BORN TO BE TRASHED?

Bob Bonner
Romans 5:6-11
January 8, 1995

According to the statistics, if we were to take all of the adults in this room who have been married, almost half of you have been divorced at least once. Yet, when you went to the altar, I doubt that any divorced couple planned on getting divorced on their wedding day. There was a commitment to be married, a vow before God and others. Yet, for many of us, divorce became a reality. The marriage was trashed, leaving deep wounds in individual's lives.

Likewise, in the beginning of an honest business partnership, neither party begins their working relationship with the idea of trying to take advantage of the other. But, as so often happens, when the pressures of competition prevail, mixed with an ingredient of greed, the commitment to the partnership is often tossed aside and its every man for himself, leaving hard feelings and broken relationships in its wake.

Since I have lived in this community, I have heard the same story told over and over again: A person moves his or her entire family and possessions here, on the promise of a job, only to arrive to find out that the position was only temporary or experimental. Hence, shortly after arriving, the promise of work was removed and the person is now out on the streets trying to find employment, amidst strong feelings of having been wronged and rejected.

Just the other day, I was in a computer store where one of the employees told me that there is a particular computer company that warranties its products for one year. But the fine print of the warranty explains that this warranty does not begin when the purchaser buys the product. Instead, it begins the day the product comes off the production line. Hence, by the time the customer purchases the product on the shelf, the warranty may only have 6-9 months left until it expires. So a commitment to what you think is a years warranty, really isn't the commitment you thought it was.

All of these examples of broken commitments and promises lead to a question: When is a commitment a done deal anymore? When does a contract or an agreement or a vow mean anything now days? When someone promises to be your friend or to live with you until death do you part, can you believe it? Or, should you just expect there to be a whole lot of conditions that make the contract invalid?

After experiencing enough broken promises and hurtful relationships, pretty soon a person begins to think, "I was born to be trashed" or "I was just born to lose." Pretty soon, we become very skeptical about contracts or agreements with other people. And quite naturally this carries over into our relationship with God and we begin to question Him. We ask God, "Do you really mean what you say? No strings attached? A promise is a promise? If I am `born again', will I be only trashed again or rejected by you? If I am saved, can anything change that or make me a persona non grata or unsaved?"

Because of our skepticism born out of being trashed by others, many believers start looking for loop holes in God's promise to love, forgive and fully accept those who put their trust in Jesus Christ as one's savior and Lord. This morning, we will see by the end of our study that there are no loop holes to a Christian being fully accepted and forever approved of by God. Our eternal relationship with God is guaranteed, once a person puts their trust in Jesus Christ as one's personal savior and Lord.

In addition, this morning's text will introduce to us some new ideas that Paul will build upon later in chapters 6-8 of Romans. As we look at Romans 5:6-11, you will notice that they fall into two sections. In verses 6-8 deal with our standing before God, prior to a person putting their trust in Jesus Christ. Then in verses 9-11, Paul talks about the changes in the person's life who has put their trust in Christ.

In this first section, in verses 6-8, the Apostle Paul makes it pretty clear, the predicament or the dead-end street in which the human race finds itself, apart from Christ. He gives us three characteristics of the person's standing before God, who is without Christ. He adds a fourth in verse 10.

Let's begin our study with looking at verse 6. Paul says, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."

The first term to describe those who are without Christ is that they are helpless. This term in the original literally means to be "without strength". That's why some translate this term, "powerless." It pictures the kind of powerlessness that comes with paralysis, revealing that in a spiritual sense, we were powerless to get up from our bed of sin to live our lives as God had intended us to live them. In addition, we were powerless to change our destiny to be permanently separated from God. [Swindoll's study guide, WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN, p. 56]

To use another picture, our "powerless" or "helpless" state apart from Christ is to envision ourselves as if we were strapped in an out-of-control airplane that was plummeting toward the earth. We could do nothing to change its course; we were helplessly doomed. That was our spiritual destiny with God, apart from Christ.

The second characteristic of those who live life apart from Christ is that they are ungodly; meaning that everything that stands out as a characteristic of God, we are just the opposite. We, at our core, apart from Christ, were devoid of any righteous or godly character. Our spirits in no way possess God or were possessed or inhabited by God. He did not indwell our lives. 

