Justified by Faith in Grace

We hope in glory and glory in tribulation.  This juxtaposition found in Romans 5:2-3 is one of the beautiful examples where the translators were able to couch in English words the essential paradox of our life.  This is what the Chinese evangelist Watchman Nee calls “The normal Christian Life.” Peter Masters pastor of Metropolitan Tabernacle in London shows how this outlook is symptomatic of different world view.  He quotes from Psalm 23 “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” The ability to live through difficult times in light of an eternity that is unseen is the essence of faith.

The glory of God is an aspect of His person and character.  It is one of His attributes; it conveys the esteem that He has for His name.  Because of His name, He will be true to the promises that He has made.  “He leadeth me through the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”  He gets glory from the effecting of righteousness. He gets glory from the extending of mercy.  He gets glory from expounding the beauty of the work of His Son Jesus Christ.  All these are strong arguments and hooks for our hope.  By these we can take hold of the eternal and stand before Him in confidence.

At the same time, this hope informs our present circumstances.  Our circumstances are given perspective.  Pastor Masters used the illustration of the view-finder on a camera.  As we zoom out, we get a bigger sense of the proportions of the picture.  This bigger perspective shows us the working of this tribulation for His glory.  It shows us how our glory is deepened and substantiated through tribulation.  This is a vital resource for us who are in any tribulation.  We “rejoice in hope of the glory of God”; and, we “glory in tribulation”.  Both of these responses follow from a right relationship to God.  They are the precious package that comes from peace with God.

“Therefore, being (at this time) justified by faith.” Justification is “believing on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.”  Why did He have to die? “Who was delivered for our offences”.  Because of our offence against God through rebellion, through unbelief, through despising His grace.  He was raised from the dead “again for our justification.” By the means of taking again His life, He not only made good the sacrifice of His death, but also imbued us with life-giving force so that we might live to His glory.  We have “passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24)

By means of Him justifying, making right, our offences, we can now have peace and a right relationship with a holy God.  Our offences are no longer held against us.  We have substantial reason to hope in the glory of God.  This peace with our past and hope for our future causes us to stand strong in grace in our present.

Tribulation in our present continues to work out a process of patience which results in experience.  Our walk with God, goes from theoretical and theological, to practical and practiced through experiences.  We have experiences where the grace of God has made a tangible difference through our troubles. We come to know “to acknowledgement of the truth” (Col. 2:2; Eph. 1:17) by experience. And experience cycles back and again reinforces hope for the future.

This hope then causes our hearts to literally overflow with the love of God through the presence of the Holy Spirit.  And this love spills over onto all those around us.  As the late Pastor Paul Henderson of Central Baptist Bowie, Tx would say, “When Brother Cup overflows, Brother Saucer gets a blessing.”  This love is not a thing, but a person.  The Holy Spirit is “given unto us.”  “Ye have an unction.” (1Joh. 2:20)

Sources:

Paul A Henderson http://centralbaptistbowie.org/pah.htm

Peter Masters http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=8811444301

Watchman Nee http://www.ccel.org/ccel/nee/normal