Romans 5:1-2 Explained — Peace With God Through Faith Alone

Hello and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick. Good afternoon, good to have everybody back. We've lost a few, this is the fourth half hour, so we're just about ready to go home. But I'm going to have you here in the studio audience turn to Romans chapter 5 now. We finally got out of chapter 4. And again, for those of you joining us on television, we always like to remind folk that we're just an informal Bible study. We're not associated with any one group. I know Monty has told me more than once he counts the different church people that he recognizes. And I know one night, 10, I think he counted. So we're not associated with or just honing in on one particular group. We just try to help everyone understand how to read their Bible and read it with understanding. And of course, through the process, we'd like to see folk come to a saving knowledge and be sure of their eternal destiny. Now, as we've always mentioned, we have all the past programs available, as nominal in cost as we can possibly do it. We don't try to make it an income generating thing, but all the past programs are available on videotape and in the printed page. Now, the printed page, we've given credit to the family that's been doing all the transcribing, Jerry Poole and his wife. But today we have the people that really get down to the nitty gritty of proofreading and getting it all ready for the printer. And he has never wanted to take credit for it. He won't let me put it inside the little book. He's just been staying in the background. I've asked him today if I can't just put him and his mother on the camera for a little bit. Keith Decker and his mom, Marjorie Decker. And of course, she is world known as Christian Mother Goose. And that's what drew my attention as I was looking through the Yellow Pages one day for somebody to pick up the ball and start these printing. And I saw Christian Mother Goose. I'd never heard of it before, but I'm not much at getting around. So I made a phone call and it has developed into just such a sweet relationship. And we just love the Decker family. And we think Keith has just been doing a fantastic job because there's a lot of work. So if you find a misprint or if you find a word that doesn't belong in there, you just give Keith all the credit for it. Because he's supposed to be doing the proofreading, but we think he's just doing great. Okay, now let's get on with our lesson this afternoon, tonight, whenever you happen to be watching it. I know on satellite we're on way early in the morning, and some places we're on the middle of the afternoon, so whatever. Turn with me to Romans chapter 5, and we'll start right in at verse 1 this time. And right off the bat, the first word, what does it do? It throws you right back into chapter 4. Well, we're not going to do that. But therefore, because of everything we've just studied in chapter 4, Abraham as the perfect example of entering into a salvation experience by faith, and faith alone. And how that, even though it seemed impossible, yet he never wavered in his faith. And I have to bring that right up. I mean, I can't comprehend, except through the eyes of faith, I cannot comprehend that the Creator God Himself, the God of all creation who spoke the Word and the universe came into being, the God who controls everything, and He took on human flesh? He walked the streets of Palestine? He went to that cross and died for me? I mean, I can't comprehend it, except through the eyes of faith. There's no way I can explain it. There's no way you can explain it. But this is where God wants us, that we simply say, Lord, I can't understand it, I can't comprehend it, but I believe it. I believe it, there's not a shadow of doubt in my mind that this is all true. And so therefore, being justified by faith. How many times has Paul said that now in the last chapter and a half? I don't know, but it's over and over and over. Why? Oh, it's got to be driven home that you're not justified by what you do. Monty just asked a good question while we were waiting for the cameras to get ready. When I say you're not justified by works, as the Scripture says, what are we referring to? Well, the best generalized answer is works, according to Scripture, and its work in salvation is anything you can do in the energy of the flesh. Anything that you can say, hey, I think I better do this so that I'll merit heaven. That's works. Now you can just start enumerating them. I'll never forget years and years ago, Iris and I read a little book that was in the locale of southern Missouri, and it was about a little teenage boy and his dog. But it came to a point in his life when he thought he had to keep peace with the family, and he wanted to set his mom's mind at ease, so he came to the conclusion he better go to church and join up. Typical, typical. So he joined the church. That's a work. Joining the church never saved anybody. A lot of people got the idea by walking the aisle that that's how they're getting saved. Hey, that never saved anybody. Now, I've got nothing against people making a profession of faith by walking an aisle, but the walking of the aisle is a work. It won't bring salvation. Giving, tithing can become a works. A lot of people think if I give enough, I can buy my way into heaven. No, you won't. Keep your money. God can't use it anyway. And any of these things that you do in the energy of the flesh, that's why I've said so often, baptism. That's something that you can say and go to a pastor, if one won't do it, another one will, and you can say, hey, I want to be baptized and join