Notice, that in the midst of this condition of being powerless and ungodly, Paul states that "at the right time, Christ died for the helpless and ungodly." What he means by that is that at the right time in history, at a perfectly planned time in history, God demonstrated to the whole world that we human beings are every bit of what Paul describes us to be, here in these verses.

By this time in history, during the first century, the great Hebrew prophets had spoken, but that did not stop the downward slide of society. Greek philosophers had taught, and that didn't help either. The people's of the world had experienced the imposed military might and political innovations of democracy that were birthed in Greece and later matured in the Roman empire---A system that was to save the world. They had experienced the rigid organization of law and order under the Romans, and all of man's attempts to create a perfect or better society. 

But with the Fall of Rome, at the right time, God proved that the human race is powerless to change itself or to save itself. God demonstrated through the Romans debauchery that at the core, mankind is anything but godly. The Romans were forced to admit that their world had collapsed morally, religiously, politically and economically. 

In a similar way, the condition of the nation of Rome, during the time of Jesus Christ, reminds me of the unspoken feelings of quiet desperation that exist in our own county today. Because we have turned our backs upon God, and have sought after our own selfish desires, we too sense the tearing apart of the unity of our country. As special interest groups demand their rights, divisiveness will continue and eventually end in anarchy.

So, at this time, the right time, Christ died on the cross so that all men could see that throughout the centuries mankind has been powerless to save our culture and our very own lives. And only as the true believers trusted in Christ and depended upon Jesus to live His life through them, did people see real power to have people's lives changed. 

And if history has taught the stubborn student of mankind anything, it is that we haven't learned anything from history. We are still trying to live our lives apart from God, using just our own reason and abilities to guide us into the future. We have failed to learn the lesson that apart from Jesus Christ, mankind is powerless to change. We are ungodly, apart from Jesus Christ.

And the root problem that is characteristic of all people who stand apart from Jesus Christ is given to us in the next two verses. As we look at these next two verses and this third characteristic of mankind apart from Christ, notice the contrast between our nature and God's character. While we are helpless and ungodly, God's outstanding attribute is that of unfailing love toward even us. Paul writes in verses 7-8, "For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Here we have a totally loving God, standing in contrast to mankind apart from God, labeled as sinners. And by sinners, he does not mean innocent victims of sin's disastrous rule in the world. What he means by sinners, is that apart from Christ, we all were willful, active participants in either ignoring God or deliberately rebelling against His leading in our lives. That active rebellion or our passive indifference to God is the root problem behind our helpless, powerless, ungodly state. Paul made that perfectly clear back in 1:20-21. Yet, in spite of us, God continues to reach out in love to each person.

Skip down to verse 10, and let's take a brief look at the fourth characteristic of a person who is without Christ. Paul states, "For if while we were enemies,..." Man, what a picture of mankind, apart from Christ. First, we were "powerless" to do anything about our warped condition as people. We were powerless to change ourselves and powerless on our own to earn God's approval. Then we were called "ungodly." No matter how hard we tried, everything we did seemed to be the direct opposite of how God operated. We were ungodly. Then, we were "sinners", deliberate rebels against God. And now, Paul describes us as enemies. According to one Greek scholar, this term "enemies" conveys active aggression, "hating, hostile." In Romans 8:7, Paul uses the same root word when he says "The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God.” We weren't just stubborn sinners, we were hostile toward God and anything He stood for. Or, as Isaiah the prophet said, (53:6), "Each of us has turned to his own way." 

And yet, God still loved us so much that He died for us. And if He loved us that much when we were in that fallen condition, could He love us any less, now that He saved us and given us a new identity? Would it make any sense to believe that now that we are His adopted permanent eternal children, that this loving God would love us less or stop loving us at all? The obvious answer is no. Our loving God is always out for our best.

Please keep in mind the context of these verses, which began in verse 3 which we looked at last week. The whole purpose of these verses was to emphasize that bad things do happen to good people. But when they do, don't mistake them for God's abandoning you or disliking you or not loving you enough to prevent unpleasant events in your life. For whatever reason, the same loving God who died for us when we were powerless, ungodly, sinners and enemies, He has allowed the difficulties and injustices of this life to happen to us to bring good things into our lives. We may not understand what He is doing, but Paul's point is, your loving God is trustworthy. Even though you may be leaving with pain or deep hurts, God hasn't abandoned you. He is producing something eternally precious in and through your life, even as a result of some painful experience you may be undergoing at this moment.

