Text: Romans 1:1–7
Sermon Title: A Glorious Gospel Greeting
Series: Romans: Righteousness for the Ungodly

Yesterday we began Paul’s letter to the Romans by looking at Romans 1:1–7, what we called “A Glorious Gospel Greeting.” As we begin this amazing letter, we are tracing the theme of the righteousness of God throughout Romans. Here is the way we are breaking down the letter for preaching:

1. The Righteousness of God Revealed in the Gospel
   Romans 1:1–17
2. The Righteousness of God Established as Man’s Universal Need
   Romans 1:18–3:20
3. The Righteousness of God Given through Faith in Christ
   Romans 3:21–4:25
4. The Righteousness of God Securing Our Hope of Glory
   Romans 5:1–8:39
5. The Righteousness of God Vindicated in His Saving Purposes
   Romans 9:1–11:36
6. The Righteousness of God Bearing Fruit in a New Humanity
   Romans 12:1–15:13
7. The Righteousness of God Extended through Gospel Mission
   Romans 15:14–16:23
8. The Righteousness of God Culminating in Glory to God
   Romans 16:25–27

Sermon Summary

We began by asking: Why does Paul take so long to say hello?

Romans 1:1–7 is the longest and most theologically loaded greeting in all of Paul’s letters. I argued that Paul is not rambling with words; he is rallying the troops. He is not wasting words; he is raising the gospel banner of the risen King and calling the church in Rome to gather beneath it.

Paul writes to a church he did not plant, made up of Jewish and Gentile believers, whose support he hopes to gain for his mission to Spain. So from the opening words, Paul clarifies:

• Who he is
• What gospel he preaches
• What mission he is on
• Who these believers are in Christ

In other words, this greeting introduces the heart of what Paul will unpack throughout the rest of Romans: the gospel of God, promised in the Old Testament, centered on Christ, aimed at the obedience of faith, going to all nations, for the glory of the Triune God.

Sermon Outline

The sermon followed four movements from the text:

1. The Messenger (v. 1)

Romans 1:1: "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God..."

Paul identifies himself as:

• Paul, the transformed man — formerly Saul, a blasphemer, persecutor, and enemy of the church, now conquered by Christ and made a preacher of the very gospel he once tried to annihilate. As Paul would later say, “By the grace of God I am what I am.”
• A slave of Christ — purchased by Christ, owned by Christ, ruled by Christ, and devoted to Christ.
• A called apostle — not self-appointed, but divinely summoned and commissioned by Christ.
• A set-apart evangelist — separated by God for the gospel as his life’s purpose.

2. The Message (vv. 2-4)

Romans 1:2–4: "...the gospel of God… promised beforehand… in the Holy Scriptures… concerning his Son."

The gospel is not man’s “tower of Babel” to reach up to God. Paul declares that the gospel:

• Originates in God — “the gospel of God”
• Is Rooted in Scripture — “promised beforehand in the Holy Scriptures”
• Is Centered on His Son — “concerning His Son”

Paul then reveals four glorious truths about Jesus:

• He is God’s eternal Son — “concerning his Son”
• He is David’s promised descendant — “descended from David according to the flesh”
• He is God’s exalted King — “appointed Son of God in power… by his resurrection from the dead”
• He is Jesus Christ our Lord — “Jesus Christ our Lord”

We slowed down over Romans 1:4. The ESV says Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God in power,” but the Greek word does not mainly mean “declare” or “show.” In the New Testament, it consistently carries the sense of appoint, determine, or fix:

• Luke 22:22 — the Son of Man goes as it has been “determined.”
• Acts 2:23 — Jesus was delivered up according to God’s “definite” plan.
• Acts 10:42 — Jesus is the One “appointed by God” to judge the living and the dead.
• Acts 17:31 — God will judge the world by the Man “whom he has appointed.”
• Hebrews 4:7 — God “appoints” a certain day.

