Sunday School Lesson
May 19
Lesson 12 (KJV)
Reconciled to God
Devotional Reading: Acts 2:37–47
Background Scripture: Romans 5:1–11
Romans 5:1–11
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Key Text
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.—Romans 5:1
Examining Our Faith
Unit III: Standing in the Faith
Lessons 10–13
Lesson Aims
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. Identify what Christians have through faith.
2. Compare and contrast reconciliation with God to reconciliation between people.
3. Commit to sharing with an unbeliever a personal story of what life was like before and after being reconciled to God.
How to Say It
Messiah Meh-sigh-uh.
Pax Romana (Latin) Pahks Ro-mah-nah.
Introduction A. Boasting Now and Then Boasting in modern American culture is often seen as unattractive, even offensive. We tend to see it as a mark of insecurity, arrogance and superiority, and/or a disregard for the self-respect of others. We do make certain exceptions, such as when an underdog in a sporting event predicts a win for his or her team or celebrates an unexpected victory.
In ancient societies, however, boasting was part of the culture of warriors as they overcame their foes. Of course, the one boasting had to deliver on the words or risk looking foolish (1 Kings 20:11). But boasting itself did not seem problematic. People often thought of honor as a zero-sum game—“For me to increase my honor, I must diminish yours.” Boasting allowed individuals to position themselves in society, as long as they could deliver.
Paul offers a radical alternative to the Greco-Roman understanding of self-promotion, based on his understanding of Jesus’ death on the cross. He excluded it altogether because all are in the same position with respect to God (Romans 3:27; see lesson 10). Then Paul opened a new possibility for boasting, but not about our triumphs.
B. Lesson Context
Romans 5 depends entirely on Paul’s previous discussion of the human response to the gospel found in Romans 4. Paul has argued, based on the experience of Abraham, that the true basis for a relationship with God is trust in His promises, that is, faith (see lesson 11). Chapter 5 extends the argument.
Our text today makes an important argument about why followers of Jesus both build their lives based on trust in God’s promises yet still experience hardship. Those suffering might wonder whether the new era of God’s mercy had dawned or not. In the past, prophets had revealed certain hardships to be God’s judgment on sin (examples: Numbers 14:20–23; Jeremiah 21:4–14). Is a Christian’s suffering also God’s judgment?
Elsewhere, Paul boasted about his own suffering as evidence of God’s work in his life (2 Corinthians 4:7–12; 11:23–30). Paul would go on to be executed in Rome in AD 67 or 68. In his estimation, this surely was another opportunity to imitate Christ (Philippians 1:21; 3:7–11). The transformation to be like Christ has several parts, including a new understanding of suffering, reconciliation, growing friendship with God, and ultimately rescue from the power of sin and death. Paul explores each dimension of these implications in today’s text.
I. Effects of Justification
(Romans 5:1–5)
A. Peace with God (v. 1)
1. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Because God declares us accepted based on our faith in the Messiah, Jesus, this trust yields certain effects. Justification is not simply an accounting trick God makes. It begins a transformation of life.
We includes both Jews and Gentiles, with God showing no partiality to either. Because of God’s work to keep the ancient promises to Abraham, everyone can have the kind of peace of which Paul speaks. The concept of peace had political implications for first-century subjects of Rome. By a mixture of force and political maneuvering, the Roman Empire had built the Pax Romana (“the Roman peace,” lasting from 27 BC to AD 180). In contrast to peace enforced at the point of the sword, God offers genuine reconciliation of all people to himself through Jesus’ faithful obedience (see Romans 5:19). Paul exhorts the Romans to have peace among themselves (14:19). Peace with God leads to (or should lead to) peace among followers of God when exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22–23).
What Do You Think?
How do you experience peace with God?
Digging Deeper
What practices might you adjust to have a deeper awareness of your reconciled status with God?
B. Standing in Grace (v. 2)
2a. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand.
Access to God’s grace does not derive from an accident of birth or even from doing good deeds. It comes by faith in God’s gracious offer of mercy. When we stand, we take confidence in God’s promise, building our lives on it (compare Matthew 5:24–25). Because Jesus trusted God, those who follow him may do so as well. Regarding the access that results, see also Ephesians 2:18; 3:12.
