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Preaching the Living WORD through the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4:2 - |
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THE DEMONSTRATION
OF GOD’S LOVE (Rom 5:6-8) 8/5/07 Pastor A. Chapter Five of Romans
teaches the spiritual blessings that the believer receives at the moment of
salvation. One of the greatest spiritual blessings and positional truths is
God’s everlasting love for the believer. Rom 5:5 states that the truth about
God’s love is being poured out in the heart and soul of the believer. But
these are not mere words, for God has given the ultimate demonstration of His
perfect love. It is Christ’s death on the cross on behalf of man’s sinful and
helpless estate. B. There are several terms in this passage
that mark man’s sinful and lost condition. 1. First,
Paul describes that Christ came to bring salvation while man was in a
“helpless” (asthenếs - without strength, sick, weak) estate. a) Theologically,
man’s helpless estate is his total inability to produce righteousness
acceptable to God (Rom 3:20; Gal 2:16). Furthermore, man does not have the
ability in himself to repent of his own sin, atone for his own sin, or remove
his own sin. b) This rules out what is termed by some as,
“Prevenient Grace”; the idea that somehow grace is dispensed to all mankind
enabling everyone to accept or reject the gospel (cp. Rom 3:11; Rom 8:7). 2. Secondly,
man is identified as “ungodly” (asebếs - lit. without worship,
impious, godless). It refers to one who is without fear and reverence for
God and acts with immoral and impious behavior. a) Ungodliness
is often used for those under the judgment of God (Enoch’s prophecy - Jude
14-15; b) Godliness then, is having such a reverence
for God that it affects one’s behavior to be God-like in every area of life
(2Pe 3:11). c) Yet, the point Paul is making is that
Christ died on behalf of the ungodly (Rom 4:5). 3. Thirdly,
mankind is described as being “sinners” (hamartolói - vs. 8). A
sinner is one who has missed the mark of God’s sinless standard (Rom 3:23). a) Man
possesses a sinful nature by birth (Psa 51:5); man is a sinner through
imputation of Adam’s sin (Rom 5:12); and man is a sinner exhibited by his
sinful actions (Rom 3:13-18). b) In spite of man’s sinfulness, God
demonstrated his love by having Christ die in behalf of sinners. C. “Christ” (Christós),
essentially comes first in the Greek sentence and emphatically implies that
hope and salvation were accomplished through the voluntary substitutionary
death of Christ alone (Is 53:12; Matt 26:53; John 10:17-18). The believer’s
hope is based upon Christ’s initiative to save man in his hopeless and
helpless estate. 1. Christ
sought us and bought us “at the right time.” The right time was after man was
shown that even the OT Law could not save him and he was infinitely lost (Rom
8:3). The right time was also God’s perfect timing in history for the spread
of the Gospel and the language of the Bible (Gal 4:4-5). 2. Not only did the Father deliver Christ to
die on the cross (Act 2:23; Rom 4:25; 8:32), but the Scriptures also teach
that Christ himself voluntarily displayed his love when he handed himself
over for our sins on the cross (Gal 2:20; Eph 5:2, 25; Tit 3:4-6). 3. At this point, we have seen the entire
Godhead involved in the believer’s salvation: The Father planned it (5:1, 5b,
8a); the Son accomplished it (5:8c); and the Spirit applied it (5:5c). II. COMPARED TO MAN’S LIMITED
LOVE (7) A. In order to elevate God’s
great love, Paul contrasts it with the degree of man’s inadequate love. B. The first contrast is that “hardly” (mólis
- with difficulty, scarcely) would anyone ever sacrifice his life for a
righteous man. Here, “righteous man” probably does not refer to a justified
man, but in general, to one who is of high character. C. Even for the “good man,” (one who goes the
extra mile beyond what is required) there is a slim possibility (tolmaō
- neg. sense, a component of fear, i.e. dare) that someone would
sacrifice his life for him. D. Man’s love pales when contrasted with
God’s great love, which sent Christ to die in behalf of helpless ungodly
sinners. III. ACCOMPLISHED BY
SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT (8) A. The “demonstration” of
God’s love is emphatic here. Demonstrate (sunístêmi) can mean to
put together or to put forth. Here God has put forth, by way of display, his
tremendous divine love toward man (“us”) through Christ’s substitutionary
death. B. Christ’s death on the cross is God’s
ultimate and all-encompassing display of his divine love (Joh 3:16; 1Jo
4:9-10). C. Christ’s death on the cross in behalf of
helpless and ungodly sinners is called Substitutionary Atonement.
Substitutionary Atonement is the heart of the Gospel message. 1. Definitions
of Substitutionary Atonement: a) Substitutionary or vicarious atonement
simply means that Christ suffered as a substitute for us, that is, instead of
us, resulting in the advantage to us of paying for our sins. — Charles Ryrie b) The words “vicarious” and
“substitutionary” are identical in meaning and refer to the suffering of one
in place of another in the sense that by the suffering on the part of one,
the other is wholly relieved.— Lewis Sperry Chafer c) Christ died for 2. The word
“for” in the phrase “Christ died ‘for’ us” is the preposition, hupér
(used four times in vs. 6-8). In the genitive, it generally means “through”
but can also mean “for the sake of,” “in place of,” “or in behalf of.” 3. The heart of God’s love and the theme of
the Gospel is that Christ died in behalf of, in the place of, and in
substitution of sinful man (Joh 15:13; 2Co 5:21; Gal 1:4; 3:13; Tit 2:14; 1Pe
3:18). IV. APPLICATIONS A. God’s Love Is Epitomized
In Christ’s Death 1. It is
evident not only in Rom 5:8, but also in other Scriptures that Christ’s death
on the cross is God’s ultimate and all-encompassing display of his divine
love. It is enhanced by the fact that the verb “love” is in the aorist tense
referring that it was displayer at a specific point in time. 2. In Joh 3:16, God’s love in is the aorist
tense. God’s great love was demonstrated when he “gave” (aorist tense) his
only begotten Son. 3. In 1Jo 4:9-10, God’s love in is the
aorist tense. Love is not defined by human love but when God’s love “sent”
(aorist tense) his Son to satisfy the wrath of God. B. God’s Love Is Evidenced In
Believers 1. The love
of God in Christ is the greatest love that a believer can extend to
unbelievers (Mat 5:44-45). 2. The love of God in Christ is expressed to
other believers in: a) In
General (1Jo 3:16; Joh 3:34-35) b) In Edification (1Co 13:4-8 cp. 14:1, 12) c) In Marriage (Eph 5:25 cp. vs. 22) |
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