Therefore, Being Justified by Faith (Part Two)

Thank you for your prayers on behalf of Lindsay. Surgery went as well as could be expected and they were able to do the valve repair vs.
replacement. We as a family did experience the reality of God's peace in an amazing way. Updates will be on the blog throughout the day.

"Therefore, Being Justified By Faith..." Part two

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character, and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:1-5

Today I would like to look at the first two verses in this passage of Scripture.
In the first verse Paul starts off with 'Therefore, having been justified by faith,". He writes this knowing that we have been saved by the work done on the Cross and that Christ has fulfilled the law on our behalf. For us, this means to realize that justification is a one-time act and you receive this gift through having faith in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

And if you have received this gift you can feel secure that in Christ you have been reconciled with the Father, "we have peace with God". Charles Spurgeon pointed four discoveries that we need to make.

1. It is important to be justified in the sight of God and you cannot justify yourself. It is a better to say, "I am because of He who made me, who sacrificed for me, who loves me and whose servant I am." Than to say, "I never do such things".

2. That our past life has been dirtied with offenses to the law of God and it is impossible to live up to what was written in Exodus 20:1-17. This means understanding that we fall short.

3. You cannot stand on a footing of works and good deeds. Your salvation by works is an impossibility. It does not cover up the lack of moral conduct or a polluted heart.

4. We are not in any condition, on our own, to keep God from executing His punishment on us. Once again, we cannot justify ourselves. What do we do?

Please see John 3:16 for an answer. Our peace with God is "through our Lord Jesus Christ."

In the second verse "we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand." Now this access is a general blessing that gives us a path to the mercy seat. Where we are invited to come freely and boldly to His throne of grace. This was a privilege that was reserved for the priests and prophets of the Old Testament. And you know something; some of them fell short too.

In the book of Numbers, chapters 22-24, we find a story of a prophet who treated his access as a mercenary, a man who received the wages of unrighteousness to curse a blessed people. That prophet was Balaam..."Prophet for Hire", a medium for a multitude of false gods. A man who is summoned by Balak, the king of Moab, to have him use his access to our living God to curse the very people He has blessed. What are these two thinking? What do the rewards of divination bring?

An argument with a donkey that's what the rewards are. A donkey was used by God to set Balaam straight. By the way, Balaam was said to be able to talk with the animals. I believe Doctor Doolittle would have been amused. Anyway, the donkey was use to open the eyes of Balaam to the angel of the Lord and now he will only speak what the Lord will have him speak. The king gets four prophecies and one of these will speak of a coming Messiah. Numbers 24:17 "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult." That is access to God.

To finish verse two, "and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." We, as believers in Christ, should stand and rejoice. If you are obedient and your loyalty is for God and what the Son has done for you, what Paul has written here in Scripture stands. The war within us has ceased. We have peace with God through the Son. We are justified by our faith in the shed blood of a risen Savior. Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy.

God's Word for Today: 1 Samuel 10-12; Luke 9:37-62

Think about this: Among the enemies to devotion none is so harmful as distractions. Whatever excites curiosity, scatters thoughts, disquiets the heart, absorbs the interests or shifts our life focus from the kingdom of God within us to the world around us - that is a distraction; and the world is full of them ... Distractions MUST be conquered or they will conquer us. So let us cultivate simplicity; let us walk in the Spirit; let us fill our minds with the Word of God and our hearts with praise." - A. W. Tozer