“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1 NET).
As we close our brief discussion of peace from Romans 5:1, we can turn our attention to a meaningful observation from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. In an era that was characterized by spiritual complacency, Isaiah cast his gaze toward a future monarch who would reign with righteousness. In doing so, Isaiah described the lasting impact of that leader’s reign…
“The result of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever” (Isaiah 32:17 CSB).
From a New Testament perspective, we can understand why the “…effect of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever.” The assurance we have in Christ means we are no longer burdened by the prospect of divine judgment and its associated consequences. Since He has absorbed God’s wrath for our sins, we can enjoy “quiet confidence forever.”
The Living Bible paraphrase of 1 John 4:17-18 communicates a similar idea…
“And as we live with Christ, our love grows more perfect and complete; so we will not be ashamed and embarrassed at the day of judgment, but can face him with confidence and joy because he loves us and we love him too. We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he might do to us. If we are afraid, it is for fear of what he might do to us and shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves us.”
So, we can obtain peace with God through faith in Christ. Centuries ago, Matthew Henry made several notable observations on this subject in his commentary on Romans 5:1…
“It is sin that breeds the quarrel between us and God… Justification takes away the guilt, and so makes way for peace. …There is more in this peace than barely a cessation of enmity, there is friendship and loving-kindness, for God is either the worst enemy or the best friend. …Christ has called his disciples friends, Joh 15:13-15. And surely a man needs no more to make him happy than to have God his friend! But this is through our Lord Jesus Christ – through him as the great peace-maker, the Mediator between God and man…” (1)
In the words of another ancient commentator, “Faith gives us peace with God because it reconciles us to him by taking away those sins that had made us his enemies.” (2)
See related study from Colossians chapter three beginning here.
(1) Henry, M. (1996, March 1). Commentary on Romans 5. Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Rom/Rom_005.cfm
(2) Ambrosiaster, Commentaries on Romans-2 Corinthians, quoted in ESV Church History Study Bible: Voices from the Past, Wisdom for the Present. (2023). Crossway. p.1692