David Bahn – Reflections

Today’s readings are Romans 5; Nahum 2; 2 Samuel 14; 18. I’ll be away for the next few weeks. I will, however, attempt to post a link to the readings for the 49 Week Bible Challenge so you can follow the plan easily. During this time there will be no audio versions of these blog posts.

Romans 5:1-11

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ² Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

⁶ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. ¹¹ More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

When you see “therefore,” you need to stop to see what it’s there for. And in this case this therefore, it is a hinge on which great weights of significance swing. The implications of being justified by faith sets up all manner of moral and spiritual implications. Because we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God, we rejoice in hope – even in the face of trials and tribulations – and we stand in grace.

In other words we never have to do anything to gain God’s favor. But since we have been justified by faith and stand in grace there are implications. This is not just a state of grace, it is a launchpad for grateful and faithful life.

One of my professors in seminary made the appeal to translate the “we have” as “let us have.” Romans 5:1 contains a textual variant that affects whether Paul is making an indicative statement (“we have peace”) or issuing a hortatory/cohortative exhortation (“let us have peace”). This is one of the classic examples in textual criticism where a single vowel changes the sense of the verb. Note well, however, that this does not change a teaching of Scripture or undercut the gospel in any way. But it does provide a nuance worth considering.

So today I will rejoice in my tribulations (they are very few at this moment), and live in peace with God. Not in order to be right with God, but because God has put me right with him through faith in his Son, Jesus, my Lord and God.