By: Dale Weckbacher
Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we
have been justified by faith, we[a] have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(ESV)
One commodity there is no shortage of in our society is news
that steals our joy and happiness. While
it is important for people, including Christians to stay informed, dwelling on
the negative in the news can result in grumpy Christians. This goes against the command of Jesus when
he told his followers to let their light shine so the world can see our good
works and give glory to God the Father in heaven (Matthew
5:16). However, when the world sees
Christians who are grumpy and complaining about their situation, they see no
difference for they are also grumpy over the negative they see in the
world. Instead, believers in Christ are
to shed the light of the Gospel on the darkness prevalent in the world,
pointing people to Christ and making disciples who bring light to others (Mark
16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). To have
this joy as Christians we must remember that,
1)
Jesus death and resurrection have made us righteous
in Christ giving believers peace with God (John
3:17; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 5:1) – When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden
of Eden, they were separated from God and evicted from the place where they had
physical connection with God and peace (Genesis
3). However, instead of turning His
back on fallen humanity, God did the unbelievable, he became human by becoming
flesh and taking the wrath intended for humanity due to their sin even though
He was sinless (2
Corinthians 5:21; John 1:14). Through
belief in the substitutionary death and resurrection of Christ, one can not
only receive eternal life but freedom from condemnation. This coupled with the knowledge Jesus is
returning to establish His kingdom on earth brings peace and hope to believers
in Christ (1
Thessalonians 4:13-18).
2)
Believers have restored access to God (Romans
5:2) – Jesus' death burial and resurrection restored access to God through
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This
access comes through God’s grace but is not full access like that
experienced by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. However, this restoration through faith does
come with the hope of God’s future glory when a physical connection with God
occurs.
3)
Suffering in this life has a purpose (Romans
5:3-4) – Since our restored relationship with God is not complete, we still
live in a cursed world that will come with suffering. In John
16:33 Jesus reminds us that in this cursed world there will be
trouble. The context of Jesus making
this statement is telling the Disciples of the trouble that will happen to him
when betrayed and handed over to the Romans for execution. However, the second half of John
16:33 reminds us that Jesus overcame the darkness of this cursed world
through His resurrection. For those
believing in Christ, the suffering of this world has the purpose of producing endurance,
character, and hope (James
1:2-4; Romans 5;3-4). While the
struggles of life may make one unhappy, a believer in Christ can have joy in
knowing God’s plans for their lives are for their good and not their
destruction (Jeremiah
29:11). There is also the hope of Glory
and knowing Jesus will return (1
Thessalonians 4:13-18).
4)
God loves us and willingly laid down His life
for us (Romans
5:5-8) – The greatest act of love one can extend to another is to lay down
their life for them (John
15:13). This is why nations honor
those in their military for their willingness to risk their lives for their
fellow citizens. For many throughout
history, this has meant making the ultimate sacrifice of their life or the
suffering of debilitating injuries to preserve the sovereignty of their
nation. However, not to diminish the
actions of the brave members of the military, the greatest act of love extended
to humanity is God sending His Son to die for the sins of humanity and Jesus,
God’s Son and God in the flesh willingly offering his life in obedience to God
the Father (Matthew
26:39).
5)
We escape the wrath of God (Romans
5:9-11) – The sentence for sin is death and since everyone has sinned, all
are under a death penalty from God (Romans
3:23; 6:23). However, because of God’s
grace, we can avoid this death penalty through a profession of faith in the
death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Romans
10:9-10). This profession unlocks
the grace of God that takes one from condemnation from God to eternal life with
God (John
3:16-17).
It is crucial in these dark times for those professing
belief in Jesus as their savior to realize their new identity in Christ. No longer are believers in Christ sinners
subject to the wrath of God but instead are sinners saved by the Grace of God
that have escaped God’s wrath (John
3:17; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 6:23). However,
not making a profession of faith in Jesus as savior means one remains under God’s
wrath through their decision not to accept the give of salvation through God’s
grace (John
3:18). Therefore, I invite anyone
reading this who has never made a profession of faith to do so now by praying
with me,
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my
sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, spent
three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord
of my life.
If you just prayed with me, you have escaped condemnation from
God and are righteous because of what Jesus did on Calvary. Believers in Jesus as their savior are
encouraged to learn more about their Lord through study and meditation on the
scripture of the Bible, prayer or talking with God, and association or fellowship
with other believers by attending a church or Bible study. May God bless all reading this and may
everyone find peace in Christ.
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