Skip to main content

Peace With God


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 rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2)

          Now that Paul has thoroughly established that our justification comes through faith and not through law, the next question is, “What difference does it make?” or “So what?” In today’s passage, Paul tells us that one difference is that we have peace with God. Yes, here we go again – peace? What does that mean? 
         I’m not going to say that peace means nothing more than the absence of wrath, but the violation of the law brings wrath. If we are not justified, we face wrath. That suggests that there is at least a little value to considering that aspect of peace. How do you feel about having someone angry with you? It depends on the situation, of course, but in generally, having someone angry with you isn’t pleasant. Wrath is worse. That peace is the absence of wrath means the pressure is off. You don’t have a bullseye on your back. 
          One way that I think about this is in terms of natural disasters. I’m not saying that natural disasters are God’s wrath, but they make a good picture thereof. The south-eastern part of the U.S. can count on hurricanes. This year we have had two category 5s hit, and a third trying to make up its mind. The Midwest is known as “Tornado Alley.” We’re all just waiting for “the big one” to hit California and at least part of the state to fall into the Pacific. Alone the Pacific coast, there have been tsunamis. A few years back, Mt. Saint Helens blew her stack, and the devastation from that volcano is nothing compared to what will happen when the super-volcano that makes up a good chunk of Yellowstone National Park erupts, and the scientists tell us that we’re either due, or past due. There are a lot of places in this country where it’s really just not wise to live. 
         My home town is technically at the edge of Tornado Alley. We have endured the painful deaths of a few hurricanes. There is a fault beneath Lake Erie, and we have had a few tiny earthquakes (earth-shivers? earth-twitches? earth-hiccoughs?) Certainly, if the Yellowstone super volcano erupts, we would be caught in the fallout. We do get some impressive snow storms. My home town is not safe, but a few years back, it was included in the top ten safest cities to live in in the U.S. In comparison to other places, including where I spend half the year, it is safe. The sense of danger isn’t there in the same way. 
        This is an illustration (though perhaps not the best) of what it’s like to have peace with God. There’s a sense of safety. One doesn’t have to live with the question of when (not if) the next disaster is going to hit. They may be possible. You might have to take a glancing blow, but the certainty that next time may take everything just isn’t there. It lets you smile at the future.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more