Advent Archive: Romans 5:1-11

Have you ever stopped and thought about life’s situations and asked, “What if things weren’t the way they are? Like, what if there was no ______?” Our lives really are busy and we often don’t take time to stop and think about the way things could have been. For instance, What if there were no cars? What if there were no houses? What if there were no laws? What if there was no Bible? What if there were no computers? What if…? When I stop and imagine life without something that I currently have, it makes me thankful for those things!
In Romans 4, Paul tells us that no man will be saved apart from faith in Christ as his substitute! Ok, we know that, right? But let’s ask the question, What if there was no faith? What would life look like?
v.1 – without faith we would not be justified, or declared righteous, by God
v.1 – without faith we would have no peace with God; we would be enemies
v.2 – without faith we would have no access into God’s grace
v.2 – without faith we would not be able to rejoice in God; only fear
v.3 – without faith we could not glory in tribulations – In Christ, hard times don’t have to be all bad. They often bring a lot of good with them!
v.9 – without faith in the blood of Christ, we are under God’s wrath
v.10 – without faith we cannot be reconciled to God
v.11 – without faith we would have no joy
I don’t know about you, but Romans 5 excites me! It drives me to be more thankful for Christ and for all I have in Him. Go read Romans 5:1-11 and let it encourage you to pursue Christ more deeply as well!

Food for Thought: Read Romans 5:1-11. What is the key word of Romans 5:1-11. Write two sentences describing what this word means.

Alan Obrien
Assistant Pastor | www.libcky.com

Alan and his wife, Amy, have been serving the church family of Landmark Baptist Church since 2008. They have a daughter, Allison.