May 5, 2011

“Therefore . . . we have . . . ” - Romans 5:1-5

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.

How can we know we are saved? How can we be assured that God is pleased with us? Or in the technical terms of Romans 4, how can we be certain that the promise of God is imputed to us by faith, as it was to Abraham? Can we actually know these things beyond doubt?

Often a discussion of the opening verses in Romans 5 starts by simply assuming we are saved, and then moves quickly to the consequences of salvation—as though somehow we must endeavor to make these qualities real in our lives. But I think it might be argued that Paul is describing not what should be, but what already is. “THEREFORE,” he writes, “having been justified by faith, WE HAVE peace with God.”

“Well,” someone might respond, “I don’t really feel it yet. Maybe it just means I’ve ‘made my peace’ with God so He won’t send me to hell.” But the word for “peace” in this verse isn’t a legal term. It literally means quietness, equanimity, rest. It’s something we actually feel. A person who has this kind of peace is not easily disturbed. Rather, he senses a mysterious connection with God that draws the strength of the Spirit into every life situation.

For this reason, a supernatural inner tranquility is one of the first assurances we have that God has in fact brought us into His kingdom. At the point where we transition from death to life, His imputed righteousness miraculously changes us. We will feel peace—if not at first with regard to our circumstances, at least with regard to the terrifying holiness of God. In other words, we will feel forgiven.

As we continue through this passage, we see that peace is only one of five tangible evidences of our salvation that Paul describes. The second is grace. When God’s unfathomable mercy collided with His absolute justice on the cross of Christ, it brought the grace of heaven into our lost world in a measure that will never be equaled. But grace did not end there. After we have been justified through Christ, His grace continues to flow into our lives, powerfully equipping us to do all God calls us to do.

Paul speaks of this in II Corinthians 9:8. “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” Again, this is a supernatural phenomenon, something beyond ourselves, and it should be the consistent experience of everyone who has truly entered the kingdom of God.

The third evidence of our right standing with God is that we will “rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” Said another way, we will be eternity-oriented. Everything we think about and do will be colored by our strong anticipation of the day when Christ’s glory will be fully revealed. It will become the focus of all our choices and the source of our greatest satisfaction. Earthly trials and disappointments will become less and less discouraging. As the songwriter expressed it, “The things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

Evidence number four is that we will be able to glory in our tribulations. This certainly doesn’t come easily, so Paul gives us some insight into why suffering should be seen as cause for rejoicing. Essentially he tells us that our tribulations are God’s chosen tools to make us like Christ. Perseverance and character and hope are only manifested when circumstances press with great difficulty upon us. We are told that even Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). It is only in the crucible of our suffering that we are made into vessels worthy of bearing the glorious love of God into the world (II Timothy 2:21).

This in fact is the final assurance that we are part of God’s family, that the Holy Spirit pours into and through our hearts the very love that characterizes God Himself. Strong, selfless, “bearing all things and enduring all things” (I Corinthians 13:7), His love in us moves into the death of our world with life-bringing power. No human love can compare to it. Unlike the tolerance that so allures our modern culture, the fierce and uncompromising love of God transforms everything it touches.

And thus I believe we can know with great certainty that we have been radically saved by God’s transforming love. If we truly have been “justified by faith,” we will feel a deep and abiding peace in our spirits that sustains us through the mental and emotional and circumstantial tides which continually wash over us. We will rest in the assurance that His grace will be sufficient for every task He gives. We will live in the light of His glorious hope. We will embrace suffering as His precious gift. Most of all, we will find flowing out of our spirits a supernatural passion to see others brought into the kingdom and raised up into His likeness.

If these five evidences—all of which are profoundly supernatural—are present to at least some degree in your life, then you can know without doubt that you are a recipient of the promise and a bearer of His image. If you do not have this certainty, then I beg you to return to Hebrews 11:6—“He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”—until you experience for yourself the authentic presence and peace and power of God.