Romans - Exposition of Chapter 5: Assurance

The fifth chapter of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans consists of two rather long, complicated paragraphs. In the first of these, the Apostle lists six positive consequences or "blessings" of justification by faith alone and adds two irrefutable reasons why Christians can have assurance of their salvation: the logic of God’s love as manifested on Calvary and the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, "who has been poured out in our hearts" (verse 5). The second paragraph, which many Christians find disconcertingly difficult, contains a comparison and contrast of the consequences of Adam’s sin with those of the obedience of Christ. Adam was our representative and made us all sinners; Christ died as the representative of all who would believe in him and makes them partakers of his rule of grace. Some fifty years ago, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached all of twenty-six times in a row on this chapter, and in this beautifully bound book his Bible studies are printed word for word. These sermons are very much text-centered and, as interpretations, they evidence an unusual theological depth, without, however, ever seeming to become dry or to retreat into an intellectual "ivory tower". Anyone who wants to study this chapter of Paul needs no other commentary if he has read Lloyd-Jones, who expounds every word that Paul wrote and expatiates on their meaning not only for the first century but also for today. After reading and re-reading these sermons, I feel as though I have understood Romans 5:12-21 for the first time. Twenty-six sermons on 380 pages: is that not a little overdone? No, not when everything is as clear and illuminating as in the writings of "the Doctor", whose Bible studies at Westminster Chapel often used to draw more than a thousand appreciative listeners.