2b. And rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
We come to the major assertion of our passage. The word glory draws on an old biblical theme with several dimensions. Some texts use the word to refer to God’s overwhelming presence among human beings (examples: Exodus 40:34; 1 Kings 8:11; Ezekiel 1:28). The Psalms use the term to refer to God’s splendor in Heaven, which is accessible in controlled ways to humans on earth (examples: Psalms 24:8–10; 29:9; 79:9). God’s glory also appears when saving humans (example: Isaiah 40:5).
The final example is especially fitting here. The glory of God comes to light in the saving work of Jesus in his crucifixion and resurrection (Romans 6:4). God’s glory is also evident in the life of the church (see 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 4:6) and at the final judgment, when all things will become subject to God and open to His full presence (see Romans 8:18; 9:23). For this reason, we rejoice in expectant hope that God has forgiven us and given us new life now and in Heaven.
C. The Realm of Boasting (vv. 3–5)
3. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience.
This second translation glory creates a wordplay that does not exist in the original Greek text since the words being translated aren’t the same. The word translated “glory” here is translated “boast” in 2 Corinthians 10:8, 13; etc.; that is the sense here as well. With this word, Paul opens the possibility that Christians might celebrate, not only while experiencing pleasant things but also in tribulations. These words do not refer to mild annoyances or everyday problems but to devastating experiences. Tribulation can result from doing evil (Romans 2:9), though this is not the sense here. Instead, we think of tribulation that confronts the faithful who overcome it by the power of Christ’s love (see 8:35; compare 2 Corinthians 1:4; 2:4; 4:17) and patience (Romans 12:12). Such hardship is an opportunity for God’s grace to be revealed.
Many ancient people believed in the value of bearing suffering, not as an absolute good but as an important feature of the wise life. Paul is not arguing for a masochistic view of life, but instead that troubles and pain need not diminish our joy in Christ nor define our self-understanding. Suffering can nurture patience if we face the tribulation with the proper spiritual attitude. For Paul, growth occurred in the context of the mutual love between God and humankind (see Romans 5:5, below). It does so because the suffering itself is part of God’s movement in the present age to bring about the new era that commenced at Calvary and comes to full blossom at the Last Judgment.
Boasting in tribulation makes sense not because of the suffering itself but because of the consequences of endurance. Yet such boasting would have seemed mad to Paul’s ancient audience, just as it may to a modern one. Proper boasting should focus on God’s achievements, which become most visible in human weakness (2 Corinthians 12:1–10).
What Do You Think?
What role does “glorying” in tribulations play in producing the characteristics that Paul lists?
Digging Deeper
What cautions should you heed when sharing this verse with someone currently going through tribulations?
4. And patience experience; and experience, hope.
The chain of words in verses 4–5 does not imply a straightforward progression from one virtue to another. Rather, the apparent progression reveals the close relationship among the qualities Paul lists. A willingness to endure hardship strengthens a person’s experience and makes it possible to hope in a better future. In context, the translation experience is difficult. When we consider that the same Greek word is translated “proof” in reference to Timothy’s character (Philippians 2:22; compare 2 Corinthians 2:9; 13:3), we can conclude here that experience is not the neutral event itself but the positive effect it can have on forming one’s character. Experience should be understood in the positive sense of a high level of integrity that has developed through difficulties. Paul uses the same word several other times in his letters, always to praise people who have faced hardship with courage and love for God and their fellow human beings (“trial” in 2 Corinthians 8:2; etc.).
5. And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Here Paul draws on an old biblical theme according to which God vindicated His people’s hope through their restoration to a right relationship with Him (examples: Isaiah 49:5–7; Jeremiah 33:6–26; Ezekiel 20:33–44). Those who have hope in God’s saving work, even if they experience social isolation or persecution, still have God’s approval. Therefore, they cannot be shamed in any lasting way.
God’s love is the source of honor. The Greek verb translated shed abroad often refers to the way the Holy Ghost comes to followers of Jesus (examples: Acts 2:17, 33; 10:45; Titus 3:6). Here, God’s love is shed abroad, indicating the abundance that believers receive.