Romans 1:4 doesn’t mean Jesus became the Son of God at the resurrection. That would fall into the false teaching known as adoptionism, the idea that Jesus was merely a man whom God later adopted as His Son. But Jesus didn't become the Son of God at His baptism, resurrection, or exaltation. He is the eternal Son of God who took on flesh. Nor does Romans 1:4 merely mean the resurrection proved He was the Son, though it certainly did. Rather, Paul is saying that the eternal Son, who came as David’s promised King in the weakness of the flesh, was appointed Son of God in power by His resurrection from the dead.

“Son of God” is not only a title of deity; it is also a royal, messianic title tied to God’s covenant with David (as we took the time to unpack in our previous series of sermons on the biblical covenants). In 2 Samuel 7:14, God promised David concerning his royal offspring, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” In Psalm 2:7, the Davidic king hears God say, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”

Interestingly, the New Testament applies Psalm 2:7 to Jesus’ resurrection and exaltation. In Acts 13:32–33, Paul says God fulfilled His promise to the fathers by raising Jesus from the dead, and then quotes Psalm 2:7: “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.” In Hebrews 1:5, Psalm 2:7 is used to show the superiority of the exalted Son over the angels. And in Hebrews 5:5, it is applied to Christ’s appointment to His priestly glory.

So when Paul says Jesus was appointed “Son of God in power,” he means that the promised Son of David has now been enthroned as the risen, reigning Messiah. The eternal Son was installed in power as the royal Son of God, the Davidic King who now reigns as Lord over all. The resurrection did not create His sonship; it crowned His messianic kingship!

Romans 1:3–4 appears to be built in parallel:

   Romans 1:3 — Who was descended
   Romans 1:4 — Who was appointed

   Romans 1:3 — From David
   Romans 1:4 — Son of God in power

   Romans 1:3 — According to the flesh
   Romans 1:4 — According to the Spirit of holiness

   Romans 1:4 adds: By His resurrection from the dead.

The second line seems to expand the first. Verse 4 adds “in power” to “Son of God,” adds “holiness” to “Spirit,” and adds “at the resurrection of the dead,” which has no direct parallel in verse 3.

This helps us understand the apostle's point. He is not mainly contrasting Jesus’ human nature with His divine nature. He is showing the movement of the eternal Son from humiliation to exaltation, from weakness to power, from the old age to the new age.

In verse 3, Jesus is the promised Son of David, entering history “according to the flesh.” In verse 4, Jesus is the risen Son of God in power, enthroned by the resurrection according to the Spirit of holiness. The promised King had to come from David’s line. But at the resurrection, this same Son of David was installed in power as the reigning Messiah.

This also shows the contrast between the old age of weakness and the new age of resurrection power. Jesus came “according to the flesh,” entering the realm of weakness, suffering, humiliation, and death. But by the resurrection, He left the old age behind and inaugurated the new age of the Spirit. Elsewhere, Paul said of Jesus, “He was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God” (2 Corinthians 13:4).

So the resurrection did not create Jesus’ sonship. Rather, it crowned His Davidic kingship. The eternal Son, who came as David’s promised King in the weakness of the flesh, now reigns in power as "Jesus Christ our Lord."

3. The Mission (v. 5)

Romans 1:5: “...through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations.”

Paul’s mission has a source, a twofold aim, and a scope:

• The Source of the Mission: From Christ
  “through whom we have received grace and apostleship”
  Paul’s mission was not self-appointed or self-driven. It came through the risen Christ as a gift of grace.
• The Manward Aim of the Mission: To Bring About the Obedience of Faith
  “to bring about the obedience of faith”
  The gospel summons sinners from every nation to believe in Christ and live in the obedience that flows from faith.
• The Godward Aim of the Mission: The Glory of Christ’s Name
  “for the sake of his name”
  The ultimate aim is not man’s name, Paul’s name, or the church’s name, but the honor, worship, and glory of Jesus Christ.
• The Scope of the Mission: All Nations
  “among all the nations”
  The risen Son of David is Lord of all, so the gospel must go to all.

