June 17, 2019

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Paul will go on to talk about suffering in the next few chapters so he is not talking about a peace here that is necessarily without pain. So, what does it mean to have “peace with God?” It means that God takes on the role of Father for us rather than simply judge. On this Father’s Day weekend, we might remember the way our fathers, when they were at their best, made us feel cared for and secure. God exceeds the goodness of even the best of fathers at their best. Perhaps there were times our Dads had to discipline. Perhaps in our adolescence we even thought of them occasionally antagonistically. But now, as adults, we understand and appreciate who they truly are and all they went and go through on our behalf. Turns out we were on the same side all along! So it is with God. Since in Jesus, God does for us what we cannot do for ourselves, we are on the same side, play on the same team. Not always a walk in the park, but a walk with God by our side. How has your relationship with your father taught you about God the Father?