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Romans 3:26 – His Righteousness

Posted on November 25, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:26

to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Truth to Learn

God’s plan of salvation draws attention to His righteousness.

Behind the Words

The word “demonstrate” if translated from endeixis, which refers to “the act of pointing something out, especially with the finger.” Thus, it implies drawing attention to something.

The phrase “at the present time” is from en tō nun kairō, which literally means “at the now time.” In other words, “right now.”

“Righteousness” is from dikaiosunē, meaning “the characteristic of always doing what is right (see Romans 3:21).

The word “just” is from dikaios, meaning “someone who does what is right.” This word could be translated “righteous.”

“Justifier” is from dikaioō, meaning “to make someone righteous.”

Meaning Explained

At the end of the previous verse we said that the purpose of the entire plan of salvation is to glorify God. Today’s verse tells us how God will be glorified in the plan of salvation. You will recall that we said God can “pass-by” our sins because they will be “covered” by the blood of Christ.

The result of His passing-by our sins is that His righteousness is on display right now. The translation “that He might be just” is unfortunate in that it makes it appear that God might be just, but he might not. That’s not what the Greek text says. A better translation would be “resulting in His being righteous.”

You see, God cannot ignore sin, he must judge it and exact payment for it. The blood of Christ is the payment for our sins and is sprinkled as a covering over our sins. Because this payment is made, God can pass-by our sins and still be doing what is right. It means He is righteous in forgiving our sins.

Now, here’s the best part of this verse, “and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Do you see what that says? Not only is God proven to be righteous by his plan of salvation and the “passing-by” of our sins covered by the blood of Christ, but in doing so He actually is “justifying” us. That is, at the time of our salvation God declares that we are righteous (just like He is). This means that in His record book we are credited with having kept the law and never having committed a single sin. We are declared righteous!

Remember what Paul said back in verse 20? “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” We cannot become righteous by keeping the law, but we can be declared righteous by believing in the blood of Jesus Christ. God’s plan of salvation for us is a perfect plan because it provides a way for Him to judge sin and forgive the sinner. Wow! Praise be to God!

Application

These last couple of verses are very complex, but they demonstrate how perfect God’s plan of salvation really is. He has found a way to judge sin but forgive the sinner. You are a sinner. Do you believe in the blood of Jesus Christ as payment for your sins? If not, then you are a sinner who will be judged!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Romans 3:25 – Covered by The Blood

Posted on November 23, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:25

whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

Truth to Learn

God will pass by our sins covered by the blood of Christ.

Behind the Words

The words “set forth” are from the Greek word proetheto, meaning “to place in public view” or “to exhibit conspicuously.”

“Propitiation” is translated from hilastērion, meaning “to make favorably inclined, to conciliate, or to appease.” The only other use of this word in the New Testament is in Hebrews 9:5, where it is rendered “mercy seat.” The use of this word in the Septuagint most often refers to the mercy seat as well. Since the mercy seat is a covering of the Ark, where the blood was sprinkled, it refers to a covering of our sins.

The word “forbearance” is translated from anoche, which refers to “self restraint.”

“Passed over” is from paresin. This word is made up of para, meaning “beside” and a form of hiēmi, meaning “to send.” The most basic meaning of this word, therefore, is “to pass by.” This word is not used anywhere else in the entire Bible.

Meaning Explained

This is one of the most power-packed verses in the New Testament. The verse starts off with “whom,” a reference to Jesus Christ. Paul says that He was “set forth” or put on public display as “a propitiation.” As we noted above, this is the word that is used of the mercy seat, which is the covering of the Ark of the Covenant in the Jewish temple. The mercy seat is where the sacrificial blood was sprinkled once a year by the high priest to atone for (that is, to cover) the sins of the people. And this is where God was reconciled to His people on the Day of Atonement every year. Jesus Christ has become our mercy seat and His blood has atoned for (covered) our sins.

Paul is now telling us that it is through our faith in the blood of Christ that this covering of our sins occurs. And, he is telling us that the purpose of the atonement, the covering of our sins, is to declare the righteousness of God because He passes by our sins. Because He passes by these sins, He does not take them into account because they are covered by the blood of Christ.

Paul says the sins that He passes by are the sins that were previously committed. That doesn’t mean that only the sins of the people who had lived up until the Cross were covered. The point where He will “pass by” sins is at the Day of Judgment (for us, the Bema Seat Judgment). At that point in time all of our sins will have been committed in the past, and through the atoning work of the blood of Christ, He will pass by them.