This mission also forms one of the great bookends of Romans. Paul opens the letter by saying his mission is to bring about “the obedience of faith” among all nations “for the sake of his name” (Romans 1:5). Then he closes the letter by saying that the gospel has been made known “to all nations” “to bring about the obedience of faith” (Romans 16:26), which leads Paul to end on the high note of worship and praise: “to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ” (Romans 16:27).

The book of Romans isn’t merely about individual salvation. It is about God saving sinners from all nations through the gospel of His Son, bringing them to the obedience of faith, and receiving glory through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

4. The Members of God’s Household (vv. 6-7)

Romans 1:6–7: “...including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ… loved by God and called to be saints… grace to you and peace.”

Before Paul tells these saints what to do, he reminds them who they are in Christ. They are:

• Called to belong to Jesus Christ (they are owned)
• Loved by God
• Called to be saints
• Recipients of grace and peace

The FAITH Acrostic

When we considered “the obedience of faith,” we used the word FAITH to remember what saving faith looks like. Each part of this definition comes from Romans itself:

F — Forsake every hope of self-righteousness.
Romans teaches that no one will be justified by works of the law, and that sinners must receive the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:20; 10:3; 3:21–22).

A — Abandon every excuse and acknowledge your guilt before God.
Romans teaches that God’s law stops every mouth, silences our boasting, makes all our excuses crumble, and holds the entire world accountable before God (Romans 1:20; 2:1; 3:19; 3:23).

I — Immediately call upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save you.
Romans teaches that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved. Romans also carries a note of urgency: “the hour has come for you to wake from sleep,” for “salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” Saving faith does not delay. It calls upon Christ now (Romans 10:9; 10:12–13; 5:6; 13:11).

T — Turn from sin and take God at His Word.
Romans teaches that God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance, and that saving faith takes God at His Word, just as Abraham believed God and God counted it to him as righteousness (Romans 2:4; 4:3; 4:20–22; 6:12–13).

H — Hold fast to Christ with the obedience that flows from faith.
Romans teaches that true faith in Christ brings forth genuine obedience to Christ. Those who were once slaves of sin have, by God’s grace, become “obedient from the heart” to the gospel teaching they received. Having been set free from sin, they now belong to Christ as slaves of righteousness. So saving faith does not merely profess Christ; it holds fast to Christ and follows Him in the obedience that flows from faith (Romans 1:5; 6:17–18; 6:22; 8:13–14; 11:20; 16:26).

According to Romans, the faith that saves is a faith that forsakes every hope of self-righteousness, abandons every excuse and acknowledges one’s guilt before God, immediately calls upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, turns from sin and takes God at His Word, and holds fast to Christ with the obedience that flows from faith.

Rooted in Romans

If you would like to keep meditating on these things this week, and sink your roots deeper in Romans, here are a few passages to read and consider:

• Romans 1:1–7
  Read the passage again slowly and look for the four movements we saw on Sunday: the Messenger, the Message, the Mission, and the Members of God’s household. How would you divide this section up?
• Romans 16:25–27
  Notice how Paul ends the letter with the same themes he introduces at the beginning: the gospel, the nations, the obedience of faith, and glory to God through Jesus Christ. How would you explain the meaning of "the obedience of faith" to a lost sinner?
• 2 Samuel 7:12–16 and Psalm 2
  These passages help us see why “Son of God” is a royal, messianic title tied to the promised King from David’s line.
• Acts 13:32–33
  Notice how Paul applies Psalm 2:7 to Jesus’ resurrection and exaltation.

