The shalom of God

Romans chapter 4 was given over entirely to the central truth that Abraham was saved by faith. Nothing more and nothing less. So chapter five begins, “It follows then, that since we have been justified by faith, we now have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
 
         Before we start it may be well to review the three stages of salvation. Justification means to be set right with God, to stand before him perfectly acceptable. Most people would call this salvation. The second stage is sanctification, which means becoming increasing like him in holiness (living a holy life). Then comes glorification, which is our future sudden change into a perfect likeness to Him. For current believers, justification took place when we accepted Christ by faith, sanctification is taking place right now in the believer’s life, and glorification awaits us at the dawn of God’s eternal kingdom. One can properly say. “I was saved, I am being saved, and I will be saved” – past, present, and future.
         Against this background consider with me the wonderful truth that since we were justified through faith we now have peace with God. The Greek preposition here has the basic meaning of toward. Our peace is the result of faith’s orientation toward God. As the center and focus of life he is the source of our peace as well as the sustainer. Disorientation leaves us without peace because we are no longer pros theon, toward God. In a sense it is all very simple: keep looking toward him and you’ll always have peace. Amy Grant gave us the beautiful song,
                  “Turn your eyes upon Jesus
                  Look full in His wonderful face
                  And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
                  In the light of His glory and grace”
 
         The other point in verse 1 that catches our attention is that our shalom (that state of well-being that reflects an authentic relationship with God) comes “through our Lord Jesus Christ.” He was the one who took upon himself the penalty of our sin. In a moral world, sin carries a debt that must be paid. But because of Him we can sing, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin has left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.” The one great true story of all time is the story that begins with man’s expulsion from the garden of Eden, chronicles his wandering in the world of sin, then the coming of the Incarnate Jesus to die in our stead on Calvary, to rise victorious on Easter morn, to ascend to heaven with the promise of a return to gather those who love him for an eternal festival of perfect joy. It is the story of all time, The Grand Old Story.