So this verse is telling us that it is our faith in the blood of Christ exhibited on the cross that will allow God to pass by our sins, thus declaring His righteousness, which He credits to our account.

Application

The whole purpose of the plan of salvation is to glorify God. So let us do just that. Let us give Him the praise and the glory for it all, with thanksgiving! He is worthy.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:24 – Free Righteousness

Posted on November 23, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:24

being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Truth to Learn

Through faith in Jesus Christ we are declared to be righteous.

Behind the Words

“Being justified” is translated from dikaioō. This is based on dikaios, which as we saw in verse ten means “meeting God’s standard of always doing what is right.” The oō ending of a verb generally indicates “bringing out something about a person.” The verb is expressed here in the passive voice indicating action done to someone. So, this word means that someone is being declared righteous.

The word translated “freely” is dorean, an adverb based on the noun dorea, which refers to “a gift.” Hence, dorean means “gratuitously” or “as a free gift.”

“Grace” is translated from charis, which refers to “a favor done without expectation of anything in return.”

The word “redemption” is translated from apolutrōsis, which is a compound word made up of apo, meaning “from or away from” and a form of lutron, which means “a ransom that is paid for someone.” It denotes the rescuing of captives (sinners) from captivity (sin) through the payment of a ransom for them.

Meaning Explained

Paul now continues on his statement of justification by faith, declaring to us that even though we are all sinners and have come short of God’s glory, we can be declared righteous (justified). Since we are all sinners, we need to be redeemed. So what does this mean? The fact that Paul used apolutrōsis instead of simply lutron implies that not only was a ransom paid for us (the blood of Jesus Christ) but, having paid that ransom, He also took us away from the captor (sin).

Here’s a deeper explanation of what this verse says.

Because of the faith spoken of in verse 22, because we believed in the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, even though we are sinners, we are justified (declared righteous by God) freely (without payment on our part, simply as a gift) by God’s grace (a favor done without expectation of return; the absolutely free expression of the loving kindness of God) through the ransom that was paid for us by Jesus Christ (His blood), and we have been taken out of our captivity by sin.

Wow! Read that again!

In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul said almost the same thing in a slightly different way:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Application

Paul has shown us that there is no way we could earn the righteousness that we need to stand before Almighty God. He has also shown us that we can obtain that righteousness for free simply by believing in the blood of Christ.

If that doesn’t drive us to our knees in praise and adoration, nothing will!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:23 – Sinners All

Posted on November 22, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:23

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Truth to Learn

Every one of us has committed sin. As a result, we don’t meet God’s reputation.

Behind the Words

“All” is translated from a form of the Greek word pas, which means “all, the totality, the whole.” It does not mean generically all (all peoples) but specifically all (all people, every one).

The word translated “fall short of” is hustereō, which means “to be behind or under either in place or time.” What Paul is saying is, because of our sins we don’t have the same glory as God and, therefore, are not worthy to be in His presence.

“Glory” is translated from doxa, which primarily means “thought or opinion, especially favorable human opinion, and thus in a secondary sense it refers to reputation.”

Meaning Explained

We left the previous verse having declared that God’s righteousness is only given through faith in Jesus Christ and it is given to all who believe. It is this faith, believing whole heartedly in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross as a substitutionary payment for our sins, which causes God to declare us righteous.

But what does the phrase, “For there is no difference,” mean? In our study of the previous verse we showed that the Greek word that this is translated from is diastolē, meaning “a distinct difference.” Paul has been talking to the Jewish Christians in Rome who were still putting their hope in their righteousness obtained from obeying the Law. But Paul has shown them that there is no righteousness obtained by obeying the Law. The Law only produces sinfulness. He has shown that this sinfulness applies to all, both Jew and Gentile. All have gone out of God’s way and have become sinful by following their own path. Paul’s closing phrase in the previous verse coupled with this verse shows that he is talking about the fact that there is no difference, no distinction, between the righteousness of Jews and Gentiles.

The reason that there is no distinction between the righteousness of Jews and Gentiles is, “for all have sinned.” In other words, Paul is saying that every person on the earth (except for Jesus Christ) has committed sin and, therefore, is unrighteous. And, because each and every one of us has sinned, we fall short of God’s glory. That is, we don’t measure up to God’s reputation. You may recall that in verse ten we learned that we are all unrighteous. That is, we don’t measure up to God’s standard.

Recognizing this fact about ourselves is the first step in what has come to be called the Romans Road to Salvation. In order to be saved a person must first recognize their need for salvation and they need it because they are a sinner.

