Let’s Get Over Ourselves – Romans 5

A text – Romans 5:1-8

5:1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
5:2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
5:3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
5:4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
5:5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
5:7 Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person–though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.
5:8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

A reflection:

Just when I am feeling the most smug and self-satisfied, very proud of something I have done, I usually manage to screw up big time. It’s easy to get puffed up when things go well, at lest for me. If I kept in mind that I am merely the recipient of any talent I might possess, that I am merely the actor who is playing a role somebody else wrote, I wouldn’t have a chance to get so high and mighty.

Romans 5:1 places our ego-prone selves into a dependent clause, not even the main clause of the sentence, this very point: “Since we are justified by faith,” Paul says, then “we have peace with God.”

Nothing we have done with our talents or stamina or excellence gives us justification leading to peace with God. Only our faith. Our faith is something we don’t really DO at all. Our faith is something we receive because the Holy Spirit is working in us to let us believe. And “Since we are justified by this faith”, NOT “Since we are so clever” or “Since we are so nice,” but “Since we are justified by faith,” we have peace with God.

Being nice or good is wonderful. But it doesn’t make us right with God. Our faith does, and that itself is a gift from the God who loves us and wants us.

A prayer:

Gracious God, Thank you for loving us. Help us to remember that we are yours and you are never far away. Nothing is beyond you, and you will always be our God because you love us. Help us to believe and then to share this good news with people who really need to hear it.  Amen.