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Sermon #3063

Certainty of Salvation

A Sermon on Romans 5:1-2

Originally preached Oct. 25, 1957

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Scripture

Romans 5:1-2 ESV KJV
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (ESV)

Sermon Description

What is “peace with God” and how does one attain it? In the sermon titled “Certainty of Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones discusses this as he preaches on Romans 5:1–2. Paul has just finished explaining that righteousness by faith was not only imputed for Abraham, but also for all Christians. The apostle shows the absolute finality and fullness of salvation which comes as a result of faith. The greatest proof of final salvation and assurance is union with Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains three things done by justification by faith: it puts the Christian at peace with God, sets them firmly in a place of all blessings, and enables them to exalt the prospect of future glorification. Before one is even able to obtain blessings or think about future glorification, they need to have access to the Lord. Salvation and all its blessings are only attained through the Lord Jesus Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones defines and explains what peace with God is and how Paul will continue on with this theme in the coming verses.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle Paul has finished stating the doctrine of justification by faith and is now moving on to a new section showing the absolute character and finality of our salvation.
  2. Paul states this immediately in the first two verses of Romans 5. We have peace with God and access to grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
  3. Nothing can shake us from this peace with God, not even tribulations, as shown in verses 3-5.
  4. Our salvation is certain because it is based on God's love and action toward us while we were still sinners, as shown in verses 6-11.
  5. Our union with Christ, like our union with Adam, guarantees our final salvation. This is discussed in verses 12-21.
  6. Chapters 6 and 7 deal with objections to this teaching, like whether we should continue sinning so grace may abound. Paul says no, we should not continue sinning.
  7. Chapter 8 positively expounds on the certainty of our salvation and how nothing can separate us from God's love.
  8. The first two verses of chapter 5 and verse 30 of chapter 8 both go straight from justification to glorification, showing the completeness of our salvation.
  9. Verse 1: Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. We can have no blessings from God unless we first have peace with Him.
  10. The gospel's primary purpose is to reconcile us to God, not just give us blessings. We must start with our relationship to God.
  11. There is a dispute over whether verse 1 should say "let us have peace" or "we have peace." The context shows Paul is telling us what we already have, not exhorting us, so "we have peace" is better.
  12. We have peace with God, not just peace. The world wants peace but needs peace with God.
  13. We have peace with God, not the peace of God. The peace of God refers to overcoming anxiety, while peace with God refers to our standing before Him.
  14. Peace with God means the enmity between God and the sinner has been removed and a new relationship established through faith in Christ.

The Book of Romans

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.