Questions for Personal Study or Family Worship

1. Why does Paul take so long to greet the believers in Rome?
2. Why do you think Paul refers to the good news as "the gospel of God"?
3. Why is it important that the gospel was "promised beforehand by the prophets" in the Holy Scriptures?
4. Where is the gospel found in the Old Testament?
5. How does Romans 1:4 help us see that the resurrection did not create Jesus’ sonship, but crowned His messianic kingship?
6. What does “the obedience of faith” teach us about the nature of saving faith?
7. Which part of the FAITH acrostic do you most need to remember this week?
8. Is faith in Christ merely a one-time decision, or is true saving faith an ongoing reality in the Christian life, sustained by the Holy Spirit and bearing fruit in the obedience of faith?
9. How should Romans 1:5 — “the obedience of faith” — help us lovingly and soberly respond to those who claim to believe in Jesus, yet show little concern for biblical obedience?
10. How does the gospel of God's Son unite Christians who are divided?
11. Who can you share the gospel with and pray for this week, in hopes that they would call upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation?

Praying Through Romans

• Pray that the Spirit would make us a church gathered beneath the banner of "the gospel of God."
• Pray that we would be saved by the gospel, stirred by the gospel, sanctified by the gospel, strengthened by the gospel, and sent by the gospel.
• Pray that the God of endurance and encouragement would grant us, by the power of the gospel, to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together with one voice we may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Pray that our mission would mirror Paul’s: to see the gospel produce the obedience of faith among all the nations for the sake of Christ’s name.
• Pray that the name of Jesus Christ would be honored among us, in our homes, in our church, in Las Cruces, and among all nations.
• Pray for unbelieving family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers to call upon the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.

A Prayer Based on FAITH

As we considered "the obedience of faith" from Romans 1:5, we used the word FAITH to remember what saving faith looks like in Paul's letter to the Romans. Here is a prayer based on that definition.

Our God and Father,

F - Forsake every hope of self-righteousness

Shatter any pride in me that leads me to boast in myself. Show me that my most righteous deeds, apart from Christ, are filthy rags. Guard my heart from ever turning devotion to You, reading the Scriptures, bearing the fruit of the Spirit, or the joy of abiding in Christ into an occasion for confidence in my flesh. May my boast always and only be Christ crucified for me. Forsaking every illusion of righteousness in myself, I place my faith in a crucified Savior.

A — Abandon every excuse and acknowledge our guilt before God.

Your Son’s perfect life and Your Word’s pure commands expose my sinfulness, stop the foolish flow of excuses, and strip me bare before the blazing holiness of Your presence. With the tax collector, I declare, “Have mercy on me, the sinner.” With Isaiah, I confess, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips.” With Peter, I am tempted to say, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Yet I know that Your departure would be my ruin. My only hope is a High Priest who draws near to the unclean, touches the defiled and leprous, and leaves them clean. I am guilty, yet justified by Your grace. I have no excuses for sins committed before or after my birth from above, and no reason in myself why You should have anything to do with me, yet I trust in You as the God who justifies the ungodly.

I — Immediately call upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save us.

Flood my soul with the urgency of the hour, every hour, and with my need of You every waking moment. Sin would have me put off repentance for another day. Satan would sing me to sleep with lullabies of lies. My flesh whispers, “Tomorrow,” while Your Word thunders, “The night is far gone, the day is at hand! The hour has come for you to wake from sleep!” Let me not slumber in sin while salvation is nearer now than when I first believed. Help me cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Awaken my faith to seek You while You may be found and call upon You while You are near. Give me grace to pray unceasingly, confess sin quickly, trust Your promises immediately when temptation is strong, and obey Your Word without delay.

T — Turn from sin and take God at His Word.

Your kindnesses to me are more than the sand of the sea, and I am often mindful only of the ones I can see. How blind I am to the countless mercies that fill and flood my life! Open my eyes to see them more clearly, and may Your kindness always lead me to repentance. Give me grace to forsake my wicked ways, turn from my unrighteous thoughts, and return to You immediately when I stray. Remind me by personal experience that turning from sin and taking You at Your Word always leads to life, freedom, and lasting joy. May I, like Abraham, not merely believe in You, but believe You, and let no unbelief make me waver concerning Your promises, but strengthen my faith as I give glory to You, fully convinced that You are able to do what You have promised.

