Peace and Hope
Read This Week: Romans 5
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 boast in the hope of the glory of God. – Romans 5:1-2 NIV
If there has ever been a time in our society that we need a large dose of peace and hope, it is now. We find ourselves in a pivotal moment where tension is high, strife is rampant, and fear is palpable.
Restlessness is more prevalent than calm, negativity is more abundant than confidence, and disunity seems to be the order of the day. These are perilous times that require peace and hope from a source far superior to us and far more powerful than anything we can produce on our own.
In the book of Romans, Paul is writing to believers living in a tumultuous culture amid a turbulent time as well. In chapter 5, he reminds them of their new status of peace with God through the justification of Christ. He says that those who claim faith in Jesus are no longer estranged from God and have peace in this new relationship even while uncertainty, confusion, and suffering persist.
This reconciliation with God brings more than an inward feeling of peace of mind. It is more than an emotional response that we try to tap into when we’re fearful or apprehensive. Paul writes in verses 1-2, “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.” We have constant access to peace through faith in Christ; peace is a reality, not just a feeling. Jesus has enabled us to stand in grace and God’s favor no matter what is going on in our lives or the world.
Paul goes on to point out that hope is a result of the peace we experience with God. Hope is the clearest and grandest benefit of the believer. It is the Christian’s hallmark to have an eternal and hopeful perspective on the future. Paul writes that we boast, or better said, we celebrate “in the hope of the glory of God.” We look forward with expectation to our eternal future, and that allows for hope in the present. Paul writes in verse 5:
“Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.“
We are not ashamed of the hope we feel in Christ when the events and experiences of the world suggest that hope is futile. We are not deceived by hope as if it is a pipe dream, and we are not naive in our hope as if it is just a good idea. We are confident in the hope of Christ that comes from the peace of Christ as a result of our restored relationship with God through salvation. Hope and peace rest firmly in our hearts.
Our peace and hope are internal, but such peace and hope cannot stay inside. Verse 12 and 18 tell us:
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people. Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.”
The gospel message of hope and peace is exactly what our world in turmoil desperately needs to hear and experience. May we know it ourselves and share it with others.
God gave me a song this week from Romans chapter 5 verse 2 called, “Precious Jesus”:
Thank you, thank you, thank you, our precious Jesus
Trusting, believing in us through your love
In your strength and power, we stand safely with you.
Let us rejoice, rejoice, rejoice
You are our hope, peace, and love
We Trust in you
God gives us grace, peace, and love through you, Jesus
Our precious, Jesus, our precious Jesus
Thank you, thank you! Amen.
When we are upset, sad, or just having a bad day, it is a breath of fresh air knowing God is by our side to comfort, give peace, strength, and his power.
Like you, Alma, I am so thankful for the breath of fresh air in my life that is the comfort, peace, and strength of God. I don’t know how I would exist, work, be creative, or fulfill my role as a father and husband without it. It is a true blessing and gift to have access to the power of God through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is truly precious.
Your song took me back to one of my favorite hymns from childhood called “‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” and these lines from it:
I’m so glad I learned to trust Him,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend
And I know that He is with me,
Will be with me to the end.
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
Oh, for grace to trust Him more!
God gave me a word this week from Romans 5, verse 4. We, believers, can glory in tribulations because of what those troubles produce. God allows these trials to come along to see if we will rely on Him.
What that means to me is that if we fold under the weight of our trials, then we have to go through more trials until we learn to trust and lean on God in them.
I appreciate your post and reminder, Jeri. I pray that we can have faith in God’s heart and focus on what our trials can produce for His glory, instead of on the trials themselves. Focusing on what God can do through our hard times is the essence of suffering producing perseverance and perseverance producing character and character producing hope.
This is the peace and hope we all need in our lives because it is inevitable, no matter who we are, that trials and tribulation will take place on the journey.
How can we bless God? We bless God by first responding to His love, becoming a child of God, wanting to learn how to have faith. We bless God by learning and growing to rely on Him as we go through trials, sufferings, and hardships. God has blessed us with many things because He loves us. We are His children, so He shares His spiritual blessings with us. I am so thankful to God for that. Then we bless Him by sharing His love with others.
