Peace: a Fact and a Feeling

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Romans 5:1

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Wonderful is the power of faith. Hebrews 11 tells us of its marvellous exploits; but one of the most wonderful of its effects is that it brings us justification and consequent peace. It is not the creator of these things, but the channel through which these favours come to us.

I. FAITH BRINGS US INTO A STATE OF PEACE. Naturally we have no peace. God is angry with us. "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" And we cannot agree with God, for "the carnal mind is enmity against God," etc.

1. Before there can be peace between us and God we must with all our hearts plead "guilty." To refuse to do so is contempt of court. There is mercy for a sinner, but there is no mercy for the man who will not own himself a sinner.

2. Then we must admit the justice of the Divine sentence. It would yield my heart no comfort to be told that God could wink at sin. Lasting peace must be founded upon everlasting truth.

3. And now comes in the abounding mercy of God, who, in order to our peace, finds a substitute to bear our penalty, and reveals to us this gracious fact. He puts His Son in the sinner's place. Sin having been laid on Christ, He has borne it away. Faith accepts that substitution as a glorious boon of grace, and rests in it. The soul may well have peace when it has realised and received such a justification as this, for —

(1) It is a peace consistent with justice.

(2) No further demands can be made against us, "the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin."(3) Our acquittal is certified beyond all question, and the certificate is always producible, viz., the risen Christ, who "died for our sins, and rose again for our justification."

II. FAITH GIVES US THE SENSE OF PEACE.

1. The sense of peace follows upon the state of peace. We do not get peace before we are justified, neither is peace a means of justification. God justifies the ungodly.

2. This sense comes "through Jesus Christ." Many children of God lose their peace in a measure, because they deal with God absolutely, but there cannot be any point of contact between absolute Deity and fallen humanity except through Christ, the appointed Mediator. Have you attempted to approach the Eternal King without His chosen ambassador? How presumptuous is your attempt! The throne of Divine sovereignty is terrible apart from the redeeming blood.

3. Some Christians say, "I have no lasting peace." But peace is the right of every believer. What is there now between him and God? Sin is forgiven; righteousness is imputed. God sees him in His Son, and loves him. Why should he not be at peace? "Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God," said Jesus, "believe also in Me." Why have you not peace, then? You have a claim to it, and you ought to enjoy it. What is the reason why you do not possess it?

(1) It is your unbelief. In proportion to your faith will your peace with God abide.

(2) Or you make a mistake as to what this peace is.

(a) You say, "I am so dreadfully tempted; the devil never lets me alone." But did you ever read that you were to have peace with the devil? Never; on the contrary, you have the better promise that "the Lord shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." Till then the enmity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman will continue.

(b) Another says, "It is not the devil; it is myself that I fear. I feel the flesh revolting and rebelling. When I would do good, evil is present with me. 'Oh wretched man that I am!'" Hearken again. As the Lord hath war with Amalek forever and ever, so there is war between the spirit and the flesh so long as the two are in the same man. There is no promise of peace with the flesh, but only of peace with God.

(c) "Ah," says another, "I am surrounded by those that vex me. When I serve the Lord they malign and misrepresent me with scoff and slander." Yes, but did you ever dream of having peace in this world where your Lord was crucified — peace with those that hate you for His sake? Why, did He not say, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you." "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." "And this is the victory which overcometh the world, even our faith."(d) "Still," says one, "I find every day that I sin, and I hate myself for sinning." Yes; and the Lord never said that you should have peace with sin. The more hatred of sin the better. If sin never distresses you, then God has never favoured you.

4. To come back then, "we have peace with God." We enjoy peace with God because —

(1) We know He loves us. He would not have given His Son to die for us if He had not. Moreover, we feel a fervent love to Him in return.

(2) We are not afraid to go to our covenant God for all necessary things, and to seek His help in time of trouble. We have not always such settled peace with our fellow creatures, for at times we so much lack confidence in them that we could not divulge to them our troubles. Our habitude of prayer proves that we have peace with God; we should not think of praying to Him if we doubted His goodwill.

(3) We delight in God. You do not always feel Him equally near, but when He is near it is the joy of your spirit.

(4) We acquiesce in all that He does in His rough providences. A hypocrite is like a strange dog that will follow a man as long as he casts him a bone; but a true believer is like a man's own dog that will follow him when he gives him nothing. A true believer says, "Shall I receive good from the hand of the Lord, and shall I not also receive evil?"(5) We look forward with confidence to the time of our departure out of this world and say, "I can die, if Thou, O Lord, be with me." We are not afraid of the day of judgment because we have peace with God, and hence we are not afraid to die.

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