Having Been Justified by Faith

In one paragraph

This message picked up a thread from two weeks earlier, filling in the verses the slides had skipped before moving into Romans 5:1-11. The sermon traced what justification by faith actually produces in the life of a believer, working through the passage carefully and in order. Florin played and led worship throughout the service, and Pastor Steve preached. Before getting into Romans 5, Pastor...

Read together

1. Romans 1:16-17 the thesis of Romans: not ashamed of the gospel, righteousness revealed from faith to faith, the righteous shall live by faith
2. Romans 4:22-25 credited to Abraham as righteousness, written for our sake also, Christ delivered for our transgressions and raised for our justification
3. Romans 5:1-11 the main passage: results of justification by faith, peace with God, exulting in tribulations, Christ dying for the ungodly
4. Ephesians 2:8-9 saved by grace through faith, not of yourselves, the gift of God, not of works so no one may boast

Talk about it

1. Pastor talked about what it means to have peace with God versus still feeling like you have to measure up or achieve something. What does that difference actually look like in everyday life for you?
2. He said that standing in grace means you are already standing in it, not earning your way back into it after every mistake. How does that change the way you think about sin and your relationship with God?
3. Pastor said that tribulations produce perseverance, perseverance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. Can you point to a hard time in your own life where you saw that chain actually play out?
4. He made the point that the object of your faith matters, not just the fact that you have faith in something. How do you talk about that with people who feel like Christianity's exclusivity is hard to accept?
5. Pastor closed by saying that the Holy Spirit living inside a believer is an uncommon grace that is not available to everyone, and he asked us to imagine what life looks like without that still small voice. What difference has that presence actually made in how you live?