Romans 5: 1
Theological Peace

This Romans 5 passage has to do with some of the direct results of justification in the individual believer.  For you who are not familiar with such theological technicalities, let me define it with a definition of Justification based upon the Westminster Shorter Catechism, of the 1640's: 

Justification is the act of God's free grace, whereby he imputed all of our sins to Jesus and Jesus' own personal righteousness to us at the moment in which we first trusted in Christ. 

Notice three aspects of that peace: First, with regard to God's attitude toward us; secondly, having to do with our attitude toward God; and thirdly, with respect to our eternal hope.

I. FIRST, THAT THEOLOGICAL PEACE HAS TO DO WITH GOD'S ACCEPTANCE OF US. "V.1"

1. Our generation tends to see peace in terms of one's own tranquillity and lack of tension and conflict in his individual life.  But the peace spoken of here, is primarily cessation of warfare.  God has declared us justified ever since we trusted in Christ. -- absolutely perfect insofar as he is our Judge.  There is peace with God; Peace with God, because we have been "justified." 

2. "Justified," as you by now know, is through our sins all being "input ed to" -- "laid upon"

Jesus; and his own personal righteous from the days of his flesh, having been "imputed to" or 'laid upon" us so that when God the judge, looks upon me, he sees the person by the name of Dan Orme, but sees the record of Jesus Christ.

3. Now, like many things in the Gospel, this is good news to those who realize the bad news that God was alienated from them.  It is like someone telling you that your house is not on fire; a truth that is only significant if you thought that your house was on fire.

For a generation of religious people who think that God is "a nice old grandfather," instead of Almighty God, who is holy and set apart -- they interpret the Gospel as good news about something else, because they don't really think that anybody is really alienated from God.

II. NOW, THE SECOND ASPECT OF THIS PEACE WITH GOD HAS TO DO WITH OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS IS SO. "V.2b"

1. It is perfectly possible -- and it is in fact, the case, during the whole period in history, and in many people's lives at the present -- that one could have this peace spoken of in v.1, and yet not have any practical benefit from it. 

To deal with that case, Paul says: "through him we have access to the grace in which we stand." 

We are to be well aware of our justification rights and that we have remarkable -- amazing -- and unbelievable access to the presence and grace of God!

2. Now, that is not surprising news to our generation, for they think that God runs an open-door administration, where anybody who is reasonably decent can run into his presence as if it were a drive-in window at McDonalds. 

But for the Biblical Christian, filled with those images in the Old Testament and the New Testament , where, in every instance, men who found themselves in the presence of God, fell on their faces and were awed by the Divine Presence.  Moses heard:

'Take off thy shoes from your feet!  For the place where you stand is holy ground!'

Isaiah heard the Cherubim cry: 

'Holy! holy ! holy! is the Lord God of hosts! Heaven and earth is full of his glory!'

Ezekiel saw the mere "appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord, and fell upon his face."

Only then did they hear a voice that graciously spoke to them and treated them as accepted in the divine presence.

Please!  Don't let a misunderstanding in theology make you presumptuous with God.  By the same token, don't live you life void of the benefits of access to God's presence, which your justification provides to you.  "Come boldly into the presence of the majesty on high" dressed, as it were, in the righteousness of Jesus!

But, never let this doctrine make you presumptuous with God and his holiness!

III. IN THE THIRD PLACE, THIS PEACE WITH GOD HAS A COSMIC REALITY FOR THE FUTURE. ("V.2b)

1. This hope creates present rejoicing as we think of the end of our lives and the entrance into the next. "v.2b"

In earlier generations of true Christians, who did not understand justification, even when they were undoubtedly justified persons, they often lived in terror of death.  In the medieval church, the dying person call the priest who "shrived" him, that is who probed through the whole life of the individual, trying to discover all of his sins, believing that only confessed sins and liturgically absolved sins were forgiven sins.  A relic of this bad theology in modern times is the popular superstition that suicide is unpardonable, because if you do a good job at it, you couldn't repent of it. 

Here is a theology to live by!  But, it is also a theology to die by!  I read of a girl in France who was fatally injured in an accident some years ago.  Her last words were:

"Mom, you taught me all I needed to know, so that I could make it at the university.  You taught me how to dress so as to please; how to put on makeup so as to attract boys; how to light a cigarette, to hold a cocktail glass.  You taught me so much!  But Mom, you never taught me how to die!  Hurry up Mom, because I'm dying!" 

We are those, who have confidence in the more than adequate provision for today and tomorrow that makes us accepted into the presence of our just and holy God.  That adequate provision is our justification: the imputation of our sins and sinfulness to our dear Savior, and his own infinite personal righteousness and worthiness imputed to us. "5.1-2"

Are you justified?  Then, do you "rejoice in the hope of sharing the glory of God?"

If we have truly accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, we will, upon our death, go immediately to heaven by his grace and share in that inexpressible glory.  But there are two ways to get there.  One is to be in terror of the journey all the way, and at last, to get there. 

The other way is to enjoy the trip as well as the arrival! 

Thirty four years ago, I took my first trip to Europe on a passenger liner where they wined and dined you and treated you far above the treatment you were accustomed to receive on terra firma.  The food on a ship in those days was absolutely wonderful and the elegance of the serving was perhaps even better.  The ship I was on was filled with Italian retires going home to Italy to live out their lives in Italy with the benefit of their American Social Security.  These were often simple people who did not speak good English, or understand the system.  And that made it all the more plausible when, about the same time, I heard of a man who went abroad and carried a big supply of crackers and cheese with him and for 8 days ate his wretched little meal of crackers and cheese in his stateroom without knowing that his place in the dining room was fully paid for, perfectly set, but void of its rightful owner. 

There are those Christians who show evidence of justification, but who have never personally come to grips with it.  And they are much like this poor man who had every provision made for his comfort but who had never experienced the benefits and the joys of it. 

How wonderful it is that God has justified us who have trusted in Christ and will welcome us into his presence!  How sad, when those who have that justification act like pitiful strangers and get no benefit from it during the journey.  I pray that you will have a much better journey during your trip to the Eternal City!