H — Hold fast to Christ with the obedience that flows from faith.

I cling to Christ, glory in Christ, and cast myself entirely upon Him. All other ground is sinking sand. Help me never to trust in my faith, my strength, or my ability to hold fast to Your Son, but to trust in Him and in His ability to hold me fast. May my love for Him prove to be genuine through childlike obedience to Him. Thank You that You have not left me as an orphan, but have given me Your Spirit, who never leaves or abandons me, but continually fills, enables, and empowers faith-fueled obedience from the heart to the standard of teaching to which You have committed me. Thank You for the glorious freedom found in obeying my Master, Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

For the sake of Christ's name,
Justin Trevino

In light of the countless, undeserved mercies we’ve received
from the nail-pierced hands
of your infinitely precious Son,
we present our bodies as living sacrifices to you,
for you alone, our Lord and God,
are worthy to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will and good pleasure,
they exist and were created.

O God, our hearts are restless
until they find their rest in you.

We praise you with joyful lips,
mindful and aware that, like Isaiah,
we are a people of unclean lips,
but also mindful and aware that like Isaiah,
our lips have been cleansed,
our guilt has been taken away,
and our sin has been atoned for
by the all-sufficient, all-consuming, ever-burning coal
of our Savior’s bloody death
and glorious resurrection from the dead.

We praise you for the gracious and effective work
of the Holy Spirit,
whom you poured out on us richly
through Jesus Christ our Savior.

You are the God who picked up all our ashes
and planted beautiful flowers in their place;
the God who took our hell
and gave us heaven in exchange.

We thank you for all You’ve done to save us,
for the way you loved us first.

When we were lost and hiding,
you sought us and you found us.

When we were spiritually naked, destitute, and impoverished,
you clothed us in the radiant robe
of your righteousness.

When we had no heart to love you,
no mind to understand you,
no eyes to see you,
no will to seek you,
no strength to stretch out our hands to you,
no voice to cry out to you,
and no hunger, thirst, or appetite
for your all-satisfying presence,
you passed by in all of your royal beauty,
abundant goodness, and unspeakable mercy,
you said to us in our helplessness, “Live!”
and we were made alive!

The majestic voice that spoke the universe into existence,
the voice that breaks the cedars of Lebanon,
the voice that shakes the wilderness of Kadesh,
and the voice that calls into existence
the things that do not exist
called us by name
and breathed life into our deadness!

You made us new.
You welcomed us in.
You declared us to be yours,
and yours alone.

You have covered us with mercy,
so that we can come just as we are,
and in sweet surrender,
throw ourselves completely in your hands.

We give you our hearts
as those who are fully yours and set apart,
for this is all you’ve ever wanted from the start.

As we open your word, speak O Lord!

May our hearts be encouraged
and knit together in love.

May Christ dwell in our hearts through faith.
May repentance flood our hearts!
May the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.

May the eyes of our hearts be enlightened,
that we might know what is the hope
to which you have called us,
what are the riches
of your glorious inheritance in the saints,
and what is the immeasurable greatness
of your power towards us who believe.

May you establish our hearts blameless in holiness before you,
our God and Father,
both now and at the coming of our Lord Jesus
with all his saints.

Teach us, compel us, and empower us, by your word,
to flee youthful passions
and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace,
along with those who call on Christ
from a pure heart.

And may you—by your Spirit, and through your word—
direct each of our hearts
to the love of God
and to the steadfastness of Christ, our Savior and King,
in whose cross we boast,
in whose righteousness we stand,
in whose resurrection we live,
and in whose name we pray.

Amen.