In the Old Testament, the heart indicates the seat of thinking and reason, not primarily of emotion (example: Genesis 17:17). God had promised to recreate Israel’s heart so the nation could live in harmony with God and one another (Jeremiah 32:39; Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26). The prophets called the people to repentance while also making clear that Israel’s heart surgery depended on God. Paul expands that vision even further by including the Gentiles. Paul clarifies that older tradition by speaking not of observing Torah with a new heart but of dwelling in God’s love and loving Him in return (compare Matthew 22:37–40).
II. Effects of the Cross
(Romans 5:6–11)
A. Reconciled to God (vv. 6–10)
6. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Many scholars believe this verse quotes a saying that was circulating in the Roman church. The main argument for this position is that elsewhere Paul speaks of weakness as a positive attribute rather than as something to be overcome (2 Corinthians 12:5–10; 13:4). If this proposal is correct, it is in keeping with Paul’s working to build bridges to his audience, especially when it included many strangers (example: Romans 1:8–15).
The evidence for Paul’s claim that suffering borne faithfully produces spiritual growth comes from the life of Christ himself (compare Hebrews 5:8). Christ suffered patiently and voluntarily in part because He knew what would be accomplished through His death (see Philippians 2:6–11). His followers may imitate Him in that action (see 2:5).
Paul describes the prior status of all Jesus-followers as both weak and ungodly. This is a very strong term in a Greco-Roman context. It might refer to those who ignored the gods or even committed sacrilege against holy places. Christ did not die for the righteous but for the wicked (Hebrews 3–10; etc.). We were helpless to overcome death and evil until God’s presence among humankind overcame those dangerous forces. God’s mercy extends to those who need it most.
The Right Time
My young children were excited because their mother and I had purchased tickets to ride an Amtrak train for our midwestern vacation. We had never traveled by train before, so I made sure we arrived at the station much more than an hour prior to the arrival of the train so we would have no snafus. We sat in the empty building and waited eagerly for the train to arrive.
We did not know, and there was no one to tell us, that we should have been standing outside the building near the tracks in order to be seen and able to board. When the train arrived right on time, it sped straight past. The children cried, and I felt helpless. I was holding a train ticket that was no longer worth the paper it was printed on.
Unlike that train, Christ arrived on time and picked up those who were not even at the station to wait for Him. He died for the ungodly! And now is the right time to make sure you’ve boarded His train! —J. M.
7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
The distinction between a righteous man and a good man is a bit unclear. Probably the latter term refers to a benefactor, or more generically, someone who has done tremendous good for someone else. One might die for such a person as an act of appreciation, loyalty, or simple nobility of heart.
What Do You Think?
What is the biggest sacrifice you would consider making for someone you know and love?
Digging Deeper
What sacrifice would you make on behalf of someone you don’t know? someone you consider an enemy?
8. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
The motives described in verse 7 do not apply to Jesus. Christ’s death does not fit the normal pattern of brave, noble deaths for a good cause or as acts marking people as superior to others. Such deaths do occur in the ordinary world, and while they often deserve praise, Jesus’ death is not comparable to theirs. It far exceeds them: Christ died for those who had done nothing for Him and never could. Paul’s point is not found in the difference between a righteous person and a good one but instead between those for whom some person might die and those for whom Jesus died.
It is, therefore, highly inappropriate, or in fact, blasphemous, to compare Jesus’ death to any other. Christ’s death has no parallel because the reason for it has no parallel. The sustained human commitment to sin necessitated Christ’s saving work. God shows love toward us by the radical nature of Jesus’ death for strangers and enemies.
What Do You Think?
What circumstances make it challenging to show God’s love to unbelievers?
Digging Deeper
Which verses lead you to pray regarding these difficulties?
9. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Much more (also in Romans 5:10, below) introduces an argument from the most difficult task to one less difficult. God has overcome the power of sin and death. Since Jesus has already done the hard work of saving us from the power of sin and death, He can do the much easier work of saving us from God’s wrath against unrighteousness (see 1:18). Wrath in this context refers to the last judgment (see 2:5–9), in which the true distinctions between good and evil become unmistakable to all. In that moment of truth-telling, the truth of God’s mercy shown in Christ’s death will win through. Those who trust God’s promises to save through His Son will see their hope become a reality.
