“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing”

— John 15:4-5

This is a weekly reflection on the previous week’s sermon text. Each week there will be a devotional related to the scripture for the week, along with questions for reflection/discussion, as well as prayer. Feel free to make this a part of your individual spiritual growth throughout the week or utilize in small group settings (growth groups, Sunday school, etc.)

romans 5:1-11

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Therefore. It’s just one, simple word, but it carries a lot of weight. Whenever there is a “therefore” in a sentence we must consider what came before the therefore and what comes after therefore. Up to this point in Romans, Paul has made the point that all of humanity stands in desperate need of God’s grace and salvation in Christ. In our sin we stand helpless, yet God has made God’s decision for us in Christ. Which leads to this passage: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul went on to say that we boast or take glory in our sufferings because suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope and hope does not disappoint us. There is so much truth in what Paul said about this process. While we may not understand the pain we experience in life, much less the purpose of the pain, we have hope in Christ. Even when it seems that evil is winning the day, we trust that not only are we justified by faith in Christ, but that God will ultimately make all things right.

One of the most powerful verses in all of scripture is Romans 5:8 – “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners, Christ died for us.” This verse was the theme verse for the Confirmation class I attended when I was twelve years old. It meant something to me then and forty years later it means even more, especially considering all that I have experienced in life.

On a selfish level I always loved that verse because it applied to me – God chose to love me in Christ before I was even born. But the more I have reflected on Romans 5:8, the more I have come to see it applies to everyone else in this world. When I think less of a person or sense anger or hate coming into my life, it’s always good to be reminded that when I see someone walk by, whether it’s someone I might disagree with or a total stranger, remember, “There goes one for whom Christ died.”

Prayer:

Loving God, we thank you for demonstrating your love for us in Christ on the cross. Help us to see others as you see them and us – your children worthy of saving.”

QUESTION FOR REFLECTION:

What does it mean in your day-to-day life to know that you have been justified, not by your own doing, but by God’s love in Christ? What is your theology of the cross?

Frederich Buechner once preached a sermon entitled “The Stewardship of Pain”. In the sermon he explored the possibilities of processing pain and suffering in our lives. He told a story about a time he spoke at a conference about some of the difficulties he experienced early in his life at home. After he spoke, someone said to him, “You have been a good steward of your pain.” In other words, you have transformed your pain and suffering. How can we be good stewards of the suffering we experience? How might Paul’s understanding of the process help us? (suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us)

Think of someone you might be at odds with currently. Considering the phrase, “There goes one for whom Christ died,” would that change the way you think about that person or the situation?

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