| NASB | NLT | VOICE |
| 1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. | 1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. | 1 Since we have been acquitted and made right through faith, we are able to experience true and lasting peace with God through our Lord Jesus, the anointed One, the Liberating King. |
Justification is a legal term to say that someone has been acquitted of their crimes. For the context of Paul’s letter to the Romans, justification is about being made right before God. We find this justification not through our actions, but through our faith. Peace with God indicates that there will be no hostility with God and we will have a harmonious relationship with Him. This peace is a state of reconciliation with God. Jesus is the one who mediates our peace. His death and resurrection are how this justification and reconciliation are possible.
REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How does it feel that we can have no hostility with God through His peace?
Jesus is our go between with God. Through our faith in Jesus, we find justification and peace. As mentioned, justification means that we are made right before God. We are brought to righteousness through the sacrifice Jesus made. Jesus died for our sins. Therefore, we are acquitted of our sins and made right before God. God is therefore able to transform our hearts by faith and allow us to do his work in the world. When we commit our hearts to God and believe by faith that our sins are forgiven. God does not hold any hostility towards us when we do mess up. God provides us peace to help us get through the stressors of this world. Through Jesus’ sacrificial acts, we find our peace and right feeling in God’s eyes.
REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How can you live out the righteousness you’ve received through your belief in Jesus?
Praise God for the different gifts of justification and peace. Praise God for sending Jesus down to the world for our sacrifice.
Read John 14:6
Ask God for how we can embrace His righteousness and peace in our everyday life. Ask for ways to incorporate God’s will through our thoughts, words, and actions for each other.
You are God’s gift. You are God’s creation. You are God’s masterpiece.
Next slice of manna: How God’s Favor Brings Inner Peace || Numbers 6:26 || Manna for the Mind #339
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