Standing in Grace
A Sermon on Romans 5:1-2
Originally preached Nov. 8, 1957
Scripture
1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Sermon Description
What does it mean to stand in the grace of God? The apostle Paul writes that all who believe are no longer under the power of sin and death, but are now in God’s grace. In this sermon on Romans 5:1–2 titled “Standing in Grace,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on this great declaration. He says that to be in God’s grace is to be justified before God. It is to be in the family of God. All whom God saves, He secures and grants perseverance. This is the blessing of justification, peace, and security with God through Christ. And through the Holy Spirit the Christian is sanctified. All of this is a result of the Christian being justified by faith. All believers ought to strive to have a full assurance that they have been redeemed in Christ and are now indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Christian now boldly approaches God because they are His children and heirs. They do not live in fear of punishment, for they are wholly in Christ Jesus. This sermon on the glories of salvation causes all to ask the question: “do I believe? Have I been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the family of God?”
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is establishing the certainty and finality of our salvation in Jesus Christ through the principle of justification by faith alone.
- Our justification by faith alone makes our salvation secure.
- Three things follow from justification by faith:
- We have peace with God
- We have access into grace by faith in Jesus Christ
- We stand in grace and rejoice in hope of the glory of God
- "We have had our access" emphasizes that there was a point in time when we did not have access, but now we do have access. Our access is not a process, but a one-time act.
- A better translation of "access" is "introduction." Jesus Christ introduces us into grace.
- Before faith in Christ, we were under law and lacked introduction to God. Now under grace, God looks on us with favor.
- The grace we stand in is a state where we can receive blessings from God that we could not receive before. We have gone from outside grace to inside grace.
- We now have a new relationship with God where He is our loving Father instead of our judge. We have gone from deserving punishment to receiving undeserved favor.
- We must live in light of this grace - with boldness, confidence, and assurance in prayer and life. We have access to "all things pertaining to life and godliness."
- The grace we stand in is secure and unchanging. We stand "fast" and "firm" in grace. There is no falling from grace.
- Our eternal security in grace is proven through many scriptures. Nothing can separate us from God's love in Christ.
- We must have assurance of our salvation. Doubt and wavering are not fitting for those who stand in grace.
- The Christian faith emphasizes assurance of salvation, unlike the Roman Catholic church. Assurance comes through faith in Christ alone, not the church.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Romans 5:1-2
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the main point of Romans 5:1-2?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, in these two verses the apostle Paul is "establishing the certainty and the finality of our salvation in and through the Lord Jesus Christ by this principle of justification, by faith only." He emphasizes that Paul is demonstrating that salvation which comes to us through justification by faith is something that is final and secure.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the phrase "access into this grace wherein we stand"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that a better translation would be "we have had our access," emphasizing that it was a one-time event that happened in the past with continuing results. He suggests the word "introduction" might better capture the meaning - like being "presented at court." This access or introduction is entirely through Jesus Christ who clothes us with His righteousness and presents us to God, bringing us into a new relationship with God where we can receive benefits and blessings we could not receive before.
What does it mean to be "under grace" rather than "under law" according to this sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that before we believed in Christ, we were "under law" - God regarded us in a legal manner as rebels. But now, we are "under grace" - God looks upon us favorably as His children. He states, "God now looks upon us favorably, and he not only accepts us, but he delights to receive us, and he delights to bless us." Our entire relationship with God has been changed from one of judgment to one of gracious favor.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasize the word "stand" in the passage?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that when Paul says we "stand" in grace, he means we "stand fast" or "stand firm." This emphasizes the certainty, finality, and absolute assurance of our faith. He states, "we are not only in this grace, but we are firmly set in it. We stand in it." The word conveys stability, security, continuance and establishment - there's nothing uncertain about our position in grace. He emphasizes, "If you're in grace, you're in, and you'll never be out."
How should understanding our position in grace affect our prayer life?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that we should pray "with confidence, with assurance, with boldness" because we have been introduced into God's grace by Christ Himself. He states, "We must remind ourselves of the truth, what justification by faith means, what our being in Christ means, that he is the high priest who's introducing us and presenting us. Therefore... we must come with boldness, with full confidence, or, as he again puts it in the epistle to the Hebrews, with the full assurance of faith." He challenges believers not to be hesitant or doubtful in prayer.
What criticism does Dr. Lloyd-Jones make of many Christians in his day?
He criticizes Christians for "living like paupers" when they are meant to be "princes and children of the heavenly king." He states, "It is we who are Christian people who are so badly representing the Christian life," and suggests that believers often live in "spiritual penury" rather than enjoying the riches God has provided for them. He urges Christians to "realize that we are in this grace" and to act upon it with confidence and assurance.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrast the Protestant view of assurance with the Roman Catholic view?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that the "Roman Catholic Church not only does not teach the doctrine of assurance of salvation, it preaches and teaches against it." He explains that they oppose it because "as long as you're uncertain, you're dependent upon the church and you're dependent upon the priest." In contrast, he describes assurance as "the peculiar glory of our Protestant faith" and teaches that believers can have absolute certainty of salvation through Christ without needing any human priest or intermediary.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "justification is not a process"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that unlike sanctification, which is progressive growth in grace, "justification is one act, and it's once and forever." He describes it as "that act in which God declares... that in Christ he regards us as if we'd never sinned at all." Justification is not something we gradually attain but is a single, complete, permanent declaration from God that occurs at the moment of faith.
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.