Peace with God

The True Definition of Peace

The idea of peace in peoples’ lives is generally seen as the absence of worry or anxiety. If you ask people what they understand as peace, most of them will give you this definition. As part of its definitions for peace, Webster 1828 states that peace in a general sense, is “a state of quiet or tranquillity; freedom from disturbance or agitation; applicable to society, to individuals, or to the temper of the mind.”

Peace for the believers does not mean the absence of troubles, persecutions, or wars. If it was so, Jesus Christ would not have promised us His peace, and also persecution in this world (see John 14:27; 16:22-23; Mark 10:30; 2 Timothy 3:12). True peace comes from reconciliation between God and man. Peace is experiencing the inner tranquility made available in Christ even in the midst of the persecutions of this world.

Today’s Text:

Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

The concept of peace with God has to do with an atmosphere in which man is no longer in conflict, or at war, with God. Sin has caused many problems between God and man. This is why we lost our peace in the first place. The Bible says that our sins separated us from God:

Isaiah 59:1-2 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

But it doesn’t stop there. This separation means that rather than being children of God, the sinners have now become the enemies of God. They continue to live in the state of being “dead in trespasses and sins.”

Ephesians 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.

Jesus Christ says about those who are still at war with God that the wrath of God abide with them (John 3:36). This obviously calls for reconciliation between God and man; that is, making peace with God. But this is not about living life without troubles. The irony of this is that you can be going through trials and persecutions in this life and still have peace with God. please read on to learn more.

Peace through the Gospel

From the very first verse of our text, Romans 5, this peace, that is, peace with God, comes from “being justified by faith”. By faith means faith in Christ. That is why peace with God can only come “through our Lord Jesus Christ”.

When we sinned, we came short of the glory of God, unable on our own to meet the standard of God for righteousness. But not only that, we have also become the enemies of God and the wrath of abides with us.

Therefore, something has to happen, or someone has to show up, to rescue us from this hopeless situation. We cannot do it on our own. This is why Jesus Christ had to come and atone for our sins. He paid the penalty of our sins. Through His sacrifice, He appeased the wrath of God that was against us. He is the only One who is able to do this.

Isaiah 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul writes this as part of his salutation:

Galatians 1:3-5 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: 5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Our peace with God through Jesus Christ means that we are no longer at war with God. God will never again judge us for our sins since Christ had already been judged for them on the cross. We are forever reconciled to God by the blood of Christ. This amazing truth remains the same regardless of how limited is the knowledge and how weak is the walk of those who have trusted in Christ.

As we can see in our text, we have three amazing results of justification through faith in Christ:

• we have peace with God which is the result of Calvary where Christ made peace by His blood;
• we have a standing in grace and favor with God; as well as
• the blessed hope of the glory of God – that is, of being glorified with Christ when He comes – Romans 5:1-2.

Reconciliation

God accepts the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. His redemptive work is now the basis for reconciliation with God. The idea of reconciliation is that God is no longer at war with the world. He [God], through Christ, has reconciled the whole world unto himself. Think of it as someone telling you: “don’t worry about it, let it go and let’s move on”, after you’ve offended him.

2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Colossians 1:20-22 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

As a result of the redemptive work of Christ the whole world now stands the chance of getting saved. But that does not suggest that everyone in the world is now saved because of what Jesus did. Each individual still needs to trust in Christ to be fully reconciled to God.

Your Response Matters

Those who have believed are forgiven and are reconciled unto God. They have made peace with God through the cross. This means that these people no longer have to worry about God ever condemning them for their sins. This is grace! We [the believers] no longer have to get what we deserve from God – which is eternal punishment in hell. We now stand in the grace of God accessible only through Christ, and we “rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2).

But remember, it doesn’t just happen to everyone. You still need to respond to the work of Christ done on your behalf. “…By grace ye are saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8).

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.

Faith is trusting in the redemptive work of Christ – His death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only means of atonement. When you believe the gospel with all your heart, you will receive the forgiveness of sin. This is salvation, and it is what puts you at peace with God.

Having peace in this world requires that you be at peace with God first. It is only in Christ that we find true peace. If you’re still at war with God, that is, you haven’t been fully reconciled to God, you can kiss peace goodbye in this world and in that which is to come.

The Major Source of Anxiety

Although there are many who might not admit it, the greatest source of anxiety in this world is the hopelessness of being ignorant of what happens after we die. Many people may live their entire life pretending that this is not an issue. But the older they get, the more they think about it. They become more anxious about it because they have no reliable (or proven) basis for the position they have taken regarding the afterlife. It is all based on assumptions.

Outwardly they try to dismiss the subject of the afterlife as nonessential. But deep inside of them, they are aware of the possibility that they could be wrong about their position. This results in hopelessness and at times, fear as they grow older. It is the case with most people regardless of how successful or wealthy they are. They are famous and well-to-do, but they lack the inner peace that we are talking about here.

But for those who have come to the light, that is, they understood the purpose of the work of Christ on the cross and have properly responded by faith, the anxiety about the afterlife no longer exists. This is because they live the remainder of their lives rest assured that they are forever forgiven and reconciled to God. And rather than hopelessness and fear, they live with the blessed hope of the glory of God.

If you have the blessed assurance of salvation, you will be peaceful in this world, regardless of how poor or persecuted you might be. But you must do it the right way. Many are making the mistake of trying to achieve or acquire more stuffs in order to be happy. No worldly achievement or possessions can give you this peace.

There are others also who think that they can make peace with God by their religious activities. This is also an exercise in futility. Listen to the Bible:

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.

The Romanist will go to “mass” and “confession”; and the Protestant “attend church”; but neither will find peace with God by these things. Prayers, vows, fastings, church duties, charities–what have these to do with peace?–if Christ “made Peace by His blood”!…We see at once that being at peace with God must depend on what was done for us by Christ on the cross. It is not a matter of experience, but of revelation. – Romans: Verse by Verse (Newell).

You can make peace with God today through the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for you.

Also, with ‘peace with God’ comes the peace of God. To learn more about the peace of God and how to live peacefully in this ‘peaceless’ world, take a look at the next article: The Peace of God.

Thank you for reading!