“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 boast in the hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2 NIV)

Justified

What does it mean to be justified? It means to be made righteous, to be conformed to a proper standard, which is God’s standard for how we ought to live as followers of Jesus Christ. And to be righteous is to be morally pure, upright, honorable, faithful, honest, decent, and obedient to God, in practice, by the grace of God, and in the power of God, which is not of our own flesh. For it refers to what is deemed right by the Lord, what is approved in his eyes. Justification is to show what is right, and to be cleared of all charges.

Faith

And what is faith? It is belief, fidelity, moral conviction, and faithfulness. And it is divine persuasion, the persuasion of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to deny self, die to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands in holy living, by the grace of God, in the power of God. For this faith comes from God, it is authored by God, it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God, and it is not of our own doing, but it is something we must put into practice, by God’s grace.

[Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18]

Peace

And what is this peace with God being spoken of here? It is wholeness, fullness, and completeness. It has to do with us being joined together with Christ, united with him by faith in him, no longer separate (apart) from God, but now joined with him in unity of heart, mind, purpose, and action. We are now in Christ by faith in him, and he is in us by his Spirit. And we are at peace because our trust is now in our Lord and not in ourselves, and because we know God has all things under his control. So we trust him.

Grace

And what is this grace of God in which we are to be standing? Well, the grace of God, which is gifted to us by God, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. God’s grace is what sent Jesus Christ to the cross to put our sins to death with him, and to be raised from the dead, so we can now die to sin and obey God, in practice. For it is God’s purpose that we no longer walk in sin but in obedience to him.

[Titus 2:11-14; Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23]

God’s Glory

And so we exult (rejoice) in the hope (faith, anticipation, expectation) of the glory (honor, praise, worship, and intrinsic worth) of Almighty God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Our God always was, and always will be. And he is absolutely holy and righteous in all that he does. And he is the one who formed us in the wombs of our mothers. And he is the one who made salvation from sin possible for all of us who put our faith and hope in him to deliver us out of sin.

And Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

The Peace of Christ

Based off of Colossians 3:1-17; Ephesians 5:19-20
An Original Work / October 31, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Let the word of Christ dwell in you,
As you teach with all wisdom,
Teaching one another to not
Think on earthly things;
Think instead on things above,
Where Christ sits with God, in love,
Saving us from all of our sins,
Cleansing us; made new within.

Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts,
As you sing songs unto Him;
Speak to one another with psalms,
Hymns, and spir’tual songs;
Always giving thanks to God,
In the name of Christ, His Son,
Who gave His life up for us all,
And gave us eternal life.

Let the love of Christ within you
Rule in your hearts; grace within,
Purifying you from your sin,
Make you whole within.
Forgive as the Lord forgave.
Show His kindness ev’ry day.
In word or deed, whate’er you do,
Glory give to Jesus Christ.

Peace with God
An Original Work / April 8, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love