Description
Understanding Justification by Faith: Beyond Peace with God
In today’s meditation, we explore Romans 5:2 to uncover the… (visit YouTube for more)
Transcript
Following on from yesterday’s meditation on justification by faith, what does that achieve for us beyond the peace that we get with God? Let’s see the next verse. It’s Romans chapter 5, verse 2. 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.
This is another fundamental of our faith. We haven’t just achieved justification in our faith. It goes even further than that. We’re not just at peace with God. There’s much more.
The grace in which we stand, this is the unmerited favour of God. This is Him showering blessings on us.
So He hasn’t just said, I’m not going to punish you. I’m not going to wipe you out. He says, and also, I’m going to give you gifts.
And there are many gifts which God gives us. Even if we feel like we’re living in this world in a state of poverty, God pours his gifts on us. The gift of life, the gift of time, spiritual gifts, practical gifts, the gift of being part of his plan, a person through whom God works. This grace abounds.
And of course, it goes even further than that to a greater gift, a greater treasure than all those things I’ve just mentioned. The gift of being assured a place in eternity with God.
Prior to what Christ achieved, we had almost zero chance of getting that. And so that’s why Paul says we rejoice in this hope, not just in the hope of what is to come, but in the hope of living in the glory of God.
I don’t know if you live somewhere where there are quite different seasons in the year. Where I live in the UK, we have distinct winters and distinct summers. And we go through the winter and sometimes it can feel like a chore. But we know that summer’s coming, the season, hopefully, not always in the UK, but the season of light and warmth.
And that is but a pale reflection of what it will be like to live in the constant glory of God. And don’t worry, it will be so magnificent that we will never, ever get used to it or start taking it for granted.
