Princeton Presbyterian Church

Princeton Presbyterian Church (EPC) Sermon # 1626

February 25, 2024

Romans 5.1-21      Click here for audio worship.

Dr. Ed Pettus

(This is an extended outline, not a verbatim transcript.)

 

“No Other Name”

 

^5.1Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ²Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. ⁶For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—⁸but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. ¹¹More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. ¹²Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—¹³for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. ¹⁴Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. ¹⁵But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. ¹⁶And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. ¹⁷For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. ¹⁸Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. ¹⁹For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. ²⁰Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, ²¹so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Essential #4 Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justifies them in His sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life.

 

• Estranged From God

 

I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news. Which do you want to hear first? I’m sure you have been presented with this situation. We all probably pick differently and we all probably might pick one way or the other depending on the context. Well, I’m going to pick for us today! First, the bad news. Today’s essential speaks to the bad news of our condition without Jesus. In the reformed faith we call this “total depravity”. In the Essential #4 it is in the first line, “Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness…” This is the condition humanity finds itself after the sin of Adam and Eve, that their fall in sin and disobedience has been passed on to all humanity. This is Paul’s conclusion in verse 12, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…” Reformed theology articulates this to say that we have inherited a fallen nature, totally depraved, without hope of pleasing God on our own. Now, there are other faith traditions that do not believe this. They believe that there was enough good left in human beings to please or seek after God and thus to make a decision for God one way or the other. But Reformed Theology believes that we need help to come to a decision about God. We call this regeneration. The Holy Spirit must work a spiritual birth in us that we might choose rightly for God. It is why we believe what Paul wrote in Ephesians 2.5, “even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” To be dead in our trespasses, dead in sin, is what we call total depravity. Dead, no life, no capacity to save ourselves. God is the One who makes us alive, by His grace alone, by His work of salvation.

Now in Romans 5.6, Paul uses different language to describe the same thing, “⁶For while we were still weak…” We understand that to mean, while we were still sinners (which he says in verse 8), while we were still totally depraved, while we were unable to please God in any way on our own. This is or was, our estrangement from God. This is the condemnation brought about by our sin inherited from Adam. This is the bad news that would leave us condemned were it not for the good news to come.

 

• Free Grace

 

We’ve heard the bad news, now for the good news! “⁶...at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—⁸but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Good news indeed! Christ died for the ungodly, for the sinner, for the totally depraved. So the essential belief we share in our denomination states, “our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justifies them in His sight.” It is by God’s free grace that we are set right with God and brought out of our bad news situation of depravity. This is what I find difficult to understand about those who believe there is something good left in us after the fall. If I am capable of deciding for myself, with that little bit of good, that Jesus died for me and I can choose or not choose, then my salvation depends, not on God alone, but also upon my ability to choose. In turn I believe that my salvation is up to me, not God, so that I have saved myself in my decision to believe that Jesus died for me. That is probably a simplified understanding of the other side of the spectrum, but I would rather trust that our salvation has had nothing to do with me, but is all, or as the essential states, is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace.

God’s grace is the best good news we could ever have because His grace pulls us out of the mud of sin and depravity and gives us life in the Spirit through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is and was not up to me, but by God’s grace that I am saved, that you are saved, that all who are saved are saved. Now, I know there is a lot more work to do in grasping all the ins and outs of that understanding, but for now we can seek to grasp the simple trust in God’s grace and say to God “thank You.” We live in complete gratitude to God for what has been done for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He did not died because we had a little bit of good left in us, He died because there was no way for us, no path back to God, except for God’s grace given in Christ’s death and resurrection.

 

 

 

• Free Gift

 

Now we have heard the bad news and the good news, here is some more good news! I need to read it again, Romans 5.9-12,15, ⁹Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. ¹¹More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. ¹²Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned...¹⁵But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.

Did you know that if you buy anything on a TV infomercial that normally costs $69.99 but for today only is marked down to $19.99, you can also get a free gift! Just pay for the shipping and handling of the free gift, that is free if you pay for the shipping, but it’s free when you pay for the $19.99 incredible deal that gives you the free gift for free. Hmm...it’s not really free.

What is free is God’s gift of grace. Now, it is free for us, but it was costly for Jesus Christ. He paid the price for what we have received for free. He saved us from the wrath of God. He was the atonement for what would have cost us our lives. He set us free from sin and death. This gift is free but it isn’t cheap. Jesus died in order to reconcile us to God. We don’t have to pay any shipping, no handling charge, not even purchase some incredible deal marked down $50! Just believe. Just trust. Just receive the gift by the power of the Holy Spirit. Just know that the belief, the trust, and the reception is because of the free grace given through Jesus Christ’s righteousness. Give thanks to God for that gift.

 

• No Other Name

 

Now we’ve heard the bad news and the good news and more good news, here is some more good news. We know the name above all names! We know the Savior who sets us free from sin. He makes us alive to God. He draws us out of our deathliness and darkness and into the marvelous light of His kingdom. There is power in the name and there is no other who can save us. “For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ (Rom 5.17).

 

The apostle Peter was brought before the religious leaders to defend himself and was asked by what authority he had healed someone and by what authority he preached Christ. Peter responded by proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah and concluded his defense with these words about Jesus, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4.12). This is also our testimony, there is no other name. The world wants us to say that there are many ways to God, but in order for us to be faithful to God’s Word, we can only have this testimony. Jesus is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life, no comes to the Father except through Him. By one man’s disobedience sin entered into many, and by One Savior’s obedience, many are made righteous. There is no other way from our Christian perspective. No other saviors, no other names, no other gods. That is the point of that one phrase in the essential, “in Christ alone”. That might be a good song to sing next! Amen.