There are so many one-liners in Romans that teach me and lift me and inspire my faith. Chapter 5 opens with yet another one-liner: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (1-2).
Peace with God… no more being God’s enemy, no more needing to run from God or hide my head from God in shame. As I was writing this, I thought of Adam and Eve. After their sin of eating the forbidden fruit, they were ashamed to have God see them. Their peace with God was broken. Shame and hiding and blaming now marked their relationship with God. What they lost has been restored… we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ!
The possessive ‘our’ shouldn’t be lost in the phrase above. When Jesus becomes a person’s Lord, peace arrives. Not everyone enjoys this peace, only those who follow Jesus as Lord.
A second facet of our new relationship is that we stand on ‘grace’ not ‘works’.… Grace emphasizes the gift-factor of this new standing and new relationship with God. God does it for us when we believe. We don’t earn our new standing with God, it is a ‘grace-gift’. These are the aspects of our faith that turned and churned in my thoughts as I read and pondered Chapter Five.
God is sooooo good! My heart simply soars in praise!
Praise the name of Jesus, praise the name of Jesus. He’s my rock. He’s my fortress. He’s my deliverer, in Him do I stand…
Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, praise Him above You heavenly host. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost… Amen.
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