Day 6
Today’s reading: Romans 5:1-21
Peace with God
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Peace with God 〰️
Reflections
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took on flesh, died, and rose again to pay our debts, cleanse our sins, and make us righteous. But why was all of this necessary? Why did Christ have to endure such suffering? Why would the Most High God go to such lengths?
To understand, we need to go back to the beginning. Before sin entered the world, Adam and Eve had this harmonious friendship with God and His creation. But when Adam disobeyed God, this fellowship was broken. It wasn’t merely a case of an offended person reacting to disobedience, it was far deeper. God, in His perfect holiness, cannot coexist with sin or even behold it (Habakkuk 1:13). The Greek word katallasso, meaning "to reconcile," literally means bringing two hostile parties into a friendly relationship. Sin brought hostility between God and us. Yet God, in His infinite love, longed to restore the fellowship that was lost. Throughout Scripture, we see God’s relentless pursuit of His people, giving the Israelites chance after chance to return to Him; God longed to dwell amongst them—amongst us.
How beautiful it is to know that the King of kings longs so deeply to be our friend that He gave His only Son to reconcile us to Himself. Let this truth stir your heart to cherish that friendship and, with eagerness, remove anything that threatens your relationship with Him.
Study Questions
How does Paul describe the process of building our faith? Does that change your perspective about suffering and trials?
How does Paul explain sin and death entering into the world? Read Gen 3:22-27. Use a bible commentary for more understanding
How many times does the word “rejoice” or its variants appear in this chapter? Review each verse. What can you learn from those verses?
What did you learn about God’s nature, His ways and His will from today’s reading?
Highlight
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 NIV