In verses 9-11, Paul now tells us about four permanent changes in the believers standing before God, because of Jesus Christ. All of these changes are in stark contrast to being helpless, ungodly, sinners and enemies of God. 

The first change that has brought us hope in this life and for the future, is that which Paul has been talking to us about, ever since the middle of chapter three. That is justification; Paul says in verse 9, "Much more then, [much more what? Much more is God's love directed toward the believer, since or] having now been justified by His blood," Now that we have been made perfectly acceptable and approved of by God, because of what Jesus has accomplished for us, God is totally free to pull out all the stops to love us as He could never have loved us before. Because now, all the injustices and wrongs that we had committed against God, which in turned caused God to be destructively angry toward us, all of that anger has been turned off, satisfied through Christ death in our place.

Not only that, but Paul goes on, in this verse to show us a second change that has occurred toward us as believers. He says,"...we shall be saved from the wrath {of God} through Him." God will never express His wrathful destructive anger toward us again in this life or in the one to come. We are freed, once and for all, from God's destructive anger. It was all focused upon Christ, and satisfied forever by Christ's death.

But that's only the half of it. The even better news is yet to come, in verse 10. Paul states, "For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled [by His death], we shall be saved by His life." That term "reconciled" means to bring together two parties that were once together but had become separated for some reason. In other words, the believer's spirit is now reunited with the Lord's spirit as we were in the very beginning of creation. Our spirits, the key to who we are, have a new identity. We are no longer over powered or controlled by sin. But now Christ's spirit which is able to empower us and control us, abides in us. 

Colossians 1:21-22 verifies this same idea. There Paul tells us, "And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, {engaged} in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach--" Never again does the Christian have to fear that God will trash us like others are so apt to do. God will never reject the believer or abandon the believer. We have been reconciled to God.

But the last part of verse 10 adds one more fact about the change in the believer's standing before God. It says that "we shall be saved by His life." Jesus death and Jesus resurrected life saved us from two different things. His death saved us from our sin so that we might be reconciled to God and live with Him eternally. But the life of the resurrected Jesus Christ saves us from ourselves and our human inability to live for the Lord, right now. In other words, being saved by Jesus life is equivalent to being enabled or alivened so that now, we have the ability to live as God wants us to.

But how does this work? First, let me warn you that Paul is merely introducing this idea of "being saved by His life" here. He doesn't fully explain how it works yet. He will, later in chapters 6-8. However, allow me to at least introduce you to this very important principle that deals with our being saved to day, by the resurrection life of Jesus Christ. The principle simply stated is that Jesus gave His life for us so that He might live His life through us. What I mean by that, is simply, God has given to us, the very same power that Christ possessed which enabled Him to resurrect from the dead and to defeat Satan, that very same power to live holy lives as God's newly adopted children is apart of us. That enablement is possessed by every believer, because Jesus' Spirit resides in every believer. Satan would like to keep you from knowing that or believing, but it is true.

 However, what I have learned the hard way, is that if Satan can't keep you from hearing this truth, he will do his darnedest to keep you confused about this truth. So, let me clear up, what for some is a commonly misunderstood belief. And that is Jesus did not come to live in you to help you live the Christian life. Jesus came to literally live His life through you, to exchange His life for yours. He came to be your very life.

Therefore, when I am wrestling with obeying God or doubting that I humanly can obey what He wants me to do or maybe how He wants me to respond to a person or a situation, all I have to do is pray "Lord, not me, but you live your life through me during this situation," step out in faith, and He does it! My problem is that I keep forgetting to ask Him to take over. I usually try to deal with it in my own strength or ability, and more often than not, fail miserably.

Please, understand. When in a pressured situation, I am not saying that all you have to do is to ask the Lord to "help me to love this person, or forgive this person." We are not told any where to ask for His help, but to submit ourselves to Him and allow Him to live his life through us. It's, "Lord, by faith, I believe that you will follow your Father's will in this circumstance, and love this person through me. Because I, in my own power, cannot do it. so, you do it."

 Galatians 2:20, is a perfect verse to explain this very principle. It reads, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the {life} which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me." 

