“Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 5:1
One of the most common greetings
of Jesus in the New Testament is “peace be with you.” While it is true that the greeting of “peace”
(“shalom” in the Hebrew language) was very common in that day as it is today in
the Middle East, the greeting of Jesus had a great deal more depth than just a
friendly hello.
The
first four chapters of Romans were written to testify to the gospel of Jesus
Christ by, first of all, laying out the depth of our sin and subsequent
alienation from a holy and righteous God.
As Romans 1:18 says, “For the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of
men who by their wickedness suppress the truth.” It is not just the notorious and villainous
people of this world to whom this applies, but to all of us. Romans 2:11
says “God shows no partiality” among those who sin, be they Jew or Greek
(Romans 2:9), male or female, public sinner or private philanderer. Romans 3:22-23 says “For there is no
distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That means you and me, the man on death row
and the judge who handed down the sentence, and even Pope Francis who was asked
on September 19 who he was, to which he replied “I am a sinner whom the Lord
has looked upon.”
The
good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that he has looked upon all of us
with compassion. And as is always the
case with the Lord, his compassion led to action to bring his grace and mercy
to the suffering. Romans 3:24-25 says,
“they [including you and me] are justified by his grace as a gift through the
redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by
his blood….” On the cross Jesus shed his
own blood and sacrificed his own life so that we might have peace with
God. He did not die for his own sins,
since he himself was without sin, but he died for sinners like you and me. Romans 5:6-9 says “while we were still weak,
at the right time Christ died for the ungodly…..But God shows his love for us
in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”
We
receive the grace and mercy of God through simple faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 3:25
concludes with “to be received by faith.”
The culmination of the first four chapters of Romans is this call to
faith in Jesus Christ as savior and lord.
It is to recognize that salvation from the consequences of sin, which is
death (Romans 6:23 ), comes by
believing that Christ died for our sins.
The natural outcome of this faith in the savior is to let him be the
Lord of your life. How could anyone
respond any differently to such an extravagant gift?
When
Jesus Christ is both Savior and Lord, then comes peace with God because the
formerly troubled soul has an eternal destiny that is secure and a living
presence to guide, comfort, and direct day by day. As Jesus himself said in John 14:27 this is a
peace the world cannot give. And in John
16:33 he noted that there would
still be tribulation in this world. But
as he said so many times to his disciples in the midst of their troubles,
anxiety, and pain: peace be with you.
And
now may the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus our Lord (Philippians 4:7) this month of January, this
year of 2014, and unto eternity because you have accepted him as your lord and
savior.
No comments:
Post a Comment