Having Peace with God
A Sermon on Romans 5:1-2
Originally preached Nov. 1, 1957
Scripture
1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Sermon Description
Chapter by chapter, Paul’s letter to the Romans has explained that all humanity is under God’s judgement and have hope through justification by faith, and now he is explaining that all can have peace with God. Christians were previously enemies of God but now they can have assurance and a resting faith in their salvation through Jesus Christ. In this sermon from Romans 5:1–2, titled “Having Peace with God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones outlines how Christians know if they have this assurance and peace with God: their mind will be content with the process of justification by faith, they know that Christ loves them despite being sinners, they can answer the accusations of conscience and the devil, and they no longer fear death or judgement. If they were to fail or falter at any of these tests, then they may not have a true peace with God. Sometimes sin makes one question or doubt their justification, but regardless, their salvation is still true. Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds that justification is one declarative act forever and faith always can fight this doubt victoriously. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also explains what the results of justification by faith look like in their lives as well as discussing what a false sense of peace with God is.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is summarizing the benefits and results of justification by faith in Romans 5:1-2.
- Before justification by faith, God's wrath was upon us due to our sin and unrighteousness. There was no peace between God and man.
- For there to be peace between God and man, God's wrath must be appeased. This was accomplished through Jesus's death on the cross as a propitiation for our sins.
- Not only did something need to happen on God's side, but also on man's side. By nature, man is at enmity with God and afraid of Him.
- Justification by faith removes man's fear of God and enmity towards Him, allowing for peace with God.
- The peace we have with God is an objective fact, not just a feeling. It is a change in our actual relationship and standing with God.
- Our peace with God can be tested by whether our natural fear of God and enmity towards Him has been removed.
- Additional tests of truly having peace with God: our mind is at rest about our relationship with God; we know God loves us; we can answer accusations of conscience and the devil; we are no longer afraid of death and judgment; we can maintain peace even after sinning.
- Though we have peace with God, faith may still have to fight doubts and temptations. But faith will ultimately prevail.
- There is a difference between assurance of faith (which is necessary) and full assurance of faith (which is not necessary and may fluctuate).
- Unfortunately, there is such a thing as a false peace with God. Characteristics include: mere intellectual assent; resting on one's faith rather than Christ; lack of doubts or trouble; too "healthy"; only interested in forgiveness, not righteousness; takes sin too lightly.
- Characteristics of true peace with God include: not glib or lighthearted; filled with wonder and amazement; humble; grateful; careful about one's life.
- We can maintain our peace with God by continually reflecting on 1 John 1-2:2.
Sermon Q&A
What Does It Mean to Have Peace with God According to Lloyd-Jones?
What is the primary difference between "peace with God" and "the peace of God"?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, "peace with God" refers to the state of reconciliation between God and the believer, where the previous condition of enmity has been removed. This is different from "the peace of God," which is the inner tranquility that God gives to believers to help them avoid anxiety during trials and tribulations. Peace with God refers to our relationship with God, while the peace of God refers to the subjective experience God grants to His people.
How does Lloyd-Jones explain what happens on God's side before peace can be established?
Lloyd-Jones explains that from God's side, His wrath was upon us because of our sin. Before peace can be established, this wrath had to be addressed. God accomplished this through Christ, whom He "set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood." Christ's sacrifice appeased God's wrath against sin by taking our punishment upon Himself. Through Christ's work, God can now "look upon us with favor and pardon us and forgive us and reconcile us unto himself" while remaining eternally just and righteous.
What happens on our side before peace with God can be established?
On our side, Lloyd-Jones explains that by nature, we are afraid of God, have a craven fear of Him, and are at enmity with Him. We are troubled, fearful of death and judgment, and unable to find peace. This natural state of fearfulness and enmity must be removed before peace can be established. This happens through our faith in Christ's perfect work, which changes our attitude toward God from fear and hostility to trust and love.
What six practical tests does Lloyd-Jones provide to determine if we have peace with God?
Lloyd-Jones offers these six practical tests:
- Our mind is at rest about our relationship with God - we understand and are satisfied with the doctrine of justification by faith.
- We know God loves us despite our sin - we see proof of this in Christ's cross.
- We can answer the accusations of our own conscience - when internal voices suggest forgiveness is impossible.
- We can answer the accusations of the devil - we can face our "fierce accuser" and tell him Christ has died.
- We no longer fear death or judgment - we're delivered from the bondage of this fear.
- We can maintain our peace even when we fall into sin - we don't question our salvation when we sin because our justification rests on Christ, not ourselves.
How does Lloyd-Jones distinguish between false peace and true peace?
According to Lloyd-Jones, false peace is characterized by: - Mere intellectual assent without heart belief - Resting on one's faith rather than on Christ's work - Never being troubled by doubts - Being only interested in forgiveness, not righteousness - Taking sin lightly and recovering too quickly after sinning
True peace, in contrast, is characterized by: - Never being glib or lighthearted about salvation - Being filled with wonder and amazement at God's grace - Humility and a sense of unworthiness - Gratitude and praise to God - Carefulness about one's life and maintaining good works
What does Lloyd-Jones say is the only way to maintain peace with God?
Lloyd-Jones states that the only way to maintain peace with God is to live "a good deal of your life in the first epistle of John in chapter one and the first two verses of chapter two." This passage deals with confession of sins and Christ's advocacy for believers. By regular confession of sin and trusting in Christ as our advocate before the Father, we maintain the peace we've been given through justification by faith. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that though we've been given peace "once and forever," the devil will tempt us and sin will make us "shaky," so we must continually return to these foundational truths.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.