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)
Our justification does not come by being good enough. It comes because Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. We are asking God that Jesus death on the cross be the payment for our sin.
Peace with God
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Romans 5:1)
When we are justified by faith we have a peace with God. This peace with God is a reconciled relationship with God. This relationship was broken by sin restored by faith in Jesus Christ and results in a relationship with God.
This peace with God means we are no longer subject to the wrath of God. Before we were justified by faith, we stood condemned before God, but through our faith in Christ we are innocent. We say that justified is that it just as if I had never sinned. We have the righteousness of Christ. The blood of Christ has cleansed us from our unrighteousness caused by sin.
Our Lord Jesus Christ
We have this justification by faith and this peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Before Jesus went to the cross, he prayed in agony at the Garden of Gethsemane. Three times Jesus prayed, if possible, let this cup pass from me.
What he was praying was if there is any way that there can be justification and peace with God let the cross pass from him. Jesus willingly died on the cross, but only because there was no other way. There was no way we could have peace with God through following the law.
There was no way we could have peace with God by doing good works. Only with absolute clarity that through his death on the cross for our sins as the only way for our justification was Jesus resolute on dying on the cross.
We have access by faith into this grace
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 5:2)
This grace in which we now stand is the undeserved favor of our justification. It is the gracious gift of God that we have peace with God. That he gave us our salvation when we did not earn it and could never earn it. We have this peace with God that we did not earn.
And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. (Romans 11:6)
It Is by God’s gracious gift we no longer stand condemned before God. We are now justified by faith, and this is the grace of God. Our salvation is wholly and completely a gift of God. We are a child of God by the grace of God.
The Hope of glory
And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. We have an expectation of future glory. We will be for eternity in heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of our justification by faith in Jesus Christ we have assurance of our salvation. We have a confidence based on the truth of the Word of God.
This boast in hope is not self-centered boasting. This is the joyful rejoicing celebration of what God has done on our lives and what is yet to be for us in heaven.
Your prayer of Faith in Jesus Christ
Do you have this assurance that you will go to heaven when you die? Abraham was justified by faith. This was not for him alone. The words it was credited to him as righteousness are for you. If you believe in God who raised Jesus from the dead.
You can pray this prayer for your salvation in Christ.
Dear God. I know you created me to be in fellowship with you. I thank you that you sent your Son, Jesus to this earth to die on the cross for me. I acknowledge that I am a sinner and need forgiveness. I want to turn from my sins and invite you, Lord Jesus into my heart. I desire to have the peace with God talked about in these verses. I want Jesus’ death on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. I want to trust you as my savior and Lord and follow you from now on. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Did you pray this prayer? Did you sincerely mean this in your heart? It so congratulations you have the peace with God that this verse tells us of.