Though the word covenant does not appear in Genesis 1–3, all the elements of a covenant are present: God’s command, Adam’s obligation, implied blessing for obedience, and severe consequences for disobedience. The word itself does not need to appear for us to recognize a covenantal relationship in these early chapters of the Bible. Similarly, when God established His covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7, the word covenant is never used. Yet the psalmist later declares with unmistakable clarity that what God established with David was in fact a covenant:

You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant..." (Psalm 89:3)

When it comes to Genesis 1, Scripture later refers to God’s relationship with Adam as a covenant and identifies him as the representative head of the human race:

But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me. (Hosea 6:7)

For as by the one man’s (Adam's) disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s (Christ's) obedience the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:19)

Tragically, Adam disobeyed and transgressed the covenant. Sin severed man's relationship with God, unleashed death and curse into the world, and left humanity alienated from the God we were created to know and enjoy. Instead of filling the world with glory-reflecting image-bearers, our first parents filled it with glory-exchanging image-bearers who hate the light and refuse to seek God, traitorous rebels against the Most High.

Yet God did not abandon humanity or forsake His gracious eternal purpose. He promised that one of Adam and Eve’s descendants would crush the serpent, reverse the curse, and restore what Adam lost (Gen. 3:15). This first announcement of the gospel—the protoevangelium (“first gospel”)—becomes the gushing spring of hope behind the greatest story ever told. In this single promise, God sets into motion the story of His redeeming mercy, a story that reaches its climax and telos in Christ, the last Adam.

Across the biblical covenants—with Noah (Gen. 9:8–17), Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3; 15:1–6; 17:1–7), Israel (Ex. 19:5–24:8), and David (2 Sam. 7:12–16; Ps. 89:3–4)—God unfolds this promise more clearly, showing how His kingdom advances through the progression of these covenants, all of which point to Jesus Christ and the new covenant. By His death and resurrection, Jesus established the new covenant, inaugurated the new creation, and formed a new humanity to live and reign with Him eternally as God’s image-bearing priest-kings, redeemed by the blood of Christ and restored by His grace (Eph. 2:15, 4:24; Col. 3:10; 1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6).

The Bible is the story of two Adams: the first Adam, who plunged humanity into sin and death, and the last Adam, Jesus Christ, who brings salvation and restoration. Where the first Adam failed, the last Adam perfectly obeyed. Where the first Adam brought death by taking from the tree, the last Adam brought life and immortality by giving Himself on the tree (2 Tim. 1:10; 1 Pet. 2:24). Through Christ and the new covenant, God’s original purpose for humanity is not only restored but crowned with a glory that infinitely outshines anything our first parents ever knew in Eden!

Today, every human being is either in Adam or in Christ, including you. There is no middle ground. It is an “either–or” matter, not a “both–and” reality. Your eternal destiny—misery without end or life everlasting—depends entirely on whether you belong to the first Adam or the last Adam. “In Adam all die, but in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22).

To deepen your understanding of the glorious themes unpacked in this sermon series, we recommend the following resources.

PODCASTS EPISODES

• Covenants in Biblical Context with Peter Gentry
• The Creation Covenant with Richard Lucas
• The Noahic Covenant with Michael Carlino
  
• The Abrahamic Covenant with Jason DeRouchie
• The Mosaic Covenant with Thomas Schreiner
• The Levitical Covenant with David Schrock
• The Davidic Covenant with Stephen Wellum
• The New Covenant with Joshua Greever

THEMES

ARTICLES

• An Arc of the Covenants: Tracing How the Bible’s Storyline Climaxes in Christ by Jason S. DeRouchie
• Progressive Covenantalism: Key Points of Definition

BOOKS

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:13)

This is Peter's very first command to his first readers, yet it's a command for all believers in every age. Preparing our minds for action, and being sober-minded, we are to set our hope fully on the grace that will be given to us when the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in His majestic glory. It's wonderful reality, and one that should kindle the embers of hope in our hearts: God promises to lavish His redeemed with even more grace in the future.

