Chapter # 5 Paragraph # 1 Study # 11
April 4, 2006
Lincolnton, N.C.
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<210> Thesis:   We must be confident of our relationship with God while not thinking that it has any roots of any kind in us. Introduction:   In our study last week we put our focus upon two of Paul's words in Romans 5:9-10: much more. It was our claim in that study that the underlying reason for Paul's emphasis upon the enormous superiority of God's provision for our sin was the need we have to be sure of our acceptance by God. The provision that is in Christ is "objective" and "universal" in that Christ died for the sins of the world. But it does no good for the provision to be "objective" and "universal" if the "subjective individual" does not "believe" in it. In other words, it does no good whatsoever for a person to have a Redeemer whom he does not trust. Thus, Paul declares the two roots of "faith" in his explanation of the greatness of Christ's provision: first, and primary, is the ministry of the Spirit mentioned in 5:5; and second, but not unimportant, is the verbal declaration and explanation of that Spirit in the words of the inspired apostle. That "faith" is a production of the Holy Spirit is declared by the apostle in multiple places (Romans 12:3; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 1:29; Galatians 5:22; etc.). That "faith" is the direct consequence of hearing the word of God is also declared by the apostle in multiple places, of which Romans 10:14 and 17 are an example. From the textual fact that Paul's "mention" of the Spirit involves a part of one verse and his "detailed explanation" involves several verses and many more words, we can draw the conclusion that Paul did not concern himself overmuch with what the Spirit was going to do, but, rather, concerned himself almost completely with making as plain a case as he could in words for faith. It was, after all, Paul's theology that it was his job to plant/water, but it was the Spirit's choice to make of his efforts what He would (1 Corinthians 3:5-7). Now, this evening, as we move into the last verse of this paragraph, we are going to look into Paul's third declaration of how we "exult". He said, in 5:2, that, because we are justified, we "exult" in hope of the glory of God. Then, in 5:3, he said that we also "exult" in our tribulations because we know how God works to bring us into the greatest possible experience of the "glory" that we anticipate on the basis of 5:2. Now, after going around the block in respect to our troubles and His love through 5:3-10, he returns in 5:11 to the initial issue: our "exulting". Why does he do this, and how do we do this?