Paul's Epistle to the Romans, Part 8: War and Peace

Romans 5:1-11 

Paul has outlined the condition of anyone who has placed their faith in Christ. Now he begins to show what that looks like in terms of status. We were formerly enemies of God. We were rebels, united against His cause with all the other members of our race. But now, through Christ, and only through Christ, we enjoy peace with God. This status of peace qualifies us to experience profound joy because of the hope we have that God’s glory now covers us like a warm blanket.

Furthermore, there is an inviolable sequence of victory that proceeds from this hope. It begins with suffering. The suffering we endure produces more endurance to withstand future trials. This ability to hold fast under duress results in solid character. The increase of our character leads to more hope, and the cycle repeats. This process, although painful at times, makes us into Christians with spines of steel who cannot be put to shame. We become much like Paul himself, unashamed of the gospel, because we recognize that it is the means by which we have been strengthened. Much more than merely words alone, we come to experientially recognize the incalculable power of the gospel to transform us.

By putting this together with the aforementioned recognition of our unworthiness to stand before God, Paul takes us to a startling conclusion. Namely, that God, in Christ, died for us when we did not deserve it. Paul illustrates this by pointing out that one of us would not give up our lives for a self-righteous person, or even someone committed to righteousness for the sake of righteousness alone. He concedes that perhaps a human would die for someone who they believe loves them and pursues righteousness for the sake of others. Yet, even this is a far cry from what Christ has done. He submitted Himself to death, on our behalf, while we were His enemies. If He was willing to do this, in accordance with the will of the Father and the operation of the Spirit, then we can rest assured that we will be spared from His wrath because we have been reconciled to God. Thus, Paul comes full circle back to the peaceful co-existence that we now enjoy with our Maker.

Do we truly understand what it is like to face the burning anger of an omnipotent Creator God? I do not think we grasp the enormity of how dangerous and precarious our position is when we are in such a state. Perhaps at least part of the reason is that God is so merciful and kind in doling out abundant common grace every day across the world, in that He does not immediately wipe humanity off the face of the earth, that His terrible anger is masked to our eyes. But, oh how we need to contemplate the wrath of God. An earnest consideration of it would cause us to appreciate more fully the peace we now enjoy with Him. It would also surely drive us to pursue evangelism more fervently, so as to be a part of sparing others from their fate.