Application

According to the Apostle Paul you are a sinner, not “were a sinner” but “are a sinner.” Because of this fact you don’t measure up to God’s standard or God’s reputation; you are unrighteous. But, you can be declared righteous and measure up, through faith in Jesus Christ. You may be a sinner, but you can be saved through faith in Christ.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:22 – Through Faith

Posted on November 18, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:22

even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

Truth to Learn

You can’t earn righteousness, but you can receive it.

Behind the Words

The word translated “faith” is the Greek word pistis. This is derived from the verb peithō, which means “to persuade” or “to win over.” Therefore, pistis describes the result of having been won over or persuaded. In other words, it means “faith, conviction, or belief in a truth.”

The expression “of God” is a translation of the word Theou, which can mean either “of God” or “from God.” Hence, we can say that the righteousness that comes by faith belongs to God and He gives it to those who believe.

“Difference” is from the Greek word diastolē, which is derived from the verb diastellō, meaning “to separate” or “to set apart.” Diastolē represents the state after the action. In other words, “a distinct difference.” In 1Corinthians 14:7 this word is used to describe distinctly different sounds of a musical instrument.

Meaning Explained

The righteousness needed to stand guiltless before the Judge of the entire world cannot be obtained by obeying a set of rules, no matter how perfect those rules are and no matter how sincere we are or how hard we try. The Old Testament has declared that all of us are sinners. None of us is righteous, no not even one of us; not me, not you, not your pastor, not even the Apostle Paul. I like the way the prophet Isaiah said it:

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. (Isaiah 64:6) NIV Translation

In yesterday’s verse Paul introduced a new concept, one that isn’t really new, for it was written about in the Old Testament. Namely, it is possible to obtain the righteousness of God, but it is obtained totally apart from the Law. We can’t become righteous by obeying all the rules or by doing good deeds.

This new doctrine of “justification by faith” is now plainly declared by Paul. There is righteousness apart from the Law, “even the righteousness of God,” but this righteousness comes “through faith in Jesus Christ.” That is to say, we can’t earn the righteousness necessary to meet God’s standard of behavior, but we can receive it from God by believing in Jesus Christ.

Paul also tells us that this righteousness by faith is granted to everyone who believes. You don’t have to be born into the right family. You don’t have to be a member of a church. You don’t have to take religion classes. You don’t have to be wealthy. All you have to do is believe.

We will talk about the last phrase of this verse when we talk about the next verse, with which it rightly belongs.

Application

Do you want to stand before the Judge of the earth with the same righteousness as Jesus Christ? You can! And, you don’t have to earn it. You certainly don’t deserve it. Nonetheless, you can have that righteousness, through faith in Jesus Christ.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:21 – Righteousness Without Works

Posted on November 18, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:21

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

Truth to Learn

There is a righteousness, which the Old Testament declared, that does not result from obeying all the rules.

Behind the Words

“Righteousness” is from the Greek word dikaiosunē, a form of dikaios, which we looked at back in verse ten. Dikaios refers to “meeting God’s standard of behavior.” The sunē ending means that this is the characteristic of someone who has met that standard. That is, someone who has obtained “righteousness.”

The word translated “revealed” is phaneroō, which is derived from the verb phainō, meaning “to shine the light on” or “to cause to appear.” Therefore, phaneroō means “to make something apparent” or, as it is translated here, “to reveal.”

“Being witnessed” is translated from a form of martureō, from which we get our English word “martyr.” This word means “to be a witness.” Throughout the history of the church, during times of persecution many people have forfeited their lives because of their faith in Christ. We refer to these people as martyrs because their death was the witness of their faith.

Meaning Explained

In the last verse we said that no one is righteous before God by obeying a set of rules, period. This would have come as a major affront to any devout Jew whether they had become a Christian or not. To them, obeying the Law was how anyone became acceptable to God.

Now Paul is about to introduce the doctrine of justification by faith, but he had to show first that justification couldn’t come any other way. He says that the only true righteousness, the righteousness of God (or from God), a righteousness not resulting from obeying the Law, has already been revealed. Not only has it already been revealed but it has been witnessed to by the Law and the Prophets.

Paul is telling these Jewish Christians that their own Scriptures have testified against them and declared them all to be sinners. Also, he is telling them that the Scriptures have testified about a true type of righteousness which only comes from God.

In the next verse Paul is going to tell us that righteousness can only come by faith. He will also show that it’s not just any kind of faith and not faith in just anything.

