Mankind’s Biggest Need – Peace with God

Jesus provides a way to have peace with God. Romans 5:1 says, “ Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Book of Romans begins with a lengthy explanation that the wrath of God is directed against sinful people.  Sin disrupted our peace with God, so He has to deal with our immorality and rejection of the truth.  Those who reject God don’t have peace with Him.  In fact, they don’t have lasting peace at all.   

Unfortunately, our culture struggles with the concept that peace is founded upon truth and righteousness.  Many think God’s job is to give us stuff when we ask Him for it.  Some people get mad with God if He doesn’t do everything we want Him to do.  They confuse God with Santa!

The “Santa” god is popular in our culture and marketplace.  But that is not the God of the Bible, a Holy God. In His perfect holiness, He acts according to truth.  If we willingly reject Him, He quickly identifies and deals with that rejection.  God does not gloss over sin.  In love, He shows us our sin so we can restore our peace with Him through Jesus on the foundation of truth. 

That’s where the gospel comes in…. That’s why Jesus comes into the picture…  The gospel is the power for reconciliation with God.  The gospel is the terms of everlasting peace with God.  Jesus is a peacemaker.  Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”

With one hand, God is bending His bow and aiming His holy anger in order to deal with the issue of sin in our hearts.  With the other hand, He is writing up the terms of an everlasting treaty to make peace with those who formerly opposed Him…

Justice and mercy always exist side by side with God.  All people who would receive the work of His Son, Jesus, have peace with God.  God will deal with the issues:

v We can choose to oppose God and know His wrath. 

v We can choose to submit to God and know His mercy.  

The only way of salvation is by surrender, by admitting defeat.  It is by coming to grips with the fact that there is no negotiation and no resolution that we could devise that would ever make us right with God.  We give up and come to God on His terms.  That’s why Christians sing songs with raised hands that say, “Lord, I surrender.”

We are conquered by Him.  Surrender means that we gladly lay aside our former allegiance to the world in order to pledge eternal allegiance to Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  Romans 10:9 says, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”   On these terms, we have everlasting peace with God through the work of His Son Jesus Christ.  There is no other way!

Once we have established a new alliance with the King of Kings, our war with God stops and peace with begins.  The reign of sin in our lives has ended.  God turns his former enemies into His children.  He brings Jesus’ disciples into His house, sits us at His table, and calls us sons and daughters.  He even promises us an eternal inheritance.

Peacemakers receive Jesus as savior themselves – Luke 2:14

A peacemaker is a son or daughter of God.  Biblical peace does not exist outside a right relationship with God.  The best way of helping others have peace with God is by making peace with God yourself.  When the angels came announcing the birth of Jesus, they sang these words, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

God’s children please God and know peace with Him.  The day we made a decision to follow Jesus, we were given the righteousness of Christ and our war with God came to an end. 

Those in God’s family not only have peace with God, but are now in a position to be peacemakers – just like God is a peacemaker.  Glorifying God means to put God’s attributes on display in Your life.  In Matthew 5:9, Jesus exhorts us to show God’s attribute of love and peacemaking with our lives by being peacemakers as well.  

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