Well, look in chapter 4. Let me give you the outline. We saw in verses 5, 6, 7, and 8 what justification is. It's a change in God's records. Our sins are no longer imputed, verse 8. And a righteousness which is not our own is credited to us, verse 6. Now he tells us this justification doesn't come about by works, verses 1 through 8. We saw that. It doesn't come by ritual, verses 9-12. God justified Abraham. The verse that he quotes is in chapter 15 of Genesis. Abraham believed in the Lord and God credited to him for righteousness. Was Abraham circumcised already? No. That's what verses 9-12 tell us. I think it's interesting because verses 10 and 11, how then was it reckoned his justification when he was in circumcision or uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but uncircumcision. He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith, which he had yet being uncircumcised. I think it's interesting, somewhat humorous, that Reformed theology talks about the sacraments as signs and seals. And they're getting it from this verse. But clearly in this verse, the sign describes something that has already taken place. It's a seal of the righteousness that he already had before he was circumcised. So that baptism or the Lord's Supper ought to be acts of believers, responding to what God has already done. at any rate. You have Abraham here, it's not by law, verses 13 through 15. Verse 14 says, for if they which are of the law be heirs, heirs to the promise that God made to Abraham, faith is made void in the promise made of none effect, because the law worketh wrath. For where there is no law, there's no transgression. Well then, how does a person become justified? First, we read by grace, verse 16. Therefore, it is of faith that it might be by grace. And so through faith, especially in verses 17 through 21, and then it is based upon verses 22 through 25, the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. I think it is fantastic that verse 21 says that Abraham was fully persuaded that what God had promised he was able also to perform, therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. And that's not just for his sake, but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. So chapter 5 verse 1, being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Hope does not express uncertainty like we often use the word hope. Now, I know David Moss from York, Pennsylvania is here, and if his wife isn't here, and if I were to ask him, are you happily married, and he were to say, I hope so, do you think his wife would be happy with that explanation? No. When hope is attached to a promise from God, it expresses certainty. We could read verse 2, we rejoice in the confident looking forward to of the glory of God. I quoted earlier, Titus 1-2, in hope of eternal life which God who cannot lie has promised. Now if God can't lie and God by definition has the power to keep that promise, then it is a certainty And we also, he says, not only do we rejoice in this confident looking forward to the glory of God, but we also glory, verse 3, in tribulation. Now you say, what kind of kook is the Apostle Paul? How many people love it when things go wrong and you pray, God, pour it on a little more. I haven't suffered enough today. Thankfully, no one raised their hand. That isn't what he's saying. He's saying if you're saved and you know it, even when things, outward circumstances aren't going your way, you can still rejoice because you know, even in the tribulations, knowing that the tribulation is allowed by God in your life for a purpose, to produce patience or endurance. It has a good purpose and that patience or endurance is supposed to produce, verse 4, experience. Now that word experience literally means that God tests us for the purpose of demonstrating the reality. In other words, here's a person you haven't seen, maybe you were a college roommate or something many years ago, you're visiting them, they're married, they've got kids, and they're bragging about their kids, how little Johnny or Susie is just a musical genius at the piano, and unfortunately for little Johnny or Susie, they walk in at that moment, and the proud parent says, sit down at the piano and play for my friend here. Now that might be a temptation to the kid or a trial, but to the parent, it's an opportunity to demonstrate the superb quality. Now, if they're living in Australia, you might believe the koala-ty of the person. Thank you. It took you a moment there, at least a couple seconds. Where was I? That's the word that's used here. He's saying we glory in tribulations knowing that tribulation produces endurance, the ability to endure, and that produces proven character or God's approval. It's the same word that's used in James chapter 1 because in James chapter 1 you have God testing. That's one word, but you have the other word, too, twice. The first is in verse three, knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience. Now, if you stop and think about that, you realize that it's not merely the testing of your faith that produces patience. because there are some Christians who when they're tested fail and they become bitter and hard against God for allowing some terrible tragedy in their life. But if you see this word as knowing that the demonstration of your faith, the faith is there and the trial is demonstrating to you It produces patience. It's also found in verse 12. Blessed is the man that endures testing for when he is demonstrated he shall receive the crown of life. Crowns aren't given simply because you're tested. You have to pass the test. And God is testing this person to demonstrate, whether it's to the person themselves or to their friends or whatever, that their faith is genuine. And so that's the word that's used in verse 4 of Romans 5. Patience produces this approval or demonstration of worthiness. that experience produces confidence, hope. It doesn't make us shamed. Why? Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given to us. He's saying we rejoice in the confident expectation of the glory of God, first because in terms of our experience, even when trials come into our lives, We can trust God, know that there's a good reason for it, and if our faith is really genuine, that will be demonstrated in the trial. And this will produce a hope or confidence that won't disappoint us, won't make us ashamed. And the bottom line for all of this, the way we evaluate our experiences, trials included, is that the Holy Spirit lives within us and he reminds us that no matter what we're going through, God loves us. And if that's not enough, if we're so overwhelmed by the trial that we don't see the Holy Spirit in all of that, he says, in verses 6, 7, and 8, when we were yet without strength in due time, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet perhaps for a good man some would even dare to die, but God is demonstrating his love. You want to see the love of God? Look at the cross of Calvary. If your experiences are overwhelming you in a negative way and you need a reminder that God loves you, look at the Cross of Calvary. It's out there as a reality, an objective reality, and say, Lord, I don't know why I'm going through this, but I know one thing, I know you love me, your son died for me and rose again, that someday I'm gonna spend eternity with you. And when you do that, James says you are resisting the devil and he will flee from you. Don't be overwhelmed by the trials, by the tests, but trust him. Well, verses 12 through 21 I told you had all sorts of problems and we're almost ready to get down for supper but let me just point out some things in verse 12. Wherefore as by one man sin entered the world and death by sin. Death did not exist in plant and animal life before Adam disobeyed God. And if you don't see it here in 512, you can see it in chapter 8. We'll get there eventually. That all nature is under the curse. And there's coming a day when that curse is going to be lifted. And one reason why a lot of people don't see the future curse lifted is because they don't believe there ever was a curse to begin with. They're evolutionary in their thinking rather than creationists. Death is the penalty for Adam's sin. So why does it pass upon all men? It says because all sinned. Not simply all have sinned, it's a statement of fact, but all sinned. Meaning that the guilt of Adam's sin is credited to us. And when you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, that guilt is removed. Guilt for personal sins and guilt for Adam's sin. It's all removed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now, I know that raises a lot of questions. What do you think I saved it for the end for?