Guilty!? The Awesomeness of God’s Grace in the Letter to the RomansNäide

Freedom from guilt

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1 (ESV)

At the outset of his letter, Paul shows us that we are sinners by nature and we live in rebellion against God. Our sin is that we are in conflict with God and our fellow human beings. We argue, create conflict, destroy relationships and are often unaware of the damage we do. Even when our intentions are good, things go wrong.

How can we fix this? Paul has explained that if we believe in Jesus Christ, our guilt is removed and our relationship with God is restored. If you personally believe in Jesus as Savior, God accepts you as His child, and you are reconciled to Him. Your sin is erased and your debt toward God is forgiven. You have peace with God. In essence, that is the gist of the first four chapters of Romans. In chapter five, Paul begins to discuss what the fruit of this peace is, and that is what he writes about in the rest of the letter.

In fact, this long letter is a comprehensive statement, essential for an understanding of each aspect of doctrine. Fundamental to our peace is that God, as Judge, declares our guilt is removed by His Son, Jesus Christ, who paid the price. His sacrifice represents our justification. We celebrate this at Easter when we remember Christ’s resurrection and His ascension to heaven, which is a confirmation of His resurrection. In chapter 5, Paul assumes that he and his readers have received this amazing gift of justification through faith, and they rejoice in it.

When we think of ‘peace’, we tend to think of it as the opposite of ‘war’. But peace is so much more: it is harmony, healing, recovery, health, and thriving instead of suffering. Peace means being where God your Creator intended you to be. You become a whole person who resembles God’s Son Jesus, with Whom you will inherit God’s kingdom. That is what our time on earth is—preparation. In this life we are learning what it means to follow Jesus, to walk the path, to obey Him. We are learning to endure regardless of the cost, to trust Him in disastrous times; to be so certain that God will protect us and in the end, take us home to be with Him. It is a precious letter, Romans. It isn’t always easy, but if you read the entire letter often, you will become familiar with its treasures.