Friday after the Second Sunday after Epiphany
Posted on January 20, 2023 by under
Scripture: Romans 5:1-5 (NKJV)
5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Devotion
When sinners are acquitted of their guilt and justified, God’s verdict is pronounced gratuitously, that is, it’s a free gift; something unmerited and unearned. God’s gracious judgment is based upon the ransoming action accomplished by Christ when He paid in full the penalty of sin for the entire world. According to this judgment, God is both just and the justifier of those who believe in Jesus (Rom. 3:26). All of these wonderful truths are summarized by this little phrase, “justified by faith;” namely, that we are declared righteous and free from sins, and absolved from eternal punishment for the sake of Christ’s righteousness, which is imputed by God to faith. What follows is a list of the blessed results of having peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul writes that we Christians not only glory in the positives, such as the hope of seeing God’s glory on the Last Day, but also in those things which we often view as the negatives, such as tribulations, afflictions, and distresses. He shows us that we glory in these things because of what they produce in us. The more God delivers us, the more confidence we build in His assurances. As that confidence grows, so does our hope, so that when He gives us His immutable Word on something, we eagerly wait to see its fulfillment. In this way, we know any and all tribulation we face in this life works together for our benefit.
Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, Who dost govern all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of Thy people and grant us Thy peace all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
