s hard to imagine that this same wealthy benefactor would give money to an obnoxious, mean, spiteful young child no matter how poor. What Paul is saying in this and the following verses is that in spite of our being obnoxious, mean, and spiteful (a.k.a. sinful) and without the ability to change ourselves, Jesus the Christ (the anointed one) died for us so that we can stand as sinless and righteous before our Holy God.

Application

It’s easy to get cavalier about our salvation until we realize how much God did for us, how ungodly we are without Him, how powerless we are to save ourselves, and how undeserving we are. In spite of all this, while we were ungodly and unable to do anything about it, Christ died for us. Hallelujah!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:5 – Unimaginable Love

Posted on December 4, 2017 by Will

Now hope does not make one ashamed, because the love of God is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Truth to Learn

God has abundantly shown His love for us.

Behind the Words

The word translated “disappoint” is kataischunō, which is a compound word made up of kata, meaning “down” but often denoting “badness” and a form of aischuno, which means “to cause shame.” Hence the word means “abundant shame, extreme dishonor, or utter disgrace.”

“Is poured out” is from the Greek word ekcheō, which is a compound word made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and the verb cheō, meaning “to pour.” Hence, this word means “to pour out.” It is expressed in the perfect tense meaning a completed action in the past with an ongoing effect.

The words “was given” are from the verb didōmi, which means “to give of one’s own accord.” It’s not just a passive handing over of something, but an action that is voluntarily initiated through the giver’s own good will.

Meaning Explained

We have been learning from Paul some of the wonderful benefits of salvation by faith: peace, access to God’s grace, patience in trials, assurance of God’s trustworthiness, and confident expectation. He now tells us that this hope (confident expectation) does not make us ashamed. Paul says that because we have this confident expectation, God will surely fulfill His promises to us; we will not be “embarrassingly ashamed” with regard to our faith and our God.

Someday everyone will stand before the Creator of the universe. Those who have rejected Christ, who have not believed the promises of God, and have not humbled themselves before Him to receive his gracious gift of salvation, will stand before the Judge of the Universe. They will be ashamed of what they have done and of what they have believed. Then they will be cast into the lake of fire where they will experience eternal torment! We who have trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, however, will also stand before Him and we will receive rewards for all that we have done in His behalf. We will not be ashamed. We will then be ushered into heaven to be eternally in His presence and to experience the wonders He has created for us!

And Paul says the reason that we will not be ashamed is because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts. This is not the love that we have for God, rather it is the love that God has for us. Do you see? God did not simply give us a sip or a taste of his love; He poured it out in abundance directly from His heart to ours. And He has done this through the Holy Spirit whom he has given to us as a guarantee and a seal of our salvation, never to be taken away. Both the Apostle John and the Apostle Paul describe this love God has for us:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us … (Ephesians 2:4)

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the covering for our sins. (1 John 4:10)

Without this unimaginable love we are lost forever.

Application

Let us give our praise to God for the great love with which He loves us even though we are so unlovely!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:4 – Rejoice in Hope

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Will

and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Truth to Learn

Difficulties should give us hope and assurance of our salvation.

Behind the Words

“Character” is translated from the Greek word dokimē, which is derived from the verb dokimadzō, meaning “to test for the purpose of finding good.” It is the word used of testing gold to ascertain its value. Hence, dokimē refers to the quality that a person has after they have been tested and proven to be good or worthy. In that sense it means “proof of genuineness, trustworthiness or character (as it is translated here).”

This word “hope” is from a Greek word that we have looked at recently. It is the word elpida, which is a form of elpis, meaning “the desire of obtaining something good with the full expectation of obtaining it.” It is the type of hope that Christians have of being resurrected to eternal life. We certainly desire it and we have full expectation that it will happen because God has promised it to us.

Meaning Explained

Paul has been describing for us the effects of the justification we have through grace. One effect is that we have peace with God. Another is that we have access into grace, that is the throne of grace and the eternal effects of grace by which we have access to the mercy and presence of God. Also, because of our justification by grace, we can rejoice in tribulation, which produces patience in us.

Paul now tells us that the patience we develop in times of tribulation, as it gets reinforced over and over again, produces character. Patiently enduring tribulation is a proof to us that the righteousness that God has bestowed on us is genuine.

This character, or proof of genuineness, then creates hope in us. Hence, the patient enduring of tribulation produces a proof of the genuineness of our faith (our righteousness) and knowing that this is genuine, we have a confident expectation that what God has promised He will certainly do.

If you think about it, believing His promise is what we did initially that resulted in God declaring us righteous. So, patiently enduring tribulation strengthens our faith. That’s why we can rejoice in tribulation! It is through tribulation and trials that our faith grows and we are being made more Christ-like.

In a sense, the trials that continually come our way are a confirmation that our salvation is real. And, as we encounter trials, we turn to our Heavenly Father for strength and wisdom, thus drawing us closer to Him. God does not isolate His children from difficulties; He graciously allows trials to help us grow.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul tells us that God will continue His work on us until the day He comes back:

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ; (Philippians 1:6)

Application

The next time you go through a difficult situation (perhaps it’s right now), be patient. Give thanks to God that He loves you and wants you to grow stronger, becoming more like Christ. And, when these trials come, rejoice!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:3 – Joyful Tribulation

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Will

And not only that, but we also rejoice in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;

Truth to Learn

We also rejoice in difficult times because these are the times when we learn to endure hardship.

