Tag Archives: Undeserved privilege

ROMANS…THE OUTCOMES – 11b

Bible Study, ,

The second of the three major outcomes of our standing in grace is what the New Living Testament translation calls “privilege”. 

“Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Privilege” may not be an accurate translation of the Greek word “histami”, meaning “to stand”, but it points to the benefits we enjoy because of the grace in which we stand. Again, since we are the objects of God’s favour, He has blessed us with innumerable privileges denied to those who are not in Christ. 

Paul sets out these “spiritual blessings” in lavish language in Ephesians, each one for His “good pleasure”. Everything God does for us is about Him. He is pleased with what He has done for us and has given to us. 

Look at this list of blessings…

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace which he lavished on us…

…And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭3-8a, 13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…every spiritual blessing…all the doing words in this statement. He has “done” for us what makes Him glad. 

He chose us to be holy and blameless…

Despite who we are in Adam, He chose us to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus in this life… and we will be like Him when we see Him as He is. 

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

He predestined us for adoption as His sons…

When He chose us, God had an idea in mind. He wanted a family of legally adopted sons and daughters, who would be replicas of His son.

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

True sonship implies that we  belong to Jesus through His death and our new birth. We have a name, a home, and an inheritance. 

We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins…

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We are no longer slaves to sin, and living under Satan’s influence and control. We have been moved out of darkness and transferred into the realm of God’s loving and benevolent rule. 

We were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit…

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The presence of God’s Spirit in us is His “engagement ring”, promising us that He has chosen us to be His bride and that Jesus will “marry” us when He returns. 

Theses four “spiritual blessings” encompass the gospel in its breadth and depth. They are the privileges that we have entered into as children of God. No one else on earth can claim these benefits. They belong to God’s children alone. 

To be continued

ROMANS…THE OUTCOMES -11a

Bible Study, ,

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

THEREFORE…the bridge between what has gone before and what follows. Paul summarises the benefits of our new status in Christ in three major themes… peace, privilege, and purpose. 

Our standing grace, to begin with, came about through God’s love for broken humanity. When we were utterly helpless and without hope, He stepped in and rescued us from our self-made destruction, not because we were good enough but because we were so bad that we needed His mercy to intervene. 

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Now, since Jesus died in our place, we no longer bear the guilt of the fruit of our rebellion. Paul says that we have a “standing in grace”. We have been completely exonerated of guilt and fully and permanently accepted into God’s presence and purpose. 

What is the grace in which we stand? Grace is God’s settled attitude of undeserved favour towards us in which we abide and continue,  and through which we receive all the benefits of His salvation. This permanent standing is the testimony to our union with Jesus which began when we turned back to God from our own way,  (repented), and made the exchange of self-rule for Jesus as Lord, by faith. 

This standing in grace brings with it major changes inside. 

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The first outcome of this new status is peace…not just inward serenity but complete wholeness because of restored relationships to God, others, and oneself. 

“In the Bible, peace is not merely the absence of conflict. It is a state of total well-being, wholeness, and harmony with God, others, and oneself. True peace comes from God, brings inner tranquility despite outward circumstances, and is grounded in justice and reconciliation.”

(Source: Google AI)

This peace is not dependent on what happens to us, good or bad. Its source is Jesus…it is His legacy for those who have chosen to lean all their weight on Him. 

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭33‬ ‭NLT‬

Jesus gives this gift of peace to us not only when we believed but also in our day-to-day struggles. Again, to experience this peace,  we make an exchange…anxiety for peace and rest in our new standing with God and our union with Jesus as Lord. 

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This “maintenance” peace which we receive by honest confession in prayer, and gratitude for God’s love and goodness, garrisons us against the nitty-gritty of life in a fallen world. 

The gift of peace has another major benefit…it acts as a referee to monitor our thoughts and behaviour in the family of God like a ref in a ball game. Jesus’ peace helps us stay on track in our relationships with one another in the body of Christ. 

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬

Peace continues as we treat each other with love and respect.  Any “foul” in our lives in community together is quickly picked up by the Holy Spirit. He “blows the whistle” by temporarily withholding our peace. He stops our game, calls out the foul, and reminds us of the “rules”. Once the guilty party has made the correction, inward and outward peace is restored and the game can continue. 

How important, then, that we maintain our peace by dealing with inward anxieties, which call in question God’s faithfulness, and outward “fouls” in our relationships in the body of Christ. Peace within is a declaration that all is well between us and God and between us and one another. 

To be continued