Micheal Hurlbert
“The only person who dares to wake up a king at 3 a.m. for a glass of water is a child. We have that kind of access.” This was a 2015 tweet from Tim Keller. Paul also describes this type of access in Romans 5:1-11. There, he encourages Christians to celebrate their peace with God while looking forward in the hope of sharing in future glory. Modern readers can find a foundation for their Christian identity and future hope in the text.
In scripture, peace is linked to covenant obedience, in which living according to God’s word results in a peaceful relationship with him. Paul has this view in mind when he describes the believer's status of peace. He writes, “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1).
The resorted relationship allows believers to be confident in their standing. Through the cross, Jesus ended the hostility between God and man, opening access to God through grace. People who respond obediently to the gospel message have that access today.
Still, peace does not mean that Christians will never have conflicts. Believers are not promised peace in the world but peace with God. As people go through life, they will encounter suffering. However, the Christian approach to life's difficulties looks forward in hope to future glory. As they encounter trials, they stand fast in their faith, allowing the trial to build their character and strengthen their hope. The basis for this hope is love demonstrated on the cross.
Christian hope begins with a deep feeling in the believer's heart. Paul writes, “God’s love has been poured out into your hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rom 5:5). However, inward feelings are difficult to qualify and baseless unless built on an objective reality. Paul grounds the love he feels in his heart on the cross. He writes, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). His future hope is founded on the love he feels and the reality of the cross.
Believers today can rest in the same hope as Paul. Because of the cross, their relationship status is changed to “at peace with God.” Like a child of a king asking their dad for a cup of water, Christians have access to God and can come to him with their worries, fears, and requests. He will hear them.
Believers today can be confident in the future hope of sharing in his glory because it has a strong foundation in the grace of God. “We boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Rom 5:11). Current peace and future hope are reasons for Christians to celebrate today!
Micheal Hurlbert is associate pastor at First Christian Church in Carson City.