This is what Lee Lefebre, the president of Exchanged Life Ministries calls the practically living out of the Christ exchanged life. Another verse that speaks to this subject of being saved daily by Christ's life, being enabled to live life now as God has called us, is Colossians 3:1-3. Here, Paul states, "If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

Now, what happens to us as Christians, if we try to live the Christian life in our own power, rather than consciously calling upon Jesus to live His life through us? When an individual depends upon his or her own strength to cope with the present pressures of life, or to live through the pain of past rejections, the result is ultimately conflict and frustration.

 In John 10:10, Jesus said, that He came to give us life, and life more abundantly, meaning a life that is more purposeful and centered in peace. He did not come to give us a life filled with more frustration and conflict. But if we believe the lies of Satan or remain deceived by him in to thinking, that we can live the Christian life in our own strength, then instead of peace and life, we will discover only frustration, despair and conflict. Remember: The Christian life is a supernatural life that requires supernatural power to be lived as God has called us to live.

What happens to the believer as he or she matures and understands these truths and experiences the very real power of Christ in his life, enabling the believer to live as he or she ought? What happens is that we start to feel good about our lives. We start to rejoice and praise God for Who He is and all He is doing for us. And that is just what verse 11 says. Look at it. It reads, "And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."

When we start to understand the greatness of our God, and His surpassing power in our lives, we won't be able to quit talking about Him and His greatness. We will rejoice today and tell our friends how God has reconciled us to Himself and has enabled us to live through the pressures of this life, through the hurts and pains of rejection.

Will this ever change? In other words, can we ever loose our reconciled state with God? Will He ever reject us and break His vow or promise to save the believer? Is there anything we can do that would so upset God that He would refuse to accept us? Were we born again only to be trashed by God later? No. How do I know that? 

Go back with me and notice the verb tenses that describe the actions that have take place. Starting with verse 9, since this describes our state as believers. Paul says that we "having been justified". That was a past action. The scriptures teach that God only justifies a person once. Nowhere in scripture does God say that He over and over repeats the action of justification. Never does he say that we need to be justified again. And the reason He doesn't is because once a person is justified, he can never be unjustified or be made unapproved of by God.

In verse 10, once again Paul uses a past tense verb described a once and for all completed past action. "We were reconciled" and "having been reconciled." Two things about those statements. Both of those statements are based, not on our works, but upon the work of Christ. Secondly, the are once again expressed by past tense verbs that show a once and for all completed action.

Verse 11, states that "We have now received the reconciliation." It is something given to those who have turned to Christ, not to be taken away. And this gift was given to us, if you remember back in verse 5 on the basis of God's love for us. Can we ever do anything to violate God's love such that we will separate ourselves from God? No. Romans 8:38-39, states that that's impossible. Paul says, "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, [the everyday process of living during which we make many decision, some good, some evil] nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

My friends, if you have committed your life to Jesus Christ as your savior and master of your life, there is nothing you can do that will separate you from the love of God or His gift to you of reconciliation. God will never trash you. This is one relationship that once you have entered into it, it will never be dissolved.

Three principles for you to think about as you leave this morning. Throughout this chapter, so far, three times Paul has told us that true believers will rejoice, regardless of their circumstances. He has told us that the real secret behind our rejoicing is based upon what we know, which is based upon what God says is true. For instance, we can rejoice about our future with God, because we know we are at peace with Him and that He loves us. Secondly, we can rejoice about our present with God, even in the midst of tragedy, because we know that our God loves us and will even use these tragedies for our own good in the end. Thirdly, as we seek God work in our lives, and He becomes more personal or real to us, we will rejoice in Who He is. 

 Or to put it another way, the secret of rejoicing is having the correct focus based upon the truths about God and what He has done for you. 

Secondly, we have seen that the Christian life is a supernatural life. It is the life, where by faith, we turn to Jesus and decidedly, moment by moment invite Him to live His life out through us as we chose to obey His will. God gave His life for us, in order to give His life to us, in order that He might live His life through us! 

Last, but certainly not least is the truth that we are permanently secure and permanently empowered in Christ, to live as God has called us to live. God has done everything necessary to secure our eternal relationship with Him. There is nothing we can do to improve upon what He has done or to invalidate it. Secondly, He has permanently enabled us with the life of His son in us, to obey everything He has called us to do.  We are guaranteed a place with Him for eternity and have been given all that we need to live with Him today.

Let's close with two verses that might act as a benediction. The first comes from 1 Peter 1:3-5, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to {obtain} an inheritance {which is} imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

The second passage is 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24. "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." 

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