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Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.
Because we have been justified by faith, we now have peace with God through Jesus—not just a calm feeling, but a real change in our relationship with God where the hostility of sin is ended (vv. 1, 10–11). Through Christ we have access into grace and a secure place to stand, and that security produces hope—the certain expectation that we will share in the glory God has promised (v. 2). Even our sufferings aren’t meaningless for the believer. God uses them to form endurance, proven character, and deeper hope (vv. 3–4). And this hope will not put us to shame on the day of judgment, because God has already poured His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (v. 5; cf. Eph. 1:13–14).
Paul grounds that inner assurance in a rock-solid, historical proof: Christ died for us while we were still weak, ungodly, and sinners (vv. 6–8). Human love might rarely die for someone “good,” but God’s love is in a category all its own—Jesus died for enemies (v. 10). That’s why Paul argues “much more”: if God has already justified us by Christ’s blood and reconciled us through His death, we can be confident He will finish what He started—saving us from wrath and keeping us by Christ’s resurrected life (vv. 9–10; cf. 4:25). So our boasting isn’t in ourselves; it’s in God, because we have received reconciliation through our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 11).
Then Paul widens the lens to show why this hope is so sure: everyone is either in Adam or in Christ. Through Adam, sin entered the world and death spread to all (vv. 12, 14). Adam’s one trespass brought condemnation, and the law later highlighted and even multiplied our trespasses by exposing sin more clearly (vv. 16, 20). But Christ is the “second Adam”—and His gift is not like Adam’s trespass. Where Adam’s one act brought death’s reign, Christ’s one act of righteousness and obedience brings an abundance of grace, justification, and life to all who receive Him by faith (vv. 15–19). Sin once reigned in death, but grace now reigns through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (v. 21).
🌀 Reflection:
Where do you feel most “weak” right now—tired, tempted, anxious, discouraged? Romans 5 doesn’t tell you to prove yourself to God; it tells you to look at the cross. If God loved you when you were His enemy, you don’t have to wonder whether He’ll hold you now as His child (vv. 8–10).
🎄 Christmas Reflection:
On Christmas Eve, we remember that God’s love did not begin at the cross—it moved toward the cross through the cradle. The child born in Bethlehem came for the weak, the ungodly, and the undeserving. Christmas proclaims that God did not wait for us to love Him first; He came near while we were still sinners, to make peace and give us hope that will never put us to shame (vv. 6–8).
💬 Mission Challenge:
Share Romans 5:8 with someone today and put it in plain words: “God didn’t wait for me to get better—Jesus came for me when I was still a sinner.” Invite them to receive the free gift of grace and life found in Christ (vv. 15–17, 21).
Click here to return to the contents page for Phase 2.3 — The Savior, His Church, and the Mission.
Just Keith Harris 
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