We have access to God 24-7, He wants to bless us with His joy. He loves to bless us by living in His peace, to be confident in knowing who we are and when it’s time to go be with Him. We know that we will be with Him forever and ever. Until then, we get to be loved by God, live in His presence and His peace. We get to live with Him, and we get to be joyful. His peace is a gift from Him among many, many other blessings. The best gift, of course, was Jesus. He gives us salvation and a right relationship with God.
Romans 5:9 says the blood (death) of Jesus has made us *righteous. So we are even more sure that Jesus will *save us from God’s *wrath. v10 We used to be God’s enemies. But the death of his son has brought us back to God. So we can be much more sure that his *resurrection life will *save us. That is not all. We are joyful in God because of our *Lord Jesus *Christ. God has brought us back to himself by means of Jesus.
God is saying to me, “All you have to do is respond to My love for you. It’s the best gift you’ll ever receive. Jesus gave His life for us so we can have a wonderful life with Him forever and ever. When you’re a part of the family, you will be aware of My blessings more and more. Enjoy it and be joyful because of My love for you.”
This line stood out from your post to me, Heidi: God has blessed us with many things because He loves us. We are His children, so He shares His spiritual blessings with us. I am so thankful to God for that. I am thankful for that as well. I am eternally grateful to God for his gift of grace and spiritual blessings in my life.
God has certainly blessed us with so much and as you stated and affirmed in your commentary, how can we not seek to bless Him and others in light of what He has done for us? It just doesn’t seem logical or right for us to take from Him without giving back out of the hope and peace He so graciously extends to us every day.
I love what you said at the end as well that we should enjoy it and be joyful. That is a wonderful word picture of the Christian who blesses God and others – one that is filled with His joy and motivated by gratitude for the many blessings we have experienced in Christ.
Today, God drew me to Romans 5 verse 6 and it was saying to me and you, “I gave you my Son in the greatest time of need. So many were sinning in so many ways, breaking all laws of mine and of nature as well. And to put an end to it all I sent him to deliver you from that. But even though He sacrificed His self for all. Some still do not stand in His light today.”
And what that means to me is we all owe Him Jesus our undying love and devotion for the amazing and free gift He gave all of us. I am so thankful to My Father and to Jesus for what they sacrifice that they gave me. The Holy Father bestowed upon his son the ultimate task. But He did it freely. Without want from us. But acceptance from his father. Thank you, Jesus, for setting us all free to follow and trust in you
Thank you for the reminder, Sam that God, not only delivers from sin through salvation but his sacrifice on the cross satisfies God’s righteous judgment and empowers us to walk in and stand in his light today.
In Romans 5 this is what God was saying to me: “Because of peace with Me through Jesus Christ, the battle between you and Me is finished. Jesus is your peace. Your life is still a battle, but it is no longer a battle between you and Me, it is fighting for Me. The more hatred of sin, the better. If sin never distresses you, then you don’t have a relationship with Me. You have a standing in the grace that is given through Jesus and gained by faith. Grace is not only the way salvation comes to you, but it is also a description of your present standing before Me. Grace is the beginning principle of Christian life, and it is also the continuing principle of Christian life.
You don’t have to prove you are worthy of My love, Jesus is who settled your account. I want you to testify of My goodness at all times. This is a blessing beyond peace with Me. Your access is a permanent possession. and It is a lasting privilege. You will have tribulations but you can glory in them as they produce perseverance. You need to trust My love in everything that I allow to happen. I want you to experience My love being poured out in your heart. The work of My son Jesus on the cross is My ultimate proof of My love for you.”
What this said to me is it is such a blessing that I am no longer battling with God, but for God. Since grace has been given it has to be the continuing principle in my life, and this is daily. It’s awesome to know that as a Christian, my access to God’s grace is a permanent possession and a lasting privilege. I need to trust God in everything that happens in my life.
Thank you for this deep and insightful commentary on Romans 5, Kathy. This was an impactful line to me and one I think every believer and follower of Jesus needs to hear on a regular basis: It’s awesome to know that as a Christian, my access to God’s grace is a permanent possession and a lasting privilege.
It is both edifying and empowering to daily life for us to know that we have access to God through the grace He extended to us in Jesus. It is permanent and cannot be removed by man or even by our own acts. More importantly, it is a privilege that should propel us on to “love and good works” every day.