“…we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 5:1b
The
greatest need that man has is peace with God. The forgiveness of sin, the
promise of heaven, and the enticement of an abundant life are by-products of
having obtained peace with God. As a matter of fact man cannot enjoy any
blessings from God until man has been reconciled to God. Any prayer, any
offering, and any service to God before peace has been made with God are
absolutely useless.
Although
man perceives God to be a God of love, mercy, and acceptance, man in general is
quite ignorant of the fact that hostility exists between God and unredeemed
man. We read,
“Because the carnal mind is enmity
against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be.” (Romans 8:7, NJJV)
We
read also, “Do you not that friendship
with the world is enmity with
God?” (James 4:4b, NKJV)
God?” (James 4:4b, NKJV)
“The primary purpose of the Christian Gospel is not to give
us blessings. I emphasize the primary purpose. Its primary function
is to reconcile us to God. It is ‘to
bring us to God.’ It is to put us into the place
in which we can ask God for blessings, and God can bless us. Nothing must ever be put before that.”
(Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Exposition of Chapter
Five – Assurance)
Thanks
be to God! We have been reconciled and God has made peace with man. It seems to
me that we should busy at all times repeating that simple but pregnant phrase
over and over - “we have peace with God!”
This realization should fill each believer with a sense of absolute
wonder and amazement. Using today’s vernacular, this realization should “blow
us away!” We should be amazed that we have ever been justified at all. As a
matter of fact, as we ponder this great truth of the Apostle Paul it should
cause the blessedness of Charles Wesley words to thunder through our hearts:
And can it be, that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain;
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love, who can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me?
Beautifully written Gregg
ReplyDeleteHave a good week-end.
Yvonne.
Hi Greg,
ReplyDeleteThat's one of my favorite hymns! My husband used to sing it to the boys while putting them to bed when they were very little.
You're so right - people forget the part that we're born sinners, and enemies of God. "Yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Spent 2.5 years studying and teaching Romans ;-)
They also forget that we have been given the ministry of reconciliation. I have very little patience for Christians who ignore (or don't even bother to find out) what their spiritual gift is, let alone use it to build up the body. In my opinion, the body is very broken in the US...sadly.
Tina @ Life is Good
Co-host, April 2013 A-Z Challenge Blog
@TinaLifeisGood, #atozchallenge
Tina - It is one of my most favorites also. What a great choice for a bed-time "tune" In hopes of making the gospel so "easy" and accessible to everyone we have dumbed it down and taken out the part that God is angry with the sinner, and the first and foremost thing a sinner needs is to be reconciled to God - in other words to have the enmity that exists dealt with. The world has moved into the local visible body of Christ in many many places.
ReplyDelete