Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 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. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 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.
Romans 5:1-5
Because of Jesus there are no longer any barriers in our relationship with God. This “peace,” is found in God’s right relationship with the Son, and it expresses God’s nature toward us and the promise of harmony we have in our relationship with God. This “peace” or “harmony with God” is a spiritual union made possible through our Lord Jesus Christ .
So what is a spiritual union/relationship? An recall an example I read once which makes it pretty clear to me. When we put cream in our coffee a union occurs. The black coffee and the white cream are integrated and made one. The coffee becomes brown because of the union. It is brown coffee and you can’t separate the black from the white. They are now one. The Bible says that when we came to Jesus Christ for salvation, we entered into an indissolvable or solidified union with Him so that what happened to Christ happened to us. Christ died. Christ arose. Our sinful self died and rose with Him. That blessed assurance give us Peace in God, or a perfect standing before God. Thanks be to God, to Jesus Christ His Son, and to the Holy Spirit that continues to inform us of our undeserved and miraclus spiritual union with God. Perhaps we need to remember that we are all one in Christ and our colors meld into one in God. There is no longer black, brown, or white. We are one in Christ Jesus.
Questions
- When have you felt that peace that only God can give? That is when you feel oneness with God.
- Can you allow that oneness to create a spirit of grace and love with others, whether they look like you, act or talk like you or not?
- Will we allow our oneness in God to overrule any cultural differences that may be part of our history?
Pray
Let us pray. Eternal God, thank you for your redeeming grace that makes us one. Give us that spirit of oneness and cooperative love for others, who are in need, or may be oppressed, or seeking justice. Thank you that through Jesus Christ we are renewed, reconciled, redeemed and one with you and with all who have put their faith in Christ. Amen
Sue is NLS Spiritual Director, since 2019 and is a retired Lutheran Pastor (ELCA). Active in VdC since 1995, she has served two terms on the Board of the Texas VdC Secretariat, and also on the Texas Gulf Coast VdC Board as Spiritual Director since its start-up in 2017.