Behind the Words

The Greek word that is translated “rejoice” in the current verse is the word kauchomai, which means “to boast (either in a good or a bad sense)” or “to rejoice.” In some translations it is written as “glory.” However, in the previous verse the word translated “glory” is a different Greek word. It is the word doxes, which primarily means “thought or opinion, especially favorable human opinion,” and thus in a secondary sense “reputation, praise or honor.” But the word in the previous verse that is translated “rejoice” is kauchomai, as it is here. Therefore, to be consistent in our translation, we see that the word which some translations have as “glory” in the current verse should be translated “rejoice.”

“Tribulations” is translated from thlipsis, which is derived from the verb thlibō, meaning “to crush, compress, or squeeze.” Hence, we can see that thlipsis refers to “pressure, affliction, distress, or tribulation.”

The word translated “perseverance” is hupomonē, which is made up of hupo (or hypo), meaning “under or beneath” and a form of menō, which means “to stay or to remain.” It is a picture of a beast of burden who, when loaded with a heavy burden, remains under the load. That is, he perseveres under the load with patience.

Meaning Explained

Paul now tells us that not only do we rejoice in our confident expectation of standing in the glory of God one day, but we also rejoice in afflictions.

But that doesn’t make sense, does it? When we are in the midst of tribulation, do we feel like rejoicing? No! But Paul says that we should. Why? Because when we are undergoing trials and tribulations and we realize that Jesus went through even greater trials and tribulation (leading up to and while on the cross), we can identify with Him and gain some comfort in the fact that He knows what we are going through. This, then, helps us endure the tribulation, and by enduring it we learn patience.

Patience is one of those things that everyone wants to have without having to earn it. Unfortunately, though, patience can only be learned and fully developed under trying circumstances, and even then only by trusting in God to carry us through. James teaches us a very similar thing regarding trials which test our faith:

My brothers, consider it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the proving of your faith brings about patience. (James 1:2-3)

The word translated “patience” in James’ letter is the same word as the one translated “perseverance” in today’s verse.

Application

Beware of asking God for patience unless you’re really serious. God may very well give it to you by giving you trying or distressing situations through which you will develop patience, if you remain under the load.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:2 – Glorious Access

Posted on November 29, 2017 by Will

through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Truth to Learn

We have access to God’s grace and look forward to being in His presence.

Behind the Words

The word translated “access” is prosagōgē, which is made up of pros, meaning “to or toward” and a form of agō, which means “to lead, to bring, or to come.” Hence, prosagōgē means “bring near or access.” The concept of access has two aspects to it. The first is the ability to get somewhere or to have something and the other is the authority or right to get somewhere or to have something. This Greek word means both, but the emphasis is on the latter, the authority.

“Have” is translated from the Greek word echo, which means “to have, as if to hold in one’s hand.” In other words, the access we just described is something which we possess. This possession is even more significant because echo is expressed in the perfect tense. This particular tense has no direct equivalent in English. It signifies a completed past action with a resultant ongoing state of being, the primary emphasis being on the ongoing state of being. In other words, this privilege of access is something we now possess as a result of something already completed. We no longer have to do anything to gain it or to continue to possess it. It is ours to keep!

“Stand” is translated from the Greek verb histēmi, which means “to stand.” It is also expressed in the Greek perfect tense indicating that we stood in the past and as a result we are now standing.

The word “hope” is translated from elpis, which we have looked at before. It means “hope, with confident expectation of receiving that which is hoped for.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we noted that one result of our being justified by grace is that we are at peace with God. If you haven’t thought much about that since reading the previous verse, think about it now. You have a relationship of peace with the God of all creation and the Judge of the world. That is a marvelous thing! That peace is through Jesus Christ who is now our Lord, that is to say, our master, our owner. We belong to Him because He has paid for us with His blood.

Most people in the world today very much value freedom and don’t like to think about being owned by anyone or anything. We want to be our own lord and we don’t want to bow to anyone else. God’s lordship over us, however, has some wonderful benefits, one of which is identified in the current verse. Because Jesus Christ is our Lord, this verse says that we “have access by faith into this grace …”

We now have access to God’s grace bestowed upon us: this free gift of salvation. And, although we didn’t (and still don’t) deserve it; salvation is freely given to us. It is ours to keep. As a result we rejoice! That’s what Paul says. We rejoice in the hope (remember that means confident expectation) of the glory of God. We rejoice because we are confident that we will be bathed in God’s glory as a result of our being in His presence, knowing that He is our Lord, not our Judge!

Application

Let us rejoice! Not only do we no longer fear the wrath of a righteous God, we actually look forward to being in His presence as our Lord! How great is God’s grace through which righteousness is imputed to us when we believe His promise!

In God's service, for His glory,