WHAT a word is this― “peace with God!”
It is well to think over it―a man, sinful and by nature at enmity to God, having peace with God. Is it not indeed wonderful that a guilty worm of earth should be thus blessed? Sin separates from God―our sins have separated us from God. God is angry with sin; He never, never will be at peace with sin, for sin is opposed to His holy nature; yet many who were once the vilest of sinners now have peace with God.
These wonderful words, “peace with God,” occur but once in the Bible; we have them in Romans 5:11Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1). Before examining them we will refer to the texts in the Epistle to the Romans where the word “peace” previously occurs. “Peace from God” meets us in the opening verses of the epistle. Such is the word of greeting God sends His people― “Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” What a happy thing it is for us to read this epistle, having continually in our hearts the gracious greeting wherewith our God commences this letter to us!
God shows us in this epistle that He is no respecter of persons, but that He is a righteous God, rendering to every man according to his deeds― “Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil”; “glory, honor, and peace to every man that worketh good” (chs. 2:6-11) But what further says the epistle? It teaches what man’s ways toward God are, and thus it speaks: “There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way” ... “the way of peace have they not known” ... (chs. 3:10-19). Poor wandering sinners! getting further and further from God every step and every hour of life; guilty, and adding to the guilt, and in self no possibility, no hope of return.
Now it is after the dark picture of our guilt has been given, that God teaches us His way of righteousness on behalf of the guilty sinner. And that is by no other means than the death of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. His precious blood shed on the cross declares God’s righteousness (ch. 3:26), and tells us that the righteousness of God is magnified in relation to our very sins that cried for judgment.
We can do nothing to obtain righteousness from God, for we are like criminals convicted of a capital offense―such is our position before God. Such as seek for peace with God by turning over new leaves can never so obtain it, for it is written, “To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (ch. 4:5). But the sinner who believes God, obtains the blessedness of the divine pardon, and God reckons his sins to him no longer, but reckons righteousness to him. Thus, we read, it was with Abraham, the father of the faithful; and the child of faith, like the father of the faithful, says, “What God says can be.”
If you will read the first four chapters of the Romans you will see that in our remarks we have been running through them, in order that we may come by God’s pathway to these wondrous words, “Peace with God” (ch. 5:1).
When we say peace with God, we mean the peace of the individual soul, and peace with God about the question of our own sins We cannot have peace with God for one another. It is solely our own portion. Our sins are our own. For his own sins the sinner must give an account to God, unless God shall justify him, and God justifies us individually. So also our faith is our own. WE may put it in this way, he who believes, may thus speak: “I have peace with God about my sins because God has justified me, since Jesus die, and rose again.”
God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, was delivered for our offenses. Faith lays hold of this, and sees how actually “Christ died for our sins.” Herein is close dealing with God as to His judgment due to our sins, and in the death of God’s Son faith perceives righteousness indeed, for the Lord took upon Him the penalty due to the offenses of the ungodly sinner, and then died for our offenses.
Righteousness asks no more than one payment for the debt. God Himself is glorified about our offenses by the death of His Son for them.
But not only did the blessed One die for our sins, He was raised again for our justification. Having borne the judgment due to our offenses, God in righteousness raised Him from the grave. Having died on the cross for our sins, now He is our risen Saviour. Since He died for our offenses the penalty of them is gone; since He was raised from the dead for our justification, in Him risen our justification lies. In Christ dying for our offenses we behold divine righteousness respecting those offenses; in Christ raised from the dead we behold the absoluteness of our justification.
We have already said that believing God, and not working ourselves, is what God, who gave His Son to die for us, and who has raised Him from the dead, requires of us. He justifies us not because of our works, but because of our faith in Himself who gave His Son to do the work on our account. If anyone were justified by works, he could not stand before God and glory; he could glory, but glory in himself. This would not be peace with God! Neither has any sinner who is trying to get the blessing through works, peace with God, perhaps he may feel he is at peace with himself! It is neither our doings nor our feelings which give us peace with God, but the assurance that God has justified us. (Rom. 4:23-2523Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:23‑25).)
Search the Scriptures on this important theme, dear young friends. Seek to get the truth from God Himself, which we do when we come simply to His Scriptures, and pray Him to teach us by His Holy Spirit. The more we meditate on the subject, the more wonderful it grows up before our souls, that we should have peace with God.