Therefore: The Results of Justification by Faith

In one paragraph

Pastor Blake preached on Romans 5:1-11, walking through what Paul calls the results of justification by faith. He covered how everything from Romans 1 through the end of chapter 4 feeds into the word "therefore" that opens verse 1, and how that word carries the weight of the whole letter up to that point. Before moving into chapter 5, Pastor Blake walked back through the ground Romans has already...

Read together

1. Romans 1:16-17 cited as the fundamental thesis of Romans, the righteous shall live by faith
2. Romans 4:22-25 Abraham's faith credited as righteousness, Jesus delivered for our transgressions and raised for our justification
3. Romans 5:1-11 the main passage preached, results of justification by faith
4. Ephesians 2:8-9 quoted to illustrate grace through faith, not works, so no one may boast
5. 1 John 1:9 cited to reassure that confessed sin, remembered or not, is forgiven and removed

Talk about it

1. Pastor Blake walked through the condition of both the 'hidden world' and the 'self-righteous Jewish world' in Romans, saying all have sinned and fall short. How does it sit with you to be placed in the same bucket as everyone else, regardless of how long you have been in church?
2. Pastor Blake said that peace with God is not something you earn by doing more or being in church more often. Where in your own life do you find yourself slipping back into thinking that your standing with God depends on what you do?
3. Pastor Blake described grace as unmerited favor through no action of your own, and said it is the only religion that works that way. What is it like, practically, to live as someone who stands in grace rather than someone who is constantly working toward it?
4. The sermon traced a chain from tribulation to perseverance to proven character to hope, and Pastor Blake said both good times and hard times end up at hope. Can you think of a tribulation in your own life that you can now see led somewhere?
5. Pastor Blake ended by talking about the Holy Spirit as the still small voice that believers have and that not everyone has. How attentive do you feel you are to that voice day to day, and what gets in the way?