Today's Devotional

Romans 5:1 (KJV)

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We often see people who are confident in their ability to play the piano well, draw well, or excel in sports. However, it is rare to find someone who says they are confident in their faith in God. Many born-again believers think, “I don’t have enough faith, so I probably won’t be able to do this by faith in God.” They assume, “If I pray more earnestly and read the Bible more, my faith will grow, and then I’ll be able to live by faith.” But when will that happen? Even a lifetime may not be enough.

Every born-again believer has already received the forgiveness of sins through faith. Though we committed many sins, we possess an incredible faith that believes all our sins were washed away by the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Romans 5:1 tells us that our walk with God is founded on being justified by faith.

To be justified by faith is an extraordinary truth. How can a person who has lied, stolen, and lived in shame become completely clean? How can one be fully freed from sin and become righteous? This is possible only through faith. No matter how defiled a person may be, they can be made clean. There is no other way but faith.

Romans 5:1 is not speaking to someone who says, “I am a sinner,” but to the one who has believed in Jesus and whose sins have been made white as snow—who has been justified. By being justified through faith, the wall of sin that once stood between us and God has been completely removed. That is why we can now have peace with God. When we boldly come before Him, God lives and works within us.

Sadly, many believers do not think this way. “The pastor must live by faith because he always prays and reads the Bible. But I’m not like that.” That is not true. From the very day we received the forgiveness of sins, God has already made it possible for every one of us to live by faith. But Satan deceives us. When he says, “You don’t have faith,” we tend to accept it. From that moment, we begin to think of ourselves as someone without faith, and we cannot take a single step by faith.

However, when we rely on God in the face of any problem, He gives hope and strength to our hearts. God works and brings about beautiful outcomes. In the process, our faith grows. When we trust God, He solves our problems. But if we think we lack faith, we worry and resort to human methods, living a life unrelated to faith. Over time, this leads us to become formal, powerless Christians who cannot step forward by faith.

When we read the Bible, we see that wherever Jesus went and whoever He met, He always spoke words of hope. When there was not enough wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, He turned water into wine. To the man who had been an invalid for 38 years, He said, “Rise, take up your bed, and walk.” To the blind man, He told him to wash in the Pool of Siloam. To Martha and Mary, He said, “Your brother will rise again.” It is tragic when people fail to accept His words, but when they receive them as they are, how amazing the works that follow!

In the church, we learn not to live according to our own thoughts or judgments, but according to God’s Word. The Bible tells us that since we have been justified by faith, we should enjoy peace with God. When we live in peace with Him, He helps us when we are afraid and even when there is conflict between husband and wife.

Even after being justified through the forgiveness of sins, many still say, “I don’t have faith,” and remain there. As they try to step forward by faith, they soon hesitate, saying, “I don’t have faith. I can’t do this by faith.” They cannot evangelize, cannot give offerings, and constantly draw back. Though God is with them, they live as if He were not.

Many believers agree with Satan’s voice. When he says, “You don’t have faith,” they assume it is true. But that is not so. We have been justified without paying anything because God justified us through the death of Jesus. Yet God does not stop there. Having justified us out of love, He walks with us in peace through that same love. He gives peace to our hearts and opens the way, supplying what we lack when we seek to preach the gospel.

“Therefore being justified by faith…” (Romans 5:1)

How amazing it is that we have been justified by believing in Jesus! Anyone who has been justified can enjoy peace with God. Do not leave even small problems unattended—simply rely on God. We are weak and may make mistakes, but that does not create a wall between God and us, because the blood Jesus shed has washed away all our sins.

If we believe according to the Word of God, He will work just as He has promised. We who have been justified only need to believe that we can enjoy peace with God. Then a life of peace with Him will follow. If we try to make peace with God through our own efforts, it will never be accomplished. In any situation, believers can have peace with God. God loves us. Because He has justified us through the blood of Jesus, we can always believe that “God is living and working in me” and step forward in faith, trusting that He helps us. Whoever lives this way becomes a powerful servant of God.