Justification, Grace, Peace, Suffering, and Reconciliation

Rom. 5:1-12

What wonderful verses! How uplifting to the soul. Therefore since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace with God! How glorious! And it is all through Jesus Christ. Then it goes on to say, Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. As if it is not enough that we have been justified and have peace with God, now we have access into the grace, our standing grace. We certainly have reason to rejoice. Such blessings, justification, peace, and grace! How immensely has God blessed us and equipped us for the Christian walk and life. 

And then the equipping goes on even though vs. 3-5 are of a slightly different shade. More than that, we rejoice in our suffering, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Sufferings are not quite as glorious! Even though we have valid reasons for them, they are a rough patch, sometimes even life-threatening or life-ending. What reasons are those? Endurance, character, and hope. We know that if believers endure to the end there is a reward. Perhaps suffering is the only way to endure. Could it be our safety mechanism? Could it be in our lives to bring the greatest amount of growth? No doubt! This is the way that God ordained it. We are to walk in the steps of Jesus and be conformed to His image. How could we do that without following in His steps of suffering? It was His suffering that provided our way, and it is through our suffering that we become more like Him. 

But our suffering is not a blind endeavor, no, not at all, we have the Holy Spirit who has been poured into our lives, not trickled but poured. We have the Spirit of God resident within us to strengthen, guide, and fortify us. We have the Spirit of God to constantly commune with our Spirit, to validate our relationship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus. Suffering should never make us doubt, but make us stronger, constantly confirming that we belong to Jesus. Not to say that it isn't hard. Jesus Himself cried out to God asking that the cup of suffering be removed, but the answer was no. He had to drink for us to be reconciled to God.

And that leads us to vs. 6-12  where we read that Christ died for the ungodly. He died for us when we were detestable and heinous. This is God's love for us! He died for us when we were rank sinners. What amazing love! Since Christ died for us, we have not only been justified by faith but saved from God's wrath. And being saved from God's wrath means we are reconciled to the Father. We rejoice again! What great truths in this small passage! Justification, Grace, Peace, Suffering, and Reconciliation!

Father,

My heart is full this morning as I read what You have done for me. Thank You so very much. It seems such a paltry thing to say, but it's all I can say. I am a sinner who You have loved and saved. I am nothing without You. I have nothing to bring, and all to accept. Thank You.

In Jesus name,

Amen