Rom 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 5:2 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.
So last week we looked into what it meant to be justified and to have peace with God. We came up with this:: “Faith is what brings us to the place of being rendered right, which leads to an appeased conscience and confidence with God. That is just the first half of verse one.
The second half is "through our Lord Jesus Christ." If faith is the vehicle that takes us there, the work of Jesus is the road that paves the impassable divide between us and God. But that is just a simple child’s word picture to illustrate what has happened. While it is simple, it is truth. It is what this passage is teaching.
There is another piece here that we cannot miss, even though many times we do. It is the word "Lord." It is not an insignificant title for Jesus. A practical definition for this word is:: The master I serve. When Paul writes, “Lord Jesus Christ,” he is communicating that Jesus is the master that we serve.
In verse 2 Paul brings more reinforcement and clarification with a restatement of sorts. The phase "obtained access" is used. This is another metaphor. We have rights to enter. Think about the Cardinals winning the National League Central. Winning more games than any other team in the division is what obtained them access into the playoffs. The Dodgers winning three games in a row against the Cardinals in the NLDS did not allow the Cards access to the National League Championship Series. If the Cardinals showed up tonight in Philadelphia to play the Phillies, they would not be allowed to play them because they did not obtain access.
For us, Jesus is the one who has obtained our access. Grace is what we have access to. Grace is the gift of God; it is a gift that we did nothing to get. So here we are, standing in the grace of God in His presence, having been made right by faith in our master Jesus. This leaves us with hope. Hope is more than crossing your fingers; it is like watching a game on DVR. If you go back and watch last week's debacle, no matter how much you want it to happen, Matt Holliday is going to drop that ninth-inning fly ball. The Cardinals are going to lose that game. This sort of hope is the same thing. We have the full expectation that we will look with awe into the wonderment of the beauty of God.
1 Corinthians says that no eye has seen or ear has heard or mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. This is what we look to -- what we place confident trust in. This is what Paul means by, “we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Breathe in deep these promises of who Jesus is, who God is, what they have made you into, and what awaits you because of it.
0 comments:
Post a Comment