The substitutionary death of Jesus paid the price for our sins, a price we could never pay on our own (see Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). Rather, by entering the world of sin and death that humans experience (Hebrews 2:17), God in Christ overcame those great evils and ended the estrangement that separated humanity from our creator. The end of that alienation from God came about because of His actions, not ours. We can be at peace with God. We are new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17); we wear a new name, and we have a new destiny.
10. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
The final two verses of this section build on the idea of salvation in two ways. First, Paul asserts that Christ’s death has made possible our reconciliation to God. While Paul did consider humans as active participants in the process (example: 2 Corinthians 5:20), here he emphasizes God’s work rather than human responses. It is puzzling that Paul includes himself among God’s (former) enemies since he had always obeyed God with a sincere heart even when he badly misunderstood God’s desires (see Acts 22:3–4; Philippians 3:4–6). Yet this understanding reflects his conclusion that “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23) and that keeping the Law of Moses could not reconcile one to God without God’s mercy.
Paul’s new thought is that humanity can be saved by Christ’s life. We participate in the life He has brought about through His actions at Calvary. Those who trust God can anticipate rescue from the forces of evil. They will experience Christ’s life in their own lives (see also Galatians 2:19–20).
What Do You Think?
How do you participate in Jesus’ ministry of reconciliation?
Digging Deeper
What role does your congregation play in calling your community to reconciliation in Christ?
Forgiveness
On October 22, 2006, 11-year-old Kathryn Miller rode with her Amish family in their horse-drawn buggy, returning home from a hymn sing. Mark Vandyke had been drinking. Just after 9:00 p.m., he smashed into the buggy with his truck. The impact killed Kathryn and injured her seven family members. Mark fled the scene, only stopping when he crashed into a car. Mark was arrested and charged for his crimes.
While in prison, Mark received an unexpected visitor: Kathryn’s dad, Levi Miller. Even more shocking was Levi’s mission: to offer Mark forgiveness. The day Mark was convicted, the judge referred to this forgiveness, offering it as a source of peace to Mark as he served his sentence. Without our sin, the cross would not have been necessary. However, the Father chose to forgive us and not hold His Son’s death against us. And God went beyond what Levi could offer: God pardoned us and took away our penalty! Do you experience the peace of God’s forgiveness? If so, do you pass it along? See Colossians 3:13. —J. M.
B. We Rejoice (v. 11)
11. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Salvation has tangible results in one’s attitude toward daily life. The word translated joy is also translated “boast” in Romans 2:17, 23, and that is the sense here. Verse 3 raised the possibility of celebrating even the worst parts of life as opportunities to experience God’s mercy. But here, the rejoicing focuses on the mercy itself. Those who trust God celebrate the fact that God’s mercy extends to all, not just to themselves. They see themselves as part of the grand story of redemption from the power of evil and share that joy with others. Most importantly, their joy comes through our Lord Jesus Christ. That is, He is the author, inspirer, and basis of their words of celebration.
The Greek word translated atonement is the noun form of the verb translated “reconciled” in Romans 5:10 (above). Elsewhere, the King James Version translates this noun as a form of the word reconciliation, and that is the sense here (compare Romans 11:15 and 2 Corinthians 5:18–19). The last reference is relevant here: God’s act of reconciliation involved not counting our sins against us. God does not pretend them away, but He refuses to let them define the relationship with us.
Conclusion
A. Hope vs. Shame
All human groups believe certain actions are respectable and others unrespectable, with many gradations in between the two poles of honor and shame. Because they followed a crucified Messiah, early Christians had to rethink their cultures’ understanding of honor and shame from the ground up. This rethinking allowed them to endure the suffering that families and governments imposed on them for their faith. They concluded that human life was not a contest for a limited supply of honor and that the true fount of honor was God. The God who raised Jesus from the dead would raise them too. They endured suffering, not for its own sake, but because in suffering, they could imitate Jesus Christ. That radical hope allowed them to face public disgrace or private strife with generous hearts and confident minds.
It still can today. The ability to endure suffering as Christ did shows that the new era is in the process of dawning and that God’s promises to protect those who trust Him are reliable.
B. Prayer
God of our Lord Jesus Christ and of all who follow Him, we thank You for not allowing us to be shamed by our failures or even our sins. You have welcomed us into Your household as honored members, and for that, we are grateful. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
C. Thought to Remember
We have peace with God because Christ paid sin’s price for us.