#DailyDevotion We Boast In The Hope Of God’s Glory
Romans 5 Now that we have been declared righteous through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2who gave us access to God’s grace, in which we stand. We boast in the hope of God’s glory.
Paul has been spending four chapters now setting up the gospel proposition that we are justified, declared righteous through faith. We are all sinners. There is no one who does good, no not one. There is no law or commandment we can obey which declares us righteous because the Law brings wrath. We all are utterly sinful both Jew and Gentile in our natural state and so are equally condemned by God and deserve to die eternally.
Yet, God made promises to Abraham and those promises had the power to create faith in him and that faith is credited by God as righteousness. Abraham was justified before God because he believed the promises of God. In similar fashion, those who believe the promise of God that Christ Jesus atoned for the sin of the world are justified like Abraham, declared righteous, though they are ungodly, and that fail is also credited to us as righteousness. We who believe, (who have faith) are Abraham’s descendents, both Jew and Gentiles.
Having been justified we have peace with God through our LORD Jesus Christ. Yes, we have peace. We have a clean conscience before God because our sins have been atone for by the blood of Jesus and have been washed by that blood in the waters of baptism (water and the name of God). The Father has been reconciled to us by the blood of Jesus and no longer counts our trespasses against us. (2Cor. 5) Our relationship with the Father has been restored. We don’t need to hide like our parents did because we are no longer naked but clothed with the very righteousness of Christ Jesus.
Having a clean conscience and peace with God we have access to God’s grace in which we stand. God’s good favor allows us access to the throne of the Father. We can boldly come before him and ask for whatever we want (according to the new man/nature). We are seated with Christ in the heavenly places and are promised at the resurrection we will sit on our Father’s throne with Jesus. We need not timidly ask the Father to do for us what he has promise but with the boldness of faith place into his ears the promises he has made to us in the Word.
Finally, we boast in the hope of God’s glory. Yes, it is our hope to bear the eternal weight of God’s glory at the resurrection. (2 Cor. 4) Peter reminds us that through these very promises of Christ we are participants in the divine nature. The glory we saw in Christ’s transfiguration is to be ours as we behold him and transformed to be like him. (1 John 3) Yes, we are called to participate and share in the glory of Christ even as now we are being transformed inwardly from one glory to the next. The glory is such that Sts. Paul, Peter and John have difficulty describing it, and so therefore we do to, but boast in it because it is the work of Christ the LORD in us and for us.
Heavenly Father, you have given us exceedingly great and wondrous promises, declaring us righteous for the sake of Jesus and promising us his glory. Grant that we continue in this faith so we may receive the promised glory on the day of Christ revelation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.