What Do You Receive When You Put Your Faith in Jesus? A Look at Romans 5

From a message by Jon Alsdorf
Romans 5 is one of the most dense and rewarding passages in all of Scripture. In just a few verses, Paul lays out everything a believer possesses because of justification through faith in Jesus Christ. These are not distant promises. They are present realities that belong to every follower of Christ right now.

What Does "Justified by Faith" Actually Mean?
Paul opens Romans 5 with the word "therefore," which ties everything back to what he has already established. Humanity is broken, fallen, and sinful by nature. But through Jesus Christ, God provided a permanent solution to that problem.

Justification is the judicial declaration that because of Jesus, you are "not guilty." It is not a transformation of your character in that moment. It is God, like a judge with a gavel, declaring you righteous because Jesus took your sin.

Salvation itself carries three tenses:

• Justification: You were saved. A past, completed work of Christ on your behalf.
• Sanctification: You are being saved. An ongoing process the Holy Spirit works in your daily life.
• Glorification: You will be saved. A future perfecting that God will complete in His time.

With that foundation in place, Paul begins stacking truth upon truth about what believers now possess.

1. You Have Peace With God
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." - Romans 5:1

This is not the peace of God, which is a separate concept Paul addresses in Philippians. This is peace with God. Before Christ, every human being is in conflict with God, whether they realize it or not.

A common but serious error in our culture is the idea that everyone is already a child of God. Scripture is clear that we are all creatures of God, but being a child of God is a specific reality reserved for those who are in Christ. We are born as children of Adam, inheriting his sin nature and the separation that came with it.

When you are justified in Christ, the war is over. The wrath of God that Scripture says is being stored up is no longer directed at you. That is not a small thing. That is everything.

2. You Have Permanent Access to Grace
"Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand." - Romans 5:2

The original Greek here uses a "perfect tense," which describes something that is always present and always moving forward. This is a standing grace. It does not expire. It does not run out when you fail.

Many believers struggle with the feeling that ongoing sin disqualifies them. But Jesus knew you would still struggle after coming to faith. He died for that struggle too. His grace is not a one-time gift. It is a permanent, ever-present reality in your life.

3. You Have Hope in God's Glory, Not Your Own
"We rejoice in hope of the glory of God." - Romans 5:2

The word translated "rejoice" here can also mean "boast," carrying the idea of triumphant confidence. Every other religion in the world leaves its followers asking, "Have I done enough?" There is no real basis for confidence there.

But because we are justified by faith and not by works, we have a reason for genuine, grace-filled confidence. We are not boasting before the game. Jesus already won. We celebrate a completed victory every time we gather to worship.

4. You Have Hope in Your Eternal Salvation, Even Through Suffering
"We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame." - Romans 5:3-5

Suffering is not a sign that God is angry with you. It is part of what it means to live in a broken world. But for the believer, suffering has a purpose. It is a snapshot of the sanctification process, the Holy Spirit working to shape your character into the likeness of Jesus.

There are two unhealthy extremes when it comes to suffering. The first is total avoidance. The second is unnecessary indulgence. The wiser path is to pursue wisdom to avoid needless suffering, while trusting Jesus through the suffering that cannot be escaped. That endurance builds character, and that character produces hope, both in you and in the people watching your life.

5. You Have God's Love Poured Into Your Heart
"God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8

God has not dripped His love into your heart with an eyedropper. He has poured it in without measure. This love was given while you were still His enemy. That is how lavish it is.

And here is the reason He gives so generously: there are people around you who do not yet have this love. God fills your cup to overflowing so that you can pour into others. You will never run dry. Your only job is to empty your cup, trusting that He will always refill it.

6. You Have the Holy Spirit
Everything described above is made possible through the Holy Spirit who has been given to every believer. This is not a small addition to the list. It is the power behind all of it.

In the Old Testament, God's people had the revelation of His righteousness but no internal means to live it out. On the day of Pentecost, everything changed. The disciples who had been confused and stumbling were transformed because the Holy Spirit now lived inside them.

The same is true for you. The Holy Spirit is recreating you from the inside out. He is the reason sin no longer feels comfortable the way it once did. He is the reason you can love, endure, worship, and grow. You are not the same person you were before Christ. You have been changed because you possess the Holy Spirit.

7. You Have Received Reconciliation
"We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." - Romans 5:11

Reconciliation means two things being made one. Through justification and sanctification, God is bringing you into unity with Himself. He looks at you and sees Jesus. That is not something you earned or helped accomplish. That is the power of the atonement.

Paul closes this section of Romans 5 by making the point unmistakably clear:

"As one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men." - Romans 5:18

One man, Adam, brought sin and death. One man, Jesus Christ, brought righteousness and life. You did not help. He did not ask for your help. He accomplished it all so that the glory belongs entirely to Him.

Life Application
This week, when doubt, guilt, or confusion creeps in about your standing before God, open your Bible to Romans 5 and read the first eleven verses. Let the truth of what you possess in Christ anchor you before you spiral into shame or despair.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Am I living as though I truly have peace with God, or am I still treating Him like an opponent I need to appease?
• Is there someone in my life that God has been pouring extra love into me for? Am I emptying my cup toward them?
• When I face suffering this week, will I ask what God might be building in me through it, rather than only looking for the exit?

You are not saved by your effort. You are not sustained by your performance. Everything you need has already been given to you in Christ. Walk in it.