And in the coming chapters of this letter, Paul will illustrate how the Old Testament declared and witnessed to this saving faith apart from the Law. He will use Abraham as his primary example and will show how Abraham was not justified (declared righteous) by God because he was obedient, rather he was declared righteous because he believed the message that God gave to him. Here’s one verse that Paul will quote from:

And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)

Abraham was not righteous because of any works he did. He was righteous because God declared him to be so.

Application

Do you want to stand before God as a righteous person? If so, then God must declare you to be righteous. He will only do that if you believe the truth about Jesus Christ; He is the Son of God and He died on the cross to pay for your sins.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:20 – Good Deeds

Posted on November 17, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:20

Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Truth to Learn

No one can do enough good deeds to be saved.

Behind the Words

“Therefore” is translated from the Greek word dioti, which is a compound word made up of dia, meaning “through” or “by” and hoti, which means “that.” Hence, dioti basically means “through that, because of that, or for this reason.”

The word “deeds” is from ergon which means “a product of labor, a work, or a deed.”

The word translated “flesh” is sarx, which literally means “flesh of a living creature.” It is used here to denote all of mankind, both Jew and Gentile.

“Justified” is from dikaioō, which means “to declare someone righteous” or “to make someone righteous.”

The phrase “in His sight” is translated from enōpion. This is another compound word. It is made up of en, indicating a static position (in, on, over, etc.) and ops (a derivation of optomai – to see) which refers to “sight” or “eyes.” So, literally this word means “in His sight,” though it is often translated “before Him” or “in His presence.”

The word translated “knowledge” is the Greek word epignosis, which means more than simply knowing something. It means “to recognize and understand something.”

Meaning Explained

Remember that whenever we see a “wherefore” or a “therefore” we need to see what it’s there for. In the previous verse we learned that the Law was given so that all those who tried to obey the Law would be found guilty before God without excuse. Therefore, that is, in light of this fact, because of this… “by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight.”

What Paul is saying is that justification before God cannot be obtained by obeying any set of rules no matter who made the rules. Why? Because it is through rules (Law) that we recognize sin and sinfulness.

If you recall the account of the temptation of Adam and Eve, up until God gave them the command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were without sin. If they had eaten of the tree before they were told not to, they would not have been sinning; but due to the fact that they had been commanded not to, it suddenly became sinful to do so.

What Paul is telling us in these verses is that we cannot become righteous by following any set of rules, whether God-made or man-made. How then can one become righteous before God? Is it impossible? Paul is going to begin telling us in the next two verses.

Application

Just because we can’t be declared righteous through doing good deeds doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do them. We ought to do them out of obedience and gratitude. In other words, we can’t be saved by doing good deeds, but once we are saved, we should do them because we want to, not because we have to.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:19 – Guilty!

Posted on November 16, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:19

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

Truth to Learn

None of us can live without breaking the rules, no not one.

Behind the Words

The word translated “guilty” is hupodikos, a compound word made up of hupo (hypo), meaning “under” and a form of dike, which means “judgment.” Hence, it means “under judgment, guilty, or condemned.”

Meaning Explained

Paul is talking to the Jewish Christians in Rome who were proud of the fact that they were descendents of Abraham and proud of the fact that the Law and the Prophets (the Old Testament) had been entrusted to the Jews. They were believers in Christ, but they still believed they needed to obey the Law.

Paul has just completed a number of quotations from their Scriptures which clearly show that all men are sinners; no one is righteous in God’s sight. The logical argument from a devout Jew would be that they are righteous because they obey the Law. Paul understood that attitude; he felt the same way before his conversion. Here’s what he said about himself:

I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. (Acts 22:3)

Gamaliel was a Pharisee, one of the ruling Sanhedrin, a Doctor of the Law, and honored by all the people as one of the greatest teachers of his time. So you can see that Paul was well aware of the attitude that would pervade those devout Jews even after they became Christians.

Therefore, he now shows them why their reliance on obedience to the Law is pointless. Those things that are delineated by the Law are spoken to those who try to obey the Law for one reason,

that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

In other words, Paul is saying that the purpose of the Law is to condemn all those who try to keep the Law. “But that doesn’t make sense,” you may say. “Why would God give the Law to mankind knowing that no one could keep the Law?” Paul will answer that question in the next few verses.

For now I want us all to recognize that none of us is righteous by keeping all the regulations and requirements of whatever church we belong to. Churches today have become very much like the Pharisees of Christ’s time. They imply that you have to obey all the rules and requirements of The Church, become a member, get baptized a certain way, say the right kind of prayers, or worship the proper way, and God will usher you into heaven because you’ve done the right things.

Paul says that’s baloney!

