Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1 (ESV)

PEACE WITH GOD

There’s a kind of peace you can’t fake. You can tell when someone truly has it, not because their life is easy, but because their heart is settled. They move through the ups and downs of life with a quiet confidence. That kind of peace isn’t based on personality or positive thinking. It’s something deeper; it’s something spiritual. It’s peace with God.

Before we look at peace with others or peace with ourselves, we have to start here. This is where every other kind of peace begins. If you don’t have peace with God, you’ll always be searching for it somewhere else (relationships, approval, performance, control, etc.).

Peace with God isn’t our default. No matter what family you are born into, you aren’t born Christian. The Bible says that we are born into sin. Not that we occasionally make mistakes, but that we are naturally bent toward doing things our way and for our gain. Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It’s not just a broken rule but a broken relationship. Sin has separated us from the One who made us. Deep down, every human heart feels that separation. That’s why we wrestle with guilt. That’s why we try to prove ourselves. That’s why even after success or happiness, something still feels missing.

Until we have peace with God, we will never have lasting peace in life.

Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God didn’t just offer us forgiveness. He offered us a relationship. Our sin created a debt we couldn’t pay, but Christ stepped in and paid it for us. Now, instead of standing before God as enemies or strangers, we stand before Him as sons and daughters.

That’s why Romans 5:1 starts with “therefore.” Paul spent the first four chapters of Romans explaining how we are justified (declared righteous, just as if we never sinned) by faith, not works. We are unable to earn peace with God. We can only receive it by trusting in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.

Peace with God means you don’t have to fear His rejection. You don’t have to earn His approval. You don’t have to wonder if you’ve done enough to make Him love you. All of that was settled on the cross and sealed at the tomb.

Peace with God produces freedom. Freedom from shame. Freedom from striving. Freedom from the lie that you have to fix yourself before you can come to Him. You are free!

Now here is the hard part. Even after you’ve placed your faith in Jesus, it can be easy to struggle to live in that peace. We slip back into our old habits of self-reliance and guilt. We compare ourselves to others and convince ourselves that God must be disappointed.

Maybe you’ve known about God for a long time, but you’ve never truly trusted Him and received this peace. Cry out to Him today! Or maybe you are a believer who has forgotten what it feels like to rest in this peace. Here is the invitation today: don’t try harder; trust deeper.

If you are wondering how you can do that today, here are a few questions you can ask:

• Am I living like I have peace with God or as if I am still trying to earn it?

• What guilt or fear do I need to lay down at the cross?

• How might my relationships change if I truly believed that God’s love for me is unshakable?

Remember: you are not an outsider trying to earn your way in. You are a beloved child who has already been welcomed home!

Sellers Hickman serves as College & Teaching Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their two daughters. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.