the church. They'll do it. But what is it? It's a work. It's something that you have decided to do. And you can just go on and on and on. Anything. You can even go visit the sick. You can go to the nursing home. You can go and give to the poor. That's all work. Which in their own respective places, after salvation, fine. That's what God expects. But the world out there is trying to do it for salvation. And it won't work. God won't recognize it. And so here we have to come back to the scriptural premise, that just live by faith. Therefore, being justified by faith. See? Plus nothing. There's nothing else added in here. Oh, what comes? We have peace with God. You remember the account of the gentleman I gave in the first program this afternoon? My, after just two hours, after he had called on God to save him, what do you suppose he had? Total peace. A total load taken off his shoulders. And that's what salvation does. And oh, we've seen it over and over and over. And I guess I've been privileged to have some of the most ungodly people. I mean the worst. The kind that you would never expect to ever have a drop of spiritual interest in them. And then they come to this tremendous realization that their sins are gone. They're forgiven. They're justified. They're cleansed. See? All right, read on. Once we have this justification by faith, now we have what? Peace with God. Now, peace, of course, is something the world is looking for tonight. But the world understands peace in a whole different light than Scripture does. When the world speaks of peace, what are they talking about? Absence of war. And that's noble. I hate to read about the ravages of Yugoslavia and other areas. It's awful. Oh, it would be great if we could outlaw war. But there will be no peace until the Prince of Peace comes. And the world's politicians can't seem to understand that. Now, of course, I recognize they have to work for it. They have to strive for it. You can't just let the thing fall apart. In fact, I guess I made a statement in one of my programs that I'm not alarmed about the population increase. Now, I was immediately misunderstood. I had someone call who was almost off the deep end, thinking that I was some kind of a nut. But he totally misunderstood what I was saying. I'm saying that I don't get alarmed about these things because we're so close to the end that this is all part of the end scenario. Yes, there's a population explosion. Egypt, one of the poorest nations on earth, if it weren't for the billions from Uncle Sam, they'd all starve. What are they doing? Population explosion. I know that. But, oh, listen, this is all part and parcel of getting the world ready for the return of Christ. I told my people that I was teaching way back in the 60s before I'd even begun this kind of a teaching. I guess probably to my Sunday school kids. I'm not worried about an atomic bomb destroying the world. Never have been. You say, well, you're crazy. No, I'm not. Because I know this world is not going to end until it ends God's way and God's own time. And so why get all shook up about it? Now, if you really look back from the time of the dropping of the first bomb 50 years ago, how many times political things happened that before that time the world would have been in war? But it didn't. Why? Because, probably, of the nuclear energy that was sitting back there in the closet someplace and God wasn't about to let it be used. So what did he do? He kept the thing from igniting. I'm thinking right now, for example, you remember we shot down an Iranian plane in the Gulf. Ordinarily, that would have precipitated war. But it didn't. Why? Because God's in control. The men of this world are not going to bring the end of the world. They are not going to bring in a nuclear holocaust until God says it's time. Now, I'm sure that during the Tribulation there will be nuclear warheads exploded. I'm positive. But it's not going to happen until man isn't going to destroy this whole planet. God is. And so I don't worry about these things that everybody's all shook up. Now, granted, take me for what I'm saying. I am against pollution. I am against trashing the planet. My heart weeps when I drive along my beautiful valley road and just see trash on trash on trash. I hate it. But I'm not going to say that if we don't clean it up, we're going to destroy the planet. But I'm just saying these are all signs that we're getting so close to the end. As I mentioned just a couple programs ago, looking at the nation of Israel, how close they are now coming to being assimilated, losing their identity. Well, it just tells me that we're just that much closer than what most of us realize. All right, so we have peace with God, not just the absence of war, but a relationship. Oh, I'm just thinking of them as we go. Colossians, turn without me to honey. Colossians chapter 2, a verse that is so precious to me at least because of what I see in it. A lot of people may not see it as I do. Colossians chapter 2, beginning of verse 13, but especially verse 14. Colossians chapter 2, verse 13, and then 14. You all with me? Colossians 2, and again, remember, Paul always writes to the believer. Colossi was in Gentile territory, so it was probably a congregation of mostly Gentiles. I feel that almost all these congregations had some believing Jews, but predominantly Gentile. And now look what he says, verse 13. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, in other words, just old Adam, he hath quickened, he hath made alive, he hath done something in the area of the spiritual, he hath quickened you together with him. That is, when Christ was raised from the dead, we were raised from the dead. Having, now that's a past tense participle, if I remember my grammar. Having forgiven, past tense, you bet it is. It's done, it's accomplished. Having forgiven you most of your trespasses, some of them, how many? All. Do you believe it? You better, because that's what God has said. He has forgiven you all your trespasses. Now look at verse 14. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us. Now I know not everyone will agree with me, but I feel that that's the law. All of the ramifications of the law that were against mankind, his inability to keep it, its stringentness, its severity. Now when I say the law was severe, you know what I mean. If somebody would have been caught picking up sticks on the Sabbath, what was the sentence? Death. Death. If somebody was caught in a known act of adultery, what was it? Death. No questions asked. Boy, if you tried to do that today, there wouldn't be anybody alive, would there? It was severe. It was drastic. And now what has happened to it? Oh, read on. Those handwriting of ordinances that were against us, they were contrary to us. He took it out of the way, and what did he do with them? Nailed it to the cross. How graphic can you get? When he hung there on the cross, the laws and the ordinances that were against us were nailed there as well. That ended it. And that's why he was the fulfilling of the law. Well, what put him on the cross? His love. And so as we saw a program or two ago in Romans 13, how do you fulfill the law? Love. How did Christ fulfill the law? His love, the ultimate, by being nailed to that cross. All right? Another one in Colossians. Oh, let's see. Where was it? Another chapter later. Colossians chapter 1, I guess. Colossians 1, verse 24, where Paul speaks of being the minister in verse 23. Now look at verse 24. Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions. See? His suffering. The afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, the church, whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God. Oh, everything was fulfilled when he went to that cross. Another one comes to mind. Back up a page or two. Honey, to Ephesians. I didn't get far enough. I'm in Philippians. Back to Ephesians chapter 3. Ephesians chapter 3. Oh, I don't even know where to start. Let's try in verse 10. To the intent that now, that is after the finished work of the cross and the revelation of this great gospel of grace, that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places or in the heavenlies might be known by the church, that is the body of Christ, the true believers, the manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal... What's the word? Purpose. Why did God do it all? You know, I've had questions come in over the phone. Well, if God knew the world was going to end up in such a mess, if God knew the men were going to rebel, why did he ever make them in the first place? Well, it boils down to that little question deal that we learned since we were kids. Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? Why are we here? What were objects of God's love? Now, to be an object of love, what does the giver expect in return? Love. And that's why he made the human race. Angels couldn't respond, and so he made the human race with that indwelling attribute of will to either respond to his love or to reject it. And that's why he had to bring Satan on the scene so we could exercise that choice. Otherwise, there'd be no will exercise. And so the whole program of the human race was that God could have prepared people to fellowship with and to return or to extend his love to that had responded of their own free will to his love. That's why we're here. And that's why the vast majority of mankind are given the free option to reject it if they want to. Because God doesn't want him in his heaven if they can't respond to his love. But for those who respond to his love, he's prepared things. What does Paul say? Eye hath not seen nor ear heard to the things that are prepared for them that love him. Oh, listen. The world out there, I know, they think we're a bunch of kooks. They think we're a bunch of fanatic nuts. I know they do. And I just tell them, hey, look, live it for 70 or 80 years. So what? I've got an eternity of things that'll make the best of this earth stuff seem like, yeah, a pig pen for comparison. But you see, they cannot understand that we have simply responded to an extended love. And that's why he went to the cross. It was love. All right, now what's the final purpose? Now you gotta turn on over to 1 Timothy. Paul really doesn't tell us what the eternal purpose is here in Ephesians chapter 3. But you come on over to Timothy. Chapter 1 of 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy. Chapter 1. 2 Timothy. Chapter 1. Beginning at verse 8. Now we almost have to read 7, don't we? For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and a sound mind. All the world may think we're nuts, but God knows better. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, according to the what? The power of God. Now listen. What kind of power are we talking about? We're talking about a kind of power that can fling the stars and the planets and the suns and the moons into orbit without benefit of a rocket, without benefit of computers, and they never bump into one another. They're all out there in perfect synchronization perfect. That's the kind of power that we're talking about. I mean, it's mind-boggling. All right, read on. Who hath saved us? Now remember, Paul in this particular is talking to Timothy, but it's to every believer. Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works. See how the Bible puts down works in salvation? Not according to our works, but he has called us according to his own what? Purpose. You know, back in the book of Acts, we won't take time to turn to it, but Peter makes it so evident that before anything was ever created, the triune God had a meeting in eternity past. Now not that they had to sit around the table and banny it back and forth, but nevertheless, the Trinity got together and agreed on creation, on mankind, knowing that He would sin, and they set up the plan of salvation, out of which the Son would come down and die, and be raised from the dead. That's all part of this eternal purpose that God implemented before anything was ever created. All right, finish the verse. Verse 9. Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, when? Before the world began. Isn't that glorious? Oh, I mean, this is past human understanding. You and I are here today as recipients of His grace, but God knew about us way, way back before anything was created. We're not an accident in time. We are according to His divine and eternal purpose. All right, let's go back to Romans chapter 5 again for just a moment. Now verse 2. We have this peace that passeth all understanding. Peace with God. How many people have to lay their head on the pillow at night and toss and turn their guilt complex runs roughshod over them. They know they're not at peace with maybe fellow men, maybe with government, maybe with authority, but certainly not with God. But you see, the believer, he can put his head on the pillow and be at perfect peace with his maker, knowing that the work of the cross has settled everything. Knowing that all these promises are true, if we'll believe them. We rest on them. All right, only a few minutes left. So verse 2. By whom also we have access and again, how? By faith. By faith. Into this grace wherein we stand. In other words, God's unmerited favor has just opened the windows of heaven, has made it accessible to every human being, anywhere, everywhere. But there has to be a door of access. And what is it? Faith. Remember when we first started our series of lessons on Romans? I gave all, not all, but many of the things that God did the moment we believed. He sanctified us, He forgave us, He justified us, He glorified us, He baptized us into the body, and on and on we went. And I said, every one of them, did you feel it when it happened? Could you see it when it happened? Could your neighbors see when it happened? So how do we know they happened? The book says so. And that's what? Faith. By faith. Everything becomes a reality then by faith. All right, so we have access into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. But, hey, we're not just pie in the sky, people. You know, I've said over and over through the years, listen, just because you become a believer, you're not going to have a rose -petaled pathway. You're not going to live in a Garden of Eden. We're still in this old world. We're still in a body of flesh. We're still living in a time of trials and tribulations. That's part of it. And God isn't removing us from that. He is simply saying, hey, I'll see you through it. We can go through valleys, but God will always escort us. He'll never forsake us. All right? And so that's what He's saying here, that now we're going to have tribulations. Now, when I read of the potential of persecution coming on believers, even in America, the potential is there. The world is getting adamant. The world is getting, as one lady told me in her own church environment, she said, less they're getting aggressively. Well, I don't remember the other word, but in opposition to her, just because of her stand on the gospel, even within her own church circles. And so we can recognize the creeping tremors of persecution that are coming up. And so we may have to face some tribulations. Not the tribulation, but tribulations. We may go through some times of trials and sufferings. All right? But if we go through tribulation, then we know that we're going to gain something from it. And what is it? Patience. Now, whenever I see this verse, I have to think of another little, almost amusing anecdote. One of our friends, and we were still living in Iowa, had a large family. Seven, eight kids. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And when you got that many kids, you're going to have some things that try your patience. So that mother one day said, unless, she said, some days I get so impatient, she said, will you pray with me that the Lord will give me patience with these kids? And I said, now wait a minute. Wait a minute. Do you realize what you're asking for? And she says, why? What do you mean? I said, there's only one way God will get you patience, and that's tribulations. She said, forget it. Forget it. But you see, that's exactly how God works. When we go through tribulations, it's going to teach us patience. And I've experienced it, and I imagine many of you have. You go through a workplace situation or whatever it may be, and it is. It's trying experience. But what's the end result? Patience. Patience. Okay, we'll have to quit. Thank you for watching Through the Bible with Les Feldick. A weekly Bible study. If you would like more information about the Les Feldick Ministries, a Bible study in your area, or about this program, write to Les Feldick Ministries, Route 1, Box 760, Kinta, Oklahoma, 74552. That's Route 1, Box 760, Kinta, Oklahoma, 74552. Through the Bible with Les Feldick is viewer supported, and your gift is appreciated. Thank you, and be sure to tune in next time for Through the Bible with Les Feldick.