When The Door Slams
For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, In his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. (Ephesians 2:14-16 NLT)
The struggle we have with a holy God is rooted in the conflict between God's righteousness and our unrighteousness. He is just and we are unjust. This tension creates fear, hostility and anger within us toward God. The unjust person does not desire the company of a just judge. We are at war with Him unless or until we are justified. The religious and unjust go to church every Sunday but there is no true repentance. Only the justified person can be comfortable in the presence of a holy God.
The Apostle Paul sets forth immediate benefits--fruits of justification. In...Romans he explains what happens to us when we are justified, when we are covered by righteousness of Christ that is by faith: "Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has brought us into that blessing of God's grace that we now enjoy. And we are happy because of the hope we have of sharing God's glory" (Romans 5:1-2).
Think about this: The first fruit of our justification is peace with God. To the ancient jew peace was a precious, but elusive commodity. The present-day turmoil in the Mid-East seems like a replay. Every time they get close to finding the peace found only in Christ, Satan steers them away. Blinds them. He throws up a smoke screen. He bluffs them. And they miss it! But true Christians have found it--forever! We have found the secret of life.
"The unjust don't know how to live in peace," the apostle Paul says concerning the human race (Romans 3:17). As we look around, we find that there is little personal, domestic, social, economic or political peace anywhere. Why? Because we all have the seeds of suspicion and violence, of hatred and destruction within us.
Peace can be experienced only when we have received divine pardon. When we have been reconciled to God and when we have repentance within, with our fellow man and especially with God...Christ has made peace with God for us and is Himself our peace. If by faith we accept Him, we are justified by God and can realize the inner serenity that can come to man through no other means.
Affirmation: He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far from him, peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come the the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us (Ephesians 3: 17-18).
Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.
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