August 7 2011    Reading:  Romans 5

Theme: The gospel in Romans

These studies in Romans are not so much a commentary, as an attempt to follow through

Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 3.14 and 15. He writes to Timothy ‘But as for you, continue

in what you have learned and have become convinced of........... the holy Scriptures,

which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.’ The sermons

in this series both recognise the deep convictions of the gospel, and rather than being

comprehensive try to expound those central verses in Romans which ‘make us wise for salvation

through faith in Christ Jesus.’

Sir John Bowring had a distinguished career.......... in the great days of the British Empire - born in 1792 he had an ear for languages and by his mid twenties he was fluent in over 20 European and Asian languages. This was of very great use to him, since he was made British Commissioner to France, British Consul at Canton in China, then diplomat to China, ending up as Governor of Hong Kong. He was an MP, twice, and in 1854 he became Sir John Bowring when Queen Victoria knighted him.

Strangely, John Bowring is not so much remembered for that great career - but for the great hymns he wrote. One great hymn was inspired by a journey he made along the coast of China. The story goes that John Bowring was on board a sailing ship, sailing along the coast of Macao, China. It was evening. As the ship made its way along the coast, he saw, there on high ground overlooking the sea, the ruins of an old church which had been damaged by fire. High above on the ruins, on the one gable still standing, there was a cross caught in the bright glow of the evening sun. Inspired, he wrote, In the Cross of Christ I glory........ towering o’er the wrecks of time......... when he died in 1874 those words were carved on his tombstone in Exeter cathedral.

What a wonderful image - we can bring it before our mind’s eye - the Cross, lit up in the light of the evening sun, towering over the old ruins, towering o’er the wrecks of time, as the hymn says. What deep, deep truth there is in those words - in the Cross of Christ I glory, towering o’er the wrecks of time....... what confidence in the lasting power and glory of the Cross of Jesus.......

It’s this that the letter to the Romans declares in Romans 5.8:

God, says Romans 5.8, has made known His love for us in this: that while we were yet sinners - Christ died for us. There are three parts to this verse:

while we were yet sinners

Christ died for us

and in this God has made known His love for us

Let’s take the first part.......

while we were yet sinners..............

The artist Paul Klee, once painted a picture called ‘The angel of history’. In this painting an angel stands with his arms raised - in front of him there is a great heap of wreckage. This is the great heap of wrongs, and violence and injustices and sins of the world, piling up, day after day, year after year. The letter to the Romans goes much deeper than this and tells us that the same is true of our own lives....... if we take a look at our own lives we will see them strewn with things that went wrong, things said, or things done that we are ashamed to remember......... and the guilt that remains.......

the result of the sin that lies in our hearts as human beings.

This is, declares the New Testament, the central problem of the human race, for us men and women. According to the letter to the Romans, the sin that lies in our hearts, is the reason why there is a gap, the gulf between God, who is Holy and Just and Righteous, and us sinful men and women. Romans 3.23 everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence. As far as the New Testament is concerned, this is the key problem of human life - the gap, the gulf between the living God, who is Holy and Just and Righteous, and ourselves, sinful men and women. The letter to the Romans declares that we are cut off from God...... adrift, because of sin. What makes the situation desperately serious, is that we are not only adrift from God, but under His condemnation and rightly so - as human beings we have distorted, damaged, twisted all that God intended for this earth, and for us. The letter to the Romans 1 and 2 explains how His wrath rests on this world, against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men and women.

What makes this serious is that we are in this condition, and we can do nothing about it ! This gulf, gap, between ourselves and God is unbridgeable........ no one on earth can do anything about it....... whatever happens will need to come from God Himself...

That’s our situation, that’s our condition.

But now listen to Romans 5.8 ! while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

while we were yet sinners, far from God.........

Christ died for us..........the second part of this verse.......

Short words, but they contain the whole wonderful gospel ......... !

In old Israel, when a man or a woman was weighed down by guilt, something done, something said, a sin that crushed the soul, drawing all the joy out of life, a sin that troubled, and troubled the heart......... there was a remedy. According to the Law you could bring a lamb to offer at the altar in the Temple, and laying a hand on that lamb, men and women understood that, that sin had been transferred, and laid on that lamb .......and in a deep mystery the pure, innocent lamb carried away the sin laid on it. So that woman or man, knew, leaving that altar, that that sin had been dealt with, transferred away - bringing peace of mind, peace in soul, a quietened conscience - guilt relieved, and life.

Well, when we were far away, unthinking, unaware, adrift, knew nothing about God and cared even less....

There at the Cross the sins of all the world, yours and mine included, were laid upon Jesus. Jesus took our place and took the responsibility of our sin on Himself. Or as the New Testament so simply says: He bore our sins.............

Before we ever knew anything about it, still adrift as we were, Jesus took our sin on Himself.........

There, standing there outside Jerusalem, at Calvary - the Cross of Jesus..........

Towering over the history of this world is the Cross of Jesus.......

The question is: What does it mean that Jesus bore your sin and mine, took up your sins and mine,

took your place and mine, took the responsibility of your sin and mine...........

What does it all mean ?

Well it means this: that He has taken every single wrong we have done, every single sinful moment, sinful word, sinful thought, yes and all our personal failures and shortcomings too........ all of this He has taken upon Himself......... Or as the New Testament so simply says: He bore our sins.............

while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

The glory of the Cross of Jesus is this

that all our sinful past and its guilt are cancelled, there.......

And if that is the case, Romans chapter 5 tells us,

then we have peace with God,

we are fully, once and for all reconciled to Him,

fully, once and for all restored to God,

And there begins to unfold in us........

a lasting assurance and hope springing into life within us............

because we have peace with God,

because we are fully, once and for all reconciled to Him,

because we are fully, once and for all restored to God,

Because..........when we were yet sinners, weak, sinful, ignorant, at loggerheads with God..........

Christ died for us........

while we were yet sinners

Christ died for us

Finally, the last part of this verse.........

and in this God has made known His love for us

It is that there we see God’s love.........

The love of God....... is this some kind of feeling we have, some kind of experience No........ the letter to the Romans tells us to look at the Cross........ and there we will see the love of God. While we were far away, unthinking, unaware, adrift......... Christ died for us...... while we were far away, in our hopeless condition, kept far from God by our sin, God brought us back to Himself, through His beloved Son Jesus.

God’s love for sinners is so deep, so great, so far beyond all measure, that He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ into this world.......

And when Jesus stood in our place and took the responsibility for our sins

on Himself....... we were put right with God........

in this God has made known His love for us

the love of God for us sinners, for the guilty, is shown once and for all

for when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

AMEN.