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.
Romans 5:1–2
FACT: You
are justified by faith, by faith alone, and that faith is a gift to you from
God. This fact is undeniable as anyone who has allowed his faith to be faith in
the One who by His sacrifice eternally offers to God the Father intercession
for you. It is not works, it is not anything you do pragmatically; it is
spiritual, it is a blessing of peace that comes knowing that you are justified
in the sight of God. This world is not our home, we are just a passing through,
our treasures are laid up in heaven, as the old hymn so aptly points out. Does
this then have a meaning that we are not to do anything in regards to this
faith? No, for faith is not faith if not exercised in our lives. The first
thing we must do is to: unconditionally submit to God. It is to develop a
relationship with God for this is what submission to God infers, a Father and a
son, a daughter, the bride of Christ, One who has only our eternal life in
mind. Secondly: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleans your
hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double–minded” (James 4:6; see
4:5). This second application of faith is so misunderstood for many wait
for God to come to them: He has and this by coming as the Son of God,
incarnate, sinless, suffered, died, and rose again, not because you had done or
will do anything to have this peace knowing that you are justified by God. NO!
You and I must draw near to Him and then He will draw near to you. You must
divorce yourself from sin, from those things that are not of God; i.e., MMA
bouts where men and women beat upon each in mad rage, without real concern for
the other person, no matter how much they ascribe this to some form of sport.
Would Jesus sit by and watch? This is being double–minded. This is not to
purify your hearts. This is foolishness standing in the way of your
relationship with God, His Son, and stymies the Holy Spirit. We cannot stand
and rejoice in God on Sunday, or at some Bible conference, or Bible study, and
then go about living those things that are far from purity. How often do we
come to the knowledge of God, the truth of God, only to go back again to those
things that we repented, only to do this all over again, and again, until we
come, draw close to God will this lack of peace be replaced with the blessing
of peace as we draw near to Him. There are those who rush to some supernatural
religious experience expecting this experience to be of God, that somehow they
will have the peace they so much desire. No! It is not rushing to some act,
some demonstration, to somehow be in the limelight of spiritual ecstasy. This
will become your dominating power and not you drawing near to God. You must
draw near to Him, alone, by yourself, in prayer, in full conversion to Him, for
it is we who are in this world and we who must overcome this world as did
Jesus: “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that
tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character,
hope” (Romans 5:3–4). Set time aside to be with your God and Savior,
allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to your soul, by our drawing near to Him,
transacting spiritual business with Him, remembering His redemptive power. What
does this mean? Is it not hope that we so eagerly desire? Is it not a hope
assured? Yes! Listen to this once again: YOU ARE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH and this
not of yourself: “since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by
faith and the uncircumcised through faith” (Romans 3:30). It is faith,
exercised in this troubled world that brings peace, because God justifies and
not works, and in our works we are assured of our justification because our
faith is in Him, and not in ourselves. We can stand and rejoice in all we do,
and this if our disposition is not for what we do, what we can get from what we
do, rather, that we as bondservants, a worker who works without pay, have a
hope, a hope in the glory of God. This hope: “Now hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit
who was give to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ
died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:5-6). It is the Holy Spirit that gives to
us, pours out into us as the Greek word so aptly applies the work of the Holy
Spirit, (the Greek word “έκκέχϋται,.”) A third person, singular perfect,
indicative, passive, and means that being in the perfect tense this “pouring
out” does not need to be repented. It is a statement, that you, for it are
passive, the action is upon the one receiving. This receiving was “Given” to
you by the Holy Spirit, a gift, and this was done while we were still sinners,
therefore it is not by anything you have done to receive this gift, it is all
God: “For scarcely for a righteous man will one de; yet perhaps for a good
man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love towards
us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7–8).
Are you
seeking peace? Are you seeking peace in this world? Are you seeking peace that
you cannot find within yourself? You have it! It is by faith that we draw near
to God and knowing that by faith He will draw near to you and all this because
God who is Love, gives to you, a sinner, before you were even born, before you
had done any good, or bad, He died for you. All this settled before time, and
you are a recipient of His love. Rejoice, your hope is secure in Jesus Christ.
According to my earnest expectation and hope
That nothing
I shall be ashamed, but with
All boldness, as always, so now also Christ will
Be magnified
in my body, whether by life
Or by death.
Philippians 1:20
Your peace is in God
Richard L. Crumb
No comments:
Post a Comment