[1] Our faith in Jesus transfers God’s righteousness to us and he now declares us flawless in his eyes. This means we can now enjoy true and lasting peace with God, all because of what our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, has done for us.
Romans 5:1 AMP
[1] Therefore, since we have been justified [that is, acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God] by faith, [let us grasp the fact that] we have peace with God [and the joy of reconciliation with Him] through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).
The dictionary defines 'justification' as 'the action of declaring or making righteous in the sight of God.' Actually, God did both: He not only declared it, He also did it. He not only pronounced us faultless before His Father; He also did the work required to ensure that we would remain so justified. How did He do it? By walking in our shoes, feeling our human pain and dying the death of a sinner on the cross of sin and shame, so we could receive the power we need to also live above sin. It is not something to be earned by labour, wages or intellect; it is given by the death and resurrection of Jesus, and when I come by faith to trust in that finished work. It may sound simple for those of us who have come to believe in Jesus, but for those who have always known how to fight for everything, it is hard to imagine a benefit you do not have to work for. There is no other way; it is only by faith in Jesus that I can access the benefits of earthly impact and eternal life with God.
Jesus has played His part; He has paid the full price for sin, and He gives me the grace to enjoy true and lasting peace with God. It was the price I should have paid. Someone had to do it, because it was God's judgment as the price for sin. I could not have offered a perfect sacrifice for sin, because I was already blemished. A lamb without defect was the solution, and this is what Christ became for my sake. It is very important to note that peace with God does not mean that there will be no storms, or that the wind will not blow and threaten to cause damage. It is the confidence the peace of God gives that makes me able to face whatever comes, sure that the Presence of God can keep me through any problem I may face. That which Christ has done has ssved me from my past, sorted out the present and secured my future. What else is there to cause fear? God's time of favour is here.
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