As I scroll through my social media feeds and come across an assortment of corona virus statistics and toilet paper memes, it seems that anxiety and uncertainty are common themes. These feelings are understandable given our COVID-19 climate and the realities of social isolation, job losses, online learning, and the general sense of unease that people live with day-by-day as they long for things to return to “normal”. For believers, we need not be overwhelmed, but should instead allow the truth of scripture to act as “a lamp to our feet and a light for our path” (Psalm 119:105). Specifically, reflecting on the benefits of our justification in Christ can bring enormous comfort and assurance. As Pastor Jude has faithfully preached in recent sermons, the exchange of our sin for Christ’s righteousness that happens when we respond to Christ in faith, and God’s resulting verdict of not guilty, produces freedom in the lives of believers to daily make known the glory of God. Through our justification, the Holy Spirit confirms in our hearts that we have an unshakable peace with God, constant access to His grace, and a growing hope.

 PEACE

Although much could be gained by meditating on all of Romans 5, the first two verses provide a deep and refreshing well. Paul writes, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”  

I’ve found that social isolation has brought with it an uneasy sense as I pass by empty parking lots, empty schools, and empty stores. On the outside, these places have an appearance of peace, but the underlying reason is unsettling. In the same way, the kind of peace that the world offers is equally unsettling. It’s subjective and dependant on circumstance and falls short of bringing any sort of security. Political peace can be broken, peace-and-quiet can be quickly disturbed, and wishing someone to “rest-in-peace” can often feel like little more than a platitude. In contrast, the peace that God offers is found objectively in Jesus Christ, who is “our peace” (Eph 2:14). Jesus is the one and only who has made peace with God possible because, on the cross, he alone met the conditions required for peace. 

This means that, even during turmoil, confusion, and uncertainty, those who have received God’s justification through faith in Christ have a firmly established peace with Him. We’ve been given a new state of being and are no longer God’s enemies (Romans 5:10), but reconciled sons and daughters (Romans 8:16). This doesn’t mean that we’ll escape all adversity or be in a constant state of euphoria. Rather, it means that the longing for security, serenity, and wholeness that every human heart craves, has been given to us and we find constant satisfaction in relationship with Christ. 

GRACE

Paul goes on to write that “through [Christ] we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” Grace both towers over every moment of the Christian life as well as forms its very foundation. It’s by grace that we are brought into relationship with God, and it’s by grace that we live out that relationship day-by-day. We live securely in the constant sphere of God’s grace, even during times of uncertainty. And it’s often in these times of uncertainty that God desires us to realize, most vividly, the depth and permanence of our position in Christ. I think of hymn writer, Annie Johnson Flint, who through her experiences of profound pain and suffering, was still able to joyfully sing, 

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men,
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth and giveth and giveth again. 

Because of our justification, we too, have reason to sing daily of God’s boundless grace.

HOPE

Finally, Paul says, “we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” Like peace, the word hope infiltrates our language. I often catch myself writing emails to my co-workers saying things like, “I hope all is well with you,” “I hope the best for you,” and “I hope we can work together soon.” Although there’s nothing wrong with these expressions as they try to communicate a compassionate outlook, the hope Paul is talking about goes beyond mere wishful thinking to a declaration of confident trust in God’s purpose and timing for the future. The hope Paul speaks of is a bold affirmation of God’s faithfulness and assurance that He will complete the saving work He has started (Phil 1:6). 

God’s promises won’t disappoint or go unfulfilled and those justified in Christ can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God being absolutely assured that He will fulfill all that he has promised. Even in this COVID-19 climate our future is secure, and we can trust that God is faithfully using our current circumstances to transform us into the image of His son with ever-increasing glory (2 Cor 3:18). As D. Stuart Briscoe writes, “When uncertainty prevails, anxiety reigns, but where future hope is rooted in the Risen Christ, joy rules supreme.” Believers who are justified by faith in Christ, let us stand firm in God’s unshakable peace, recognize His abundant grace, and rejoice in our hope.