Slideshow image

Yesterday, in our men's Bible study, we studied Romans 5:1-11. And man, it was good. As we read, I could not shake this thought: our nation is restless. We live in a land filled with noise, fear, outrage, and division. Everyone is searching for peace, but almost no one can find it.

That tells us something. Peace is not found where most are looking.

What Kind of Peace?

When Paul says, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1), he is not describing a vague calm or a momentary sense of relief. He is describing a new standing before God. The war is over, the hostility is finished, and the wrath has been satisfied.

And here is where we must be careful. Many think peace means removing problems, having no stress at work, no conflict at home, and no anxiety in the heart. But that is not the peace Paul has in view. The peace of Romans 5 is peace with God. And until you have peace with God, every other attempt at peace will prove hollow.

Peace Applied

It's one thing to read, "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). It's another to live it. For years, I said I believed, but I carried life on my own shoulders. I thought everything depended on me, my choices, my strength, and my control. That illusion left me restless and fearful. No matter how hard I tried, peace always slipped through my fingers.

Then God opened my eyes. I saw that He is sovereign in all things, and He chose me, saved me, and holds my life in His hands. And in that moment, peace came like a flood. Fear lifted. My mind was renewed. I began to see everything through this truth: nothing surprises God and stands outside His control.

Jesus meant this when He said, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30). The crushing weight of self-rule was gone, and rest came for my soul. That's the peace Paul describes, not something I worked up, but a gift God gave by grace alone.

Why We Cannot Find It Elsewhere

Why is our nation restless? Because we are searching for peace in politics, money, entertainment, substances, sex, and self-help. But Romans 5 insists peace is not earned, purchased, or manufactured. It is given.

It is the gift of Christ, received by faith.

Peace That Holds in Suffering

But consider the power of this peace: it does not vanish when suffering comes. Paul says, "We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope." (Romans 5:3–4)

Only those at peace with God can endure with hope in the middle of suffering. Think of the first church in Acts, mocked, beaten, dragged into courtrooms, and even thrown into prison. Yet they sang hymns in jail cells, prayed for their enemies, and kept preaching Christ with boldness. Why? Because they had peace with God. The world could strip them of comfort, but it could not strip them of hope.

That is the peace Romans 5 promises, not fragile, not circumstantial, but unshakable.

An Invitation

If you're restless and searching, don't look where the world looks. Look to Christ. He alone justifies, reconciles, and brings peace with God.

If you're searching for more truth, join us this Sunday night at RJ Cinema from 6 to 7 p.m. It's our very first Interest Event as a church. We'll be casting vision and gathering a launch team. We would love for you to come and see what God is doing.