Peace With God Series

Romans chapter 5 gives us the ultimate peace plan. That is peace with God. We are talking about something that is exceedingly better than following a religion. We are talking about a relationship with our Creator God.

These two verses give us answers to the most important questions of life. How do I have eternal life? How can I get my sins forgiven? How can I know for sure I will go to heaven when I die? How can I have peace with God?

A peace with God initially existed in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve had a relationship with God. But it was through their disobedience that this relationship was broken. It was through sin that the relationship between God and man was broken. It was not even a “big sin.” It was because God told them not to eat of one tree in the garden and they disobeyed.

The sin of Adam and Eve caused separation from God because God is perfectly holy. He is more pure than freshly fallen snow on the tops of the mountains. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, when they sinned, they became impure. Now they are dirty like the mud in the puddle on the side of the road. You can’t mix the pure and the impure.

When following a religion there is a misguided pursuit that tells us we can become pure by our own efforts. In religions there are rules to obey to become pure. In religion we are falsely told that if we do enough good works, then we can become pure.

A system of religion will tell us to do good works to become pure and reach God. But, this is futile because we can never do enough good works to become pure enough to reach God. No system of religion will clean up the mud puddle. God must make us pure through Jesus Christ.

The first 4 chapters of Romans have set the context for what we are about to read. These chapters have laid out, the righteousness of God, our problem of sin, our need for salvation in Jesus Christ, and the example of Abraham, who was justified by faith.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 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)

Justified by faith

How do we go to heaven when we die? How do we get our sins forgiven? It is through our faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. (1 Peter 2:18a)

In the book of Romans our sin problem has been revealed. We are told in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Our salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ. This is sometimes referred to by the Latan phrase, “solo fide,” which means justification by faith alone.

Our justification is not through adherence to the law, and it is not by doing good works. The Old Testament system of the law was not given to save us. The Old Testament law exposed our sinfulness. It exposed our sin but lacked the power to save us. Only the atoning work of Jesus Christ, his death on the cross can save us. The law shows us that there is no other way but justification by faith. It is faith in Jesus Christ alone that can save us.

Look at the verses immediately preceding our passage as they described Abraham being justified by faith. The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:23-25)

Abraham was the example of faith for us. He believed the promise of God. He believed God, but this was an example for us to follow by believing in Jesus Christ. By faith we believe that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead for our sins. It was to save us because we cannot save ourselves. Our salvation is received solely through faith in Jesus Christ.

Know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:16)