PAST GRACE

Election

As Christians, when we look back on our lives—and even further back to a time before the world existed—we see that the grace of God was already being lavished upon a people yet unborn. The doctrine of election is nothing more than God's grace extended to wrath-deserving sinners in Christ Jesus before the ages began (2 Tim. 1:9). God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we might forever praise the glory of His grace (Eph. 1:4-6).

Redemption

Not only is God’s grace the source of election, but it was also the very thing that motivated our Lord Jesus to humble Himself for us: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). According to Paul, redemption through the blood of Christ and the forgiveness of our trespasses flow from the riches of Christ’s grace (Eph. 1:7).

Regeneration

We can also trace the miracle of the new birth—the reality of being made alive in Christ—back to the grace of God (Eph. 2:5). Those who are called are called by God's grace (Gal. 1:15), and those who believe, believe only through God's grace (Acts 18:27). Whether we look back to the Father’s sovereign election, the Son’s redeeming sacrifice, or the Spirit’s work in calling and regenerating us, grace is the fountain from which all of it flows. 

Never move beyond the wonder of past grace poured out by our Triune God, for the preciousness of past grace empowers present obedience and enlivens future hope.

PRESENT GRACE

Sanctification

God's grace toward us didn’t stop at regeneration. God's grace trains us in holiness (Tit. 2:11-12). The language of believers continuing to be entrusted and handed over to God's grace and favor is found three times in the book of Acts (Acts 14:26; 15:40; 20:32). As Christians, we are "set before" (Gk. paratithemi) the grace of God (Acts 20:32). We stand in grace (Rom. 5:2), live under grace (Rom. 6:14), are gifted by grace (Rom. 12:6), sustained by grace (2 Cor. 12:9), and strengthened by grace (Heb. 13:9). As we pray, we approach God's throne of grace, where we are guaranteed to receive mercy and grace to help us in our time of need (Heb. 4:16).

FUTURE GRACE

Glorification

Christians can look back, up, down, and around with the eyes of faith see the grace of God everywhere they turn. Yet, there remains a future manifestation of God's grace: "the grace that will be brought to [us] at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:13). It is this grace, according to Peter, that we are to set the entirety of our hope upon. In fact, it is fitting to think of this future grace as the ultimate goal for which all past and present grace is extended to us. In other words, the grace behind election, redemption, regeneration, sanctification, and preservation is preparing us for the grace to be revealed in the breathtaking experience of glorification—when all the blood-bought children of God will be perfectly conformed to the image of God's eternal Son.

John Frame summarizes glorification as "the consummation of human nature in God’s image" (Salvation Belongs to the Lord: An Introduction to Systematic Theology, 2006, 223). It is the final link in Paul’s golden chain of redemption: "And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified" (Rom. 8:30). Glorification involves the redemption, resurrection, and transformation of our lowly bodies (Rom. 8:23; 1 Cor. 15:43; Phil. 3:21). As John Murray states, it refers to "the complete and final redemption of the whole person, when in the integrity of body and spirit, the people of God will be conformed to the image of the risen, exalted, and glorified Redeemer, when the very body of their humiliation will be conformed to the body of Christ’s glory" (Redemption Accomplished and Applied, 1955, 175).

On that final day, our heavenly Bridegroom will "present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:27). In Luke 12, we are given a breathtaking picture of the grace that will be lavished upon us by our King:

Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Luke 12:35-40)

Christian believer, consider these words and let them sink in: Christ will again dress Himself for service and have His people recline at the table, as He did with His disciples during His first coming (John 13:4-5). He will again "come and serve" His beloved (Luke 12:37), just as He came the first time "not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28). This must be divine revelation from another world, for who, with the slightest reverence for the God of Scripture, could imagine the King of glory returning to serve His servants? Who are we that we should be the recipients of such gracious service? The answer isn't found in who we are, but in who He is.