Application

Are you relying on following all the rules of your church or keeping the Ten Commandments in order to get to Heaven? If so, Paul says you’re in for a big shock when you stand before God on the Day of Judgment.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:18 – Fear God

Posted on November 15, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:18

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Truth to Learn

It is good to fear God.

Behind the Words

The word translated “fear” is the Greek word “phobos” from which we get the English term “phobia.” It means, as it has been translated, “fear” plain and simple.

“Before” is from apenanti, which is a double compound word made up of apo, meaning “from,” en, which refers to a fixed position (in, at, on, over, etc.), and anti, meaning “against” or “opposite.” A literal translation might be “from over against,” it is an idiomatic expression meaning “directly in front of.”

Meaning Explained

This verse is the last in a series of quotes that Paul makes from the Septuagint. This one comes from Psalms 36:1. Paul uses this to show a third result of rejecting God. He has already mentioned two of the results to expect when one has turned out of God’s way and has gone his(or her) own way; destruction and misery are in their pathway, and they have not known a pathway of peace. He now states the third: they don’t fear God. That is, they are not afraid of meeting up with God on the pathway they have chosen.

“But,” you may say, “I thought that God was a God of love and compassion. Why should anyone fear Him?”

Yes, He is a loving and compassionate God, but He is also a God of justice, which means that He will, because He must, judge sin. Jesus also taught that we should fear God. Here’s what he said according to Matthew’s gospel account:

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

Throughout the Old Testament we see the expression “the fear of the Lord” used to describe those who recognize His exalted position and their own lowly position. To a Christian, the fear of God is an expression of awe and reverence for who He is and what He has done. According to Scripture both knowledge and wisdom begin with the fear of the Lord:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7a)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom
(Psalms 111:10)

Those who have no fear of our almighty, righteous God are not restrained from committing sin. It also means that they won’t submit themselves to Him and they won’t receive His free gift of salvation offered at the cross. As a result, at the Great White Throne judgment (the judgment of unbelievers) they will be judged for their sins and they will be cast into the lake of fire; no ifs, ands, or buts! Throughout this entire passage Paul is saying that this is the destiny of all men who reject God’s grace. There is none righteous, no not one (not even you).

Application

If we fear God and we have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior then we know that His wrath against our sins has been satisfied at the cross. That doesn’t mean that we should fear Him any less. Rather, out of reverential fear we should humbly submit to Him, seeking His will rather than our own. Or, as Solomon said, “Fear God and keep His commandments.”

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:17 – The Peace Path

Posted on November 12, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:17

And the way of peace they have not known.”

Truth to Learn

Real peace is only experienced on God’s path.

Behind the Words

The word translated “peace” is eirēnē, which refers to “the absence of warfare and dissention.” It is also used metaphorically, as in this verse, to mean “peace of mind” or “tranquility.”

“They have not known” is translated from the two words ouk egnōsan. Ouk is the absolute negative in Greek and egnōsan is a form of ginōskō, meaning “to know.” There are several Greek words that refer to knowledge. This particular one refers to acquired or experiential knowledge as opposed to intuitive knowledge. In today’s verse it implies that the people being talked about have never experienced peace.

Meaning Explained

Paul now states another result of having turned out of God’s way and having gone down the path of one’s own choosing. We explained in yesterday’s verse that hodos refers to “a way” or “a road.” Today we think of a road like a highway where cars and trucks travel at high speed. In the first century when this epistle (letter) was written, a road was often no more than a pathway just wide enough for an animal drawn cart to pass. So when we see the word “way” in these verses, it is usually referring to a road or pathway for foot traffic.

Another thing to be aware of is the fact that the definite article is not present before hodos in the Greek text, which would lead us to translate this as “a way of peace” not “the way of peace.” In other words, there is not a single way of peace. Any path that God leads us down is potentially “a way of peace,” but the road we select for ourselves apart from God is never “a way of peace.”

Are you lacking peace in your life today? Jesus offers us a very special peace. In his gospel account, the Apostle John recorded these words of Jesus:

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

And, in his letter to the Christians at Philippi, the Apostle Paul explained how a Christian can experience this peace:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

In today’s verse, however, we see that the natural man does not know the way of real peace because he doesn’t know the Prince of Peace. As we learned in the previous verse, the unsaved person will ultimately only know the way of destruction and misery.

Application

Even in the midst of trials and tribulation on this earth, we can experience this peace “that passes all understanding” because Jesus offered it to us. In order to have such peace, however, we need to be walking down God’s road, not our own.

Are you on a path of peace today?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –