Daily Devotions
Romans
"We have peace with God..."
Text: Romans 5:1
OUR STANDING WITH GOD BEFORE JUSTIFICATION
What was man’s state before justification? Paul grimly described it in many of his epistles.
1. The Sinful Gentile stood under the wrath of God (Romans 1:18-32)
2. The Unrepentant Jew faced the judgment of God (Romans 2:1-29)
OUR STANDING WITH GOD AFTER JUSTIFICATION
What a vivid contrast we have in the following text!
“Therefore, having been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 5:1
1. Defining “peace”
a) It is much more than “a good and calm feeling”
This peace may actually be felt! However, Paul is not merely describing a feeling here.
b) It is a legal standing before God.
2. An important cross reference
In his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul wrote some notable words on this subject of peace with God.
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one,
and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is,
the law of commandments contained in ordinances,
so as to create in Himself one new man from the two,
thus making peace.”
Ephesians 2:13-15