Rom
5:1-5 (ESV) Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 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. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that
suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character
produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been
poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
NOTE: So because we
are justified by faith as a gift and not as a result of works, we have peace.
And, our peace is true peace since our standing, our justification, is based on
a gift and not on our performance. It was given to us and it will not be taken
away from us, because it was given to us unconditionally. Therefore we have
tremendous peace. The need to maintain our position is not a need at all. So,
we can even face suffering with a confidence assurance. Why? Because under the
OT law, suffering could be an indication of failure to abide by the law. Under
grace, suffering comes about for many reasons, but every reason has purpose, as
Rom 8:28 will later make clear. Justification by faith as a gift changes
everything!
