Peace with God – Romans 5:1-5

Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Welcome back once again to Delving into the Scriptures! What a great passage we have here by Paul in Romans – I think there is 2-3 posts just here! Today we will just look at verses 1 and 2.

We have studied already that we are justified through faith in Jesus Christ. Following this faith comes peace – peace with God. What does this mean for us? The first is that we are now on the ‘same page’ as God in Heaven – we are not in a different place, we are not on a different track, we are not ‘at war’ or even at odds with God – we have peace with Him.

Seriously – that is such a crazy thought! To think that we have access to God – undeserved access (by faith into this grace) – it’s just mind boggling. But think back – it was not meant to be that way! If you go back before sin entered the world, you can see that God and Man communicated freely. Not only that, but God went out of His way to make things ‘right’ for Adam – First the garden of Eden, then concerned that Adam didn’t have a ‘like’ companion He also created Eve. Despite the fact we are still in this fallen world, we now have access back to God just as in the earlier days. It is true it won’t be perfect until we leave this life for the next, but it is certainly back to a place where you can approach God, without the reproach of your sin to hinder you.

So since you can now be on the same page as God – what are you going to do with it? Are you going to communicate with Him often? How should you do that? You have all probably heard a preacher harp on about ‘read your Bible’ and ‘pray every day’. In fact, the Bible tells us to ‘Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.‘ (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). How do you pray without ceasing? I think the best example I can give is this – take everything to God. You don’t need to be on your knees in your bedroom – you can be anywhere. I pray when driving, walking, working, even talking to people – thanking God for the little things, asking for guidance, or even just taking my cares and concerns to Him. This is focusing on God and developing a relationship with Him.

Now the next part of this verse – to ‘rejoice in the hope of the Glory of God’. It’s simple really – we are rejoicing now for our right relationship with God and His Glory, but it is also hope – not hope as ‘I hope this will happen’, but hope as in knowledge that it certainly will happen and we just have to wait for it to come to us. We know that this life (or ‘tent’ as Paul often refers to) will one day come to an end – and at that point, so will our sinful nature. It is that point that we will truly live in right relationship with God, without the troubles and concerns of this present life, but live in Glory for all eternity. That is our hope – it is our ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. We know with full certainty that what we live in now is nothing compared to what we will experience then – and we rejoice in that fact. If we go back to the verse in Thessalonians – we ‘rejoice always’.

Do you want to be closer to God? Do you wish you could throw of this sinful life and place and just get to the place that was meant for us from the beginning of time? Then rejoice! Know that it is coming – God knows the timing – but it is coming, and we can rejoice in that. I often have to focus on that during harder times in my life – I know that all things work for good for those that love God (Romans 8:28), and I know that this life has nothing on the next one. I know that I am right with God through faith in Jesus Christ – I now just need to rely on Him to get me through to the end.

Lord God, I pray you teach us to rely on You. Give us revelation of Your love for us, and Your relationship with us, that we might be ever more effective in this place for You. In Jesus name. Amen.