Peace with God and Other Benefits

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

Today’s scripture: Romans 5:1-11

In the book of Romans, Paul tells us we are justified freely by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. With that in mind, there are certain benefits salvation brings, the first of which is peace with God. For centuries, man has pursued international peace, domestic peace, and peace in our daily relationships. More important than all of those is peace with God.

God has one plan for our lives, but we have followed our own plan. God has one set of moral guidelines, but we have pursued our own agenda. However, when we stop resisiting him, we begin a relationship of peace.

Christ is the reason for our peace. Paul wrote, “Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:13-14). Removal of guilt and condemnation brings peace.

Other benefits we gain through salvation are access by faith into the grace of God, the hope we now have, and the ability to rejoice in our sufferings. An added benefit of our suffering, is perseverance, and that perseverance produces character. Character develops as we are tested and pass those tests. That in turn, produces hope. We can be confident that if God can bring us through these sufferings, we are confident He will see us through to the end.

Paul assured us that hope does not disappoint us (verse 5). We know that the basis of our hope is the love of God which “He has poured out …… into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” God’s hope will not let us down because His love will never fail us. He even gives us the Holy Spirit as our constant Companion until we fully enter His glory.

Adult Bible Curriculum, October 1, 2017