"Therefore 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 rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
Romans 5:1-2
Part 1
“Therefore being justified by faith,”
Our justification, God’s declaration of us being righteous, only comes by way of faith. Paul has argued this doctrine in Romans 4. “Having been” justified by faith, the following verses in the chapter show the results of this justification.
“Romans 1:18 to Romans 3:20 found us guilty before the courts of God’s law, God’s glory, and our own conscience. Then Paul explained how because of what Jesus did for us, the righteousness of God is given to all who believe. The guilty sentence is transformed into a sentence of justified, and justified by faith” [1] (Guzik).
“We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Notice that Paul says “we have peace with God.” This is different than the “peace of God” spoken of in other places. The sinner can’t make peace with God. This is because He has already done that for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. To have peace with God requires a right relationship with His Son. Do you know Him personally? If you do then you have “peace with God,” the hostility is gone, and you belong to Him now. The next time you hear someone say that they are going to “make their peace with God,” remind them that they cannot! Because God has made peace with us through Jesus’ work on the Cross.
“For he [Christ Jesus] is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us” (Ephesians 2:14).
Dear friend, if Jesus is not your Savior, you do not have “peace with God.” Come back tomorrow, and let’s learn more about God’s grace.
[1] Guzik, David, David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.