Benefits of salvation are endless. Paul listed them clearly. In these verses he gives us the offensive benefits. Many benefits are defensive to enable us and provide what we can’t do for ourselves. A football team uses defensive tools to keep the opponent from scoring on their goal and offensive tools to score on the opponent’s goal. Life is much like that.
Romans 5: 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
We have peace with God. We can glory in tribulations. Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it. Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Redeemed by his infinite mercy. His child and forever I am. We should sing this song with joy regardless of what is going on, whatever the circumstances are. In midst of it all we can still praise God. We are never by ourselves as believers.
The Bible was written for us so we can see how things are. The choice of words is divine. Words and phrases such as also, much more than, and not only so are used. By faith our sins have been forgiven. We have peace with God. He could have stopped there, but it keeps on. Verse 2 says also we have access to grace. Verse 3 says not only so. Verse 9 says much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. We could spend our entire life counting our blessings. We are blessed more than we comprehend. There is no stopping them. There is always something else. There are things reserved for us if we continue in the faith. There are resources we don’t need yet; we’ll receive them as needed. Just as the children of Israel received manna every day, we’ll receive what we need as we continue in the Lord and trust him.
Defensive help—protecting our faith—is through peace, access to God, and the ability to call on God. Not only so, but we glory in tribulations also. We can glory in the dark days. Regardless how hard life, whatever besets us, we can make it. We can not only survive, we can glory in it.
Job 3: 25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. 26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came. We know the story of Job. He says what he feared happened to him. Job was trying to do his best. He wasn’t ashamed of the Lord. Trouble still came. He lost his children, his possessions and his health. Things crop up and catch us unprepared. Remember that God is never caught off guard. The Bible tells us that we can go to the throne of God and find help in the time of need. Nobody wants to suffer. Trouble comes our way. We’re tempted to question God or ourselves.
Because of the benefits we have with the Lord and the bond we have with him, we have help in the good times as well as when the trouble comes. We can look trouble in the face and bear it. We are without strength. We are still in the flesh. We have our old Adam nature. It is possible for us to do wrong. Verse 6 says for when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Our strength doesn’t matter; our faith does. It’s our faith in His strength. We can endure and make it because tribulation works to produce positive effects. When trials come they move us to pray and seek the Lord. We trust the Lord. When times are good we don’t pray as much. When trouble comes we get down to business with the Lord. Tribulation teaches us patience as it motivates us to trust him with a sense of waiting. By trusting in him, he comes through for us.
We’ll experience him working for us. If you had never been sick, you would never experience the benefit of medicine. If you’ve never had surgery, you don’t know how a surgeon can take care of you. You’ll not experience his skill without trouble. That’s the way we experience God. Before we experience God through salvation, we had to see our sin. Trouble causes us to pray and wait on the Lord. We experience his work. The Lord has touched us all physically. He’s helped many of us financially. He’s helped us with our battles with the devil. He helps us every time we need it.
We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to experience God. We have the best soldier in the foxhole with us when Jesus is there. He takes aim at the devil and hits every time. When we pray to the Lord and take things to him, we experience him. This gives us hope to know that tomorrow’s battle can be won too. When things look bad, we know there is hope.
Trouble may take its toll, but it can’t take our atonement. For every scar we bear, there is a man who was scarred from head to toe for us. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. By his stripes we are healed. During the times we hurt, we can feel good because we have victory in the Lord. The benefit is not just for our past but for our present and our future. Conflicts that will come our way don’t have to get to us if we trust in God. We are more than conquerors with the Lord. If I have to be in the foxhole, I want Jesus there with me. We’ll make it to the other side.
We are blessed to be a child of God. Don’t let anything come between you and the Lord. With these kinds of benefits why would you want to live otherwise!
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 