The Beatific Vision

We tend to think of God's Son taking the position of a servant only during His first coming (Phil. 2:7), but He is coming again to serve the Bride He redeemed with His own blood. He is coming in grace and with grace to lavish even more grace upon His beloved. He will serve us by glorifying us with Himself (Rom. 8:17). He will serve us by granting us the unspeakable joy and privilege of being with Him forever and beholding His glory:

Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory that You have given Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world. (John 17:24)

To be with Him and to behold Him—this is the grace and glory of the life to come.

His word...

- Converts the soul (Psalm 19:7)
- Makes the simple wise (Psalm 19:7)
- Rejoices our hearts (Psalm 19:8)
- Enlightens our eyes (Psalm 19:8)
- Endures forever (Psalm 19:9)
- Keeps our ways pure (Psalm 119:9)

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. (Psalm 119:9)

- Keeps us from sin (Psalm 119:11)
- Revives us (Psalm 119:25)
- Strengthens us (Psalm 119:28)
- Is as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105)
- Gives us life (Psalm 119:107)
- Imparts light and understanding to the simple (Psalm 119:130)
- Is hated and feared by Satan (Mark 4:15)
- Will never pass away (Mark 13:31)
- Sanctifies us (John 17:17)
- Is like fire (Jeremiah 23:29)
- Is like a hammer that shatters rocks in pieces (Jeremiah 23:29)

Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? (Jeremiah 23:29)

- Is like a sword that cuts and pierces hearts (Acts 2:37)
- Is sweeter than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb (Psalm 19:10)
- Nourishes us as rain and snow nourish the earth (Isaiah 55:11)
- Accomplishes God's purpose and succeeds in the thing for which He sends it (Isaiah 55:11)
- Is living and active (Hebrews 4:12)
- Is sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12)
- Pierces to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow (Hebrews 4:12)
- Discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12)
- Is the sword of the Spirit of God (Ephesians 6:17)
- Builds us up and gives us the inheritance among all those who are sanctified (Acts 20:32)
- Is at work in genuine believers (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

- Is the instrument by which the Spirit of God regenerates dead sinners (James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23)
- Brings life to the dead and hopeless (Ezekiel 37:10)
- Gives us victory over the evil one (1 John 2:14)
- Equips the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:12)
- Builds up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12)
- Matures and establishes us (Ephesians 4:13-14)
- Has effectively cleansed us (Ephesians 5:26)
- Heals and delivers us from destruction (Psalm 107:20)

All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. (Isaiah 66:2)

- Is able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ (2 Timothy 3:15)
- Is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)
- Completes God's servants (2 Timothy 3:17)
- Equips us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17)
- Is what we're to live by (Deuteronomy 8:3)
- Is what we're to hang upon (Luke 19:48)
- Is to be received (John 17:8)
- Is to be trembled at (Isaiah 66:2)
- Is to be hoped in (Psalm 119:74)

Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word. (Psalm 119:41-42)

- Is to be trusted (Psalm 119:42)
- Is to be made known (Colossians 1:25)
- Is to be declared clearly (Colossians 4:4)
- Is to be heralded (2 Timothy 4:2)
- Is to be unfolded (Psalm 119:30)
- Is to dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16)

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)

- Is to be our meditation (Psalm 119:148)
- Is to be desired more than earthly treasures (Psalm 19:10)
- Will judge the wicked on the last day (John 12:48)
- Engenders saving faith in the human heart (Romans 10:17)
- Is no empty word, but our very life (Deuteronomy 32:47)
- Points us to Jesus Christ (John 5:39)
- Brings about fruit in the lives of those who cling to it (Luke 8:15)
- Is to be praised and celebrated (Psalm 56:10)
- Is regarded by God to be just as sacred as His name (Psalm 138:2)

I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. (Psalm 138:2)