Read
Romans 5:1-2
"Good with God" can sound like a claim to have earned approval. Paul locates peace with God somewhere else entirely.
Context
Romans 5 opens with a conclusion Paul has been building since chapter 1: justification is by faith, not by works of the law. Having been justified, believers have peace with God and access into the grace in which they stand. This is not a feeling produced by managing to appear good. It is a settled status grounded in what Christ has done.
Observe
- What are believers said to have, in verse 1?
- How is that peace obtained, according to the verse?
- What do believers have access to, according to verse 2?
- Is any of this described as earned?
Meaning
Being good with God does not describe moral performance. It describes a standing received through faith. Striving to appear acceptable and actually being at peace with God are two different things, and Paul is clear which one the gospel offers.
Look to Christ
The peace Paul describes comes specifically through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is His work, not the believer's effort, that grounds the standing.
Reflect
What have you been doing to try to feel acceptable to God?
Do you experience your relationship with God as peace, or as ongoing performance?
Practice
Where striving has replaced rest this week, name it in prayer and ask God to remind you what your peace with Him is actually grounded in.
Prayer
Father, I have tried to earn what You have already given. Teach me to stand in the peace Christ secured, not the peace I perform. Amen.
Related Scripture
Ephesians 2:8-10. Philippians 3:8-9. Colossians 1:19-20.
Journal Prompt
What would it look like this week to rest in a peace you did not have to earn?
Artifact Connection
The Good with God Tee carries this reminder: peace with God rests on what Christ has done, not on managing to appear good.